The Wildcat Tribune: Volume VI, Issue 4

THE

WILDCAT

Vol. 6 Issue 4

-

insert

2

tokens

PRANK PRANK PRANK PRANK

GRAPHIC

BY

CLAIRE

ZHANG

|

DESIGN

TRIBUNE

to

play

WARS WARS WARS WARS

! ! ! !

BY

&

SASHA

HASSAN

Dec.6, 2018

-

TAYLOR

ATIENZA

TEACHERS BOND OVER A HISTORY OF PLAYFUL PRANKS BY

AMRUTA BARADWAJ & STEVEN Assistant Sports Editor & Copy Editor

With flipped over tables, post-it covered cars, and staplers immersed in jello, DV’s history teachers have found a way to have fun and grow closer by pranking each other throughout the school year.

In regards to the first prank that started it all eight years ago, Mrs. Karie Chamberlain shares that “it definitely started with Clemente,” but that the details have been forgotten over time.

Similarly, Mr. Jeff Vangene reinforces the belief that Mr. Roberto Clemente “fired the first shot.”

However, Clemente asserts that “it began with Mr. Nick Tisa” when Clemente first began teaching at Dougherty Valley.

The prank war started out with small and simple pranks, such as putting pictures of themselves in another teacher’s room. However, these pranks became more calculated and elaborate.

“The first pretty big prank was when Clemente got Mr. Adam Bellows. Right before Halloween time, we took all these creepy dolls and put them in the desks and faced all the desks towards the door. He also had a scream mask hanging from the ceiling,” Mrs. Jaime Seipel explained. “Bellows walked in that morning, opened his door and the scream mask is hanging there and all the dolls are staring at him. He flips out and coffee goes everywhere. It took him a long time to figure out it was Clemente.”

Just another one of the many pranks was when “Mr. Clemente put little dixie cups full of about one inch of water each all over [Mrs.

Chamberlain’s] desk, over every inch of it. So to get them all off, you had to dump all the water or grab all the cups and get them off,” Vangene recalled.

Some of the pranks over the last few years have also been inspired by the popular TV show “The Office.”

“In ‘The Office,’ Dwight was getting faxes from Dwight in the future, so we got his [Clemente’s] wifi address to his printer and we sent him emails from the future,” Chamberlain shared.

For Seipel, one of her most memorable pranks was when she and Mrs. Chamberlain covered Clemente’s car with sticky notes.

“You couldn’t see the car,” Mrs. Seipel said. “It was totally covered with sticky notes.”

These pranks do not happen often, perhaps once every other month. But “when they do kind of kick off, often times there’s a backlash.

Clemente wrapping up my car in saran wrap was because me and Mrs. Seipel flipped over all the desks in his room previously,” Vangene explained. “So usually if someone fires a shot, there’s usually an answer back as a part of it.”

Clemente got his revenge against Seipel as well the next day.

“He took all of my desks out of my room, lined them up in the hallway and taped them together, and then duck taped my [door] handle shut,” Seipel shared.

Clemente added that the pranks “just cascaded into other people getting involved.”

Clemente himself has been pranking since his

DENG

high school days. His friends would pull pranks on each other, like locking their backpacks to chairs and moving each other’s cars.

These pranks had died down a bit over the past two years, but the prank involving the flipped over tables started the war back up again this year. While it involves mainly the teachers in the history department, teachers from other departments and students have been involved.

“I love that it [the prank war] creates a community in our department and sometimes we try to pull people from other departments. For Clemente’s birthday last year, Mrs. Teri Musiel brought the entire band to play ‘Happy Birthday’ to him and we fit the whole band class, there were like 80 kids, in that room,” Siepel said. “They were standing on everything, playing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Mr. Clemente.”

Similarly, students have been involved in these pranks in other instances as well.

“When we wanted to go flip over all the desks in Clemente’s room, I very much did not want to do that all on my own; that’s a lot of work,” Vangene said. “So I borrowed Mrs. Seipel’s class and we all went and did it together.”

Regardless of student involvement, these teachers have grown closer together through these playful pranks and have found a way to bond during stressful times.

“I think it does give us a little bit of camaraderie together and something to laugh about at the end of the day,” Vangene said.

INDEX ARTS & Bohemian The

ENTERTAINMENT | Rhapsody biopic

OPINIONS | 5 Editor-in-Chief talks standards

Winter

Sports

4 bores

about

SPORTS | 7 Coaches share

team

beauty

goals

NEWS AND FEATURES

2

DECEMBER 6 2018

BREAKING DOWN THE WALLS BUILDS HUMAN CONNECTION

BY ELAINE PARK, SARAH KIM & HARSHITA NERALLA Arts & Graphics Editors, Social Media Manager

This month, the DVHS Leadership team organized its second Breaking Down the Walls (BDTW) event, a four-day program meant to encourage a united and open-minded community on campus.

According to Learning For Living, Inc — the organization that offers BDTW — the event is a “comprehensive program designed to unify, empower and engage every student to create a positive and supportive campus climate.”

This year, over 450 student participants and more than 20 teacher participants — made up of both first-timers and those who had taken part of the program last year — took part in the event.

Students came together in the Main Gym for an entire school day between Nov. 5-8, where the Leadership team broke the students apart into groups that were led by a Senior leader. Each student was encouraged to open up and share their personal stories with one another and bond over common struggles and experiences.

Junior Jalene Wong recounts her favorite event during BDTW to be an activity where students would “Cross the Line” depending on whether a statement announced by the speaker was true for them. Although it seemed “light” and “silly” at the

start, the event quickly reached more serious topics such as depression and suicide.

“It was really brave for some people to cross the line because [suicide] is a very touchy, emotional subject. And so that made me realize that when I look at people, I can’t really see the whole story of what’s going on inside,” said Wong.

“It allowed me to want to listen to other people better, opposed to thinking that I’m the only one who has these problems.”

Junior Aditi Bagepalli also shared another memorable event in which individuals were able to stand before the entire crowd and share their thoughts on anything, such as their sentiment concerning their relationship with another in the crowd.

She explained, “[If] they want to relieve tension with someone else in the crowd they would call them up and talk it out in front of the entire crowd and I think that was really powerful.” She elaborated on how impactful the occasion had been on her, as she saw how students “were able to connect on a different level than [they] usually would with other friends, because you get to know more about their own personal life story.”

Not only were students able to connect with their peers, but teachers were also able to become

more aware about issues that students faced at DV. Ms. Hanna Love, an English teacher, said, “It was really cool to be open and be a participant. The presenter wanted us to be a participant instead of a teacher, which was kind of cool because it allowed me and other teachers to be open and vulnerable and show that that is what you have to do to get something out of that day.”

Love continued to explain how BDTW changed her perspective as a teacher, especially as students at the event spoke about sensitive issues regarding peer pressure, abuse and even suicide.

She recounted, “As a teacher it just broke my heart. I went to bed at 7:30 p.m. because the emotion was so much that I couldn’t take it and cried a lot. It was really hard for me to see some students that I care so much, either past students or current students, and [just have] no idea that they had to go through that on their own. It just broke my heart.”

Love also shared how BDTW helped her create closer relationships with students. “So I was able to say, ‘Hey if you need anything, come to room 1011.’”

As a whole, BDTW allowed participants the unique opportunity to step out of their comfort zones and open up about personal issues at school, but some have expressed their doubt that the event will make any truly long lasting impact.

Several have expressed that they were never able to form intimate relationships with people that they shared their stories with, diminishing the im-

pact of the experience.

“I think it just wasn’t helpful in the long-term because we wouldn’t maintain a friendship with the people at BDTW,” said junior Shannon Zhang.

“People just ended up telling personal secrets to a bunch of strangers that they would never really get close to after the event.”

Jalene Wong also agreed she did not believe that she would ever talk with her BDTW group again, but looking at its long lasting impacts, she believes that it will allow her to be more open with people and help her understand people’s situations better.

She said, “I think I am realizing that I can be open about my problems because I know that other people are going to share the same problems as I do. It allowed me to want to listen to other people better, opposed to thinking that I’m the only one who has these problems. I guess in a way it did leave this lasting impact on me on [how to] see other people differently.”

Love also agreed that although BDTW did help students to become more open to their peers and teachers about their personal situations, there needed to be a clear follow-up to the event.

“A lot of the students tell me that it is so impactful on that day and then everybody goes back to normal,” she said. “We’re supposed to see that we aren’t the only ones going through problems, but you know it takes a long time to make change on a campus. Students especially need to make that change.”

JAMES SELOVER BILL CLARKSON’S REVEALS HIS FUTURE “FIRES UP” HIS PASSION IN LIFE GOALS AS MAYOR

BY RONIT KUMAR & STEVEN DENG Sports Editor & Copy Editor San Ramon Valley Fire Department Battalion Chief James Selover did not always want to be a firefighter. In fact, up until he was 18 years old he wanted to own an automobile body shop and paint cars.

Inspired by a friend taking fire classes, however, Selvor joined the Hayward Explorer program and soon discovered his passion for firefighting.

“It was kind of like our own mini fire department so it was really interesting to me and exciting,” Selover explained.

While working at the Explorer program, Selover had many role models to look up to but emphasized that he also had mentors that existed outside of the program, particularly his parents.

“They taught me a good work ethic and to work really hard and to pursue any goals that you have,” Selover said.

Becoming a Battalion Chief certainly wasn’t an easy and short process.

Selover began as a standard firefighter and performed manual labor such as pulling the hose and throwing the ladders. He was then promoted to an engineer and learned to control the fire apparatus. As his rank increased, so did his responsibility, as he learned how to operate and maintain all of the fire equipment to perform his duties. Later, Selover worked in a job as a training captain for a few years in which he used his experience to develop training methods for the newer firefighters.

Eventually, he reached his current rank of Battalion Chief and is in charge of a whole shift (A-shift, B-shift, and C-shift). Each shift Battalion Chief was given charge of a certain number of stations, which for Selover is approximately 10 stations. Currently, Selover temporarily manages the role of Interim Fire Deputy Chief and fills in for Frank Drayton.

During his time working as a firefighter, Selover has had the opportunity to save many

people’s lives. His most memorable experiences are helping a woman deliver a baby and participating in a cardiac save.

“You’re changing someone’s life. You’re helping someone be able to have another Thanksgiving or Christmas, another holiday with their family, like in the instance of the cardiac save. It’s a good positive thing. You’re helping someone bring a baby into this world, that’s pretty cool too,” said Selover.

However, being a firefighter isn’t always easy. For Selover, nighttime fires proved to be difficult.

“The nighttime fires are challenging because you can’t always see how to get into a certain area or what the terrain looks like. You just see a glow,” Selover described. “You just see redness and they always seem bigger at night time.”

In addition to these night fires, Selover has also helped put out many local wildfires.

These fires tend to be small and can be put out quickly by first alarm units.

However, Selover is starting to notice a trend among these wildfires.

“Every year we say ‘this is going to be the worst fire season ever.’ Sometimes they are, sometimes they aren’t, but it seems like the season is growing. It could be a combination of the drought and stuff like that, but it definitely seems like the wildland fire season is getting bigger,” said Selover.

Although he plans to retire in four years, Selover continues to take pride in his prestigious job as a Battalion Chief.

“I’m honored, I’m privileged, and it’s a blessing to be able to help people for your job. It’s been a really good career,” Selover said.

ILLUSTRATION BY ELAINE PARK

BY RONIT KUMAR Sports Editor

On Tuesday, Nov. 6, Mayor Bill Clarkson was re-elected as mayor for his fourth and final term, defeating opposing candidate Sanat Sethy in the midterm mayor election.

Clarkson won with 75 percent of the votes, the largest election percentage for any mayoral contestant in the Bay Area.

“It was very gratifying to have that confidence from the residents. It is very delightful to see that people want to do what we always do — to prioritize public safety and preserve open spaces,” Clarkson said.

Clarkson’s first priority has always been to ensure public safety during his tenure as mayor of San Ramon. He continues to emphasize the importance of this aspect of society.

“We don’t plan to do anything new or different. We will make sure that we are hiring police officers, but there are no real initiatives that we have around that,” Clarkson said.

Clarkson also desires to preserve the open green space that San Ramon currently maintains.

These spaces include parks, golf courses, and other fun family places. The mayor specifically pointed out the homes off the hills infringing on the green spaces.

“We want to identify those properties at risk and are working with property owners to form agreements about conservation,” Clarkson explained. “It will allow them to receive the money for protecting the land going forward.”.

In addition, the new Bishop Ranch City Center recently opened. Clarkson also wishes to build a walking district in the

vicinity of the mall since it promotes community gatherings, especially during weekends along with the opportunity for exercise by walking and biking on the trails.

“The City Center is a private enterprise, so it’s up to them [City Center managers] to fill those spots. We are developing a walking district around 200 acres. It includes 50 acres of central park. We are creating a 2 mile path that goes through all those areas that allows people to walk. We are encouraging people to walk and bike in that area,” Clarkson said.

Clarkson also mentioned his goal to slow growth as the recent surge of migrants into San Ramon has been a slight factor in the way the city operates. Due to the superior school district, many parents have moved to San Ramon for the future of their children. Clarkson also clarifies that the city did not construct as many houses for new residents as people usually perceive.

“We have only approved 144 homes in the last 7 years. Only 48 have been built. All of Dougherty Valley was approved in

1994. The housing near the City Center was approved in 2008,” Clarkson clarified. “We are trying to protect existing neighborhoods from the impact of development. There hasn’t been any growth in the past seven years.

We want to develop away from existing neighborhoods to reduce traffic.”

Clarkson also pointed out that the city is currently not rebuilding their finances but is hoping to maintain their strong economic position. During Bill Clarkson’s tenure as mayor, many successful entrepreneurs have managed their businesses in the city.

“The City Center and sales tax provide a strong base already.

We are very conservative about spending money. We will be very cautious looking forward and not try to have any new spending,” Clarkson said.

Overall, Clarkson’s goals didn’t change very much during the election as he already had previous experience in this position.

As a result, San Ramon looks toward a bright future for the next two years with Mayor Bill Clarkson.

Bill Clarkson was recently re-elected to the position of mayor. // CITY OF SAN RAMON

DECEMBER 6 2018 NEWS AND FEATURES CENTRAL PARK FDA PLANS TO RESTRICT SHUT DOWN THE SALE OF FLAVORED AFTER GLASS VAPE PENS NATIONWIDE

3

FOUND IN THE COMPOST

BY SANJANA RANGANATHAN Staff Writers

San Ramon officials announced the closure of Central Park after the recent discovery that the compost used on the sports fields was contaminated by glass.

The city regularly uses compost to benefit the environment in public parks and fields throughout San Ramon. Unfortunately, the load of compost spread by the Waste Management of Alameda Country in Central Park from Sept. 10-13 contained glass bits, which were quickly deemed a hazard.

Since then, city officials have worked closely with the Maintenance and Public Works Department and the Waste Management of Alameda County to ensure sports fields are ready for use by the spring. While the exact cost of the damage is unknown, Waste Management will bear the brunt of the economic burden.

Ms. Kathi Heimen, director of the San Ramon Parks Department, stated that the city is collaborating with Waste Management to remove the glass and install new sod. But the project, while moving at a steady pace, is definitely racing against the clock.

“Grass does not grow as well in the winter, so it is important that we get the seed down right away so it will be ready to play on in the spring,” explained Heimen.

She added that coordinating a project of this size in such a short time requires “everyone to stay on top of their

duties.”

Until the clean up crew finishes, Central Park fields remain closed, forcing community members to adapt. Iron Horse Middle School, which regularly utilizes Central Park for P.E. classes, has had to shift their schedules in response to the closure.

“We have at most four classes at a time, with some classes originally on the field, but we’ve had to double up,” Mr. Scott Matek, head of the P.E. department of IHMS, said. “It has limited our ability to do some of the interval training we do on the grass, and some activities will have to be moved to the second semester, causing some of our teachers to have to combine units together.”

The city had initially instructed clean up crews to work on school fields first, with the intention to open them by Nov. 1. However, the project is running behind and school officials will be meeting with the city in December to reevaluate an opening date. Until then, the P.E. department and community will have to continue implementing their changes.

However, this incident has prompted San Ramon and the Waste Department to be more cautious in the future.

“While we do not expect anything like this ever to happen again, given our experience, I am confident that San Ramon staff, as well as our Refuse provider who supplies the compost, will monitor the compost in the future for signs of contamination like the one we have experienced,” Heimen said.

MUSIC THERAPY PROGRAM COULD AID DV SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENTS

BY RIYA MEHTA & HELEN KANG Staff Writers

In order to help special needs students focus and retain information, the Dougherty Valley special needs department is trying to implement music therapy into their curriculum.

Music therapy is designed to manage stress, alleviate pain, express feelings, enhance memory, improve communication and promote physical wellness.

It is shown to treat autism, dementia and depression by addressing physical, cognitive, emotional and social needs.

Music therapists have special training enabling them to use music to help people with healing and symptom alleviation. Music therapy sessions can involve both groups and individuals, depending on the program. DV special needs teachers are considering integrating music therapy into the everyday lifestyle of their students.

Ms. Mindy Castro, who teaches Special Day Class (SDC), gained experience with music therapy when she worked with students in her previous district in Castro Valley. She is open to starting this form of therapy at Dougherty.

“Being able to touch the instrument, hear the instrument, play the instrument, gives them more stimulation and engagement than if someone was just sitting and talking to them”, Castro said.

Castro has seen the impact of this form of therapy on students in her pre-

vious district, noticing a change in less than a week.

“Students with visual impairments tend to do a lot of movement to try to do some stimulation, and we saw less of that. The movements trying to seek sensory engagement went down,” she said.

Similar to Castro, Mr. DJ Frommoethelydo teaches moderate/severe special day class and believes that music therapy is beneficial.

“It’s one thing to say the alphabet, and it’s another thing to sing the alphabet. Because the way the cadence gets stuck in your head; it’s repetitive … I like to incorporate songs into my lesson plans because the melodies in the cadences get stuck in their heads,” he said.

Music therapy can also help special needs students emotionally.

Sophomore Emily Bargas shared the experience of music therapy with her brother, who has mild autism.

“My brother listens to music a lot when he’s angry. When he’s upset, he’ll go to the computer to play classical music to calm himself down,” she said.

Currently, the special needs department is trying to focus on implementing therapeutic practices through art and music to take the students’ minds off of school work and hopefully break down barriers between students at Dougherty.

“Music is universal. No matter who you are, whatever your background is, you’re going to be exposed to music,” Frommoethelydo said.

BY ARIA KHALIQUE Staff Writer

The Food and Drug Administration or FDA plans to ban the sale of flavored e-cigarettes from gas stations and convenience stores within 90 days to combat the increase in teenage vaping around the country.

Vape pens have become increasingly popular among youth. CNN cited that the use of vape pens in teens has increased 80% from 2017.

Due to this sharp increase, the FDA plans to implement restrictions to make sure teens are not able to purchase flavored vape pens.

The commissioner of the FDA, Scott Gottlieb, told USA Today, “Teenagers are becoming regular users, and the proportion of regular users is increasing.

We’re going to have to take action.”

Those actions not only include banning flavored e-cigarettes from retail markets but also adding age restrictions on online sales.

In response to the FDA, e-cigarette maker Juul also plans to halt sales of their flavored products and remove their social media presence.

Juul CEO Kevin Burns explained in a statement, “Our intent was never to have youth use Juul products. But intent is not enough; the numbers are what matter, and the numbers tell us underage use of e-cigarette products is a problem. We must solve it.”

With their efforts to decrease the amount of teens vaping, a significant drop in the sale of e-cigarettes is predicted to occur. However, many teens don’t see these restrictions as a threat.

“If I get pods, it’s going to be from someone who got it from someone who can legally get it. So I don’t think it’s going to affect me,” a Dougherty Valley student explained.

Just like her students, ninth grade health teacher Mrs. Athena Agustin agrees with the idea that these regulations will not help to lower the amount of teens who vape.

“They’re good small steps,” Agustin said, “but it’s going to take more than just having to show an ID or clicking a button.”

Though Agustin thinks the moves by the FDA and Juul will not produce results, President of the American Vaping Association, Gregory Conley, said in a public statement that the move will have negative consequences.

“The reported move by Commissioner Scott Gottlieb will only serve to make it harder for adult smokers to switch to a far less harmful alternative,” Conley explained.

Creating an easy alternative for adult smokers was the initial motivation for the invention of vape pens. However, Agustin explained that smokers aren’t quitting, instead “just finding a different way to get nicotine.”

“There are plenty of other devices they can use that still give them the nicotine delivery,” Agustin said, citing nicotine gum and patches.

The FDA is taking precautions to make sure that adult smokers using e-cigarettes aren’t left without an option. The flavors tobacco, mint and menthol will not be banned from retail markets.

However, the FDA is taking separate measures to ban the sale of menthol cigarettes as well. In response to adults using vape products, Gottlieb explained to USA Today that he would make vaping less attractive to adults if it reduces the harm to teens.

“The bottom line is this: I will not allow a generation of children to become addicted to nicotine through e-cigarettes,” Gottlieb said.

THE WILDCAT TRIBUNE www.thewildcattribune.com Facebook: DVHSTribune Twitter: @WildcatTribune Instagram: Wildcat_Tribune Snapchat: wildcattribune 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 wildcattribunestaff@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

ELISA FANG, Editor-in-Chief SRAAVYA SAMBARA & DANIEL SHEN, Managing Editors SASHA HASSAN, News Editor MICHAEL HAN, Assistant News Editor TAYLOR ATIENZA & MEGAN TSANG, Features Editors VIKRAM BALASUBRAMANIAN, RIYA BINDLISH & KAVIN KUMARAVEL, Opinions Editors ANIKA GARG & CAROLINE LOBEL, Arts & Entertainment Editors RONIT KUMAR, Sports Editor AMRUTA BARADWAJ, Assistant Sports Editor SKYLER SPEARS, Photography Editor SHEYDA LADJEVARDI & TEJASVI ANAND, Assistant Photo Editor SARAH KIM & ELAINE PARK, Arts & Graphics Editors CLAIRE ZHANG, Assistant Arts & Graphics Editor OCE BOHRA, STEVEN DENG, MICHAEL HAN, Copy Editors PRANAV CHILLAPAGARI, Public Relations Manager HARSHITA NERALLA & KATIE WILLIAMS, Social Media Managers PRANAV CHILLAPPAGARI, Public Relations Manager

STAFF WRITERS

Shereen Ahmed, Dianne Aredo, Mahika Arya, Siri Bhaskar, Sneha Cheenath, Megan Dhillon, Alexander Esparza, Abby Feng, Tessa Galeazzi, Helana Gendy, Tavishi Govil, Mariam Guirgis, Amrita Himmatraopet, Helen Kang, Aria Khalique, Noel Kim, Vivian Kuang, Janvi Kumar, Aditi Lappathi, Timothy Lee, Sydney Lewis, Riya Mehta, Myra Muzaffar, Shruthi Narayanan, Shria Nataraj, Aditi Praveen, Sanjana Ranganathan, Ritika Sabharwal, Shamini Saravanan, Sana Shehabi, Eva Shen, Drishti Upadhyaya, Mai Weber, Daniela Wise, Zachary Woo

ADVISOR

Ms. Rachel Decker

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

4

DECEMBER 6 2018

BOBA GUYS AND SAN RAMON DV DHADKAN MAKE THE PERFECT MATCH-A DANCES TO NEW HEIGHTS

BY SKYLER SPEARS & KATIE WILLIAMS Photography Editor & Social Media Manager

The soft opening of San Ramon’s City Center on Nov. 8 not only introduced a family friendly gathering place, but also highly anticipated food hotspots, such as Boba Guys.

The self proclaimed “highest quality boba milk tea in the world” has locations in cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York and has added San Ramon as its newest stop. It has become a staple of Bay Area culture, providing the perfect spot to grab a drink.

Founded in 2011, Boba Guys has rapidly expanded its brand. Selling food and merchandise alongside tea has increased consumer appeal. Few companies have managed to expand as rapidly as Boba Guys while succeeding. However there are several factors that set this tea shop apart from their leading competitors.

DVHS seniors Brandon Pham and Amy Yao are Boba Guys “bobaristas.” // SKYLER SPEARS

Unlike other tea shops, Boba Guys prides itself on its all-natural ingredients.

Co-Founders Andrew Chau and Bin Chen claim they actually deeply care about what their customers consume from their drinks.

Many popular teashops use a prepackaged powder base for each drink, each containing rich syrups and fat. However, Boba Guys

makes everything from scratch, and carefully picks organic fruits and vegetables to blend in. This creates a higher quality product for consumers. Boba Guys prides itself on this, saying they put “110% effort” into each and everything.

Spiced Blood Orange and matcha latte are popular drinks. // SKYLER SPEARS

Some of their most popular drinks, like the strawberry matcha latte and strawberry rice milk, actually contain organic ingredients.

Real strawberries are coupled with organic milk to create a rich creamy tea that is healthier than a powder based drink. No artifical dyes or flavors are used, which in turn creates a natural flavor.

Along with their natural ingredients is their hospitality. Not only do they want their tea to be tasty, but they want the experience to be enjoyable as well.

“Boba guys’ hospitality and passion makes it stand out as a company. Everyone who works there loves what they are doing, and work endlessly to build the company and benefit everyone in their environment. They are not just selling boba, but want to spread culture and bring people together through boba and their welcoming environment,” City Center “bobarista” Brandon Pham said.

This emphasis on culture coincides with San Ramon’s efforts of creating a sense of identity and community through the new City Center. Boba Guys is not just a tea shop, just like the City Center isn’t just a plaza. A place for people to gather together and form

a sense of unity is what drives home the new message for San Ramon.

“Having a place where the community can gather, not just to shop but to celebrate stuff, that is important for a sense of being. We have good diversity and good community values, and we need a place to come together for that,” San Ramon City Councilmember Harry Sachs explained.

Already, it is evident that Boba Guys is morphing into the new hangout spot for adults and kids alike. The inviting environment appeals to all demographics in San Ramon.

Such a versatile spot exemplifies San Ramon’s diversity. Many times such differences divide communities, but Boba Guys bridges those gaps through food and drink.

The missing link to a sense of community has been found through places like Boba Guys. Upholding the values of high quality while maintaining a decent level of enjoyment together ties in such core ideals found among San Ramon’s residents.

It was a mutual agreement from both Boba Guys and the City Center that San Ramon is an ideal place for Boba Guys to set up shop.

San Ramon is on the rise as a town, and a trendy tea shop is a perfect addition to a transitioning city.

The aardvark in the Boba Guys’ logo is made to be memorable.// SKYLER SPEARS

Altogether, San Ramon’s vision for a unified town has been completed through the City Center. Places like Boba Guys emphasize community values while providing high quality products.

BY VIVIAN KUANG & SANJANA RANGANATHAN Staff Writers

DV Dhadkan, a Dougherty Valley Bollywood dance team, has started the year by gaining acceptance into the prestigious Dil Se dance show and expanding its membership.

Completely student-run and choreographed, this is DV Dhadkan’s fourth year as a team. The team specializes in a fusion of Indian dance and modern styles such as hip-hop, and regularly auditions for shows around the Bay Area.

Dil Se, DV Dhadkan’s next performance, is a dance show hosted annually by Irvington High School in Fremont.

Twisha Chawla, a freshman and first-year dancer with DV Dhadkan, expressed the significance of performing at the show.

“Teams all over the Bay Area audition for Dil Se, and it’s the one show everyone wants to get into. When people think of a Bollywood dance show, they think of Dil Se,” she said.

Dil Se will be on Jan. 12 and tickets will be released online in the coming months.

In addition to these accomplishments, DV Dhadkan is also expanding in diversity and size this year. Bhuvan

Jammalamadaka, one of the team captains, explained that this year, there are significantly more underclassmen on the team. The team also offers insight into a new culture.

First-year team member and sophomore Ian Lim said, “I joined DV Dhadkan because I want to explore cultural diversity and see how well I can become accustomed to other cultures. So far, I’m having a lot of fun in a new environment.”

For dancers, the activity is a cultural outlet.

Chawla said, “It’s a way to just let go of everything. High school is stressful and life is stressful, and this is a way to express your emotions.”

Jammalamadaka agreed, adding, “Performing onstage gives you a great feeling about yourself. Seeing other people clap and smile for you makes you feel really good, and you want to perform even better.”

Beyond personal stress relief, DV Dhadkan and other cultural dances also create a tight-knit community that connects dancers to their culture.

Shreyas Prasanna, the lead organizer of Dil Se, said, “Dance allows people to get in touch with and showcase their culture. Our love for dance brings us as a community together.”

“BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY” BIOPIC BORES WITH GENERIC PLOTLINES AND BLAND STORYTELLING

BY TAYLOR ATIENZA, MEGAN TSANG & KAVIN KUMARAVEL Co-Features Editors & Co-Opinions Editor Despite offering some compelling moments from the life of Freddie Mercury and Queen, “Bohemian Rhapsody” ultimately feels overwhelmingly cliché and dull in its retelling of the history of the iconic rock band.

The Queen biopic features Rami Malek as lead vocalist Freddie Mercury. Malek is accompanied

by Gwilym Lee as Brian May, Ben Hardy as Roger Taylor and Joseph Mazzello as John Deacon — the band’s lead guitarist, drummer and bass guitarist, respectively.

The film follows Mercury as he joins the band

“Bohemian Rhapsody” is a biopic following the life of Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of “Queen.” // FLICKR

in 1970 and explores the production of their first album before jumping to the development of “A Night at the Opera” and their acclaimed track, “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The band’s success is interspersed with scenes from Mercury’s romance with his wife Mary Austin, as well as his relationships with other men after realizing his sexuality. After moving to Munich to work on his solo albums, Mercury returns to the other members of Queen to perform for Live Aid, concluding the film with what is considered to be one of their best performances.

On stage, the combination of colors and

comes at the expense of meaningful transitions and development. Too often, the timeskips between landmark points in their career make the film feel rushed, and it’s difficult to see the band’s popularity develop over time. While established fans of the band were likely unbothered by this characteristic of the biopic, audiences introduced to Queen through the film are likely to feel confused. It’s hard to tell when each event is taking place, making it a challenge to discern the time between the events.

However, fans of the band were frustrated with

solemn scene was underwhelming and resolved too quickly.

Perhaps the biggest problem with the movie is

“The biopic attempts to cover a large majority of the band’s history while juggling Mercury’s personal and romantic life, but this ambition comes at the expense of meaningful transitions and development.”

Queen’s most celebrated tracks is nothing less than electric, and between concerts, the scenes of the band in the recording studio are entertaining; disappointingly, these are the few highlights of the film.

Malek shines playing the 80’s rock icon, adding personality to his role by generously accenting his sentences with a lilting “darling” or “dear” and striding across the stage with flamboyant outfits, mic in hand. But while he puts on a convincing and entertaining performance as Mercury on stage, Malek loses his effervescence during the rest of the film and often feels as underdeveloped as the other members of the band.

The most we see from the remaining members come from glimpses of their musical experimentation in the studio or their arguments with the lead vocalist. The film fails to highlight their contributions to Queen’s music or emphasize their importance as individuals in the band alongside Mercury.

The biopic attempts to cover a large majority of the band’s history while juggling Mercury’s personal and romantic life, but this ambition

Freddie Mercury performs a record-breaking hit. // ILLUSTRATION BY SARAH KIM

Mercury (middle) pictured with the iconic rock band “Queen.” // FLICKR

some of the film’s historical inaccuracies; in particular, Queen never officially disbanded while Mercury pursued solo musical ventures, and Mercury was not diagnosed as HIV-positive before the band’s performance at Live Aid. The decision to change the date of the diagnosis was especially disappointing, as audiences who expected an emotional and profound reveal of Mercury’s diagnosis saw it downplayed and turned into an excuse to add a touch of melodrama to the film’s conclusion. As with many other scenes in the film, Malek’s confession to the rest of the band feels hasty and somewhat insincere, and the momentary sadness is quickly segued into preparation for the Live Aid performance.

Unfortunately, the emotional weight of such a

its inability to create an emotional connection between the viewers and the characters portrayed. “Bohemian Rhapsody” relies too heavily on an assumed familiarity with the band, and chooses to focus on Queen’s music rather than the people behind it. By the end of the film, it’s not clear who Mercury as a person really is, or why we should care about him. The same is even more true for the other members of the band who aren’t as recognizable. “Bohemian Rhapsody’s” mediocre retelling of Mercury’s life turns his extradordinary tale into a cliché.

“Bohemian Rhapsody” features entertaining performances, but falls flat in almost all other areas with a lack of cinematic innovation and character development. While it is generally enjoyable on a more superficial level, the hasty and generic record of Queen’s history combined with an overly-rosy perspective on Mercury’s life leaves much to be desired.

OPINIONS

5

LIVING WITH IT: BEAUTY, THE BEHOLDER, AND STANDARDS

BY ELISA FANG Editor-in-Chief’ Dear Reader, We all have a body. We, truly, are just a myriad of bodily functions — intricate chemical balances and imbalances that make us who we are and allows us to experience the world in the way we do. Our bodies have the potential to cause us a great amount of pain or a great amount of pleasure — but it’ll always remain true that we are all living with our bodies, with its various parts and its various purposes.

Skin, hair, hips, chest, muscles, height, weight, jawlines, teeth, eyes, waist—.

These are all generic body parts, but the reality is they exist on the body with policed expectations.

Clear skin, long hair, wide hips, big chest, toned muscles, tall, slim, sharp jawlines, straight teeth, big eyes, small waist.

GRAPHIC BY GETTY IMAGES

And the list goes on and on, different based on age, race, gender … This is beauty culture.

The purpose of beauty has always been about procreation, according to Darwin, your neighbor, and probably even your dog. And while there’s no doubt that beauty has been linked to sex, the physical traits that indicate fertility or good immunity are a far cry from all the things we find beautiful about each other. Furthermore in a more biological sense, with the way that technology has evolved, beauty has become almost irrelevant to survival. According to natural selection, it’s logical to say anyone with an eye impairment or slight allergies should be discounted in the running for offspring — and that’s obviously not the case.

In a more modern point, Jonah Lehrer, of Wired Magazine, brought up a compelling argument (or a “theory,” he calls it) in his article “Why does beauty exist?” saying “Beauty is a particularly potent and intense form of curiosity.

It’s a learning signal urging us to keep on paying attention, an emotional reminder that there’s something here worth figuring out.”

While Lehrer’s explanation might address why beauty has such an impact on humans and the resultant commodification of beauty, neither procreation or Lehrer’s suggestions would explain how “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” or why people find imperfect things beautiful.

I’m not complaining about the existence of beauty; I quite like pretty and unusual things. My opinion lies in the need to define what beauty is and

how we can achieve it. And I find that there’s a problem when a weirdly useless-and-mystical idea like beauty is co-opted by expectations.

I’m talking about beauty standards, of course.

They exist in every culture, and evolve in every culture — but a common theme seems to be that nobody believes they fit those standards, and those standards affect their self esteem greatly.

People say that beauty standards come from the models on the covers of fashion magazines, and the people who walk down the runway, but those fashion magazines are also meant to appeal to the people — so honestly I have no idea where beauty standards really come from.

But the point is that there are always a select few that fit these beauty standards, according to society, and a vast majority who don’t. And those select few are often referred to as “perfect,” or, strangely, “good enough” for stardom, but to the rest of us, they’re untouchable.

So it’s odd, seeing these aesthetically perfect people fall to insecurity, sometimes even deeper, just like the rest of us, people.

Cameron Russell spoke at a TEDxMidAtlantic talk about her experience with modeling; she’s been praised for using her platform as a model for positive change. In her talk, she acknowledges the genetic lottery she’s won to be able to be a model, and a striking moment is when she says that being a model isn’t a career path — it’s akin to winning a Powerball.

But the most important takeaway of the talk is this: “If you are ever wondering, ‘If I have thinner thighs and shinier hair, will I be happier?’ you just need to meet a group of models, because they have the thinnest thighs, the shiniest hair, and the coolest clothes, and they’re the most physically insecure women probably on the planet.”

There’s no limit to beauty standards. It’s why even models, who arguably meet beauty standards, are still insecure about their appearances. And why people develop body dysmorphia and eating disorders.

People base happiness on their beauty, but beauty standards can never be fulfilled.

Sounds suspiciously like a Catch-22.

Which also suspiciously benefits the undying beauty industry.

We’re in a crossroads with the way we perceive beauty on social media and in the general public. The body positivity movement and the call for a diverse representation of skin colors and sizes are revolutionarily changing the way historically racial and gender expression-based standards appear is mass media. And at these crossroads,

we have two paths ahead of us: one based on self-acceptance and the other on the redefinition existing beauty structures.

Somehow, we’ve traveled down both paths.

Self-acceptance, or self-love, is a new term that’s become a common phrase in the past few years. It’s allowed a lot of previously taboo subjects, that occur naturally on the human body, to make a public statement, such as body hair, cellulite, and fat. But not to get too into linguistics or subconscious word structure, the words suggest that there’s still something to accept or something that still needs loving. And it’s odd to think about people who are secure in the way they look embracing the term.

The second path is much more alarming. I’m referring mainly to the beauty industry, who have seen the change occurring in the way women are approaching beauty, and have focused their advertising towards it. The overall increased representation of diversity in foundation colors, and the subsequent outrage when this diversity isn’t met anymore, is a definite achievement in altering expectations of beauty — but when these companies are claiming to sell confidence, it is curious to think where that confidence will really come from.

I’m not saying that it’s not possible for women to wear makeup for themselves; there are artistic elements to wearing makeup, and wanting to be beautiful is not an obscene desire. But beauty stores are still selling the same beauty products, and it’s inaccurate to say that the culture surrounding makeup has changed very much at all.

So perhaps the root of the problem with beauty standards is that we’re trying to fight beauty with beauty, instead of suggesting that beauty is not the greatest achievement in someone’s life.

Further in Lehrer’s article, he writes, “the hook of beauty, like the hook of curiosity, is a response to incompleteness.” A person is not complete with just the appeal of their beauty. And it shouldn’t be pursued and desired like it is the complete package.

Beauty in itself is not an enemy. And it is natural to want to fit an ideal version of yourself, and that can include the physical aesthetic as well. But when we are so preoccupied with becoming beautiful, we can compromise the multitudes of other things that bring beauty into our lives.

It’ll be interesting to revisit what the real purpose of beauty standards are, and how disproportionately it affects our well-being. The way that beauty culture seeps into everyone’s life is both unmovable and unspecific. But beauty will always exist in people’s lives, mostly bringing curiosity and joy; the changing culture means that it is still a developing phenomenon, in the radical ways people are living with it.

Emphasis on the live.

Love,

Elisa Fang

DECEMBER 6 2018

‘TIS THE SEASON?

BY SHEYDA LADJEVARDI Assistant Photography Editor

Let’s face it, the holidays aren’t the same anymore and they haven’t been for a while now. Each year it seems that the rushing excitement that surrounds the holiday season is drowned out by the stress and pressure of everyday life.

The gradual decline in holiday spirit signals this feeling of emptiness during a season that’s meant to make you feel warm and fuzzy.

You may think to yourself, “Perhaps there aren’t enough lights out, or Santas in shopping malls. Maybe an ugly sweater and some stockings will do the trick.” Many of us have been there before and while putting in effort to get into a festive mindset may bring back the nostalgic feeling

“Perhaps it is simply the gesture of allowing oneself to enjoy the holidays that makes them feel more exciting; stripping away the worries of indulging in one’s innocence.” of the holidays, there is no doubt that the excitement that we once felt as children is not the same now that many of us have grown older.

While people suspect that there are different factors leading to this change ranging from seasonal depression, the stress of finals week, or simply just growing up, senior Kashish Pandey shares her personal insight in reference to her celebration of Diwali, the Hindu celebration of light, which symbolizes the spiritual victory of light over darkness. “As you grow up you can get carried away by other events occuring in your life during that time too so when these holidays come it almost feels obligatory to just celebrate and get it over with.”

This argument highlights the way responsibilities tend to pile up as we grow up and simply lack the time to enjoy the festivities and gatherings.

Holidays easily begin to mix in with burdensome every day obligations and as a resort, we lack the capacity for enjoyment. While it is different for everyone, a common theme that interferes with holiday celebrations is merely just being too busy. But perhaps this fluctuates based on the priorities of the individual. Someone who takes the time to decorate their home during the season may be more likely to stay festive as opposed to someone who’s left this old tradition in the past as they transitioned into adulthood.

Although it can be rather difficult to make time for celebration in our tightly—packed schedules, there are a few brisk changes that can be made to raise holiday spirits, despite IILLUSTRATION BY SASHA HASSAN

IILLUSTRATION BY ELAINE PARK

stressful times. Simply swapping out your regular playlist for some holiday tunes or festively decorating your space can bring a refreshing change. Even making time to watch a holiday film, indulging in your favorite holiday foods and drinks and partaking in activities tailored toward the seasonal weather change could make a big shift in your outlook of the holiday season. Holiday celebrations may not appeal to everyone as some people may find it childish or just a waste of time. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Junior Mikaela Reyes discloses some ways that she enjoys celebrating the season.

“I like to blast Christmas music around my house in addition to lighting holiday candles and drinking hot chocolate because I can feel the holiday spirit in my surroundings,” Reyes tells. Perhaps it is simply the gesture of allowing oneself to enjoy the holidays that makes them feel more exciting— stripping away the worries of indulging in one’s innocence.

With all things considered, it is understandable that there may never be a convenient time for the holidays, but that shouldn’t stop you from enjoying the season. While it’s true that annual celebrations are not essential, they can provide some fun and variety to spice up everyday life and should be taken advantage of in any way desired. Whether you chose to decorate your living space, listen to holiday music, or step out onto an ice skating rink the holidays are yours to enjoy if you may chose to.

DECEMBER 6 2018 OPINIONS REVISITING 2018: “YEAR OF THE WOMAN”

6

BY RIYA BINDLISH Co-Opinions Editor

itary status, or endorsement by name-brand politicians.”

In fact, Margie Omero, the External Vice President of Public Affairs at PSB Research, 2018 has officially been de- writes that women voters cross party lines to clared the second “Year of get more women into office: a trend that may the Woman,” with a record serve to increase diversity in the government, breaking 99 women in Con- but also undermines the purpose of voting and gress thus far, and pending elections possibly representing the public.

Female candidates, either inadvertently or increasing that number. 1992 was the previnot, use their identity as a woman to garner ous “Year of the Woman,” seen as the first mamore voters. However, the role of identity poljor rise in the number of women in Congress. itics, political allegiances formed on the basis However, with this social progression, we must of demographic similarites, has served to unkeep in mind that reforms shouldn’t be based dermine the feminist movement, rather than on quantitative diversity, but rather the speciffurther it.

Feminism has diminished into a ic platforms of each individual candidate. term associated with anything a woman does, While I believe having women in Congress is a rather than the assessment of the quality of the major step toward increasing gender equality, actions pursued by those women. we should elect not just women, but all politiFeminism is advocating for women’s rights. cians to Congress based on their policies rather Feminism is calling for social progression. than their gender.

Feminism is not People often believe decreasing fundthat women are more ing for Planned liberal, and to some Parenthood, or extent that is true. endorsing a candiTiffany D. Barnes, an date with several associate professor sexual allegations in the Department made against of Political Science them.

However, at the University of these are the very Kentucky, did find policies that womthat women tend to en such as Diane be more liberal than Black and Marsha their male counterBlackburn, primarparts. But there are ily conservative plenty of candidates woman in Conthat prove this trend gress, have advountrue; simply becated for. cause women are Although these perceived as liberal women benefit compared to men IILLUSTRATION BY ELAINE PARK from identifying shouldn’t mean we automatically vote for them without taking a with the feminist movement, many women, primarily Republican women, tend to align careful look at their propositions.

It has been proven empirically that a majority with their party beliefs rather than make deciof voters vote for women for the sake of diver- sions to help women overall.

For example, take the GOP Healthcare Bill sity, often ignoring their policies, introducing a passed last year; it lessened care for sexual wave of ignorance into a movement that has assault victims and decreased coverage for potential to produce a much more progressive pregnant women. However, only three of the government.

21 women in Congress at the time vetoed the Sady Doyle, a feminist writer for several magbill.

While some may argue that simply having azines, writes for Medium Politics that 65 permore women in government is progression by cent of all female candidates win their primary itself, the passing of such bills narrows opporraces. She continues, writing, “Being female has tunities for women and hinders future opporhelped a candidate more than almost any othtunities for reform. er factor, including previous experience, milMore recently, look at Brett Kavanaugh’s

nomination. A whopping 69 percent of Republican women supported Kavanaugh, and Susan Collins’ decision to nominate Kavanaugh swayed Joe Manchin’s decision as well, giving Kavanaugh just the number of votes needed to attain his seat as Associate Justice.

This sends a questionable message to the country. Not only does it undermine the gender equality movement as a whole, primarily the #MeToo movement, but to elect Kavanaugh to such a high government position, while ignoring the woman that he very likely could have abused, essentially gives the “go ahead” signal to other men to do the same. When women in positions with power choose not to believe the woman, women everywhere are hurt. These precedents are particularly more detrimental, as sexual abuse victims once again take a backseat, and are put there by someone who they

“Feminism has diminished into a term associated with anything a woman does, rather than the assessment of the quality of the actions pursued by those women.” thought would understand.

With such little representation in Congress, every action that the few women that have government positions take is perceived as the decision of all women in the country. To continue to accept current policies and shamelessly follow their conservative male counterparts stagnates future change.

The race between Mike Espy, Cindy HydeSmith and Chris McDaniel for Mississippi’s Senator position is the epitome of pseudo feminism. While Mike Espy, a Democratic male, is personally against abortion, he still advocates for the importance of a woman’s right to choose. Meanwhile, Cindy Hyde-Smith is firmly pro-life, and plans to defund Planned Parenthood further.

However, many voters and even writers are

deluded by her gender rather than her policies.

Cindy Hyde-Smith is glorified as “Mississippi’s First Potential Woman Senator,” rather than “Mississippi’s Conservative Anti-Abortion Candidate for Senator.”

It is one thing to identify with a group, and quite another to enact change for that group.

Sadly, several woman candidates capitalize on their identity, and use their gender as a banner to attract votes so they can then push for rightwing policies. To vote for such conservative feminists is to ultimately vote for a woman who hurts other woman.

The most common argument made is that shaming other women in Congress is even worse for the movement.

Nancy Pelosi, for example, considers it ridiculous to not vote for a woman as a woman; gender is the reason she is running for campaign, stating “‘If Hillary had won, I could go home.’”

Yes, equality is important, but there has to be more substance to a campaign than that. There shouldn’t be a gender quota that needs to be met in order for their presence to serve a purpose.

Moreover, when female candidates promote themselves as strong women who will change what it means to be a woman in America, we applaud them. Yet, when these same powerful, independent women endorse the domestic gag rule, choose to separate the Dreamers from their undocumented immigrant mothers and remove insurance coverage for sexual assault victims, we cheer and declare that a step has been taken for womankind.

Yes, a step has been taken. Backwards.

I’m not saying that no change has been made.

A number of strong, Democratic women have been elected Congress. Nonetheless, it is essential to remember the importance of continuing to prioritize platforms above identity to ensure the constancy of this reform.

The solution is simple, but execution isn’t.

Taking the time to read a candidate’s platform, and instead of categorizing them by gender, categorizing them based on your own political beliefs, can make all the difference.

The harder part is acknowledging that not all women are feminists and being brave enough to stand up to those blinded by the pseudo feminist movement. It isn’t wrong to denounce a feminist movement that doesn’t represent true feminism.

We shouldn’t be striving for more “Years of the Woman;” instead, we should strive for the “Year of the Feminist.”

PRESIDENT TRUMP ‘FIRES UP’ CALIFORNIANS CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS:

EDITORIAL POLICY: Columns and guest contributors do not necessarily repre-

sent 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 wildcattribunestaff@gmail.com or delivered through campus mail.

President Trump threatens to cuts funding to help with disaster relief despite blazing fires throughout California, claiming it is not the Federal government’s problem, fueling the problem. // ILLUSTRATION BY SUMUKH CADPAKAR

The Wildcat Tribune encourages all readers to respond to important issues by creating and submitting a letter to the editor or an editorial cartoon. Letters to the editor and editorial cartoons should reflect a perspective on contemporary culture or politics or respond to a past Wildcat Tribune article.

Letters and cartoons in the Opinions section will be printed monthly at the discretion of the Editorial Board. The Wildcat Tribune reserves the right to refuse any letter or cartoon submitted for publication.

Letters to the editor and editorial cartoons must be submitted with a full name and contact information.

Cartoons may be scanned and emailed to wildcattribunestaff@gmail.com in JPEG or PNG format or delivered through campus mail.

Contact wildcattribunestaff@gmail.com with any questions or concerns.

SPORTS

7

DECEMBER 6 2018

WINTER SPORTS: COACH GOALS BASKETBALL(M)

HEAD COACH MIKE HANSEN //SCHOOLLOOP

WRESTLING(M & W) WOMEN’S WRESTLING: “We really are embarking on a new journey here. We have joined the Western Alameda County Conference. They will have an identity all their own this year in a separate conference schedule. We want to be able to compete out there because the other teams are a little more established. Our three principles are hardwork, respect and family. We just want the girls to embody all three of those.”

“Our goal every year is to win the East Bay Athletic League, so as a team that’s our number one goal. A lot of returners come back and win the league and once we win league, it’s about going as far as we can in sections and state playoffs.”

BASKETBALL(W)

“Our goal for the season is to have a cohesive team that plays together really well.”

HEAD COACH KELLIE BECKMAN //SKYLER SPEARS

SOCCER(M)

HEAD COACH RORY O’CONNOR //WILDCATSMSOCCER. COM

MEN’S WRESTLING: “We want the kids to develop a passion for wrestling because it’s a hard sport. It’s a big commitment. We HEAD COACH JEREMY GRIMES want to have a strong community. //RONIT KUMAR What most people would look at as outcomes, those are secondary for us. If we do what we need to do inside the room, those things will take care of themselves. But really these are the three principles that helps us drive what we do everyday: hardwork, respect and family.”

“The goal for the team is improvement. We just want to be a little better than we were last year and then we’ll see where that takes us. We have a lot of returners, so we’re hoping to do a little better, and if we do, it will be enjoyable, right?”

SOCCER(W)

HEAD COACH KASEY ADDIEGO // SCHOOLLOOP

“One [goal] is to make sure that they have a season, that they’re able to come out and play and represent their school; the other is to make sure and do the best that we can. It’s just trying to get all on the same page; that way, we’re looking at the same goal of putting the best product out there.”

SAMANTHA LEE TENNIS TRIUMPHS OVER COMMITS TO GOLF ENCINAL IN NCS ROUND

BY TEJU ANAND & MEGAN TSANG Assistant Photography Editor & Co-Features Editor

While most seniors are in the midst of filling out college applications, Samantha Lee is an exception. The 18-year-old Korean-American is set to major in Kinesiology and play Division One golf at San Diego State University in the fall.

Lee started the sport eight years ago, following in her golf-obsessed family’s footsteps.

“I live and breathe golf, it’s my whole life,” she said. “If I’m not doing homework or watching Netflix I’m out there practicing because with golf, you can never be satisfied with your game and there’s always room for improvement.”

“I live and breathe golf, it’s my whole life. If I’m not doing homework or watching Netflix I’m out there practicing because with golf, you can never be satisfied with your game and there’s always room for improvement.”

- Samantha Lee

WINTER SPORTS RECORDS

Since then, she’s helped lead the women’s golf team as team captain, a position her teammates nominated her for in her senior year. In 2018,

BY TEJU ANAND Assistant Photography Editor

Samantha Lee has committed to golf at SDSU. //STUDIO ONE PHOTOGRAPHY

they placed first at both the regional tournament and the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) North Coast Section (NCS) championship.

This November, they made it all the way to second place at the CIF State Golf Championships -- the highest level of high school golf in the state and the best finish in school history.

While she’ll miss her teammates at Dougherty, she’s looking forward to her next stage.

“College golf is also going to be way more competitive so I’m excited for the challenges … I’m most looking forward to having a new life in college. Making new friends and living in a new environment makes me so excited because it’s finally a step into adulthood.”

While she doesn’t plan on continuing golf after college, she has an open mind and says that her “plans might change.”

MEN’S BASKETBALL: Season Record: 0 - 1 League Record: 0 - 0

MEN’S SOCCER: Season Record: 1 - 0 League Record: 0 - 0

Dougherty Valley won in their first NCS round, 7-0, against Encinal High School, on Nov. 6.

Co-captain Katelyn Eng dominated against Analin Gentz from Encinal 7-6, 7-2, and 6-1.

According to Eng, her consistency and mental toughness are her strongest weapons that she uses to beat her opponent.

“In this game my mental toughness was extremely lacking so I made sure to slow down and go back to the basics to get my rhythm back,” senior Eng said. “Also, my opponent was a lefty, which was hard to adjust to, but she was a lot less consistent than me.”

Senior co-captain Ananya Gupta and junior Mahek Karamchandani defeated Olivia Grassman and Jyosna Jaslow 6-0, 6-0.

“We struggled being positive when we lost a point because the match was really intense and we felt a lot of pressure in the heat of the moment,” co-captain Gupta said.

Yet victory was theirs because of Karamchandani’s strong serve, both of their rapid volleys, and their ability to rally for a long time.

The team cleared the first round against Encinal by winning every single match.

However, they couldn’t reach the semi-finals since they were defeated in the quarter finals of the tournament by the Red Tailed Hawks 4-3 in a home game on Nov. 8.

Junior Jasmine Lam lost 6-3, 4-6, and 3-6 against her opponent. By taking advantage of her opponent’s

MEN’S WRESTLING: Season Record: 0 - 0 League Record: 0 - 0

Senior Katelyn Eng serves the ball overhand and prepares to return. //TEJU ANAND

weak shots and trying to be consistent, Lam was able to win the first set but lost the last two.

“I felt that I could have been more agressive with my shots. I felt like my mental was not completely intact while playing the the third set and I hesitated on a lot of shots. Next time, I just want to play my game and have more confidence in myself and my game play,” Lam said.

The Wildcats have ended their season with an overall score of 15-4 and a league score of 15-3.

The team played each school twice

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Season Record: 0 - 0 League Record: 0 - 0

during the league tournaments.

“A highlight of this season would be being undefeated second time around, which means we beat every single school at least once,” Gupta said.

This season, along with the league matches, the Wildcats got a chance to play at the Standford tournament and in NCS. “I [am] proud of my team and [their] accomplishments. Everyone deserves a shoutout because everyone on the team is so hardworking,” Eng said.

WOMEN’S SOCCER: Season Record: 0 - 0 League Record: 0 - 0

WOMEN’S WRESTLING: Season Record: 0 - 0 League Record: 0 - 0

8

ADVERTISEMENT

DECEMBER 6 2018

“Excel’s strategies are unbeatable and the classes are really fun. Excel is definitely the best test prep experience I’ve ever had.”

-Meghana, UC Berkeley

Preparation is the key to success.

• Prepare with Excel Test for the SAT/PSAT or ACT • FREE Excel Test SAT/PSAT Group Tutorials to refine and train • FREE Excel Test Exam Club to further practice, practice, practice

(510) 490-7000

www.exceltest.com

Hundreds of Excel Test students top the 2017 National Merit Semifinalist list!!