The Roar February 2018 Edition

VP Tony Lam shares his journey to America

Inside This Issue

SCHS students take part in the #MeToo movement

Boba - a drink so beloved it’s leaning on addiction

FOCUS

A&E

CAMPUS

Vol. XVIII No. 3 Friday, February 9, 2018

The Roar SCroar.net

Santa Clara High School 3000 Benton St. Santa Clara, CA 95051

Playing for a cause

SCHS teams show their support for cancer patients and their families with various fundraisers and games

By Olivia Jones Traditionally, the SCHS girls basketball team hosts an annual Balling for a Cure game, which helps raise money for breast cancer research. This year, however, they’re raising money for a different cause: Coaches Against Cancer.

Last year, when counselor David Fernandez was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Coaches Against Cancer stepped in. The organization sent Fernandez to Colorado for three San Francisco Giants games, as well as an invitation to the Giants summer banquet. When Kiyota heard what they did, she decided their annual game would raise money for Coaches Against Cancer.

“It’s local, I know them and everything they did for Mr. Fernandez was touching,” Kiyota said. “I thought we could team up and raise money to give back to them.”

“Every single year, we have the game where we raise the money by selling these shirts, then we donate the money to the organization we play for,” senior Bianca Gutierrez said.

“This is all for them.”

The Coaches Against Cancer game was played on January 23, ending in an SCHS victory, 31-27. Each player on the SCHS team wore their Coaches Against Cancer t-shirt. Although Emilie Ramirez/Roar Staff

See Games for Charity, Page 9

The girls varsity baskeball team dedicated a game to raising awareness for pediatrics cancer in January.

Students look ahead for change in history textbooks LGBT+ inclusive textbooks are hoped for in the next textbook adoption process

By Alina Jafri

Cleo Chow/Roar Staff

Many believe that history should include the LGBT+ community.

The long history of the LGBT+ community not being taught or included in textbooks has upset students like Sophomore Jewel Woods.

“I believe that people being educated on the history of the LGBT+ community is important because they had to face a lot of oppression and backlash for a long time,” Woods said. “People were sent to death for simply being gay, and I feel as though many people don’t know that.”

The government of California has made the decision to use LGBT+ inclusive history text-

books, and show students all parts of their history.

According to Vice Principal Tony Lam, the Santa Clara Unified School District is very open to the changes for textbooks but have not made any confirmed plans yet. Textbooks of various subjects go through an adoption process, where every seven to 10 years they get the school board’s approval for new textbooks. History textbooks have not reached the adoption process yet, so schools cannot adopt new ones until that time comes.

“It’s not an individual department kind of thing, so we don’t

See Textbooks, Page 5

Santa Clara teenagers take a role in the government

By Sophia Kennedy Future Santa Clara mayors or council members may be current students at SCHS. But being in high school has not stopped them from getting involved in government. Some have already begun making changes to the city.

The 15 members of the Santa Clara Youth Commission meet monthly to provide input on city projects and plans, Teen Center Recreation Coordinator Jon Kawada said. Their ideas regarding current youth trends and issues are later shared with the Santa Clara City Council.

The opportunity to assist the Council was attractive to Junior Antonio Davila, who has been a member of the Youth Commission since his freshman year.

“I’ve always had an interest in being involved in the political process,” Davila said. “[You can] have a say without being a voter.”

Since its 1995 establishment, the Youth Commission has been organizing events and activities for the community, encouraging community service and volunteering at citywide special events.

“Youth Commissioners have opportunities to create positive, lasting impacts on the community,” Kawada said.

Using their “real-time” view of teenage life, Commissioners can help the city government in a way no adults can, believes senior Pyper Olsen, a current member of the Youth Commission.

“We’re able to tell [the City Council] what is happening now, what we want to see, what we want to do,” Olsen said.

Olsen also participates in leadership at SCHS. She thought that the school’s leadership does a good job reaching the students on this campus but joined the Youth Commission to give a voice to a wider group of teens. Olsen, who plans to major in political science, said that representing the youth in her community requires teamwork, collaboration and selflessness. “[You have to think], ‘What is the general consensus outside of this room?’” Olsen said.

“You have to think about the city as a whole: what the kids

See Commission, Page 4

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OPINION

Editorial

FEBRUARY 9, 2018

It’s time for media to start focusing on the real news For over a year now, we’ve lived under a presidency of outrageous tweets, fake news and one shocking scandal after another.

The fact that Trump says outrageous things is not news. With the media focusing so much on Trump’s actions, there’s almost no breathing room for debate over policy. While the media argues about whether Trump called African countries “s***holes” or “s***houses,” the general public is missing more and more information that, under any other presidency, might be common knowledge.

It’s hard not to be shocked and blinded by Trump. However, focusing on his bedtime meal or bad tweets distracts us from what matters most: what Trump’s presidency has actually achieved. While Congress passed the largest piece of tax reform legislation in more

THE ROAR 2017-2018 editors-in-chief Maya Singh • Hannah Shin opinion | Cleo Chow campus | Alina Jafri focus | Bonnie Liu sports | Miranda Hunt a&e | Maya Singh spotlight | Hudha Khan photography | Hudha Khan graphics | Cleo Chow online | Hannah Shin copy editors | Amy Kennedy Sophia Kennedy Melina Kritikopoulos Annie Liu • Kiera O’Hara-Heinz Danielle Schmitz staff writers Samantha Alde • Aryanna Gregoire Sam Hunt • Olivia Jones Sydnie Ludlum • Vincent Nguyen Eunice Oh • Marvyn Parayno Emilie Ramirez • Zianna Razon Ayden Salazar • Sasha Syrevych Kiara Thorp advisor Bob Ansaldo Mission Statement The Roar works to inform students, showcase their accomplishments, and explore issues relevant to them as individuals and as a generation. We value journalistic ethics and professional behavior toward both our sources and our readers. We will investigate and inform students about happenings onand off-campus, and provide information comprehensibly. As a student-run newspaper, The Roar strives to establish itself as a reliable news source for Santa Clara High School.

Letters and Opinion columns submitted to The Roar must be signed, although names can be withheld. Submissions should be limited to 200 words and may be edited for content, libel, or grammar.

Opinion submissions can be delivered to Mr. Ansaldo’s room (B109) or his mailbox in the front office.

DISCLAIMER The opinions on these pages reflect the views of the individual writer, not those of Santa Clara High School.

The Roar Newspaper Santa Clara High School 3000 Benton St. Santa Clara, CA 95051 (408) 423-2720

than three decades, instead of detailing information about the new bill, the media was distracted with new firings in the White House and Michael Wolff’s “Fire and Fury,” a book about the odd behavior. The public never processed changes that the Environmental Protection Agency made to an Obamaera clean water rule, or the effects building a $2.6 billion wall on the southern border will have on our economy and our people.

By focusing on Trump, we are probably making the situation worse. Several psychologists have said Trump shows signs of megalomania and “malignant narcissism,” a mix of narcissism, antisocial personality disorder, aggression and sadism, as defined in Campbells’ Psychiatric Dictionary. Professors from Harvard Medical School and the University of California wrote to President Obama, urging him to order a “full medical and neu-

ropsychiatric evaluation” of the then President-elect.

Feeding into a narcissist’s ploys often makes their behaviors worse.

The president does not want people to know about what is going on in the world; he just wants to be watched. That, though dangerous, can be changed.

It’s time to stop caring about Donald Trump. It’s time to stop talking about his nightly cheeseburgers or his affairs with porn stars. The thing about Trump is that nothing he does can shock people more than things he has already done. Everyone heard him sympathize with Nazis, and everyone heard him brag about sexually assaulting women. While that’s not okay, it’s time to move on.

It’s time for the media to stop giving him the attention he so desperately wants. Major news sites and channels need to be held accountable for their choices to focus on gossipy stories about Trump as an individual

rather than legislation and changes that affect the public. The only

way to rise above Trump’s behavior is to ignore it.

Olivia Jones/Roar Staff

Does “Winchester” give the actual Winchester House justice?

Pro Con the house is that it’s a mystery The real story is obviously going

By Sydnie Ludlum

If people have driven past Santana Row or Westfield Valley Fair sometime in the past month, they may have seen the large black sign promoting the new Winchester Mystery House film.

Aptly titled “Winchester,” a movie based on the infamous history of the Winchester Mystery House, was released on Feb. 2.

The film is about Sarah Winchester, heiress of the Winchester rifle fortune (played by Helen Mirren) and a skeptical psychiatrist named Eric Price (played by Jason Clarke), who comes to evaluate Sarah’s state of mind, soon discovering that she may not be crazy after all.

However, some locals passionate about the house are upset that the movie is not entirely accurate, or puts Sarah in a bad light. In actual history, Sarah Winchester was told by a psychic that the spirits of those killed by the Winchester rifle were out to get her, so she moved from New Haven, Conn. to San Jose, Calif. and built the mansion that is famously known as The Winchester Mystery House. There was no Eric Price at all, and the movie definitely accentuates the haunted aspects of the house.

to be exaggerated though, seeing as it was made as a horror film. The point of the movie is not for the audience to sit in a theater and learn a history lesson; it’s meant to scare them stiff.

Also, the actual Winchester Mystery House itself is promoting the film. The movie is the first thing people on their website. As noted in several articles, including one by The Mercury News, the movie will bring more visitors to the Winchester Mystery House and thus may help boost local economy.

Some people are also unhappy with the fact that the movie is not filmed at the actual mansion. Although the movie is mostly filmed in Melbourne and Victoria, Australia, filmmakers did film multiple scenes at the real Winchester Mystery House. Obviously, they cannot shut down the house because it could anger tourists looking to learn about the Winchesters, and the weird layout of the house -- built specifically for the purpose of confusing the spirits and keeping them away from Sarah Winchester -- makes filming and fitting an entire film crew in difficult.

It’s not everyday a scary movie is based on one’s hometown. Thus, people should support and enjoy watching “Winchester.”

By Aryanna Gregoire

The new movie “Winchester,” was released on Friday, Feb. 2 and has many issues with its plotlines, categorization and production.

In the film, shareholders within the Winchester Repeating Rifles company want to take control from Sarah Winchester (played by Helen Mirren) who held the majority of shares.

They hire Eric Price (played

by Jason Clarke) to prove her insanity and take control of the company.

The plotline would be great except for one small thing: Eric Price never existed. He is an entirely fictional character created to drive the plot.

In television previews, the movie is advertised as being about a real house and a real woman, but the fictional film story has very little in common with the real-life story.

According to IMDB, “Winchester” is categorized as a biography, and fantasy and horror film.

“Winchester” is supposed to be based on the Winchester Mystery House not a horror house. The whole thrill of

whether or not it really housed ghosts or just a deranged lady thinking there were ghosts. The directors have tainted a beautiful mystery with horror.

The film was directed by Michael and Peter Spierig, who are known for directing horror movies like “Jigsaw.” It would make sense for them to make it horrifying, but they still should have made the film more historically accurate. Due to the inaccuracy, “Winchester” should not be classified as a biography.

Further, filming mostly took place in Melbourne, Australia.

Minimal shots were used from the actual house, which is bothersome considering the Winchester estate is in San Jose. That’s quite a hike from Australia.

Though it seems like the recreation of the house looks very well replicated, the promo shots are very doom and gloom which matches the horror theme, but it’s almost like the marketers tried too hard and now it looks comical.

Sarah Winchester’s life and the Winchester Mystery House could potentially make a great film. However, “Winchester” falls short.

Careful, the money donated to charity could be ending up in someone’s pocket

By Sydnie Ludlum

Some say that giving to people in need is important for a person’s state of mind. It makes most feel good. However, depending on the charity, a good percentage of donated funds may not do as much good as some think.

Every charity has a certain percentage of money that actually gets given to the people or animals in need. Charities like Breast Cancer Research Foundation and PetSmart Charities are two of the top rated charities for using money efficiently, according to Charity Watch. The Breast Cancer Research Foundation uses 91% of its money for research, according to

their online website.

Of course, all donations have some sort of impact on someone, but some do more good than others.

The reason why so many charities are rated badly is because they use the money donated for profitable fundraisers. For example, the Kids Wish Network. Although it sounds like an amazing charity, it lacks the quality of using the money for actual charitable purposes.

There are still many ways to find a good charity to donate to since there are plenty of websites that rate charities.

For example, Charity Watch is an online organization that gives charities letter grades. It organizes

the charities by what the they actually do. There is a specific list that includes only charities that use upwards of 75% of your donations for good.

Another website, Charity Navigator, provides a list of charities that receive a 100% or A+ in their books. However, according to their site, less than 1% of the charities they rate are given a perfect score.

Donating to charities is a great idea, but people should donate to the best charities so their money

can do the most good.

Cleo Chow/Roar Staff

FEBRUARY 9, 2018

3

OPINION

Driving on decline; just another change with the times?

By Ayden Salazar

No matter the time, there always seems to be an exaggerated fear about the next generation, a concept commonly referred to as “juvenoia.” Today’s generation -- millennials, Generation Z or the iGeneration, however one wishes to call them -- are stereotyped as lazy, parent-dependent and slow to confront things.

One of those things happens to be driving. And there is no doubt millennials and teens today have been doing much less of it.

According to a survey conducted by the University of Michigan, the share of high school seniors who have a driver’s license has plummeted from 85.3 percent in 1996 to a record low of 71.5 percent in 2015. Evidently, what was once an American rite of passage is now becoming obsolete. This means more and more people are finding other means of transportation. And despite what older generations make it out to be, this new trend does not necessarily mean that today’s youth is lazy -- it just means that what was important then is no longer important now.

When surveying young adults ages 18 to 39 without driving licenses, the University of Michigan found that, by far, the number one reason for the delay was that people were “too busy.” In the grand scheme of things -work, school, sports, extracur-

ricular life -- a driver’s license is as much of a hassle as an unnecessary homework assignment nagging to be completed. But when did the concept of driving go from drive-ins and joyrides to something lingering in the back of one’s mind? Many Generation Xers might scoff and call it lack of initiative, but perhaps they are missing the bigger picture.

There are many other ways a student can get from point A to point B without doing as much as lifting a finger. Take services such as Uber and Lyft, for example. Never before has it been easier to hail a private taxi, and the best part: no license required.

All one needs is just some cash, a phone and a destination. It is so easy, it makes waiting at the DMV for a piece of plastic look like a joke. Combined with public transportation and the (hopefully) occasional ride from a friend or parent, there really is no immediate use for a license.

Driving also comes with a pretty hefty price tag. Taking into account the sheer amount of student-loan debt faced by college students, driving is almost an exclusive luxury. Debtstrapped students, studying by day and working by night, would still find it difficult to pay auto insurance rates. And considering most college towns offer free public transit to students, owning and maintaining a vehicle is unnecessary. In compact cities such

By Sam Hunt

Amy Kennedy/Roar Staff

as Berkeley or New York where the buses and taxis are plentiful, there really is no need for a car.

Moreover, with self-driving cars already in the works, driving altogether may become a useless skill. Perhaps the youth of the future will look at it just how the youth of today looks at vinyl records, jukeboxes and payphones -- the old will always give way to the new, leaving only a few diehards, the last users of an obsolete system. Companies such as Google and Tesla are already racing to fill the streets with automated technology. Uber even has self-driving cars available

as of now, although the controls are still monitored by humans.

Pretty soon, however, the future of automobiles can expect zero percent humans and one hundred percent robots.

Despite this exciting technology, there will always be juvenoia boiling in the older, more experienced generations. Everything will be looked at with disapproving eyes; every change, trend, style, fad or fashion will be viewed with caution. The phrase “kids these days” will never cease to be uttered, but when it comes to driving, millennials could “car” less.

Valentine’s Day isn’t as bad as people make it out to be

By Samantha Alde

February 1: grumbles pour forth about how sappy Valentine’s Day is. It’s the holiday of the month and leaves one to wonder if it’s really as bad as people make it seem. In reality, the hatred conveyed for Valentine’s Day is over exaggerated.

I used to go along with the seemingly popular opinion and assume that Valentine’s Day was a huge red card due to its excessive portrayal of romance, but as time progressed, I realized how over-dramatized the spite for it is. In the end, Valentine’s Day is practically like any other day but with a title, and it is only as bad as one makes it seem.

There are people who speak against Valentine’s Day, arguing that it’s become too commercialized, and that instead of buying things on this holiday, we should show our appreciation for them by

carrying out acts of kindness.

Although this is true, people should already act kindly on a daily basis.

That being said, one of the best things about Valentine’s Day is the chocolate sale the day after. The discounted prices in the long aisles of supermarkets give one an excuse to binge eat sweets. For those who aren’t fond of sweets, it’s easy to carry on through the

Cell phones and electronic devices are changing the way we socialize

day.

Valentine’s Day has been bashed for a long time, and sometimes people merely follow the crowd in regards to that opinion. People should take time to look at the holiday and perceive it in a more positive note.

There are so many things one can do to distract themselves from the love-saturated atmosphere. It’s one day

out of 365, and as long as people keep going forward with their day, it’ll pass rather quickly. It may not be my favorite holiday -- it’s definitely not in my top three -but it’s definitely not as terrible as people typically make it seem.

Valentine’s Day is once a year after all. People should celebrate in whatever way they choose.

Sophia Kennedy/Roar Staff

As technology has progressed, it has started to have more of an effect on the real world. Socializing has become less and less about face-to-face conversations and more about communicating anyway people feel comfortable. This development of social skills may be viewed as a step backward to some people, but it is actually a natural step forward in human interaction.

The first thing that must be understood about how cellphones have affected people is that they have not decreased people’s social skills.

They have just changed how people communicate. The online magazine Psychology Today reported that cell phones “may be changing how people interact with each other and changing their expectations for social interaction,” demonstrating that cellphones are only modifying what socializing is not hindering it.

The first thing that must be understood about how cellphones have affected people is that they have not decreased people’s social skills.

This transition might seem negative, but this development can only be good for people. It is especially good for introverts who feel more comfortable communicating digitally rather than face to face, allowing them to interact in their own home, according to Scientific American’s website.

A change in interaction is not only beneficial for introverts, it gives everyone a better way to interact with others. It’s much easier to communicate online as it allows for people to communicate without conversations feeling like confrontations.

This transition into technologically-based communication makes people feel like they won’t embarrass themselves while speaking.

The change from communicating in real life to communicating through technology is a transition that benefits everyone.

CAMPUS

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FEBRUARY 9, 2018

GWC club teaches the kids of the future

Emilie Ramirez / Roar Staff

Commission Continued from page 1

are doing, not just what you are doing.”

Junior Ria Grewal, also a current Commissioner, believes that being able to represent others is something that all students could benefit from.

“You don’t have to go into the field,” Grewal said. “Leadership is a skill that you can use in any profession.”

This year, according to Kawada, the Commission is focused on fostering inclusiveness in the community, increasing intergenerational awareness and opportunities, and increasing youth understanding and participation in local government.

The Youth Commission is involved in many projects that aim to achieve the aforementioned

GWC uses code.org to teach Tang’s class of 25 second graders coding. The website offers a game that the second graders can play.

By Olivia Jones Last December, Michelle Tang, a second grade teacher at Central Park Elementary School, contacted Girls Who Code member Ihuoma Otah. Tang was searching for someone to teach her second graders coding. The club soon began volunteering once a month on Wednesday mornings.

GWC uses code.org to teach Tang’s class of 25 second graders. The website offers a game

that the second graders can play.

The goal is to navigate their character through a path by coding a series of commands for it to follow. There are a series of different units, or levels, in which each unit introduces a new command.

“It was a really cool experience, plus we got to work with kids, and it was interesting how they viewed coding with a different perspective,” freshman Cristina Valdivieso said.

Otah takes care of all the plan-

ning and communication with Tang. The responsibility is not too much extra work, according to Otah.

“Ms. Tang is very understanding, and she replies very quickly to the emails,” Otah said.

The partnership works to benefit both the elementary and high school students. Not only are GWC fulfilling their volunteer hours, but they are giving a group of second graders a unique educational experience.

“Students are excited about learning about code,” Tang said.

“They look forward to GWC coming in and helping students get through more challenging tasks.”

Tang wants all her students involved in STEAM activities to prepare them for jobs in the 21st century.

“It is said that teachers need to prepare students for jobs that currently do not exist,” Tang said.

Did you know?

Vice Principal Tony Lam moved from Vietnam to the U.S

By Annie Liu All students in his elementary class lined up and laid down on the table. Their teacher, still furious, went outside and broke a bamboo stick. Tony Lam could feel his teacher’s anger, yet he could only hope that he was not the reason for his class’ punishment.

No matter how strict his teachers seemed, Lam, Vice Principal of Counseling, Curriculum, & Instruction, never stopped enjoying his elementary years in Vietnam.

He did not know of the busy life ahead of him.

Lam was born in the southern regions of Vietnam, where he was raised until the end of the Vietnam War. According to Lam, if the teachers were ever upset with the class, they would whip the students. Nonetheless, Lam still lived a free and relaxed childhood.

However, as communists took over Vietnam, Lam and his family were faced with the decision to either stay and risk being imprisoned, or move away from their home.

“During that time period, we were transitioning and escaping Vietnam to avoid prosecution by the government,” Lam said. “I actually missed an entire year of education having lived in different refugee camps.”

A year later, a group from Oxford, Pa. sponsored Lam’s family and provided them with food, shelter, health care and other basic necessities. Lam now refers to his primary sponsor family as “grandmother” and “grandfather.”

Because Lam lacked English language fluency, the school dis-

“A broader and more diverse perspective is better for community and society that acts altrustically .”

- Antonio Davila, Junior goals. Often working in collaboration with the local libraries, Commissioners host free, family-friendly movie nights once a month. By giving up their time to sell snacks at these “Sunset Cinemas” and other citywide events, Commissioners raise funds that go towards community service scholarships for high schoolers who are in need of extra money to help pay for college. The Commission has also recently sponsored Santa Clara’s Got Talent and has organized a Family 5k run in Central Park to promote healthy living.

Freshman Kayla Phan, who joined the Youth Commission this school year, said that the application process can be competitive.

“Usually it’s just the seniors

“Leadership is a skill that you can use in any profession .”

Courtesy of Tony Lam

Vice Principal Tony Lam (far right) grew up in Vietnam till the end of the Vietnam war then moved to the United States with the help of a sponser.

trict in Oxford figured the best way for Lam to learn English was to start over again.

“I moved to America and started first grade as a ten year old and was behind on my education,” Lam said. “I went first through fifth grade again in Pennsylvania, and the language was so challenging for me.”

Following his fifth grade year, Lam and his sponsor family moved to Coalinga, Calif., where his “grandmother” convinced the school principal to allow him to skip a grade. As a teacher, she played a huge role in advising and directing him on decisions regarding education.

“By this time, English just

clicked for me,” Lam said. “In one year’s time, I covered three grade levels: I skipped sixth, did one semester of seventh and did half of eighth grade.”

Lam moved on to complete ninth grade at Coalinga High School only to transfer to San Diego for tenth grade before progressing to college.

“My ‘grandmother’ had suggested that I take the California High School Proficiency Examination (CHSPE),” Lam said. “If you passed the test, it was basically the equivalent of a high school diploma. I took it, passed and left high school.”

Looking back, Lam realized that he had missed out on a lot of high

school. Since his parents did not fully understand the American school system, he had to make many decisions on his own. Lam wished that he was more active and involved in extracurriculars.

“Even when I was excelling in school, I was not coached to challenge myself to take more advanced courses,” Lam said. “ If I had more time, maybe I could have taken more AP or honors classes, but I would never know. I missed out on that.”

Now in his 23rd year of education, Lam wishes to carry on his experiences to SCHS students by connecting with parents and families that do not understand the school system.

- Ria Grewal, Junior who leave because of graduation, so there may be only one available spot for all the people who apply,” Phan said.

Despite this, the Youth Commission’s website states that at least one student from each high school and middle school in Santa Clara should be involved.

Davila believes that including people from “all walks of life” is necessary for the city’s government.

“A broader and more diverse perspective is better for a community and society that acts altruistically,” Davila said.

5

CAMPUS

FEBRUARY 9, 2018

Genius squad saves the day and chromebooks

By Aryanna Gregoire In December, SCHS issued 1:1 Chromebooks to sophomores and juniors. With this new opportunity, the Genius Squad was established to troubleshoot and assist students with their devices.

Led by SCHS computer technology teacher, Christina Mehl, Genius Squad is a small group of students who are trained to help students and staff with their Chromebook problems and questions. They are available Monday through Thursday during lunch in what used to be the library’s C Wing computer lab.

According to Mehl, teachers and students were having too many issues with the functionality of their new Chromebooks. The district IT people were not able to keep up.

“I just said ‘Hey, I know how to do all those things so why don’t me and my students start fixing them,’” Mehl said.

Members of Genius Squad are some of Mehl’s current students from her Cisco IT and Cisco Intro to Networks courses. According to Terry Flora, Vice Principal of Attendance, Technology, & Discipline, Genius Squad students earn community

Textbooks

Continued from page 1

have so much flexibility to change textbooks in the middle of society changes,” Lam said.“We still have to wait until certain subjects are chosen for adoption.”

There are certain guidelines set by the state for an adoption pro-

Euniice Oh/ Roar Staff

The Genius Squad are made up of Christina Mehl’s students. The group meets Monday through Thursday at lunch to answer chromebook questions.

service hours for giving up their lunch to help.

So far the students have helped set up the Chromebooks and have been available for tech support. According

to Mehl, Genius Squad has not had to deal with any major malfunctioning problems and have mainly answered Chromebook questions. All free of charge.

cess. One of them is looking at social content so everything in textbooks are balanced and inclusive of all types of diverse cultures. According to Lam, it is important for students to learn about all types of history because it prepares them for the world in which they live.

“Education is about learning the world we live in. The world will change as society changes, and our goal is to prepare students for the world they face after they gradu-

ate,” Lam said.

History teacher, Emily Roberts said students will engage more in their learning if they can see, relate to and empathize with the people and events they are learning about.

“To me, history is about empathy, change and progress,” Roberts said.

Along with school administration and teachers, students are also ready for a change in textbooks.

According to junior Kaylee Ngo,

“We’re here to support the teachers, to support the students, if parents want to come in, support the parents,” Mehl said. “We want to be here for anybody that wants help

with their technology or even have technology questions. We want this place to be like the Genius Bar for Apple and the Geek Squad for Best Buy.”

current textbooks should include more content regarding the LGBT+ community because it existed then as much as it exists now.

“I would like to see the change that many others desire. I want to learn about the impact of the LGBT+ community, and I want to know how they have helped shape society into how it is today,” Ngo said.

According to sophomore

Humza Malik, students are motivated for a change in the curriculum because while it is essential to learn history of the LGBT+ community, it is also important for social equality for everyone.

“The issue of no LGBT material in our textbooks is important due to the fact that without understanding of different minorities, they will never be understood and integrated into our society,” Malik said.

Junior Shubham Banerjee made the life changing device “Braigo”

By Danielle Schmitz Shubham Banerjee is a known athlete on campus.

What might not be known is that he has his own company and has won the National Science Fair.

When Banerjee was 12 years old, he participated in the Synopsys Science Fair and found a project that inspired him, braille printers.

Braille printers are devices that allow blind and visually impaired people to read information on screens, usually on computers. While researching about braille printers, he discovered that they cost over $4000.

“The printers aren’t accessible, especially in developing countries, and I wanted to make something that everyone could use,” Banerjee said.

Banerjee believed the Lego EV3 kit would be a good start to building the printer because it is a simple robot kit that is coded with block programming. The end product was a small robot

that could replace a normal braille printer and was much easier to use.

The device, Braigo, won the 2014 Broadcom Masters Science Fair. Banerjee, who worked on this project alone, said the fair was a very daunting experience. “[The fair] was kind of scary because I was there all alone and I didn’t know anyone,” Banerjee said. “Random people kept on crowding

“ I want to spend my life doing what I like, which is inventing.”

- Shubham Banerjee, Junior around my board and throwing questions at me.”

In 2014 Banerjee created the company Braigo Labs Inc. with the help of Intel, a major tech company. After seeing him win at the National Science Fair, Intel reached out to Ba-

nerjee and offered to help him build his startup.

“It was a really interesting and exciting experience,” Banerjee said. “I wasn’t even an 8th grader yet and this large tech company wanted to help me start my own.”

Braigo Labs Inc. is currently ran by Banerjee’s mother. The Palo Alto based company has 15 workers and is hoping to grow larger.

Banerjee’s main job at the company is to work on different designs of the robot and speak publicly about his experience there.

“We are currently working on the second version of Braigo,” Banerjee said. “We are trying to make the device more accessible and replacing the EV3 base with an actual breadboard so it will last longer.”

It had not been announced when Braigo would be available for purchase, but the estimated cost will be $300. The company currently needs four patents approved before production can start.

Banerjee’s invention has been covered by international media, such as CNN International and MSNBC.

Danielle Schmitz/Roar Staff

Banerjee made the Braigo device that won multiple science fairs and transformed into the company Braigo Labs Inc. When it comes to academics and sports, Banerjee has a very clear divide.

“I keep those two parts of my life very separate, making sure to put as much time and effort into both areas as possible,” Banerjee said.

Banerjee is not sure what he

wants to do as an adult but knows he wants to go to college and create more inventions and work more in engineering.

“I want to spend my life doing what I like, which is inventing,” Banerjee said.

6 Survivor 1: Emily Hopwood

FOCUS

Senior Emily Hopwood was molested multiple times by an older male family member.

She was eight years old when he finally stopped molesting her.

It was Christmas Day, so our whole family was gathered at my grandma’s house. My cousin got there sometime in the afternoon. When he got there, he asked if I wanted to go play upstairs, and I said yes. We were in the spare bedroom when he started to touch me. At some point, my mom came up to tell us that dinner was ready. I don’t know how, but she knew that something was wrong. When he went downstairs, she asked me what we had been doing. I started crying and told her what had happened. She took me, my dad and my brother back to our house and called the police. I answered their questions and showed them what had happened with dolls. The police took the sheets off the bed from my grandma’s house and the dress I had been wearing.

Emily later developed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as well as anorexia and ended up being hospitalized to recover.

I’d like other students to know that it is extremely common. One in five women will be sexually harassed in their lifetime, so if [you] don’t know a survivor right now, you will someday.

Sexual harassment can show itself in many different ways. With a 16-year-old survivor, identified as Survivor 2, the interaction was in a car and with a construction worker.

I was driving home with my mom, and we had stopped at a stop light next to a construction site. I was looking out the window and happened to make eye contact with one of the workers. He then walked right up to me and said, “Hey, mama!” and then started laughing as we drove away. I told my mom what had happened, and she freaked out. She hadn’t noticed because she was focusing on driving. It was scary to think that the interaction was so casual that my mom didn’t notice, but the most uncomfortable thing about the situation was the fact that he was in his 40s, and I was 16. And he seemed totally fine with all of it.

The whole interaction just left me feeling gross.

Survivor 2 wants people to know that catcalling is still sexual harassment and the people who do it need to be held accountable for what they do.

A lot of people think [catcalling] isn’t a big deal because it doesn’t happen to them, but that doesn’t change the fact that everyday thousands of women and girls have to go through that judgement. When it happens I just want to disappear; it makes me feel like my body is an object. I don’t want anyone to have to feel that way.

Survivor 3: Anonymous

FEBRUARY 9, 2018 FEBRUARY 9, 2018

Survivor 2: Anonymous

A 16-year-old survivor, identified as Survivor 3, experienced sexual assault firsthand last year.

It was in my math class, and I had moved to the back of the classroom because I thought we were friends. I asked him to help me with some work we were doing, and he started poking me. It was later that week [when] he grabbed other areas. Since it was the back of the classroom, no one really saw. I just kind of froze, and then after he stopped, I got up, went back to my seat and was silent for the rest of class. Looking back, I wish I had done something, but in the moment, it was like my whole mind just let go.

A day passed before Survivor 3 told anyone what had happened, and even then, she begged him not tell anyone. When her case was reported to the school and she was confronted by administration, Survivor 3 didn’t know what to do.

I actually broke down crying, and I [didn’t] know what I was supposed to say.

Although Survivor 3’s perpetrator was sent to a different school, she is still having a hard time.

I don’t know that I can move on, and I don’t know [if] he should be able to move on from what he did. But I’m working on myself, and from my perspective, I feel that [our] lives can continue. He’s going to have to move on with his life. I can’t just expect him to stay in his room for the rest of his life and feel bad about what he did. He’s going to move on -- maybe he’ll have a family or something. I think everyone should remember what they did but learn from it and maybe help someone else out if they’re going through the same thing.

Survivor 4: Anonymous Survivor 4 was sexually harassed by his ex-boyfriend when he was 13 years old.

We had dated for a little while, but I broke up with him because he intimidated me a lot. I found out he lied about how old he was, and he was about to be an adult. He stalked me and eventually found me while I was alone and overpowered me to do what he wanted as “payback.” I shut down for a long time after that. I was so afraid and anxious about everyone and everything that I didn’t trust people’s motives.

Survivor 4 never reported the incident because he was scared of his parents shunning him and felt that it was too late to report.

I would like other students to know that it’s never your fault if something like this happens to you and to get help. I’m glad for the people who are willing to speak out about their experience and find other people like us.

Source: National Sexual Violence Resource Center and Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network

7

FOCUS

Survivor 5: Amanpreet Kaur Junior Amanpreet Kaur was verbally harassed by a classmate while working on a project.

He told me sexually-suggestive comments during class while we had a substitute in class and were doing a project together. He also touched me when I told him not to since his girlfriend was in the same class as us, and I did not want any contact with him. He was not punished, but he was warned by the Vice Principal and my English teacher after I talked to my counselor. I had to report it because it was affecting my mood, and my desire to be at school waned because I had to see and deal with the guy who harassed me.

Kaur finds solidarity among the groups of people who have had similar experiences.

I feel like those people who share what they went through are strong people who should be celebrated for sharing difficult experiences.

Courtesy of Google Images

SCHS Too: Students speak out about their experiences with sexual assault

By Vincent Nguyen and Eunice Oh On October 15, 2017, actress Alyssa Milano shared on Twitter, “If all the women who have been sexually harassed or assaulted wrote ‘Me too’ as a status, we might give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem.”

According to the New York Times, within 24 hours, approximately 500,000 tweets were shared with the words “Me Too,” resparking a movement over a decade old.

The #MeToo campaign began in 2007 by African-American social activist and sexual assault survivor Tarana Burke. The Huffington Post reported that Burke began the campaign to validate the stories of sexual assault survivors in underprivileged communities.

An article published in The Atlantic states that this movement has successfully brought attention to the ongoing but often hushed issue of sexual harassment.

The #MeToo Movement may be the first anti-sexual violence movement that has helped reveal the prevalence of sexual assault and harassment in society through social media. However, it is only one of many stances in history against sexual harassment. “[The movement] has always existed, and it’s always been led by women of color,” Outreach and Training Coordinator of the Young Women’s Christian Association, Mabelle Bong, said.

Sexual assault can come in any form, including speech, pressure from a working environment or physical contact. Many believe the #MeToo Movement recognizes survivors of sexual harassment, some of whom are SCHS students, and reflects their sentiment that they are tired of this issue being ignored.

“People in power have kept [sexual assault survivors] in silence for so long, and we got sick of it,” Bong said. “I think it’s a necessary part of the movement to realize it’s not just affecting a random person in the world -- this is actually affecting our community.”

The YWCA’s Support Services Depart-

ment, located in San Jose, offers resources for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking.

Similar situations of activism are fueled and led by high school and college students, according to Bong. This includes the Brock Turner case and recent situations where federally funded schools broke Title IX protocol which states, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

“High school and college students are the backbone of activism work,” Bong said. “The only reason schools realized they needed to step up their game is because students are willing to fight back, use social media, and know their rights.”

Principal Gregory Shelby hopes that the #MeToo Movement will be “a time when we can change our culture for the better.”

“My hope is that this becomes a watershed moment in our cultural history,” Shelby said. “[This is] when we reveal everything that shouldn’t stay hidden.”

Santa Clara Unified School District has policies that attempt to get students the help they need. According to the Child Abuse Prevention Council of Santa Clara, many school affiliates are known as mandated reporters, who are required by law to report on any reasonable suspicions of child abuse.

“We’ve always done various trainings with staff, abuse reporting, etc.” Shelby said. “We’re trying to be proactive.”

In line with the #MeToo movement, the district highly encourages and supports students to report what they feel is an inappropriate situation.

“One of the highest values here is a safe environment for students to go to school,” Stanley Rose, Superintendent of SCUSD, said. “It’s pointed out something that has been apparent to anybody that wanted to look for a long time. For that, it’s been a really important movement.”

“It’s pointed out something that has been apparent to anybody that wanted to look for a long time. For that, it’s been a really important movement.”

- Stanley Rose, Superintendent of SCUSD

Survivor 6 has been sexually assaulted by three people. The first person who assaulted her was her boyfriend.

He had been abusing me for about a year, from when I was 14 to 15. He would force me to perform oral sex, beat me, degrade me and strangle me until I passed out. He was very controlling and threatened me and others. I didn’t tell anyone because I thought I deserved it, and I was afraid of leaving him. I eventually told my parents and they told the police. He was in Juvenile Hall for three days, then released. It took another year to finally get a restraining order because his parents were fighting hard for his side. I was forced to move schools because he was winning in court. I’ll have to renew the restraining order this March because I’ll be turning 18.

The second time Survivor 6 was assaulted she was 15 years old.

I woke up in the creek that runs through town, naked and bleeding. I contracted a urinary tract infection, so I went to the doctor. When I told them the sex was not consensual, they brought the police in. I didn’t know who the attacker was, nor did I get a good look at him. I disclosed nothing to the police or to my parents because after spending so much time fighting for my safety in court, nothing was happening at the time. I thought it would be pointless to pursue this case.

The last time she was assaulted was by a different boyfriend when she was 16 years old.

He raped me and molested me while I was unconscious. I never pressed charges because I just didn’t want to go through the justice system again. I didn’t want a room full of adults to tell me I’m a slut and I deserved it again.

It scares Survivor 6 how many people have had similar experiences.

I want others to know that they are not alone and there is a way out. No one deserves it. No one asks for it.

Survivor 7: Anonymous

Survivor 6: Anonymous

When Survivor 7 was 14 years old, a stranger at an ice rink sexually harassed her.

He would continuously grab my waist or touch my bottom, I would flinch and move away, but he would bring me back. He would not stop touching me or getting close to me, and it was just extremely weird and uncomfortable. I flinched a few times and tried to get away, but he was following me. My friend noticed but thought he was a close friend of mine, so she did not bother to ask what was going on.

Survivor 7 was afraid to report the incident in fear that the perpetrator would follow her and did not want to cause a huge commotion. The #MeToo movement makes Survivor 7 feel empowered.

This is not something you hide behind a bookshelf -- you need to speak out. No one should be able to touch you or speak to you in ways you don’t want them to. It is wrong and needs to be stopped. That’s your body they are claiming as theirs and taking control of, and that is not right.

Reporting and writing by Kiera O’Hara Heinz and Danielle Schmitz All photos: Kiera O’Hara Heinz and Danielle Schmitz/Roar Staff Graphics by Eunice Oh, Vincent Nguyen and Bonnie Liu/Roar Staff

SPORTS

8

FEBRUARY 9, 2018

Dance team moves practices from SCHS cafeteria to new dance studio

By Miranda Hunt

- Freshman Asia Ly per helpful for dancers to see if they’re doing everything correctly, like if their body is aligned and they look like a team, rather than doing their own thing,” Hoskins said.

Dancing inside a studio helps not only their performance as a team, but the students’ longevity as healthy dancers, according to Hoskins.

2/9 Gunn @ SCHS - 7:45p 2/14 SCHS @ Monta Vista - 7p 2/16 Lynbrook @ SCHS 7:45p

girls basketball 2/9 Gunn @ SCHS - 6:15p 2/13 SCHS @ Los Gatos - 7p 2/16 Mountain View @ SCHS - 6:15p

Kiera O’Hara-Heinz/Roar Staff

Senior Gabrielle Arfman practices technique with the SCHS dance team in Montage Dance Studio.

“I know they would dance outside on the concrete,” Hoskins said. “We have the best floors you can have, so [the dancers] aren’t injuring themselves. Dancing on concrete is the worst thing to do for your body.”

For team members like Razon, whose first experiences with formal dance training were with the SCHS dance team, transitioning from practicing in a cafeteria to practicing in a dance studio has improved her overall technique as a dancer.

“We do some ballet, and it’s definitely helped me improve as a dancer,” Razon said. “I’m a lot more flexible now, which is be-

cause of the dance team and the diversity we have with the kinds of dances [we are learning].”

Other dancers like freshman Asia Ly have had years of experience in dance studios. Ly has been a competitive dancer for five years, and appreciates the aid of having mirrors while at dance practice.

“You can see yourself and everyone else, so you can see the mistakes and see how clean the dance is,” Ly said.

In addition to providing a proper dance facility for the dancers to practice in, Hoskins has also began to train the dancers in different genres of dance,

such as ballet and contemporary.

“We were used to doing whatever the audience wanted to see, but now we are getting into actual technical dancing,” Razon said.

“It has definitely helped me improve as a dancer.”

Although the environment of the SCHS dance team practices has shifted, performing at football and basketball games has always kept the dancers in high spirits.

“I’m glad I’m on the dance team because it’s a totally different experience [from competition dancing],” Ly said. “The games are so much fun because everyone is cheering and there’s so much good energy.”

Students and staff members participate in charity runs

Courtesy of Tony Lam

Vice Prinicpal Tony Lam (top row, fourth from right), track and field coach Julie L’Heureux (top row, second from right) and SCHS students participate in the Firehouse Run to raise money for SCUSD teachers.

By Emilie Ramirez

Staying healthy and active are habits that many adults would like adolescents to adopt, but

Upcoming Dates boys basketball

Last year, when senior Kayla Razon went to rehearsals for the SCHS dance team, they used the windows of the cafeteria as makeshift mirrors. This year, the dance team is able to practice in new coach Lauren Hoskins’ company’s dance studio, Montage Dance Studio.

“It was a lot harder then because we didn’t have actual mirrors,” Razon said. “But now that we an actual studio to practice in, it’s a lot easier to get things done.”

Hoskins began coaching at SCHS last July. While the dance team had been practicing on-campus at SCHS in previous years, having a real studio provides some huge benefits for the performance level of the team.

“Dancing with mirrors is su-

“I’m glad I’m on the dance team because it’s a totally different experience [from competition dancing].”

winter/ SPRING SPORTS

promoting ideas such as running, exercising and eating healthier foods can be a challenge. Now, in the technological age, many teenagers would rather stay in

and play video games or watch Netflix.

Tony Lam, Vice Principal of Counseling, Curriculum, & Instruction, along with other SCHS faculty members, have begun runnning half-marathons and 5ks in order to get students to be more health-conscious.

“I think it’s important to promote health and wellness,” Lam said. “The adults here are trying to set examples and do this.”

Lam and the other staff members are running not only to promote exercise and to have fun but also to raise money for a charity.

“I think it’s a great way to feel good about yourself,” English teacher Samantha Peters said.

“Both mentally because you did something for somebody else, and physically because you’re running.”

One such run is the recent Firehouse Run that benefits the Santa Clara Education Foundation, according to Lam. The proceeds go to the teachers through scholarships, where they can use it to do “wonderful things.” “[The money raised from the run] gives them a little money to purchase teaching equipment and whatever else they need to help

their students learn better,” Lam said.

His efforts have resulted in some students running with him, such as junior Karina Kleveland.

Although the runs are for a specific cause, a significant reason for the student participation in these events is for the fun environment, according to Kleveland.

“People throwing food, people with hoses, people cheering with posters,” Kleveland said.

“There’s just no reason not to do it.”

Teachers who have decided to join the runs find that they are a good way to bond with their coworkers, whether they are from SCHS or another SCUSD site.

“It’s really nice to build relationships with your fellow colleagues,” Peters said. “Especially when you’re new to the school or new to the district.”

Lam looks forward to continuing to run with his co-workers and with other students.

“It’s fun to get out there and run with a bunch of other people, not trying to set a grand speed record,” Lam said. “Just getting out there and having fun trying to promote a healthy lifestyle.”

boys soccer 2/14 SCHS @ Homestead - 3:30p 2/16 Los Gatos @ SCHS - 6p

girls soccer 2/14 Homestead @ SCHS - 6p 2/16 SCHS @ Los Gatos 3:30p

boys volleyball 2/22 SCHS @ Del Mar 5p 2/23 SCHS @ Gunderson - 7p 2/26 SCHS @ Lynbrook 6:45p

baseball 3/13 Monta Vista @ SCHS - 6p 3/15 SCHS @ Monta Vista - 4p 2/16 SCHS @ Cupertino - 2p

softball 2/28 SCHS @ Fremont 3:30p 3/2 Piedmont Hills @ SCHS - 3:30p 3/3 SCHS @ Gunn - 10a

Schedule and standings are according to MaxPreps.com

FEBRUARY 9, 2018

9

SPORTS

More teams include freshman players on their varsity rosters

By Zianna Razon

With two freshmen in varsity girls basketball, four freshmen in varsity boys basketball, seven freshmen in varsity girls soccer and three in varsity wrestling, there are approximately 16 freshmen in varsity winter sports, according to Maxpreps.com SCHS coaches consider specific qualities when choosing members for their teams, especially regarding freshman on varsity. Varsity boys basketball coach Tony McGilvery looks for “skill level, toughness, competitiveness and willingness to work hard,” in his varsity players. Varsity girls basketball coach Melodee Kiyota also looks for similar traits, such as “hard work, determination, desire, reliability, good character and selfdiscipline.”

Varsity girls soccer coach Brad Comstock said he picks his players based on certain qualities and skills rather than grade level.

“For each person it is individual,” Comstock said. “[I look for] what they can bring to the field, depending what position they are playing and what I’m looking for in that position.”

But having freshmen on a varsity team may have its downsides.

Playing against upperclassmen from other schools can often become a challenge for the varsity freshmen players, according to McGilvery.

“Sometimes they are overwhelmed by the size and physicality of the opposing team,” McGilvery said. “In those instances, they don’t play as much.”

Freshman varsity basketball

Emilie Ramirez/Roar Staff

Emilie Ramirez/Roar Staff

Freshman Jordan Lesnick controls the ball during a varsity girls soccer practice. player Maia Garcia, who was a starter for her first varsity game, said she was challenged by her experience facing older opponents.

“Varsity is so much harder especially since last year I was playing against 8th graders, but now I’m playing seniors and juniors,” Garcia said.

Playing against bigger players from other schools may have been intimidating to some freshman players. However, some, like freshman varsity basketball player Sean Do, believe playing alongside the upperclassmen on the SCHS team is different. According to Do, SCHS upperclassmen welcomed him “with open minds.”

“They also made me feel a lot more comfortable with my

peers,” Do said. “They’re like brothers to me.”

Garcia finds it easier to get along with her fellow players who are upperclassmen as well.

“Ever since the first day of school when I got put in 7th period PE with the basketball team, they’ve always been super kind and super friendly,” Garcia said.

Being on a varsity team provides freshmen an extended amount of time to work on their skills within the four years of highschool, according to McGilvery. By practicing within a varsity team with experienced upperclassmen, these players show the potential to improve in their future years at SCHS. “Most importantly, they are teammates, and [they are] trying to help us win,” McGilvery said.

Junior Kayleigh Watanabe plays in a Go4Goal charity game against Wilcox High School.

Games for Charity Continued from Page 1 the game already occurred, team members continue to sell shirts.

They started with around 1,200 shirts, according to Kiyota, and the goal is to sell all of them.

“All of us support those families who have suffered [from] cancer,” Gutierrez said. “We’re here to help them. We want to be those people they can count on.”

The Coaches Against Cancer game was not the only fundraising event this year for girls basketball. On January 16, the team played another charity game, this time against Wilcox High School. Each member of the team wore gold shoelaces bought from the Go4TheGoal

organization. The organization donates all proceeds from shoelace sales to helping kids with cancer and their families.

Girls basketball is not the only SCHS team that will play games for charity. Bringing back an old tradition, volleyball coach Megan Morse-Quevedo plans to schedule a charity tournament for September 2018.

The tournament is anticipated to have 18-24 teams present, including Santa Clara and Wilcox. A portion of proceeds from the tournament will be donated to the Sideout Foundation to support breast cancer research.

“It’s important. It gives us a reason to play harder, just to remember all the people in our lives that have passed away as well as the ones who are currently dealing with [cancer],” junior Kayleigh Watanabe said.

Junior Cedric Salvador runs miles in under five minutes, and hopes to break four

By Kiara Thorp

Junior Cedric Salvador started participating in track and field and cross country in sixth grade. He has loved it ever since.

For SCHS’s track and field, Salvador runs the 4x400 meter relay, the 800 meter, the 1600 meter and the 3200 meter. Sometimes, he competes all these events in one meet. According to Salvador, preparing for long track and field meets requires hard work both during and outside of SCHS practices.

“I do separate workouts outside of running like core and weight,” Salvador said. “I spend a lot of

“Balancing school work isn’t hard because I think working out helps me focus when I’m doing homework afterward.”

- Junior Cedric Salvador time stretching and rolling on the foam roller to make sure I can recover.”

Salvador also competes on the cross country team, normally running 40 miles for a meet.

Danielle Schmitz/Roar Staff

Junior Cedric Salvador runs in the 4x400 meter relay, the 800 meter, the 1600 meter and the 3200 meter events in one meet.

Despite spending a lot of time in practice improving his times, Salvador believes that it does not take away from his school life or his ability to handle a large amount of homework.

“Balancing school work isn’t hard because I think working out helps me focus when I’m doing homework afterward,” Salvador said.

Although his mile time of 4:26

is fast for a high school student, Salvador hopes to improve it in order to gain scholarships for college.

“I want to go to school for free and break four minutes in the

mile,” Salvador said. “I’d like to run in college, but I really just have to listen to my great coach, Julie [L’Heureux], who tells me to take everything one step at a time.”

A&E

10

Social media:

By Sasha Syrevych Many people have various choices to occupy their time when they wake up in the morning. They can do some stretching, for example, or listen to the news, or just think about life.

But according to a recent study conducted by the Deloitte Global Mobile Consumer Survey of 2016, 61 percent of people check their phones five minutes after waking up. Social media has become a staple in most people’s daily life, especially for teens.

Some of the newer, more popular platforms, like Instagram and Snapchat, have been the most attractive sites as of late, while others, such as Facebook or long-ago MySpace, seem as if they do not have such a huge impact on adolescents. According to a report by the Washington Post, that might not be such a bad thing.

The Post reported that teens spend nearly nine hours a day consuming social media, which means they spend more than onethird of their lifetime on social media.

While old platforms seem to be associated with simplicity and communication with friends, the new ones put a lot of pressure on teens and their posts.

“While a great sense of connection and innovation has come out of a lot of social media plat-

FEBRUARY 9, 2018

What started out as a fun way to interact Boba trend with peers has become addictive for some sweeps SCHS

forms, along with that comes potentially very harmful pressures and expectations that we do not even fully understand yet,” economics and history teacher Brooke Miller said.

For example, with the evolution of social media, new fears such as FOMO, or Fear of Missing Out, have appeared. When users see posts from Instagram celebrities with their “perfect lives,” it is easy for them to feel that something exciting is not happening in their lives.

“It is hard to spend time looking at a constant reel of highlights from other people’s life and not feel like you are missing out on something, not accomplishing something or just simply not feeling fulfilled,” Miller said.

Studies from Association for Information Systems have shown that the majority of social media users tend to edit and post only their most attractive pictures.

“There are false realities posted online,” SCHS Wellness Coordinator Michelle Sandoval said. “And there is anonymity that exists online that wouldn’t exist in real life.”

Anonymous followers are easy to decline, but according to people like sophomore Samantha Espinoza, the rush for followers keeps teens accepting the random and potentially dangerous requests.

“In middle school I was all

By Marvyn Parayno

According to a recent study conducted by the Deloitte Global Mobile Consumer Survey of 2016, 61 percent of people check their phones five minutes after waking up. about having followers, but as I got older I realized most of those people that followed me I don’t know,” Espinoza said. “It became a safety hazard because there are many people out there that one shouldn’t be talking to.”

Students’ mental health may also be jeopardized because of social media websites.

“We get idealistic perceptions of how people lives are and they perceive themselves online to be really happy or fortunate,” Sandoval said. “We only see the best of what people want to show us.”

Time reported that Royal Society recommends social media companies find a way to highlight when photos of people have been digitally changed as well as identify and offer help to users who could be suffering from mental health problems.

“On Instagram, all you see are expectations, which doesn’t help one’s self-consciousness,” Espinoza said. “And that deeply affects people who use social media.”

FCCLA prepares students for leadership roles

Eunice Oh/Roar Staff

Above: Students gather in J205 for an FCCLA club meeting.

Right: FCCLA club members prepare to walk in the annual Homecoming parade.

By Maya Singh Family, Career and Community Leaders of America, a nonprofit academic leadership organization that helps gear students towards family and consumer sciences, has been around since 1945. Today, the organization has around 164,000 members in more than 5,300 chapters.

This year, FCCLA’s SCHS chapter has around 60 members, according to club advisor and culinary arts teacher Kathy Hopp. In her five years as a club advisor, Hopp says this is the largest the club has ever grown.

“A lot of what we do is leadership and community service, so we welcome everyone and there’s

something for most people to get out of it even if they’re not following that career path,” Hopp said.

Junior and club president Maliya Madanes, who has been in the club for two years, believes people often mistaken FCCLA for something completely different.

“People might know it as the ‘cooking club,’ or some people might not even know what FCCLA is at all,” Madanes said. “FCCLA is not a cooking club.”

According to club secretary, junior Tiyana Tuscano, a typical FCCLA club meeting is centered around planning for competitions.

Members of FCCLA are encouraged to compete in chapter competitions that include challenges in the culinary, business and hospitality fields.

At an upcoming competition, break out of her shell and realize chapter reporter, senior Tanvi Saki, what she wants to pursue in the is competing in the Food Innova- future.

“When I first joined FCCLA, I tions competition, where she has to market a product to a specific group was very shy and scared because I of people. This year, the group is didn’t know anyone in the club,” vegan teenagers.

Madanes said. “But all the memEunice Oh/Roar Staff Saki has been a part of the club bers and officers were so welcomsince last year. Though she does not ing and were really nice. FCCLA plan to pursue a career in family or helped me improve my speaking consumer sciences, Saki has valued skills and helped me become more her time as an active member. organized.”

“Some of the skills I’ve learned Senior Nikki Nicolas, who in FCCLA will help [in my future joined this year, is glad she got the career],” Saki said. “I want to do chance to be a part of the club besomething in biotech, so the busi- fore she graduates. ness skills and the accounting and “Just having that connection management area will really help with people and learning good life me out.” skills [makes the club fun],” NicoMadanes believes that being las said. “I wish I joined earlier.” a part of FCCLA has helped her

Iced tea with soft and sweet tapioca balls has been popular since its invention in Taiwan in the 1980s, but in the past few years, it has become a staple to SCHS students.

“I’m addicted to boba,” Cafe LaTTea regular senior Harleen Gill said. “It’s something I love to drink when I’m stressed, which is pretty much everyday of my life.”

Bubble tea, better known to students as “boba,” is a fruit or milk-based tea. Customers have the choice to include honey boba and/or other toppings like almond jelly and minced fruit in their drinks, which is also what many students love about the drink.

“Loving boba has just become a part of SCHS culture,” senior class secretary and treasurer Maya Collins said.

Fantasia, Cafe LaTTea and Moo Bar are popular chains among students. Knowing that many students enjoy it, boba from Tpumps has been sold at several SCHS fundraisers. According to Collins, the Tpumps fundraisers are very successful, and proceeds go towards keeping prom tickets at an affordable price.

“We earn a lot for our fundraisers,” Collins said. “When we order [the drinks], they’re pretty expensive, but we get back everything.”

Some see the shared liking for boba as a way to create social connections.

Sophomore Carlo Devera and senior Keziah Rezaey say these boba places are where students can take breaks from school work. “[Boba places] are where groups of friends bond and escape the school’s atmosphere,” Devera said.

The unique texture is another appealing factor for some students. Senior Shantyl Basilio said she enjoys drinking boba because the drink itself is both something to eat and drink simultaneously.

“I like boba because it’s squishy, and it’s like a drink and a snack in one,” Basilio said.

Whether students drink boba to support school causes or to make connections with peers, boba is a drink that is beloved by the students at SCHS. “It’s great that a lot of people love the drink,” Rezaey said. “Explore all that boba has to offer.”

FEBRUARY 9, 2018

Dungeons and Dragons may be “nerdy,” but the roleplaying game gives students a sense of adventure

By Melina Kritikopoulos Dungeons and Dragons has been popularized by television and movies as a somewhat “nerdy” game. Surprisingly, this drew D&D current club president Janna Crocker to the club her freshman year.

“I had seen D&D portrayed in movies and television as this big fun, nerdy game that you can play in real life…and I thought that [it would be] really fun,” Crocker said.

Forty-four years after its invention, the world of D&D is still popular and played by SCHS’s own D&D club.

The club advisor, foreign language teacher Justin Williams, describes the magical game of Dungeons and Dragons as a “spontaneous theatre.”

Williams has been participating in the role-playing game since junior high, so naturally, when a student approached him to start the club, he immediately accepted.

“It offers the same experience of theatre, except in an unrehearsed format,” Williams said.

“People want to be something else if just for 20 minutes or an hour.”

Both Crocker and Williams are dungeon masters, the leaders of the game. Regular players assume character personas while dungeon

masters lead the story, playing as monsters, village people, dragons, or any obstacle they wish to throw at the players.

“A lot of it just sort of hinges on the weird adventures that the characters get in,” Williams said.

Weekly meetings in the club can get crazy, according to Crocker.

“Anybody was doing anything they could. It was pure insanity,” junior member Christian Tott said about the first game in which he partook. “I will never forget [it] because everyone was just laughing for the last 20 minutes of class.”

The meetings are a mix of roleplaying, socializing and simply having a good time.

“In Dungeons and Dragons [club], it’s more to have fun, to talk to your friends… Every session is honestly kind of [funny or surprising],” Crocker said.

“The people in here, they’re awesome; they’re really fun to be around,” freshman member Aiden Maciel said.

Not only is the fantasy game a fun way to spend time with friends, but assuming a persona can bring joy and creativity to a player, according to senior Puja Vasan.

“It’s made me a little more creative,” Vasan said. “You just get to do stuff that in real life you wouldn’t get to do.”

“You get to be someone who you’re not,” Maciel said. “You get

Kiera O’Hara-Heinz/Roar Staff

Seniors Janna Crocker and John Gerritse engage in the “spontaneous theatre” that is Dungeons and Dragons. to be a fighter, a strong person, and it’s just fun overall.”

The D&D Club welcomes everyone, according to Crocker.

“If you have an idea for a

Sophomore Tatiana Serrano-Zeledon created a digital portrait of famous pop singer Ariana Grande.

By Amy Kennedy

SCRoar.net

campaign… this is a great space to do that. It doesn’t have to be Dungeons and Dragons,” Crocker said. “It can be sci-fi, or steampunk, or ‘Stranger Things.’ It’s just a good space to do role-play-

Student artists spend hours dedicated to improving their artwork

Courtesy of Tatiana Serrano-Zeledon

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11

A&E

Drawing is often a frustrating and slow process. It can take countless hours to finish and perfect a masterpiece. Sometimes multiple days are spent on a single drawing.

In order to stay passionate about their art, some artists must garner inspiration elsewhere.

The source of inspiration is unique to every artist. Sophomores Tatiana Serrano-Zeledon and Athena Comoda look to artists on social media.

Serrano-Zeledon also uses social media to share her drawings with the goal of inspiring others to keep drawing and improve their art.

“When I go back through my photos, they’re so bad for me now,”

Serrano-Zeledon said. “I used to think they were so good, and I can see the improvement.”

Comoda’s inspiration is fueled by her dream of creating art for the screens.

“I want to be a concept artist for movies, video games or TV shows,” Comoda said.

Effective character design,

when a person can “look at a character and… know exactly what their personality is,” is critical to becoming a concept artist, Comoda said.

To work towards her dream, Comoda focuses on re-creating characters through fan art, including drawings inspired by League of Legends.

Junior Vince Velayo and freshmen Sanjna Jain hope to use their artistic skills in their future career.

A Disney lover, Velayo dreams of working for Pixar Animation Studios. He observes the different styles Disney uses to improve his own art.

Jain has similar aspirations.

“I really want to work at Disney or Pixar and be a character design artist,” Jain said. “How cool would it be if I get to be the person who designs Disney princesses?”

Senior Sadie Spektor draws to inspire others to express their own creativity.

“I want to bring something new to the world. I want to make people happy when they look at my art,” Spektor said.

Despite the numerous sources of inspiration, drawing every day may not always come easily. Artists may run into the equivalent of “writer’s block.” Comoda has experienced this challenge.

“There was a time in my art where I didn’t draw for a whole two months because I was so stressed out with everything around me and I guess I didn’t want to do art anymore,” she said.

But when she started drawing again, Comoda realized that art is something she really wants to do.

Her words of advice: “Just keep going.”

ing games…or anything else.”

“Anything could happen,” Williams said. “It’s all up to the stories they decide to tell.”

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SPOTLIGHT

12

FEBRUARY 9, 2018

Cultural rites of passage

Courtesy of Rachel Spektor

Courtesy of Naxely Belmont

Senior Rachel Spektor (left) and sophomore Naxely Belmont (right) celebrate their coming of age, with extravagant religious ceremonies filled with their family

and friends.

By Sophia Kennedy Though some people may try to avoid it, becoming an adult is inevitable. There are new responsibilities and less free time but also greater respect and more freedom. This tremendous change is often marked by cultural or religious ceremonies, but among some SCHS students, coming of age has lost importance.

For many families, growing up is valued deeply and is something to be celebrated with the community. One well-known coming-of-age celebration is the Quinceañera, where Latina girls turning 15 have a Mass and throw a party to celebrate their womanhood. For junior Perla Arellano, the event was nerve wracking, but she believes that it is important to have a party like the Quinceañera to celebrate this stage of life.

“It’s the one party in which you get to enjoy who you are and the fact that you are growing up.” Arellano said. “Once you are there, all you feel is happiness because everybody is there for you, celebrating your birthday.”

Sophomore Naxely Belmont was also reluctant to have a Quinceañera but changed her mind last minute.

“You grow up here, and you start getting familiar with the customs and traditions from [the United States],” Belmont said. “But as I started going to my friends’ Quinceañeras, I started realizing that those are my roots, that’s where I come from, it’s important to me.”

Similar right-of-passage celebrations can be seen in Jewish culture. Girls usually have a Bat Mitzvah when they are 12 years old, and boys have a Bar Mitzvah when they are 13.

“These [events] are important for your heritage,” sophomore Daniela Dayen said. “[You are] doing something responsible to show that you are worthy of being in the community.”

Dayen said that having a Bat Mitzvah was a big responsibility. She led a service, which was all in Hebrew, and read from the Torah and the Haftarah in front of friends, family and members of her synagogue. Dayen said that preparation can begin as early as third grade.

This is a very different from what many teenagers do to show that they have reached adulthood or maturity. Some females have a Sweet 16 party, but it seems that turning 16 has become somewhat of an insignificant event in teenagers’ lives. Senior Puja Vasan had a Sweet 16 celebration but believes that official adulthood is really at 18.

“I got to hang out with my friends, which is important for me,” Vasan said. “But I would not say it was a turning point in my life.”

Junior Meredith Larson had a similar experience.

“My 16th birthday was pretty low key,” Larson said. “I didn’t feel that turning 16 was such a big deal as getting older, like 18 or 21. Those are the big milestones, generally.”

Senior Rachel Spektor, who had a Bat Mitzvah, believes that people should not feel forced to do something special to mark the occasion.

“I think that everybody celebrates their coming of age in a different way,” Spektor

said. “For some people it’s not significant; it’s just another year. They shouldn’t need to celebrate it.”

Junior Sofia Kritikopoulos said that her Bat Mitzvah was important but not because it marked the official start of adulthood. She said the event helped her strengthen her faith and helped her transition into the next chapter of life.

“It’s kind of a period of self-realization where you are finding who you really are and what you want to do in life,” Kritikopoulos said.

Junior David Warshawsky said that having a Bar Mitzvah has become more of a symbolic religious event than anything else as the ceremony does not start any legal responsibilities.

“It matters more to people of previous generations than it does to us,” Warshawsky said.

“The law doesn’t let us do anything different [after a Bar Mitzvah].”

Family can often play a major role in many of these cultural celebrations or ceremonies.

Junior Spencer Lepore had a Bar Mitzvah even though he said that he did not identify with Judaism.

“It’s a cultural thing. You know, you have to make the grandparents proud,” Lepore said.

“I think it’s important for people to connect to their culture. It just wasn’t important to me because it wasn’t really my culture.”

Some teenagers whose families have traditional coming-of-age celebrations may want to “Americanize” the event or avoid it altogether. But Daniela Dayen’s mother, Beth Dayen, said that sticking to tradition is a good thing.

“It was important to me that both of my girls had a Bat Mitzvah,” Dayen said. “It was something that I did when I turned 13.”

Celebrating the diversity in our society is also important, she added. Naxely Belmont’s father, Ruben Belmont, agreed that tradition was important when planning Naxely’s Quinceañera.

“I tried to keep it as close [to tradition] as possible,” Belmont said. “But I can say that having all the family together is one of the main parts of the Quinceañera. Having all the relatives around is one of the things that make the Quinceañera traditional and special.”

Larson said that it may all be up to preference or the interest one has in these type of events.

“As long as something is important to you, it’s okay,” Larson said. “As long as you have your own special moment.”

Courtesy of Daniela Dayen

Sophomore Daniela Dayen leads a service in Hebrew and dances at her Bat Mitzvah with her family, friends and members of her synagogue.

Courtesy of Naxely Belmont

Naxely Belmont, and her father, Ruben Belmont, showcase their hispanic culture through a reigonal, traditional dance.