Volume LIX, No. 6

On January 17, the FUSD Board of Education approved the Hindi 1 Pilot World Language course. The program will be added to John M. Horner Middle School and Irvington High School as an elective in the 2024-25 school year. The Smoke Signal interviewed students, parents, and administration from MSJ, Irvington, and Horner to gain insight on the pilot program’s impact on the student body and world language courses in general.

“I think [the Hindi course] helps for our Indian American kids [who] now have a chance to learn about the culture. They feel more a part of the school, and they feel connected. ... I can sometimes see how the culture at home and life at school is so di erent, and this will bridge that gap a little bit more.” — Irvington High School Parent Rakhi Israni

South Asian students don’t have much representation in foreign language, and just by having Hindi at schools will make it a lot better.” — Irvington High School Student Annika Verma, 9

Background

FUSD’s current foreign language program consists of Spanish, French, Chinese, and American Sign Language elective classes. Some schools also o er immersion programs that develop students’ bilingual skills through core courses taught in

Hindi PILot world language Course

By Padma Balaji, Angelina Chen, Anandita Devata & Michael Qu Sta Writers

Mandarin or Spanish. Additionally, FUSD students have the option of taking classes outside of school for languages such as Chinese, Hindi, Telugu, and Arabic. Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)-accredited organizations are o cially approved by the district and UC system, providing the same language credits as a world language elective would.

The credits students earn from foreign language courses fulfill course requirements in the California Education Code, which mandates that students must take at least one year of either visual or performing arts, career technical education, or foreign language to receive a diploma. Colleges may also have their own unique prerequisites as well. For instance, UC schools require at least two years of college-preparatory coursework in a foreign language, though three are recommended by the California Department of Education.

About the Program

At the Dec. 13, 2023 Board Meeting, district sta were instructed to develop a Hindi elective pilot program at both Horner and Irvington after strong interest from the FUSD community, the majority of whom were Indian American students and parents from Irvington or Horner. About a month later, Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Services Leticia Salinas presented the Hindi 1 Pilot World Language course to the FUSD Board of Education, and the Board voted 4-1 to pass the measure. The program is set to start at Horner and Irvington during the 2024-25 school year and may expand to Hindi 2 and 3 in the following years if there are enough students interested in taking the class. According to Educational Institution Madhu Bhasha Kendra Hindi (MBK Hindi) Director of Language Programs Madhu Aggarwal, the Hindi pilot is also accredited by the UC A-G course requirements, so Irvington students who take the course can use it towards their college language and high school graduation requirements.

The course is currently limited to Irvington and Horner, allowing teachers to focus on building a program that is viable long-term and can be expanded to the rest of the district in the future. However, launching four sections of the course across the two schools is expected to cost approximately $40,000 for textbooks and sta and more as the program developes. “This is not just about supporting the addition of one standalone class. This is a program that requires multiple years of investment,” Jones said in an East Bay Echo article. As the first step of the implementation of the program, FUSD sta plan to work with each school to garner student interest and recruit teachers based on the hiring hierarchy. Outlining the order of hiring priority, this hierarchy places teachers with full credentials at the top, followed by interns, preliminary interns, and finally those with emergency permits or waivers. By completing exams and coursework to demonstrate subject competency, prospective teachers can earn the newly added World Languages (Hindi) Credential to teach the pilot program. In the case of a shortage or absence of fully credentialed teachers, the hiring process will follow the hierarchy in finding teachers to fill the role.

If the Hindi 1 Pilot Program is established as an o cial course, Hindi pilot teachers will need to consult with the Curriculum Council, an advisory committee addressing decisions that impact school curriculum, and submit the course to the Director of Secondary Education, who will review its budget allocation and ability to fulfill graduation and college requirements. Then, the course will be brought to the Board of Education, and if approved, incorporated into the Course Catalog.

Support & Opposition

Other WOrld Language Courses

While Hindi is not currently available in schools, FUSD students have the option to take the class for world language credit through outside organizations. MBK Hindi, which is based in the Bay Area, o ers four levels of WASC-accredited Hindi classes. Students meet for three hours twice a week outside of school hours to study not only the fundamentals of Hindi such as reading, writing, and speaking, but also historically significant events and traditions in Indian culture, mirroring most high school foreign language courses. Other WASC-accredited foreign language schools like SiliconAndhra Manabadi and International Tamil Academy o er similarly rigorous classes in languages like Telugu and Tamil.

One of the major di erences between foreign language courses in and outside of school is the amount of time students must dedicate to them. Since external classes tend to meet for less time and over fewer days each week, students may have less frequent interactions with the teachers. As a result, classes tend to be more intense and faster-paced in order to cover the entire curriculum. This often results in an extra workload and requires more of a time commitment than foreign language classes within schools. Homework for these outside courses can range from a couple of hours to more than 10 each week, which can impact students’ time for classes they take in school as well.

Past Hindi World Language At-

Although the pilot program was recently approved, the push for Hindi as a school course has been happening decades prior. Aggarwal has been trying to bring Hindi to schools since 2000. “I always thought, why shouldn’t Hindi be part of language in schools? I started reaching out to the district o ce. I’ve met with every single Superintendent of Secondary Education, but they’ve always come up with some obstacles,” Aggarwal said. Over the years, she worked to combat obstacles, such as the lack of credentialed teachers, by collaborating with California State University, East Bay to o er a Hindi teacher credential program.

There have also been numerous attempts from parents and students to add Hindi programs in school curricula in other parts of the country. In 2020, families in the Palo Alto Unified School District pushed to include Hindi as a foreign language course, but the district rejected their proposition. Later in 2023, the Indian American Impact and the Asia Society wrote to President Joe Biden requesting the formation of a Hindi language fund, which would introduce Hindi as foreign language course to more than 1,000 schools across the US, but they never received a response.

The pilot program received overwhelmingly positive feedback, especially from Fremont’s Indian American community. According to Irvington Parent Rakhi Israni, one of the main advocates for adding Hindi in FUSD schools, more than 600 students and parents expressed interest in a survey sent out in October, after the program idea was first proposed. Widespread support from FUSD families helped shorten the process of approving the pilot program to just a few months, as opposed to the years typically needed to approve such programs. “I think there was a sense of surprise that such a huge percentage of [FUSD’s] population is Indian American and we’ve never considered [Hindi in schools],” Israni said.

Board of Education President Yajing Zhang, Vice President Larry Sweeney, and Members Vivek Prasad and Sharon Coco also showed strong support for the proposal. With Indian Americans making up 65% of the population at both Irvington and Horner according to NDTV, the program’s implementation promises profound impacts. “I look at the demand, and I look at the value that this Hindi o ering will produce for the community … for me, it’s a no-brainer,” Prasad said in an American Bazaar article.

Many Indian American students and parents have expressed excitement for the changes the Hindi 1 Pilot Program will bring. For many Chinese American students with ancestral backgrounds in Mandarin, Mandarin courses o er a chance for them to connect with their culture and to learn a heritage language. The addition of Hindi to school curricula would have similar e ects, fostering a welcoming environment for the Indian American community within FUSD schools. “I think it would overall be a positive change because for a lot of people Hindi would be more useful than Spanish or French in the short term, given the large community of Hindi-speaking people,” MSJ Sophomore Rohin Vig said.

Despite support from board members and FUSD families, the Hindi pilot program has also faced some pushback because of the discrepancies of foreign language options between schools. “When we make decisions that create disparities, like one of our high schools being able to o er five language programs while others only o er two, and some three, that absolutely is an equity issue,” Jones said in an East Bay Echo article.

“It is a wonderful honor to be the first public school district in the US to o er Hindi as a high school language. [Although] I embrace having Hindi as a language in our district, there needs to be proper planning and adherence to procedures, as well as consideration for our current teachers. … I am deeply disappointed at the School Board’s arbitrary decision last month to adopt a Hindi pilot program. This was hastily done and adding a new course requires planning and curriculum. None of the FUSD World Language Department chairs were aware of this and it was only proposed at the December FUSD Board Meeting and then voted on at the January 17

Compiled by Howard Lu, Catherine Qin & Alice Zhao Staff Writers

Chu / Bay Area News Group

complaint accused Tesla of violating California laws governing the management of electric vehicle hazardous waste.

Tesla agrees to pay $1.5M for dumping hazardous waste in 25 CA counties

On February 2, Tesla Inc. reached a settlement in a civil environmental prosecution involving district attorneys from 25 counties all across California. A San Joaquin County judge ordered Tesla to pay $1.5 million as part of the settlement in regards to allegations that the company illegally disposed of hazardous waste at service centers, energy facilities, and its Fremont factory. Throughout, Tesla Inc. cooperated with investigators and will pay $1.3 million in civil penalties and $200,000 for investigation costs as part of the settlement.

Verdict in Jennifer Crumbley’s case sets precedent across America

On February 6, a panel of 12 jurors in Michigan found 45-year-old Jennifer Crumbley, the mother of Ethan Crumbley, who had opened fre in Oxford High School, guilty of involuntary manslaughter. The prosecution argued that Jennifer was aware of her son’s deteriorating mental state during the months leading up to the shooting and bought him a gun mere days before the shooting, failing to store it properly. The guilty verdict meant that jurors found the shooting entirely avoidable. This sets an unforeseen precedent in holding the parents of school shooters accountable in their childrens’ actions, which may be seen again next month, when Ethan’s father, James Crumbley, is set to go on trial for involuntary manslaughter.

The eruption left thousands without access to hot water.

Volcanic eruption triggers State of Emergency in Iceland

Iceland offcially declared a State of Emergency on February 8 after volcanic eruptions damaged important hot water pipes. In particular, a volcanic eruption from Sundhnúkur in the Reykjanes Peninsula rift zone led to thousands of people without hot water. Iceland’s Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management is struggling to fnd ways to guarantee the hot water supply to more than 20,000 people affected by the eruption. The eruption has led to Blue Lagoon, a popular tourist site to close due to lava fowing in the area, although overall volcanic activity is decreasing.

MSJ Universal Performers refnes theater skills at Lenaea High School Theatre Festival

The club impressed audience members with their rendition of The Fourth Wall

By Shuhan Jin & Stella Wang Sta Writers

From February 2-4, MSJ Universal Performers attended the 2024 Lenaea High School Theatre Festival, an annual threeday event held at the Harris Center for the Arts at Folsom Lake College. From one-act plays to musical theater solos to coaching on vocal technique and direction, the festival hosted over 2,000 students and 70 schools to perform theatrical pieces, receive feedback from professionals, and attend workshops on different theater topics. With the help of biweekly rehearsals and outstanding teamwork, the club did not disappoint, ultimately winning eight total awards.

Inspired by the Lenaia Festivals of Ancient Greece, drama competitions held during Annual Athenian festivals, the Lenaea High School Theatre Festival frst began in 1956. Since then, the event expanded with additional categories and performance critiques. The event now incorporates several different aspects of theater, including performance pieces such as one-act plays and monologues, as well as lab-style workshops such as directing, acting and vocal technique, choreography, musical theater, and more. “There are a lot of fantastic moments,” Lenaea High School Theatre Festival Vice President and Theatre Department Chair at Folsom Lake College Ian Wallace said, “I always like the opening ceremonies of the festival, because all the students are super, super excited, and the energy level is incredible.”

While each performance put on by MSJ Universal Performers is loved by all performers and audience members, putting on

“The festival helped us … prove to others that we can do amazing things without a theater program at school.”

-MSJ Universal Performers President Senior Isabelle Fu

a play comes with its own set of challenges. “It always pulls together in the end just from constant run-throughs and actually being on a stage acting out everything. Before that though, it was a lot of struggle of people not attending rehearsals and trying to live up to last year,” MSJ Universal Performers Member Senior Lucy Yao said. In 2023, the members blew expectations away with their original one-act musical A Minor Inconvenience, winning Gold in the One-Act Plays - Production category and a total of 9 awards across the other categories. Fortunately, the team managed to pull through the nerves of meeting high expectations with the help of MSJ Universal Performers President Senior Isabelle Fu, who used Google Classroom to organize progress checks, and Mr. Kottenbach, who booked the C120 room for club rehearsals and critiqued the members’ performances. Despite MSJ’s lack of funding for the arts, the club worked through challenges and succeeded. “The festival helped us … prove to others that we can do amazing things without a theater program at school,” Fu said. The festival itself featured a schedule packed with activities and shows. MSJ Universal Performers took part in almost all the available programs, from ones that focused on onstage performances to ones that focused on backstage production. The one-act performance was the center of the event, and

the club was determined to ace it like they had the previous year, but with a twist. The club performed a one-act play titled The Fourth Wall by Rebekah M. Ball, a comedy that breaks its namesake as it tells the story of a failed murder mystery through inventive characters. The plot is charming and inventive, and from costuming to acting, the cast leveraged their full creative power to bring the play’s unique vision to life. “My favorite memory from the experience was making Real Death’s [one of the characters in the play] costume by taking a seam ripper and slashing a cape,” Fu said. This impromptu ingenuity encompassed their performance, and the actors displayed this skill as they immersed themselves in their ad-libbing characters.

Regardless of what the club hoped to win in the festival, members gained valuable knowledge that they can use to improve their theater skills. “The biggest takeaway I had from this event is to compete for yourself, not for the judges. Of course, it is nice to get a good score and a bunch of prizes, but at the end of the day, you’re there to learn and gain experience, not for a number on the rubric,” Fu said. ▪

Welcoming Ramadan Fair brings community together around humanitarian Palestinian cause

The fair featured performances, vendors, and panels, with 30% of proceeds donated to support humanitarian efforts in Gaza.

By Ivy Lu & Arushi Singh Staff Writers

On February 3 from 12 p.m. - 8 p.m., The Modern Cultural Market, an organization that focuses on supporting women and women-owned businesses, held the Welcoming Ramadan Fair at the Yaseen Burlingame Center. Attendees enjoyed dance performances, panel discussions, a modest fashion show, and vendors in a festive celebration of rich Ramadan culture.

The Welcoming Ramadan Fair not only celebrated Ramadan, which is a sacred month of fasting, prayer, refection, and community for Muslims, but also showcased many small businesses. This year, 30% of the proceeds from ticket sales are also being donated to the nonproft organization Islamic Relief USA to aid humanitarian efforts in Gaza. The organization focuses on fundraising and advocacy, and frequently partners with other aid agencies to bring food, aid, winter assistance, and health care to support communities around the globe. “Despite the name Islamic Relief, [the organization] actually serves all genders, all races, all backgrounds. But now more than ever, there’s a lot of effort and focus on Gaza,” Islamic Relief USA Representative Chafk Ziadeh said.

The fair was held at the Yaseen Burlingame Center. “[The foundation] is a community organization, very inclusive of everybody, … where you can fnd out about Islam [or] fast with us when we have Ramadan,” Yaseen Foundation Volunteer Samin Shaikh said. The center’s large indoor space was open, but the vendors and stage were located on the blacktop around the building. Large rows of canopies protected the vendors and shoppers from the weather, allowing attendees to browse through booths selling handicrafts, paintings, skincare products, clothing, and traditional Palestinian cuisine like za’atar and cheese knafeh. Good Rain Publishing sold diverse English and Arabic children’s books such as P is for Palestine: A Palestine Alphabet Book . “I love books, and when I had kids, I thought I have to make more books, especially ones about Palestine since there aren’t that many,” Good Rain Publishing Co-Founder and Executive Director Tala El-fahmawi said. Around 4 p.m., the Palestinian Dabke performance began. While the Dabke is a folk dance traditionally seen at joyous occasions like weddings, the Dabke at the fair embraced the aspects of resilience and courage, refecting the fair’s humanitarian efforts in Palestine. As the music swelled from the speakers, four men in traditional black and white headscarves took to the stage. They jauntily danced in a line as the crowd clapped along to the energetic folk music. The Dabke performance also featured drum beating and sword dancing, and at the end, performers unfurled a Palestinian fag and let it sway among the audience members who had joined the dancers at the front of the stage. Given the tragic situation in Gaza, the performance and the Palestinian fag evoked tearful responses from the

audience and dancers alike.

Shortly after the performances ended, Life Coach Sara Kenana began her talk on Islam, internal growth, and Gaza. Just as she fnished around 5 p.m., the skies darkened and the rain intensifed, and event organizers rushed to start the Palestinian Modest Fashion Show. 13 beautifully dressed women and children in ornate dresses with stunning colors and patterns lined up on the small stage, dancing to background music and occasionally striking a pose to showcase their intricate outfts. Unfortunately, the fashion show ended early due to the downpour. As attendees sought shelter, vendors started packing up their booths.

Despite the unanticipated weather, Event Organizer Ines Achour Abou Jabal said that the Welcoming Ramadan Fair was an even bigger success than a similar one she helped organize last year. Vendors from across America and visitors from across the Bay Area appreciated the tight-knit community, cultural festivities, and philanthropist aspect of the fair. “[Fairs] used to not happen so often. This is my second time coming to an expo like this, so I think it’s really great that I can see all the Palestinian Americans and also just the community in general support Palestine,” Attendee Sonia Taha said. ▪

Marco Di Marco / AP

Jurors found that Jennifer was responsible for Ethan’s actions by failing to intervene before it was too late.

Mandi Wright / Detroit Free Press Pool via AP

The

Anda

MSJ Universal Performers attended several workshops led by theatre professionals.

El-fahmawi poses with a Good Rain Publishing novel.

Breaking free from the consumerist mold: rede ning femininity beyond material goods

By Abha Kulkarni, Trisha Parikh, Catherine Qin & Lucy Yao Staff Writers

What does it mean to be an “it girl”?

T hat’s the question everyone’s been asking on social media lately, and the answer: capitalism. With women trampling over each other at Target for a chance at attaining the limited edition Stanley x Starbucks cup and 10 yearolds clamoring at Sephora to get their hands on the Drunk Elephant's D-Bronzi Anti-Pollution Sunshine Drops, femininity has become more about keeping up with the latest trends of each month’s newest “it” product. Especially with social media, the algorithm only continues to favor and perpetuate this consumeristic commodi cation of femininity by forcing women to de ne themselves in the consumption of goods to gain traction, rather than build ing personalities; this further enforces the misguided idea stemming at least a cen tury that femininity is something that can be bought and sold. Besides excluding people who can’t a ord these products, this exces sive consumerism also promotes unsustain able lifestyles and the unhealthy expectations social media already exacerbates.

meant to be housewives and it’s only with these products that women will achieve the ideal image of a perfect housewife. Especially now with the faster-paced trends of social media, the image of the ideal woman shifts more frequently, so the culture of advertising consumption aggressively pushes younger women to accept the norm that buying products is considered part of womanhood. Consequently, many women are susceptible to excessively purchasing the newest and “trendiest” products to keep up with popular culture. is constant feedback loop has replaced the true values of femininity by diluting it with shallow, self-perpetuating beliefs of empowerment based on purchased goods.

e term “commodity feminism” was developed in a 1991 essay, Critical Studies in Mass Communication by Robert Goldman, Deborah Heath, and Sharon L. Smith. Following the emergence of consumer culture in the early 1900s, the essay notes that corporations have been using femininity to sell products by appealing to feminist ideals. In turn, they drive the idea that their goods empower and add to the de nition of being a woman. For example, dating back to the early 1900s, when women played key roles in households, most mass advertisements targeted women with household products, emphasizing the newfound convenience of cleaning, cooking, or other household chores. ese directly targeted ads implied that women were only

A major part of the issue is that women buy new products thinking that it’s only the trending item that’s making them feminine by current standards. Some advertisements even directly use celebrity endorsements such as Sydney Sweeney in the latest Laneige campaigns to promote the products and perpetuate the idea that if these in uential women are all using these products, so should you. However, with the standards constantly chang ing, these goods only make money o forced self-expression, which is harmful because women are losing their positive perceptions of their identities. Wom en are forced to express themselves with the most fashionable items, such as the current rise of Stanley cups, only pro ting these corpora tions.

In addition to forcing self-ex pression, de ning women by the products they buy emphasizes harmful class divisions. Wealthier women can maintain their sanctity as “true women,” but poorer groups who can’t a ord luxury products such as $32 Brandy Melville skirts, feel like they aren’t part of the trend and can’t express themselves. When consuming the right products is essential for social acceptance and inclu-

sion, those who can no longer keep up with the mass spending will su er. In fact, a study from Psychology & Marketing about the commodi cation of self-esteem and its e ects on teens shows that the “consequences of failing to ‘keep up’ with consumption trends … [includes] social exclusion, negative peer evaluation, and reduced self-esteem.”

Additionally, the fast-paced nature of these fads results in large and dangerous amounts of waste. Since it’s near-impossible to consistently buy quality products at full price, many customers opt for cheaper alternatives: according to a survey by Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Voices in the recent years following the pandemic, 38% of small businesses have seen customers hesitant to buy from them due to their high prices. Instead, these customers have turned to giant, typically unethical corporations for cheaper daily goods. While it is true that trends are known to recycle in fashion, such as the recent rise of early 2000s low-waisted jeans, trends coming back into fashion are uncertain and these clothes are often so low-quality and cheap, it’s only adding to the current 18.6 million tons of yearly clothing waste as cited by pebble magazine Ultimately, all these products go to waste once the trend has passed, with the newer “trendier” items replacing them. Supporting these products may also further promote unsafe practices such as the unsafe labor conditions in SHEIN factories investigated by WIRED, stating how these quick-fashion companies “are doing little, if anything, to adopt better

Reminding women of the truths of femininity, such as dismantling traditional gender stereotypes and challenging societal norms and expectations associated with femininity, ultimately promotes healthier lifestyles that detach capitalistic spending from self-worth. e expression of femininity that women have fought for and continue to ght for is

"On February 5, Dartmouth College announced that it would reinstate a standardized testng requirement for undergraduate applicants of the Class of 2029 and onwards. Dartmouth President Sian Leah Beilock reasoned that the results of these tests determined student apttude for higher educaton beter than other measures such as GPA, class rank, and extracurriculars. The school was one of many that stopped requiring scores during the coronavirus pandemic, when testng facilites were widely unavailable. Many insttutons commited to long-term test-free admissions, as according to research, standardized tests disadvantage less wealthy students, and disproportonately favor Asian Americans and white students. However, while Beilock acknowledged that the SAT and ACT “refect inequality in society and in educatonal systems,” the university said that it would increase fnancial aid to address these wealth discrepancies. How do you feel about Dartmouth College’s decision? Do you believe that standardized tests, in general, are a good measure of academic apttude, or do you think they favor certain groups at the expense of others? Do you feel that test-free or test-optonal policies are sufcient to foster an inclusive school environment while maintaining educatonal rigor?"

“I fully support the Dartmouth decision and hope to see other colleges reimplement SAT and ACT test requirements. In my opinion, standardized tests are a very good measure of academic apttude; they are the great equalizer. Curricula and grading policies vary wildly between schools and districts, and even between teachers of the same school, and GPA fails to take this into account. However, all students take the same exams, so doing well on those exams is a good indicator of academic success, and they should absolutely be taken into account on college admissions decisions. Racial and wealth disparites in outcomes are a symptom of a larger problem that pervades every aspect of college admissions, educaton, and society at large. Simply removing one aspect of admissions racial and wealth disparites does nothing more than accentuate those same disparites in other aspects of admissions.”

the right to wear what you feel comfortable in and pursue interests without fear of judgment or harassment.

Reminding women of the truths of femininity, such as dismantling traditional gender stereotypes and challenging societal norms and expectations associated with femininity, ultimately promotes healthier lifestyles that detach capitalistic spending from self-worth.

is freedom should not be lost sight of due to trends supporting buyable goods with a slightly “cooler” design or more e cient usage. While being supportive of a girl’s right to express herself however she desires is a step in the right direction, women should have the con dence to be comfortable with whatever they have. Beyond buyable goods, students should join activities that help them express themselves without needing trending products. Whether it be dance, art, sports, or academics, clubs such as MSJ Phoenix Art & Literary Magazine or MSJ COR Dance Club are all avenues students can pursue to express themselves. Additionally, to help other students and women recognize the dangers of these unsustainable, pro t-making endeavors, students can join MSJ DECA, MSJ BAStA, MSJ Exit Zine, the school’s feminist magazine, or even other nonpro ts outside of MSJ such as What We All Deserve, a youthled organization cofounded by Class of 2023 Alumna Esther Lau that has fought to expand women’s economic access to menstrual products.

Femininity isn’t a trend — being a woman in itself is a feminine trait, and trends such as the “coquette” trend or the Stanley Cups fad represent a constantly changing label tied to consumerism and how a woman chooses to express herself. Each person is unique, and there is a di erence between following a trendy look versus buying trendy, capitalist products. ▪

“I feel that standardized test are a great way to measure a student’s apttude as even though test scores may favor certain groups, it ensures that colleges are aware of a student’s academic potental when considering applicatons ... Using standardized tests in the applicaton process is vital towards a college’s understanding of the capability of a student.”

“I feel that Dartmouth College should not reinstate a standardized testng requirement ... One test does not properly refect a student's capability and achievement as grades and courses do. Many students pay a lot of money for test prep that boosts their score giving them an advantage over the students whose parents may not be willing to put out that much money for a 1500+ or a 34+. So no, I wouldn't say standardized tests are a good indicator of an applicant.”

“I don't agree with Darmouth's decision because reinstatng standardized testng disproportonately afects low income students and people of color. Standardized tests are not a good measure of academic apttude because they don't accurately measure learning because people can just learn to memorize how to do the types of problems to achieve a high score. Especially for a college as rigorous as Dartmouth, you can't do well in school if you memorize everything. Even if you give underserved students fnancial aid if they are accepted, they stll need aid in order to take these tests, whether it's paying for the fees or transportaton to the test centers ... Standardized testng favors those who have the resources to take prep classes, can aford the test fees, and have transportaton to testng centers.”

Dartmouth reinstates the SAT

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AnnikA's Angle A nnie ' s A necdotes

Patience is a virtue

By Annika Singh Opinion Editor

I’ve always considered myself an impatient person. I hate waiting, I tend to rush into things, and I watch every single TikTok video at 2x speed. But, a few days ago, while watching a movie with my mom, she casually asked me, “What’s the most important skill you’ve learned throughout high school?” Bundled up in a blanket and half asleep, I stared at her with an empty look. However, I soon realized that my answer was easy: ironically, the most important trait I’ve developed over the last four years has been patience.

Each course I’ve taken and extracurricular I’ve participated in has helped me become more comfortable with the idea of trusting that everything will work out as it should. We often disregard the value of being patient individuals — with arti cial intelligence, numerous messaging apps, and social media, we receive answers about our questions almost instantly. But there’s a certain charm about waiting and trusting — it gives us the opportunity to strengthen our relationships and achieve our goals.

Personally, I’ve found that patience has helped me accept that some things may not meet my expectations, whether they’re related to events or people. I’ve realized that patience isn’t individual, nor is it transactional. When we practice patience, we can’t expect something in return, because that goes against the value’s focus on improving our

relationships with others. Instead of focusing on someone’s aws, practice kindness and encourage others to do the same — after all, exibility and patience go hand in hand.

e most bene cial part of practicing patience for me, however, has been developing the perseverance to overcome obstacles. My patience is typically tested when I’m waiting for a decision or trying to teach choreography for an airband. But, I’ve recently discovered that over time, I’ve built a more positive mindset toward things that previously frustrated me. For example, college decisions were daunting at rst — I’d stalk Reddit and Instagram multiple times a day, noting down release times in my calendar. Now, Reddit is no longer on my phone, and I’ve embraced the mantra, “I’ll end up where I’m meant to be.” A part of me is still nervous, but I’m now focusing my energy on forming new connections and making memories before I leave for college.

And of course, through practicing patience, I’ve become a stronger leader. One who ensures that others have a space to learn and grow, share their ideas, and gain condence.

I’m still a little impatient (it’s a work in progress..), but now, as I sit in uncertainty, unsure of where I’ll be and what I’ll be doing in just six months, I’m thankful for the experiences that have taught me the value of trusting the process. ▪

The Opinion of the Smoke Signal Editorial Board

The issues of microaggressive language

Conversational norms rapidly evolve with time. Over the past few months, many people have incorporated more harmful terms into their daily language. Widespread mention of racially derogatory and ableist terms are now relatively common parts of students’ vocabulary. Students have recently reported witnessing or experiencing discomfort due to these normalized microaggressions.

To prevent this problem from spreading further, we must take initiative to avoid and speak out against microaggressive language and recognize its socially destructive nature.

Microaggression, a term coined by Harvard University Professor Chester Pierce, was rst used to describe inadvertent and unconscious racism towards Black people. For example, questioning one’s cultural name and describing it as “exotic” perpetuates prejudice against certain cultures.

is extends beyond racial biases — microaggressions can target any aspects of a person’s identity such as gender orientation and potential disabilities. Students often disregard the meaning and history behind these prejudices, reinforcing the false perception that the consequences of employing microaggressive language are trivial. However, these phrases fuel widespread ignorance and slander towards other minority groups that microaggressive terms target.

Believing exclusionary insults to be harmless jokes is a dangerous misconception, considering the e ects microaggressions can have on others. According to a study conducted by Marquette University Psychology Professor Lucas Torres, over time, African American graduate and doctoral students experienced psychological impacts, such as depressive episodes, as a result of microaggressions. Over time, this went on to harm their grades within their university programs. Although students might use harmful terms without hostile intent, their actions can go on to be incredibly damaging to others. Since many of these insults are subtle in nature, they create a sense of anxiety and fear for people these actions target. According to Healthline Media, an American health information provider, “the uncertainty around not knowing when or where the next [microaggressive provocation] can happen” gradually takes a toll on the well-being of all individuals within a community.

Within increasing modern progression towards inclusivity and diversity spreading among newer generations, the recent use of verbal slurs and insults only counteracts the exponential progress made in the past decades. Although microaggression has historically alleviated signi cantly since segregational periods, online job search and career development site

Change stems from the little things

By Annie Xu Opinion Editor

I used to struggle a lot with food. I’d count my blueberries, force myself to chew each bite of food for at least 30 seconds, and inaccurately log daily calories. I went long periods slowly shrinking my portions, realize it was unsustainable, and then I’d try to completely stop caring about what I ate. ( is led to too many consecutive days of eating Lucky Charms for breakfast.) With the amount of times I relapsed into cycles of extreme eating, I used to think I’d never be able to go on a normal dinner date, or look at a lunch spread without becoming overwhelmed with anxiety. But one day, without even thinking, when I was lling my plate at a bu et, I found myself seeking out salad, but also dessert. I probably sound laughably similar to a little kid learning the concept of self-control, but what shocked me in the moment was how I had barely noticed how my mindset surrounding food had changed so much without my knowledge.

I used to think of change in drastic terms. I’d imagine myself three years down the line, anew, laughing at my current problems. A lot of times, I’d try to jumpstart lifestyle and mindset changes, falling down rabbit holes of morning green tea and reorganized priority lists. Inevitably, I’d re-emerge back where I started, with nothing to show for my efforts except frustration. is doesn’t come as a surprise — according to a study conducted by University of Surrey researcher Benjamin Gardner, most actions take approximately 66 days to become habits if practiced regularly. It’s unrealistic to think that a brief fad diet or using a di erently formatted notebook can break

Zippia states that 68% of American adults still consider microaggression as a serious workplace issue. Considering that a 2017 study conducted by St. Olaf College observed that 60% of surveyed students similarly experienced microaggression within a classroom setting, exclusionary language habits are not disappearing anytime soon.

When derogatory terms become normalized by online trends and in everyday speech, it is up to us to draw the line when jokes turn malicious. A simple word may seem inconsequential and minor, yet it can deeply a ect others’ mental health. Students should communicate with people of marginalized communities to understand the impact that microaggressions have on their lives, and learn the proper and respectful terminology to describe these groups. ey can also seek out clubs such as Writer’s Block or Exit Zine to understand the impact and meaning that their words can have. Additionally, for those who witness others engaging in harmful behaviors, it’s our duty to speak out against it. We each have a moral responsibility to take action against bias, and work for a more inclusive world. ▪

down years of reinforced mindsets and behaviors in a matter of days or weeks.

Most of my concrete lifestyle and mindset changes crept up on me. I never made a singular concentrated e ort to rework aspects of my routine — feeling like I was able to eat when I was hungry and stop when I was full came slowly. Being able to take small mistakes in stride rather than beating myself up over them for hours took years. Rather, it was the small split-second decisions in the middle of my day that I barely noticed that added up to my concrete sense of progress. Whether it was deliberately accepting snacks from friends when they o ered, or taking note of my errors in homework as opportunities to re ne my weaknesses instead of as evidence of my failure to retain information, change came in the small commitments that I could maintain.

At the same time, most of this progression isn’t linear. On some mornings, I don’t feel like I can be happy with myself if I eat breakfast. Inconsequential mistakes sometimes keep me up for hours, as I try to convince myself that those errors don’t always signify grave problems with my personality. Even so, I can’t understate how staying committed to the small choices for self-improvement will eventually add up, even if it doesn’t always feel comfortable in the moment.

I don’t think I’ll ever wake up feeling magically improved from the person I was before I went to bed. I am, however, happy with the progress I’ve made over the last few years. So, if you’re looking to alter aspects of your own life, start with the easy decisions. Sometimes, change is easier than you think. ▪

By Hannah Bi & Stella Wang

Staff Writers

STAFF WRITER HANNAH BI

By Padma Balaji, Tushara Devapatla, Priyanka Shah & Ethan Yan Staff Writers

“There’s no such thing as a vote that doesn’t matter,” President Barack Obama said. Despite the repetton of this phrase in civic educaton environments natonwide, Generaton Z, the future of democracy, have concerningly low voter turnout rates. With 50% of teens believing the world will be worse of in their future compared to today, as per a Common Sense Media study conducted on January 29, it’s clear that youth are deeply pessimistc about the world. This pessimism can be ted to a deep dissatsfacton and feelings of hopelessness regarding politcs, leading youth to stray from partcipatng in democracy, and can be largely atributed to the inherent weaknesses within overarching educatonal systems that don’t adequately prepare youth for the real world. In order to prepare students and encourage politcal partcipaton, schools must provide concrete resources to increase student actvism and nurture a more inclusive politcal environment.

Youth voter turnout is monumental in shaping electons. Much of the result of the 2020 electon is atributed to young voters, who voted signifcantly more than usual. About 50% of people ages 1829 voted in the electon, in comparison to the 28% turnout in 2018, with 61% of them votng for Biden.

However, a study done by the Insttue of Politcs at Harvard Kennedy School in December 2023 says that younger voters may be less likely to be involved in the oncoming 2024 electon based on preliminary surveys due to distrust in politcal acton toward critcal issues such as gun violence and climate change. This marks a dangerous trend for American politcs, decreasing youth partcipaton, which has the potental to jeopardize the future of democracy.

Research has shown that young voters tend to partcipate in the politcal process far less than older generatons because younger voters don’t have as much faith in the politcal system. The Hill reports 52% of the younger voters having “no or litle trust in government insttutons.” Many youth see the politcal system as inefectve or broken, losing trust in its ability to address important issues. This distrust ofen leads youth to opt out of votng as they believe the politcal system is too faulty to bring change and thus that voting is not worthwhile. A survey by the opinion analysis site FiveThirtyEight found that among workers that missed at least one natonal electon, 26% said that they decided not to vote because they believed that nothing would change natonally as a result of the electon. Young people already face various barriers to votng; fnding a polling site, educatng oneself on the candidates and electons, and registering to vote can already be dauntng when doing it for the frst tme. However, the idea that votng and politcs is inefectve only exacerbate these barriers, ofen mean

ing young people stray away from votng altogether. Much of politcal disillusionment can also be ted to lack of representaton in politcs for the younger generaton. “I think the old age of leaders sends a strong signal that formal politcs is something for older people, which feeds into cycles of apathy,” University of Gothenburg Professor Aksel Sundström said. As politcians tend to be more than 20 years older than the average American and predominately white and male, this ofen alienates those outside these groups, creatng the impression that politcs is not for them. According to a survey from The New York Times, white males aged 13-17 were more likely than any other group to believe the government represented them, to want to run for ofce, and to see their identty represented in politcs. The gap in politcal interest and partcipaton across age, race, and gender can create a discrepancy in who feels represented in politcs. As female or POC youth are less likely to run for ofce than their white male counterparts, their interests are less likely to be represented in politcs, furthering a gap in which they do not feel represented in or by their politcal leaders, ultmately leading to low voter turnout.

The gap in political interest and participation across age, race, and gender can create a discrepancy in who feels represented in politics.

The youth’s apathy with the politcal system doesn’t mean that they do not care about the future — rather, many are strongly passionate about many issues including climate change and gun control. However, this passion does not regularly translate into politcal partcipaton. Instead, young people ofen opt for alternatve forms of actvism, such as postng on social media, signing pettons, and spreading awareness online, instead of more impactul actons such as castng a ballot. According to the Pew Re search Center, 46% of social media users reported engaging in forms of actvism online. This distrust in the politcal process is ofen what leads young people to prefer online forms of advocacy, where they can take maters into their own hands rather than relying on a system they view as unable to work for their cause. As a result, they partake in actvism that has less of an impact on leadership in society, allowing less representatve candidates and policies to take control.

school students believed their educaton was adequately preparing them for the future, citng a lack of hands-on or practcal learning that prepared them for their careers. The lack of practcal educaton extends to preparing students for their politcal future as well. Even in classes meant to introduce students to the government and civics, students do not receive many opportunites to see how politcs and partcipatng in it works in the real world. A Yale University study found that when students were provided with real-life votng demonstraton and provided with the opportunity to cast a practce ballot, youth turnout increased 5.7 percentage points. By emphasizing practcal educaton and providing resources that guide students through the complex process of voting for the frst tme, schools can beter prepare students to partcipate in politcs. In the long term, civic educaton can be reimagined to emphasize the idea that votng and partcipatng politcally is normal and efectve, motvatng students to become politcally actve from a young age. “If schools enable students to raise ethical, social, civic and politcal issues in the classroom, allow them to discuss controversial topics, encourage them to express their own opinions… students will tend to acquire higher levels of politcal interest, trust and knowledge, which in turn will boost the likelihood of them votng in the future,” UN Chronicle Writer Martyn Barret said.

In additon to dissatsfacton with the politcal process, low youth voter turnout is largely fueled by inadequacies in civic educaton, contributng to feelings among students that their votes are meaningless. According to a poll conducted by Gallup, an analytics and advisory company, less than a quarter of high

In order to bridge the gap in youth voter turnout and become more involved in politcs, MSJ students can join organizatons such as MSJ BAStA and GENup to understand the importance of advocatng and involving themselves in local issues. Taking courses such as Women’s Studies or Ethnic Studies on campus that teach students about the struggles of marginalized communites can provide them with diferent perspectves as well as facilitate nuanced conversatons about politcs in educaton. Taking part in such discussions can help supplement social media actvism and news, which can easily fall prone to echo chambers and polarizaton. Additonally, although it can be easy to stereotype politcians as old and detached from reality, there are many politcians with diverse identtes that represent youth, both in identty and in ideology. Finding, following, and supportng youth leadership can bolster politcal confdence, giving students the hope that these younger candidates will be able to address the issues that primarily afect them. Ultmately, the most impactul way to increase youth interest in politcs is to engage with it; understanding it, discussing it, partcipatng in it, and encouraging others to do the same can help build a future in which everyone is a partcipant of democracy. ▪

January

Saturdays

March

Saturdays

Dear Diary: Valentine s Gram

By Tanvi Deshmukh Staff Writer

In a world flled with sickly sweet anticipation for February 14, one seemingly forgotten Valentine’s gram embarks on a heartfelt journey of self-discovery and transformation. From its humble beginnings on a convenience store shelf, this gram navigates the perils of insecurity, societal norms, and unexpected romance.

Dec. 26, 2023 2 p.m.

Ugh, seriously? It’s only been one day since that pretentious holiday with the insufferable carolers and their off-key renditions of overplayed tunes passed. I was just starting to enjoy my winter break, but lo and behold, here I am — relegated to a convenience store shelf. The audacity! But wait, what’s this next to me? A glaringly bright yellow wrapper — an assault on my vision, emitting a pungent peanut stench. It couldn’t be … a Butterfnger! Why are there so many around me? What is this supposed to mean? Am I a Butterfnger? Can someone please respond to my SOS?

J

blown identity crisis, but fear not, I know exactly what to do. It’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and I too, have a dream — to self-actualize, score a glow-up (for the lady grams, of course), and fulfll my civic duty as a Valentine’s gram. With a mere month left until my momentous day, it’s time to get down to business.

My frst stop: the gym. We’re talking legs, back, biceps, triceps — every nook and cranny of my nonliving body that you can imagine. But before the sweat starts dripping, it’s all about mewing and looksmaxxing. The evolution of this Butterfnger is offcially underway.

. 15, 2024 8 a.m.

So here’s the deal: I’m a Butterfnger, and I’m currently grappling with a full-

Junior Devang Raina’s photography career began with two clicks — the frst was the click of his camera, and the second was the click that created his Instagram account, @fics_bydevy. What began as an account to document the Varsity Boys Soccer game against Newark Memorial High School in 2023 has now expanded into an account culminating in a total of more than 20,000 views. Now, Raina is part of Costanoan Yearbook and takes photos for many school sports games, hoping to continue expanding his passion for photography beyond Fremont.

Raina’s interest in photography started in his sophomore year when he was heavily inspired by Class of 2023 Alumni Jayden Gravett and Ciara Lu, who were taking Digital Photogra phy 1 alongside him. Since Raina started, both photographers have guided him through his photography journey, whether through teaching him how to adjust the settings on his camera or encouraging him to share his work.

Feb. 13, 2024 7 p.m.

After fnishing my workout, I’m feeling like a champ and doing my special Fortnite victory dance. But reality hits and I’m actually really sore, so it seems like I won’t be getting gains anytime soon. Now, where did all my Butterfnger baddies disappear to? I scan the shelf, but fnd myself alone and abandoned.

A heavy weight settles upon my chest, and my heart sinks. All of a sudden, my solitude is shattered when I see a sweaty teenager charging through the Valentine’s Day aisle. Enter Joe, accompanied by his friend Marla, who eyes the ice cream longingly. Joe bolts toward me, and I try to back away from this smelly troll, but alas, I’m paralyzed. He hits me with a nasty face, mutter-

ing, “Is this the only one left? It’ll have to do.” Well, guess what Joe — I didn’t sign up for this either. He drags me to the checkout and I’m forced to endure his incessant yapping all the way home. They really don’t tell you about the struggles of being a Butterfnger.

Feb. 13, 2024 11 p.m.

With an hour left until the national day dedicated to me, I’ve decided to be mature about my newfound companion. So far, I’ve learned that he harbors a peculiar obsession with ice cream and talks to Marla way too much. Nevertheless, being the bigger (man) candy here, I’ve crafted a lovely poetic masterpiece for Joe to capture the affection of any girl. Don’t worry Joe, looks aren’t everything! It goes:

“In love’s embrace, where hearts entwine, Our journey, cheesy, like sweet red wine.

On this Valentine’s, you’re forever mine.”

Who wouldn’t fall head over heels with my rizz? Yet, Joe nears me with a sharp black pen, casually erasing the blood, sweat, and tears invested in my magnum opus, simply to replace my poem with a nonchalant “you’re cute lol.” Seriously, what is wrong with this generation?

Feb. 14, 2024 8 a.m.

Ah, the most important day of the year is fnally upon us: Valentine’s Day! I’d say I’m looking extra majestic today, even embracing the ugliness of my Butterfnger getup with an extra fair. Rise and shine, Joe! It’s time for us to embark on a mission to shoot, capture, and score a lucky lady’s heart. With a swoop and a zip, Joe tosses me into his backpack, and I’m nestled snugly between what appears to be his AP

Computer Science coursework. Now that explains Joe’s putrid stench.

Feb. 14, 2024 3:30 p.m.

It’s been an entire school day stuck in Joe’s backpack — seriously, am I the forgotten treasure of the century? RIIING. The last bell sounds, and I resign myself to the fact that my Valentine’s destiny is an illusion. I haven’t seen a single soul; not one of Joe’s nonexistent friends, teachers, or even the lunch ladies. ZOOOP. Oh my, the backpack fnally opens. Joe’s hands reach in, and I, blushing with fattery, wave while I make my grand entrance.

As I rise up, there’s a girl ahead, making my mouth fall open during this major wig-snatch moment. Give me a second, you are not ready for this.

Feb. 14, 2024 3:31 p.m.

Joe begins speaking: “Marla, since our frst memory, I’ve loved you. Even when we were eating ice cream as children in the park, and you had those weird Butterfngers as toppings, I thought you were beautiful. I want to ask: Can I be your boyfriend?” I begin crying, tears of happiness and also absolute embarrassment for this boy. It’s always the teenagers who try to make a Wattpad besties-to-lovers arc happen. Joe and Marla defnitely won’t work out, but maybe the real Valentine’s day was the friends we made along the way. So, we did it Joe, we did it!

Student Spotlight: Devang Raina

Behind the Lens

By Lucy Yao & Alice Zhao Staff Writers

Raina started taking photos of his friends at their sports games on his dad’s camera, a Sony Alpha 6400 with a Sony 18-135mm f/3.5-6.3 lens, last year for fun, and with more exposure, he began taking photography more seriously and eventually created photography-focused social media accounts on TikTok and Instagram. “Once I started to learn more about photography, and my picture[s] started to get a little better … I [started] thinking that I could start publicizing my images [on Instagram] just to show everybody [that I was a photographer],” Raina said.

“Once I started to learn more about photography, and my picture[s] started to get a little better … I [started] thinking that I could start publicizing my images [on Instagram] just to show everybody [that I was a photographer].”

— JUNIOR DEVANG RAINA

Raina’s greatest struggle has been bringing more attention to his photography page. Once he realized that this could be a viable source of income, Raina began contacting more people, hoping to expand his outreach around the community to bring more attention and following to his page.

His main proft came from photographing his classmates’ sweet sixteen birthday parties. However, in the past year, these opportunities began to decline, and professional opportunities have become few and far between.

This hasn’t deterred him from photographing regularly though, as Raina has

always stuck to his origin: sports photography. As a soccer player himself, Raina is often just as invested in the incredible gameplay as he is photographing it all. However, he also noted that photographing games and parties had signifcant differences. “[Sweet sixteens are] more human oriented, and there’s separate equipment, different fashes, [and] different settings. [Sports photography is more focused on] action shots,” Raina said. Capturing sports games provided Raina with more opportunities to gain exposure in high-action photography, even allowing him to attend some major sporting events such as an NCS basketball championship game.

Many of MSJ’s underclassmen have followed in Raina’s footsteps, hoping to get insight on the best equipment or growing their own pages. Although Raina can give

his experience with the Sony Alpha 6400 and Sony FE Telephoto Zoom 70-200mm f/2.8 lens he uses, or his tips to editing on Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom, the best advice he has for new photographers would be to actually understand how their camera works. “Learn the settings frst, don’t just start shooting on auto ... [because] the moment you learn how to control your settings, your photos will just [immediately improve],” Raina said.

Through his journey, not only have Raina’s photography skills improved, but so has his self-confdence in his craft. “I just kind of realized … the more I do it, the more pictures I take, the better I get [so] it seems more realistic that I’ll [continue photography] in [the] future,” Raina said.

“I learned that photography makes a lot of people happy. People love seeing photos of themselves. And that also makes me happy because I’m able to share these pictures [and] moments [I’ve] captured.”

— JUNIOR DEVANG RAINA

Moving forward, Raina plans to continue photography as a passion. For example, after graduating, he would like to photograph his college’s sports teams. No matter where he goes though, Raina knows that the experience alone is valuable enough. “I learned that photography makes a lot of people happy. People love seeing photos of themselves. And that also makes me happy because I’m able to share these pictures [and] moments [I’ve] captured,” Raina said. ▪

Photo taken and edited by Raina at a basketball game.

Mardi Gras Masks DieHard TryHards:

By Rajorshi Chatterjee, Michael Qu, Priyanka Shah & Arushi Singh Staff Writers

Mardi Gras, the climactic day of the Carnival festival celebrated in New Orleans annually since 1699, will take to the streets again this February, bringing festivity, parade foats, and most notably, the iconic masks. In this edition of DieHard TryHards, four Smokies will attempt to outdo one another to create the Mardi Gra(nde)s(t) mask.

Arushi

This challenge is right up my alley, even though I’ve never celebrated Mardi Gras before. I’m picturing the biggest, most colorful mask, with all the sparkles I can possibly fnd. My winning vision includes the traditional gold, purple, and green colorway but also additional glitter, feathers, jewels, bells, and my secret weapon: lights. Now, to pluck the peacock feathers out of my thirdgrade Halloween costume, win this

rookie mistake of announc ing my vision to the competition, I crushed my very frst DieHard TryHards. I will admit to trying embarrassingly hard (glitter was not my friend), but let’s face it, the resulting bedazzled beauty has clearly outdone the competition. So point me in the direction of New Orleans, if not Rio de Janeiro, and call me the craftiest Queen of Carnival!

priyanka michael rajorshi

Having visited New Orleans just a month ago, the familiarity of vibrant masks decorated with an assortment of feathers and jewels sits fresh in my mind. There is nothing better than taking inspiration straight from the source, and that will be my ticket to victory. I plan to design my mask with unique patterns, strik-

I’ve always loved Mardi Gras for the vibrance and aesthetic of the holiday’s masks, so designing one myself will be an exciting challenge. Drawing inspiration from some of my favorite masked characters — Joker from Persona 5 and Tuxedo Man from Sailor Moon — I’m aiming for a bold, yet refned look to my creation. With an arsenal of art supplies at my disposal, I’m confdent I’ll whip up a Mardi Gras mask–terpiece that’ll

Going into this, I am actually feeling pretty nervous. The last time I made a Mardi Gras mask was in my seventh grade French class using a paper plate with two fading markers (maybe smudged blue and red don’t go that well together). However, this time I will not settle for mediocrity. No, I will make this mask the boldest and most ostentatious headwear to ever grace the celebration of

3rd

was the worst decision ever.) while I made my mask were not for nothing. However, Arushi’s addition of lights is ingenious, and I defnitely plan to include that in my next attempt at mask-making. I now feel like a Mardi Gras professional and cannot wait to actually attend the festival in person — wearing my mask, of course!

think about it, plac ing in the top three is no easy feat, with stiff competition and countless hours of hard work behind every contender. And no, I’m defnitely not rationalizing to mask my pain. Despite fnishing third, I am very satisfed with my end result, knowing I gave it my all and didn’t even superglue my fngers together. Having obtained a new wellspring of artistic knowledge and quite the spiffy mask, I will conquer the next DieHard TryHards for sure!

4th

have tested the self-proclaimed glitter mist bottle on another piece of fabric before emptying it on my innocent mask — it didn’t deserve to look like a piece of moldy cheese afterwards. Honestly, I simply did not have the time or resources to bring my full vision of the Mardi Gras spectacle to life — but I’m okay with that. The outcome may have been disappointing, but I won’t deny that I had an absolute blast making this.

“De nitely pursue [STEM] with your whole heart. Find friends who are interested, build a community who’s interested, and reach out to people who inspire you. Explore a lot of opportunities, whether that’s internships, or fellowships, or shadowing, and especially in school, experiment a lot, nd the things that really bring you joy and then go after it fully. No one’s path looks the same. So if there’s certain things that really light you up in STEM, de nitely, go deep and see whether or not that’s something that you like, and you can carve your own path from there.” — MSJ Class of 2015

Alumna Dominique Huang

“I think the main challenge faced as a woman in STEM is the lack of self-con dence. In a group where I’m one of the few women, oftentimes nd myself hesitant to express my thoughts or uncomfortable voicing any disagreements. have also received some comments from peers that may not have been ill-intentioned but were really backhanded compliments related to being a woman in CS. There are a lot of unconscious biases that women have to face in STEM-related elds, not only in the classroom but also later on in the workplace.”

— MSJ Class of 2022 Alumna Lindsey Wen surrounded by STEM, speci technology, my entire life. That exposure early on introduced me to the early concepts of technology and what it’s like working in the industry. That exposure, along with my interest in problem solving, sparked my interest in computer science. From there, had a lot of opportunities and experiences growing up that introduced me and further led me into the STEM eld.” — MSJ Class of 2021

“I don’t want gender to be an issue when it comes to pursuing something you’re interested in. think the best way to overcome that is through … equal representation in all elds, in order to nally stop having a conversation about gender in a speci c eld.” — AP Chemistry and Living Earth Teacher

Oana Seremeta

Sally Ride

From a young age, with encouragement from her parents, Sally Ride fostered a deep interest in science. She went on to receive four degrees at Stanford University, including a doctorate in physics in 1978. In 1983, Ride boarded the ill-fated Challenger and became both the rst American woman and the youngest American assigned to a shuttle mission. To pursue her long-time passion for motivating girls and

Key

Katherine Johnson

Katherine Johnson was a mathematician best known for her critical contributions to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) during the Space Race and later missions to the moon. In 1952, Johnson was hired by the all-Black West Area Computers section at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics Langley Research Center as a “computer,” where she manually performed calculations to send astronauts into space. Her calculations led to the success of the 1961 Mercury-Redstone 3 mission and the 1962 Mercury-Atlas 6 mission, sending both the rst American into space and the rst American into orbit around Earth, respectively. Later, Johnson joined the Space Mechanics Division, where she calculated the trajectory for the 1969 Apollo 11 mission to the moon. In 2015, Johnson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in recogni tion of her pioneering work at NASA and contri butions to mathematics.

figures

Rosalind Franklin

Alumna Divya Machineni

Chien-Shiung Wu

Born in Liuhe, China, Chien-Shiung Wu graduated with a degree in physics from Nanjing University in Nanjing, China. After immigrating to the US in 1936, Wu brie y taught physics at Smith College and Princeton University and became the rst woman hired at Prince ton’s Physics Department. In 1944, Wu was invited to work on the Manhattan Project. During this time, she worked at the Substitute Alloy Materials Lab at Columbia University, developing a process to separate uranium metal into U-235 and U-238 isotopes by gaseous diffusion. Her research improved Geiger counter radiation detection and scientists’ ability to enrich large amounts of uranium, aiding in the creation of the atomic bomb. After garnering the Comstock Prize in Physics in 1964, Wu was elected as the rst female president of the American Physical Society in 1975 and received the Wolf Prize in Physics in 1978. Today, Wu is considered the “First Lady of Physics” because of her signi cant contributions to the eld.

Marie Curie

Born Maria Sk odowska on November 7, 1867, in Warsaw, Poland, Marie Curie was the youngest of ve children. In 1898, Curie and her husband Pierre Curie proved the existence of a new element they called polonium and discovered another element, radium. In 1903, the Curies shared the Nobel Prize with Henri Becquerel in Physics for the discovery of radioactivity, making Curie the rst woman to win a Nobel Prize. In 1911, Curie went on to win another Nobel Prize in Chemistry for isolating pure radium, becoming the only woman to win two Nobel Peace Prizes in two different sciences.

British-American physician Elizabeth Blackwell is the rst woman to graduate from a medical school and earn a medical degree, at Geneva Medical College in the US.

Girls Who Code

MSJ Girls Who Code (GWC) is a branch of the international nonpro t organization GWC, dedicated to inspiring girls to be strong and skilled in the STEM industry, especially in programming. MSJ GWC has hosted workshops on topics such as opportunities in technology, cybersecurity, and steganography, as well as guest speaker events. The of cers recently provided instruction in Python, HTML, and AI, with members now applying these acquired skills to an ongoing AI project. “From teaching members programming to collaborating on projects, we aim to continue and better the coding minds of our members,” MSJ GWC Treasurer Junior Agrima Jain said.

Rosalind Franklin graduated from the University of Cambridge in 1941 and joined the Randall Centre for Cell & Molecular Biophysics at King’s College London in 1951 as a research fellow. There, she applied X-ray diffraction methods to the study of DNA, taking the famous Photograph 51, a clear X-ray diffraction image of DNA, after 62 hours of X-ray exposure in a custom machine. After the disclosure of Photograph 51 without her permission, American biologist James Watson and English physicist Francis Crick changed the course of DNA history by suggesting that the structure of DNA is a double-helix polymer. In addition to her work on DNA, Franklin also contributed to the study of viruses by being the rst to discover RNA within the tobacco mosaic virus — the rst virus structure to be discovered — helping lay the foundation for the eld of structural virology.

SWENext

MSJ SWENext is a branch of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), an international non-pro t educational and service organization founded in 1950. The club is dedicated to advocating for the importance of women in the eld of engineering and encouraging young women to pursue an engineering education. “We [also] work on developing skills such as leadership and self-con dence so that they can succeed in [their] careers,” MSJ SWENext President Junior Megan Nguyen said. MSJ SWENext hosts meetings to educate members on topics ranging from engineering careers to arti cial intelligence’s impact on engineering. In the fall of 2022, the club collaborated with universities like UC Berkeley and Yale University to host online panels with university students majoring in engineering. While the club primarily advocates for girls to join engineering, all genders are welcome to join. “We hope that MSJ SWENext exposes the next generation to different coding languages besides the mainstream languages such as Java and Python, and in this way, be inspired to dig deeper,” Nguyen said.

MSJ Clubs Women in STEM

WiSTEM

MSJ Women in STEM (WiSTEM) is a chapter of the WiSTEM international non-pro t organization, created to support, empower, and inspire high school girls to pursue careers in STEM, a eld where women were historically undervalued and underrepresented. MSJ WiSTEM typically hosts educational meetings on topics such as creating resumes and cover letters. This year, the club’s of cers introduced their Envision Research Program, in which members collaborate to review literature on a STEM topic and write a scienti c paper to publish. “[MSJ] WiSTEM’s main mission is to make STEM accessible to women by providing opportunities that allow them to get more involved. We hope to encourage girls to work in STEM and inspire them to make their own contributions,” MSJ WiSTEM Publicity Coordinator Junior Anvi Madhavan said.

March8,1910

pril25,1925

French pilot Raymonde de Laroche becomes the rst woman to earn a pilot license, receiving the 36th Aviators Certi cate from the Aéro-Club de France.

June16,1963

American medical scientist Florence Rena Sabin is the rst woman to be elected to membership in the National Academy of Sciences. She remains the only woman for 20 years after her acceptance to the academy.

By Hannah Bi, Tanvi Deshmukh, Naisha Koppurapu, Keerti

March8,1972

Valentina Tereshkova, a Soviet cosmonaut, becomes the rst woman to y in space during her solo mission aboard the Vostok 6. Terershkova remains the youngest woman in space until Anastatia Mayers in 2023 and still is the only woman to y solo into space.

Chinese malariologist and chemist Tu Youyou presents her ndings at the National Project 523 after discovering artemisinin and dihydroartemisinin, substances effective for treating malaria, after a malaria outbreak in Northern Vietnam during the Vietnam War.

November9,2020

Biochemist and researcher Katalin Karikó’s investigations on mRNA nucleotides with Drew Weissman lead to the breakthrough in developing COVID-19 vaccines, with their nal clinical trial resulting in 90% effectiveness.

Known for their fusion menu of traditional Vietnamese avors with a modern twist, Phin Cafe opened its new location at 34460 Fremont Blvd. Suite D on Nov. 27, 2023. e restaurant o ers a wide variety of food and drink selections, ranging from warm co ees and sandwiches to fruit teas and fresh smoothies. e cafe is named after the traditional Vietnamese phin method of co ee brewing, a method where roasted dark robusta co ee beans are mixed with sweetened condensed milk and strained through a phin lter, as featured in their logo. e fusion menu o ers unique menu items like matcha lemonade and durian co ee, introducing a special twist to everlasting favorites. Despite the pleasing ambience and quick service, the taste and pricing of Phin Cafe’s menu are a let down and make it little more than an Instagrammable location.

Upon entering the cafe, customers are greeted with a classic co ee shop aesthetic, with minimalistic decor and lighting. Simple details such as pothos vines draping the walls and hanging lighting above tables add to its comforting environment. e cafe’s calm and cozy ambience o ers an ideal location to study or meet with friends. However, the small space unfortunately limits the seating options, and the best choice is often to purchase drinks to go. Customers purchase drinks and snacks at the front register, which o ers an up close view of the drink crafting process. Cashiers are also

n hing m cha to see here

By Hannah Bi and Anandita Devata Staf Writers

incredibly patient, even o ering their own suggestions to help customers choose from the exquisite, and often overwhelming, menu.

As for the cafe’s main attraction — the drinks, especially co ee — the Coconut Coffee lives up to the hype, infusing a perfect balance of fruit avor with traditional co ee. Likewise, the Ube Co ee o ers a creamy, rich avor with the addition of the sweet purple yam paste at the bottom of the cup. However, several drinks were high maintenance, such as the Pandan Co ee, a traditional Vietnamese beverage combining grassy notes of pandan leaves with a classic co ee. e teal green cream layered onto the rich iced co ee and topped with an egg yolk cookie creates a stunning aesthetic, but it proved disappointing with the painstaking process of mixing the layers together. Unfortunately, the layers cannot be savored separately, as the denser co ee was much too bitter to be consumed without the almost-too-sweet teal green cream on top, immensely taking away from fully appreciating the drink itself. e cafe also features several avors of traditional banh mi sandwiches. e sandwich’s bread and vegetable base had a surprising lack of avor, although the meat lling overcompensates with its tangy sauce.

e cafe’s drinks bring unparalleled delights with their fusion avors, but their interpretations of traditional avors sometimes do not match up. e Mangonada with Chamoy, a Mexican sorbet, unexpectedly incorporated a spicy sauce into the smoothie, producing a disagreeable combination. e restaurant’s regular tea-shop drinks like the Rosie Dream fruit tea also fell short of expectations, as an overpowering bitterness from a combination of green tea and rose avoring spoiled the sim-

ple sweetness of the original lychee rose drink. However, their Purple Heart milk tea, another ube drink, has a delectable ube avor, similar to other ube beverages of Vietnamese culture.

At a price range of $6-8 for drinks, the small sizes and air space at the top of each cup disappoint, providing little product for value.

e distinctive avors play a role in the higher pricing range, but they do not elevate drinks as much as expected.

Overall, Phin Cafe’s fusion menu proves its dedication to increasing cultural awareness of Vietnamese avors and food. While the careful e ort for constructing each drink and its aesthetic is commendable, the quality does not justify its pricing, making the restaurant a mediocre experience at best. ▪

Grade: B-

BABYTRON

As the stage lights ickered between red and blue with the tempo of a metronome from the speakers slowly amping up, the crowd settled. However, this quiet was short lasting, as a roar of cheers swept the audience as BabyTron emerged from backstage.

BabyTron’s 2MEGA North America Tour was held in e Regency Ballroom in San Francisco on February 7. e show kicked o with an opening performance from rapper Babyfxce E, who played tracks such as “Kentucky Love” and “Broad Day” to warm up the crowd. Cheering loudly and dancing to the 808-heavy beats of Babyfxce E, the crowd made sure to show their appreciation for the artist.

After an hour-long run performance, Babyfxce E nished o his opening act by asking the audience, “Are y’all ready for BabyTron or what?” Following a booming roar of approval, the recognizable beat of BabyTron’s hit song “Out On Bond” resonated from the crackly speakers. Continuing to kick o the show with mainstream hits such as “Down,

Up!” and “Mr. Hanky,” BabyTron however also spotlighted some of his less popular songs such as “241” and “Yo Momma.” Putting together songs from every era of his time as an artist, BabyTron brought together fans from the entirety of his discography, old and new alike.

With lyrics like “I ain’t banned from D.C., they love me in the DMV” to “Pandemic scamming, now I’m tryna put the team on,” BabyTron’s wordplay has always been characterized by equal parts raunch and taunt with diverse references to pop culture, basketball, and childhood. His relatively relaxed lyricism paired with boisterous beats harkens back to a time of old-school rap and has garnered him a cult following in an increasingly saturated and homogenous genre. e Michigan rapper capitalized on his distinct and fresh style maintaining an overall informal, laidback air throughout his performance.

e best part of the concert did not lie within the performances by Babyfxce E or BabyTron, but rather within the atmosphere

in san francisco

By Vedesh Kodnani & Aaryan Suri News Editor & Sports Editor

created by the audience. Huddling up side by side, forming mosh pits and counting down the beat drops for each song, the bond within the crowd was electric. e audience’s aura did not end here, with fan’s wearing their BabyTron merchandise while chanting the artists name repeatedly in hopes of him starting his set early.

If there was one letdown, it was BabyTron’s lack of stage time despite extensive opening acts. e rapper seemed relatively disinterested in his audience and sped through prerecorded mixtapes and

he performed for less than an hour, leaving many eager for more as they trickled out the main hall. Still, the electrifying but faithful renditions of fan favorites overwhelmingly satis ed audience members who rushed to purchase merchandise and take photos with BabyTron’s eclectic roster of openers.

By the concert’s end, energy was still high in e Regency Ballroom. From vulgar and unapologetic lyricism to upbeat, catchy rhythms, the concert featured everything that fans have come to love about BabyTron. ▪

PHOTOS BY STAFF WRITERS

ANANDITA DEVATA & HANNAH BI GRAPHICS BY A&E EDITOR GOONJA BASU

C R I T I C S’ C O R N E R

argylle: Fun-filled spy action or captivating drag?

By Lucas Zhang Staf Writer

On February 2, the spy action comedy Argylle hit the big screen in US theaters and caught nationwide attention. After being in the works for more than two years, Argylle takes its viewers into a universe where the events in female novelist Elly Conway’s spy novel series closely mirror those happening in the real world.

e lm makes extensive e orts to capture the audience’s attention through well-made, action-packed scenes, but the abrupt changes in pace throughout the movie bring down the viewer’s experience.

e lm opens by tracing Argylle (Henry Cavill) in Greece in a riveting chase scene that enticingly cap- tivates the audience’s attention. e focus then shifts to the US, where Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) nishes a live reading of her fourth installment in the Argylle series and starts planning her fth book. Seamless transitions between Elly’s narration and real-life events from Agent Argylle’s perspective take full advan- tage of the story being told through a movie rather than through a book and establish a close parallel between the novels and reality. One example of this cinematography is the transi- tion between the text “Hong Kong” on Elly’s computer screen to the city’s skyline, where the real-life Argylle is seen. ese lming decisions help immerse the audience in the world of Argylle, where there is seemingly a connection between novels and reality, and nothing is what it seems.

While the exposition may seem too slow-paced for viewers, the bulk of the movie’s action begins as Elly takes a train and begins her adven-

UNDER THE RADAR

By Alice Zhao Staf Writer

Chicago-based musician Jhung Kim, better known by his stage name Jhung, emerged onto the bedroom pop music scene with his 2022 EP

Always the End e calm indie pop tunes, catchy melodies, and hypnotic voice featured in the EP have since garnered him more than 600 thousand listeners on Spotify.

A classically trained oboist and pianist, Kim has been involved with music since he was young. However, as he grew older, he began to lose passion for creating classical music, which inspired him to begin to work on Always the End during quarantine.

Recorded entirely on his phone and mixed without speakers, Always the End was nished during Kim’s last year at e University of Chicago, exploring topics of love, loss, moving on, and loneliness. Inspired by artists such as bLAck pARty and Tyler, e Creator, each track on Kim’s debut EP blends into the next as he sings over a chorus of violins and soft piano acoustics with the occasional laidback drum beat. All of these traits culminated in an unforgettable and instantly popular debut bedroom pop album.

Since the release of Always the End, Kim has played two shows — one of which was where he opened for R&B singer Ravyn Lenae and the other was a self-titled farewell concert, played one month before he graduated with a degree in Law, Letters, and Society & Music. Kim has also stated his interest in releasing music in the future that is “more intentional about his public-facing persona.” ▪

SMOKIE PLAYLIST:

Falling in Love February

ture. e actors incorporate a lot of breathtaking stunts, such as skating on oil as if it were ice and spinning while shooting down a ring of antag- onists, to keep the audience thrilled while keeping the experience as re- alistic as possible. e gun violence commonly used in the jam-packed action scenes involving Elly adds a layer of risk to the scene by constantly putting the protagonists under the threat of death. rough the incred- ible cast acting, Argylle features some frantic and fun moments that the audience will remember. However, once the audience adapts to the quirks of the movie that make it thrilling to watch, the second half feels like a bore aside from a few standout moments due to less emphasis on plot development and a greater focus on the action within the lm.

Although the lines of dialogue spoken by the characters are simple with subtle nuances in tone, they are e ective in maintaining the action movie’s pace throughout its run- time. A member of the underground syndicate tells Elly that she will not make it past a confrontation with them in a serious tone. Moments later, Elly a ectionately thanks Al-

e the Cat (Chip) in a highly con- trasting tone after the cat saves Elly from being shot down. ese subtle di erences in the dialogue help the audience establish a connection to the lm’s characters through a series of high-quality scenes. While the changes in pace towards the end of the movie t the plot more closely, the more predictable nature of them makes the movie feel less exciting the longer it goes on.

Overall, Argylle is a fun- lled get- away to the theater that attempts to captivate the viewer throughout its nearly 2.5-hour runtime. Howev- er, the lm’s use of silly action clips gradually becomes ine ective the more it is used. In the trailer for Argylle, these scenes may come out as a compelling action movie, but scenes similar to those featured in the trailer become a drag to viewers by the end of the 139 minutes that they spend watching it. However, this does not take away from the high quality of the cinematography and acting, and the lm still lays the groundwork for a new movie series. ▪

Grade: B+

February 2024 Student Faves

MOVIE: Moneyball — Shirin Alapati, 12

TV SHOW: Suits — Nikita Kamath, 12

ALBUM: Operation: Doomsday by MF Doom — Gokul Boreda, 10

BOOK: The Secret History by Donna Tartt — Connie Li, 10

GAME: Madden 24 — Rohan Reddy, 10

The tiger’s apprentice: too much for too little

By Daphne Senecal Staf Writer

Based on the titular book by Laurence Yep, adventure lm e Tiger’s Apprentice is an action-packed animated movie that leaves viewers trying desperately to recall even a single interesting event that occurred in its run time. Released in the US on February 2 by Paramount+, e Tiger’s Apprentice spoon-feeds its audience half baked life lessons as they watch its dull protagonist ful ll his destiny of becoming the next guardian of the ancient phoenix.

e movie is centered around 15-year-old Tom Lee (Brandon Soo Hoo) as he navigates his new life as Hu/Tiger’s (Henry Golding) apprentice after the sudden death of his grandmother, the previous guardian. Her death marks the return of the evil, power-hungry Loo (Michelle Yeoh) who plans to steal the phoenix in order to destroy humanity. Tom, along with the rest of the Zodiac guardians, must now nd a way to protect the phoenix and defeat Loo once and for all.

ere is nothing remarkably interesting about Tom in appearance or personality. His character design is plain and forgettable especially once compared to the more detailed looks of the Zodiac guardians. While his character is set up as a bullied protagonist who rises above adversity and is often used to make watchers root for the protagonist, Tom’s generally lackluster reactions to signi cant changes in his life make it di cult to care about him. Tom hardly reacts at all at the beginning of the lm, when his house burns down and his grandmother dies, He does not cry or lash out, simply going along with what Hu wants him to do, moving past these traumatic events unreasonably quickly. e lm introduces several cliché messages throughout the lm only to never follow through on any of them.

is is especially prevalent in the two most emphasized lessons of the movie: nding oneself and choosing peaceful resolutions over violence. e rst of these ideas is dramatically brought up with what is supposedly a turning point in Tom’s character journey after he tries to hunt down Loo only to never be spoken about during the rest of the run time. e latter is introduced by Tom’s grandmother at the beginning of the lm only to be brought back awkwardly at conclusion by Tom repeating her verbatim. In a story that is lled with almost nothing but action-packed violence, the reiteration of this wisdom is left with no place to t in and results in a disatisfying conclusion to the lm’s nal battle with Loo. Furthermore, the resolution that results from the repetition of Tom’s newly understood insight is not embodied in how Loo is defeated, leaving movie-goers confused and dissatis ed. e Tiger’s Apprentice is ultimately 84 minutes of action-packed nothingness, leaving watchers wondering if anything even happened at all. While its main character may not be unlikeable, he is dull and is quickly overshadowed once the Zodiac guardians are introduced. ough this animation had a mildly interesting concept, it is executed so poorly that it shames the legacy of the original book. ▪

Grade: D-

Zara Larsson’s venus is far from stellar

By Keerti Koya Staf Writer

Swedish singer and songwriter

Zara Larsson released her fourth studio album VENUS on February 9. e 12-track record is an explorative pop album, dipping into various genres like R&B while re ecting her emotions as she enters a new stage in her life. Despite its ambitious genre exploration and raw portrayal of emotional vulnerability, Larsson fails to bring any sense of uniqueness into each track and develops a messy storyline with no tangible story.

Larsson has long been wellknown for her energetic summer songs “Lush Life,” “Ain’t My Fault,” “Ruin My Life” and “Don’t Worry Bout Me” in past works, as well as her smash-hit collab with Clean Bandit, “Symphony.” VENUS is Larsson’s rst album released under her newly established label Sommer House, and includes singles “Can’t Tame Her, and “On My Love” with David Guetta, both of which hit #1

on the Mediabase US Dance Radio. While the album is supposed to be a solid body of work voicing Larsson’s feelings, it falls quite short of serving its purpose.

Re ecting its name VENUS, after the Roman mythological goddess of love and beauty, the album explores the topic of love from far too many perspectives. Unlike the lack of change beat of the album, the underlying meaning behind each song changes drastically. Toward the beginning of the album, in the electro, dance-pop song “On My Love,” Larsson presents a “love letter” to her younger sister Hanna, by speaking for those who would sacri ce everything for a relationship that they value. She evokes nostalgic feelings as she sings “Whether it’s wrong, whether it’s right, I will follow / I’ll pay the price, I’ll sacri ce.” Later on in the album, Larsson sings “And I know that we can’t go back / But we’ll always have the soundtrack” in “Soundtrack,” as she describes the feelings of missing a partner and

reminisces the memories she shared with them by creatively referencing other songs the two enjoyed listening to together. Yet in “Venus,” Larsson feels like her world has turned upside down by the newfound overwhelming fondness she experiences for someone. As the album abruptly transitions from happy states of love to heart-breaking moments and back several times, listeners lose the ability to grab onto any real ow. In an interview with Billboard, Larsson said that this album is supposed to re ect the fact that she is not con ned by the idea of remaining in one genre. Yet besides the two tracks “Soundtrack” and “ e Healing,” the remaining ten songs follow the same underlying beat patterns. For example, Larsson sings “She’ll do what she wants and you can’t hold her down,” in “Can’t Tame Her,” a song about woman empowerment that reasonably be ts a strong, radiant beat. Larsson maintains this upbeat atmosphere in “More an is Was,” as she sings “Could you

stay right by my side / One more time just to try? / What if we coulda been / so much more.” Despite the lyrics describing the feelings that arise when parting from a lover, doubling with Larsson’s soulful, longing voice, the background music remains positive and cheery, creating a stark and misplaced contrast. With a monotonously elevated sound and unvarying upbeat style throughout the album, each track lacks the individuality that does not allow Larsson to convey the true meaning behind each song.

While VENUS is supposed to serve as a means for Larsson to voice her feelings, it leaves the audience in a confused mess of what they should be feeling. As songs that sound identical blend into each other and the album lacks a connected narrative, VENUS does not live up to its stellar name. ▪

Grade: C+

AARON: “oui” by Jeremih | AARYAN: “Always” by Daniel Caesar | ANNIE: “Door” by Mitski | ANNIKA: “Japanese Denim” by Daniel Caesar |

ANUSHKA: “Lover” by Taylor Swift | ASHLEY: “Love wins all” by IU

IMDB COM

| CALLIE: “From e Start” by Laufey | CHLOE: “Lovesick” by Laufey | ELTON:: “Used to Me” by Luke Chiang | GOONJA: “Sidelines” by Phoebe Bridgers | HANNAH: “fall for me” by WIMY | JULIA: “ONLY” by LeeHi | KARINA: “To the Bone” by Pamungkas | KAYLEE: “Another Day of Sun” by La La Land Cast | JIYUN: “Love Trial” by 40mP | SANAH: “Birds Dont Sing” by TV Girl | VEDESH: “Baby I’m Yours” by Arctic Monkeys | WAYLON: “Flight’s Booked” by Drake | MRS. COHEN: “Just the Way You Are” by Billy Joel

The MSJ community is home to many competitive robotics teams, including the highly skilled and successful Tacobots. Offcially named Team 11099 under For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), Tacobots was established in 2015 and has been competing in robotics competitions for seven years. The team consists of 11 MSJ students from all grades who come together to compete in designing, building, and programming robots to solve challenges from local to national levels.

Founded in 1989, FIRST operates some of the most prestigious and well-known ro botics competitions for students between elementary and high school. Tacobots primarily compete in the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC). In FTC, teams of up to 15 students work together and compete to design and program robots to perform certain tasks. The chal lenges foster teamwork, innova tion, a strong understanding of advanced engineering concepts, and prob lem-solving skills.

Team Spotlight: Tacobots

By Shuhan Jin & Catherine Qin Staff Writers

er. “My [older] brother and I started [Tacobots because] we both did Lego robotics and wanted to continue robotics in mid dle and high school,” Team Captain and Hardware Lead Ramachandran said. This year, the members of Taco bots include Seniors Ramachandran, Siddharth Ramnarayanan, Co-Software Lead Akhil Ve muri, Outreach Lead Aum Narkar, Atharv Saxena, Aadi Kaul, Aman Katyal, Shlok Prabhu, Juniors Co-Software Lead Aarav Jagtiani and Jaithra Patel, who attends BASIS Independent Fremont, and Freshman Shaurya Palusa.

“I feel like thanks to robotics I’m more willing to push through … and [become] more resilient and persevering through any challenges that I face.”

— SENIOR AUM NARKAR

Tacobots were frst created by Senior Prakrit Ramachandran and his older broth-

Each member has a specifc role ft for their unique strengths, such as programming, using Computer Aided Design (CAD) to create the robot, and outreach. Still, each member is versatile in working on different aspects of the robot but has the chance to learn different skills outside of their specialization. “I feel like thanks to robotics I’m more willing to push through … and [become] more resilient and persevering through any challenges that I face,” Narkar said. The team has group meetings twice a week to set goals for the upcoming week and track their progress, especially before tournaments. Within each specialized sub-

team, members meet on their own time to work on their respective tasks. Since their rookie year in 2015, Tacobots have won multiple awards at both the Qualifying and Regional levels of FTC. During the 2023 season, they won the Motivate Award, which is awarded to the team that best exemplifes team spirit and the culture of FIRST, and the Inspire Award 2nd Place, which is awarded to teams who best embody the challenge and inspire other teams. In the previous year, Tacobots also advanced to the California-NorCal FTC Regional Championship. Through incredible teamwork skills combined with innovative ways of connecting STEM principles, they received the Connect and Promote Awards.

However, while preparing for tournaments, the team often experiences challenges that they must overcome. “The biggest obstacle was having our parts breaking [at the] last minute because it’s really hard to quickly fx them properly … [We just] have

to create quick solutions and get over that hump,” Jagtiani said.

“We are hoping to encourage … younger kids in general that we’ve [worked with in the past] to join Tacobots and carry the legacy forward so that hopefully the Tacobots can stay as a team in Fremont … and FTC and FRC [First Robotics Competition] as well.”

— SENIOR AUM NARKAR

As for the future, the team is currently preparing for the NorCal FTC Regional Championship from February 24 to 25. Their biggest goal for this season is to qualify for the 2024 FIRST Championship. But the seniors on the team share a more personal goal — leaving a lasting legacy. “We are hoping to encourage … younger kids in general that we’ve [worked with in the past] to join Tacobots and carry the legacy forward so that hopefully the Tacobots can stay as a team in Fremont … and FTC and FRC [First Robotics Competition] as well,” Narkar said. ▪

Tacobots testing their robot in their garage during a practice run.

Tacobots’ robot navigating through this challenge’s obstacles.

PHOTOS COURTESY AARAV JAGTIANI GRAPHICS BY FEATURE EDITORS ANUSHKA VASUDEV & CALLIE YUAN, FIRSTINSPIRES ORG

Team picture of Tacobots after winning a tournament.

Winter Sports Recap

By Novak Chen, Brittany Lu & Howard Lu Sta Writers

Girls Basketball

Girls Basketball nished the season with a record of 4-9 and placed fth in MVAL. With the departure of several key seniors, the team was committed to picking up where they left off and starting the season strong. “We had ve returning varsity players, and the rest were new. In terms of experience, it de nitely was a bit hard, just trying to catch everyone up and get them to the varsity level,” Girls Basketball Captain Senior Shivani Kyadhari said. In the beginning of the season, defense was an issue for the team, leading to a couple of losing streaks at the start of the season. However, even with these challenges, the team never lost hope and continued playing hard during practices. “Having a really new team to varsity, we had a lot of players who had struggles early on, but I think we did a good job as the season went on adapting to new plays and we all knew our responsibilities,” Kyadhari said.

Boys Basketball

After going 2-12 last season, Boys Basketball geared up for an exciting season with a clear focus on turning their fortunes around. They did just that, nishing the season with an overall record of 5-9 and placing sixth in MVAL. “I think our team did best at improving our offensive end. Last year we had lots of problems making sure we were able to run plays and consistently getting shots down, and this year we de nitely have been able to do that a lot better,” Boys Bas ketball Captain Senior Brandon Bao said. With most of the team experienced in playing varsity basketball together, team chemistry quickly developed on and off the court. Like last year, however, the season still met its fair share of challenges and frustrations, includ ing a four-game losing streak at the end of January.

“I think a lot of it has to do with discipline. When there’s no source of authority for our team, every one starts to slack off. But once we get that going, I feel like our team is really able to keep the pace up,” Bao said.

Girls Wrestling

Boys Wrestling

Boys Wrestling nished the season with a record of 1-5 for dual meets, with three wrestlers qualifying for NCS. Despite facing challenges such as a team composed of mostly new wrestlers in addition to injured experienced wrestlers, Boys Wrestling persevered. “We had people with broken arms in the beginning of the season, and they just couldn’t wrestle or compete,” Boys Wrestling Captain Senior Moustafa Hegab said. From sprints to lugging around heavy medicine balls, their hard work from their rigorous practices paid off when they won their dual meet against Irvington High School. While they may not have ended the season with their desired win-loss record, their resilience and hard work will continue to pay off in the future. “I think despite having a lot of new people, we had enough veterans to set a kind of bar for what they aspire to be. And that’s going to help guide them in the next few years,” Hegab said.

Girls Soccer

Girls Soccer nished this season with an overall record of 2-13-1, placing seventh in MVAL, managing to snatch wins off of Irvington High School and San Lorenzo High School despite elding a mostly new, inexperienced roster. “All of the freshmen that tried out [had] never played soccer before, so it was hard to train everybody to [play within] the system,” Mid elder Sophomore Diya Garg said. Even though the team started out with no experience playing together, they made signi cant steps in the right direction towards being a more cohesive squad. “We really worked on communicating on the eld because before [everyone got more experienced], we would rarely talk on the pitch, and a lot of it comes from team bonding, but now we communicate a lot better,” Garg said.

Girls Wrestling nished off their season with a record of 1-5 for dual meets, with ve wrestlers qualifying for NCS. While facing challenges early on, including a lineup of mostly fresh faces and injured returning varsity players, the team showcased their grit and perseverance throughout the season. “Most of our varsity team was knocked out, so we haven’t been able to perform as well as we’d like at dual meets,” Girls Wrestling Captain Senior Svara Deshmukh said. From live wrestling rounds and conditioning at daily practices, their hard work paid off when they fought for their well deserved win in their dual meet against Irvington High School. “The team worked hard. I feel like we had a novice team, so a lot of rst-year wrestlers worked really hard to get better in a short amount of time,” Deshmukh said.

Boys Soccer

Ever since the experienced senior athletes that helped lead Boys Soccer to their incredible 2022 season graduated, the team has been in a developmental and rebuilding phase. While last year was a winless season, Boys Soccer managed to win once this year while nishing 1-15, showing improvements from last season. One struggle the team had to overcome was how inconsistent the lineup was. “Some games we have a third of the team missing, and other games we have an entire bench of athletes waiting to be subbed in,” Boys Soccer Coach Ian MacKenzie said. “In high school, there are lots of other factors [like] being sick, AP classes, stuff like ‘I’m failing this class, so I gotta pass this test’, and having to manage the Mission lifestyle, and balancing it with being a soccer athlete [is a challenge].” In spite of the tough season that the team experienced, Boys Soccer Co-Captain Senior Advik Viswanath remains optimistic about the team’s future.

“Our team had a lot of new faces this season. Despite us being inexperienced, I think everyone adapted to it pretty quickly. [And] as the season progressed so did our chemistry,” Viswanath said.

Spring Sports Preview

Boys tennis

With ample momentum after two consecutive NCS wins, Boys Tennis is gearing up for another successful season. Although the team lost several top players from last season, it was able to adapt with pre-season training. “All the captains understand that we have a big role to fll in, and all the players on the team realize they have a bigger role,” Boys Tennis Co-Captain Senior Krish Gupta said. The captains are working to improve the skill level of new recruits as soon as possible, especially their hitting skills, shooting for the team’s goal of winning NCS for the third time in a row and building on the momentum of a semifnalist fnish at the CIF regional championships last year. “I think the team is self-motivated to go backto-back-to-back, so they’re already working with themselves to get things going,” Boys Tennis Coach Michael Jan said.

Baseball

By Sarah Hu, Maryam Naseer & Ethan Yan Sta Writers

Boys golf Softball

With ambitious goals to continue winning NCS and move onto CIF, the Boys Golf team has a promising season in store. In the past few years, the team has seen great successes due to their well-seasoned players.This year, in addition to performing well, they hope to build a strong foundation for future years. “I’m just looking for another ffth and sixth player. I have really a top four player team, and we’re looking for two more to complete it,” Boys Golf Coach Terry Dalziel said. In order to create the ideal team they are looking for, the team plans to cater more of the training and practices to the younger players, ensuring that for the next few seasons, the team stays strong. “Before we spent a lot of time with the veterans who had already been playing, this year we will be trying to give more attention to the new players,” Junior Aditya Sujay said.

Due to a new surge of talent, this year’s Baseball team will be divided into Junior Varsity and Varsity squads, a decision that aims to provide development opportunities for all players. “I would like to have good camaraderie and build a good team concept. That’s my goal as a coach,” Baseball Coach Bobby Kanno said. Other notable changes this season include an earlier start to conditioning programs aimed at injury prevention and maximizing player performance. Additionally plans by the coach are underway to facilitate closer collaboration between

Track & Field

As one of the largest sports teams on campus, Track and Field are gearing up for another exciting season with a key change that grants co-captains full autonomy over their respective event. “We have a lot more organized leadership this year, and I’m looking forward to a much more coordinated and disciplined team,” Captain Senior Phoenix Hin said. By the season’s end the coaches and captains aim for 50 athletes to qualify for the MVAL Finals, hoping to make it to NCS. “I expect [players]

This year, Softball hopes to improve its winning record and foster lasting relationships among its players, improving team chemistry compared with last season. “We’re defnitely going to be working on team camaraderie... We are making sure that we’re all working well together and having everyone ft into the team is going to be essential with our newer team,” Softball Co-Captain Senior Amanda Deng said. The connections among team members will help the team to develop a stronger team dynamic and perform better against top competitors, such as James Logan High School and Newark Memorial High School. “Overall, the team hitting was better. And what I hope to accomplish this year is to maintain that growth in hitting and improve the defense,” Softball Coach Joseph Iwamiya said.

Swimming

Despite a smaller team size this year, the athletes are determined to make higher standings in the MVAL rankings. With the addition of new swimmers both experienced and fresh-faced, the team is poised to fll any gaps and strengthen their performance. “A lot of underclassmen are club swimmers, so they will really help with our incoming freshman,” Captain Senior Audrey Lim said. Under the guidance of newly appointed coach Laurence Lee, who previously coached at James Logan High School, the Junior Varsity team has incorporated morning practices, to enhance their skills and camaraderie. With morning and evening practices now in full swing, the swim team is ready to dive into the seasons with determination and unity.

BADMINTON boys volleyball

With goals of continuing their 17-year NCS win streak, sending more players to CIF with top 2 fnishes, and performing well against their top rival Irvington High School, Badminton hopes to improve team chemistry by hosting more team bonding events and fun drills. Regarding the departure of many talented seniors, Badminton Captain Senior Savanna Lee said, “It will defnitely be an adjustment because we have very close relationships with last year’s seniors. However, I’m very confdent that we can form the same type of bond with this year’s team.”

With the departure of six seniors, Boys Volleyball hopes to learn and refect from last year to have a successful season. The main focus for the team this year is team chemistry and communication, two integral skills in the sport. “A lot of these players are coming in knowing the game, but playing as an individual versus a team, so I want to see that change,” Boys Volleyball Coach Thien Nguyen said. With the addition of many new players to the team, the drills they practice will focus on improving the skills that will be used in a game-time setting.

Club Spotlight: Li ing Club

By Jeffrey Li & Trisha Parikh Sta Writers

Weightlifting has grown exponentially in popularity thanks to the rise of tness in uencers, along with many people’s desire for self-improvement at the beginning of the year. However, many MSJ students may not have access to a gym membership and may feel lost at the start of their weightlifting journey. is issue inspired the creation of MSJ Lifting Club, which aims to guide MSJ students new to weightlifting and create a supportive community of weightlifters at MSJ to promote tness and health overall. e club is led by Presidents Juniors Joshua Liu and Ethan Lau, Vice President Sophomore Pranav Gurram, Secretary Sophomore Landen Chu, Treasurer Sophomore Winston Pan, and Activities Coordinator Sophomore Vihaan Chawla.

e o cers all have a background in weightlifting and going to the gym, both as conditioning for other sports and as a hobby. For example, Pan and Chu both condition for volleyball, while Liu goes to the gym regularly. As a result of their weightlifting experience, Lifting Club o cers have discovered that weightlifting provides many bene ts to MSJ students, especially those constantly stressed by school. Another bene t of lifting that the o cers have personally experienced is increased con dence as a result of a better physique. “Lifting at the gym has de nitely helped me not only in the physical aspects of life, but also the mental aspects of life, and I want to bring that to non-lifters … this club can be a gateway to a healthier and stronger MSJ,” Liu said.

e club o cers plan to develop their club into a relaxed environment welcoming students to come with their friends and pursue their goals for weight-lifting, muscular strength and endurance. As a fairly new club, they current-

ly only use MSJ’s weight room. However, they plan to host events outside of MSJ, including workout sessions at 24 Hour Fitness and other gyms. ey also hope to host workshops on a wide variety of topics, such as nutrition and health.

MSJ Lifting Club hosts weekly meetings every Tuesday at lunch in the weight room, which is located near the book room. e club plans on organizing the meetings by di erent muscle groups, such as the back, chest, and legs. To participate in the club, a parental consent form, or liability waiver, must be signed and submitted to the o cers and advisers, Stephanie Randazzo and Melissa Kaeo. e link to the waiver is located on their social media platforms. With the cooperation and hard work of all those involved, the club o cers have high hopes for the future of their club. “What drove me to make this club was the yearning to create an environment where lifters at MSJ can come together and form a lasting community . . . Students should join this club if they want to get into lifting, or [are] just looking to have a good time during lunch,” Liu said.

Lifting Club members attend their rst meeting.

PHOTO BY STAFF WRITERS JEFFREY LI & TRISHA PARIKH

TURN IT UP AT

Bay Area Record Stores

By Tushara Devapatla, Jeffrey Li & Vidyuth Sridhar Staff Writers

Though the majority of people now opt to listen to music digitally, many still collect and listen to records for pre-digital nostalgia. The Smoke Signal visited some local record stores to explore the world of vinyl record collecting.

Mantiques

Located on 131 I St, Needle to The Groove is a brick-and-mortar record store that buys, sells, and trades both new and old records at a variety of price points. A staple of the Niles community for nearly 20 years, Needle to The Groove is popularly frequented by youth and adult fans of rock, pop, hip-hop, funk, and more. Artists on the store’s shelves include sixties rock band The Doors, San Francisco native Diamond Ortiz, and pop-megastar Taylor Swift. Needle to The Groove also hosts live events, such as a Penny Pitch jam session featuring local DJs like Ras Babo and Max Level. In addition, the store frequently receives and spotlights records from local artists, such as singer-songwriter Ian Santillano. “You would think that with the age of streaming, the physical record industry would be hurt, but it’s not … we [even] have international buyers that come from Japan and Brazil,” Store Owner Daniel Bernal said.

Needle to the Groove

“My dad has a lot of different records from a long time ago, and they are very important to him. His collection is mostly Chinese music and he sometimes plays the records on our record player at home. The audio is de nitely very different from digital music in that it’s a lot more rich and warm.” -

Located in downtown Hayward at 946 B Street, Ska Dog Records is a vibrant record repository. Though buyers can purchase records across a multitude of genres and time periods — from jazz standards to Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS) — Ska Dog specializes in its robust rock collection. The store displays and offers a variety of subgenres, including alt-rock, shoegaze, and reggae. In addition, Ska Dog hosts a variety of live events, inviting local musicians and groups to play outside its doors. “The store is packed with a lot of my eccentricities, the stuff I like to carry, but it also has the [records] people really want to get — the Deftones, pop music, Radiohead,” Store Owner Chris Hill said.

Ska Dog Records

Located on 37671 Niles Blvd, Mantiques is a Niles antique store that sells a variety of antique records, comics, toys, and many other types of memorabilia. “[We are] a group of sellers … You’ll see records all around the store,” Store Owner John Canepa said. Its cozy atmosphere draws people in, and the immense selection of items keeps customers browsing for hours on end. With most of its record collection coming from the 60s and 70s, the store houses a large collection of old records from bands such as the Beatles and Fleetwood Mac.

The front of the store, which is newly renovated, has an entire section dedicated to records and comics. With its wide selection of music, the store is an accessible and fun place for music-lovers to nd their next favorite vinyl.

“I mostly collect records containing music from video games like Undertale. I really like these because they have nice artwork on the disks and serve as good decorations and also because I can support some of my favorite creators by buying them.” - Advai Srinivasan, 11

Half-Price Books

Half-Price Books is a chain of bookstores in the US with a Fremont location at 39152 Fremont Hub. Despite primarily selling books, records are also available at this location, along with other physical forms of music such as CDs. The store houses an extensive collection of records, from older 80s music to popular artists today; David Bowie can be found next to Lana Del Rey. Along with vinyls, Half-Price Books also houses a medley of music CDs, from country to pop music. The store has a bustling environment, always lled with customers, and the store’s diverse collection of vinyls ensures any music lover will nd something they like.

Daojing Lin, 10

By Navya Chitlur & Maryam Naseer Staff Writers

The 56th California International Antiquarian Book Fair returned to San Francisco from February 9-11, showcasing and selling hundreds of antique books, maps, newspapers, jewelry, games, and more, through rare booksellers. The two-story fair was similar to a museum for historical literature, appealing to attendees interested in the artistry of rare or old books. At the entrance to the frst foor, bustling book lovers admired booths from a plethora of different booksellers, such as James Cummins Bookseller, which sold antiquated books as well as games and other artifacts. Old parlor games, handmade cards, illustrated books, and textbooks lined the shelves, creating an immersive experience of historical everyday life for the visitors. Other booths sold literature and novels, such as frst-edition or handwritten copies, or writing or art that was not offcially published such as Picasso’s Le Cheval or Charles Dickens’ newspaper stories. Countless books were hand-bound and varied greatly in size — ranging from barely visible to too heavy to carry — and in language, with some in Latin or old German. As attendees made their way to the second foor, they were greeted with Jonkers Rare Books, a booth with special signed copies of many popular classics such as Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The booth also carried beautiful illustrated editions of classic books printed hundreds of years ago, such as Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream “My favorite part of dealing and handling frst editions of famous novels is signed letters written by famous authors, books given from one seller to another, they all sort of play a part in it,” Jonkers Rare Books Seller Tom Ayling said. On the other hand, booths such as Books of Wonder sold relatively newer books, including signed and special edition copies such as Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. A wide range of literary works were priced anywhere from a couple hundred to several hundred thousand, such as the frst UK edition of The Great Gatsby, listed at $125,000. Despite the high prices, the book fair welcomed individuals to enjoy the books regardless of their ability to make purchases. “It was a great opportunity to explore frst editions and it created a sense of community among book lovers. The vibrant atmosphere and rare book discoveries made it a wonderful experience.” Attendee Aisha Saeed said.

Many booksellers also sold materials related to world history, including maps almost as old as the printing press itself, or signed editions of Einstein’s theories and handwritten notes. To some, being in this profession serves as an opportunity to handle historical pieces on a near-daily basis. “The ability to handle objects that you would normally fnd in a museum and interact with them day to day … is a real pleasure,” Rare Book Seller Sally Deegan said. The fair provided a captivating glimpse into the past through a diverse array of rare and historical literature, maps, and more. With the the extensive variety of literary texts and a knowledgeable staff, attendees were guided through this literary treasure trove to rare signed copies and beautifully illustrated editions. Ultimately the fair served to ensure the legacy of historical literature, leaving attendees inspired by the knowledge and beauty of the preserved texts. ▪