Volume 47, Issue 4, Feb. 8, 2017

Issue IV Volume XLVII

February 2017

el ESTOOUE Monta Vista High School

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NEWS

Student homelessness in the Silicon Valley

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OPINION

Enneagram Tests: A tool for selfdiscovery

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A&E

Student fashion designers’ inspiration

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SPORTS

Tahoe culture shift affects Bay Area

WHERE WE STAND

The impact of growing up in Cupertino pg. 19

NEWS

OPINION

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

WHO AM I?

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Revealing Student Homelessness in the Silicon Valley

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WIRED DIFFERENTLY

How MVHS supports students with learning disabilities

BEYOND THE STATUS QUOTE Redefining modern feminism

CAFFEINE CULTURE Caffeine use among students and teachers at MVHS

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Self-discovery through the Enneagram

EVOLUTION OF MAN Our attention spans over the millenia

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MOST READERS STOP HERE Stop trivializing ADHD

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DANCING ON MY OWN Negative stigma surrounding dances

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A&E

SPORTS

DESIGN IT

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Student fashion designers’ inspiration

TECH OF TOMORROW Where today’s tech will be tomorrow

CAT’S OUT OF THE BAG Blobbing around

IT’S A DATE February and March’s local events

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Tahoe culture impacts Bay Area vacationers

MISMATCHED Size difference affects MVHS boys basketball team

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JOEVON BARNES

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SPORTS FLASH

BARKING UP THE RIGHT TREE Coping with broken friendships

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KEEP TAHOE TRUE

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Wrestling coach takes on two new teams

MVHS athletics in photos

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IN THIS ISSUE SPECIAL REPORT THE VIEW FROM HOME

TALKING TAXES

Living in a purchased versus rented home

A short history of how property taxes fund schools

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EL ESTOQUE / FEB. 2017

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THE PRICE WE PAY

The cost of living in Cupertino

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How affluence affects our perspective and education

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FRAME OF MIND

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS...

JUNE 15, 2013 Ethan Couch, 16-years-old at the time, steps into the driver’s seat of his pick-up truck with over three times the legal amount of alcohol. Driving at about 70 mph, he swerves on the side of the road, instantly killing four people and injuring two teenagers in his truck.

DEC. 4, 2013 Couch pleads guilty. The prosecution team advocates for 20 years of jail time, yet his powerhouse defense legal team argues against any jail time. Instead, they say he needs rehab.

Their defense? “Affluenza.”

Accomplished defense psychologist Dr. G. Dick Miller testifies that Couch’s irresponsibility was due to his affluent upbringing and the lack of consequences for his actions.

“It reinforced that indeed the rules don’t apply to Ethan Couch,” Miller tells the judge.

DEC. 7, 2013 Testimony ends. Couch receives 10 years of prohibition and time in rehab. Family members of the victims are shocked. National news is buzzing with the result of this case. And a question rises to national conversation: Is affluenza an acceptable excuse?

FEB. 3, 2017 It is our last late night before the magazine comes out. Most of us are sitting across from one of the 30 new MacBook computers, diligently working on the page design for this costly magazine. Others crouch around the tables filled with chips, pizza, chicken, noodles and more than enough food to fuel our staff for the night. And when the night is over, we can count on someone leaving behind a phone or laptop charger or jacket or camera by accident.

It’s hard to deny the affluence in our community. But it’s easy to overlook.

In this issue, reporters Jennie Chen, ZaZu Lippert and Kingsley Wang explore the impacts of growing up in a city like Cupertino — a city rich in education, technology and wealth.

When we grow up in such an affluent area, our values, views and expectations are bound to change. That’s not to say that growing up with resources, with a good education and, for some families, money, will impact students here in the same way affluence perhaps impacted Ethan Couch. Yet, when brainstorming ideas for this issue, one question we kept coming back to was: How does growing up in an area with, comparatively, so much money affect the way we view the world and our place within it?

In our community, affluence may not be the source of criminal acts, but it has lead to a trait prevalent across campus: entitlement. We feel entitled to trendy clothes, to a new laptop, to working Wifi, to good grades.

As Couch’s defense psychologist argued: At times, we feel like the rules don’t apply to us.

It’s an entitlement that stems from living in one of the technology capitals of the nation, from attending one of the top high schools of the nation, from growing up in one of the wealthest cities of the nation. And for this issue, our staff challenges this entitlement by asking a question that surfaced during Ethan Couch’s trial: How does our affluent background influence us?

EDITORS IN CHIEF

CORRECTIONS FROM THE LAST ISSUE “Zero Shots, Zero Goals, Ninety Minutes” misspelled sophomore Akshay Gopalkrishnan’s last name.

“Following The Curve” misquoted Kavita Gupta saying “standard based grading” as “standard spaced grading.”

“Immune Together” misspelled senior Kush Shanker’s last name.

el ESTOQUE 21840 McClellan Road Cupertino, CA 95014 mv.el.estoque@gmail.com

Editors in Chief: Avni Prasad, Mingjie Zhong Managing Editors: Kalpana Gopalkrishnan, Trisha Kholiya, Aditya Pimplaskar, Hannan Waliullah Copy Editors: Bill Cheng, Karen Ma, Jessica Xing Webmasters: Sharjeel Rahman, Krishna Sunder Graphics Editor: Becca Zheng News Editors: Claire Chang, Ilena Peng, Chetana Ramaiyer, Sepand Rouz, Nate Stevens Sports Editors: Amanda Chan, Om Khandekar, Aditya Krishnan, Akshara Majjiga Entertainment Editors: Ananya Bhat, Aanchal Garg, Dylan Tsai, Devika Watawe Opinion Editors: Brighton Balfrey, Vivian Chiang, Shriya Deshpande, Sara Entezar Special Report Editors: Elizabeth Han, Emma Lam, Daniel Lin, ZaZu Lippert, Priya Reddy Beats Editors: Jennie Chen, Andrea Schlitt Visuals Editors: Vijeet Chaugule, Roshan Fernandez, Sharjeel Rahman Business Editors: Albert Wang Public Relations: Sanndhi Menon, Anthony Moll, Himani Yalamaddi Staff writers: Rana Aghababazadeh, Helen Chao, Ruth Feng, Gauri Kaushik, Stephanie Lam, Shayon Moradi, Katerina Pappas, Karen Sanchez, Mallika Singh, Anjini Venugopal, Kingsley Wang, Jackie Way, Chelsea Wong, Michelle Wong Adviser: Julia Satterthwaite Mission Statement El Estoque is an open forum created for and by students of Monta Vista High School.

Opinions expressed in this publication are those of the journalism staff and not of Monta Vista High School or the Fremont Union High School District. The staff seeks to recognize individuals, events, and ideas and bring news to the MVHS community in a manner that is professional, unbiased, and thorough in order to effectively serve our readers. We strive to report accurately, and we will correct any significant error. If you believe such an error has been made, please contact us. Letters of any length should be submitted via email or mail. They may be edited for length or accuracy. Letters cannot be returned and will be published at El Estoque’s discretion. We also reserve the right to reject advertising due to space limitations or decision of the Editorial Board that content of the advertisement conflicts with the mission of the publication.

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he first time she saw THE SLIP from the office, she was nervous.

It wasn’t the normal blue slip MVHS students have grown accustomed to.

Instead, the slip she got was pink. On it was the name of a person she had never heard of before: Sheila Altmann, the school psychologist.

“Honestly, I thought I was in trouble,” she said.

This would not be the first time she would receive that pink slip. From then on for approximately half a school year, once a week — usually Thursdays — for about 45 minutes she would be called out of class to meet with Altmann.

During these sessions, Altmann would ask her to perform tasks that assessed her memory span — hearing stories and reading back key details, looking at an image for 10 seconds and trying to draw it from memory, memorizing a string of letters and numbers in a random order.

“The first time I went into Mrs. Altmann’s room, I felt like I was jumping through hoops and juggling pins without knowing I’d joined the circus,” the student said. “In later sessions, I felt very different, more comfortable with Mrs. Altmann and the tasks she asked me to complete. Sometimes, I didn’t understand the reason for specific tasks, but I became assured that even if I didn’t understand it, she did, and these tasks would help her help me.”

After the series of sessions, the junior girl, who prefers to remain anonymous, was diagnosed with executive functioning disorder, resulting in a memory deficit and problems with focusing. This makes it hard for her to do daily tasks such as, remembering to bring in homework or focusing on what the teacher is saying. For purposes of maintaining her anonymity, she will be called Ann.

How students with learning disabilities are supported at school

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EL ESTOQUE / Feb. 2017

ILLUSTRATION | Hannan Waliluah

BY avni prasad

At the end of last semester, students filled out a small sheet about the amount of time spent outside of school on a single class. The last two questions asked, “Do you have an IEP or 504? If so, do you use your accommodations?”

About 120 students out of 24,000 wrote “yes.” But for the remaining student body, teachers would tell them, “If you don’t know what a 504 plan or IEP is, the answer is ‘no.’”

For many students, the question still remained: What are 504 plans and IEPs?

504 or IEP defines them as being stupid or slow, [yet] having a learning disability means that you have an intelligence average or above average, but your grades and performance are below average,” Recktenwald said. “As a teacher, I like to remind kids that. I think it’s nice for students [with 504 plans or IEPs] to have [a teacher] like them because there is this innate understanding of what you are talking about.”

Feeling ashamed of their disorder and accommodations is not an uncommon problem, according to Altmann.

“It’s a natural thing of childhood and adolescence to want to be the same, to fit in, to belong, to be normal,” Altmann said. “So anything that sets you apart can feel uncomfortable.”

really understand the entirety of the situation either for a while,” Ann said. “The competitive culture at this school [leads to] any accommodations immediately seen as an unfair advantage or a way to get ahead, [rather than] accommodations for something that you are lacking.”

NEWS

Individualized Education Programs, or IEPs, and 504 plans are required by federal law for students who have an impairing disability. A student is eligible for these plans if he or she has a mental or physical impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity and affects the child’s ability to perform or learn.

After Ann was evaluated by Altmann, she was offered a 504 plan. Her accommodations included individual reminders for homework assignments, extensions on papers and note cards and extra time on tests, if needed. For others, accommodations may extend to preferential seating, testing in a separate setting free from distraction, having a test read aloud, being provided with audio versions of texts and more.

“The whole purpose of this 504 plan and IEP is to tailor it to an individual’s need,” Altmann said. “The idea of the plan is to level the playing field, so they have equal opportunity for people who do not have that additional challenge.”

According to MVHS’s Western Association of Schools and Colleges report, this year 83 students have a 504 plan and 39 have an IEP. Both IEP and 504 plans are similar, but provide a different kind of service. Altmann said a student who only needs accommodations in the classroom will typically have a 504 plans, whereas students who may need another class or someone for aid will have an IEP. Government teacher Ben Recktenwald had always been slow when it came to reading. In 8th grade, he said his vocabulary was at a 10th grade level, but his reading comprehension was at a 5th grade level. It wasn’t until junior high that one of his teachers said there may be something more than what meets the eye. And sure enough, later that year, he was diagnosed with dyslexia, specifically a visual processing deficiency that makes tasks like reading difficult.

“My teacher probably saved my life metaphorically because nobody else was cluing in on [my learning disorder],” Recktenwald said.

In college, he had an IEP that allowed for accommodations to help him in classes.

Even though none of his peers noticed these accommodations, at times he felt stupid because of his learning disability.

Having dealt with an invisible disability, Recktenwald is able to relate with some of his students who have 504 plans or IEPs. “Some students feel that having a

While 504 plans and IEPs provide educational aid for students with learning disabilities, Altmann said students with learning disorders sometimes struggle because they are not obvious to the eye.

“If you are in a wheelchair and can’t seem to walk, nobody is thinking ‘What a lazy person, not Ann came into math class walking,’” Altmann said. “If someone prepared. Having studied for the test days were blind, you wouldn’t expect them in advance, she knew the material and to copy down notes from the board. But understood the content. She walked in, the problem with learning disabilities leaving behind her notebook and study and mentally diagnoses is that they are guide, and sat down to take the test. Her invisible. Nobody is aware is that person is preparation, however, was not enough — dealing with that.”

In the past, Ann has overheard friends she had forgotten what she had studied.

According to the WASC report, only complain about being in the group five percent of students have learning with the “dyslexic kid” or the “kid with memory issues.” These disabilities, yet conversations, she about 25 percent believes, have limited of Ds and Fs are her potential to merely given to students a disability. who have an IEP or “I feel that [having 504 plan. According a learning disorder] is to Altmann, at amplified at MVHS,” an academically Ann said. “They don’t rigorous high school see it as ‘Oh, this just like MVHS, the effects of learning a secondary quality of disabilities can be this person.’ They see magnified. it as a defining trait of “The bar [at this person.”

MVHS] is higher,” To Ann, dealing with Altmann said. “So executive functioning psychologist it is more of a steep disorder may not have sheila altmann hill to overcome.” been academically Ann’s 504 plan advantageous, but her helped her bridge that gap. For the first disorder did lead to positive growth; it time, she said, she has an A in Math. inspired self-advocacy.

With her 504 plan, Ann was granted an “Anytime we overcome a hardship it extra note card in her Algebra 2 class. Her builds strength and resilience,” Altmann classmates noticed. After she took the said. “If you can overcome that, you can exam, a classmate came up and asked her, do anything. Even if the road is rough, “Did you cheat on that test?” She vaguely bumpy, windy, if you can overcome that, explained the teacher had given her a note more power to you.” card and left.

“I felt that they didn’t understand the entirety of my situation and I didn’t even

The problem with learning disabilities and [mental] diagnoses is that they are invisible.

Nobody is aware that person is dealing with that.

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We Are Doing It

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hat, do you think that feminism means you hate men? -Cyndi Lauper

I didn’t understand the term “feminism” until 9th grade. And a part of me still doesn’t. Nowadays, I’ve managed to make do by developing my own definition of feminism. To me, feminism is separate from empowering females, although both are equally important. It’s not even necessarily about females. It’s simply about advocating for a society where accomplishments are the sole determining factor of someone’s ability – a society where gender becomes irrelevant.

Growing up, late at night, sometimes I’d hear my mom yelling angry words in a language I didn’t understand. Those phone calls would be followe d t h e n ex t day

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EL ESTOQUE /feb. 2017

with a discussion where my mother would tell me that accomplishments were worth more than gender. I can’t pinpoint exactly when but after a couple years passed, I came to understand that many, if not all, societies had some sort of structure where one’s gender obscured one’s accomplishments.

The paternalistic society that my grandparents grew up in was often the cause of those yelled conver s at ions.

The son of the family carries the last name of the family and thus is supposedly more important to the family. At least JUNIOR ILENA that was the logic behind it all, I think. My mom begged to differ. So do I. Breakfast life lessons shaped my definition of “feminism,” a definition that has been then misconstrued by part of the media, simply sublime internet memes and radical feminists themselves.

Feminism, by its very definition, promotes equality between genders, which is something I wholeheartedly believe in. Yet in the future, if I don’t get a job I apply for I’d rather it be because I wasn’t good enough – not because I have lingering e x c u s e s that male favor it ism cost me the position.

Creating a genderless playing field Although gender inequality is real, I don’t think that should make it an excuse for failure. But I have to wonder how much it would take for my accomplishments to outweigh all morsels of gender inequality. If I refuse to blame gender inequality for my failure and say it is because I am, indeed, worse at this job than the guy next to me, how much work will I have to put in so that every employer will choose me over him? Which begs the even bigger question: if I put in all the work in the world, would that be enough?

G e n d e r PENG inequality exists.

Arguing otherwise seems almost futile and as much as I despise it, I think it’s almost too idealistic to believe that one day it will just vanish into thin air. In 2014, women on average earned 79 percent of men’s average annual earnings according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Although that might seem like a large percentage, women’s incomes are still unequal. Innate prejudice is part of our human nature, and it will be difficult to change.

As International Women’s Day rolls around, it marks yet another year that I’ve believed in feminism. I still believe in the Women’s March and those who speak out about feminism because those steps are so important. They narrow the gap of gender inequality to a point where if I don’t get a certain job, it will be because I’m not good enough. There will be something I can do to make sure I’m good enough; it won’t be left to the universe to decide. And that’s why I’ll continue believing. To me, feminism isn’t necessarily about “man hating” or being better, nor is it about females in particular.

It’s simply about leveling the playing field for everyone to create a society where accomplishments override gender. If the argument is still that a son is more important than a daughter because he carries on the family’s name, then perhaps I just won’t change my last name.

Beyond the status quote

How MVHS students and teachers use coffee to their benefit

by mallika singh n Fairfield, Calif., Joseph Development Conference] I didn’t have my because they know that it helps them focus Schwab was pulled over after his car presentation done at all so I knew I was more than they would have without the was seen swerving across lanes back [going to] pull an all nighter,” Huang said. “I caffeine. Huang also says people tend to in March 2015. Schwab was charged with drank, like, seven cups of coffee.” build tolerance to caffeine, making its effects a DUI, but the drug test came back positive Similar to Huang, English teacher on the body even more unpredictable. only for caffeine. Over a year later, on Dec. Vennessa Nava also began drinking coffee According to “The Secrets of Caffeine 29, 2016 the in high school at her America’s Favorite Drug” in the New York charges were parents’ coffee shop. She, Times, as people continue to drink more finally dropped too, looked to caffeine as a caffeine, they stop feeling the effects of it against him. replacement for sleep. right away. Because of this, people continue Schwab is free “Out of this crazy to increase amounts of coffee to get the for now, but irrationality, I ended up same amount of energy.

English teacher the question drinking a ridiculous “You slowly build a caffeine tolerance,” Vennessa Nava remains: when amount of espresso shots Huang said. “I used to be able to [work] with should caffeine use be considered excessive? [one night] and I got sick ... and couldn’t go lower caffeine levels but now I don’t think I According to the U.S. Food and Drug to school the next day,” Nava said. “I had [can].”

Administration (FDA), in the United States, [maybe] 15 shots of espresso. I was vomiting While Jariwala does not use caffeine to about 80 percent of people injest caffeine coffee grounds because I just had so much.” stay awake like Huang, she still understands every day. Some brew their own while others For daily caffeine drinkers, caffeine can how powerful caffeine is and how it can stop at their local coffee shop on their way increase the amount of acid in peoples’ impact one’s health in the long run. Both to school or work. Nonetheless, drinking stomachs, which can cause heartburn or Nava and Jariwala say they know their limits coffee has become a habit for many people. an upset stomach. An overdose of caffeine, when it comes to coffee and although both While only 12 percent of MVHS students however, may cause rapid or irregular can feel its effects, neither depend on it. drink coffee daily according to a survey of heartbeat and trouble breathing. In extremely Nava explained how she can use 253 students, junior Jennifer Huang has a rare cases, the caffeine to her cup of coffee every day to keep herself from caffeine overdoses advantage when SCAN FOR MORE falling asleep. Huang says that she started can cause death grading. While at home COVERAGE drinking coffee in her first year of high by involuntary or at school, black tea school and that she knows her limit when it contractions of the is enough for her to get comes to caffeine, although she has had her heart, according through the grading; share of overindulging. to healthline.com. While students generally however, when Nava goes to a coffee shop to “Freshman year at SVCDC [Silicon use caffeine to be more alert, English teacher grade she immediately notices a difference Valley Career Monica Jariwala has a different approach to in her grading pattern. coffee. Jariwala has always enjoyed coffee “I would go to a coffee shop to grade for the taste. However, Jariwala feels that on the weekend and I drank a coffee and I MVHS students’ rationale for drinking could pump through … grading,” Nava said. coffee is a replacement for sleep rather than “I would use [the caffeine] intentionally the taste. because I knew it would give me more “They don’t sleep, and they drink a lot focus.” of coffee and [they’re] not [themselves],” While Huang used coffee to keep her Jariwala said. “The coffee might keep [them] awake at certain times, she understands that awake, but [they’re] still out of it.” if used too much it can be more harmful as Nava agreed, noting that many students time goes on. use caffeine as an energy boost.

“You know that you [have] drank too “They use [caffeine] as a drug,” much coffee when your heart beat is going Nava said. “It seems like students are so fast that you don’t know what’s going on well aware of the capacity of the caffeine anymore,” Huang said. “You’re kind of just to kick in and help them focus.” bouncing off the walls.”

Nava hypothesizes students use caffeine

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they use caffeine as a drug.

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photo | Nate Stevens

Revealing homelessness in the Silicon Valley

By chetana ramaiyer, karen sanchez and jessica xing

E

conomics Teacher Pete Pelkey knocks his fists on the compact student desk, imitating the sound of the police interrupting his sleep as they tapped on his car window late at night.

They would make him get out of his car, roll up his sleeves and check for track marks.

Finding no evidence of heroin use, they would investigate his car only to find his paramedic uniform. Kicking him out of the alleyway was their final course of action, and they’d make a point to follow him — until they lost interest or found another alleyway. Once the cops left him, Pelkey took his own course of action: returning right back to the alley.

Pelkey had gotten use to this endless routine during his stay in Los Angeles as a paramedic student and homeless citizen.

Now a teacher, Pelkey comes into contact with thousands of students. They pass him the hallway or see him rush through

the academic court during lunch without a second thought. His experience in the past as a homeless person is unknown to them.

In the FUHSD district, homelessness is not a widespread issue. Nor is it a commonly discussed issue. It’s not something that seems to affect many students.

However, according to Jason Crutchfield, the director of business services at the FUHSD District Office, the issue is a concern for students in this district.

Students who are homeless are protected under federal legislation called the McKinney Vento Act. Originally passed in 1987, the act “consisted of 15 programs providing a range of services to homeless people, including emergency shelter, transitional housing, job training, primary health care, education and some permanent housing.”

As of now there are 35 students that fall under McKinney Vento in the FUHSD district, but this only includes the students

His experience in the past as a homeless person is unknown to them.

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EL ESTOQUE /feb. 2017

who have come forward about their living situations. Crutchfield believes the number is higher—at least 100 to 300 students who are either not technically homeless or simply don’t want say they are.

“I think the reason this legislation, the McKinney Vento Act, [is] so important is it guaranteed some rights to these students but at the same time recognized their dealing with some factors, like foster youth, that are beyond their control, that make going to school very hard,” Crutchfield said.

According to Crutchfield, homelessness is often seen in a specific light: sleeping on the streets. However, more often, FUHSD schools deal with students who are “between homes,” like those who couch surf. Double ups are also frequent, when two or more families live under the same roof until they become stable enough to find a place of their own. There are also tragic situations such as a fire burning down apartment buildings, creating emergency homelessness.

Then comes a unique problem

the district must deal with: the expense of Silicon Valley.

According to Mary Pope-Handy, a realtor

ns

However, Pelkey acknowledges the in Silicon Valley, homes in Cupertino have switch, they have been struggling to make fact that he could have avoided his difficult been selling, on average, for 1.95 million ends meet.

“When I go out with my friends … I situation. His parents were always a phone dollars. Saratoga sales average 1.9 million dollars, while Sunnyvale’s average price is sometimes feel guilty buying extra stuff call away, able to step in and provide because I try not to,” she said. “We don’t money for their son, but Pelkey found 1.42 million.

Despite these booming prices, families give gifts on birthdays or celebrate Christmas himself unwilling to pick up the phone.

Many families, however, don’t have yearn to send their kids to the schools in or give Christmas gifts. Even for Chinese these areas, finding themselves stuck in New Year we don’t give out money unless that much of a choice, which is where the what an anonymous student describes as a its something like at most 20 bucks. With McKinney Vento Act comes in handy.

With this act, the district provides grueling situation. For purposes of securing my family we go out to dinner maybe when it’s someone’s birthday — we really try not students free bus passes, breakfast, lunch her anonymity, we will call her Abigail.

Abigail moved from San Francisco when to. We try to preserve our food so we don’t and a yearly supply of school materials have to go grocery — anything students need — notebooks, she was six-years-old, shopping.” backpacks, paper, pencils, hygiene kits relocating to a house they However difficult containing soap, toothbrushes and were renting that was her family’s situation shampoo as well as food donations closer to the restaurant is, Abigail’s parents during the holidays. If students want to her parents owned in would rather wait voluntarily participate in an event for Cupertino. Aside from until her graduation school that requires a fee like a prom bid, the restaurant being to move back to Crutchfield does his best to ensure that close to them, there San Francisco. In they have the opportunity to participate. were many educational a similar manner, opportunities in this city.

Pelkey chose to push But the system isn’t perfect: After two years living in through his own among the situations the administration Cupertino, however, the situation in LA. restaurant began to face hasn’t been able to solve yet — defining He would income brackets and establishing an some financial struggles; bathe at the efficient laundry system — it’s hardest already failing, the community showers to reach out to families who need help. restaurant was robbed.

Teacher Pete Pelkey at LA’s beaches. At The money in the This can be due to how intimidating night, alleys were and bureaucratic getting aid can be, the cashier — gone. The bag of money her family kept in the restaurant his sleeping ground as well as his bathroom. stigmas attached to financial aid or more — gone. Her family’s economic stability and His lunches consisted of half an orange, the importantly, the family’s pride. security — gone. In just a couple of months, other half saved for dinner. His life became Years of financial instability followed, her family had to shut down their business. three things: passing paramedics school, with Abigail’s dad attempting a variety Ever since, Abigail and her family have been keeping gas in his car and staying alive. of side businesses, but ultimately failing.

“Oddly enough, because you’re so Whenever she tries to talk about their struggling financially.

Recently Abigail realized they might not hungry, safety isn’t a concern,” Pelkey said. current financial situation with her even be paying rent for the house they are “You’re not really worried. You don’t worry parents, they evade her and her sister’s currently living in. In ninth grade, her family about being killed or the bad neighborhood. questions — her dad once walking out bought a dog, which they weren’t allowed to It’s just not a of their house when You do since the owner wouldn’t let them. Later, concern. they tried to talk her dad started nailing up different things on are lonely all employment options the wall. All of these rules being overlooked the time. You’re after his restaurant built up her and her sister’s suspicion. But it only by yourself. failed.

This lack don’t was only later that she and her sister realized People of communication that they haven’t seen the owner in almost see you. You are frustrates her because invisible when five years. her family insists on “I think [the owner] just left the house you’re homeless. pretending things are don’t there,” she said. “Because if we had to People manageable, when to pay rent we would definitely be in a bigger look at you — her the secrecy has Anonymous source [financial] situation than we are in now. I they don’t make only exacerbated the honestly think we wouldn’t be living here [if eye contact.” stress they’ve all felt.

Sometimes, near the gas station, he we did pay rent].”

Many families find the high housing would walk by Korean markets. He debated prices worth the education the district Crutchfield describes the whether or not to grab food he saw and run, provides. Abigail, however doesn’t feel benefits a student under McKinney Vento well aware of the fact that the man behind that all of the stress of their situation is can receive. But then there are the other the counter had a gun. worth her education.

“If he doesn’t shoot me in the first couple families, such as Abigail’s, that struggle just “The education isn’t that big of a above the line of affordability. On paper, she of shots, I might be able to survive and that’s difference; it caused a lot of stress for my has a place to return to: a house her family food,” Pelkey said. “You’re getting to a point family,” she said. “I don’t think it was “rents.” But all the while she’s never been where if you don’t get food, you’re going worth it at all.” well-off, between her family’s move, her to die. The morality of stealing or not goes dad’s restaurant failure and her mom’s job away.”

People don’t see you. You are invisible when you’re homeless.

People don’t look at you — they don’t make eye contact.

We don’t give gifts on birthdays or celebrate Christmas or give Christmas gifts.

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EL ESTOQUE

Our attention span decreases with time

BY VIVIAN CHIANG

WE LIVE IN A DIGITAL AGE, where we are constantly finding ways to shorten idle time and increase productivity. However, that comes with a cost. With a multitude of ways to entertain ourselves, our attention spans have become shorter and shorter.

OPINION

EVOLUTION OF MAN

OPINION

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MOST REA 11

%

OF AMERICAN CHILDREN HAVE BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH ADHD -Center for Disease Control

DID YOU

GET HERE?

When we see someone who is hurt or struggling, we immediately wonder if they are okay, if they need any help. While we jump to ask what’s wrong when we see physical illness — a classmate with a cast or someone struggling through the halls on crutches — we joke about mental illnesses all the time.

8

THE AVERAGE ATTENTION SPAN OF A HUMAN BEING IN SECONDS (ONE SECOND LESS THAN A GOLDFISH) -National Center for Biotechnology Information

12

EL ESTOQUE /feb. 2017

STILL

ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION? According to the National Institute of Mental Health, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, also known as ADHD, is a neurological disorder showing symptoms of short attention spans, hyperactivity and spontaneous actions.

In some cases, this disorder impairs a person’s ability to communicate with others and hinders the quality at which they can concentrate in work or school environments.

It is true that with the increase of technology, we have become prone to decreased attention spans, a symptom of ADHD. Earlier and earlier exposure to cell phones, for one, leads to decreased attention span and lack of focus. While many students claim to have these “symptoms” in everyday conversation, they don’t all really have ADHD.

HERE?

As students of Silicon Valley, we have experienced this growth in technology firsthand. We too have been exposed to technology from an early age. Apple is headquartered here, as are Google, Facebook and Netflix. But with this increased exposure to technology, we are simultaneously providing ourselves with more distractions.

4

THE AVERAGE AMOUNT OF DEVICES AN AMERICAN HAS -The U.S. Digital Consumer Report

HAVE YOU

ARE YOU

The first iPhone was released ten years ago. Since then, children have easier access to technology. According to a report by the National Center for Education Statistics in 2011, about 90 percent of children and adolescents use computers. Parents’ reasons differ, but most end up buying their children cellphones. In a survey done

by Deseret News, 78 percent of teens between ages 12 and 17 a cellphone. With such a widespread access to technology, it’s no doubt that many benefits have arisen. We can access information, share documents and publish articles, just in a matter of seconds.

With technology right at our fingertips, we have a multitude of ways to entertain ourselves. We can easily switch from scanning our Instagram feed to taking a quick picture on Snapchat to maintain our streaks in a matter of seconds. When we get bored of one thing, we can easily switch to something else. But that’s not how it works in real life. We can’t just skip from activity to activity in a matter of seconds. It’s not that simple. We have become so accustomed to this habit of switching between our different forms of entertainment that we’re not used to having to concentrate on one thing for a long period of time.

gotten this far?

distracted yet?

ADERS STOP HERE. 9

AVERAGE NUMBER OF HOURS A PERSON SPENDS ON MEDIA DEVICES -Silentnight

ARE YOU

STILL READING?

At MVHS, it isn’t uncommon to hear a student say things like, “Yeah, I’m so OCD,” or “I have ADD.” But do we understand what these terms mean?

While we are talking about how focused on details we are or how distracted we are, we unintentionally invalidate the seriousness of these diagnosed disorders.

how

ABOUT NOW? We’re so used to constantly having something to do that when we don’t, we don’t know what to do with ourselves.

Without cell phones to entertain us, we have nothing to do. We’re not used to just sitting there and just thinking or being bored. We need to get better at being bored. We need to learn to be present in the moment.

It’s now part of human instinct to grab for our phones even at the slightest moment of boredom. What seems to be better for us is to experience it.

5 bored yet?

Imagine a typical day in class. Instead of focusing on the lecture, we find our minds wandering. A few minutes in and the teacher’s voice sounds like a distant drone. The need to take out our phones to save us from this boredom becomes greater and greater. Sound familiar?

93

%

OF MVHS STUDENTS HAVE A SMARTPHONE -survey of 240 students

THE AVERAGE AGE ADHD SYMPTOMS APPEAR -Center for Disease Control

HAVE YOU

ARE YOU

STILL focused?

Once sayings are created, it’s simply impossible to completely stop the spread of them. But we need to be more aware of our words and understanding of those who have these disorders. We need to stop describing our habits with a term that is actually a serious condition. Instead of accusing them of having an unfair advantage or ignoring their needs, we should work to understand that mental illnesses are real problems.

They’re not something that people make up in their minds, They are serious diseases that need to be treated with the same care as any other physical disability.

STAFF EDITORIAL OPINION OF THE EL ESTOQUE EDITORIAL BOARD

read until here?

While we can all relate to our lessening attention spans, we shouldn’t equate these symptoms to having ADHD. We may joke about having these disorders, but we don’t know how different it is to have to actually deal with these disabilities. The more we throw around these terms, the more we undermine the seriousness of these mental illnesses. We invalidate symptoms of people with ADHD because we dismiss it as just something people say. Maybe if we learned to be bored and lived in the moment, we would no longer feel the need to throw these words around so loosely.

DID YOU MAKE IT THIS FAR? opinion

13

DANCING ON MY OWN Difficulties surrounding MVHS dances create negative stigma

BY VIVIAN CHIANG AND KALPANA GOPALKRISHNAN

S

OLO. THAT’S HOW JUNIOR Haemin Jeong felt as she looked around the dance floor at the Homecoming dance last year. Couples swinging side by side filled up most of the room, leaving Jeong feeling alone and awkward. She gave up trying to find her friends in the crowd, and instead, pushed open the gym door to get some fresh air, leaving behind the romantic atmosphere and the tune of High School Musical’s “Can I Have this Dance.”

From a survey of 166 students, 80.7 percent have been to a dance “stag” before.

This is definitely not as hyped up as having a prom date is, but going alone to a dance can say a lot about how much students subscribe to the norm that many seem to have set.

Junior class president Juliane Tsai, who along with other MVHS Leadership members helps plan school dances, acknowledges that this pressure to go with a date to dances exists. However, this year, Leadership is replacing the usual Winter Formal with the Winter Blacklight JUNIOR Rodeo to provide a more casual environment.

“For this year, we wanted to get rid of the whole idea that you have to go with a date,” Tsai said. “You don’t need a date to go to a dance. You can just go and have fun with your friends.”

Although Leadership’s attempt to introduce more casual dances is admirable, the pressure to find a date still exists for prom, according to Jeong.

“Before, I was honestly going to go to prom even if I didn’t have a date, but now that I look at it, all my friends are going to have dates and I don’t want to be just

awkwardly standing there third-wheeling, “I’ve just chosen to forget about it and so I feel like many things are making me move on,” Doe said. “This was honestly a discouraged,” Jeong said. big mistake, like I probably shouldn’t have As prom approaches, to Jeong, it becomes posted it in the first place but I don’t want to the center of discussion among friends, deal with this and just move on.” which amplifies the elements already present The attention on prom is not limited to in the high school environment: drama. girls only. The MVHS JP Tux Group was “Did you hear about what she said about created to satirize the girls’ dress group, that dress?” according to junior Albert Yang. Though That’s the response junior Angela Win there were no posts about him personally, got after she showed a friend her prom Yang has contributed to the group, making dress in class. Win had light jokes about one posted her dress in the SCAN FOR MORE of his close friends.

Junior Prom Dress group “I think it’s COVERAGE on Facebook, where pretty funny, with students upload pictures some jokes being a of their dresses to ensure bit more personal no one wears the same one dress. However, than others, but largely just good humor,” after the post, another girl, Jane Doe, who Yang said. wishes to remain anonymous, screenshotted To junior Jesse Wong, the pressure before Win’s dress, posted prom is inevitable. it on her private “I feel a little bit of pressure since people Instagram and are usually supposed to show up with a asked why date,” Wong said. “I think guys have more anyone would pressure [than girls] because typically we’re want that dress. supposed to ask someone and some might Through a find it embarrassing to show up without a mutual friend, date.”

Win found out From the survey of 166 students, 62.7 about the post. percent felt pressure to get a date for dances.

“It was more Like most other high schools, MVHS ANGELA WIN that I thought reinforces the classic idea of dances: the [her post] wasn’t perfect outfit, the perfect date and the okay than [feeling] hurt,” Win said. perfect night. The realization that the night But still, Win was more than a little hurt. isn’t going to be a perfect one is hard for Junior prom, scheduled more than a month some to overcome; after all, hardly anyone away on March 25, has quickly become the can say that prom was truly the best night center of attention for many juniors. of their life. Unfortunately, that pressure to “I thought it was still really early to be have that night creates competition between thinking about prom,” Win said. “That’s all classmates. It creates situations like the one people talk about now. Like, ‘Who are you Win found herself in. taking to prom? What’s your dress like? Did “Girls need to realize we have to stick [up] you order your dress? Did you order your for each other,” Win said. “We can’t always shoes?’ It’s just a lot of pressure.” be bashing one another … Prom isn’t really To Doe, the dress situation was blown out about the date. It’s about the experience.” of proportion.

prom isn’t really about the date. it’s about the experience.

14

EL ESTOQUE /FEB. 2017

BURNING BRIDGES The evolution of relationships throughout high school

O

N THE BRIDGE CONNECTING THE B and C buildings, I notice someone whose face looks very familiar as my vision darts through the barrage of faces. Wasn’t this the same guy I used to send weird snapchats of myself to at night freshman year? Wasn’t this the same guy I played Cards Against Humanity with just three short years ago? I can’t believe how separated I feel from many of the people I was fairly chill with just a few years ago.

I don’t see these losses as a giant woe, rather they just are results of growing out of phases.

I’m close with some of my friends because of the interests we share; however, interests are seasonal and so were the connections rooted in them.

Maybe they simply don’t want to associate with me anymore because of my despicable personality. Maybe because I annoy them too much — constantly talking about something useless and uninteresting like clothes. Maybe it’s because I broke a lamp in their house. Maybe it’s because I always bite my nails and pretend I’m rubbing my nose. Maybe it’s because I think Migos are the modern day equivalent of The Beatles. Or maybe it’s because I’m Asian and my favorite color is red. I can stress myself out all day thinking about this endless list of the “maybes” because there are countless.

I can second-guess myself in any aspect, but the fact still remains that I no longer have that friend.

Every light casts a shadow, for every good ushers in an inevitable evil as a result.

The light of character growth casts the shadow of broken ties. As a person starts to grow and branch out, it is unlikely that all of his or her “day one” friends develop the same pool of interests, leading to an everexpanding rift.

me from his life. He probably just wanted to have a group to go shoot paintball guns with, and I didn’t fit that description, so we slowly spent less and less time with each other until we seemed like mere strangers.

The people we are developing into shape those we keep around us. So we shouldn’t let insecurities crowd our minds and make us overly dwell on lost relationships, torturing ourselves with second guesses.

We shouldn’t feel restricted by our friends if they don’t approve of us, because we’re our own gods.

Like Kanye said, we are the new rockstars. We do what we want. If we follow our interests, then people with similar ones will follow in our direction; we shouldn’t alter our desires based on the opinions of even SENIOR ALBERT WANG friends. If those paths happen to only grow more separate, then we should embrace those I didn’t choose the people I associate or directions rather than skewing our ways to don’t associate with, rather they were chosen merge again. by my phases of interests. My development So may the bridges we burn light the way. into who I am today led me to my current circle. Although many times people are systematically cut off from groups, I feel most times that is not the case.

I doubt that guy who I used to be good friends with freshman year held some grudge against me and directly planned to remove

BARKING UP THE RIGHT TREE

ILLUSTRATION | SARA ENTEZAR

OPINION

15

The importance of self-improvement as a result of the enneagram test results

BY SARA ENTEZAR AND AVNI PRASAD

BY SARA ENTEZAR AND AVNI PRASAD

BY SARA ENTEZAR AND AVNI PRASAD

SCAN FOR MORE COVERAGE

16

EL ESTOQUE /OCT. 2016 EL ESTOQUE /feb. 2017

So here’s how the Enneagram test works: You set aside no more than 30 minutes to answer 40 to 60 questions about yourself, trying your best to be honest. And there you have it: a perfect summary of your personality type.

Well, not quite.

The Enneagram test attempts to categorize individuals into nine categories: the Reformer, the Helper, the Achiever, the Individualist, the Investigator, the Loyalist, the Enthusiast, the Challenger and the Peacemaker. Yet, of course, like any test, it is met with criticism: 1. Seven billion people cannot all fit in just nine categories.

2. Humans have different personalities in different situations.

3. The Enneagram test results are too abstract to gain anything from them.

The complexity of human nature calls into question the accuracy of this test.

Quantitative data to support the results is difficult to collect, and even then, many claim the test pertains to pseudo-scientific research. But it’s not the accuracy we are praising. It’s the question which the Enneagram poses: Who am I? At the beginning of the school year, one of English teacher David Clarke’s first assignments is to take the test. The Enneagram test offers a framework for understanding not only ourselves, but also the literary characters in novels and the people in our lives. He likes to begin the year by emphasizing and often alluding to both human nature and psychology.

“The way I approach literature and the way I approach life, [which seems to be the most engaging thing] for the students [is connecting to] people,” Clarke said. “How do they operate? How do they interact with each other? How do they think? How do

they feel? How do their minds work? And a lecture about the growth mindset versus the Enneagram is a way of starting to think the fixed. They remind us that our brain is a muscle and that we are capable of growth. about that.”

These lectures, however, are often Clarke asks his students to first determine their own type by reading through geared toward academic progress. Unlike descriptions of the nine types before taking personality growth, academic growth the test. The results don’t always match, but has a tangible element. Grades and test scores provide a concrete measurement of there’s a lesson to be learned from that too.

“The personality type I ended up improvement. While the growth mindset getting wasn’t what I was expecting,” senior can apply to personality growth, it’s harder Dara Woo said. “I got the type three, the to assess. How can I tell whether I have achiever personality … which I think I agree grown as a human?

That’s where the Enneagram test with. Parts of me wonders if I was answering comes into play as a tangible the questions with my idealistic measurement of personality. self or who I truly am.”

According to NPR, This is when the real adolescence marks the most magic of the Enneagram test malleable time period in one’s kicks in — when students are categorized outside of what of 161 students life. During this period, there is a gap between who we are they expect. Having to reflect agree MVHS and who we want to be. And on Why did I get this type? focuses on the Enneagram test helps fill What made me fit this category? that gap. This test assesses and Do others agree? is what academic you at different stages of your has made the Enneagram growth rather life, allowing you to gain a renowned for decades and is, than personality better understand of who you essentially, its’ goal. are becoming. The results may The Enneagram Institute development not be favorable — they may reiterates just that: “Since no one manifests the full range of traits at any not even be completely accurate — but they one time, it is worthwhile to discuss the provide opportunity for self-reflection.

“If you blow it off as another school types with others to see if your perceptions agree. When [they] do not, it will be even assignment, you’re probably not going to get more helpful to debate… the person’s type.” any true meaning out of it,” senior Joshua Tai The test spurs reflection, discussion said. “[The test] should be accurate as long and understanding — and whether the as you take it seriously.”

Having to grow up with all these results are accurate or not, the Enneagram factions in discovering yourself is difficult achieves that goal.

In the studious and competitive — that’s no shocker. A constant cycle of environment at MVHS, these are the evaluating, learning and improving can be questions we often push to the side, hoping tiring; some people don’t even know where they’ll subside and work themselves out to start. The Enneagram test is for just that. eventually. In fact, 83.2 percent of 161 It’s not for labeling or marginalizing, nor MVHS students agree that academic growth should it be taken as an accurate measure of is more prominent at school than personality who you are and will be forever.

It’s simply to evaluate yourself. To development. Yet, these are the fundamental improve yourself. Or as Clarke would quote, years for self-discovery.

The idea of “growing” as a person is not to “know thyself.” And that starts with a new to MVHS. Teachers simple question: at the beginning of the year often like to give

83.2%

The NINE types reformer

Successoriented, pragmatic

achiever

Sensitive, withdrawn

Caring, interpersonal

INDIVIDUALIST

Who am I?

INVESTIGATER

Committed, securityoriented

Powerful,

ENTHUSIAST dominating PEACEMAKER

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Rational, idealistic

HElper

Intense, cerebral

LOYALIST

Busy, funloving

CHALLENGER

Easygoing, selfeffacing

o p i n i o n 1 71 7

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EL ESTOQUE

frame of mind How affluence affects our perspective and education

Story by Jennie Chen and ZaZu Lippert with Additional reporting by kingsley wang

Photo illustration I ZaZu Lippert

SPECIAL

19

Chromebooks. When teachers send a request asking for a cart, she checks in on how they would use it, then sends in a request for one.

She’s noted that many teachers use their carts frequently, and she likes to be able to here was Manuel Bedrossian, her AP Calculus student provide these resources. at Glendale High School. She had approached him “My goal as the principal is to provide after the AP test, asking about his college plans, [the teachers with] as many things as possible to make their lives better so that and Bedrossian told her he wasn’t going to college students can learn,” Scott said. “We try to because he already knew he was going to be a throw in as few roadblocks as possible and mechanic, just like his father and his brother were, really say ‘yes’ significantly more than we and still are today. And when the school year ended, say ‘no.’”

Back when she was teaching in Los she remembered feeling overjoyed when she learned Angeles, Collins had tried to provide the he had taken her advice and was going to junior resources she could by buying the supplies college to pursue what he loved. She felt that maybe, herself, but she remembers realizing there just maybe, she had changed his perspective. was a bigger issue beyond the lack of raw materials in class. It wasn’t just about the physical classroom resources, but the And when the school year ended, she her first job, before she taught at Glendale, resources kids received at home. With other remembered feeling overjoyed when she she was shocked by the conditions she worries such as paying the bills or being learned he had taken her advice and was found. She spent her time there teaching in a uncertain where they were going to sleep going to junior college to pursue what he dilapidated portable, lacking many resources the next night, she thinks families in the area loved. She felt that maybe, just maybe, she from the school for the kids. She remembers had other concerns on their mind besides soliciting the barbershops and hair salons for their children’s education. had changed his perspective.

“They never really had access to just the For math teacher Katie Collins, it’s these their leftover magazines and making runs memories of the kids that she taught in the to Goodwill to pick up any books she could basic academic equalizers,” Collins said. urban Los Angeles area that stuck with her find so her students would have something to “Even things like food. Do you have food in read. It was a staggering contrast from what your belly every day to be able to sit there and the most.

Most clearly, she remembered the email she had experienced in her own education. concentrate and try to learn? And a lot of Bedrossian sent her eight years after his high Very few students had pencils, and there those kids might not have. These are things school graduation, thanking her for being were no overhead projectors in the room sometimes we forget are part of education.”

During the interview, Collins discussed one of the first people to believe in him, and that Collins taught in.

“Those are just things you sort of expect, the difference between her MVHS and letting her know that he had gotten accepted into the California Institute of Technology’s the behind-the-scenes stuff,” Collins said. Glendale students. In the Cupertino area, Ph.D. program. Tears had streamed down “The fact that I do have an ELMO [projector]. most students are either planning on taking her face when she read that email, and they The fact that I just literally open my mouth some form of Calculus either in high school or in their early flowed again when she showed it to her for 30 seconds to Ms. Scott college years. husband and her parents. and then At Glendale, In the email, he said that Collins was one she had one of the only people to point out the possibility magically 30 tiny class of of a different direction. He also told her that Chromebooks appear.

I students. her Calculus class was the first time that he think that “I want to had felt challenged at school. be clear, it’s “It was the first time school had ever that definitely the not bad to have been challenging for him, which I thought changes money, because was really interesting,” Collins said. “That e d u c a t i o n people work a child can go through an education system for you guys.

I think it hard for the and not be challenged once until you’re changes what money that they 18-years-old.” earn,” Collins Collins grew up in Cupertino — when the you’re capable said. “But I tech boom began in the 1980s. When she of accessing.” manuel bedrossian P r i n c i p a l do think that went to MVHS as a student, the school had Scott it is a skewed a full computer lab of bulky, heavy desktop April computers, which was uncommon in the explained the method behind the seemingly perspective sometimes in terms of rest of the nation at the time. She thought it instant appearances of the laptops. The education.”

Collins surmised that if she had two kids, was normal, but when she went to college, district gives our school tech-matching she found out that many of her peers had dollars, where they will pay for two thirds it would cost around $120,000 per year to only had access to a few computers in high of the technology purchased up to a certain stay in Cupertino. school. After graduating from MVHS and cost. Our school itself has also saved up Occidental College, Collins took up teaching a fund for technology from its school A different path Manuel Bedrossian, now 26, vividly jobs in the Los Angeles area. Walking into site budget, which allows us to buy more

[There was] a socioeconomic barrier that I had to overcome And I often felt like I had to outperform my cohorts in order to make up for that.

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EL ESTOQUE / feb. 2017

special

remembers his conversation with Collins back at Glendale High School in 2009.

Collins, who at the time went by Ms. Williams, had pulled him aside after he had taken the AP test for Calculus and gotten a 5. She had inquired about his plans for the future, for college. He had a job as a mechanic at the time and told her that he wasn’t going to college because he already had this job. He remembers Collins told him that if he liked math, he should look into engineering because he had such a gift with the subject and could combine it with his love for working with his hands. It was because of her encouragement along with that of a few others that he decided to pursue higher education. at all.

Bedrossian had been considering pursuing something different than his parents, a career that required higher education, but he didn’t really know how he would do that. Talking with Collins helped boost his confidence that he could make it happen.

The encounter stuck with him so much that years later, in 2016, he wrote her an email. He had just been accepted into the California Institute of Technology’s Ph.D. program for Medical Engineering. He wanted her to know the impact that she had on his decision, and to thank her for believing in him.

He said that he doesn’t believe in luck.

Instead, Bedrossian likes to see things as “a convergence of opportunity and preparedness,” which is how he views his path to the California Institute of Technology.

His preparation, although he did not know it at the time, began when he left high school and started going to community college. After finishing his GED, he applied to multiple four-year universities, and was accepted into UC Riverside.

While working towards his GED, he was also continuing to work as a mechanic to cover the basic costs of living, which proved to be a challenge.

“You have to make money because you have to eat, but the more time you spend working, the less time you spend on class, so your GPA suffers,” Bedrossian said. “When your GPA suffers, then the possibilities of school that you can attend just decrease almost exponentially.”

The balancing act’s difficulty was heightened by his consciousness of the finite time in each day.

“There’s only so much time, and the more time you have to spend thinking about financial stuff, the less time you spend preparing yourself for the future,” Bedrossian said. “And so it’s a battle between short-term and long-term goals and it’s a very hard balance to find if you’re

Bedrossian solders components of an autonomous holographic microscope at the California Institute of Technology. Photo used with permission of Manuel Bedrossian.

Photo by ZaZu Lippert. struggling.”

In his second year at community college, Bedrossian began working as a research technician at the California Institute of Technology, coincidentally for the person who would later become his Ph.D. professor.

And that’s where the opportunity aspect of Bedrossian’s non-luck philosophy comes in.

The position became permanent, and he continued working there while going to UC Riverside. Then, he took a gap year to work at the Institute researching into creating a holographic microscope. He continued eagerly working through the summer, until it became his Ph.D. project. When it came time to apply to graduate schools to continue his research, it seemed like an obvious decision to apply to the California Institute of Technology for his Ph.D., but he also applied to other schools.

However, Bedrossian thinks that lots of schools judged him more from his socioeconomic status. “[There was] a socio-economic barrier that I had to overcome,” he said, “And I often felt like I had to outperform my cohorts in order to make up for that.”

As a kid in Collins’ calculus class and in his more formative years of education, Bedrossian admits he never thought much of school. He just saw it as “something to get through,” never as a career, as a job. But, he says, Collins changed his mind. And now,

Math teacher Katie Collins. Photo by ZaZu Lippert.

SPECIAL

21

thanks to her encouragement, he has done exactly that: made learning into a job, pursuing his Ph.D. A new environment Stepping into her science class on her first day at MVHS, she was astounded by what she saw. The amount of equipment that lined the walls for her to use for her classes, for exploration, was unlike what she’d experienced in her education before.

Moving to the United States from India was just another change for junior Shivika Sivakumar. She’d lived in many different places in India before, so relocating wasn’t new to her. But there were some larger differences that came with a change in country, especially moving to a more affluent area like Cupertino. She’d lived in Bangalore before, which is often called the “Silicon Valley of India,” so she didn’t see many differences between the two. But there were a few little things that struck her as different between the two.

“I’m being exposed to all of these different things that I never would have been [otherwise],” Sivakumar said. “An example would be in a normal classroom, using all of [that] scientific equipment and all that. So maybe, I could’ve done that in Ph.D. or in a graduate school [in India].”

She feels that a lot of her peers take these resources for granted, things like the black box and the darkroom that here, people might be used to having, but she didn’t have. There was a difference in what people expected, too.

In I n d i a , school stress was a given.

Ever yone knew, for ex a m p l e , 1 0 t h Junior Shivika graders would be Sivakumar stressed due to the workload, but it was never boasted about. Similarly, staying up late was frowned upon.

“Over there, if you sleep at four [a.m.], it’s kind of bad,” Sivakumar said. “It’s kind of like you’re [not] smart, because you’re not sleeping.”

She wasn’t really sure where to start when defining the cost of living in Cupertino.

“A lot. I’m not sure.”

Tammineni, age 5. poses for a photo on her first day of Kindergarten.

She’s gone to school in Cupertino her whole life. Photo used with permission of Hima Tammineni. over to tutoring places as a common scene.

The sidewalks of De Anza Boulevard and Stevens Creek Boulevard always hosted a legion of students; everyone always seemed like they were doing something academic.

To junior Hima Tammineni, who has lived in Cupertino her entire life, words that Cup er t ino evoke are ones that are often used by others: academic and sheltered. She notes that although the academic stress most face in Cupertino is starkly different from the stress of having to earn enough money to put food on the table every night, it is still grounded.

“We do have a lot of pressure coming from certain places but it’s not life or death for us so we should definitely take it a little less seriously,” Tammineni said. “I mean, enough so that we don’t end up in a place where we’re stressed to put enough food on the table, but it’s very different.”

She added that there’s not much visible poverty in Cupertino, and roughly estimated that it costs hundreds of thousands per year more to live here than in other similar cities around the world.

I’m being exposed to all of these different things that I never would have been [otherwise].

A forever home She sees students walking around the neighborhood, hunched over from the weight of their backpacks and lugging themselves

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EL ESTOQUE / feb. 2017

Bedrossian still thinks about how much his attitude towards education has changed, and how he wishes that all kids could escape poverty. And he thinks that education is the way to give more opportunity to others.

“Education is the only long-term solution to poverty…” Bedrossian said. “I didn’t necessarily grow up in poverty. I was just on the low end of the spectrum in terms of middle-class, but it is the long-term solution.

Getting to that is very difficult, but I think it’s worth it.”

SCAN FOR MORE COVERAGE

PHOTOS | MINGJIE ZHONG

the view from home Students discuss impacts of living in bought and rented homes

BY HELEN CHAO AND MINGJIE ZHONG

H

E SAYS “I DON’T KNOW” THE most, followed by “I haven’t really thought about that.”

For sophomore Eric Wang, there’s not much about his house that makes an impression. He makes a bland observation: the garage is colder than the laundry room. When he thinks of his house, it isn’t his hardwood floors that come to mind — rather, it’s a sense of the everyday, of normality and stability.

Wang’s parents bought their house two years before Wang was born. He doesn’t hold an emotional attachment to his house and wouldn’t care if his parents sold it and moved away — as long as it is after he graduates from high school.

“I’ll probably stay over at a friend’s house [if I come back to visit],” Wang said.

“Moving [has] never occurred to me to be a big problem.”

Wang feels a sense of security, comforted that his family doesn’t have to deal with the potential rules and restrictions of landlords in renting. It is possible they will remodel the house after he leaves for college.

On the other hand, senior Sabrina Zhai recalls that when she was in third grade, her parents remodeled the house they purchased in Cupertino three years earlier. She remembers noticing the blend of Victorian and contemporary interior design, with fancy dining room chairs and a skylight. Her parents had personalized their house in ways that Zhai believes they would have never been able to do in a rented home.

Zhai grew up in this house — one that accumulated twelve years worth of memories for her and her family.

She recalls the parties the most. Her parents love hosting parties, she says, and for a period of time they used to host a party every weekend for family friends. Attendees would bring food for a potluck dinner, Zhai would spend hours cleaning every inch

16

of the house before the gathering and, of course, someone would break out the cards and mahjong. After the party, her parents would give her guests a tour of their home, showing off every single room — especially after remodeling.

“I definitely do think that having a bought house gives you that luxury of, first of all, remodeling it,” Zhai said. “And showing off aspects of it. Buying that house gave me the [opportunity] of living in a more luxurious home.”

But since Zhai is a senior, her parents are thinking of moving after she graduates. Zhai is a little reluctant; for almost every New Year’s Day of her life, Zhai has watched the first sunrise of the year with her brother on the roof of her home.

Zhai says that after graduating college, purchasing her own house isn’t her top priority and financial stability comes first.

“If you have the money to spare, I would definitely go for buying,” Zhai said. “Because a home is something that is [closer] to your heart. But if finance is an issue, which it is for many people, then renting is a reasonable choice.”

Cupertino’s expensive housing is often an obstacle for people trying to rent or purchase housing.

But Wang’s family is financially stable, as both of his parents are software engineers.

He often discusses possible careers with his parents; the jobs and majors they consider are ultimately STEM-related.

“I would go and have various interests and like various majors [in STEM],” Wang said. “And my parents would kind of push me toward computer science [because] there [are] lots of jobs and [they are] all high paying.”

But Wang isn’t fretting over the future just yet. He doesn’t feel any pressure to have

an especially high-paying job — although his parents may say differently. Likewise, the pressure to buy a house, be it in Cupertino or elsewhere, is absent — he’s never even considered it.

For freshman Shuvi Jha, the pressure to purchase a house in her future is not prominent either. Her attachment to her current rented home is as strong as she imagines her attachment to a purchased home might be; her home is where her family is, and that’s all Jha wants.

“I’m perfectly fine with my rented home,” Jha said. “It has all I want. [But purchasing a house in the future] depends on where I am at the time, if I’m financially stable. I guess it has more of a final feel to it…

[But] if it’s just me, I’ll just go to the rented house.

It’s cheaper [and] does the same thing.”

Jha feels that tenants of purchased homes may feel a stronger FRESHMAN attachment to SHUVI JHA their houses, but the difference would be slight — for Jha, at least.

“I really don’t think it matters that much whether you live in a rented home or a purchased home,” Jha said. “At some point you’re going to have to leave that home. You have your family, you have yourself, you have your morals. That’s going to keep your memories intact in a way that purchased homes never do.”

YOU HAVE YOUR FAMILY, YOU HAVE YOURSELF, YOU HAVE YOUR MORALS.

SPECIAL

23

1971 talking taxes

By Ruth Feng and Priya Reddy

A short history of how property taxes fund schools

The California Supreme Court declared the policy of property tax-funded schools unconstitutional and ordered the state to equalize funding across districts.

-Public Policy Institute of California 2017

1988

2008

“Voters passed Proposition 98, mandating that a minimum of roughly 40 percent of the state’s general fund be dedicated to education each year.”

-Public Policy Institute of California 2017

“Measure B, a 67.1 percent voterapproved $198 million school facilities bond, will provide funds needed to continue to renovate and modernize Cupertino, Fremont, Homestead, Lynbrook and Monta Vista High Schools.”

- FUHSD {PD-CAGov}

2014 Measure K, a $295 million school facilities bond, was approved by 64.84 percent of the voters. The ballot measure read: “To avoid overcrowding at Cupertino, Fremont, Homestead, Lynbrook and Monta Vista High Schools by building the new classrooms and facilities needed to serve a growing student population, updating computer network capability and science labs, upgrading classroom computers and technology and replacing, acquiring, constructing and renovating school facilities shall the Fremont Union High School District issue $295 million in bonds at interest rates within the legal limit with annual audits and all expenditures monitored by an Independent Citizens’ Oversight Committee.”

- FUHSD

24

EL ESTOQUE / FEB. 2017

b SCAN FOR MORE COVERAGE

POPULATION BY OCCUPATION (TOP 3):**

MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME:

$141,953

ENGINEERING, COMPUTERS, SCIENCE:

35.89%

*

MANAGEMENT, BUSINESS, FINANCE:

27.21%

SALES, OFFICE, ADMINISTRATIVE 13.36% SUPPORT:

CUPERTINO POPULATION:

58,302*

the price we pay

SALES TAXES IN CUPERTINO:

8.75%**

The cost of living in Cupertino

BY RUTH FENG AND PRIYA REDDY

AVERAGE PER PERSON INCOME:

CUPERTINO MEDIAN VALUE OF OWNEROCCUPIED HOUSING UNITS (2011-2015):

$1,140,200

$57,948* *FROM CENSUS.GOV ** FROM BESTPLACES.NET

*

Background image courtesy of Google Maps

SPECIAL

25

IN A SMALL ROOM of long-legged

models strutting down runways, clicking their heels with every step, senior Yiting Li had an epiphany. There, at the age of five or six, she realized her calling: fashion design.

26

EL ESTOQUE /FEB. 2017

BY TRISHA KHOLIYA AND HIMANI YALAMADDI

Li has her mother to thank for the experiences that allowed her to realize her dream so early. An active member of the fashion industry and an owner of multiple retail clothing stores, Li’s mother gave her opportunities to see the inside of the fashion world. A friend of her mothers works at Ultimate Network, and Li has him to thank for connections that have given her opportunities and exposure into the seemingly exclusive world of high-fashion.

In 2015, his network opened up a sea of opportunity for Li’s mother — who was offered the chance to attend New York Fashion Week. She declined, but when the offer popped up again a year later, Li boarded a plane headed to New York City with her mother’s friend’s girlfriend, Vivi Tian — a top Miss Universe China contestant — and Tian’s friends.

Less than an hour after landing in New York, Li was in a taxi, headed for the New York Fashion Week. Accompanied by Hayat Ammouri, the founder and editor-in-chief of online fashion magazine Glamouria, Li walked through the show’s immersive live gallery, which featured stunning models dressed from head to toe in the brand’s signature eccentric designs.

The designs junior Sian Yongyuth saw at a miniature fashion show set up by a store in a Korean shopping mall while on vacation, inspired her in the way that the New York Fashion Week inspired Li. She was intrigued by the idea of attending fashion week, not only to satisfy her interest in the actual clothes, but also in part to experience one of Kanye West’s shows — a spectacle she’s heard was a chaotic disaster. The small show she attended in Korea may have been nothing significant in the fashion world, but for Yongyuth, it was an opportunity to finally see clothes the way she feels they are supposed to be shown — not hanging on a rack, but elegantly draped on a human form, just as the creator intended.

For Li, the inspiration she found from being among fashion greats, models and designers helped her design pieces for her fashion portfolio. In order to have a chance at the design schools of her dreams, Li has compiled photos and sketches of her proudest creations to place in her portfolio.

But while Li sat in her bedroom, hunched over a few of her sketches, she wasn’t the

only one contemplating her portfolio.

At her mother’s persuasion, senior Aditi Jain found herself in San Francisco for the annual National Portfolio Day, an informational workshop for hopeful art students across North America, the January of her junior year. Though she was initially hesitant about attending — and the idea of majoring in fashion in general — her mother’s constant support and encouragement helped Jain gain the confidence to pursue her dream.

To pursue her dream, Jain has been working meticulously on her fashion design and techniques.

On a trip to Italy last winter, Jain was captivated by a museum exhibit featuring the elaborate costumes of people living centuries ago. Before she knew what she was doing, she had taken out her sketchbook and begun to draw. Her brow crinkled as her pencil glided across the paper, her designs drawn and redrawn every so often until she she got the result she had imagined. By the time she finished, she had drafted an entire clothing line from the inspiration she found at a single exhibit.

personalize a creation, to make it her very own.

A difficult video tutorial paired with seemingly endless hours of hard work resulted in the creation of her favorite piece to date — a backpack.

When she finally finished the backpack, a project that she was not actually sure if she could complete, she was beaming with joy and pride over her creation.

For Jain, inspiration comes from different places. Beyoncé’s visual album “Lemonade” was the muse behind a clothing line she designed in her sketchbook, featuring the now-iconic yellow dress which she wore in her “Hold Up” video. But while the dress may be inspired by Beyoncé, Jain lets practicality run the most of her designs.

“It depends on like the material I have and if I think it’s doable,” Jain said. “Since I’m still a rookie at this, there’s a lot of things that I obviously can’t do, and so the more complicated ones, I decide, ‘This is nice to look at, but there’s no way I’m going to actually be able to execute it.’”

OVER SUMMER BREAK, Li found BACK AT HOME, Tian sits on the edge of a brown suede couch, arms crossed against a dress with a bright, form-fitting top and an asymmetric neckline. Her hands rest comfortably upon the cascading white chiffon gown surrounding her. Standing but a yard away, Li stands alert, ready to snap a photo. It is her dress, her design. After snapping a few pictures, she places them in her fashion design portfolio — among the many other models of her clothes.

The inspiration behind Li’s dresses comes from the most unknown of places.

After watching the film “Finding Nemo” in Mythology class, Li was inspired by Dory’s characterization. Dory’s particular personality and design inspired Li to sketch a vibrant blue dress with lace patterns projecting out of the side, mimicking Dory’s fins.

Yongyuth, on the other hand, cannot recall finding inspiration in any one concept. For her, inspiration comes from clothing itself: fabrics, cloth and a desire to

Junior Sian Yongyuth’s backpack design plan. She followed a video tutorial, planning extensively to make it her own.

herself sitting in the offices of Vogue, sitting beside her mother’s friend as he spoke to executives about business with the magazine. During one of these conversations, he brought up the topic of fashion design colleges for Li. Anna Wintour, the editor-inchief of the magazine was there, listening.

Shaking in anticipation, Li slowly raised her hand, her palm glistening in the hue of the office lights. She shook Wintour’s hand.

Though it was nothing but strictly formal, Li will never forget the quick exchange the two shared, Wintour’s words of advice for Li’s future in fashion and her thoughts on the Chinese fashion industry encouraged and inspired Li. “She said the fashion in China isn’t upto-speed and she’s expecting more talented

A design out of senior Yiting Li’s sketch book. Li plans to pursue fashion in college.

A&E

27

Two of Yiting Li’s sketches of her designs. She used these sketches to create clothes for her college portfolio.

people to do the job,” Li said.

And that’s exactly who she wants to be.

As for Yongyuth, she doesn’t see herself majoring in fashion in the future, but she does see a career in design. The preparation leading up to the creation of a physical object from the mind that envisioned it fascinates her more than the exhausting process of doing it. Now, she is looking into product design and advertising — not directly related to fashion, but more about designing runways.

“Making a product is always

interesting,” Yongyuth said. “I think that getting taught how to change, like, a thought into a physical object, I think that’s really interesting.”

In turn, she’s applied to many design programs — including ones at Stanford and Boston University. To her, the programs’ process is insane, not very art-based, but just plain intriguiging.

She says there’s quite an interesting stigma about the lack of career choices in art and design.

“Usually you consider arts, you’re like you’re going to be an art teacher or you’re going to be a painter,” Yongyuth said. “But you don’t really consider how this applies to ... everything you see in your life, someone had to have made it, right, and people don’t really consider that.”

An interest in fashion led Yongyuth to realizing her passions just as it inspired Jain.

Fashion design. New York with her friends. Managing a boutique. For now, that’s Jain’s simple aspiration. Or at the very least, she yearns for the chance to escape Cupertino and submerge herself in art. In her own attempts to increase her chances of being able to get into top fashion schools such as Parsons School of Design, she plans to attend De Anza for the next two years, working on building up her portfolio and honing her fundamental designing skills.

BUT NOT EVERYONE agrees with her dream. Although her father has come a long way in his approval of her dreams, Jain remembers a time where he could only voice confusion of her hobbies and future. However, she knows that despite his support, he’s still apprehensive. She chuckles, recalling a particular moment of well-intentioned commentary on his part.

In the midst of creating a beautiful gown, she showed him the unhemmed version of the final physical design to her father, only to be met with utter confusion.

“He thought it looked really nice,” Jain said. “But the first thing he told me, because it was really long because I hadn’t hemmed it yet, was, ‘So who’s going to wear that, some monster?’”

The motivation for Li, Jain and Yongyuth’s is fed by having the support of their parents. Although the support may not have come easy for all of them, they’ve all finally been able to receive their help — and criticism — and utilize it to hone in on their skills.

For Yongyuth, her dad’s always been a beacon of support.

With constructive criticism and genuine interest in her work, Yongyuth knows that it

28

EL ESTOQUE / FEB. 2017

is this constant support that has driven her they follow ever so meticulously, in an environment created solely for the purpose to where she is today.

At one point of time, Yongyuth was of actualizing designs that were previously fascinated by painting, telling her father limited to the depths of their imaginations.

When the rest of the world is submerged there was a particular artist whose work she really wanted to see. When her family went in darkness, Jain is wide awake, holing herself up in her to Chicago, he planned living room at the trip to make sure 2 a.m. to take they could stop by a advantage of her museum to see that creative energy. artist’s paintings.

With up-beat Yongyuth often Korean-pop music notices people staring reverberating in at paintings and other the empty space, forms of art with one Jain can just idea in his or head: barely hear her that the painter just mom, awake to grabbed a canvas and provide support, threw some paint on it, speaking behind expecting everything her. Jain sings to fall in place. To along to the her, what they don’t music, moving understand is that SENIOR ADITI JAIN around the room, in fashion and in art always returning every detail, every color is planned. It was her interest in art that to the sewing machine on the kitchen table when an idea hits. led her to developing a passion for design.

Every so often, Jain listens to her “[My mother’s friend] told me that if you could shake Obama’s hand,” Li said, “then mother’s advice, whose lovingly honest comments help shape her dresses’ style. you could do anything in life.”

As everybody else took out their By the end of her night’s work, Jain textbooks for a last-minute cram during can barely lift herself back to her room, finals week last year, Li was on a plane exhausted by the long, draining process of headed to Washington D.C. She broke executing her designs.

Yongyuth’s first article of clothing that through the crowd of spectators trying to she’s really wanted to make came from a reach then-President Barack Obama’s hand. cut up table cloth with a captivating print.

She thinks for a moment.

She could picture her future here, in D.C. She used it to create a makeshift skirt, A plan to get her own high-end design brand underwhelmed when she found out the skirt jump-started by designing dresses for these fit her instead of her mother, who she had politicians. After building a clientele among made it for.

Looking back, she realizes that she the Washington elite, she would have the following and the experience to start her wasn’t organized enough when planning out the procedure. She learned from experience own brand.

After a handshake with the president and to start embedding structure within her the first lady, Li was overjoyed. The two design process, while also keeping the hours she spent in the crowd were worth the flexibility and spontaneity needed to propel wait. After eating dinner at the White House, her creativity forward.

When designing, Yongyuth’s room is Li rushed herself to the airport in a frenzy to chaos. Scrap pieces of cloth and rainbows of fly back home.

After that handshake, she understood fabric line the floor and hang off of the blue what her mother’s friend said. She could do and white walls. Yongyuth herself is lying alone in the center of the floor, surrounded anything. She was ready to do anything. by paper, sketches, fabric and anything with LI’S CLOTHES ALL BEGIN with a which she can tell her story. However, the sketched design. Years of practicing art gave chaos is structured – once inspiration hits, her the ability to draw the human model she is in a zone in which hours seem to with accuracy. However, the difficulty lies pass in minutes, where all the preparations in drawing the actual clothes — whose needed to execute the design are planned designs must be completely reflective of the and executed carefully, painstakingly.

By the end of the day, no matter how final desired product for the garment to be exhausted they are or how heavy their eye produced as intended.

The designers all have a process that bags droop, the three persevere. Design is an

Fashion is my life. I don’t know what I’d do without it. If I didn’t have it, I wouldn’t have any talent, I wouldn’t have a place here. Fashion is my life source.

irreplaceable, essential aspect of all three of their lives.

“Fashion means everything to me,” Jain said. “Fashion is my life. I don’t know what I’d do without it. If I didn’t have it, I wouldn’t have any talent, I wouldn’t have a place here.

Fashion is my life source.”

A model wears one of senior Aditi Jain’s designs. At the MVHS Fashion Show, Jain displayed her clothes.

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29

BLOBBING AROUND Is your life heading in no direction whatsoever?

I

HAVE A CONFESSION TO MAKE: I’m really half-blob, half-human. Mentally, that is. I lack definition and structure.

As a high schooler, my brain is gleefully mucking around in no particular direction whatsoever, sporting fuzzy slippers and a plushy bathrobe!

I lack focus: a driving force to mold my future or “life goals” into concreteness.

Honestly, where am I heading? Nothing strikes my fancy. Of course, I certainly have interests! I like to write, play cello and bake cookies. However, in the jargon of a flustered pre-teen, I don’t really “like like” anything.

Much less love.

What does one define as love?

SOPHOMORE Traditionalist s say they feel electrocuted, hyper-alert: Benjamin Franklin in the storm, clutching an iron key and whipping away a kite. Golly gee willikers!

I’m in love! How outlandish. As a postmillennial, I’m attuned to the 21st century.

If I truly loved something, I’d take the pains to exit the Netflix tab for said person or thing. That being said, I am simultaneously writing this column and streaming “Sherlock.” Thus, this column has taken five hours to lovingly churn out.

Again, it’s not as if I dislike my own interests, or in this case, cello or writing. That isn’t the scroungy cat I intend on releasing.

My interests and I, well, we’re interlocked in the first stages of an arranged marriage — awkward and grudging! Which very much irritates my parents, or it certainly seems to.

At first, my engineer father was miffed that I was interested in the humanities, which he’d assumed from my column.

“To be good at math is to be good at everything!” he proclaimed, hands flailing like a tipsy conductor with a chopstick baton.

He paused to inhale two-thirds of his dinner. “If you know math, your writing will

have another dimension! Have clean-cut STEM reasoning!”

I haughtily turned up my nose, slurping a satisfactory ratio of ramen to beef broth.

“Well, fine,” he replied, his feathers ruffled by my obnoxious slurp. As long as she’s happy and doing what she loves. At least, his daughter had a calling, a direction in life. His daughter liked English, out of all things — she wasn’t constructing mobile houses for street urchins in London — but hey, her life had some grit and substance.

Or so he thinks, I spluttered to myself, counting the green onions pooling in ramen.

Again, it’s not as if I have HELEN CHAO no interests.

Our mutual “affection” is simply labored. The story of my arranged marriage is as follows: I’m a hot-blooded youth who dilly-dallied the morning with Netflix, an endless TV show provider. At 1 a.m., I’m abruptly wedded to a blank Word document! It is a drastic plunge in exhilaration: from TV-binging to writing an essay.

Before fellow writers scorn me for eternity — write a novel about a girl who works hard but dies in the end, they holler — I do enjoy writing! Writing is therapeutic and meditative. I can sulk here for hours on end,

CAT’S OUT OF THE BAG

30

EL ESTOQUE / FEB. 2017

pruning flower gardens of metaphors to asphyxiate the reader with my floweriness.

I rest my case.

Of course, there’s a catch.

As much as I have interest in something, I’ve never loved anything (besides Netflix) enough to approach or “propose” to it first.

Also, if I truly loved — with a passion — to play cello, couldn’t I happily practice for four hours? Why, then, was finishing an hour of cello practice like completing a chore?

My lack of passion twisted my father’s head right round, his anxiety apparent in dinner conversations.

“What do you want to do when you’re older? English? I know you’re interested.”

I’d mumble two-syllable gibberish: “Uhhuh” and “Huh? Yeah.”

That’d light his fuse. He craved clear answers and a stable train of thought. He’d immigrated from Taiwan when he was 25 years old, the homely engineer who charged forward with a mindset to succeed. Thirty years later, he had four daughters and lived in affluent Cupertino. He lived and was living the American Dream. Very unblobbish, if I do say so myself.

And here, his blobbish daughter, goggling at him with ramen dangling from her mouth.

Didn’t I understand how fortunate I was?

Where was the youthfulness, the heady ambition? The hunger to warp, to bulldoze the world with my radical actions? I should be establishing my passion in such a liberal community, using Cupertino’s abundance of opportunities to feed whatever the monster of my passion.

“Because you’re going into English, right?” he asked. “You must have an idea of what you want to do in life.”

I didn’t answer. And I still can’t.

ILLUSTRATION | MICHELLE WONG

TECH OF

STORY BY ANANYA BHAT AND DYLAN TSAI ILLUSTRATION BY ANANYA BHAT

TOMORROW

A

s humanity’s technological goals grow, the time it’ll take to achieve them seems vast.

However, the technology of the future is a lot closer than it seems. Even if time travel is still far in the future, almost equally impactful breakthroughs are just around the corner.

AP COMPUTER SCIENCE teacher David Greenstein recalls his first memory of technology was a teletype, a digital variation of a typewriter. He typed on it, and it typed back. Inspired by this simple interaction, Greenstein went on to build his own computer.

However, now Greenstein is more interested in how technology helps others, not just entertains.

In particular, Greenstein is interested in technology that combats the growing issue of

fresh water shortages. For example, he points to recently developed, low-cost watering systems that can irrigate crops only when needed.

“We’re either going to have to live differently, or we’re going to have move,” Greenstein said.

“So the technology for allowing us to survive in the future is, I think it’s all going to center around how we get clean, fresh water.”

SCAN FOR MORE COVERAGE

DNA: A TINY PART OF A tiny cell. Yet, studying it has been, historically, a long, arduous and expensive pursuit. But with new technology like CRISPR, or Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, all people need is $150 and a garage and they’re set to start splitting and splicing DNA however they please.

The power to study the human genome is now here, in countless small labs and garages, but

biology teacher Lora Lerner’s question is where that will lead.

“It’s definitely going to expand very quickly,” Lerner said. “Probably faster than people really understand the implications of it.”

The potential applications of gene editing are already growing, from manipulating cancer patients’ immune cells into attacking their cancer to sterilizing mosquitos in order to eradicate mosquito-borne diseases.

“The ability to change things, whether that’s a good idea or not, is going to be very easy and very decentralized,” Lerner said.

IT’S AN UNAVOIDABLE truth for former machinists: those jobs are never coming back.

The sole teacher in the Industrial Technology department, Ted Shinta, used to be a machinist. But now, in a process called automation, machines do most of Shinta’s former work. As Shinta watches automation develop, he sees efficient, accurate machines replace technical workers.

Though automation has been around for centuries, advances such as self-driving cars

stand as proof of automation’s continued impact.

In the workplace, automation is taking control of assembly lines and tools. In fact, on MVHS’s campus, an Energy Management System allows staff to control the school’s functions by simply pushing a few buttons.

“People won’t have to do mundane, boring jobs [in the future],” Shinta said.

According to Shinta, many positions formerly considered skilled can now be done by computers. As automation continues to advance, it becomes difficult to predict the extent to which machines will replace people.

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31

Sure, I’m free that day…

STORY AND ILLUSTRATIONS

BY ANANYA BHAT

With Valentine’s Day and Presidents’ week break just around the corner, there are tons of opportunities to hang out with your friends and family. But why even hang out if you can’t think of anything to do? It may seem like nothing goes on around here, but look a little harder and you’ll find that the Bay Area is filled with a variety of fun activities. From music festivals to Chinese New Year Parades, the Bay Area has so much to offer.

8 p.m.

TBD

Feb. 9-11

Louise B. Mayer Theater

Images 2017

“Images 2017” is Santa Clara University’s annual dance concert that combines a variety of dance styles, such as original jazz and classical ballet.

The production features performances by dance students and faculty at SCU. Reserved seating prices range from $10 to $20.

2 p.m.

8 p.m.

Feb. 18-19

Fess Parker Studio Theatre

Winter One-Act

Santa Clara University presents its annual Winter One-Act Festival, hosted and directed by its theatre-major students. The 2 p.m. showing will feature a collection of one-act plays, while the 8 p.m. showing will be an adapted version of “She Gets Naked in the End.” Tickets are $7.

7 p.m.

8:30 p.m.

Feb. 10

MVHS Auditorium

EL ESTOQUE / FEB. 2017

8 p.,m.

Heart and Soul Concert MVHS will be holding a “Valentine’s Concert,” with performances from each of the choir classes. The concert will showcase a variety of Singing Valentines songs, from pop hits like “Crazy in Love” by Beyonce to classics like “Heart and Soul” by Hoagy Carmichael. Tickets are $5.

All day

* Feb. 18-20 Downtown Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz Music Festival With over 200 performers, the Santa Cruz Music Festival is a two-day musical marathon in downtown Santa Cruz. Bay Area artists, such as G Jones, as well as internationally known artists like Louis the Child, will perform genres ranging from EDM to hip-hop. Ticket prices range from $50 to $80. *You must be 16 years or older to attend.

32

5:15 p.m

Feb. 11

Financial District, SF

Chinese New Year Parade San Francisco rings in the Year of the Rooster with its annual Chinese New Year Parade, a tradition that dates back to the Gold Rush. Come see floats, lion dancers and guests like Miss Chinatown USA. The parade begins at the intersection of Second St. and Market St., concluding with the Golden Dragon puppet.

5 a.m.

6 p.m.

March 11-12 Emma Prusch Farm Park

Azteca Mexica New Year Experience a blend of Native Mexican and American culture at the 19th Calpulli Tonalehqueh’s Aztec New Year. To kick off the celebration, a sunrise ceremony will start at 5 a.m.

The event will also feature booths offering ethnic food and beverages and traditional dances, arts and crafts.

KEEP

TAHOE TRUE

What Tahoe’s culture change means for Bay Area vacationers

Over the past 15 years, the Greater Lake Tahoe Area has seen housing costs rise, local residents struggling financially and a winter experience becoming more expensive. Now, the Bay Area is starting to feel this change cut into their vacations.

STORY AND PHOTOS BY OM KHANDEKAR S PO RTS

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Crowds swarm a lift line during a winter weekend at Northstar California resort. The resorts in Tahoe have had issues of overcrowding over the past few years

PHOTO | OM KHANDEKAR

C

HRISTMAS CAME EARLY FOR the greater Lake Tahoe area this year. Bare patches of dirt that had been eyesores across the mountain were now blanketed by an early snowfall. Even better, that thin layer of snow had remained frozen on the mountain face in the chilly days since. It was Dec. 22, 2016, and just like the official motto of the Northstar California Ski Resort, everything was “The Way it Should Be.” Northstar’s head snowboarding coach Lee Guarino waited patiently at the entrance to the terrain park as his riders from the teen snowboarding team pushed off into the jungle of metal rails below. He followed closely behind, and the team snaked through the run in minutes. Guarino wasn’t worrying about any major injuries; his team had been practicing for months this season and were on the fourth straight day of team practice.

He passed his flying team and paused at the exit to the park, on a ridge which overlooks the halfway point between the summit and base of the so-called “Mt. Pluto.” To his right, was the line to the chair lift that would lead to another run. But when his group passed by him, he turned left.

An open patch of tracked out snow ran perpendicular to the mountain, and hundreds of people were crammed between an expensive mid-mountain restaurant and a packed chairlift. It was the holiday break.

The Bay Area, Central Valley and Nevada crowds have crashed into his mountain and have planted their roots for the next 10 days.

“People’s whole experience goes down,” Guarino said. “It’s like skiing or snowboarding in traffic.”

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But according to Guarino, that kind of encouraged visitors to try out skiing and traffic is normal every holiday break. Lake snowboarding through cheap passes and a Tahoe has changed from riding haven to high- thriving winter sports industry has now has end vacation destination, and the dynamic seen a corporate bottom line creating lives between the Bay Area and its snowy that are difficult to sustain. backyard is shifting from the perspective of “A lot of the people who work for me locals’ and frequent Bay Area vacationers’. or the people that I have worked with here, Over the past 10 years, the Lake Tahoe sometimes struggle to find a place to live,” area has been transforming from small Guarino said. “I imagine it’s somewhat the mom-and-pop ski resorts like the local same in the Bay Area too, where it’s just Donner Ski Ranch ‘Yeah I just moved here ... to commercialized and I can’t find a place to multi-million dollar live!’” businesses like According to the San Kirkwood Mt. Francisco Chronicle, prices According to Vail at seven out of 14 Tahoe Resorts, Heavenly Ski resorts are over $100 for Resort was the first a day trip. For casual Bay Tahoe resort bought Area vacationers like junior by this Colorado based Megumi Pennebaker, that’s resort conglomerate not the price of a family in 2002, and by 2014 trip. Over winter break, they made their final her family journeyed to purchase in the Sierra her grandpa’s handmade HEAD COACH LEE Nevada mountain cabin to snowboard at GUARINO range. Now Northstar Homewood resort where California, Kirkwood the prices were around $50 Mountain and Heavenly Ski Resort are part per day. Before recent price hikes, driving to of an international chain of resorts under Lake Tahoe was much cheaper than taking the Vail Resorts moniker, with the primary planes cross-country. focus of providing a family friendly riding “We got a family pack for the season experience. Sometimes, this means shutting pass, so we go up a lot because of that,” down more difficult runs because of a lack Pennebaker said. “We can go [to Tahoe] of snow and concentrating the remaining quickly and for a little bit, and it’s nice to powder into more family friendly runs. just relax.”

Guarino lives nearby in Truckee, Calif., With recent raises in prices, Tahoe is and as a local he’s seen this change affect losing that appeal to those new to the area. friends and coworkers over the past 10 However, some have built duel lives in Tahoe years. According to Guarino, a culture that and the Bay Area before these price hikes,

PEOPLE’S WHOLE EXPERIENCE GOES DOWN, IT’S LIKE SKIING OR SNOWBOARDING IN TRAFFIC

Vacationers enjoy a view of Lake Tahoe from the summit of “Mt. Pluto.”

Vail Resorts provides photos at these scenic points for visitors

PHOTO | OM KHANDEKAR

like Pennebaker’s family, and chose to junior Jasper Edbrooke won’t forget the days keep going to Tahoe as a cherished family when his home mountain used to be packed tradition. with jumps — not people.

“I think how it’s just a nice family “It's beautiful up there in the mountains experience— we like that better,” Pennebaker and the lake,” Edbrooke said. “For someone said. “We’re not that competitive.” like me who is an advanced rider, [Kirkwood The experience is a vacation without has become] a less desirable mountain, but hassle. Tahoe vacations have remained it’s better than no mountain.” inexpensive and convenient for three years When Edbrooke first went up six years because of her ago, Kirkwood Ski family’s local Resort had boasted three SCAN FOR MORE massive terrain parks conne c t ion.

This familiar running the length of the COVERAGE experience is mountain. Now, due to slowly fading fewer riders and skiers for a new skier visiting the advanced like senior Joshua Tai hoping to visit this terrain parks and the increasing costs of California staple. maintaining said parks, Kirkwood only “They have this little ski school part, like keeps the smallest of the three parks open. right in the front,” Tai said, “And that was For riders and skiers like Pennebaker and Tai, just crowded. Even buying tickets there was the change doesn’t matter much. But riders pretty crowded.” like Edbrooke and Guarino are starting to see Tai hardly ever goes up to Tahoe, and less and less of an emphasis for advanced or he decided to go on a spur of the moment passionate riders. trip over winter break. According to the It’s been a risky trade-off. Commercially, Diamond Peak Online Lift Ticket webpage, the Tahoe resorts haven’t been floundering $64 youth day tickets at the local ski resort financially since a new clientele, one hoping were waiting to greet him. Although riding to have fun high-end mountain adventure, with his friends was a good experience for are willing to spend more on higher priced him, the prices themselves still sting. lodging and food. However, according to "Honestly,” Tai said, “It’s really Guarino and Edbrooke, they’re replacing the overpriced,” customers looking for a snowboarding or As each passing year melts away, the skiing experience who become discouraged days of locally owned resorts prioritizing a by the high vacation/experience-like prices. larger and more diverse skiable areas fade "At the end of the day, it'd be nice to have deeper into the history of Lake Tahoe. Now, big open slopes all to yourself, but the resort it seems as though Tahoe is on the next step wouldn't be able to operate with just you of its evolution as a winter resort destination. snowboarding there,” Edbrooke said, “It's But Kirkwood Mountain team rider and people that keep the resort running."

The average cost of the culture after one trip:*

$275 $90

the average cost for a one day youth lift ticket

$73

average cost to rent boards/skis, helmets and bindings

$93

average cost to get lessons with holiday pricing

$19

average cost to buy a burger on *AVERAGED PRICES the slopes FROM NORTHSTAR CALIFORNIA, DIAMOND PEAK, HOMEWOOD, AND KIRKWOOD SKI

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photo | OM KHANDEKAR

How the MVHS boys basketball team deals with being undersized

Mismatched

bY Rana Aghababazadeh, Sannidhi Menon and aditya Pimplaskar

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EL ESTOQUE /feb. 2016

W

henever the MVHS boys basketball team meets its opponents at halfcourt on game night, they look mismatched. Almost without exception, their opponents tower over them.

But despite the potential disadvantage, the Matadors continue to compete against these taller teams.

The team is one of the shortest in the league, with an average height of five feet eight and a half inches. The Matadors’ tallest player stands at six feet two inches, which is nothing to scoff at, but still remains one of the shorter centers in the league.

Junior guard Zachary Whong, a two-year varsity veteran who is five feet nine inches tall, has realized he can’t rely on his size when playing.

“Being big is a big part of the game — size plays a major factor in the game of basketball,” Whong said. “So when you’re small, you have to use your speed, you have to play smarter, you have to make reads better.”

Part of playing smarter comes from the direction of the bench, where head coach Jim Forthoffer guides his players through the game, holding his classic placards with labeled plays and defenses. Forthoffer, who formerly coached at Mountain View HS, experienced a significant transition when he switched schools, as Mountain View HS had a more traditional basketball program, where the team’s average height was around six feet.

With this new team, Forthoffer has brought about a different style of play that relies less on height. Offensively, this style consists of an effort to move the ball by repeatedly screening and cutting to get an open shot. This way, players don’t need to worry about directly facing someone who’s much larger than them.

“If I can fake one way and beat you to the basket, [it] doesn’t matter how tall you are,” Forthoffer said.

Although the team is shorter than the average high school team, Forthoffer says the players are more flexible than most common teams, making it more feasible to learn plays.

This mindset also makes it easier to overcome old habits and to start boxing out defensively, which he says was something the team needed to do.

Height especially plays a role on the defensive side. Initially a taller team can easily get over the shorter players and go to the basket. But Forthoffer says that his players need to get used to immediately boxing out after a shot has been taken, as that denies the larger opponents from reaching over for the rebound.

During practice, the taller players tend to give in to the instinct to reach, but this habit shouldn’t carry over to the game where MVHS’ tallest players are only seen as average compared to other high school basketball teams like Mountain View HS. Another defensive strategy is doubleteaming larger guards. Double-teaming consists of two players who are generally shorter both guarding a single person with the ball in attempt to get a turnover.

However, the team must maintain a rotation to consistently defend the person with the ball. MVHS’ speed allows them to rotate easily and still be able to guard a big player.

“We have skilled players who are fast, can shoot pretty well, can pass, spread offensive court,” Forthoffer said.

Foothill College head men’s basketball coach Matt Stanley has similar experience playing with shorter teams. In his time serving as an assistant coach at Foothill College since 2006, he admits that around the Bay Area, there tend to be fewer taller basketball players.

“We’ve always been traditionally short, not by choice,” Stanley said. “But I would like someone really tall.”

Despite their seemingly shorter size, the Foothill team has been the only program in Northern California to make it to the

Sophomore Siddhant Rao contests a three-point shot during a quad game against Lynbrook HS. The MVHS team found themselves undersized on defense. Photo by Rana Aghababazadeh

photo | rANA AGHABABAZadeh

playoffs for the past seven years. Stanley explains that they’ve achieved this by leaving the taller post players alone and focusing more on movement around the perimeter (the three-point line), similar to MVHS’ fiveman rotation.

“You might be able to dribble past them to the basket and be able to force the other team’s hands by taking those good guys out, being quicker,” Stanley said.

It’ll often be a mismatched game for the Matadors. But Forthoffer doesn’t let the team’s size stop them from winning. He emphasizes this starts with players learning to combat their old habits and having the right mindset.

“Patient coaches are losing coaches,” Forthoffer said.

Forthoffer believes coaches should never be light on their players, as it doesn’t give players enough incentive to stay in the game, no matter how tall they are. Whong agrees.

“My mindset for every game is the same,” Whong said. “It is just to stay aggressive, and to just make the right reads for the team to allow us to win.”

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JOEVON

BARNES W

ith the start of the MVHS wrestling season, new head coach Joevon Barnes has to juggle the responsibilities of coaching both the MVHS and Homestead HS wrestling program. With their wrestling program about to shut down, HHS reached out to Barnes this year in an effort to save the program. Barnes accepted and agreed to coach both teams at the same time.

BY Shayon Moradi EE: What particular challenges do you face by coaching two teams at the same time?

JB: None really, because we all come together and travel together, practice together and it’s almost as if we are one team just with different uniforms. The only issue that sometimes comes up are the parents. Parents always seem to want their own coach, and sometimes they think that I’m favoring one school over the other. Until I invite them to a tournament or a practice where they see that both schools are getting the exact same treatment.

EE: What are your goals for the team, this year and beyond?

JB: This year, I want all eight varsity players to place at leagues, then have them go to CCS and get at least half of them to state qualifiers. In the future, I would like to stay here for a while and build the team because right now we don’t have many players, we only have 11 to 12 players. Also, I would want to build a larger JV team and a girls team and have a full varsity team.

EE: Is this your first time you have coached two teams simultaneously?

JB: No, I’ve done this before, I have been coaching for seven years up and down the peninsula and one time with another school they only had a few players and to keep the program going I coached them with another team. But often times if the school can’t find a coach they choose to combine programs, a lot of the older coaches are retiring and many of the younger coaches are taking on multiple schools to keep wrestling programs alive.

EE: What has your experience been like in your first few months coaching at MVHS? JB: It’s been fun so far, I’ve got kids with some talent, and kids with a little talent on the team and developing them has been fun. We just went to a tournament where our team came in eighth, out of all the teams that were there. It was about 30 to 40 teams there and we came in eighth, so just watching them grow as wrestlers is my favorite part of this job.

photo | Om Khandekar

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EL ESTOQUE / Feb. 2017

SPOrTS flash Junior Takeshi Ueno dribbles up the field in a game against Homestead HS on Jan. 10. MVHS fell 3-2, bringing their record to 2-5-4 overall and 0-3-2 in league play.

PHOTO | OM KHANDEKAR

PHOTO | OM KHANDEKAR

Junior Andrew Burke takes down a Homestead HS wrestler during practice. At their first meet, the team had only nine out of 15 varsity slots filled and this number has dropped throughout the season. Most of their wins have been from matches in the middle weight classes.

Freshman Jaimie Chan races for a ball after a Milpitas HS defender falls underneath her. MVHS is 3-7-1 for this season and this game against Milpitas resulted in a 0-5 loss for the Matadors.

PHOTO | OM KHANDEKAR

Sophomore Jessica Ji takes a free throw in MVHS’ first quad game against Fremont HS. MVHS fell 44-53 and is currently S P o r t sfifth in 17 the El Camino League.

PHOTO | OM KHANDEKAR

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