May Issue 2016-2017

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ISSN: 2164-6996

6677 Camden Avenue San Jose, CA 95120

Leland High School

San Jose Unified School District

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Vol. O | No. 8

MAY 31, 2017

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NEWS With the closing of the school year: a goodbye to departing staff members Peter Park, Assistant Principal of Discipline Edward Park Staff Writer

As an alumnus, student and administrator, Peter Park, Assistant Principal of Instruction, has been a valuable leader of the school. Park has achieved much during his time at the school, such as helping to create support for students by increasing the number of counselors from one to a new, formal counseling department.

“He is so supportive and always has the answers to everybody’s questions. We will miss him greatly, but we are happy

CONNOR SOCHOCKI PHOTO

that he has been promoted,” Gay Brasher.

Speech and Debate, said.

Park will become the principal of Booksin Elementary School in the 2017-2018 school year. His first priority is to develop and maintain personal relationships with the faculty, parents and students at Booksin.

“The most important impact I had [at the school] was when I was building relationships with those in my community.

I feel great when staff, students and parents share in [the school’s] success and give feedback for areas of need. Our team approach has brought us closer,” Park said.

In Park’s new role, he plans to apply his past experience as teacher and Assistant Principal (AP) of Activities, Discipline and Instruction to ensure that he makes a smooth transition into working at a new school. Although Park is eager to work with Booksin, he will miss the school.

“I spent almost half my life at [the school]. I definitely feel bittersweet about leaving. I will always consider my time here to be the highlight of my life. Once a Charger, always a Charger,” Park said.

The Charger Account would like to thank Mr. Park for his support of the journalism program and for the time he set aside to assist us for each issue. We wish him the best of luck in his new position!

Virginia Valdez, School Secretary

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Lissa Slover, Sports Desk Secretary

Michael Adams, Social Science Department

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Michael Adams has spent his time at the school encouraging his students to ask complex questions, announcing for school sporting events and writing over a hundred letters of recommendation each year.

He has enjoyed being a part of the school’s tight-knit community and working with his students.

“It has been an amazing six years at the school and I am honored to be a Charger,” Adams said.

The Charger Account thanks him for dedicating his time to teaching his history students!

Compiled by Ruby Lunde

Virginia Valdez has been an employee of San Jose Unified School District (SJUSD) for 28 years, half of which she spent serving as secretary for four principals of the school.

She worked every summer to prepare for the new academic year by implementing new software systems for her fellow staff members and ensuring that all classrooms are equipped with the appropriate materials. Valdez will use her newfound free time to rekindle her passion for traveling to various countries.

“She has been wonderful at helping keep this school going. She is very patient and encouraging, and I personally will miss her,” Jennifer Touchton, English Department, said.

The Charger Account thanks her for her well appreciated efforts and preparations to ensure that the school year runs smoothly!

CONNOR SOCHOCKI PHOTO

Lissa Slover was not always a member of the office staff—she began as a substitute teacher in 1989, finding a full time position in 2001. In her time working at the sports desk for the school, she has enjoyed watching the young elementary kids she taught at Graystone Elementary School mature and eventually attend the school.

She loves to talk to all of the athletes that come to her to turn in forms and ask questions about their upcoming sports seasons. Slover plans to spend more time with her grandchildren by attending their sports games.

“I will miss working side by side with her and helping all of the students at the school with her,” Connie Guttierez, Information Desk Clerk, said.

The Charger Account thanks her for her many years of helping students all around the campus!

Celebrating 50 years of the school’s history A. Shivakumar and A. Subramaniam

Staff Writers

Towers of yellow, blue and white balloons decorated the quad and the stage at the school’s 50th Anniversary Celebration on May 13. Students, parents, teachers and alumni gathered at the tables set up in the grass and viewed at the displays in the classroom.

“I thought that this event was really great, since former students get to come back and meet their old teachers and see how much things have changed. I learned so much history about this school, which I did not know before. It is cool to see so many people come to an event and celebrate a huge accomplishment like this,” Sophomore Hannah Lee said.

The Associated Student Body (ASB), alongside numerous administration members, prepared for the event for several months leading up to the date.

They organized activities, such as student-led campus tours, for those interested in receiving an in-depth guide to the school’s history. Another section in the gym recognized prized school

memorabilia collected from each decade.

ASB also ensured that the sponsors of the event were honored, by hanging up posters of sponsors around campus and recognizing them on the school website.

In the cafeteria, a dinner of bread, barbecued chicken and mixed vegetables

were provided to the guests along with three different cakes.

“This ended up being an amazing event because it shows how the school programs and campuse have evolved. So many new classes, clubs and teams have emerged since the school’s first year; it is

KIANA HUNZIKER PHOTO Freshmen Maren Elardo, Caitlin Saifi and Sophia Flocchini, Sophomore Janet Flesh and Seniors Sarah Jamieson, Joyce Ahn, Allison Cornell and Atreyi Mitra wave their pom poms to the to the crowd.

KIANA HUNZIKER PHOTO kind of shocking for some of the alumni to see those kind of changes,” Meg Walsh, Activities Director, said.

Throughout the evening, there were several performances to showcase the school’s progress over the last few decades. The band, orchestra and jazz band all played several pieces in front of the alumni and teachers for the first part of the evening. Afterwards, both Leland Quixilver Robotics teams gave a short speech about their programs and launched t-shirts into the crowd using their t-shirt cannon. Next, the school’s drama club stepped onto the stage to perform a small portion of their last musical, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” In addition, the dance team performed a new routine, followed by speeches from Gay Brasher, Art Department, Brad Craycroft, Principal, Peter Park, Assistant Principal of Instruction and Aaron Seandel, the school’s first principal.

“The 50th celebration was a spectacular event. I am glad that everybody who came to reminisce left with brand new memories,” Park said.

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THE CHARGER ACCOUNT

Bay Area scientists and allies march to “Make America Smart Again”

NEWS

Bhargavi Garimella and Ellen Dong Staff Writers

On April 22, Earth Day, in 600 cities across the country, thousands of scientists and their supporters gathered for the March for Science. Reacting to the subjugation of science by the government, the marchers emphasized the need for public support of science and widespread science education within our communities.

Protesters carried signs stating that they cannot “believe that [they] have to protest for science” and “Make America Smart Again,” expressing their anger and disappointment toward the government.

The marchers were motivated by President Trump’s dismissal of climate change as a hoax and the policy action he has taken during his time in office.

Trump proposed an 18 percent funding cut to the National Institutes of Health and a 31 percent budget cut to the Environmental Agency. He plans to repeal the Clean Power Plan, which would have replaced coal plants with wind and solar farms. Additionally, the Trump administration granted approval for construction of the Keystone XL pipeline and the Dakota Access Pipeline, which transport crude oil across the country and pose a large threat to the environment.

“The March for Science was a strong attempt, but I just do not see it having a

long lasting impact. It is important to stand up for science by continuing to raise awareness of important issues and increasing funding for science in the public sector. Although that may be unlikely, it will further support the advance of science,” Senior Laura Shieh said.

The March serves as a platform to inspire greater political action in the name of preserving values of science. The March is continuing to make an impact by urging scientists to reach out to their communities and connect in the name of education.

Moreover, the March served as a flagship for future rallies, protests and marches to raise awareness and to resist negative policy changes.

Challenges that scientists and activists face as they try to continue the movement for science include convincing the public of the importance of science. In addition, one of the biggest political controversial issues is the issue

of climate change. The president’s act of reducing funds represents the inaction that the scientists and the public are hoping to avoid. The activists are also having a difficult time uniting all of the scientists behind the idea of a march.

JASON HU ART

Geologist Robert Young wrote in a New York Times editorial that, to skeptical conservatives, the March will only reinforce the idea that scientists are an

interest and group that politicizes their findings for their own good. He continues to argue that the march will only trivialize and politicize science, when science should continue its neutral and objective ground.

“Scientists face a lack of support from our government and a lot of misinformation from the media. With a lack of funding, we are going to have a brain drain. The innovations that come from science will be spearheaded in other countries, not ours.

Science is in our best economic interest,” Mark Cahn, Science Department, said.

The mission of the March includes advocacy for open and accessible science and the affirmation of science as a democratic value. With the imminent budget cuts to research and disregard of factual information, many scientists fear that the value of science in society is being threatened.

Furthermore, scientists faced challenges in organization. Because the scientific community is unaccustomed to protest, many argued that activism does not belong in science. However, the leaders emphasized that since all community members believe that science is the key to making the world a better place, joining the March would show their support for these ideas.

June Quotebox: March for Science (change color) June 2

Senior Sunset

June 3

Senior Ball

June 7

Graduation

June 8

Last Day of School

MIKA ANDO ART

Calif. lawmakers implement gas taxes

Alex Huang

School News Editor

On April 6, the Calif. Senate passed the first gas tax in 23 years to increase gas prices in order to raise money for improvement in transportation.

Excise taxes will continue to fluctuate until 2020. Overall, gas prices will be raised by $5.2 billion. Drivers will also have to pay a “transportation improvement fee” on Jan. 1, 2018 with the cost depending on the value of their car.

However, there is some controversy concerning the law, such as the $1 billion in side deals. Taxes are not conventionally passed through side deals. Governor Jerry Brown carried out these deals to improve roads and traffic in the districts of legislatures that were

unsure of voting for the bill; some believe that uncertain voters should not benefit.

From the revenue of the gas tax, almost $3 billion will contribute repairing bridges and smoothing out railroads. $1 billion will go to supporting public transportation, freeway services and nonvehicle transportation. $250 million will improve traffic in congested urban areas.

These repairs will also be more costly for certain demographics.

For instance, farmers opposed the bill since it loosened restrictions on fossil fuels, especially from trucks.

Additionally, taxes will harm low-income families and small businesses because they struggle to ration their earnings for gas. From the perspective of lower income families, a tax on increasing gas prices is harmful. However, others believe that the smoother roads and easier travel will lower NAVODIT RASTOGI ART the demand for gasoline.

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MAY 31, 2017

OPINIONS Taking down Confederate history Editorial Staff

THE CHARGER ACCOUNT OUR MISSION

The Charger Account seeks to introduce students to the field of journalism and to increase awareness of events in the school, community and the world.

ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The Charger Account is published monthly by Leland High School of San Jose Unified School District at: Leland High School 6677 Camden Ave. San Jose, CA 95120-2142 (408) 535-6290 The student body at Leland High School is composed of 1818 students in grades 9-12. Leland is supported by 118 staff and faculty members.

EDITORS IN CHIEF

Amanda Chen, Shraddha Kamat, Sunwoo Park, Jungwon Shin

COPY AND MANAGING EDITORS Tara Sadjadpour, Edward Yoon

ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTORS Jiayin Lu, Connor Sochocki

NEWS EDITORS

Nikita Patel, Alex Huang, Tina Kong

OPINIONS EDITORS Ken Tanaka, Ping Hsieh

FEATURE EDITORS Roselyn Lee, Yoon Jeong

VIEWPOINT EDITORS Allen Kim, Jonathan Li

ENTERTAINMENT EDITORS Phoebe Yin, Hannah Cho

LIFESTYLE EDITOR Kimiya Malek

INVESTIGATIVE REPORT EDITOR Joyce Jang

SPORTS EDITORS

Nicholas Yeo, Murtaza Moiyadi

LAST WORD EDITOR Emily Gui

AD MANAGER Hannah Cho

EXCHANGE/CIRCULATION MANAGER Yoon Jeong

ADVISOR

Kim Kelley-Lafranconi

COMMUNITY CIRCULATION (PARENT CLUB) Tian Lin

The Charger Account May 31, 2017 Vol. O, No. 8

On Sept. 14, 1874, the White League attempted to overthrow the governor of Louisiana, Republican William Kellogg, and replace him with former-officer in the Confederate States Army John McEnery.

Although the revolt was unsuccessful, the Battle of Liberty Place monument was erected in order to honor the 100 White League members who died in the conflict.

However, this monument represents more than just a historical battle; it symbolizes the White League’s attempt towards returning Louisiana back to a white supremacist society, one which celebrates racism and denounces equality.

Thus, in April, New Orleans mayor Mitch Landrieu decided to take down the monument during Confederate Memorial Day. Immediately, hundreds of citizens protested the removal, claiming that the statue was “history not hate.” While protestors may claim to be protecting history, the government cannot allow such a monument, which symbolizes hatred and white supremacy, to remain standing.

New Orleans is not the first city to begin removing Confederate symbols; in Charlottesville, Va., the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee was also taken down and South Carolina removed the Confederate flag flying at its State Capitol building. It is essential that states continue this trend because white supremacist culture is not history, but an ideology which continues to garner support even today. In fact, following the removal of Lee’s statue, torch-wielding protestors congregated at Lee Park, chanting Nazi rhetoric which referred to the idea of “ethnic purity.” In a statement, Charlottesville Mayor Mike Signer compared the protest to a Ku Klux Klan gathering. By allowing such symbols to remain a part of daily life, these monuments continue to influence citizens

and perpetuate these horrific ideas which directly go against America’s core values of diversity and freedom.

“It is rare to find statues of Hitler and Mussolini in plain sight these days.

Although they are not as extreme, these Confederate statues should be removed because they are a part of history which is offensive,” Sophomore William Lu said.

KYURI YUM ART

Furthermore, the Southern Poverty Law Center finds that about 700 Confederate-inspired monuments still remain on public property across the nation. Government officials should continue to remove these symbols in order to demonstrate the government’s commitment to advancing society towards a positive direction in which ideas such as diversity and equality are celebrated.

Students can continue to learn about Confederate history through textbooks in a classroom setting. By removing these statues, cities are not erasing history, but removing the influential power these monuments can hold. Taking down Confederate statues is key towards putting the ideology in the past and moving towards a better future.

New Orleans’ decision to remove the statue recognizes the city’s rich history and vast diversity. The city should celebrate its success and others should follow suit.

Rationalizing the arts “A price tag on individuality” Editorial Staff

One of the biggest trends that we see during the college application process is the conflict between Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) and the arts, which is perceived to be less financially stable. Living in the Silicon Valley, we are often overwhelmed by the emphasis put on STEM, surrounded by a culture that tends to devalue art. As a result, students who do have a genuine interest in pursuing the arts are often faced with the constant conflict between suppressing, and even abandoning, their passions in order to fulfill familial and societal expectations.

In an interview with a graduating senior who wants to pursue writing, he lamented that there is an overwhelming pressure to put “a price tag on individuality.” This characterizes our impulse to commodify talent, rather than value authenticity. Prioritizing monetary success over long-term happiness is myopic and potentially self-destructive.

At the root of the struggle for artists is how society consumes art.

Technology has been a double-edged sword for the arts. The Napster Culture, more commonly known as piracy, has grown with the rise of the internet.

While technology has allowed artists to share their works with a larger audience, the wide distribution of their work has

“…society demands artists’ work without feeling obligated to pay for it.” also developed a “culture of free,” in which society demands artists’ work without feeling obligated to pay for it.

Free downloads and streaming have cultivated an imbalanced mentality: we demand, criticize and take for granted hard work without recognizing sincerity and originality. Since artists’ works are a concrete extension of the artists’ themselves, we subsequently cheapen the artists’ perspectives.

Most importantly, we need to notice and stop our instinctive need to associate a concrete value to art. Our reliance on the standards of financial success and popularity that we use with STEM and other goods causes us to be completely ignore art’s inherent value.

For artists to have creations that show others their world view is success in and of itself, even though their creations may not necessarily bring them wealth.

Reassessing the way we define success is key. Striving for success does not need to be a conscious effort; rather, it can be treated as an by-product of someone’s passions. Dismissing art is not valid, especially when we as consumers use services like Spotify, pirated movies online and free pdfs of books, without giving back to the artists who created these works. Rather than discourage students from entering the arts, we need to reassess how we treat artists and give them the same respect that we give to people in STEM. As a result, those who want to pursue their passions in the arts will no longer become discouraged to do so, as we start to value artistic expression as much as we do technological achievement.

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THECHARGER CHARGERACCOUNT ACCOUNT THE

OPINIONS OPINIONS University of Calif. Berkeley bars Ann Coulter speech University of Calif. (UC), Berkeley prohibited conservative commentator Ann Coulter from speaking due to safety reasons at the historically liberal school.

Is this a violation of free speech?

Ruby Lunde

Kimiya Malek

Advertising politics Uniting over a drink Yoon Jeong Feature World Editor

Strangers with polar opposite political views met in the recently aired Heineken advertisement, in which pairs discussed their differences in opinions over a beer. Through the advertisement, controversial issues such as feminism, transgender rights, and climate change were tackled, as individuals shared their viewpoint and recognized ideas which contrast their own. The advertisement allowed Heineken to make a final point—the importance of talking it out.

Opinions pieces from The Huffington Post and The Daily Dot have criticized the advertisement for its depiction of individuals who deny climate change and oppose transgenderism, arguing that by presenting it in an advertisement, it legitimizes the existence of such illiberal beliefs. Others critiqued neoliberal activism in general, finding it tasteless that an unsympathetic corporation would try to profit by pandering.

However, these critics miss the message of the advertisement, which effectively addresses the flaws of communication in society today.

The shift towards social media has made much of the political debate centered around the Internet. The problem with this is that it lacks the human element of speech, expression, and etiquette. In the advertisement, for

“...the significance of face-toface communication is often vastly underestimated.” example, a man who claims that he does not believe in transgenderism realizes after speaking with a transgender woman that this issue is not as simple as black and white. When two people have a disagreement, the significance of face-to-face communication is often vastly underestimated.

Heineken’s advertisement is also relevant to the current state of politics.

The surprise that followed the election of Donald Trump is speculated to be due to a lack of communication – the result of a media bubble which shut out viewpoints that verged too far from the political establishment. By driving out unconventional journalistic paradigms, the Internet has become a detraction from communication, removing diversity of thought.

Ultimately, open communication is essential, even if it must take place in the form of an advertisement. The main takeaway aligns with Heineken’s new motto: “Open your world.”

As part of its campaign, Heineken has also partnered with the organization “The Human Liberty” in which people of highly diverse backgrounds can be “loaned out for conversations” to challenge the stereotypes and prejudices that one might develop over the course of a lifetime. Heineken’s commitment to increasing open lines of communication is an advertisement strategy which fits America’s needs.

Lifestyle Editor

After considering Coulter’s credentials as a conservative political commentator, the Young Americans Foundation (YAF) at UC Berkeley found it fitting to have her speak to the mostly left-wing student body. However, once liberal groups on campus received news of the commentator’s appearance, the university cancelled the event, fearing that students would react violently has they have in the past, which Coulter took as an attack on her free speech.

The students at UC Berkeley need to learn how to tolerate contrasting perspectives, not resort to belligerence in the face of opposition. It is essential that students acknowledge, perceive and handle adversity. If UC Berkeley wants to maintain its claim of creating global citizens, it must teach its students tolerance.

Following the violent rioting that erupted in protest of speaker Milo Yiannopoulos, a prominent member of the republican party, in February, the University cancelled A n n Coulter’s speech in order to avoid a similar incident.

Instead of cancelling the event, the college should teach the rioting students that violence is not acceptable in any circumstance through punishment. Dirks needs to ensure proficient campus security in order to give his students the opportunity to host Coulter. This way, students can actually meet with the individual on the other side of the fence to develop a holistic understanding of the world they live in.

“It is unfortunate that Coulter was cancelled. It is really good to listen and learn from different views. Berkeley should ask Coulter to speak again, but this time, make sure it actually happens,” Senior Vincent Lin said.

In a social sphere that is already teeming with bipartisan discourse, UC Berkeley does not need to create graduates who will increase societal hostility. Instead, it should work towards creating students who will bridge the political gap between the right and left.

Staff Writer

The “right to free speech” is symbolic of America’s priority to uphold individuality and freedom. However, this right is not a safety blanket to protect citizens from the consequences of their words.

When conservative spokesperson Ann Coulter was called by republican UC Berkeley student groups to speak to the student body, the event was quickly cancelled after liberal student groups protested her appearance. Ann Coulter responded to the cancellation in a series of tweets on Twitter, stating that she is “so sorry for free speech crushed by thugs.”

As a historically xenophobic political representative, Coulter’s ideologies clash significantly with those of the general student body at the liberal-majority UC Berkeley. In fact, Coulter’s abrasive statements have been heavily criticized JIAYIN LU ART over the years.

For instance, following the 2016 presidential election, S.C. Governor Nikki Haley, a daughter of Indian immigrants, tweeted a m e s s a g e denouncing Donald Trump’s intolerance of illegal immigrants to which Coulter responded by tweeting, “Trump should deport Nikki Haley.”

Furthermore, by protesting Coulter’s appearance, UC Berkeley students have simply exercised their own rights to free speech, something the university’s students are known for. While Ann Coulter can speak her mind on these controversial issues, she cannot expect her audience to agree with her statements—they should be free to voice their own beliefs.

Additionally, the cancellation of Coulter’s speech merely prevented her from speaking at one private venue—he is still free to deliver her speech elsewhere.

“The constitution has made ‘freedom of speech’ an inalienable right of every American citizen. Ann Coulter is using this commonly wielded phrase to defend herself without actually acknowledging that these students are exercising the same freedoms as her,” Freshman Aaren Gaud said.

THE CHARGERACCOUNT DISCLAIMER

Views and opinions published in The Charger Account reflect the viewpoints held solely by their authors. All unsigned editorials are representative of the combined opinion of the editorial staff of The Charger Account.

LETTERS TO THE EDITORS AND GUEST ARTICLES

Comments and guest articles should be brought to room J-5 or submitted online to lelandchargeraccount@gmail.com.

Letters must be signed, but names may be withheld upon request. All letters and articles become the property of The Charger Account and we reserve the right to edit any submissions.

STAFF WRITERS Nicole Burd EunJee Choi Claire Chour Ellen Dong Bhargavi Garimella Elaine Huang Jerry Lin Rachel Liu Leon Liu Ruby Lunde Edward Park Anupama Shivakumar Aanya Subramaniam Megan Ta Aaron Tan Anagha Thiagarajan Emily Wu Dyle Yoon

PHOTOGRAPHERS Helya Dada My Hoang Kiana Hunziker Richard Jeong Cindy Ke Emily Liu Carly Wahl Anjali Wilkes

ARTISTS

Mika Ando Asha Bunyan Anna Frias Melissa Hong Jason Hu Navodit Rastogi Trinity Tran Kyuri Yum

The Charger Account has been awarded First Place by the American Scholastic Press Association and the Gold Medalist Certificate by The Columbia Scholastic Press Association since 2013. We are also affiliated with both the Columbia Scholastic Press Association and the American Scholastic Press Association.

Parent Club Bulletin

The Charger Account reaches 3100 readers monthly. The journalism staff thanks the Leland Parent Club for sponsoring distribution of The Charger Account with their membership drive.

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THE CHARGER ACCOUNT

FEATURE: SCHOOL

Semester in review: the highlights CONNO R

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On Jan. 26, the school’s American Red Cross club held its annual blood drive.

During the drive, American Red Cross representatives brought equipment and collected all donations. The drive also provided snacks and beverages to replenish the donors’ blood sugar. After the drive, the blood was sent to a laboratory to be scanned, testing for blood type and diseases. The blood is used in hospitals throughout the Santa Clara County, and each donation has the potential to save three lives. The blood drive has and will continue to be an opportunity for Chargers to give back to the community.

Several students represented the school’s robotics team, Quixilver 604, at championships held in Houston from April 19 to April 22. The team had won third place at both of its regional competitions, where it competed against 60 other teams. This year’s robot, “Ratchet,” was a combination of many previous models and students began working on it early this year. This year, the team ranked as a finalist in its subdivision for the first time since its rookie year.

On March 16, parents and students gathered in the school cafeteria to watch a variety of performances for the annual Spring Concert. Orchestra played pop music, such as “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons while the Big Band played various Michael Jackson arrangements. Aside from the concert, the wind ensemble performed at the California Music Education Association (CMEA) Music Festival and choir earned a spot to perform at Disneyland.

The soloists included Senior Jason Hayashi and Juniors Paul Heo and Andrew Cho, who rapped “My Shot” from the Hamilton musical.

On every Tuesday and Thursday of March, the annual 3 v. 3 “March Madness”-inspired basketball tournament was held in the gym. The tournament started with 16 teams of all grade levels, but after each match, two teams were eliminated until “Spicy Chicken,” represented by Seniors Andy Ju, Kevin Wu and Yizhe Wu, emerged as the victors against “The Semi-Pros,” consisting of Sophomores Blake Maloblocki, Michael Garcia and Trevor Johannes.

TRINITY TRAN ART

Art Week occured between April 3 to April 7. The walkway was partitioned into boxes providing a space for each student to draw pictures using chalk, charcoal or pastel for the Sidewalk Chalk Contest. Prizes were given out to winners in four different categories: funniest, most three-dimensional, weirdest and best overall. The art department also provided activities during tutorial and lunch, including henna, face painting and temporary tattoos. Each year, the art department chooses a different faculty member to paint using pop-art. This year, it chose Peter Park, Assistant Principal of Instruction, as the subject of the main art piece.

On April 22, the “Garden of Eden” themed Junior Prom was held at the Rotary Summit Center located in Downtown San Jose. Personal invites were sent out to each member of the junior class. In preparation for the dance, the junior class officers advertised the event through social media and decorated the venue in the morning. Tickets were sold beginning on the week of March 26 with prices increasing each week, starting at $45 with an ASB card and $50 without.

The school’s Talent Show took place in the cafeteria on Feb. 9. The show featured an array of talents, beginning with a tap dancing routine by Sophomore Alyssa Huang. Seniors Sharon Xiao and Melissa Guo sang a duet. Juniors Brandon Chen and Ping Hsieh played the marimba to end the first half of the show. After intermission, the Four Aces showcased their illusionist magic tricks. To conclude, the Hot Rods played “We Are Number One” from the Lazy Town soundtrack.

On Friday, March 17, the school’s Dance Team held a showcase in the school gym, where an estimated 50 people attended. The 15 girls performed dance routines that included the entire group and some of the girls performed solos, duets and trios. Many of the routines consisted of medleys from a variety of genres from pop to jazz. The team put on the show in order to raise money to fund a dance camp that will be held over the summer, where the girls will learn new dance routines through team building activities.

Compiled by Murtaza Moiyadi, Nick Yeo, Elaine Huang and Eunjee Choi Sports Editors and Staff Writers

THE CHARGER ACCOUNT

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FEATURE: WORLD

Top 5 hotly contested upcoming European elections

World Health Organization seeks to eradicate malaria the deadliest strain of the Plasmodium parasite. The vaccine has worked in According to the World Health practice; among 15,000 sub-Saharan Organization (WHO), malaria caused African children, Mosquirix decreased 395,000 deaths in 2015 alone. Yet WHO’s mortality and contraction rates by 50 efforts have helped decrease malaria cases percent and 39 percent respectively, both by 37 percent, preventing approximately of which are unprecedented reductions.

However, the vaccine is not perfect, 6.2 million deaths from 2000 to 2015. The especially for children. The EMA noted organization’s recent research suggests “acceptable” side effects, including a WHO may be able to eradicate malaria in “considerable” likelihood of low intensity the near future. fever and convulsive seizures in 0.25 Humans contract malaria when percent of doses within seven days of the Plasmodium parasite infects the the fourth dose and increased cases of bloodstream and invades liver cells. meningitis compared Malaria-prevention to control group organizations vaccines.

None of have worked in the children who conjunction experienced seizures with WHO suffered long-lasting to distribute consequences. insecticidal According to the bed nets, insect Malaria Vaccine repellents and Initiative, these p ro t e c t ive side effects are clothing comparable, among those if not less living in high malignant, risk areas such than other as Saharan Africa. vaccines.

WHO is Anti-malaria determined to take o r g a n izations prevention further. On such as Vaccine April 24, it announced Alliance and Gavi a program for the malaria have pledged to provide vaccine, Mosquirix, which 49.2 million USD to WHO will be released in 2018. for the 2017-2020 phase of “Although initial testing the pilot program, in which of the vaccine did not lead MIKA ANDO ART feasibility of distribution and to absolute results, scientists Mosquirix’s safety profile will be are one step closer to the eradication of tested.

The 2021-2022 phase will gather malaria. Researchers still have far to go data on Mosquirix’s effects on survival. before creating an infallible vaccine, but I f Mosquirix demonstrates its success in the meantime many lives will be saved in the pilot program, WHO will likely take with this solution,” Senior Woojin Ko said. steps to distribute vaccines worldwide.

Mosquirix was developed by WHO plans to eradicate malaria British pharmaceutical company from at least 35 countries and reduce GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), and is the mortality rates by 90 percent before only malaria vaccine approved by the 2030.

With the support of Mosquirix and European Medicines Agency (EMA). dozens of humanitarian organizations, Mosquirix defends the body against malaria by priming the immune system to the world may achieve that goal for the defend against Plasmodium falciparum, hundreds of millions affected by malaria.

Edward Park

Staff Writer

5. French Legislative Election France’s legislative election is set to take place on June 11 and 18 following a French presidential runoff election in which Emmanuel Macron defeated Marine Le Pen. Macron is now tasked with filling the parliament with representatives from his recently-created En Marche! Movement which currently holds no seats. In order to prevent a divided government in which the majority of parliament seats are held by an opposition party, En Marche! hopes to win a majority of the 577 seats available while competing against both the Socialist Party and the Republicans.

4. Czech Legislative Election Czech Republic is holding its legislative election on Oct. 20 and 21 for all 200 members of the Chamber of Deputies, as well as its Prime Minister. The two largest parties in the chamber are the Social Democratic Party, led by current Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, and ANO 2011, led by billionaire and Finance Minister Andrej Babiš. Their main opposition consists of the Communist Party, which currently holds 33 seats, and the Top 09 Party, with 26 seats. While the Social Democratic Party is in favor of remaining with the European Union and joining the eurozone, both ANO 2011 and the Communist Party share eurosceptic ideals about European integration.

3. Italian General Election Many Italian political parties are calling for a snap poll in either the autumn or winter of this year as a response to the political instability in Italy. After losing a constitutional referendum that would have reformed the Senate legislative body, then-Prime Minister Matteo Renzi of the Democratic Party stepped down. Afterwards, members of the Democratic Party revolted and split into a new political party, the Democrats and Progressives. This shift comes at a time when the Five-Star Movement party, led

by Beppe Grillo, has been gaining popularity. The movement identifies themselves as anti-establishment and eurosceptic, promising to halt immigration and leave the European Union. This election will have a profound impact on the future of the eurozone and the state of EU in addition to the same immigration policies that many of the European countries are currently debating.

2. United Kingdom General Election Prime Minister Theresa May’ called for a snap-election was passed by the House of Commons, which scheduled a general election on June 8. May’s Conservative Party holds 330 seats in parliament and is looking to gain even more seats. Britain’s exit from the EU has been a main point of contention between party lines, with May hoping to secure a majority in the House of Commons for Brexit negotiations.

1. German Federal Election The federal elections to select officials for the Bundestag legislative body takes place on Sept. 24. The Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) party, led by conservative German chancellor Angela Merkel, currently holds 41.5 percent of the seats in the Bundestag. The Social Democrat party, which recently chose Martin Schulz as its chancellor candidate, has been gaining popularity in recent months and looks to garner more seats in parliament. Like other European nations, immigration policy and EU relations are hot topics in the election.

Compiled by Murtaza Moiyadi Sports Editor

The Macron is mighter than Le Pen: French centrism defeats populism Ken Tanaka Opinions Editor

On May 7, centrist Emmanuel Macron and nationalist Marine Le Pen battled for the future of France in the second round of the French presidential elections. After a close election that included the hacking of Macron’s emails just a few hours before the start of the election blackout, France voted for centrism over extremism.

Out of 31,381,603 votes, Macron won 66.1 percent, almost twice that of Le Pen’s 33.9 percent. Looking at the breakdown of votes amongst the various communes of France, Le Pen seemed to have the most support in northeastern and southeastern France, while Macron solidly won the western half of the country. Overall, Macron secured the largest win in French Presidential Elections since the 2002 election in which Marine Le Pen’s father, Nationalist Jean-Marine Le Pen, lost to Conservative Jacques Chirac.

The foremost reason why Macron defeated Le Pen by a landslide was his centrist position. In most French elections, liberals and conservatives campaign to attract centrist voters, a challenge because they have beliefs that span both sides of the political spectrum. Macron, who already came into the elections with the centrist vote, could easily attract

liberals, who would vote for him over a far-right candidate diametrically opposed to all of their political views. Although Le Pen tried to court far-left voters with antiestablishment messages, her strategies ultimately failed.

Additionally, in the presidential debates on May 3, Macron outperformed Le Pen’s, causing her to lose further credibility and popularity. Le Pen made a number of inaccurate and unpopular statements, such as her false claim that France was not responsible for the roundup of Jews in French territory during the Holocaust.

She also attacked Macron rather than his policies, which involved

claiming that Macron was an oligarch backed candidate. An Elabe poll taken after the debate found that a large majority of voters preferred Macron over Le Pen. Macron’s victory is important not only for France, but also for Europe’s future. First, his win over Le Pen signifies that European right-wing populism is not as strong as it appears. While many people in France and Europe support populism, Macron’s victory shows that these populist ideals are not yet influential enough to overcome mainstream, centrist ideals.

Furthermore, his victory means that France will take a more globalist, Pro-EU approach to the world.

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With Le Pen’s anti-immigration and antiglobalism platforms toppled, France will take advantage of opportunities to engage with other countries around the world on many different levels.

According to The Guardian, Macron’s victory arguably saved the European Union, which has been weakened by Brexit and resurgent Russia. Le Pen promised to take France out of the European Union and such an action would have weakened any credibility left in the EU after Brexit.

While Macron wants to reform the EU and threatened to lead France out if the EU would not alter its policies, he still sees the EU as a positive impact on France and will maintain France’s membership in the EU, European unity and cooperation. While populism and extremist far-right wing ideas are extremely powerful, it did not succeed like it did in the U.S. and Britain.

“President Emmanuel Macron represents a centrist stable future, a much better alternative to a shaky, unstable devolution that would have happened had Le Pen, won” Senior Adam Towers said.

9

THE CHARGER ACCOUNT

INVESTIGATIVE REPORT: SUMMER PROGRAMS

Drawing skills from summer camps Summer programs to STEM careers

Megan Ta

Staff Writer

For students like Senior Melissa He, summer break can be an opportunity to join groups, classes or programs that focus on the arts in a way that might not be possible during the school year.

“At Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), I did figure drawing and gauche.

[Attending a summer art program] is an easy way to explore your interests in greater depth,” He said.

Pre-college art programs at schools like RISD provide intensive courses for students aspiring to strengthen their skills and create pieces in their future portfolios.

They also provide a way for students to gain college credit.

“I applied for graphic design at MELISSA HONG ART

Maryland Institute College of Art because it gives me a preview of my major and lets me decide if I want to do it after high school,” Sophomore Cynthia Zhou said.

Locally, students hoping to boost their resumes and skills can apply to programs such as the San Jose Youth Symphony’s Summer Camp, a week of intensive musical training, or to the University of California, Los Angeles’s Dance and Performing Arts Summer Institute, a rigorous nine-day dance camp. One incentive of attending these programs includes the benefits towards college applications; they can demonstrate a strong interest in a specific career or show a student’s versatility.

Students who may not have access to many costly, art-intensive programs can still advance their art skills on their school campus during the school year.

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 ensures that art is recognized as a “core academic subject” so that students will be able to acquire cooperation, artistic capabilities and artistic appreciation.

Claire Chour

Staff Writer

From making students more competitive or providing new intellectual experiences, summer programs are becoming a popular option for students like Junior William Chong.

“I applied to Calif. State Summer School for Mathematics and Science (COSMOS) because I wanted a fun summer experience meeting new people.

COSMOS teaches a variety of knowledge when compared to other science summer programs,” Chong said.

COSMOS is a competitive, advanced four-week summer residential program for students who are interested in pursuing careers or learning more about science, technology, engineering and mathematic (STEM) subjects. For a $30 application fee, a $200 deposit after admittance and a $3,370 in-state tuition, the program fosters students’ STEM field skills.

While these programs do not provide any academic credit, students still attend to bolster their skills or their college

resumes, like Junior Yanet Wossenseged will do this summer.

Wossenseged will enter the Stanford Institutes of Medicine Research (SIMR) this summer, a highly exclusive, eightweek intensive program in which high school students research alongside with Stanford faculty. The program’s goals are to increase understanding about scientific research and the diversity of students in the STEM field.

Many summer programs allow students to explore new subjects and acquire beneficial skills. They also receive handson skills not available at school and acquire college experience to prepare for JASON HU ART their futures.

Are you planning to attend any programs or other activities this summer?

25% No Summer Program/Activities: 31% Summer Program: 27% Summer Classes: 17% Both Summer Program/Activities:

Compiled by Eunjee Choi Staff Writer 100 students polled

“[Because it is too late] to sign up for summer courses, I am planning on getting a job. It will be nice to have experience and be able to earn my own income before I go to college.”

—Junior Cristina Diaz

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“I will be attending the STEM camp, COSMOS at UC Santa Cruz. I decided to apply there to get a chance to learn more about math in a college campus setting.”

—Sophomore Allison Li

“I will not be taking classes since I am heading off to college, but I will be volunteering at the same special education summer school, like I did for the past six summers.”

—Senior May Nguyen “I am planning on traveling and selfstudying for the next school year. I chose self-studying because no local courses provide the material that I want to study.”

—Freshman Patrick Callahan

8

ENTERTAINMENT Film Review: The Circle

By Alex Huang I really wanted to like this movie because a lot of people did because invasion of privacy is a very overlooked problem in the modern world and this movie stresses its impact. The Circle allows people to think about how much they want to expose themselves online and emphasizes how an individual’s privacy can gradually be stripped away.

The Circle is a convincingly real tech company. Based in San Francisco, Circle executives Eamon Bailey and Tom Stenton hope to unite everyone’s online data and real-life social and political activities under one Circle account.

The graphic design and techno, as opposed to traditionally orchestral soundtrack, gave the company an amazing atmosphere. Directors James Ponsoldt and Sheldon Schwartz made an impressive effort to make the corporation realistic.

I was convinced that The Circle, were it to exist, could even hold its place among other companies in the Bay Area.

However, without looking deeper at the movie’s message or atmosphere, The Circle has nothing to offer on the surface. The timeline and flow of the plot were choppy. Character motives were vague. Viewers are warned of the company’s “deep secrets,” but no other information was given. The movie tries to sell protagonist Mae Holland as a sociable person, but I really did not buy it. Mae only has a few shallow interactions with her closest friends and it did not seem like she was close to anybody at all, making her appear distant and cold.

The film fails to explain the plot and confuses viewers. The origin of the

“The Circle had strong potential to be a moving and powerful film. If only the characters were more convincing...” company is supposed to be very important to the story, but the movie does not emphasize it enough. Other scenes are entirely unnecessary. For example, three minutes are spent on a scene in which Mae attends and eventually leaves a company sponsored party. No character or plot development came out of this scene and it only served to waste the valuable time of the viewers.

The Circle had strong potential to be a moving and powerful film. If only the characters were more convincing and the plot far easier to understand, its message could have been much more powerful.

Ironically, Circle corporation slogan is applicable to addressing the absence of explanation in the movie: “Knowing is good. Knowing everything is better.”

The Circle (2/5) worth the charge PROs: Promising message, great atmosphere and soundtrack CONS: Lacks clarity, flimsy character relationships

AY 31, 2017 THE CHARGERMACCOUNT

The controversial Netflix phenomenon: “13 Reasons Why”

Nicole Burd and Phoebe Yin

Staff Writer and Entertainment Editor

“Before watching this Netflix series, I already knew it was important to treat others with respect. However, this show inspired me to share this message to others and spread the significance of showing respect. Although there is controversy over the glorification of suicide, the show shares the same message, which is to watch one’s language and attitude,” Senior Paola Plantillas said.

According to American Mosaic, educators and mental health experts sharply criticized the show because the

According to Mental Health America, one in five American adults will have a diagnosable mental health condition. Most do not seek treatment and remain undiagnosed. “13 Reasons Why” was produced with the hopes of raising awareness of mental health, rape, bullying and teenage suicide.

“13 Reasons Why” is based on the best-selling novel by author Jay Asher.

The story of this year’s “most tweeted about show” is set on the premise of a suicide of high schooler Hannah Baker. Before Hannah died, she left 13 cassette tapes for 13 people to hear, each person a reason why she kill herself.

Actress Selena Gomez helped coproduce the 13-episode Netflix adaptation, with the help of Asher. This show not only NAVODIT RASTOGI ART carries an interesting storyline, but also brings awareness of the stigmatized s e r i e s allegedly suicide seem issue of teenage suicide. Gomez appealing. Mental health experts such as coproduced ‘13 Reasons Why” to share Phyllis Alongi, the clinical director for the influence every individual holds with The Society for the Prevention of Teen their words and actions.

Suicide, described the show as “unsafe.”

“I like the series because it is realistic Shortly after the premiere of the series, and shows your words can really impact the National Association of School someone. Your little actions can impact Psychologists (NASP) warned parents people in big ways,” Sophomore Alyssa about allowing children to watch the Suvorov said. show. NASP feared that the show would Since the popular series’ release, the give young audiences an unrealistic show has grown popular and received image of mental illness by romanticizing critical acclaim from a wide range of death and given an unrealistic image of audience members. “13 Reasons Why” mental illness. has even received a 91 percent rating “Due to her inability to communicate from review aggregator website Rotten her feeling in a direct and effective Tomatoes because of the show’s mature manner, Baker was not able to receive the and effective approach to dark and adult support she needed. In the LETSBC2M subject matter.

Club, we aim to support students and

allow them to have an open place to get the foundation that they need. For this, it is important that students understand the significance behind the show because this is an accurate representation of what high school students experience all around the nation,” Gabriel Welcher, organizer of the Lets Erase the Stigma Club, said.

Ward’s fear regarding the contagion of suicides is well-founded in the study of cluster suicides. On May 17, the Santa Clara County Suicide Prevention Program and Let’s Bring Change to Mind (LETS BC2M) club joined to hold a panel discussion at the school about the series; President of the National Alliance on Mental Illness Vic Ojakian explained that by portraying suicide too explicitly, the show was providing an exact blueprint for people to end their lives. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), evidence has suggested that “exposure to suicide through television may increase the risk of suicide for certain susceptible individuals.” People who are struggling with their mental health would not interact with content as healthy individuals do.

“I think the series shows what actually happens and how you can harm others. It’s not like what high school is but it is a truth about what is going on and relates to a lot of ongoing issues,” Sophomore Emma Ferguson.

Although discussing the topics of suicide may be beneficial to those who are suffering from depression or mental illness, numerous critics have asserted that the show has dangerously overglorified and romanticized suicide.

Regardless its intended purpose, “13 Reasons Why” has made its impact felt on viewers all across the nation.

MELISSA HONG ART

Universities of Calif.

Berkeley Jessica Cheng John Chong Jeremy Dworkin Sujin Ha Akhil Kestur Nayoon Kim Woojin Ko Xingweike Liu Elliot Lu Joshua Mao Je Min Ryu Laura Shieh Robert Simmons Andrew Tang Ashlyn Wright Phoebe Yin Alice Zhang Davis Larissa Bitterli Sabrina Denton Sung Hyun Shilpi Kalra Desiree Rafizadeh Arthur Tsai Irvine Artur Baghdasaryan Allison Cornell Susan Kang Vivek Mogili Sina (Ryan) Rafati Brandon Ro Anthony Song Calvin Xu Los Angeles Yash Deshmukh Michael Drury Maya Kalbag Rayna Mehta Atreyi Mitra Grace Ramey Ridhi Ravichandran

Tara Sadjadpour Daniel Vo Jonathan Wang Angela Zhou Riverside Helya Dada Linus Im Brandon Liu Adora Nguyen Vincent Nguyen Alex Ro Santa Barbara Jack Bignell Samantha Blodgett Natalie Cavanna Yasmin Ibrahim Vincent Lin Kimia Majd Navid Mir Andrew Nguyen Christine Nguyen Hannah Park Saahil Rai Julia Samuel Stephanie Simon Hildana Sirak Kalkidan Worku Santa Cruz Chris Jiang Baylee Scott Nicole Winiecki Pranav Upadhyaya Daniel Yeung San Diego Kevin Amemiya Aditya Chandrasekar Ivan Chim Minjoo Kim Kyung Hoon Lee Justin Villafuerte Wesley Xiao Jennifer Youn

Calif. Community Colleges De Anza Joshua Chapman Anusha Goyal Jack Johnson Armand Mahinfallah Kyle McDonald Sana Nikkhoo Emery Nguyen Lam Nguyen Alexandra Rose Isabel Schrama Braden Thompson Andrew Townsend David Wang Mission College Dominic Flocchini Lucy Rios

San Jose City College Nano Alcibar West Valley Collin Addiego Claire Cho Huy Dong Joshua Fu Allison Grimley Shelby Jae Shelby Kunzelman Karly Much Paola Plantillas Lizhya Shoomoonof Brenna Snell Brice Wildemuth Eric Zucchero

Calif. Private Schools Azusa Pacific University Cole Gunter Biola University Camille Agers Olivia Jacobs Grace Lee Chapman University Gillian Coan Amanda Hirahara Edena Khoshaba Kristen Nieders Raha Pirzadeh Claremont McKenna College Tiffany Teng Loyola Marymount University Yoon Choi Chloe Janssen Anna Ostrowski Alyssa Tom Nicholas Yeo Pitzer College Michelle Calcany Blair Santa Clara University Brianne Do Tiana Nguyen Emerald Yeh Andy Yi

San Francisco Conservatory of Music Jason Hayashi University of Redlands Hunter Christensen University of Southern Calif.

Sean Bui Jack Gao Joyce Jang Rachel Johnson Samuel Jump Sarah Kirby Kimiya Malek Elisabeth Vehling Edward Yoon Sharon Xiao University of San Diego Sunwoo Bang University of San Francisco Vicky Nguyen Joshua Torres Whittier College Hannah Angileri

Calif. State Universities Calif. Polytechnic University, Pomona Madison Thomas Calif. Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo Lynn Ayoubi Karina Barnett Meghan Connolly Adel Djebroun Alex Huang Sarah Jamieson Hari Krishna Antoni Ostrowski Kylie Pham Jennifer Quint Amanda Rondez Pranav Seetharaman Audrey Spitzer Kasey Tatis-Flanagan Douglas White Chico Ethan Maloblocki Monterey Bay Megan Bishop

San Diego Daniela Braslavski Connor Curley Jessica Lew Matthew Marienthal Shamrina Mushell Dante Sadeghi San Francisco Neha Kamboj Zena Lee Huy Nguyen San Jose Jessica Barrows Simran Dhakalia Eduardo Garcia Irena Gigola Christopher Kim Eunice Koo Ariaz Madani Miral Patel Nick Porter Trinity Tran Sonoma Victoria Bridges Elisa Hills Casey Murtha

Midwest U.S.

Western U.S. Arizona State University Akhil Aji Sydney Freeman Gabrielle Gur Lydia Po Michael Conklin Megan Nicole Simone Cameron Ward Colorado State University Carter Hopkins Lewis & Clark College Zachary Dworkin University of Alaska Anchorage Jack Buschbaum University of Arizona Kendall Freeze Samantha Grubman University of Colorado Denver Selin Ozcolak

University of Nevada, Reno Maegan Bakhshpour Amber Costello University of Oregon Drew Beauchamp University of Portland Danny J. Politoski University of Puget Sound Joshua McMillan University of Washington – Seattle Inas Ben Samantha Cheung Karina LaValley Adam Towers US Air Force Academy Prepatory School Sho Yamamoto

Carleton College Alvin Bierley

Lindenwood University, Belleville Amanda Whipple

University of Illinois UrbanaChampagne Esme Chang Arsh Chopra Reva Kulkarni Sera Kumar Jordan Machalek Hannah R. Park Kevin Wu

Ohio State University Kaitlin Zarbis

University of Michigan Maher Elassaad

Michigan State University Nicolas Valderrama

University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Isaac Lo Heera Raj

Creighton University Andrew Meggs

Northwestern University Jungwon Shin University of Chicago Yoon Jeong

Washington University in St. Louis Ruoyang (Melissa) Guo Angela Lee Stephanie Sun

University of Hawaii at Manoa Kate Weinstock

Southern U.S. Baylor University Joyce Ahn Duke University Andy Ju Emory University Emily Jang Sun Woo Park University of Texas in San Antonio Cassidy Hyslop

Out of Country Ontario College of Art and Design Andrea Michelle Yonsei University Emma Nijssen

Eastern U.S. Boston College Zachary Contini Nicole Tom

Pennsylvania State University Lindsey Freeze

Carnegie Mellon University Hannah Cai Charles Haiwen Yuqian He Youngwoo Kim

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Yizhe Wu

Boston University Murtaza Moiyadi James Simmons Yi Yang

Rhode Island School of Design Jiayin Lu St. John’s College Angela Yuen

Dartmouth College Amanda Chen

Tufts University Albert Tseng

Drexel University Shraddha Kamat

University of Delaware Dakota Alspach

Emerson College Ryan McCahan

University of Massachusetts Amherst Bryan Yang

Johns Hopkins University Emily Chang New York University Brandon Booth Christopher Chen Shivam Jindal Rohil Kulkarni Julianna Webb

University of Pittsburgh May Nguyen Wellesley College Melissa He Yale University Ken Tanaka

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AND THE 2017 SENIOR AWARDS GO TO...

Brice Burror Wildemuth – GSSMD, Seal of Biliteracy-Spanish; Hannah Cai – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Honor, NMC, Excellence in Art, Seal of Biliteracy-Spanish, Seal of Biliteracy-Chinese; Michelle Calcany Blair – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar, Social Studies 4.0 Grade Point Average Grades 9-12 is awarded to seniors who earned a 4.0 GPA for seven semesters. Department Award, Raymond Leland Award

Awards Legend

Natalie Cavanna – PAEE, GSSMD; Aditya Chandrasekar – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar; Emily Chang – PAEE, 4.0 Grade Point Average Grades 9-12, GSSMD, AP Scholar with AP Scholar with Honor is awarded to seniors who receive an average score of at least a 3.25 on all AP Distinction, NMF; Esme Chang – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar, LCSA, Silicon Valley Youth Exams and score a 3 or higher on four or more AP Exams.

Symphony Music Competition Honors Circle; Joshua Chapman – GSSMD, AP Scholar; Samuel Chazin – GSSMD, AP Scholar with Honor AP Scholar is awarded to seniors who have received scores of 3 or higher on three or more AP Exams.

AP Scholar with Distinction is awarded to seniors who receive an average score of at least a 3.5 on all AP Exams and score a 3 or higher on five or more AP Exams.

Amanda Chen – PAEE, 4.0 Grade Point Average Grades 9-12, GSSMD, AP Scholar with National AP Scholar is awarded to seniors who receive an average score of at least a 4 on all AP Exams Distinction, National Merit $2500 Scholarship, Social Studies Department Award, Journalism: Excellence in Achievement, LCSA, US Presidential Scholars Candidate; Christopher Chen – and score 4 or higher on eight or more AP Exams.

PAEE, GSSMD, National AP Scholar, NMF, Biology Olympiad Semifinalist; Jessica Cheng – California Scholarship Federation (CSF) Life Member is awarded based on academic excellence, PAEE, PVSA, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Distinction, NMC, French Department Award, LCSA, commitment to community service and active membership for six semesters.

Seal of Biliteracy-French, CAP Making Waves Scholarship; Samantha Cheung – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Honor, NMC, Science Award

Nayoon Kim – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar, Most Outstanding Orchestra Student, LCSA, Korean-American Music Supporters Association, NHS; Sangbeom Kim – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Honor Young Woo Kim – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Distinction, NMF, LCSA; Sarah Kirby – PAEE, 4.0 Grade Point Average Grades 9-12, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Honor, NMF, Seal of Biliteracy-Spanish, National Merit University of Southern California Scholarship; Woo Jin Ko – PAEE, 4.0 Grade Point Average Grades 9-12, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Distinction, NMF, Seal of Biliteracy-Spanish, AIME Qualifier 2017 Doyoung Koo – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Honor; Joseph Kovalik – Salute to Youth Community Service Award, First Dean’s List Semi-Finalist, US Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition, State of California Senate Certificate of Recognition; Hari Krishna – GSSMD, AP Scholar with Distinction; Adithya Krishnaswamy – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Honor; Reva Kulkarni – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Honor, NMC, LCSA; Rohil Kulkarni – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Distinction

Alex Ro – PAEE, GSSMD, NMC, LCSA; Brandon Ro – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Honor, NMC; Amanda Rondez – PAEE, GSSMD, Outstanding Contribution to the Leland Legend Yearbook; Alexandra Rose – GSSMD, Seal of Biliteracy-French; Je Min Ryu – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Distinction, NMF Taraneh Sadjadpour – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Distinction, NMC, Journalism: Excellence in Achievement, Seal of Biliteracy-French, UCLA Fast Track Scholar Award, SYNOPSYS 2nd Place-Engineering Category, The Kerry Veenstra Award for Using Engineering to Benefit Society; Julia Samuel – GSSMD; Akhil Sawhney – PAEE, GSSMD; Isabel Schrama – PAEE; Baylee Scott – PAEE, GSSMD; Pranav Seetharaman – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar; Nirvik Sen – PAEE, GSSMD Rajeev Sharma – PAEE, 4.0 Grade Point Average Grades 9-12; Laura Shieh – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholarship with Distinction, NMF, Social Studies Department Award, Outstanding Speaker Award, APF ”Growing up Asian in America” Essay Best in Class, Lions Club Regional Student Speaker Contest Winner, 2016 SCAD Rising Star Full Scholarship Winner

Karina LaValley – PAEE, 4.0 Grade Point Average Grades 9-12, GSSMD, AP Scholar, Social Studies Department Award, University of Washington Purple and Gold Scholarship; Anh Le – PAEE, 4.0 Grade Point Average Grades 9-12; Angela Lee – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Honor, NMC, Social Studies Department Award; Grace Lee – PAEE, GSSMD

Jung Won Shin – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Distinction, NMC, Journalism: Excellence in Achievement, Seal of Biliteracy-Spanish, Northwestern University Scholarship, National Speech & Debate Association Superior Distinction Degree; James Simmons – AP Scholar, Outstanding Debater Award

development of the GSSMD to recognize public school graduates who have demonstrated their mastery of the high school curriculum in designated content areas.

Kevin Lee – PAEE; Kyung Lee – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Distinction, NMF, Social Studies Department Award; Yonjae Lee – Outstanding Contribution to the Leland Legend Yearbook, LCSA; Jessica Lew – PAEE, GSSMD, French Department Award, Seal of BiliteracyFrench; Vincent Lin – GSSMD, AP Scholar with Distinction, National Merit Semi-Finalist

Robert Simmons – PAEE, GSSMD, Social Studies Department Award; Makeda SimmonsBest – Seal of Biliteracy-Spanish; Stephanie Simon – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Honor; Hildana Sirak – AP Scholar, Seal of Biliteracy-French; Steven Smith – PAEE, 4.0 Grade Point Average Grades 9-12, GSSMD, AP Scholar, NMF, Social Studies Department Award, Lockheed Martin Code Quest, 2016 Sunnyvale Regional, Advanced Team 3rd Place

Criteria for this award are athletic achievement, sportsmanship, academic achievement and leadership.

Brandon Liu – LCSA; Leon Liu – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar; Xingweike Liu – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Honor; Isaac Lo – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar, NMF, University of Minnesota National Scholarship and Gold Scholar Award; Emily Lu – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Honor, NMF, Outstanding Contribution to the Leland Legend Yearbook

California Scholarship Federation (CSF) Scholarships are awarded to seniors who are CSF Life Members and have demonstrated substantial commitment to the CSF Club and to the community.

Ivan Chim – PAEE, 4.0 Grade Point Average Grades 9-12, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Distinction, NMC, Seal of Biliteracy-Spanish, Seal of Biliteracy-Chinese; John Chong – PAEE, GSSMD, College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA) Level One Certificate is awarded to students who AP Scholar with Honor, NMC; Arsh Chopra – PAEE, GSSMD, Seal of Biliteracy-Spanish; have completed 25 hours of tutoring and tutor training.

Hunter Christensen – PAEE, GSSMD; Gillian Coan – PAEE, GSSMD; Dante Colombo Golden State Seal Merit Diploma (GSSMD): Assembly Bill 3488, approved in July 1996, called for the Sadeghi – PAEE, GSSMD; Meghan Connolly – PAEE, GSSMD Zachary Contini – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar; Allison Cornell – PAEE, 4.0 Grade Point Average Grades 9-12, GSSMD, AP Scholar; Hana Cox – PAEE, LCSA; Nicholas Cunningham Master Tutor Certificate is awarded to students who have completed 50 or more hours – PAEE, PVSA, GSSMD, LCSA; Connor Curley – PAEE; Sabrina Denton – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar, Seal of Biliteracy-French; Yash Deshmukh – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Gordon Leland Awards are awarded to the most outstanding single sport male and female athlete. Distinction, NMF; Simran Dhakalia – NMC; Anna Dinh – PAEE, GSSMD Camellia Djebroun – Seal of Biliteracy-French; Brianne Do – PAEE, GSSMD; Michael Drury – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar, Seal of Biliteracy-French; Benjamin Dubois – GSSMD; Jeremy Dworkin – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar, Tristan Nguyen Memorial Scholarship, Burlsworth Leland Parent Senior Recognition Awards are awarded to seniors who distinguish themselves in a Character Award; Zachary Dworkin – PAEE, GSSMD, Dean’s Scholarship, Lewis & Clark variety of areas. All seniors were encouraged to apply and a committee of parents and staff made the College; Ramin Eghtesadi – PAEE; Guo Jian (Gary) Fang – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Distinction, NMC; Sydney Freeman – AIUTO Foundation Scholarship final selections.

Leland Community Service Award (LCSA) is awarded to seniors who have 300 or more documented hours of community service as of April 30.

Lindsey Freeze – AP Scholar; Joshua Fu – Seal of Biliteracy-Chinese, Pre-College Art Experience Program (Academy of Art University, Summer 2016); Jack Gao – PAEE, GSSMD, National Honor Society (NHS) membership is based on academic excellence, character and a AP Scholar with Honor, NMC, NROTC 4-Year Scholarship; Eduardo Garcia – World commitment to community service.

Languages Department Award, Charger Animation Award, Seal of Biliteracy-Spanish; Sean Garcia – GSSMD, Seal of Biliteracy-Spanish Level One Peer Tutor Certificate is awarded to students who have completed 30 hours of tutoring

National Merit Commended (NMC): 34,000 out of more than one million are awarded to students based on their outstanding performance on the 2014 PSAT.

Andrew Garza – GSSMD; Aaron Ge – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Honor, NMF, Seal National Merit Finalist (NMF): 15,000 out of more than one million is awarded to students based on of Biliteracy-Chinese; Kevin Girodo Angelin – GSSMD; Avalon Gook – PAEE, GSSMD, Gordon Leland Award; Anusha Goyal – GSSMD; Jarrod Guerra – PAEE, GSSMD, Social their outstanding performance on the 2014 PSAT. Studies Department Award Pat Tillman Award is awarded to a student-athlete who has exemplified integrity, fairness, character, outstanding athletic accomplishments and high academic achievement.

President’s Award for Educational Excellence (PAEE) is awarded to those with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher for seven semesters.

Cole Gunter – PAEE, GSSMD; Ruoyang Guo – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Distinction, NMF, Seal of Biliteracy-Chinese, Dean Scholar Award (Full Tuition Scholarship) from Olin Business School of Washington University in St. Louis; Gabrielle Gur – Seal of BiliteracyFrench

President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) is for those students who completed 100 documented hours of community service in one calendar year and completed the requirements to receive this award.

Sujin Ha – PAEE, 4.0 Grade Point Average Grades 9-12, GSSMD, AP Scholar, NMC, LCSA; Charles Haiwen – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Distinction, NMF, Best Senior Male Math President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) for Four Years is for seniors who have received the Student; Jason Hayashi – PAEE, GSSMD, Most Outstanding Jazz Student, San Francisco Conservatory of Music Scholarship, Pell Grant, Federal SEOG Grant; Kazuki Hayashida – President’s Volunteer Service Award every year in high school.

GSSMD, AP Scholar; Hannah Hayden – PAEE Raymond Leland Awards are awarded to the Best All Around male and female athlete. Criteria for this award are athletic achievement in more than one sport, sportsmanship, leadership and academic achievement.

Melissa He – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar, NMC, LCSA, Sealbearer Award; Yuqian He – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Distinction, NMF; Brian Healy – PAEE, Italian Catholic Federation Scholarship Award; Sakeyna Hoang – GSSMD; Sara Holopainen – GSSMD, Seal of Bi-literacy is awarded to seniors who have earned a score of proficient or higher in English English Department Award: Excellence in Achievement Language Arts on the CSF, maintained an overall GPA of 2.0 or higher as of fall semester in the senior year and demonstrated proficiency in one or more languages other than English by fulfilling one of the three language proficiency options.

Carter Hopkins – PAEE, GSSMD; Alexander Huang – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar, National Young Arts Foundation 2017 Merit Winner; Sung Hyun – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar, LCSA; Tristan Nguyen Award is presented to the individual that best exemplifies the qualities that Tristan Yasmine Ibrahim – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar, French Department Award, Seal of Biliteracyexhibited on and off the field. This student does whatever needs to be done to help the team and always French; Linus Im – PAEE, AP Scholar with Distinction, NMF exhibits a great attitude, is a great teammate, and displays outstanding character on a daily basis.

Camille Agers – GSSMD; Joyce Ahn – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Honor, NMC, Seal of Biliteracy- Latin; Akhil Aji – GSSMD, AP Scholar; Dakota Alspach – GSSMD, Seal of Biliteracy-French; Kevin Amemiya – PAEE, 4.0 Grade Point Average Grades 9-12, GSSMD, CSF Sealbearer Award, The Tech Museum of Innovation: David H. Liu Memorial Scholarship, San Jose Japanese American Citizens League Chapter Scholarship, Gordon Research Center Leadership Award Hannah Angileri – PAEE, GSSMD; Lynn Ayoubi – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar, NMC; Artur Baghdasaryan – PAEE, GSSMD; Sunwoo Bang – PAEE, GSSMD, NMC, LCSA, University of San Diego’s Alcala Scholarship; Karina Barnett – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar, World Languages Department Award, Seal of Biliteracy-Spanish, CSF Scholarship, Thames Award, Depaul Scholars’ Award, ESTA Scholarship, SBS General Fund Scholarship; Aidan Bates – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar Colfax Bauer – PAEE; Austin Belluscio – Most Outstanding Band Student; Inas BenRomdhane – PAEE, GSSMD, French Department Award, Seal of Biliteracy-French; Alvin Bierley – GSSMD, AP Scholar, Spanish Department Award, Seal of Biliteracy-Spanish; Jack Bignell – PAEE, GSSMD, Raymond Leland Award; Megan Bishop – PAEE, GSSMD; Larissa Bitterli – GSSMD; Samantha Blodgett – PAEE, GSSMD Robert Blohm – Seal of Biliteracy-Japanese; Daniela Braslavski – PAEE, GSSMD, Spanish Department Award, Seal of Biliteracy-Spanish, Master Peer Tutor Award; Sean Bui – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar, Seal of Biliteracy-French, USC Director’s Merit Scholarship

Olivia Jacob – PAEE, GSSMD, Seal of Biliteracy-Spanish; Sarah Jamieson – PAEE, GSSMD, Outstanding Contribution to the Leland Legend Yearbook, LCSA; Joyce Jang – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Distinction, NMF, Korean-American Music Supporters Association Scholarship, National Merit University of Southern California Scholarship; SeoYun Jang – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar; Chloe Janssen – PAEE, GSSMD Yoon Jeong – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Distinction, NMF, LCSA; Christopher Jiang – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar; Shivam Jindal – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Distinction; Andy Ju – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Distinction, NMF, Leland Parent Senior Recognition Award, Seal of Biliteracy-French Samuel Jump – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Honor, Leland Parent Senior Recognition Award, Seal of Biliteracy-French; Kevin Jussen – GSSMD; Maya Kalbag – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Honor, NMF, Social Studies Department Award, Seal of Biliteracy-Spanish; Shilpi Kalra – PAEE, PVSA, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Distinction, NMF, LCSA, Master Peer Tutor Award, Thomas J. Watson Memorial Scholarship Shraddha Kamat – AP Scholar with Distinction, Journalism: Excellence in Achievement; Susan Kang – PAEE, GSSMD, LCSA; Parmida Kavoosi – PAEE; Akhil Kestur – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Distinction, NMF, Seal of Biliteracy-Spanish; Shirin Ketabforoush – GSSMD; Edena Khoshaba – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Distinction, Presidential Scholarship to Chapman University; Christopher Kim – PAEE, GSSMD, CSF Life Member, CRLA Level One Certificate; Minjoo Kim – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Distinction, NMC, LCSA

Jiayin Lu – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Honor, NMC, Journalism: Excellence in Achievement; Joshua Lu – PAEE, 4.0 Grade Point Average Grades 9-12; Vi Lu – PAEE; Jordan Machalek – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Honor, NMC, Seal of Biliteracy-Spanish; Ariaz Madani – PAEE, GSSMD; Kimia Majd – PAEE, 4.0 Grade Point Average Grades 9-12, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Honor Kimiya Malek – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Honor; Joshua Mao – PAEE, 4.0 Grade Point Average Grades 9-12, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Honor, NMC, Seal of Biliteracy-Chinese, Varsity Tennis Letter Award; Matthew Marienthal – PAEE, GSSMD; Ryan Mccahan – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar, Seal of Biliteracy-Spanish Nathan Mccauley – PAEE; Joshua McMillan – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar; Kalen Meeks – PAEE, GSSMD; Andrew Meggs – PAEE, Pat Tillman Memorial Award; Rayna Mehta – PAEE, 4.0 Grade Point Average Grades 9-12, GSSMD, AP Scholar, NMC, Best Senior Female Math Student, Science Award, Jane Kim & HP Society of Women Engineers-Santa Clara Valley Scholarship, FIRST Dean’s List Semi-Finalist, Santa Clara Salute To Youth Hall of Fame Inductee for Robotics Leadership Navid Mir – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar; Atreyi Mitra – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Distinction, NMC, CSF Life Member, CSF Scholarship; Vivek Mogili – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Honor; Murtaza Moiyadi – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Honor, NMC, Richard D. Cohen Scholarship from Boston University; Nicole Moskovitz – PAEE, GSSMD; Karly Much – PAEE, GSSMD, ASB Leadership Award Shamrina Mushell – PAEE, GSSMD; Sheba Naderzad – GSSMD; Cameron Newton – PAEE, GSSMD; Adora Nguyen – Outstanding Contribution to the Leland Legend Yearbook; Andrew Nguyen – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar, Seal of Biliteracy-Spanish; Christine Nguyen – PAEE, GSSMD, Spanish Department Award, Outstanding Contribution to the Leland Legend Yearbook, LCSA, Seal of Biliteracy-Spanish Emery Nguyen – GSSMD, Seal of Biliteracy-Spanish; Huy Nguyen – GSSMD; May Nguyen – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Distinction, LCSA, Seal of Biliteracy-Spanish; Tiana Nguyen – PAEE, GSSMD, LCSA; Vicky Nguyen – PAEE, GSSMD, Seal of Biliteracy-Spanish; Vincent Nguyen – AP Scholar with Distinction; Kristen Nieders – PAEE, 4.0 Grade Point Average Grades 9-12, GSSMD; Emma Nijssen – GSSMD Sana Nikkhoo – PAEE, GSSMD, English Department Award: Excellence in Language Acquisition, Level One Peer Tutor Award; Anna Ostrowski – PAEE, GSSMD; Antoni Ostrowski – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar, NMC; Hannah Park – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar, NMC; Hannah R. Park – AP Scholar with Honor, NMC; Jiyeon Park – Excellence in Art Sun Woo Park – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Honor, Journalism: Excellence in Achievement, LCSA, Level One Peer Tutor Award, Ninth Circuit Civics Finalist, CRLA; Kylie Pham – PAEE, GSSMD, Seal of Biliteracy-Spanish; Raha Pirzadeh – GSSMD, Seal of Biliteracy-Spanish, CRLA Master Tutor, CRLA Level One Certificate Daniel Politoski – PAEE, University of Portland Presidential Scholarship; Jennifer Quint – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar, World Languages Department Award, Outstanding Speaker Award, Seal of Biliteracy-Spanish; Sina Rafati – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar; Desiree Rafizadeh – PAEE, GSSMD; Kishann Rai – PAEE, 4.0 Grade Point Average Grades 9-12, GSSMD, Field Hockey: Most Valuable Player, All League Award: 1st Team Field Hockey Saahil Rai – PAEE, GSSMD; Heera Raj – AP Scholar, Seal of Biliteracy-Spanish; Grace Ramey – PAEE, 4.0 Grade Point Average Grades 9-12, GSSMD, AP Scholar, Spanish Department Award, Photography Department Award, Social Studies Department Award, Tristan Nguyen Memorial Scholarship, LCSA, Seal of Biliteracy-Spanish, UCLA Alumni Scholarship, CSF Life Member, Science Award Sayuru Ranamukhaarachchi – PAEE, AP Scholar; Ridhi Ravichandran – PAEE, 4.0 Grade Point Average Grades 9-12, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Honor, NMC, Spanish Department Award, Seal of Biliteracy-Spanish; Esmeralda Raymundo Araiza – Responsibility Award Sofia Reyes Lopez – Most Inspirational; Lucero Rios – Kiwanis Scholarship

Anthony Song – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Honor, NMF; Audrey Spitzer – PAEE, GSSMD; Samantha Stebbins – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar, Pat Tillman Memorial Award, Seal of Biliteracy-Spanish; Stephanie Sun – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Distinction, National Merit $2500 Scholarship, English Department Award: Excellence in Achievement; Matteen Tabrizi – PAEE; Ken Tanaka – PAEE, 4.0 Grade Point Average Grades 9-12, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Distinction, NMF, LCSA, CSF Life Member Andrew Tang – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Distinction, National Merit Semi-Finalist; Joe Tatis-Flanagan – PAEE, GSSMD; Tiffany Teng – PAEE, AP Scholar with Distinction, English Department Award: Excellence in Achievement; Nahom Tesfay – Seal of BiliteracySpanish; Madison Thomas – GSSMD Braden Thompson – AP Scholar; Alyssa Tom – PAEE, PVSA, GSSMD, Scholastic Achievement Award, National Charity League Certificate of Good Standing; Nicole Tom – PAEE, PVSA, GSSMD, NCL Certificate of Good Standing, Scholastic Achievement Award Joshua Torres – GSSMD, AP Scholar with Distinction, Most Outstanding Vocalist, Outstanding Contribution to the Leland Legend Yearbook; Adam Towers – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Honor; Arthur Tsai – PAEE; Albert Tseng –PVSA, GSSMD, LCSA, Gordon Leland Award, LCSA; Sarah Tsukiji – PAEE, GSSMD; Pranav Upadhyaya – GSSMD, AP Scholar Itzel Uribe Torres – GSSMD, Spanish Department Award, LCSA, Seal of Biliteracy-Spanish; Nicolas Valderrama – PAEE, GSSMD, Seal of Biliteracy-Spanish; Elisabeth Vehling – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Honor, Dean’s Merit Scholarship for the University of Southern California; Nirav Venkatesan – PAEE, GSSMD Justin Villafuerte – PAEE, GSSMD; Daniel Vo – PAEE, 4.0 Grade Point Average Grades 9-12, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Distinction, NMF, Spanish Department Award, ASB Service Award, Seal of Biliteracy-Spanish; Jalyn Vo – PAEE, PVSA for Four Years Award, AP Scholar, LCSA, CSF, National Student Leadership Conference Alumni Scholarship Kelly Vranich – PAEE, GSSMD; Alex Wakefield – GSSMD; Jonathan Wang – GSSMD; Cameron Ward – PAEE, New American University Scholar-President’s Award; Alexis Warner – Perseverance Award; Juliana Webb – PAEE, PVSA, GSSMD, AP Scholar; Kaitlyn Weinstock – PAEE, GSSMD, Seal of Biliteracy-Spanish; Amanda Whipple – Lindenwood University Grant; Douglas White – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar Nicole Winiecki – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar, Seal of Biliteracy-Spanish Ashlyn Wright – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar, Social Studies Department Award, Seal of Biliteracy-Spanish; Kevin Wu – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar, LCSA; Yizhe Wu – PAEE, GSSMD; Sharon Xiao – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Distinction, NMC, Spanish Department Award, Seal of Biliteracy-Spanish Wesley Xiao – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Distinction, NMF, LCSA, CSF Life Member; Calvin Xu – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Distinction, NMF, Congressional Award Bronze Medal, University of Washington Purple and Gold; Joshua Yaldaei – GSSMD; Shyo Yamamoto – GSSMD, U.S. Air Force Academy Preparatory School Appointment; Bryan Yang – AP Scholar, LCSA; Raymond Yang – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Distinction, NMC Yi Yang – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Honor, Excellence in Art; Emerald Yeh – PAEE, PVSA, GSSMD, AP Scholar; Nicholas Yeo – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar, NMC, Seal of Biliteracy-French; Daniel Yeung – GSSMD, AP Scholar with Distinction; Andrew Yi – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar Phoebe Yin – PAEE, 4.0 Grade Point Average Grades 9-12, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Distinction, NMC, Rotary Service Club District Level Speech Contest 3rd Place, Chi Am Scholarship; Edward Yoon – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Distinction, NMF, Journalism: Excellence in Achievement, National Merit University of Southern California Scholarship; Jennifer Youn – PAEE, GSSMD, Seal of Biliteracy-Korean; Angela Yuen – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Honor; Kaitlin Zarbis – PAEE, GSSMD Laney Zettler – PAEE, French Department Award, Seal of Biliteracy-French; Alice Zhang – PAEE, 4.0 Grade Point Average Grades 9-12, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Distinction, NMC, Outstanding Debater Award, LCSA, Seal of Biliteracy-Chinese, Level One Peer Tutor Award, Biology Olympiad Semi-finalist; Angela Zhou – PAEE, GSSMD, AP Scholar with Distinction, NMC, Outstanding Contribution to the Leland Legend Yearbook, LCSA MIKA ANDO ART

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TITLE

SIX DEGREES ARTIST

ANNA FRIAS DATE

SCENES

MAY 31 14-1 5

TAKE

FINAL

16

MAY 31, 2017

SPORTS

Boys’ volleyball finds success as the tiki stays in Charger hands

Murtaza Moiyadi

Sports Editor

Playing their final volleyball game as Chargers, John Chong ’17, Matthew Marienthal ’17 and Carter Hopkins ’17 were determined to end the season with a win, especially on a day that featured both the Tiki Night and Senior Night.

With a full crowd cheering them on, the senior boys were able to lead their team to a 3-0 sweep of the Willow Glen Rams on May 5, keeping the Tiki at Leland for the third year in a row. After a Senior Night ceremony honoring Chong, Marienthal and Hopkins, the Chargers got off to a quick start. The team stuck to their game plan, focusing on strong serves and accurate passes to overcome the Rams’ height advantage. Utilizing the crowd’s energy, the team capitalized on the Rams mistakes and stormed out to a 25-18 win the first set.

“The energy in the building was amazing. We seniors have been here before so we were used to the noise, but the juniors felt some nerves playing in front of so many people,” Chong said.

The Chargers carried over their energy into the second set, overcoming early

mistakes by playing to their strengths.

Led by Brett Mason ’18 and Josh Lee ’18, who combined for 20 kills on the night, the team won the second set, 25-19.

Preston Worth ’18, who was instrumental in setting up his teammates for kills and facilitating the offense, totaled 40 assists against the Rams.

Contributions from Dyle Yoon ’18, Nathan Le ’18 and Paul Heo ’18 also helped the Chargers as they jumped out to a double-digit lead in the last set, leading to a 25-12 win. After the Rams’ return fell out of bounds for the Charger’s final point, the bleachers erupted as fans celebrated the team’s sweep of the Tiki Match.

HELYA DADA PHOTO Mason and Heo attempt to block a spike by the Rams’ outside hitter.

Girls’ lacrosse goes down in history

Athlete of the month: Andrew Meggs Nicholas Yeo

EMILY LIU PHOTO Jaimeson sprints down the field past multiple Los Gatos defenders in an attempt to score a goal.

Murtaza Moiyadi

Sports Editor

With the team playing in their final home game on May 2, the Chargers made sure to honor their seniors before the game. The team made a tunnel with their sticks, with the seniors walking through accompanied by their family. Sujin Ha ’17, Emily Jang ’17, Kishann Rai ’17, Danielle Cirimele ’17, Daniela Braslavski ’17, Amanda Whipple ’17, Marissa Olmos ’17 and Nicole Winiecki ’17 were all given blankets and flowers.

After the pregame ceremony, the Chargers faced off against the league’s top-ranked team, the Los Gatos Wildcats.

The team got off to a slow start, with the Wildcats locking them down defensively.

Despite trailing for most of the game, the Chargers were showered with cheers from their home crowd on almost every play.

While the Chargers eventually lost to Los Gatos 17-3, the team was still proud of the praise they received from the bleachers.

“Even though we lost, it was really exciting to have everybody cheering for us.

Every pass we made, we heard calls and cheers from the bleachers. The support we had for Senior Night was incredible, and despite the loss, we are a team that bounces back from adversity,” Ha said.

The team’s resilience was best exemplified earlier in the season while playing against the Los Altos Eagles. On April 4, the Chargers played Los Altos for their first meeting of the season. The team started the game slow, going down 8-4 in the first half, and unfortunately, they could not recover, losing 11-6.

However, the teams faced off again three days later, this time at Los Altos.

The Chargers, upset with their effort in the previous meeting, were determined to avenge their loss. They won the first half 6-4, tightening up their defense while playing more aggressively on offense.

Both team’s locked down on defense in the second half, with only three total goals scored in the period. At the end of the half, with time almost about to expire and the Chargers up 7-6, a foul was called in front of the Chargers net. With a chance to tie the game, the Eagles missed the 8 meter shot, giving the Chargers a victory in a redemption game.

“Beating Los Altos after losing the first time was a huge momentum boost for us.

We realized how much we had improved this season and what we are capable of,” Winiecki said.

The team went 2-4 after their win at Los Altos, finishing the season at 7-12, with a 6-10 record in Santa Clara Valley (SCVAL) league play. Looking ahead to next season, the team is confident that they will improve their record. Despite not making the playoffs, the Chargers exhibited leagueplay wins against Pioneer, Willow Glen, Los Altos, and Saratoga. Fortunately, the team has almost 15 players returning for next season. In order to make the Central Coast Section (CCS) playoffs next season, the team knows what they need to work on for next year.

“We need to learn how to apply the strategy we developed into the game in order to work fluidly as a team. If we can improve our transitions from one end to the other while maintaining our team chemistry, we will have a better shot at making the CCS playoffs next season,” Ruby Lunde ’18 said.

“We were able to play to our strengths in order to minimize errors and clean up mistakes. We fed off the crowd’s energy the entire match and that helped us play with confidence and sweep all three sets,” Josh Kim ’18 said.

The Tiki match concluded the Charger’s season, capping their regular season record at 13-19, with a 5-7 record in Mt. Hamilton division league play. They finished fourth in their division, with league wins against Oak Grove, Prospect and Westmont. With a team consisting of 11 juniors, much of the team is expected to return for next year, very eager to return to the Central Coast Section (CCS) playoffs after missing out this year.

“In order to get back to the playoffs, we need to keep our heads up and not get demoralized when we lose a few points on silly mistakes. We have the team chemistry and work ethic to compete for the championship, we just need to work on perfecting the little things and avoiding dumb errors. I am confident we can compete next season because the juniors have improved considerably every year, leaving room for even more improvements next year,” Heo said.

Sports Editor

Baseball is not for everyone. It is simple on the surface yet complex and difficult. For Andrew Meggs ’17, however, this game has been all he has ever known since he was a baby. The three-year Varsity starting shortstop sporting number five has played many other sports throughout his life, but playing college baseball has always been his goal.

“Baseball has always been a lifelong dream. I have played a bunch of sports over the years but baseball has always been the one I have been the most serious about.

A lot of my family has played baseball, and I knew that was what I wanted to do.

My family had a big impact on me. They helped me get started in the recruiting process and motivated me to keep going,” Meggs said.

Meggs is from a family of ballplayers.

His uncle is the head coach for the University of Washington baseball team, and he has three cousins who have played or are playing Division I college baseball.

His father had played baseball in college as well.

Many fellow Chargers have heard of his cousin, Matt McLaughlin, who also played baseball for the school. McLaughlin now plays at the University of Kansas, where he is reaching stardom as the starting shortstop.

“Throughout high school, especially my first two years, I was always referred to as Matt’s cousin. I think that really motivated me to become something more and to kind of make a name for myself. I just wanted to be a leader like Matt was.

Getting to watch and play baseball with him my freshman year was also really special because I got to see how to do

things. He definitely was a mentor for me,” Meggs said.

Meggs has made a name for himself and them some. Now officially committed to play Division I baseball at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. Last season, he led his team to a Central Coast Section (CCS) Division I championship and was named the Junior of the Year. He is currently having a stellar senior season as his team heads into the CCS Open Division tournament again.

“I picked Creighton University over other schools because of their outstanding baseball program, their strong academics and the team’s great athletic facilities.

They play their home games at the College World Series field. Also, Omaha is just a great college town,” Meggs said.

Being a star player is not only about being adept on the field. Meggs demonstrates altruism off the field as well.

Rather than being concerned with the stats like some players, he does everything he can to help the team win, whether it is by picking up a teammate or keeping everyone engaged in the game.

“I try to make sure everyone is having a good time. For me, that is what playing baseball as a team is all about,” Meggs said.

Countless hours on the diamond and in the cages have culminated in an opportunity for Meggs to play in Division I, the highest level of college baseball.

Meggs has been asked numerous times about what he as a player wants to do after playing baseball in college. For Meggs, however, he is not thinking that far into the future; as of now, all he wants to do is play more baseball.

“I want to play baseball for as long as I can because that has always been my dream,” Meggs said.

EMILY LIU PHOTO

THE CHARGER ACCOUNT

17

SPORTS

Swim and dive continues fight in CCS tournament and state championships Nicholas Yeo Sports Editor

The Chargers swim and dive team had an incredible season—one for the books. Throughout the Blossom Valley Athletic League (BVAL) or the Central Coast Section (CCS) tournament, both the boys and the girls team have consistently produced stellar results in their respective races. They have broken the records again and again in a season that will go down as one of the best in school history.

“We had a good team from the start.

Everyone worked hard during this season and pushed each other to improve. Lots of people stepped up during CCS. I could not be more proud to be a part this team,” Albert Tseng ’17 said.

On the boys side, three records were broken. Brian Wong ’19, Geffen Chang ’19, George Liu ’19 and Michael Kulinich ’18 broke the 200 medley relay record at CCS, Liu broke the 100 fly individual record at BVALs and Jack Bignell ’17, Yannick Thomas ’18, Tseng and Kulinich broke the 200 free relay record at CCS. The team placed 4th at the CCS tournament, the best placing since 1998. They topped Monta Vista High School by three points and were only beaten by Bellarmine, Saint

Dyle Yoon

Francis and Gunn. A week prior to the CCS tournament, the Chargers dominated the competition by winning BVALs by over 300 points.

At CCS, many placed in the top ten in their races, an incredible feat considering the competition. The 200 medley team placed 7th, Tseng placed 7th in 50 free, Liu placed 10th in 100 fly, free relay team placed 3rd and the 200 free relay team placed 3rd, landing them a first place seed heading into the finals.

The girls team placed 10th overall at CCS. Hannah Womer ’18 placed 5th in 200 individual medley and tied for 4th in 100 breast, Reanna Agah ’19 placed 9th in diving, Maya Gulvady ’19 placed 10th in 500 free, the 200 free relay team placed 9th and the 400 free relay team placed 8th in 400 free relay. The team also had 20 individual qualifiers at the CCS tournament this year, which is the most the school has had in over 20 years—a record year for the Chargers.

“I think we excelled at CCS. We had seven people who made the finals it is really a testament to our coaching staff and our hard work. It was very satisfying to end my last swimming season with such success,” Bignell said.

CARLY WAHL PHOTO Hannah Womer ’18 takes a momentary breath while swimming the 200 individual medley.

For a few, the swim and dive season was not over yet. Those who qualified will go on to the state championships to compete with some of the nation’s best swimmers. Womer is qualified for the 200 individual medley. The boys 200 free relay team and the 400 free relay team qualified as well. The 200 free team broke the school record at the tournament.

The team’s success did not come without the work—exhausting laps or practice and meticulous preparation gave

each swimmer the confidence he or she needed going into every race. Although a few notable seniors will graduate this year, many of the successful swimmers this year were underclassmen, which means that the school swim and dive team will continue to thrive for years to come.

“Swimming is a sport where you continuously compete against yourself, and that is how we become some of the most disciplined and competitive athletes around,” Jack Gao ’17 said.

Boys’ tennis hits their stride during CCS playoff games Sports Writer

Leland was down against Brophy 1-3, the Arizona state champions. One more loss and the team would be eliminated.

Eamon Smith ’18, Mukund Madabhushi ’18, and Edward Jung ’20 were lined up to take on the next three matches. As Smith and Madabhushi won both their games, Edward was faced with the tiebreaker.

Swings went back and forth until they reached the tenth deuce. Finally, with a forehand swing, Edward gained the advantage. Building up on the momentum and cheers of his teammates, he quickly capitalized on his opponent’s weak serve and hit back a strong forehand swing straight into the far left corner. His opponent attempted to return the swing but could not reach the ball in time. Leland had just won against the state champions of Arizona.

“The team did very well overall this season. We were able to bond with each other at Fresno, where stole the title of Arizona State Champions. Next year, I hope that our team can go undefeated,

since we lost twice this season,” Eugene Kim ’18 said.

Although Leland was eliminated in the second round of CCS, the team had left a legendary record behind of 13 wins and two losses in their overall season. Kicking off their season with tryouts on Jan. 30, the team generated their first two wins in the first week of March. Despite their

loss against Menio Atherton, the team quickly recorded five to two victories over Westmont and Evergreen Valley during the week of Mar. 10, foreshadowing their future successes. Throughout the rest of March, the team generated three 6-1, one 7-0, and one 5-2 victories over four teams.

Coming into April after numerous consecutive victories in March, their streak

EMILY LIU PHOTO Edward Jung ’19 lunges to return the tennis ball during a rally in an intense singles match.

Athletes of the month: David and Jessica Wang

2017 Sports Signings Congratulations to our senior athletes who have signed on to play a sport next year in college!

Aaron Tan Sports Writer

It all started at a birthday party. A friend had brought a huge mystery box for Jessica Wang ’19 on her birthday. Jessica opened the gift wrap, revealing a brand new badminton set from Toys R Us. D. Wang and J. Wang quickly became enamored with the sport of badminton, playing on their miniature Toys R Us set for the next few months whenever they had spare time. From there, they knew that badminton was the sport for them. Their parents quickly noticed their passion for the sport, and signed the duo up at Bintang, a badminton gym located in Campbell. David and Jessica started getting trained by professional trainers—many of which were world-renowned badminton players that had won various champions around the world. They have been training at Bintang since then.

Although the Chargers did not reach CCS this year, the two still reminisce about the season.

“Some good points we had in the season is when I had an intense but fun

was broken by a loss to Evergreen Valley. In the following weeks, the team dominated the rest of their matches and maintained its lead, eventually ending their season atop the Mt. Hamilton division on Apr. 24 with a 7-0 win over Silver Creek and then another 7-0 win against Prospect for their first qualifying match. Later that week, the team was victorious against Evergreen and entered round one of CCS. With a difficult yet successful match against Aragon High in the first round, boys’ tennis found themselves faced against Monta Vista, which led to their elimination from CCS. “In CCS, we were pretty solid in the first round against Aragon high. Skill wise, we were pretty even, so it was a close matchup that really could have gone either way. A lot of the games were really close three set matches, but we managed to pull through. Throughout the season, we learned to be a lot smarter in the way we played, emphasizing our strengths and experimenting with strategies. We also became more close-knit as a team and supportive of each other throughout matches,” Young Kim ’17 said.

Baseball: Andrew Meggs–Creighton Ryan McCahan–Emerson Hunter Christensen–Redlands Swimming: Albert Tseng–Tufts Edena Khoshaba–Chapman

EMILY LIU PHOTO singles match with Sam Vuong from Andrew Hill. We have already started bulding for next season, by recruiting some really promising players,” D. Wang said.

J. Wang looks forward to her summer playing on the prestigious National Badminton Pan Am team. She is very grateful to be chosen for the worldrenowned team and to be able to play badminton outside of California.

“I could have done better at CCS, but being able to go to Pan Am still feels great. This feels like a reward for all of the hard work and time that I have spent on badminton,” J. Wang said.

Throughout the years, the Wangs have been a pair of significant contributors to the Chargers’ success in the badminton courts, and will continue to establish their legacies at in the following years.

Water Polo: Jack Bignell–UCSB Avalon Gook–UC Irvine Sami Stebbins–UCSB Basketball: Josh McMillan–Puget Sound Softball: Hannah Angileri–Whittier Michelle Calcany Blair–Pitzer Lacrosse: Amanda Whipple–Belleville

Jiayin, your invaluable work as Art Director has made the art this year impeccable. Your sharp artistic eye has ensured that we have high quality art for each issue and that our art is always improving. Thank you for your commitment and effort for The Charger Account. Have fun at RISD! Connor, your leadership as Photo Director has provided us with a cohesive team of photographers this year. Your own photos have also been dynamic and eye-catching, keeping readers interested.

Thank you for the work that you have dedicated to The Charger Account. We are excited to work with you next year!

Every month, a fresh stack of newspapers is delivered to every classroom—a result of the diligence and hard work of our passionate journalism staff. Our 58 staff members devote a colossal amount of time and effort to maintain the quality and prestige of our publication.

Our writers, artists, photographers and page editors are the backbone of our class. Together, we work around the clock to put our newspaper in circulation, publishing pertinent information and bringing attention to the stories that matter to our 3,100 readers. In this extremely chaotic, monumental year, we covered pressing political events, investigated further into relevant school issues and celebrated the 50th anniversary of our school. We revisited the past 50 years of the school’s history through news stories, statistics and interviews; our artists and photographers also did an outstanding job of illustrating the topics we covered this year. We want to thank each and every one of you for all the commitment that you have shown this past year. We wish you the best of luck!

Edward, your tenacity as the Managing Editor this year impressed us all. You are always there when there is something important to be done, sending out emails to make sure our issue is on track all the way to print night. Thank you for all the time you have put into The Charger Account. Have a blast at USC! Tara, your discerning eye has ensured that each issue adheres to the Style Guide. Throughout the year, we could always rely on you to not only edit the pages, but also come up with amazing layout designs. Thank you for all your work as Copy Editor. We hope you have an amazing time at UCLA!

ADORA NGUYEN PHOTO TRINITY TRAN ART

YEAR IN REVIEW Hurricane Matthew Oct. 4, 2016

More than 800 people were killed in Haiti by Hurricane Matthew, which brought 145 mph winds and torrential rains. The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies estimated that more than one million Haitians were affected by the hurricane.

Paris Agreement on climate change Nov. 4, 2016

Decades of international discussion on climate change culminated with the enactment of the Paris Agreement, which was created to limit greenhouse gas emissions. 144 parties that have ratified the Agreement, including the U.S., the E.U., China and India.

They are bound by a pledge to keep the global temperature from rising more than two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels through this century.

2016 Presidential election Nov. 8, 2016

The 2016 US Presidential election resulted in the victory of Republican candidate and business tycoon Donald J. Trump. The days leading up to the election were shrouded in controversy as Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), while the media steadily forecasted Trump’s victory as unlikely. Although Clinton won the popular vote, Trump garnered a victory in the Electoral College by winning traditional Democratic strongholds in the Rust Belt, making him the first elected president to lack prior US military or government experience.

Syrian regime recaptures Aleppo Dec. 22, 2016

The Syrian army claimed control of all rebel-held territory in Aleppo after days of intense fighting; rebels blamed intense air strikes and a lack of medical care for their collapse on the frontline. Aleppo was a city divided into the west, which was led by the government, and the east, which was controlled by rebels. The United Nations claim that over 250,000 people were held under siege in Aleppo. Capturing Aleppo has been a crucial victory for Syrian president Bashar al-Assad after over six years of fighting.

Women’s March on Washington Jan. 21, 2017

Trump issues temporary immigration ban Jan. 27, 2017

JIAYIN LU ART

The Women’s March was organized in response to President Trump’s inauguration. An estimated five million people marched worldwide in opposition to policies proposed by President Trump, specifically regarding women’s rights, immigration and health reform. This was marked the largest single-day protest in US history.

Signed by President Trump, Executive Order 13769 restricted the entry of refugees and immigrants from seven Muslim-majority nations—Iraq, Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen—for 90 days. The order reflected the rhetoric that Trump pledged throughout his campaign to curb terrorism and was met with significant controversy and backlash.

Discovery of seven Earth-like planets Feb. 22, 2017

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced its discovery of seven Earth-size planets surrounding a single star. All seven planets are found to have liquid water and three are in a habitable zone; NASA has expressed that this discovery is a significant step towards finding an environment where extraterrestrial life could exist.

Manchester Arena bombing May 22, 2017

A suicide bomber detonated explosives after Ariana Grande’s concert in Manchester as concertgoers were filing out of the arena. The attack killed 22 people, primarily children and parents, and injured an estimated 50 individuals. Investigators believe that the bomber was a member of a much larger terror network and eight individuals were arrested in connection with the attacker.

Compiled by Ping Hsieh, Yoon Jeong, Eunjee Choi, Anagha Thiagarajan, and Emily Wu Opinions Editor, Feature Editor and Staff Writers