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Vol. 57 Issue 4 Homestead High School 21370 Homestead Rd, Cupertino, CA 95014
Wednesday, February 5, 2020
@epitaphHHS
Building safe spaces with Mindfulness Room Room creates positive space for students, opens dialogue about mental health By Andrea Sun and Renee Wang Senior Katherine Bright has one goal: create a space for students’ mental health needs. For the past four months, Bright attended meetings with administration, collaborated with clubs and drafted a design for a Mindfulness Room on campus. On Jan. 22, her vision became reality as the room held its grand opening in A211. Her inspiration to create such a space stemmed from personal experience and a desire to open up discussions about mental health. “I’ve been in tough places on campus before, and I want students who have been in similar positions to get the help they need,” Bright said. Though the Mindfulness Room is scheduled to be knocked down with the A building, Bright said she sees this as an opportunity to gauge student responsiveness to the room — a rough draft of sorts. A central feature of the room is stations that promote mindfulness. “Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to the moment. And there’s a lot of power in standing in
your moment,” French teacher Kelly Ronsheimer said. The room has a yoga corner, a creativity corner with activities like art and coloring, a sensory station and a meditation space. “We [created] the stations because that’s going to give kids a place to be,” Bright said. “This way ... they can pick a station, try it out and see if that makes them feel less stressed.” The idea for these stations came from the ASPIRE Program at El Camino Hospital. “[The program’s] mission statement is what I am going for: helping every high schooler in need and giving them a place they can go, heal and feel safe,” Bright said. Bright said she wants the interior of the room to feel comfortable — rugs, couches and bean bag chairs. Bright and Ronsheimer also plan to paint an inspiring quote on the wall. “There’s a lot of perfectionism, high self expectations and a lot of self judgment that I think gets perpetuated,” Ronsheimer said. “We think this is important and want to support all of our kids, and not just teach them
but nurture them.” To gather funds for the room, the Mental Health and Awareness Club (MHAC), in collaboration with The Differences Among Us (TDAU) and Key Club are hosting a talent show on Jan. 31, with all proceeds going to the Mindfulness Room (see page 2). “It’s been [rewarding] to see the different talents that we have on cam-
pus,” senior and TDAU co-president Annabelle Law said. Key Club president, senior Chianie Chi agrees with the need for a safe space in a competitive school. “Mental health should be put first,” Chi said. “[Unfortunately], it is overlooked.” As for the room’s impact, Bright said even the smallest differences it
makes in a student’s life is worth it. “[I hope it helps people like] that one kid who has been struggling in school and tries out the room and can finally say, ‘Mom, I need a therapist,” Bright said. “A lot of students are afraid to say what they need but it’s so important they do that because when they do what they need ... they feel better and are much healthier.”
New bus line improves congestion, safety Valley Transportation Authority ushers new route in South Los Altos By Melody Chen, with additional reporting by Amelia Craciun The Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) created a new bus line after Los Altos councilmembers recognized for the first time the need for providing students in the South Los Altos area with a way home from school. According to the VTA, the 17mile stretch has been effective since Dec. 28, with services on weekdays from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The existing Route 51 turns onto Grant Road during non-school hours, while the new 51H extension swerves along Homestead Road to pick up students across the horseshoe before making its way onto the existing path, which extends from Moffett Field to West Valley College.
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“The hope and the goal is that we will get fewer parents feeling they have to drive their kids to school,” dean Steve Puccinelli said. “There are a lot of parents who drive down Homestead and they’ve tried to get in the horseshoe and it’s super congested.” In addition, the VTA took out Route 54, which runs along downtown Sunnyvale, and replaced it with Rapid 523, a rapid transit bus line that arrives every 15 minutes. Freshman Dan Penalosa takes Route 51H and Rapid 523 to study after school in Los Altos and Cupertino. Often, Penalosa said he likes to
hang around Great Mall in Milpitas or the Los Altos transit center to study, and the new bus routes allow him to travel long distances. “Public transport is kind of my lifeline,” Penalosa said. “If I were to get a job at Googleplex, then I wouldn’t want to have to walk all the way.” Senior Rose Chan said she takes two buses — Route 53 and Rapid 523 — to get to De Anza College where she is enrolled in College Now. While Rapid 523 benefits students who prefer a frequent arrival, Chan said the bus may not arrive in accordance to the schedule. “I know there’s some people for whom the bus is their main mode of transportation,” Chan said. “If the routes were different, or it was inconvenient for them, then it would be really hard for them to get around.” The effort is largely ascribed to the need for transportation for students living in South Los Altos who had no bus line catered to them prior to the installment of Route 51H.
“We heard from the parents,” Los way to school.” Altos mayor Lynette Lee Eng said. Eng said that conversation began “We heard how important it was to months ago with the city of Los Altos provide this opportunity because and PTA commissioners. some parents work and not everyone With the new bus line in place, can drive their kids to school. We Puccinelli and Eng said they are hopheard that ing to see less there was a cars on the need so we road and in“I think it was important to wanted to creased safeprovide public transport to make sure ty all around. reduce cars on the street, we fulfilled “If we get that request.” 50 of those and to provide an option The largkids on the for parents to get their est concern bus, very kids safely to schools.” lies with the often that’s dangerous 50 cars that - Lynette Lee Eng, area near the aren’t on the Mayor of Los Altos front road road,” Puccip ar a l l el i ng nelli said. the east side The sinof Foothill Expressway, Eng said. gle-ride or two-hour fare costs $1.25, According to a press release from while the monthly pass is valued at Santa Clara County, a proposed ex- $35 for passengers ages 5-18, accordpansion along the Homestead Road ing to the VTA. corridor may include bike lane bufYet, Puccinelli said he does not fers and revamped traffic signals, want students to feel pressured by the among others. cost. “[There] are a lot of reports where “We do actually have lots of financhildren biking to school have inci- cial support available for students to dences where cars [are] on the road,” get either free or reduced bus passes,” Eng said. “If the child is catching the he said. “And, they just need to go bus, I think parents would feel that into [Candida] Marugg in the ASB they wouldn’t have to worry as much, office and ask. I don’t want anybody regarding their child being hit on the to feel like they can’t afford it.” PAGE DESIGN BY ELAINE HUANG AND KAREN LI