Issue 4, Vol. 50 by The Epitaph

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HOMESTEAD HIGH SCHOOL

VOL. 50

ISSUE 4

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2012

21370 HOMESTEAD RD. CUPERTINO, CA

Homestead introduces new test forms

By Anthony Garcia

ABOVE: Assistant principal Don Romero prepares to leave his office in the A building and supervise students at lunch during one of his final weeks at Homestead.

Romero to retire from HHS By Leona Rajaee

Assistant principal (AP) Don Romero is preparing to retire from Homestead at the end of this semester after working in the district for 39 years. Romero started working at Homestead as a science teacher in 1973. Eventually, he joined Homestead’s administrative team. Romero credits his experience as a teacher for his strengths as an administrator. “The classroom is where the real magic

Homestead prepares for WASC

By Matthew Chow

In preparation for Homestead’s Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) accreditation next year, faculty members have gathered information, put together reports of the school and recognized what steps can be taken to improve Homestead in the upcoming years. WASC is the organization responsible for periodically accrediting public and private schools by confirming that the schools are achieving

Girls volleyball qualifies for CIF, see page 11

happens. That experience gave me better insight,” Romero said. Throughout his tenure, he has also been a coach and continues to have a large presence in Homestead’s athletics as the Athletics, Technology, and Facilities AP. “Mr. Romero was my dad’s baseball coach when he attended high school, and even though I’ve only been at Homestead for a semester, I am really sad to see Mr. Romero go,” said freshman Erika Yasuda. Reactions from students who are more familiar with Mr. Romero were similar. “Mr.

Romero has supported Homestead for a very long time; he is really a stabilizing force at our school,” said Associated Student Body president senior Stevie Kobori. “I feel privileged to have worked at Homestead, the staff, students, parents, and community are what really have made Homestead such a great place to work,” Romero said. “An educational is no place to be somebody; it’s a place to make somebody.”

educational goals with sufficient resources and programs. “Through the WASC process, we can understand what’s going on and form action plans to make the school better,” said Greg Giglio, future principal of Homestead. The WASC report is split into five chapters and covers virtually every aspect of the school. Chapter four, the largest chapter, includes the bulk of the information and is coordinated by social studies teacher Marc Gonzales. “Chapter four is split into five sections: organization, curriculum, instruction

ABOVE: One aspect of the WASC accredidation process includes addressing Continued on page 2, areas of need in order to set WASC future goals for Homestead.

Features: What it s really like to be a mascot SEE PAGE 8 News: Special speaker visits local community college SEE PAGE 3

Recently, some Homestead classes have implemented the use of new test-taking forms in place of the current scantrons. The new system uses a website called GradeCam. Teachers find and print answer sheets from the website on 8.5 in. x 11 in. paper using a printer. The forms consist of no more than one hundred questions and space for students’ ID numbers. The idea to use these new test-taking forms came from computer science teacher, John Shelby. He was inspired by teachers at Palo Alto High School that were implementing the program at their school. However, Homestead’s new test forms are not as cost-effective as they seem. Shelby shared that the new test-taking system that has

been implemented in most of the science department actually costs two dollars per student for them to be allowed access to use the program. This adds up to a total of four thousand dollars for the whole school to use the test-taking forms per year. The program is now also

Continued on page 3, New test forms

ABOVE: A student takes a test on the “new scantron.”

ABOVE: Homestead’s athletes participate in the human table game. Homestead placed first in this event.

Mustangs win silver By Laura Tang

This past Friday, Dec. 7, Homestead High School competed in the annual IDC Fantastics rally for the second time in school history. IDC (Inter-District Competition) Fantastics is held between the five schools in FUHSD—Monta Vista High School, Fremont High School, Cupertino High School, Lynbrook High School and Homestead High School. Homestead placed second in a close contest against Monta Vista, with Lynbrook following

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in third. The competition opened with an a capella rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” by the Bay Area all-male singing group, the Ritards. Then the rally kicked off with the first event, the mascot race, followed by the six-legged relay, jump rope race, sack race, team spelling competition, and the human table. Schools garnered spirit and kept the liveliness going during

Continued on page 3, IDC Fantastics

1 5 8 10

Entertainment 12 Sports 14 The Last Word 16 PAGE DESIGN BY LEONA RA JAEE

news

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Continued from page 1 WASC

assignment and student support,” Gonzales said. “I’m in charge of making sure the whole report is cohesive.” In the process of putting together this report, Homestead staff members have recognized strong and weak parts of the school. “We are an extremely fantastic school, as you can see through our clubs, students and classes,” Gonzales said. “However, this WASC accreditation process has also showed us what we’re lacking in and need to improve upon.” To implement changes in the school’s operations, chapter five of the report, the action plan, sets goals for the school to accomplish in the next few years. “It’s not a necessary goal for everything to change,” said English teacher Lisa Clausnitzer, who coordinated Homestead’s last WASC accreditation process in 2007. “There is a balance between changing too little and too much. We set attainable goals for each department to achieve.” One goal we have [for the next few years] is preparing all students for post-highschool,” Gonzales said. “We look at how many students are finishing A-G requirements for graduation and for UC and CSU schools.” Next, faculty members have to “align standards and make sure we’re teaching the essential things in each curriculum,” Gonzales said. “We’ve done a good job as far as shifting how teachers think they should work,” Clausnitzer said. “The last WASC process educated teachers to work together to create uniform curriculum guides.” This allowed courses taught by multiple teachers to maintain congruity in lesson plans and common assessments. “The most important thing is to make sure we’re engaging all students,” Gonzales said. “If students feel bored, we have to make them not bored and make them feel like they want to be here.”

It s not just about fashion

News in brief Farewell Graham Clark

By Grace He

KIRA POLYUDOVA

ABOVE: Freshmen Archita Birla and Anchita Birla use the girls’ locker room to try on dresses before purchasing them. By Kira Polyudova For the first time, Homestead’s Fashion Club held a winter formal clothing exchange in Homestead’s student center, on Friday, Dec. 7. Admission was free for those who donated a dress. For those who didn’t, a five dollar admission fee was collected. The event marks a shift in Fashion Club as it aims to become more community oriented. For many students, the clothing exchange helped alleviate some of the pressures associated with dress and tuxedo shopping. For freshman Yulya Strashkina, “[buying a dress] is a last minute thing because we are too busy with school and other activities.” Junior Danielle Sigura, who bought a dress at the event, thought the idea was, “really innovative and clever, since all students stress out about what to wear.” Though the event was open

to both males and females, all of the attendees were female. According to the activities directior of the club, senior Daniel Vainish, “[men] appreciate the club but they don’t have the time. Fashion is stereotypically for women. It’s unfortunate because men also care about their clothing too.” Junior Michael Shaibel said, “the reason why not many guys join fashion club is because we can’t design clothes. Many guys just don’t think it’s manly.” Though attendance was not as high as the officers expected, the club feels that the event was successful and plans to continue the exchange for future formal dances. Strashkina believes they should continue the event as well. “Maybe not a lot of people knew about it this time, but they should do it next year.” “I would expect more it become more popular in the future,” she added.

bid farewell to Principal Graham Clark at the end of this semester. Since 2004, Clark has served as principal for Homestead High School. Before joining Homestead’s staff, Clark was once a math and business teacher at Fremont High School in 1997. After becoming assistant principal at Cupertino High School in 2001, Clark was reassigned back to Fremont High School as assistant principal for two years. Clark will be replaced by Greg Giglio, current principal of Village High School in Pleasanton. Giglio previously served as vice principal of Amador Valley High School, as an English teacher at Amador Valley and Berkeley High Schools and was put through a one month selection process before ultimately being chosen to be Homestead’s next principal. Homestead’s next principal on Jan. 7, 2013.

Winter Wonder Rally recap By Grace He

Last Friday, Homestead hosted its annual Winter Wonder Rally in the large gym. This year, the rally commissioners added new elements to the event. One addition was a DJ in order “add more pep,” according to senior and rally commissioner Bianca Miguel. Additionally, Homestead’s Latino Student Union (LSU) performed a dance routine which incorporated many different types of dance. The canned food drive winner, Chris Nafrada, was announced at the rally. He and his class won a trophy and a pizza party. The current class rankings were also announced, with the freshman and juniors with 50 points each, the sophomores with 100 points and the seniors in the lead with 300 points. If students wish to perform in future rallies, please contact the rally commissioners Miguel and senior Meghna Rao at beemigs@aol.com or at meghna.rao95@yahoo.com.

Winter formal bid sale update By Grace He

On Jan. 11, 2013, Homestead will host their annual winter formal dance at the Del Monte building in Sunnyvale from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. This year’s winter formal bid sales have been lower than previous years. Despite this, the junior and senior class officers remain opti-

mistic about the rest of the sales. “A lot of people buy their bids toward the end of the sales period because this is a hectic time of the year,” said senior class president, Kevin Tom. Bid sales have been extended to Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013, the week students come back from mid-year break.

Sunnyvale plans for new library branch

EUNICE CHAE

ABOVE: A playground at Raynor Activity Center, a property that could be sold in order to build the branch library. By Eunice Chae The City of Sunnyvale is planning to build a new library at Lakewood Elementary School, located in Lakewood Village. This new location will replace the closed Lakewood Pool. The predicted construction completion year is 2015. “[The idea has] been around

for a long time, but it didn’t really come forward until [there was] serious discussion,” said Tony Spitaleri, mayor of Sunnyvale. The branch library is to serve the northern end of Sunnyvale, whose residents must travel farther than South Sunnyvale residents to make a trip to any library.

“One of the things we [city staff] realized is that even if we build a spanking brand new [main] library, right where the main library exists now,” said Robert Walker, assistant city manager of Sunnyvale, “you’re going to have a lot of people in that Lakewood Village neighborhood who aren’t going to come down here to go to that library.” The age demographics of Lakewood also gave an essential reason for the City to pursue a branch library. Lakewood Village contains a high density of both youth and senior, two groups that can greatly benefit from a library but are also the most restricted groups in terms of getting to a library. The branch library will be 12,500 square feet- about 21 percent of Sunnyvale’s main, but undersized library of 60,000 feet. However, “The whole idea behind the branch is not a mini-main library; it

does different things,” said Lisa Rosenblum, Sunnyvale Public Library’s department director. “All of our focus on research will stay with our main library […This is] more of a community library.” It will also be possible to transfer books from the main library to the branch. Project funding is to come from the sale of Raynor Activity Center, a number of old, school buildings bought years ago from Santa Clara Unified District. Revenue from selling Raynor Activity Center will fund the construction of the branch, which will cost about 11.6 million dollars. The operating costs of the branch, 250 to 350 thousand dollars a year, will come from the City’s 20 -year financial plan. After the Raynor Activity Center is sold, the City Council plans to open up the branch library concept to public input in meetings held around northern Sunnyvale. From there, the City

Council hopes to land an agreement with the Sunnyvale School Board to build the branch on top of where the closed pool currently stands. After design of the branch is consequently, construction will follow. Many residents living right by Lakewood Elementary did not have knowledge of the concept to build a library. Pamela Cheng, principal of the school, learned of the idea last spring. “I think a branch library would benefit Lakewood’s community members greatly,” said Cheng, “Access to these types of family programs, story hours, facilities and support for research and computer literacy would be invaluable to our community.” One Lakewood Elementary fifth grader offered up her reason for preferring a pool over a library: “You could do a biography project, or you could just read for fun in a quiet place where you can’t be disturbed,” she said. PAGE DESIGN BY GRACE HE AND EUNICE CHAE

news

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Guess who came to town?

Former Pres. Bill Clinton spoke at De Anza

ABOVE: Former President Bill Clinton delivered a one-hour

lecture about the future of the country at De Anza College last Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. By Liz Metrulas A group of 100 people stood outside De Anza’s Flint Center for three hours on the night of Friday, Dec. 7. They were not eagerly awaiting the arrival of the latest boy band. Instead, they were anticipating former President Bill Clinton’s speech. On Friday night, Clinton spoke for the third, and final, night of this month’s installment of the Celebrity Forum Speaker Series. Richard Hening founded

Continued from page 1 IDC Fantastics breaks in between competitions by providing spectators with their own entertainment. Fremont’s dance team, the Featherettes, executed a jazz routine; Lynbrook High School showcased its soloist singer Gautum Nair; Monta Vista’s Bhangra team performed; finally, Homestead’s drum line played. Memorable moments included the mascots from each school slow dancing together in an improvised moment of bonding. The climax of the evening was the human table competition, in which teams of four players from each school were arranged in square formations. This event required concentration, endurance, and teamwork—one weak link would determine the fate. The Homestead team prac-

the program in 1967. Since then, celebrities such as George W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, Jane Goodall and Walter Cronkite have participated. Today, one celebrity speaks per month for seven months a year. Homestead students were a scarce addition to the crowd, though. Tickets to the event were not easily accessible for high school students. One reason is because people must purchase tickets for the entire series of speakers at the beginning of the season

ticed consistently for this event and was prepared to compete. While Fremont, Lynbrook, and Cupertino started sinking a few minutes in, Homestead and Monta Vista were at ease. Tension mounted when Homestead and Monta Vista were the only two left standing. Homestead took the human table victory when Monta Vista crumpled after seven minutes. The four Homestead human table athletes succeeded by keeping their cool and focus. “I simply let my head hang and tried not to worry about it all,” said senior Yehoshua. Added sophomore Noa Yakir, “I just came with the right mindset and I made sure my team was on the same page. We stayed relaxed and had great communication with each other.” At last year’s IDC Fantastics rally, Homestead placed fourth,

for 300 dollars. Literature teacher, Susan Wilson, who attended the speech last Thursday, said the cost is the primary reason students do not buy tickets. However, cheaper single tickets are not an option. “In 44 and a half years, we have never sold an [individual] ticket,” said Henning. Additionally, few students knew Clinton would be participating because they have not heard the speaker series. Henning said he rarely promotes the program because the series is so popular among those who are aware of it. Returning customers purchased 97 percent of this year’s tickets. Despite a high school student’s inability to pay, Henning has received positive reviews from teenagers. He said, “They love the program, once they’re forced to get there. They wouldn’t put out the $300 to go, there’s no way that’s going to happen. But once they get there, they love it.”

Continued from page 1 New test forms charging a service fee, with a 60-dollar free trial, for teachers who are using the program, and this has a impact on whether or not the school would be willing to fund this alternative test-taking system. The new system uses a website called GradeCam. Teachers find and print answer sheets from the website on 8.5 in. x 11 in. paper using a printer. The forms consist of no more than one hundred questions and space for students’ ID numbers. When the tests are ready to be graded, teachers log onto the website with a password provided for them, and scan the tests with a camera. Pictures must be taken with a high- resolution camera, such as a document camera. The pictures are then transferred to a computer where they are graded, with the students’ scores displayed on the monitor. The program also links the questions to California State Standards (CSS), and connects data to see if students understand new standards. Teachers have positive reactions toward these new testtaking forms, and they feel they are a huge improvement cam-

pared to the standard scantrons. “The scantron machines are not sophisticated [compared to] GradeCam,” Shelby said. According to science teacher Christina Schramm, “[The program] allows teachers to look at data and figure out what students know very well and what they need help understanding.” She added, “Not only do I get to see what students got wrong, but this lets me know when to move on from a topic, and what topics should I [better] teach.” Schramm also noted that “Scantrons only tell how well students did on a test […]; this program tells how well a student did, the department [overall], and what the understandings of the students are.” Shelby shared a similar reaction. “Overall, I definitely feel like there is a big positive reaction from teachers, and in terms of functionality, there has been super positive feedback,” said Shelby. Students have also showed positive reactions toward the new test-taking forms. Sophomore Brooks Diwi said he like the new forms because “the bubbles are easier to fill in, and I like the extra space at the bottom to be able to use for scratch paper.”

A camera takes a picture of the test, then uploads it to the computer and compares the test to the key in order to grade the test. LEFT:

ALL PHOTOS BY LIZ METRULAS

The audience of 2400 people leave the Flint Center after Clinton’s speech. ABOVE:

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ANTHONY GARCIA

with an observed lack of spirit compared to the other schools. This year marked a significant improvement. Spirit was high throughout the entire competition and clearly intensified as the rally went on. Homestead improvised numerous new cheers, strengthened by the enthusiasm of the Scream Team and mascot. Homestead’s remarkable turnout and enthusiasm this year surprised everyone. “The school spirit and enthusiasm were so contagious; it was almost impossible not to get pumped up and excited,” observed sophomore athlete Hilary Lai. “I think we were all blown away by how much Homestead was on top of its game,” said Fremont junior Raj Bhargav. Scott Shi, a junior from Monta Vista, agreed, “Typically Monta Vista wins rallies by a huge sweep but this time we weren’t so sure because Homestead was winning so often.” Homestead IDC Representatives Nancy Liao and Alison Taka-

hashi agreed. “You really want to show off your school and that’s why it was so successful,” said junior Takahashi. “I think the other schools underestimated our heart and spirit, which we definitely showed them.” Nancy Liao, senior, said, “I had seen the countless hours, the bruises, and the effort that our incredibly dedicated athletes had put into preparing for Fantastics. I was extremely impressed by the school spirit every one of our students had.” Indeed, it was difficult to tell whether Homestead would trump Monta Vista, and the

second place standing proved Homestead’s outstanding increase in spirit. The scores, which are yet to be released, were incredibly close and all came down to the human table competition at the very end, according to Monta Vista IDC Advisor Mr. White. Homestead’s stellar performance at Fantastics united the athletes and spectators alike and set a noteworthy precedent for next year’s rally, where Homestead may very likely come out on top.

count your

Thursday, December 13, 2012

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Editors

Co-Editor in Chief

Alessandra Albanese

Co-Editor in Chief

Liz Metrulas Leona Rajaee

News

Destiny Jackson

Opinion Features

Matthew Chow

Entertainment/Sports

Elisa Massenzio

Entertainment/Sports

Ayse Dilara Arslan

By Morris Yang

What students should appreciate What is there to be thankful for?

Leona Rajaee Gaia Faigon

Design/Photo Editor

Reporters Khalil Bourgoub

Kira Polyudova

Sanjana DeSilva

Gabi Soleimanipour Roni Stok

Anthony Garcia

Laura Tang

Grace He

Gabriel Tecot

Emi Kamezaki Anya Kishen

HHS

Greg Schrader

Eunice Chae

Andrew Watson

Danielle Mange

Morris Yang

Camille Miller Adviser

Erin Harris

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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 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

The smell of finals is in the air. Winter break is only five school days away. With the end of the year waiting around the corner, it’s time to ref lect on the things we are thankful for. We should be most grateful for the many opportunities Homestead offers us students. First of all, we have lockers. Anyone can put anything into a locker at any time to get rid of excess weight or just keep their possessions safe. Lockers are the small things in life that we sometimes forget to appreciate because they’re constantly there. Unfortunately, Piedmont Hills High School students, in San Jose, have not shared the same luxury since 2008. The accessibility of student resources is something else to be thankful for. For example,

we can read books, use computers and do homework in the library any time we chose to. Also, guidance counselors and school psychologists are available to meet with nearly any

ate how fortunate we are that our extracurricular activities receive sufficient funding. Programs like sports teams, clubs, student publications, marching band and student government receive money without impacting other school functions. In Fairfield, though, the opposite is true. Last year, the school board considered cutting funding for all sports teams and other programs to save $450,000. In response, Fairfield teachers donated two days’ worth of pay in order to continue funding extracurricular activities. We are incredibly lucky to attend this school, whose opportunities give us students an advantage. So don’t be afraid to show Homestead how thankful you are to be here. After all, high school could be much worse.

WRITTEN BY THE EDITORIAL BOARD time of the day. Neither of these privileges is available at some other schools. Due to lack of funds, Evergreen Valley High School, in San Jose, delegates small chunks of time each week wherein students may meet with counselors or go to the library. Finally, we should appreci-

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.

Seniors, don t fear the SSR By Danielle Mange

The Secondary School Report (SSR), which is mandaC-106: tory for most private schools, call (408) 522-2572 or consists of an application and fax (408) 738-8631. written letter by a counselor or administrator. It contains information from a student’s brag sheet, Parent QuestionCorrections naire and “Mustang Resume.” According to an article written Entertainment/sports by The Princeton Review, the editor Ayse Dilara Arslan SSR falls under one of the most was not credited in unfamiliar terms in the college Shoutouts on page 15 application process. Although misunderstood, students should not fear the SSR or what will be Advertising written and submitted on their behalf. Because it can One email and you can reach nearly be hard to estab2,300 students and teachers from lish a personal relaNorthern Sunnyvale to Southern Los tionship with their Altos. If your target market is becounselor, students tween ages of 14 and 18 contact The tend to worry about how the SSR can afEpitaph at epitaph.ads@gmail.com fect their chances of and we can make it happen. being accepted. To reach the Epitaph staﬀ in

However, the SSR process is very thorough. Counselors do considerable research to make the SSR as accurate as possible. “During the spring or summer before their senior year, we ask students to start filling out their brag sheet through Naviance. It’s pretty intense; I think there are 50 questions on [it] and it asks about a bunch of different things from activities, hobbies and classes taken,” said counselor Brooke Chan. In addition to speaking with a student’s teachers to acquire information, an interview with the student that takes about 15 to 30 is arranged. Counselor Leslie Ogawa-Boon said that through the interviews, “I get a good sense of [who the student is] […] then we decide what to add into the application and I can write a very posi-

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tive letter.” In short, students should not fear the SSR; though it is unfamiliar to many, Homestead’s counselors and administrators do their best to make it worth their while. “My goal ultimately is to get each student accepted into universities,” said OgawaBoon.

When her term as Secretary of State expires next month, Hillary Clinton will leave behind a catalog of achievements that will leave America in awe. And yet I wonder if she could have done more had she won the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008. As secretary, Clinton has demonstrated the two most important qualities of a leader: to recognize other leaders, and to act upon one’s word. Clinton has proved herself to be more productive than any other member of the executive branch, including her boss, President Barack Obama. Clinton’s single most important act as secretary was to recognize Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma when Kyi, a catalyst in ending Burma’s military regime, was released from house arrest. Clinton headed to Burma in 2011 and offered the gradual easing of the U.S. trade sanctions in exchange for progressive democratic reforms. Clinton was at the right place, at the right time. A year later, Obama toured Burma and offered a “diplomatic courtesy” when the Burmese government still held political prisoners hostage and struggled Compared to Clinton’s visit, Obama’s tour seemed more like stagnation and an untimely recognition for a nation that was not ready to present itself to a powerful, foreign head of state. Meanwhile, Clinton turned her attention to the IsraelPalestine crisis, for which she vowed to work with Israel and Egypt. Clinton and Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi were able to after her arrival to halt the was effective, impactful and above all true to her words. Obama, on the other hand, is still reluctant to send aid to the Syrian opposition. Obama has spoken out to the media constantly on his recognition of the effort, he has not utilized his power as commander in chief. Obama could have created a much larger American presence in Syria to reduce the daily slaughter. While I do not consider myself to be a Democrat, even I can acknowledge Hillary Clinton’s achievements. As both parties struggle for dominance, she marches on.

PAGE DESIGN BY DANIELLE MANGE AND ILLUSTRATIONS BY RONI STOK

opinion

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Letters to the Editor:

Homestead s voices TO RS TE ITOR T LE E ED TH

Giants Article From: Shawn Tan Freshman

Marijuana legislation reaches all time high State and federal governments collide

By Greg Schrader The citizens of two states, Colorado and Washington passed legislation legalizing and regulating the possession and recreational use of marijuana on Nov. 6, 2012. Supporters celebrated with parties in Washington on Thursday (Dec.6). However, they may have celebrated too soon. In an official statement issued on Dec. 5, the United States Attorney Jenny A. Durkan, responsible for the Western District of Wa sh i ng-

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It was weird that parents let their kids cut school. I wonder if teachers and admin approve of that. I know parents call in for their kids and it was strange that admin would let that pass.

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From: Paul Balik Junior I liked [the last issue] especially because you released the Sadie’s theme before leadership actually released it. So if you read The Epitaph, you know the theme. I like that, it was very clever to do so. The sports section always catches my eyes because no one ever hears the announcements, so updates like these are actually really useful. I think that’s my favorite part.

From: Matt Wright History teacher As an adult and a teacher, I get worried when I hear about the amount of drug and alcohol abuse here at Homestead. There are even certain classes that are known to be more of the “party” class. I hear about the type of drugs being done today compared to when I was in high school and it’s scary. We have so much more in terms of pills and prescriptions today that totally change the game. It would be powerful to hear people’s stories, obviously they can remain anonymous. I know there are kids who would anonymously talk about their drug experiences, and I know former drug users who can talk about their experience as well.

Let us hear your voice

By Emi Kamezaki

Fighting in the Gaza Strip has caused dissent between some Israeli and Palestinian students on campus as both sides silently blame each other. Yet students’ unwillingness to openly declare their stance on the issue prevents either group from learning about the other. Tiptoeing around the topic in order to avoid confrontation, students present a false front of contentment. The occurrences at Homestead mirror those in the Middle East. Naturally, opinions on where to place the blame vary- the conf lict started with a similar misunderstanding. A lack of communication causes both parties to view the other as the opponent, the oppressor or the force that jeopardizes the welfare of a people. “Unfortunately, I think high school students are affected in similar ways to university students and beyond.” said Dr. Aaron J. Hahn Tapper, founder and Co-Executive Director of Abraham’s Vision (AV). “Com-

OR 3. Bring them to room C106 ...and you might have your letter to the editor printed in the next issue!

monly people retreat to “their” corner, fall back on ‘us’ vs. ‘them’ language and ways of being and integrate the day’s or week’s events through such perspectives,” The organization works with Jews, Muslims, Israelis and Palestinians, with the goal of “re-examin[ing] the Israeli-Palestinian conf lict through new, or different, lenses.” Clearly, students should not mimic the behavior of those who began the fighting. Even with the risk of insulting others, the benefits of open expression outweigh those of silence. Misunderstandings and ignorance are the root causes of conf licts. Communication eradicates ignorance, replacing it with knowledge and peace. “I think the more you know, the better you can base your opinion. If both prime ministers could think like the other, it would be easier [to resolve the conf lict]. Although having peace includes Israel giving up some [land] for Hamas,” said freshman Ori Klein, who moved to the Bay Area from

Israel in early 2011. The reluctance of Homestead students to voice their opinions to a neutral reporter f launts the prevalent hesitance that prevents open communication. This extreme measure, taken to avoid conf lict, only impedes progress. “[People have] established that they either side with Israel or side with Palestine, but they don’t want to offend other people. Especially if they don’t know all their facts, they’re going to just use their emotions. People will tell me that their side is right, but when other people are there, they make the argument that no one is rightit’s both countries’ fault,” said a student who wished to remain anonymous. Though Israel and Palestine have reached a ceasefire agreement, none of the underlying issues have been resolved. Both sides are unwilling to openly hear the opinions of the other, condemning this to be a f leeting arrangement. After all of the adversity endured by both sides, what has changed?

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civics lesson, the legal status of marijuana use in Colorado and Washington remains murky. The Obama administration has yet to decide how to address the issue of state legalization of marijuana. One option they appear to be considering is to sue the offending states on the grounds that states lack the authority to preempt federal law – the stance taken by United States Attorney Durkan. Such an approach would be wildly unpopular in some states and may elevate both marijuana use and the broader issue of States Rights as an election issue with unpredictable implications. The Obama administration must find a compromise that allows the will of the people of Colorado and Washington to be followed without sacrificing the critical principle that Federal law supersedes state law.

Gaza conflict silences Homestead students

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Type them up, and...

ton, explained that despite the election results, marijuana is still illegal federally. It is classified as a Schedule I controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). In addition, in Washington at least, criminal law continues to ban the growing or selling of the substance until Dec. 1, 2013. Her official statement attempted to clarify the conf lict between state and federal law explaining that, “Neither States nor the Executive branch can nullify a statute passed by Congress.” Despite this

ALL ILLUSTRATIONS BY CAMILLE MILLER

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

1. Send them to homestead.epitaph@gmail.com

ILLUSTRATION BY RONI STOK

Greg Schrader Book: The Name of the Wind Author: Patrick Rothfuss About: A fantasy novel filled with heroic tales told by the hero himself while the story itself, continues.

Leona Rajaee Book: The Giving Tree Author: Shel Silverstein About: It’s simple, yet it offers a complicated interpretation of the gift of giving.

Danielle Mange Book: The Bean Trees Author: Barbara Kingsolver About: Story of a young girl from Kentucky that runs away from home for a chance to discover herself and along the way stumbles upon many unexpected obstacles on her journey.

Gabe Tecot Book: The City of Ember Author: Jeanne DuPrau About: A story of two teenagers who face the reality of life shut off from the open world.

Liz Metrulas Book: The Wave Author: Susan Casey About: An intrigueing story of people who surf 100 ft. waves and the scientists who study the waves. Perfect for water lovers!

Gaia Faigon Book: Just Listen Author: Sarah Dessen About: A girl who is ostracised by her friends and at the same time must deal with family issues.

PAGE DESIGN BY DESTINY JACKSON

Thursday, December 13, 2012

the employees were poorly and unfairly treated?

Would you still buy a product or service from a company if you the company promoted knew...

social beliefs contrary to yours?

Walmart has been a prominent example of Religious employee mistreatment elements are not only integratfor more than a decade. ed in the Constitution, but also In 2001, Betty Dukes, in consumer products. Major a former Walmart embrands like Forever 21 and ployee sued the comIn-N-Out are under Christian pany on behalf of the ownership. Forever 21 prints 1.6 million women who “John 3:16,” a verse from the worked there between Christian Bible, near the bottom 1998 and 2001. She of its bags. In-N-Out also prints claimed that Walmart various Biblical references on its had sexually discrimicontainers, ranging from “Provnated against each erb 3:5” on the milkshake cups to of the women by not “Revelation 3:20” on the cheeseproviding the female burger wrappers. Other corporaemployees with the tions like Interstate Batteries same opportunities and Herman Miller are listed as as the male employChristian-affiliated. ees. However, the Large corporations also conSupreme Court ruled tribute to causes. Major busiin Walmart’s favor nesses like McDonald’s and Pepsi in 2011. In the past endorse fundraising events for months the United cancer research. Energy drink Food and Commercial manufacturer 5 Hour Energy Workers International introduced its pink lemonade Union (UFCW) helped f lavor earlier this year and a Walmart employees portion of the sales is donated to protest against inadbreast cancer research. equate health insurance, denial of right to organize, and unpredictable part-time schedules. Walmart Yes: 77% employees staged a national strike on Thanksgiving when the stores opened Black Friday sale at 8 p.m. Foxconn, a foreign manufacturing company which works with Apple Inc., has also been subject to controversy. In October Foxconn workers went on strike to protest against the demanding iPhone 5 production line. They protested against seven-day workweeks and unreasonable inspection criteria.

Yes: 33%

animals died in the making of it?

Animal parts are often used for clothing. Associations such as People For The Ethical Treatment Of Animals (PETA) and The Humane Society Of The United States have accused major clothing brands like Burberry and Prada of using animal skins illicitly acquired from Chinese and Indian markets in their products. Furthermore, PETA shows footages of beaten animals from Chinese fur farms on its website. Animals are often used and abused in film production. On the film set of Lord of the Rings prequel, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, 27 animals died. The wranglers on the set claimed that although no animal was killed during the filming process, the hazardous breeding environment, which included poor fencing and sinkholes, caused the deaths some time after the filming.

Yes: 42%

toxic waste was released in production? Toxic wastes are byproducts of chemical and technological productions. In 2011, the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs in Beijing accused Apple’s device suppliers of improper disposal of polluted wastes and toxic metals into surrounding communities. Apple’s supplying factories have also regularly reported cases of explosions because of the poisonous chemicals used to polish iPhone and iPad screens.

Yes: 32%

in-depth

Thursday, December 13, 2012

CONSUMER ETHICS By Morris Yang, Greg Schrader, and Liz Metrulas

Americans spend the most money on durable goods during the holiday season. Last year, during the month of December, people spent $109,477,000 on durable goods. Teenagers, in particular, spend 34 percent of their money on clothing, 22 percent on entertainment and 16 percent on food. So, consider these facts about different industries while shopping this season.

Who should take responsibility for unethical production methods? Manufacturers: 22.4%

Government: 20.8%

DATA COLLECTED FROM A SURVEY OF 317 STUDENTS

Consumers: 17.6% Companies: 39.4%

Unethical production methods have been in use for centuries, but should we turn to the government to fix them? In the early 20th century American government stayed out of businesses regulations, and let them control themselves. This policy failed, which was demonstrated by whistleblowers like Upton Sinclair, the author of The Jungle, and by events like the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire on March 25, 1911, which caused the deaths of over 140 people and introduced some of the first government regulation of factory conditions. Some however argue that government should not interfere with the free market, because it can drive small businesses out of business, and can be expensive. Nowadays, some companies still use unethical business practices, despite government regulations. Abercrombie and Fitch, Gymboree, Hanes, Ikea, Kohl’s, LL Bean, Pier 1 Imports, Propper International and Walmart all won the 2010 sweatshop hall of shame, for use of sweatshop labor with laborers working in dismal conditions.

PAGE DESIGN BY MATTHEW CHOW

Thursday, December 13, 2012

the employees were poorly and unfairly treated?

Would you still buy a product or service from a company if you the company promoted knew...

social beliefs contrary to yours?

Yes: 33%

animals died in the making of it?

Yes: 42%

Yes: 32%

in-depth

Thursday, December 13, 2012

CONSUMER ETHICS By Morris Yang, Greg Schrader, and Liz Metrulas

Who should take responsibility for unethical production methods? Manufacturers: 22.4%

Government: 20.8%

DATA COLLECTED FROM A SURVEY OF 317 STUDENTS

Consumers: 17.6% Companies: 39.4%

PAGE DESIGN BY MATTHEW CHOW

features

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Algebra 1 class teaches not just math, but motivation

PHOTO BY GABI SOLEIMANIPOUR

ABOVE: Students in Andrea Westgate’s algebra 1 class work on math problems using the internet-based program ALEKS. By Gabi Soleimanipour The computer lab that holds math teacher Andrea Westgate’s algebra 1 class seems quieter than a typical classroom, the students engaged with their notebooks and computer screens rather than each other. Some browse through SchoolLoop, while others fiddle with their calculators, both real and digital. The class is small, about 20 large, but the sense of intimacy that the size brings makes it easier for the teacher and tutors to focus on helping individual students. This algebra 1 class is de-

signed for students who have had trouble with algebra 1 in the past. It is based on a college course that Westgate discovered several years ago. Students in the college course were required to achieve certain scores on worksheets and tests, but could work at their own pace. Westgate said, “I wanted to try to do something like that with algebra, but it didn’t really fit into the regular algebra class to have something so individualized.” Despite this, Westgate’s idea finally came to fruition in 2011 as a solution to the fact that many students were failing to pass algebra.

The class uses an Internetbased, individualized program called ALEKS, short for Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces. “There are a total of 240 topics for the year, but ALEKS doesn’t give them to [the students] all at once,” said Westgate. “They start off taking an assessment and it tells them [...] what topics they’ve already mastered and what they need to work on [...] Then they can choose from the topics [they’re qualified] to work on.” Freshman Brandon Tam said that the class is, “more independent [and] makes you study what you need to learn more instead of having to listen to a lecture. [This is] good because if you already know some of the information you can go faster, but if you don’t know it as well you can slow down.” On the other hand, pursuing classwork requires a certain amount of motivation. Some students end up chatting or pursuing Internet-related entertainment rather than focusing on their work. “It’s tricky because there aren’t really hard, fast dates about ‘this is due at this time’,” said Westgate. “[Work is] due when they get it done. But at some point they’re not getting enough done to get a passing grade.” “I honestly at the beginning of the year wasn’t even putting in work - I wasn’t turning in work or anything like that,” sophomore Brian Farahani said. “I just started getting on top of things like a month ago

[but] I already understand more than I did in the old algebra class. It’s not just the program, too, it’s the tutors and teacher and they can show you ways the program doesn’t know to solve a math problem, and that’s a good thing.” This sense of improvement has taken hold of other students as well. Freshman Francesco Velez-Quilici now feels much more responsible for his own work. “I used to rely on the teacher to tell me what to do all the time and now I just know what to do on my own,” he said. Westgate said, “I think it’s a lot more coaching because I’m checking in [and asking], ‘How are you doing toward your goals? Here’s what you need to be doing. I think the best use of your time right now is to do this, instead of doing that,’ as opposed to organizing the whole class to focus on the same thing. That’s pretty different.” Despite this potential for falling behind, the students are doing well. “Nobody in this class has got less than an A or a B on a test,” said junior Veronica Mont-Reynaud, “and I think it really makes them feel better about themselves. If you’re in algebra 1 you’re probably not the greatest math student and maybe you’re a little self-conscious about being in this class [and about] your math skills and stuff, [but] it made me feel more confident.”

Inside a Mustang s hooves A day in the life of a mascot By Leona Rajaee

For some reason, throughout high school, the one thing I had always wanted to do was be our school’s mascot. Last Friday during the Winter Wonder Rally, I was given the opportunity to pursue my dream and stepped into the mustang suit. The process of becoming the mustang began when I contacted the rally commissioners and inquired about the possibility of becoming a mascot. According to rally commissioner and senior Bianca Miguel, there is

no formal process in becoming a mascot; it’s simply first come first serve. About 10 minutes before the rally began, I put on the suit, which had been locked away in the ASB storage room. Since the costume was considerably heavy, what I wore underneath the outfit was minimal. As I put on the suit, I quickly discovered that the mustang head had a fan to keep cool. Despite this, from the moment I put on the suit, I felt nothing but hot, sticky and smelly. As I approached the gym,

ALL PHOTOS BY GAIA FAIGON

ABOVE AND BELOW: Seniors Leona Rajaee and Leila Miller dressed up as mascots during last Friday’s Winter Wonder Ralley.

I instantly felt like I had assumed a new identity. I became the center of attention simply by walking by. At first, it was fun and exciting, but eventually the constant pokes and prods became bothersome. Eventually, I reached the gym f loor and the real fun began. Arguably, the best part about being a mascot is the ability to attract attention to yourself without anyone knowing who you actually are. “You were really entertain-

ing and funny to watch,” said sophomore Luke Hartlage. “I could barely tell it was you because I would never expect you to bust a move like that.” Being a mascot is an adrenaline rush, but it’s not for everyone. You have to have the strength to grapple with mascot abuse, be incredibly heat resistant, and possess the guts to put your dignity on the line for show, but it is definitely worth it.

Ode to the essay By Alessandra Albanese “Describe the world you come from.” The innocuous University of California essay prompt might as well have said, “Describe everything that has ever been important to you, ever. (In 500 words.)” College essays seem like a simple assignment: prove why I should go to colleges X, Y and Z. However, nothing that I’ve written before has prepared me for something of this magnitude. If I screw up an English essay, I figure out how to improve the next one, then do some extra credit. If my resume doesn’t wow a potential employer, I can apply for another job. But college essays? Realistically, this is my best chance to get into the college of my dreams. Mind you, I admit that I might be acting a little bit melodramatic about the whole affair. But how can I be expected not to be melodramatic? My entire life I have been told that college will determine where I live, who I meet and what I will do with my life. Even if these things aren’t necessarily true, college applications are still a daunting task, and frankly, I’m terrified. This is the first time that I’ve ever had to really worry about the fate of an essay, and any faith I had in my own writing abilities up until this point is gone. How do I sum up 16 years of life in a 500-word essay? And even if I can, what do colleges want from me? An Olympic gold medal? A cure for cancer? An “A” in AP Lit? Part of me is indignant. Why do colleges expect so much of me? Why am I not good enough on the basis of my actions? I’ve done my homework, I’ve gotten good grades, I’ve involved myself in extracurriculars and I even sleep sometimes. Shouldn’t that be enough? But then I remember that there are literally thousands of other competitors vying for the same single spot that I am. There are thousands of other perfectly qualified people, each with their own unique and interesting stories, who want to go to my dream school just as much as I want to. So, as much as it pains me, I still have to write my college essays. It’s not to prove that I meet their standards; it’s to prove that I can exceed them. For now, all of my free time will be spent working on college applications. But, if everything works out, the next time I have to describe the world I come from, it will be a world full of college acceptance letters.

PAGE DESIGN BY MORRIS YANG AND GABI SOLEIMANIPOUR

entertainment

Thursday, December 13, 2012

the hipster

the jock

FROM TOP TO BOTTOM: Ballmania lip balm, from $3.99, amazon.com; Desktop ping pong set, $12.95, zgallerie.com; Golf pen set, $14.95, zgallerie.com

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: 80s retro iPhone case, prices vary, amazon.com; Christmas coal soap, $4.99, uncommongoods.com; Scratch maps, from $9.99, scratchmap.com

25 FROM TOP TO BOTTOM: Carnival masks, from $6.50, mardigrasoutlet.com; Leatherbound pocket-size Shakespeare plays, $14.97, acornonline.com; A Christmas Carol original manuscript notebook, $12.95, zazzle.com

the actor the artisan

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Precision cutter, $6.99, containerstore.com; SMASH journal, $12.99, s tore . s c ra pb o ok . com; Mini ice cream sandwich press, $15, uncommongoods.com

By Ayse Dilara Aslan and Elisa Massenzio

FROM TOP TO BOTTOM: Mario flower earrings, from $5, etsy.com; The Legend of Zelda mints, $3.99-9.99, thinkgeek. com; 8-Bit sunglasses, $7.99, thinkgeek.com

the gamer the fashionista

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Nosy glassholder, $4.99, containerstore.com; Anti-dust ear caps in different designs, from $7.90, summurco.com; Dancer necklace pendants, from $8.99, amazon.com; Foldable purse hooks, prices vary, amazon.com

the musician

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Ticket stub diary, $11, uncommongoods.com; Drumstick pencils, $7.95, uncommongoods.com; Mini portable speaker in different designs, from $8.99, amazon.com; OrigAudio Fold N Play speakers, $14.99, walmart. com; Guitar string bracelets, $7-10, uncommongoods.com

PHOTOS COURTESY OF AMAZON.COM, UNCOMMONGOODS.COM, SCRATCHMAP.COM, ZGALLERIE.COM, MARDIGRASOUTLET.COM, ACORNONLINE.COM, ZAZZLE.COM, ETSY.COM, THINKGEEK.COM, CONTAINERSTORE.COM, SCRAPBOOK.COM, SUMMURCO.COM, WALMART.COM

PAGE DESIGN AND PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS BY ELISA MASSENZIO

entertainment

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Students showcase art in district oﬃce By Khalil Bourgoub

sign, ceramics, photography and

For 33 consecutive years, the Fremont Union High School District has hosted an art showcase to display student pieces from

two display cases and two hall-

in September, the schools rotate turns to display student art in the

teachers can pick as many pieces of art to put on display and all the work that is on display is artwork

Homestead teachers split between

Homestead’s display started school in the district has four different art departments: 3D de-

school year to show all the progress that the art classes have made

pieces that will be displayed in choose the criteria upon which teacher Claire Dee said that her students’ artwork should be complete “and should show creativity beyond [her] minimum requiresaid that she picks the pieces that best represent the project that she

TOP LEFT: This coil bowl was crafted by senior Deanna Schindler, in her ceramics 3-4 class.

TOP RIGHT: Created by ceramics 1-2 freshman Katie Adelman, this Udu drum would be used to create music in African cultures. BOTTOM LEFT: Junior Brynn Larry created this mosaic plaque for her 3D design course. BOTTOM RIGHT: Freshman Erika Gutekunst made the frontmost magazine coiled bowl for her 3D design 2 class.

PHOTOS AND PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS BY ELISA MASSENZIO

The soundtrack to 2012 PLAYLIST VH1 Top 12 #1 Hits of 2012 These songs are ranked by the amount of weeks they have been on the VH1 countdown, and from when they aired on the countdown.

By Sanjana DeSilva

Song 1 We Are Young 2 Set Fire to the Rain 3 Somebody That I Used to Know 4 Payphone 5 Wide Awake 6 Blow Me (One Last Kiss) 7 It Will Rain 8 Domino 9 Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You) 10 Whistle 11 One More Night 12 We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together

Artist FUN. feat. Jannelle Monet Adele Gotye feat. Kimbra Maroon 5 feat. Wiz Khalifa Katy Perry P!nk Bruno Mars Jessie J Kelly Clarkson Flo Rida Maroon 5 Taylor Swift

Homestead’s defining songs of 2012 Gangnam Style by Psy - chosen by 4 students Megan Kang, sophomore “Because its the first song anyone got to hear and as a Korean it’s nice to hear.”

Thrift Shop by Macklemore - chosen by 3 students Riley Klein, senior “Because it’s Macklemore.”

Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen - chosen by 3 students Celine Lee, freshman “Because everybody sings it and it’s all over YouTube.”

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY CAMILLE MILLER AND SANJANA DESILVA PAGE DESIGN BY ELISA MASSENZIO

sports

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Fall season recap

Girl s volleyball qualiﬁes for CIF s NorCal tournament By Camille Miller

Varsity girl’s volleyball struck back this fall, qualifying for the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Northern California regional tournament for the first time in three years on Nov. 20, after placing second to Menlo-Atherton (M-A) in the Central Coast Section (CCS) Division-1 playoffs. Their climb to the championship match consisted of a win to two-time state champion Palo Alto Vikings in the CCS semi-finals. “The Paly girls didn’t expect to lose, so beating them was a bit of a reward,” said sophomore Katie Barker, a second-year player. Despite their win in the CCS semi-finals, the girls were unable to defeat the M-A Bears in the final round of the CCS games. The Mustangs went on to the first round of the NorCal Division-1 playoffs as the sixth team out of eight, and faced a match with third-place team California High School (CHS). Although finishing second to

the Bears granted their progress to the CIF NorCal tournaments, Barker felt that the feeling of defeat from the loss affected the team’s performance against CHS in San Ramon. “I felt like we were hot and cold most of the game,” she said. “We were either on fire or just doing so bad. It was just inconsistent the whole game.” Junior Morgan Robinson, a third-year player, said, “It was so intense; every play I was out of my seat.” The team’s experience in the CIF tournaments came to an end with its loss against California High in the first round. Nonetheless, team members have remained positive about the results. “I wish we could go on but I’m pretty proud of everyone,” said fourth-year player senior Deanna Okuno. “Everyone who played played really well.” Their stride to the NorCal tournaments proved to be a memorable opportunity, as well as a landmark to add to the legacy of Mustang volleyball. “It’s cool just to get to NorCal, so I

feel like overall the season was a success,” Robinson said, “especially for the younger people on the team to be able to [play

at CIF]. Not everyone gets to have that experience and it’s something you can carry with you forever.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF EDMOND KWONG

ABOVE LEFT TO RIGHT: Junior Allison Inanoria digs the ball from a spike done by a player from California High School (CHS). Senior Emily Reed serves the ball during Homestead’s game with CHS.

XC girls compete at state championships By Laura Tang

The varsity girls cross country team advanced to the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) State Track and Field Championships on Sat., Nov. 24, marking the first time in Homestead history that cross country has made it to the State Championships. The team placed 20th out of the total 23 that competed at Woodward Park in Fresno. The team had two weeks after CCS to prepare for CIF, and trained with long runs

and speed workouts. Long runs during the week ranged from five to eight miles, with eight to 10 miles on weekends. The speed workouts consisted of long distance runs alternating between sprinting and jogging. The team prepared the night before by loading up on carbs in the traditional team pasta night dinner. “I’m always nervous before races, but more so for this race because it was on a bigger scale than any other meet I’ve ever raced in,” said junior Sarah Hillegass. “All of the runners had

to earn their way to the meet, so it was intimidating knowing that I was competing with the best in the state.” “I knew it would be very competitive because there are girls who come from SoCal and Central Valley who are all very talented,” said sophomore Hannah Allen. “Everyone has the same goal. So I prepared myself mentally and sprinted to get a fast start.” Allen played an important role in the competition, setting a school record in the 5000 meter course with a time of 18 minutes 57 seconds. She

beat the former record by 25 seconds and placed 62nd at the meet overall. “I was surprised because I wasn’t going for that, so it was very cool,” said Allen. An integral element to the cross country girls’ success at CIF was their strong teamwork. Many of the competitors agreed that the team was the most essential source of drive, as they encouraged and cheered each other on. Seniors Ameena Tawakol and Joanna Ho said, “Without the team there’s really no motivation to keep on going so we all just help each

other. It doesn’t feel like we’re competing against each other.” Allen added, “The team is important—cross country is definitely not an individual sport. Everyone is there to pick you up.” Being able to compete at CIF for the first time was an entirely new and remarkable feat for the cross country girls, who will train even harder next year in hopes of advancing to the State Championships again.

Recognitions and recaps of fall sports

By Ayse Dilara Arslan

Girls golf led an extremely successful season this fall ported loss overall.

Water Polo Boys:

Varsity boy’s water polo faced a challenging season this fall, ending with a score of three wins and six losses, due to most of the returning seniors quitting this year. Because of this setback, the juniors and one sophomore on the team were left to make up for their loss.

Golf

Girls:

Varsity girl’s water polo ended the season with a

Football

losses also making it to the

the season with an overall score of three wins and seven losses. Homestead’s homecoming game was on Fri. Oct. 19 against Santa Clara High School which ended with the Mustangs winning with a score of 29 to 15.

won the league game against Lynbrook High School. Their most challenging game was against Gunn High School, one of the tougher water polo teams in the league.

Field Hockey The varsity team ended the season with six games won, two lost and four tied. One of the tied games was with Willow Glen High School, which is undefeated league. The girls also tied in their game with Westmont High School, with which they shared second place in the league. The winner of this game would have advanced to CCS; Westmont advanced because their overall goal count was three goals higher than Homestead’s.

Tennis Overall,

the

varsity

with 14 wins and seven and ended the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL) as co-Champions of the El Camino League with 11 wins and one loss. Their one loss resulted Gunn High School. The Mustangs ended up sharing the title of League Champions with Gunn High School when Gunn won the second game they played together.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS AND PAGE DESIGN BY AYSE DILARA ARSLAN

Thursday, December 13, 2012

goodbye,

the last word

Mr. Clark

Graham Clark is many things: he is a principal, a soldier, and a respected member of the local community. To the staff of Homestead High School, he is much more.

“ “ ” ” “” “” “” SUPPORTIVE

OPEN-MINDED

LEADER

[Homestead] is such a positive, fun place to work every day. The staff gets along great, the students are great and all that starts with the leadership at the top, it’s whoever is setting the tone for the school. We’re definitely going to miss him and we really like his leadership styles and leadership qualities as a staff here. - Matt Wright, history teacher

One thing he does that I really appreciate is that he’s willing to have open dialogue. If we had a disagreement about something, he [would be] open to your thoughts about it. He wouldn’t say, ‘Well, I’m the principal and this is what I say, so tough.’ He doesn’t take that approach, he’s about open dialogue.

He’s very supportive of teachers. He makes sure that teachers are the best trained and most educated to ensure that our students are getting a quality education. He always finds room in our very shrinking budget to send teachers to really exciting professional developments. He’s very good with the budget in order to ensure that there’s still that extra money there to allow teachers to have that experience to continue to help them motivate and learn new things and become better teachers.

- Debbie Vanni, English teacher

RESPECTFUL

- Carrie Nakamura, history teacher

He treats us like professionals. He’s respected our professionalism. He’s respected the profession that he leads. He’s been very straightforward in just leading [the school] and he understands how to lead by giving reponsibility to people, by delegating and by having high expectations, which is really nice.

HONEST

- Stephanie Palomo, math teacher

I value his integrity, because for me a leader should be someone who is transparent in terms of what he believes in. When I’ve been with him in a department chair meeting or staff meeting, he speaks his mind, he’s clear. I think he’s been one of the greatest men I’ve ever worked with if not the greatest. I appreciate him and I know that he’ll do wonderful work over there at the district office. - Byron Lee, business teacher

A note from The Epitaph

Although the staff of The Epitaph is sad to see any of Homestead’s faculty members leave, it is with heavy hearts that we bid goodbye to Graham Clark. Mr. Clark has been a friend to us for as long as he has worked at Homestead. He has supported us with ideas, time, money and verbal encouragement. He has always stood for and actively protected our right to speak as a voice for the students, and he has never once been anything less than our steadfast ally. Mr. Clark, we wish you luck in all of your future endeavours. Thank you for everything. Sincerely, The Epistaff

PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS BY AYSE DILARA ARSLAN AND ELISA MASSENZIO PAGE DESIGN BY AYSE DILARA ARSLAN AND LIZ METRULAS