May Issue 2021

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San Jose Unified School District Leland High School 6677 Camden Avenue, San Jose, CA 95120

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Leland High School

6677 Camden Avenue, San Jose, CA 95120

Wednesday, June 2, 2021

Vol S | No. 6

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NEWS

JUNE 2, 2021

A change in momentum: Bonjour, retirement!

Serena Atkinson, Janice Lee and Pavana Upadhyaya As the school year comes to an end, two teachers are retiring. Mireille McNabb, Foreign Language Department, and Gregory Asplund, Science Department, are both leaving the school after providing valuable lessons and educational opportunities for students.

McNabb taught French 1-2, French 3-4 and AP French during her 25 years at the school and has taught grades from kindergarten to college. Also, she advised the French Club for 25 years and was the Foreign Language Department Chair for 24 years. Before working at the school, she taught in England, France, West Valley College, Mission College, Santa Clara University and Santa Barbara University.

McNabb’s passion for French did not end in the classroom: she has been developing world language curriculums that incorporate themes about social justice and submitted them to the Stanford World Language Project, a professional development group that works with Bay Area language teachers, for the past 8 years.

After retirement, she plans to continue organizing curriculums, meeting her grandchildren, traveling and taking time to read, cooking and being with friends.

“I love traveling and meeting people all over the world E PHOTO and I wanted to JONATHAN K share this love by trying to bring the world within the walls of the classroom and instilling the desire to travel and see the value of using different languages.

I hope that my students understand that there are many ways to see the world and the people around us,” McNabb said.

Additionally, Asplund taught Physics and coached the school’s water

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“As the head of the department, McNabb has had a tremendous impact in improving the overall world languages curriculum by leading the department to a more balanced and effective approach to teaching. She encouraged students to think critically about social issues that affect the Francophone world as well as the U.S.” —Chris Barros, Foreign Language Department

Staff Writers

“Mr. Asplund went above and beyond to educate and entertain us.

Although virtual learning was difficult, he utilized fun demos and videos to keep the class engaged. The vacuum jar lab with shaving cream to show air pressure was very creative and entertaining. I will definitely miss him and his humor after he retires.”

—Junior Amber Haiwen

polo team for 23 years. Before teaching at the school, he coached Physical Education at Bret Harte Middle School. As the Science Department chair and curriculum council member, he left a lasting impact on the school’s students and staff.

During class, Asplund utilizes many metaphors to help his students better understand physics concepts. For example, in one of his lectures, he compared the resistance of electrical currents with the flow of water in a garden hose. Moreover, during class, he plays 1980s physics videos such as The Mechanical Universe to allow students to visualize the information they are learning.

Outside of teaching, Asplund enjoys spending time outdoors. He likes watching baseball and football games, swimming and driving pickup trucks. After retiring, he is looking forward to continuing his hobbies and participating more in sports.

Greg

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Thank you for your years of dedication!

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Seniors celebrate as they cap off their final year Dhruv Anish, Bertina Fan, Miranda Lu and Norah Shen Staff Writers

As the school year comes to a close, seniors are anticipating their upcoming graduation ceremony on June 2. This year, due to the pandemic, students had the option of attending either a virtual commencement or an in-person ceremony for the first time, and it was organized by Leadership Advisor and Activities Director Meg Walsh and ASB instead of San Jose Unified School District (SJUSD).

Prior to the pandemic, the annual graduation was held at the San Jose Municipal Rose Garden. However, since the traditional location lacks the amount of space necessary for students and families to follow COVID-19 guidelines like social distancing, Walsh and ASB planned to hold the ceremony at the school’s football stadium instead as it provides more space for graduates and attendees.

The graduation will be split into two separate ceremonies at 3

p.m. and 6 p.m., each containing 200 graduates and a maximum of four guests per graduate to comply with Santa Clara County’s COVID-19 restrictions. Seniors will choose which of the two sessions they prefer to attend. The guests will be seated separately from the graduates, with at least six feet of distance between each attendee.

Unlike previous years, diplomas will be distributed to graduating seniors prior to the ceremony, and the handshake with Principal Peter Park will be excluded in order to minimize physical contact.

Walsh and the senior class cabinet have been working on a graduation plan since last December due to uncertainty about the severity of the pandemic in June. According to Senior Ellen Choi, ASB prepared different plans for each of the four COVID-19 color tiers: a drive-thru graduation was planned for the purple tier, a quick graduation where seniors walked

across the quad for the red tier, a graduatesonly ceremony for the orange tier and a graduation with limited spectators for the yellow tier. As the county showed signs of transitioning from the orange to yellow tier, SJUSD approved of ASB’s in-person graduation plan with limited spectators on May 12.

Unfortunately, Walsh and ASB ran into several problems when developing plans for graduation: without funding from the district, Walsh and ASB had to use leftover funds from previous senior classes to rent equipment like balloons, flowers, banners and chairs. Moreover, they needed to consider various factors such as the weather, cleanup and enforcing spectator guidelines.

“I am concerned about this year’s graduation because we have never done it this way before. However, despite the difficulties, I am hoping that this event will

provide seniors with a sense of normalcy during this abnormal year,” Walsh said.

In addition to the graduation ceremony, ASB will also be releasing two videos for graduates this year. The first was edited by production company GradPro, showing students walking the stage with their diploma and waving at the crowd.

The second was arranged by the senior class officers, showing a compilation of videos and photos submitted by graduates.

Even with strict regulations, limited resources and an unconventional location, Walsh and the rest of ASB work to ensure that the virtual video ceremony and the two in-person graduation ceremonies will run smoothly. Ultimately, Walsh and the ASB hope that the ceremony will celebrate the perseverance of the graduating class as they reunite with their classmates before parting ways and starting the next chapter of their lives.

WENDY LEE PHOTO From Zach

left to right: Seniors Batista, Kayla

Kira Schliemann, Schnittker sit

Neharika on

Rao, the

Taylor Omura, Nicole bleachers and

Pagan, pose

Kylie in

McKnight, Qylie their caps

Quo, Ellen Choi, and gowns

Mariana for

Villalovoz, graduation.

THE CHARGER ACCOUNT

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COMMUNITY NEWS

A Letter from Principal Peter Park Dear Leland Chargers, As we conclude the 2020-21 instructional year, I want to take time to reflect upon this unique experience.

Hopefully in August, Leland will return to being a full comprehensive high school, where in-person instruction, along with student interactions make up the majority of the student experience.

More importantly, globally, I hope that we never return to a place where we have to isolate ourselves from our routines, people, and the world.

With the current progress that we have made with vaccines and safety protocols, most of our state is in a better situation than we were 6 months ago. In fact, we are experiencing many transitions where interactions amongst people are increasing – with precautions of course.

COURTESY OF YEARBOOK

School-wise, I am not exactly sure what next year will look like. I do know that we will certainly plan out the 202122 year just like we did pre-Covid years. I expect to see students back in classrooms, I expect to see students eating lunch together, and I expect to see students engaged in extracurriculars/athletics.

Now, I can say confidently that this is the best way to do school.

I firmly believe that the more time that we put between us and this year, the recollection will be expansive. Rather than just the challenges dominating our memories, we will also realize and recognize our resolve as well.

Think about how quickly we created an online school – and when I say ‘we,’ I do mean all of us (parents, staff, and students). Or how quickly we organized

distribution and collection: from textbooks to yearbooks!

We figured out how to bring back in-person instruction, athletics, and extracurriculars. And now, for our seniors, we will also have a graduation ceremony on campus­­ —twice. Plus, a virtual graduation as well.

My point is, we have adapted and we have shown our resolve. Despite the challenges, we all made this year work. Job well done, Leland Chargers.

As we like to say here, Charge On! With Care, Mr. Park

An employment emergency: Hiring crisis strikes the Bay Area Miranda Lu and Larry Ye

Staff Writer

With California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recent statement regarding the economy reopening by June 15, many local restaurants are racing to find and retain employees using various methods. Over a year after Bay Area residents entered the lockdown, many businesses in the restaurant industry are experiencing a staffing shortage, while countless workers in the healthcare and tech industries are simultaneously facing unemployment.

Although the restaurant worker shortage existed prior to the pandemic due to the high cost of living in California, frequent reopenings and store closures during the pandemic have exacerbated the crisis, causing many restaurant workers to leave the state, shift into other industries or start their own companies, reported The Mercury News.

Xavi Padrosa, owner of the Telefèric Barcelona restaurant in Palo Alto, has increased hourly wages from 15 to 20 percent, launched an online store selling paella kits and started cross-training—the practice of training an individual in more than one role or skill—to keep his restaurant afloat. Despite this new approach to hiring, Padrosa has been forced to close off almost a third of his tables during busy hours due to a shortage of hosts and servers.

Like Padrosa, many other restaurant owners are experimenting with different

techniques, hoping to attract employees.

After job advertisements on online sites Craigslist and Indeed proved unsuccessful, Fred Velez, the general manager for the chain-restaurant King Fish House located in northern and southern California, created a referral program offering a reward of 300 dollars to any current employee who finds a new recruit willing to work for a minimum of 90 days.

Now, he is also cross-training hosts and chefs to wash dishes and wait on tables and is considering hiring younger and inexperienced workers for entry-level jobs.

“For restaurants that want to hire more workers, encouraging youth to work may be a potential solution. Many high school and college students seek work experience or small sources of income, and I believe they would be a perfect fit for restaurants looking for potential employees,” Junior Karin Liu said.

While some local bars and diners have managed to sustain growth amid the hiring crisis, others have been forced to close. In early May, the Gentry Bar and Eatery in Main Street Cupertino—which was known for its halal burgers and lively atmosphere—permanently shut down.

Angela Elia, owner of the Italian restaurant Ristorante Parma, which has been a staple in San Francisco’s Marina District for four decades, recently closed its doors as well.

In addition to shrinking the labor pool, forcing many restaurants to close, the pandemic has also caused a huge decline in sales as

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indoor dining was banned and restaurants’ only sources of income became outdoor dining, takeout and delivery. Business magazine Fortune stated that the restaurant and foodservice industry was hit the hardest, and sales fell by $240 billion from the forecasted $899 billion in total sales.

Conversely, the lockdown has resulted in a revenue increase for Bay Area healthcare and tech industries. The New York Times reported that multinational technology companies Google and Microsoft saw major growth—Google’s overall revenue grew by $14 billion and Microsoft’s revenue rose to $41.7 billion for its third fiscal quarter. Furthermore, other tech companies are dismissing hundreds of workers, partly due to a surplus in employment. In late May, telecommunications equipment company Lumentum laid off a total of 165 workers from two of their San Jose sites, and data storage systems provider Hitachi Vantara Corporation eliminated 65 jobs.

Additionally, on April 30, the Service Employees International Union United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW), a local union for healthcare workers in California, announced that it had received a 60-day notice from Kaiser Permanente, which is planning to eliminate 231 positions in Northern California, including the Bay Area. In an interview with the Mercury News, Georgette Bradford, a Kaiser ultrasound technologist in Sacramento,

said that the company usually discusses important decisions with the union ahead of time. However, they skipped the process this time, raising concerns about the reason for their hasty decision. According to the union’s website, it will now seek to negotiate alternatives to this cutback with Kaiser, such as enhanced early retirement packages or voluntary severance packages.

The union will also work with affected employees to secure them with the Employment Income Security Agreement, which guarantees employment and income protection to impacted workers for up to a year.

“The laid-off healthcare workers are likely outraged, since they risked their lives working on the front line to treat COVID-19 patients. My mom is a nurse at Kaiser and she has spoken about how unfair the situation is. I do not think it is morally right for the company to do this— when the entire world was at its worst, these workers were there for us, but now, as we begin shifting to a new normal and workers need a stable job, the world is not there to support them,” Junior Rachel Chen said.

As California initiates its plan to reopen during the summer, restaurants will continue to find ways to meet customer demand and more workers may move into other industries to find work.

4

JUNE 2, 2021

REVIEWS: “A SCANNER DARKLY” In the pages: Sickness smites the human condition Aileen Xie Viewpoint Editor

The Charger Account Leland High School 6677 Camden Ave. Principal Peter Park San Jose Unified School District San Jose, CA 95120-2142 (408) 535-6290 thechargeraccount.com EDITORS IN CHIEF Kelly Cui, Minji Kim, Sophia Lu ART AND PHOTO DIRECTORS Nicole Kim, Ivan Zhu, Quynh Nguyen NEWS EDITORS Jonathan Yue, Ashley Lee OPINIONS EDITOR Hannah Moon FEATURE EDITORS Ashley Lee, Nam Nguyen VIEWPOINT AND LAST WORD EDITORS Aileen Xie, Evelyn Liu ENTERTAINMENT AND LIFESTYLE EDITORS Ridge Coffey, Cindy Zhao INVESTIGATIVE REPORT EDITOR Nancy Zheng SPORTS EDITOR Matt Wang AD MANAGER Nancy Zheng SOCIAL MEDIA AND WEBSITE MANAGERS Cindy Zhao, Ivan Zhu ADVISOR Stacy Dawson COMMUNITY CIRCULATION Parent Club and Leland Bridge STAFF WRITERS Dhruv Anish Serena Atkinson Keirah Chen Raymond Dai Bertina Fan Natalie Gao Janice Lee Reagan Liu

Miranda Lu Breanna Lu Michelle Qiao Norah Shen Manasa Sriraj Pavana Upadhyaya Lawrence Ye

ARTISTS Quincy Han Beomhee Kim

Rachel Kim Jessica Lin

PHOTOGRAPHERS Junan Ke Jonathan Morris Rex Li Julia Nakanishi Wendy Lee Diana YousefAudrey Lui Nejad Our mission in the community is to inform, educate, and investigate the events occurring within Leland’s community and beyond.

The ideas and opinions expressed in our articles represent over half of The Charger Account staff but do not represent the views and beliefs of any particular staff member.

The Charger Account invites submissions of signed letters of opinion. We reserve the right to edit

The human condition is a capricious thing, oscillating between poorly-made decisions as we grapple with the fear of uncertainty and a desire to control our lives entirely by our own will. Yet reality upsets the latter, as we are bound by a fragile body and an unpredictable universe. As humanity struggles with this truth, many succumb to the forces of a chaotic world and develop self-destructive coping mechanisms, finding short-lived comfort in drug-stimulated euphoria. Published in 1977, “A Scanner Darkly” is Philip K. Dick’s science-fiction memoir of drug culture and suburban nihilism, a quiet ballad singing for the voices silenced by societal negligence and spiritual death.

“A Scanner Darkly” is set in 1990 suburban Los Angeles and tells the story of Bob Arctor, a man who, on the surface, seems like any other drug addict. Unbeknownst to others, he is an undercover cop investigating substance abuse under the alias “Fred,” watching targets through surveillance scanners and wearing a scramble suit that blurs out both physical along with vocal features. Without revealing his true intentions, he befriends low-level dealers in order to infiltrate the apex of the drug supply chain.

To fit in, Arctor regularly uses Substance D, the most toxic drug in existence. Overuse causes the brain’s two hemispheres to not only split, but exist in conflict with each other.

As he consumes Substance D, it disorients his cognizance so much that he cannot even recognize his own face on a screen, resulting in a paradox when Agent “Fred” is assigned to keep tabs on a new target: Bob Arctor.

Representing both the narc and the addict, he must play out this fiction of self-investigation.

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On screen: Disorienting visuals detract from dialogue

Dhruv Anish

Staff Writer

Released on July 7, 2006, “A Scanner Darkly” is a film from director Richard Linklater based on Phillip K. Dick’s criticallyacclaimed 1977 novel of the same name. The story takes place in a distant future where America has lost the war on drugs, with a highly addictive narcotic known as Substance D circulating the world.

Keanu Reeves stars as Robert Arctor, an undercover government employee tasked with infiltrating and surveying the drug market to identify suppliers and producers of Substance D. As a part of his operation, he lives with users Ernie Luckman, Charles Freck and James Barris, played by Woody Harrelson, Rory Cochrane and Robert Downey Jr. respectively.

However, Arctor runs into trouble when he begins to get addicted to

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137 students polled. Compiled by Keirah Chen, Natalie Gao, Miranda Lu,Pavana Upadhyaya and Larry Ye, Staff Writers

discretion of the editorial staff.

We will acknowledge our mistakes in our next issue.

conversations and experiences become more outlandish, paralleling Arctor’s descent into paranoia.

Beyond literary elements, the novel follows themes focusing on the human condition: the erasure of personal identity, the limits of individual will and the descent into insanity. The interplay of double and triple personalities, of lives led and lives imagined, synchronize with an increasingly technological world and lead to a fragmentation of identity. “Fred’s” scramble suit indicates a loss of selfhood; holoscanners used to monitor his own activities dissociate visual representations from real life. Because Arctor must act like his addicted friends, the adoption of “druggie” behaviors impairs his ability to know who he truly is: is

he Bob Arctor, the lowlife junkie, or Fred, the undercover narcotics agent? Paranoia infests his mind as he can no longer make conscious decisions, further amplified by Substance D and his loneliness. As Dick writes, addicts are “sentient but not alive,” slaves of the simulacra, disciples of temporary bliss.

Drawn as a retrospection of his past struggles with drug addiction, Dick’s story harbors sympathy for those also suffering from substance abuse. He portrays Arctor not as a criminal of his own blame but as a victim of carelessness, someone punished with awfully cruel consequences for seemingly slight errors in judgment. From Dick’s own understanding, the world is far too unforgiving and relentless for creatures as emotionally, mentally and physically fragile as humans.

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As schizophrenia distorts his personal identity into paranoia, Arctor soon loses sight of himself and finally succumbs to a fate of no return: loss of reality.

Aiming to mimic the listless despair that comes with drug addiction—and the nihilism that follows—Dick often pens dialogue in dry, caustic tones, vacant of any intimacy.

Events that are in all possibilities, impossible, are written in extensive detail, such as when a drugged out man hallucinates bugs crawling all over him in the opening pages.

As the novel progresses,

the very substance that he is attempting to prevent the use of, leading to a shocking conclusion that left me frozen in my seat.

As far as the story goes, “A Scanner Darkly” is incredibly intriguing.

The message that it conveys about the dangers of substance abuse as well as raising questions about the institutions put into place to punish addicts is incredibly relevant today. As the story progresses, this message becomes increasingly prevalent as the plot and presentation become intentionally ambiguous to simultaneously disorient and intrigue viewers.

The film remains very accurate to its source material, with many of the scenes being directly

recreated from the settings in the novel.

The dialogue in the film is also written very cleverly, with lines that range from bitingly witty to deeply profound while all maintaining a connection to a central theme.

There were multiple moments where the movie’s dialogue made me audibly chuckle at the foolishness of the characters, thoroughly enhancing the already engaging narrative.

In regards to their performances, Keanu Reeves and Robert Downey Jr. both do a fantastic job portraying their respective characters, with the former depicting Robert Arctor as depressed and hopeless in contrast to the latter displaying James Barris’s

eccentricity and drug-laden paranoia. Most of the cast do give very grounded performances that are accurate to the characters in the novel, although Rory Cochrane’s portrayal of Charles Freck was at times so over-thetop and deliberately zany that it bordered on being uncomfortable.

Another discernible characteristic of the film is its unique visual style. Linklater made the decision to hand-draw every frame of the recorded film, a process known as “rotoscoping,” giving it a very unique and distinctive look. However, the unique visual style was the biggest issue that prevented me from fully enjoying the film. While the film uses the visual style to highlight the psychedelic effects of the characters using Substance D, the finished product looks quite unattractive in comparison to standard liveaction or fully-animated films. The artwork is inconsistent throughout the film, with numerous scenes resembling a cartoonish PhotoBooth filter and deterring me from being fully immersed in the storys. The changing forms of the environment and characters disorient the viewer and end up taking away from the immersive experience, rather than making it more profound.

“A Scanner Darkly” is a bona fide cult favorite with a riveting story and witty dialogue, despite its unpleasant visual style.

If you are a fan of neo-science fiction or an admirer of Dick’s original novel, this movie is definitely for you with its elaborately constructed narrative and painfully relevant social commentary.

JUNE 2, 2021

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ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE The coffin confessor’s aim to give a voice to the dead Keirah Chen, Bertina Fan, Reagan Liu and Michelle Qiao

Although secrets are usually left from an envelope they leave for him. unsaid after a person’s death, adopting For this alone, he charges 7,300 dollars, the role of a “coffin confessor” has allowed however, if the client wishes to have a former private investigator Bill Edgar to home sweep—where Edgar will go to the change this one funeral at a time. Based client’s house and get rid of any items they in Queensland, Australia, Edgar started do not want their family and friends to out examining incidents of theft for large find—2,200 more dollars is added. corporations undercover. However, he To avoid entangling himself in legal soon discovered that one of his terminally issues, Edgar refuses to do third party ill clients was being ripped off. For their funeral confessions. He requires the dying wish, the client hired Edgar for an client to have extra job: to make a few announcements at his funeral. Edgar agreed and attended the funeral, interrupting the eulogy and reading the contents of the envelope his client had left for him.

Since this first arrangement, Edgar has done 22 funeral confessions for a diverse group of clients. Once, a terminally ill elderly woman asked him to tell her husband about a trail of notes she had left behind. Another man requested that he tell his friends and family that he was gay.

However, Edgar has had to refuse some requests, such as when one man asked him to set off fireworks in the coffin or when another client ordered that Edgar kill his dog after the client passed so his dog could be buried with him.

“Though unconventional, I can see the value of Edgar’s job. Some people may be uncomfortable talking to their family regarding certain subjects, and having someone share what they could not directly communicate to their families is important for a peaceful passing,” Sophomore Cindy Zhuang said.

As a “coffin confessor,” he offers two services. Initially, he can crash a client’s funeral with their permission and read

Staff Writers recorded conversations with him television in the United Kingdom. Due to personally as well as a signed contract. the massive influx of requests for Edgar’s Furthermore, in the case that a potential services, he created a website where client wishes to confess serious crimes, he people can upload their own confessions advises them to write the information in and eulogy. After their passing, the user’s a sealed envelope that he will open after family and friends can receive their login their death, mentioning in a personal and access their confessions. His rise essay on weekly magazine Newsweek that to fame did not stop there: when Netflix he did not want to be put into the position producers caught wind of Bill Edgar and of knowing something that should be his unconventional profession, they reported to the authorities. jumped to create a show regarding his The coffin confessor has grown quite work. Currently, there is an eight-episode popular after appearing on live TV show in the works. It will follow the life of a fictional female coffin confessor and the unique aspects of her job.

However, the growing reputation of Edgar’s “coffin confessor title” has been accompanied with the fear that it may impact his full time job of being a private investigator. The more Edgar is featured and interviewed about his funeral work, the higher the chance he has of being recognized during business investigations.

To minimize the risk of being identified, he wears a disguise during his regular work hours. Regardless of the challenges, Edgar mentions in interviews that he enjoys the side job and appreciates the opportunity to help reveal secrets that his clients did not have the opportunity to say during their lives.

Planning for death can seem daunting for many, but the coffin confessor provides his clients an opportunity to grant their wishes even after their passing, a job that BEOMHEE KIM ART has had an impact on many people and their families.

Plates and politics: Pineapples pave way for sustainability and advocacy

Reagan Liu, Breanna Lu, Michelle Qiao and Lawrence Ye Despite being known for the contentious debate over its’ legitimacy as a pizza topping, pineapples have recently been making headlines in the realm of both sustainability and international relations. In Taiwan, the symbolism of the fruit has contributed to the “freedom pineapple” movement protesting Chinese trade restrictions, and on the other side of the globe in Colombia, the company Lifepack is repurposing pineapple scraps to create compostable dishware in a push for more sustainable consumerism.

Founded in 2011 by husband and wife team Andres Benavides and Claudia Isabel Barona, Lifepack manufactures and sells plantable products made out of pineapple crowns, husks and seeds to customers around the world. The company offers an assortment of singleuse biodegradable plates and utensils with the mission of promoting environmental responsibility and reducing global plastic as well as styrofoam waste.

To produce the plates, pineapple waste supplied by local processing plants is shredded and mixed with recycled paper. Once the mixture has been flattened into sheets and dried, a machine presses the pulp into plates. In the process, these containers are filled with seeds and after use, they can be planted to germinate pineapple sprouts, giving new life to agricultural waste and preventing the plates from ending up in landfills.

Although Lifepack already operates in three supermarket chains in Colombia and has clients in several countries, getting more customers to purchase their products is difficult due to their high prices, stated Barona in a Business Insider video. The company’s dishware sells for more than double the cost of plastic dishware, deterring many consumers from buying their products.

“Pineapple waste can be useful for making biodegradable products, but the high price shows that we are not quite at the point where eco-friendly products can rival items made from plastic or other materials. However, if companies can find more cost-efficient production processes, pineapple and other agricultural waste may be a key to a sustainable future,” Sophomore Benjamin Sosnowski said.

Many others are developing creative ways to reuse every portion of the fruit.

For example, students at the National University of Singapore reimagined aerogel; a substance with low density

that is often used for wastewater treatment, by using pineapple fibers to create a biodegradable variant that has the ability to pick up almost four times as much toxicity from water. Additionally, a team of researchers at University Putra Malaysia built decomposable drone frames out of pineapple leaves, which would otherwise be burned or left to rot by farmers, ending up as organic waste in landfills and releasing carbon dioxide gases into the atmosphere.

Pineapples are also making an impact outside of the environmental sector, playing a role in the political relationship between mainland China and Taiwan. On Feb. 26, China made a unilateral decision to ban the importation of Taiwan’s pineapples to China on the basis of biosecurity concerns, claiming that they found harmful pests within imported pineapples.

Since pineapples make up around 40 percent of Taiwan’s total fruit exports and 90 percent of its pineapple exports go to China, news website The Guardian

Staff Writers reports that the trade embargo has hurt the region’s economy.

In response, President Tsai Ing-wen and the government took to social media, encouraging its citizens to purchase and eat “Freedom Pineapple” to support farmers who were harmed by the import ban. As a result, Taiwanese people have incorporated the yellow fruit in desserts, as an afternoon snack and even in dishes such as beef noodle soup. According to the publication Taiwan Business TOPICS, consumers purchased a year’s worth of pineapple exports in four days, and many restaurants began selling pineapple-based dishes in support of the movement.

From using biodegradable products to reduce trash in landfills, to protests against the government, consumers are reminded that their choices, however small, have an impact on a global scale.

The pineapple’s diverse applications ranging from plantable plates to drone parts along with the #FreedomPineapple movement in Taiwan has emphasized the fruit’s recent increase in significance to both the environment and the people.

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6

INVESTIGATIVE REPORT: Campus Nightlife

JUNE 2, 2021

A place to connect: Leland after hours Dhruv Anish, Manasa Sriraj, Matt Wang and Cindy Zhao Staff Writers, Sports Editor and Lifestyle Editor

On a typical school day, after the final bell rings at 3:30 p.m. and the remaining students leave campus, one would expect the halls to remain quiet until the next morning. However, this is not the case.

From the late afternoon until evening, the school is frequented by students and adults alike to socialize, exercise or participate in extracurriculars.

Even before in-person classes resumed in April, the school was still visited by students who used the grounds as a social hub during shelter-in-place.

Junior Muskaan Grewal, who has gone to the school two to three times a month since the start of the pandemic, usually spends their stay walking around the campus and talking with their friends on the quad stage or the bleachers.

S i m i l a r l y, Senior Madison Nguyen kept u p with her

friends over the year by safely meeting up with them on campus.

“The school was one of the only places where my friends and I felt like we could social distance while staying safe at night because of the lights and the close parking. During the winter, I would often sit on the big heater outside the G-wing for warmth and catch up with friends,” Nguyen said.

Since campuses are often safe and accessible locations for community members to engage in physical activity, skateboarders use the school’s ledges, rails and stairs to practice new tricks or record videos. Students also use the school’s sports facilities to play recreational sports, even if it is not with the athletic program.

“My friends and I play basketball, soccer or football for fun at the school, which is a welcomed change from staying at home due to COVID-19. We also like to go to CVS on our bikes or skateboards and buy food to eat on campus,” Freshman Ved Rao said.

Exercise meets socializing when it comes to 4K Dance, the school’s Korean-pop dance club, who refine their performances and learn new dance choreographies on campus.

According to the club’s advisor, Wilson Yen, Math Department, and 4K Treasurer Justine Tan, members practice nearly everyday until the evening and use the office windows as dance mirrors.

However, students are not the only ones who come to campus after instructional hours. Many visit the school in the evening or on weekends to exercise. From joggers to martial artists, a multitude of adults and other community members can be found working out around the school campus.

“My husband and I like to use the track in the early evening. We never encountered any disruptive or rowdy people at the school, but since we are an older couple and some parts of campus are not well lit, we always stay together,” Katherine Orloff, an Almaden resident, said.

Other non-student athletes take advantage of the school’s facilities

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as well. Since the school’s tennis courts and track remain open past 9 p.m., many families and older adults go to campus for recreation and to maintain an active lifestyle.

“Playing tennis helps me connect with friends who share my passion for the sport while getting a fun, vigorous workout.

Because the floodlights on campus illuminate the tennis courts in the evening, I can use the space to unwind and socialize after a draining day of remote work and excessive screen time,” Mouli Radhakrishnan, an Almaden resident, said.

Later in the night, some students host car meets and use the parking lot as a meeting spot for races. Students can be found parked under the solar panels, discussing the latest industry news or showing off their cars. Many students who are interested in cars do donuts at the parking lot or on the streets next to the school, and some participate in car races.

“Most car meets are just people hanging out. Drivers drift at sideshows, but my friends and I are not associated with that. A lot of people seem to assume that drivers with loud cars are racers when most of the time they are not,” an anonymous school alumni said.

Although most come to the school for innocent reasons, there have been instances in which students have vandalized property while hanging out on campus. In mid-April, a car broke the fence dividing the staff and student parking lots. In the last week of May, students left graffiti across numerous classroom doors in the H-wing. For the most part, however, such incidents are few and far between—the majority of people use campus after school responsibly to meet up with friends or to exercise.

Needless to say, the campus remains an active epicenter of social interaction even after the seventh period bell. From K-pop dances to recreational sports to car meets, the grounds host a multitude of activities, even in the middle of a pandemic. In spite of the isolation that came with shelter-in-place, the school’s ability to bring people together continues without interruption.

THE CHARGER ACCOUNT

7

FEATURE: WORLD A revival in local Canadian journalism Raymond Dai, Norah Shen and Manasa Sriraj Staff Writers

The rapid rise of big tech companies like Google and Facebook have come at a price—accelerating the decline of local journalism. Since 2004, the increasing prevalence of the internet for consuming news has caused over 2000 newspapers to shut down. During the pandemic, local journalism has experienced even bigger declines in revenue and staff, losing jobs at rates faster than the coal industry, as stated by The Guardian, and leaving “news deserts” behind.

Experts cite the lack of strong user data and preferences compared to Google, Facebook and other media sites as the primary reason for the decline of local journalism. Since large user databases attract advertisers, many companies have shifted away from advertising in local journalism publications with simple online presences towards established digital publications. Due to this trend, local journalism organizations have lost approximately $35 billion in ad revenue since the early 2000s, according to Pen America. Employment has also plummeted in newsrooms, experiencing a 47 percent decline in the same time period, turning once-prolific papers into “ghost newspapers” with significantly reduced reporting and coverage capacity.

Local journalism’s decline can be detrimental to communities and even democracy, as Vox News reports. While many may consider national journalism to be more important, local journalism helps build community by encouraging social cohesion and political activism. Readers of local journalism are also more likely to be proactive after reading an article than those who read national journalism, because the news is more relevant to them.

“It would be nice to preserve local journalism so that people can read about stories and smaller events that are

more specific to their community. Local journalism gives coverage of events nearer to them, and while these events might not matter to other areas, it keeps me engaged with my community,” Sophomore Amanda Bui said.

In response to the dwindling number of local journalism organizations, the Canadian government recently set up a five-year-long fund of $50 million intended

to employ 250 more local journalists and establish 50 new neighborhood publications across the country within the next two years. The Guardian reports that Overstory already runs a number of local journalism outlets in the province of British Columbia, which release newsletter-style publications on community events. The media group hopes to empower each of its outlets to eventually become independent companies. Overstory’s most prominent sponsorship—the success of which is partially responsible for inspiring

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to support civic journalism in underserved communities. Named the Local Journalism Initiative (LJI), the fund targets news deserts—places without community newspapers or broadcasts—and areas of news poverty—communities with limited access to newspapers covering community issues. News organizations can apply for grants, and if approved, can receive a renewable stipend every year.

Canadian media group Overstory is also helping revive local news, planning

Overstory’s nationwide initiative—is Capital Daily. It was founded in 2019, when technology businessman Andrew Wilkinson hired professional journalists to report on local news despite it losing demand at that time.

Capital Daily began as a brief summary of daily news in Victoria with a handful of subscribers. Having gained popularity through online and social media advertising and particular reports that have earned widespread praise, it is now an acclaimed, comprehensive, sometimes investigative report of happenings in Victoria with over 40,000 subscribers—who receive the daily newsletter via email every morning.

Other local journalism projects in Canada include the Halifax Examiner, which was applauded for an investigative report into the police’s action on a largescale shooting in its province of Nova Scotia, and Indiegraf, a company that provides blossoming journalists the resources needed to establish independent online local news outlets.

As reported by the Columbia Journalism Review, in response to the heavy toll the pandemic has taken on local journalism all across the globe, various social media platforms have taken measures to advocate for its revitalization. Twitter has donated money to subsidize local news companies, and it began circulating the hashtag #FollowLocalJournalists on May 3. Substack, an online platform on which several local news outlets are now operating, announced that it would allocate $1 million to use its news platform to enable 30 local journalists from around the world create and develop their own local journalism companies.

While many civilians, news outlets and leaders back the revival of local journalism, multiple roadblocks stand in the way of its immediate success. Local journalism outlets are very expensive due to their lack of economy of scale. Moreover, according to the Center for Technology and Public Service, as reliance on social media as a news source has grown, people’s appetite for local news outlets has also declined.

“Local journalism is critical to revive because it looks into issues faced by smaller societies and reflects the voices of these societies’ members, who are often overlooked by mainstream media. Providing accurate accounts of local happenings is key to outlining and understanding the needs, experiences and views of each and every community that makes up our world,” Junior Conner Shih said.

South American communities band together

Keirah Chen, Raymond Dai, Breanna Lu and Manasa Sriraj Previously praised for its success in controlling COVID-19, Uruguay’s death toll currently ranks among the highest in the world. With over 250,000 documented cases and 3000 deaths as counted by the U.S. Embassy in Montevideo, filings for unemployment benefits have skyrocketed by 25 percent, corresponding with an additional six percent drop in economic activity. To ameliorate the impoverished circumstances many Uruguayans now face, community members have created soup kitchens, known as “people’s pots,” to provide for the hungry.

Operating in over 700 locations across Uruguay, “people’s pot” volunteers donate cooking materials, vegetables, meat, spices and oil and cook meals for distribution depending on the types of ingredients people donate each day.

According to a Universidad de la República study, less than 40 percent of “people’s pots” are funded by the government,

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thus requiring most volunteers to complete the majority of fundraising by themselves.

Despite the reliance on grassroots support, volunteers have been able to acquire donations from benefactors across the country, enabling timely and adequate provisions for the more than 60,000 people who request assistance.

“Uruguay’s ‘people’s pot’ volunteers deserve widespread recognition because of their community service efforts even when they many also face challenges in finding food and establishing financial security themselves. The initiative’s success shows that especially when times are tough, the coalescence of unity and empathy within a community can make a significant impact,” Freshman Samayra Gupta said.

To make their customers feel welcome, the volunteers refer to them as “clients” to show the respect, kindness and courtesy

often missing in other government assistance programs. While the demand for people’s pot meals has increased exponentially during the pandemic, the food served is high quality and nutritious for all consumers. As part of the program, kitchens are required to serve caloriepacked foods to their clients, knowing that it may be their only meal of the day.

Apart from “people’s pot” soup kitchens in Uruguay, other South Americans have also implemented country-wide initiatives to combat negative socioeconomic consequences stemming from COVID-19. In Brazil, another country hit hard by the virus, humanitarian organizations have collaborated to spearhead Tem Gente Com Fome—Portuguese for “people are going hungry”—a campaign to provide relief for families neglected by federal, state and municipal governments.

“Despite the lack of resources and government aid, Brazilians are able to support themselves as well as lend a hand to neighbors who struggle to feed their families. This goes to prove the power of the people, showing that everyday civilians’ resilience combats and overcomes unfavorable situations,” Junior Tanaya Mahindrakar said.

Grassroots support during the pandemic has also extended beyond

Staff Writers

the realm of food, into healthcare and sanitation provisions as well. Organizations such as the Maré Mobilization Front target resources to those who need them the most. A Brazil favela, Maré suffers from lack of sanitation and drinking water along with overcrowded homes—all of which exacerbated the COVID-19 crisis.

In response, volunteers across the favela banded together to form the Front, which distributes food and hygiene products and educates residents on how to stay healthy. Additionally, in Peru,Compiled Indigenous by communities have openedHannah their Moon doors to share ancestral remedies Staffsourced Writer from traditional plants and herbs. These treatments have helped heal people with symptoms of the virus, reducing overcrowding at hospitals.

Following the COVID-19 crisis, South American communities have united to provide valuable medical resources.

Moving forward, local organizations and national aid may become more active and extensive in all parts of the world.

Fond Farewell Ridge Coffey

Evelyn Liu

Nam Nguyen

Evelyn, thank you for always making Last Word so aesthetically pleasing and for all your work as an artist!

Your amazing art has kept the newspaper captivating, and we will miss you and Chloe’s love-hate antics. Have a great time at UC Santa Barbara!

Nam, thanks for always making Feature World an intriguing read and for getting Ms. Dawson the best gift ever! Your timeliness and help during print weeks have really helped the process go by smoother.

Good luck at UC San Diego!

Matt Wang

Jonathan Yue

Serena Atkinson

Matt, you need to give us some of your height, you tree of a being. Thank you for all you’ve done as our InDesign guru (especially as a first-year page editor!).

Your writing is beyond exceptional. Thank you for hyping us up at all the print nights; you will be missed. Have fun at UC Davis!

Jonathan Y., thank you for always making such creative designs for Front Page! Your dedication to journalism is constantly shown when you stay super late for print night, and thanks for enlightening us with random bits of knowledge. Good luck at UC Berkeley!

Janice Lee

Rachel Kim

Ridge, thank you for all your cool story ideas and solid work ethic. We enjoyed getting ChickFil-A with you during print nights, and working with you during the story collaboration process is always so intriguing!

We hope you have fun at Boise State!

Janice, your memes will sustain the life of whatever room you are in and we are constantly awed by the effort and dedication you put into your articles.

Have fun in your gap year!

Rachel, thanks for spicing up journalism by spamming emojis during Webex meetings. We will miss you in 7th period very much; have fun with the cats at Pratt!

Jonathan Ke

Wendy Lee

Jonathan K., your photos have always been gorgeous and thank you for your amazing work ethic. (But you still suck for ditching Ivan; Quynh will forever be better than you jkjk love u). We hope you have a great time at Claremont Mckenna!

Wendy, you have always provided us with quality work and constant communication with the team.

Thank you for being so accommodating with difficult photoshoots. Have fun at UC San Diego!

Audrey Lui

Jonathan Morris

Audrey, thank you for your kindness and your amazing photos! You have grown so much in your photography skills this year, inspiring us all. We know you will do great at Case Western!

CUSTODIAL STAFF Thank you for all your hard work in taking care of J-5 (especially on the print nights where we stayed so late) and the entire school.

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Jonathan M., your enthusiasm in taking photos and optimism has always created a positive atmosphere for anyone around you.

Thank you for your hard work, especially for last-minute tasks!

We wish you the best at UC Santa Cruz!

LELAND BRIDGE Thank you for your endless support throughout this tumultuous year! The investments you have made into the future of student journalism are truly incredible.

Serena, from the interesting movies we watched in journalism to the amazing articles you have written throughout your three years in journalism, you have always been a joy to work with and we know you will do great at Oberlin College!

Jessica Lin Jessica, your art has always been in such a beautiful and distinct style. Thank you for always creating amazing art and keeping up with good communication even during distance learning! Good luck at NYU!

Rex Li Rex, despite your tendency to ditch seventh period for track and field, the effort you put in to schedule photoshoots and produce consistently high quality images is admirable. You will do great at Boston University!

Diana Yousef-Nejad Diana, your sense of humor will not be forgotten (chicken-noodle bucket) and your diligent work ethic will always be appreciated. Thank you for taking wonderful photos. Good luck at San Diego State!

PARENTS CLUB Thank you for your unwavering support for our endeavors and providing us with the finances necessary for producing our issues!

Behind the Scenes Kelly, you are beautiful inside and out. You are the sweetest person we have ever been privileged to meet, and you are super chill. We know you will threaten to demote us, but these compliments are true—just accept them. You rock our world. We hope you have a fun time at M.I.T.!

Sophia, thank you for being a tyrant who always forces people to turn on their camera; your control of the room is exceptional. We admire your obsession with story ideas that relate to toilets and shoes and your “Friday Night Funkin’” motto. We hope your sandwich dissection chronicles continue to evolve at Georgetown!

Minji, thanks for spreading the texting-with-periods supremacy to us. You (and Kimi) are cute, and your dedication to proper hygiene and exercise is deeply inspiring. We will forever miss your random stories about lying and sleeping in class. We hope you catch up on sleep at Cornell!

Nicole, thank you for blessing journalism with your beautiful art, and for your frank, no-BS personality which never fails to humor us. Your readiness to confront page editors whenever necessary has earned our profound respect.

We know you will continue to create amazing artwork at ArtCenter!

Ivan, thank you for taking attendance every day—which must be a painstaking process—and keeping everyone up to date about all things journalism. Also, thank you for the grind when pushing artists to turn in their art on time and for your creative art suggestions during art ideas. We hope you have a fun and fulfilling time at Emory!

Quynh, thank you for being so sweet and always rocking cool hairstyles. You have been an incredible leader and mentor this past year; your willingness to answer questions or give photography advice was always appreciated and very helpful.

Good luck at UC Irvine!

Ms. Dawson, we cannot thank you enough for taking care of the journalism staff and managing all of our silly mistakes while still showering us with your wit, fun and kindness. We will forever remember your food and hoodie donations as well as quirky roasts.

We hope your tenure at the school was fulfilling, and wish you all the best at your new school!

Ms. Ngo, thank you so much for attending nearly every print night, helping us review articles and pages, and facilitating a fun and positive atmosphere. We are extremely excited to work with you next year and we are confident that it will be a fantastic year!

NICOLE KIM ART

YEAR IN REVIEW

EXPLORING OUR PAST:

RUTH BADER GINSBURG (September 18, 2020)

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second woman to serve on the Supreme Court and an ardent pioneer for women’s rights, died at age 87 from pancreatic cancer. However, her death sparked a partisan battle between Democrats and Republicans over who would succeed her position. Nonetheless, her legacy as a champion for gender equality in court remains an inspiration for many women in the U.S. today.

NASA’S OSIRIS-REx (October 20, 2020)

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft was able to extract rocks from a 4.5 billion year-old asteroid named Bennu, marking the first time the space agency has reached out and touched an asteroid.

Instead of landing on the asteroid’s surface—which proved to be too rocky—the spacecraft used a robotic arm known as the Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism to gather particles. The sampling will arrive in 2023, and experts believe that it may contain water and prebiotic material, which could offer clues about how life on Earth began.

COVID-Vaccine (December 14, 2020)

Nurse Sandra Lindsay was the first American to receive the coronavirus vaccine outside a clinical trial, representing a huge leap in efforts to combat the virus. Soon after, vaccinations began being administered across the country, initially prioritizing front-line health-care workers and gradually making their way to allowing people as young as age 12 to receive the vaccine.

As more people are receiving the necessary doses, hope for returning back to normal life is beginning to come into fruition.

Presidential Inauguration (JanuarY 20, 2021)

After Vice President Joe Biden claimed the Democratic nomination for the 2020 election and chose Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate, both clinched victory as the successors of President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. Harri is the first Vice President of both African American and South Asian descent, and their inauguration has ushered in a new line of diverse members into the White House cabinet. After years of bitter partisan conflict, President Biden has tasked himself with attempting to rebuild a divided nation.

Landing on Mars (February 18, 2021)

After being launched on July 30, 2020, and travelling nearly 300 million miles, NASA’s “Perseverance” landed inside Mars’ Jezero Crater. It will study the crater’s geology, search for traces of water on the surface, and map a composition of rocks that may be preserving the crater’s history. NASA hopes that, through such work, they may discover past activity of living organisms native to the red planet.

US CAPITOL RIOT (January 6, 2021)

In response to the election of US President Biden and Vice President Harris, a mob of Trump supporters attempted to overturn Trump’s defeat by rioting near the U.S. Capitol against Congress. On the false claim that the 2020 election had been “stolen” from former president Trump, the rioters demanded that Congress reject Biden’s victory. Several buildings in the Capitol Complex were locked down and more than 140 people were injured in the event.

Myanmar Coup D’etat (February 1, 2021)

Democratically elected members of Myanmar’s ruling party including leader Aung San Suu Kyi were deposed by the nation’s military, which assumed power and turned the country into a stratocracy. The armed forces declared that the election of 2020 was a fraud, even though the nation’s majority supported the pro-democracy elected leader. Protests over the coup have resulted in hundreds of civilian deaths, and numerous countries have condemned the military takeover.

Tokyo Olympics Continued (April 16, 2021)

Tokyo’s Olympics chief announced that Japan would continue to host the Games in summer of 2021 despite the surge in COVID-19 cases. On the promise that the games would not be canceled, a postponement announcement from March 2020 will thus be upheld. Japan’s government planned to expand quasi-emergency measures as infections continued to spread, but their decision did not receive the support they had hoped for, with many skeptical about the potential risks.

Compiled by Aileen Xie, Viewpoint Editor

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