The Wildcat Tribune: Volume IV, Issue 6

Wildcat Tribune The Official Student Newspaper of Dougherty Valley High School @Wildcat_Tribune

VOLUME IV ISSUE VI

www.thewildcattribune.com

/DVHSTribune

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THURSDAY MARCH 30 2017

Sixty years on from Little Rock, Dr. Terrence Superintendent Roberts continues to challenge the status quo Rick Schmitt speaks about AP classes, education and racism

By Irene Chang Editor-in-Chief

According to Dada and Raizes, who serve on Leadership’s Campus Life Committee, approximately 20 submissions were made and everyone who applied was accepted.

Dada said, “We did get a really good amount of submissions, so I feel like those who were interested did have the opportunity to submit.”

In regards to the clubs that will be participating, a tentative list includes the Filipino-American Club, Bollybeatz, Fashion Club and Robotics. While some clubs will be participating in Festival activities, others will be fundraising at booths.

For example, Robotics Club will be holding a scrimmage between two competing teams of robots.

“It is a pleasure for Robotics to be taking part in an activity like Festival of Arts. I feel like the outcome of the festival will be exceptional because it will allow students to see how much talent there is in the campus where GPAs and SAT scores administer one’s capacity to be great,” said sophomore Singar-

He walks into the Journalism classroom unassumingly, his gait relaxed, his posture casual. He wears a Dougherty Valley wrestling shirt, jeans and sneakers. A blue SRVUSD lanyard dangles from his neck, the only clue that he works for the district, let alone runs it.

New superintendent Rick Schmitt is the laid-back, self-proclaimed “CEO” of the San Ramon Valley Unified School District. After taking over the position from Mary Shelton in the fall, Schmitt has decided to visit each of the 35 schools in the district, familiarizing himself with the institutions that he oversees.

The superintendent came to talk with the Wildcat Tribune on Mar. 10, accompanied by Director of Communications Elizabeth Graswich. Instantly, he made it clear that he works to serve the students and parents of the district. He meets with the parents, staff, Leadership and Journalism students of every school to answer questions and learn more about each school’s needs. Schmitt’s intention is to be approachable rather than daunting or distant.

The superintendent, chosen by members of the Board of Education, oversees and supervises the 4,000 staff in SRVUSD, 1,900 of which are teachers. Eight individuals report directly to him regarding various areas in the district, such as Facilities, Budget and Education Services management. He, in turn, reports back to the five individuals of the Board of Education, elected by the San Ramon Valley community.

As new as he is to the district, Schmitt is a veteran of public education. A current parent, as well as former History, Economics and Government teacher of both regular and AP classes, Vice Principal and Principal, he has played a role in practically every aspect of the public school system. Just prior to assuming his role with SRVUSD, Schmitt held the Superintendent position at the top-performing San Dieguito Union High School District since 2013, and served as Associate Superintendent of Education Services and Deputy Superintendent for six years and one year, respectively.

Even with all his experience in district offices, Schmitt spoke mostly about his position as principal of Torrey Pines High School in San Diego County, the bestranked high school in California at the time.

While at Torrey Pines, he implemented an expanded access AP and honors course policy, his proudest achievement and a policy he still strongly believes in. Prior to the change, the high school only allowed students tested as part of

SEE “FESTIVAL” PAGE 3

SEE “SUPERINTENDENT” PAGE 3

As the month of March is coined “Youth Art Month,” read about DV’s Art Clubs and their impact on our campus.

SEE NEWS PAGE 2

PHOTO COURTESY OF BRANDON SHI

Terrence Roberts, a part of the “Little Rock Nine” presented a speech to SRVUSD staff, discussing racism in schools.

By Armaan Rashid & Brandon Shi Co-Managing Editor & Assistant Opinions Editor

In response to the results of a recently conducted market research survey, the Tribune spotlights politically conservative opinion.

SEE OPINIONS PAGE 4

Read what the Tribune decided on Big Sean’s “I Decided.”

SEE A&E PAGE 8

Dr. Terrence Roberts and eight others brought on angry mobs, the National Guard and a statewide legal crisis as teenagers — simply by going to a high school where most people were of a different skin color. That was in 1957, but he’s been making waves ever since — most recently in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District.

The story of Roberts and the eight other African-American students who tried to desegregate Central High School in Little Rock, Ark. is part of the American narrative — the legend of the “Little Rock Nine” is now told in history classes across the country as one of the major struggles towards racial equality in the U.S., prefiguring the height of the Civil Rights Movement.

It’s portrayed as an example of great progress in U.S. history — the nine students did eventually get to attend the high school — but Roberts doesn’t buy it.

“There’s been no progress,” he said in a Mar. 3 interview with the Tribune, minutes before speaking to the staff of SRVUSD. “The progress narrative suggests that there was a time in this country when things were unequal, and so now we have what’s called a level playing field. That’s a lie.”

Roberts cited instances of racism that he experienced after overt legal segregation had ended during the Civil

SEE SPORTS PAGE 10

INDEX News............................................1-3 Opinions.....................................4-5 Features ......................................6-7 A&E................................................8 Satire..............................................9 Sports.....................................10-11

SEE “ROBERTS” PAGE 2

Dougherty’s Festival of the Arts seeks to celebrate artistic diversity

By Brandon Shi & Megan Tsang Assistant Opinions Editor & Copy Editor

DV Men’s tennis continues 46-game winning streak, beating the Foothill Falcons.

Rights Movement — in particular, the discrimination he and his family faced in the 1980s when they bought a house in a predominantly White neighborhood in Pasadena, Calif.

“They had a neighborhood watch council meeting to vote on whether they were okay with us being there — we squeaked by because we didn’t have any firebombs, or something ridiculous. But the living there was icy, so we moved after 10 years. And that is not unusual! That is more the norm than the exception.”

He continued, “If you look at all the statistics — housing, income, employment, wealth — you will see [that] vast numbers of people of color are way behind. Those on the Trump side will say it’s their own faults, they’re not working hard enough — that’s the big lie. It’s not true.”

Despite the criticism of President Donald Trump voiced in both his interview and his address to school district staff, Roberts does not fault Trump with provoking a resurgence in previously-hidden racism. Instead, he insists that such racism — ranging from housing discrimination to violent hate crimes — has “always been ongoing … people will say that [there has been a resurgence] — but that’s just because they choose not to see it.”

When asked about the incidents of racist graffiti found at SRVUSD schools shortly after the election, Roberts was unsurprised, saying, “I’ve always seen there’s been

In an effort to showcase Dougherty students’ diverse artistic talents, Leadership is planning Festival of the Arts, an event that will both replace and expand on previous years’ Evening of the Arts by introducing additional types of art-related attractions and activities.

Festival of the Arts, which will occur May 12 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., plans to include and exhibit a wide variety of artistic talent. While Evening of the Arts displayed the products of Dougherty’s visual arts classes and was limited to the 4000 building, Festival of the Arts will feature live music, a multitude of clubs, dance, open mic performances, a film festival and a fashion show in addition to the visual arts classes. Because of the expanded scope of this event in comparison to Evening of the Arts, Festival of the Arts will take place all

across campus, utilizing the quad, the commons, the library and the 4000 building. Admission will still be free.

According to sophomores Sara Dada and Ashley Raizes, Leadership students who are in charge of the event, Festival of the Arts will have a schedule modeled off those of music festivals, with multiple attractions in different areas. The film festival would take place in the library, the fashion show in the main quad, open mic in the commons and a Robotics Club showcase in the 4000 building’s mini-quad.

To recruit students for the live music, open mic and film festival components of the event, submissions were opened up to the student body via a Google form, encouraging aspiring musicians, spoken word and improv artists and filmmakers to sign up. The deadline was extended for several weeks to late Feb. but in the end, due to advertising through flyers, posters and social media, a healthy mix of student artists signed up for the event.

2

Roberts

no change, absolutely no change.

All you have to do is read the accounts … The law changed, but the custom never changed.”

Roberts credits the epidemic of Americans who deny or are unaware of racial discrimination to a flawed educational system.

“Unfortunately, these systems are fraught with problems … You have to accept the fact that there is more than one story. You have to ask questions about it … you’ve got to do your own reading. So you may be assigned books by the teacher, but who knows why those books were assigned and not others? Lots of books out there, lots of voices out there.”

Specifically, Roberts focused most on history and the way it is taught in schools, since, according to him, “most people have not examined the history of the United States.”

He implied that this lack of thorough examination has resulted in decreased awareness about the context surrounding modern day issues, namely racism.

U.S. History teacher Jeffrey Vangene agrees with Roberts’s assessment.

“If you look in many corners of society, there is still very much racism or discrimination that if people were more knowledgeable about the past and looked into the suffering that those groups of people had to go through — and not even so much in a textbook setting, but just listening to the firsthand accounts of what these people had to go through — if they knew, then there would be a much better understanding of why there’s certain racism that does still exist.”

AP U.S. History teacher Jeanne Scheppach concurred, stating, “As history teachers, we have to think, ‘What are some other ways to teach the curriculum so that connections to current events can be made?’”

She then emphasized the responsibility of teachers to ensure a comprehensive, balanced approach to teaching history. “I think most teachers know the textbook is just a touchstone. A good teacher is going to bring in multiple perspectives no matter what, and bring in current events to fill in the gaps that the books do not cover.”

Scheppach also cites a competitive school culture as a factor that can discourage students from applying

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their knowledge to current society.

“We have to get people off the diet of School Loop and grades and get them into thinking, ‘How can I be a good citizen?’ It can be hard to do this with many AP students’ focus on the end result — the test.”

Roberts drew a similar distinction between this educational prizewinning and the “real learning” he views as meaningful to society.

“I’ve always told students: you’ve got two jobs when you’re in school.

One, you have to manage school and the requirements, and two, you have to spend time learning. Those are two separate tracks. One has nothing to do with the other.”

His assessment was, perhaps surprisingly, echoed by SRVUSD Superintendent Rick Schmitt, who invited Roberts to speak. However, Schmitt thinks that recent developments in educational curricula have improved the situation, reconciling the two extremes by bringing more meaning and utility to conventional standardized learning.

“Traditional schools and old standardized tests are about memory and recall, as well as regurgitating information,” said Schmitt.

“New standards and the new SAT and ACT require students to analyze open-ended questions ... and multi-level mathematical responses.”

Although Schmitt maintains that there is now “more ‘real learning’ happening in our academic buildings” than before, he concedes, like Roberts, that the educational system can only do so much for students’ learning and development.

“It’s a blend of learning in and out of school,” he said.

To Roberts, a self-proclaimed optimist in spite of the ongoing struggles with racism he details, “real learning” is the way forward, offering a chance at true progress. His advice to students reflects his hope.

“Always question the status quo,” Roberts said. “Unfortunately, there are four pillars of support for the status quo: greed, selfishness, willful ignorance and racism. They’ve always been in place and they continue to support the status quo.

Students have to question that, in an effort to tear them down — and the goal is to destroy them, so that they are not there ... Then you build something new, and different.”

Wildcat Tribune

www.thewildcattribune.com Facebook: DVHSTribune Twitter: @WildcatTribune Instagram: Wildcat_Tribune The Wildcat Tribune strives to cover the news accurately, fairly and honestly. It is our policy to correct significant errors of fact. All corrections should be emailed to dvhsheyyou@gmail.com.

The Wildcat Tribune, Dougherty Valley’s student-produced newspaper, is dedicated to printing the truth, refraining from libel and obscenity and abiding by the journalistic code of ethics. Advertising material is printed herein for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an expression of endorsement or verification of such commercial ventures by the staff, school or district.

The journalism class is located in Room 1205 at Dougherty Valley High School, 10550 Albion Road, San Ramon, CA 94582.

Editors Irene Chang, Editor-in-Chief Armaan Rashid & Amanda Su, Managing Editors Anumita Jain, Managing Web Editor Elisa Fang & Isabel Ting, News Editors Karen Wang, Opinions Editor Brandon Shi, Assistant Opinions Editor Sasha Hassan, Arts & Entertainment Editor Serena Shen, Assistant Arts & Entertainment Editor Andrew Chuang, Sports Editor Ronit Kumar, Assistant Sports Editor Brandon Shi, Skyler Spears & Megan Tsang, Copy Editors Manan Dhir, Photo Editor Skyler Spears, Assistant Photo Editor Ye Bin Shin, Social Media Editor Staff Writers Taylor Atienza, Vikram Balasubramanian, Amruta Baradwaj, Kingsun Cheung, Pranav Chillappagari, Anika Garg, Hayley Hashimoto, Lily Houlston, Arul Kirubakaran, Kavin Kumaravel, Amanda Lin, Divij Mahajan, Maitri Parikh, Donovan Roudabush, Natalie Rubio-Licht, Musa Tariq, Sean Walker, Kathryn Williams, Harmonie Yacob Faculty Advisor Ms. Decker

NEWS

MARCH 30 2017

DVHS visual art clubs foster a hub for student expression

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ART CLUB

A stack of watercolor Valentine grams, prepared by members of the Art Club for San Ramon Regional Medical Center patients.

By Taylor Atienza Staff Writer

While art doesn’t always appear to be a fundamental part of student life, participation in the interdisciplinary field develops highly-applicable skills in all students.

“Education in the arts builds motor skills, language development, decision making, visual learning, innovation, cultural awareness, and improved academic performance,” said senior Andi Mo, president of the National Art Honor Society (NAHS). “Although we may not overtly realize this, art allows us to contribute to culture and the greater human experience through self-expression.”

Dougherty Valley hosts a number of clubs dedicated to enabling students to pursue self-expression and provide outlets for stress.

Membership at this time in the year for certain clubs may require meeting some prerequisites, but it isn’t too late to involve yourself in an art club.

Digital Arts and Design

The Digital Arts and Design club was created by Rena Nguyen for the purpose of giving students basic knowledge of design and skills in programs such as Adobe Photoshop.

New members joining at this point in the year are strongly encouraged to have at least basic knowledge of operating design programs to participate and enjoy themselves fully.

The club meetings involve somewhat rigorous work periods in which members have the opportunity to work on projects such as flyers for school events. Yet, despite the effort that is required for the club, members learn beneficial skills that can be applied to other courses.

“I think the biggest thing that they can take away from the club is mastering design,” stated Nguyen. “These skills can be applied to almost anything from making posters for school projects to putting together a PowerPoint presentation.”

Nguyen expressed the significance of digital art on social media, where creative expression is more prevalent than some realize.

“I don’t think many of the people in our generation realize what a big part art [plays] in their lives — and how much they depend on visuals to display ideas and emotions. Pictures on social media act as little screenshots of their emotions and experiences,” explained Nguyen.

“It’s important that people realize the effort put into the visuals of an item to better their experience with

it so that they can truly come to appreciate how extensive art is.”

Art Club

Art Club provides a general art education for students and gives members a foundation by teaching the basics of using different mediums and aspects of art, including form, shading, and composition.

“By obtaining an understanding of key drawing principles, students will see visual improvement in their work when they tackle any art-related projects whether inside or outside the classroom,” explained Michelle Li, president of the club.

The club hosts after-school workshops every other week, in which members are introduced to a new technique or medium in each lesson and then given time to practice what they’ve learned.

Additionally, there are no prerequisites for joining the club: new members can join at any point in the year if they have an interest in art, and no prior experience is required.

“We raise awareness of art in our school by doing our best to give our art education back to the community. Students who are not able to have art in their class schedule can come to our club to still be a part of the family,” says treasurer Emily Her. Students interested in joining the club will have the opportunity to participate in painting a mural near the auxiliary gymnasium later this year.

Project SmARTS

The Project SmARTS club was started for high school students to promote interest in visual arts to underprivileged elementary students. Members are able to interact with younger students in art workshops throughout the year.

“We believe that every child deserves exposure to the arts, no matter where they come from,” said Jessica Kuo, the President of Project SmARTS. “By giving these kids access to many types of art forms at a young age, it can guide them to finding passions that they would not have been able to find before.”

Besides community service hours, the club also provides opportunities for students to gain experience in working with young children and cultivating lasting relationships.

“The students that we work with come from very different backgrounds from us, and haven’t had access to many of the educational and artistic opportunities that we have been fortunate enough to have. Every workshop gives the club members new stories to

tell, new lessons learned from the children, and the joy of putting bright smiles on the their faces,” explained Kuo. For those interested in joining the club, there is an upcoming workshop on April 15 that new members are welcome to participate in.

National Art Honor Society

A chapter of the National Art Honor Society at Dougherty Valley was established by Andi Mo for the purpose of encouraging the growth of students who display significant interest in art.

“By contributing their artistic talents to bettering their community, members will learn responsibility, compassion, and the meaningful application of art,” stated Mo. “NAHS allows us to feel even more connected to the community by help keeping the spirit of service alive among student artists.”

While students considering joining this club cannot join at this point in the year, it is still possible to become a member next year.

Active membership requires an application at the beginning of the school year and previous experience in an art course at Dougherty.

Additionally, members must meet a service hour requirement and participate in local art contests.

NAHS members participate in art events both within the school and outside the community. Most notably, members will contribute their work to the Festival of the Arts in May. “On a small scale, artists can employ the elements of art and design and strategical techniques to bring awareness to pertinent issues,” explained Mo. “On a larger scale, art can be employed as a platform to convey messages ... in founding the DVHS chapter of National Art Honor Society, I was utilizing art as a method for students to give back to their art family and community.”

The prevalence of art in the lives of students is made obvious by its ability to reduce stress and develop creativity in individuals. In essence, it promotes skills in articulation of ideas and values that can be used throughout school courses and in the workplace.

“Art is a universal language that is able to surpass any type of physical or social barrier, and connect people on a more intimate level,” said Kuo. “There are some things such as love or hope [of which its] full worth extends beyond words, and art is another outlet to express ourselves and share a certain message with an audience.”

NEWS

3

MARCH 30 2017

Wildcats welcome Wigginton Jae Kim “SEALs” the

By Elisa Fang, Sasha Hassan & Kavin Kumaravel Co-News Editor, Arts & Entertainment Editor & Staff Writer

“I’m here on Wednesdays from 6:45 a.m. in the morning. You guys can drop by anytime for the interview.”

This came as an immediate shock. Who arrived to school that early in the morning? On a Wednesday? Was 6:45 a.m. even a time? Our heads swimming, we confirmed with each others’ schedules, and asked meekly, “Is 8:30 a.m. okay?”

Mrs. Shannon Wigginton joined DVHS staff this school year to teach P.E. 9 and Yoga, bringing her dedication and trustworthiness to the campus.

As a freshman in high school, Wigginton taught swim lessons

PHOTO COURTESY OF DVHS

Mrs. Wigginton teaches P.E. 9 and Yoga in her first year at Dougherty.

and also doubled as a lifeguard.

In college, an abundance of kinesiology, motor development and motor learning classes piqued her interest in physical education.

“People said, ‘You’re really good with kids! Why don’t you teach?’”

Wigginton recalled, drawing from old conversations with friends and family.

So that’s exactly what she did.

Physical Education came first, and after being inspired to take a yoga class, Wigginton earned her credentials through Yoga Fit and added Yoga to the list of her classes. From then, she’s accumulated a lot of teaching experience.

Wigginton has taught in San Ramon Valley High School for 10 years and in San Francisco for five years. Upon her arrival at Dougherty, Wigginton recalled being shocked by the size of the school.

“Dougherty is big, very big. A little overwhelming at times for me, but it’s good,” Wigginton stated.

However, she enjoyed the multitude of students she is able to interact with. “I’m able to cover other [teacher’s] classes, so I can meet other kids.”

Wigginton’s ability to connect with people doesn’t go unnoticed.

In fact, it’s one of the reasons she chose to pursue a career in teaching. With frequent stories and genuine inquiries into her students’ days, Yoga has turned into a fun, albeit tiring (it isn’t as easy as it sounds!) class to take.

“Ever since I was young ... I could keep secrets really well. I don’t share other people’s information, so I know that people trust me,

Superintendent the Gifted and Talented Program (GATE) to take AP or Honors courses. It created an extremely divisive environment, in which a test taken in elementary school defined whether a student was eligible for a more challenging course he or she may have been genuinely interested in.

Despite strong opposition, mainly from teachers, Schmitt removed the GATE requirement so that AP and Honors courses were accessible to anyone who wanted to take them. This was a significant shift and improvement — previously, with only GATE kids allowed to take AP courses, the AP exam pass rate was only 68 percent. After the open access policy, enrollment in AP courses tripled and the pass rate climbed to 87 percent by 2012.

“This debunked the myth that only GATE kids should be eligible for AP courses,” Schmitt said. “It’s an amazing story, a human story, a student story. It showed that rules defined by adult logic aren’t always what [students] deserve.”

After his success with open access to AP classes at Torrey Pines, Schmitt encouraged these courses not to increase workload, but instead “more cognitive rigor.” Even though he advocates for prerequisite-free access, he noted that requirements to take AP and Honors courses at schools in SRVUSD are fair, albeit somewhat more restrictive.

Because of the similar emphasis on academic rigor in his previous district, Schmitt is all too familiar with the academic achievement — and consequential stress — that embodies our school district.

His experiences have shaped his core belief of “market forces over market choices,” through which students take charge of their own learning through a wide array of course options.

“I want to give each student the best opportunities for personal and academic success,” Schmitt said. “I don’t believe you can have academic success without personal growth space.”

He hopes to create ways for students and staff to communicate

about topics that aren’t restricted to curriculum — for example, developing a well-balanced resume on college applications.

He has also had to tackle the alarming reports of racist graffiti and hate comments that have plagued several schools in the district, even middle and elementary, since the election.

Taking part in the battle against racism is nothing new to Schmitt.

In April 2006, while Schmitt was principal at Torrey Pines High School, California legislature passed a proposition that added fuel to the overall anti-immigrant sentiment felt across the nation.

The Latino community, many of whom were Torrey Pines students, set out to the streets in protest — but not without plenty of backlash from others in the area.

“I had to walk with [the students],” Schmitt said. “Other people were throwing things and yelling.”

Schmitt’s staunch support for safe environments in public schools was reflected yet again when the virulent issue of racism resurfaced during the fall of this school year. He remembered that the graffiti scrawled in school bathrooms and on building walls, most notably at Monte Vista and California High Schools, targeted all minorities: it was “anti-African American, anti-Semitic and then anti-Latinos and other immigrants.”

Although stunned at the hateful comments, even within diverse schools that typically offer welcoming atmospheres, Schmitt sprung into action.

“I refocused my efforts and talked to the principals [of all the schools in the district],” he said.

In addition, Schmitt invited Dr. Terrence Roberts, a civil rights activist known for being part of the Little Rock Nine, to speak to staff during an all-district staff development day. On the same day, he invited the Anti-Defamation League to train staff about “No Place for Hate” programs to bring into the schools.

Schmitt’s passion for civil rights

and that’s big when teaching students,” Wigginton stated.

Her students appear to agree as well.

Anurag Rao, a freshman in P.E. 9, stated, “She is generally a nice person and I think she is probably the best P.E. teacher I’ve had in my life.”

As dedicated as she is to P.E, Wigginton finds other activities to occupy her spare time.

“I don’t do it a lot, but I go out and take pictures. We have a couple of pictures up in our house, which is nice,” she stated.

Wigginton also enjoys spending time exploring the world, having visited Mexico, Canada and Australia in her journeys.

“I was [in Australia] at the end of their winter towards the beginning of spring and they have really pretty windstorms and rainstorms that just light up the sky and the beaches,” Wigginton recalled.

Of course, what she really enjoys is offering help to her students.

“You’re going through a lot of stuff: your age and hormones and then college and driving and dating and socializing and all sorts of stuff,” Wigginton said.

Amidst this turmoil, Wigginton offered a bit of enlightening wisdom:“Be different. Be an individual.”

So why does she come so early in the morning? The answer is surprisingly simple.

“I work out here in the morning and nobody’s here,” Wigginton stated. “It’s nice and quiet and I’m able to get everything done.”

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and maintaining a safe environment for all students gleamed in his “Message from the Superintendent” on the SRVUSD website. He notes that the district “continues to work on initiatives that address tolerance and unconscious biases for students and staff,” and that it will “provide fair, equal, and legal access to a public education” regardless of student differences.

“Know that while the world outside of the San Ramon Valley Unified School District will continue to change, our commitment to safe and welcoming schools remains the same,” he wrote. “We welcome all students into a safe environment where they can discover the joy of learning and reach their fullest potential.”

From expanding AP course access to conquering racial division, Schmitt’s contributions to the San Diego schools and district system are widely appreciated by many.

Yet despite such progress, the Castro Valley native still felt the Bay Area’s appeal too strong to resist.

Schmitt returned without hesitation to take the superintendent position at SRVUSD, a district not too different from the one he’d left.

Perhaps it was also time for a change of scenery.

“I’d been in the [San Diego] community for 17 years,” Schmitt said.

“I was ready for a new adventure.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF RACHEL DECKER

Rick Schmitt spoke with the Tribune on March 10.

deal with the military

By Yebin Shin & Natalie Rubio-Licht Social Media Editor & Staff Writer

Though many seniors don’t know where they will be next fall, or may plan on a more traditional post-secondary route, Jae Kim has a clear vision for his future in the United States Navy after receiving his acceptance letter in early February.

Kim was inspired to choose a path in the military after moving from South Korea when he was two years old.

“Gaining U.S. citizenship was a very inspiring experience for me.

This country has been very good to me and I’d like to do something to serve it,” Kim mentioned. “Since I was born in Korea, I was by law a Korean citizen. I moved to the U.S. in 2001 and in 2014 my parents earned their US citizenship, which gave me dual citizenship. Since by law Koreans are required to serve a mandatory two years of service in their military at age 18, I revoked my Korean citizenship to serve in the U.S. military.”

Kim also considered the the United States Military Academy (West Point) as a method of contributing to the country’s military.

He hopes to become an officer in the Navy and serve the mandatory five years. He will then decide if he wants to continue service or his education by receiving a masters in business from University of California, Berkeley.

“As a prospective engineer, the Navy has the most opportunities for me. I feel that the Marine Corps just fits my lifestyle more, ” Kim commented.

Kim is also active in extracurricular activities, balancing them with his school life. He is a musician, playing bass in DV’s jazz band, and pursues piano, guitar and voice in-

Festival

avelavan Rajesh, a member of the Robotics Club. “The Festival of Arts provides us with an opportunity to show the rest of the school what our passion is and how much effort goes into creating something insanely great.

While Robotics is often associated with the STEM field, Dada stated, “I think that STEM and the arts can be integrated together ... it’s important that our entire student body supports all aspects of each other on this campus.”

The inclusion of a wide variety of acts and clubs reflects Dada and Raizes’s goals for the event, which centers on highlighting the diversity and scope of Dougherty’s artistic talent.

“We really want to recognize as many students as possible,” said Dada. “I’ve really realized how talented and diverse our student body is. And I hope that we get a lot of people to come out and support these amazing artists.”

With performance acts, film festival, fashion show and club booths accounted for, the Festival will have around 50 different attractions.

The new additions, however, received some mixed reception from members of the Dougherty visual arts community. While some students expressed concerns that including various attractions and art forms could potentially be distracting and prevent attendees from enjoying all aspects of Festival of the Arts in three hours, they also appreciated Leadership’s efforts to draw more attention to the arts as a whole, and voiced interest in the event.

Junior Emily Her, a student in AP Studio Art, said, “[Festival of the Arts is] definitely something new, and I’m hoping this brings greater attention to our [visual] art program. I hope there’s a lot of time planned for this since it seems to

PHOTO COURTESY OF MANAN DHIR

Jae Kim sees his future in the military.

dependently. Kim frequently volunteers his time to community service and has been a part of National Honor Society since junior year.

He is also part of Dougherty’s varsity soccer team and has spent six years with a competitive club soccer team outside of school, which he considers a driving force behind his personal development. “[Soccer] taught me perseverance, and that no matter what the failure is you always have to work to get over it. Soccer taught me morals, responsibilities as well as how to be a good person, a leader and a good team player. It also taught me to respect the authority when it comes to coaches,” Kim commented.

Kim also plans to continue his extracurriculars in his college life, including volunteering, playing soccer and joining a band.

As a senior, Kim intends to spend the rest of his semester relishing the time he has left in high school by spending a lot of time with his friends and trying not to let senioritis affect him too much.

As a well-rounded student with four years under his belt, Kim advises underclassmen, “Don’t let grades define you. You do not have to take a ton of AP classes to be a successful student.”

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be a combination of many different art forms that I believe each deserve their own spotlight. It would be disappointing to see any of them skimmed over because they were all placed together in the same time, so I’m curious to see how this plays out.”

Recalling how Evening of the Arts offered limited space for visual artists to exhibit their work, she added, “[At Festival of the Arts] I am definitely hoping to see more space.

Last year, many artists were limited in the amount of pieces ... they could display and this year there’s an amazing influx of students in the program. Combined with all the other art forms that the Evening of the Arts did not previously host, it would be justifiable to need more space for everyone.”

Despite this, Dada and Raizes assured that the organization would ensure that all aspects of the event have a spotlight.

“Essentially, the whole campus will have different things going on in different places,” Raizes said.

Turnout for the event is projected to be around 200 people. “[T]here’s going to be a lot of different people from different aspects of our campus as part of the event, so odds are they’re going to know someone that is there so they can watch and recognize them,” said Raizes. “I just think they should bring as many people and friends and family as they can so that our students get the recognition they deserve.”

Overall, the two Leadership students and the Campus Life Committee hope that Festival of the Arts will be a memorable event exhibiting the wide array of talent present in Dougherty’s artistic community — whether it be through poetry, painting or performance art.

“I just can’t wait to see the entire event come together,” said Dada.

OPINIONS

4

MARCH 30 2017

A Conservative Spotlight

One month ago, the Tribune sent out a market research survey to gain an understanding of what readers would like more of in the future.

A common suggestion was more exposure and respect for conservative opinions. In light of the political polarization currently plaguing the U.S., the Tribune reached out to DV’s student body and faculty to talk to some conservatives and hear their thoughts on recent developments in politics and society. We recognize that we all live in a predominantly liberal area, but the Tribune still seeks to provide a platform for conservative voices to be heard and ultimately hopes to bridge the political divide and to foster unity.

A Q&A with a conservative teacher

Person A, an anonymous teacher at Dougherty Valley High School and a moderate conservative, attempts to shed some light on their experiences as a political conservative.

Q: What are your reasons for choosing to be a conservative?

A: I believe in a smaller role of the federal government and I think the individual states should hold a lot more power. People need to have more freedom to do what they want to do, so I don’t like the trend we’ve had of an increasingly powerful government in the past several years.

Q: Can you break down the stereotypes people have of conservatives?

A: I can’t speak for every person, but I definitely think that [the stereotypes] surrounding conservatives are absolutely ridiculous. Every conservative I personally know is the opposite of a racist. If anything, [being a conservative] is about treating people equally, not showing bias and restoring dignity and freedom to individuals. And being a product of a time period [in Los Angeles] when there was a period of racial unrest, racism is an issue that I grew up with and it’s an issue that’s very sensitive to me and has been a part of my life. So I know for a fact that what I support is the opposite of that.

COLLAGE COURTESY OF SERENA SHEN

EDITORIAL POLICY: Columns and guest contributors do not necessarily represent the opinions of The Wildcat Tribune. The Wildcat Tribune encourages all readers to respond to all articles or important issues by writing a Letter to the Editor. Columns and letters in the Opinions section are printed at the discretion of the Editorial Board. The Wildcat Tribune reserves the right to refuse or edit any letter submitted for publication. Letters must be signed with a full name and contact information. Letters may be emailed to dvhsheyyou@gmail.com or delivered through campus mail.

Q: Does President Donald Trump accurately represent all your views as a conservative?

A: Yes, he actually does. Mostly, at least. Nobody’s perfect. I definitely think that all his efforts to redo the health care system are really important.

I have a background in health care so it’s something I’m pretty passionate about and an issue I really understand. And I just think that the whole previous system was set up for failure. I have had numerous personal experiences with family members and people I know and it was just horrendous what happened to them. They ended up having to pay more for their insurance, they lost the insurance that they liked, etc. It was ridiculous so I really strongly support the actions to change the current system.

I also think that the whole thing about trying to build domestic jobs is also really important. I have young adult children and it’s been rough, econom-

ically, for them. They’re all college graduates and it’s been really difficult for them to make a living and find good jobs. And so I think that’s a reflection of where we’re at in our economy: it’s really not as good as it should be. When I was their age it was not this difficult to be a college graduate and support yourself financially. So the economic change is really needed.

The whole social part is probably the part that’s the most sensitive. The issues surrounding immigration is kind of a gray area, but I do think it’s a problem that we aren’t enforcing our own [immigration] laws. I agree with Trump’s stance on deporting illegal immigrants who are here causing problems (i.e. criminals). And I don’t understand why we’re putting up with that. But for those that aren’t causing problems, I think that we should just let them be.

But overall, I do think Trump is more compassionate and reasonable than the mainstream media makes him appear.

Q: Do you feel safe expressing your political views?

A: Because this is a very liberal area, it’s almost assumed that you have the same views as everyone else. I wouldn’t say I feel unsafe but definitely outnumbered or generalized. I don’t feel that discussing my political views is appropriate in school, but I do discuss it with some other teachers. I’m not a political activist but if it comes up then I’m definitely not hesitant.

A big concern for me is how partisan the media has become and that people are being misled because it’s easy to slant facts or to outright lie. And that concerns me, for our country. Because if you have a media that’s biased [towards conservatives], then you’re kind of at a disadvantage. I grew up in the 70s and 60s, during the whole move to challenge authority and challenge the status quo, and the foundation of doing that is having good information. Because if you don’t, then how can you make informed decisions?

At least from my perspective, being a conservative means you support restoring the freedom to individuals to make their own choices with good facts.

The true divider of the American people: Politics • Two conservative Dougherty students speak out about their views

By Sean Griffin & Aiden Vehemente Guest Contributors

We hold a conservative ideology and support President Donald J. Trump. After reading that sentence, did you immediately associate us with sexism, xenophobia, homophobia and other vilifying traits? Did you think of us less as people based on our political beliefs alone? If you knew us personally, but were unaware of our political stances, did learning this dramatically shift your view of us? Well, if you answered yes to any of those, it’s just more evidence of the extreme political divisions within our nation. But what is really the cause of the growing split of the American people? Ultimately, what is fueling this division is the lack of rational political discussion caused by political prejudices, a lack of true unbiased media and the hampering of free speech.

Political prejudices, especially against conservatives, are at an alltime high. It has become socially acceptable to belittle and berate President Trump and his supporters, something we have commonly witnessed from students at this school. Many well-known celebrities and athletes have also joined in this widespread opposition of the president. Of course, it is important that we, as citizens, hold our president accountable for all he does.

President Trump certainly is not above criticism, and much of the criticism of his behavior is justified.

However, the problem occurs when prejudices become so deeply rooted in people’s minds that they are no longer willing to listen to opposing viewpoints. This breakdown in communication has made reasonable debate a near impossibility.

The media also has played a part in these divisions. While the media is certainly not the enemy, as President Trump has suggested, it has not done an adequate job in fairly portraying him. The media has consistently portrayed Trump in an overly negative light, leading to his lashing out against them. A Harvard study on the media coverage of the two presidential candidates over the course of the 2016 election reported that Trump’s news coverage was negative 77 percent of the time. It is important to note that Hillary Clinton’s news coverage was negative 64 percent of the time, showing media bias against both candidates. As the study’s author, Thomas Patterson, put it, “The mainstream press highlights what’s wrong with politics without also telling us what’s right.” Now that Trump is in office, his media coverage has skyrocketed in an extremely negative manner. A study conducted by the Media Research Center found that in the first 30 days of the Trump presidency, the tone of Trump’s coverage was hostile 88 percent of the time from the “big three” cable news outlets: ABC, CBS and NBC. It also found that these networks focused attention to quotes and stories from outraged citizens, and devoted little coverage

to Trump supporters. The media’s be applied to the thinking of every primary role should be to provide person. We are not a society that easy access to information for the should have to fear speaking what population so that the public can we believe — if we truly want to form educated opinions and deci- be tolerant, we should start with sions. Opinionated pieces should tolerating opinions, even those take a backseat. from conservative thinkers. This Finally, free speech, an integral violence still has not calmed down, process to a functioning democra- extending to anyone holding a concy, has been under flicting opinion. An attack as of late. An elderly man was obsession with poattacked on Mar. Liberalism litical correctness 4, for attending a and safe spaces has pro-Trump rally in should not be inhibited many Berkeley.Violence suppressed, but ensued and many from speaking out on controversial iswere bloodneither should people sues. Because of the ied and bruised, all fear of being labeled because they were conservatism. sexist, homophobic, trying to exercise racist or other detheir freedom of humanizing terms, speech. The phrase people tend to keep quiet about “punching Nazis” was coined on opinions, even those that are not the internet after alt-right white logically considered offensive, so as nationalist speaker Richard Spento not suffer the wrath of intolerant cer was sucker-punched during liberals. For example, take the riots an interview, and many glorified that took place in Berkeley, Calif. and praised this action against the that occurred in response to famous “Nazi” — even though Spencer has right-wing speaker, Milo Yian- explicitly rejected Nazism and fasnopoulos. Love him or hate him, cism. The word “Nazi” was used by Yiannopoulos, according to the some to justify the violence carried United Nation’s Universal Decla- out against a different political ideration of Human Rights Article 19, ology. Promoting violence against has the right to express his opinions people who do not share one’s poand political beliefs and should not litical sentiments is not just morally have been silenced by an intolerant wrong, but counterproductive. mob seeking to censor the public Though we have pointed out discourse through acts of violence multiple flaws found in assumpand intimidation. As the platitude tions about conservatism, we must goes, “I disapprove of what you say, acknowledge that flaws also exist but I will defend to the death your within our own ideologies. Howright to say it.” This quote should ever, the purpose of this article was

not to change your political beliefs; rather, we wanted to dispel the notions often held against conservatives. Diversity of opinion is one of the things that has made America great. When differing political ideologies are viewed as enemies, politics becomes a competition that distracts from a government’s true purpose: to serve the people.

George Washington, who explicitly warned against political parties in his farewell address, was able to make informed decisions because of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton on his cabinet — two brilliant men with wildly different ideals.Liberalism should not be suppressed, but neither should conservatism. We aimed to address why America is so divided politically, and it really boils down to a lack of listening. What occurs in politics affects us all, and thus for the benefit of the people, differing political sides should not attempt to silence or disparage each other, but rather communicate and reason through tough matters. If both sides could rationally discuss matters, less hatred would be spread and no blood would be shed. However, change must come from within, at the individual level first. Be the person who is willing to listen. Be the person who uses logic and facts. Be the person who rejects irrationality and overreaction. And maybe, just maybe, politics would no longer be an area of repeated clash and conflict, but rather a space to discuss and find solutions to the real problems facing the country.

OPINIONS

5

MARCH 30 2017

It’s not in their heads: women face What was it for? An open discrimination in medical treatment letter to underclassmen

By Natalie Rubio-Licht Staff Writer

emergency room treatment for analgesic pain, which includes stomach pains that can be connected to menstruation.

Ray Laventure, Women’s illnesses are put DV alumna and on standby and misdiagnosed San Francisco as overreactions to menstrual State University freshman, was cramps as a result of the myth brought to the emergency room of female fragility and the lack after experiencing chest pain of gravity medical professionals and an inability to breathe. After give to women’s judgements of three hours of waiting to see a pain. doctor while barely being able to Another example of this discatch her breath, she was finally crimination happened to Rachel given an exam, and was told that Fassler, who has serious ovarian she simply had a panic attack. torsion. Fassler’s pain was disBut it didn’t seem right to her. missed as a kidney stone without “The doctors were very conde- her emergency room doctor doscending. Sure, I have anxiety. ing so much as an exam. The time But I know what it’s like to have it took her doctor to correct the a panic attack, misdiagnosis, and this wasn’t coupled with “[Female patients] are it,” Laventure her original noted.

E.R. wait, had more likely to be treatAfter several Fassler waited less aggressively unmore hours, the ing for hours doctor finally in intense til they prove they are discovered that pain.

Fassler’s as sick as male patients.” experience is she had actually experienced an not singular; asthma attack this discrimiand gave her an inhaler. nation is widespread in the medAccording to a well known ical industry. study conducted at the Universi“[Female patients] are more ty of Maryland entitled “The Girl likely to be treated less aggreswho Cried Pain: A Bias Against sively until they prove they are Women in the Treatment of as sick as male patients,” stated Pain,” medical professionals tell Fassler’s husband, a reporter for women more often than men The Atlantic. that their symptoms are psychoOutside of the emergency somatic, or influenced by emo- room, misdiagnoses can persist tional factors. In another study for years. In Cheryl L.’s case, by the National Library of Med- she first went to her doctor with icine, women wait an average complaints of extreme bladder of 16 minutes longer to receive pressure and pains, misdiag-

nosed as interstitial cystitis, and later with brain fog, misdiagnosed as multiple sclerosis. She was then labeled as a hypochondriac, someone who is unusually concerned about their health, by her insurance company. This made it nearly impossible for her to receive any further tests or treatments. After another symptom, joint pain, arose, she did some personal research, changed insurance providers and got a blood test that detected Lyme disease, which had gone undiagnosed for seven years. Because her disease was caught so late, there were already millions of Lyme bacteria in her system.

“If my Lyme had been caught in the first few months or even year, my nerve damage would have been minimal,” Cheryl said to Women’s Health Magazine.

Through labeling women as hypochondriacs, health care providers, such as Cheryl’s, deny women proper treatment they deserve based on the sexist stereotype of women being overemotional.

Though women aren’t blatantly being disregarded and denied treatment for their ailments, they aren’t seen as priorities for receiving it. Whether they are seen as overly emotional about menstrual pains, melodramatic about their symptoms or simply hypochondriacs, medical professionals and insurance providers subtly withhold treatment and label women as undeserving of their aid, in yet another manifestation of institutional sexism.

By Serena Shen Co-A&E Editor

Ten hours a week on cello. Eight hours a week on art, three on journalism, a couple hours here and there as a club officer.

Sometimes I look back and wonder: what was it all for?

At Dougherty, it is sadly commonplace to be juggling an overwhelming amount of extracurriculars, commonplace to believe that one’s entire life culminates in their college admission.

This was my case throughout my time at Dougherty. I suffocated the part of myself that desired fun, that longed to enjoy my teenage years, go hiking, swap makeup tips and cringe-worthy stories at sleep-overs. Instead, I poured hours into practicing cello, with back bent, pencil scratching away at my sketchbook, volunteering, studying — working, working, working.

During the second semester of your senior year, everything for the most part slows down. There’s no more work that makes or breaks you, no project or test that looms over you like a life or death matter. But in that awkward state of limbo between Jan. 1 and mid-March, when that familiar flow of work halts, you begin to look at yourself and wonder: who am I, and what was it all for?

The fact is that the hours we spent devoted to a seemingly “extra” extracurricular don’t just disappear at the end of high school. The hours we spent honing a skill taught us perseverance, and in some cases sparked an interest.

The time, sweat and hard work weren’t for nothing. To conclude this painfully cliche paragraph with a cherry on top:

our hard work made us into better, more humble people.

On the flip side, overwhelming ourselves with an impossible workload only perpetuates this cycle of self-disillusionment. If you hate what you do, you are only furthering yourself from finding what you truly like and who you truly are.

A lot of us are on the cusp of adulthood, and it is natural to be suffering from identity issues. In focusing on our work, we are dissociating from these larger dilemmas with our senses of self.

According to Goodtherapy.com “developing ... an identity is an essential part of every individual becoming mature,” and “struggling with identity issues may lead to depression, anxiety, and other psychological health problems in addition to even physical health problems.”

I’m not entirely sure who I am targeting this open letter to, which I am aware is the biggest mistake in writing an open letter, but I trust that there are many underclassmen struggling with this looming question of “why?”

I don’t need to sit here and tell you that whatever college you end up going to, you will be okay. Those words are empty because a lot of us have been conditioned by our families and peers to believe that our entire self worth boils down to the rank of the college we end up attending.

But, listen, high school is so miniscule in the grand scheme of things. Do what you want. When you stifle that voice inside that begs to go outside and explore or to just take a break and read, you prevent yourself from finding your true self. So, keep your heads clear and your hopes full, kids.

The Tribune discusses respect: should it be given or earned?

Respect should be given

Respect should be earned

By Elisa Fang Co-News Editor

By Sasha Hassan Co-A&E Editor

patch up.

This desire to promote unity doesn’t automatically justify Trump’s actions; in fact, Treat others it’s very much the complete the way you opposite. He has done many like to be treated. things that may legitimize The golden rule. Overstat- the loss of respect some feel ed? Yes. Still important? for him. However the way Also yes. protests have been delivRespect is not a black and ered has created a sub-battle white subject. There are within itself; protesters formany ways you can respect get that protest is supposed someone, ranging from pro- to make your voice heard, claiming them as your role not force it onto others. model, to choosing not to Another matter of respect spit in their drink. Respect falls into the hands of the is necessary to further soci- press. The media has rareety and ourselves; respecting ly been on the side of the others is essentially the basic president, and Trump is no decision not to disrespect exception. His actions to others, and should be some- disqualify the press, howevthing given to people as a er, are in definite poor taste, default, not as a slight something to left-leaning Respect is necearn. bias is not an The diviinfringement essary because it sions formed on the First promotes order because of Amendment. and reflection, inthe recent The battle of election have “fake news” stead of aggrandizclouded this has escalated ing our personal issue signifiinto a war, and cantly. neither side agenda.

The elechas dealt with tion of Presit properly — ­ ident Donald Trump, as he Trump is a unique case with demeans media such as the unique factors. What’s im- New York Times and CNN, portant is how separated the and news outlets, feeling the left and right have become. consequences of becoming Trump is extreme in his more commercialized than rhetoric and his actions, and ever. There is no use demonpeople have grouped each izing the other side. The way other into separate boxes: Trump disrespects the First people who agree with him, Amendment by condemnand people who don’t. In the ing left-leaning media mirmatter of respect, this means rors the way people identipeople (of both sides) don’t fying with the left politically need much to lose respect condemn right-wing views. for others — just a simple Respect is necessary because statement of disagreement it promotes order and reflecwould do. But respect is in- tion, instead of aggrandizing deed a spectrum, and to lose our personal agendas — putrespect so easily creates a ting a greater emphasis on rift between two sides that overall goodness. is much easier to widen than But emotions shouldn’t be

dismissed entirely, as they often drive the passion behind change. Human emotion creates the feeling of disparity, determining what is right or wrong, despite rational facts. But to engage with a disrespectful person out of an emotional outburst only brings about more conflict.

Instead of one disrespectful person, now you’ve got two.

Many significant events in history have made use of the word “Love” versus the word “Hate,” creating impactful change. Yes, “taking the high road” is a pretentious, cliche thing to say, but it is the truth. To continue with overused phrases with some truth, pick your battles; it’s better to light a candle than curse the darkness.

Determining who deserves respect is often a case of personal bias, and in this way, you only demean people when you don’t grant them respect. Everyone thinks they deserve respect, even if they believe it should be earned. Often, the phrase “has not earned my respect” is a way to justify being disrespectful.

So what is the point of respect? Ultimately, respect is less for the other person than for the respect-er. To give respect freely means to be morally above whatever whirlwind of petty, stubborn things people do. And, in this way, to give respect freely means to move forward.

Change is already hard to spark, and if we went around looking for reasons to respect people, we engage in pointless arguments, at the expense of a resolution.

You don’t have to agree with everybody’s opinions and beliefs, but you can respect their right to believe it.

late February. The public lashed back, stating the president had to respect the rights of the press to free speech.

The fact is, Trump doesn’t A classroom have to like the media or of kindergarteners fidgets their portrayal of him. It’s and stares quizzically at the fine if he hates The New York bold words on the poster Times. But the press does not their teacher points at, care- need to earn anything, befully enunciating each word. cause the right to free press “Treat others the way you has little to do with who the want to be treated.” president respects. The press This so-called golden rule is always does, and always will, repeated again and again, un- have the right to cover and til children are conditioned publish the truth, which canto believe that fair, kind not be inhibited by anything treatment is required for short of libel. any social situation. While Trump’s opinion on the this lesson isn’t detrimental, media is unnerving to say this adage is often equated the least. What sort of presto the concept of uncondi- ident doesn’t acknowledge tional respect. However, this the right to free speech? misconception leads people What kind of person doesn’t to believe that every idea or respect one of our most imperson is entitled to respect. portant American values?

Respect is defined as “a “What [Flynn] did wasn’t feeling of deep admiration wrong,” Trump claimed at a for someone elicited by their press conference, referencing qualities.” The key word is disgraced national security elicited – it advisor signals that Michael respect isn’t Flynn’s Respect isn’t somesomething lobbying thing we give as a we give as a for Turvirtue of exkey, which virtue of existence. istence. Your earned Your qualities should qualities thousands. should deterdetermine whether or “What was mine whether wrong was not you deserve it. or not you dethe way serve it. that othRespect, er people, however, has taken on an en- including yourselves in this tirely new meaning in the po- room, were given that inforlitical atmosphere. Trump’s mation.” definition of respect seems This sort of news was proto be the right to cover the claimed fake not because it White House under his dis- lacked evidence, but rather pensation. President Trump because of the accusation has lashed out against what that Trump’s national secuhe has deemed “fake news”, rity advisor could have done including sources such as anything wrong.

CNN and the New York While respect isn’t (and Times. Trump went as far shouldn’t) be limited to those as to ban these press outlets that agree with you, stating from a press conference in that certain news outlets no

longer can cover the White House is a form of censorship. It becomes less about the concept of true respect and more about curtailing the media to Trump’s liking.

It undermines our freedom of speech. It seeks to turn press conference rooms into echo chambers of ‘acceptable’ news outlets instead of a hot zone of WHAT??

It may not be a dictatorship, but this control over news coverage is dangerous.

As former President John F. Kennedy stated, “A nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.” While certain news outlets have admittedly contained more liberal bias than Trump would have preferred, it doesn’t give the President the right to promote bias to discredit criticism. If writing must always take a side, it is best to allow portrayal of both.

Trump may not respect left-leaning journalism, but he does need to know that the right to free speech isn’t just for outlets he deems credible.

It doesn’t exist for Trump to envelop himself in a bubble of praise. It’s the right of all the American people; it’s one of the American values Trump himself has sworn to defend.

Fair treatment or kindness or politeness isn’t on par with respect. These courtesies are simply basic human decency. In fact, it’s unnerving for people to equate being polite with being respectful, because one is a given and the other should be earned. No matter the situation, one can find they have no respect and admiration for their opponent but still act with some decorum.

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MARCH 30 2017

ng sabel Ti I : y b n Desig

Explore Old San Ramon

By: Isabel Ting an d Armaan Rashid Co-News Editor & Managing Editor

For Foodies

Places to Visit

CAFE ATTILA Whether you want another Tumblr-worthy post to add to your Instagram collection of fancy brunch snapshots or you simply want a classier lunch with sweets and savories, try eating out at Cafe Attila. Famous for its signature European-style cakes like the Hungarian Rigo Jancsi, a mousse with layers of white and dark chocolate, or the Italian tiramisu, Cafe Attila has expanded in recent years to offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The cafe tends to be on the more expensive side, with entrees ranging from $15 to $24, its high-quality food is worth the trouble.

We’re particularly fond of their version of the spaetzle, a minimalist Italian pasta dish that the cafe prepares excellently.

LAS TRAMPAS REGIONAL WILDERNESS If you want to still stay close by and get your hike on, check out Las Trampas Regional Wilderness. Las Trampas offers 5,342 acres of wilderness and an elaborate trail network that allows both hikers and horseback riders to enjoy and explore. Other activities apart include fishing, archery, golfing and even geocaching, a real-life treasure hunt where you and friends search for hidden containers known as geocaches. This regional wilderness park has zero fees and can be a perfect escapade for a Saturday afternoon. But be prepared: without a map, you’ll be daunted by the wilderness, and the area lacks phone service, so be cautious.

For FCOLoAToESd ies

DANVILLE CHO colate shop.

Danville Chocolates is a hometown chocolatier specho ed This homely and moderately pric colate dipped cializes in truffles, caramel apples, cho er chocolate oth of strawberries, and a wide array treats for any occasion.

SUSHI BAR HANA This restaurant provides good Japanese food at a reasonable price open for both lunch and dinner. They serve unique Japanese dishes that may not be available anywhere else around this area. The incredibly tasty food and intimate setting make Sushi Bar Hana a restaurant everyone should visit.

DOMENICO’S Domenico’s Delicatessen and Cafe is a perfect place for a brunch or lunch date. It provides a large variety of foods, ranging from sandwiches to gelato, all at fair prices. The enticing taste of the food and the welcoming seating area make Domenico’s a popular hub and a staple of Downtown Danville.

By: Amanda Su, Karen Anumita Jain Managing Editor, Opin Managing Web Editor

For Foo

BLOSSOM BEE A local secret specializing in the nation of French crepes and Thai fo a small cozy restaurant tucked awa Village Parkway and Amador Valley B prices are rather hefty, the restau with seven breakfast crepe options options and 10 sweet crepe options.

Pro-Tip: Order the Build-Your-Ow tomizable to your tastes and often ( er than the preset options.

PHOTO COU

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Hot Spot

PHOTO COURTESY OF YELP

Las Trampas.

Enjoy views worthy of Instagram posts at

For detailed information, contact us: (510) 468-9440 or (408) 203-2186 counselor@ ivystarlearning.com Our location: 4450 Black Ave. Pleasanton, CA 94566

’s.

Physics Classes Offered Sunday 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm This class meets weekly beginning in June and ending in April for a total of 40 sessions.

After successfully completing this class, students will have a foundation for attempting the U.S. Physics Olympiad F=ma exam in January and will be prepared to take the AP Physics 1 exam in May. Recommended Prerequisites: Completion of Geometry or Algebra 2.

Who is teaching physics?

Dr. Tony, has been teaching AP Physics for many years. His students have progressed to the Physics F=ma semifinals, the U.S. Physics Team Training Camp, and the International Physics Olympiad.

Who is teaching the SAT? Harvard and Stanford graduates with 10 years of experience teaching the SAT. Our instructors have many students who have received perfect SAT scores.

sement

PHOTO COURTESY OF YELP

A Peppered-Turkey Special from Domenico

DUBLIN HERITAGE PARK The Dublin Heritage Park is a 10-acre park buildings from the 1850s. Significant histori clude the 1856 Murray Schoolhouse, the 185 Church, the Kolb Sunday School Barn and neer Cemetery. The environment feels almos cially when the only atmospheric sounds ar And after paying your respects, you can a spontaneous photo-op with a random, cute creepy cow statue by the barn.

Our AP Physics and SAT classes start this summer

AP Physics 1 and Basic Physics Olympiad

Adverti

By: Amanda Lin & Natalie Rubio-Licht Staff Writers

YAYUME SUSHI There are many renowned sushi places in the Tri-Valley, but Yayume Sushi takes the cake as one of the Bay Area’s best sushi dives. Hidden behind the Crow Canyon Cinema, the place sports a chill decor and ambience, but the fresh and flavorful sushi is what stands out. Their signature Spicy OMG Roll is a fantastic twist on the classic spicy tuna. But the real treat here is the amazing rice bowls — their Don Gyoza (chicken & egg) bowl is particularly great. It’s not as economical as something like Pleasanton’s Fat Fish, with prices running around $10 - $12 for the average roll, but it’s well worth the price.

BAY BOOKS This iconic independent bookstore has been going strong for years now, and it’s still a great place to lose an afternoon. The shop has a deeply local, hometown feel in the way books are bought and sold freely. This is not a place you can plan for, going in expecting to find a specific book, unless it’s extremely common — this is a place where you stumble upon a favorite book you hadn’t heard of before. The simple joy of that is something you can’t really get on Amazon.

Dublin D

Down for Danville

SAT Classes Offered

AP Physics C Mechanics and Advanced Physics Olympiad Sunday 9:00 am – 12:00 pm This class meets weekly beginning in June and ending in January for a total of 35 sessions. The class focuses on classical mechanics. After successfully completing the class, students will be prepared to the U.S. Physics Olympiad F=ma exam in January and to take AP Physics C Mechanics in May. Recommended Prerequisites: Completion of Pre-Calculus and Honors Physics or AP Physics 1

Congratulations to our students, who qualified for the Physics Olympiad semifinals in 2017 and received high scores on their SAT’s!

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Deets

es For Fo o d i

Places to Visit

nions Editor &

odies

COMMUNITY THRIFT Community Thrift is impressive in its selection of coats and strange glassware on the side. What’s most attractive about this, however, is the Clarion Alley of streetart between this store and the next. Each piece here is diverse, in color, style and subject. Street art in itself is a phenomena, and just the thought of how these artists aren’t get paid to do their art, and choose to display it here instead of a museum, makes this a place worth visiting.

unorthodox combiood, Blossom Bee is ay on the corner of Boulevard. Although urant redeems itself s, 24 savory crepe

wn Crepe— it’s cus(surprisingly) cheap-

HORTICA For those who like plants, this little nursery is sure to appease a green thumb. The interior is very pleasant, and it might just be a side effect of plants, but there was a serene feeling in the air. But the real magic happens in the back, where the plants stand on wooden benches to get some sun. The colors are vibrant, and obviously very, very, green, and whether it be a tiny succulent or a half grown tree, there is bound to be something for everyone.

URTESY OF AM

San Fran Chill Day

Fang icht & Elisa -L io b u R lie By: Nata Editor & Co-News Staff Writer

n Wang &

MARCH 30 2017

BOUND TOGETHER BOOK STORE Bound together book store is a cooperative shop with an interesting theme: Anarchy. This interesting stop sells books and zines that mostly share anti-government ideals. Even with the peculiar theme, the small book shop provided a comfortable, homey feel with a bit of a 70s flare.

COFFEE TO THE PEOPLE all, fair trade coffee shop with a chill vibe Coffee to the people is a sm ts to 90’s. With walls covered in political lec and a style that heavily refary available to customers, and a back wall libr g din len all als of stickers, a sm p very much echoes the ide sho the , ists art al loc of art filled with white mocha), the community. high ($4.57 for a small iced Though the price is a little te and the benefit of fair trade is well tas the creamy and refreshing worth it.

MISSION THRIFT If you spend enough time here, it is very possible treasure will be unveiled to you in the form of a $15 or less investment. The clothing here is very costume-like, with daring patterns, sequined corsets and probably the first time I’ve ever seen a 20s wedding dress. The store and clothing are relatively clean, and while I had my suspicions, the tags on select pieces were original.

HOT COOKIE the squeamish, a fun time.

These giant treats are, simply put forant and unique, personality; This neighborhood is filled with a vibr inspired treats? They’re also where else would we get these phallic-e punch of coconut none of us surprisingly complex in flavor, with a littlble bake shop, they offer other, expected. Of course, like any respecta won’t be as good as they boast. less suggestive sweets, but maybe they seating area not far from the We enjoyed the cookie in a colorful nds fed the pigeons despite frie shop, where we people-watched and my my protesting.

ANDA SU

with crepe paired is a nilla ice cream Bee. try at Blossom

k with preserved ical buildings in59 St. Raymond the Dublin Piost calming espere birds chirping. als partake in a e, and somewhat

By: Irene Change & Editor-in -Chief & Armaan Rashid Managin g Editor PHOTO COURTE

PHOTO

Hortica’s

SY OF NATALIE

ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK PIZZA Next to Golden Gate park, this littl and Ashbury for its giant slices and e restaurant is a staple of Haight stickers and fliers for local commun low prices. The walls are covered in ity events, giving the shop a ‘90s feel.

The shop’s tasty slices are very pop pings and interesting “Slices of The ular, and include both typical toparugula, bacon and feta cheese tha Day”, one special including figs, t’s entitled “Miss Figgy.”

RUBIO

a variety of York Pizza offers tering pizzas.

Escape from New mouthwa COUR

indoor greTESY OF HOODWORK PRODU enho San Francuse offers an oasisCTIONS fr isco’s bust ling stree om ets.

Berkeley Scene

By: Lily H oulston & Staff Wr Taylor A iters tie

Pleasanton Pleasers!

nza

For Fo o d ies

Places to Visit

TOWNE CENTER BOOKS Towne Center Books is a petite bookstore that carries a number of genres for all readers. The shop also offers a small selection of cards and stationery, and is operated by an exceptionally helpful staff.

MUSEUM ON MAIN If you’re interested in art or history, visit the Museum on Main. It’s a quiet establishment with a small but informative exhibit on Tri-Valley history, as well as a small gallery with paintings and ceramics display.

THERAPY Therapy carries gag gifts, witty stationery, accessories and home decor. Anyone who goes in will find something amusing.

They carry a collection of eccentric socks and statement jewelry to add character to your wardrobe, or more minimalistic notepads and succulents for your desk. Therapy also has a fairly large selection of candles with a wide range of scents.

GAY NINETIES PIZZA COMPANY Gay Nineties Pizza Company is a restaurant with a comfortably antiquated atmosphere.

There are street signs and vintage posters decorating the walls. The pizza had a light crust and a generous amount of cheese, and the garlic bread in particular is flavorful and definitely worth trying. Despite the name, the restaurant also serves salads and pasta if you’re looking for an alternative to pizza.

FARMER’S MARKET ON 77 WEST ANGELA STREET The Pleasanton Farmer’s Market is only open Saturday mornings. Beneath the lines of white and blue tents, vendors sell fresh produce and flowers. It’s possible to pick up breakfast for under 10 dollars if you enjoy bakery goods and fresh fruit.

YOGURT PARK The small frozen yogurt shop, situated across UC Berkeley’s Unit 3 residential halls, is the first and last of its kind. Established in 1977, the shop provides an array of creamy frozen yogurt flavors that change often, a multitude of toppings to choose from and portions so generous, it’s better when shared.

The shop still serves a crowd of college students and locals, who are attracted by the affordability and quality of the sweet treat.

LA NOTE This cozy French-style restaurant on Shattuck Avenue is commonly known by students and locals alike. With a four star-average on Yelp, La Note’s one-hour wait for brunch isn’t surprising. The food is not cheap, but its weekend brunch menu items are not your average IHOP fare, either. The pancakes are rich and dense, the eggs and sausages cooked fresh, the French toast fluffy and the pastries uniquely flaky but not overwhelmingly sweet. The menu items are listed in French, but the friendly servers are helpful and provide speedy service once you are seated.

By: Irene Chang & Armaan Rashid Editor-in-Chief & Managing Editor

For Fo o d ies

.UJI TIME Uji Time can be easy to miss for the first-timer, yet the lines are usually for the authentic, adorable Japanese desserts, some of the most popular being mochi ice cream and Japanese soft serve in the flavors of black sesame, tofu and matcha green tea.

While the soft serve can be served in a regular cone or cup, the swirl is known for peeking from taiyaki, a fish-shaped cake made from pancake batter and filled with sweet red bean paste. As a dessert shop, it’s pricier than most, but its authenticity makes visiting it a must.

PHOTO COUR

TESY OF YELP

a taiyaki, and matcha green te Scarf down theyou’ll be transported to Japan.

Must Visit!

PHOTO COURTESY OF YELP

Get healthy alternatives like this salmon & capers plate at La Note!

PHOTO CO

F YELP

ese altergifts, like th t purses. f o ty ie ar v native ca ures a wide

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Therapy fe

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PHOTO COURTE Gay Nineties Pizz SY OF YELP mouth-watering za Company bakes the popular Wayne’s World wi th Pepperoni.

AMOEBA RECORDS This 25-year-old record store has expanded into Haight-Ashbury and Hollywood, but Berkeley is still the original location. Amoeba is most well-known for its wide selection of vinyl records, but the shop also has a massive collection of CDs, DVDs and Blu-Rays of movies and TV shows lining the walls. For any vinyl newbies, they sell the benchmark entry-level record player, the Audio-Technica LP-120. The staff is extremely helpful and courteous in finding music of all genres, though the store leans heavily towards indie bands. It’s easy to lose track of time here.

8

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

MARCH 30 2017

Social progress blooms in new Spring Broadway Musicals

By Pranav Chillappagari Staff Writer

Spring brings to life new Broadway musicals that capture an image worth remembering. Whether it’s breaking gender barriers, spreading a message or showing struggle, Broadway musicals provide an outlet for doing so by using music as a universal language. Two Broadway musicals that have recently been released or will be released soon express through the simple means of music problems like war and gender inequality.

“Miss Saigon” — Revival Date: March 23, 2017. Closing Date: Jan. 13, 2018.

Miss Saigon is a story that breaks barriers through a historical precedent, originally presented on Broadway in 1991 and again in 2014. This must-see musical presents a realistic fiction plot that uses the stage as a means to spread their message of diversity, poverty, privilege and the American dream.

The story follows Vietnamese peasant named Kim and former American G.I sergeant Christopher “Chris” Scott’s love for each other during the end of the Vietnam War. They eventually get married, but separate for a three year period since Chris must return to America. During this period he has a new life back in the States. Back in Vietnam, Kim has a son Tam from her marriage with Chris, and is confident that he will be back for her. Originally unaware of the fact he had a kid, he hurries to Vietnam with his wife and friend to find the child and Kim. This story has very depressing and shocking moments, but the emotion of the music and the stomach-curdling ending makes this musical unique and fascinating.

T h e m a i n reason why this PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN MARCUS

PattI LuPone plays Helena Rubenstein in “War Paint.”

musical made the list was because of the lack of following, regardless it managed to win multiple Tony Awards. Despite that there has been a controversy surrounding the musical. The musical has been considered “orientalist” or the depiction of negative connotation of Asian culture it is agreeable that it has a predominantly Western-centric application; however, it does highlight the struggles and repercussions of the Vietnam War. The soundtrack has a mellow and somewhat depressing feeling, there are low tones and not many fast pace scenes, fitting for the war-stricken plot. The variations between each individual song shows how diverse the same instruments can be used. Previous productions of the musicals involved the orchestra using every last note to express the emotions each character is feeling. The performers were using every last breath and and pushed their performance to new heights.

There was a sense of empathy through the orchestra, actors, and audience that is evident through each song.

The cast will be featuring many of the same people who appeared in the 2014 version.

Eva Noblezada will be reprising her role of Kim. Noblezada’s stardom came from this musical. Another reprised role is Alistair Brammer, who will be playing Chris in the upcoming adaptation. The only other significant actress is Rachelle Ann Go who played Elizabeth Schuyler in Hamilton. She will also be reprising another role as Gigi, one of Kim’s friends during the beginning of Act 1 of the musical.

“Miss Saigon”’s emotional moments and surprising ending expresses the repercussions of war on two very different countries.

“War Paint” — Opening: April 6, 2017.

Closing Date: Jan. 15, 2018.

War Paint is a musical adaptation of a popular 2004 book written by Lindy Woodhead. It takes place between the 1930’s and the 1960’s, and it follows two divas battling it out in the cosmetology industry to find out which pioneer reigns supreme. Overall, it is an original plot, with an amazing soundtrack, a fantastic cast and hysterical scenes to be shared with everyone.

The plot of “War Paint” is original, it follows two pioneering cosmetologists from

the 30s to the 60s: PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAEL LE POER TRENCH Helena Rubinstein Eva Noblezada delivers a heart-wrenching performance in “Miss Saigon.” and Elizabeth Arden.

In an industry dominated by men, this story breaks gender barriers by showing how these women paved the way for females in the beauty industry.

Each have their own unique style of fashion and beauty: Arden is very pink and flashy, wanting to represent high-society life. Rubinstein, on the other hand, is dramatic and exotic and goes for a more simplistic look. Both have their own troubles with personal lives, lawsuits and the Great Depression, which happens during the span of the musical.

Other than that, their rivalry is one of a kind; even though they never met, they are aware of each other’s existence, displaying how competition can drive people further.

The bond that they share is also unique be- Both of these actresses bring out the diva cause points of the musical show how they roles they were meant to play. They were the even suffer together. This, coupled with the most notable cast members playing the most acting that went into perfecting the roles, notable roles, and there could not be betdefinitely makes it a story worth telling. ter people to fit each of the characters than The lighting and how it spans from the lin- them. ear stage between Elizabeth Arden and HeleThere was some historical inaccuracy near na Rubinstein is elegant and visually appeal- the end, but this was to pose a deep and ing. The costumes are rich in vibrant colors, thought-provoking question. Near the end ranging from flowing bright pink dresses to of the musical, they finally meet (which nevslim dark blue dress suits that exaggerate er actually happened) at a conference for designs on the top portion of the dress. The women in business. They find each other at musical makes the effort to juxtapose the two the dressing room, and they discuss the incharacters through whatever means possible dustry they built from scratch. The discusand the difference in costumes achieves that sion follows whether the industry they built purpose. The sets were simple with a couple was good for women, whether it provoked of furniture items differentiating between stigma of beauty standards or self-confithe styles of both characters. The set also dence. This scene is what really leaves the manages to encompass the scenes in which audience thinking about what legacy has everything was staged in a way that screams been left. “less is more,” the minimal but meaningful This musical’s message shown through a props like Arden’s pink office or bed char- strong cast, set and music show the struggle acterizing her love for color and the sophis- of two women in a man-dominated industry ticated life. Each element that went into the and how they influenced the world through production was executed beautifully. something as simple as skin care products.

The cast for this musical is filled with two Both of these musicals are only two of the main powerhouses: Patti LuPone and Chris- many new Broadway musicals coming in the tine Ebersole, both two-time Tony award spring of 2017. These two are unique because winners, play the main roles of Helena Ru- of their individual way rebellions against opbinstein and Elizabeth Arden respectively. pressive societal norms.

“I Decided” that Big Sean is mediocre

of th ep

Time Pt. 1.” Here the subject matter takes an alternative: the album. He steps onto the on a romantically-tinged, poetic aspect. The stage with an introspective and emotionpiece takes listeners on an introspective al message. But by drawing a parallel with journey and dwells on the issues eating way what has been described as the conduct of at Sean. Set once again to the staccato bass, “reverse psychology” in the rap industry, a sense of happiness and excitement is ex- Sean relates himself to Kanye by denouncpressed, giving the track a sharp contrast to ing fame and then immediately bragging the other songs on the album. about it. He manages to create an album All of Sean’s decisions culminate into the that every artist has made in their career — final track, “Bigger than Me” as a reckoning. the “come back” album that all attempt and An angelic choir sings in the background all fail, as Eminem did with “Relapse.” How as the listener is elevated into heaven along fitting it is that he guests. with Sean as he confronts God. Seeing that While avoiding the bold political stateeverything he has ever done, such as give ments of his contemporaries, Sean tries to speeches to the children of Detroit, super- keep instrumentals incredibly restrained, sedes him and gives Sean comfort in his ac- yet ultimately fails. He simply leans on a complishments. strong bassline as a crutch to keep the alIn the outro, he speaks with his mother bum standing and uses it as a ploy to divert who has passed away. She tells him that he attention away from an undistinguished has made her very proud and supports him rapping ability. It’s very apparent that he in what he does. To Sean, a huge weight has cannot disconnect himself with the image of been lifted off his shoulders because perhaps a pop star and therefore, is only as successthe anxiety he felt was not to please him but ful as his producer. his mother. This song does not discount re . the rest of the pieces on the album futu d n however, which are core cona nt tradictions to Sean’s intenese r p tions. t, as The album in its entirety is simply two questions: “What have I done?” and “What’s next?”

The rapper concludes, “It’s all about living in the moment.

Period.” But as he battles his own demons and fights the monsters that live in his head, one question still remains: “Has Big Sean truly improved?”

To answer this, we start from the piece “Intro,” in which Sean tears down his prePHOTO COURTESY OF FANZOOT vious work and proposes new album provide sah Sean’s azy vis i on

Spearheaded by the bass-dripping single “Bounce Back,” rapper Big Sean explores the consciousness that propels his music: poverty, dedication to his craft and lucid conversations with God. From exploring the motivational energy that drives him forward to a bombastic bravado that stretches from “waking up in beast mode” and a somewhat odd satisfaction at a lack of silicone in the female physique, Sean pop-ifies psycho dramas on “I Decided,” but in the end produces an unsatisfactory album failing both his listeners and himself.

Selfishness, misogyny and braggadocio ooze from cracks in a disorganized album that attempted to be a bandage for his career.

The album begins with a track titled “Intro” in which Sean takes a fairly conventional route here by using a skit. The listener is immediately chilled to the bone as the voice of a man speaking to God booms, “What am I really even doing?”

This launches into an album far more confusing than the question asked.

Maturation seems to be Sean’s goal. With this in mind, Sean makes “Bounce Back” one of the first songs. The lead single has played on the radio for months, which makes the track familiar to the listener.

Sean raps somewhat incoherently over a heavily emphatic bass drum beat from Metro Boomin’, a star producer. He forges this piece into a form of redemption, but it seems oddly phrased as some of the first words are “Knew that a** was real when I hit it / it bounce back.” This detracts from the message Sean intends to spread. Introducing the track early hooks the listener, despite inconsistent lyrics and the downward spiral into an incoherent, archetypal and arrogant hip-hop album.

This track is Sean’s projection of himself onto his idol, Kanye, but is unable to reach the heights of Yeezy. From there, Sean takes a tumble into the nethers of the album.

His rapping gradually becomes slower and

heavier, with the bars staccato and the instrumentals stark.

Such is the track “No Favors,” in which the dark prince of hip hop emerges to deliver verses. The rapper Eminem is featured on the track with unparalleled lyricism. He spits, “And tell Dre I’m meeting him in L.A. / White Bronco like Elway, speeding / I’m ‘bout to run over a chick, Del Rey CD in? / Females stay beating ‘em.” This line on its own is enough to display Eminem’s dense wordplay. First, he references John Elway, who played for the Broncos, while also pointing to O.J. Simpson’s infamous getaway vehicle. This leads into O.J’s history of spousal abuse and ends with an explicit call for assault.

Misogyny aside, both rappers speak of the glamorized grit and toughness of their path to success. They scream the phrase “No Favors” to indicate their struggles in which no one would help them. Both rap about how they were at their lowest point when they reached the path to the greatest change. The beat is very captivating as well. In the beginning, a sort of dark static builds up gradually and just when it seems it can no longer become greater, the verse suddenly begins.

Eminem is both this track’s strength and weakness. Despite his expanded vocabulary, his famed flow is notably absent, and the decline of his voice over the course of two decades is clearly audible. Sean slips even deeper into the dark side of the moon in “Halfway Off the Balcony,” a track whose title may refer to suicide with a symbolic wave of other messages. He urges the person he reaches out to in this album to not give up.

For a surprisingly well-written song, a few mishaps seem to derail the track. He spits, “I realized when it comes to girls that chemistry mean way more than anatomy,” but a few unimportant bars later he raps, “So I’ma call my favorite girl and she gon’ bring that a** for me.” Once again, an attempt at maturity quickly collapses into shallow lyricism. Despite this, the beat proves itself to be a standalone number in the key of a Weeknd and Future collaboration.

Stylistic elements of his rapping and the concept of the album launches into a monologue set against a “pop” beat on “Same

Big

By Arul Kirubakaran & Kavin Kumaravel Staff Writers

SATIRE

9

ALTERNATIVE NEWS IN BRIEF

END (OF) TIMES

It’s time to hunker down and build that wall

WASC RECOMMENDS DV TO ALTER FENG SHUI: “JUST TEAR THE PLACE DOWN” ADDERALL CARTEL LEADER TO DV STUDENT: “TAKE THAT EXTRA AP CLASS!” PHOTO COURTESY OF ABC NEWS

PAUL RYAN STARTS GOFUNDME TO END NATIONAL DEBT RELAY FOR LIFE PARTICIPANT SURPRISED TO LEARN IT’S FOR CANCER RESEARCH: “I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST A SLEEPOVER” SOPHOMORES ASK ABOUT TAKING APUSH OR AP LIT EVEN THOUGH THEY’RE GOING TO TAKE BOTH ANYWAY DV ADMINISTRATION STICKS GLADE AIR FRESHENERS IN WHITE FLOWER TREES

Trump detailed his plans to “keep out the [Republicans]” at the Western Conservative Summit in Denver, Colorado in July 2016.

By Bill D. Whol Staff Writer Author’s note: All quotes used, excluding information in brackets, were spoken by those cited.

BUILD A WALL! It’s the only true solution. I’m tired of these bad hombres entering California, corrupting our systems. Lazy, dependent on welfare. We speak English in America! We are building a wall to “keep our country safe.”

The California-American border needs a wall to keep these people out. The Southern states have huge rates of crime and drugs. The Midwestern states take up the most welfare.

West Virginia, Mississippi, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Alabama, Indiana, Tennessee and Oklahoma have the lowest literacy rates in the country. New Mexico, Alabama, Alaska, Louisiana and West Virginia have the highest unemployment rates in the country.

It’s time to get rid of Republicans.

As the president said, “I am going to create a new special deportation task force, focused on identifying and removing quickly the most dangerous criminal[s] ... in America.” As the highest violent crime is in the midwest, it’s time to make good on these promises.

“He’s a [Republican],” Trump said regarding U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel. “The answer is, he is giving us very unfair rulings — rulings that people can’t even believe ... I’m building a wall ...It’s an inherent conflict of interest.”

He’s correct about these judges. Republican Texas judge Sharon Keller tried “to explain why a man exonerated by DNA evidence should have been kept in prison.” U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Edith Keller, a Republican, once argued that anyone who committed a crime wasn’t mentally ill.

Certain religions should be banned from entering the United States, like the Westboro Baptist Church.

As Trump says, “Without looking at the various polling data, it is obvious to anybody the hatred is beyond comprehension,” he said. “Where this hatred comes from and why we will have to determine. Until we are able to determine and understand this problem and the dangerous threat it poses, our country cannot be the victims of horrendous attacks by people that believe only in [the Bible], and have no sense of reason or respect for human life.”

The Westboro Baptist Church is simply a “terrorist organization.” From picking on dead soldier’s funerals to hating on the LGBT+ community, the Westboro Baptist Church is an example of how the First Amendment has gone wrong.

Trump has suggested that networks like Univision are unreputable. These Republican networks, like Fox News, are journalistic “trash.” Anchor E. D. Hill called Obama’s fist bump a “terrorist fist jab.” Fox News hates poor people, suggesting that poor people aren’t poor because they have refrigerators, despite nearly all people under the poverty line having refrigerators.

Greg Gutfeld said, “Isn’t fossil fuels the ultimate renewable energy? It’s renewed once.

It used to be a dinosaur. Now it’s fuel. How is that not renewable?”

Our fierce leader has also said, “Hillary Clinton’s open borders are tearing American families apart. I am going to make our country SAFE AGAIN for all Americans.”

If they are tearing apart families, we are going to do it too. Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly has announced an amazing plan to separate children from their families at the border. This plan will ensure that Republicans children coming into California have a chance to grow up without the horrible influences in their life, like Sean Hannity, who some suspect is actually three toddlers in a trenchcoat who have read too much Breitbart.

Think of the lack of security we face now, where any Republican can come into the state, and sit next to children in school. We need a wall to protect us. The alt-right has attacked countless minorities — Dylann Roof killing so many in a Charleton church, Michal Gunar and Kyle Powell assaulting two Egyptians, the Quebec Mosque shooting and Srinivas Kuchibhotla being murdered by a white Republican.

For safety and security, build a wall. In the words of President Trump, “We’re going to build a wall. That wall will go up so fast your head will spin.”

Second Semester Seniors For You

MEME COURTESY OF SERENA SHEN, IMAGE COURTESY OF COMEDY CENTRAL

10

Women’s Lacrosse secures undefeated record to start season

PHOTO COURTESY OF MANAN DHIR

Lacrosse captain Amanda O’Brien cradles the ball away from Foothill opponents.

By Irene Chang & Isabel Ting Editor-in-Chief & Co-News Editor Ranked number 10 nationally and number two statewide, according to MaxPreps, Dougherty Valley’s women’s lacrosse team has a reputation to uphold. So far, the team has only crossed paths with victory, with an overall record of 6-0 and a league record of 2-0.

At the first home game of the season — apart from home scrimmages — Wildcats easily scored a 17-3 win against the Archbishop Mitty Monarchs. Remaining strong in the lead in both halves, the Wildcats’ coordination on the field was conspicuously stronger than the Monarchs’ choppy, scattered plays. By the first half, Wildcats were already up eight points at a score of 10-2, and by the end of the second half, DV had scored seven more goals, while the Monarchs only scored one more goal.

“We had a lot of teamwork in this game and we had good team chemistry,” reflected one of three senior team captains, midfielder Amanda O’Brien, who was also named Player of the Game that night. “The high points of our performance were our transitions down the field — pass, pass, pass, goal — and our fast breaks, which is where we continuously moved the ball to score a lot of our goals.”

Despite their strong performance against the Monarchs, O’Brien aimed for her team to improve their high pressure defense — a goal that was indeed reached at the Foothill game two days later.

As the top East Bay Athletic League (EBAL) lacrosse team with three D1-bound players, the Foothill Falcons were expectedly more aggressive. The Wildcats kept their cool in the face of the Falcons’ intimidating yelling and unwavering defense for a staggering victory of 8-3.

A cat-and-mouse chase ensued during the first half, the roles switching with every few throws of the ball as both teams fought for possession. They raced each other up and down the field, scrambling into a large mass of blue, white and gold whenever the ball slipped from an unsuspecting player’s lacrosse stick. DV’s strong offense herded the ball to Foothill’s side of the field for most of the first half, but the Falcons’ equally strong barricade of defense countered Dougherty’s lunges for the goal.

The scoreboard had been set 3-1 in favor of DV twelve minutes into the game and remained that way before halftime, as each team was unrelentingly battling on the field.

“This game was more defensive for us,” said O’Brien. “Both teams had really strong defense, so our technique was to keep the defense but find loopholes in their attacks.”

By the second set, both teams

amped up in both aggression and intensity. Attacker and midfielder sophomore Mei-Lani Ferreira scored the first point of the second set, pulling the Wildcats ahead 4-1.

Barely a minute had passed before an opponent darted across the field and launched the ball into the DV goal, putting the score at 4-2.

“We definitely had to be more aware of our surroundings on the field in this game, compared to the last game,” said freshman midfielder Alyssa O’Brien.

After a few tussles over the ball and rapid-fire exchanges from one team to the other, Ferreira scored two more goals while Foothill scored one, maintaining the Wildcats’ lead 6-3.

Ferreira is credited to scoring half the points that her team earned and thus earned the title of Player of the Game but she still cited Foothill’s defense as amazingly resistant.

“Now that we’re in EBAL, it’s definitely more competitive,” she said. “[We need to work more on] getting open more for the ball and getting more passes [in].”

The Wildcats mainly played offense, continuing the strategy from the previous set by maintaining the ball just near the outskirts of the Foothill goal. Unlike the Falcons, Dougherty’s lacrosse players were calm and did not charge towards the goal, but rather waited for an opponent to approach before passing to a nearby teammate. By stalling for time and simultaneously wearing down Foothill’s defense, the Wildcats managed to slip in another goal halfway through the set.

The Wildcats’ win seemed inevitable with a strong lead of 7-3, but Foothill wasn’t backing down without a fight. Coaches from both teams screamed instructions at the top of their lungs as Dougherty players danced along the wings of the Falcons’ goal, just out of reach but hesitant to score. Near the end of the set, Foothill’s captain lunged at Amanda O’Brien, nearly slamming into her from behind as she cradled the ball. The atmosphere was electric with aggressive tension, but it was too late for the Falcons to rebound from their loss.

With close to three minutes left, Amanda O’Brien tore down the field from the 30-yard line with a beeline to the Foothill goal, screening away Foothill defenders and scoring the final point of the game.

The score became 8-3 and stayed for the remaining minutes of the game, marking DV’s first EBAL win in school history.

Coach Mike Banducci was extremely proud of the Wildcats for beating the top EBAL team, despite having just entered the league.

“We’re off to a good start,” he noted. “I’m looking forward to where we can go with this.”

SPORTS

MARCH 30 2017

Men’s Volleyball slips to San Ramon Valley Wolves

By Andrew Chuang Sports Editor

Despite efforts displayed by hitters to balance out the Wolves’ strong defense, the men’s volleyball team faltered against the San Ramon Valley Wolves in a home game on Mar. 14, losing 3-2.

Although the men’s volleyball team was the Diablo Foothill Athletic League (DFAL) champion last season and placed second in the North Coast Section (NCS) tournament, the team faces numerous challenges this season. Not only did the Wildcats lose several key seniors, but the team was also placed in the East Bay Athletic League (EBAL), a stronger and more competitive league than DFAL. With wins against Monte Vista and California High School the week prior, the Wildcats were undefeated 5-0 in season. However, before the game, Coach Ray Montalvo had qualms regarding the match against the Wolves.

“This game will be a tough game since [the Wolves] were a young team last year and most of their players are returning players,” noted Montalvo.

In the first set, the Wildcats inched away from a loss. The Wolves started out strong, using a wide variety of tips and spikes to prevent the Wildcats from scoring. However, hits from juniors Sankalp Panigrahi and Shanwen Lo turned the tide, countering the Wolves’ strong defense. After a time-out called by the Wolves, the Wolves punctured DV’s defense through hits and tips, lessening

the comfortable lead the Wildcats had before the time-out. However, Panigrahi and Lo widened the lead again by catching the Wolves off guard through their tips. The Wildcats ultimately staved off a loss, winning the set 25-23.

The Wolves continued to display a strong offensive front in the second set. Despite blocks and spikes made by senior Shaurya Dubey, the Wolves continued to penetrate through the Wildcat defenses as the Wildcats struggled to receive the hits. A hit from Panigrahi, however, tightened the six-point lead the Wolves had on the Wildcats. The Wildcats attempted to strengthen their defense for the remainder of the set, but numerous blocks and spikes from the Wolves prevented them from scoring. The Wildcats lost the set, 25-16.

Failing to counter strong hits from the Wolves, the Wildcats faltered again to the Wolves in the third set. Dougherty started out strong as San Ramon struggled to create a formidable defense. However, a lack of communication shown by the Wildcats, combined with tips from the Wolves, eliminated the comfortable four-point lead the Wildcats had built. The Wildcats soon called a time-out as they desperately attempted to correct their mistakes; however, the team continued to display communication issues as teammates cried “Go for the ball!” following the timeout. Because of careless mistakes committed by the Wolves, the Wildcats managed to decrease the gap, beginning to catch up to San Ramon Valley. However, the Wildcats soon fell victim to the

PHOTO COURTESY OF ANDREW CHUANG

Wildcats formulate defense against the strong Wolves’ offense.

same careless mistakes and lost the set, 25-18.

The Wildcats entered the fourth set strong and scored the first point. Following that, San Ramon Valley player Ben Weinberg was injured after an attempt to block a hit — leading to renewed hopes on the DV side. “[Weinburg] was the best player on the team, so it gave us needed hope that maybe we can take them [San Ramon Valley] down, since he was definitely getting a lot of points on us,” said Panigrahi.

Due to a series of blunders, the Wolves trailed the Wildcats at the beginning of the fourth set. Following a timeout called by the Wolves to regroup, the Wolves attempted to mitigate the gap through a series of spikes. However, the Wildcats took the lead with hits from Panigrahi, Lo and sophomore Abilash Pazhenpallil. The Wildcats won the set 25-20.

Entering the fifth and final set, the Wolves took the lead early, utilizing their strong offense to score points on the Wildcats. Following a timeout called by the Wildcats, the Wildcats created a formidable offense with Dubey, Lo and Panigrahi scoring on the Wolves. Despite their strengthened offensive efforts, the Wildcats fell behind as a result of careless mistakes and strong hits from the Wolves’ offense. The Wildcats ultimately lost the set 15-12, due to poor passing following a hit from the Wolves.

“It was a hard fought match and both teams played well at times,” noted Montalvo.

While the game was contentious and close, with the Wildcats falling to the Wolves in the last minute, players expressed their sentiments about how DV did not do its best.

“They were a tough team and we felt like we didn’t play as well as we could’ve, but we took one of the good teams in EBAL to five sets and almost beat them,” stated Panigrahi.

Senior Sowrya Vummarao added, “Overall, we didn’t play very well … we didn’t have much energy.”

The Wildcats will play the Livermore Cowboys next, in an away game on Apr. 11.

Men’s Tennis shoots down Foothill Falcons

By Armaan Rashid & Arul Kirubakaran Co-Managing Editor & Staff Writer

After a tense, brutal matchup, Dougherty’s Men’s Tennis team shot down the Foothill Falcons 6-3 on March 14, continuing their 46-game winning streak and setting up the team for continued dominance through the rest of the season.

DV’s formidable Men’s Tennis team traded up from the Diablo Foothill Athletic League (DFAL) to the East Bay Athletic League (EBAL) in the 2016-17 school year, joining the other three SRVUSD schools and facing a whole new slate of opponents. In their eyes, Foothill was one of the most intimidating of their new challengers.

Going into the game, team captain Shawn Jiang’s anxiety tempered some of the team’s usual confidence.

“I feel nervous,” Jiang, currently a junior, stated. “But we can’t lose a league match.”

At the outset of the first-rank singles matchup between Wildcat Kevin Ma and Falcon Akshay Patel, the intense heat made their rapport sluggish, as the players visibly faltered under the conditions. A series of false starts marred Ma’s serves, and most of their rallies — when they did happen — were fleeting. Nonetheless, Ma eked out a 0-1 advantage.

But their rallies ramped up over time in both size and speed as the set progressed. Excellent serves nabbed Patel a game point, evening out the score to 1-1, but from here, Ma began to excel. His mobility allowed him to reflect most of what Patel threw at him, and his success was compounded by Patel’s many just-out-ofbounds longshots. Ma racked up game points quickly and efficiently, while Patel struggled. In a particularly bruising play, Patel smartly sent out a drop shot while Ma hovered near the back, but to no avail. Ma leapt and volleyed the ball with brutal force, to which Patel replied with another soft drop shot — and Ma once again smashed the ball out of Patel’s reach in an amazing double-volley. Ma won the set handily, 6-1.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MANAN DHIR

Senior Camden Pham excelled in his doubles match.

Between sets, Ma cheered on his teammate. “Shawn [Jiang]’s playing really well today.”

The second-rank singles matchup, between DV’s Shawn Jiang and Foothill’s Kyle Thompson, raged on with equal fervor. Unlike Ma and Patel, their rallies were not lightning-fast, but longer and more deliberate, allowing for a more moderately-paced matchup.

Jiang similarly dominated, even as Thompson threw SEE “DV MENS TENNIS” PAGE 11

SPORTS

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MARCH 30 2017

Six senior athletes commit to college • Six committed athletes reflect and look forward

Gokul Srinivasaragavan

Belinda Hu

Jake Echsner

CalTech — Men’s Basketball

Harvard University — Women’s Golf

St. Mary’s College — Cross Country

Q: How did you get involved with your sport?

A: “I was playing ever since I was four years old. I got into it because my dad was a big basketball fan so he always took me to play when I was little so my interest just grew from there.”

Q: What are your athletic goals in college?

A: “My goal is to make it to the NCAA D3 Tournament and to go far.”

Q: What is a motto or saying that you live by?

A: “Never let anyone outplay you.”

Q: How did you get involved with your sport?

A: “My older sister played golf and so naturally ... I started playing too and I’ve been playing since I was seven. It has been a really good experience.”

Q: What are your athletic goals in college?

A: “I definitely want to grow as an athlete but also as a person especially in a team setting … [I also want] to be able to play my best but also to be able to develop as a person.”

Q: What is a motto or saying that you live by?

A: “Everything is a process.”

Q: How did you get involved with your sport?

A: “I wanted to do something that was really challenging and something I can really improve on. [Something] that can test the limits of a human.”

Q: What are your athletic goals in college?

A: “I want to end up going to national races. It’s definitely going to take a lot hard work and dedication.

Definitely going to start from the bottom but I’m going to be running with some really fast guys and the only way to get better is to run with people that are fast.”

Q: What is a motto or saying that you live by?

A: “To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice your gift.”

Autumn Halvorsen

Kaitlyn Nguyen

Conner Corsa

Dominican University —Women’s Tennis

CSU Stanislaus —Women’s Soccer

UC Santa Barbara — Baseball

Q: How did you get involved with your sport?

A: “I started playing when I was seven, just on the city courts, and my dad would take me out and that’s how I got interested in it. A couple of years passed and I joined an academy — and that is where I knew I really loved tennis. I kind of just stuck with it ever since.”

Q: What are your athletic goals in college?

A: “[Tennis] is different in college because you are part of a team and usually in tennis it’s an independent and individual sport. My goal is becoming more of a team player and like contributing to the team as much as I can” Q: What is a motto or saying that you live by?

A: “One of the core values that I hold is to never give up because — I know it sounds corny — but in tennis you can never be down on yourself and you always have to stay positive.”

Q: How did you get involved with your sport?

A: “I’ve been playing soccer since I was five years old and ever since then I have been on the San Ramon team. For the past three years I got a new coach named Luca and he has connections with a bunch of different colleges, D1, D2, D3 and some JCs and had contacted them and asked them to come out and watch some of our games. And then I had offers from others schools and then I fell in love with Stan State.”

Q: What are your athletic goals in college?

A: “To improve in my soccer skills. My main goal as a freshman is to get some playing time on the field because most freshmen, as you know, do not get playing time as a freshman, even as a sophomore, so my main goal is to get playing time.”

Q: What is a motto or saying that you live by?

A: “I don’t have one.”

Q: How did you get involved with your sport?

A: “My parents put me into tee ball at a young age and kept me going through little league and I just enjoyed it a lot and continued with it.”

Q: What are your athletic goals in college?

A: “I’m going there to make a difference on the team and I want to benefit the program the best I can and help them win games.”

Q: What is a motto or saying that you live by?

A: “You only live once. YOLO.”

tennis

difficult-to-reach, well-placed lobs at him. Thompson’s strategy was devastating for a little while — with several impossibly precise deep shots right at the corner of the backcourt, which Jiang struggled to deal with. That is, until things snapped into focus for Jiang with a stunning counter-lob out of Thompson’s reach that won him a game point. From there, he easily took the set 6-2.

Jiang hit the ground running in the second set, rapidly gathering game points — he was 3-0 within minutes — as he countered Thompson’s now quicker and shorter shots. He did have to con-

cede one game point as Thompson staged a minor comeback, winning a game point with an efficient, brutally fast downward smash — but Jiang was able to maintain his lead, so much so that tensions for his opponent boiled over as Thompson, at one point, threw down his racket in frustration. Jiang took the set 6-1, ultimately winning his matchup with Thompson.

“It was very hot — I wasn’t ready for it, I was feeling heatstroke,” Jiang said. “But I toughed it out.”

Jiang chalked up his earlier nervousness to routine hesitation.

“You’re always a little nervous.

You don’t want to underestimate

your opponent.”

Though it was becoming clear through the success of other matchups that Dougherty would prevail, the tension that marked Jiang’s matchup bled into Ma’s long-winded second set with Patel.

Gone was Ma’s easy dominance — Patel began to develop a finesse for fast and deep shots that were hard to return, while Ma began to overshoot several shots just outside of court bounds. A killer smash by Patel signified his success, as he squeaked out a 3-2 lead. But another lob, counter-lob exchange — like the one between Jiang and Thompson — turned the tide in

Ma’s favor. From there, Ma’s characteristically fast volleys came into play, handily shooting down many of the Falcon’s best shots. Though there was a definite sluggishness to the second set as they tired, Ma and Patel played with a silent fury that culminated in many thunderously fast exchanges. Most arresting was an intense rally between Patel and Ma that culminated in Ma bending over backwards to smash the ball angularly out of Patel’s safe zone.

The ploy worked, and from there, Ma’s 6-3 victory was crystallized, allowing him to ultimately win his matchup, as well.

Regardless, he seemed unfazed by

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the matchup. “It was okay. I can’t think of a better word to describe it.”

In the end, DV ended up decisively shooting down the Falcons from their perch, continuing the winning streak they’ve had going for three and a half years. Coach Akshay Arora owes it to Dougherty’s methodical approach.

“Foothill’s a talented team — you can’t underestimate an opponent,” he said. “But there’s just a formula [for success] — and it played out.”

DVHS 2017 Spring Sports’ Records varsity men’s lacrosse: 4-3; League: 2-1 varsity women’s lacrosse: 6-0; League: 2-0

varsity men’s volleyball: 8-4; League: 2-3 varsity softball: 1-2; League: 0-1

varsity baseball 4-3; League: 1-1 varsity men’s tennis League: 8-0

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MARCH 30 2017