The Epitaph, Vol. 56, Issue 6

THE EPITAPH

PLAYER OF THE MONTH: MEGAN O’NEILL

Removing ‘I can’t’ from her vocabulary WE

By Eden Pollitt

Junior Megan O’Neill has played on the varsity softball team as catcher since her freshman year, and has been playing softball since she was eight years old.

Although catching was never what O’Neill envisioned for herself, she loves her position.

“I like it because I get to help my pitchers, who are my close friends,” O’Neill said. “Also because I throw really well [and] I feel like I’m in charge. I see everything happen. I lead the field.”

Head Coach Scott Strotman said he has also been impressed with O’Neill’s catching abilities and overall athleticism.

“She’s worked hard at the craft of catching, she’s always been kind of naturally a good hitter, big strong gal, swings hard and she is pretty fearless in the batter’s box,” Strotman said. “She’s not intimidated by anybody.”

O’Neill’s athleticism does not end with her size and strength; she is also fast and gradually steps out of her comfort zone to test her limits, Strotman said.

“If she just gets out of her own way, she’s a much better athlete than she even knows,” Strotman said.

Last year, Strotman worked with O’Neill to build her self-con-

fidence, and now he is starting to see it pay off.

“She’s trying more stuff. She used to say last year ‘I can’t do that,’ so we had a talk and removed that from her vocabulary; there’s no more ‘I can’t,’” Strotman said.

Softball has impacted O’Neil beyond boosting her self-confidence. The sport has taught her life skills, even those as simple as looking a teacher in the eye when they’re speaking to her, she said.

“I definitely would’ve been a complete brat and in juvy or something by now if I didn’t play softball,” O’Neill said. “It’s kept me in check and its shaped me into a better person.”

The most important aspect to her is her team’s ability to stay goofy while on the field.

“Before the games we go into our shed, we have our little meeting and it’s always nice because we have some good laughs in there and we say our goals,” O’Neill said. “We just have fun [out] there. I think they relax me when we joke around and it makes me play better.”

Strotman said O’Neill has the most fun out of everyone on the team and she reminds him that the number one goal is to enjoy yourself.

“I am ultra competitive and I

[always] want to win, but she will make some [people] crack [up] at just the right time ... that floors everybody and that’s a reminder,” Strotman said.

Though O’Neill is quick to lighten the mood, she still gets down on herself for her mistakes.

“I mess up a lot, but I can get over it,” she said. “It’s a hard thing to [overcome]; when I used to mess up I’d just shut down. But now with my teammates, they don’t get mad at me.”

Strotman said he doesn’t mind players being hard on themselves, as long as the mistake is acknowledged, the lesson is learned and they move on.

O’Neill said she plans to continue to play at HHS through her senior year, but she does not currently have a desire to play college ball. However, she definitely has the skill and love for the game to play in college if she desired to, Strotman said.

“I don’t know that Megan wants to play in college anymore; I know that she gave up club ball. But she certainly could, and I’m going to do everything I can to encourage her,” Strotman said. “It’s a hard thing to be a college athlete, but if you’re going to go there and put all the work in the classroom, might as well have some fun while you’re there.”

“WEOVERME”istheteam’snewmottotopromoteabettergroupmentality.O’Neillhasbeenplayingsoftballsinceshewaseightyearsold.She foundherloveforsoftballplayingfortheMustangs.

TRACK SEASON OFF TO SUCCESSFUL START

Season continues to progress with a 12-2 record

selves as to what we can and cannot do.”

And so far, there have been no limits. The team has already broken two school records. In the first meet freshman Collin Fan broke the 2013 long jump record with a jump of 21 feet, Sealy said, beating the previous record by one foot and two-and-a-half inches.

Another success for this season was with freshman Varun Saraf, who broke a 50-year-old freshman school record at the Azusa Pacific Meet of Champions, when he ran the 800 in just 2:07, Sealy said.

By Harley Anderson

Consistency, strength, progress. These are the cornerstones of the JV and varsity boys and girls track teams.

Just four meets into the season, the teams have propelled

themselves into a 12-2 lead. Both boys teams are undefeated, and the girls teams have lost one meet each.

“Every time we step on the track, a lot of miraculous things happen,” coach Kenrick Sealy said, “so we’re not limiting our-

“I was really happy and surprised when I saw that it had been standing for 50 years,” Saraf said.

It was months of preparation that led to him being able to break the record, Saraf said. Remaining motivated, especially during the offseason, is another

factor that led to his success.

With these two records and an undefeated start to the season, the varsity boys team’s main focus is maintaining that equilibrium.

Sealy said distance runners keep their consistency at practice by upholding their mileage and doing interval workouts for balance.

Sprint practices are similar. Sprinters run at least a mile for the warm-up and then stretch together for ten minutes before launching into sprinting practice.

Things are different this year for sprinters, since the sprint coach is only available to attend Friday practices, Sealy said.

This lack of leadership at remaining practices throughout the week has caused the sprint runners to rely on each other to progress and maintain that momentum. And clearly, that teamwork has paid off.

Photo by Claire Torii

Photo by Harley Anderson TRACKSEASONSUCCESSbuildsupearlyonwith12-2 rocordandrecord—breakingmeets.

Illustration by Jacqueline Beaufore

Photo illustrations by Eden Pollitt

NEW FBLA REQUIREMENT THREATENS MEMBERSHIP

FBLA in works with Department of Education

the California Department of Education, it is within their jurisdiction to place regulations upon the club.

FBLA is currently appealing the requirement with the state DOE and state representatives.

The Principles of Business Class remains popular with freshmen who eventually join FBLA because of it, Hu said.

Members not enrolled in a business class are still allowed to attend meetings and general events like business tours, but in addition to being barred from entering competitions, they are also not allowed to become chapter officers, Hu said.

Previously, only first-year officers were required to take a business class under instructions from advisers at the school.

PREVIOUSLY, ONLY FIRST-year FBLA officers were required to take a business class as part of their position.

By Aarya Gupta and Renee Wang

Come the 2019-20 school year, members of Future Business Leaders of America who want to participate in competitions must be concurrently enrolled in a business class.

This is a new requirement from the California Department of Education, Executive Vice President of FBLA Valerie Hu said. According to the website, FBLA is one of the larger clubs on campus, with 300 members.

WASC VISITS: A SUMMARY

The main purpose was to build a relationship with the advisers, Hu said.

As an officer of four years, Hu has taken one business class, law, due to restraints in her schedule.

Members have the opportunity to participate in competitions at national levels, and have had great success since their creation in 1980, taking home 20 awards at a state-level.

“Taking a business class could negatively impact membership,” Hu said. “[For example,] there are students who come into FBLA unsure if business is something they want to do, or if they are just trying the club out.”

As FBLA gets funding from

Western Association of Schools and Colleges conduct their sexennial accreditation check

By Patrick Yu

The Western Association of Schools and Colleges is an official academic body that accredits schools. According to their website, WASC ensures that schools have goals and are equipped to achieve them. Just recently, the association sent people to inspect classes and observe how the school performs on a regular basis.

The program sent several supervisors to the school to observe the teachers and students, math teacher Emily Hannigan said, WASC ensures teachers are teaching proper material.

“[WASC supervisors] visit schools and make sure that schools are doing their job. [Teachers must be] teaching students to the standard and [making] sure that each school is teaching what it says it will teach,” Hannigan said.

More specifically, teachers and administrators write reports about the school and material taught. WASC supervisors also must ensure these reports are true, and that teachers are teaching the curriculum they claim to teach.

“[WASC supervisors] are looking for evidence that supports what we wrote in our report,” Hannigan said. “Teachers and admins here, we wrote a long report on our school and what [it does]. We also wrote about what we want to improve, so they’re coming into the classrooms and verifying [if those reports are true].”

However, Hannigan said the most important aspect these supervisors look for is student education, which must be engaging.

“The biggest thing is that stu-

dents need to be learning. So we should be focusing on student learning and they should be learning in a variety of different ways, and that the teacher facilitates a collaborative classroom environment,” Hannigan said.

“A supervisor came into my class for 10 minutes and left, and I didn’t get any feedback, so I’m not sure if he decided if my classroom was bad or good.”

As for the supervisors themselves, Hannigan said they are primarily teachers or administrators from other districts, or WASC employees.

“The people who came over are usually a team of either administrators from other districts, or teachers, or only people who work for WASC. They visit schools and make sure that schools are doing their job.”

At the end, WASC will compile all of their findings. Math teacher Andrea Westgate said the organization will draft a long report detailing the school.

These WASC visits ensure HHS will stay accredited. Westgate said this accreditation is incredibly important for students.

“Without WASC stamp of approve your diploma doesn’t mean anything,” she said.

However, if the school’s performance declines, or if the organization does not view the school worthy of accreditation, measures will be taken, Hannigan said.

“If we performed poorly, then [the school] would have been put on a three year probation, and after three years, if we still performed poorly again, then, I think that’s

when major changes have to happen to the school.

I think that’s how a school could get shut down.”Hannigan said.

However, Hannigan does not believe such measures will be taken, as the school’s perfor mance still deserved accreditation.

Moreover, she believes that this inspection is very important for HHS, as it ensures that the school and its faculty members are performing at a high level and that the students are receiving the education they need to succeed.

“I think this school has always performed well, so it’s always on a six year schedule. I think it’s good, because I don’t think that schools should be left unchecked. I think it’s important for education and that every student gets to have a high level of education,” Hannigan said.

Hannigan says that it would be detrimental to the school and the quality of education if these visits were not completed.

“If no one came and made sure you were doing your job, then schools could not be teaching to the curriculum and nothing would happen,” Hannigan said.

Hu said learning about the legal system has given her additional expertise in FBLA, but she still stresses the importance of the learning experience gained from competitions.

“The outside-of-classroom learning experience and being part of competitions has taught me a lot a business class would not,” Hu said. “I do not think [taking a business class] is a prerequisite for being able to do well.”

Information

Photo by Aarya Gupta

Infograpahic by Laurel Schmidt

TEDX CONFERENCE SPEAKERS SPREAD IDEAS TO COMMUNITY

Event gains recognition and influence as it tackles this year’s growth theme

By Anastassia Dardenne

A TEDx event is a local gathering where live TEDlike talks are shared with the community. TEDx events are planned and coordinated independently, on a communityby-community basis, according to the TED website. The annual HHS TEDx conference is planned by the relatively recent TEDx club.

This year’s club officers were able to host their third ever conference in the auditorium, a chance they did not have last year. As groups of students and their families filed into the auditorium on a Friday night, the officer team frantically rushed around the stage getting the microphone ready to introduce their group of conversation-sparking speakers. Senior Theo Bride was in the audience, ready to listen to his second TEDx conference.

“I liked last year’s conference because it made me think a lot and there were a lot of interesting thinkers. It was really cool,” Bride said.

According to the TED website, TEDx was created in order to spread ideas and make the community think, in the spirit of real TED Talks. The TEDx club was created three years ago by a group of graduating seniors passionate about TED’s mission, said club officer and senior Arleen Liu.

“The original club founders passed the club onto us, and we started planning and doing TEDx last year,” Liu said.

Even though last year’s conference was the second conference in three years and a relatively new event on campus, it was much more successful than anticipated, a trend the TEDx team hopes to continue into the future as they organize new conferences

“TEDx last year was pretty successful considering our challenges: turn-out was very good, better even than this year, and the speakers were good,” Liu said.

Last year’s conference was held in the cafeteria and revolved around the theme of passion, whereas this year’s conference was held in the more suitable auditorium and centered around growth. Both themes were purposefully vague and allencompassing.

This allowed speakers to choose what personal angle to approach the conference from, whether it be their own individual growth or the importance of “what if” mentality in the growth of technology. Steve Decker, CEO of Zooka Creative, quite literally spoke on the growth of two different data transmitting technologies.

“The technologies (dense

wave division multiplexing) grew bandwidth and speed but more importantly grew whole new industries, markets, and services. That creates jobs and revenue growth. The generation currently in high school is about to experience the same explosive growth with 5G data,” Decker said.

Junior Zibaa Adil took a different approach and spoke of her own individual growth as she learned to recognize empathy and sympathy in people around her.

“Originally, I did not really think about the theme of growth when I was coming up with ny

CLUB GRANTS BASED ON NEED

Leadership team’s judgment plays large part in

allocating money

Ted talk idea. I just knew that I wanted to talk about achalasia, which is a chronic illness that I have, and I wanted to talk about how it affects me. From that I pulled off a theme of sympathy and empathy and tied it into the more general theme of growth,” Adil said.

Senior Michael Wallarius approached the topic from yet another angle, choosing to speak of the increased value that people place on labels such as job titles and school degrees.

“The general idea is that we place a growing importance on credentials and what college you go to rather than to look at

the things behind. I approached choosing my topic by reminding myself and those around me to look behind the Yale school degree and the CEO job title,” Wallerius said.

TEDx is growing and gaining recognition throughout campus, as evident by a small increase in this year’s interested potential speakers, said club officer and senior Shani Zuniga.

“I think in terms of the conference quality, it was much better this year: we had more sophisticated snacks, and a larger variety of speaker because we were better at planning and organizing,” Zuniga said.

By Claire Torii

Applications for club funding are currently under review by ASB, but the process of issuing funds has been long critiqued by officers of various clubs that are in charge of funding.

ASB Vice President Govind Menon said each club automatically receives $5 from ASB card sales, and can fill out a club grant application for up to $500 in funding.

Senior Joanne Liu is an officer of HHS Cancer Society and JNHS and underwent the funding application for HHS Cancer Society this year.

type

“You fill out a form that asks you why you need the money, what you do with it and what kind of community service you do,” Liu said, “I guess they want to see that the money is used for a good purpose, and how much money you need to keep your club going.”

Only minimal changes were made to this year’s application process.

“Last year we would have one representative per club talk about their application to receive money,” Menon said. “Because leadership is a 5th period, I’m the

one who just read out the application word by word.”

However, like previous years, the leadership team are the only people to review the application, with counsel from Assistant Principal Brian Dong and leadership teacher Jessica Kirby.

“It’s mostly subjective to what leadership thinks,” Menon said. “There’s no rubric this year and it’s been like this for previous years.”

Liu expressed the lack of transparency in the ASB budget made it difficult to gauge how much money they would get.

THIS YEAR’S TEDX conference brought TED Talks to HHS and included an array of adult and student speakers with versatile talks all relating to the overarching theme of growth.

MONEY ALLOCATED FOR club funding is based in large part on the existing funds in a club’s account, leadership judgement, as well as the

and frequency of club events.

INTERNET HOLDS DANGER TOWARDS YOUTH

The psychological dangers of social media exposure

By Hana Baig

THREADS OF INJUSTICE

By Aarya Gupta

Rep. Nancy Pelosi. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez. Rep. Ilhan Omar. Rep. Rashida Tlaib. These are a few congresswomen that come to mind when we think about women in politics.

With the 116th Congress currently in session, women comprise nearly a quarter of its voting membership, the highest percentage in U.S. history, according to the Pew Research Center.

Yet there is still an obtrusive chasm between male and female representation in the U.S. government.

This directly imperils democracy, and must change in the upcoming years — especially in light of the 2020 elections.

According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, democracy is defined to be “a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation.”

However, this system of representation is marred by disparity in gender, as authenticated by data amassed by the Center for American Women and Politics, affiliated with the Rutgers Eagleton Institute of Politics.

As of 2019, only 127 women occupy seats in the U.S. Congress. This equates to roughly 23.7 percent of the 535 members. The situation is even more dire with women of color.

This data communicates the inordinate advantage that men possess with respect to exercising the power vested in the legislative branch, responsible for crafting laws. As a result, this male bias within the branch suppresses the voices of approximately 50.5 percent of constituents, seeing that females comprise approximately half of the U.S. population.

As we look to 2020, citizens must elect more women, as it is the most potent way for society to transform, craft more comprehensive public policy and provide role models for women and girls in this new generation.

Usually, when entering middle school, teens and pre-teens are exposed to social media — what it means in terms of following the social pressures and trends, making first impressions and upholding a certain appearance.

While kids are blindsided by this new and exciting superficiality, cautions of stranger-danger and toxicity has been thrown to the wind in the rise of social media prominence and popularity.

According to TechCrunch, the average child will have received his or her smartphone at the mere age of 10.3.

While this statistic may seem unbelievable, seeing kids as young as six years old carrying their own smartphones is clear and obvious proof.

There comes a sense of responsibility and maturity when handling the superficiality of social media, let alone free reign to screen time on a smartphone.

Children who lack the experience or simply do not know any better can come across strangers or dangerous people online and think nothing of it. These children are often unaware of predators lurking on the other end or if the person is who they say they truly are.

A recent case of this is the frightening character “Momo,” who has appeared in children’s videos and other applications, encouraging dangerous activities such as self-harm, according to an article from The New York Times. Even worse, the effects of events such as these are permanent.

Kids are susceptible to giving

in to strangers and disclosing personal information that can prove to be detrimental.

Furthermore, a common consequence from social media is the psychological aspect.

With many people choosing to share only the highlight reel of life on social media, many people view content that delivers a false perception of life.

Bright moments that are shown online will still exist outside the virtual world, but not necessarily to the extent that some unintentionally surmise.

At a tender age, children are deceived by this overly idealistic and unachievable lifestyle. This takes a burdening toll on too many self-esteems as it is.

Scrolling through social media can also be a prime method of wasting time, leading to unproductivity and a general sense of lacking accomplishments. We are all guilty of it one way or another.

Apart from being detrimental to one’s confidence, the exposure of social media can evoke stress and overwhelm the brain, according to research associate at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center Anna Vanucci.

The deep abyss of phone addiction that older teenagers and adults fall into is an incredibly poor demonstration for the young kids looking up to them.

Through our frequent use of social media, we set a bad example and lead the younger generation into desiring something they simply are not ready for.

What manifests itself never leaves. After all, the internet will be forever.

DREAM SCHOOL MENTALITY HARMS STUDENTS

Desire to get into top schools can diminish one’s confidence

By Emily Choi

Today, college is a must in order to be successful. The looming deadlines occupy the minds of seniors, and oftentimes, conversations with peers end up drifting to the topic of dream colleges, and the laundry list of things they’re doing to be the perfect candidate.

High school has turned into four years of students piling up AP classes and extracurriculars to show colleges their abilities.

Having a dream school pushes students to do more to increase their chances of getting into said school. This hardworking nature can be beneficial to them. It provides experience and challenges them to be the best versions of themselves. But it can turn into a toxic mindset.

The dream school mentality becomes a game of who’s better.

“When people have this intense dream school mentality, and it doesn’t fall through the way they want, they find it to be a poor reflection of who they are, and it can be really draining of self esteem,” senior Kelly MacDonald said. “To find out someone else got in but you didn’t, it becomes

this whole comparison thing, which can be very toxic.”

Her journey of navigating through applications deadlines while keeping up with the normal day to day school work has led her to realize it isn’t all about grades.

“I think it’s dangerous to

gauge your worth based on something that’s so far beyond your control,” MacDonald said.

As acceptance rates continue to drop at top schools like Stanford, which had a record low acceptance rate of 4.3 percent in 2018, according to The Harvard Crimson, even students with

exceptional applications are turned down, and admission to top dream schools becomes more of a fantasy.

This combination of low acceptance rates and strong desires to get in leads to students overloading themselves with classes they dislike and missing out on the full experience of clubs and programs students sign up for just to look better on an application.

The dream school mentality heavily relies on this idea that a certain school is the only school that will satisfy the needs of a student.

In reality, college is more than the robust programs and academic rigor. It provides a community and a time to explore oneself. It is important to apply to the colleges that fit you, not just because of the name.

The major point the dream school mentality misses is the fact that no matter where you go, the college experience will be what you make of it.

Working towards the goal of attending your top choice school is not a bad thing. But a rejection letter is not a measurement of your worth.

THEDREAMSCHOOLmentalitycreatesacultureoftoxiccompetition amongststudents.

THENEWGENERATIONofchildrenusingsocialmediaisunawareofthe dangerstheinternetholds.

Illustration by Emily Choi

Infographic by Renee Wang

Opinion

NATURAL HAIR IS NOT A CRIME

People of color should not have to apologize for their hair

By Batool Al-Jabiry

In this country, we like to speak about freedom as one of our core values. We have the freedom to say what we want, the freedom to practice whatever religion we want, the freedom to publish what we want.

However, there are always caveats. And with America’s incredibly racist history, we cannot ignore what is and what isn’t allowed in this country.

According to the New York Times, New York City passed a law that prohibited employers, schools and public places from discriminating against “natural hair” or Afro-textured hair.

While this may sound like a positive thing and allude to a more progressive society, it is a change that is long overdue. We cannot ignore the implications that existed prior to this law and continue to exist in regards to discriminating against natural hair.

People of color, specifically Black people, are constantly being discriminated against for wearing their natural hair, be it in sports arenas or in the workplace. For example, a black high school wrestler was forced to cut his dreadlocks right before the start of a match because “its natural state” extends past the earlobe or touches the top of a shirt, a “legal

hair cover.” Arguing that their natural hair is a distraction or is not “professional,” is asking them to conform to Eurocentric beauty standards.

Punishing black people for wearing their natural hair is just another way this country has essentially made it illegal to be black.

Another issue is that while African Americans wearing their natural hair face discrimination, others have appropriated those hairstyles while managing to avoid the repercussions African Americans face.

A perfect example of this is celebrity Kim Kardashian, who is constantly photographed wearing braids, cornrows, etc. While a black person wearing the same hairstyle will face stereotypes for wearing their natural hair, Kim Kardashian is praised for embracing the “look.” She will never face that discrimination.

The state of New York has taken a step in the right direction, and other states need to follow suit. Moreover, other states need to look at what other seeminglyinnocent laws have similarly racist implications, and ensure that people of color are protected and equal under the law. After all, that’s what this country is about.

DISCRIMINATION AGAINST HAIR that fails to follow Eurocentric standards holds racist implications, as black people are those who primarily have natural hair and suffer as a result.

ANTI-VAX MOVEMENT POSES TROUBLE FOR ALL Insufficient knowledge used to motivate health decisions

rise in autism was correlated with the rise in mandatory vaccinations.

The alleged connection between vaccination and autism originated in 1997 when Andrew Wakefield published a study that falsely correlated the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine with autism.

But, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, the study is unequivocally condemned by scientists because of its small and uncontrolled sample size.

Moreover, many other scientists conducted their own studies and failed to reach the same conclusion as Wakefield.

DENOME’S ADVOCATE

By Thomas Denome

It’s one of those things that I’m going to remember for a long time and maybe tell my children about one day. Like how my parents told me what they were doing during 9/11, I’ll have the story of when I heard about the Christchurch massacre.

Last month, a gunman walked into two mosques in the New Zealand city and proceeded to open fire upon worshipping Muslims. I learned about this quite innocuously; I was sitting on my laptop, reading Twitter, when I refreshed the page and was bombarded by news of what had transpired.

By Claire Torii and Sahil Venkatesan

As a peer in front of me hacks out a cough that is bound to be contagious, my attention is averted to someone blowing their nose loudly directly to my left. I start to run through the wheel of possible ailments these people may possess and how I can avoid contracting them.

Although they are probably not suffering from something as extreme as measles (a virus that has resurfaced in Washington and New York, according to the New York Times), my mind

wanders to whether they had been vaccinated at all. Despite California Senate Bill 277, which forces students to get vaccinated from preschool to high school, doctors are beginning to give in to anti-vaxxers by giving medical exemptions, according to NBC. Anti-vaccination, a concept once completely dismissed by a majority of people, has started to gain traction in the last few years.

The rise in the anti-vaccination movement started with a loud minority that believed that the

Let’s look at history as a reason to get vaccinated. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, polio used to be among the most fatal diseases in the nation, but thanks to vaccinations, there has not been a single recorded case of polio in the country for 35 years. According to Colorado Children’s Immunization Coalition, polio, diphtheria and smallpox, have all decreased by 100 percent from the early 2000s to 2006.

Now we look at current events, where we see the consequences of being unvaccinated right before our eyes. Portland, Oregon, is now home to an outbreak of measles that has affected 70 children.

According to NBC News, the outbreak forced about 800 students to stay home for about three weeks, putting them behind academically.

Many opponents of vaccinations argue they had

experienced or knew people who experienced horrific side-effects after being exposed to a vaccine. Those who haven’t directly experienced these side effects simply argue there are too many unknown chemicals being used in vaccines.

As a replacement, many anti-vax families are opting for “natural” solutions and “proven” advice marketed by health gurus such as Dr. Joseph Mercola, a popular natural alternative medicine proponent.

Ultimately, these arguments are shot down by the meticulousness of the research prior to the release of these vaccines, as well as the obvious beneficial results of eliminating countless life-threatening diseases and viruses. Yet despite warnings, local outbreaks of previously dormant viruses have arisen locally.

According to KPIX 5, health officials in Santa Clara issued a warning on March 26 stating that an international traveler may have exposed thousands of people to measles.

The traveler in question went to an Apple store, the Stanford University campus, and multiple restaurants.

Those who visited theses sites at the times and dates indicated by the Santa Clara Public Health Department may have been exposed to and could contract measles

It is very simple: If you are not vaccinated, it is imperative that you receive immunization, or you will be in serious danger, putting others at risk.

I eventually ended up reading the shooter’s manifesto, which had been recovered from the dark corners of the internet and circulated by Twitter users. What I read was not something I can just describe as “upsetting” or “horrifying”. It reminded me less of the Unabomber’s academic and (wrongly) reasoned manifesto and more of the short passages of Mein Kampf that I’ve had the displeasure to read.

I have no words strong enough in my vocabulary to condemn this man, his school of thought, his inspirations and his actions. I can only offer my support to anyone who feels affected by this tragedy, and I encourage the sensible people of the world to keep fighting this madness. And more importantly, be aware of not just the explosions of whatever rage the shooter had, but also of the small things that radicalize people and turn them into hateful monsters.

Confronting the plague of neo-Nazism is going to require our society to deeply reflect on what causes the hatred and racism that brought about these attacks. Right now, there’s no one right answer to this problem, and obviously no simple solution to make things like Islamophobia, anti-semitism, white supremacy and other prejudices just disappear.

All we can do in the wake of tragedy like this is to keep fighting together. Let your Muslim friends know that you stand with them. Make an attempt to understand foreign cultures rather than fret about their emergence in America. Do not let the bad guys win.

Illustration by Aishwarya Jayadeep

Illustration by Claire Torii

THE ANTI-VACCINATION MOVEMENT is based on unfounded personal experiences that have resurrected harmful illnesses.

A DISRUPTION IN THE

Operation Varsity Blues shows how with great wealth comes great privilege

Tactics the 50 indicted used in the Operation Varsity Blues scandal included photoshopping their child’s face into athletic photos to get them admitted as a recruit or paying someone to emulate their child’s handwriting to take a standardized test for them, according to the Washington Post.

Yet the American Dream is an ideal based on hard work and the notion that opportunity extends itself to all. Imagine spending your entire life training for a sport you are passionate about, only to have a spot that could have been yours taken by someone who has likely never heard of it. The lack of ethics in the college admissions scandal is a message to all Americans: the model of the American Dream is no longer viable.

WEALTHIER INDIVIDUALS HAVE bypassed the admissions process, in order for their children to attend prestigious universities without the necessary qualifications.

By Katelyn Pan and Renee Wang

Who knew you could put a price on hard work? In the largest college admissions scam to be prosecuted, according to CNN, mastermind William Singer and 50 other members of the wealthy elite

are accused of doctoring college applications and standardized test scores to get their children into prestigious universities.

These children would have had every available resource to get them into college, yet their parents instead chose to pay hefty sums to exempt their children from hard work.

Already, the rich and wealthy have an upper hand when it comes to college admissions. According to a study by the Equality of Opportunity Project, in a survey of 38 colleges, there was a greater distribution of students belonging to the top 1 percent in income as opposed to the bottom 60 percent.

THE TOXIC MISCONCEPTIONS OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Dismissing community college feeds into the toxic culture of Silicon Valley

By Melody Chen

Community college is becoming a more popular and viable path for HHS students. Among the class of 2018, 32 percent of the students opted for community college, an uptick of 6 percent from the class of 2017, College and Career Advisor Mary Lund said in an email.

Nevertheless, I often pick up these lines in the hallway: “If my SAT score doesn’t exceed 1500, I will have to go to community college.”

But the misconception that community college is a last-ditch option for students feeds into the false impression reared from the toxic academic culture in Silicon Valley.

A student’s achievements and community college are not mutually exclusive.

According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, community college students were more mature and able to deal with the culture shock once they transfer to a four-year university.

In fact, 20 percent

of master’s degree earners, 11 percent of doctoral degree earners and 13 percent of professional degree earners attended a two-year community college, according to Inside Higher Ed.

Even celebrities like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Morgan Freeman attended community college and contributed a lot to society.

In addition, community college also offers financial support for students. De Anza College students living at home without any dependents spent a total of $13,215 in the 2018-2019 academic year on college.

Meanwhile,

universities like USC, the estimated two-semester cost for a full-time undergraduate in the same year was $75,275.

Many university professors are required to conduct research in addition to their teaching duties, meaning that they can only spend half of their attention on the students.

According to Niche, community college students benefit from the attention of the professors who spend most of their time teaching.

Such advantages shatter the stigma of community college and inspire students to continue the path that works for you.

There are massive waves of inequality in the system of higher education, but using money as a means to evade opportunities already there and connections already granted is egregious. When I think of those involved in the scandal, I see people who have already accomplished their American Dream. For those involved, elite colleges are but a souvenir. For those

who can barely afford to make ends meet, education is a stepping stone.

College is more than a souvenir, and for students in the Silicon Valley, this rings especially true. According to the California Health Interview Survey in 2013, more than 22 percent of youth in the Santa Clara County faced mental health issues. After all, the culture that pervades Silicon Valley high schools is that of loading up on AP classes and sleep deprivation all for the purpose of getting into a noteworthy college.

Many involved in the scam may be drenched in public ridicule, but just as they are embarrassed, they still have their financial security. For example: Lori Loughlin, an actress involved in the scandal, was released on a $1 million bond, according to CBS. Her net worth? $100 million, according to In Touch Weekly (this figure includes her husband, Mossimo Giannulli’s net worth).

For the students cheated out of much-needed spots however, it is but a lifetime wasted based on promises cranked out on a broken dream machine.

Illustration by Katelyn Pan

Lifestyles 7

Wednesday, April 3, 2019

FRENCH CLASSES MERGE MARCH MADNESS, SONGS

Manie Musicale

allows students to understand more about French culture, share opinions

Teachers have high hopes for the impact of the songs, Von Stein said. Manie Musicale furthers students’ exposure to French culture, in addition to improving their knowledge of concepts they are currently learning in class.

“It makes some part of the learning with grammar, that can be annoying, more relevant because you really use it to talk about something that you care about,” Von Stein said.

To some students, Manie Musicale serves as a gateway to discovering different aspects of French culture.

By Shruti Magesh

Throughout March, the French classes participate in a competition that breaks language level barriers: Manie Musicale.

Manie Musicale (Musical Mania) is a competition inspired by March Madness in which students from all levels of French classes vote on the best of 16 French songs.

“Manie Musicale is something that a good amount of teachers have done for French. The first year we did it, it was only me ... and this year it’s all the teachers,” French teacher and Manie Musicale organizer Muriel Von Stein said.

Songs are carefully chosen by Von Stein and fellow French teachers Madeleine Stanwood and Kelly Ronsheimer, for students to listen to and vote on through Google Forms. The songs undergo various rounds of elimination, eventually leading to a single song chosen as the winner.

Songs are chosen based on their message and positivity.

“The message of the song should be positive — nothing racist or sexist and it has to be PG and appropriate for the class ... they are songs that students can relate to,” Von Stein said.

“I think [Manie Musicale] is a great way to listen to French pop music; it helps with knowing what the entertainment scene is like in France right now, because that’s not something you really learn from conventional teaching methods,” senior Divya Ramamoorthy, co-president of French club and current AP French student, said.

Manie Musicale additionally banishes the stereotypes held about French people.

“A lot of these singers are from really diverse backgrounds … and most of these songs are from people in Africa or in French territories,” Ronsheimer said. “Each artist brings their own story into the song. It’s very

relatable to artists here and their stories.”

The music competition serves as a platform for all French students to have an equal say, allowing younger students to have their opinions be in equal consideration with others of higher class levels.

“No matter what level you are, your voice is equal. French 1 has an equal voice with French 5. It is rare that someone with so much status and years of work has an equal vote with others,” Ronsheimer said.

It also brings the French students together, and serves as a topic they have in common to discuss.

“All the students in French class have the French language in common, but they do different things. Manie Musicale is a common subject they can discuss,” Von Stein said.

Most of all, Manie Musicale gives students a break from the long month of March. It provides a carefree outlet to destress, according to Von Stein.

“I love music and listening to music, so I love [Manie Musicale] since I get to discover some new songs that I might enjoy, and now I even have a French playlist on Spotify,” Ramamoorthy said.

SENIOR PERCUSSIONIST EXPLORES CAREER IN MUSIC

Omar Shohoud discusses his passion for band

By Leiyonee Bosé

For some, there is no better feeling than hitting that perfect note or beautifully playing a musical piece. This holds true for senior percussionist Omar Shohoud.

Shohoud said he started playing the drums in fourth grade and has been drumming ever since. Besides drums, he also plays the marimba and other percussion instruments in Wind Ensemble 1 and Symphony Orchestra classes. Since there are no specific percussion classes, Shohoud plays marimba as a solo or with other percussionists in concert bands.

Outside of the classroom, Shohoud is also part of the marching band and winter percussion. For these teams, he marches the tenor drum, a wide instrument consisting of multiple drums, Shohoud said. Together, these programs have helped foster his growth and love for band.

“We have a really good marching band, and somehow an even better winter percussion,” Shohoud said. “That means that a lot of opportunities opened up to me that other people don’t have, so I’ve been able to just grow so much faster and enjoy the activity so much more. I feel pretty blessed.”

But Shohoud didn’t stop there. His passion for band led him to shoot higher than the high school level, and this past summer, he marched with the Blue Devils B Drum Corps.

“Drum corps is kind of like marching band but it is harder to get into and more intense in the summer,” Shohoud said.

Through these programs, Shohoud has been able to express himself and feel the thrill of performing. It is what fuels his passion for music, he said.

“My favorite part is putting on a show for people. I remember when I was in middle school, I watched videos of marching band,” Shohoud said. “I liked Homestead the most because it gave me goosebumps, especially with their winter percussion performances. So knowing that I might be giving that feeling to someone else just makes my heart swell.”

As his time in high school comes to an end, Shohoud plans on pursuing music in college. He will major in music composition and wants to join music ensembles where he can continue to perfect playing the marimba, Shohoud said.

“For music, the [college] that I would really love to go to is the Berklee School of Music in Boston. I think I had a decent audition there and my portfolio is strong enough,” Shohoud said.

Looking back, Shouhoud said music has had and continues to have a lasting impact on his life. It has been his outlet for the past nine years, shaping who he is today, he said.

“Music has really changed my life… [it] taught me to put hours and hours and hours into

something to make the small things really good,” Shohoud said. “It’s also provided a really good escape. Listening to music or performing music has always taken my mind off of anything that might be going wrong in the day.”

Shohoud said he loves music for the effect it has on his life and the people around him. It gives him a purpose and a drive that he does not find in other activities, he said.

“Something that our band director, Mr. Rendon, said that

I really like is :[Music] is a very unselfish thing. You put so many hours into something and it’s because you want to give that feeling to someone else, that feeling of hearing something so beautiful and so magnificent for the first time and getting those goosebumps,” Shohoud said. “That’s why you spend all those sleepless nights or spend all that money to get the right equipment, just so that you can create that feeling for other people and hopefully make their day, or even their lives, better.”

By Andrea Sun

Daily routine #239: open Instagram, scroll down my feed, pretend to watch Stories, open my explore page, sigh and throw my phone on my bed. I partly do this because the nonexistence of my own willpower shocks me to no end, but scrolling through my phone reminds me of the things I want to do and places I want to go versus my reality.

In fact, social media has an increasing impact on how and where people travel. MDG Advertising, a full-service agency in marketing and advertising, reports that 30 percent of U.S. travelers depend on social media to make travel plans.

In my own life, social media is beginning to play a larger part in my family’s travels. The great part of social media is finding niches that people never would have known about. During our two-week trip in southern Europe over the summer, we took a stop at Lake Bled in Bled, Slovenia, where my dad insisted on going. He had seen pictures of the lake on our Chromecast screensaver and on Facebook.

I was not disappointed at all. The water was shimmering and clear in the hot summer sun and a beautiful castle sat on an island in the middle of the lake. The best part was the lack of tourists in this lesser known spot.

Sadly, the excitement is not always met. Recently, our trip to Vietnam led us to a coastal city called Da Nang. My cousin had seen her friends go to a beautiful, golden bridge held up by two large stone hands (do a quick Google search, it is hard to explain), so we had to go. However, the weather changed everything; the clouds were too low to see both hands and it rained the whole time. I had dressed for Instagram pictures, so my mother forced me to wear a pink plastic poncho.

The point is: social media is wonderful for discovering a passion for travel, and as time continues, it will play a larger part in travel. People need to be careful of what they see, though, as social media does not come with a sign: photographs are often not what they seem.

song competition

MANIEMUSICALEISacompetitiontodeterminethebestof16Frenchsongs.

OMARSHOHOUD(12)SAIDhisfavoritepartofbeinginbandisputtingona showforotherpeopleinhopesofleavingalastingimpressiononthem.

Photo courtesy of Omar Shohoud

Photo Illustration by Steven Lefaive and Shruti Magesh

THE ICEBERG METAPHOR

WHAT WE HIDE

Failure

Mental health

Worries

blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.” In layman terms, it means that the bond created between people can overcome simple genetics.

All around us, this is true. The definition of family goes beyond the people that gave birth to you and stretches to the people who have defined your life and molded you into the person you are today.

Sophomore Alisa Dawson said she was born in Coban, Guatemala and was given up for adoption by her biological parents who could not financially support her. She was adopted at 17 months old from an orphanage by her parents. In the process of her adoption, her adoptive father passed away, delaying her adoption by almost a year.

Dawson grew up with her mother and brother, who is not adopted, and last year, her adoptive mother passed away. After that, Dawson, and her brother, were taken in by a church family that lives close to school.

alive, assumed my mom had married a black man,” Dawson said. “With my brother, out in public, a lot of people will think we’re boyfriend and girlfriend, but I’d be very defensive about it.”

Senior Sarah Kondo has similar experiences with race, as well. She was born in Wuhan, China and was abandoned on site, meaning she knows nothing about her biological parents. Kondo was adopted when she was a year old by a Chinese mom and Japanese-Hawaiian dad.

Despite growing up with Asian parents, Kondo’s mother and father do not have extensive background in their culture, she said. Kondo said she describes herself as a “hodgepodge or melting pot” of cultures. Especially after her mother passed away, Kondo believes that her Chinese culture has diminished.

“When you get older, race becomes a topic of discussion,” Kondo said. “It was really

She said she believes that she is extremely lucky in that aspect.

“It wasn’t until middle school that I thought that ... [being] adopted is a differentiating factor between me and my peers, in part due to someone asking me, ‘did your original parents hate you?’” Kondo said.

In fact, Kondo said she has often heard people wondering whether people are adopted solely because their biological parents did not love them.

“The misconception is that ... [the] fact [my biological parents gave me up] is a defining part of my identity, when in fact, the presence of love from my adopted parents is way more important,” Kondo said.

So despite the controversy surrounding the famous proverb and its originating sentence, perhaps the meaning and sentiment still remains: family is what one makes it out to be, and love is not defined by pure genetics.

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byAlfonsoPitco

It’s horrible your shell. At feels comfortable you feel safe, end of the day, not your true

the tip represents the part of ourselves we show to the world and the represents the deeper things in our lives that make us who we

— Cianna Burse

PROUD LGBTQ STUDENTS SHARE THEIR JOURNEYS

The ups and downs of being transparent

By Katelynn Ngo

Being honest about who you are is one of the hardest things to do. This struggle is especially prevalent in those who belong to the LGBTQ community. Like all struggles, overcoming it can lead to differing experiences.

Sophomore Elaine Huang, who said she has known her sexuality since she was in fifth grade, went through these experiences when she came friendsandfamilyaslesbian.Thereactions she got were mixed.

“From my friends, it’s usually quite positive,” Huang said. “But, from my parents, it wasn’t as think they tried to avoid the topic, and ’t think they like talking about it Even though not all of the reactions were what Huang wanted, she said there was definitely a lot of good that came out of coming out. the LGBTQ community] has made me stronger. I was isolated when I was younger an immigrant here, so I didn’t realhave a community around me that supported Huang said. “But, after I realized I was in a bigger community — the queer community — it really felt like I belonged somewhere.”

An unnamed junior said he experienced similar when he came out as a gay man this past year. While the friends and teachers have reacted positively, his parents had a less welcoming reaction. Nevertheless, he believes that coming out has freed him, in a way.

As a transgender person, it’s better to live because there were some things I couldn’t do and some things that socially couldn’t see me, as if I wasn’t out. In that it’s nicer to be out,” he said.

The student also believes people should try to be more aware of the people and history behind the gay rights movement, such as Harvey Milk, who was an important political activist for the gay community, and the Stonewall riots, which broke out after New York City police raided Stonewall Inn, a gay club.

Nevertheless, every person’s experience in the LGBTQ community is different. For junior Nick Bao, he only had to tell a few of his friends about being gay before the news started spreading. He has yet to tell his family.

So far, the experience has overall been surprisingly positive, Bao said.

“Nowadays, it’s not as scary as it would seem like back then,” Bao said. “People are more accepting about it”

Still, Bao warns against the stereotypes surrounding people who are LGBTQ.

“I feel like there are a bunch of stereotypes that are still going on about us. People tell me they don’t think I look gay or I don’t act [gay], and I feel like thats a stereotype about how a [gay] person should act,” Bao said.

Similarly, freshman Katherine Wang feels that being in the LGBTQ community isn’t the only thing that defines her.Wang, who realized she was part of the community in sixth grade, didn’t start beginning to accept her sexuality until eighth grade.

Now,Wang does feel that her bisexuality is an important part of who she is, but it certainly isn’t the only part.

“Just be confident in yourself and just be happy,” Wang said. “Even if you have a different sexual orientation, it doesn’t make you any different of a person. You’ll still be the same person”

WHAT ABOUT DIVERSITY IN IDEOLOGIES?

Political polzarization remains a pertinent issue on campus

By Renee Wang

Whether you are a dinnertime conversationalist or a bonafide political activist, politics has impacted us all.

“HHS is predominantly liberal leftleaning … the school and students are into promoting ‘diversity’ in gender, race, but not in viewpoint,” sophomore Mark Chen, who requested that his real name not be disclosed, said. “It is hard to find people who are open about having ideas that are different from majority, but at the same time, that is what we really need.”

According to a survey of 250 students conducted by The Epitaph, almost a quarter of students report having been ostracized due to their political views, while 32 percent have had a relationship affected due to it. Such a fear of ostracization is evident in both conservative sources choosing to remain annonymous.

Chen identifies as a conservative-leaning libertarian, and said he is in part influenced politically by his parents, who are first-generation Chinese immigrants.

Although Chen was more outspoken in middle school, he now feels uncomfortable speaking about politics in public settings.

“I like to speak my mind and back it up with research … unfortunately I feel like this is getting risky,” Chen said. “That means no social media, because I’m afraid no matter what I post, it might come back to haunt me when [I apply for] college,” Chen said.

Others cited the stigma of conservatism being equated to racism or sexism as another challenge that comes with being conservative in a predominantly liberal school.

“Racist, sexist, homophobic: those are the common ones you hear [as a conservative],” senior RJ (who also requested anonymity) said.“But conservatism is not about racism. The other day, [someone likened] conservatives to Nazis — if you read the conservative party platform, nowhere does it say we are racist.”

The polarization of conservatives and liberals can also hinder political discussion. RJ said he is only able to have effective discussions half the time.

“When I do express my view and do not say I am a conservative, people instantly disagree with me,” RJ said. “But if I can convince them [without telling them I am a] conservative, I can sometimes sway people to my point of view.”

While both of RJ’s parents have liberal leanings, he said he believes it is important for everyone to expose themselves to different opinions before they come to their own conclusions.

That was how junior Katherine Bright said she came to her own political conclusioons. Bright discovered articles and weighed the Democratic and Republican senators before doing so. Although her father is conservative-leaning, she is liberal-eaning, Bright said.

“I could understand why one would lean towards conservatism, if it benefits you. I live in a somewhat wealthy family, so the conservative ideas would benefit me,” Bright said. “But I have friends who are minorities, who are LGBTQ, and I feel like it is my job to stand up for them.”

Like Chen and RJ, Bright stresses the importance of hosting a variety of ideas on campus.

“Especially in this area, we need to be more accepting of conservatives. Even though I strongly [hold onto] my liberal beliefs, I think that we need to be respectful of people who are different — as long as they are not putting someone else down or hurting someone in any way,” Bright said.

“My dad says, ‘It is the mark of an honorable person to be able to entertain an idea, without having to agree with it,’” Chen said. “ This is good advice for people to consider.”

staying in At first, it comfortable and but at the day, you’re true self.

the bottom we are

“ codetoread Burse’s story

Photo illustrations by Andrea Sun

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Wednesday, April 3, 2019

WOMEN COME TOGETHER TO LEARN SELF-DEFENSE

Martial Arts Club, Women’s Empowerment Ambassadors host seminar

a self-defense seminar because they reached out to us and offered to have this event. We thought it was fitting for the month of March,” Shan said.

The seminar would be resourceful for its attendees, Shan said, to learn what to do in case one is confronted by an attacker.

“We hope[d] to teach the attendees a few defense moves they can use in case of an assault. We also just hope[d] to spread more awareness about assault and violence against women,” Shan said.

By Alfonso Pitco III

To celebrate International Women’s Day, the Martial Arts Club and Women’s Empowerment Ambassadors hosted a self-defense seminar together. The seminar attracted mostly female and some male students.

Officers from the Martial Arts Club demonstrated mul-

tiple self-defense techniques to members from both clubs. Junior and vice president of WEA Carolyn Shan said her club thought a collaboration between the two would be a perfect event for Women’s History Month.

“We decided to collaborate with the Martial Arts Club on

Talking about personal experiences, opinions and political or religious affiliations is a hard topic for people to discuss and should be avoidednot be talked about if people are not comfortable to do so. While eExpressing your opinion is very important when it comes to the growth of people and of the society, but some are not all that excited to learn about it.other opinions and people have to be respectful of that.

Shan said the seminar also intended to make women feel empowered and realize how strong they can be.

“I think women’s empowerment and the confidence to defend oneself go hand in hand with each other. It’s important that young women under-

stand how powerful they are and that they are ready to expertise their strength if necessary,” Shan said.

Although the seminar was aimed toward women, due to the likeliness for women to be

assaulted more than men, junior and social media manager for WEA Lindsey Skidmore said men should be capable of defending themselves as well.

“I think it is necessary for everyone to know at least basic self-defense just as a precaution,” Skidmore said, “but especially women because they are more likely to be assaulted.”

According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, an average of 24 people per minute are victims of rape, physical violence or stalking by an intimate partner in the U.S.

“If we lived in a perfect world without violence,” Skidmore said, “women would not have to learn self-defense because they wouldn’t need to keep themselves safe from nonexistent threats.”

DEARDAISY... TRIPS ABROAD ADVANCE STUDENT LANGUAGE SKILLS

In today’s world, personal opinion is something that people are becoming less and less respectful towards. It is importantce however that respect being respectful of personal ismust be emphasized until it becomes a prevalent in aspect of everyday communication.

Immersion provides chance to boost fluency

er’s comfort.

I have broken down the art of expressing one’s opinions in a simple five- step procedure:

Wait until the topic you would like to speak about comes up

Simply say “I respect your opinion but I think that….”

But, in today’s world, personal opinion is something people are becoming less and less respectful of. It is important, however, that respect be emphasized until it becomes a prevalent aspect of everyday communication.

By Kate Gabrielson

Provide a justification and evidence that supports your opinion

If you friend(s) say that your opinion is invalid or wrong just reas sure them that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and remind them that you did not act the same way when they shared their ideas

Talking about personal experiences, opinions and political or religious affiliations is a hard topic for people to discuss and should be avoided if people are not comfortable doing so. While expressing your opinion is very important when it comes to the growth of people and of society, some people are not all that excited to learn about it. People have to be respectful of each oth-

I have broken down the art of expressing one’s opinions into a simple fivestep procedure:

Overall, be confident and listen with open ears just as you would want them to do to you

Once you start sharing your opinions with your friends, it helps expand everyone’s mindset to make sure that people are being proac tive with new ideas. If no one shared any opinions, thean they world would not be the same today. Remember that after you do it once, it gets easier and easier, so rip off the band aid and share your thoughts.

1 4 3 2 5

Wait until the topic you would like to speak about comes up.

Simply say, “I respect your opinion, but I think that ... ”

Provide justifications and evidence to support your opinion.

If your friend(s) say your opinion is invalid or wrong, remind them everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

Be confident and listen with open ears, just as you would want them to do for you.

Struggling in school? Need adviceaboutfriends?Having relationship troubles? Scan QRcodetoaskaquestion!

A sharp blast of cold air greeted me as I stepped off the plane in Buenos Aires, a stark contrast to the scorching July heat I had left behind. I immediately heard Spanish all around me, taking in poster after poster of Lionel Messi, a face I would see more in the next three weeks than that of the pope, also from Argentina.

I was exhausted, fresh off an 11-hour flight and over 6,000 miles from home, on a continent I had never been, yet I could not have been more excited.

For the last two summers, I participated in the immersion program Sol Abroad, which allowed me to improve my Spanish while experiencing a new culture. I got to explore a new city with a group of American students, taking classes on weekdays and going on weekend excursions.

Over the course of my time there, I found that my language skills improved the most outside the classroom, whether ordering food, meeting locals or just talking to my host mom. Any fears I had about speaking the language disappeared quickly, as everyone was understanding of my occasional gaps in vocabulary or grammatical mistakes.

It’s a common misconception for American students: we take mandatory language classes, fulfill a requirement and never use them again. However, for myself and other students, this is far from a reality. Some choose to use their language outside the classroom, whether on vacation, during a missionary trip or as part of an immersion program.

Junior Sarina Singh, who has taken French for three years, got

the chance to use her skills on a recent trip to Europe, during which she spent time in France with a host family. While nervewracking at first, the experience significantly improved her fluency, Singh said.

“My host parents spoke English but their sons didn’t, so I was forced to communicate with them in French,” Singh said. “I also went to their family reunion and talked to everyone in French, so if I didn’t know the language I wouldn’t have been able to get by.”

Senior Bridget Wipfler, who has taken Spanish since middle school, used the language on multiple service trips to Mexico and the Dominican Republic,

where she built houses and worked in a nursing clinic. Staying in rural communities, Wipfler said there was not much English spoken, which required her to put her Spanish to the test.

“It was so rewarding when I was able to have full-on conversations with patients or people I was building a house for,” Wipfler said. “It’s one thing to practice these skills in class, but speaking it in person and having people understand me was completely different.”

For those looking to achieve fluency in another language, immersion is one great way to overcome the fear of making mistakes and dive headfirst into new cultures.

‘How do I state my opinion to my friends?’

OVER THE SUMMER, senior Bridget Wipfler (right) spent 10 days in the Dominican Republic, doing clinical work to prepare for a career in nursing.

STUDENTS WORKED TOGETHER to practice self defense. From left: Emma Ikeya (10) and Fabiola Zamora (11).

JUNIOR SARINA SINGH said she attended the seminar in hopes of learning how to act when confronting an attacker.

Love, Daisy

Photo courtesy of Bridget Wipfler

Photo by Alfonso Pitco III

Photo by Alfonso Pitco III

Illustrations by Hana Baig

3, 2019 Entertainment TOO MUCH TRUMP IN COMEDY?

Comedians have lost their shine in a showroom without novelty

By Melody Chen

Since the start of President Trump’s presidency, comedians have found ways to link Trump with the latest news stories. From skits to news segments, Trump’s name is thrown out at every instant.

Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon and Trevor Noah are several comedians who have dominated these comedic tactics. But is there no room for novelty in comedy?

Even though many political news stories orbit around Trump, lashing out at Trump over and over again is uncreative.

“[Trump is] the elephant in the room and it makes for the same types of jokes all the time. When you talk about him, you’re pretty much saying the same things about him,” stand-up comedian and Saturday Night Live cast member Michael Che said.

Not only does the repetition exhausts the comedian’s message, the humor soon melts into something devoid of meaning. Without the novelty that come-

dy intends to bring, it would lose the motor that drives the humor forward.

Yet, late-night shows that are packed with jokes at the expense of Trump, such as “Saturday Night Live,” and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” have received boosts in ratings, according to The Washington Post.

The rise of the “clapter” comedy has contributed to this shift in entertainment. As described in the word “clapter,” (which combines the word “clap” and “laughter”), the audience accompanies a laugh with a “whoop!” for emphasis to show support of the comedian’s message.

This intensified show of support means comedy has evolved into a mode of entertainment dependent on the audience’s support and denial of compelling social and political issues.

This is apparent in an era of rapid-fire news stories in the political arena. Comedians are now commenting on the latest stories

of Trump as the lingering shadow of Trump jokes trails behind.

With the emphasis on undisguised political beliefs, subtle humor in comedy has died in the wake of Trump’s term in office. Comedians are now being more open with their political beliefs.

I admit that I still laugh at their jokes and skits. It is entertaining to see these comedians loosen up the poker-faced reality of politics.

As cognitive neuroscientist and author Scott Weems said, “My first thought when I think about humor is it’s a great way for us to have evolved so we don’t have to hit each other with sticks.”

Yet, it would be revolutionary to witness comedians discussing something more original.

Humor is like putty: the longer you set it out, the quicker it hardens and becomes something less of a joke.

Without novelty, comedy will dim out faster than the lights of the showroom.

‘CAPTAIN MARVEL’ IS FLASHY, PANACHE-Y, YET NEVER EXCITES

‘Captain Marvel’ lacks heart, fails to produce anything memorable

By Patrick Yu

In recent years, Marvel has begun putting emphasis on social commentary. “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” commented on government surveillance and freedom. “Black Panther” can be seen as a parable for immigration and national identity. Now, “Captain Marvel” conveys the “girl power” themed message of how courage and power can be exhibited by both genders, which is a fine, perfectly relevant message.

But despite its message, “Captain Marvel” lacks any of the elements that make a superhero flick any good. So, what happens?

Vers (Brie Larson), a warrior from a fictional alien race known as the Kree, is sent on a mission to infiltrate a group of shape-shifting aliens called Skrulls. The mission goes awry: Vers is captured and her memories probed. She ends up on Earth, where the year is 1995, and meets Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), who helps Vers uncover her past life. As it turns out, Vers has incredible powers.

The movie features a younger Nick Fury, who is playful, witty and joking. Samuel L. Jackson plays this version of Fury well. While watching, I was under the impression that younger Fury was the same character as the old Fury seen in “Avengers.” Jackson is able to portray a very dynamic character.

Ben Mendelsohn, who plays the Skrull leader, is also excel-

lent. He is given the same insipid lines as Jackson and Larson, yet like Jackson, is able to deliver those lines in a rough, boyish swagger.

But the same cannot be said for our titular hero. Brie Larson is undoubtedly a talented actress, but her character feels wooden and stale, and lines she spews out are always in the same deadpan manner. It’s hard to discern what kind of personality Vers is even supposed to have. While the filmmakers were shoehorning their message in the film, they forgot to make Vers feel relatable or complex in any way.

“Captain Marvel” also lacks any sense of climactic tension. Vers possesses such a ridiculous depth of power that no antagonist poses any threat. Moreover, there is absolutely no buildup to the final fight, if the film’s last action sequence can even be called that. The last “fight scene” is really just a montage of Larson waving her arms around while oversaturated CGI is vomited across the screen.

And the fight scenes themselves are embarrassing. Marvel has demonstrated itself to be capable of featuring incredible, exhilarating fight scenes — the best examples of which are the jaw-dropping brawls in “Marvel’s Daredevil”. “Daredevil” is a show that has a fraction of this film’s budget, yet features some of the best fight scenes my eyes have

ever had the fortune of observing, and certainly the best fight scenes of any Marvel property. By contrast, the brawls in “Captain Marvel” are lazy, uninspired and shot horrendously.

The cinematography does not complement the abysmal arm flailing — sorry — fight scenes. The initial twenty minutes have a decent color palette, but the rest of the film has an almost entirely gray background. The lighting during the end fight scene is so dark the film is literally unwatchable.

Marvel is hellbent on pushing its socio-political message. And while that message is certainly noble, it seems as if the studio has forgotten how to make a competent film.

‘CAPTAIN

Directors: Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck

Release Date: March 8, 2019

Genre: Action, Fantasy

Rating: PG-13

THERE IS NO room for creativity in an era of comedy dominated by Trump.

Photo courtesy of Marvel Entertainment

Illustration by Aishwarya Jayadeep

Photo courtesy of Marvel Entertainment

CAPTAIN MARVEL HAS special effects to boast, yet lacks any charm.

MARVEL’

together. It never felt like there was much reason to what he was doing onstage, and there was certainly no indication of what the show was building toward.

It wasn’t a bad show, by any means. Timberlake is simply too talented to deliver one of those.

The show did not, however, meet the expectations for the price and left me feeling like it should have been better — way better.

A ‘SUCKER’ FOR THE JONAS BROTHERS SPILLINGTHETEA: BOBA GUYS

— the Jonas Brothers. Ten years later, Nick, Kevin and Joe are all married and living life as adults, but little did we know that the band would be getting back together.

On March 1, it came as a shock to many to find a Jonas Brothers

The return of the band was sudden, but throughout their television appearance on “The Late Late Show,” they revealed how and why they decided to rejoin.

The band revealed that it was Nick who caused them to both

and into our career together. In that process we did some necessary healing, because you know when things ended it wasn’t the best,” lead singer Nick Jonas said. Although they have only talked about their current single, according to the Washington Post, an album is on the

Maybe nostalgia is the new business trick, but no matter why the band really got back together, I do not think there are many complaints from anyone, especially not me.

Release Date: Feb. 28

Genre: Pop

guys. Their tea is for anyone who wants a delicious drink. The strawberry matcha latte is a whole experience. It features three layers: matcha, oat milk and strawberry puree. The tea is an aesthetic beauty and it tastes just as beautifully as it looks.

What I love most about Boba Guys is their use of oat milk instead of regular milk. This component of their teas opens up drinks to anyone who is vegan, lactose intolerant or just allergic to milk. The strawberry matcha latte is one of their signature drinks, and it lives up to its reputation. After taking pictures of the artistic drink, customers are encouraged to mix it, blending the ingredients together into a creamy concoction. The tea is thick and just a tad sweet, so you do not have to worry about your blood sugar skyrocketing.

The strawberry puree uses blended strawberries, making for the perfect fruity flavor in the drink. The matcha layer of the drink is a silky green, and the oat milk creates a rich texture

that of regular milk.

ond drink I tried was the duke of earl grey. The drink was too sweet, in contrast to the matcha latte. Even though the drink was sweet, the sugar is adjustable, so play around with the sweetness level. The earl grey in the drink is pungent and I was pleased with how distinct the taste was.

The tea is expensive, mainly because of Boba Guys’ location — Stanford, in Palo Alto. However, I would go the extra mile if it means getting a better drink.

BOBA GUYS

Pricing: $4-$5

Location: Palo Alto, SF

Artist: Kevin, Nick and Joe Jonas

Photo courtesy of Rolling Stone

Illustration by Steven Lefaive

Genre: Pop

Photo courtesy of That Grape Juice

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE’S “MAN of the Woods” show felt like an awkward and stilted series of unconnected moments and anticlimactic songs, rather than a natural experience.

IZZY TALK

By Izzy La Rue

I have participated in three sports in my time here at HHS: football, wrestling and track. All of these sports have one thing in common: there is an individual component.

Even though football is a team sport, there is still an individual aspect where you are accountable for your role on defense or offense. If you fail at your assignment, it will create a domino effect of mistakes on the play.

Because the individual aspect is so great, it is a team sport as a whole, as every player on the field depends on one another to do their assignment to the fullest extent.

For example, in an offensive play, in order for the play to run smoothly, it all starts with the linemen. Two linemen may have to pull in that running play and the other linemen would have to block the defensive linemen and back side linebacker. All of this is to protect the quarterback and running back getting the hand off.

While the linemen are blocking, the quarterback is handing off the ball to the running back; this has to be as smooth as possible in order to have a good run. Then it’s the running back’s job to navigate through the defense to pick up yards and a touchdown.

As the running back has the ball, the skill players who don’t have the ball (wide receiver, tight end, other running backs) will be blocking players on defense to give the running back with the ball a greater chance to score a touchdown.

All of this action occurs in just one play; every individual aspect merges into a team play.

This compares to track and wrestling, where the only true team aspect is during practice, and even then, it’s basically all individual.

Wrestling and track’s individual efforts during meets have only one team aspect, where all of the individual efforts in the events and matches create points and the school with the most points wins the meet.

All of these sports are fun to play, but due to the individual aspect, track and wrestling create competition among teammates, which is good, but I prefer the team aspect and playing style that comes with football.

Varsity swimming started the season off strong with wins against Los Altos and Saratoga. With a 3-2 league record, varsity swimming is anticipating a difficult meet against Palo Alto April 11.

Freshmen Yelin Tahk and Angeline Zhu are the fastest competitors this year.

Baseball has had a shaky start, winning about one game every two weeks. Their record is currently 2-7. This is just the start of their season, though, and the hardest part as well. The rest of the season should be easier for them.

Spring scoreboard

Softball is currently 1-2 in their league games, with a 9-5 win against Wilcox. They lost their first two games in their Los GatosSaratoga tournament March 16, but pulled through and won the next two on March 23.

Tennis is currently 4-3 in league matches as of March 29. The team is currently 3rd place in the league. Brandon Fu (12) and Brandon Wei (11) have consistently won matches at doubles 1. Kush Patel (11) has won all of his league matches and is the key Singles 1 player. During the week of March 25, the team beat Lynbrook.

Badminton started its season off with a 1317 loss to Wilcox and a 16-14 loss to Mountain View. Key players include Karthik Kalyanasundaram (12) and Joshua Wu (11).

Track started at the beginning of March and since then they have not lost a dual meet, winning four straight meets. Track looks to win senior night and their last meet at Wilcox. There have been some star underclassmen breaking records this year: Collin Fan broke a school record for long jump, jumping for 21 feet, and Varun Saraf ran the 800 meter in 2:07 seconds, beating a 50-yearold record.

Volleyball kicked off the season with a 0-3 loss against Harker. Their first win was against Saratoga, taking the game to all five sets. The team has a 3-6 league record.

Photo by Thom

Photo by JacquelineBeaufore

photo by JacquelineBeaufore

PhotobyClaireTorii

PhotobyJacquel

STUDENT ACTIVISTS STUDENT ACTIVISTS

ON & OFF CAMPUS ON & OFF CAMPUS LEIGH BAUER LEIGH BAUER

Being an activist is not just about having your opinions heard, but also understanding those with opposing beliefs. Senior Leigh Bauer said she has learned from attending marches and actively talking about political issues on social media like Facebook.

“It helped me to think about why people think these things, and what people who are more conservative than I am think, and obviously I don’t agree, but I can see where they’re coming from,” Bauer said.

In her sophomore year, after the 2016 presidential election, Bauer became more politically active. She felt the need to speak up for what she cared about. “It encouraged me to speak up more and to not only think about what’s happening in the country,” Bauer said, “but what to do to exercise my right in a democracy.”

FABIOLA ZAMORA FABIOLA ZAMORA LIOR KISHINEVSKY LIOR KISHINEVSKY

Junior Fabiola Zamora has found herself advocating for women’s rights as a result of her dedication to being an athlete.

adj. showing an ability to take risks; CONFIDENT & CORAGEOUS

Zamora said she remembers growing up hearing comments such as “throwing like a girl.” As a tomboy, she believed that to be a successful athlete she had to align more with male characteristics and therefore perpetuated those stereotypes. But in her adolescence, Zamora has embraced her femininity, inspired by the strong female family members and friends in her life, she said. “It’s not the fact that I am a woman who is fighting for my right and fighting to be equal,” Zamora said. “I am a person and I should be equal among [everyone] and should be regarded to in the same degree as a male.”

Speaking in front of the student body and organizing events for campus regularly are just some ways

Junior and ASB Rally Commissioner Lior Kishinevsky said he uses his voice and is bold in his everyday life.

“I would say I am bold when I feel the most support from those around me, when I can step up and be brave knowing people have my back,” Kishinevsky said. “I feel this the most in Leadership, when I am able to freely express my ideas and then able to act on them in rallies.”

Kishinevsky has been doing leadership for two years now, he said. Though he feels like he has always had the courage to speak his mind wherever he goes, Leadership, along with being a club officer and part of FBLA, have helped him further express himself.

Neya

“Be vocal in your opinions. It’s important to show them, because if you don’t show them, nothing’s going to change. It’s important to have your own ideas.”

Yuval Zach (12)

“Have a clear view of what you stand for and having all the facts is important to defend your idea when people ask questions.”

More (12) adj. showing an ability to take risks; CONFIDENT & COURAGEOUS