Issue 2, Vol. 50 by The Epitaph

The importance of voting, see page 6

epitaph

Race to the White House, see pages 8 and 9

Homestead shows its spirit, see page 12

Color Guard: not what you think see page 14

the HOMESTEAD HIGH SCHOOL

VOL. 50

ISSUE 2

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2012

Homestead s API score

21370 HOMESTEAD RD.

Village Green suffers second fire in one year

8 7 4

and the changes the system faces

By Morris Yang

“Life is not a bubble test and that system has failed our kids,” State Senator Darrell Steinberg said about California’s current standardized testing system. Steinberg sponsored a bill to change the current standards of Academic Performance Index (API), which is used to measure students’ proficiency in different subjects. Senate Bill (SB) 1458 also modifies the criteria of the API’s one thousand point system. To the Fremont Union High School District, the API points serve as an indicator of a school’s quality and the approach the school needs to take the following year. This year Homestead received a score of 874, which is fourth amongst the schools in the district. SB 1458 passed on the basis that it will improve the academ-

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The API Flow al

314

Continued on page 3 API score

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lic Instruction Rudy Garcia from the YMCA-sponsored Youth and Government program said the addition of free response questions is imperative if the tests were to give a better ref lection of students’ capabilities. However, the current format of the STAR tests is unlikely to change. “They are looking for something they can do that’s affordable, ” Clark said. For example, if the state were to add free response sections on the STAR tests, it would also need to hire additional test graders. The new system may also include factors that have not been quantifiably measured in the past. One of the new factors Steinberg suggested was college readiness. However, the

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ic testing. The bill emphasized not only the addition of the new elements, but also the retention of the STAR tests. Forty percent of the index will be based on new factors. STAR test results will account for the remaining 60 percent. In the past, the STAR tests’ accuracy of portraying academic ability has been questioned. The district’s Coordinator of Curriculum & Assessment Marianne Hew said, “I think it’s one test, just as I think the SAT and AP is one test. Any teacher would tell you that one test does not make or break a student’s complete understanding of a course.” The willingness of the students to take the tests was also questioned, Clark said, “There is no personal incentive on the STAR tests, so that’s a problematic system.” The Superintendent of Pub-

ric

874

Excess property taxes

State funding

Rooms: 4 bed, 2 bath Size: 1, 840 sq. ft.

Revenue litmit

Cost: $949,000 Rooms: 3 bed, 2 bath

Property taxes

Size: 1, 882 sq. ft. $/sq. ft.: $504

Property taxes: $2,379

Property taxes: $5,351

l rty

ho o

s taxes fund

Property taxes

$/sq. ft.: $73

INFOGRAPH BY LIZ METRULAS

rty

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Cost: $135,000

s taxes fund

Students react to Sojourn to the Past presentation

By Camille Miller

“My first impression when I walked in was that it was just another presentation I had to sit through,” junior Gustin Klindt recalled. On Oct. 3, Klindt, along with roughly 1,100 juniors and seniors at Homestead, participated in a Sojourn to the Past presentation in the auditorium during his social studies class. Jeff Steinberg, the executive director of the program, deliv-

ered the Sojourn to the Past presentation. The program, which focuses on anti-racism and nonviolence in regards to the civil rights movement, subsequently sparked a series of reactions from the student body. Some students reacted negatively. “He was suggesting that [the United States] had killed as many people as Hitler, during the Civil Rights Movement,” senior Lauren Sarberenyi said. “I think that attacking a racial

group for no reason is wrong, but I think the Holocaust was much different.” Senior Victoria Rod agreed. “I think his cause is awesome, but the fact that he used extreme examples turned me off from the trip.” However, other students appreciated Steinberg’s use of historical and real-life events in presenting the topic.

Continued on page 3 Sojourn presentation

DANIELLE MANGE

Avery Construction cleaning crew clears the debris, a result of the fire that occured on Oct. 7. By Danielle Mange Village Green tenants experienced fear for the second time when they heard the fire alarms again. Even though this incident was smaller than the fire that occurred on Nov. 26 2011, one apartment was completely burned down and surrounding units were affected by smoke. The fire occurred approximately at 2:25 p.m on Oct. 7. The onsite manager called 911 and described it as smoke coming from inside the apartment and she assumed it was caused by an electrical issue. According to Kendall Pearson, the Incident Commander at the site for The Santa Clara County Fire Department, the exact cause of the fire is unclear. But the source of the fire was found inside the kitchen of an upstairs apartment. “[There] was a single gentleman in the kitchen,” said Pearson, “[he] was home at the time then ran out of the apartment when the fire started.” Surrounding units were also affected by the fire. “I know a little kid who actually lived below the apartment that started the fire and all his things did burn down,” said senior Abha Sathe, a resident at Village Green. Smoke damage can also have long term implications on household items that have not

Features: Girl power on Homestead s campus SEE PAGE 10 News: What the candidates think about issues relevant to students SEE PAGE 2

Inside:

been completely destroyed by a fire. “Smoke damage is the worst because you have open windows and smoke can get to [your apartment],” said Pearson, “your leather furniture, curtains, carpeting and most of your clothes would have to be replaced.” It took the fire department a total of 30 minutes to extinguish the fire. Additional personnel spent over four hours tending to residents whose apartments had been affected by f lames or smoke. “Most people had family and friends they could stay with but one was accommodated by the Red Cross. They had a voucher system to rent hotel rooms for about a week for the family,” said Pearson. No firemen, police officers or residents that were injured during the fire. With the fire that occurred last Nov. and the one just two weeks ago, Pearson warns those who live in any type of establishment to be cautious and smart regarding fire safety. “Call early because if you have anything going on, fires can get big,” said Pearson. “Either because it’s happening in the middle of the night or people think they can take of it by using a garden hose but by the time they get go back in the fire is huge and there’s nothing they can do. It happens quite frequently.”

News Opinion In-Depth Features

1 5 8 10

Entertainment Sports The Last Word

12 13 16

PAGE DESIGN BY LIZ METRULAS

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Candidates on the issues: By Camille Miller and Leona Rajaee

Student Edition

news Determining the course of education

By Roni Stok

Barack Obama Democrat

Mitt Romney Republican

Education

Waived states from the requirements of the No Child Left Behind law; Implemented the “Race to the Top” competition which rewards states that support his education policies.

Endorses vouchers, school choice, and the federal accountability standards from the No Child Left Behind law but believes government should have less control of education.

Abortion/ Birth Control

Pro-Choice; believes women should have the right to an abortion and contraceptives should be free for women who are insured under their employers.

Pro-Life, though he previously supported abortion rights. Believes women should have access to contraceptives but the government should not have to provide them.

Gay Rights

Supports same-sex marriage, and was successful in repealing the military ban on openly gay members; has not yet achieved in repealing the Defense of Marriage Act.

Opposes same-sex marriage, wants a constitutional amendment banning it; he does not wish to reinstate the ban on openly gay military members.

Healthcare

Expanded Medicaid, which mandated insurance to almost everyone and makes sure people do not overpay insurance companies. The law prevents insurers from denying coverage to those with pre-existing illness.

Wants health care to be implemented at a state level comply with mandates. Proposes to divert money from Medicaid to funding the states. SOURCE: WWW.ONTHEISSUES.ORG

Another election to consider FUHSD Board of Trustees elections to take place By Ayse Arslan

For approximately the next two weeks, Nancy Newton, Jeff Moe and Joseph Rosas will be campaigning for one seat on the Fremont Union High School District’s Board of Trustees. The FUHSD Board of Trustees holds many responsibilities. From approving the district budget and personnel report to, hiring the superintendent and representing the cities’ interests within the school district board members have impactful roles.“We set the overarching parameters for the school district while also working to represent the district in our cities,” said Newton. Newton is an incumbent candidate running to be president of the Board... Newton has served as both the president and vice-president of the Board multiple times throughout the years. Newton’s campaign emphasizes the experience she has gained from her previous positions. “I think that this is a time that calls for my experience and the ability to look at the past and restrategies that will put us [the FUHSD] in a good place,” said Newton. Moe is currently a business executive and entrepreneur at a

The three candidates campaign on a panel at the FUHSD office on Oct. 18, where the audience was free to ask questions. software company that he founded. He has been actively involved in the district activities and volunteering in order to “strengthen bonds between parents and schools”. As a result of his service

with the community, Moe has received the “Friend of Education” award from the FUHSD. If elected, Moe said, “My priorities are to manage budgets wisely, meet the unique needs of each of

our schools, strengthen the relationship between the FUHSD and the community and ease the transition of students from Sunnyvale and Cupertino school districts to the FUHSD.” Rosas, a Homestead alumnus, is the youngest of the three candidates. Rosas admits to “not having as much experience in the community and with the Board” and as a result focuses on the “commitment to bring a unique innovative and interpersonal experience” to the district. Rosas hopes to make the FUHSD more technological in classes by digitalizing textbooks and offering online courses for credit in the FUHSD. “I want to ensure that no community [in the FUHSD] is ignored,” said Rosas, “I [also] have a hunger and desire to inspire our students to be more involved in government.” “No election affects the area more than this one,” said Newton. “It is very important because the Board determines what schools do and which classes they have and how we deal with our money in the district. Even if students can’t vote, they can help families who can to understand the election. […] It is important for them to be informed.”

PHOTO OF NEWTON COURTESY OF SUE LARSON, PHOTOS OF MOE AND ROSAS COURTESY OF CAMPAIGN WEBSITES, PHOTO OF PANEL BY AYSE ARSLAN

This Novemeber, Prop 30 and Prop 38 are attempting to raise money for education. Each proposition needs over 50 percent of the vote, but only one can pass. If neither Prop passes, our district could face another round of funding cuts. Education in California has suffered severe cuts in previous years. According to Fremont Union High School District Human Resources director, Tom Avvakumovits, if neither Proposition passes, our district stands to lose $5 million in addition to almost $7 million cut from our budget within the last three years. “This will have a devastating effect on our district – as well as upon most districts in the state. We do not have the funds to absorb these cuts without cutting programs,” Avvakumovits said. Proposition 30 was proposed by Governor Jerry Brown. Besides students, the prop affects high-earning Californians as well. If this prop passes, income taxes will increase from 10.3 percent to 12.3 percent for individuals who earn over $250,000 and couples who earn over $500,000. In addition to income taxes, the sales tax would rise by 0.25 percent for four years. James Ratti, site organizer for HHS in the Fremont Education Association, said that the California Teacher Association has supported proposition 30 but also recognizes the benalthough the way those organizations get that money is very different.” Proposition 38, drafted by civil rights attorney, Molly Munger, offers a different solution. Under this prop, income taxes will increase for twelve years. The main difference between props 30 and 38 is that the latter would tax a much greater percentage of residents using tax brackets. Highest income levels would experience a tax raise of 2.2 percent while lowest income level would experience 0.4 percent raise. Opponents of prop 38 including the California Chamber of Commerce are convinced that such a tax raise would hurt the job industry and damage small business as the state is struggling to recover from the recession. trict hope for one of the two propositions to get adopted. According to Avvakumovits, if the budget for schools is cut it would be up to the Board of Trustees to decide how to bridge the shortfall. He said, “Students would likely see larger class sizes, fewer classes to choose from, possibly fewer school days, and see the departure of many of their favorite teachers.”

news

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Dialing diﬀerently

Continued from page 1 API scores

Santa Clara receives a new area code By Sanji DeSilva

How has the new area code aﬀected homestead high school? Freshman, Luis Lazarte - “It will confuse a lot of people on what number to call.”

Sophomore, Casey Bisted - “ I think it will make it harder. If you were sick and you had to call your parents and you forgot your area code changed.”

companies to continue to have a new area code.” The new area code will not

phone numbers registered as of November 2012 will have a 669 area code. Campbell, Cupertino, Gil-

made, calls to other area codes are -

résumés, and recommendation tion rate of A-G requirements and

calls to 911, or similar numbers

Sereno, Morgan Hill, Santa Clara,

Junior, James Joyner - “ It depends. I don’t think it would change that much. In my personal opinion, an area code is a symbol of a group of people so I don’t think its going to change [very much].”

not have enough phone number code was declared to be in danger can Numbering Plan Association mine when an area code will run

Senior, Sydney Keith - “It’s just annoying and an inconvenience but other than that, it won’t really affect us.”

ber in the 408 areas will have to dial the area code as well as the phone number beginning six do not, their calls will go through a six-month grace period which will allow the calls to still go through dial ten numbers instead of seven; however the new dialing procedure must be used beginning one -

is needed. NANPA forecasted that Literature teacher, James Ratti- “Since we are in the 408 code most people are used to dialing 408. We are not used to dialing 408 [for Sunnyvale].”

Though a large percentage of numbers are not assigned the need for a new area code is detertional three digit number combi-

AP Secretary, Tricia Goulet - “I feel like the biggest effect is dialing. Initially we were worried there would be a problem with the auto-dialing, but the effect will be very little.”

lief planner for the NANPA said, “The 408 area code is running out

Continued from page 1 Sojourn presentation

and their terrorism throughout came to realize how powerful racism can be and how it has affected

erations.” Steinberg’s personal relation-

also captivated the students’ attention. “I became interested when he mentioned Elizabeth and how the trip offers a chance to meet her,” senior Juvenal Sanchez said. “He told us about what she went we don’t have to go through that… It made me want to learn more about how racism has messed up the lives of people that are still

bill does not state the method of measuring that factor. “As we go into more and more conferences, [college admission ing in a more holistic approach,” said College and Career Advisor Nicole Deatherage. The non-numeric factors in college applica-

408, one of the most prominent local area codes is preparing to share the stage. The area code is

er, it also affects a dozen colleges

“One thing in the presentation that impacted me the most was

about this issue,” she said. “It’s a perspective. You are free to dismessage without me having to gard to his audience. He noted that if there were reactions to his presentation, whether positive or Both Steinberg and teachers at Homestead understand that the topic of civil rights proves to be a complex one when presented to a high school audience. “When we discuss racism—and racism is a hard topic to discuss— racism, but we want white people to understand it without feeling berg said. Social studies teacher and department chairperson prepare them for the topics that are put forth during the presen-

command the attention of almost 400 students,” said AVID and social studies teacher Lela Milirides. Steinberg has adjusted his presentation to correspond with the suggestions and corrections from his audience. In previous presen-

a special ed student or whether ents went to college or not, are all

for the future of phone numbers.

need in order to achieve?”

that he presented on teen suicide. While Steinberg had stated that the highest suicide rate exists dent informed him that the rate is in fact highest in transgender

ASB faces a funding decrease

Steinberg said. “I changed how I presented. He educated me.” A third cause for change included a time when Steinberg listed several prominent ethnicities of the world when explaining be “colored.” After the presentation, a student apprised him that he had left out the Native American race. “Guess what I do ev-

a choice that the activist made. When a teacher from Homestead

actions that he receives, Steinberg believes in his message and is

that he chose to come out about

nized program,” he said. “Does

her and changed his word choice. Another occasion that prompted him to change his presentation was when a student approached him about the facts

By Leona Rajaee

agree with premise I bring in? No,

By Leona Rajaee

ing environments to address the tightening state budget and the ongoing achievement gap among different racial and economic groups. Hew said, “One of the big concern we have as a nation is the big achievement gap. All of our students, no matter what eth-

need to be reprogrammed. The new area code will be hard to get used to in the following

CSF Blood drive

Candide cancelled Candide.

perspective to hear.” “For me, as an instruc-

that uses a telephone number in the 408 area code, such as businesses, schools, hospitals, libraries. Landline phones, cell phones and even ISP modems will be af-

lege readiness. The State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom ize the factors of the 2016 implementation within the next few -

Homestead’s chapter of the California Scholarship Foundation hosted the annual blood drive in partnership with Stanford Blood

meet a weight requirement of 110 lbs.

By Sanji DeSilva

Even Homestead’s Associated mune to budget problems. This shortage that can be attributed a decline in ASB card sales. According to ASB Treasurer, junior Loic Maxwell the sale does not just affect one group.“ASB

help the school as a whole,” Maxwell said. Although class representatives

large part of the total ASB budget. “The classes get their initial funding from the sale of ASB cards, later increasing their funds through fundraisers such as t-shirt sales,” eseung La. In addition to ASB, there is be able to receive funding because “there are other priorities such as athletics and supplies that need The decrease in funding will unhaps with less decorations during rallies though,” La said. ALL PHOTOS AND PAGE DESIGN BY SANJI DESILVA

Thursday, October 25, 2012

news

ALL PHOTOS BY THU DAM

ALL PHOTOS BY MALIA RAMOS

m Fre

Cu p

Dates: 10/22-10/26 Overall Theme: Superheroes Senior: Superman Junior: Hulk Sophomore: Batman Freshman: Spiderman Football: TBD 10/26 v. Harker lup-

Dates: 9/24-9/28 Overall Theme: Board Games Senior: Monopoly Junior: Clue Sophomore: Candy Land Freshman: Mouse Trap Football:40-13 W v. Harker

ert in

STEVIE KOBORI

ALL PHOTOS BY JOEY LI

Dates: 10/1-10/5 Overall Theme: Cities of the World Senior: Los Angeles Junior: New York Sophomore: Las Vegas Freshmen: London Football: 46-21 L v. Fremont

SANJEEV RAGA

Homecoming Around the District By Leona Rajaee

STEVIE KOBORI

Dates: 10/8-10/12 Overall Theme: Disney Senior: Lion King Junior: Aladdin Sophomore: Peter Pan Freshman: Alice in Wonderland Football: 21-14 W v. Lynbrook

bro Lyn

ALL PHOTOS BY SANJI DESILVA

Hom

sta

a este

i ta V

Mon

Dates:10/16-10/19 Overall: Far, Far Away Senior: Land of Oz Junior: Mt. Olympus Sophomore: Wonderland Freshman: Neverland Football Game Results: 29-15 W v. Santa Clara

ILLUSTRATIONS BY RONI STOK PAGE DESIGN BY RONI STOK AND MORRIS YANG

opinion

A GROWING EPIDEMIC

epitaph STAFF

the

Alessandra Albanese

By Alessandra Albanese

Liz Metrulas

Co-Editor in Chief

Leona Rajaee

News Opinion

Destiny Jackson

Features

Matthew Chow

Entertainment/Sports

Elisa Massenzio

Entertainment/Sports

Ayse Dilara Arslan

Production Team Leona Rajaee

Business Manager

Gaia Faigon

Design/Photo Editor

Reporters Kira Polyudova

Khalil Bourgoub

Greg Schrader

Eunice Chae Sanjana DeSilva

Gabi Soleimanipour Roni Stok

Anthony Garcia

Laura Tang

Grace He

Gabriel Tecot

Emi Kamezaki

Andrew Watson

Anya Kishen

Morris Yang

Danielle Mange Camille Miller

Erin Harris

Adviser

epitaph

the

The Epitaph is a non-proﬁt publication at

THE DISSENTER THE PRESIDENT S FEAR By Morris Yang

Lack of school nurses presents an issue to public schools

Editors

Co-Editor in Chief

Thursday, October 25, 2012

A student falls and scrapes his knee in front of the library. Meanwhile, another student leaves class because she has a splitting migraine. Both end up at the oftold: “Either go home, or suck it up.” Obviously, none of the faculty members at Homestead harbor any ill will toward the students; in fact, it is in everybody’s best interest that both students and faculty are in good health. However, the person best suited to treat ill or injured students does not sit among the faculty of Homestead High School. In fact, she does not sit among the faculties of any of the individual schools in the Fremont Union High School District (FUHSD). This elusive staff member is a nurse. According to the National Association of School Nurses (NASN), “school nurses are the front line of defense and provide a critical safety net for our nation’s most fragile children.” If this is true, then where are the nurses nationwide? An NASN

press release stated that only 13 states meet the 1 to 750 studentto-school nurse ratio recommended by the Healthy People 2010 program. The FUHSD is no exception. “I’m the only nurse in the whole district,” said District Nurse Susan Lake. “There are no medical people here.” Although she has worked with the FUHSD for many years, Lake cannot recall ever having individual school nurses. “They didn’t have [a nurse] when I came. They hadn’t had a nurse for a long time, and they had even taken out the health rooms.” Lake oversees the district’s health policies, and is the main liaison between parents, schools and the medical community. “If I weren’t communicating with doctors, nobody would,” said Lake. “You need someone with a broad medical knowledge, especially when you have more and more ill students coming to school.” And ill students are coming to school. While there are some faculty members on campus that most teachers do not have a broad

medical knowledge. However, according to Lake, “Everybody in the school district has the responfall and your French teacher is and it’s her job to take care of you as best she can.” However, teachers cannot “treat” students in the typical doctor-patient sense; they are not allowed to give students any kind of medication, even an overthe-counter aspirin. But students’ personal health is not the responsibility of the teachers. Teachers are not paid to put on students’ Band-Aids or alleviate their headaches. They are paid to help students learn. In short, Homestead High School needs a nurse. Homestead High School needs a nurse, and so does Fremont High School, Lynbrook High School and Monta Vista High School. “If there’s a health problem, you can’t really [treat] it unless you know the health problem,” said Lake. The FUSHD must hire staff members who are formally medically trained, before this lack of nurses becomes an epidemic.

To me, public speaking was a death trap. The pressure to impress mounted every time I walked on stage. Embarrassment overwhelmed me if I misspoke; yet unexpected gaffes occur when orating. But practice makes perfect, and slowly I became more articulate. While my capability as a speaker grew, the contrary was happening in politics. A candidate’s public exposure through television advertising and Internet blogs affects the atmosphere of an election. However, for this year’s presidential candidates, the increased use of the Internet campaigning is making them less articulate. tial debate, President Barack Obama was the favorite to win the election, partly because of his reputation on Twitter. Obama uses his social networking platform to rally his constituents for more support. debate. The President did not fail to enumerate any of his past successes nor plans for the

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 with Education Code 48907. The staff is comprised of Homestead 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 all letters to the editor but reserves the right to edit all 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 C-106: call (408) 522-2572 or fax (408) 738-8631.

Advertising One email and you can reach nearly 2,300 students and teachers from Northern Sunnyvale to Southern Los Altos. If your target market is between ages of 14 and 18 contact The Epitaph at epitaph.ads@gmail.com and we can make it happen.

Corrections For corrections, contact the Epitaph at homestead.epitaph@ gmail.com

a grandiose tomorrow with reduced taxes and stimulated economy. When the President was asked about his plan for

The obsession Students take résumé-stacking to an extreme By Laura Tang Does high school constitute self-exploration, or loss of self? A certain phenomenon has high school culture. Students are increasingly deluded by their notions of the “perfect” college. The rose-tinted appeal of prestigious universities drives students to spend their high school careers obsessing over résumé stacking instead of exploring their genuine interests and gaining necessary life skills. achievements leave no impact on the students, so they exit high or sense of self. These four years of high school are not simply a segue into college—they are a vital stepping-stone on the path of self-discovery, just as middle, elementary, and preschool were. Focusing solely on college defeats the purpose of high school and throws four years of self-development, a transition to adulthood, down the drain. This obsession with accumulating résumé items, along with the growing market for college prep programs, makes a student’s high school career an arof what it should be, a natural

progression of self-exploration. “Students who jump through hoops for colleges miss out on developing that vital inner compass tivated adults. Some of the smartest, most successful students I’ve taught have not necessarily been A+ students… they were internally driven to pursue what they were interested in,” said English teachspeaker Lloyd Thacker said, “Stuinto a certain mold that they think colleges want. [They’re] squelching curiosity and risk-taking.” Declining admissions rates only contribute to the pressure of résumé-boosting. “Acceptance rates [for the class of 2016] dropped even more at many selective schools…In 1991, the acceptance rate for UPenn was 47 percent and this year it is down to a college admissions counselor. This can be attributed to the

symbiotic trend of academics: students set higher standards for themselves, colleges come to expect rigorous courses and academic achievements, and thus students conform to this everheightening standard. In their attempts to boost their résumés, students increase the competitiveness of admissions and worsen the situation. “Over the past several decades, academic pressure has increased…we have seen a noticeable increase in the number of students who are overwhelmed and depressed,” said guidance counselor Leslie Ogawa-Boon. Keep life in perspective and realize that the purpose of high school is much more than prenotion that the apparent prestige of one’s college ultimately determines future success. Wilson offered this gem of insight: “In this country, a degree from a prestigious school only gets you so far. What matters in the long run is who you are and what you can do.”

was simply, “It’s on a website.” The president’s sluggish response demonstrated the decline of his impromptu speaking ability over the years. Obama’s lackluster performance proved his over-reliance on the Internet to present himself. He could muster celebrities to sing for him on YouTube yet could not withstand his opponent’s words. We have reconstructed human communication in such a way that the primary method for delivering a message is a photo with a caption on social networks. Our new ways of communication have made the president’s words so weak that his only notable recent rhetoric was his UN address, in which he condemned extremist terrorism. The president’s lack of strong arguments indicates the advancements of technology may not be the best way forward. With the growing population of the social networks, we can choose to hide behind our computer screens. The words on the Internet are becoming as powerful as the most historic orators in the past. However, no one has ever said, “Tear down this wall” nor “I have a dream” on Twitter. We do not need a candidate that chats his way to victory. What we do need is a leader that will light the way forward, even under an economic crisis.

PAGE DESIGN AND ILLUSTRATIONS BY LAURA TANG

opinion

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Stick it to the man How we should change the ﬂawed election system By Elizabeth Metrulas Few

systems

are

A single vote can disrupt the balance of a candidate s chances of winning an election.

Do parents propel their children forward by hovering?

ILLUSTRATION BY RONI STOK

Learning to ﬁnd a possible balance for both parent and student By Destiny Jackson

ILLUSTRATION BY KIRA POLYUDOVA

“If someone controls you, you would not want to do it even if you know it is right.” Junior, Anson Lau

“When the helicopter parent is not there what is going to happen?” Senior, Jason Chen PAGE DESIGN BY DESTINY JACKSON

opinion

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Letters to the Editor: Homestead s voices

By Destiny Jackson

“I noticed how professional [The Epitaph] looks now. Compared to the previous years’ issues, it looks a lot more professional and I like that!“

“I wasn’t really aware of all the different choices we had and it definitely piqued my interest in all the foods that were offered.“

- Andrea Westgate math teacher

- Kathy Zhang junior ILLUSTRATION BY RONI STOK

Algebra I tutors

Last Word

From: Andrea Westgate, math teacher

From: Roger Brown History teacher

About the Algebra 1 tutors article, I was a bit concerned with perhaps being misquoted or relaying the wrong information to the reporter but that isn’t the case. I really like how it was presented.

The part I loved was the questionnaire on the back. I don’t think it was the biggest thing in the newspaper, but I think it was mostly interesting and the students really enjoyed it. It was a good draw bringing in the students, but I think the whole format is lovely on the newspaper. It is just written so well and it’s designed very fashionably.

If you ve got it, ﬂaunt it From: Tricia Goulet AP Secretary

I read parts of many articles. It looks sharp and professional and you can tell that a lot of time and effort was put into it. Laura’s article was hard to read. It was a good article but I’m hypersensitive to content because I have kids. The article was about sexual perception. It struck me as inappropriate. I loved the article about Algebra 1 tutors, and I read the article about Principal Clark. My husband read the food reviews and thought it was hard to read. It didn’t grab his attention. He was interested because it was about food.

Suggestions

From: Erin Ronan math teacher I like the newspaper. I like when they do things about higlighting things specifically going on campus. But, I always have a ton of papers left over, and they get put in the recycling bin. I feel like its really big use of paper, so I’m wondering if there is a way that we could make it electronic and students could read the newspaper online. I mean, they’re on Facebook all the time; I just hate to see so much paper being wasted.

Sports

From: Taylor Groves

I enjoyed that there were more serious articles about sports. I felt that the sports articles were more relevant and more in depth.

Food Reviews

From: Kathy Zhang My favorite article was the one about all the different cafeteria foods. I’m a student who’s always brought lunch to school so I wasn’t really aware of all the different choices we had and it definitely peaked my interest in all the foods that were offered. Maybe I’ll buy lunch from the cafeteria now sometimes. Also, the circle graphs on the last page weren’t all that accurate. I was in one of the classes that got surveyed and I felt that people probably didn’t care. I don’t think that kind of survey is useful.

likes

epistaff

INTERNET EDITION

Alessandra Albanese mspaintadventures.com

Four kids save the universe: a webcomic. Leona Rajaee elgoog.com It’s Google backwards.

Elisa Massenzio excelwithbusiness.com Online courses graphic design, writing and templates

Have any questions, comments or concerns about this issue of The Epitaph?

Type them up, and... 1. Send them to homestead.epitaph@ gmail.com OR

2. Put them in Mrs. Harris mailbox OR

3. Bring them to room C106

...and you might have your letter to the editor printed in the next issue!

Gabi Soleimanipour cracked.com Various articles and sketches of a humorous and informative nature

Sanjana DeSilva mugglenet.com Harry Potter fan site

Camille Miller ted.com Extraordinary presentations that will make you passionate about sensational topics

Eunice Chae plug.dj DJ music for strangers across the Earth

Danielle Mange supercook.com Type in ingredients to see what food to make.

ILLUSTRATION BY RONI STOK

By Destiny Jackson

Let us hear your voice

Anthony Garcia steampowered.com Downloaded games for your PC/MAC and chat with gamers Matthew Chow imslp.org Free, legal classical music downloads Grace He viki.com Dramas, movies, and music videos from all over the world PAGE DESIGN BY KIRA POLYODUVA

8 Thursday, October 25, 2012

Governor Mitt Romney was nominated by the Republican National Convention at the Tampa Bay Times Forum.

April 25 Republican National Committee declares Mitt Romney the Republican presumptive nominee.

October 11

Presidential Debates Candidates from two largest parties (Republican and Democratic) engage in a debate that often covers the most controversial issues of the time. During these debates, candidates mainly target undecided voters, who haven t yet chosen a political ideology or party to support.

to vote, you know from past events, or their past…[whether candidates] are going to do what they say, or do their own agenda,” said Eva. When the time comes, previously ineligible individuals and individuals who have chosen not to vote may seize the opportunity to “express themselves” through something as simple as a ballot.

Gillespie, who is an open lesbian, said, “I’d love to not have to move to Washington to get married. It’s surprising that in California, which is supposed to be the most liberal state, is still prejudiced.” Regardless of levels of political interest, those who are ineligible are left with little or no say in the matters they hold concern. When asked whether they thought their voice is unimportant to those who are eligible to vote, freshmen Eva Chiu and Cedric Chiu immediately replied with “Yes!” “We don’t have a voice,” freshman Tim Wagstrom said. For now, all who are ineligible are left with only a few options to express their thoughts on how the government is to be run. Out of the options, educating oneself is the best and most accessible action to take because

Homestead students face democracy By Eunice Chae

As Election Day approaches on Nov. 6, several seniors have a chance to exercise their new privilege of contributing in national issues. However, many of Homestead’s students, most of whom are ineligible to vote, view this year’s election with different levels of interest. One reason as to why some students are disinterested in voting is because voting is simply not a priority.“Honestly, as a student, I don’t have much of a whole lot of interest in the cus on current life, as in studying, family, and what not,” said Lilith Gillespie, a senior. On the other hand, some students consider voting important, even those who do not have interest in politics. “People can… get what they believe [in],” said Lucas Wilkerson, a freshman. While Wilkerson admitted he is only “a little bit” interested in the presidential election and generally not involved in politics, he believes he should be. “I do feel that whatever decisions we make do affect what’s going to happen for America,” said junior Jui Brahmapurikar. “With each president, they have new ideas and changes, so the next president will […] affect whatever happens with the economy, and America in general.” While many students attribute at least some importance to voting, some think

that the individual vote is of little worth. “Voting in majority is important but voting by yourself isn’t going to do much good because you’re just one person,” said sophomore Steve Lee. Marcus Lee, a senior who recently registered to vote, expressed a similar belief, though in a different light. “It’s important to vote because […] if you express your opinion as a unit, it adds to a larger pool,” said Marcus. “Without doing your part, you can’t complain about economic status or policies.” Likewise, government and economics teacher Catherine tance of utilizing the right to vote whenever possible. “A lot of young people don’t vote because they feel [...] they don’t know all the ins and outs,” said Jacobs, “but I argue against that, they still should exercise their right to vote, and at least go with their gut feeling.” “I think it’s better to be educated and vote,” Lee said, “it’s better to read [...] or at least understand who the candidates are and their policies stand for- and then go vote.” Whether students are interested in government or not, issues that concern voters are also relevant to students. Juan Reyes, a senior who plans to vote this election, became interested in voting largely due to his concern over matters such as MediCal, immigration, deportation, and “the future of

my kids.” Senior Ramya Idury stated concerns about unemployment, noting, “I’m only worried about

Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Paul Ryan debate back-and-forth at the Vice Presidential Debate.

ST AR

in-depth

11 7

3 3 9

3 3 5 6

7 11

6 9

17 11

11 9

U.S. states displayed with sizes in accordance to number of Electoral College electors from each state.

5 10

5 34

Who can vote:

21 10

e ce e a l e r c n t i o

October 3, 16, 22 President Barack Obama and Governor Romney go podium to podium during the three Presidential Debates. 3

November 6 Election Day

VOTE HERE

To be qualified to register for voting in California, one must be a U.S. citizen, a resident of California and 18 years of age or older on election day.

Who cannot vote:

In addition to anyone not fulfilling the requirements above, people in prison or jail, on parole, post-release community supervision and/or post-sentencing probation for a felony are not considered registered to vote. Also, people found in court to be mentally disabled are illegitimate to vote.

The Peace and Freedom Party works to take power away from the capitalist political system and is the only working class, socialist and feminist party on the California ballot. Presidential Candidate: Roseanne Barr Vice Presidential Candidate: Cindy Sheehan

3 4

12 4

Thursday, October 25, 2012

FINISH

January 20, 2013 - The President is inauguarated.

December 17

Electoral College votes for President and Vice President.

The Electoral College

The Electoral College consists of representatives who oﬃcially elect the President and Vice President. The number of electors in the Electoral College from each state is the same as that of US Senators and US Representatives from that state. In the Electoral College, the ticket that wins a majority in a state receives all the votes of that states electors.

All candidates and parties registered in CA

ILLUSTRATIONS AND PAGE DESIGN BY ALESSANDRA ALBANESE, ANTHONY GARCIA, KHALIL BOURGOUB AND MATTHEW CHOW

The American Independent Party is a religious, right-wing party that believes that God gives people the right to live how ever we want to under the right to life and liberty. Presidential Candidate: Thomas Hoeﬂing Vice Presidential Candidate: Robert Ornelas

Republican Party Presidential Candidate: Mitt Romney Vice Presidential Candidate: Paul Ryan

The Green Party calls for social reform to cut the abuse of natural resources. Presidential Candidate: Jill Stein Vice Presidential Candidate: Cheri Honkala

Left wing, right wing and in between:

Democratic Party Presidential Candidate: Barack Obama Vice Presidential Candidate: Joe Biden

The Libertarian Party believes that all individuals have the right to exercise sole dominion over their own lives, so long as they do not forcibly interfere with the equal right of others. Presidential Candidate: Gary Johnson Vice Presidential Candidate: Jim Gray

features

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Ahead of the pack

Female students take on leadership roles By Matthew Chow

A man may preside over this country, but women run this school. Just take a look at Homestead’s Associated Student Body officers and student government, where female officers occupy twice as many positions as males. In fact, it has always been female dominated, except for the class of 2013 officers, according to senior Nancy Liao, the ASB Intradistrict Council (IDC) representative. “My sophomore year, I was the only girl on the team, and that was very rare,” she said. Liao’s motivation to join leadership and other activities originated during her freshman year. “I wanted to make the most of high school because, if you think about it, it’s a free experience and you can get so much out of it without having to pay anything,” Liao said. “As I went through the school year, I found what I enjoyed more than others and naturally gravitated toward those activities.” Her involvement led to taking on leadership roles, such as presiding over Homestead’s Future Business Leaders of America club. Liao’s preferences for leadership and involvement demonstrate a difference between males and females that may have inf luenced this gender inequality. “Leadership and those kinds of things take organization and attention to detail,” said English teacher Liz Williams. “The tasks that come with [them] are things that appeal to females more than to guys. Like having to be organized, having to lead meetings, having to be at meetings in the first place or having to tell people what to do. It works along with the female gender [role], for good and bad.” This gender gap in students’ involvement on campus can also be considered “a matura-

tion thing, and that’s a major factor in why this is happening,” Liao said. Junior Lucy Yao stressed the same point. “Usually, females mature faster than males in high school,” she said. However, others have noticed f luctuations in gender roles in leadership resulting from many different stimuli. “You have to consider why people get involved in these organizations. I think people mainly get drawn in because of the people there,” said business teacher and FBLA advisor Byron Lee. “In the 1990s, [FBLA] had a lot of females as officers, and I noticed that this motivated many young males to come to meetings. Then, after those female officers graduated, the males naturally replaced them as officers, which resulted in more females coming to meetings.” Williams also compared circumstances today to those back in the twentieth century. “There were still many more girls in leadership kinds of positions, because the guys were playing sports, which girls didn’t [have as much access to] back then,” Williams said. “It was very female-run in high school because girls were willing to spend the time to be organized.” Despite the dominance of female leaders in high school, gender roles afterwards ref lect something different altogether. “If you juxtapose [what happens in] high school to what goes on in the working world, don’t you think it’s interesting that it doesn’t translate, that we don’t have as many female CEOs?” Williams said. Even though females are gradually occupying leadership roles in organizations or in the government, “the roles that really matter, such as the presidents and CEOs are still

mostly occupied by males,” Yao said. In the future, some predict that this gender inequality in the working world will even out. “Just look at Hilary Clinton, who almost ran for president in 2008,” junior Sydney Wang said. “It’s subtle for now, but there definitely will be more of a balance later on.” “There’s a certain ‘glass ceiling’ [mentality] that females supposedly can’t get over, but I think that’s starting to break,” senior Brian Zeng said. “Right now, CEOs are still mostly men, but slowly I think there are more fe-

males that rise. Part of it is just the way the world is changing. People are becoming more accepting of gender equality.” However, others disagree. “I think it’s going to stay the same,” Williams said. “It stayed the same this long and it will continue to stay the same. It’s the nature of the age and timing.”

24 females

12 males Ratio of males to females in club officer positions

95 118 males females

Ratio of males to females in leadership positions

ASB decides the fate for new clubs By Andrew Watson Ten potential clubs applied for recognition from the Associated Student Body (ASB) this year. The process of forming a club requires, among other things, finding an advisor, submitting a proposal and obtaining at least 15 signatures from students who will be members of the club. In addition, potential club members must turn in a constitution and a budget. “It was a lot of paperwork” said Lori Zhou, co-editor-inchief of recently formed club Frontier. However, the general consensus among applicants was that the entire application process is not all that difficult, as it is very well laid out by ASB. “It was pretty straightforward. ASB had good instructions,” recalled Dennis Feng. Feng was one of the founders of

Engineering Club, which is one of the clubs that is being considered for ASB recognition. “It’s not that difficult if you have dedication,” said Theresa Xu, ASB vice president and ju-

nior. This year, potential clubs include GFX Club, which focuses on graphic design and multimedia, as well as Korean Club, Engineering Club and Science

National Honor Society. On Wednesday, Oct. 24, all potential clubs were reviewed by the student body, and ASB will put the club candidates to a vote on Friday, Oct. 26.

ANTHONY GARCIA

And so the curtains close

By Alessandra Albanese Bookends mark both the beginning and the end. In a way, so does this column. It is the year-long story of a Homestead senior’s firsts and lasts, and everything in between. In short, it is a story. Of course, I am rather familiar with stories; I am firmly entrenched in Homestead’s theater department, and am a proud member of International Thespian Society Troupe #3553. This is my third and final year in Homestead’s theater program, and as such, I am currently involved in my third and final fall play. Theater has taught me many, many things. Yes, I learned how to express emotion and keep my back away from the audience. I learned how to project my voice and add inf lection to words. I learned how to tell a story without words. But theater is more than that. It’s what goes on behind the scenes: working the spotlight, running frantically from cue to cue, building sets and painting backdrops and endless memorization. It is the literal blood, sweat and tears that go into creation, and seeing that creation performed onstage is extraordinarily rewarding. Of course, like all things, theater has its downsides. There are long, long hours, enough that my parents begin to question if I ever actually come home. Occasionally, there’s chaos; in theater, things often go wrong. However, there is no story without a conf lict, no plot without an obstacle. Thespians know that better than anyone. An ordinary show is full of harried questions and frustrated exclamations: Where is the baby doll? The door just broke! Where is the sound guy? Someone tell marching band to stop practicing; we’re in the middle of a show. Where are my tights? Does anybody have an Ibuprofen? There are no monsters to face, no mountains to climb or dragons to slay. There are only the little show-to-show, day-to-day puzzles to be put together and solved as we go along. Theater tells stories, but it is a story in and of itself. It is a tiny slice of high school, which in turn is an even tinier slice of the world. In this ink and paper document, this thin, white newspaper column is a record. It is adventures and obstacles, it is first and lasts. This, and high school, is a story.

Seniors Dennis Feng and Stephen Cheng present their club idea, Engineering club, to Homestead’s student council. ILLUSTRATIONS AND PAGE DESIGN BY ANYA KISHEN

features

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Trapped by textbooks

Why our classrooms won t be updated any time soon By Liz Metrulas

Why our classroom won’t be updated any time soonThe dawn of an innovative day has arrived for academics. Chalk and blackboards are now obsolete. Today, most classrooms are equipped with high-speed Internet, touch screen whiteboards and surround sound audio systems. Most recently, some schools have begun replacing their textbooks with tablets. Considering Homestead’s proximity to the Mecca of the technology world, are tablets a possibility in the school’s foreseeable future? The largest obstacle the school would have to overcome is funding. “The tablets, from a student’s standpoint, would be wonderful because [they] don’t have to carry around a big, heavy textbook. I think there’s always an issue of equity, though,” said Connie Murray, math department chairperson. One textbook can cost between $75 and $120. An AP textbook costs about $125. 15 math subjects require 18 different textbooks and 11 science subjects require 12 different textbooks. However, English subjects only need three textbooks and history classes use six books. Last year, the departments purchased about $150,000 worth of textbooks to replace lost books and to satisfy Homestead’s increasing enrollment. Once a textbook is paid for, though, it can serve about ten years’ worth of students. Purchasing textbooks on tablets would be slightly different. First, the school would have to buy the devices, which cost anywhere between $200 and $900. The money to buy tablets would come from the school’s technology fund, which is managed by the library technology teacher, Hoang Nguyen. He exing 2400 tablets. Currently, the money is used to replace one of

a class period. Still, many teachers are excited by the possibilities that tablets offer. Science department chairperson Richard Carmona explained that a drawback of a textbook is that over time, some information is no longer accurate, such as the incorrect taxonomy information in the Biology textbooks. With a tablet, though students have access to the most updated information. Some schools have been able to take advantage of new technology. For example, Kathryn Hughes Elementary School, in San Jose, received a $500,000 grant from the Altera Foundation. The school has purchased a new computer lab, equipped each of the classrooms with SMART Board and SMART Audio systems and plan to purchase tablets for each of their students within the next two years. Kevin Keegan, principal of the school, said that the most surpris-

Textbook

Height: 10.5 inches Width: 8.5 inches Weight: 5.6 lbs. Average cost: $75-$120 Lifespan: 10 years Contents: includes one subject, an index and glossary

iPad

Height: 9.50 inches Width: 7.3 inches Weight: 1.33 libs. Average cost: $399 Lifespan: 1 year limited warranty Capabilities: wi-ﬁ, apps, e-books, 5MP camera/video and music and 25 percent of the teachers’ laptops each year. In addition, he must maintain the printers and buy toner cartridges. This year, Nguyen will replace older ceiling projectors. Once all of these costs have been met, there is just not enough money in the budget to buy the devices. Assistant principal of technologies, Don Romero, acknowledged for Homestead’s socioeconomically diverse student body. “If you can’t provide [the tablet] for a student then you can’t expect them to

get it,” he said. Another factor of tablets to consider is the cost of liability. Once a tablet is in the hands of a student “if they drop it accidentally, are you going to make them pay?” said Nguyen. Finally, the cost of the actual books is factored in. According to Nguyen, the school would most likely have to pay an annual fee per student to the textbook publisher in order to access the book online. For now it seems that textbooks are a more economical op-

tion than tablets. Hypothetically, though, let’s say money was not an issue. 2400 tablets still poses several problems. With each added function of the tablet comes more possible user error. Homestead’s two network support specialists are responsible for repairing errors. “I know that our tech team is already overworked so adding 2400 devices on top of all that is going to kill them,” said Nguyen. Romero proposed one possible solution: purchasing a cart full of tablets that teachers could use for

might be doing a book report and they’re whispering but with the SMART Audio, it’s so clear. The kids can be shy and they can present and the [other] kids can hear.” Even though Homestead hasn’t begun the shift to tablets, one of the school’s new classes is just as progressive. Math teacher, Andrea Westgate, teaches an algebra 1 class with a website called ALEKS.com. She said that the biggest advantage of the class’s format is that “a lot of times students come into algebra 1 and they can struggle with algebra 1 because [there are] prerequisite skills that they are missing. This makes sure that everybody has the prerequisite skills they need, even if it’s different from what the rest of the class needs.” At some point, transferring from textbooks to tablets may become inevitable. For now though, it is still a novel idea for the Homestead community.

Street smart: Homestead students ﬁnd alternative parking spaces By Danielle Mange By Danielle Mange

From Monday mornings to the noon lunchtime rush, arriving at some locations can become a challenge for Homestead’s student drivers as a result of surrounding because of the disadvantages that can come with parking in the designated student parking lot, severing spots on streets surrounding Homestead to avoid these crowds. Financial implications and students’ willingness to acquire a student parking lot spot. Senior Kyle Brown parks on Kennewick Drive, a street across from the student parking lot. “I was considering [getting a parking permit], but it is 30 dollars, and I really don’t want to pay to just park in a lot where my car can get scratched

up. So I’ll probably just stay in the street just to be safe.” Brown added, “It’s also super busy in the lot after school, so I really don’t want to wait to get home.” just negatively affect those who park in the student parking lot but those who park on streets such as Kennewick Drive as well. Senior Nikki Shahriyari said, “The only stead [Road] but it’s ridiculous minutes early to school you won’t get a parking spot anyway. You’d have to park really far.” Student drivers also face being late to class as a result of traf-

spaces on streets. Junior Peter Bryner said, “It’s really busy in the morning and I’m late almost every

actually e-mailed my mom because [of it].” With parking on neighborhood streets, student drivers must also take into consideration the residents that live in surrounding areas. “They are pretty much cool with it as long as you don’t mess with their house or park on their garage,” said Shahriyari, “but the worst days are garbage days because there are garbage cans everywhere. Sometimes in the [closest] spot no one would move the garbage and I would have to move them to get that spot.” Though alternative parking places have disadvantages such as being late to class, Homestead students have made compromises by parking on surrounding streets such as Kennewick Drive in order jams and permit fees.

MATTHEW CHOW

Friday afternoons after school can pose a challenge to Homestead student drivers trying to exit the student parking lot. PAGE DESIGN AND PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS BY DANIELLE MANGE

entertainment

Thursday, October 25, 2012

LEFT TO RIGHT: Cheerleaders Alison Bussey and Marina Lermant assist their team members in a back tuck pyramid during the Green and White Rally; the varsity football team is flagged for poor sportsmanship at its Friday homecoming game; Shaked Spillinger dances between her teammates Kristina Newton, Sara Hansen, Hayley Marilao, Courtney Shattock and Tasmine Hackson to a mash-up of songs from Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, Hercules and The Wizard of Oz.

Yo u w i s h y o u w e r e a Homecoming week 2012

Dressed as twins, two students screamed in the Quad with the rest of their grade. The next day, they wore tutus and bikinis over their tie-dyed shirts and they continued to chant until Thursday, when they dressed as Dorothy and the yellow brick road. On Friday, they met with other seniors in the student parking lot to cover themselves in green body paint and ribbons. The senior class won homecoming week overall, winning in musical chairs at lunch on Tuesday and the cheer-oﬀs at brunch all week. The junior varsity football team won 27-6 against Santa Clara High School at its homecoming game on Friday 19, while Varsity football won 29-15.

LEFT TO RIGHT: Junior Alison Inanoria, senior Max Lee and senior Becky Chiu race to grab table tennis balls and run back to their anticipating team members, students from their respective grades. The lunchtime activity on Wednesday’s themed Crazy Day consisted of a table tennis ball-and-spoon relay.

BOTTOM RIGHT: The egg-andspoon race resulted in a few broken eggs, which had thankfully been hard-boiled beforehand. Freshman Isabella Jones, dressed in a “My name is Isabella” shirt for Tuesday’s Twin Day, concentrates on balancing her egg as she races juniors Kevin Nguyen and Julia Verbrugge, who shouts, “I’m going, Nathan!” ABOVE: The Homecoming court, which consists of seniors who were nominated by teachers and elected by fellow seniors, laughs in the quad on Friday after school. Left to right: Chris Rodriguez, Leona Rajaee, Jaemi Nakamatsu, Caitlin Wong, Nancy Liao, Ron Yehoshua, Steven Kobori, Chris O’Connor (not pictured: Leila Miller, Diveesh Singh). RIGHT: Princess Caitlin Wong hugs her partner after teacher Richard Carmona announces she is being crowned as Homecoming Queen at the Green and White Rally.

ALL PHOTOS BY SANJANA DESILVA AND ELISA MASSENZIO, PAGE DESIGN AND ALL PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS BY ELISA MASSENZIO

sports

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Male and female athletes look at salaries

Field hockey controversy calls CCS bylaws into question

By Emi Kamezaki

Suraj Sharma, age seventeen, risked “social suicide” to hockey team last year. “This is my passion. This is what I want to do, so it doesn’t really matter what they think,” Sharma said. With this mindset, he tried team, as there is no male counterpart. However, he was excluded from participating

question. “[Appealing to the district] wouldn’t become anything,” said Sharma, who was a senior at

hockey team, which create an overall equal number of participation opportunities for each sex. Yet the school’s reasoning did not change the impact on Sharma. “I was just a little bit mad because I knew that I could really help the team.” Sharma intended to use his experience in higher level club

[was resolved] I would already be out of high school.” CCS adopted these bylaws in response to the Education “Title IX, a parity of a program,” which expresses the necessity of

“This is my passion. This is what I want to do, so it doesn’t matter what they think.” - Suraj Sharma

hockey team due to his sex, bringing attention to controversial CCS regulations. Paula Weismann, a director of Homestead’s athletics department, approached Sharma during the

the 2011 season to inform him of the CCS bylaws that prevented his taking part in the sport. Sharma was “disheartened,” but after discussing the issue further, decided the best course of action would be to assume the position of assistant coach for the varsity team. Over the past year, he has pursued his passion for coaching rather than appealing to the Fremont Union High School

equivalence between the sexes in public school athletics. “It means your program can’t be lopsided, and we have a lot of parity here. There are some schools, like private schools, that maybe have ten boys sports and two girls sports,” said Weismann. Homestead’s athletic program balances the boy’s

teams to help develop HomeWhile coaching has been a positive growing experience for him, it cannot compare to the teaching that can be done through side-by-side playing. “As a coach I would bring [experience], but now I can’t im-

By Gabriel Tecot

On therichest.org’s 2012 list of the World’s Highest-Paid Athletes, there are 50 athletes, one of which is a woman. In 2009, the top 10 male athletes collectively earned 364.5 million more than the collective income of the top 10 female athletes, grossing about four times the income. However, in the London 2012 Olympics, 48 percent of the competitors were women, with women outnumbering men on the U.S. team. According to the Women’s Sports Foundation, there has been a 904 percent increase of female participation in high school sports, and a 456 percent increase in female collegiate participation in the wake of Title IX. While females are hardly a minority in the sporting world, they make exponentially less than their male colleagues. An attempt to explain the discrepancy in pay grade by stating that female leagues are

The CCS bylaws, though intended to ensure athletic equality, may leave certain students excluded from their preferred sport. For example, a female student would not be permitted to participate on Homestead’s football team, bringing into question the focus on quantity of teams, rather than complete inclusion. “I feel like if we don’t offer the same sport for boys and girls, they should have the opportunity to try out for the team of the opposite sex. […] people fall in love with the sport, more so than the season,” said Adena Glincher, senior and captain of team. Julie Kring, varsity omore, agrees, “The fact that he isn’t allowed to play a sport - that in the club world is co-ed - is completely sexist. Athleticism is for everyone, and sports are meant to celebrate the determination and passion in

male sports in terms of spectators and sponsorships, but whether that fact warrants four times the income is dubious. Some may explain the monetary rewards for being a male athlete in this age as backlash against Title IX failing to represent male athletic interests, despite the title’s use of gender neutral language. It refers to it’s subject as “the underrepresented sex”, which may easily apply to males under the correct circumstances. In fact, though both men’s and women’s teams have seen cuts in the past, both sexes have seen an increase in opportunity since the Education Amendments of 1972.

needs to be changed.” While the sport currently does not spark enough interest for this to become a recurring problem, Sharma anticipates increased popularity in the future. However, current CCS regulations may restrict future ey players from pursuing their athletic interests. Despite Sharma’s struggles last year, he will continue to asteam and to pursue his passion for coaching. I wish I could go out there and [play], but at the same time its an amazing feeling to see them succeed and seeing them respond positively to what at I’m telling them.”

CCS rules Article 30.300.B.(3) says that the quantity of teams provided by each sex deﬁnes the equality of a school s athletic program. If the quantity of opportunities is equal, a male athlete will not be permitted to qualify for a female team.

ILLUSTRATION BY EUNICE CHAE

The top ten best-paid male athletes compared to female athletes M ic A te na I nn va is no v

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DATA COMPILED BY FORBES MAGAZINE

PAGE DESIGN BY EMI KAMEZAKI

sports

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Color guard - it s not just song and dance By Gabi Soleimanipour

In the hands of the thirty-three members of Color Guard, the -

Ferrell attributed one rea-

Color Guard is divided into -

it varies from member to member,

stead for seven years, said that

members of the Color Guard team -

ALL PHOTOS: Color Guard practices its new show, called “Poseidon’s Dream.” This new show features the Guard members running through the Marching Band in an imitation of ocean waves.

ALL PHOTOS GABI SOLEIMANIPOUR

Wrestling team welcomes new coaches By Grace He

ily suited for everyone, but for -

PAGE DESIGN BY AYSE D ILARA ARSLAN AND GABI SOLEIMANIPOUR

sports

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Team bonding

Athletes talk about their seasons so far

“ Football is the only sport that your parents and teachers go out and cheer

to hit another kid.”

for you

- Matthew Maitz (10), JV Football

Over the season, we as a team bonded during “practice, considering we were together for about

three hours a day. The most

memorable moment for me this season, [was] the game against our rivals, Fremont, because the JV team

”

won and [...] I scored my first touchdown. - Ori Belson (10), JV Football

“ It s been really easy to connect with everyone

because we don t worry about the age so much; we all just love to play volleyball so - Emily Reed (12), Cross Country it s easy.

“

”

It was hard to adjust to the completely new team but

we all have been working very hard together. Our coach even put us in a room

together

to talk and

put away some of our differences to play as a team, now our team

”

is passing the ball b et ter and working a lot better as a team.

“

- Nikolas Gregov (12), Varsity Water Polo

My most memorable moment during the season was the second Gunn game, the one that I was going to play the ﬁrst game all by myself. That was very scary, but the girls helped to calm me down andinto assured me of a very good game. I felt so much better going that game knowing that the girls

”

Friday, October 26 V GWP Lincoln Varsity Tourney V FB vs. Mountain View @ Mountain View 3:15 p.m. BWP Ron Freeman Memorial Saturday, October 27 V GVB Spikefest 2 V GWP Lincoln Varsity Tourney BWP Ron Freeman Memorial Tuesday, October 30 CC DAL League Finals @ Crystal Springs 2:00 p.m. V GT SCVAL El Camino League Finals Tournament V FH vs. Westmont @ Westmont 4:15 p.m. JV FH vs. Westmont @ Westmont 5:30 p.m. Saturday, October 31 V GT SCVAL El Camino League Finals Tournament Thursday, November 1 JV GVB vs. Monta Vista @ Homestead 5:30 p.m. V GVB vs. Monta Vista @ Homestead 6:45 p.m. V FH vs. Sobrato @ Homestead 4:15 p.m. JV FH vs. Sobrato @ Homestead 5:30 p.m. Friday, November 2 JV FB vs. Wilcox @ Wilcox 5:00 p.m. V FB vs. Wilcox @ Wilcox 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, November 6 GT CCS Playoﬀs Begin Friday, November 8 FH CCS Playoﬀs Begin Friday, November 9 JV FB vs. Milipitas @ Milipitas 5:00 p.m. V FB vs. Milipitas @ Milipitas 7:30 p.m. Saturday, November 10 CC CCS Championships @ Toro Park, Salinas Saturday, November 24 State Meet @ Woodward Park, Fresno

had my back.

- Ahna Connolly (9), JV Water Polo

“ The sportsmanship that everyone exhibits before and after every race is incredible and it feels like every-

against the course instead of against everyone else.” one [is]

- Matthew Ferrari (12), Cross Country

All Fall season sports have ended

KEY:

JV - Junior Varsity BWP -Boys Water Polo FB - Football GT - Girls Tennis CC - Cross Country

V - Varsity GWP - Girls Water Polo FH - Field Hockey GVB - Girls Volleyball PAGE DESIGN BY GREG SCHRADER

the last word

Thursday, October 25, 2012

LOCKER D UP T h e m os t un e x p e c te d possesions fo und in lockers

Moldy food A p la st e n o s ic

e ho e m o S es s A do Ba e ls l

f l o s n a Full c stacked s o d a , to p o f up onother ea ch

How many can f it into a locker *? *Small aca demic

- li

A note to all students: Currently, all of Homestead s academic lockers are taken. If you have a locker and aren t using it, please tell Judy Herrera in the A-building, so those who need lockers can have them. The administration is working to fix the few lockers that don t open.

locker s, 230 0in

341 Epitaphs n

2896 Inkjoy pens

9 Freshman literature books 851 Expo markers

11 Large Kleenex boxes

135 Scientific calculators PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS BY ELISA MASSENZIO, PHOTOS BY GAIA FAIGON AND PAGE DESIGN BY GAIA FAIGON