The Epitaph Volume 60, Issue 2, 2022-23

The Epitaph

Staff discuss A building

Inconveniences, delays lead to educational issues

By Karuna Chandran and Hope Saena

As a result of incomplete construction, including lack of proper doors, furniture and light fixtures, before the start of the school year, A building teachers have felt the inconveniences of the building’s hindered functionality.

Principal Greg Giglio said factors that delayed construction from May to August included supply chain issues, commissioning availability and sudden changes to long term plans.

FUHSD superintendent Graham Clark said in a phone interview that once classes started, addressing construction concerns, like replacing temporary doors, became more di cult.

“The building finished the week before school started and that just made everything kind of rushed,” Clark said. “But if it finished a month or two earlier, that would have allowed all of the punch list to be resolved before.”

History teacher Matt Wright, whose class is located in room A103, said he did not know what to expect of his new classroom, but found advantages and disadvantages to the arrangement.

“The size was impressive to me, especially after being stuck in a small room for 10 years,” Wright said. “I knew there was a lack of furniture when I first walked in, but we’ve been promised that furniture will be coming in later. We just got our filing cabinets.”

Minor details in his classroom, such as a lack of power outlets closer to desks, have been di cult for students, especially for those in his seventh period, Wright said.

“By the end of the day, a lot of the students’ laptops are very low on battery or dead,” Wright said. “Now you’ve got people trying to use extension cords, causing tripping hazards.”

A building tour video

Unlike the GSS, the A building’s construction did not start from scratch, so the construction team had certain structural limitations in developing the new facilities, Clark said.

“When you’re modernizing an existing building, you can take sta and student input around that, but you have to stick within the confines of the building itself,” Clark said.

Other concerns include automatic lights that turn o too frequently, poor Wi-Fi, inconvenient placement of cabinets and whiteboards that are di cult to write on and erase, according to a survey given anonymously to A building teachers.

Giglio said he has met with the A building teachers to address their concerns, and plans to collect input from future B building residents to help inform the design of the B building.

“There’s been lots of silly things that have been annoying for teachers, which is unfortunate because the building’s a great building and we love the way it looks,” Giglio said. “It’s like buying a

LEGEND:

Teachers decide AP exam format

AP computer science principles and AP world history exams to be o ered digitally this school year

By Anderson Piccone and Annabelle Yip

Every year, high school students across the nation take AP exams.

For this school year, however, HHS and the rest of the district are o ering two AP exams in a digital format, FUHSD coordinator of data and assessment Denae Nurnberg said.

Beginning this year, the College Board is now providing seven AP exams in both digital and paper formats. Of these seven exams, FUHSD o ers five, and has opted to administer two tests digitally, AP computer science principles and AP world history.

The decision to o er these two exams digitally while o ering the rest in a paper format was collectively made by teachers who teach the subjects related to each of the five digital exam options, Nurnberg said.

“Because this announcement came after the school year had already started, we put the decision in the hands of the teachers since they are the ones who will be required to make any last minute changes to their curriculum,” Nurnberg said.

See AP exam format, page 2

Lamborghini and there’s four flat tires, so you can’t really drive it yet.”

Wright said he hopes there will be more teacher input going forward with future projects, so they can address their concerns beforehand.

“It’s so much easier to change things when it’s still on paper, so I think we’re taking steps in the right direction to try to avoid some of the headaches that have happened in this building,” Wright said. “For the next time, I really hope they have some teacher voices as we know what works best for our students in the classroom.”

Giglio said despite issues with the A building, he is very grateful for the new addition to campus. Not only do teachers get to enjoy more classroom space, the building will also help HHS strive toward sustainability goals, he said.

Similarly, Clark said there is still much to look forward to in the buildings being built next.

“Teachers are going to get new technology and we think the new furniture is going to be more comfortable,” Clark said. “Students are getting more control over their heating and cooling. Overall, it’s a nicer environment.”

ASB deactivates 15 clubs

Clubs disbanded due to lack of communication

By Evelyn Wang

In response to a lack of communication from multiple club o cer teams, the ASB student council unanimously decided to deactivate 15 clubs at its meeting on Sept. 22, ASB club commissioner, junior Alex Zhang said.

Toward the beginning of summer break, the club commissioners sent out three emails asking for club contact information for future event opportunities, Zhang said.

“We gave clubs a month into the school year to reply,” Zhang said. “We deactivated some clubs because without contact information, we can’t monitor the clubs nor reach them for regulation purposes.”

Zhang said the club commissioners — himself and junior Elisa Floyd — along with ASB vice president, senior Josie Cho, brought forth the idea of deactivating the clubs. However, for the clubs to ocially be deactivated, the ASB student council needed to approve the decision.

See Clubs deactivated, page 3

ASB

Miserable

Change

Keeping it Real: BeReal is not a platform for posing.

Halftime show: Performers exhibit dedication and abilities during

Photo illustration by Faith Watters

A103 - History teacher Matt Wright’s classroom

1. Some temporary doors need

be replaced, Clark said.

2. Wright said more outlets would benefit seventh period students, whose devices

often low on battery.

3. Wright said his classroom has

whiteboards

he hopes

The Epitaph

FUHSD Board of Trustees Candidates

President of Board of Trustees, running for second term Top Priorities: - Quality learning - Promote social-emotional health and safety - Professional development and resources for sta

- Increase economic e ciency and resource development Democratic party endorsed || www.naomi4fuhsd.com

Educator, Engineer, Parent Top Priorities:

Help students reach full academic potential

Support schools

Ensure students

furthering student success

safe

engagement Democratic party endorsed || www.stanleykou.org

e FUHSD Board of Education represents the community when deciding important factors on how the district educates its students. According to the FUHSD Governance Handbook, the School Board is essential to ensure that schools run smoothly. Board responsibilities include evaluating the superintendent and approving budgets. Election day is Nov. 8. ere are ve candidates running for three spots.

Actor, Parent Top Priorities:

- Restructure learning

- Help students

-

be

potential

Bringing back the smoothie shack

building skills to get ready for after graduation.”

By Nicole Kim and Harshitha Vijayakumar

Opening its doors for the 20222023 school year, the smoothie shop, located in the Ohlone center, returns after two years of closure due to the pandemic. The smoothie shop is a student-run business that provides students with real work experience, job developer and paraeducator Tony Hopkins said.

The smoothie shop is open during lunch Monday to Thursday all throughout the month of November. The smoothies consist of vanilla frozen yogurt, frozen berries, mangoes, bananas, peaches and more.

Although the smoothie shop is new to many students, Hopkins said it has been a presence on campus for many years.

“The smoothie shop probably goes back 20-25 years and is a way to get students out of class and doing something with their hands,” Hopkins said. “[It helps in]

To prepare for the reopening the week of Oct. 18-21, Hopkins said the smoothie shop has gone through various changes and upgrades.

“This space was completely di erent before COVID,” Hopkins said. “The district and the school contributed a good amount of money to get a new freezer-refrigerator combo and industrial quality blenders.”

Hopkins said the new appliances helped the smoothie shop, which was once an ice cream shop, transition from primarily selling ice cream to specializing in smoothies.

While the kitchen was once galley style, Hopkins said it is now more open.

Additionally, Hopkins said the transition to selling smoothies is a way to o er more nutritional options with fruit.

With the shop having been closed since her freshman year, senior Hemal Kurani said she looks forward to the revamped smoothie shop.

“I definitely have a lot of memories during freshman year of getting ice cream and smoothies with

my friends on Friday lunches,” Kurani said. “This new shop is very unique and I’m glad that it’s starting again”

As a new customer to the smoothie shop, junior Sania Khanzode said she is excited for the smoothie shop to be open and offering refreshments.

“I think it will a ect the Homestead community positively,” Khanzode said. “It’ll be something nice to come to with your friends and it’s not as far as going somewhere o campus.”

Looking to the future, Hopkins said he hopes the shop is able to maintain quality while being as efficient as possible.

“We’re in a culture where we want things now,” Hopkins said. “We want to be able to satiate [that need], but also give students a chance to build their skills and experience what a rush is like.”

Ultimately, Hopkins said he hopes the pride student employees feel toward the smoothie shop spills into the HHS community as a whole.

“The smoothie shop has been a really neat part of this school for a long time,” Hopkins said. “[I hope] everyone will come in and just enjoy each other’s company.”

VP of Board of Trustees, Running for 2nd term Top Priorities: - Strengthen student social and emotional wellness - Develop inclusive means of communication with district stakeholders - Act on student voices Democratic party endorsed || www.rosa4fuhsd.com

Educator, Businesswoman, Consultant Top Priorities: - Student safety - Quality education and curriculum transparency - Diversity - Reevaluate district expenditures and teacher’s salaries Republican party endorsed || LindaPriceforFremontUnion.com

AP exam format

Continuedfrompage1

For College Board, transitioning to digital exams is both cost-saving and more environmentally friendly, Nurnberg said. It also provides quicker feedback and scoring for students, as well as increased accuracy and time e ciency because students log in with their AP ID, which is already synced up with their personal information.

However, Nurnberg said students districtwide cannot choose which format they prefer if they are taking one of the two digital exams.

“College Board says that we can o er the same or di erent testing platforms within each of our administrations, but we don’t have the bandwidth as a system to do so,” Nurnberg said. “We have 12,000 tests and nearly half of our student body enrolled in at least one AP exam.”

Additionally, Nurnberg said a lack of digital exams via Schoology is concerning.

“At the moment we don’t have the ability through Schoology to run some assessments digitally,” Nurnberg said. “College Board has a testing platform that should be published soon, so we’re hoping that our teachers will be able to use the platform and test it out.”

AP U.S. history teacher Andrea Yee said there are always pros and cons to having exams digitally and on paper, but in the end, she prefers digital exams.

“I would prefer digital [exams] if all students have access to technology,” Yee said. “My concern is that not every school has the capability to do that and it’s unfair.”

Yee said that APUSH tests consist of multiple-choice and free-response questions. Typically, all of the free-response questions are currently handwritten.

As classes evolve and use more

technology, AP exams will follow suit, Yee said. In May 2020, AP exams were given digitally because of the pandemic. This changed the way the tests were administered and what students were graded on, Yee said.

“Instead of having all components of the exam, students were only tested on the document-based question and the student’s entire score was completely based on that,” Yee said.

Similar to AP U.S. history, AP computer science exams have faced changes and challenges, AP computer science teacher John Shelby said. Shelby said in the past few years, AP computer science tests have switched between being given on paper and being given digitally.

Last year, all students took the exam on paper. Shelby said he thinks students perform better when the exam is on paper because they are able to see all of the questions at once.

“For some reason students process information more carefully when the questions are presented to them on paper,” Shelby said. “It forces them to not copy-paste, and they don’t make as many careless mistakes. So as surprising as it is, I think students perform better when the questions are on paper.

While every teacher and every student may have their own preference of format for each AP exam they teach or take, Nurnberg said the College Board’s transition to digital AP exams will continue in the upcoming years.

“We should know that moving forward, the district might not have a choice [of which AP exams are o ered digitally],” Nurnberg said, “and if College Board some day decides to eliminate paper exams we are at the mercy of whatever College Board says.”

Shop reopens with new options after pandemic

ACTION: Students line up to purchase smoothies for the first time in two years.

DIGITAL OR PAPER: Teachers of AP subjects across the district contributed to the decision between digital or paper exam formats for their respective course.

Naomi Nakano-Matsumoto

Rosa Kim

Stanley Kou Andrew Arness Linda Price

Infographic by Niyatee Jain

Photo from Naomi Nakano-Matsumoto Photo from Rosa Kim Photo from Stanley Kou Photo from Andrew Arness Photo from Linda Price

Photo by Anderson Picone

Photo by Nicole Kim

Photo courtesy of Nicolle Brown

Photo courtesy of Nicolle Brown

New ASB position elevates student voices

Advocates dissolve lines between student body and leadership

By Mackie Vu and Veronica Zhao

This year’s newly implemented ASB position, student advocate, is filled by sophomores Paige Dan ner and Robin Ruan, whose jobs include leading efforts to tackle problems related to inclusivity and sustainability. Additionally, student advocates facilitate communica tion between the student body and ASB, Danner said.

In previous years, there has been a lack of communication be tween leadership and the student body, ASB adviser Jessica Kirby said in an email.

“Implementing the ASB stu dent advocate position is an effi cient way to seek out the student body to hear what they think,” Kirby said. “We can then implement those ideas to the best of our ability. This is a way to get the ball moving.”

The position was created by senior class officer Nicole Lee last year to find students to recruit for the outreach committee, a group of members who volunteer to assist with school events without being in leadership, Kirby said.

Ruan said their

After some discussion, student council, a body of around 20 stu dents from leadership, unanimous ly voted to deactivate the unre sponsive clubs, Zhang said.

However, sports medicine club president, senior Xochitl Neely said she thinks clubs should be evaluated based on activity instead of responses to a few emails.

“The process is too quick and not thorough enough,” she said. “There has to be some sort of sys tem to accurately check to see if clubs are still active.”

Neely also said ASB should have specific protocols set in place so they can further investigate clubs before they are deactivated, ensuring no active clubs become disbanded.

However, Zhang said that through the deactivation of clubs,

desire for a more equitable cam pus sparked their interest in the position.

“I wanted to try to plug in and see how I can help,” Ruan said. “Hopefully we can figure out what specifically students want to see in practice and what changes we can make. The student body is meant to hear us.”

To accomplish this, Ruan said they hope to reach out to a more diverse spectrum of students when planning events.

“We want to put more effort into reaching out to people that are different from us and getting more feedback,” Ruan said. “We hope to [change the way ASB is structured] or at least figure out what else we can do beyond school spirit events.”

However, even with the posi tive impact student advocates can make, the new position presents various difficulties, Danner said. She said she struggled without

guidance from students and teach ers due to the unprecedented na ture of the position.

“Our student advocate posi tion is very new and their roles and responsibilities are not clearly outlined,” Kirby said. “It’s still in de velopment but we’re excited about the work that’s underway.”

As Black and LGBTQ+ students respectively, Danner said she and Ruan hope to encourage inclusivi ty in ASB and on campus.

“We have changed some of the dynamics of leadership itself,” Danner said. “Diversity-wise, we’re working to change culture in the class.”

Ruan said fulfilling the student advocate position allows them to address critiques regarding the nature of ASB.

“There’s an issue of ASB being viewed as popular kids,” Ruan said. “Beyond the sustainability posi tion, the advocates are trying their best to change that image.”

Looking toward a new campus

Construction at HHS impacts students, staff

By Manya Girivasan and Zeinab Rakhshandehroo

For the past few years, con struction has dominated the cam pus in an effort to modernize the school, principal Greg Giglio said. However, to enjoy the future ben efits of construction, staff and stu dents must endure its short-term inconveniences, Giglio said.

“The goal is to update and make the campus as nice as pos sible,” Giglio said. “When I got here 10 years ago, the campus was in great shape, but it wasn’t very at tractive. That was definitely a con cern for students.”

In addition to updating the facilities, construction aims to create a lively environment that encour ages learning, Giglio said.

“[We want] a place that feels like the students; that’s inno vative, fresh and energetic rather than tired and dat ed,” Giglio said. “Just a nicer place for us to work and learn.”

In addition, Reyes said con struction’s noise deters students from the library. Students dislike the noise and dust of construc tion and want to get away from it, Reyes said.

HHS is actively working to combat the consequences of construction, Giglio said. Weekly meetings are held among adminis tration to accommodate the needs of students and staff.

“We try to say ‘Hey, it’s finals week coming up. Can you not do anything louder?’ [to the construc tion team],” Giglio said. “There have been times where we moved a couple classrooms because teachers say ‘Hey, I’m having a test today. Can I get a quieter spot?’”

Despite these attempts, con struction still impacts the daily lives of students, sophomore Van nya Hernandez said. Hernandez said construction is inconvenient for students who have long routes between classes.

In the short term, it’s kind of annoying, but after a while, it’ll have a good ef fect on Homestead.

Linda Chang Student, 10

Many teachers have had to adapt to changes construction has caused on campus, business department lead Byron Lee said. Lee said construction has limited his ability to utilize outside space for class.

“Con struction has affected the space around campus and the ways students get to their class,” Her nandez said. “Some students have literature in the library or have band classes and it’s all the way on the other side of campus.”

The blockades also cause con gestion in parts of the campus, se nior Dhruv Sharma said.

students are able to get the best version of every club, as it elimi nates those that are poorly run.

“Last year’s badminton club was mismanaged,” he said. “They didn’t elect a new officer team, so we deactivated them this year, allowing a new group of students who are interested in badminton to create a new badminton club.”

Science teacher Sam Fung shares a similar opinion, agreeing that the deactivation of clubs im proves club quality.

“This is the circle of life; we start at the end and end in the beginning,” he said in an email. “If the officers are unable to lead the club or fulfill their responsibilities, then let the club be deactivated.”

Earlier this year, HHS had a total of 101 clubs, which led to a shortage of club advisers. Hoping

to resolve this issue, Zhang said deactivating clubs evens out the clubs-to-adviser ratio, increasing club productivity.

“Teachers are taking on up to four clubs, which is simply too much for them to handle, mean ing they’re unable to help off task clubs,” Zhang said. By decreasing the number of clubs, we allow ad visers to better supervise the clubs that they are responsible for.”

However, Fung sees the issue of the club adviser shortage differ ently.

Despite being the adviser of four different clubs, Fung said that he has still been able to make time for other activities. Additionally, the workload for each club varies, he said, so the time commitment depends on the club.

In terms of improvement, be cause ASB is in control of the ma jority of the events that go on at HHS, Neely said they should work towards improving communica tion, as events are unable to com mence without their approval.

Zhang said he agrees ASB could improve in terms of commu nication, and that he, along with Cho and Floyd, have consulted ASB adviser Jessica Kirby regard ing the ASB-student body discon nect.

“As a club commission, we’re working toward a centralized club website and communicating di rectly with advisers,” he said. “It is a problem that we have recog nized that we’re working towards solving.”

“I do some public speaking practice with students to get ready for a mock trial, and as part of that I usually go outside to hear them,” Lee said. “I can’t do that this year. I had to find another location, because I want to do one on one practice yet keep an eye on the class. So there’s some modifica tions, which make [the process] a little challenging.”

The fencing on campus has also had a significant impact on access to the library, sophomore Linda Chang said.

“It’s harder if you need to go and print something super quickly before class,” Chang said. “So [the library] might be less used because of the construction.”

This convoluted route makes the library specifically inaccessible for new students, academic center adviser Jaqi Reyes said.

“A lot of people thought we didn’t have a library because it was blocked off,” Reyes said, “or they found it hard to get here be cause there were no directions as to where to find it.”

“There’s less space for students, so certain areas like the quad have gotten a lot more crowded than they used to be,” Sharma said.

These challenges are worth it if the outcome of construction has a positive impact on the school, Her nandez said. She said she hopes construction will generate a more modern campus and reduce HHS’ carbon footprint in the community.

“I heard [the new buildings] are very eco-friendly and save a lot of electricity,” Hernandez said. “I hope this journey of construction turns out to be a really good thing for the environment.”

Sharma said he also has aes thetic aspirations for the campus.

“[HHS] gets trashed on by Fre mont a lot,” Sharma said. “Hope fully here we get a good style go ing.”

While the construction of the B building temporarily disrupts life on campus, the outcome will bene fit the school, Chang said.

“I think construction is useful because it makes the campus look a lot better,” Chang said. “In the short term, it’s kind of annoying,

INCLUSIVE NEW POSITION: Student advocates Paige Danner and Robin Ruan discuss their contributions to ASB.

NO WAY AROUND: Construction of the B building modernizes campus but brings disruption to student life.

STUDENT COUNCIL MEETING: Student council discusses new propo sitions at a recent meeting.

Photo courtesy of Kelsey Shan

Photo by Mackie Vu

Photo by Zeinab Rakhshandehroo

The

Editors-in-Chief

Madhavi Karthik Macy Li

Managing Editor

Karuna Chandran

Production Manager Hope Saena

Senior News Editor Erin Loh

Junior News Editor Nicole Kim

Senior Opinion Editors

Keshav Kumar Lindsey Steel

Junior Opinion Editor

Anushruti Nagarajan

Senior Lifestyles Editor Lia Klebanov

Junior Lifestyles Editors

Saira Ahmed Brevin Reed

Senior A&C Editor Amber Birrell

Junior A&C Editor Rajiv Venkatesh

Senior Sports Editor Niyatee Jain

Junior Sports Editor

Harshitha Vijayakumar

Senior Design Editors

Seoyoung Hwang Christine Kim

Senior Multimedia Editor Zeinab Rakhshandehroo

Senior Social Media Editor Saira Ahmed

Photo/Illustration Editor

Joss Broward

Web Manager Seoyoung Hwang

Copy Editors

Joss Broward Rajiv Venkatesh Reporters

Ella Chan

Parth Dhaulakhandi

Manya Girivasan Nathan Gu Patrick Hao

Nicole Pimenta Innecco David Lin Brian Ling Anderson Picone

Gabriela Salazar

Helen Tam Mackie Vu

Evelyn Wang Faith Watters

Annabelle

Emma Yu Veronica Zhao

Adviser Natalie Owsley

Donor

Staff Editorial

FUHSD board elections will shape future of district

The FUHSD Board of Trust ees has an immense yet often overlooked impact on our com munity, as it oversees the edu cation of over 11,000 students. During the upcoming school board election on Nov. 8, voters have the potential to make our district a safer and more inclusive environment.

This November, five candi dates are running to fill the three open spots on the board. Those on the district board play a critical role in addressing the issues that affect HHS.

One such issue is the imple mentation of an ethnic studies class, which is set to be launched next year. The expansion of an ethnic studies class is crucial, because it gives students great er exposure to diverse perspectives and helps them develop a better understanding of the in equities across the world.

The majority of the school board candidates support the teaching of ethnic studies. For instance, incumbent Board vice president Rosa Kim stated in an

interview that she was part of the ethnic studies learning collabo rative, which helped design the new ethnic studies class. Her ex perience will ensure the smooth implementation of ethnic studies classes across the district.

Another issue the district must address is increasing access to gender-neutral bathrooms on campus. These facilities are nec essary for non-binary and trans gender students who may feel uncomfortable using traditionally designated restrooms.

In an interview, incumbent Board president Naomi Na kano-Matsumoto emphasized the importance of destigmatizing the use of these facilities by placing them in easily accessible loca tions, fostering a welcome envi ronment for all.

In addition to restrooms, can didate Stanley Kou expressed the need for gender-neutral chang ing areas, which would provide a private changing facility for those who may feel uncomfortable in boys or girls locker rooms. This will help students feel more com fortable when participating in sports or using school facilities.

While some candidates de serve our support for their com mitment to progress, others do not. For example, Linda Price has expressed concerning stances on issues such as gender-neutral re strooms and LGBTQ+ resources. Price stated in an interview that gender-neutral bathrooms should be open to all students. This un dermines the core purpose of these facilities.

If students who do not need those restrooms occupy them, building them will do nothing to help non-binary students.

Additionally, after being ques tioned about the importance of LGBTQ+ literature in the library, Price made concerning comments about queer literature, citing the “violence associated with it.”

This viewpoint will isolate queer students, as they will not feel seen or represented if these works are stigmatized. These stances make Price an unfit candi date for the FUHSD Board.

The Board of Trustees elec tions give us the power to choose the policies that affect us most. If we have an opportunity to use our voices to influence policy, we must take it. Candi dates Kim, Kou, and Na kano-Matsumoto will all improve the lives of stu dents with their sup port for ethnic studies and gender-neutral bathrooms. If we want our concerns to be a priority, we must be vocal in our support for the candidates that share our values.

An unequal spotlight Your voice matters

Ukraine coverage harms people of color

By Zeinab Rakhshandehroo

“Shock and horror after Russia’s wave of strikes across Ukraine.”

“Students in Ukraine go to schools with bomb shelters, pack emer gency kits.” These are the head lines I’m bombarded with when I check the news.

For months, the Ukraine-Russia conflict has been dominating both national and international news, garnering widespread attention and media coverage.

Despite the countless extreme humanitarian crises in the world, the media has placed a dispropor tionate focus on Ukraine, accord ing to the Columbia Journalism Review, overlooking severe injus tices in other countries.

For instance, Ethiopia is being ravaged by civil war, and people in Venezuela are starving, accord ing to the BBC. Millions have lost their homes due to Pakistan’s di sastrous floods, and thousands of children in Yemen are dying from disease and violence, according to UNICEF.

Yet, the media’s excessive cov erage of Ukraine has obscured these other crises. There is only one difference between the crisis

in Ukraine and these countries — the people of Ukraine are white and share Western culture.

While the crisis in Ukraine de serves coverage, the media cannot pick and choose issues they be lieve are “worthy” of being covered.

A glaring example of this can be seen in the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, a nation that has suf fered war for eight years. While the media sparks sympathy for Ukrainians, there is little to no mention of the people of Yemen in the news, according to the McGill International Review.

This unequal media coverage promotes the idea that white lives are more valuable than those of other racial backgrounds.

As someone who is Middle Eastern and close to many people with backgrounds in these coun tries, this idea is particularly offen sive, preventing me from feeling comfortable and valued in society.

The impacts of this dispropor tionate media coverage are evident in the HHS community. There have been many campus-wide events in support of Ukraine, such as National English Honor Soci ety’s book drive and Red Cross’s fundraiser last year.

Although this activism is posi tive, it is frustrating to see the lack of advocacy on behalf of predom inantly non-white nations, includ ing Yemen and Ethi opia.

Without ade quate media cov erage, the public cannot gain aware ness of the injustice plaguing many na tions.

Ultimately, to spark change, the media must shed light on all coun tries facing conflicts. Otherwise, millions more will continue to suffer in silence.

By Macy Li

Advocacy matters. In our de mocracy, we have the opportunity to impact our communities and fight for political change. By active ly participating in politics, youth across the country can make their voices heard. Whether it is through voting, campaigning or activism, it is essential for teenagers to stand up for what they believe in.

In California, eligible citizens are able to pre-register to vote at age 16 and officially register at age 18.

Ultimately, voting is a simple but effective way to influence pol itics, and it is the foundation upon which political reform is built. By taking this significant step, youth can stand against injustice.

Beyond voting, teens have the power to make a direct impact through activism, both within their communities and beyond. For in stance, the issue of gun violence has brought the younger genera tion to the forefront of politics.

Gun violence disproportionate ly affects youth, especially people of color and marginalized students. In fact, Black students comprise 16.6% of the school population but suffer from school shootings at twice that rate, according to the Washington Post.

Gun violence has victimized thousands of young people, but it has also fostered civic engagement among this population, according to American Progress. A perva sive issue that matters deeply to this generation has empowered them to

enter the political arena, inspiring their peers to follow in their foot steps.

Over the years, gun control movements like March for Our Lives have demonstrated the pow er of youth activism. High school students have directly lobbied law makers and influenced numerous companies to abandon ties with the National Rifle Association, ac cording to the New York Times.

They have also championed national walk-outs, in hopes of raising awareness for their cause.

Today, over 75% of the March for Our Lives staff belong to Gen Z, according to their annual re ports. By rallying support for an impactful cause, the gun control movement has cultivated a gener ation of more courageous activists and politically engaged citizens.

This movement has inspired countless individuals to amplify their voices. In the face of injus tice, we can seek inspiration from movements like these. Ultimately, it is time for young people across the country to wield their political power, instead of remaining silent.

With the midterm elections in early November, countless rights are at stake. By standing up for

voices of youth deserve to be heard.

BIAS IN MEDIA: The media has shined a spotlight on Ukraine, while neglecting to cover other crises.

FUHSD school board candidates Kim, Kou and Nakano-Mat sumoto will promote inclusivity.

Illustration by Macy Li

Photo

by Joss Broward

Political participation among youth fuels widespread change

Standardized tests disadvantage lower income students

have the highest SAT test scores of 1400 to 1600 than students with family incomes of less than $50,000, according to Forbes.

Competition clubs cultivate

confidence

By Evelyn Wang

By Nathan Gu

Rays of sunlight break through thick, gloomy clouds. Underneath the early morning sky, students gather near the entrance of stan dardized testing centers, clutching graphing calculators and sharp ened pencils.

When the proctor begins read ing aloud the test instructions, stu dents prepare themselves for the upcoming mental marathon. The incessant sound of scribbles and the rustling of pages fills the room.

Across the country, many high school students are pressured to take standardized tests every year. Yet, these tests fail to accurately measure the abilities of students, their level of intelligence or their potential for success. As a result, tests like the SAT, ACT and AP ex ams should have little, if any, sig nificance in college admissions.

While preparing for the SAT over the summer, I spent countless hours understanding the patterns of questions and SAT hacks, rath er than actually learning the chal lenging concepts.

Ultimately, the ability to suc ceed on the SAT does not rely solely on students’ intelligence or knowledge. Instead, extrinsic fac tors like socioeconomic status and school funding place certain stu dents at a significant disadvantage.

Tutoring centers, the compe tence of teachers and varying school curriculums play crucial roles in determining student per formance. Students in lower-in come communities often have less access to these critical resources.

Because the availability of nu merous resources plays such a significant role in determining success on standardized tests, stan dardized tests place lower-income students at a serious disadvantage, according to the Federal Reserve.

The socioeconomic status of students can significantly influence their scores on standardized tests. In fact, students from high-income communities perform 21.2% better than students from low income communities, according to Psycho logical Science.

In addition, students with a family income of over $100,000 or more are over twice as likely to

Furthermore, white students are three times more likely than Black and Hispanic American stu dents to have SAT test scores of 1400 to 1600.

As a result, disparities in per formance place racial minority groups at an unfair disadvantage in college admissions.

Since higher percentages of Hispanic and Black Americans live in neighborhoods with under funded schools, they are prone to receiving lower scores from a lack of resources, according to Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Eq uity.

Differences in standardized test scores highlight the wealth gap, which is often influenced by rac ism and the disparities in educa tion funding.

Although an increasing number of colleges, such as the UC system, removed their requirements for standardized tests, numerous col leges across the nation still provide students with the option to submit standardized testing scores.

Given the numerous factors that influence standardized test scores and create inequities, all colleges should remove their re quirements.

Both wealth and education funding create an unfair advantage for students with more privileged backgrounds. Students preparing for standardized tests gain little in the process, often spending more time on learning about the test patterns, rather than the content.

Since standardized tests fail to accurately measure the over all skills of students, universities should place more value on extra curriculars and coursework.

While standardized tests do re quire foundational skills like read ing, they fail to account for the wide range of knowledge required for the myriad of job choices stu dents can pursue.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many universities have implement ed test-optional policies, no longer requiring applicants to submit scores, according to Urban Insti tute. Although this is a step in the right direction, more needs to be done to level the playing field. Ulti mately, to avoid fueling inequities, schools should stop considering most standardized test scores in admissions altogether.

I was shy as a child, so natu rally, every foreign experience was accompanied by overwhelming anxiety. Pushing myself to ap proach unfamiliar situations has always been arduous.

Throughout elementary and even middle school, I found public speaking to be the most daunting task. It was only when I started speech and debate that my fear of the uncomfortable began to dissi pate.

Through various competition clubs like Model United Nations, mock trial and speech and debate, students are able to step outside their comfort zones and claim a voice.

Because these clubs offer the opportunity to participate in com petitions, they encourage students to expose themselves to un comfortable situations. As students learn to confront

challenging tasks, they eventual ly become easier to tackle. After persistent practice, students gain valuable skills and experiences.

After attending a speech and debate camp over the summer, I discovered a newfound interest in debate, prompting me to con tinue exploring my passion for it throughout the school year.

I enjoyed the fact that it pushed me beyond my limits, forcing me to step outside my comfort zone. I began to take classes with a speech and debate organization and even competed at a tour nament — something I would have never imagined doing a few months ago.

In the beginning, debate was difficult; however, over time, my narrow comfort zone began to expand, and I became more and more comfortable with speaking in front of an audience.

In addition to shaping students into more confident and as sertive individu als, competition clubs fuel cre ativity. By en

couraging them to devise unique solutions and craft memorable arguments, these clubs allow stu dents to exercise their critical thinking skills and forge their own authentic ideas.

Along with being a timid child, I was also an overthinker, afraid people would judge my ideas. I al ways agreed with the most popu lar opinion, scared to be an outlier.

But because speech and debate requires participants to develop their own arguments and refuta tions, I gradually became more assertive and unafraid to voice my own perspectives.

Debate, along with other com petition clubs, requires partici pants to write cases on issues hap pening in the modern-day world, which helps participants enhance their understanding of current events. Before debate, I was out of touch with the world, oblivious to national and international news. However, through topic research, I have had the opportunity to learn about federal policies, internation al affairs and the economy, which has shaped me into a more edu cated and well-rounded person.

Student opinions on competition clubs

Speech and debate has em powered me to become a more confident person and inspired me to express my ideas. Other compe tition clubs offer similar opportuni ties, encouraging students to chan nel their confidence. Ultimately, competition clubs act as a catalyst for self improvement, benefiting all participants.

Through the looking glass

Modern cultural assimilation must be stopped

By Anushruti Nagarajan

“Anu, what are you wearing?” a classmate asked me as I walked into elementary school in third grade. Dressed in a salwar kameez, a traditional Indian outfit featuring colorful pants and a blouse, I im mediately felt out of place.

In middle school, kids would make fun of my steel containers, mock my religion and taunt me by speaking in stereotypically Indian accents. These experiences made me feel ashamed of a culture I de served to love, with its vibrant out fits and aromatic food. Yet, in the midst of these taunts, my heritage seemed to be reduced to some thing foreign and undesirable.

Only when I entered high school did I truly feel comfortable with my skin tone and authentic Indian culture. I was finally sur rounded by an inclusive commu

nity, where many classmates with similar backgrounds felt comfort able with their identities.

In American society, we are often made to feel ashamed or embarrassed of our cultural back ground, pres sured to as similate to western cul ture to fit in.

Cultural assimilation is the process in which a minority culture conforms to a dominant group, according to Merriam Web ster. This problem has plagued American history and remains pervasive in our world.

Ethnic groups are forced to al ter their practices to conform to Western culture to avoid humilia tion and embarrassment a result of racist remarks.

Assimilationist policies, such as enforcing the English language and promoting conformity, homog enize populations and reduce cul tural diversity in our nation. West

Letter to the Editor

This Letter to the Editor was writ ten by American literature honors teacher Ashley Pitta, in response to the article titled “Reading cur riculum fails to include marginal ized voices” in Issue 1, published Oct.7,2022.

Dear Editor, In the most recent issue, there was an opinion article titled: “Reading curriculum fails to in clude marginalized voices,” about the lack of diversity in the Amer ican Lit/Writing Honors course. I, along with other teachers, felt the article was inaccurate due to changes that have been incorpo

rated into HHS English course to be more representative of the di verse voices that exist.

We recognize it is an opinion piece, but it was far from the truth or reality of the American Litera ture courses as a whole. I myself have only taught American Lit/ Honors for three years and it is already a different course com pared to my first year teaching it. For example, we used to teach The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and that has been replaced by TheUndergroundRailroad. I used to teach my persuasion unit with speeches from Steve Jobs and The Dalai Lama and now use more

ern customs such as eating with silverware and using first names, might be normalized for some, but they can be seen as foreign or dis respectful in other cultures.

Ultimately, the failure to abide by these practices leads to hostility toward immigrants. As people are segregated socially and po litically, xeno phobia proliferates people across the nation.

To combat as similationist practices, it is crucial to encourage cultur al appreciation and preservation, while also fostering inclusivity in our schools and the workplace.

Accepting your heritage can be challenging if you have been put down for it in the past. Yet, we must be proud of the individuality that stems from our unique cultur al roots.

updated examples with diverse voices. There are more changes coming, but building a viable cur riculum takes time.

The English department has worked to update and revamp the curriculum that is taught at HHS over the last several years and will continue to do so for future years. The perception that all teachers do not want to change because they are tied to what they have taught for years is on the majority inac curate.

Sincerely, Honors American literature teacher Ashely Pitta

Infographic by Evelyn Wang Based on a survey of 108 students

Unsure

Believe competition clubs are not beneficial for students

Believe competition clubs are beneficial for students

Illustration by Jacob Chen

Ensuring equality

Affirmative action helps minorities

By Keshav Kumar

California is known for its pro gressive values. From a $15 mini mum wage to expansive environ mental protections, we lead the way on policy change, according to the Guardian. However, we have failed to live up to this reputation when it comes to one issue: affir mative action.

Affirmative action includes pro cedures that eliminate discrimina tion in college admissions and job opportunities, or mitigate the im pacts of discrimination in the past, according to Cornell Law School.

However, many people see af firmative action as a program that helps certain minority groups at the ex pense of society as a whole, accord ing to the University of South ern Flor ida.

Sadly, this idea has deep roots in California, as shown by the passage of Propo sition 209 in 1996, which banned the consideration of race in admis sions to the University of Califor nia system.

California’s opposition to affir mative action has hurt racial mi norities. The passage of Proposi tion 209 reduced the enrollment of Black and Hispanic students at UCs, according to The New York Times.

Eliminating affirmative action means there is no way to compen sate for the institutional racism students of color have experienced through underfunded schools or limited college preparation re sources.

In addition, Proposition 209 decreased the future earnings of students of color by 5%, because they were denied educational op portunities.

Since Black and Hispanic stu dents could not access the quali ty education they needed to find work in California’s technology sector, they were excluded from the benefits of the state’s recent economic growth, according to a study by UC Berkeley economics professor Zachary Bleemer.

The common response to these facts is that prioritizing certain so cial groups will always hurt other ones. However, banning affirma tive action had no effect on White or Asian Americans, Bleemer’s study found.

In addition, affirmative action both indi vidual and institution al levels.

Classmates of those helped by affirma tive action have more inclusive beliefs and improved cognitive ca pacity. Also, when race is consid ered in admissions, disadvantaged minorities have better chances of rising to leadership roles, which ensures a diverse array of perspec tives are represented and every one’s concerns are taken into con sideration, according to Harvard’s Graduate School of Education.

Ultimately, affirmative action improves the futures of excluded minorities, in addition to enhanc ing the strength of our economy and health of our society. If we want people of all backgrounds to succeed, it is up to us to keep affirmative action a priority, so Cal ifornia can fulfill its reputation as a state that prioritizes equality and progress.

Deactivation of clubs lacks purpose

By Annabelle Yip

Clubs are an integral part of a student’s high school experience. By joining clubs of various nich es, students can explore their in terests and discover communities where they fit in. However, ASB’s decision to deactivate 15 clubs in late September is an overreaction that limits the amount of opportu nities available to the student body.

This decision came after club officers failed to respond to ASB’s emails and submit required Google forms to report information about their clubs over the summer. ASB sent emails to the new officers of all clubs on campus, and they con tacted former officers or alumni if they received no response, ASB public relations commissioner Kelsey Shan said. Although club officers must be more responsible, the deactivation of 15 clubs, which eliminates their funding and affili ation with ASB, is too severe.

During summer break, students should not be required to fulfill

school-related commitments and regularly check their emails, re gardless of the amount of effort these tasks take. Students deserve to enjoy their summer vacations, and year-round involvement in school activities like clubs should not be expected. If students failed to read or respond to an email from ASB, their club should not have been deactivated.

In addition, reaching out to graduated club officers and re ceiving no response should not have resulted in the deactivation of clubs. Alumni should not be ex pected to handle the logistics of these high school organizations, since they no longer attend HHS or serve as officers.

Ultimately, the value of featur ing a multitude of clubs on cam pus outweighs the carelessness of a few club officers. It is of the utmost importance that students are given the opportunity to enjoy their high school experiences to the fullest and explore the differ ent niches HHS has to offer.

Many students value clubs for creating a space where students can discover who they are, who they want to be and where their interests lie. Clubs not only help students explore career pathways and gain valuable skills, but they also immerse students in tightknit communities and help them form lasting friendships with other members and officers. The deacti vation of these clubs harms both students who are still involved with the now-deactivated clubs and the students who are interested in be coming new members.

ASB must provide greater sup port to clubs in the future, so clubs do not risk deactivation. This can be done by requiring all necessary forms to be filled out during the school year instead of during the summer.

As a member of a few clubs, I choose to participate in general meetings and other activities be cause I strive to expand my hori zons. As a member of psychology club, I value the opportunity to delve into a potential career path that I otherwise would not have the chance to explore.

But for my friends in the deac tivated sports medicine club, or my freshman brother forging his own path of self-discovery, this decision will take away opportunities for them to find enjoyment in non-academic interests.

Homestead Interact, for in stance, is a club for students to make a difference both locally and internationally through community service. After being deactivated, the club may not be able to fund impactful ini tiatives.

Ultimately, the deactivation of clubs was unnecessary and has denied people opportuni ties to explore their ambitions and interests.

Equal votes for an equal voice

Supreme court case Merrill v. Milligan threatens voting rights

By Rajiv Venkatesh

For decades, the Voting Rights Act has safeguarded the right to vote in the face of discriminato ry policies. Since its passage in 1965, this law has increased the influence, participation and repre sentation of minority communities in government, according to the

tections granted by this law. The Court’s 2013 decision Shelby County v. Holder allowed states to enact policies, such as voter ID laws and voter roll purges, that dis proportionately impact voters of color, according to Vox. The deci sion also made it easier for states to create congressional districts that take power away from minori ty groups by restricting the federal government’s power to oversee the election process.

Now, a new case, Merrill v. Mil ligan, threatens to render the Vot ing Rights Act obsolete. The case centers around Alabama’s refusal to create a second Black-majority congressional district in the state, which would protect the voting power of Black students. Over a quarter of the state’s population is Black, but only one of its sev en seats currently has a majority of Black residents. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court is considering siding with Alabama, according to NPR, which will deny Al abama’s Black community adequate and equal repre

person should have one vote of equal significance. By overturning the decisions of lower courts, the Supreme Court would embolden Alabama and other states with similar disputes, such as Louisi ana and South Carolina, to draw congressional districts that deny voters of color a voice in Congress. If this important process is left up to the states, many will prioritize their own power at the expense citizens they represent.

When the Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965, America was beginning to leave an ugly history of discrimination behind.

The repeated assaults on this crucial law are undoing decades of progress to finally achieve an equi table society.

Lawyers for Alabama want the Supreme Court to decide that the Voting Rights Act’s provisions do not apply because the state’s ac tions are “race neutral,” according to Reuters.

Essentially, their justification for a complete redefinition of this landmark legislation is that Amer ica has moved past racial discrim ination.

Troublesome toilets

HHS restrooms are in a dreadful state

By Brian Ling

I was in a swim meet and had to change into my suit. I went into a restroom stall, but when I was done changing, I noticed the lock was bent and would not open. I be gan to panic — and after around five minutes of trying to pry the lock open, I gave up and crawled under the stall door on the disgust ing restroom floor.

Frankly, our school restrooms are often in awful condi

Illustration by Ivan Potharaju

The restrooms at HHS are plagued with a multitude of issues and often need upgrades or re pairs. Sinks do not work, the floors are covered in grime and the soap dispensers never contain soap.

The existing fixtures are not only in a dilapidated condition, but are also poorly designed. For example, in some of the men’s re strooms, the urinals do not have di viders between them. This makes them uncomfortable to use, espe cially when there is another per son attempting to use the one next to you.

Ultimately, these shortcomings make using the restroom incon venient and unpleasant. In fact, nearly 90% of students are dissat isfied with the state of restrooms, according to a survey of 223 stu dents by The Epitaph. Common complaints include a lack of hy giene products, damaged or filthy facilities and misuse of the re strooms by other students.

OUR RIGHTS: Congress must pass laws that reaffirm the right to vote at the federal level.

If the Supreme Court were to decide Merrill in favor of Alabama, the ide als of democracy would be violated. The current Repub lican-drawn map was creat ed to take as much power as possible for the party, violating the concept that each

However, recent events and the passage of many laws to tighten election rules prove this has not yet occurred.

As attacks on the right to vote continue into the future, we must affirm the right of all Americans to influence the direction of our na tion through the right to vote.

IMPROVE SHARED FACILITIES:

We must do more to keep restrooms clean and functional.

To address these problems, the administration should ensure all students feel comfortable by hav ing better maintenance to keep all the restrooms running well and in good shape.

However, the same goes for students, who should show more respect to the restrooms and not vandalize or destroy the fa cilities. All it does is make the restrooms more undesirable and creates problems for our janitors.

STUDENTS DESERVE BETTER: Deactivating clubs because of minor logistical reasons reduces opportunities for exploration.

Illustration by Katie O’Dell

Illustration by Keilani Gomez

NECESSARY FOR EQUITY: Affirmative action undoes past injustices

Illustration by Noël Dupuis

Peek into social justice clubs — WEA, ASL, Pride

Club officers discuss clubs, goals for the year

By Nicole Kim and Mackie Vu

Social justice clubs on campus advocate for minority groups to bring awareness to social move ments and work to improve socie tal issues. Here is a look into some of these clubs on campus.

Women’s Empowerment Am bassadors

Women’s empowerment am bassadors focuses on spreading the message of feminism and breaking down negative stigmas around it, vice president, senior Josie Cho said.

Cho said her goal for the club is to create a comfortable environ ment in which students can find a community through sharing their own experiences or issues about subjects like body positivity.

To kick off the new school year, WEA held their annual waffle so cial where members bonded while watching a movie focusing on the adversities women face

“We chose ‘Hidden Figures’ because it’s a great movie that empowers women,” Cho said. “It shows the struggles women face, especially what women of color went through.”

Overall, Cho said the movie in stilled a sense of appreciation for feminists of the past and helped to bring the WEA community to gether.

To fulfill their goals for this

Behind the scenes of the college application process

Campbell Union School District as a para educator in the special ed ucation department for two years.

By Christine Kim

For many seniors, this time of year can best be categorized as college application season. Tran scripts are being sent out, essays are being written and college representative visits are being co ordinated. Diving deeper into the behind-the-scenes process reveals Shay Bellamy, the college and ca reer adviser.

When describing herself, Bel lamy said she is fun-loving, deter mined and ambitious, all of which has helped her throughout her career. Before working at HHS, Bellamy said she worked for the

“I’ve always had a knack for being interested in education and helping students succeed in their dreams,” Bellamy said. “This is the perfect job to do that.”

As a second-year college advis er, Bellamy said she enjoys seeing where her students apply as well as the happiness on their faces when they are accepted.

Apart from witnessing her stu dents flourish, Bellamy also said she appreciates the graciousness of students when they thank her for her help.

“I’ve gotten a couple of thank you cards as well as little gifts as appreciation and for the time I spent making sure students re ceived the attention they needed,” Bellamy said. “I had a student just now from last year come back. He got accepted into his dream school, and he dropped by to say thank you. He was very excited about being able to go.”

Before students can thank her for an ac ceptance, Bellamy said her job requires a lot of coordination to make sure the senior class is successful and able to apply to college. She has to ensure she gets com munication about work shops, presentations and

classes, she said.

“This means help students trou bleshoot with Naviance, respond to emails from parents, students and staff, troubleshoot any issues with specific applications and go to conferences to make sure I’m informed with things going on in those schools,” Bellamy said. “I do presentations not only for the se niors, but juniors and sophomores, as well.”

Bellamy said her number one priority is to provide students with all the help and access to college information they need. Going to college is a personal decision, she said, so it is something students need to take seriously and do their research on.

“I want students to understand it’s their own personal journey, and we or their parents can’t make all those decisions for them,” Bellamy said. “We can definitely help them get there, as long as they’re willing to do the work and reach out.”

To current seniors in the midst of the college application season, Bellamy said she advises students not to stress or worry about things they can’t control. There are a lot of moving pieces to the applica tion process, she said. By making sure students get applications in on time and do their part, Bellamy said she hopes to minimize stu dents’ stress.

“If there are complications or issues, I’ll reach out,” Bellamy said. “I like interacting with students as much as possible. That’s pretty much the best part of my job.”

year, WEA is working to increase engagement with members during meetings, Cho said.

“We hope to implement mem ber-officer club meetings where the members will choose what topic they want to talk about,” Cho said. “Then they will work with the officers to present it in front of the club.”

American Sign Language

The American Sign Language club teaches members to sign and brings awareness to the deaf com munity, president, junior Chole Lu said.

“This club is mainly about edu cating,” Lu said. “We teach people what signs are, how to sign and how to help someone in danger.”

As opposed to previously teach ing holiday-themed signs at certain times of the year, Lu said meetings are now more lesson-based, em phasizing useful daily signs.

“We start off with the basics, then etiquette and emergency signs,” Lu said. “In case people don’t come back to the club, [it’s important] they get to take that away.”

Looking into the future, Lu said she hopes to continue advocating for inclusion in language learning companies and to keep meetings entertaining by including new events.

“We hope to have a guest speak er and host more activities where we can write letters for change to companies who don’t normally offer ASL, such as Duolingo and other language educational apps or websites,” Lu said.

Pride, the only LGBTQ+ club on campus, provides a haven for stu dents in the community and their allies to meet, co-president, senior Abby Berwick said.

“We engage in a lot of on cam pus projects, like hosting adviso ries, expanding the book selection in the library and trying to increase resources like gender neutral bath rooms at school,” Berwick said.

One of pride club’s contribu tions this year was the pride ad visory, where all the content was produced by the club. Pride’s goal for the advisory was to expose the student body to ideals that differ from their own, Berwick said.

“Not everybody knows some body who is part of the LGBTQ+ community,” Berwick said. “But by sharing these diverse perspectives, we expose students to an array of perspectives that can advance their own.”

In addition, design it, a graph ic design club, worked with pride to create frog stickers, which ul timately became a symbol of the advisory.

“I still see the stickers on water bottles, computers and phone cas es, and I think that’s really touch ing,” Berwick said.

After Berwick graduates, she said she hopes to leave a lasting impact on future students and their experiences.

“I want to make [the club a safe place] so students don’t feel afraid to express their identity, and make them feel comfortable joining a community that’s welcoming,” Ber wick said. “I hope we can contin ue the momentum we’ve had with pride and have a tangible impact on the community.”

Just Between Us

By Brevin Reed

I’m gay, and I’m comfortable in my own skin. But it wasn’t always that way.

Beginning at eight years old and throughout elementary and middle school, it became harder to relate to my male friends. Their conversations pivoted from their favorite games to girls they had a crush on, and I could not make myself care.

Coming to terms with being gay in those years was difficult be cause I did not even know the word for who I was. Not a single bit of me dia I had ever seen related to my feel ings. I had no insight into re lation ships apart from the

typical heterosexual romance I read about or saw on PBS Kids.

Without any other representa tion, I did what anyone would do – I Googled “gay.”

Doing my own “research” on the internet was shocking – the only thing that would show up was mature adult content, which I was extremely uncomfortable with.

All I wanted was to see guys my

age being happy together. Need less to say, this heavily warped my perception of gay relationships for most of my teen years. The way ho mosexual relationships are framed on the internet makes it seem like gay love is solely physical, and of ten kept secret, such as a husband cheating on his wife.

While at first I had been hap py to put a label on my identity, I became apprehensive about being with another man if that was all gay relation ships were going to

It wasn’t until years later my feel ings were validated and I learned it is possi ble to have a perfectly normal gay relation

On one hand, the people around me were sup portive and accepting. But it does not change the fact I never to see young LGBTQ+ representation in mainstream media. Searching the internet should not be the only source of gay relationships for younger people.

We owe it to other kids now and in the future to create a more in clusive environment for LGBTQ+ individuals and other marginalized identities with the introduction of more diverse media for younger audiences.

Pride

HANG ON CAMPUS: WEA, ASL and pride club work to bring awareness to their respective causes and change the campus for the better.

Photo by Christine Kim

Not enough young LGBTQ+ representa tion in media

Photo by Nicole Kim

Photo courtesy of Abby Berwick

Photo courtesy of Josie Cho Photo by Nicole Kim

Photo courtesy of Josie Cho

Student Aspirations

“There is a lot of psychology that goes into how we build buildings and how people perceive spaces. There is a subconscious impact that architecture has on the mind. For example, when you build a more compact space, it’s better to use diagonal flooring, so people can see all the way through, making it appear bigger.”

“[Architecture] seems like a cool job [that allows me] to build something — to put all this work and all my ideas into action. This is not just a solo job. I am able to work with engineers, city planners and clients to produce something so important to society, and being able to see the building as a tangible result of my hard work is very rewarding.”

PROTECTING HHS AGAINST

Construction takes preventive measures to accommodate natural disasters

By Anushruti Nagarajan

Students spend an average of 1,080 hours in school in a 180-day school year. That is 64,800 minutes and 388,800 seconds of their lives spent on campus each year. Schools serves as a second home for many students, with some work ing on homework in the library or attending sports practic es. As a result, schools must be able to withstand natural di sasters, such as earthquakes and fires, former HHS facilities manager Toby Mockler said.

The San Andreas fault system ifornia, putting the state at a high ing to the California Earthquake has taken architectural precautions through the design and construction California Education Board follows that is frequently updated over time, to this, constant modernizations buildings safer in the face of a disaster.

“There are certain things we one being seismic retrofitting,” constructed] A and B buildings seismic damage through putting building that weren’t there before.”

Another way in which HHS these buildings is through wrapping glass, a type of fiber-reinforced

DESIGNING HER DREAMS: O’Dell draws the Russian Church of the Savior on Blood for her portfolio.

Senior Katie O’Dell is interested in pursuing architecture. Here are some of her thoughts on the subject.

A LOOK INTO

The Don Burnett Bridge

AGAINST NATURAL DISASTERS

passes through much of Cal high risk for earthquakes, accord Earthquake Authority. Due to this, HHS precautions to withstand earthquakes construction of school buildings. The follows a strict construction code time, Mockler said. Adhering modernizations have been added to make disaster.

have to do to every building, Mockler said. “The [recently are made more resistant to putting movement points in the before.”

HHS ensures the safety of wrapping buildings in fiber fiber-reinforced plastic held together

with binding substances like resin, Mockler said. This forms a durable compound and is commonly used in construction to ensure structural integrity.

“Fiberglass allows buildings to flex and not break, like a tree that bends in the wind but doesn’t snap,” Mockler said “Construction workers also add steel to make the building [more durable], changing the footings in the building to satis fy the various construction codes.”

Additionally, with dry seasons and global climate change, California is becoming increasingly fire-prone. With this in mind, BLACH, the construction company in charge of HHS architecture, designed the school’s buildings to with stand wildfires, principal Greg Giglio said.

For example, the remod

eled A building and the remake of the B building now have a sprinkler system to control and extinguish fires in the early stages, Giglio said.

During construction, BLACH adheres to the ASI Fire Pro tection’s guidelines. Additionally, each building has a fire sup pression system and a corresponding fire rating, Mockler said.

Although new precautions continue to be incorporated in construction, Mockler said the older buildings continue to re tain a strong foundation even in dire circumstances.

“The quality of construction for the older buildings [on campus] is phenomenal,” Mockler said. “Because of the high quality construction and what past architects have done, it re duces what we have to do to satisfy [code] requirements. The district has been very lucky in this regard.”

PAGE DESIGN BY PARTH DHAULAKHANDI, DAVID LIN AND ANUSHRUTI NAGARAJAN

Illustration by Parth Dhaulakhandi and Seoyoung Hwang

BY PARTH DHAULAKHANDI, DAVID LIN, RITAJA SUBRAHMANYA AND EMILY TUMACDER

Won a California Transportation Foundation Award in 2009

Renamed after Mayor Don Burnett, an avid bicyclist Used by HHS cross country for warm-up routine Cost $14.8 million to build

Sources: The Mercury News, Schwager Davis Inc. and Wikiwand

In the eye of the political hurricane

change. Voting is a very good way to express what you want.”

Reading beyond the book

Book club promotes meaningful growth

By Saira Ahmed and Parth Dhaulakhandi

demonstrating how the book club changes stu dents’ views of the world.

By Joss Broward

In an era marked by the Trump administration, the Jan. 6 Capitol breach and rampant extremism, numerous students said their rela tionship with politics has evolved.

Sophomore Adam Tsou said he vividly remembers the events of Jan. 6 and the disbelief he felt.

“My eyes were on the TV and I was shocked,” Tsou said. “I was just watching in horror. To see that Trump, a president, was able to get this crowd together and get into the Capitol was very scary. People believing lies is saddening, frankly.”

Moving forward, senior George Heller said he hopes to counter modern extremism as he pursues a career in politics.

“Seeing many precedents being broken has inspired me to pursue the opposite and get us back to a state of decency and normalcy,” Heller said. “I think the most effec tive forms of policy have been built on compromise.”

Similarly, junior Kyle Krisda kumtorn said he believes political division is ultimately harmful for American democracy, because it prevents policies from being passed.

“I’m not happy with the current political state of the country,” Kris dakumtorn said. “I feel like people are more divided than not and blame others, and both parties are guilty of this. People could heal po litical division by trying to under stand each other more.”

Junior Ting Yong Liu said she believes it is crucial for young peo ple to be both politically aware and informed, even if they are not able to vote to create a healthier politi cal climate.

“It’s important to stay informed about these issues, so later on, when I am able to vote, I know what to vote for,” Liu said. “There are a lot of barriers that get in be tween wanting to change some thing and actually getting it to

Liu also said she believes young people still hold the power to affect politics. Tsou exemplifies this idea, as he said he pushes his family to vote for the candidates he sees fit.

“I have an aunt in Texas who is a swing voter, and I gave her a call and told her why I think she should vote for Biden,” Tsou said. “That’s the best way you can make your voice heard as a young individual. If you can’t vote, you can swing other people’s votes.”

While Liu is passionate about educating herself regarding poli tics, she said it can be mentally ex hausting. Liu said her relationship with politics is often dependent on aspects of her identity, some of which conflict with politicians’ ideologies.

“When there’s a lot of informa tion thrown at you at once and all of it seems negative, I feel like I don’t want to be involved any more,” Liu said. “Political issues can go against a certain person’s identity. For example, some con servatives would not agree with different sexualities, and for me, I am questioning my sexuality, so when I see a conservative advocate for funding conversion therapy, it goes against my identity.”

In light of dividing events such as the Jan 6. riots, Tsou, Krisda kumtorn and Heller said their po litical views have changed, with Tsou emphasizing how his views shifted left.

Krisdakumtorn said his beliefs have deviated from his parents’ over time due to personal experi ences. Likewise, Heller said he has become more firm in his beliefs as he has learned more about politics.

While political beliefs are bound to change, Heller said it is critical that people stay informed about current events.

“If you want a society that re flects democratic values, you have to have informed voters, and if you don’t, then what’s the point?” Hell er said. “I think people need to be informed, so they can make [their own political] decisions.”

Prior to virtual learning, AP U.S. history and academic foun dations teacher Andrea Yee used various podcasts to help students explore the topics they learned in their classes. In 2020, she took the opportunity to try something new – a book club.

Yee said the goal of her book club is to expose students to issues with historical significance that the College Board curriculum does not discuss.

“The book club offers deeper learning and helps students reflect on their own lives,” Yee said. “It’s a commitment. I love and appreciate that students are willing to make that commitment. They are open to [discussion] and growth.”

In the fall, students read “Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You” by Jason Reynolds, a re mix of Ibram X. Kendi’s “Stamped From the Beginning.” Yee said she enjoys using this novel because it touches on the history of racism and focuses on the importance of pursuing conversations about race.

After each club gathering during lunch, Yee instructs her students to write a reflection on what their groups discussed and their overall findings. She said she observed a shift in thinking in many of the students’ reflections,

“I see a lot of stu dents saying, ‘I think about the interactions I have differently now,’” Yee said. “Any movement is good, including hav ing increased awareness and reflection. Some students really take it to heart in these discus sions and are dedicated to [having] more.”

Former APUSH stu dent, senior Ivy Zhan said being a part of the book club provides stu dents with a valuable opportunity to discuss certain issues in depth, rather than briefly in class.

“The book club opened up a lot of conversations we usually don’t have, especially in a school setting,” Zhan said. “We talked about inter sectionality and [our] perspectives, which changed my perception of certain things.”

Zhan heavily encourages APUSH students to join, not only because of the extra credit they can receive, but also for the life lessons they can gain.

“It’s a whole new experience to [discuss] with your peers and may be with people you don’t normally talk to within your table groups,” Zhan said. “Even though it’s during lunch, it’s worth your time. It could definitely grow into a bigger book club, not just for Ms. Yee’s students,

Art for the heart

Art club presidents share experiences

By Patrick Hao

A pen and piece of paper may seem like ordinary objects to many. However, to juniors Abigail Song and Saanika Patel, co-presidents of art club and National Art Honor Society, they represent something far more substantive – a creative outlet for their imaginations.

Although Patel’s and Song’s stories differ, they said their yearslong interests in art brought both to art club and NAHS. Both of them began their creative journeys at a young age. Patel said she de veloped a passion for art when she began taking painting, drawing and sketching classes at 5 years old.

“[Art has been] something that’s always been a part of my life, and it’s something I’ve always done,” Patel said. “As I got older, I went to more advanced art class es, and I’m currently working on a portfolio for college. Oftentimes, if I’m stressed out or I just need a brain break, I’ll doodle.”

Like Patel, Song said she dis covered a love for art when she was young. While her brother im mersed himself in the STEM field, Song said she found comfort in ex ploring art, which helped improve her confidence.

During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Song said she initially faced creative roadblocks. However, she began dedicating her free time to this childhood passion and sought inspiration from others to find her way back to art.

“I feel a lot of people [around me] started doing art, and I fell back in love with it over the pan demic,” Song said. “I got inspired by seeing other artists online.”

Song said she was interested in joining art club as a freshman, and she gradually became more heavi ly involved. As time went on, how

ever, Song became passionate about planning meetings, activities and events as a former activities director.

“I really wanted to cultivate an art culture at our school, because I feel like our school doesn’t put a lot of focus on art, [as opposed to fields like] STEM and business,” Song said. “I want to spread the love of art throughout our commu nity.”

As the co-president, Song said she hopes to inspire students to uncover an interest in art and help members form friendships with each other.

“I really want to build a com munity in art club, because being surrounded by people that love art motivates me,” Song said. “It makes me happy, so I’m sure it makes oth er people happy.”

Similarly, Patel said her favorite part of being involved in the club is when people when people of all

but for anyone interested in dis cussing history.”

In addition to learning more about different perspectives on racism in the United States, senior Pooja Rayanki said she was able to better understand the people around her. The book club, she said, offered her greater insight into the lives of her peers.

“Before I lived in California, I lived in Chicago, and racism was very prevalent there,” Rayanki said. “[The book club] taught me that race means different things in oth er places, but it’s also an idea that can change and evolve. I learned about my peers, what they’re going through and how it is connected to U.S. history.”

is when people of all artistic levels are brought together.

“[Being co-president is] a re ally great leadership opportunity for me, and working with a team of officers that are as interested in art as much as me and Abigail [is amazing],” Patel said. “Being a part of this club where people genu inely love art was one of the main reasons why I decided to become a president.”

Patel said she hopes the club will attract more people who are interested in using art as a creative outlet. Furthermore, she hopes re turning members will share their experiences with newer members.

“For me, art is an outlet of ex pression, since school and the oth er clubs that I’m involved with can get stressful at times,” Patel said. “When I turn to art, it acts as my stress reliever, and my artwork is something that makes me feel safe and secure.

LINDSEY STEEL

BY PATRICK HAO

Students share expe riences in turbulent political world

CULTIVATING A COMMUNITY: Co-presidents Saanika Patel and Abi gail Song said they hope to help students develop an interest in art.

Photo illustration by Saira Ahmed

MORE THAN READING: Book clubs allow students to explore meaningful topics.

Photo by Lindsey Steel

DURING TURMOIL: Students said their political views changed due to extremist events such as the capitol riots.

Photo illustration by Joss Broward

Excel through entrepreneurship

By David Lin

Every year, virtual enterprise students launch a simulated com pany by allowing students to be selected for positions through an extensive hiring process. Through this, students are able to learn im portant skills and showcase their meaningful contributions, senior Hemal Kurani said.

During class, virtual enterprise students replicate a real business structure, serving as employees, managers and executives to pro duce a marketable product that is used to compete at trade shows.

At the onset of the hiring pro cess, students had the opportunity to achieve executive level man agement positions. Principal Greg Giglio and assistant principal Ter ri Hannigan conducted the inter views and selected the executives, Kurani said.

As the chief marketing officer, Kurani said despite the pressure of being interviewed in front of the entire class and being the first to go, she was able to receive her top position. Kurani said being CMO will allow her to use her cre ativity and marketing skills to best contribute to the company.

“I felt I wasn’t too nervous about the interview to begin with because I have had a lot of prac tice, especially being in FBLA,” Kurani said.

Senior Lia Klebanov said she was selected as the CEO and will be leading all 35 employees in the class. Klebanov, the head of the administrative department, said all executives were later expected to interview the non-executives of their departments.

For the marketing depart ment’s interviews, Kurani said she looked for both creativity and

innovation among the applicants. Kurani said the most important factor was the level of interest the applicants demonstrated, as well as their ability to devise unique and engaging marketing strate gies.

“I want our company to be por trayed as very approachable and empathetic, rather than a strict and rigid corporation,” Kurani said.

Senior Karina Lim, one of the applicants for the marketing de partment, was hired by Kurani as a marketing associate.

Even if students are not given their top choice, they still play an important role, Kurani said. Non-executives that did not re ceive any of their top three posi tions automatically became sales associates.

“We tried to play to everybody’s strengths so that they could bring the most value to the class,” Kle banov said. “There is not one role that is not valuable.”

As CEO, Klebanov said she hopes everyone is able to enjoy this experience. While it requires hard work and dedication, she said she wants it to be exciting and engaging.

“I hope the students learn the true value of hard work and seek ing a common goal,” Klebanov said.

Kurani and Klebanov both said they hope their employees gain valuable skills they will carry with them after graduation. In the fu ture, Klebanov wants to own her own company or be an executive, she said

“I am learning how to be a very effective leader while continuing to improve my public speaking skills,” Klebanov said. “There is just so much to learn.”

All three seniors, Klebanov, Kurani and Lim, said they are eager to apply business concepts from their previous classes to re al-life scenarios.

As part of the new cohort of virtual enterprise, Kurani said she believes this class will be greatly beneficial for herself and highly recommends it to future students.

“My biggest advice for future students would be to invest your self in the process,” Kurani said. “I know doing an interview in front of the class is really intimidating, but you learn a lot by putting your self out there, taking the opportu nities presented to you.”

Queer is here

Students, staff reflect on LGBTQ+ experiences

By Seoyoung Hwang

As contributing members of the HHS community, LGBTQ+ students and staff said most of their experiences have been pos itive, yet they agree more can be done to foster inclusivity around campus.

Andrew Park

Senior Andrew Park said he has received a lot of encourage ment from fellow LGBTQ+ peers, as well as his teachers.

“I think HHS is supportive of the community as a whole,” Park said. “Usually, students are either outright supportive or at least not impolite enough to be outwardly homophobic.”

However, there have been in stances when Park has experi enced microaggressions from his peers, he said.

Robin Ruan

When sophomore Robin Ruan came to HHS, they said they found the community to be more accepting of their identity. One of the changes HHS implement ed that Ruan was excited about

was the new gender-neutral re strooms.

“I think there needs to be a separate changing space for gen der-neutral people,” Ruan said. “We need more general education on how to not be mean to other students or unintentionally offend somebody.”

Ruan said they also believe there should be some way to con nect the people of the LGBTQ+ community to each other, which would help them realize they are not alone. By building connec tions, students can feel comfort able around others, they said.

Jeff Herbst

The experiences science teach er Jeff Herbst has had as a mem ber of the LGBTQ+ community have been very positive, they said.

“I feel very fortunate to work at a place where I don’t have to have concerns about my gender identity or presentation impacting my em ployment status, or my ability to work effectively,” Herbst said.

Herbst came out to their stu dents because they wanted to be honest with everyone, as well as with themself.

“Being out as trans has been a lot of fun as a teacher,” Herbst said. “I think it’s liberating and free to be able to present myself the way I feel most comfortable.”

enterprise students learn from workplace simulation

WORKING HARD TOGETHER: Employees Anaya Patel and Karni Piekarz enjoy a class bonding activity.

KEEPING PRIDE ALIVE: Andrew Park, along with other LGBTQ+ students and staff, discuss their experiences in the community.

Infographic by Ella Chan, Lia Klebanov and Helen Tam

Photo courtesy of Sophia Gamble

Photo illustration by Lia Klebanov

It’s time to BeReal

BeReal promotes fake authenticity

By Anushruti Nagarajan

Social media is inherently tox ic. There is a constant pressure to look, feel and act our best even when we do not.

Naturally, some users crave breaking these norms, and this is where BeReal comes in.

BeReal, a French social media app released in 2020, was de signed to rebrand social media as more authentic.

The app allows users to post one photo per day at a randomized time within two minutes to show case what they do in real time, ac cording to Insider.

However, BeReal inadvertently pressures users into being photo genic even while relaxing, making

it no better than preexisting social media platforms.

The purpose of the app is to promote authenticity, but many do the exact opposite. Posing for Be Reals can lead to feelings of selfdoubt among users who use the app for its intended purpose.

For example, users may strug gle with body image or self-per ception.

Seeing others look “naturally” flawless on an app designed for authenticity may lower their own self esteem.

Furthermore, some users may take several attempts before cap turing the “perfect” BeReal, want ing to emulate the staged photos that appear on their feed.

Although the randomness of BeReal mitigates the insincerity that can make the internet un pleasant, the app as a whole pro motes fake authenticity.

The problem with BeReal has been compared to that of the “nat ural” makeup look. This look is de signed to appear ordinary, while still touching up one’s appearance.

BeReal relies upon this same concept — we are encouraged to capture fake authenticity to show case the best moments in our dayto-day lives.

It is one thing to take a quick, candid picture, but another to put on a performance for a selfie.

BeReal’s intended purpose is to stay casual, yet many go to ex treme lengths, such as posing and dressing up, to take an entertain ing picture for their followers.

Every moment does not need to be documented on social media. Use the app for the purpose it was meant to serve and benefit from this unique social media platform.

Make peace with that acne, laugh loudly with friends and most importantly — be real with yourself.

‘Smile’ made me frown

Movie’s exciting buildup ruined by end

By Brevin Reed

I have never been a fan of hor ror movies. Call me up if you want to watch a rom-com or telenovela, but the last thing I want to do is spend money to watch senseless gore fly across the screen for 90 minutes.

But, surprisingly, I was in trigued by “Smile,” a horror movie about a psychiatrist who witness es her patient commit suicide and then begins to experience strange hallucinations.

I first heard about the mov ie on social media, where it was described as a psychological hor ror film akin to “The Orphan” or “We Need to Talk About Kevin,” in which fear is fueled by the increas ing isolation the main character experiences.

Did the movie deliver on these expectations? Sort of. I was most impressed by the dynamic camera angles and cinematography, as well as the symbolism of smiling itself.

Several of the establishing shots consist of tilted or complete ly upside-down camera angles, giving the viewer a sense of unset tling dread before the scene even begins.

The shots that linger for just a bit too long on the main character

also help build suspense before a scare or climactic twist. The best use of this strategy appears in the middle of the movie, as the main character Rose, played by Sosie Bacon, slowly begins to go insane.

There is one particularly mem orable scene where the camera zooms in on a seemingly empty, dark hallway. The audience is left searching the screen for anything lurking in the shadows, but noth ing appears.

This reflects Rose’s mental state, as she continues to grapple with visions and nightmares that appear both real and imaginary at the same time.

Naturally, a movie titled “Smile” would not be complete with out heavy use of facial imagery throughout. From coffee mugs to pain scales, smiling faces are scat tered everywhere before the true antagonist of the film is revealed.

This leads Rose to believe that the strange smiles she keeps see ing are just hallucinations, disguis ing their sinister nature until the movie really starts to gain momen tum.

However, no amount of cine matography or acting makes up for the film’s lackluster ending, which made the majority of the plot feel pointless.

A large portion of the film re volves around a strange entity that haunts Rose, forcing viewers to ponder what it is and how it is passed from person to person.

After she discovers how to end the curse and formulates a plan, the movie abruptly ends with her plan failing and the curse being passed on to someone else.

While the movie was excellent in terms of jump scares and clev er symbolism, I recommend paus ing before the last five minutes of the film and filling in the rest with your imagination.

Pretty much anything you can think of is better than the real ending.

Guo Pei: Couture Fantasy

Pei’s magical SF exhibit is a must-see

By Emma Yu

Kolumn

K-pop standards place looks over talent

By Seoyoung Hwang

Although beauty standards ex ist everywhere, the Korean beauty standard, especially in the K-pop industry, is stricter than in other countries. These standards include a small V-shaped face, double eyelids, a small and high-bridged nose, fair white skin and full lips.

A “visual,” an official position assigned to a K-pop idol by their compa ny, refers to the best-look ing member of the group. If an idol fails to meet the beauty stan dard, they are often considered “ugly” and are shamed by the pub lic. This leads many K-pop idols to receive plastic surgery, hoping to meet these expectations.

Ironically, I have seen idols who receive plastic surgery also get shamed by the public for not being “naturally pretty.” They are expected to be perfect and in spiring, meaning that they fail to meet these pervasive expectations if they have to change their ap pearance to align with the beauty standard.

Members in many idol groups are treated differently due to their looks. For example, Hwasa from Mamamoo, a popular and vocal ly-talented girl group, was shamed by the public because her looks

did not meet the Korean beauty standard or “fit in” with the rest of the group’s members. People were even signing petitions to kick her out of the group because of her looks, Hwasa explained in an interview. People shouldn’t judge Hwasa by her appearance.

There is more to her than just her looks, such as her beautiful voice.

Pretty privilege is also com monly exemplified in the industry. It is easier for an idol who meets the beauty standard to get away with anything, such as bullying scandals, and earn more oppor tunities for publicity. For example, Wonyoung from IVE, known as the 4th generation “it-girl,” is very well known for her beauty. Because of this, I have seen her re ceive many model ing opportunities, appear on variety shows and garner more views on fancams, even though her tal ent as a singer or dancer does not stand out compared to the rest of the group.

Ultimately, it is essential for people to stop criticizing celebri ties’ looks, especially in the K-pop industry.

Although the physical appear ance of an idol may play a role in captivating fans, it isn’t the only factor that should matter for a K-pop artist.

Everyone has their own unique looks and should be appreciated instead of being forced to meet beauty standards.

Stepping into Guo Pei’s Couture Fantasy exhibition, viewers are transported to a different world, where silk-embroidered monkeys are etched on skirt fronts and spar kling basilicas become headwear. Famous for her elaborate cre ations like Rihanna’s golden furtrimmed gown at the 2015 Met Gala, Guo Pei is the only Chinese designer in the Chambre Syndi cale de la Haute Couture, the high est designation of couture. Her current exhibit in San Francisco’s Legion of Honor museum, which opened on April 16 and will end on Nov. 27, showcases a vast collec tion of her creations.

The collection of dresses is bril liantly woven in with each gallery in the Legion of Honor’s perma nent collection. Glittering gowns are encircled by European paint ings, while Pei’s blue porcelain-in spired dress stands beside real ancient china. On the lower floor,

there is also a full exhibit dedicat ed solely to Pei’s work, showcasing her collections through the years with concepts like Chinese folk lore, Himalayan traditional wear and Gothic architecture.

Meticulously hand-sewn and exquisitely designed with inspira tion from China’s imperial history, European court life, mythology and her own fantastical imagina tion, Pei’s dresses are like a child hood dream come true.

They feature shimmering fab rics, vibrant colors, complex em broidery and Swarovski crystals. It is difficult to describe Pei’s dresses other than by saying, “You really have to see it to understand.”

Pei also weaves elements of Chinese culture into much of her work. While many dresses take overt inspiration, such as her be jeweled take on the qipao, a tra ditional Chinese dress, others in clude more subtle allusions, such as Chinese symbols on her dreamy garden-themed dresses.

One of Pei’s most iconic dress es, “Da Jin,” meaning “Magnificent Gold,” is displayed at the entrance of the museum, boldly gleaming

among paintings by Rubens and Rembrandt.

Taking over 50,000 hours to complete, “Da Jin” is embroidered with Indian gold thread over its whole surface, and its skirt is made of splayed gold panels imitating the sun.

Another notable piece is Pei’s two-person dress from her “Al ternate Universe” collection. Dis played in the gallery on the lower floor, this dress is composed of two gowns conjoined at the hip, em broidered with surreal imagery de picting monkeys through reincar nation and the afterlife in Chinese legend.

I have been to this exhibit sev eral times, both by myself and with friends, but the sheer beauty of Pei’s dresses never ceases to take my breath away.

The exhibit does not require any knowledge of art history, mak ing it greatly accessible to the gen eral public, while its straightfor ward concept — beautiful dresses — draws viewers in immediately, dazzling onlookers with their maj esty. This is an exhibit that you simply cannot miss.

KEEPING IT REAL: Realism, not posing, must be captured.

OLD MEETS NEW: Traditional art tastefully complements Pei’s dresses spread throughout the museum.

A MIND TWISTER: “Smile” ef fectively uses dramatic irony, but leaves something to be desired.

Movie: “Smile” Grade: BRated: R Watch in theaters

Photos from Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco

Photo from IMDb

Illustration by Joss Broward

‘Midnights’: an electrifying, latenight adventure

By Macy Li

Melancholia, late-night reve lations and euphoric melodies. “Midnights” is a collection of songs about this mystifying hour, laced with after-dark memories. In her tenth studio album, Taylor Swift weaves vulnerability with lyrical sophistication, delivering a musi cal masterpiece.

In “Midnights,” Swift returns to pop with newfound maturity, con fidence and authenticity. This al bum is infused with vivid themes: childhood nostalgia, deep-rooted insecurities and the intricacies of love. In every song, Swift offers us a glimpse into her sweet dreams and haunting thoughts.

Late at night, I listened to “Mid nights” for the first time. As her music drifted through my room, I was reminded of why her songs always mesmerize me. With every

album, Swift showcases her unri valed ability to capture universal emotions and craft poignant songs that truly make me feel.

Growing up with Swift’s mu sic, I spent hours dancing to the rhythms of “Red.” During the pan demic, I found solace in the wist ful songs of “folklore.” Whether it is the thrill of adolescence or the bitter aftertaste of heartbreak, her messages always touch me.

“Midnights” is no exception. In “Mastermind,” she reminisces on her upbringing and its lingering impacts on her life. She sings, “No one wanted to play with me as a little kid / So I’ve been schem ing like a criminal ever since / To make them love me and make it seem effortless.”

The underlying message of this verse is deeply relatable, and Swift captures the feeling of neglect all too well. The everlasting search for validation and the constant desire to please others are themes

Swift has embed ded in countless songs. In “Master mind,” she takes a unique approach, blending them with dynamic in strumentals and creative lyricism.

In “You’re On Your Own, Kid,” Swift tackles her own insecurities: struggling with body dysmorphia and yearning for

Celebrities need shelter from spotlight

By Lindsey Steel

Celebrity gossip magazines can be found almost anywhere, from waiting rooms to racks beside checkout lines. While these stories may be entertaining, the paparazzi tasked with reporting on celebri ties are invasive and unethical, of ten infringing on their privacy to get the scoop.

Celebrities are humans first. While they are high-profile figures, their personal lives should not be entangled with their profession. Pursuing a career in the spotlight does not warrant blatant invasions of their basic rights.

Throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, the paparazzi hound ed celebrities, overstepping the lines of media coverage and cross ing into harassment. The most no table example of this would be the vicious and insensitive coverage of Britney Spears in her mid-20s. At the time, pa parazzi fixated on the most painful aspects of her per sonal life, like her bat tles with substance abuse to her strug gles with mental health, even flock ing around her as she was transported to the hospital in an ambulance, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Spears was dealing with personal strug gles and deserved privacy to resolve these conflicts. But instead, the

requited love. The tale of a sum mertime crush bleeds into her journey of chasing affection and navigating fame. This song epito mizes what “Midnights” represents — vulnerability and authenticity.

Throughout the song, Swift describes her experiences learn ing to make peace with the past and casts light on the path toward self-acceptance. Hearing this song helped me feel less alone in my own experiences and taught me that it is possible to find hidden comfort in solitude.

The melancholic songs in “Mid nights” stand in contrast to electric tracks like “Maroon” and “Anti-He ro.” Listening to “Maroon” for the first time was thrilling. This song features darker undertones and vi brant imagery — scarlet lipstick, red wine and incense spilled on vinyl shelves.

Three hours after the release of “Midnights,” Swift unveiled seven additional tracks. I quickly fell in love with “Bigger Than The Sky,” a hauntingly beautiful song about endless “what ifs” and aching re gret. It is a profound exploration of the struggles of coping with loss.

For over a decade, I have loved Taylor Swift’s music. “Midnights” is a dazzling album that transcends my expectations. Her creativity is captivating, and her musicality never fails to amaze me. Listen ing to her newest album is a mes merizing reminder of why Taylor Swift’s music will always have a special place in my heart.

Album: “Midnights” Artist: Taylor Swift. Grade: A

Fashion Police

By Amber Birrell

When I was 10 years old, I got my first pair of Uggs — and quite frankly, I was in love with them. Ev ery time I put them on, I became a whole new person. I felt so cool tucking my leggings into my boots.

At the time, it seemed like every body owned a pair of Uggs in the classic short style.

But after about three months of strutting down the streets, I ac cidentally aban doned my favor ite shoes in a hotel closet, and that was the end of an era for me. Shortly after this unfor tunate incident, I saw Uggs drastically lose popular ity.

Over the years, the public has turned against the company, even form ing a cult of critics. Many people think Uggs are ugly or that they are a winter shoe not made for the season’s wet conditions.

Capsule Wardrobing

Despite the bad reputation, Uggs have gained popularity in the media, and I am happy to an nounce they are slowly coming back in style. However, this time, instead of the classic longer boot, Ugg slippers and mini platform Uggs are taking over.

While I do visually prefer short er Uggs to longer ones, they are both ideal foot warmers for the colder months ahead. They slip on and off easily, and they are a per fect shoe for a lazy day.

Additionally, the range of neutral colors available makes these boots easy to style, because they are not statement piec es. For example, the most tra ditional colors are chestnut and black, but brighter colors like hazard orange and rose grey are also available for

There is one major problem with Uggs. They are not made for water. If it ever starts to rain in sunny California, you will be left with a soggy mess of a shoe that will become unwearable for days to come. So, make sure to check the weather before you go out wearing Uggs. To completely avoid this issue, just buy Ugg slippers to wear around the house.

Despite this design flaw, Uggs have proven to be a great shoe to keep you cozy in the winter — just make sure not to get them wet.

‘Dahmer’: Remembrance or romanticization?

paparazzi targeted Spears while she was vulnerable, exacerbating her mental health issues. Nobody should be repeatedly violated like this.

Another instance of this in trusive media coverage was the paparazzi’s pursuit of Scarlett Johansson in 2019, during which packs of reporters chased after her, running red lights and driving recklessly, according to Today. This not only endangered Johansson, but put her young daughter, who was in the car with her, at risk.

Threatening someone’s life for something as trivial as a magazine photo is abhorrent.

The well-being of celebrities should not be sacrificed for gossip.

Constant privacy for celebrities may be unrealistic, but the press must be far more respectful. Ce lebrities are people, and they must be treated as such.

By Joss Broward

Uncomfortable and unnec essary: two words I would use to describe the new Netflix docudra ma, “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.” While the content of the show depicts the horrifying acts committed by serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, the story behind the cre ation of the show is almost as un nerving as the content itself.

The show is less violent than I expected, yet it retains the gut-wrenching horror that would be experienced from watching the darkest of slasher films. This sub tle violence is best demonstrated in the first episode when Dahmer gets a beer from his fridge — which contains a human head.

The best episode of the show, episode six, depicts the story of Tony Hughes, his brief relation ship with Dahmer and his even tual murder. This episode focus es on Hughes’ story, a shift from previous episodes that revolved around Dahmer. Although it is ex tremely emotional and upsetting, I love how this episode casts a light on the victims’ stories. It makes the show much more powerful by demonstrating the impact of Dahmer’s crimes on real people.

The show itself is well-made, creating an intense and uncom fortable atmosphere that comple ments Dahmer’s crimes. However,

the creators of the show neglected to include input from the survivors and vic tims’ families, ruining the entire concept. Survivors and family members of vic tims have even spoken out against the show for caus ing past trauma to resurface, according to TIME, showing how “Dahmer” has done more harm than good.

Not only does the show’s creation neglect to include input from the families of Dahmer’s victims, but the producers, director and Netflix have continued to disrespectfully ignore them. “Dahmer” has undoubted ly made Netflix millions of dollars due to its immense popularity. In fact, according to Netflix, 56 million house holds have viewed all ten episodes of the show. Yet, the com pany has donated zero dollars to the families of Dahmer’s victims, according to Forbes.

The insensitivity is not limited to the show itself, but it is also re flected in the reactions posted on social media. I have seen some users post about their attraction to Evan Peters, who plays Jeffrey Dahmer, obsessing over videos of Peters shirtless and posting “thirst trap” TikTok edits of Peters in the role.

Additionally, I saw some watch ers expressing online that they wished the show was more grue some, while others said the show helped them feel empathy for Dahmer and even mentioned that

the real-life Dahmer was attractive and could have “lured” them. This glorification of Dahmer has only caused further harm to the fami lies of victims.

While the show may accurately portray the gruesome story behind one of the world’s most infamous serial killers, this is undermined by the showrunner’s disregard for the feelings of the survivors and victims’ families. Although some believe art should be separated from the artist, in this case, the mistreatment of those who expe rienced the true horrors of Jeffrey Dahmer has prevented me from appreciating the show.

Show: ‘Dahmer’ Grade: D Rated TV-MA. Watch on Netflix

A MUSICAL MASTERPIECE: Swift reflects on love, loss and self-acceptance in new album.

GRAPPLING WITH GLORIFICATION: Netflix’s failure to consult those affect ed by Dahmer’s crimes is unethical.

CROSSING PERSONAL BOUNDARIES: The paparazzi’s intrusive media coverage of celebrities violates their safety and privacy.

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‘Dahmer’ fails to ethically depict story of serial killer

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Performers take the field

Dance, marching band, cheer prepare for halftime show

By Keshav Kumar, Brevin Reed and Lindsey Steel

Students cheer in the stands as the action begins on the field. While football is the main attraction on Friday nights, the Equestriettes, cheer team and marching band are halftime’s main focus.

The Equestriettes perform a 90-second routine, choreographed

to capture the crowd’s attention, Equestriettes officer, junior Maddie Callahan said. To prepare for these performances, the team practices 9 to 12 hours a week.

“We do individual check-ins with the dancers to make sure that ev eryone is feeling good [to perform],” Callahan said. “We also spend time thoroughly cleaning up each routine so each move is clear and everyone knows what they are sup posed to be doing.”

The cheer team performs an elaborate 2.5 minute routine, cheer captain, senior Gaia Bornstein said.

Courtside Thoughts

Spirit is more than Friday night cheers

By Niyatee Jain

I never understood the joy of school spirit until I was on the bleachers with hundreds of other students, all cheering energizing chants at the top of our lungs.

For me, school spirit seemed triv ial because I felt that I had better things to do than sit in the student section, sweating profusely because of its dense ly-packed nature.

However, curiosity won as I stood between students, dressed to match the “pink-out” theme the Barnyard selected.

I found myself the most engaged I had ever been when watching a game. I felt connected with all of it. The pride you get when you see a touchdown made or a set won is unmatched. And though I may not

share anything with those sitting around me, in that one moment, we are just one group of students rep resenting HHS.

While the student section does have its faults, I have to give cred it where credit is due. When var sity girls volleyball played FHS in September, the Barnyard added to the energy of the match as the heightened en thusiasm instilled confidence in the players and the stands.

What makes the Barnyard work is its recip rocal relationship: students who want to show up for the sake of school pride and athletes who need the support. While I will not commit to sitting in it every time because it feels claustrophobic, I will not deny its necessity for games. I encourage everyone to attend games when they can because school spirit is not about the teams winning but rather our support for them to cultivate a student body worth cheering for.

Led by their coaches, the team cho reographs a routine consisting of a dance section, jumps, tumbling, baskets and a pyramid.

Because practice is held in the cafeteria every Tuesday and Thurs day evening, there is difficulty trans lating the routine onto the field, Bornstein said.

“Usually the only time we get to practice on the field is at 9:00 p.m. the night before the game,” Born stein said. “That’s also when they turn all stadium lights off, so one or two people will bring flashlights and we make do.”

For the final component of the halftime show, marching band per forms their field show, a production showcasing various marching for mations based on a central theme – this year’s being “There’s No Place Like Home,” drum major, se nior George Heller said. Similar to the cheer team and Equestriettes, marching band’s halftime perfor mance requires extensive prepara tion due to its complex content.

Since this routine is also per formed at competitions, football games are useful to correct any mistakes, Heller said.

The Daydreamer

Summer PE was the struggle I needed

By Karuna Chandran

It was only the second week of summer, yet I was back in school. I could sense the blistering sun beating down on me, almost unnatural and surreal.

When planning out a more manageable course load for senior year, I opted to take my second year of physical educa tion during the summer.

However, I knew getting there was going to be a cost. Six weeks of PE for four hours a day sounded incredibly in tense. I knew the only way to get through it was to dive in headfirst.

Throughout middle and high school, PE has always been difficult. Unlike academic classes, where I could study my way through a course, I had to physically be capable of running a better mile time or doing more push ups in PE.

The growth was slow and often nonlinear. Every time I improved,

the standards were raised and I began to doubt whether I could succeed in PE, but I always felt this sense of exclusion, that some how I was limiting myself.

I figured a summer class would be similar and in a way, I was right about it being challenging.

“We march, play and do chore ography on the field for 9.5 min utes,” Heller said. “Before games start, we usually do an hour-long warm up in the quad, and then play in the stands for the first two quar ters.”

For Bornstein, performing al lows the cheer team to demonstrate their dedication and athleticism.

“It takes a lot of strength and courage to perform,” Bornstein said. “Performing allows us to showcase our skills and hard work, and proves to everyone that we’re more than just a stereotype.”

baseball and badminton left me absolutely winded. Strangely, in stead of going home every day feeling tired and frustrated, I felt completely fulfilled.

Before 1:00 p.m. every day, I had gotten an entire day’s worth of fitness done. I had pushed myself, seen the gradual results and sure enough, by the second week, the soreness went away.

I also came to the discovery that everyone else in my class was in the same boat.

We all collapsed on the grass near the track, exhausted after our laps and flocked to the shade between innings of baseball. We formed a bond based on our shared experiences and grown tremendously since the start.

The first day went by fairly quickly, but on the second day, I distinctly remember the feeling of waking up in the morning com pletely sore and barely able to move.

Doing laps around the field and fitness followed by hours of

On the last day of summer PE, it was bittersweet to say goodbye to the people who had experienced all the highs and lows with me.

I do not feel particularly dif ferent, or more buff like I had not-so-secretly hoped, but there was a place in this world of fitness for me, and that was all that really mattered.

Educators on the go

Teachers share athletic hobbies outside the classroom

By Nicole Kim and Harshitha Vijayakumar

While navigating the ups and downs of teaching high school stu dents, teachers share how they find solace in fitness.

Jessica Wakefield

AP environmental science and

AVID 9 teacher Jessica Wakefield said she started crossfit in order to stay healthy and active. Growing up as an athlete, Wakefield said cross fit provides the active routine she has not had since playing soccer throughout her childhood.

“My cardiovascular health has improved quite a bit and kept me healthy and moving through two pregnancies,” Wakefield said. “I like a class where somebody tells me

what to do. There’s a workout writ ten every day and a coach guides you through the workout.”

In addition to consistency, Wakefield said she loves feeling strong because it allows her to en joy time with her family.

“Looking ahead to the future, I think that strength is going to be beneficial,” Wakefield said. “I saw this picture one time, that was like, ‘one day, you’re gonna pick up your kids and carry them for the last time and you’re not going to know it.’ One thing I love about

being strong is that I will be able to carry my children for as long as possible.”

Jeff Herbst

As a cyclist, chemistry and phys ics teacher Jeff Herbst believes biking is the best form of self care. Herbst has been a distance cyclist for 15 years and said biking to work provides a therapeutic break to clear their head.

“I feel more physically healthy and energized,” Herbst said. “The challenges are finding time to cy

cle which is why I like to bike to school because then I get my com muting done.”

Herbst said cycling is a good way to experience the benefits of consistent effort, even through ob stacles.

“I’ve been in one significant ac cident, and I had to teach myself how to recover from that signif icant setback.” Herbst said, “You have to get back on the road.”

Michelle Yuhara

Michelle Yuhara, an algebra

and ELD teacher, began her fitness journey by participating in high school cheerleading.

“I tried out because my friends encouraged me to join the team,” Yuhara said. “It was very random but it led me to become a colle giate athlete.”

Yuhara said although cheer brought her joy, it became diffi cult to pursue as she grew older. As a result, she transitioned into powerlifting, a form of competitive weightlifting.

“Powerlifting was a really great way to transition into something that is an explosive sport with lon gevity,” Yuhara said “I powerlift with my old cheermate. She challenges me to not stay stagnant with what I’m doing.”

Yuhara also said powerlifting helps her overcome obstacles she faces in various facets of her life.

“Mentally, powerlifting [as a dif ficult sport] allows me as a teacher to challenge myself in the class room,” Yuhara said.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT: Dance, marching band and cheer perform at the Homecoming game.

OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM: Wakefield, Herbst and Yuhara engage in physical exercise as a form of self care.

Photos courtesy of Edmond Kwong

Photo courtesy of Jessica Wakefield

Photo courtesy of Michelle Yuhara

Photo courtesy of Jeff Herbst

Illustration by Mikaela Kwan

Wyatt Hook shares his football journey

By Ella Chan, Lia Klebanov and Helen Tam

Ranked 351st in the country and 25th in California, junior, varsity tight-end Wyatt Hook has quickly become an important part of the team. Hook started playing in his freshman year of high school after a friend encouraged him to join.

Hook’s athletic background started in middle school when he played baseball and basketball. Hook never felt a strong interest in football, though, until he attended a Notre Dame football game.

“When I was in seventh grade, I went to the current Chicago Bears’ tight-end’s college football game and he gave me his gloves,” Hook said. “He told me to work hard and do anything I could to achieve my goals. When I get to that age, I want to be an inspiration to some one else like how he was one for me.”

Hook realized he wanted to play football in college after watching a friend get recruited for college

football as a sophomore. Hook then started learning football from his father, attending camps and play ing with his brother.

As he kept improving his per formance throughout the season, his reputation began to pique the interest of many schools, and he is now in the process of recruitment, the athlete said.

“At this point, I’m trying to nar row down the schools I really want to go to because it’s getting pretty close to having to make a deci sion,” Hook said. “I’ll probably know where I’m going within the next six months.”

Hook is proud of his journey on the football team and his accom plishments. Particularly, he said, he prides himself on being one of the best tight-ends on the west coast.

Football has taught Hook many important life lessons and he plans on fully enjoying his remaining time in high school, he said.

“I only have one year left, and [the best advice I can give] is to live in the moment the best you can,” Hook said. “Don’t complain in prac tice because it’ll be over before you know it. [The season] goes by too fast.”

Freshman firsts, senior sendoffs

Fall athletes reflect on playing first, last seasons

girls volleyball

“I’m planning to play volleyball for the rest of my time at Homestead. In the future, I want to encourage other people and cre ate the same environment that the seniors have created for me.”

Varsity right side, freshman Linnaea Moore

Girls field hockey

“I enjoy being with my teammates, they are really nice, and just being out in the field. [My teammates] have explained different rules and techniques, which have been helpful.”

JV player, freshman Noa Gold

Cross country

“This season has been productive. I’ve achieved everything I hoped to and I’ve gotten faster despite injuries.”

JV runner, freshman William Hamburger

Girls Water Polo

“Everyone has been so welcoming since my first day. I got close to so many of [my teammates] and I wish we had more time, but I can’t wait for my next season.”

Girls golf

“I’m trying to push farther than I did last year. I’m hoping to make it to the NorCal regional. But, I love our coach. He’s been with us since last year, so it’s sad leaving him.”

Athletes of the month

By Faith Watters

In honor of juniors Caleb Leung and Thea Guard’s hard work, the HHS community nominated and voted them as their favorite ath letes for the month of October.

Caleb Leung, junior Leung said he has been running with his father since childhood, yet it ended up being something he picked up and took to the next lev el.

“When I was younger, I would go on runs with my dad for fun,” Leung said. “It’s something that I realized I was good at and some thing that I enjoyed doing.”

Leung said he was surprised about his win, yet appreciative of the recognition for his hard work.

“I have set these goals for my self and they keep me motivated and always striving to be better,” Leung said.

Thea Gomard, junior When informed of her nomina tion, Gomard said one of the rea sons she enjoys cheer is because of her teammates and she was glad the sport was being recognized.

“Everyone has their own per sonalities and everyone is able to contribute to the team,” Gomard said. “I’m just proud of how the team has come together to per form throughout these rallies and games, and I hope to keep that up and do our best throughout the year.”

Varsity player, senior Ashley Freitas

Boys Water polo

“It’s my final season and I’m sad to leave. But I think wherever I go, there’s gon na be some sort of club nearby and I’ll continue because it’s a good way to make friends and a fun way to stay in shape.”

Varsity whole-set, senior Lucas Pickles

Football

“It’s a bittersweet experience because I’ve been playing this game for so long. I love football a lot, but it also feels good know ing that I am going out on a good run [this year].”

Varsity player, senior Charlie Castaneda

girls tennis

“It’s my third year as varsity captain. We have a new coach this year, so in some ways, it’s like a new beginning. I’m excit ed to see how far we go this season, and it honestly doesn’t feel like the end.”

Varsity captain, senior Ivy Zhan

Varsity player, freshman Sofia Tedesco

Photo by Joss Broward

Photo by Keshav Kumar

Photo courtesy of Ri-Chee Chou

Photo courtesy of Ashley Freitas

Photo by Karuna Chandran

LEADING THE TEAM: Leung’s leadership on the team led to his nomination.

Photo by Lia Klebanov

Photo courtesy of Thea Gomard

FEELING THE SPIRIT: Gomard has been cheering since she was seven.

Photo courtesy of Caleb Leung

SHOOT FOR THE STARS: Hook said he is gearing up to commit to a col lege for football in the near future.

GAME ON!

Gamers share habits, experiences, future plans in gaming industry

Futures in gaming

Whether it be streaming on plat forms like Twitch, creating videos on YouTube, competing in professional esports competitions or develop ing the games themselves, more and more gamers are ex ploring future careers in video gaming.

President of esports club, senior Eliza beth Truong said she has been playing video games like “League of Legends” and “Minecraft” since she was 8 years old. Over the pandemic, Truong started streaming on Twitch, an interactive livestreaming website, where she has garnered over 120 followers and enough subscribers to earn money.

“It’s really fun to do because I get to talk to people when they’re in my chat,” Truong said. “I can just joke around and enjoy myself.”

Apart from livestreaming, another major career path in gaming involves working behind the scenes to design the games themselves. Senior Emi ly Tumacder, whose favorite games currently include “The Sims 4” and “Minecraft,” said she plans to pursue a career in game development.

“I’ve actually had a very wild ride in determining what I want to do in game development,” Tumacder said. “There’s a lot of aspects that go into it: the marketing side, the design portion and the programming portion, which is what I’m heading toward right now.”

To Tumacder, working in game design is much more difficult than pro gramming games.

“Game programming has a lot of tools to help you, like Unity or Unreal Engine,” Tumacder said. “But with game design, it’s really coming up with all these novel ideas [and] figur ing out how they interact with each other. The whole creation process is very hard and is hon estly more deserving of recog nition.”

Junior Julian Ng-Thow-Hing is one

tion programming competition, and he currently enjoys creating games in his spare time.

“Being able to make something digitally appealed to me,” Ng-ThrowHing said. “I was able to be creative and make anything I wanted without needing to obey the laws of phys ics, and then get to see it come to life. Seeing people play and enjoy my game that I worked hard on is a re

Perspectives on Community

“Gaming spaces can be very exclusive and antagonistic, especially if you’re a woman. Misogyny is still very present in the community. As soon as they know you’re a woman they act differently and say the nastiest stuff in the chat.”

Emily Tumacder (12)

“The generic stereotype is that gaming communities are really bad and not wel coming at all. But once you find your own niche, it becomes a really positive place. There are definitely welcoming communi ties out there.”

Classic tabletop games spark friendships

Magic: The Gathering

This popular collectible card game features wizards battling other play ers by casting spells, summoning creatures and using artifacts. “Magic: The Gathering,” inspired by “Dun geons and Dragons,” has a total of 35 million

three decades of existence, ac cording to The Guardian.

“I got a play er’s toolkit from Tar get, and I never stopped playing,” English teacher Hector Almendarez said. “Even when my friends stopped, I went to game stores and did local tournaments. It’s still a game I love and keep tabs with.”

Almendarez said “Magic: The Gathering” provides a social experi ence unlike traditional video games.

“What I love the most about ‘Magic’ is the social aspect of it,” Almendarez said. “The most crucial part of board games is getting to talk to people and [joking] around with them. I re member being at my local game store with me and these strangers, getting together and having fun because we all have this common passion for this silly kids’ card game.”

Dungeons and Dragons

“Dungeons and Dragons” is a ta bletop role-playing game directed by a controlling narrator.

Junior Londyn Smith said she has been playing it for a few years and is now part of a regular “D&D” group.

“I think it’s so much more person al than normal games,” Smith said. “There’s so much creative freedom in the game. You have the liberty to make what you want out of it.”

Smith said de veloping a world with her friends has left a profound im pact.

“There’s so much that goes into it, which can be a problem if you don’t have the time commitment, but also makes it interesting,” Smith said. “It can have a real-life impact be cause of how much work you put into de veloping your char acters, their traits, their beliefs [and] their flaws.”

Rosie Nguyen (English)

Adam Perll-Dobyns

Hector Almendarez

PAGE DESIGN BY JOSS BROWARD, NICOLE PIMENTA INNECO AND EMMA YU

BY JOSS BROWARD, NICOLE PIMENTA INNECCO

ISABELA SEGOVIA

Sophomore

Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Truong

HHS: Gamers Elizabeth Truong and Patrick Fernandez shared their gaming setups.