E D I TO R I A L S 3
O PI N I O N S 4
F E AT U R E S 6
S PR E A D 8
LI F E S T Y L E 11
E N T E R TA I N M E N T 12
SPORTS 14
T HE
DECEMBER 2014 Volume XXVI Issue III
UN I O N
MHSTHEUNION.COM For the latest updates
STUDENT VOICE OF MILPITAS HIGH SCHOOL
New swimming pool opens; adaptation period ongoing BY RISHIKA DUGYALA
Swimming will be implemented into the P.E. curriculum next semester, according to Assistant Principal Cheryl Rivera. The P.E. teachers are in the process of adjusting the old curriculum from seven years ago to fit the new pool’s requirements, Rivera said. The curriculum next semester will accommodate the students who are already familiar with being in a pool, Rivera continued. ‘Beginning Swim’ will not be put into place right away. The teachers will build up to having a required swim unit for ninth graders once the initial curriculum gets off the ground, Rivera said. “[The curriculum] is going to be a number of things: some recreation, some more or less exercising, different kinds of things they can do in a pool,” Rivera said. Nothing concrete has been decided about the curriculum, as the staff is still fine-tuning the details, Physical Education Teacher Deirdre Wyness said via email. Second semester is when everything will be worked out and put into place, Wyness continued. “[The PE teachers] actually sent out a questionnaire to students that were in P.E., asking them to respond if they were interested in taking swim because it’s not a mandatory class,” Rivera said. “We’re trying to gauge how many students want to take swim in January.” The P.E. teachers went on a tour of the pool and made some decisions
as to what they would be able to do based on its dimensions and how the pool is situated, Rivera said. In the old pool, they could have a whole class in the water at the same time, but the new one descends to thirteen feet. “They have to buy all the equipment for whatever they’re going to do,” Rivera said. “Probably 80 percent of the equipment given the fact that we haven’t done swim in such a long time. It’s almost like starting all over again.” Presently, the teachers are going through training to refresh certain skills that they haven’t had to use for a while, Principal Cheryl Lawton said. The district is also hiring lifeguards from the same agency that is doing the water certification for teachers, Rivera said. “The Santa Clara Swim Club is providing MHS with lifeguards for swim classes offered by the Phys. Ed. department,” Anthony Frascone, MUSD’s Coordinator of Human Resources, said in an email interview. “Ken Mailto with the American Red Cross and American Heart Association will be providing staff with water safety, First Aid, adult and infant CPR, and AED training.” The certification the teachers are receiving is called Safety Training for Swim Coaches (STSC), Frascone said. Some skills taught in the STSC course are how to maintain a comfortable and safe environment for swimmers, prevent accidents and emergencies, SEE POOL ON PAGE 16
Courtesy of SportsWurlz
Junior John Macaulay (27) gets tackled by an Oak Grove player in the CCS Open Consolation Semifinal game between the two schools. Milpitas won the game 33-15, after suffering an upset loss to Bellarmine on Fri. Nov. 21.
Football wins Open Consolation Championship BY IVAN HUANG
The MHS football team won the CCS Open Consolation Championship after suffering an upset loss to Bellarmine Preparatory High, Head Coach Kelly King said. The team then rebounded to win against Oak Grove High School and won the Consolation Championship by default off of Serra High’s forfeit, King said. King said the team stuck to its roots despite a tough loss and was able to keep playing in unity. “We lost one, and then we got after the other team ,” King said.”We’re still playing together as a team.”
King said the upset loss to seventh-seeded Bellarmine 6-9 did not come as a result of a frustrated offense. King said making mistakes hurt the team. “We had a lot of yards. We probably outgained them three to one,” King said. “We just didn’t put points on the scoreboard. We made mistakes and it hurt us.” King said the team did what it has been doing all season after the tough loss. The approach led to a 33-15 win over Oak Grove and gave the team another chance, King said. “We were just doing the same stuff,” King said. “We had an opportunity to
play [Oak Grove].” Milpitas won the CCS Open Consolation Championship by default when Serra forfeited due to player safety concerns, according to the San Jose Mercury News. Starting quarterback John Keller said the team grew closer throughout the season, and played for each other. The team consisted of standout performers on the field and he enjoyed playing with them, Keller said. “[The best part] would have to be how close and how hard we fought for each other,” Keller said.“It’s been a great group of guys. We just played as a team and came closer as brothers .”
N EWS IN BR IEF
CSF, NHS participate in blood drive
Cocoa and Cram Link Crew will be offering warm cocoa to all freshmen in the cafeteria on Wednesday Dec. 10, Monday Dec. 15, and Tuesday Dec. 16. Tutors will also be available to help study for finals. You must bring your ID card.
BY KRUPA PATEL
Finals Week Finals begin on Wednesday Dec. 17, and end on Friday Dec. 19. 1st and 2nd period finals will be on Dec. 17, 3rd and 4th period finals will be on Dec. 18, and 5th and 6th period finals will be on Dec. 19. Upcoming CLOG events and competitions Science Olympiad will have a competition at Mira Loma High on Jan. 10. Glee Club will perform on Jan. 17. Interact will distribute care packages to the homeless in downtown San Jose on Dec. 20. Upcoming SAT and ACT testing dates ACT Testing will be occurring on Feb. 7, and the last day to register without paying a late fee is Jan. 9. SAT Testing will occur on Jan. 24, and the last day to register without paying a late fee is Dec. 29. School not in session School will not be in session from Dec. 22 to Jan. 2 due to Winter Break. School will resume on Monday, Jan. 5. School will be closed on Monday, Jan. 19 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Grading period ending The six week grading period ends on Friday Dec. 19.
Akshat Das | THE UNION
This security camera overlooks the Satellite Kitchen area. Plans are in place to install roughly 75 additional cameras in order to increase student safety.
Security cameras being installed BY SIMEON ALOJIPAN
Plans to install security cameras on campus are underway, according to Principal Cheryl Lawton. The cameras, which are to be installed in the summer of 2015, are part of a goal to prevent school vandalism and crime and to save money by reducing future damages that would otherwise result in heavy costs that could instead fund other initiatives, Lawton said. An estimated 75 cameras will cover both parking lots, outside lockers, bathroom entrances, and other hotspots for crime, according to Lawton. Security camera footage will be held for 14 days, and will not be watched unless an event requires the retrieval of specific footage, Lawton said. The cameras will also be wireless and infrared, which would allow them to
function in the dark, according to Lawton Lawton cited the effectiveness of security cameras in preventing crime at Hillsdale High School, where she was co-principal from 2006 to 2014. “I definitely want to put something out there,” Lawton said. “The goal is to cut down on theft, drugs, and vandalism.” Lawton said she has surveyed potential camera locations with representatives from a number of bidders. The bidders currently offer three options: cameras alone, cameras with installation cables, and cameras with installation cables with the additional installation service, Lawton said. Administration is in the process of choosing an installation option, according to Lawton. There are currently six security cameras on campus, Lawton said.
Blood drives hosted by Stanford have become a tradition for MHS, National Honor Society (NHS) Media Coordinator Farhana Haque said. The Stanford Blood Drive was held at the MHS Theater on November 24th. Approximately 140 students donated blood with 30 walk-ins, Haque said. “The benefits of donating blood are that each individual student is saving four lives and they get cookies and ice cream after they donate,” California Scholarship Federation (CSF) Co-President Tiffany Alcantara said. Stanford Blood Drive, NHS, and CSF organize the event, Alcantara said. A representative working for Stanford comes and instructs the students on how to properly fill out the forms needed to donate, Alcantara continued. “The process of donating blood is they first check in with the NHS and CSF officers, then they will go through a process of checking if they qualify or not to donate,” Alcantara said. Also, students give a sample of blood on the day of the blood drive to see if they are eligible to donate blood, and if cleared can then donate, Alcantara continued. Some changes made this year include that the theater rather than the library was used, since the library is currently closed for construction, Alcantara said. Additional changes were made in the weight requirements to donate blood, Alcantara continued. “The reason why we had less people is that the requirements for donating
blood changed, so now girls that were 5 feet 6 inches had to be 110 pounds, but if you were less than 5 feet 6 inches you had to weigh about 120 or 130 pounds, so that deterred a lot of people,” Haque said. “For boys, if you are 5 feet or above, you just have to be 110 pounds.” Donors under 16 needed a parent consent form signed by their parents, Haque said. “The amount of donors actually increased from those who actually signed up to be part of the blood drive, but compared to previous years, the donors decreased because we did not advertise as much,” Alcantara said. There were more walk-ins the day of the event that helped raise the donation level, Alcantara continued. Volunteers from CSF and NHS helped out at the event with 12 volunteers from each club, Alcantara said. Some of the activities volunteers do are recruit donors or act as escorts after the donor has finished donating blood, Alcantara continued. “I thought donating was an awesome experience! I had a great time talking to the registered nurses while supporting a good cause,” Junior Brandon Nguyen said. Many people who were expecting to donate were unable to do so, since they did not meet the requirements, Haque said. “Though I was apprehensive of the process, I was looking forward to donating,” Senior Alefia Kothambawala said. “I was really disappointment when I wasn’t able to do so.” The next Stanford Blood Drive on campus will be held in May 2015, CSF Co-President Germain Louie said.