Volume 54, Issue 2, November 8, 2023

elESTOQUE NOVEMBER 2023

12 HIDDEN

STRUGGLES

Exploring the often unacknowledged conditions MVHS community members live with

VOLUME 54 ISSUE 2

LETTER FROM THE

EDITORS At MVHS, quality of education is not an issue we often think about.

Ranked 13th of 18,000 high schools in the state by the U.S. News & World Report, we have access to top-notch classes, a variety of electives and highly qualified teachers. However, this statistic fails to take context into account. Quantifiable data inflates our standing, making our top score misleading — or at least, it doesn’t capture the full story.

There’s no denying the usefulness of rankings. From school rankings to ratings of media in our daily lives, they simplify complicated information into numbers we can make sense of.

PHOTO | KRISH DEV

Taryn Lam

Lillian Wang

Kalyani Puthenpurayil

Yet that is all a rank is: a simplified first impression. This cycle, our News section examines our status in national rankings, discussing both the benefits and drawbacks of our academics-focused culture. In our staff editorial, we also acknowledge the immense socioeconomic privilege that has propelled us here. The U.S. News & World Report reduces these factors to a mere placement, diluting the nuance behind statistics like graduation rate and test scores.

We further explore the disconnect between first impressions and reality with our Features package, bringing us face-to-face with the impact of various health conditions on the people around us. We delve deeper into the complexity of their experiences — something we may not see from the surface, much less from a statistic.

We often overlook the stories behind numbers, stories that are just as important for us to understand. In our November issue, rankings remind us of the value of context. In a world of oversimplification, awareness can go a long way.

elESTOQUE

21840 McClellan Rd. Cupertino, CA 95014 elestoque.org mv.el.estoque@gmail.com Editors-in-Chief: Taryn Lam, Kalyani Puthenpurayil, Lillian Wang Managing Editors: Meggie Chen, Lauren Chuu, Sarah Liu, Michelle Zheng Design Editor: Sonia Verma Graphics Editor: April Wang News Editors: Jason Chu, Brandon Xu, Alyssa Yang, Eric Zhou Features Editors: Kathryn Foo, Dahlia Schilling, Alan Tai, Mihir Vishwarupe Opinion Editors: Anika Bhandarkar, Crystal Cheng, Megha Mummaneni, Sagnik Nag Chowdhury

Entertainment Editors: Samika Bhatkar, Ananya Chaudhary, Jami Lim, Aashi Venkat Sports Editors: Arjun Dhruv, Daphne Huang, Lily Jiang, Manas Kottakota Staff Writers: Abha Dash, Leah Desai, Sophia D’Sa, Ethan Eisler, Niveda Hari, Aletheia Ju, Jillian Ju, Ethan Kellogg, Isabelle Kok, Pranati Kotamraju, Corinna Kuo, Giljoon Lee, Joyce Li, Elizabeth Liu, Suhana Mahabal, Riya Murthy, Sania Nadkarni, Dylan Nguyen, Stella Petzova, Aidan Ruan, Trisha Sannappanavar, Arshiya Sen, Aaryan Sharma, Ananda Singh, Arushi Singh, Varun Singh, Amberly Sun, Lindsey Tang, Raj Thapliyal, Eshika Tiwari, Brandon Wang, Asha Wojciechowski, Ethan Yang, Shannon Yu, Kaia Yuan, Benjamin Zhang, Stephanie Zhang Advisers: Vennessa Nava, Julia Satterthwaite, MJE

Mission Statement: El Estoque will accurately inform our community through well-researched, unbiased and in-depth accounts of stories of the student body and staff, local news and developments and taboo topics prevalent in and near the MVHS realm.

By investigating a variety of voices and credible perspectives, we hope to foster active discussion, effect positive change and spread awareness of timely and relevant content. As a trustworthy, consistent and reliable source of information, we strive to be accountable, adaptable, and ready to correct and address our mistakes. Constantly striving for improvement, we will uphold integrity and ethics to be respectful and empathetic to one another, our sources and our readers. We will exercise our press freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment and California Ed Code 48907 while maintaining a community of reporters with a strong passion for our work and journalism as a whole.

COVER | KALYANI PUTHENPURAYIL

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EL ESTOQUE | NOVEMBER 2023

CONTENTS 04 12 22 31 42

PHOTO | ADITYA SHUKLA

EL ESTOQUE | NOVEMBER 2023

STORIES

PHOTO | DAPHNE HUANG

PHOTO | TARYN LAM

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13

Educational heights

Examining MVHS’ placement in national school rankings

Hidden struggles

Exploring the often unacknowledged conditions MVHS community members live with

PHOTO COURTESY OF BONNIE BELSHE | USED WITH PERMISSION

Cough, cough

How MVHS school culture has forced people to make ethically questionable decisions around coming to school when sick

Stylestruck

Taking a glimpse at the impact of fashion at MVHS

From fork to finish

Examining the effects of diet on student athletic performance

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03

EDUCATIONAL HEIGHTS Examining MVHS’ placement in national school rankings

BY JASON CHU AND LAUREN CHUU

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PARENTS ARE VERY RESOURCEFUL AND AFFLUENT, SO THEY’RE ABLE TO PROVIDE THE RESOURCES.

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| LA UR EN

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VHS placed 13th statewide help them improve not and 105th nationwide among just at school but outside 18,000 high schools in the of school too,” Lam said. annual U.S. News and World Report “So I think that plays a role in the rankings released on Aug. 29, 2023. academic culture here because we All five FUHSD schools ranked high, are immersed in a community where with MVHS placing first in the district. we value education.”

Clark adds that parents often go to The rankings assess schools in five categories: College Readiness, great lengths to provide opportunities College Curriculum Breadth, State and resources for their children.

Assessment Proficiency, State He states that this ultimately Assessment Performance and represents another effect Proficiency and Underserved Student of attending a highlyranked school like MVHS. Performance.

“Parents want their FUHSD Superintendent Graham Clark celebrates the five schools’ kids to have the educational achievements of ranking high in all best these areas, highlighting the success experience,” Clark said. “There’s no of the district overall.

“We are thrilled that all five schools doubt that parents are in the U.S. News and World Report want students to best schools,” Clark said. “It’s saying attend schools that that all of our schools are in the top are preparing them 40% for the nation. I don’t think there’s for college so MVHS many districts that can say the same.” definitely is that. I think Similarly, Guidance Counselor that’s why a lot of parents Sylvia Lam says the rankings don’t would choose to move into come as a surprise, as she believes the MVHS area and have their children attend MVHS.” many MVHS Junior and ASB students grew Treasurer Peter up with the Chen agrees with resources to Lam and Clark but help them also notes that excel in an academic culture, academically although an r i g o r o u s important factor in environment.

MVHS’s ranking, “We live in can have both the heart of beneficial and Silicon Valley, adverse effects on so I feel like COUNSELOR students. in many of SYLVIA LAM “We still have our families, that kind of parents are very educated, and they’re very resourceful toxic environment where students and affluent, so they’re able to provide compare scores and then you might the resources for our students to see somebody is doing better than

you,” Chen said. “That school culture can motivate you, and sometimes it’s good because you do better. But if you push people to their limits, it can also be bad, because we get hurt.”

However, Lam does not believe the rankings will have much impact on MVHS’ school dynamics, stating that students do not work towards insignificant numbers like rankings but rather strive for furthering their education through their innate drive to attend college.

Clark, meanwhile, attributes the success specifically to aspects such as tests, graduation rate and the curriculum offered. He says that since the ranking criteria is based on academics, it naturally becomes a large part of the school environment.

NEWS “MVHS is an outstanding school,” should not solely focus on academics, Clark said. “The performance of our since colleges have access to school students measured in many different profiles and demographics, so they metrics is outstanding, but clearly for can already determine if a school is this ranking, MVHS gives a lot of AP academically strong.

“They know the caliber of our tests and students do very well on AP tests, and that’s the main factor. MVHS students,” Lam said. “So colleges can even say also does great ‘Maybe your with graduation student didn’t rate, and the get an A, or even breadth of a B, but I know curriculum that you produce it has. So all of very strong those things play students.’ In their into it: everything environment, that they’re they know that looking at for in the students this award MVHS will thrive in that is very strong at, university setting. and the students SUPERINTENDENT So to them it’s not are excelling at it.”

GRAHAM CLARK so much about earning that While Lam recognizes that gathering academic specific grade, but also about where data is the most accessible for ranking you’ve had your education.”

Chen says the focus on academic a school, she wishes it could factor in other aspects like extracurriculars achievement comes at a cost, with or unique educational opportunities many students experiencing dwindling offered. She adds that students leisure time and constant stress

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EVERYTHING THAT THEY’RE LOOKING FOR MVHS IS VERY STRONG AT, AND THE STUDENTS ARE EXCELLING AT IT.

from exams. To assist with creating a more relaxed culture for students, he says ASB holds lunchtime activities, gives free ice cream and runs other events at school for students to build community, and hopefully look forward to attending school. Lam also emphasizes practicing self care amid the looming pressures, focusing on being well rounded — instead of simply on grades — and taking care of personal, mental and physical health, something the guidance team assists with at MVHS. “I think that’s really what we also emphasize as counselors as we support our students over the course of four years,” Lam said. “At any time, we don’t talk about rankings. It’s really a holistic approach for you to build not just your academics, but for you to be well rounded. It’s not about earning the A’s but it’s about ‘Do you have those soft skills to be able to walk into a company and be able to carry yourself well?’ ... We also prioritize mental health and physical health, and I think that’s really important.”

GRAPHIC | JASON CHU

NEWS | NOVEMBER 2023

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8 PERIODS

Exploring the pros, cons and processes of possibly implementing a new bell schedule

BY STELLA PETZOVA, ELLIE WANG AND SHANNON YU

fter three bell schedule changes in five years, Fremont Union High School District is exploring a fourth modification. In January of 2024, the Fremont Education Association (FEA), the staff union, will vote on several potential bell schedule options for FUHSD, including an eight-period schedule.

FUHSD New Teacher Mentor Zenas Lee proposed the idea to address declining enrollment in electives, a problem that may be exacerbated by Health and Ethnic Studies, which will be made mandatory for freshmen starting next year, in accordance with California law.

Cupertino High School math teacher Stacey Morse, who was on the bell schedule committee in the 2021-22 school year, says that when freshmen take Health and Ethnic Studies, they will have less time and therefore less inclination to take two electives, negatively impacting elective departments and their staff district-wide.

“Students who are active outside of

A

school wouldn’t have the opportunity to have an open period,” Morse said over email. “It might help them complete their homework during the school day if they have after school sports, clubs, robotics, etc., if they also want to take an art/ business elective.”

Freshman Sana Karkhanis, who is enrolled in the electives Drama and Writing for Publication, explains that she would not take them if Health and Ethnic Studies became a mandatory freshman course.

“When I’m choosing electives, I’ll have to rule out classes I don’t want to do,” Karkhanis said. “But if I have eight periods, then maybe I won’t have to do that.”

In addition to allowing freshmen to continue taking two electives alongside their other classes, the extra period would allow teachers time to meet with their Professional Learning Community during the school day rather than before school hours as they currently do, according to Lee. In fact, the early start time

the

ILLUSTRATION | STELLA PETZOVA

06 EL ESTOQUE | NOVEMBER 2023

of

teacher collaboration period — 7:35 a.m. to 8:20 a.m.—was what inspired her to draft the eight-period schedule in the first place.

“A challenge for teacher collaboration with the current bell schedule is how short it is, how early it is, and how some teachers don’t have childcare in the morning, or if they live very far away [and] it’s really hard for them to actually get to school by 7:30,” Lee said. “So because I started hearing that from various teachers, I was like, ‘Oh, let me just see what that eight period bell schedule would even look like,’ so I put it down on Google Sheets and I realized, ‘Oh, this actually looks better.’”

Kennedy Middle School Art and Yearbook teacher Melissa Hickey shares her experience with additional periods, since KMS switched from a six-period to a seven-period schedule during the 2023-24 school year. Although she agrees introducing another period gives students more opportunities, based on her experience, students, teachers and parents have had trouble adjusting inside and outside of school life. In particular, students aren’t always able to adjust to the increased workload. She says even fun, light courses still come with additional work that students must learn to handle.

“They’re gonna feel like they’re taking eight academic courses and it’s adding to the stress load of what is already a very highly academic area,” Hickey said. “Seeing it from the teacher’s side and seeing it from this area, based on the stress that is put on academics and just on our students in general, and the lack of social emotional helping, I would say there are more downsides to it than there are upsides.”

Karkhanis is also concerned about how school culture, especially in FUHSD, could impact student decisions regarding course selection.

“In the area we live in, there’s too much academic pressure and stress already,” Karkhanis said. “A lot of people that are really ambitious, they would go for eight periods and then not be able to handle it because even though the timeframe is still the same, the workload is bigger.”

According to Morse, the benefits of the eight period schedule are not guaranteed. However, members of the FEA recently took a survey on whether they would be open to considering a new bell schedule, and according to CHS teacher and FEA President Carley Stavis, the survey results came back overwhelmingly positive. Next steps will include forming a committee to help educators share problems they have encountered with the current schedule. From now until December, FEA representatives will meet with district administration to create schedule proposals.

Morse says the process of changing the schedule will likely be similar to previous years. Acknowledging that the teachers and students would be the ones most affected by a schedule change, Morse understands that there may be varying opinions in the district.

With this in mind, the committee plans to put an emphasis on community input and involvement in addition to the FEA internal processes.

“We’re always trying to come at these sorts of conversations honoring not only what our needs as teachers are, but also what we know students need,” Stavis said. “And so I know there can be a perception that we’re going down this path of even looking at schedules for our own reasons, and while we do always have our own reasons as a union, we are coming at that from the sense that making our schedules better for us as teachers allows us to show up as better educators for students.”

THE POTENTIAL

8-PERIOD

SCHEDULE MONDAY

40 MINUTE PERIODS

END TIME: 3:25

TUESDAY-FRIDAY

80 MINUTE PERIODS

END TIME: 3:35

FOUR 30-MINUTE TUTORIALS PER WEEk NEWS | NOVEMBER 2023

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DIVIDED MATHEMATICS

FUHSD considers the implementation of newly released California Mathematics Framework

BY GILJOON LEE

T

he California Department of Education published a revision of the California Mathematics Framework (CMF) on July 12, 2023 to “offer guidance for implementing content standards,” according to the California Department of Education’s website. It influences policies in school districts and serves as a guideline for textbook manufacturers.

The CMF was written by a team of five: Jo Boaler, a professor at Stanford University; Katy Early, an instructor at CSU Chico; Ben Ford, a professor at Sonoma State; Jenny Langer-Osuna, an associate professor at Stanford University; and Brian Lindaman, a professor at CSU Chico.

The drafting process was overseen by the Mathematics Curriculum Framework and Evaluation Criteria Committee (CFCC), which was made up of 20 mathematics instructors and education professionals.

MVHS Math Department Lead

However, Brian Conrad, a professor Kathleen McCarty says she and the other FUHSD Math Department of mathematics and the Director of Leads are planning on reviewing it Undergraduate Studies in Math at via monthly meetings. The first took Stanford University, thinks the CMF is place on Oct. 19 with District Math heavily flawed. After reading drafts of Curriculum Lead Jessica Uy and the new revision, he wrote extensively about his concerns, including an Assistant Principal Brian Dong. opinion essay in “Right now, The Atlantic. For we’re just trying instance, Conrad to understand says an earlier what this giant draft of the document’s CMF attempted saying,” McCarty to back its said.

“And arguments by then there’s citing studies the whole that actually connection contradicted the we need to do arguments, such between, ‘OK, as a 2013 study what’s there? on approximate What are we doing?

Are STANFORD PROFESSOR number systems there changes BRIAN CONRAD and their impacts on complex that we want to math skills in make? Are there changes that are appropriate?’ We’re adults, which the CMF misleadingly still answering that. We have this huge claimed was conducted on students.

The framework also mentioned “brain question mark over our head.”

The CMF aims to increase math communication” when there had been proficiency — only 33% of California no brain imaging involved in the study.

“It’s outrageous that nobody was students met or exceeded state math proficiency standards in 2022, and held accountable for this,” Conrad there are achievement gaps for Black, said. “You have a team of five writers American Indian or Alaska Native and — somebody’s responsible. Why did the board not determine who Latino students. is responsible to make sure that whoever’s responsible will never again be involved in setting public policy education in the state?”

Although Conrad acknowledges that nearly all the citation misrepresentations were fixed in the final version of the 2023 CMF, he still believes the problems they caused have not been fully resolved.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION | GILJOON LEE

08 EL ESTOQUE | NOVEMBER 2023

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I TOLD THEM, ‘GIVEN THE VAST SCALE OF THIS DISHONESTY, YOU CAN’T TRUST ANYTHING CITED IN THIS PAPER.’

“I’m not claiming they fixed [the citation misrepresentations] throughout the entire document, because I told them, ‘Given the vast scale of this dishonesty, you can’t trust anything cited in this paper, so you’re gonna have to treat this like an academic treatise and check all of the citations,’” Conrad said. “And they didn’t.”

Citation misrepresentations aside, data literacy courses, and therefore Conrad does not believe the CMF could not replace Algebra II. Conrad will help achieve its goals, calling it says that without taking an Algebra II “bloated, poorly organized and lacking course in high school, it is “essentially in substantial details” — a sentiment impossible” to pursue a major in echoed by McCarty. college related to careers in fields “Overall, the CMF is not easy to such as artificial intelligence, machine read,” McCarty said. “The Framework’s learning and data science. messages are interesting, but they’re MVHS class of ‘22 alum and vague. Most math teachers want to Stanford sophomore Devin Gupta, know specific examples. How do you who is double-majoring in physics do this? How would I move this into my and management science and classroom?” engineering, says the math education The CMF hesitantly proposes he got at MVHS, which consisted of removing Algebra II or Precalculus as Algebra II/Trig, Precalculus Honors and prerequisites for AP Calculus, in order AP Calculus AB, did not adequately to increase mathematics proficiency prepare him for college. and decrease inequality. It argues “When you get to college, you that Algebra II repeats many Algebra do a lot of proof stuff, like rigorous I topics, and derivation, that I Precalculus don’t think high repeats many school courses Algebra II topics, you prepare well so the new for,” Gupta said. requirements “I would have would allow had a better students who experience have not taken in college said high school- tentatively planning on had I been level courses in pursuing a math-related major prepared with middle school more rigorous think the school curriculum is to take AP mathematics, Calculus before adequetly preparing them specifically in graduating. rigorous proofs.” *According to a survey of 76 people In earlier However, the drafts, the CMF went further, CMF discourages tracking students advocating for a pathway in which into different levels of math courses, “data science” courses replaced saying it worsens inequalities, Algebra II. After severe backlash from although it acknowledges that it can an open letter signed by over 440 at times give students “high-quality academic staff at California colleges instruction geared to their needs.” and universities, including Conrad, Conrad points out that the first draft the pathway was cut from the final of the new CMF cited the controversial version of the CMF. Conrad and policy of removing Algebra I as a other instructors claimed the “data course option in middle school, science” courses were more like adopted by the San Francisco Unified

57%

of MVHS students

School District in 2014 in an attempt to decrease gaps in mathematics achievement along racial lines.

While SFUSD saw a general increase in the number of students taking advanced math courses across all ethnicities, the overall gap between low-income students and non-lowincome students actually grew in terms of standardized test scores.

According to Conrad, the reference was removed in later drafts of the CMF after a recent working paper from Stanford researchers indicated the policy was a failure.

Gupta, on the other hand, believes the education system should readily allow students interested in math to take higher level courses.

“There’s a lacking in our education system that is trying to cater its math curriculum towards everyone, rather than catering it to those people who really, really want to excel in math,” Gupta said.

For MVHS and the district overall, it is still too early to draw a conclusion about the impacts the Framework may have, according to McCarty. She says that ultimately, FUHSD aims to meet the needs of its community. As of now, she doesn’t think it is likely that any major changes to the curriculum will occur due to the CMF. “I think that here at Monta Vista, we’re doing a decent job with our foundational classes and our honors and AP classes,” McCarty said. “I don’t see us all of a sudden deciding to get rid of everything that we’ve developed so far.”

NEWS | NOVEMBER 2023

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STRIKE OUT. Historic Kaiser Permanente strike reflects national healthcare understaffing crisis

BY ALYSSA YANG

For the sake of maintaining his anonymity in this story, a physician at Kaiser Permanente will be referred to as Physician A.

A

merica’s largest healthcare strike in history ended on Friday, Oct. 13, when Kaiser Permanente and its coalition of unions reached a tentative deal. Seventy-five thousand Kaiser Permanente workers nationwide hit strike lines from Oct. 5 to 7, arguing that Kaiser’s under-staffing crisis was hurting patients.

The contract promises a 21% salary increase over the next four years to retain current workers. Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) played the largest role in October’s Kaiser strike. SEIU-UHW Press Secretary Renée Saldaña says striking was crucial to the union’s goal of ensuring “affordable, accessible, high quality health care for all Californians.”

“This strike is what happens when workers stand together and all decide to withhold their labor in order to show how valuable it is,” Saldaña said.

10 EL ESTOQUE | NOVEMBER 2023

“Sometimes it takes employers to have a strike at their facility to really understand how serious healthcare workers are about the short staffing crisis, about needing to make a living fair wage here in California and about them really being able to give the best patient care possible.”

Saldaña recalls learning that a Kaiser facility in Sacramento was operating with half its usual number of respiratory therapists, w o r k e r s responsible for helping patients who have trouble breathing. One therapist told Saldaña she was often forced to make snap judgments on who seemed to be “at risk of dying sooner.”

“Would you want that to be your grandparents or your niece or nephew in the NICU that’s having to deal with hospital workers not being able to get to them because there’s not enough staff?” Saldaña said. “Understaffing can be a life and death situation for patients, especially for people in

emergency departments and intensive care units.”

For freshman Kara Wong, sports injuries during middle school made scheduling appointments through her family’s Kaiser plan a frequent experience. Though the process wasn’t always painless, she believes that given the difficulty of being a licensed medical worker, it’s only natural appointments aren’t always available when people need them.

“Medical professions don’t have many people because it’s hard to go through all the school and training,” Wong said.

Understaffing in healthcare isn’t a new issue — sources such as TIME and the NIH say US hospitals have lost hundreds of thousands of workers since the COVID-19 pandemic, reflecting the heavy physical and mental toll that has accompanied healthcare professions for decades.

Matthew Artz, a spokesperson for

SCAN FOR MORE COVERAGE

the National Union of Healthcare Artz says NUHW represents a group Workers, explains that healthcare of mental health workers at Kaiser workers’ leverage to address that who are also struggling with being comes from how understaffed. tremendously Many are leaving costly strikes are Kaiser and going for hospitals. into private All in all, costs practice, where can add up they have far to millions, more flexibility. providing a The results convincing of October’s f i n a n c i a l strike may be component to a significant an otherwise step toward moral argument. addressing those B a y issues. However, Area Kaiser Physician A employee isn’t optimistic.

Physician A He says that in believes that the end, strikes SEIU-UHW PRESS oftentimes, have happened SECRETARY striking workers before RENÉE SALDAÑA a n d are also more concerned about will making a living wage, with patients’ continue to happen safety being less critical. He’s noticed again. He believes understaffing in medical facilities but sooner or later, sees it as a longstanding issue the there will be country is grappling with, not as an a breaking immediate threat to patients’ lives. point in “Everybody’s busy, from certified w h i c h nursing assistants, to nurses, to Kaiser and therapists, to doctors,” Physician A the unions said. “Medicine is not an easy field, will finally because you save lives. It’s not like be unable to IT where you’re sitting in front of a compromise. computer, doing one step by one step, U l t i m a t e l y, and there’s no rush. For hospitals, Physician A says healthcare, you’re always busy.”

Kaiser employees The deal on Oct. 13 raised the trust that unions minimum wage for Kaiser workers to and Kaiser executives $25 per hour within California and will come to terms, but $23 per hour in other states. Since they tend to take results Physician A considers the cost of living of negotiations at face in California to be extremely high, he value. For the most part, understands why Kaiser workers here he and his colleagues who are asking for higher wages. However, aren’t able to or choose not he doesn’t think workers in other to strike simply wait until states are entirely justified. According they can resume treating to what he’s heard, even within patients at full capacity.

California, Kaiser is already paying its Saldaña emphasizes employees far more than most other that striking is a last resort healthcare employers. for workers in their fight However, this doesn’t necessarily for safe staffing. Raising hold true for all Kaiser employees. their own wages is just one

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MILLIONS OF AMERICANS ARE GOING TO BE SAFER BECAUSE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF HEALTHCARE WORKERS FOUGHT AND WON.

part in a long series of negotiations, which includes many provisions and initiatives to ensure patients receive quality care. Reopening medical facilities with improved procedures is also striking workers’ ideal scenario — they just need to feel heard and respected by their employers before that can happen.

“Millions of Americans are going to be safer because tens of thousands of dedicated health care workers fought for and won these critical resources that they and patients need,” Saldaña said. “We’re just really thrilled that this historic agreement that they got is going to help set a higher standard for the healthcare industry, not only in California, but nationwide.”

NEWS | NOVEMBER 2023

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MF B L I D VVN NP K QC QCZ SHKIAD XDIENE ES F Q L I N V N S K Q RI U I GG GGR R L ESI ESI ISK T RI Y V Q Z D R H E L G XV MB WK U CY O KZ Exploring the often unacknowledged conditions MVHS community members live with

BY MEGGIE CHEN, JILLIAN JU, TARYN LAM, SUHANA MAHABAL, DAHLIA SHILLING AND MIHIR VISHWARUPE

FD N ZO P I A B F G GN N SF K P I N VN S K Q E

PLEASE DESCRIBE

your health condition Six anonymous MVHS students share their experience

22% “

BY MEGGIE CHEN AND DAHLIA SCHILLING

of MVHS students have clinical depression or anxiety *According to a survey of 117 people

“

I have GERD (or chronic acid reflux), aka the acid in my stomach insists on being in my esophagus. Depending on the day, it can have a severe impact on the intensity of exercise I can participate in, the food I can eat and sometimes the ways in which I have to sleep.”

18% *According to a survey of 118 people

“ 11% of MVHS students struggle with insomnia

*According to a survey of 115 people

“

Anorexia manifests I have itself as me hating trichotillomania, which is compulsive my body and wanting to eat and uncontrollable less and work out periods of pulling more so that I can out your own hair. achieve that ideal I tend not to do it beauty.” too much in school or around people, and when it does happen, I think people just assume it’s like biting on of MVHS students your nails or not have had or have an eating that it’s that big of disorder a deal, but really it’s a reflection of my mental health.”

I get into a mindset

I have ADHD, and it affects my life because I struggle with things others have no problem with. I find that I see things differently than a lot of other people do.”

“

that I’m ‘smart enough’ to be functioning at the highest level, and the reason I’m not is because I’m a terrible person, so on and so forth.”

FEATURES | NOVEMBER 2023

13

RESHAPING HER JOURNEY Exploring senior Brianna Young’s experience with scoliosis

BY TARYN LAM AND SUHANA MAHABAL

D

PHOTO | SUHANA MAHABAL

14 EL ESTOQUE | NOVEMBER 2023

uring the pandemic, current Homestead High School senior and previous MVHS student Brianna Young was diagnosed with scoliosis. For Young, one of the most impactful parts was having to wear a back brace when going back to school during the period of hybrid learning.

“I had to wear this huge plastic thing and sit in the tiny school chairs,” Young said. “It impacted my self esteem in a way because, prior to that, I was really interested in changing my fashion or my style and then [the brace] impacted what I could wear and whatnot. It was hard to express myself and it was super bulky so [it was] not necessarily something I could hide.”

Young was diagnosed with scoliosis when she was 13 years old. Based on the diagnosis, her spine followed an S-curve, which appears as two twists in the spine, typically a smaller curvature on top and a larger one below.

Prior to the diagnosis, Young noticed common symptoms of the condition including back pain and an uneven back profile. However, the news came as a surprise to Young’s mother, Amy Wang.

“Initially, there were some thoughts like, ‘Well, how did we miss this?

How did it become so bad?’” Wang said. “It was a condition before it was discovered or before we took her to see a medical professional, so there was a little bit of shock [and] guilt, as a parent. I was also just feeling really worried, too.”

According to Young, scoliosis comes with a handful of stereotypes and misconceptions. For example, Young has heard people say that scoliosis can be caused by bad posture, which she learned to be a false statement.

“Sometimes there’s things that play into it, like if you are taller for your age or whatnot, or if you just grow really

fast or have growth spurts,” Young said. “But then a lot of people have the misconception that if you don’t sit up straight you’re gonna get scoliosis. It doesn’t work like that.”

Following the diagnosis, Young and Wang both found themselves deep in research. Additionally, Wang also managed to connect with an online support group.

“As a result [of joining the group], it felt less scary because we were able to talk about it and [see] that a lot of other people had the same condition,” Wang said. “I think just knowing what to expect really helped me feel more comfortable with everything [and it was] important for me [to] be part of that community.”

One of the biggest challenges Young faced during her journey with scoliosis was navigating the large number of treatments available to her. From posture-altering devices to physical therapy, scoliosis treatment comes in a variety of different methods. The first professional Young went to was a chiropractor, who helped identify that scoliosis was the issue. After that, Young started bracing, where she wore a plastic device to correct their spine, and then physical therapy to do various stretches and posture correcting exercises.

“Those two types of therapy are ideal for people that are still growing [and] haven’t completely finished puberty,” Young said. “I didn’t enjoy it because it took a lot of consistency and discipline. [The brace was] hard plastic and pretty thick and I’d have to sleep with it. That was honestly kind of hard to breathe [in] and it was just really uncomfortable.”

Young and her doctors also found physical therapy unhelpful, which made it an unnecessary expense. The cost of scoliosis treatments added up quickly, making it essential to find a solution. The next tier after physical therapy was surgery, an option that quickly became plausible to Young and Wang after thorough research.

In February of 2022, Young and Wang went to the East Coast to consult with various surgeons. Through

Wang’s research and support groups, they found surgeons in New York and New Jersey.

“As I got more information about [the surgery], I felt less scared [since] finding the right doctors made me feel more comfortable,” Wang said. “[Brianna] was very sure she wanted to get the surgery [but] I was unsure about that initially. I think it was me trying to work through that [initial uncertainty] and then supporting her and also listening to her wishes along the way.”

During the summer of 2022, Young went back to New York to receive anterior scoliosis correction to change the bottom curve, with the hopes that it would help straighten out her top curve. Although it wasn’t the most enjoyable trip because Young was stuck in her hotel room for a majority of the time, Young and Wang describe the surgery as relatively straightforward.

For Young, the aftermath of the surgery presented more of a challenge than the actual surgery itself. Some side effects included difficulty walking and nerve pain from the pain medication. Despite these effects, Young appreciates the outcome of the surgery.

“Since surgery, I definitely feel a lot more confident in the way my back is shaped,” Young said. “[After the surgery], the degree of my curves is not 100% perfect — it’s not zero degrees. But it’s definitely in the single digits when before my curves ranged between 50 degrees to 35, [but now] the bottom one’s less than nine degrees and the top one’s about nine degrees, so that’s a big correction.”

Additionally, while Young faced

the lingering effects of the surgery, her boyfriend, Brian Park, helped Young through a variety of methods such as giving her back massages and providing her with emotional support. “[This experience] taught me to be able to empathize better and take the role of the supporter,” Park said. “In a relationship, it’s essential for the two partners to support each other. I always try to make her happy, [so I tried to] encourage her and [give] her hope.”

With the support of her family and boyfriend, Young was able to recover in the span of a few months.

Additionally, Young’s experience with scoliosis has pushed her to want to pursue a medical career in the future.

“I do have health struggles [and] in a way I do associate it with my identity, just because having health issues has really propelled me towards [pursuing] a career path in medicine,” Young said.

“My overall experience [with scoliosis] has contributed a lot to my knowledge of the human body. Even though ideally I wouldn’t have scoliosis, in a way it has connected me with different people and really opened my eyes to what chronic pain is.”

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panish and French teacher Joyce Fortune began to notice that there was an issue with her vision in elementary school. However, due to the rarity of her condition, Fortune’s doctors could not properly diagnose her. It wasn’t until she turned 16 that she was diagnosed with macular degeneration, a rare eye condition in which the center of the retina have pigment cells that overproduce pigment. This damages the sight cells, causing central blind spots and affecting vision over time.

“When I was born, my eyes were clear, but then it got worse over time,” Fortune said. “For me, it was awesome [when I was diagnosed] because then I knew it wasn’t my fault that I couldn’t see.”

Fortune’s condition impacted her high school experience because her vision presented additional hurdles to overcome. For instance, she felt alienated from other students her age because there were simply things she couldn’t see. “[Throughout] my childhood, I always felt really outside of people in groups, because there’s a lot of clues that I wasn’t getting [and] things I wasn’t seeing,” Fortune said.

“I remember walking down the hall in high school and I would walk with my friend Michelle, who would tell me who was coming so I could say hello [to them].”

Though Fortune struggled to navigate her school life with her visual impairment, Fortune’s mother chose to keep her out of special education classes, due to her mother’s stigma against special education. Though this helped Fortune learn the importance of independence, Fortune also found it difficult to ask for help.

“I was at Stanford in my freshman year and I was in Western Culture and I had to read hundreds of pages

‘‘

be difficult for Fortune to assist her, especially because Nikki has dyslexia.

Nonetheless, James and Fortune say they continue to build happy memories together through the challenges Fortune faces. “[My favorite memory] is probably sitting by the campfire because we have a firepit,” Nikki said. “[Fortune] will see the glowing of the fire and she loves the fire. We all just sit together on the couch and sometimes the dog will jump up. We just like doing that because we all see the fire and the beauty of the backyard.”

Fortune hopes that people can understand that individuals with disabilities have different experiences and recognize that all individuals have their own unique needs. In addition, she values the importance of individuals who have challenges they deal with to stand up for themselves and ask for help.

“We all have things that make us different, that are different from the world around us,” Fortune said. “And we have to step up and say, ‘This is what we need,’ ‘This is how I’m different,’ ‘This is what is important to me,’ ‘This is how whatever you did was problematic’ or ‘This is how I need this service or support.’”

a week, and I just was like, ‘I can’t do fault but it’s my problem. I have to this anymore,’” Fortune said. “And I fix this problem even though I didn’t was reading Augustine’s Confessions, cause it.”

Despite the challenges, Fortune which is a super boring book and it has a lot of italics. And [reading] italics finds joy in various activities such as is worse for me to try and figure out. traveling, something that she and her So I went to the Disability Resource husband James Tank love. Tank notes that Fortune’s Center and said ability to ‘Help’ and cried, speak multiple because I had languages, never really such as asked for help.”

F r e n c h , Afterward German and students came Swedish, have in to read especially textbooks aloud helped during to Fortune, their travels to which helped Europe. her throughout In addition, college.

After F o r t u n e this experience, Fortune realized enjoys doing contradancing the importance as well as of advocating listening to for her needs.

“When people are [legally] blind, audiobooks and has influenced her you know what they see, and when family to take on this hobby as well. people are fully sighted, you [also] Her daughter, Nikki Tank, says she know what they see,” Fortune said. uses the audiobooks for homework “When people are visually impaired, readings and during commutes.

“We listen to different books it’s hard to know how much they see and how much they don’t see. [For [because] it’s 45 minutes of listening example,] my husband [and I] have [driving] in to work and 45 minutes been together for 27 years and he still of listening going back doesn’t know what I see and don’t see. home — that’s So [usually,] people think I see better what Joyce has than I do, because most of the time I’m introduced to the James pretty highly functional. That’s kind of family,” the frustration — I know you think I’m said. “Some of Nikki’s school fine, but I’m really not.”

Due to Fortune’s visual impairment, texts are on she asks TAs to proctor testing audio, so she periods for all of her classes. Because can listen to of this year’s declining enrollment, [them] too.”

H o w e v e r, Fortune has struggled to find TAs, and are is currently still looking for one for fifth there some struggles period. family “I’m still looking for a fifth period the TA because everybody’s busy and e n c o u n t e r s I understand that people aren’t as a result of available but it’s this angst because I Fortune’s visual don’t want to give tests that are easy i m p a i r m e n t . example, to cheat on,” Fortune said. “I need to For Nikki solve this, so this may be something when you might hear a lot if you talk to needs help for people with disabilities: It’s not my homework, it can

FEATURES | NOVEMBER 2023

MORE THAN SKIN-DEEP Exploring one student’s journey living with eczema

BY JILLIAN JU AND VARUN SINGH

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or as long as he can remember, senior Nathan Liu has lived with eczema. From an early age, he has taken antibiotics and tried to keep the scratching at a minimum, but his relationship with the condition has shifted over the years.

“I was diagnosed really early on, acording to my parents,” Liu said. “It was when I was 6 months old, when we went to Taiwan. That’s when they found out I had eczema, and ever since I’ve been with it.”

Eczema, which encompasses seven types of inflammatory skin conditions, affects around 30% of the U.S. population. Symptoms include persistent rashes and itchy skin, but the condition can fluctuate based on environmental factors. Liu’s condition has also changed throughout his life, and he recalls that the worst period for his eczema was between third and seventh grade.

Apart from the fluctuating condition of his eczema, what Liu notes is how his physical restrictions often translated to social restrictions. Liu was unable to play on grass when he was young, limiting his ability to hang out with friends. His earliest memories involve hiding his skin and “acting normal” to not attract too much attention, especially alongside his food allergies, which limited his ability to grow taller.

“Having eczema and also having severe food allergies made growing up a bit difficult because I’d be the shortest person most of the time,” Liu said. “And so oftentimes, I would either get bullied for my height or how I looked. I think I was called a troll once.”

Although Liu tries not to let it bother him anymore, he acknowledges that the stigma surrounding eczema still exists.

“I think the stigma that people have

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around people with eczema is that it’s contagious even though there isn’t any contagious part of it,” Liu said. “And also the misconception that we can’t do a lot of stuff, but in reality we can — sometimes we feel uncomfortable or we get uncomfortable doing it.”

For example, while Liu’s eczema can make standing out in the sun or sweating especially uncomfortable, it doesn’t entirely prevent him from playing baseball. He has become experienced in finding solutions to these problems, such as applying more sunscreen and taking time to cool off away from the sun.

Despite living with the condition, Liu currently plays for the school baseball team, having started in fourth grade when his friend introduced him to Little League. While he plays for fun rather than competitively, Baseball coach Shawn Voigt appreciates the role Liu plays on the team.

“Nathan has always been just an amazing member of our program, and has probably saved it with a couple other players that graduated last year, going into COVID,” Voigt said. “He kept the momentum going, led fundraising, led recruitment efforts …

I’ve really appreciated it since day one.”

Aside from baseball, Liu is also involved in the Girls Basketball team, acting as the team manager and a TA for English teacher Sara Borelli, who is also the Girls Basketball coach.

As the team manager, he updates the

team statistics and MaxPreps page, and his efficiency helps Borelli focus on other tasks. Over time, she came to know him as a helpful and outgoing person open regardless of his eczema.

“I think he’s very mature in regards to the way he handles his eczema,” Borelli said. “He doesn’t complain about it. I know it affects him, but he’s not somebody that complains and allows it to change who he is as a person.”

Through his various experiences, Liu has observed that other people’s focus on his skin limits his ability to share who he really is, and that he has more to offer beyond that.

“I think the only thing I really wish people had known is to not think that I would be afraid to talk about it,” Liu said. “I feel like if they had come and asked me I would be more open to talk about it, instead of them going right off the bat by saying, ‘Why does your skin look like that?’ with some negative connotation. I feel like there are better ways to get to know me.”

PHOTO | VARUN SINGH

TAKE OUR OCTOBER NEWS QUIZ

Test your knowledge of key events from October

BY LILLIAN WANG AND BRANDON XU

5 Politics

Who the leading Whichwas construction Republican candidate project has recently during the been continuedCalifornia recall underelection? the Biden Administration?

6 Sports Which school did Varsity Football defeat at the other school’s Homecoming game?

1 Reunion

7 Drugs

Who was the leading The Cupertino Republican candidate Rotary Club hosted during the California a presentation about recall election? which opioid on Oct. 20?

Which MVHS class had a reunion on Oct. 14?

2 Wildfire

8 Congress

What is the name of the winds spreading a South California wildfire that has forced thousands of evacuations?

Who was elected speaker of the House of Representatives following several weeks of stalemate?

3 Safety

9 Holiday

Who thewas leading Whichwas festival Republican candidate hosted at Memorial during the California Park on Oct. 14? recall election?

On what date did thousands of schools worldwide participate in International ShakeOut Day?

4 Space What astronomical event was visible from Cupertino on Oct. 14?

ILLUSTRATIONS | LILLIAN WANG

Which territory did Israel launch a “complete siege” of, following a Palestinian militant attack?

1) MVHS Class of 1973; 2) Santa Ana Winds; 3) Oct. 19; 4) Solar Eclipse; 5) Mexico-U.S. border wall; 6) Lynbrook High School; 7) Fentanyl; 8) Mike Johnson; 9) Diwali; 10) Gaza Strip

Answers:

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NEWS | NOVEMBER 2023

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BEYOND THE Schools should not be ranked solely by their academic achievements

A

s the 2022-2023 school year us have access to tutors and college comes to a close and students counselors, giving us an academic take their final standardized tests advantage over those who don’t have of the year, MVHS updates its school access to the same resources.

Additionally, studies have shown profile with the final breakdown of scores – a whopping 43% of students a strong association between better scored at least one 5 on an AP exam. academics, higher test scores and higher However, this socioeconomic academic status. In a victory for 2013 paper the school OPINION OF THE EL ESTOQUE titled “Race, masks a Poverty and different EDITORIAL BOARD SAT Scores,” r e a l i t y for many students, who may have researchers from the University of experienced challenges to their Pennsylvania and the University of Southern California found that more mental well-being.

MVHS was recently ranked 105th affluent students earned higher SAT nationwide and 13th in California scores in comparison to their lowby the 2023 U.S. News & World income peers.

When wealthier students are Report. The ranking, based on academic performance, comprises able to achieve better test scores six components, including a College because of the tangibility of better Readiness Index, State Assessment opportunities and high schools Proficiency and Graduation Rate. This are ranked purely based on these statistic-based approach to evaluating academic aspects, such rankings are each school uses data derived no longer an indication of the overall from the various standardized tests school being “good” or “bad.” Instead, students take such as AP exams, SAT, it’s simply a reflection of which ACT and CAASPP. These statistics schools have students who have more may seem straightforward, however, financial support and fewer barriers to it’s important to recognize the deeper learning. Rather than truly reflecting meaning behind these numbers and, our school’s performance, these datain turn, why they shouldn’t define driven rankings detract from the big students and their respective schools. picture — whether our school is a While MVHS falls into the top positive learning community.

Now, this doesn’t mean students 0.006% of schools across the U.S., basing the rating solely on academic shouldn’t take advantage of the factors isn’t doing schools that have resources they have at hand or lower socioeconomic status justice. discredit any of the effort put into Here in Cupertino, we are privileged studying. In fact, a majority of MVHS — the median household income students strive for success in many was $199,778 in 2021, compared aspects of our high school experiences, to the national median household including academics, extracurriculars income, which was $70,784. Many of and community-building. We try to

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achieve better than our best. But the quality of our education itself — it’s hard to measure without accounting for extraneous factors.

Our school’s ranking shouldn’t be a determining factor for whether it is “good” or not. Instead, we should look at how MVHS aims to support not only our academic environment but also student wellness and mental health, as both intellectual and social-emotional learning are crucial to shaping us as students — and ultimately, people. In order to make our school top-tier, we need to create an environment that allows all students to feel comfortable and safe and a place where students feel they can perform their best without competition.

We already see MVHS taking strides toward this goal. In the areas of wellness, there has been the development of the Social Emotional Learning and Equity Task Force (SEEC), the implementation of the Wellness room and an increased emphasis on equitable grading practices to help address and mitigate these issues.

There is so much more to a school than the numbers we see on a screen.

We need to learn to recognize that a single ranking doesn’t really show us the entire picture. With our community already stepping forward to make a difference, we can strive to implement more changes such as encouraging greater communication among parents, students and teachers, and introducing more practical methods of stress-relief. To truly live up to its reputation of being “good,” we need to continue building a school community where academic achievement is valued in equal measure to student, staff and parent well-being.

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PHOTO | FIRSTNAME LASTNAME

ILLUSTRATION | APRIL WANG

ETHICS IN EDUCATION Examining ethical dilemmas faced by the MVHS community

BY ANIKA BHANDARKAR, NIVEDA HARI, AARYAN SHARMA, APRIL WANG AND ASHA WOJCIECHOWSKI OPINION | NOVEMBER 2023

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*COUGH COUGH*

How MVHS school culture has forced people to make ethically questionable decisions around coming to school when sick

BY NIVEDA HARI AND ASHA WOJCIECHOWSKI

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t’s official. Red, runny noses, loud school while ill are immediately visible. coughing fits and trash cans piling Pre-pandemic ideas about powering up with tissues — flu season has through sickness paired with the postpandemic idea that it’s OK to attend commenced.

Students at MVHS are falling sick, school as long as you don’t have but there has been a distinct change COVID-19 have all contributed to this in attitude around coming to school ill behavior, but clearly, these ideas are compared to two years ago. During the flawed.

Referencing COVID-19 guidelines COVID-19 pandemic, people stayed home when they were sick or showing around avoiding transmission, many symptoms for the sake of protecting sick students justify coming to others. In contrast, our school is school by donning a mask. However, moving towards an environment masks alone are not enough in many where many come to school despite cases. Masks are designed to limit the spread of respiratory viruses, being sick.

In the past few weeks as but are less effective in preventing temperatures have cooled, there the transmission of viruses like the has been a significant increase in common flu, which also spread from the number of students attending exposure to contaminated surfaces school while sick, something that or objects. Proper hand hygiene and many students at MVHS can attest containment of infected bodily fluids to. In fact, in a survey 55% of MVHS are necessary in addition to masks to students reported having attended properly prevent spread, but are much more difficult to school while sick. maintain while The sheer amount at school than of people falling at home. sick may seem like The CDC nothing unusual has stressed as flu season the importance takes hold, but of staying when one pauses home from to think about the school while implications of have come to school while sick sick and taking so many people *According to a survey of 141 people preventative continuing to attend measures school despite their condition, a question arises: is it against spreading illness. Many of these are spread in more ways ethical?

The short answer is no — coming than COVID-19’s purely respiratory to school with a contagious sickness transmission, and according to The risks infecting others in our community National Library of Medicine, “Schools who are more vulnerable to adverse inherently foster transmission of effects from infections, such as infections as a result of shared immunocompromised people. As supplies and equipment, enclosed such behavior can directly harm the environments, and insufficient hand, health of MVHS students and staff, surface, and respiratory hygiene the ethical problems with attending practices.”

55%

of MVHS students

Clearly, coming to school infected is not an ethical course of action and is directly detrimental to the health of our school community. However, this decision of the students in question to come to school is more complicated than it appears at face value.

MVHS school culture has brought students to a point where they are uncomfortable taking a day off from school, even for the sake of their own health.

Many students note experiences of coming to s c h o o l f e e l i n g horrible just to take a test or sit through a lecture.

T h e intense workload a n d competitive environment created by MVHS staff, parents and even other students invokes an intense fear of falling behind in classes.

Even though toughing it out to avoid a load of make-up work later seems like a good decision, students are actually much more likely to perform badly. Working while sick can lead to loss of productivity, bad quality of work and less motivation to get tasks done, which means that students are not only risking their and other’s health by coming to school, but also risking their grades by attempting to perform highly demanding work while their body is in a lessthan-ideal condition.

The excessive prioritization of

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academics over physical and mental well-being at our school can only be described as unhealthy.

Parents, teachers and students all need to recognize that it should be OK to take a day off once in a while, and that one’s health should be prioritized over academic validation. However, many obstacles still exist to having this mindset.

Many students believe that administrators put a lot of emphasis on attendance, thinking that there are penalties for missing school for too many days or thinking that absences are recorded on high school transcripts. These rumors misinform students that missing school can affect college applications due to the presence of attendance on transcripts. In reality, this is just a myth that has been debunked, yet continues to influence decisions around attendance.

Policies around absences are consistent among teachers, commonly allowing only an equivalent amount of time as the absence duration to make up work. While this may initially seem fair, these policies do not take into account the time needed to complete current materials on top of missed content, often ending with the student’s workload doubling

ILLUSTRATION BY APRIL WANG

or even tripling for a period after their absence. This can cause even more intense mental and physical strain for students still recovering from sickness or coming back from dealing with personal matters.

Additionally, at present many teachers do not post agendas or class lecture material on online resources like Schoology. Posting online copies of in-class worksheets, homework, etc. could be game-changing for recovering students with time on their hands at home.

If more teachers did this along with extending their current absence policies, students could catch up on lectures and keep up with their classes from home while not having to worry about excess workload with strict deadlines once they return, overall reducing the physical and mental stress on students so they can continue performing well.

Ultimately, putting yourself, other students and faculty at risk just to attend school is ethically wrong.

However, the factors that drive people to make these unethical decisions all stem from a familiar place of MVHS culture around academics. Actions have to be taken so that these ways of thinking do not push students to the point of choosing academics over their own health.

Every student at MVHS will inevitably face illness at some point in their high school careers. In the long run, it is unreasonable to go forward with the mindset that missing a few days of school is going to have an impact on the futures that students here are working so hard towards. We are humans, not machines. For your health and for your future, it is more than worth it to take a day off to cough at home.

GRAPHICS BY ASHA WOJCIECHOWSKI

OPINION| NOVEMBER 2023

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PERFORMATIVE GROWTH Doing extracurriculars for the sake of college creates ignorance that can be unethical

BY APRIL WANG

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any college essay prompts ask to see some sort of growth, whether emotional, intellectual, physical or otherwise. Unfortunately, this also leads people to question whether their own lives are too boring or mundane to constitute a good essay, especially at MVHS where students are so hyperfocused on

ILLUSTRATION | APRIL WANG

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crafting a good college application. In fact, it’s a very common complaint to hear from seniors writing essays that “I don’t know what to write because I haven’t done anything interesting enough,” and it’s a very common mindset for people to do activities simply to put them on their resume.

We immediately capitalize on any little sparks of passion or interest and turn them into a club, a volunteer organization or a competitive skill.

However, activities become especially unethical when they i n v o l v e c h a r i t y

EL ESTOQUE | NOVEMBER 2023

“

(volunteering or donating) that is done solely for slapping it on a college application. It’s easy to see charity as the perfect opportunity to obtain that sob story that can be milked into a college essay and personal growth that is so much more “interesting” to see on a college application.

However, a big flaw in the college preparation process is using prestigious activities as shallow proof of character, which is often fueled by charity extracurriculars. This comes in the form of voluntourism, the practice that may include people from first-world countries traveling to third-world countries to do charity while exploring and touring the area. Voluntourism is not uncommon — people will travel to foreign countries to build houses, volunteer at orphanages and teach at schools, all for no longer than a week.

Charity is never inherently bad. But charity also only exists because there is inequity in the world that has to be addressed through charity. Building houses or working at orphanages are wonderful, and probably uplifting for the few people they reach, but oftentimes they are a temporary solution to a problem caused by social issues. They can even further exacerbate those social issues because voluntourism is, at its core, an industry that wants to make money.

Again, this is not to discourage people from doing such volunteering.

However, social work requires dedication and understanding of the

CHANGE STARTS WITH YOUR OWN COMMUNITY, NOT IN A FAR OFF COUNTRY WITH ISSUES YOU CAN BARELY SPEAK TO.

ILLUSTRATION | APRIL WANG

cause in the same way that honing a skill requires time, energy and knowledge. Even without a natural passion for charity, it is far more off-putting to work simply for the experience than it is to continuously put effort into volunteering, researching and addressing deeper issues. Change starts with your own community, one that you care about and know deeply, not a far-off country with issues you can barely speak to.

It’s also a common argument that doing charity is a way to appreciate what you have and foster empathy.

Empathy is great, but other people don’t exist to be your life lessons on a college essay.

Not only is it unethical to use other people as a shortcut and replacement for personal growth, but it’s also a disservice to yourself to try and force some sort of life-changing journey.

Many people have a misconception that they need to have done something “dramatic” for a university to deem them worthy, but it’s impossible to quantify it through material value like a number of awards or volunteering hours. They might help, but not everyone can even have access to these arbitrary measurements. Growth is internal and being able to show off trophies or a volunteer service award has nothing to do with that. It sounds cheesy to say, but it’s the journey, not the destination, that matters.

Personal growth and exploring your interests are not mutually exclusive things. There’s no need to sacrifice seemingly “uninteresting” or “useless” hobbies for the sake of doing what you think best fits your college path.

Change often begins with someone’s unique insight into an issue. Maybe you realize how hard extracurricular education is to obtain through playing piano or you discover that local animals are becoming displaced through a

habit of taking evening walks. These insights can apply to any major because you’ve gone through that genuine, passion-fueled discovery process. Personal growth means personal investment, so we need to think small, not big, and our passions can snowball far beyond our greatest expectations.

Everyone is interesting in their own way. Your activities don’t have to align perfectly with what you want to study in college. It’s those small, seemingly insignificant quirks, like an obsession with dogs or an interest in birdwatching, that make someone unique and their journey worth following, not

winning a trophy or receiving an honor for charity work that hundreds of people have already done.

OPINION | NOVEMBER 2023

25

WHAT DID YOU GET?

How the MVHS community has made it ethically OK to inquire about someone else’s grades

BY AARYAN SHARMA

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t’s fifth period and your teacher hands back the math test your class took last week. You thought you did well but the 64% marked in red pen at the top of the paper says otherwise, leaving an empty void inside your chest. As the teacher tells the class to keep their scores private, you look down at your paper feeling disappointed in your performance.

That is, until you turn and steal a glance at an even lower score on the paper sitting on the desk next to you, giving you a small dose of validation.

MVHS students have made it clear they are comfortable asking another student about their grade. It’s become normal to ask someone what they got on an assignment or test because we want to know how they did compared to ourselves. When someone does worse, we tend to feel better because we know someone in the class sets the bar lower.

But we should understand that it isn’t OK to ask for grades. In fact, it’s unethical. Contrary to the belief that asking for another’s grade is normal, it is more so invasive and information that should be kept private. Often our peers judge us or make assumptions as to what grade we got or how smart they think we are. We develop ideas of classmates from knowing their grades, and how smart they are compared to us, and this is something that needs to

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change.

An article from Clinical Partners talks about how we look at people as inspiration to drive ourselves to do better; however, we also compare ourselves with those who are worse than us.

The article points out that if you take comparisons to the next level, it can “lead to negative feelings of envy, low selfesteem, low self-

FEELING VALIDATED FROM SOMEONE ELSE’S FAILURE SHOULD TELL YOU A LOT MORE ABOUT YOURSELF THAN THEM.

there is a boundary between your grade and another student’s, even if they may be your friend.

At a school like MVHS where we strive to be the best, we must realize that it is unsustainable to constantly base self-validation on another person’s grades compared to yours.

confidence and isolation.”

This is a quality that can inhibit most of our thoughts and possibly lead to giving up on ourselves quicker.

At MVHS, 81.5% of

students have asked another about their grade on a test, while 95% have been asked about a grade. However, it’s not your responsibility to know another student’s score on a test — it’s theirs.

This mindset is essential since we as students need to recognize that ILLUSTRATIONS | APRIL WANG

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EL ESTOQUE | NOVEMBER 2023

An article by The Conversation points out how grade obsession puts a strain on a student’s mental health saying, “A fixation on grades can lower students’ self-esteem and life satisfaction,” adding that the increases in anxiety and suicidal tendencies that grade obsession can have with peer and teacher relationships.

However, we can fix this. MVHS students lack healthy relationships with their grades and peers, and it shows.

A teacher should feel obligated to call a student out for trying to get another peer to share their score, using that situation as an example of why the

class should not have to share if they don’t want to. But instead teachers should only share with students in private if that’s information that not all students want to hear in front of the class.

But most importantly, students are the ones that need to learn to change their mindset. We have to hold ourselves accountable and realize that it is unethical to ask for somebody’s grade and expect an answer because we do not have the right to know. You only drive yourself more insane by giving so much attention to another person’s score.

Instead, hold back and ask yourself if the test that your friend told you they felt bad about comes back scored ­— do you really need to know what they got?

Because feeling validated from someone else’s failure should tell you a lot more about yourself than about them.

95%

of MVHS students have been asked about a test grade *According to a survey of 142 people

82%

of MVHS students admit to asking another peer about a test grade *According to a survey of 142 people

31%

of MVHS students say they don’t feel comfortable sharing their test grades *According to a survey of 140 people

OPINION | NOVEMBER 2023

27

F--- THIS

Rethinking how we approach swearing at school

BY ANIKA BHANDARKAR

I

know the f-word, do you?”

As early as elementary school, I can remember swear words being akin to a form of currency — students exchanged swear words, often whispering them at recess or when teachers weren’t paying attention.

Recently, my brother, a fourthgrader, told me about an incident in which one of his peers said the n-word in class. It immediately reminded me of my own experience in elementary school, when students were spelling out swear words, completely unaware of the racist, sexist and homophobic implications behind many of them.

As high schoolers, we have learned the history behind slurs through various advisories and emails, but no such education is present in elementary school. We are taught that all swear words are inherently bad words that we shouldn’t say anywhere — whether in school, at home or in private.

Despite this discouragement from teachers and parents, students still swear — this socially constructed taboo surrounding swearing places an unnecessary emphasis on it, making it even more appealing to students and leading them to swear even more when unmonitored. More importantly, it perpetuates the idea that all swear words are the same: to children who don’t know better, racist ephitets are bad in the same way profanity like the f-word is bad, which could cause them to use harmful slurs and less harmful swear words indiscriminately until they learn better. students Instead of dissuading st from saying any swear ar word, we need to work to dec deconstruct the taboo boos surrounding the words. Profanity surroun shouldn’t be seen as inherently harmful — it can serve as a perfectly harmless form of emotional expression. In fact, occasional swearing can have positive

elevated endorphin and serotonin levels and an overall sense of calm, control and well-being.

It is necessary that students are able to see a clear distinction between harmful and harmless profane phrases — there is a sizable difference between using a slur and letting out a “f--- yeah!” in response to something.

Teaching students that words such as the n-word, which is linked with years of violence against Black Americans, and the b-word, designed as a derogatory term for women seen as “promiscuous,” shouldn’t be said just because they’re swear words allows the harmful ideologies behind them to persist. Slurs are a reflection of years of discrimination that led to the creation of these words and acknowledging this history,

however painful or uncomfortable it may be, is an essential step towards eliminating discrimination.

Students must also be taught that even phrases that don’t contain slurs can be harmful — it is important to consider intent, context, audience and tone when determining if a phrase is acceptable. Using profanity in a directed manner with a negative intent is harmful, but using

ILLUSTRATIONS | APRIL WANG

28

EL ESTOQUE | NOVEMBER 2023

swear words in phrases that aren’t directed at anyone should be perfectly acceptable.

Furthermore, students must learn to emotionally express themselves in a multitude of ways — letting out an f-bomb in a casual environment once in a while is perfectly fine, but we should be able to not only express ourselves in many different ways, but also know when a situation calls for professionalism.

Teaching students how and when it is OK to s w e a r ,

even if it means teaching kids exactly which swear words are OK to use, can help destigmatize harmless swearing and acknowledge the history behind harmful slurs. Ultimately, the words we use are a means of self-expression, and making sure that we can articulate our emotions without hurting others is necessary to help us communicate better.

COMMON

SWEAR WORDS AND THEIR HISTORIES

F---

originates from the Germanic word “fucken,” which meant “to strike or penetrate” and was also slang for having sexual intercourse. *According to dictionary.com

B----

comes from an Old English word meaning “female dog.” Around the year 1400, it started being used to describe a “lewd, promiscuous woman.” *According to medium.com

BULLS---

The word “bull” evolved to mean a falsehood or lie in the 14th century. S--- came from various Old English words meaning “to defecate,” before it was used to mean an obnoxious person in the 15th century. *According to mashable.com

OPINION | NOVEMBER 2023

29

Ride or die Exploring the dangers of biking in Cupertino

BY SONIA VERMA

Though Cupertino is considered a “bike friendly” city, bike lanes are narrow, if they exist at all.

It’s to learn the rules of the road, I guess.

I was given an ultimatum — I have to bike for six months before I can drive.

If one bike goes down, three go with it.

I have to bike on the road to turn at an intersection.

I am no stranger to risk: My bike’s top speed is 15 mph. The limit for cars is over twice that.

Though it’s dangerous,

I like rollercoasters

and trying new foods.

biking has given me the freedom to go around the city on my own.

But it’s a car’s world.

One bad day for a driver, and my life is over.

I also really want to get my driver’s license,

To be able to enjoy riding my bike, and I don’t want to die trying.

I’ve had to swallow my fear of the very real possibility of being hit by a car.

30 EL ESTOQUE | NOVEMBER 2023

PHOTO | SONIA VERMA AND LILLIAN WANG

ARTS & ENT

STYLE STRUCK

A glimpse into the impact of fashion on the MVHS community

BY ANANYA CHAUDHARY, SOPHIA D’SA, ISABELLE KOK, DYLAN NGUYEN, AASHI VENKAT, SONIA VERMA, LILLIAN WANG AND BENJAMIN ZHANG

FACE of FA FASHION SHION THE

Taking a look at what students are wearing to school

BY ISABELLE KOK AND AASHI VENKAT

YANNIS

CHEN 1

PHOTOS | AASHI VENKAT

S

2

3

32

enior Yannis Chen says she has experimented with her outfits over time, allowing her to find comfort in a balanced and unique style. She says her style has grown more mellow, whereas she used to be bolder when expressing herself.

“During quarantine, I was making earrings and clay jewelry, and I was also going to Goodwill and picking up all the grandma outfits,” Chen said. “I really loved a good cardigan two years ago, especially the granny cardigans. For jewelry, I would look at Pinterest, like the weird stuff was what I used to make. Like, I used to have pasta earrings.”

EL ESTOQUE | NOVEMBER 2023

Reflecting her embrace of comfier outfits, Chen is dressed in a navy blue pullover, light blue jeans and white Reeboks. Silver rings, silver necklaces and ladybug earrings complete her outfit.

According to Chen, her daily outfits stem from her plans for the day.

“My style definitely depends on what I’m doing that day,” Chen said. “If I’m not doing a lot, then I’ll probably add more stuff because I’m not moving around. But if I’m moving around a lot, it’ll definitely stay more chill.”

1) Sweatshirt - gifted 2) Jeans - Crossroads 3) Shoes - Reebok

ASTER

NGUYEN 1

2

3

S

ophomore Natalie Pham is dressed in a light gray lace camisole top from Hollister, olive green cargo pants from Urban Outfitters and blue Converse sneakers. She accessorizes with silver accents in a cross necklace from Kendra Scott and earrings and bracelets gifted by friends and family.

Pham describes her style as comfortable and casual, and says she mostly shops at stores like Zumiez, Hot Topic and Shein.

When shopping, she prefers to go in person.

“I always like trying on outfits at stores even if I won’t actually buy anything,” Pham said. “I also like thrifting, but I think it’s been so popular that it’s hard to find good items.”

After going through distinct basic and emo fashion phases, Pham says she’s

D

ecked out in a dress shirt and star-patched jeans, junior Aster Nguyen voices deep pride in the way he dresses. According to Nguyen, their style has evolved over the years, slowly evolving beyond what other students wear.

“I’d just wear jeans, a T-shirt and a hoodie, and I’d swap that out in three rotations,” Nguyen said. “Then junior year I was like, ‘I might as well dress nicer,’ because I was kind of tired of dressing normally — I like to dress really well. I like looking better than everyone else.”

While a majority of Nguyen’s clothes are from YesStyle, he also goes thrifting and incorporates these pieces into daily

outfits. They state how the most important part is how the article of clothing looks, and he strives for a cooler, more edgy look.

“You just see it and you know it’s gonna be good,” Nguyen said. “Even though you don’t know what you’re gonna use it for, you just think ‘That could look pretty cool, in theory.’ Then you just buy it. Like, I bought this shirt because I was like, ‘That’s pretty cool.’ And these jeans, I actually bought [them] because the star pattern is sick and you can apply it and turn it into an outfit.”

1) Shirt - YesStyle 2) Rings - Amazon 3) Jeans - YesStyle

NATALIE PHAM

1 2

found her own style. Her outfits now fluctuate between different styles when she has different moods.

“It really depends on the day,” Pham said. “I’d say my style now is either comfortable or something like grunge.”

3

1) Earrings - gifted 2) Necklace - Kendra Scott 3) Shirt - Hollister 4) Cargo pants - Urban Outfitters 5) Shoes - Converse

4

SCAN FOR MORE COVERAGE 5 ARTS & ENT | NOVEMBER 2023

33

COSTUME

COUTURE Featuring the MVHS Drama costume department

BY LILLIAN WANG AND BENJAMIN ZHANG

S

PHOTOS | KRISH DEV

enior Vidhi Goel didn’t have a sewing machine when she began designing costumes for MV Drama’s play “Still Life with Iris” last March. Instead, she had to hand-sew each colorful

square on the Memory Mender’s coat one by one. In a process that took over 20 hours, Goel packed the outfit with details embodying the essence of the Memory Mender character: buttons, a thimble-shaped hat and a tool belt and cane decorated with measuring tape, representing his skill in repairing clothes.

As the costume department lead, Goel designs outfits for actors to wear in shows. When she first joined the department, she was responsible for groundwork such as sewing ties for background characters. After two years of experience, Goel says she has learned valuable sewing techniques, allowing her to put together her own costumes.

“At first, I was just cutting fabric whenever the costume lead told me to, but now I have way more creative freedom,” Goel said. “I can design and execute my own costumes and that kind of freedom is great. I can create symbolism in the costumes, even if no one else can spot it.”

Like Goel, senior Naomi Mhamunkar’s interest in fashion inspired her to opt for the costume department her sophomore year.

She now sews backdrops and

STILL LIFE

WITH 34

EL ESTOQUE | NOVEMBER 2023

IRIS

PETER

AND THE

members of PHOTO | ANNA KAMINITZ the department incorporate the characters’ traits through the costume design and accessories.

For “Peter and the Starcatcher,” MV Drama’s fall 2022 production, Polidoro used sea motifs to design a set of mermaid c o s t u m e s .

D r a w i n g inspiration from Costume director Lynda Cameron-Bayer fits a costume for the siren mythology Queen of Hearts, a character in MV Drama’s “Alice in Wonderland.” and a visit to the beach, she and Cameron-Bayer added wrap. That’s something Lynda does green tulle and skirts made of Loctite, a lot — she’s very creative with how an adhesive, to a blue base, resembling to manipulate things to look like what seaweed you want them dripping from to look like.” the mermaids’ By rehearsal tails. Polidoro week, Cameronsays one of Bayer and her favorite the costume aspects of department costuming is how resourceful she can typically have a rack of costumes be with materials. ready for actors to wear.

“I never would have “Seeing [the costume] executed thought to use Loctite on stage and looking good is the without the principles best part,” Polidoro said. “It’s kind that [Lynda] taught the of strange. You feel proud but then rest of the costume you’re also like, ‘That doesn’t look like department, which what it looked like’ when you were in is that anything the weeds of [making] it. But it’s really can be made into cool to see.” a costume if you Goel, Mhamunkar and Polidoro have m a n i p u l a t e all found a place for their sewing skills it,” Polidoro outside of Drama, fixing and making said. “Vidhi clothes for themselves. Mhamunkar made a hat advises other students interested in that’s supposed fashion to go for it, even if they feel to look like a intimidated by fashion runways or are thimble out of unsure of their creative abilities. bubble “You’re still in high school,” Mhamunkar said. “You don’t have to set yourself to the standards of Versace or whatever. But it’s important to start with something. [Even if it’s] just embroidering some stuff to get used to how to use a needle [and] fabric, start somewhere rather than meandering on it.”

ALICE IN

WONDERLAND

SCAN FOR MORE COVERAGE

STARCATCHER

PHOTO | KRISH DEV

flags for the set design department.

Meanwhile, the first production senior Madi Polidoro worked on was “Bright Star,” the spring play in her freshman year, which was online.

“We had people send in their measurements and then we learned how to translate measurements from a piece of paper on the physical clothing,” Polidoro said. “[We also learned] how clothing fits on a body.

It doesn’t necessarily look the way it’s going to look on a body [when it’s] on the hangers, so that was really valuable and cool to understand.”

Before assembling the costumes, the costume department, led by costume director Lynda CameronBayer, collaborates with the other tech departments to develop a theme for each play. Goel then creates moodboards, selecting color schemes and fashion styles based on the time period of the production, and sketches out her vision for the design.

“We look at the script to see what the traits of each character are, because the costumes are built and designed to symbolize who they are,” Goel said. “If a character is deceptive, they might wear a cape or a mask or have a mustache to symbolize that they’re under a disguise, or throughout the duration of the play, they [might] take off pieces of their outside accessories and clothing to symbolize their true colors slowly being revealed.”

After fitting a base,

ARTS & ENT | NOVEMBER 2023

35

Vintage

VOGUE

is the new

Examining the circulation of fashion trends at MVHS

BY ANANYA CHAUDHARY AND DYLAN NGUYEN

F

P

D DYL AN NG UY AN CHAUDHARY EN

EL ESTOQUE | NOVEMBER 2023

key is finding what fits for their generation and what works now for them. So we’ve always seen that and I love seeing that in circulation.”

However, while Belshe is excited about the reintroduction of ‘90s fashion, she harbors

YA AN

36

as streetwear and denim. With this resurrection of ‘90s style, Belshe emphasizes the importance of creating a new spin on old fashion.

“I see so many of my students wear the exact thing I wore as a high school student,” Belshe said. “I love that. I think that is great.

It’s always been that way.

Younger generations are influenced by what came before, but the

N TOS | A HO

ashion harbors a cycle of trends that rise and fall, often revisting the past, with vintage trends and older styles regaining popularity.

Most recently, from the early revival of denim to niche, asymmetrical skirts, the ‘90s are back with an essence of the early 2000s.

For junior Ian Lin, this resurgence isn’t just about what’s trending, but also about how these items are coming back. Thrifting plays a significant role in his participation in these trends, allowing him to find unique articles of clothing that he wouldn’t have been able to find for the same price elsewhere. Social media platforms such as TikTok and Pinterest also play a role, with fashion influencers promoting their thrifted finds, often including pieces from the ‘90s and 2000s that show a blend of retro and contemporary styles.

“When you go thrifting, you find vintage clothing because that’s where most of the older and used clothes go,” Lin said. “Thrifting is especially much cheaper compared to buying manufactured vintage clothing online.

Buying online is a lot of money just because vintage has gained popularity and is steadily going up.”

The ‘90s were rich in pop-culture style, ranging from grunge rock to hiphop, that inspired its fashion. When thrifting, Lin has observed an increase in the presence of baggy clothing, particularly jeans, a staple of ‘90s fashion. Social Studies Department lead and former ‘90s plus-size model Bonnie Belshe is ecstatic about this revival. To her, ‘90s fashion represents the epitome of comfortable clothing, which is embodied in styles such

Belshe poses for a headshot for a plus size modeling agency during college in the late 90s, wearing lipstick and her hair swooped to the side.

Wearing a denim button down shirt over a full white outfit, Belshe stands by the beach.

She says the returning trends aren’t exactly the same as before, as she, as well as others, uses the ‘90s and early 2000s fashion as inspiration and places her own personal spin on the outfits.

“I just think that it’s really nice that we are in an era where we’re just recycling past trends and combining all of the cool fashion eras into one,” Shady said. “I like picking out the different fashion statements from each year and then putting outfits together based off of what I find is cool.”

While fashion as a culture continues to expand vastly across different archetypes, Belshe believes that vintage fashion remains a foundation for many different styles, explaining the revival of older trends decades past their initial time.

“Newer generations always have a modern and updated take on fashion,” Belshe said. “So it doesn’t feel costumey, which I think is the best part.

This generation is taking influence right from the ‘90s fashion, but absolutely making it their own to fit for the ‘20s, and I love seeing that.”

PHOTO | DYL AN NGUYEN

PHOTOS | COURTESY OF BONNIE BELSHE

Belshe leans on a cement post, posing in a red tank top overlayed with a sleeveless button down shirt.

concern about the re-emergence of trends from the 2000s. Fashion from the mid to late 2000s marked a significant departure from the ‘90s, as it exchanged the comfort defined by the previous decade for a more form-fitting silhouette, seen through the prevalence of low-rise flare jeans and mini skirts. Belshe believes that the 2000s were a step back in the movement for body positivity, as the style was only modeled by a specefic body type.

“Right now, we have seen such a great movement, with both the body positivity and the body neutrality movement,” Belshe said. “But go back to the early 2000s, models were referred to as ‘heroin-chic,’ because they were not just thin but rather gaunt looking. This was so detrimental to the body image and self-confidence of young people, which is why I do not want to see us go back there.”

Apart from this concern, Belshe feels as though the circulation of fashion trends allows people to be more creative when it comes to choosing outfits, giving them a wider range of outfits and inspiration from both old and new trends.

“Fashion has this thread connected to the past, but it’s not just a complete stamp repeat,” Belshe said. “Every generation has their own take on their own interpretation of it. And that’s the part that gets really exciting is to see.”

For senior Farida Shady, the interaction between older fashion styles and modifying them to fit modern culture creates a newly realized version of vintage vogue, allowing for self expression through a combination of different styles. Shady describes her style as a mix of femininity and streetwear, taking inspiration from the ‘90s and early 2000s. Shady believes her style has significantly evolved over time, as she was initially influenced by the styles she saw on TikTok in 2020.

However, Shady has since moved beyond emulating widespread fashion, instead opting for trends that resonate more with her personal identity.

Similar to Lin, Shady primarily uses social media to get outfit inspiration.

ARTS & ENT | NOVEMBER 2023

37

GLAM + Visualizing the niche clothing stores frequented by MVHS students

BY SOPHIA D’SA AND SONIA VERMA

GO!

20% COST

SHOP-PORTUNITY

of MVHS students shop at stores they consider to be lesser-known

“

*According to a survey of 154 people

IT’S MORE ETHICAL TO REUSE UNWANTED CLOTHING, AND THE CLOTHING YOU CAN FIND IS JUST AS CUTE AS TYPICAL CLOTHING AVAILABLE IN STORES, IF NOT MORE SO.

“

48%

of MVHS students shop at second-hand stores *According to a survey of 154 people

38

$

ON A SCALE FROM ONE TO FOUR, how expensive do students think different types of stores are? Darker colors show higher prices.

$$

SECOND-HAND LESSER-KNOWN Also known as “thrift stores,” these shops sell gently-used clothing and accessories at low prices.

Small, independent stores fall in between price ranges but often have lower prices than larger stores.

KNOWN

BOUTIQUE

$$$ $$$$

This includes large deparment Boutiques such as cultural stores like Macy’s and brands clothing stores stock a selection like H&M and Brandy Melville. of clothes with a specific style.

EL ESTOQUE | NOVEMBER 2023

searching for STYLE online shop sells casual wear and ships to MILLIEDCLOTHING.COM This everywhere in the U.S. Full of small businesses, this site carries a wide variety of clothing and crafts.

ETSY.COM

GLOBAL GLAM TEXS-MART

INDIA With locations across the country, this store provides a selection of branded clothing for low prices.

POMELO

PHILLIPINES This store caters to the South-East Asian market, providing clothing in sizes that may not be available in American stores.

This boutique sells women’s clothing, ranging from dresses and sweaters to a variety of accessories.

This store sells both men’s and women’s clothing, ranging from casual sweaters to formal business suits.

VOLCOM

PHOTO BY ROWANLOVESCARS | LICENSED UNDER CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED

EXPRESS

PHOTO BY MIKE MOZART | LICENSED UNDER CC BY 2.0 DEED

FRANCESCA’S

PHOTO BY PHILIP PESSAR | LICENSED UNDER CC BY 2.0 DEED

NEARBY FINDS

This store specializes in outdoor wear, including winterwear and clothing for swimming, surfing and skating.

ARTS & ENT | NOVEMBER 2023

39

GET THE BALL GRAPHIC | CANVA.COM

ROL L I N

G

Exploring the aspects of ‘being in the zone’ and how momentum shifts during games

BY ARJUN DHRUV AND RAJ THAPLIYAL

S

aratoga High: 28, Monta Vista: 6.

On Sept. 30, 2022, Football Head Coach Ceazar Agront looked up at the scoreboard during half time and tried to find the words that would motivate his team. He looked around and saw his players hanging their heads after a first half that had the team down by 22 points.

He knew the Matadors were running out of time to turn it around, but he had faith in them to find a way.

The start of the third quarter was a shift in momentum for the Matadors.

They ended up rallying back and winning the game 42-35, despite being down by 22 after the half.

“We came back and we got a defensive stop,” Agront said. “It wasn’t just the defensive stop that gave us a spark. We made a great block and our running back took it for a huge gain.

Then we scored on the next play. You [could] feel the emotional change.”

Agront felt the tables turn after just an emotional roller coaster can be a single play. In that game, Agront beneficial from his years of coaching believes his team was able to win experience, he realized that relying on because of the consecutive stream momentum to carry his team to victory of favorable plays can have PHOTO | FIRSTNAME LASTNAME they were able to both pros and deliver at the start cons. On one of the third quarter. hand, players “We want to could become ride that emotional arrogant while roller coaster, so winning, and to speak, because on the other that’s what our hand, they kids typically do,” could feel Agront said. “You disheartened just pile everyone when down on because you can by a large Football Head Coach ride that success, number of Ceazar Agront points. Agront and then you have more success, and emphasizes more success. Looking back at it, we the importance of teaching players won, and it just took a couple pivotal to be level headed regardless of the spots from specific players.” score.

Despite Agront’s belief that riding “No matter if we’re scoring or if

40 EL ESTOQUE | NOVEMBER 2023

“

IF THE OPPONENTS ARE DOWN POINTS, IT’S HARD TO NOT RIDE THAT EMOTIONAL ROLLER COASTER.

SPORTS is definitely a possibility that the other team can win and score on us,” Ho said. “If it’s by a larger margin, it becomes really important for the team as a whole to not get too cocky or overconfident.”

Ho claims that she is not good at giving motivational speeches.

However, she remembers a specific phrase that another member of the Field Hockey team, senior Alice Ross, says to help the team focus.

“Something Alice says a lot during halftime or between quarters is to play the whole game,” Ho said. “It doesn’t matter what team we’re playing, we still have to play our own game. No matter if it’s gonna be a hard or easy game, we play a game that w e ’ r e proud of.”

PHO TO | D A PH N

AN G

to accurately deduce the general emotions that her team is holding.

“Another big aspect of the score is how it affects the team playing as a whole,” Ho said. “I can definitely tell from the energy of the team if everyone is focused, trying their best and communicating on the field.”

Ho precisely recalls this experience in a previous game against Leland High School, due to the fact that the score of the game was so close until the very end. She remembers feeling the energy of her team swing to a more positive note and their focus levels being higher than ever.

“Both teams were scoring throughout the quarters and it was back and forth,” Ho said.

“Ultimately, we sent the game into overtime and that made the win really satisfying.”

Although Ho’s team has won close games in the past, she recalls certain times when winning made the team overconfident or careless, causing them to perform worse during the game.

Ho recognizes these instances and tries to prevent them before they happen by keeping her team focused on the game, no matter what the score is.

“If it’s just by a one to two point margin, then there

EH U

the other team is scoring, I’m always saying the score is 0-0,” Agront said. “You have to have the mindset where the score doesn’t necessarily matter. If you’re thinking about the opponent, they can sometimes have a tendency to take the foot off the gas.

If the opponents are down points, it’s hard to not ride that emotional roller coaster.”

Sophomore and Varsity Badminton player Ryan Wong notes that his losses and wins come by a large margin at the end of the match. Similar to Agront and the football team riding an emotional rollercoaster, Wong believes that it all starts with only a few points scored consecutively, which builds momentum, leading to an eventual landslide victory. However, dealing with immense mental pressure is a consequence of being aware of the score.

“If you get one, then two points in a row, you slowly start feeling more confident,” Wong said. “You’re able to play more precisely and line up good shots. It’s all about just winning a few points.”

While Wong is affected by the mental pressure that comes from watching the score, he says audience and team spirit is also important.

His teammates’ cheering usually motivates him, but loud, abrupt noises can also distract him from the game.

“Every time someone scores a point, usually everyone cheers, along with whoever’s watching,” Wong said.

“That usually boosts my confidence without losing focus. However, if someone in the audience is screaming loudly while cheering for a different game since we’re all in the same gym, I lose my focus.”

Instead of the team boosting the confidence of a player like with Wong, senior and Varsity Field Hockey captain Olivia Ho believes that momentum occurs in her team simultaneously instead of in individual players, which translates to an increase in efficiency.

Ho belives this because she is able

Senior Sai Patel runs with the football.

SPORTS | NOVEMBER 2023

41

FROM FORK TO FINISH LINE

Examining the effects of nutrition on student athletic performance

BY LILY JIANG AND ANANDA SINGH

J

unior Samuel Toruno recalls his first meeting with Dr. Gustavo Fabian Portela, the team doctor for the Colombian soccer team Deportivo Cali, as a stepping stone in his athletic career. Toruno is a goalkeeper for the Silicon Valley Soccer Academy MLS Next 2007 team and has been playing soccer for 10 years. Toruno had known before consulting Portela that his diet was not optimal, but was unaware of the extent to which an adapted diet, similar to those of professional players, could positively affect his performance.

“I want to make it far in life playing soccer, so I had to make this switch,” Toruno said. “I was eating super unhealthy before, but now I feel better than I’ve ever felt.

You’re just getting more energy, you’re playing better on the field and I feel more energized e v e n though I’m getting the s a m e amount of sleep. I’m eating even more than before — it’s just healthier food and I feel more energized.”

Toruno does not feel pressured by anyone to maintain his diet,

42

but he instead feels that it is a personal mentioning a hockey game that he choice that will allow him to further played in which he ate Chipotle before his career. Georgia Acker, a sports and consequently did not feel great. and contemporary nutrition professor “If you just eat differently in general, at De Anza College, expands upon I feel like it doesn’t really make that big Toruno’s motivation to continue his of a difference, but eating before game diet, attributing an athlete’s motivation time makes more of a difference,” to the intense nature of athletics.

Lamfalusi said.

“What I have found, is that I’m a Acker highlights the importance person who just gives out information of knowing what to eat as an athlete and has students explore that,” Acker and notices that many, like Toruno, said. “ It’s a very competitive world are initially uninformed about the out there in the sports world, so you essential nutrients needed to perform just have to better in sports let students or they participate in. athletes know “I see a lot what to do. I of athletes who really believe don’t know how that they will many fluids they listen because need, the amount they’re training of carbohydrates so hard, and they eat, the any kind of little amount of protein edge you can they [need] get matters. for recovery,” Nutrition is one Acker said. of the edges.

“Understanding It’s one of the the role secrets you can carbohydrates, have over your protein and competitor.” hydration play JUNIOR While Acker help an SAMUEL TORUNO can notes that athlete. If you the right diet, understand how varying depending on the athlete, can to eat and how much fluid you need improve an athlete’s performance, before, during and after, that can really sophomore Christopher Lamfalusi enhance your performance beyond says it may not be as important. training.”

Lamfalusi participates in wrestling and Toruno began meeting with a football at MVHS, as well as ice hockey specialist a month ago, and since outside of school. He says diet has no then has been following a strict diet, long-term effects overall but still notes consisting of a heavy amount of protein that the food he consumes affects and a good balance of carbohydrates his performance in certain aspects, and vegetables. Similarly, Lamfalusi

EL ESTOQUE | NOVEMBER 2023

“

[I’m] playing better on the field and I feel more energized even though I’m getting the same amount of sleep.

I’m eating even more than before — it’s just healthier food.

focuses on incorporating these into his meals, but follows a less strict diet.

Toruno and Lamfalusi both believe that carbohydrates are actually beneficial to an athlete’s performance rather than detrimental.

“There’s definitely a negative connotation about carbs, but I don’t think that’s true,” Toruno said. “A lot of people just avoid carbs, but I don’t think they understand that carbs are what you need for energy. I train twice a day and I run in the morning every day where I’m letting a bunch of energy go, so I need the carbs.”

Lamfalusi agrees with Toruno, adding that carbohydrates are a necessity when it comes to the long hours of practice. He also believes there is an abundance of

false information online and among peers as well as diets devaluing carbohydrates. Lamfalusi personally does not find value in any of these diets and does not feel the need to work around carbohydrates.

“I think people who avoid carbs are actually doing more harm than good,” Lamfalusi said. “Carbs are just the best source of long-term energy to stop yourself from exhausting your body.”

Acker expands upon Toruno and Lamfalusi’s point about the misinformation surrounding carbohydrates. She emphasizes the importance of absorbing and adapting with new information as research and studies are conducted

40%

and experimenting with your own diet.

“I think it’s just fun to try things out,” Acker said. “That’s what this is all about. You hear about something in a study and it’s a guideline. No one knows exactly what you need, so you might think, ‘Let me play around with my diet.’ The latest research on protein is that maybe we need a little bit more protein than the current suggested amount. So for me, I’m playing with that myself right now because I was somebody who believed the old information. We just keep flowing with the material.”

A sample of junior Samuel Toruno’s daily breakfast Spinach and mushroom omelette

of MVHS students

focus on consuming protein as athletes *According to a survey of 160 people

Greek yogurt with blueberries and strawberries

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43

SUPERSTITIONS

Examining MVHS athletes pre-game rituals and good luck tokens

BY MICHELLE ZHENG

J

CLARA FAN

G ELLE Z HEN | MICH PHOTO

enior and powerlifter Arnav Jadhav has always been superstitious, even outside of sports. For example, when Jadhav was younger, before tests or competitions, his mom made sure that he would take his first step out of his house with his right foot for good luck.

As Jadhav grew older, he began developing his own superstitions.

Specifically for sports, ever since Jadhav lifted 275 pounds at a 132 pound bodyweight, which was an unofficial state record for powerlifting, while listening to “SR20DET” by Blksmiith, he claimed it as his lucky song and always puts it on repeat before any big events.

Though Jadhav recognizes that he hit his record because of the practice he put in and not because of the song, he says the song helped him feel more confident in himself. Jadhav sees

44 EL ESTOQUE | NOVEMBER 2023

N| FA N O RA L A SSI F C RMI E YO ES ITH P RT OU ED W US

S

However, she also notes that it can negatively affect people when superstitions start distracting players rather than helping them get in the zone. While Fan notes that her superstitions have gotten extreme at times, she is glad that she has been able to recognize this before it negatively affects her performance.

“I think that routines and superstitions can be beneficial and that they can get you mentally ready in the right headspace,” Fan said.

“It’s just that sometimes they can get excessive and irrational and that’s when it can become unhealthy and do more harm than good. I’m grateful that my superstitions haven’t gotten worse and super intense, and when it does, I can recognize it usually and I make sure to bring it back down.”

OC OT PH

u n i o r and track and field m e m b e r Clara Fan started her superstition of putting tape on her wrist during an afterschool practice her freshman year. As there was extra athletic tape, which was used to mark the start for her high jump run ups, Fan decided to wrap the tape around her wrist, right under her Apple Watch. That day, as if the tape had special powers, she managed to hit an unofficial personal record. Tracing back to what was different, Fan noted that the tape might actually be her lucky charm.

Fan says superstitions and routines can be beneficial for players, highlighting how many of her superstitions helped her get prepared for games.

ARNAV JADHAV

superstitions as a method to improve his mentality b e f o r e competitions and does not tie the outcome of the events to his superstitions.

Therefore, even when he does not get his desired result, he continues to stick with his superstitions without any doubt.

“I won’t change my superstitions just because it doesn’t work one or two times,” Jadhav said. “Because it worked in the past, it’ll definitely work again in the future. It’s not guaranteed because there’s many other factors as well, so we can’t fully rely on superstitions to succeed.”

M

ROCCO LING

OV LIM ER O AJ AN N PH OT O|

|

ince senior and Varsity Girls Basketball center Sophia Lu joined the basketball team, the team already had multiple superstitions in place. Before playing games, the team followed a specific structure: warm up, set goals and eat a gummy bear. Though Lu does not know the origins of these superstitions, she says their team has had a good league record since her freshman year, drawing a potential connection to the team’s success and its superstitions.

To Lu, these rituals create a routine for the team, maximizing the players’ productivity and helping them focus on the game. After all, Lu explains that no matter how much a team practices, there are many unknown variables that can influence the outcome of the game, and many athletes are afraid of this

O LING

S

superstitions helped him build his selfconfidence, over time, he has started relying less on these beliefs to reassure him before games. After all, Ling notes that superstitions can negatively affect players just as much as it helps them, especially when players accidentally fail to follow through with their beliefs.

Therefore, Ling explains that he is starting to place less emphasis on superstitions for games, focusing more on building his own confidence in his abilities.

“When I started playing sports at a young age, I really believed in superstitions and was always careful about certain shoes and the socks I wear,” Ling said. “I felt like it kind of messes with my mind if something didn’t go right. Like, you didn’t eat the breakfast you wanted, so then you’re like, ‘Oh crap. I’m going to lose this game.’ So, I slowly stopped placing importance on superstitions, so I can be more confident in myself and not have these beliefs affect my performance.”

C F ROC TESY O N COUR SIO PHOTO PERMIS WITH USED

V H S Football h a d successful runs in its back-toback home games against Saratoga High School and Lynbrook High School last year, winning 42-35 and 42-0 respectively. However, MVHS’s victory was not the only common factor. Before both games, sophomore and Varsity Football player Rocco Ling also forgot to wash his jersey, a coincidence that has lingered in his mind ever since.

Now, after every win, Ling leaves his jersey unwashed, explaining his belief that this habit might have been a contributing factor to the success against SHS and LHS. Ling’s superstition was reinforced after he learned about the Chinese New Year tradition in his Chinese class where they believed that showering on Chinese New Year brings bad luck, as it washes away fortune.

H o w e v e r , while Ling says

SOPHIA

u n c e r t a i n t y.

Therefore, superstitions can give players a sense of security, allowing them to calm down and “get in the zone.”

Lu explains that even if the team still loses the game after they eat gummy bears, she will continue to believe in her superstition, as she values the routine that the superstition gives her more than its effectiveness.

“To some extent, we know that superstitions aren’t real and that they’re just there to provide us some sort of comfort before a big event,” Lu said. “I wouldn’t change it if something didn’t work because it’s become part of that routine that I’ve become used to, so I’m going to stick to it, no matter the outcome.”

LU

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45

dripped out Looking into what athletes wear during games and practices

BY KALYANI PUTHENPURAYIL

E

vvery season, senior Solomon So receives a fresh pair of newly-designed home and away jerseys personalized with his name and number on the back, along with Nike shorts. Each player makes a team donation that allows them to access this gear, and this customization is one of the perks exclusive to the Varsity Boys Volleyball team.

For this year’s jerseys, So took on the challenge of designing them with help and feedback from his teammates, as his coach gives players creative freedom with their jerseys and only helps with inputting the order. After becoming familiar with tools such as Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, So’s next task was to figure out what design he wanted on the jerseys.

“I did a couple quick Google searches and tried to find designs with Matadors or inspiration from other team jerseys that I’ve seen online, and our volleyball clubs also have a lot of great jerseys that we like to reference back,” So said. “I used that as inspiration and found ways to

incorporate our own designs. What we receive an ensemble of a one-piece currently have is pretty nice and I think swimsuit and a cap. everybody likes what we have so far.”

“The swimsuit is really tight and we So submitted his design for have a zipper on it so you can take review on Dynasty, a custom apparel it off and put it on easier,” Yuen said. company, to “Normally in water check if any polo, people grab elements were each other’s suits, copyrighted. but if it’s tight, it’s A d d i t i o n a l l y, harder to grab and D y n a s t y there’s also less professionally drag in the water. I redesigned think it works really the jersey in well for the sport accordance with it’s made for.” the artwork and In contrast, concept idea that junior Lucy Yung So submitted. says the Girls The Varsity Tennis jerseys — a Boys Volleyball dark purple shirt team is one with Monta Vista of the few on the front for SENIOR home games and teams at MVHS that receives COURTNEY YUEN a light purple shirt personalized for away games — jerseys every year. For other sports have room for improvement due to like Girls Water Polo, senior Courtney the loose fit. Yung finds that better Yuen says that the school provides tailored shirts allow her to move with them with the uniform. The players more ease across the court.

what’s your uniform?

GRAPHICS | KALYANI PUTHENPURAYIL

46 EL ESTOQUE | NOVEMBER 2023

“

IN WATER POLO, PEOPLE GRAB EACH OTHER’S SUITS, BUT IF IT’S TIGHT, IT’S HARDER TO GRAB. I THINK IT WORKS REALLY WELL FOR THE SPORT IT’S MADE FOR.

girls volleyball

Junior Melissa Gonchar says the players wears a long sleeve jersey paired with spandex as their game attire. Gonchar finds the new addition of purple spandex for the 2023 fall season was something the team looked forward to.

players can also choose an athletic we wore black bottoms, so I was able outfit to wear during practice, which to wear a skirt as long as it’s black, usually consists of a t-shirt and shorts. but this year, we got black shorts for He adds that many players, including the uniforms so I stick with the black himself, choose to wear Slunks, which shorts,” Yung said. “I think it’s easier to are shorts that various volleyball clubs move in a skirt and I think skirts are design. Players can purchase this just cuter. We always play other teams merchandise from the website or from that wear skirts as their uniform and other players, and also trade them we’re always like, ‘Oh my God, that with other volleyball players across looks so cute.’ Sometimes the shorts the nation, such as when they attend look goofy, but if I find the right pair of tournaments. shorts, it seems like basically the same Apart from the outfit, volleyball thing.” players can also accessorize with When the season comes to an end, various gear such as volleyball or Yuen has to return her uniform but basketball shoes, Yung and So get to knee pads, keep theirs since various braces they purchased and straps, them. So treats his finger tape, jersey as a souvenir headbands and from the season, more accessories especially because i n t e n d e d the unique to prevent customization common injuries allows it to play a in volleyball role in the team’s according to So. identity.

Similarly, for “I use my jerseys tennis, Yung as memorabilia notes that players for whenever I’m SENIOR on offseason or can choose to wear a visor or SOLOMON SO when I’m going sunglasses during to go to college, games. In tennis outside of school, because It’s a great reminder of what I Yung can also choose to wear either did and enjoyed,” So said. “The jersey a skirt or shorts, and she used to wear definitely helps me remember that a skirt for school tennis and likes the and I really like the concept of having range of movement it provides. personalized jerseys.”

“Last year and my freshman year,

Senior Courtney Yuen says the team wears a swimsuit with a zipper and a water polo cap when playing. The water polo cap covers the ears to prevent head and ear injuries.

LOMON SO

girls water polo

“

I USE MY JERSEYS AS MEMORABILIA FOR WHENEVER I’M ON OFFSEASON BECAUSE IT’S A GREAT REMINDER OF WHAT I DID AND ENJOYED.

PHOTOS | SO

“The shirts fit really weird, since the dark purple ones are really big and I feel the extra shirt fabric gets in the way sometimes,” Yung said. “I normally wear a size medium but the medium for the purple shirts fits like an extra large and for the light purple ones, the sleeves are too tight for me and the shirt itself is incredibly long.

It’s just uncomfortable to play in shirts that don’t fit because it inhibits my range of movement.”

Apart from a standard uniform for games, Yuen says that water polo players can wear a one-piece swimsuit that suits their personal choices during practice. However, Yuen prefers to wear a two-piece suit since that’s what she usually wears at club swimming.

She finds it more comfortable and easier to swim in and believes it would be better suited for practice.

“In club water polo and swimming and school swim, you’re allowed to wear two pieces,” Yuen said. “But when we tried doing that, our coaches were like, ‘You can’t do that because you’ll get hurt’ or something like that, which is [confusing] because in club, which is at a much higher level than high school, people are allowed to wear two pieces.”

Meanwhile, for Girls Tennis, the players are allowed to wear their own choice of athletic clothing during practice. Yung likes to wear a tank top because she likes having less material in the way when she plays.

Additionally, for volleyball, So says

boys volleyball

For the 2024 Boys Volleyball season, senior Solomon So created a jersey with a floral design that stretches across the bottom of the jersey. For the 2023 spring season, the team had worn a jersey focused its design more on the typography, with the players’ names and number in a unique font.

SPORTS | NOVEMBER 2023

47

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