the Epic, Volume 59, Issue 5 - March 11, 2024

Editors’ Picks

Bay Area observes a vanishing middle class pg. 12

Aarush Channapragada skates past limits pg. 15

Blurring the line between sports and arts

Askateboarder effortlessly glides across a concrete canvas; a rhythmic gymnast twirls her ribbon with precision and grace; a diver breaks the surface after a sequence of carefully crafted twists and turns. These fleeting moments all portray the convergence of sports and arts, blending competition and performance. This convergence challenges the notion of what it means to be an athlete or an artist.

02 NEWS the Epic

Letter from the Editors

Bienvenue!

We’re Myles and Susanna, your Editors-in-Chief, and we welcome you to the Epic’s Issue 5!

Indulge in our intriguing reads, from honored employees to expulsions to insidious Internet cookies.

In News, explore the new Job Shadow program; in Opinion, evaluate Lynbrook’s potential for career exploration; in Features, discover the history of Rainbow Park’s Ethiopian Community Center; in In-Depth, grasp the diminishing of America’s middle class; in Sports, toe the line between the relationship of sports and arts, and experience the journey of speed skater Aarush Channapragada. Don’t miss our web-exclusive content at lhsepic. com, including a story on the recent Cultural Festival.

À bientôt!

Myles Kim & Susanna Tang Editors-in-Chief

San José’s renewed e orts to combat homelessness

BY EMILY PEDROZA

Since San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and other San Jose leaders declared a homelessness crisis in October 2023, city leaders have renewed their efforts to alleviate the crisis: building new units of affordable housing, scaling up homelessness prevention assistance and expanding basic needs services through their new bills.

As of 2023, more than 6,340 people had been declared homeless in San Jose; this is the largest number the city has seen in 13 years. According to the 2022 San Jose City Report, the most commonly reported obstacles to obtaining permanent housing were high rent, lack of housing availability, insufficient income and psychiatric or emotional conditions.

To combat this, San Jose partnered with the Santa Clara County Housing Authority to create a community plan to reduce the number of homeless people between 2020 and 2025. By 2025, the city hopes to achieve a 30% reduction in the annual inflow of homelessness, house 20,000 more people through a supportive housing system and serve 2,500 interventions to prevent homelessness through their Homelessness Prevention System.

Since January 2020, San Jose has constructed six interim housing units to helping homeless people stabilize their lives and work toward self-sufficiency.

“Shelters are a good option to combat the crisis,” junior and Intersections Club activities coordinator Nitya Singh said. “But it really depends on the shelters — some don’t have a lot of space.”

One such unit is the Family Supportive Housing shelter on North King Road.

Beyond the shelter that they provide for families with children, they have branched out into services that promote skill development for future individual living. This includes educational enrichment programs, mental and physical wellness resources and a program that aims to support previously homeless residents up to three years after they leave. Their Homeless Prevention System provides families on the verge of homelessness with government funding. However, for the time being, the rest of their programs are supported by the money the shelter gathers for themselves.

“We are currently working on trying to find grants from the local government that apply to our residents’ needs,” said Leann Lucas, Development Coordinator of Family Supportive Housing shelter.

Although in March 2023 Gov. Gavin Newsom promised $12.7 million to San Jose to build 200 of these homes, the responsibility now falls on San Jose to handle the developmental and design stages, which is estimated to cost an additional $5 million to $10 million for operational costs and services.

However, with California Senator Padilla’s introduction of the new California Housing for All Act, the city, like

other California districts, will be provided a historic level of federal funding to combat rising homelessness, if the bill is approved.

“Housing is a basic human right, not a privilege,” Padilla said at a Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles. “We need significant federal investments to scale up creative and effective housing solutions.”

Besides housing, San Jose has also expanded transportation and mental health services for the homeless population through accessible VTA Transit passes available through the Salvation Army; mental health groups such as Recovery Cafe San Jose and medical services like the Better Health Pharmacy.

“Homelessness is not something you can throw money at and hope it disappears, even though money is necessary,” Lucas said. “Focusing on what causes homelessness and providing more resources to prevent it from happening is what is important.”

Rate of homelessness in San Jose according to the City of San Jose

Teachers and students honored at Feb. 27 board meeting

BY CLAIRE GUO

English teacher Anna Kirsh, three distinguished Lynbrook students and the drama department were honored at the FUHSD Board Meeting on Feb. 27 for their respective achievements. Guidance and Assistant Pricipals’ Secretary Jackie Perez was also honored but declined to comment.

Drama Department

The drama department was honored for their recent musical, “Ranked,” and their upcoming spring show, “The Laramie Project,” for their courage to undertake contemporary themes such as academic pressure as well as violence and homophobia.

The drama team decided to take on “Ranked” when they saw that Cupertino High School had tackled the project at the Lenaea High School Theatre Festival.

Certi ed Employee of the Year Anna Kirsh

ASB, Aletheia and Red Cross Club adviser and World Literature teacher Kirsh was selected as the Certificated Employee of the Year, an award chosen through a round of nominations from students, parents and staff.

“I am so honored,” Kirsh said. “Among the most incredible colleagues whom I’ve worked with, to be nominated Teacher of the Year is mind blowing and very, very flattering.”

This year is Kirsh’s 10th year teaching, marking an important milestone in her career. In her time working at Lynbrook, peers and students agree that she has become an integral part of the Lynbrook community both as a teacher and adviser.

Poster Student Yusuf Gadelrab

Senior and star athlete Yusuf Gadelrab moved to Lynbrook in September of his junior year. Despite having to adjust to a new environment in a short amount of time, he is one of two students nominated for the honor of becoming Poster student. With this new title, Yusuf will represent Lynbrook in school posters and pamphlets distributed throughout the 2024-25 school year.

Foundation Scholar Adrina Tran

Growing up with a single mother, senior Adrina Tran faced a unique set of challenges that she has had to navigate. However, she has also learned a lot from her struggles, and received a full tuition scholarship to Boston University and the title of Foundation Scholar, a special award given to only one student at Lynbrook.

“I was limited in support since my mom was constantly working,” Tran said. “I kind of had to deal with everything myself and figure out my extracurriculars and opportunities.”

Despite this, Tran participates in a lot of extracurricular activities. She started a nursing club in her neighborhood, and is a head associate at an internship program to combat the opioid epidemic in the San Bernardino area.

S“Almost

Poster Student Andrew Li

enior Andrew Li is known by his teachers and peers as a selfless and kind individual. He is a part of many clubs, such as Indesign, Breakdance and HPV clubs. Ms. Anna Kirsh, who nominated Li for the title of Poster student, was never his teacher, but was impressed by Li after getting to know him through ASB events where he didn’t hesitate to help out.

without hesitation when I was first asked to nominate someone, Andrew came to mind,” Kirsh said. “He’s not even my student, but he’s so selfless and he puts his heart into everything he does.”

A. Yusuf Gadelrab B. Drama department C. Anna Kirsh D. Adrina Tran

A.

PHOTOS BY CLAIRE GUO

GRAPHIC

D.

B.

E.

C.

Board and Committee progress toward new Trustee Area map

BY AMANDA JIN

The FUHSD Board of Trustees voted to transition from At-Large Elections to By-Trustee Area elections in March 2023, and in February of this year, provided new updates and hearings for the community. Maps are currently being drafted with the aid of community input and the final rendition will be ultimately chosen by the Board. At-Large elections were originally conducted with a districtwide vote, whereas the new format allows voters from one of the five geographical subsets, known as “Trustee Areas,” to decide which candidate will represent them — similar to how state and national political representation works.

The Community Trustee Area Districting Committee, made up of 16 diverse community members, three of which are students, was established in order to keep the community updated and also gather input from the wider community to help draft new maps for the Board. The committee reaches out to different social groups, conducting presentations both in person and online. Members can also request a meeting from the committee through a survey on their website.

“Right now, we’re in the process of community engagement, where we collect input through surveys, emails, in person and online events,” CTAD committee member Kashish Mittal said. “This is planning to go on for a couple more weeks.”

While designing these maps, the committee and the Board are continuously accepting new ideas and comments from the community. Both groups have been hosting community meetings and hearings to provide information. The Board has also held community workshops where citizens are provided resources to give input on the map drafts and even create their own versions online. They want to ensure everyone’s needs are being met with these new area boundaries.

Upcoming Viking Events

CAASP Testing, March 12-14

Good luck to all juniors who will be taking the CAASP test. This exam will determine the overall scores for Lynbrook’s performance in math, science and English.

School-Day SAT Administration, March 18

The Digital SAT will be administered on campus and is only open to Lynbrook students.

PTSA Job Shadow, March 18

The Job Shadow program is an opportunity for students to experience different career paths alongside professionals.

JProm, March 23

Dancing and snacks await juniors who will spend their prom in “an Aurorean dream” at the Blanco Urban Venue.

Opportunity Fair, March 27

Explore booths from different organizations to learn about future jobs, summer programs and other acacademic opportunities.

Photo by Robert Yu and Inaaya Yousuf.

Reporting by Inaaya Yousuf.

“I hope our students can also look into this process and then share their ideas about it,” Board member Rosa Kim said. “Even though we transition to this By-Trustee election, I want to emphasize all board members on our board, currently or in the future, are committed to working for all students in the district and will continue to do so.”

Since it was first publicly released, the timeline for the whole process has shifted slightly — two weeks have been added to allow the committee more time to gather input. Currently, the district is on Step 3: Committee Map Development. The CTAD committee has recently completed their second draft submissions and Map #3 Hearing will be on March 20. Once maps are revised and drafted once again, the final Map Hearing will take place on April 24, when the Board will select the final map for elections. Before this, meetings and discussions with the community will continue; four draft maps are currently available to be voted on.

Scenario One

Scenario ree

At Map Hearings, the CTAD committee presents their report and recommendations for map drafts. The district attorney and demographer will then make sure that the drafts follow California Voting Rights Act requirements at the federal and state levels. Here, the Board will discuss the maps and public comments can be made.

The main goal of this new ByTrustee election system is to increase representation in the community. When

Scenario Two

Scenario Four

creating boundaries for each area, one important thing is that they can not split minorities into different geographical areas so that their views are diluted among the others. Minorities will have a fair chance at getting their opinion heard, rather than being split up among the five regions. The district can also avoid lawsuits and spending millions on legal fees by transitioning to By-Trustee elections as the CVRA restricts At-Large elections.

The goal is to finalize and get the new map approved by the Nov. 5 election when new Trustee members will be elected through this new system.

“At our regularly-scheduled board meeting, we will be discussing and deliberating the pros and cons of what we think would be in the best interest of the district, then making a motion to accept one map,” Board of Trustees Vice President Naomi Nakano-Matsumoto said.

Campus, community and world events

BY ALEXANDRA WU

School Community

Students enrolled in a culinary course are eligible to participate in business clubs like FBLA and DECA. Culinary offers the opportunity to learn skills that support careers in hospitality and tourism. Classes under the CTE Program are designed to support students with hands-on learning and teach them skills that are linked to post-secondary education and careers.

“I think the curriculum is deeply connected to skills every student should know for their future,” culinary teacher Megan Miller said. “At some point in time, everyone needs to cook for themselves. Whether students intend on following this pathway for a career or not, it is an important life skill to have.”

National

On Feb. 22, the Odysseus moon lander marked the first United States landing on the moon in 52 years. However, due to complications during landing that left the lander laying on its side, the battery died on Feb. 27. The lander was sent to the moon to gather scientific data, evaluating the environment at the moon’s south pole and lunar surface. Before it died, the lander was briefly able to gather data and photos to send back to earth.

“We’re going 1,000 times further into space than the International Space Station,” Steve Altemus, the Intuitive Machines CEO, said in an interview with CNN.

As for the future, NASA aims to carry out more robotic science missions, seeking to learn more about the lunar environment as it focuses on preparing to land astronauts on the moon.

The primary presidential election took place on March 5, and San Jose leaders found themselves facing a shortage of voting locations. According to the San Jose Spotlight, council member Peter Ortiz of District 5 believed that this shortage risked silencing the community.

“It’s not giving the community a voice,” Ortiz said in an interview with the San Jose Spotlight.

County election workers said that it was too late to add additional centers for the voting of the primary presidential elections, but will implement the received feedback for more voting booths in the upcoming November election.

PHOTO BY AP NEWS

International

On Feb. 29, the Al-Rashid humanitarian aid incident, also known to many as the “flour massacre,” led to the deaths of 112 and injured another 760 in Gaza. Palestinians had gathered to collect supplies provided by international aid organizations, when, according to accounts from Palestinians on the scene, Israeli soldiers sprung on them and opened fire. However, the Israeli Military denies this, contending that the majority of the deaths can be attributed to stampedes around the trucks. As of now, Israel is allowing a limited number of aid trucks into the strip. While Israel has recently publicly committed to a proposed 6-week temporary ceasefire, the results of the massacre have potentially soured diplomatic ties between the Jewish state and Hamas, a Palestinian military movement governing parts of the Gaza Strip.

PHOTO BY AMY LIU

PHOTOS USED WITH PERMISSION FROM FUHSD CTAD AND DISTRICT STAFF

IMAGE BY FREEPIK

IMAGE BY PEXELS

PTSA revives job shadowing opportunities after four years

BY YVONNE WU

For the first time in four years since its cancellation, the annual Lynbrook Job Shadow program will return on Monday, March 18. The day-long event will provide students with opportunities to witness the day to day work of professionals in various fields firsthand.

Due to the COVID-19 restrictions in 2020, the program was put on pause. This year, the combined efforts of the Lynbrook Job Shadow co-chairs, Mimi Wong and Faneetha Nimmagadda, along with Lynbrook PTSA, were able to revive the program.

With Lynbrook PTSA’s assistance, the co-chairs were able to recruit a sufficient number of hosts from different fields. The diverse selection of opportunities include news anchorage, veterinary, orthodontics, law, culinary services and more.

person.

“The objective of the program is not to shadow someone working remotely, but to actually go into a company and follow a day in the life of an employee,” Wong said.

Along with struggles of coordinating with company in-person work regulations, the greatest challenge for the program co-chairs was the reparation of the program server. The purpose of the software in place was to match all program hosts with student participants. They also needed to allow student users to create personal accounts and logins to input their program preferences. With the help of a group of student recruits, the volunteers worked tirelessly to reconstruct the server from scratch.

Students gain frsthand work experience through the job shadow program, where they get to work with professionals in the feld.

However, the struggles of the process pale in comparison to the variety of benefits that student participants gain from the experience.

Along with being hosts themselves, parents introduced co-workers and friends to the program. Some hosts are Lynbrook alumni and around half of the hosts this year were carried over from previous years.

“We tried to contact them so they would come back, and some were really enthusiastic to do so,” Nimmagadda said.

Although the resurrection of the program has always been in the works, the team behind the program was unable to reimplement it until this year, because they needed to wait for companies to send employees back to work in-

“I felt good about being a part of the program,” Wong said. “I like making sure that we give good opportunities for students to see what’s out there.”

“This is a great opportunity for them because not many high schools around this area have a program like this,” Wong said. “As compared to other schools, students have the ability to select specific jobs they would like to do, whereas some other schools only allow students to select industries.”

The program is welcome to a wide variety of students. Students seeking to explore future careers can participate to broaden their horizons and identify their interests. For students that are resolute on their future career, the opportunity will introduce them to crucial skills that the jobs require.

Program participant and junior Sarthak Ratan is assigned to Vice Mayor Rosemary Kamei from the City of San Jose’s Office of Council District 1.

“She recently came to campus for FBLA, so I met her there and thought she was really interesting,” Ratan said. “I’m looking forward to the Job Shadow program to see how her professional day-to-day life would be, and understand what she does as a vice mayor.”

Connecting with professionals not only allows students to gain hands-on experience, but also to explore their curiosities. According to program co-chairs, asking questions regarding the specific education and training required to attain the job and unique work demands are crucial to maximizing the experience.

“This is a great opportunity for them because not many high schools around this area have a program like this.”

Mimi Wong, Job Shadow Co-Chair

Unsure of her future career path, junior Yvette Chen will use this opportunity to determine her interests. She is set to follow Dr. Sanjay Agarwal, a pulmonologist who also specializes in patients with sleep problems.

“This program provides me with an opportunity to explore careers I would have never thought of pursuing,” Chen said. “Maybe I’ll find that I’m really interested in pulmonology after this job shadow.”

New California laws to go into e ect in 2024-25

BY VIHAAN PATEL

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a series of laws this year that will affect student health, safety and education, effective beginning the 2024-25 school year. They include a raise to the minimum wage, an update to high school suspension policies and more.

AB 873: Media Literacy

Effective as of January 1, the new law requires all public schools from K-12 to integrate media literacy into their existing curriculum. According to the state law, media literacy is to be taught in language arts, mathematics, science, history and social science curriculum.

“Nowadays, with the increasing use of AI a misinformation, I believe that it is more important than ever for students to learn about media literacy, because it enables people to make the right judgements when navigating media.” sophomore and Junior State of America officer Chelsea Guo said.

While many schools have been slow to integrate media literacy into their curriculum, some schools have already incorporated it into some classes. For instance, Monta Vista High School’s journalism students have started to learn about media literacy every Monday, dubbed Media Literacy Monday. In the program, students learn to differentiate between real and fake news, to better understand the ramifications of fake news.

AB-1540: Financial Aid

Centered around the skyrocketing cost of higher education, this law facilitates access to financial aid for undocumented students at California’s public universities. An existing program called the Cal Grant offers students aid for college expenses. However, many students who need financial aid are often rejected from the program. The California Student Aid Commission reported that only 14% of undocumented college students received financial aid in 2022. Additionally, it builds on provisions in the California Dream Act, signed into law in 2001, increasing funding for undocumented students and streamlining the application process.

AB 1228: Minimum Wage

In California, the minimum saw two major changes. First, the state minimum wage was raised to $16 an hour, an increase of $0.50 from last year. While it was a less significant increase than past years, this law is part of a series of past laws that were specially designed to adjust wages based on inflation.

The second part of the change pertains to the fast food industry, mandating a minimum wage of $20 an hour and creating a fast food council. However, due to an exemption built into the law, some restaurants located in airports, theme parks, or museums are among the exceptions for the $20 minimum wage.

The fast food council will oversee fast food working conditions and make regulations about workplace standards, such as working hours, safety and employee leave. Since many large fast food chains, including McDonalds, do not have worker unions, this new law benefits employees by standardizing pay and working conditions across the entire industry. This law also has the potential to impact consumers, as according to Professor Orley Ashenfelter of Princeton University, fast food prices will increase by 6%.

“It will definitely be exciting to see my hourly wage go from $17.20 to $20 this April, however I feel that this new law could cause unintended consequences, such as fast food restaurants raising prices to offset the increase in wages,” junior and McDonald’s employee Cyrus Cao said.

SB 247: Expulsions & Suspensions

In a new law that goes into effect starting in July, suspensions or expulsions of middle or high schoolers based on willful defiance will be prohibited. This does not mean that students are entirely exempt from suspension or expulsion, but rather that students will not be subject to such punishments solely for exhibiting behavior known as willful defiance. For example, with the new law a student may not be suspended for minor disruptions such as talking back to a teacher or eating in class. Suspensions based on willful defiance have historically been an overly broad metric for suspensions or expulsions, resulting in many unjust suspensions over the years. By banning suspensions and expulsions on the basis of willful defiance, the state hopes to create a more equitable system for minority students.

AB 2282: Hate Symbols

As the U.S. is seeing an increase in hate crimes, this law, effective Jan. 1, increases penalties for displaying hate symbols, specifically swastikas, nooses and burning crosses, in K-12 schools, colleges, cemeteries, places of worship, public spaces and places of employment.

“The idea of the new law regarding hate symbols has good intentions, but it is also important to educate people on why drawing swastikas and other hate symbols can be hurtful to certain people,” history teacher Luca Signore said. “Punishing people for displaying these symbols is one thing, but teaching them about the history of these hateful symbols will have a more profound effect, because it will allow them to realize why these symbols are harmful.”

AB 607: California College Course Estimates

As part of the several new laws that affect California State Universities and California Community Colleges, the initative requires public universities to disclose the estimated cost of materials for each course on the course schedule, ensuring transparency and clarity for students picking classes. The law follows a phase-in process where colleges will be required to have costs listed for 40% of their courses by the beginning of 2025, 55% by 2026, 65% by 2027 and 75% by 2028.

“Since everyone is in a different circumstance regarding college fees, it is important that students know the cost of courses so that they can plan ahead,” Guo said. “For students planning to go to community college or a California State University, this could be especially beneficial in helping them navigate the complex college experience.”

Sen. Nancy Skinner, who authored SB 247, speaking at a rally.

The new law will come into efect on July, 1, 2024.

PHOTO USED WITH PERMISSION FROM MIMI WONG

PHOTO BY JIM RATLIFF , WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Encouraging the exploration of post-secondary pathways

Exploring career options beyond purely academic pursuits is a crucial aspect of a well-rounded education that nurtures creativity, communication and critical thinking. While all of these traits are important on their own, they also complement the subjects students can pursue in higher education. Lynbrook’s initiatives and support for programs such as Job Shadow encourages students to explore a wider range of subjects, cultivating an environment that helps students become more prepared for college and their professional careers. While these initiatives are helpful for students, there are still many other methods in which educators and students could take advantage of career exploration opportunities.

A 2022 study conducted by the Educational Credit Management Corporation surveyed high schoolers and found that 39% of the respondents have taken some sort of class or program that helped them determine what future career path would be best for them. This shows the importance of having programs in place for students to take advantage of.

Staf Editorial

The Voice of the Epic

path,” Assistant Principal David Erwin said.

Lynbrook already provides a variety of resources to help increase students’ exposure to a variety of career paths in an immersive way. The PTSA Job Shadow Program is an especially unique opportunity in which students are able to follow workplace mentors and make well-informed decisions about their future pathways. The program enables students to experience a realistic workday and develop many important skills such as professional etiquette, communication skills and job-specific abilities. Students can apply to a variety of jobs in fields including the arts, education, culinary services, STEM and more.

“Keep an open mind, think about what you are truly interested in doing and do not just follow the least resistant path.”

David Erwin, Assistant Principal

One way to further promote career diversity is by introducing discussions about different career pathways in classrooms. School staff who were involved in various fields before teaching can share personal experiences in their respective fields. For instance, literature teachers can talk about prior jobs they may have had in the field of journalism or professional writing to share their experience and advice with students who are interested in pursuing a career in writing. Art teachers can do the same by sharing possible career pathways for art majors in architectural design, photography and more. Teachers can show students that fields such as art can open the doors to many workplace opportunities and life skills.

FUHSD. They are hosting a Career Exploration Fair, led by Lynbrook students freshman Anushka Deshmukh and junior Aanya Mishra.

“The main goal of the event is for students to connect with people with similar passions,” Mishra said. “Students can learn more about that field, how others got interested and what opportunities there are currently in the world.”

Lynbrook can continue to encourage students to participate in these organizations by more prominently advertising in places such as weekly emails, the morning announcements and on Lynbrook’s website.

Lynbrook offers a rich variety of opportunities that foster career diversity among its students. From the PTSA’s Job Shadow program to the in-depth career-exploration features on Naviance, Lynbrook has actively contributed to creating a more inclusive learning environment that supports nontraditional career and educational pathways. Lynbrook can continue to increase inclusivity by sharing career diversity in classrooms, hosting more alumni guest speakers and partnering with nearby businesses to open up internship opportunities for students. Through the combined efforts of

“I think it will give me a basis for different medical field companies,” junior Vidhya Grace Nair said. “I would be able to get a better sense of what companies do on a typical day in the medical field and if I want to go into that profession.”

Another method Lynbrook uses to broaden its career exploration efforts is through the counselors’ use of Naviance, a college readiness software that provides students with tools for college planning and career assessment. Students are also offered opportunities to gain firsthand work experience within the school, such as working in the cafeteria or the main office.

These resources complement the diversity of Lynbrook’s curriculum and have succeeded in allowing many students to try out different career paths. By continuing with such programs and exposure, Lynbrook can continue this streak of pushing for even more career inclusivity and exploration.

Although Lynbrook has a wide range of class offerings, the district has many more classes in place. Mythology/ Folklore writing, commercial art, woodworking, and more are courses offered within the FUHSD district, but not at Lynbrook. If a class is offered at another FUHSD school, a student can arrange their schedule to take the class at that school for one period. Although this is an option available to students, traveling to and from Lynbrook to other FUHSD schools can prove ineffective and overly time-consuming.

Another option for students is to take advantage of community college courses, which offer a broader range of subjects that cater to many interests. These college courses are free for high school students to take through Lynbrook if enrolled through the offered pathways. Online college courses offer the flexibility needed for students in high school while providing a more specialized and indepth education catered to their interests. Currently, many Lynbrook students take courses at De Anza, Foothill and West Valley College. Exploring these courses helps students discover their passions in subjects that they previously would not have been able to look into.

“Keep an open mind, think about what you are truly interested in doing and do not just follow the least resistant

editors-in-chief — myles kim, susanna tang

managing editor

— anushka anand

copy editors — katie chin, surya saraf

— chelsea lee, valerie shu

“There’s something called soft skills, which are the relational, social and emotional skills that are prevalent in art and many other humanities,” art teacher Judy Schulze said. “In my art class, we’re collaborating and thinking creatively — out of the box. We are learning how to solve problems in a different, visual way. No matter what people end up doing after school and in their career, these skills are extremely important.”

Another way to increase career inclusivity is by inviting alumni to share their non-traditional career paths. By sharing these experiences with Lynbrook students, these alumni can improve the inclusive environment. Many students are unaware of the more non-traditional pathways after high school such as attending a trade school, which specializes in teaching students the technical skills needed for their chosen career path such as welding, computer repair or plumbing.

Furthermore, Lynbrook can partner with local businesses and organizations year-round, giving students a chance to partake in hands-on work experiences and insight into more career opportunities. Although Lynbrook’s Job Shadow event has successfully allowed students to be exposed to various workplaces, it is still only a one-day program. Longterm internship opportunities hold the potential to be even more impactful among students, as they allow students to truly experience and understand different careers, and grant students the time to discover where their passions lie.

Many Lynbrook students already participate in meaningful organizations that help their peers explore different careers and connect them to helpful internships. The District One Youth Advisory Council is a student-run organization that aims to propel career-related success in

news editor — apurva krishnamurthy

opinion editors — alyssa wang, lilly wu

features editor — emily pedroza

in-depth editor

— eileen zhu

sports editor

web editors

— ashley huang

— daeun chung, qianzi loo

business/pr manager

— deeksha raj

design editors adviser social media manager — riki murase

— josh miller

stafers

alexandra wu

alex cotterel

amanda jin

audrey sun

charlotte bolay

claire guo

crystal zhu

david zhu

erin fitzpatrick

gary pan

grace zhu

inaaya yousuf

valued contributors: Soo Yeon Choi and Lisa Liu

irene hwang

meadow shen

nicole ge

robert yu

rohan kakhandiki

sarah zhang

taek kim

vidushi upadhyay

vihaan patel

olivia yuan

yvonne wu

New law protects students from de ance expulsions

BY CHARLOTTE BOLAY

While expulsions and suspensions in schools can be necessary for maintaining a safe school environment and eliminating violence or dangerous behavior, the current criteria for a student being expelled or punished presents too low of a bar. On July 1, a new bill titled SB 274 will go into effect to prevent expulsions and suspensions for willful defiance. This bill will protect student records and prevent racial disparities in expulsions and suspensions in a positive step toward equity and justice in California schools.

Willful defiance is defined as an act in which a student persists in minor misbehavior. Some examples include talking over a teacher, wearing clothes prohibited by the dress code and disrupting the class with loud talking. In the past, California laws have allowed schools to expel or suspend students who demonstrated willful defiance. Since willful defiance is considered a minor misbehavior, such disciplinary actions are far too harsh and put students’ futures in unnecessary danger. However, this will fortunately change when SB 274 is put into action, as it prohibits removing students from school through expulsion or suspension for defiance. There are many causes for expulsion or suspension on the list of criteria for disciplinary actions, and willful defiance was only one of the numerous offenses amid other significantly more harmful ones. But according to EdSource, willful defiance is the cause of more than half of all suspensions in California schools. As for suspensions, about a quarter of them were for this reason.

“Suspension is actually one of the least effective consequences for misbehavior,” said Allison Coy, the Director of Educational Options at FUHSD. “Additionally, willful defiance was one of the least concerning offenses in the criteria for suspension or expulsion.”

If extreme disciplinary action is taken, even when students aren’t being violent or dangerous, it could unjustly ruin their chances of success and prosperity in the future. According to the Civil Rights Project at UCLA, 40% of students who have been suspended do not

40% of students who have been suspended do not graduate according to the Civil Rights Project at UCLA

graduate, compared to the 17% of students who do not graduate despite not being suspended Therefore it is crucial that schools prioritize keeping their students in school, giving them access to a necessary education for them to be successful later in life.

“Unless it’s a matter of safety, it’s not helpful to expel or suspend students,” senior and Lynbrook Junior State of America Club president Kaawon Kim said. “They are just being set up for a lifetime of hardship if they are not given access to education.”

The ability to discipline students for acts of willful defiance affects students of color and students with disabilities at alarmingly higher rates than white students. According to a study conducted by The National Library of Medicine, Black students are 3.2 times as likely to get suspended or expelled as white students, and Native American students are twice as likely to get suspended. This means that these students become victims of potential unjust punishment due to their backgrounds — an action that only reinforces stereotypes about these minorities. The same source also states that students with disabilities are significantly overrepresented in these suspensions.

squashing their ability to make a better life for themselves.

“I think a lot of the problems occur because students become defined as a misbehaved student after being expelled or suspended,” Kim said.

ILLUSTRATION BY ANUSHKA ANAND AND ERIN FITZPATRICK

Although suspensions and expulsions for willful defiance will be banned in California, this does not rule out the use of this punishment for dangerous behaviors such as sexual violence and weaponry. While preventing the abuse of suspensions and expulsions is a crucial step in ensuring equity for students, it is important to distinguish between what can be considered a disruption and potentially life-threatening behavior in order to keep schools safe environments.

History teacher Luca Signore believes that although the law is a general step in the right direction, it may backfire.

Concerns like the success of other students in the classroom amid disruptions are relevant when making changes to expulsion criteria. Teachers may also wonder how else to discipline students if they are prohibited from sending them home.

“The fact that other students are not learning because another student is being defiant needs to be considered,” Signore said. “The students in the class must be respected and sometimes the misbehaving student must be removed from class.”

With the new bill, schools can no longer enact expulsions or suspensions for acts of willful defance.

“I don’t think there is an intentional act of racism from teachers or administrators,” Kim said. “I do think that there are pre-conditioned stereotypes that result in minority students being expelled at higher rates than others.”

SB 274 will lessen the number of minority students who are expelled or suspended. According to American Civil Liberties Union California Action, Black males are three times more likely to be suspended for defiance than their white counterparts. Since many of these expulsions or suspensions are based on willful defiance, this law is a step forward in eliminating unjust punishments due to racism and internal bias. While the bill itself won’t erase the racial stereotypes which have been ingrained into society, it will prevent administrators from acting on them. As demonstrated, expelling students can have an outsized effect on a student’s post-secondary life. In the absence of proper discipline and counseling, students tend to make the same bad decisions which will in turn affect the rest of their lives negatively. The school-to-prison pipeline is a concept that can generally be defined as a path students, especially racial minorities, fall into after they have been subject to harsh disciplinary actions. Students who repeatedly face harsh discipline from school officials are more likely to be committed to juvenile detention facilities or fail to graduate high school. This injustice has the potential to keep students in the vicious cycle of incarceration,

BY QIANZI LOO//IN MY OPINION

A world through another lens

Ajumble of thoughts and emotions clouded my vision as stress piled atop my shoulders, the weight suffocating my chest; and yet, as my fingers slipped through the sturdy nylon strap of my camera to rest on the dials, I started to enter a state of calmness. Each picture carried a thousand words, and I felt a surge of relief and satisfaction with every shutter click. Ironically, I only started photography in sophomore year to fulfill my fine arts credits, not realizing

what it would bring me long past the conclusion of the class.

I entered my Photo & Design class hesitant — I had never used a camera before. What even was photography? It was foreign, unfamiliar and stressful. I gingerly held my mother’s DSLR camera to school; it was a Nikon D5000 from 2009, an instrument bearing memories almost as old as I am.

The first few months were quite literally a blur as I squinted into the viewfinder to find the seemingly impossible perfect angle. Photos turned out too bright, too dark, too unfocused as my fingers fumbled over the dials. In an attempt to improve my skills, I dived headfirst into YouTube tutorials, but the more I rushed myself, the more smudges filled my images. Photography wasn’t like other subjects in that there was no correct way or specific guide to taking photos.

The most advice I received was to experiment with the camera. Despite the vagueness of this answer, it was truly invaluable. As much as I initially dreaded completing contact sheets for the Photo & Design class, which required us to take 20 or more photos between each class on

However, Coy provides a unique solution to these concerns. Instead of pulling students out of school, she suggests disciplining students through methods that keep them in classrooms and give them more time with administrators.

“Sending away students who demonstrate behaviors is not an ideal way to change these behaviors,” Coy said. “A better way to change negative behavior is to give someone more attention, instruction and education.”

FUHSD currently offers Saturday School, a more desirable alternative for students who have demonstrated some level of defiance. Students can meet with counselors and discuss their behavior, and have the opportunity to listen to guests who speak about ways to behave and deal with stress. This option will help foster better future behavior in students, and is more effective than sending students home, which will only teach them to embrace absenteeism. If students’ only consequence for disruption and defiance is being sent home via suspension or expulsion, this gives them the incentive to continue demonstrating these behaviors and not look for ways to change and improve.

By eliminating possibly biased disciplinary action, and allowing students access to the education they deserve, SB 247 will pave a brighter path for students in the future instead of reinforcing misbehavior and limiting their chances of prosperity and success. Instead of sending students home, administrators and teachers can demonstrate more effective and useful solutions to disorderly conduct.

a specified unit, they forced me to actively look for unique things in the world around me, whether it be symmetry or complementary color schemes.

And thus, each day, I tried to see the world through the camera’s lens. On the walks to and from school, I peered down at the fragile sprigs and petals fluttering with the wind and imagined myself with the birds flying atop the trees. In particular, I enjoyed the macrophotography and portrait photography units as I focused on the details of all my subjects, whether it be the grooves of tree trunks to smile lines. Over time, I noticed the cracks in the sidewalk, the new spider web growing in between two wooden posts that wasn’t there a week ago, the particular way the sun refracted off the dewy leaves. I gained clarity, pressing the shutter button to a half stop as the lens adjusted. The rest of the world fell away; at that moment, there was just me, my camera and the subject.

Regardless of the occasion, photography helps me stay grounded. At large school events, where too many sounds and voices blend together, my lens narrows in on one specific moment, relieving myself of the distractions that

clouded my mind just seconds ago. I get lost in the upbeat energy, breathless as I try to capture all the intense emotions surrounding me.

Even after taking the photos themselves, photography still offers opportunities for me to unwind through the art of editing. It can be surprisingly therapeutic, and my editing style often fluctuates with my mood as I decide whether to adopt a cold, cinematic look or warm, film tint. Photography is my form of meditation; I can look back on the pictures I take later and suddenly I am back on that concrete sidewalk, crouched against the bushes, eyes wide and holding my breath under goldenrod rays as I release the shutter button.

By using photography as a creative outlet, I try to confront and consolidate my feelings instead of repressing their existence. I make sure to capture the best and worst of days, so that someday in the future, I can look back and experience them all over again. When the pressure comes crashing down once more, perhaps a spark of light from my past will find its way to the present, reminding myself of all there once was, and all there could be.

PHOTO BY DAEUN CHUNG

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY ANUSHKA ANAND AND OLIVIA YUAN

GRAPHIC

PHOTO BY LILLY WU

BY DAEUN CHUNG//IN MY OPINION

What meansmentorship to me

Iremember the mornings of my childhood vividly — the cold breeze, the scent of freshly cut grass, the melody of birds singing in the distance and the anticipation of another day at school. But what made those mornings truly meaningful was the daily routine that I shared with my grandfather. Every day, he would take my hand and, together, we would embark on a journey up the small hill called Namsan behind our house to get to school. Little did my 5-year-old self know then that these walks were not just about getting to school; instead, they were about the invaluable lessons in mentorship that my grandfather taught me, one step at a time.

As a child, asking endless questions and retelling

countless stories was what I did best, brimming with limitless energy and insatiable curiosity for the intriguing world around me. My grandfather, with his unwavering patience and love, was always there to indulge my nonstop chatter and musings. Regardless of how silly, illogical or unimportant my rambles may have seemed, he never failed to grant me his full attention. With his wrinkled, rough hands, my grandfather guided me to explore my inquisitiveness.

One day, as we followed the narrow forest path, my grandfather began telling me the “Flower Kingdom” tale: a fictional story about lilies, delphinium, daisies and marigolds visiting the Flower Kingdom. As a part of the narrative, he told me to count the number of petals on the flowers we passed and remember them.

While taking a break on a wooden bench from our long walk, a purple iris caught our eyes. My grandfather and I squatted down to have a closer look, and I started counting the number of petals out loud. Hana, dul, set. It had three petals. We encountered other flowers on our way to school, including a buttercup with five petals, a delphinium with eight petals, a cineraria with 13 petals and an aster with 21 petals. In the end, he revealed the unique pattern in the numbers: the Fibonacci sequence. Like magic, his story not only brought me to school in a split second, but also changed my perspective on math. Math was not limited to just textbooks, but rather existed everywhere, integrated into our daily lives.

Since my sophomore year in high school, I started volunteering as a tutor for the Peer-to-Peer program, where I helped elementary school students understand prealgebra. One student whom I still remember is Jacob, a fifth

grader who loved reading. Every class, he would give me weekly updates on what books he was reading with his eyes reflecting genuine interest in reading. However, he soon lost the twinkle in his eyes when I tried to change the topic to factorization, square roots or quadratic equations.

Eager to recreate the same compelling learning environment for him and other young students that my grandfather provided for me, I frequently sought guidance from my grandfather and embraced his counsel to consider my creativity as a method for engaging with students and the world. Ultimately, this philosophy propelled me to create my own teaching materials, including fictional math stories to spark his interest. From “Ruler Competitions” to “How to Find Roots?” I wrote fictional stories to translate complex math theories into comprehensible narratives. Soon, my effort seemed to bear fruit as Jacob aced the state’s standardized test and became qualified to take an advanced math class at his school the following year.

Last summer, I eventually compiled all of the stories my grandfather and I created, publishing the math textbook, “Interesting Math Stories for Logical Thinking.” This project is a permanent expression of our shared values and a written record of our creative lives. It captures the multi-faceted nature of our engagement with the world and our effort to leave a lasting impact. My grandfather has influenced my academic journey by teaching me what true mentorship should look like. As I look forward to college and beyond, I hope to carry on the legacy of my grandfather, my insightful and evercreative hero.

Don’t judge a book’s movie adaptation by its cover

BY CRYSTAL ZHU

It can be easy to catch a die-hard book fan groaning about the new movie adaptation of their favorite book. From “Harry Potter” to the stories of detective Hercule Poirot to “Percy Jackson,” nearly every major piece of literature ends up on the big screen. Unfortunately, only a few of them find widespread appeal and financial success, while most garner criticism for straying from the book’s plot or casting actors that differ from their described identity in the book. These movies or television shows do, however, make their way to a larger audience, who are able to appreciate the author’s works. Despite the aversion many may feel toward adaptations, they continue to positively serve today’s consumers by exposing them to stories they otherwise would not have been aware of.

be hard to find the time and energy to sit down and work through a novel, especially if reading is lower on one’s priority list. In comparison, the number of television shows and movies that the average person watches is significantly higher at 290 movies and TV shows in 2022, according to the SWNS Media Group. Evidently, the digital age’s readiness of information encourages audiences to turn to movies instead of written pieces. This is why adaptations can be more of an accessible and convenient format to absorb a story.

desires of every audience member. A large number of adaptations have also been denounced for race-swapping characters. Nevertheless, changing the races of existing characters without disturbing the plot would bring diversity and representation into a comparatively monotone cast of the books — such as in Netflix’s “Shadow and Bone,” where the main character was recreated as half-“Shu”, the show’s equivalent to East Asian.

“By turning the words into something visual like a movie, people can better understand what’s happening.”

Jessica Steiger, sophomore

“The books that were chosen to become movies were chosen for a reason,” senior and Students for Literacy Club co-president Ella Yuan said. “They have a really good plot or elements that translate really well into a movie or a TV show format.”

Historically, movie adaptations of popular novels have seen a variety of success levels. With only a 5.9 out of 10 on IMDb, the first “Percy Jackson” movie adaptation from 2010 was described as “a lot less funny than the book” by the New York Times. The teen fantasy “Twilight” saga’s adaptations were received with similar reviews upon its release, while other movies like “A Wrinkle in Time” and “Eragon” were spurned for falling short of their literary counterparts. Common problems audience members have with the movies are flat plot points, the removal of major scenes and subpar screenwriting. Most, if not all, well-respected classics like “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Romeo and Juliet” have also been adapted into movies, earning mixed reviews regarding their plot and acting.

“The movie of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ skipped out on a few details,” freshman Sylvia Dong said. “There were a few characters and events that just didn’t get mentioned, but I guess it comes with having a limited budget.”

According to Wordsrated.com, the average American reads about 12.6 books a year. For most busy Americans, it can

“I think a lot of the time people are big fans of the books and they feel very protective of the book,” Yuan said. “They don’t want the movies to ruin it for them, but I also think turning a book into a movie makes it a lot more popular.”

From plays like Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” to Khaled Hosseini’s historical fiction novel “The Kite Runner,” many of the stories read in literature classes offer one or sometimes multiple adaptations. Students are able to see their curriculum come to life through these films, providing a deeper and more engaging angle into the content.

“In World Literature we read and also watched ‘Macbeth,’” sophomore Jessia Steiger said. “It was really good because in Shakespeare’s writing, not everyone’s going to understand what they’re talking about. By turning the words into something visual like a movie, people can better understand what’s happening. I think that was why my teacher showed it to us.”

Despite the unexpected pros of adaptations, they are often held up to unrealistic standards, stemming from an expectation of what the adaptation “should” look like. Actors incompatible with the audience’s expectation are a main source of criticism, due to their appearance or the personality they choose to portray. Unfortunately, every reader has a different interpretation of the characters they see in their favorite novels, making it impossible to satisfy the

Differences in the plots of movie adaptations have also attracted unfavorable attention. Although these can be frustrating, the changes are often made due to a shorter time frame and difference in medium; not all written in the book can be shown in the movie effectively. For example, inner dialogue from the characters — such as Percy’s from the “Percy Jackson” books — are difficult to incorporate effectively without interrupting the pacing of the show. Each episode in Disney’s show is only 45 minutes, making it fitting to allocate more time to action scenes. Thus, the directors of the movie are attempting to create an engaging storyline with the time and resources they have available alongside the creative opinions they possess. Author involvement can prevent this phenomenon from becoming detrimental, shown through the significant difference in success between Disney’s “Percy Jackson” — which involved the original author — and the previous movies, which didn’t.

Due to countless negative reviews online, the judgment of

book adaptations are overly harsh. It is easy to see the shortfalls of book adaptations, but their benefits cannot be overlooked. From bringing recognition to books by creating visually appealing content for students in school to satisfying the fast-paced life most prefer today, adaptations have proven their worth regardless of their reputation. When addressing the benefits that adaptations can bring, the antagonism repeatedly felt for them should be tempered with the fact that these movies and TV shows are advantageous, and should not be met with such hate.

Clubs show global spirit in rst-ever Culture Festival

BY TAEK KIM AND AUDREY SUN

The Culture Festival took place on Feb. 15, showcasing a range of performances, food and activities from diverse cultural clubs, including the American Indo Student Association, Spanish Honor Society, Taiwanese American Student Association, French Honor Society, National Chinese Honor Society and Korean Club.

“Although our school isn’t as diverse as a lot of other schools in the district, we have many students who do represent several cultures,” junior and ASB Intra-District Council Representative Calvin Zhou said.

This event was inspired by the 2023 Valentine’s Day Club Market and aimed to show appreciation for the diverse cultures on campus. It also encouraged students who weren’t from a culture that was largely represented to share their own cultural background.

“It was great to see how we showcase the different cultures at Lynbrook,” junior and ASB commissioner Nina Pan said. “This is different from past Community Link events since we’re trying to target a more diverse audience.”

ASB Community Link began planning for this festival in December 2023 and continued their efforts throughout the school year. The festival was open to the entire community, including parents and younger siblings.

To advertise, Community Link distributed pamphlets and visited Miller Middle School. They also created promotional clips in the monthly PR videos, inviting students to sign up to participate in “Pass the Plate,” where students visit local restaurants and share their culture through food.

“We wanted to create unique styles of promotion by doing something more interactive,” Zhou said.

The festival showcased 12 clubs, each offering insights into their cultural backgrounds. Many clubs sold traditional foods like kimbap and chow mein, while others hosted activity booths featuring pastimes from their culture such as origami folding.

“National Chinese Honor Society decided to participate because we care a lot about Chinese culture and we wanted to spread its awareness to more people,” senior and NCHS Co-President Lyria Zhu said.

NCHS hosted various traditional Chinese cultural games, such as Chinese chess and checkers. Officers set up a booth to teach participants the games’ histories and how to play. Since ancient times, these games have served as a means for civilians to pass time and make meaningful connections.

“We believed that playing these games would offer a culturally enriching experience to the student body,” Zhu said.

FHS presented a glimpse of French culture by selling “pain au chocolat,” a common French breakfast and café food, served alongside thick hot chocolate and whipped cream. As the multicultural event occurred two days after Mardi Gras, a French festival, FHS took this opportunity to set up a booth for students to design themed masks.

“The cultural festival was a great opportunity to offer an immersive experience of French culture, especially right after Mardi Gras,” senior and FHS Secretary Stephanie Li said.

The Korean Club presented itself by serving kimbap, a Korean dish that is made from cooked rice, vegetables and

meat, which is then rolled in dried seaweed. It also hosted a booth for paper folding, where students could make “Ddakji,” a paper folded into squares and used to play a game that is won by flipping the other player’s square.

“People know about Korean culture in terms of K-pop and K-film through the internet, but they don’t get as many chances to experience Korean traditions,” senior and Korean Club President Richard Lim said. “We wanted to use these opportunities to share those little details of Korean culture that go beyond what people see on the surface level.”

Although some students weren’t able to attend the festival, ASB ensured that the student body was still wellrepresented. They set up booths to represent various cultures, such as selling Baklava, representing a portion of Ukrainian culture.

Aside from clubs’ participating in this year’s festival, many other groups also performed, such as Jalwa, who performed various Bollywood Fusion dances.

“I was fascinated by how everyone was learning about different cultures while exploring their own,” junior Leo Jiang said. “Coming to this festival has helped me expand my worldview.”

A blast from the past with Steven Hong’s artifacts

BY ROBERT YU

With an ever-developing collection of olive-drab helmets and vintage water canteens, sophomore Steven Hong found himself in a heartpounding race against time. As the seconds ticked away, Steven watched as the eBay page for a vintage 1940s American soldier’s uniform turned into a battlefield of lastminute bets. As more and more bids were fired, a sense of confused anticipation ran through Hong’s veins. Within the last 10 seconds, Hong placed his bet, and a cathartic sense of relief ensued as shipping details popped up on his monitor. Despite collecting relics that have long since become echoes of history, Hong hopes to breathe new life into

these artifacts and preserve their historic significance in his collection of militaria, or military memorabilia.

Before embarking on a long journey of collection, Hong’s passions lay in understanding the aspects of transportation — ranging from everyday transportation to machines of war.

“My passion for militaria started with vehicles like tanks and warplanes,” Hong said. “The way they function, are designed and their usage in conflict is extremely

interesting.”

In Hong’s collection, he weaves together a timeline of the American theater of World War I and World War II. Hong’s collection currently consists of items like helmets, tactical boots, cartridge belts, leggings, bags, shovels and metal canteens, all produced during those turbulent periods of American history.

“The period of World War I to World War II is the most pertinent to life in the 21st century,” social studies department lead Steven Roy said. “It’s good that Steven has chosen to collect items of such high relevance.”

One of the main exhibits of Hong’s collection is a 1910s Eagle-Snap cartridge belt. During World War I, American Soldiers had used EagleSnaps, a design of the metal buttons placed on cartridge belts. The particular model was the first of 10 models used in World War I and was bought by Hong in pristine condition. Purchasing the belt had been Hong’s proudest moment throughout his collection career.

Though Hong’s main method of collecting artifacts is through online shopping sites, Hong also appreciates buying artifacts in person. One of Hong’s favorite methods of shopping for militaria is by visiting antique shops or militaria conventions. To Hong, stepping into an antique shop is like an adventure. The allure of finding a treasure within mounds of scrap, combined with the unique interactions

held within the store are two reasons why Hong always finds that it’s worth it to come back another day.

“While walking inside the antique shop, I saw several waist-high piles of old uniforms,” Hong said. “It feels Indiana Jones-ish to be wandering through this store. It was worth inhaling in what was probably a combined millennia’s worth of dust trying to find militaria.”

As a part of his school community, Hong has shown impressive dedication to militaria. In his history class, he always contributes knowledge that enriches classroom discussions while adding his own historic flair. Within his group of friends, Hong also keeps them updated on any new items that he collects, and the stories behind them. Hong is also an avid user of social media, using platforms like Instagram, Discord and the U.S. Militaria forum in order to interact with the community and showcase his collection.

“Steven’s militaria is different compared to a lot of other content that our friends post,” sophomore Isaiah Sit said. “It’s a breath of fresh air whenever Steven posts about his hobby, as compared to our usual discussions.”

Hong’s passion for history isn’t restricted to just military collection, as he frequently interacts with historical organizations like the Historical Forces Association and the Chinese 88th Division of California. Both of these organizations specialize in reenacting war scenes through collecting real and replica instruments of war and firing them in staged settings. Hong looks up to these communities of reenactors, as he plans to join a reenactment organization in the distant future.

“At some point you realize that you’re not just collecting old stuff,” Hong said. “I’ve learned to appreciate history and realized that the militaria that I’m collecting has been used for violent conflict; these items have shaped the world into what it is today.”

Participants of the festival play Chinese chess, in which players capture the opponent’s king using chess pieces imprinted with Chinese characters.

Students at the Culture Festival play a traditional Indian game, Carrom Board. Players strike each others’ pieces, competing by “pocketing” them.

PHOTOS BY INAAYA YOUSUF

e American Queen: A novel of empowerment and community

BY IRENE HWANG

“The American Queen” by Vanessa Miller is a historical fiction novel that uncovers the semi-realistic story of characters finding freedom and community following enslavement. Published on Jan. 30, the novel follows Louella, a young free slave’s unsung journey to build a land of belonging and learn how

to transform her hate and anger into love. Illuminating the stories of Louella and many other characters, this story honors the lives and experiences of Black Americans, contributing to important racial discourse in light of Black History Month. The book succeeds in eloquently revealing Louella’s internal struggle in finding and accepting love, but falters to go beyond presenting a static, one-dimensional characterization for the side characters.

The characters in the book reflect the racial hierarchy

tensions present in American society following the Civil War and the abolition of slavery, when racial oppression and violence was very much present. The Black characters were treated as outsiders and lived in fear of hateful acts such as lynching, arson and murder. The persecution Black Americans face makes it clear that freedom — the basic principle America was built upon — was impossible to achieve in such a prejudiced and racially divided society.

Louella’s trauma from her past is portrayed realistically: even as she finds love and community, the scars of her past remain. The welts on her back are one of her major insecurities — a past she yearns to hide from even her closest friends and family. With Louella’s vivid dreams of her past, Miller elucidates that although being a part of a supportive community is crucial, there are parts of one’s past that one will keep to themselves. Characterizing Louella as someone who swallows much of her struggles for fear of seeming vulnerable gave her an endearing quality that readers could empathize with.

Louella longs for belonging but she struggles to find it in her community. A former slave, even after marrying Reverend William, a half-Black slave and the son of Louella’s plantation owner, she is treated as an outsider due to her race and background. William, although a slave, is treated better than the slaves on the plantation due to his lighter skin color. However,

his brother Robert, who can pass for a white man, is a free man and has far more privileges than William. The author poignantly articulates the different lives of Robert and William, despite coming from the same parents, merely due to the color of their skin as well as Louella, a Black woman. With these examples, Miller highlights that even within a family, race dictates the lives individuals would lead — this was a reality of the American South in the 19th century — further bringing the book to life.

William’s potential for complexity as a character stands out. As the son of a plantation owner and slave, but being a slave himself, his identity is torn between two opposites, which I wish was explored more in the book. The story mainly focuses on Louella’s journey, and William seems one-dimensional: a loyal and loving husband to Louella. His point of view on race and class structures would have provided a fresh insight into both Black, white and mixedrace perspectives.

Louella’s courage and determination in finding a land where she belongs is truly empowering. Likewise, many readers would be able to relate with searching for belonging. Although many years have passed since slavery and racial segregation have been legally abolished, it is not only race that separates us; there are many aspects of identity that one may feel difficult to express in fear of being shunned. The Happy Land uplifts those in search of a place for home, and Louella’s story encourages readers to persist despite the struggles on the way — there is a Happy Land waiting for us all, one we will create.

Rainbow Park center supports Ethiopian community

BY OLIVIA YUAN

Across the street from Lynbrook’s main office, nestled among the trees in Rainbow Park is a building that many students see daily but may be unable to name. It’s the headquarters of Ethiopian Community Services. Though its presence may seem largely invisible, the organization’s impact on the local Ethiopian community, fueled by its devoted volunteers, is undeniable.

“We’re trying to serve every Ethiopian person in the community,” ECS board treasurer Menen Tesfahun said.

Founded in 1992, the nonprofit organization sought to support the growing number of Ethiopian immigrants settling in the Bay Area.

Today, ECS continues to serve this population through a variety of programs and services. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, it partnered with community health centers and infectious disease experts to host a vaccine awareness campaign and informational webinars. In 2020, it also encouraged community engagement by educating local Ethiopians on the importance of voting and the census. One of its most popular ongoing services is its free 30-minute legal consultations, which are offered every other week by partnering lawyers.

Three decades after its inception, ECS remains a vibrant cornerstone of San Jose’s Ethiopian community, and has changed in several ways over the years. For example, its current board of directors consists of an unprecedented female majority and is led by the organization’s first-ever female president.

Yet, ECS has also contended with setbacks.

The stock market crash of 2008 led to a permanent reduction of the generous aid money previously provided by a number of major donors, including the City of San Jose, which had allowed it to have paid employees. Unable to sustain that model, the

organization’s capabilities were reduced to a fraction of what they were before. Numerous thriving programs, including a popular tutoring program for children in the community, were unfortunately discontinued.

“In the last four or five years, we managed to recruit more volunteers, but we’re still working to get back to where ECS was in the past,” ECS board president Mani Tadgo said. “The goal is to have a paid executive director and at least one program director, because the way it is right now is not sustainable.”

toward bridging generational divides, including computer literacy courses, Amharic — the official language of Ethiopia — lessons and an English as a Second Language program.

“We launched the Amharic lessons so that kids can learn the language and be able to interact with their grandparents and their family,” Tadgo said. “We want the youth to understand their culture.”

“We launched the Amharic lessons so that the youth understand their culture.”

As ECS has changed, so has its community. The first generation of Ethiopians it served during its early years has now been joined by new generations of younger Ethiopians with different struggles and goals.

Mani Tadgo, ECS board

“The original purpose of ECS was to help the first generation, where there were language and cultural barriers,” Tadgo said. “The questions were, ‘How do they transfer their knowledge from back home to here? How can they participate in this environment?’ 30 years later, the newer generations’ needs are changing. We’re working towards addressing concerns such as college access, mental health support and identity conflicts.”

The organization has responded to shifting demographics with several new initiatives aimed

Rainbow Park

president

Amharic lessons are one of many ways ECS preserves and celebrates Ethiopian heritage. The cultural celebrations it hosts are pillars of unity, tinged with tradition, where community members can forge new connections through shared histories. For instance, at Coffee in the Park events in Rainbow Park, attendees can connect over shared cups of coffee, which is thought to have originated from Ethiopia and remains significant to its people’s heritage through customs like traditional coffee ceremonies. The event that sees the most attendees, however, is its traditional Ethiopian New Year celebration.

“With our community’s help, our sponsored businesses’ assistance and a few other organizations, our New Year celebration is the biggest event that we have,” Tesfahun said. “Since everybody gathers for that event, it is very festive.”

Through their ambition, passion and dedication, the volunteers of ECS hope to not only restore the organization to its past capacities but to propel it to new heights.

“Our dream is to make ECS bigger, to be more helpful for the community, to sustain ourselves with our own money and to hire people who can be open full time so we can continue to serve the community,” Tesfahun said. “Even if we’re helping only one person, we’re going to continue. We’re not giving up.”

PHOTO USED WITH PERMISSSION BY VANESSA MILLER

Nestled among trees in Rainbow Park is a building: the Ethiopian Community Center.

PHOTO BY OLIVIA YUAN

Five new clubs provide diverse perspectives to campus

BY KATIE CHIN AND CHELSEA LEE

Consumer Design Club

“Igot the idea for this club over the summer when I was thinking about one of my old hobbies — drawing cars — and I really liked that,” junior and President Hao Gu said. “I wanted to find a connection between design and engineering, but at our school, there were no options for this.”

Magic Club

Halfway around the globe, junior and president Abhiram Bhavaraju trained under his father and grandfather, who are acclaimed magicians in India. After moving to the U.S. just before his freshman year, he found that his skills in magic were also a way to transcend the language barriers across seas.

“The fact that there are no language or age barriers to magic, and the fact that it allows the performers to spread meaningful messages really got to me,” Bhavaraju said. “Since I possess

Poetry Club

Gu and his friends went on to form the Consumer Design Club, aiming to teach various types of commercial design through technical and historical lessons that lead up to an interactive monthly workshop. For instance, to study architecture, members will learn about world architectural history and structural soundness, and conclude with an activity constructing clay buildings. The team also hopes to organize a design-a-thon event where participants design and pitch a product to a panel, mimicking professional product design.

such a skill, I just want to share it with everyone here and open ways for them to communicate with their audiences in the future.”

Magic Club’s officer team hopes to give back to the community by hosting magic shows at community centers and local shelters, and also collaborate with Studio 74 to integrate magic into their performances.

“Poetry doesn’t have to be perfect, and that’s the main focus we want to bring to Lynbrook students who want to get into poetry,” Co-President and sophomore Hashim Mahmood said.

While recovering from a concussion in the past year, Mahmood discovered reading and writing poetry as a coping mechanism. He, along

with Co-President and sophomore Patrick Krupa, founded Poetry Club in hopes of sharing their love of poetry with fellow students.

“If you want to write poetry, it can be really scary to tell your inner secrets and emotions to other people,” Krupa said. “So, we aim to create an environment where students feel safe to do so.”

Literature & Writing teacher Erin Levin inspired Krupa to pursue poetry when she invited him to attend the San Jose Poetry Festival, where he decided to present one of his poems. Mahmood and Krupa hope to introduce a slam poetry event on campus during the end of the school year.

Ravens

Starting as an unofficial K-pop dance group in 2021, Ravens aims to create a free space for students to appreciate song and dance. The newly passed club is the one of the five K-pop groups active in FUHSD, so they look forward to connecting with students across the district.

“What really drew me into K-pop was the dance, as other genres of music do not usually have accompanying choreography,” President and junior Luthien Wang said. “I hold a lot of respect for the idols because they can sing and dance stably live at the same time.”

Taiwanese American Student Association

“WDrawing choreography inspiration from popular dance videos on TikTok and Instagram, the officer team hopes to hold dance workshops and perform at showcases, including their upcoming one at Cupertino High School. Members will be able to dip their toes in K-pop dance, progressing according to their comfort level.

e really want to create a space for representation,” junior and Co-President Kylie Liao said. “With all of the officers, we grew up with parents who really instilled that it was important to have Taiwanese representation, so that’s why we’re so passionate about having this club on campus.”

Motivated by their families’ cultural pride, the officers of the Taiwanese American Student Association hope to build a community embracing and sharing these roots through a variety of activities: making Taiwanese breakfast, learning the language through a “phrase of the day” series and corresponding with students in Taiwan. In February, the club taught attendees to make tapioca boba pearls at the Cultural Festival, and on March 4, they sold boba ice cream bars to fundraise for the club at Club Food Day.

Be par t of something great!

PHOTO BY EMILY PEDROZA

PHOTO BY CHELSEA LEE

PHOTO BY CHELSEA LEE

PHOTO BY CHELSEA LEE

PHOTO BY KATIE CHIN

(Left to right): A. Elle Gasper, Mahati Ramakrishnan, Lauren Li, Hao Gu; B. Emily Xu, Sarayu Bhavaraju, Ashwin Kamchetty, Abhiram Bhavaraju (not pictured); C. Vaibhav Kalkunte, Hashim Mahmood, Patrick Krupa, Sufee Sing; D. Dara Lin, Luthien Wang, Abigail Chen, Iris Yu, Lilly Wu; E. Sarah Wei, Kylie Liao, Chloe Chung, Felicia Huang

The evolution of Black History Month and Women’s History Month

BY ALYSSA WANG AND EILEEN ZHU

During February and March, respectively, it is a renowned tradition to recognize and celebrate Black History Month and Women’s History Month. While modern sentiments of these celebratory months carry a similar message as intended in the 1900s, the traditions have developed widely since through a series of initiatives.

Black History Month

In the summer of 1915, African American historian Dr. Carter Woodson went to Chicago to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. Inspired by the exhibits of Black achievements, Woodson, and minister Jesse Moorland, founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History to further research and promote the achievements of Black Americans. Many writers began to share African American experiences. Journalist Delilah Beasley published “Negro Trailblazers of California” where she documented African American pioneers’ stories across the state.

“Black Americans have contributed so much to this country that Black history is not just the history of African Americans but American history,” said Dr. Melissa Ross, a pediatric hospitalist at Kaiser Permanente.

1926 - Negro History Week

By the late 1960s, Negro History Week was nationally celebrated.

In 1976, Former President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month. Since then, every United States president has designated February as Black History Month, honoring the often-overlooked accomplishments of African Americans. After the growth and success of Black History Month in America, several other countries, including Canada and the United Kingdom, embraced the newfound tradition.

“Black History Month promotes awareness and understanding of African American history and culture, particularly in Black churches, where it showcases achievements to inspire youth,” said Derrick Felton, an instructor in the Black, Faculty, Staff and Administrator network at De Anza College.

Black History Month today

1915 - ASNLH

Eleven years later in 1926, Woodson and other members of the ASNLH organized a national Negro History Week during the second week of February — the birth month of both Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. National Negro History Week honors the achievements of African Americans and recognizes their role in American history. After the announcement, schools and communities across the nation quickly embraced the movement by organizing local celebrations, establishing history clubs and hosting different performances and lectures. Furthermore, the California Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs began to organize regular lectures on Bblack history launched other Negro History Week activities.

“At that time, mainstream history classes did not touch on African American history, but with the acknowledgment of Negro History Week, more people were getting the chance to learn something new,” said Curtis Sloan, a para educator at Monta Vista High School.

Women’s History Month

Inspired by Santa Rosa, nearby communities in California followed suit with Women’s History Week, and the movement soon gained national recognition when a group of historians and advocates for women brought the movement to Congress in 1980. Former President Jimmy Carter officially recognized and declared National Women’s History Week. People rejoiced to participate in the week through the means of attending local community events such as history exhibits and community service events.

1976 - Week to month

Since the inauguration of Black History Month in 1976, each U.S. president has endorsed a specific theme for Black History Month. This year, the theme was “African Americans and the Arts” to honor African Americans’ significant influence in arts, literature, film and more. Galleries and museums curated specialized exhibitions featuring African American artists, bookstores increased promotion for works by Black authors and poets, and communities and various organizations hosted tributes to honor iconic artists like Jacob Lawrence, Augusta Savage and Alvin Ailey.

“Every Black History Month, I visit my kids’ classrooms and teach their class about Black history, celebrities and athletes,” Ross said. “This year, we learned about Imhotep, one of the first architects of the step pyramids in Egypt, and both my kids and classmates are able to learn a lot while having fun.”

Locally, the Bay Area honors women throughout history through conferences and activities. The Drawing Room, an organization aimed for art accessibility, will host a discussion panel on Roe v. Wade on March 21. In Oakland, the Lakeview Public Library will screen famous films honoring women — “A League of Their Own” and “Queen of Katwe.” National Women’s History Alliance calls for “women who advocate for equity, diversity and inclusion,” — the theme for Women’s History Month 2024. Today, people advocate for a better inclusion of women representing diverse ethnic and LGBTQ+ identities and for their stories to be heard clearly.

“Educating yourself about the challenges women have gone through is important since a lot of the time, accomplishments of women are overshadowed by their male counterparts or discredited,” Goyal said.

During 1978, female residents of Santa Rosa, California, began a local tradition of recognizing women’s contributions to society. This grassroots gathering of women grew in popularity, setting the stage for vast involvement of the tradition within American society, as well as becoming the cornerstone for the later movements of establishing Women’s History Month. Later on, the Education Task Force of Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women established Women’s History Week on the week of International Women’s Day. This week was filled with educational presentations, parades and student writers discussing “Real Women” in an essay contest.

With strong public support for the week, many pushed for the extension of the celebration. After 1994, presidents designated March as Women’s History Month, in recognition of the women who have shaped society. During the month, many honor the women in the workforce during World War II, where 350,000 women served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Moreover, most people recognize the month as acknowledgement to women throughout history — like Abigail Adams, Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth and Rosa Parks — who pushed for women’s equity but weren’t able to receive adequate recognition in their time.

“One woman I admire is Chung-Pei Ma, an astronomer and physicist who discovered some of the largest known black holes,” senior and Women in STEM vice president Radhika Goyal said.

PHOTO BY NATIONAL PARKS GALLERY

PHOTO BY KHEEL CENTER

PHOTO BY LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

PHOTO BY CARMICHAEL LIBRARY

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATIONS BY EILEEN ZHU

1978 - Inception

1980 - National Recognition

1994 - Week to month

Women’s History Month today

Bay Area observes a vanishing middle class

BY APURVA KRISHNAMURTHY AND DAVID ZHU

and $81,623 respectively in order to be considered a part of the middle class.

White picket fences, suburban homes and a nuclear family unit — the traditional image of middle-class America. Not only is this image not representative of all middleclass Americans, but the comfortable and stereotypical view of the average middle-class American has increasingly diminished in the Bay Area, due to issues such as inflation and growing financial insecurity, distancing many citizens from the “middle class” group.

In the United States, the middle class is measured by household income. According to the Pew Research Center, households that earn between twothirds and two times the median U.S. household income are considered to be a part of the middle class. In the Bay Area, families who make up the middle income earn anywhere from $77k and $232k annually. Despite these numbers, societal perceptions of what it means to be a part of the middle class has changed based on the shifts in the global economy.

“Starting in the 1970s, the impact of globalization and technological change has resulted in the benefits of economic growth going to a much smaller number of people,” Government and Economics teacher David Pugh said.

In the Bay Area, the income threshold for middle class households is among the highest in the country. Three out of the top five cities nationally with the highest middle class income threshold are located in the San Francisco Bay Area. Residents in Fremont, San Jose and San Francisco need to make upwards of approximately $104,499, $84,673,

In recent years, the gap between the upper, middle and lower classes has widened. This can be attributed to household incomes growing significantly within the upper classes whereas middle class income growth has stagnated. Such phenomena can especially be observed in California where families in the upper class made 11 times more salary than those in lower classes, as stated by the Public Policy institute of California. In

fact, the wealth distribution within the state is notably unbalanced as 20% of all net worth is concentrated in the 30 wealthiest zip codes, which is home to only 2% of California residents.

With surging prices in recent years, the Bay Area middle class has shrunk in size. Many middle class families report their earnings are falling behind the cost of living.

As a result, California lost nearly 7% of its middle-income population while the low and high income populations increased by 37% and 34%, respectively, between 2000 and 2019. Due to increased expenses for goods and services including food, transportation and healthcare, families are finding it challenging to cover the rising costs of living. The San Francisco Chronicle finds that inflation has meant that Bay Area residents are spending $4,400 more annually on goods and services.

moving to previously less-expensive housing areas — namely San Francisco and Oakland. As a result, prices get marked up, displacing inhabitants. Middle class residents must move to smaller units regardless of family size, opt for longer commutes and may not have the option of home ownership.

“The high cost is associated with high salaries that tech companies are able to pay employees,” business teacher Andrea Badger said. “Unfortunately, those of us who work in service and the public sector do not get to benefit from that, but we still have to pay to live here.”

family members in the region were considered either as either very low income or very high income. However, Black and Latinx residents in the Bay Area represented a greater proportion of lowincome residents and a smaller part of high-wage earners.

The middle class has also seen the largest rates of medical debt. Almost 17 million middle class families were unable to pay their medical bills in 2020. In comparison to other classes, this is roughly 1.5% higher than lower-income families and 9% higher than high-income families.

In the Bay Area, essential workers such as those who work in education, health care and professional services, must grapple with a housing stock which is oriented toward higher-earning households. Essential workers cannot just move out of their area to cheaper locations as high prices extend throughout the Bay Area. Thus, households that are within the workforce threshold are priced out of homeownership. In turn, families must turn to renting.

“Middle class purchasing power has dropped when adjusted for infation, whereas the income of the top 1% has increased signifcantly,”

In the Bay Area, the rates of rent are significantly higher than other regions and workforce households are disproportionately affected as they are forced to pay 30% of their incomes, which is more than other peer metropolitan regions.

David Pugh, Economics teacher

“Middle class purchasing power has dropped when adjusted for inflation, whereas the income of the top 1% has increased significantly,” Pugh said.

Through the effect of rising living costs on the Bay Area’s middle class, more families are starting to fall deeper into lowincome categories. Consequently, certain demographics are especially affected based on where they are concentrated in the Bay Area and their consumer habits. Regionwide trends indicate an increased disparity in income levels of different racial groups. According to a study from the Bay Area Equity Atlas, across all racial groups, there was a relatively lower percentage of middleincome residents than the percentage of residents who were on the polar ends of the income spectrum. Similar proportions of white and Asian American Pacific Island

Housing has become a struggle for those who contend with the high costs of living which can be a product of issues like gentrification, where higher earners inhabit traditionally lower income areas. Gentrification improves housing and attracts new real estate, at the cost of sacrificing the culture and way of life of already-established communities. Spanning through the past several decades, Bay Area neighborhoods have seen an influx of high-income residents

Higher education has become a crux for many middle-class Americans as tuition rates have skyrocketed while incomes may have not. In light of the changes made to the FAFSA form that was released last December due to the 2020 FAFSA simplification act, the volume of financial aid available for lower income students has grown offering more equitable prospects for underprivileged students. Middle class students who do not qualify for the same aid are expected to experience higher educational expenses with the new provisions. For instance, the new form has removed the option for aid for families with more than one child attending a university. Previously, families could divide their Expected Family Contribution equally by the number of children that were enrolled. Under the new formula, this number has been coined as the Student Aid Index and has instead become the minimum payment for each student per family.

“Everyone is affected,” Badger said. “Middle, upper and lower income families are in this same boat. The main difference is the amount of disposable income available to families.”

Microplastics and its invisible inevitability

BY RIKI MURASE AND GARY PAN

Invisible to the naked eye, a silent predator tenaciously stalks our environment — it claims an immeasurably vast territory, encompassing the depths of our oceans, the expanses of our sprawling landfills and even our local grocery aisles. Spurred on by the relentless pollution of modern industries, its presence has become an inevitable reality. Though many might consider themselves safe from its grasp, this insidious invader has likely already made its mark; microplastics have invaded our bodies.

Since the global shift from glass to plastic manufacturing for countless goods in the early 1950s, plastics have been heavily relied upon by both producers and consumers in everyday life. However, human consumption of microplastics has increased as a result. Microplastics are imperceptibly small pieces of plastic that have disintegrated from larger plastics.

Plastic, a synthetic material typically produced from crude oil and other non-renewable resources, is used by producers around the world due to its cheap and flexible manufacturing process.

Excessive plastic waste imbues food with microplastics, evidenced by poor packaging leaking microplastics into groceries and trace microplastics appearing in massproduced goods. Global dependence on plastic has made the consumption of microplastics practically unavoidable for billions of people worldwide, especially in the San Francisco Bay Area. According to a study conducted by the San Francisco Estuary Institute in October 2021, an estimated 7

trillion microplastics enter the Bay Area annually through stormwater alone.

There are two main types of microplastics — primary microplastics, which are intentionally made for commercial product use, and secondary microplastics, which are unintentional byproducts of plastic breakdown. Because plastics are highly resistant to biodegradation, they simply break down into smaller plastic pieces over time. This structural tenacity ultimately results in the mass formation of microplastics throughout polluted environments.

Microplastics are incredibly difficult for the human body to filter out, proven by their presence in blood samples, lung scans and other human bodily analyses. In 2022, researchers from the Hull York Medical School in England found accumulated microplastics deep in test subjects’ lungs, which raised concerns about the abundance of plastics in our bodies.

plastic packaging

of BPA can lead to health issues such as bodily hormone interference, developmental issues among young children and negative effects on both male and female fertility rates.

“It has to start with actually taking care of our waste,” senior Harry Chiu said. “We need to be actively supporting policies that protect the environment.”

141M tons of plastic packagaging are produced by the world each year, according to Industrial Polythene

Humans aren’t the only victims of microplastic overabundance. Plastic pollution in the ocean is broken down by the sun and the mechanical nature of waves, creating irregular shapes, sizes and densities of microplastics. In contaminated waters, they can become dangerous carriers for viruses and bacteria along with other chemicals that can harm both animal and human life. Microplastics also prevent growth and reproductive development among marine life, threatening the stability of marine ecosystems and potentially affecting communities that rely on seafood.

“We’ve known for a while that microplastics are harmful to our oceans and our wildlife, but now we also have evidence of their potential toxicity to humans,” said Dr. Harit Agroia, an adjunct professor of public health at San Jose State University.

A component of many plastic products is Bisphenol A, a synthetic chemical used in plastic manufacturing that leaks into the human body due to plastic degradation. According to the Food and Drug Administration, the overconsumption

“I think there’s a key role for large organizations, especially cross-sector initiatives that work together with other industries, to raise awareness of and promote uptake of behaviors that lead to a more sustainable and resilient environment,” Agroia said.

In efforts to combat the consequences of microplastic abundance, organizations and initiatives such as the California Ocean Protection Council’s Statewide Microplastics Strategy have taken measures including stormwater infiltration projects and compliance with plastic discharge prohibitions to reduce microplastic abundance. The strategy includes plans such as outreach, education and risk thresholds and assessment to ensure not only reduction of pollution but also scientific understanding and informed future action.

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY VIHAAN PATEL AND ROHAN KAKHANDIKI

How website designs manipulate user behavior

BY DEEKSHA RAJ AND SARAH ZHANG

People often navigate websites and applications seamlessly, unaware of the subtle tactics employed by website makers to influence user decisions. They enter the world of “dark patterns” — a term coined by user experience specialist Harry Brignull in 2010 to describe deceptive design techniques, such as disguised ads and hidden costs, crafted to manipulate user behavior, “making you do things you didn’t mean to.” While these patterns have long been recognized for their impact on user experience, their connection to data privacy is a particularly pressing concern in today's digital age.

These widespread patterns often exploit cognitive biases, taking advantage of users' psychological vulnerabilities. By prioritizing the goals of the designer or company over a user’s needs or preferences, dark patterns often lead to feelings of manipulation or frustration among users. Examples include misleading prompts, forced consent and intentionally confusing interfaces.

A common example of dark patterns is seen in Internet cookie dialogs. Cookies are small pieces of data stored on a user's device by websites they visit, often used for various legitimate purposes such as improving user experience or remembering login information. However, some websites exploit

cookies in deceptive ways to track user behavior without their explicit consent or knowledge.

“Dark patterns not only compromise user trust but also erode the foundation of ethical design,” Toptal Clients product designer Michael Craig said. “As product designers, it's our responsibility to prioritize user empowerment and transparency over manipulative tactics.”

For instance, some websites make it challenging for users to opt out of cookie tracking by burying the option deep within privacy settings, making it difficult for users to maintain control over their personal information. Cookies allow users a personalized experience, where they are presented with personalized advertisements or content based on their browsing history. These ads often create a feeling of being watched by discreetly

collecting user data.

Amid the landscape of dark patterns, misleading prompts stand out as one of the most cunning tactics. These deceptive messages or notifications are carefully crafted to steer users toward actions or decisions that don’t align with their best interests. A website might display a prompt suggesting that clicking a button will lead to a desired outcome, when in reality, it performs a different action. For example, many websites implore audiences to click on premium options without disclosing any fees at first sight, like a hidden premium cost that encourages the user to pay for a certain feature or premium option.

deceptive practice of manipulating user privacy settings or consent mechanisms to coax users into sharing more personal information than they intended.

Dark patterns can be deemed illegal when they breach consumer protection laws. For example, false advertising, where dark patterns mislead users about product features or pricing, potentially violate laws against deceptive advertising. Additionally, dark patterns that coerce users into disclosing personal information or consenting to data collection without clear disclosure may violate data protection laws like General Data Protection Regulation, which states that all seven of its major data protection principles are followed by all data controllers, or the California Consumer Privacy Act, which creates an array of consumer privacy rights and business obligations regarding the collection and sale of personal information.

SCAN ME

Read more at lhsepic.com

S W i s d o m T o o t h S p e c i a l * R e f e r t o t h i s a d f o r 5 % O F F

D i g i t a l i z a O r t h o d o n t i c s I n v i s a l i g n c e r t i f i e d p r o v i d e r

k s t o d i g i t a l i z a t i o n F a s t t u r n a r o u n d t i m e w i t h a f f i l i a t e d d i g i t a l d e n t a l l a b E a s y t o u n d e r s t a n d t r e a t m e n t p l a n s t h r o u g h v i s u a l i z a t i o n D e n t a l I m p l a n t O n e o f t h e m o s t e x p e r i e n c e d d e n t i s t s i n t h e B a y A r e a w w w s m i l e p l a n t d e n t a l c o m

SPORTS the Epic

Blurring the line between sports and arts

BY ASHLEY HUANG

Askateboarder effortlessly glides across a concrete canvas; a rhythmic gymnast twirls her ribbon with precision and grace; a diver breaks the surface after a sequence of carefully crafted twists and turns. These fleeting moments all portray the convergence of sports and arts, blending competition and performance. This convergence challenges the notion of what it means to be an athlete or an artist. Rather than adhering to rigid tradition, we should accept that the definitions of these terms are ever-changing, as encouraging these changes can lead to improvements and progress within both realms.

Historically, society has compartmentalized these terms, viewing sports as arenas for physical competition and art as a path for creative expression. However, as time leads to the evolution of both practices, the relationship between sports and arts has become greatly intertwined — each influencing and enriching the other.

Although there may not be a single definition of the terms “sport” and “art,” most people generally agree on similar definitions. Sports encompass physical activities or games involving skill, physical exertion and competition, played in organized games or competitions with specific goals and rules. The term “performing arts” is often defined to encompass a wide range of disciplines involving live or recorded performances and rely more heavily on live performers, distinct from static visual arts like paintings or sculptures.

There is a common perception that sports are more objective whereas

performing arts are considered more subjective. This perception arises from the belief that sports typically have clear rules, quantifiable measures of success and defined winners; thus, outcomes of matches are seemingly more objective. On the other hand, performing arts are often viewed as more subjective because they involve interpretation — personal expression and aesthetics — which can vary greatly among individuals.

While this perception holds some truth, it overlooks the nuances present in both sports and performing arts. In reality, both hold elements of both objectivity and subjectivity.

“A figure skater’s element’s score is objective — whether you rotated and landed the jump — but components are scored on how much you’ve convinced the judges of what you were trying to convey, which makes judging the sport also subjective,” senior and figure skater Natalie Yang said.

In sports, while there are indeed rules and regulations governing gameplay, there is also room for individual interpretation, namely in sports like gymnastics, synchronized swimming and figure skating, in which scoring systems are inherently subjective. Judges of these sports must assess factors such as technique, artistry and presentation, which can be influenced by personal preferences.

Conversely, performing arts, while often perceived as subjective, still adhere to certain objective criteria and standards. For example, in dance, many competitions develop a scoring system on technique, such as posture, alignment and execution of steps, which can all be objectively evaluated. Furthermore, like sports competitors, performing artists train rigorously to compete with other teams or solo performers.

“Athleticism and artistry work really well together — a blend of both creates impressive yet moving pieces of choreography that can convey emotions and inspire the audience,” freshman and

competitive dancer Jocelyn Chen said.

Moreover, controversies surrounding judging decisions in sports competitions underscore the inherent subjectivity that can exist, blurring the line between objective and subjective interpretation. An example of such controversy is the case during the World Athletics Championships, as reported by National Public Radio in 2011. In this instance, Cuban hurdler Dayron Robles lost his gold medal for allegedly interfering with another hurdler and Jamaican runner Usain Bolt was disqualified for a false start, raising questions about the fairness in judging. This incident prompted scrutiny of the rules and regulations governing the competition, as well as the decisions made by officials tasked with enforcing them and addressing complaints.

In a similar sense, gymnast Simone Biles’ performances have often been subject to controversial judging decisions. Despite executing technically advanced moves with precision, pushing the boundaries of the sport, Biles has sometimes received lower scores than anticipated, leading her and many others to believe that the International Gymnastics Federation and judges were intentionally underscoring elements of her performance compared to other gymnasts.

Such incidents highlight the challenges inherent in maintaining objectivity in sports competitions — particularly in events where subjective judgments play a significant role. Whether it’s a call in a track and field event or contentious scoring in cheer or gymnastics, controversies surrounding judging decisions can affect the outcomes of competitions and the reputations of athletes heavily.

“At regionals, our team hit all our stunts; however, we placed fourth even though other teams, who placed higher, dropped their stunts and messed up a bit,” junior and cheerleader Ishani Upadhyaya said.

Although society has historically drawn a line between sports and arts — in which sports were primarily viewed as platforms for physical competition and athleticism and arts were considered paths for creative expression and cultural

enrichment — there has been a noticeable shift in societal attitudes toward recognizing the overlap between sports and arts. Bridging barriers between sports and arts promotes greater inclusivity and diversity, allowing individuals to explore their full range of interests. We should acknowledge the convergence of sports and performing arts and embrace this convergence.

The convergence of sports and performing arts is deeply influenced by cultural factors. In some cultures — like American football in the United States and soccer in Brazil — sports may be revered as a symbol of national pride and identity. Conversely, in other cultures — like classical dance forms in India and Irish dance in Ireland — performing arts may hold greater significance, serving as a means of cultural expression, storytelling and preservation of heritage. These cultural attitudes shape how sports and performing arts are valued, supported and integrated into everyday life, influencing the level of recognition individuals receive from society by doing these activities.

Events such as Red Bull’s “Art of Motion” parkour competitions or the X Games’ inclusion of disciplines like freestyle skiing and snowboarding showcase how athleticism and artistry intersect in dynamic ways. As events like these continue to evolve, we can anticipate a greater convergence of athleticism and artistry.

“Athleticism and artistry work really well together — a blend of both creates impressive yet moving pieces of choreography that can convey emotions and inspire the audience.”

Jocelyn Chen, Freshman and Competitive Dancer

The evolving relationship between sports and performing arts challenges conventional definitions. Looking ahead, the relationship between sports and performing arts will continue to intertwine. One emerging trend is the rise of hybrid sports-entertainment that blurs the line between athletic competition and artistic performance.

Aarush Channapragada skates past limits

BY NICOLE GE

Amid the indoor roller skating rink, sophomore Aarush Channapragada finds his rhythm in competition, his determination evident with every stride. His skates glide effortlessly, propelling him forward as he focuses on the path ahead. Upon crossing the finish line, he realizes that his countless hours of hard work and perseverance were worth it.

Channapragada competes in roller speed skating, where competitors race around a 100-meter track, with each event requiring a certain number of laps — usually 10 laps for short distances and 15 laps for long distances. He learned to roller skate when he was around seven years old and joined a speed skating team around two years ago because of his love for the sport.

Through competitive skating, Channapragada has discovered a new side of roller skating and thoroughly enjoys the speed he’s able to achieve. Skating for PacWest Speed Skating, he has won numerous medals in the regional level in California, having won two golds and two silvers in his primary event — the 500-meter.

“The adrenaline rush from going fast is really awesome and makes me want to continue to skate faster,” Channapragada said. “Indoor speed skaters can reach speeds of up to 20-25 mph, which might not seem that fast, but on a 100-meter track with turns, it feels much faster.”

One of Channapragada’s biggest challenges is the mental aspect of racing, particularly the importance of getting a good start. He’s learned the significance of staying driven and never giving up.

“I often get nervous when starting the race in second or third place, pushing my hardest to become first in the first couple of laps and losing physical strength towards the end of the race,” Channapragada said. “I’ve realized that it’s crucial to be determined to push past my limits and have the mental strength to overcome the pain of the moment.”

To balance multiple sports, Channapragada dedicates time to speed skating training on the weekends while attending tennis practice on weekdays. His practice schedule consists of two hours of technique practice; a 30-minute warmup; and two hours of drills, relays or races, depending on the day.

compete with my team.”

As a speed skater, Channapragada has come to appreciate the journey it takes to become an athlete.

“Speed skating has helped me become more competitive and has taught me to appreciate the work athletes put in to play sports,” Channapragada said. “Most importantly,

Swimming through a season with no pool

BY INAAYA YOUSUF

Lynbrook’s swimming pool has been closed for repairs since Oct. 24, 2023, due to the broken heater, planned maintenance and the need to replace the old equipment in the pump room, leaving

students on the swimming and diving teams to practice at Prospect, Cupertino and Homestead High Schools’ swimming facilities instead.

Because of a rule stating that swimmers cannot enter school pools if the water is below 70 degrees Fahrenheit, the broken

pool heater has become a recurring issue for the swim and diving teams due to its potential dangers; the cold water could cause increased heart rate or blood pressure. In past seasons, similar incidents have led to canceled or optional practices.

“One time, my coaches had to tell me to get out of the pool because my hands were blue from the cold,” senior and varsity swim team member Ava Roohipour said.

Now that swimmers and divers must practice at neighboring high schools, new problems have arisen, such as the inconvenient commute and early morning practice times, which have had an adverse effect on overall team spirit.

swimming pool and has access to the locker rooms, the showers are off-limits. Swimmers must come to Lynbrook or go home to take a shower.

Aside from how these new practices affect the team as a whole, the swimmers have encountered problems individually as well. Morning practices have affected the swimmers’ amount of sleep, which is vital to their performance. In addition, after practices are over and swimmers are given the ability to shower, they have less time to dry their hair, occasionally forcing them to go to class with wet hair in the cold.

“There are worries that swimmers are not getting enough sleep, and that had impacted the quality of training.”

For the past two years, practices were usually held after school for two hours, five times a week; however, that has now been shortened. Each practice starts at around 6 a.m., lasting only around an hour, three times a week. The change in practice time from after school to before school is a result of the Cupertino, Prospect and Homestead pools being occupied later in the day by their respective swimming teams, giving the Lynbrook swimming team little flexibility in choosing when to practice.

Ryan Hume, Head Coach

“I noticed a lot fewer people joining the team because they don’t want to wake up early for practice,” junior and varsity swim team member Emma Tang said. “People also complained that the earlier times made them slower during tryouts.”

Lynbrook is not the only FUHSD school that has experienced problems like this with its swimming pool. Prospect’s swimming pool’s heater broke down soon after Lynbrook started practicing there. Now fixed, Lynbrook’s varsity swim team plans to continue to practice at Prospect.

“There are worries that swimmers are not getting enough sleep, and that has impacted the quality of training,” head coach Ryan Hume said.

These changes come as a concern to some team members because Lynbrook’s swimming teams moved up a division since last season. In the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League, in which Lynbrook competes, there are two divisions: El Camino and De Anza. Previous to this season, the team competed in the El Camino division but has now moved up to the De Anza division.

Another issue with the current arrangement lies with the varsity swim team and their lack of access to Prospect’s showers. Though Lynbrook’s varsity swim team is allowed to practice in Prospect’s

While the pool is expected to remain closed at least until March 15, the athletics department has used the additional time to make various improvements around the pool deck. Earlier this year, the scoreboard above the pool was replaced. Following that, the floor tiles surrounding the pool were replaced to ensure student safety. Once the pool is reopened, it will also have bulletins showcasing art.

Despite the challenges that have arisen with the pool being closed, Lynbrook’s swim and diving teams expect their seasons to go smoothly.

“I think this experience will make the team stronger and help us perform even better,” junior and co-swim team captain Karen Gao said.

PHOTO BY VIDUSHI UPADHYAY

PHOTO BY RIKI MURASE GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY VIDUSHI UPADHYAY

Junior Emma Tang perpares for a dive at the Prospect High School pool.

Winter sports score recap: “My favorite moment from this season was...”

19-10

“...when we won the Newark Memorial Tournament over winter break,” senior Maggie Lam said.

9-15

“...the team hike because it was a great way for us to bond outside of basketball,” senior Eric Huang said.

4-12-3

“...when I won CCS finals by beating the guy who’d beat me last year and had my whole teem cheering me on,” senior Neale Pathak said.

“...our comeback win at Monta Vista. It was great to persevere and hold our own against a top team,” senior Nachiket Joshi said.

5-8-6

“...getting to play on my senior night even though I’ve been injured for the past two seasons,” senior Anagha Shanker said.

Sports Illustrated’s clash with time and technology

BY ALEX COTTEREL

From its inception in 1954 to its looming collapse in 2024, Sports Illustrated has been a place where fans can keep up with the latest trends in the sports world. However, in recent years, the multi-award magazine has been steeped in controversy, marking the slow demise of a decades-long legacy.

“Being a national publication, they’ve had deeper access to athletes and coaches behind the scenes,” said Mike Corpos, the production chief for the Spartan Daily newspaper at San Jose State University. “This enables a level of reporting that not every publication can achieve. The magazine has had a major influence on every sports writer I’ve worked with.”

Henry Luce, co-founder of Time Magazine, saw the opportunity for a weekly sports magazine to make waves in the 1954 market. However, Luce’s advisers saw his idea as expensive and foolish. Luce persisted and succeeded in publishing the first issue of Sports Illustrated featuring a striking picture of baseball star Eddie Matthews on the cover.

Those who doubted Luce were proven right with the magazine’s losses reaching $30 million in its first several years. Despite the magazine not experiencing financial success, it quickly became iconic as the magazine revolutionized sports reporting with its innovative format, writing and photography.

1986, the issue featuring MacPherson on the cover sold 1.2 million copies at the newsstand, a significant increase from the average of 300,000 sales in 1983. The 25th anniversary of the swimsuit issue in 1989 achieved even greater success, with sales reaching 2.7 million copies.

After decades of being a weekly magazine, SI shifted to a biweekly schedule in 2018, and eventually moved to a monthly schedule in 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2018, Meredith Corporation purchased Time Inc., the company co-founded by Henry Luce that had published SI for decades. Following that, in 2019, Meredith sold the rights to SI, along with various other brands to pay the over one billion the company owed in debt. As a result, SI ended up in the hands of Authentic Brands Group who then signed a 10 year licensing agreement with the Arena Group. In addition to changing hands, the monopoly SI had previously had on sports reporting diminished as outside brands cut ties with SI, such as CNN in 2014.

“The endpoint was a number of years ago when CNN dropped Sports Illustrated as its main supplier of sports content on their website.”

Mike Corpos, Spartan Daily Production Chief

In 1960, Andre Legeurre replaced Sidney James as managing editor of SI, shifting the magazine in a more serious direction. Legeurre pioneered what is arguably the most iconic tradition of SI with the first swimsuit issue published in 1964. The majority of the first issue’s content revolved around travel and nautical articles. However, the cover depicting Babette March in a white two-piece and the six-page feature showcasing models on the beach wearing a variety of different swimsuits, was enough to spark controversy over concerns of modesty from a conservative audience.

Physical education teacher Ray Wright remembers the progression of the magazine’s high-quality photography throughout the decades. The photo of Sidd Finch wearing only one shoe in the snow captured the moment before he pitches a fastball. Looking back on the iconic image reminds Wright of the astonishment he felt in 1985 discovering that Finch had been recorded pitching a ball at 168 mph — an incredible 65 mph over the previous record.

“I thought ‘there’s no way he pitched 168’,” Wright said. “Maybe their radar gun was off. I never thought it was a hoax, and I was shocked when I found out it was an April Fools joke.”

Another popular SI segment was ‘Faces in the Crowd’. This segment allowed talented unprofessional or minor league athletes to shine, featuring unknown people who had broken records or achieved amazing athletic feats.

“Young athletes being able to see people like them, some high school kid or someone from a small town in the middle of nowhere, achieving certain feats, reaching certain goals, helps young athletes strive to achieve their own goals,” Wright said.

SI experienced massive success after the appointment of Legeurre and the changes he brought to the magazine. In

“For me, the endpoint was a number of years ago when CNN dropped Sports Illustrated as its main supplier of sports content on their website,” Corpos said. “Sure enough, the quality had a steady decline from there.”

In November 2023, Futurism published an article alleging that articles published in SI had been credited to authors that did not exist outside of the SI website. The reporters at Futurism found the profile pictures on SI’s website of these allegedly fake reporters on a website selling AI generated images. According to an anonymous source from SI that spoke with Futurism reporters, some published articles were written with AI as well. According to Futurism, the profiles in question were deleted when Futurism reached out to SI representatives for comment.

After the article was published, the Arena Group published a statement on the SI X account, stating that the articles and profiles accused of being AI generated were the responsibility of a third-party company, Ad-Von Commerce, that published licensed content under the SI name. The Arena Group’s statement additionally denied the AI claims, saying that AdVon did not use AI generated content but did credit some fake authors in order to maintain author privacy.

The possibility of AI being utilized in a magazine as well known and previously respected as SI, highlights a fear of the technology taking over jobs in fields like journalism. The SI Union published a response on X, formerly Twitter, expressing that members of the SI Union were “horrified by [the] article,” and that “[the AI allegations do] not represent the hardworking journalists who make up the SI Union.”

“Journalists spend hours at a time hanging out with the same athletes, the

same coaches, covering their games every week,” Corpos said. “You get to know them and you get better stories that way. You can’t get that out of AI.”

Just over a month after the AI controversy, the magazine fell into even deeper waters when on Jan. 18, Arena laid off over 100 workers. Arena released a statement revealing that the company had missed quarterly payments to Authentic Brands Group and was experiencing considerable debt. The lay-offs were an attempt to cut costs and streamline the company.

Despite the unresolved payments between Arena and ABG, Arena plans to continue publishing SI and has maintained the magazine’s website since the mass layoffs.

As the world increasingly becomes more online, newspapers and magazines have had to adapt with the times. SI is one of many publications struggling to stay afloat in an environment that has proved to be largely adversarial to the journalism industry as a whole. Brands like SI that used to be a beacon of trusted journalism are having to compete with the majority of people getting their news from television or social media, largely for free or a fee cheaper than that of a magazine subscription.

“Constantly newspapers are folding because they don’t know how to make money in the internet age,” Corpos said. “In the 90s, just to get people to go to their websites and get those clicks and get the views, newspapers would give their content away for free. Now, 20 years later, they’re trying to add paywalls and people don’t want to pay for stuff that they’ve been getting for free for two decades. I get that but journalists don’t work for free.”

The storied history of a magazine that played a pioneering role in modern sports reporting,