Volume 55, Issue 1, October 2, 2024

VOLUME 55 ISSUE 1

OCTOBER 2024

41 AT THE GAME

Students and staff share about the unsung contributors behind the MVHS football games

LETTER

FROM THE

EDITORS

21840 McClellan Rd. Cupertino, CA 95014 elestoque.org mv.el.estoque@gmail.com Editors-in-Chief: Samika Bhatkar, Ananya Chaudhary, Kathryn Foo, Jami Lim, Alan Tai, Alyssa Yang Head of Design: Dylan Nguyen Head of Graphics: Amberly Sun News Editors: Giljoon Lee, Stella Petzova, Eric Zhou Features Editors: Jason Chu, Sophia D’Sa, Liz Liu Opinion Editors: Yixuan (Joyce) Li, Suhana Mahabal, Asha Wojciechowski

PHOTO | LILLIAN WANG

Entertainment Editors: Jillian Ju, Isabelle Kok, Sagnik Nag Chowdhury, Benjamin Zhang Sports Editors: Leah Desai, Ananda Singh Copy Editors: Anika Bhandarkar, Corinna Kuo Staff Writers: Jonah Chang, Radhika Dharmapurikar, Arjun Dhruv, Meghna Dixit, Ethan Eisler, Niveda Hari, Aletheia Ju, Sana Karkhanis, Vaishnavi Katukam, Ethan Kellogg, Subin Ko, Manas Kottakota, Grace Lin, Katrina Lin, Sih Yu (Melody) Lin, Erin Liu, Owen Liu, Megha Mummaneni, Sania Nadkarni, Zaid Naqvi, Angela Poon, Aprameya Rupanagunta, Trisha Sannappanavar, Arshiya Sen, Arushi Singh, Varun Singh, Samuel Teo, Raj Thapliyal, Eshika Tiwari, Archana Venkatesan, Ellie Wang, Elizabeth Yang, Ethan Yang, Kate Yang, Kaia Yuan 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 | ANANYA CHAUDHARY AND KATHRYN FOO

02 EL ESTOQUE | OCTOBER 2024

Fall is a busy time for all of us. As August blends into October, students and teachers are still finding their rhythm, navigating new faces and expectations. Revised AP testing policies and highly anticipated Homecoming skits both buzz in students’ minds as we learn to balance academics with the excitement of being back in school. Additionally, California’s 10 finalized propositions are a reminder that the 2024 U.S. elections are creeping closer, amplifying the sense of urgency and stress we all seem to feel.

Instead of getting caught up in the moment, we’ve decided to take a step back and reflect on what’s happening around us. Our Features package explores the challenges of immigration and intersecting cultures that shape our community in ways many of us may not always see. Through these four stories, we highlight how each of us strive to make MVHS — and Cupertino — a home.

But it’s not just about the challenges. In this issue, we also want to celebrate those who work tirelessly in the background, often without recognition. We take a look at the parents and students who run the Snack Shack — work that funds programs like AVID and creates a sense of community during football games. We zoom in on the effort our classmates pour into Homecoming week, culminating in an unforgettable week of spirit.

And of course, we celebrate our friends — like Kiana Mark, whose 1,000 volleyball kills remind us why we take pride in being Matadors.

It’s easy to get caught up in the moment, but sometimes, taking a step back helps us appreciate the unseen efforts and stories that make our school what it is. Take a look around. We’re off to an incredible start — here’s to an amazing year.

Samika Bhaktar

Ananya Chaudhary

Kathryn Foo

Jami Lim

Alan Tai

Alyssa Yang

IN THIS ISSUE NEWS

OCTOBER 2024

PHOTO | SANIA NADKARNI

PHOTO | MEGHNA DIXIT

46

34

A digital dilemma 04 Admin adjustments 06 What’s on the ballot? 08 Will I be accepted? 10

FEATURES Culture clash The path to citizenship A citizen’s conundrum Unaccustomed to customs Culture vs. classroom

12 13 14 16 18

OPINION Staff Ed: Missing pieces 21 Getting back to it 22 Is less a loss? 24 Pride or pretense? 26 Appropriate audiences only 28 Emodiversity 30 As a high schooler 31

LEADING THE GAME

BACKSTAGE BUDDIES

PHOTO COURTESY OF ASHLEY VOIGT | USED WITH PERMISSION

ARTS & ENT Homecoming from another lens 32 Homecoming dance by the #’s 33 Backstage buddies 34 Homecoming memories 36 Beginnings and ends 38

SPORTS Leaving her Mark 40 At the game 41 Helping hands 42 Inside the shack 44 Bullpen blueprints 46

36

HOMECOMING FLASHBACKS

EL ESTOQUE | OCTOBER 2024

03

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Students and teachers discuss the impacts of AP Exams going digital

BY STELLA PETZOVA AND APRAMEYA RUPANAGUNTA

B

eginning in May 2025, 28 Advanced Placement Exams will transition away from paper testing.

Sixteen exams will be held digitally on the Bluebook testing application, along with twelve hybrid Exams, which will have digital multiple-choice sections. According to College Board, the change occured to “ensure the continued security” of the exams amid a rise in stolen AP exam content.

FUHSD AP U.S. History teachers have previously held annual meetings on whether to use a digital or paper format on the AP exam, with their choice always being to continue with paper testing to prevent cheating.

However, the College Board decision has mandated digital testing regardless of teachers’ preferences. To AP U.S. History teacher Robert Hoffman, this change poses a challenge in how

students will prepare for the exam in class. For now, the class will continue with on-paper practices.

“I can’t even fathom or wrap my brain around how I would do document-based questions, long essay questions and short answer questions online every three or four weeks,” Hoffman said. “It would take a lot of time to put all the sources online in addition to transitioning into doing that. The biggest issue for us in class would be how to navigate it. Everyone should have their own personal device and Lockdown Browser. Then there’s the issue of AI. There’s a lot of things to figure out, but we want to give the students the most authentic experience possible.”

Junior Elaine Chen, who is currently enrolled in AP U.S. History and plans to take the exam in May, has

04 EL ESTOQUE | OCTOBER 2024

previously taken the AP Computer Science A and AP Chinese exams.

She notes that the digital AP Chinese exam faced technological challenges, like connectivity issues, while the testtaking experience of AP Computer Science A, which was a paper exam but will transition to digital in 2025, went more smoothly. Junior Anika Ramachandran is currently enrolled in AP Biology and plans to take the exam, which will use a hybrid format.

The multiple-choice questions will be held digitally on Bluebook, and the free-response questions will be handwritten. Ramachandran shares Chen’s sentiment, citing potential logistical challenges as obstacles to a smooth testing experience.

“My initial reaction was that it must be really tedious,” Ramachandran said. “It just creates a lot more work

NEWS for College Board because they have from the digital world and start writing to vet all the devices, and things is pretty hard.” can go wrong. People all around the AP English Literature and country, and probably outside of the Composition teacher Randall Holaday country, are going to be taking the AP prefers the digital format for the Biology exam at the same exact time. AP English Literature exam, which With that many people, the server is switched to digital last year. He bound to crash, which is just going to doesn’t share Hoffman’s concerns cause more issues.” about AI, as the exam tests students’ While Chen believes that the skills at interpreting texts rather perceived downsides of a digital than memorization of facts, which format outweigh could be easily the positives, done by AI. As a Ramachandran teacher, Holaday agrees with the WITH DIGITAL TESTING, favors grading change regardless digital rather of the downsides. ALL [THE RISKS] JUST than handwritten Ramachandran’s ideal GET SIMPLIFIED AND essays during his AP Biology exam class, stating that would be fully digital IT FITS THE WHOLE the digital format rather than hybrid, WRITING PROCESS A “saved his life” ensuring that there by eliminating is the ease of typing LOT BETTER. difficult-tothe free-response AP LITERATURE TEACHER d e c i p h e r questions.

RANDALL HOLADAY h a n d w r i t i n g .

“I don’t really love In addition, he the whole paper test taking process, believes that students, who are often especially with the free-response more comfortable typing rather than questions,” Ramachandran said. handwriting an essay, can write more “My hand cramps up a lot, and it’s in the given amount of time and edit very hard to write, especially in pen, their essays more readily. because you have a bunch of ideas “Writing is not linear — it’s recursive,” going back and forth. Digital is a lot Holaday said. “So being able to edit easier for typing and checking your and change things around is just part answers. With a hybrid format, there’s of the process. With handwriting, you a very hard switch that you have to would have to cross things out and make with your brain — to turn it off there is always a risk of graders not

“

eology John Locke’s id influenced Paine

52%

of MVHS students

prefer AP tests with a paper format *According to a survey of 90 people

“

ONCE THE PLATFORM AND PROCESS ARE STREAMLINED, I FEEL DIGITAL WILL BE AN EFFECTIVE TESTING METHOD.

SENIOR MADELEINE ISCHO

understanding your work. With digital testing, all that just gets simplified and it fits the whole writing process a lot better.”

According to Ramachandran, the AP Biology teachers, Julie Choi and Pamela Chow, have been integrating digital assignments into the course’s homework. While Choi, Chow and Holaday have made the transition to digital homework and practice essays, according to Hoffman, he and his fellow AP U.S. History teacher Bonnie Belshe have not changed their in-class practices to reflect the new format, choosing to stay with pen and paper for now.

Aiming to integrate digital aspects in class as the year progresses, Hoffman and Belshe hope to start off by assigning online practice tests and assessments on the College Board website. Regardless of the challenges that transitioning poses, Hoffman believes that through collaborative effort, the exam in May will go smoothly.

“It’s going to be a work in progress,” Hoffman said. “It’s going to be a trial and error kind of thing. We’ll see how it goes. But I don’t think it’s going to necessarily impact students’ scores or anything. When we come to May, we’re hopeful that students, even by just practicing on pen and paper, can transition really easily to doing it online.”

86% the control factor

of MVHS students

who are taking an AP Exam will take two or more digital tests *According to a survey of 72 people

NEWS | OCTOBER 2024

05

WWWWWW

S T ADMIN N E M T S U J D A FUHSD Administration changes results in two new assistant principals for MVHS

BY ETHAN KELLOGG AND DYLAN NGUYEN

T

he election of former HR Director Paula Robinson to the position of FUHSD assistant superintendent on March 12 triggered a domino effect of administrative change. Former assistant principal Nico Flores moved to an AP position at HHS as a result of the changes. Additionally former assistant principal Sydney Fernandez moved to Southern California, leaving two open AP positions at MVHS. On July 1, former HHS Dean Anthony Nguyen took Nico Flores’ position as assistant principal at MVHS. Nguyen’s past experiences as a teacher and dean make him more aware of students’ needs, and he believes that awareness informs his assistant principalship.

“When I started teaching, I wanted to teach the same community that I grew up in, and I realized that there are so many students that have needs,” Nguyen said. “We have our English Learning population here, our low socioeconomic students here and there’s a lot of students in need, regardless of whatever the needs are.

I want to actually make a difference when it comes to intervention.”

Taking charge of interventions, Nguyen says his actions are studentforward. According to Nguyen, before making any decision the MVHS administration must understand how the student body is affected and if they are properly represented by that decision. Furthermore, Nguyen helps

to assist the student body by checking student A-G readiness and eligibility to graduate.

“I don’t want students to be lost,” Nguyen said. “I don’t want students to not know that there’s always an adult looking in the background.”

Fernandez’s announcement to leave came later than Flores’, causing the spot to be vacant during the first weeks of school. Assistant principal Janice Chen covered Fernandez’s position temporarily for the first two weeks of school; however, Chen says she faced little increase in work due to the efficiency of the counselor team, referring to them as a “well-oiled machine.”

On Aug. 23, almost two months after Nguyen was appointed, MVHS principal Ben Clausnitzer released an email to MVHS staff, announcing Educational Options assistant principal Brian Dong’s position as a new assistant principal for MVHS, effective Sept. 3. Dong would officially replace Fernandez’s position within the administration.

Previously, Dong was an assistant principal at HHS, and most recently worked at the district office supporting the Educational Options Program.

However, Dong started as a math and computer science teacher for eight years at MVHS.

Former HHS Principal Greg Giglio replaces Robinson

Associate ndent Superinte kumovits a v Tom Av retires

06 EL ESTOQUE | OCTOBER 2024

Former H R Director Paula Ro binson replaces Avvakum ovits

S VH al r M rincip z e e m For stant p rnand rn i e ass ney F outhe S Syd es to v o a m forni i Cal

al t tion sistan a c s u a Ed ions an t Bri Op cipal omes prin g bec istant n Do S ass H MV cipal i pr n

Former r Coordinato d n a of Data t Assesmen rnberg u N Denae ilgio replaces G

Former HHS dean Anthony Ng uyen becomes M VHS assistant pri ncipal

To Chen, Dong’s previous work experience is an asset for the administration team. Chen attributes Dong’s qualities to his experience in vastly different positions and environments throughout his career.

“Mr. Dong was a teacher and student here, and we were classmates, so we already have a great relationship,” Chen said. “It’s really cool to be working with him for the first time. But he was an assistant principal at HHS already, so he can just jump in since he knows a lot of staff already.”

Like Chen, Dong agrees that his past experiences helped broaden his perspective on what students need. Although he perceived it as a challenge at first, being relocated from teaching at MVHS to being appointed as an assistant principal at HHS turned out to be beneficial for him.

“I learned a lot about the diversity of our community,” Dong said. “My neighborhood was sort of a bubble, and so I didn’t get out that much. Being able to work at Homestead for nine years was nice for me to see other parts of our community. I saw other

HS er F m For stant rooke i ass cipal B ces a prin n repl a g Ch nber r Nu

Former HHS assistant principal Susan Rocha replaces Brooke Chan

Form assis er MVH S t prin ant cipa l Nic Flore o s the a takes ssist prin ant c HHS ipalship at

kids with very different backgrounds.

I think that that part really helped me as a person.”

As new assistant principals, both Dong and Nguyen must learn to navigate working with new teams, communities and cultures. Chen advises her fellow assistant principals to take a step back to understand the aspects of MVHS that make it unique, so that as a team they are able to react accordingly. Dong agrees that taking a step back is important to immersing himself in the culture of MVHS. “I want to know what everyone does here, and that also means being part of the culture: feeling welcomed here and creating a space where I’m here to support our teachers,” Dong said. “My door is always open for them, where I’m responsive, proactive and enabled to follow through with the things they ask for. That’s a lot of what I want to do in my first year here, be part of the culture of the school and be an observer on how things work.”

Nguyen’s goals come from a more personal backstory. Coming from a background where he wasn’t provided with many resources, Nguyen realized the abundance at which students have needs, varying from emotional struggles to socioeconomic challenges. Determined to help students battle their own challenges just as he did, Nguyen hopes to keep MVHS an equitable place where all students are given the opportunity to flourish.

“You are all doing great work already,” Nguyen said. “I see a lot of focus on anti-racist practices and mental health help that makes MVHS the forefront in our district.

But for my teaching and leadership philosophy, it’s more about focusing on interventions. I want to make sure that I’m doing good for the community that I grew up with. I want to make sure that all students are represented.

I want to make sure that there are no students that fall in the cracks.”

ABOUT ME

NAME: Anthony Nguyen FAVORITE FOOD: Lasagna FAVORITE MOVIE/TV SHOW: The Big Bang Theory ME: 3 ADJECTIVES TO DESCRIBE ond bey ndve-a Hard-worker, caring, abo GOALS: Be a team player

ABOUT ME

NAME: Brian Dong FAVORITE FOOD: Sushi FAVORITE MOVIE/T V SHOW: The Matrix 3 ADJECTIVES TO DESCRIBE ME: Humble, easygoing, silly GOALS: Become part of the sch ool culture

NEWS | OCTOBER 2024

07

WHAT’S

BALL PROPOSITION 4: Authorizes the state

to borrow $10 million to conserve natural resources and respond to climate change.

$639K RAISED

$0 RAISED

PROPOSITION 5: Lowers the vote threshold that will allow local governments to borrow money for affordable housing projects from 67% to 55%.

$5M RAISED: Allowing one-third of voters to overrule two-thirds could be undemocratic. $29.6M RAISED: Local governments’ tabs are almost always put on property owners through higher taxes. The choice to issue a bond should be made only when a broad consensus exists.

PROPOSITION 35: Makes permanent an existing tax on health plans that provides funding for Medi-Cal and otherwise expires in 2026. It’s projected to earn $35 million over the next four years. $48.7M RAISED: California has relied on this for decades to offset general fund spending on Medi-Cal. $0 RAISED: No official argument has been submitted, but Gov. Newsom argues restricting how tax revenue is spent handicaps future legislators and governors’ ability to balance the state budget.

PROPOSITION 33: Allows local rent control.

PROPOSITION 2: Authorizes the state to borrow $10 million for construction and modernization of public schools and community colleges.

$2.4M RAISED

$0 RAISED

08 EL ESTOQUE | OCTOBER 2024

$31.2M RAISED: The rent is too high. Enough said. Really, though — in 2023, California accounted for 30% of the entire homeless population in the U.S. $53.9M RAISED: Adopting strict rent control legislation will make California’s housing shortage even worse. Property values will drop and developers will be less likely to build new housing, which, in turn, will drive up prices in existing rental units.

ON THE

LOT? PROPOSITION 3: Reaffirms same-sex couples’ right to marry by repealing parts of Proposition 8, passed in 2008, that limit marriage to between a man and a woman.

This will have no actual effect on who can legally marry due to Supreme Court rulings in 2013 and 2015. $3.9M RAISED

$0 RAISED

PROPOSITION 36: Allows felony charges and increases sentences for certain drug and theft crimes.

$13.2M RAISED: Prop. 36 combats homelessness since drug dependence pushes people to the street.

Increasing penalties for drug possession is the only way to force people into treatment. $1.7M RAISED: Court and prison expenses will be costly, while no studies support the idea that harsher punishment prevents crime or gets people off the street.

PROPOSITION 32: Raises the state minimum wage

from $16 to $18 per hour. Fast food workers’ minimum wage already increased to $20 an hour on April 1, and healthcare workers’ will soon become $25 an hour, by Oct. 15 at the earliest.

$609.8K RAISED

$65K RAISED

PROPOSITION 6: A constitutional amendment

to end indentured servitude in state prisons. The California Black Legislative Caucus included this proposition in its 2024 reparations agenda.

$319.5K RAISED

PROPOSITION 34: Requires certain healthcare to spend at least 98%

of revenue from a federal discount program on “direct patient care.”

The provisions (at least $100 million on expenses other than direct care, owning and operating apartment buildings, at least 500 severe health and safety violations in the last decade) mainly target the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, a major player in state and local housing politics.

$30.1M RAISED

$1.1M RAISED

$0 RAISED

California voters decide on 10 propositions this November

BY ALYSSA YANG

SCAN FOR MORE COVERAGE

NEWS | OCTOBER 2024

09

ILLUSTRATION | CORINNA KUO

Will I be accepted?

New state legislation bans schools from directly notifying parents of students’ gender changes at school

BY ZAID NAQVI AND ERIC ZHOU

10 EL ESTOQUE | OCTOBER 2024

O

C

alifornia Gov. Gavin Newsom reason to not tell them,” Chang said. “I signed the nation’s first think it’s important for that discussion law banning teachers from to be held on the students’ terms and disclosing students’ gender identity not by the school.” changes to parents on July 15. This However, even with the new law law came after a dozen California parents may still be made aware of school boards implemented policies gender identity changes through requiring schools to notify parents of educational documents, especially such changes. if students make official changes Conservative states have enacted in Infinite Campus. Administrator similar policies as part of the parental Trudy Gross explains that changes rights movement, which has gained to students’ names and pronouns via traction in Southern California. The the FUHSD Records Change Request Chino Valley Unified School District would be visible to parents. attempted to sue Newsom on July 17, “We do recognize that there are arguing that the new students law violates parental who want rights under the U.S. the change Constitution. and may English teacher not be in Lynn Rose, whose a position youngest child, Beck, to either identifies as nondisclose it binary, understands at home, that children can are against notifying parents of or it is not hesitate at being gender changes at school supported transparent with *According to a survey of 115 people at home, their parents. As a even if the teacher who supported the addition parents are aware,” Gross said. “We of “Aristotle and Dante Discover the have a process by which the student Secrets of the Universe,” a novel about can go through the transition without two gay adolescents, into the Lit/Writ a parent, but then they acknowledge curriculum and an avid demonstrator that they are aware that parents would in women’s marches, Rose made it a then have access to that information.” priority to make home a place where In the second semester of the Beck felt comfortable coming out.

2023-24 school year, Chang changed “I understand the frustration on his first name to Rowan and began the parents’ part,” Rose said. “But I using this name in classes. While he don’t think it’s anybody’s right to out also came out to parents, Chang says a student without their permission. that they do not want him to change There are sometimes dangerous his name officially on school records, situations if students are outed to which left him to unofficially go by his their parents before they are ready, new name. especially depending on the family “Mainly the reason why I haven’t situation.” done that form is because I don’t want According to the Trevor Project, changes to show up on those records in 2023, less than 40% of students that my parents can see,” Chang said. nationwide believed their household “Students should be aware of that was accepting of gender identity consequence.” and orientation changes. Junior The Family Educational Rights Rowan Chang, who identifies as and Privacy Act, known as FERPA, is transgender, believes this law would a federal law that comes into conflict benefit students in possibly unsafe with California state law, as it gives households. parents the right to view and request “If the parents are not supportive, changes to educational records then maybe the student has a good until their child is 18 years of age. To

64%

of MVHS students

ensure the district was not in violation of FERPA, district officials met with attorneys in the past.

According to Gross, FUHSD is not at odds with the new legislation, since staff have not been actively informing parents of students’ gender changes.

For students who submit gender and name change requests without parent support, FUHSD has a separate acknowledgment form to notify students that these changes are visible across educational records.

Gross recalls that the district has seen instances where guardians, under FERPA rights, undo the changes their student made to names and pronouns.

“As a person who is gay, I know what it means to be outed,” Gross said. “Unfortunately, the way that records are maintained in a school system, people could have access to the information, but it is not actively outing somebody.”

According to Rose, Beck has plans to pursue a career in family therapy, as they believe that there was a shortage of therapists when they needed it in high school. Rose says she told Beck, who is currently studying at University of San Francisco, to consider never leaving the state for their safety.

From her experience as a mother, Rose does not believe that parents have a right to know their child’s gender change without proper consent. Gross affirms Rose’s sentiment and says no one holds the right to out a child.

“It’s your own personal decision around how you express yourself,” Gross said. “There’s always a great worry about ‘Will I be accepted?’”

NEWS | OCTOBER 2024

11

CULTURE CLASH The MVHS community discusses living at the intersection of different cultures

BY ANANYA CHAUDHARY, ETHAN EISLER, ALETHEIA JU, ERIN LIU, LIZ LIU, OWEN LIU AND ALAN TAI

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION | LIZ LIU

THE PATH TO CITIZENSHIP An inside look at the complexities of citizenship in the U.S.

BY ALETHEIA JU AND ALAN TAI

87% 77%

GETTING A VISA

of MVHS students of MVHS students are U.S. citizens on a visa/green card *According to a survey of 119 people

ILLUSTRATIONS | ALETHEIA JU AND ALAN TAI

say getting a visa or green card is moderately difficult or difficult *According to a survey of 23 people

32 MILLION PEOPLE

began the citizen application process in 2021

WORKERS FAMILY

200K ACCEPTED

700K ACCEPTED

23.8 MIL DENIED

7.3 MIL DENIED

*According to the Cato Institute

CAN YOU PASS A CITIZENSHIP TEST? FEATURES | OCTOBER 2024

13

A CITIZEN’S CONUNDRUM

The MVHS community discusses the challenges with U.S. citizenship

BY ANANYA CHAUDHARY AND ETHAN EISLER

W

hile vacations often signal relaxation, for Chinese teacher Zoey Liu, it was quite the opposite this past year. Liu was planning an international trip to Britain when she ran into a problem: because she was a Chinese citizen, she had to apply for a tourist visa, which required mountains of paperwork and an interview that impacted her work schedule. Unfortunately, the process took too long, and with her departure date coming up, Liu had no choice but to pay extra money to expedite her application.

As a result of this experience and her plans to go on future international trips, Liu decided to apply for American citizenship, and in January 2024, she became an American citizen. While having an easier travel experience was a huge factor behind Liu’s decision to get citizenship, Liu was also inconvenienced by her work visa’s

14

expiration and renewal dates and the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program hoped to gain greater residential (also known as the Green Card stability by becoming a citizen.

Lottery) which randomly awards up to The first benchmark an individual 50,000 immigrant visas per year. The must meet when odds of winning transitioning this lottery are from a foreign only 0.25%, which citizenship to a Liu admits can be U.S. citizenship a challenge for is obtaining an many teachers. immigrant visa.

“I know This can be done teachers who through family applied for the sponsorships, lottery and did not a s y l u m Immigrated from foreign get it,” Liu said. applications or countries “In the end, they employmentjust decide to get *According to PEW Research Center b a s e d a student visa or applications. Immigrants who are they go back to China or their own not eligible to apply through those country.

That’s very methods will have to apply through inconvenient and can be scary, especially

GRAPHIC | OWEN LIU

EL ESTOQUE | OCTOBER 2024

13.8%

of the U.S. population

when you’re young or in your 20s. of the family’s primary visa.

Ma recognized this as an issue, which That’s something that’s always “Because my mom has to support led to her renouncing her Chinese hanging over your head.” our family with the visa, it’s stressful citizenship in exchange for American Immigration visas lead to obtaining because she has to keep her job,” citizenship. a green card, a visa which represents Shah said. “I don’t think it would ever “I was a little sad to let go of my permanent residency has been happen, but if she ever gets fired, then Chinese citizenship,” Ma said. “Being granted for the person to live and work we’d have to go back. So it hurts her Chinese was always important to in the U.S. Getting a green card can job prospects in some ways because me, and initially I was feeling a little take one to five years depending on she can’t really down and a little the individual’s visa, country of origin, move jobs as disappointed for family relations and other information. much because renouncing it.

After gaining permanent residency, you have to Now I’m OK with the individual must live in the U.S. for refile for the visa IT’S JUST MY it because it’s five years, or three years if they’re and not a lot of a passport PASSPORT; IT DOESN’T just married to a U.S. citizen.

— it doesn’t say companies want According to senior H-4 visa to do that.”

SAY ANYTHING ABOUT anything about Resident Hursh Shah, living on a visa my identity and Shah believes MY IDENTITY AND is stressful (an H-4 visa is a special that the process it doesn’t define visa given to children or spouses of of me.” obtaining DOESN’T DEFINE ME. work visa holders). At 5 years old, A m e r i c a n Similar to Ma, Shah and his family came to America citizenship is a CHINESE TEACHER Liu continues to in search of opportunities and a better stressful one. In ZOEY LIU hold her Chinese quality of life, which he defines as the fact, he is already identity close to perpetuated “American Dream.” Since looking for the her.

However, migrating to the U.S., Shah’s family quickest way he can acquire it for the Liu recognizes the potential outside has been discussing getting American future. He finds that his main options pressures she may receive as a result citizenship to replace the work visas are studying to get a Ph.D. or getting of renouncing her Chinese citizenship. the family currently resides on. married — he would prefer the former. Specifically, she cites how her parents “The fact that we’re still on a visa “I need to get the citizenship have warned her about the judgment definitely hurts a little because, for when I grow up, because otherwise Chinese Americans receive from Indian citizens my parents are airport workers and Chinese citizens. there’s a huge “I’m jealous of people who have gonna have to go backlog, and that’s back, and they dual citizenship because I feel like not exactly what don’t want to go they have the perfect situation,” Liu the American I SPEAK ENGLISH back,” Shah said. said. “It’s almost like I have to say ‘I’m Dream is supposed AND ASSOCIATE “Even if my mom American, I’m not Chinese anymore.’ to be,” Shah said. works for 20 more But I still introduce myself to people “Honestly, I would WITH AMERICAN years, she won’t saying that I’m Chinese because consider myself CULTURE. I DON’T get her citizenship that’s the identity I associate with and more American because the line is nobody can take that away from me.” than Indian.

I KNOW MUCH ABOUT way too long, so speak English and I INDIA, TO CALL I’m going to have associate more with to sponsor her.

American culture. MYSELF INDIAN. That means I need I don’t know much H-4 VISA RESIDENT to get citizenship about India, to call before then. It’s HURSH SHAH myself an Indian.” kind of a waiting Being on an H-4 visa, which is game and that’s just frustrating.” dependent on his mother’s work visa, As a senior currently applying to Shah is unable to attain a job, which colleges, a significant issue Shah he believes limits his extracurricular has encountered is that because he opportunities compared to students is on a visa, he has to mark himself with American citizenship. Along with as an international student, which his own occupational worry, Shah introduces increased school tuition, recognizes the pressures his mother less opportunities for scholarships experiences due to being the holder and other issues. Freshman Emma

“

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ILLUSTRATION | ERIN LIU

FEATURES | OCTOBER 2024

15

UNACCUSTOMED TO CUSTOMS MVHS students and parents share their experiences of culture shock traveling to their home country

BY ERIN LIU AND ALAN TAI

T

he moment sophomore Nikhita being changed and trying to be made Srikanth stepped off the plane better,” Jeleva said. “If you walk into in India, she immediately began someone’s house and they have this to sweat from a wave of hot, humid really old kitchen or their floors are air. Trash sitting outside her door creaky, you’d be like, ‘Oh, like what the welcomed her return to India after hell?’ Obviously in Bulgaria, they have three years away. new buildings As she walked and skyscrapers, through the but I feel like they bustling streets separate that of Bangalore, into a different attracting stares part of the city.” for her baggy, MVHS parent Western clothing, Xiaoqiao Meng waves of noise have experienced culture shock traveled to his bombarded her home country of ears — a stark when returning to their home China over the contrast to the country summer.

After peaceful quiet of *According to a survey of 98 people living in the U.S. Cupertino. for 23 years Srikanth’s experience highlights as an immigrant, one of the biggest what 58% of MVHS students recall differences he noticed was the experiencing when returning to their amount of high rises and short walking home country: culture distances to locallyshock. Defined as a owned businesses feeling of uncertainty in Hubei, compared when exposed to an I DIDN’T REALIZE to the large, spreadunfamiliar culture or out franchises in IT WAS SO environment, culture Cupertino. shock affects students BAD TO THE Though he who live in America appreciates the POINT THAT when they travel convenience of back to their place of EVERYWHERE I Hubei’s high density heritage. restaurants, Meng LOOKED, I WOULD of Junior Nicole Jeleva, still felt that his quality who has visited her NOTICE PEOPLE of life improved parents’ home country when he moved to STRUGGLING. of Bulgaria every the U.S., highlighting summer of her life, JUNIOR the larger living recalls experiencing a MARGAUX MOJICA space and easier different standard of transportation. living there. She says many people, However, going back to China like her grandma, use old appliances this year, he noticed the and live in old buildings. Jeleva overall conditions there believes this would shock people have improved as well. accustomed to the newly renovated “The streets have homes common in Cupertino. become cleaner, “Here, it’s more like everything’s and because being modernized and constantly they have a

lot of electric cars right now, the air pollution is much less compared to five years ago,” Meng said. “People tend to have a higher spirit when I’m meeting them in the street. So generally, I feel it’s better compared to five years ago.”

However, junior Margaux Mojica, who traveled back to their home country of the Philippines over the summer, recalls a more negative experience. Mojica says they felt shocked after seeing signs of poverty and economic downturn in the Philippines, a contrast to their experience in Cupertino.

“I expected there to b e a

58%

of MVHS students

IL

LU ST R

AT I

O N

|E

RI

N

LI

U

“

16

EL ESTOQUE | OCTOBER 2024

homelessness crisis, because I know our economy has been struggling lately, but I didn’t realize it was so bad to the point that everywhere I looked, I would notice people struggling,” Mojica said. “I noticed there were a lot of broken-down buildings, which was really surprising. Next to me, famous hotels which used to be really populated became run-down and abandoned.”

While many people strive to stay connected to their culture, they may notice aspects of that culture differ between Cupertino and their home country. Jeleva notes that despite her efforts to stay connected with Bulgarian culture, she still didn’t fully fit in while in Bulgaria, as living in the U.S. influenced her culture.

“When I go back to Bulgaria and I’m talking to my Bulgarian friends, after they’ve talked to me for a while,

they can tell that I don’t live there,” year to get used to life in America, Jeleva said. “In Cupertino, we still Meng now feels comfortable in follow a lot of Bulgarian traditions, but I both countries and is able to adjust feel like our version of Bulgarian culture quickly when traveling between them. has become slightly Americanized just Similarly, Srikanth says she gets used because we’ve been here for so long to the different culture after a few days and I’ve had my entire life here.” in India, to the extent that she forgets Mojica has also noticed that living toilet paper exists. She even feels that in America has impacted how they she’s able to express herself more experience Filipino culture, especially comfortably while in India. in cuisine. Dishes that are relatively “I feel more able to voice my common in the Philippines, such as opinions over there than here,” pig’s blood, are Srikanth said. “I’m unavailable in the not a very vocal U.S., so their family person, but if I has explored new I FEEL LIKE OUR go to India I can types of food. speak in both my VERSION OF “Here, since native language we’re surrounded BULGARIAN and English. by lots of other People are usually CULTURE HAS ethnic cultures, we impressed that kind of include that BECOME SLIGHTLY I can speak my in our practices,” language, AMERICANIZED JUST native Mojica said. “For because people example, we’ve BECAUSE WE’VE BEEN from there itself been trying new don’t speak it HERE FOR SO LONG foods, which anymore, so weren’t really AND I’VE HAD MY that’s probably available in the why I feel more ENTIRE LIFE HERE. Philippines, confident.” because most of Although going JUNIOR what’s available in back to a home NICOLE JELEVA the Philippines is country may be Filipino culture and Filipino cuisine.” a different experience, ultimately, However, even people who are Mojica says it helps them feel more able to maintain a close connection connected to their culture. The visits with their culture and expect cultural allow them to bridge the gap between differences are affected by culture their cultural practices here in America shock when visiting their home country. and in the Philippines. Jeleva agrees, Srikanth, who identifies more with her seeing traveling back to Bulgaria as a Indian heritage than her American necessity that she hopes to continue nationality, says that, while she had in the future. anticipated many of the differences “Going back to Bulgaria refreshes between Bangalore and Cupertino, my cultural identity, and I love going she did not expect how people were back every year,” Jeleva said. “My much less accommodating in India. parents were like, ‘Oh, I don’t even Particularly, she recalls a driver know if we’re gonna have time this refusing to seat her group of year. We have this, this, this.’ I told four in his car, despite there them, ‘No, we have to find time. We being a total of six seats. need to go back.’”

Still, people are able to adapt to differences in culture. Though it took him nearly a

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FEATURES | OCTOBER 2024

17

IU NL WE |O HIC AP GR

CULTUURE VS. CLASSROOM CULT Students discuss the differences between how languages are taught and how the language is spoken natively

BY LIZ LIU AND OWEN LIU

H

aving spent most of her life in China, junior Lindsey Niu was fluent in Chinese long before she set foot into Advanced Placement Chinese Language and Culture for the first time. Despite coming into class with far deeper knowledge of the language and culture than most of her peers, Niu still found every class interesting – AP Chinese even became Niu’s favorite class, which she attributed to finding enjoyment from helping other students as well as the class’s engaging learning style.

Maria Autran and Joyce Fortune,

18

both Spanish teachers at MVHS, also aim to make class interesting for all students, regardless of their level. The goals of the Spanish language program include not only preparing students for the AP exam, but also enabling students to hold conversations in Spanish-speaking countries.

“You have some students who want to be a doctor, those that want to travel, and some who just want to get two years so they can go to college,” Fortune said. “I want to build their vocabulary, practice their grammar and build their skills so that I can send

EL ESTOQUE | OCTOBER 2024

them on to the AP class, but that’s not my primary goal and it shouldn’t be anyone’s primary goal either.”

Although the AP exam in May marks the end of some students’ Spanish journeys, many students have found real life applications for the language. While Niu says the Chinese she learned in her AP Chinese class is useful for people wishing to travel to China, the Chinese they learn is limited to travels and not extended stays.

“If you were in China, you’d be able to use the Chinese taught in the AP

classes,” Niu said. “But in reality that’s ‘el camión’ or ‘el autobús,’ but maybe But for many Chinese people, like me, not how a teenager in a public high in some Caribbean countries, they say I don’t want to be humble at all. I would school would talk. People are always ‘el guagua.’” like people to just using slang. They won’t talk like they Due to any praise me, and I would if they were in the Chinese culture’s vastness encourage them to class, because it’s just too boring for a as well as its praise me because CHINESE CULTURE I like to hear it.” high schooler, for a teenager.” ever-changing To Niu, subtleties like these often nature, Autran Autran believes DOESN’T HAVE A distinguish native speakers from non- acknowledges that some of the content native speakers, accentuating the it can be difficult SPECIFIC SHAPE. she teaches from qualities of a different upbringing and to teach and the textbook is heritage. Despite this, Autran strongly correctly represent JUNIOR outdated, leading believes that the content and skills in a classroom. Niu LINDSEY NIU her to supplement covered in her class will prepare her agrees and says as textbook readings students to overcome such challenges a result, topics relating to culture in AP along with online articles. She further and to embrace the diversity of not classrooms fail to depict the personal explains that the importance of current knowing another particular dialect. and individual experience, which and modern events is their ability to “To go out there and explore threatens the distinction between develop and shape culture — a tool any Spanish speaking country, customs and stereotypes. not only used to connect with others there’s varieties “Sure, AP in a community but also to instill of vocabulary,” Chinese covers appreciation for language among kids.

Autran said. “Even I Chinese culture, “Kids that are in AP or higher wouldn’t completely and it lets you language levels already value the LANGUAGES u n d e r s t a n d have a basic view importance of knowing another someone from CONNECT PEOPLE. of Chinese culture language,” Autran said. “But I wish Chile, maybe, but as a whole,” Niu we started earlier, even before high LANGUAGES everybody will face said. “But Chinese school, helping kids understand that. Even as you HELP CONNECT culture doesn’t have why knowing other languages could travel to different a specific shape. benefit them in the long run and US AND MAKE US countries, you’ll For example, the AP benefit their communities. I wish we realize that vocab MORE ACCEPTING. classroom teaches could instill this love for language varies. Even native that Chinese people and tell kids that it is valuable beyond TEACHER always speakers have to pretend the classroom. Languages connect struggle with that.

MARIA AUTRAN to be humble, or people. Languages help us be more For instance, in they’re actually tolerant of other cultures and help us Mexico, we say the word for the bus is humble, that they won’t accept praise. be more accepting.”

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HOW REPRESENTATIVE ARE MVHS LANGUAGE CLASSES OF THEIR LANGUAGE OR CULTURE? REPRESENTATIVE SLIGHTLY REPRESENTATIVE VERY REPRESENTATIVE

*According to a survey of 91 students

NOT VERY REPRESENTATIVE NOT REPRESENTATIVE

FEATURES | OCTOBER 2024

19

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MISSING PIECES Curriculum needs to capture cultural diversity in world language learning

T

he crowd on the movie screen flickers as they double over in laughter, sharing an inside joke that flies just beyond our grasp — in a language we should understand. That familiar sting of betrayal: after four years of study in a world language, we realize our hard-earned proficiency is no match for the cultural nuances and casual humor native speakers seem to wield so effortlessly, offering no aid for navigating the rich, informal layers of the language and leaving us wondering how we missed the memo on jokes that everyone else (the crowd in that movie) seems to get.

When it comes to language acquisition, schools do supplement syntax and lexicon by introducing students to national holidays, traditional customs and prominent landmarks.

However, there is a shortcoming in how these cultures are represented: curriculum is often too generalized to capture the multifaceted aspects of the communities who speak these languages, a reductionist approach that not only undermines crosscultural understanding but also leaves students ill-equipped to navigate realworld communication in that world language.

The problem is not that schools neglect culture, but rather that they offer a narrow, sanitized version of it — one that flattens the complexity of lived experiences into neat, consumable lessons. Our high school French or Spanish curriculum might cover widely-known cultural touchstones, but these are often presented in a manner that suggests they are representative of an entire nation or language community. Such generalizations do not account for the vast regional and generational differences that exist within these cultures.

In French classes, students are

often taught a Parisian variant of the language, complete with formalized structures and archaic greetings that feel detached from the way people actually speak today. Little attention is given to the fact that French is spoken differently in multiple regions across the world, each with its own distinct dialect, accent and cultural context.

For example, Quebecois French, with its distinct expressions and idiomatic language, differs markedly from the French spoken in France.

Likewise, the Spanish curriculum focuses predominantly on Latin American Spanish, neglecting the array of dialects across Spain and Mexico and the most common form of Spanish used in Spain, Castilian Spanish.

Slang used in Mexico City is drastically different from the idiomatic expressions of Buenos Aires, just as customs in Chile diverge from those in Spain. By focusing on just one version of the language, the curricula presents a monolithic version of the culture and deprives students of the broader landscape, possibly leading to misunderstandings and reinforcement of cultural stereotypes.

For example, formerly conservative countries like China have evolved to more liberal younger generations, yet the Chinese curriculum presents a stereotyped, traditional semiConfucianism society. Therefore, students who are natively Chinese may feel misrepresented, and students who are not educated on the culture are fed an outdated and narrow version of China’s social culture.

The heart of this problem is the fact that language is not static; rather, it’s evolving, whether it be

shaped by globalization, technology, generational change or a combination of them. New slang emerges, old customs change and regional subcultures carve out their own linguistic spaces — and yet, many school curriculum treat language as fixed, likely because of outdated standardized AP tests. This rigidity leaves students less than prepared to engage with real people in different, diverse contexts.

Therefore, it’s important that schools work to broaden cultural education within language curriculum by incorporating contemporary culture — such as modern media and pop culture — into their lessons. At MVHS, this standard is met at higher levels, such as in the honors or AP course; however, it’s crucial to incorporate a colorful cultural curriculum at rudimentary levels as well.

It’s also true that curricula are already overloaded with grammar, vocabulary and exam preparation.

Nevertheless, even if it’s not possible to cover every aspect of a culture in exhaustive detail, educators can still make an effort to acknowledge that these complexities exist. By emphasizing that the cultural elements presented in class are only facets of a much larger and diverse whole, teachers can erase stereotypes and breed cultural literacy by eliciting students’ curiosity.

Ultimately, language and culture are tightly linked — understanding one without the other results in a shallow grasp of both. So when the curriculum reduces culture to a few standardized lessons, it strips the language of its richness and only leaves a skewed and oversimplified view.

Bonjou

OPINION | OCTOBER 2024

Hola

21

GETTING BACK TO IT The MVHS community shares its experiences from the first month of school

BY SAMIKA BHATKAR AND CORINNA KUO

FRESHMAN RESPONSES

48%

of MVHS freshmen

33%

58%

HAVE NOT

HAVE NOT

rate their first month of school a 4 or 5 out of 5 *According to a survey of 31 people

42%

of MVHS freshmen have made more than 9 friends *According to a survey of 24 people

HAVE

HAVE

been to a rally or dance this year

been to a sports game this year

*According to a survey of 24 people

*According to a survey of 24 people

LIKES It feels like the students are more disconnected from each other and into FRESHMAN their social groups.

RIYA JAGARLAPUDI

DISLIKES I don’t like how students seem to not care about cutting the lunch line. They’re FRESHMAN wasting time of all the students behind NOAH GUAN them when they cut.

22 EL ESTOQUE | OCTOBER 2024

42%

67%

3.4

out of 5

is the average rating for freshmen of the first month of school *According to a survey of 31 people

OPINION MY FAVORITE CLASS OR EXTRACURRICULAR SO FAR IS ...

I really like MVDT as an after-school activity! The girls there are super nice and I FRESHMAN feel like I’ve found another family in them.

NOAH GUAN

MY GO-TO HANGOUT IS ...

MY GO-TO HANGOUT IS ...

The Academic Quad or the top of the B Building.

Hands down the Wellness Center.

FRESHMAN NIKOLAS LEE

of MVHS students

have not pulled an all nighter this school year *According to a survey of 106 people

JUNIOR SENIOR JOHN DOE ASTER NYUGEN

MY GO-TO HANGOUT IS ...

MY GO-TO HANGOUT IS ...

The Student Union.

The steps in the Rally Court or the MVHS JUNIOR Library.

FRESHMAN

SENIOR MADELINE ISCHO

81%

COOL FACT I LEARNED THIS YEAR...

How positive feedback loops work in Biology.

FRESHMAN GABRIEL KUO

JOHNSUBEH DOE AHMAD

COOL FACT I LEARNED THIS YEAR...

vending machine favorites

The five tones of Mandarin in Chinese.

SOPHOMORE BECK POLTRONETTI

FRESHMAN AVNISH SHUKLA’S FAVORITE VENDING MACHINE SNACK IS THE RICE KRISPIES.

HO W

JUNIOR ETHAN CHIU’S FAVORITE VENDING MACHINE SNACK IS THE ICE LEMONADE DRINK.

ES TIM

7%

NY A

6%

5%

STUDENTS HAVE

5-6

7+

46%

BE EN

0

L

E AT

FRESHMAN NIKOLAS LEE’S FAVORITE VENDING MACHINE SNACK IS THE SMARTFOOD WHITE CHEDDAR POPCORN.

M

SENIOR MADELINE ISCHO’S FAVORITE VENDING MACHINE SNACK IS LEMONADE VITAMIN WATER.

3-4

35% 1-2

SENIOR KANCHAN KAUSHIK’S FAVORITE VENDING MACHINE SNACK IS THE SPARKLING GRAPEFRUIT SAN PELLEGRINO.

STUDENT BODY RESPONSES

*According to a survey of 111 people

OPINION | OCTOBER 2024

23

IS LESS A LOSS? Why the viral “underconsumption core” trend has a net negative impact

BY ANGELA POON

W

hile scrolling through TikTok, you might come across a clip of a fashion influencer showing off her old clothes, clearly marked with stains or wrinkled.

She tells viewers that despite these flaws, she continues wearing these pieces. This is the general idea of the “underconsumption core” trend that has recently gone viral on social media to promote sustainability. In fact, half of MVHS students admit to having purchased something because a social media creator was promoting it. Because of this, the trend aims to convince people to cut back on unnecessary purchases, reducing waste. Smaller creators were inspired to start “underconsumption core” because of the toll that overconsumption, which was caused by fast fashion and large influencers, takes on the environment.

While the intentions behind the trend are good, a closer look proves that the presence of “underconsumption core” on social media presents challenges along with potential benefits. As the

trend took off, a subtrend emerged: students in the MVHS community an influx of luxury minimalism, the idea purchase non-necessity items at that purchasing and keeping high- least every month. While donating quality items is better than constantly can alleviate our impact on the environment by replacing cheap r e d u c i n g ones. Fast fashion consumption companies have waste, throwing thrived because things away still of their infamously contributes to affordable prices, environmental but the products damage — if are of poor the objects quality, leading purchase non-necessity items don’t break to short lifespans weekly down properly, and constant *According to a survey of 104 people they produce repurchasing. dangerous Twenty eight percent of MVHS students have microplastics. When social media bought from fast fashion brands influencers see this trend as an before, and while this isn’t ideal, opportunity to throw away products to luxury minimalism isn’t as realistic or promote a falsely minimalistic lifestyle, sustainable as the media cuts it out sustainability is compromised. As to be either. With the continuously trendsetters and content creators, changing cycle of microtrends on these users are encouraging wasteful social media, luxury items won’t fit into behaviors. Throwing away products for an aesthetic change is a quick fix those styles forever.

Minimalism advocates for few to the temporary issue of keeping up products for necessity only. with trends but neglects sustainability the long run.

However, an astonishing in Moreover, “underconsumption 84% of core” is restrictive because it could convince us that we don’t need something enough to spend money on it. Douglas Boneparth, a certified financial planner and member of CNBC’s Financial Advisor Council, said in an article, “If you get too caught up in saving income by sacrificing current comforts, are you basically sucking the joy out of things? Are you not allowing yourself to actually partake in some of the more fun or frilly things in life?” He asserts that if people take minimalism too far, they could limit their spending U I NL so that they no longer find joy in ERI | N TIO smaller discretionary spending.

A R UST If you aren’t willing to spend money ILL to make your life more enjoyable now,

24 EL ESTOQUE | OCTOBER 2024

28%

of MVHS students

what will make you want to spend that of. However, Solitaire Townsend, a money later on? Beyond that, if you let sustainability expert and co-founder “underconsumption core” become a of the change agency Futerra, wrote larger force that controls your life, by in an article, “Most of us who are devoting all your attention to keeping following influencers really want them up with a trend and being too frugal to help us make sustainable choices. to spend money, you could miss We want them to model these out on valuable behaviors,” which experiences. contributed to the Ultimately, “the key rise of creators deword in personal IF YOU GET TOO CAUGHT influencing people finance is personal,” from buying into Boneparth said. UP IN SAVING INCOME BY certain products You should be able and behaviors.

SACRIFICING CURRENT to spend your Even though money the way COMFORTS, ARE YOU survey results you want to, and indicate that BASICALLY SUCKING THE not keep it stashed consumption at away just because JOY OUT OF THINGS? MVHS is relatively social media and under control, FINANCIAL with few students influencers told you PLANNER noting to. extreme R e v e n g e overconsumption, spending, a result of minimalism we still need to recognize these and feeling restricted, surfaced after prevalent issues and call for a COVID-19. According to the Corporate healthy balance between the two Finance Institute, those who felt denied extremities of overconsumption and of purchases spent an excessive underconsumption. Some alternatives amount of money making up for what to underconsumption include thrifting, they believed they were deprived which is more affordable and won’t

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add another garment to the world, and investing in higher-end items that last longer, which could be more expensive but don’t necessarily have to be “luxurious.” Overconsumption alternatives can include mending old items instead of buying new ones altogether and keeping how much you spend on fast fashion in check.

Essentially, by reducing, reusing and recycling, we can find a sustainable solution by being mindful of the environment. While this trend is seemingly effective because it attempts to convey messages of underconsumerism to counter our previously very overconsumerist lifestyles, “underconsumption core” is problematic as a whole because of its implications on the media, the environment and ourselves.

FAST FACTS

84%

28%

50%

purchase non-necessity items at least monthly

have bought from fast fashion brands before

have bought something because social media promoted it

*According to a survey of 104 people

*According to a survey of 112 people

*According to a survey of 107 people

OPINION | OCTOBER 2024

25

PRIDE OR PRETENSE? The MVHS community shares perspectives on the pinkwashing marketing tactic

BY RADHIKA DHARMAPURIKAR AND YIXUAN (JOYCE) LI

I

that read, “There will be blood.” To appease these violent protesters, Target removed some of the clothing that generated controversy among protesters, a response that received criticism for conveying that the LGBTQ+ pride collection was simply

ILLUSTRATION | VARUN SINGH

n 2023, Target faced serious backlash after anti-LGBTQ+ riots targeted their recently released pride collection. At one store in Columbus, Ohio, neo-Nazis carried swastika flags and shouted hateful chants while displaying a banner

26 EL ESTOQUE | OCTOBER 2024

a business transaction rather than a show of solidarity.

This problem is not unique to Target: “pinkwashing” is defined as a marketing strategy typically used by large corporations to appeal to the LGBTQ+ community without actually committing to its values. According to junior and Gay Straight Alliance Vice President Archana Kakar, by releasing poor-quality pride merchandise and posting about pride on social media to raise engagement, brands have proven that their so-called support is more about the profit than the principle.

In addition to Target, H&M and Forever 21 have utilized pinkwashing in the past. In 2021, H&M announced that it would be releasing a “Beyond the Rainbow” collection and donating $100,000 to the United Nations Free & Equal Campaign.

However, they were not fully transparent about how much they would profit off of the collection prior to the campaign.

The company made over $1.5 billion from the campaign in 2021 alone, making their donation less than 0.001% of their overall profit.

Pinkwashing through menial efforts to support the LGBTQ+ community, according to Kakar, indicate that the priorities of these organizations lie in profit.

“It just looks like businesses put something out for the

sake of putting something out and not “These companies need to actually to champion, or are they simply like they put any thought into it,” Kakar be supporting the LGBTQ+ community leveraging social issues such as pride said. “It makes you feel like they’re and not having policies or even be for profit?” just using it for marketing and don’t supporting politicians and political “Businesses are always going to actually care about the history of the movements that are not supportive take advantage of what they think is LGBTQ+ community. They just want of the LGBTQ+ going to make people more money. As a part of the LGBTQ+ community.” have a more positive community, we are not just your However, view of them,” Lerner marketing helpers, we’re people.” according to said. “If you care This trend of supporting pride Yang, amidst supporting IF YOU CARE ABOUT about simply for the exposure is especially the criticism of the right companies apparent during June, dedicated to corporate pride, SUPPORTING THE with your dollars, the celebration of all the LGBTQ+ it is important to you have to be a RIGHT COMPANIES community has fought for and the recognize that little bit skeptical milestones they have achieved. there are still WITH YOUR as a consumer of According to junior Megan Yang, Pride businesses that really behind DOLLARS, YOU HAVE what’s Month has turned into a commercial a u t h e n t i c a l l y a brand and if they holiday for businesses to profit off of r e p r e s e n t TO BE A LITTLE really mean what merch and social media promotions. and support they’re saying.”

SKEPTICAL AS A “Making things rainbow doesn’t the LGBTQ+ H o w e v e r , do much to put out a statement,” community. She CONSUMER BEHIND Lerner says that Yang said. “They change their logos recalls smaller it’s important to A BRAND AND IF to rainbow, they make things more brands and some recognize that colorful, maybe they put out some quietly supportive THEY REALLY MEAN pride has become products that are related to pride. o r g a n i z a t i o n s so much more in WHAT THEY’RE But that’s definitely more marketing that maintain the past decade, than actually supporting the LGBTQ+ inclusivity year- SAYING. and she notices community.” round, not society is moving in BIOLOGY AND a positive direction When looking at some of the just when it’s products companies have put out in profitable and PHYSIOLOGY TEACHER where it is no attempts to present themselves as trendy.

These LORA LERNER longer considered allies, Kakar says corporations equate c o m p a n i e s unwelcome to activism with a limited time sale on donate to voice support for rainbow-colored clothing, which can and back initiatives that advocate the LGBTQ+ community, and that backfire when their effort is minimal. This for the LGBTQ+ community, such pinkwashing means that companies phenomenon, as the nonprofit are at least willing to show support, known as organization GLAAD, even if it is a pretense. “s l a c k t i v i s m ,” to raise the voices of “It wasn’t that long ago that having is indicative marginalized groups. a pride parade was a dangerous thing of how some THIS PHENOMENON, To navigate the to do,” Lerner said. “The police had to corporations blurry line between guard people in the parade because KNOWN AS prioritize genuine support and there might be violence and right public image “SLACKTIVISM,” opportunism, Lerner now, the police are there to keep the over support, supports turning crowds down. Now corporations have IS INDICATIVE according to to independent jumped into that. Of course, that might Kakar. Biology OF HOW SOME organizations or be somewhat self-serving, but it’s a and physiology watchdog groups pretty strong statement that society CORPORATIONS teacher Lora that track corporate has made that leap where it’s not Lerner agrees PRIORITIZE PUBLIC practices. However, controversial or dangerous anymore with this beyond reliance on to be supportive.”

IMAGE. sentiment, statistics and outside calling for information, Lerner consistent efforts that are beyond just also recognizes the importance of performative support. skepticism and raises the question: “It’s more than just having a booth “Are these corporations genuinely at the Pride Parade,” Lerner said. committed to the causes they claim

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OPINION | OCTOBER 2024

27

APPROPRIATE AUDIENCES ONLY

Mature content exposes students to adult themes at an early age

BY JONAH CHANG AND ARCHANA VENKATESAN

S

ophomore and Marvel fan Ethan saw Jackman make his return in Lin vividly recalls walking into a Disney’s Marvel Studios’ “Deadpool & theater in 2017 Wolverine.” Despite to watch “Logan,” their family-friendly 20th Century Fox’s image — Marvel I’VE NEVER CARED Studios generally film starring Hugh Jackman as the PGWHETHER A MOVIE produces iconic Wolverine.

13 films and had WAS R-RATED Lin, who was only a only used the third-grader at the F-word once up BECAUSE MY time, was excited to until this point — PARENTS DIDN’T see the conclusion the film satisfied of Jackman’s fan expectations CARE. SO IF A character in his final by continuing MOVIE LOOKS solo film. He wasn’t the violent, bothered by the fact raunchy style that INTERESTING, I that the film is rated characterized JUST WATCH IT. R by the Motion p r e v i o u s Picture Association SOPHOMORE “ D e a d p o o l ” of America (MPAA) installments, rated ETHAN LIN R for innuendo, for brief nudity and intense violence. severe violence and 118 F-bombs. ”I’ve never cared whether a movie Regardless of its rating, Deadpool was R-rated because my parents and Wolverine” became the highestdidn’t care,” Lin said. “So if a movie grossing R-rated film worldwide, looks like an interesting movie, I just surpassing $1 billion at the box watch it. I was pretty excited when I office and proving that R-rated films’ saw ‘Logan.’ I wasn’t surprised by the limited audiences aren’t an obstacle violence, because it was an R-rated to box office success. According movie. It wasn’t anything special” to sophomore Toni Chen, this was In the the summer of 2024, Lin possible because of the movie’s

“

marketing.

“I didn’t pay attention to ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’s’ R-rating in advertisements, I only paid attention to the because they look cool,” Chen said. “I didn’t know that it was R-rated.

The advertisement is pretty discreet as well as very convincing.

As R-rated movies find the spotlight, middle and high schoolers may engage with adult themes earlier.

Lin found that exposure to these tones did not influence his childhood, since he could not fully understand them. However, as a parent, literature teacher Elly Brown handles mature content differently, believing that age restrictions are essential for the wellbeing of younger audiences.

“I think cognitively, kids are just not ready for some material,” Brown said. “I don’t see a benefit in exposing them to something that is too mature because it might scare them or make them feel nervous about a certain topic, or have them speak immaturely about a certain topic because they turn something that isn’t a joke into one.”

For her children, ages 7, 5 and 3, Brown screens movies on a case-by-

1922

1930

1968

William H. Hays becomes the first President of the MPAA and implements an internal censorship system, meant to combat government interference in movie production.

The original ratings included G for general audiences and M for mature audiences. Additionally, R meant audiences under 17 must have parental guidance, and X meant no one under 17 is admitted.

Following ratification, the MPAA created modern ratings, including G, PG (parental guidance is advisable) and R.

28 EL ESTOQUE | OCTOBER 2024

case basis to determine if they are explore adult content themselves. appropriate. However, sophomore To combat this, Brown resolves to Toni Chen’s parents discuss mature take a different themes in a safe approach.

Chen space.

STUDENTS is prohibited from “My 3-yearwatching all R-rated old would FEEL THAT IT’S movies.

According have a hard BECOMING MORE to an MPAA survey, time grasping 62% of parents the fact that NATURAL TO ACT restrict their child’s fighting scenes A CERTAIN WAY. access to mature are not real, or media, yet over 15 something that THEY FOLLOW million teenagers she’s not going TRENDS ON SOCIAL to encounter in engage with mature content without adult MEDIA AND WATCH her day-to-day consent. life,” Brown said.

MOVIES JUST Because so much “She might be mature media exists nervous about BECAUSE THAT online through that, whereas IS WHAT OTHER forums, images and my 7-year-old videos, teenagers has a more solid PEOPLE ON SOCIAL interact with and understanding of MEDIA WATCH. share adult material reality and can early. For instance, SOPHOMORE distance herself social media plays TONI CHEN from the pretend a significant role in world of a movie students’ media exposure, staging and the real world that we live in.” the success of R-rated titles such as As R-rated content “Oppenheimer” and “Joker.” continues rising “Students feel that it’s becoming i n more natural to act a certain way,” Chen said. “They follow trends on social media and watch movies just because that is what other people on social media watch.”

According to Brown, serious topics require maturity to engage with.

Still, even with parental oversight, teenagers

“

1991 “Terminator 2: Judgement Day” became a groundbreaking action film which paved the way for recognition of other R-rated movies.

2016 “Deadpool” changed the norm of superhero movies shifting it away from a focus on catering only to young audiences.

Its success prompted the release of “Deadpool 2” and “Deadpool & Wolverine.”

popularity, Brown finds that the ability to assess media portrayals of adult themes is key to healthy interactions with age-restricted material.

“I would rather my children not watch rated R movies until they’re much older,” Brown said. “But I also don’t want my children to be sheltered from certain content, and I want them to know that they will be exposed to things or hear things from their peers.

As long as we’re able to have an open dialogue about some of the more serious material in the content they’re watching, I’d be OK with that.”

PHIC

GRA

2017

| AN

2024

“Logan”, meant to conclude Hugh Jackman’s career as Wolverine, offers a different take on serious cinema.

“Deadpool & Wolverine” sets the record for the highest grossing R-rated film, earning more than $1.1 billion worldwide.

OPINION | OCTOBER 2024

R

RKA

NDA

HA IKA B

29

EMODIVERSITY How descriptive terms can help us break into our feelings

BY JILLIAN JU

M

y drawers are a mess. From the free stickers that came with my Etsy keychains to the fifth-grade love letters I never sent, there’s a lot I can’t afford to throw away. But even though most of those items are busy collecting dust, there is one item I pick up every year or so: my childhood journal.

It’s strawberry-themed, fluffy, hopelessly garish and most importantly, the defining text of my preteen years.

Flipping back through the pages, I find myself struck by how weirdly endearing my childish perspective was. Despite being vaguely aware of my emotions, I didn’t know how to explain them. Why did I want to be liked so much? Why did all the advice I got seem to contradict each other?

And why was there no word for how, suddenly, nothing made sense?

So as the fuzzy fruit-themed journal gave way to unnamed Google Docs in middle school, I spent more and more time trying to dig everything out of my brain. It took time, but I figured out a system for working through feelings — write them down, let them sit for a day or two and evaluate from a new perspective.

And it feels easy when I summarize it that way, but it took a lot of bad poetry and self-loathing to get here.

Often, there was just so much to process that the quantity became more overwhelming than the quality.

Like a day with a bunch of small and prickly homework assignments, every individual feeling piled up in an uncomfortable heap. I found myself thinking that my emotions

would be clearer if they were linear, compartmentalized in their own little drawer.

But that condensed, Sparknotes version of my feelings would also be less genuine, less me — so how would I find balance between self discovery and self acceptance?

T h r o u g h reflection, I found that there were two critical steps — embracing the diverse set of emotions instead of treating them like a burden, and taking the time to articulate them well.

There’s a word for this: emodiversity, which refers to the variety of emotions someone experiences. It’s a word I enjoy because it passes no judgment on the feelings themselves. It has been associated with better mental and physical health and could be a direct result of “emotional granularity,” or the ability to distinguish between the nuances of feelings.

I get the feeling that if I had been able to more clearly

THERE ARE THINGS WE FEEL, AND SOMEONE OUT THERE HAS THE WORDS FOR THEM. EMODIVERSITY IS A START.

30 EL ESTOQUE | OCTOBER 2024

articulate my thoughts when I was younger, a lot of what I went through would have been clearer and easier.

But at the same time, clearer doesn’t mean neater. Contrary to popular belief, my many messy drawers are actually quite easy WORDS to sift through, if FOR THINGS you know where everything is.

We don’t have to compartmentalize everything.

Sometimes, embracing that emodiversity is beneficial.

It goes hand in hand with language.

The more words we have to describe something, the more options we have when communicating, and the more detail can be expressed when we want to. There are things we feel, and someone out there has the words for them. Emodiversity is a start.

When it comes to figuring out our emotions, we don’t have to begin with the difficult part. Sometimes it just starts with appreciating the diversity of what we contain. And here, my justification for my messy workspace comes in handy — once we know where everything is, organization can happen when we’re ready.

ILLUSTRATIONS | JILLIAN JU

AS A HIGH SCHOOLER

I’m learning to prioritize my interests over others’ ideas of success

BY JONAH CHANG

M

y favorite band is AJR: Adam, Jack and Ryan Met. Though their work sometimes falls under the pop culture radar, their lyrics always ring true to me. Specifically, the following excerpt from “The DJ is Crying for Help.”

“Now I don’t know what to do with myself / (Da-da-da-da-da-da-da) / You got older ‘cause you’re good at life / I’m all seventeen at thirty-five / Now I don’t know if there’s anything else” (“The DJ is Crying for Help,” Track 8).

Why do these lyrics mean so much to me? After all, as a sophomore in high school, I’m two years from 17 and 20 from 35. Still, the beginning of this section, “Now I don’t know what to do with myself,” resonates with me.

Everything seemed straightforward through elementary and middle school.

There was one way to do things and one path to follow: no expectations, no pressure. Now, despite having so much freedom in deciding my future, I feel confined: I don’t know who I want to be.

All my life, I was set on becoming a paleontologist. I loved dinosaurs and knew hundreds of their names. In seventh grade, I was intrigued to learn that my science teacher had shared my dream of digging for fossils across the globe. However, she acknowledged that paleontology was extremely competitive, requiring years of higher education, and would not have been a good fit for her.

Doubt for my future washed over me, and I dug deeper, only to find sources dismissing paleontology as a “starving artist” career. Financial success and fame in paleontology require extreme dedication. For these reasons, I feared commitment.

“Who are we to wonder where we’re going? / Who am I to tell me who I am?” (“Netflix Trip,” Track 11).

Aimless, I often wonder how much control I really have over my future. After all, the world is volatile, ever-changing and full of uncertainty.

As a high schooler, I feel as if the success and contentment I’m chasing are not my own, but expectations set by others.

When I began freshman year, I found myself overwhelmed by choices, pressured to pursue hobbies, discover colleges and contemplate careers. I carefully planned my four year course schedule and stressed over my GPA, hoping to preserve all my options. But, in the end, what would I do with seemingly e n d l e s s DON’T KNOW possibilities?

WHAT TO DO I needed to WITH MYSELF focus and find a niche, something to excel at — something to do with myself.

I’ve tried many extracurriculars for the wrong reasons: not to inject passion or bring meaning to my work but to win. And when I inevitably didn’t, I felt stuck, frustrated by what I perceived as a lack of talent and effort.

However, I wasn’t missing skill, but drive and motivation. I found no enjoyment in doing things I thought I had to do. I don’t know what I want to do with myself because I’ve only known what I should want to do to succeed.

But society’s success is defined only by achievement and validation; one can be successful but unfulfilled or be fulfilled but unsuccessful. I overstressed the former.

True success comes from actualizing your vision, not society’s.

Our emphasis should be placed on fulfillment — on my love for dinosaurs rather than on financial opportunity — not on others’ standards but on the joy of your work.

I’m still finding what I want to do, and I’m not sure I fully trust my judgment.

But this El Estoque thing is pretty cool so far. I’ll take it from here.

GRAPHIC | JONAH CHANG

OPINION | OCTOBER 2024

31

M

homecoming HOCO from another lens ISSUE OCTOBER

ARTS&ENT

2024-25 HOCO WITH A TWIST!

HOMECOMING

DANCE

BY THE #’S HOMECOMING

MEMORIES BACKSTAGE

BUDDIES

BEGINNINGS

AND

ENDS

BY MEGHNA DIXIT, SANA KARKHANIS, JAMI LIM, SAGNIK NAG CHOWDHURY, AMBERLY SUN, ELIZABETH YANG AND BENJAMIN ZHANG

ILLUSTRATION | ISABELLE KOK

HOMECOMING DANCE BY THE #’S Breaking down key statistics behind the highly-anticipated dance

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ARTS & ENT | OCTOBER 2024

33

BACKSTAGE BUDDIES Choreographers share the process behind planning the Homecoming skit dances

BY MEGHNA DIXIT AND SANA KARKHANIS

T

he buzz of excitement and commotion of eager classmates greets freshman Sophie Chen at the door as she enters the gym, ready to teach her peers a new piece of choreography for the class of 2028’s Homecoming skit dance. Meeting several times a week during lunch in the gym or fieldhouse, Chen says the skit dance rehearsals have become a forum for participants to socialize and get to know each other while working towards an achievement for their class.

While preparing for their first-ever skit dance, Chen says the dancers for the Class of 2028 have created a positive environment through encouragement and collaboration, with practices led by Chen along with her co-choreographer, freshman Rashika Jain.

As a member of the MV

Dance Team, Chen understands the connection that dance fosters firsthand and witnesses friendships blossoming during the skit dance practices.

“Especially since Kennedy Middle School and Lawson Middle School kids are together now, seeing how they interact with each other gives them an opportunity to unify in one place during lunch and have fun,” Chen said. “They’re having a great time and I think they’re getting closer as well, especially when they ask each other about dance moves instead of just the choreographers.”

The value of building a strong community within dance is something MVDT coach Joy Lee also emphasizes. She says while she has only recently started coaching the team last year, she says she has seen their hard work pay off during the Homecoming performances of the past and has enjoyed seeing them apply their skills to other parts of their lives.

“I love watching the skits every year, especially because a lot of the dance team kids get really involved in it,” Lee said. “It’s something that I celebrate and encourage everyone to participate in because it’s a great mix of school spirit and dance techniques perfectly put together.”

As both a dancer and a class officer, Chen is familiar with creating a balance between the art of dance and school spirit. Although this is her first year on MVDT, Chen had her first experience with choreographing when she was in Leadership at Kennedy Middle School.

She remembered it as a positive experience and used the skills she honed to help her choreograph this

34 EL ESTOQUE | OCTOBER 2024

ILLUSTRATIONS | ISABELLE KOK

year’s freshman skit dance.

The choreographers in each grade put a lot of time and effort into coming up with the moves and soundtrack for the dances themselves, Lee explains.

The process of choreographing looks different for each dancer, but the overall procedure is the same.

“I think a good way to start is to improv, which means to turn on your music and start moving in a way that feels like it lines up with the music,” Lee said. “And then it will build into a phrase, like maybe three eight-counts of something.”

From there, Chen says if the dance is for a large group of people, the choreographer will teach the group the moves to see how the formations look and workshops the dance from there.

“We found lots of hype and trending moves that would be very easy, uplifting and set a happy mood, so everyone would be glad to come to our practices and learn,” Chen said. “More and more people started slowly coming to our practices, and it became a big hit.”

However, although there are familiar moves present, for inexperienced dancers like junior Rocco Ling, the more complicated moves within the choreography bring an extra layer of stress into dance preparation.

“Some dances have simple choreography, so it’s pretty easy for us to pick up, but for others it’s harder,” Ling said. “It’s trickier for people who are inexperienced, like me, and although I’m trying to pick it up, it’s very fast paced.”

While teaching hype moves is a struggle, senior Lotus Wu faced a different problem of finding hyped dancers. As a current captain of MVDT and skit dance choreographer for the past three years, Wu felt compelled to do it again for the last time but has been struggling to get the dancers to dedicate themselves to the matter.

“It’s senior year, so I’m telling everyone, last one, best one, right?” said Wu. “We should try to make it as good as we can, because we’re gonna be leaving soon. So it’s really frustrating, because the people who are choreographing the dances put so much time and effort into it, and unfortunately that’s not being portrayed.”

The struggles Wu encountered

this year aren’t limited to her class, as the juniors have also had issues with participation in the past couple of years. Ling, who is taking part in the boys and co-ed dances, explains that only five or six junior boys are currently dancing alongside him, and in prior years there hasn’t been a boys dance at all.

“Now that we’ve gotten used to the environment here, we’re m o r e willing to step out of o u r comfort zones and participate in the dance,” Ling said.

“Even so, people still aren’t very enthusiastic, which is why our choreographers have to try and entice people to come in and stay a little longer rehearsing.”

As participation continues to be a challenge, Ling believes these issues have the potential to change the final product of the dance, but only if the choreographers let it. Lack of commitment can hinder their progress, Wu explains, but she and the other choreographers don’t let it compromise the execution of

their vision.

It’s difficult to finalize formations since every practice, the number of dancers changes, and I’m under a lot of pressure since I’ve been doing it every year since freshman year,” Wu said. “But I think we can pull it through, and I feel like we can finish everything that we wanted to.”

Despite the unexpected challenges, the dancers and the choreographers remain hopeful that they can execute the plans. While Ling, Chen and Wu face different struggles, they all agree that the end result is always worthwhile. Lee explains that even though creating dances can prove to be stressful for some, the moves themselves aren’t the most important part — the experience and feeling are.

“I always tell my dancers that you’re never gonna remember the steps to every single r o u t i n e you’ve ever done,” Lee said. “But you will always remember how your audience reacted and how you felt afterwards.”

PHOTO | SANA KARKHANIS

PHOTO | MEGHNA DIXIT

PHOTO | SANA Saanj KARKHANIS Sophomore Rao struts her stuff as she demonstrates the new choreography to the rest of her peers.

PHOTO | MEGHNA DIXIT

The freshmen girls dance ends their choreography with a bang by celebrating, hoping to hype up their audience before leaving the stage.

Sophomore Saanj Rao leads her peers through the completed dance for the first time at practice.

The junior boys watch and learn as junior Sarah Yan demonstrates a new piece of choreography.

Seniors Selina Wang and Sunny Yao point to each other as they practice for the upcoming co-ed senior dance.

ARTS & ENT | OCTOBER 2024

35

HOMECOMING MEMORIES MVHS staff share a glimpse into their Homecoming experiences

BY JAMI LIM AND AMBERLY SUN

Ashley Voigt

F

or MVHS guidance counselor and MVHS ‘09 alum Ashley Voigt, some of her most palpable memories from high school are centered around Homecoming, especially the Homecoming dance.

Voigt says during her time in high school, attending the dance with a date was more common than not. This led to the unfolding of a relationship with her then high school boyfriend — now husband.

“I married my high school sweetheart,” Voigt said. “And the first time I ever realized we were more than friends was when he asked me to Homecoming sophomore year, so Homecoming is special to me.”

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ASHLEY VOIGT | USED WITH PERMISSION

As a freshman, Voigt recalls being enthralled by the decorated events and high spirit of Homecoming. While class skits were not yet a part of Homecoming, Voigt says the week was abundant in festivities and traditions, including elaborate Homecoming floats created by each class to parade with during the football game and a role-swap football game where girls played a flag football game against one another.

The football team would coach the teams and cheer on the sidelines during the game using cheers they learned from the cheerleaders.

Voigt says she has particularly fond memories of the rallies, where spirit and camaraderie were highest.

“When I go to the rallies now it just really brings me back,” Voigt said. “Rallies were definitely something that I personally loved and really helped me feel connected to not just MVHS, but the Class of 2009 and our advisors. What I think of during the rallies is I hope that these are memorable events for current students and that they just feel that spirit. These are memorable events during high school that are not about the academics that you can really hold on to later in life.”

36 EL ESTOQUE | OCTOBER 2024

Rachel Cassar

W

hen English teacher Rachel Cassar attended Oaks Christian School, she says students seized the events of Homecoming to let loose from the typical structured and sheltered routine of the Christian private school. As Cassar was homeschooled prior to high school, Homecoming served as an introduction to high school culture for her.

Cassar’s Homecoming experience is relatively recent, being a Class of 2019 graduate. She says she looks forward to participating in dress-up days during MVHS’ Homecoming week and reminiscing about her experience “Coming into high school, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m a high schooler.

This is the real deal,’” Cassar said. “I hadn’t been to school dances or football games, so I was really excited.”

Since uniforms were the daily attire, Cassar says she and her classmates were particularly excited to deviate from the monotonous outfits and dress up for homecoming festivities.

Being involved in performing arts as a student, Cassar was particularly committed to dressing up for spirit days.

“It was a very welcome break from khaki and maroon,” Cassar said. “It

was a way to just wear “It had very the clothes that you iconic Christian wanted — some School vibes,” people just wore Cassar said. jeans and a “One of the T-shirt. It was DJs would really nice to just turn off see people the song outside the entirely for structured three or and monitored four seconds s c h o o l every time environment.

It there was a was really fun to curse word dance with people so we’d all and chat casually and just stand there not be about school at PHOTOS COURTESY OF RACHEL dead quiet. The CASSAR | USED WITH PERMISSION all.” experience was a Looking back, little more unique Cassar says the due to it being a Homecoming dance wasn’t a typical Christian school because they were experience, as she recalls efforts made trying to keep the students contained.” by the school to maintain a sheltered environment. Curse words were redacted from music, leaving comical pauses, and many chaperones were VHS guidance counselor present to maintain an appropriate and CHS ‘04 alum Clay environment. Afterparties were also Stiver made sure to attend held by parents to ensure students every Homecoming football game. weren’t drinking and were under Despite not being on the team, his supervision. passion for the sport and friendships with the football players always drove him to show up.

“The game always seemed to be the most fun, the most packed,” Stiver said. “The team really wanted to win, and were very competitive. I enjoyed the other parts of Homecoming, the rallies, and activities, but I mainly enjoyed the sports and the football game.”

In his senior year, Stiver stepped out of his comfort zone and actively

Clay Stiver

M

participated in other aspects of Homecoming by dressing up during Spirit Week and dancing in front of the school during his class skit. Despite his dislike of dance and no prior dancing skills, Stiver recounts how proud he was of himself after learning the choreography for the skit.

“It was my senior year, my last Homecoming,” Stiver said, “I was like, ‘I’ll put myself out there. Give it a try.’ I had friends doing it, so that really got me into it. It made me wish that I had done more my freshman, sophomore and junior year.”

Stiver retains his love for Homecoming, often being involved in certain events. In the past, he has been an escort for Homecoming court, judged skits, worked the scoreboard at football games and been a class advisor. He says he enjoys watching students at rallies or the football game sharing their school spirit. However, he has noticed a decline in Homecoming attendance since he joined MVHS as a guidance counselor in 2009.

“I just wish more people would attend the football game,” Stiver said.

“I feel the spirit, but a lot of people aren’t out there watching the skits like they would in the past.”

PHOTO | KRISH DEV

ARTS & ENT | OCTOBER 2024

37

BEGINNINGS AND ENDS

Noah Guan

Seniors and freshmen share their outlooks on Homecoming

Sydney Wong

P

rior to coming to high school, almost all the information freshman Sydney Wong knew about Homecoming was from older relatives and media depicting high school life. This year will be Wong’s first time experiencing Homecoming, and after everything she’s heard above the event, she says she is more than ready for it.

“Before coming to Monta Vista, I was vaguely aware of what it was,” Wong said. “I knew that it was something about a big dance, and a big celebration where some people would be crowned as royalty somewhere at a football game. I’m just really amped to see everyone, really spirited, really happy and really motivated.”

Wong says that before high school, she’d always listen to her brother’s stories about Homecoming

Noah Guan

G

oing into his first year at MVHS, freshman Noah Guan had no idea what Homecoming was or what it meant at MVHS. Guan tried many things to gain an understanding of Homecoming — asking his upperclassmen friends, looking at the MVHS website and watching past Homecoming videos. However, he learned the most when he dove headfirst into the process of helping assist Homecoming preparations for the class of 2028.

“I was kind of pulled in by other freshmen,” Guan said. “The class

GNIK O | SA NAG PHOT CHOWDHURY

BY SAGNIK NAG CHOWDHURY AND ELIZABETH YANG

with interest. Through laughing with her friends during freshman skit dance practice, her enthusiasm towards the event has continued to grow. Wong decided to join the girls and co-ed dance routines and is particularly looking forward to the Homecoming dance, especially because her involvement in Leadership during middle school prevented her from enjoying a dance without having to plan and manage it as well.

Wong has immersed herself in Homecoming preparation, from joining the freshman skit to asking for votes after being nominated for Homecoming court. Since this is her first year in high school, Wong wants to try everything while she is still a freshman.

“From the perspective as a freshman so far, Homecoming seems like a really cool, really exciting

and new thing that I’d really like to participate in in later years,” Wong said. “I really can’t wait to recommend it to younger people when they come.”

officers got some information about it and pulled me in since I’m one of the guys on the dance team, they needed me to choreograph the boys’ dance.”

In general, Guan says he’s impressed with the progress of the grade, as Homecoming is a new experience for all of them, but he is especially excited to see how the boys dance turns out. Despite setbacks, such as limited practice time during lunches or struggles with coordinating routines, Guan looks forward to seeing what the Class of 2028 has in store for this year and beyond.

“Speaking from my own experience in choreography, I know that everyone’s been working really hard for it,” Guan said. “Just seeing all the effort and all of the hard work that the different grades put in is going to be really amazing. I think that over the years, we will improve. Sometimes I don’t see too much promise, but the fact that we actually have a boys dance is really good. The frustrating part was planning and getting people to join, but they’re doing really well and learning really fast, which is impressive for new dancers.”

38 EL ESTOQUE | OCTOBER 2024

Peter Chen

S

enior Peter Chen recalls the Homecoming season of his sophomore year, where the theme for their class was “Jurassic Park.” Chen had been a part of the boys dance that year, and watching the dances come together along with the rest of the skit was an experience that made that year truly memorable for him.

Chen has been involved in Homecoming for the past four years, serving as a class officer since his freshman year. His responsibilities included creating skit decs — 20 feet by 30 feet painted cloth backdrops — as well as putting together the skit and dance for each year. However, as the PWresident of the ASB Executive Commission this year, Chen is taking on a different role.

“Now that I’m on ASB, I feel like I’m kind of more hands-off on Homecoming,” Chen said, “It’s a really weird feeling to me. I still try to help out my class with the backdrops, but in the end, it’s mostly them. Especially going into senior year, it’s more fun, and it’s less stressful. Honestly, it’s because a lot of that planning pressure is off my shoulders and I’m just more like an advisor.”

Chen feels that his sophomore year was the best year his class had for Homecoming, specifically citing the high participation that allowed them to have many dancers. Furthermore, he felt that “Jurassic Park” was the best theme that they have had yet. While Chen was disappointed that their class had to cut a boys dance his junior year due to lack of participation, he is

hopeful about this year’s performance turnout, especially since it is their last.

“When you’re planning the skit decs, it’s pretty painful, especially to get participation,” Chen said. “I’m not starting to feel it yet, but I think when we actually run it and you see the skit in the moment, it’ll be like, ‘Yeah, wow.

That’s our last Homecoming.’ But for now, the class offices are grinding it out. It’s hard work, but once you see that reward, you will really realize how far we’ve come.”

Maya Pullara

Maya Pullara

I

the freshman script was extremely entertaining, she admits that it wasn’t exactly cohesive. She hopes that this year, being her last year at MVHS, she can write the most cohesive and hilarious script yet.

Being as experienced as she is in scriptwriting, Pullara says she knows how to develop interesting scenarios that are just the right amount of relatable. Over the years, she has also learned how to balance humor and sensitivity, allowing her to stay true to her writing without letting administrative feedback shape her creativity.

“The only thing about scriptwriting is every single time you have to worry about the admin just crossing out lines because they’re not schoolappropriate enough,” Pullara said.

“But as Economics teacher Mr. Pelkey might say, ‘You gotta fight the good fight.’ So I don’t think I let that change what I write.”

PHOTO | SOPHIA D’SA

t was 2021, and the Class of 2025 freshman Homecoming theme was “The Game of Life.” Senior Maya Pullara wrote her year’s Homecoming skit, and in her eyes, she believes that her first attempt at comedy was a success. While Pullara has written all of the Class of 2025 Homecoming skits, to this day, she still considers her freshman-year skit to be her favorite work.

“I will always be kind of nostalgic for freshman year one,” Pullara said.

“It was the first one I ever did, and it was all pretty new and fun.”

Pullara has written Homecoming scripts for the themes “The Game of Life,” “Jurassic Park,” “Subway Surfers,” and now, “Phineas and Ferb.”

She looks forward to seeing her script come to life this year, partially because of her belief that seniors get the best theme.

“I’m so excited for my skit,” Pullara said. “I remember last year after the Homecoming, I was like, ‘OK, next year, I’m getting my grind on, and I’m gonna make a really funny script.’”

Although she still believes that

ARTS & ENT | OCTOBER 2024

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LEAVING HER Kiana Mark reaches 1,000 kills in her high school Varsity Volleyball career

BY KATHRYN FOO AND ANANDA SINGH lthough the Varsity Girls Volleyball game was a lengthy one the Tuesday, Sept. 17 match was a memorable night for senior and captain Kiana Mark. With spectators on the edge of their seats, Mark calmly hit the ball over the net, getting her 1,000th kill in her high school career.

“I was really nervous coming into the game because I was hoping that this kill would be a good kill,” Mark said. “The set was 20 feet off the net and I didn’t even jump, so I just tumbled the ball over. I found it funny that it was my 1,000th kill, but a kill is a kill and I had to celebrate.”

Following the hit, Mark’s friends, family and teammates raised decorated posters that went from 999 to 1,000. Unaware of the post-game celebration her teammates had planned for

PHOTO | KATH

RYN FOO

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40 EL ESTOQUE | OCTOBER 2024

her with balloons and tiaras, Mark emphasized how her teammates’ crucial role in reaching this record.

“I have to give a lot of thanks to the setters and passers for trusting me as a hitter,” Mark said. “We have a new team every year and [our success] shows our connection as a team. I can’t just get the kill alone. I need my teammates to get a good pass and set it for me, so it’s really cool that I was able to do that 1,000 times.”

During the volleyball season in her junior year, Mark suffered an ankle sprain, ending her season early. Mark says she’s appreciative of athletic trainer Myesha Taylor.

“I worked a lot with Ms. Myesha after my injury last season and she was really helpful to me,” Mark said.

“Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to recover fast enough to come back for the season ended, but club season was in the spring. I worked really hard to start playing in the back row and to play back in the front row.”

Mark says she also went through another pivotal change her junior year, since many starters had graduated.

Mark made it her goal to make sure that her new teammates were comfortable with the team’s dynamics. Jenna Bergendahl, a junior and defensive specialist on the team, attests to Mark’s success, explaining how her leadership ultimately contributed to this milestone.

“Kiana’s leadership sets a really good example for her teammates,” Bergendahl said. “She is also very connected to the team and spends time getting to know each of her teammates. She ties the team together and brings the energy.”

PHOTO | SIH YU (MELODY) LIN PHOTO | MIA WETZLER

PHOTO | SIH YU (MELODY) LIN

PHOTO | MIA WETZLER

AT THE GAME

Students and staff share about the unsung contributors behind the MVHS football games

BY LEAH DESAI, KATHRYN FOO, SIH YU (MELODY) LIN, MEGHA MUMMANENI, SANIA NADKARNI AND ETHAN YANG

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION | MELODY LIN PHOTO | KATHRYN FOO

HELPING HANDS Senior Royce Tse prepares an ice pack for an injured athlete.

Student athletic trainers play a vital role in assisting the athletic trainer with her daily necessities

BY KATHRYN FOO AND SIH YU (MELODY) LIN

A

s senior Royce Tse examined an athlete who’d just arrived at the athletic trainer’s office, he pulled from his growing experience as a student athletic trainer on campus to diagnose the athlete’s sore leg as a hamstring injury. Yet as he discussed his prediction with MVHS’ athletic trainer Myesha Taylor, she gently made fun of his confidence, explaining that the injured issue was in the I.T. Band rather than the hamstring. Tse says this experience was just the first of many learning moments.

“I like to try and assess things and see if I get it right to test my knowledge,” Tse said. “But I also love being wrong, because Taylor doesn’t try to make you look stupid at all, and corrects us in a way that helps us learn

and in a very playful way.”

Tse is one member of MVHS’ growing team of student athletic trainers. While the roles of student athletic trainers vary and are also dependent on the sport they are assisting for the season, they are generally required to be on the field or in the training office with athletes at least two to three times a week. Their role consists primarily of assisting Taylor with her everyday work. For instance, junior and student athletic trainer Keatin Lee says his daily responsibilities mainly consist of bringing water to different sports teams and helping wrap ice bags.

According to Taylor, student athletic trainers are additionally responsible for pre-game preparations and

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post-game clean-ups such as filling water in tanks and water bottles and preparing first aid kits. During games, they also have to keep an eye on the field in case of injuries where they need to run on the field to assist Taylor. Taylor explains that she usually brings around a student trainer during games, demonstrating how she keeps athletes safe.

“For example, with football, I’ll have a student that’s my shadow for the first quarter, and so if I have to run out on the field, the student has to run out on the field too,” Taylor said. “If I have four students, it’ll be a different student each quarter that shadows me and the others help on the sidelines with cramping or any injuries that come.”

Taylor says she has also put

immense effort into educating these the trainer’s office to be extremely and increase student interest. student trainers alongside their normal rewarding, spending most of his “Athletic training is not a job for one; responsibilities, sticking with the afternoons there. While sometimes the it’s a team job,” Taylor said. “I need basics like taping different body parts time commitment students to help to keep them more stable. Tse explains can be daunting for out, as there’s only that the knowledge has taught him him, with certain one athletic trainer basic safety skills as a soccer player, days with football here. Many hands learning to flex the athlete’s foot or games going from IT’S NOT A JOB FOR make light work, so open an athlete’s hand when taping to around 4 to 10 p.m, it’s definitely a team ONE; IT’S A TEAM allow for better blood circulation. says he is willing to effort.”

Tse also expresses that his decision sacrifice his time to JOB. MANY HANDS to join stems from his personal learn.

MAKE LIGHT WORK, experience with Taylor, explaining “Sometimes, it how he had first noticed the trainer can just feel long, SO IT’S DEFINITELY during MVHS soccer practices. From but honestly I still A TEAM EFFORT. there, he explains that his curiosity has stay because I know ATHLETIC TRAINER gotten him the role and the knowledge there’s something he has today. that I can learn and MYESHA TAYLOR “Being a soccer player myself and because I know I’m seeing the trainers out on the fields not perfect,” Tse said. “I don’t know every time we’re playing, I feel bad everything yet, so even though some when we get injured because it’s not people would say ‘I’m wasting my easy for one person to carry them time,’ I’d rather be there.” around or have to tape a bunch of Still, despite their time in the people,” Tse said. “There’s usually five trainer’s office, Taylor acknowledges or six people asking for different things that there is still much more to learn in from Taylor at once, so I thought she the field that the experience of being a could use a helping hand and I just student athletic trainer in high school wanted to learn what’s going on in the doesn’t cover. However, she believes trainer’s office. that this program is Lee echoes a good head start Tse’s experience, for students who explaining that his want to learn more motivation to join the IT CAN SOMETIMES about professional team stemmed from athletic training, FEEL LONG, BUT his time with Taylor as she hopes as she treated his I STILL STAY AS “this little taste injuries as a wrestler. of the field will THERE’S ALWAYS Although it was encourage them to initially the volunteer SOMETHING THAT I keep going.” hours that piqued his Taylor is CAN LEARN. interest, he explains currently working that even the small athletic STUDENT TRAINER with things now gives him director Nick ROYCE TSE fulfillment in this role.

Bonacorsi on “Knowing that people are getting forming an official program for student water now makes me happy because, athletic trainers. She’s optimistic they in the past during my practices, when will create a system that will properly an athletic trainer wasn’t around, we train and reward students for their would have to always bring our own efforts. As of the 2024 fall sports water,” Lee said. “If we didn’t bring season, students can receive elective water that would just suck, because credits or volunteer hours for their then we won’t have water the entire work in the trainer’s office. In the future, practice and it leads to cramping and Taylor hopes to partner with school injuries because of dehydration.” organizations like Sports Medicine Ultimately, Tse finds his work in Club to help establish her program

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PHOTO | MIA WETZLER PHOTO ILLUSTRATION | MELODY LIN

INSIDE THE SHACK

Snack shack volunteers from various in-school communities help raise funds

BY LEAH DESAI AND MEGHA MUMMANENI

Parents, teachers and students volunteer at the MV Snack Shack, serving foods like burgers and nachos to customers.

H

alf an hour before the Snack Shack opens for a home football game, Athletic Food Service President Rick Gallo stands behind the counter, filling water cups, melting cheese for nachos and heating chili for a long night of hungry spectators. As he fires up the grill, the aroma of hot dogs on the metal grate wafts into the packed bleachers, building anticipation for the kickoff.

The Snack Shack typically has seven or more people working inside or at the barbecue grill, with three or four adults managing the group.

Everyone rotates through different sections such as preparing the cheese bags, handling the barbecue and taking orders. While any school-based

community can sign up to work at the Snack Shack to fundraise by earning a portion of the profit from sales, the AVID program, a four-year academic support elective for increasing students’ college readiness, frequently runs the show.

Gallo began working at the Snack Shack as an AVID parent four years ago alongside his daughter, senior Maya Gallo. He finds that his childhood expertise in cooking led to his passion for grilling. Despite his role in overseeing the Shack during the first football game of the season this year, he attributes most of the credit to Marcia Kearns, who has been running the Snack Shack for 20 years, but was on vacation at the time of the game.

44 EL ESTOQUE | OCTOBER 2024

“She does a lot of prep beforehand — she’s usually running around doing shopping before games, baking potatoes a lot of times, running to get a tri-tip and also cutting up tomatoes and onions,” Gallo said. “So there’s a lot that happens in the Snack Shack behind the scenes that Marcia does to get everything prepped and ready to go for game night.”

As a student in AVID 11, junior Savir Malhotra began working in the Snack Shack last year when he was a sophomore in AVID 10. He chose to participate because the funds go towards the annual AVID 12 Los Angeles trip, in which the class tours some of the University of California campuses, including University of

California, Riverside and University of her Varsity Girls Golf team, which California, Los Angeles, and ends with participates to cover the expenses a Disneyland trip. of practicing at local golf courses, Malhotra says working at the attending competitions and buying service station has not only been new balls. The team usually plays on beneficial for the AVID the course in program and given small groups of him self-satisfaction, six, and without but has taught him the Shack, many new skills such as TO ME, WORKING of the girls communication, which AT THE SNACK wouldn’t get to can be applied to spend as much SHACK MEANS other areas of his life. time with all their “The most THAT I’M DOING teammates. memorable experience “I enjoy I had was getting to SOMETHING FOR getting to hang eat the nachos with THE COMMUNITY. out with my team all the AVID kids,” because I love Malhotra said. “It was JUNIOR them so much,” the leftovers, and we said.

SAVIR MALHOTRA Hwang just felt so good about “Doing team ourselves for working throughout the bonding stuff, like the Snack Shack, game. Working at the booth has taught we get to hang out with the whole me a little bit about how to work in a entire team, and not just people who team, and it’s also helped me grow my only go on the course and people who speaking skills.” practice at different times.”

Junior Katie Hwang also enjoys The sense of community among working at the Snack Shack with those who work in the Snack Shack

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is common among all school teams and communities who volunteer.

Malhotra acknowledges that workers gain relationships with customers in addition to the growing bond between volunteers. He believes these moments are the most memorable interactions he takes away from the late nights.

“To me, working at the Snack Shack means that I’m doing something for the community,” Malhotra said. “More deeply, I believe that when you’re working with another person and when you’re helping a customer, face to face, it’s a much more meaningful experience and you can make an impact on people even from the smallest things.”

*According to MV Snack Shack

MATADOR SNACK SHACK GRILLED ITEMS

HOT FOOD & SNACKS

Tri-Tip Sandwich Hamburger Cheeseburger Chicken Sandwich Veggie Burger add cheese

Nachos 3.00 Chili Nachos 4.00 Chili (no meat) 4.00 Cup Noodles (Chicken/Shrimp) 2.00 Baked Potato with toppings 4.00 Baked Potato w/ chili or nachos 5.00 Chips/Candy 2.00

7.00 4.00 5.00 4.00 4.00 .50

Hot Dog — all beef 3.00 Chili Dog 4.00 Polish 4.00

DRINKS Water Soda Sports Drink Coffee Tea Hot Chocolate

1.00 1.00 2.00 2.00 1.00 2.00

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PHOTO | KATHRYN FOO PHOTO ILLUSTRATION | MELODY LIN

BULLPEN BLUEPRINTS

Junior Yuvan Kothari sets up posters in front of the bullpen.

Leadership promotes spirit at football games through the planning of themes and decorations

BY SANIA NADKARNI AND ETHAN YANG

W

hen planning spirit activities for a football game, a crucial part of an attendee’s experience is the surrounding atmosphere of the student body’s participation. The theme, the chants, the decorations, the free candy and swag all contribute to the MVHS spirit that flows through the stands, carefully curated by Leadership, in particular, the spirit commissioners.

Leadership starts with a brainstorming session regarding themes before voting to determine which one’s the best. Some common sources of inspiration for the theme include social media posts from other schools’ games and ideas from apps like Pinterest. Sophomore and spirit commissioner Saanj Rao mentions other metrics used to find the best

“

theme. plan ahead during the school year “We take into account previous depending on how many other events themes that they have to we’ve done handle that and how well week. Normally, they’ve been she says, they executed by WE TAKE INTO ACCOUNT come up with looking at PREVIOUS THEMES AND themes a week the response or two in advance from the HOW WELL THEY’VE and try to identify student body,” BEEN EXECUTED BY how the themes Rao said. “And chosen relate to how much LOOKING AT THE previous events participation RESPONSE FROM THE Leadership had we’ll expect planned. at that STUDENT BODY “For the first football game SOPHOMORE football game, and make tried to SAANJ RAO we the theme to connect the incentivize more people to show up.” themes,” Rao said. “Mr. Gan had given Rao says that leadership tries to us the advice that it would be easier

46 EL ESTOQUE | OCTOBER 2024

en.

for people to dress up if the rally and we’re not repetitive — making sure that football game had the same theme. If we’re trying to be fresh and come up we made the football game separate, with something that is engaging and people would have to put in more topical,” Gan said. “I think it’s probably effort, so they would be a little more the hardest thing, because it’s not as hesitant to come because they would fun when you’re doing the same thing have to spend over and over more effort again.” getting ready.”

Junior and Rao explains former spirit that when commissioner THE BIGGEST OBSTACLE f o o t b a l l Courtney games are IS MAKING SURE WE’RE Masli, says that held on one example NOT REPETITIVE — Saturdays and of a theme that T h u r s d a y s , MAKING SURE THAT worked well Leadership was the USA WE’RE TRYING TO BE foresees a theme for the lower turnout, FRESH AND COME UP Olympics, as it and thus very easy WITH SOMETHING THAT IS was decides to to dress up for, save their ENGAGING AND TOPICAL but was also best ideas relevant to the ADVISER student body. for games with higher KENNETH GAN Masli says that anticipated Leadership turnouts such as those held on Friday. tries to make the themes they choose However, Rao says that they still put unique by adding certain unique in effort to create quality themes for interactive elements to them. smaller games in order to incentivize “We try to get them excited, and I more people to attend. Despite feel like the decorations help people planning themes for games a week or feel pumped to be there,” Masli said. two in advance, Gan recognizes the “If you look at the front of the bullpen, difficulties when it comes to picking one of the games had a bunch of the perfect theme, with repetition posters so people could take pictures being one of them. with something cute.”

“The biggest obstacle is making sure While Masli believes the painted

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posters and decorations make a big impact on the students attending, Rao feels as though it’s the little things Leadership puts in that affect the students the most. Leadership includes candy, stickers, face paint and free t-shirts at games in order to make the students excited for the game and bring school spirit to the stands.

Overall, Gan says that he tries to foster unique personal connections among the leadership students. He wants the ASB commissioners to try new things and tries not to interfere with the theme picking process.

He believes they should have the freedom to choose their themes and do what is best for the student body in order to create community and spirit, as long as it is not inappropriate.

“My favorite thing is being able to interact with kids in a fun and unique way,” Gan said. “Being able to see kids be passionate about things outside of their academics and their extracurriculars is really cool to see, so I want to try and foster that environment as best as I can.”

GRAPHICS | SANIA NADKARNI AND ETHAN YANG

Brain stormi ng

GAME DAY!!!

Making Posters SPORTS | OCTOBER 2024

47

CROSSWORD

@elestoque

BY ALAN TAI

ACROSS

1 Cow’s milk dispenser 6 YouTuber Mark Rober’s glitter bomb, for instance 11 Steamy room 12 Giggle sound 13 The range and nuance of feelings (pg. 30) 15 2000’s children’s novel “Because of Winn-_____” 16 Simple green starter 21 Speakers’ platforms 22 Capital of Italia 25 The University of Utah, in brief 26 Louis who wrote the 1998 young adult novel “Holes” 28 Where you might treat yourself at a football game (pgs. 44-45) 31 Something teachers might ask you to describe about yourself 32 Bridal jewelry pieces with bling 39 Like the passport on the Features cover (pg. 12) 40 “... to fetch _____ of water” 41 Mark who has left 1,000 marks (pg. 40) 42 Playing a video game on poor WiFi, for instance

DOWN

1 Take advantage of 2 Hoover ___ 3 Belshe and Hoffman, e.g. (pgs.

5-6) 4 Goal of Proposition 6 regarding indentured servitude (pgs. 8-9) 5 Footballer in Vegas 6 Danger 7 Summer activity for many academically inclined MVHS students 8 Yellowfin tuna found in sushi 9 Tennis court divider 10 Unnecessary tool in the locker rooms, despite its name 12 Six prefix 14 Immigrant’s travel document (pgs. 18-19) 16 Gender-affirming treatment, in brief

17 “Wow, that’s cool!”

18 Applications 19 Actor’s daring stand-in 20 Capital of Qatar, the site of the 2022 World Cup 23 Apple computer, informally 24 Biblical boat 26 Row with a large homeless population 27 Starlike 29 Pleasant smell 30 Walking stick 32 Former U.S. territory that’s now two states (abbr.)

33 “Don’t mind ___ do” 34 In the style of 35 Bitter pub order, in brief 36 Sagnik ___ Chowdhury (pgs.

38-39) 37 Short-term job 38 Sneaky

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CROSSWORD ANSWERS A. TAI: This is EE’s debut crossword!

A few months of doing NYT crosswords served me well when making this. The middle-left might be hard, but I hope it’s a fun solve!