Volume 41, Issue 4, Decembre 16 2006

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CHECK OUT A MULTIMEDIA PRESENTATION ON THE PHYSICS HONORS EGG DROP

EL ESTOQUE ONLINE

THE NEW FAMILY

An in-depth look at the diversity of families at MVHS CENTERSPREAD page 11-14

==

MEET THE BANDS

CALIFORNIA

CHAMPIONS Girls tennis reclaims Northern California championship for the first time since 2007

Behind-the-scenes biographies of the musicians

SPORTS page 15

ENTERTAINMENT page 19

DECEMBER 16, 2009

VOLUME XLISSUE 4MONTA VISTA HIGH SCHOOLCUPERTINO, CA

Middle school sees program cuts, elimination of zero period CUSD sees loss of leadership and journalism programs, questions about effect on MVHS

by Natalie Chan

C

lustered around a single wooden table, three Kennedy Middle School students and yearbook teacher Regina Masero labored on their laptops to make a 40-page deadline for the yearbook.

The next day, Masero worked alone on the last 14 pages, accompanied only by carrot sticks, celery, and a container of hummus.

Publishing a yearbook is enough work, but Masero and her 28 students in Yearbook/ Publications are also expected to produce the school newspaper because KMS no

longer has a journalism class. Moreover, KMS had lost their leadership class for the first trimester. Principal Nicole Johnston explained that the changes were due to a variety of reasons, only part of which were difficulties with staffing and funding.

According to Johnston, before former Principal Russ Ottey left in the 2008-2009 school year he cut the journalism program and mandated an altered yearbook class to form a Yearbook/Publications class. Masero was told she would be teaching the class, requiring her to guide her students to

publish both a yearbook and a newspaper.

Masero refused, and Johnston has not pressured Masero to produce a newspaper in the class.

“It made me feel very overwhelmed.

I can’t imagine making a yearbook and a newspaper at the same time,” Masero said.

To make a high-quality yearbook, the class would need to work from the beginning of the school year until spring, and Ottey had essentially given the students another large publication to produce. Publishing a bimonthly newspaper as students had

done in previous years, or even after the yearbook has been finished in the spring is, in reality, impossible, according to Masero.

“We are exhausted by the end of it,” Masero said.

When it came time to submit requests for class enrollments last year, students were told the Yearbook/Publications class would have projects other than the yearbook. Despite that, there has been no work on publications other than the yearbook. see MIDDLE SCHOOL on page 3

DEALORNODEAL? NOW,

2009: $8,700 AFTER A

32% INCREASE,

$11,484 CALIFORNIA PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES AVERAGE

$26,479

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITIES AVERAGE

$4,253

As the cost of California public universities rises, is the value of the institutions declining?

by Varshini Cherukapalli

D

ecisions are hard to make. Especially when they involve choosing a college— and with the latest changes made to the University of California, that decision just got a little bit harder to make.

The 32 percent fee increase for the University of California, passed last month by the UC Board of Regents, is just one of the many changes that will be made at the UCs. In addition to the fee increase, other significant adjustments will take place; the plan instituted by the Board of Regents includes emergency furloughs, faculty salary

reductions, restructuring of the UC Office of the President, and reduction of freshman enrollment. This myriad of changes has a number of seniors asking, “Are the UCs still a bargain?”

About 38 percent of the class of 2009 attend schools within the UC system. With the fee increases, it is unclear whether that percentage will decrease for the Class of 2010, if seniors opt to go to private colleges or other public institutions. According to current UC Santa Cruz freshman and class of 2009 alumna Devina Khanna, the early effects of the fee increases are already visible for many UC students—and they’re not positive. see BUDGET on page 4

New technology still coming in

Policy has clubs on advisor search

Speakers and projectors in every class on the way

Rule requires mandatory supervision of club functions

by Tammy Su

ithout fail, the Martial Arts Team meets for practice in the Rally Court every Friday after school.

As well as the Bhangra Team. And the Raas-Garba Team. And the Breakdance Club. In fact, every Friday after school, there are often more than 30 to 45 students practicing as part of a team or school organization.

Yet only one team has an actual advisor to watch over them, the lack of which is a violation of Club Commission’s policies for all clubs on campus. According to commission lead senior Neena Kashyap, it has always been a requirement for clubs to have an advisor present for activities, whether they be meetings, practices, or shows.

However, Bhangra Team have claimed that they were never informed of such a policy before—a miscommunication problem similar to Interact’s issue with the summer fundraising policy. Others,

eliminating older television sets from arlier this year, students and classes. According to FUHSD Coordinator teachers returned from summer of Facilities Modernization, Sharon vacation to a surprise: a promise of Serrano, about $1.5 million will be spent new LCD projectors and speaker systems across the district for AVP projects.

There was widespread understanding placed in each of the classrooms. For the past few months, though, the renovation that this project would be completed by the beginning of the process has come to an 2009-2010 school unexplained stop. Now, year, Metheany right before the Holiday explains. The updates Break, the reason for for the D building the halt is clear and were started last developments are Amount the FUHSD spring, and those for beginning again. plans to spend on AVP the A building were According to Assistant projects. Changes will completed in August Principal Brad Metheany, before the start of be made to 43 MVHS Measure B—passed in school. However, to June of 2008—includes classrooms; equipment the surprise of some a provision to fund to be installed are Epson students and staff, the technological updates in LCD projectors and Bose B, C, and F buildings, classrooms. While the speakers scheduled to be measure encompasses completed last, have the district as a whole, received minimal each school can approve updates. different projects through Facilities Director District Office personnel, allowing for unique changes that are more Chris Kenney explains that earlier this year, suitable for the specific campus. In the case only buildings A and D were contracted to of MVHS, the school and district decided be done; the work for B, C, and D was never on the Audio Video Projector Project, assigned out. As this semester comes to a which includes installing LCD projectors close, private contractors are beginning in each working classroom, updating the the bidding process again. speaker systems, and wiring the projectors see TECHNOLOGY on page 6 into the cable television system, effectively

E

$1.5 million

by Somel Jammu

W

Erin Chiu | El Estoque

FOSTER CLUB The Bhangra team practices on Dec 11.

Club polices require an adviser to be present at all practices, leaving Bhangra, as well as Raas-Garba with no adviser. such as the Raas-Garba Team and Breakdance Club, have known about the policy, but have recently found it to be increasingly inconvenient.

“Teachers have families and want to go home on Fridays,” senior Ramya Kedlaya, one of three captains of the Raas-Garba Team said. “But Fridays are one of the only days we can practice after school.”

Senior Sahiba Johar, one of four captains of the Bhangra Team, agrees.

“I understand why the policy is there—it makes total sense,” said Johar. “But we have a certain schedule to finish our routine, and the policy forces us to have one less hour to practice.”

Last year, the Bhangra Team asked English teacher Michelle Balmeo to act as advisor for them. This year, however, they were reminded that the club advisor had to be present for all practices. see CLUB ADVISER on page 6

EL ESTOQUE NEWS

PAGE 2

DECEMBER 16, 2009

BRIEFING: IN SHORT

FROM THE EDITORS

2 | CLASSES AND CLUBS Falling eggs saved by physics: classes conduct annual project

1

Happy Holidays from El Estoque

by Aileen Le and Samved Sangameswara

I

t’s that time of the year again. Tomorrow we’ll all wrap up our last finals and head home for two weeks of relaxation as this semester comes to an end and the holidays begin. We here at El Estoque are as big of fans of this season as anyone, and this year we thought we would take a closer look at the one component that is universal to every celebration, family.

It’s time to sit down at the dinner table with whoever you call family and celebrate whatever your family does. Sure, they can get on your nerves ever once in a while, but they are an integral part of our everyday lives. Its time to enjoy the laughter and memories that come with the holidays and your family, which is uniquely its own--in whatever form or shape it may take.

What we were interested in seeing was what exactly that form or shape was. Our centerspread editors sophomore Ashley Wu and senior Jane Kim created and distributed a survey to over 800 students that broke down the components of our modern families. After digesting all of that information, junior Mansi Pathak compared the data to that of national surveys and census data.

Although our families are much more ethnically diverse, it is clear that the “typical MVHS family” is one that has two parents and makes time to eat dinner together. It doesn’t matter where our parents come from or what religion we choose to follow or what language we speak at home--we all generally find time in our lives for family.

And that’s exactly what we suggest you do for the next two weeks. Happy Holidays!

el estoque 2009-2010

Editor in Chief Aileen Le Samved Sangameswara News Editor Varshini Cherukupalli Tammy Su Opinion Editor Vijeta Tandon Jiachen Yang Centerspread Editor Jane Kim Ashley Wu Sports Editor Jordan Lim Hannah Lem A&E Editor Victor Kuo Mansi Pathak

Layout and Design Editor Sabrina Ghaus

Managing Editor Stefan Ball Bhargav Setlur

Business Editor Natalie Chan Christophe Haubursin Sarika Patel Photography Editor Erin Chiu Copy Editor Kanwalroop Singh Print Staff Writers Joseph Beyda Christine Chang Somel Jammu Sahana Sridhara Roxana Wiswell Adviser Michelle Balmeo

Disclaimer 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.

Credits Some images in this publication were taken from the royalty-free stock photography website sxc.hu Mission Statement El Estoque is an open forum created for and by students of Monta Vista High School. The staff of El Estoque seeks to recognize individuals, events, and ideas and bring news to the Monta Vista community in a manner that is professional, unbiased, and thorough in order to effectively serve our readers. We strive to report accurately and 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 e-mail or mail. They become the sole property of El Estoque and can be edited for length, clarity, or accuracy. Letters cannot be returned and will be published at El Estoque’s discretion. El Estoque also reserves 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.

Contact Us El Estoque 21840 McClellan Rd. Cupertino, CA 95014 mv.el.estoque@gmail.com

THE BIG PICTURE Dec. 3, 2009 Global Outreach AIDS Week Poster As a concluding event for the Community Leadership Global Outreach Commission’s AIDS Awareness Week, a poster proclaiming ‘We Care’and plates of bright-colored paints were set up in the Rally Court. Each student was able to contribute his or her handprint, representing the school’s support for victims. The poster will be donated to the HIV County Clinic in San Jose.

Stefan Ball | El Estoque

3 | COMMUNITY PTSA campaigns to open gate for student commute Students frustrated by school congestion may be happy to hear that a solution is being worked out.

SCENIC Scenic Circle CIRCLE Gate In efforts to promote safety, the Parent Teacher Student Association is advocating opening of Scenic Circle gate, to provide an alternative route . d R n to school away from main roads, and ella safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

McCl The issue was brought up on Oct. 28 by parent Lola Kashyap. According to Carol Stanek, an involved community member, there used to be a route that ran through Blackberry Farm which allowed for students to bypass McClellan Rd. and other heavily congested areas on the way to school. This gate was closed in 2005 by neighbors, and city council decided to keep the gate closed through the renovation of the Blackberry Farm. Now that the park is reopened, community members are pushing for the council to reopen the gate for pedestrians and cyclists. “[The proposal] was a refreshing change from the expressions of helplessness about the traffic issue that I have been hearing over the years,” PTSA President Suman Ganapathy said. “Here was a chance to actually change things.”

A city council approval is the final measure needed to open the gates; the cause was brought to the council’s attention at the Nov. 30 meeting and appeared as New Business on Dec. 15. Interested students can contact saferidescupertino@gmail.com for more information.

MV

5 | SCHOOL POLICIES School-affiliated extracurricular activity participants no longer awarded letter grades A new district policy has eliminated letter grades for activities outside of official classes.

Athletics director Ron Freeman explains that instead of an A-F grade, activities such as sports or afterschool activities are now designated a Pass or Fail. The policy had been in discussion for about a year.

Freeman explains that prior to the change, some athletes were able to maintain a minimum GPA to play because of the letter grade they earned from the team.

The Pass/Fail system, in which a P is worth a 2.0, has a neutral effect on student GPAs. Teachers across the district are now being asked to observe the impact of the policy in action. He estimates that about two or three MVHS athletes per grading period are affected.

6 | CA STATE POLICIES Controversial bill proposing open enrollment pending State Assembly approval On Nov. 3, State Senate passed SBX5-1 to open enrollment of public schools across the state. The bill, now pending Assembly approval, was proposed by Governor Schwarzenegger in hopes to acquire part of President Obama’s $4.35 billion Race to the Top fund.

Requirements for the fund involve implementing turnaround strategies for low-performing schools.

School boards and organizations are concerned that the legislation’s vagueness regarding reasonable capacity of school sites would negatively impact both high and low performing schools.

4 | CAMPUS School buys new skateboard lockers Students who cycle to school now see an addition to the bike cage: a row of 32 metal skateboard lockers.

“We want [students] to ride skateboards to school,” Assistant Principal Brad Metheany said. “It’s as green as it gets.”

The school has been in long-term conversation about the need for students to lug around cumbersome skateboards, especially longboards.

Metheany feels that installing these lockers will relieve students from the burden of carrying skateboards, increase classroom space and encourage the use of skateboards over cars for those who live nearby.

Funding for this project came from the remainder of a one-time supply provided by the state over three years ago. Metheany thinks that once skateboarders find out the usefulness and practicality of the lockers, they will choose to use them.

8 | COUNT OFF BLUE PEARL

140 $500

On Dec. 7, Physics teachers Jim Birdsong and Jeff Trevarthan’s Physics Honors classes made trips to the top row of the bleachers to release their egg-drop vehicles— approximately one month in the making—into the hands of gravity.

Students applied momentum and force concepts learned throughout the semester to design vechicles that hopefully protected their escorts from the concrete ground. Those who exploited rotation acquired extra safety—and extra credit. Some vehicles fell like stones, breaking the respective eggs, while others landed safely to an “Alive!” confirmation by Birdsong or Trevarthan, and boosted their makers’ grades.

7 | FOR THE RECORD Corrections from El Estoque’s November issue Page 5: Only three minor violations were recorded in the last inspection. The two others mentioned were fixed on-site during the inspection, and thus not considered violations.

Page 9: The fever on the editorial cartoon should read 103 degrees Fahrenheit.

Page 16: Freshman Malvika Mecker’s name was misspelled.

Page 18: Senior Suzanne Stern’s name was misspelled.

Page 24: Freshman Ragi Elangovan’s name was misspelled.

Number of attendees Amount to be donated to the American Diabetes Association

8 5

Weeks spent planning People in Student Life Commission

DECEMBER 16, 2009

EL ESTOQUE NEWS

From teachers to mothers

BHARGAV SETLUR

Expectant teachers handle substitutes, physical effects of pregnancy

by Hannah Lem

W

hile the rest of the campus battles flu symptoms this winter, a few teacher are suffering cravings, nausea, tiredness and rapid weight gain. Biology teacher Lani Giffin, AP Biology teacher Pamela Chow, ASB Secretary Deb Mandac, U.S. History teacher Maria Carter-Giannini and Guidance Counselor Sarah Hershey are all pregnant.

The teachers have many obligations to handle before they leave, such as finding long-term substitutes if they decide to leave in the middle of the school year.

Giffin has already found a substitute, someone at Lynbrook who is substituting for another biology teacher currently on maternity leave.

The timing is perfect because the Lynbrook teacher will be coming back from maternity leave and the substitute will be out of a job.

“If I didn’t have her, I don’t think I could find anyone who could do it,” Giffin said. “She’s familiar with the curriculum because she’s taught first semester biology here before.

I think it will be a good and smooth transition.”

Mandac also has to find a substitute that will take her place and help out with many end-of-year activities such as Senior Awards and graduation.

Chow has not yet found a substitute as well.

“I can imagine it will be a little bit tricky just because a

O

n Dec. 1, in a speech at the West Point Military Academy, President Obama announced his final decision regarding US involvement in Afghanistan. He intends to deploy an additional 30,000 troops to bring stability and order to the war-torn country and to defeat the extremist groups who are currently in power. It’s a decision that will throw our country—and most probably, others too—into a frenzy in the upcoming weeks and days. Clearly, it’s big news.

Erin Chiu | El Estoque

BABY BUMP Biology teacher Pamela Chow gives a class lecture on on Nov. 28. Chow will leave this April because of her pregnancy and is expected to return in Aug. long term substitute means that they will have to follow a certain lesson plan. It can’t just be, ‘watch a movie,’ because it won’t be for just one day,” Chow said.

Although having to do extra work to prepare for leaving in the middle of the school year is difficult to plan for all involved, having a baby is a very exciting time for each teacher and their family members.

“My students were really excited. Some classes clapped, there was even one class that started chanting ‘Baby Chow,’” Chow said.

Carter-Giannini, however,

is very emotional about taking leave from MVHS. “It’s like a community, my other home. The people I work with are like my family,” CarterGiannini said. “And leaving will affect me both emotionally as well as psychologically.”

Giffin’s students were also very enthusiastic but after the excitement died down, their next question was: what’s going to happen to us? Students have to deal with changing teachers in the middle of the school year.

For a teacher, being pregnant can be mentally stressful and physically draining.

“I haven’t had any cravings,

but I sit a lot,” Giffin said. “If I can lecture sitting down, then I will do it.”

Being tired seems to be one of the bigger problems that the pregnant staff feel.

“When I’m hungry, I just eat food. But being tired is a little trickier because I can’t really do anything about it. There’s still lessons to prepare and papers to grade,” Chow said.

As these months pass by, these pregnant staff members will start to go on their maternity leave. But Chow, Giffin and Mandac all agree that they will be sure to return after their babies are born.

MVHS has a handful of teachers who are expecting. Here’s a closer profile on each teacher.

Gender of baby: Male How far into pregnancy: 7 months Leave date: Around the end of January Approximate Return date: August 2010

Say it like it is

Missed call: planet Earth

THE LINEUP

Deb Mandac ASB Secretary

PAGE 3

Maria CarterGiannini Social Studies

Gender of baby: Female How far into pregnancy: 5 months Leave date: As long as possible due April 19

Lani Giffin Science

Sarah Hershey Guidance

Gender of baby: Female How far into pregnancy: 7 months Leave date: Around the end of January Approximate Return date: August 2011

Gender of baby: unknown How far into pregnancy: 4 months Leave date: Around May 2010 Approximate Return date: Jan. 2011

Pamela Chow Science

Gender of baby: unknown How far into pregnancy: 4 months Leave date: Around the end of April Approximate Return date: Aug. 2010

MIDDLE SCHOOL: Programs have been discontinued continued from page 1

The leadership class had also been taken out of the curriculum by the beginning of this school year. However, Johnston and Cupertino Union School District Superintendent Phil Quon worked to make the necessary changes for the class to be included again. By the beginning of the second trimester, the Leadership class was back.

At the beginning of the school year, KMS had more students enrolled than anticipated, and because of this the administration could fit in the Leadership class once more.

“We want kids to have all choices possible,” Johnston said.

Leadership teachers Andi Jackson and Kiersten Kampp said the main reason for losing the class earlier in the year was difficulties with funding. Although the class had a high student interest level with an average of 200 to 300 applicants each year,

it was also one of the most easily expendable classes; the class size was smaller than most others and it was not a required course. But when leadership students heard the class was no longer available, they acted.

“Our whole Leadership class was pretty angry,” Kennedy eighth grader Ryan Manley said. “We actually got a lot of people to sign a petition that weren’t even in leadership, but they knew it was pretty important.”

Dean of Students and Leadership advisor Denae Moore agreed that having a Leadership class at the middle school level plays an important role in preparing students for high school.

“A lot of it is just students being developed and cultivated for leadership,” Moore said. “That positive growth and development you get is where students would really suffer [without a leadership class].”

In case you’re (probably) not aware

What does that mean for you, or me, or most people in our sheltered community?

At first glance, not much. Don’t get me wrong—most of us should feel grateful that we don’t have a mother or father or sibling in harm’s way, and we have to thank our lucky stars that we do not fear the worst when we hear a knock at the door. Students here at MVHS are, for the most part, the children of educated immigrants from Asia—doctors, engineers, lawyers. Here in Cupertino, the only servicemen and servicewomen we meet are the ones who set up shop on campus during lunch and give students t-shirts and pens for doing pushups. Chances are, few of us will ever meet the 30,000 soldiers who will be deployed to Afghanistan in the coming months, not to mention those that are already stationed there. And anyway, 30,000 troops? That’s like half of Cupertino, right?

Thinking outside of city limits not allowed

Right. And wrong. The residents of Cupertino may not have many ties to the Americans who will soon be entering the theater of war, but it would be a mistake to consider ourselves detached from events beyond our small town. Most of us, being the ocean-hopping, long-distance Skyping hyphenated Americans that we are, should know just how small the world is. International in almost all respects, it’s disconcerting to see the students of MVHS turn a blind eye to the most important events happening in our world. Lunchtime discussions are dominated by who’s taking which AP test, or who did or did not get into which college. Walking through campus, one would think that the world outside doesn’t exist. That’s terrifying, considering that we are supposed to be one of the most knowledgeable student bodies in the most diverse nations on the face of the planet.

Not all that far off

Even if you’re a freshman or sophomore, graduation is really only a few late nights away. When that day comes, this soundproof, opaque bubble will vanish in a very audible pop. As we leave high school, many of us will be in for a major culture shock. Republicans. War supporters. Welfare recipients. And yes, even soldiers, the ones who fight and die in unpopular wars. The world outside Cupertino is larger and more diverse than the homogeneous community we know, from demographics to political opinion. And every day, that world is trying to call out to us. The troop increase is just one example. In Africa, the Persian Gulf, and the other regions of the world that we fly over without thinking twice, skyscrapers are being built. New governments are being formed. Pretty soon, what’s happening over there will change the way we live here. The least we can do as students, right now, is to be informed. The events we read about may be happening thousands of miles away, but really, they’re right on our doorstep.

PAGE 4

EL ESTOQUE NEWS

DECEMBER 16, 2009

New laptops supplement computers Measure B money contributes to purchase, which facilitates Modern Language AP prep

by Roxy Wiswell

L

LAPTOP CAPABILITIES

et’s face it. The library computers are slow.

“It took 10, 15 minutes for some of my students to log in,” social studies teacher Bonnie Belshe said. Not to mention the substantial lag time involved in Internet browsing. Enter the Dell Netbook Latitude 2100, the tiny laptop with big speed.

The school recently received two carts of new Latitude 2100 laptops for classroom use. The process of acquiring the laptops began with the modern language department.

According to Chinese AP teacher Cathy Wong, Chinese and Japanese AP tests are given on computers, so the respective classes must work on computers regularly to practice with the software.

Although the laptops are available to all classes, priority will be given to the AP Chinese and Japanese classes. Assistant principal Brad Metheany described the reservation process as “first come, first served,” but the AP Chinese and Japanese teachers, Keiko Howard and Wong, can bump a reservation for one laptop cart up to two weeks in advance.

Currently, the AP Chinese and Japanese classes head to the library computer lab to practice for AP tests.

“It takes us about 10 minutes to calm ourselves down and open the programs we need,” junior Crystal Hsu said of her AP Chinese class. Hsu feels that with the new laptops, classes won’t have to spend as much time traveling back and forth to the computer lab. Instead, the computers come to them.

48 1.6

Number of Lattitude 2100 laptops purchased for the modern language classes

1

Processor speed in the Lattitude 2100 laptops in gigahertz.

16

“It will save a lot of time and trouble,” Wong said.

The students have been using computers in the library and computer lab, but in either location there aren’t enough computers for a class of 30 or more. According to Wong, splitting a group of students between the two areas makes it hard to keep the class unified. The laptop carts have only 24 laptops each, but the teacher can request both carts to have enough for the full class.

“It will be easier to control the class,” Wong said. Also, according to Wong, the new laptops are much faster than the library computers because only select software has been installed.

However, when scheduling her class time in the library, Wong finds the situation workable.

Gigabytes of memory in the Lattitude 2100 laptops

Gigabytes of storage space in the Lattitude 2100 laptops

“Every time I make a reservation, it’s available. [The laptops] are just extra,” Wong said.

Wong plans to use the laptops for the first semester final of her AP Chinese class. Second semester, she hopes to reserve the laptops at least once a month.

“I’m thrilled. We really appreciate the new laptops,” Wong said.

The laptop carts were funded by a variety of sources.

School funds contributed, as well as the PTSA, the Fremont Foundation, and the Measure B Bond fund, which matches money that the school spends on technology. According to Metheany, a third laptop cart might be purchased in the future, if the current two carts work out and funding is available.

BUDGET: Tuition increase raises questions regarding the value of UC schools continued from page 1

One change that is being enforced in Khanna’s classes is the curtailment of Graduate Student Instructors, also known as Teacher Assistants. This leaves her— and the other hundreds of students in the class—with less opportunity for intimacy in the classroom setting. TAs conduct the discussion sections that involve about 20 students each, so students can more easily ask questions and clarify doubts.

With fewer TAs, the number of students in each discussion rises. Khanna believes this is a greater obstacle to learning.

Moreover, with the difficulty of getting into classes increasing, students are faced with the risk of graduating later.

“I’d assume there are many students who are not able to get into classes which will prolong their education,” Khanna said.

“If I didn’t get into Economics I this quarter, it would push everything back for earning my degree.”

Even when students get into the classes they desire, according to current UC San Diego freshman and class of 2009 alumnus Neil Raina, they are forced to take the classes at less convenient times of the day.

Scheduling issues, Raina explains, are the least of the matter; students are required to pay at least $1,000 more in fees for the upcoming quarter.

“For an education my family is willing

to pay anything, [but] this fee increase is obviously not something that we’ve been praying for,” Raina said.

Particularly with these recent changes to the UC system, senior Nausheen Mahmood believes that there are more benefits to attending a private college. She is applying to some of the schools in the UC system and various private colleges.

“Although you’re still paying more at a private college, you’re getting a lot more resources, even at a liberal arts school,” Mahmood said. “There are just too many people at UCs and you don’t get that individualized attention like you would at a private school— less bang for the buck.

[At private colleges] there’s financial aid, too.”

However, guidance counselors Shari Schussel and Sarah Hershey firmly believe that, regardless of the fee increases, the UCs still offer many opportunities that other private colleges cannot provide. Some of these advantages are research opportunities, networking with peers and alumni, and even school spirit— all at highly ranked colleges.

Khanna adds that students are able to associate with other middle class students at the UCs, so there is no great distinction between social classes. Furthermore, the difference between the price of a UC and that of most private colleges, Schussel and Hershey explain, is still considerable.

“I think students are getting the wrong idea about what the cost really is,” Schussel said. “Even with the increase, you’re looking at a UCLA education for still $25,000 a year.

That’s nothing. It’s definitely worth the money still.”

In the end, though, both agree that it depends on the student— whether he or she can thrive at such a large university.

“For one person who would love being at a UC as one in a million, somebody else would get lost and fall in the cracks. It depends on you,” Hershey said.

Even though her own education has been impacted so significantly, Khanna agrees that the public education system in California is still extremely beneficial.

“I could say, ‘Private? Might as well, because the UCs are becoming privatized.’

If the UCs [cost] over $30,000 they are no longer affordable to everyone except the ‘rich kids,’ Khanna said. “But I still think the UC education is a very valuable one. A UC education is just as good as a private, if not better; there are a lot of privates out there that just have the name and prestige.”

Career Center adviser Miriam Taba also predicts that the number of MVHS students attending UCs will stay approximately the same. Since Cupertino is relatively affluent, she believes that students are not under the same pressure that students from other areas are faced with. She does advise, though, that seniors apply for financial aid

— just in case.

“With the fee increases and in this economy, what if your parents lose their jobs? By next fall it’s a different picture,” Taba said.

Therefore, with the upcoming college decisions season, many factors will come into play as seniors decide where to attend for higher education. As Khanna said, “It’s a tough question— one could argue for both sides of it.”

Courtesy of Devina Khanna

CAN’T UC Angry protesters at UCLA oppose the tuition increases and budget cuts recently implemented by the UCs.

DECEMBER 16, 2009

EL ESTOQUE NEWS

PAGE 5

With the fees of applying to colleges and sending test scores, the actual tuition of universities is only part of

The price of education

e g e l l o C

Varshini Cherukupalli and Sabrina Ghaus | El Estoque Photo Illustration

by Christine Chang

name” admissions as another source of over-applying.

“I’ve heard some people who apply hree thousand dollars can buy a 14% 14% to a whole bunch of schools they know lot of things: 21 TI-89 calculators, 13% How many Under 40 ASB cards, or a 21-day day trip 12% 12% they won’t even go to just for bragging rights,” Taba said. “That is an entirely to Hawaii. For senior Vikram Nilakantan, colleges are you ten Ten or wrong reason to apply to a school. For all that $3,000 is paying for his college applying to?

37% more they know, they could be taking a spot applications—28, to be exact. And 8% 63% 7% from a classmate who really wants it.” this holiday season, many seniors like 7% On the other end of the spectrum, Nilakantan are emptying their wallets 5% 5% senior Tom Zick has taken a more to pay for those college applications financially conservative approach to rather than splurge on Christmas gifts. $700 college applications. Because she is Applying to college is the notorious What is the supported by a single mother, Zick feels rite of passage faced by almost every or more total amount of obligated to be extra conscientious and MVHS student who’s survived their Under 39% 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 money you will capped her applications at a total of first three years in high school. As $700 On a scale of one to ten with ten being spend to apply 11. Over the summer, Zick worked as a many seniors are discovering, it’s an 61% the most, how much did your parents to college? camp counselor to help pay for college expensive one, too. Application fees can influence the choice of colleges you’re application fees and plans to work cost anywhere from $30 to $90, and for through college to cover the costs. applying to UCs and private colleges, a applying to?

“Some people are really spoiled about couple hundred dollars isn’t anything *95 students responded to this online poll applying to all the colleges they want out of the ordinary. Throw in SAT and and expecting their parents to pay for all AP score-reporting fees and the cost of Especially now that budget cuts are all over the news, of it,” Zick said. “While I think it’s important for parents to sending transcripts, and the grand total really adds up.

Aftere hearing horror stories of hasty admissions what’s happening is [seniors] feel like they need to cover help their kids out on one hand, it’s still our lives and our officers, Nilakantan fears being rejected not because he all their bases, so they end up applying to lots of privates,” responsibility. We should do anything we can to help out.”

To avoid the buildup of unnecessary application fees, isn’t qualified, but simply because there are too many Kruse said.

Kruse also senses that more often than not, parents’ Zick ended up eliminating two UCs she had originally applicants to be thoroughly considered. With budget cuts in effect and competition rising, Nilakantan felt what he dreams and aspirations for their children get in the way, and planned to apply to. Still, Zick’s total cost of applying to the college list becomes more ambitious than realistic. college, including sending scores and transcripts, comes calls “backups for backups” were necessary.

“I understand that a lot of parents have hopes and desires out to almost $1,000.

“The lucky thing is that if I don’t get into my top schools, After years of experience, Taba sees sound reason in I’ll have plenty of backups and I can feel sure now that it for their kids, and that gets mixed up in there as well,” will be okay,” Nilakantan said. “I don’t want to be stressed Kruse said. “I really encourage parents to just let students narrowing college lists during the application process, not the next few months thinking, ‘What if I don’t get into a take charge. The application process is like a university’s after students have been accepted. first test. They want to see if a student can follow through “I think [over-applying] wastes a lot of parents’ time and UC? Then what?’”

Registrar Pat Kruse feels that students who apply to with the process, jump through the hoops and leap the money,” Taba said, “because in the end, you’re only going to one college. Students just need to have the confidence more than 15 or 20 schools are just putting extra stress on hurdles.”

Career Center manager Miriam Taba, who counsels that they will get in somewhere and not be paranoid.” themselves. However, she understands seniors’ mentality students in choosing suitable campuses and college But for the cautious ones, that $3,000 buys them of feeling more secure by applying to additional colleges.

“I think it’s tough on seniors today in this situation. programs to apply to, cites the incentive to boast “big- admissions insurance.

T

BY THE NUMBERS

PAGE 6

EL ESTOQUE NEWS

TECHNOLOGY: Equipment updates to come

DECEMBER 16, 2009

ADVISER: Policy inconveniences clubs and teams

continued from page 1

California code states that projects valued at $15,000 or greater are required to go out for bid; that is, the district must open the job to at least three different companies who place bids for their prices to perform the task. In compliance with competitive bidding laws, the district is required to sign with the lowest bidder.

“Obviously they have to meet the same basic standards,” Metheany said, “but things like workmanship, speed, I don’t know how you would control that.”

Private contractors were on campus on Dec. 1, evaluating each classroom’s construction in preparation to make bids for the project. Because the construction directly concerns the central focus of each room, work must take place outside of school hours—likely in the middle of the night.

Coordinators and contractors alike take this into account determining the details of the project.

“In managing any project of this nature, one of the constraints is the ongoing classroom activities,” Serrano said. “A major consideration when scheduling such projects is to minimize disruption of the educational program, therefore the goal is to complete as many AVP installations as possible during the Holiday Break.”

Kenney estimates that if all logistics and negotiations go smoothly at the district level, and all materials arrive on time, a contractor should be able to begin work within weeks. Metheany is hopeful that the process will be completed quicker — before the end of 2009.

“I will be disappointed if they’re not up by the end of December,” Metheany said. “It would be nice for the teachers and students to come back from break, and have all those systems set up and ready for use.”

Erin Chiu | El Estoque

ON THE WATCH Science teacher Pam Chow converses with fellow science teacher Debbie Frazier while advising the club and team practices for Martial Arts, Breakdance, Raas-Garba and Bhangra after school on Dec. 11. Club policy, which dictates that an adviser must be present at each club activity, is being strictly enforced this year. continued from page 1

Because teachers were no longer permitted to advise from elsewhere on campus, Balmeo could not fulfill her advisor duties.

In a twist a little more complex than that of the Bhangra Team’s, because the Raas-Garba Team branches out from the Indo American Student Association, their official advisor is math teacher Sushma Bana. However, because Bana is unable to advise after-school practices, the Raas-Garba Team also found themselves looking for a new advisor.

Unable to find teachers willing to stay at least two hours after school every Friday to watch them, they turned to the Martial Arts Team’s advisor, science teacher Pamela Chow. Chow agreed to watch over them as well since she was already present in the Rally Court for the Martial Arts Team, which Chow has been the advisor of for seven or eight years. From there, she was also asked by the Bhangra Team and Breakdance Club if she could watch over them. As a result, Chow sometimes watches over 40 students at one time, though she is the official advisor only for Martial Arts.

“It’s more stressful for me,” said Chow, “but it’s a responsibility I’ve agreed to.”

Regardless of the stress it may place on Chow, she feels that the club advisor policy is sensible. As Kashyap explains it, the school is liable for anything that may happen during a club activity, and as a consequence, can be sued.

“We understand where clubs are coming from, but [clubs] should also understand administration’s point of view,” said Kashyap. “[The policy] might be an inconvenience, but it’s a good one.”

n o i n i p o 7 Sacrificing passion for bureaucracy PAGE 8

New laptops: Waste of money?

PAGE 9

Off/Away punishes innocent

PAGE 10

Private colleges vs. UCs

New policy mandates advisor supervision of after-school meetings, limits clubs’ freedom STAFF EDITORIAL

S

afety always comes first. The idea seems simple enough, but to what extent can practicality be compromised in order to ensure complete safety? According to the club advisor policy, to any extent.

Club Commission recently decided to enforce a policy that requires club advisors to be present for the entire duration of a club meeting on campus after school.

Although the policy has technically been in place for many years, this is the first year Club Commission is enforcing it.

In theory, the policy is supposed to ensure the safety of all students, and to make sure that they are meeting for the correct and intended purpose. In actuality, each club now requires a babysitter.

Clubs like Bhangra, Raas Garba and Martial Arts have traditionally held practices in the rally court every Friday after school, but they must now suspend their practices until they can find an advisor willing to supervise them.

While coaches of sports teams and advisors of student organizations are given monetary compensation for the extra time they spend after school, teachers are offered a maximum of four hours of credit—to fulfill the requirement of 16 hours per year—for each club they advise, no matter how much time they actually

spend. It’s unrealistic and naive on Club Commission’s part to expect teachers to give up their personal time without providing due compensation.

Therefore, if clubs are not able to find willing and kind-hearted advisors, they will no longer be allowed to hold practices on school grounds; this basically guarantees their dissolution.

Some clubs are considering the idea of holding “unofficial” practices outside of school, but this basically defeats the intended purpose of the policy. It’s understandable that the school would like to minimize its liability in case any student gets hurt during these unsupervised practices on campus, but the enforcement of this policy eliminates that liability altogether, by preventing clubs from meeting at all.

As a stopgap action, clubs that involve risky physical activities can meet near the practice area of athletic teams, and persuade the coach to oversee their activities.

Otherwise, they have to provide monetary incentives to potential advisors, possibly through fundraising activities or levying membership fees. But these are not ideal solutions to a problem that amounts to an unfunded mandate by Club Commission.

If a doctor were to prescribe a perfectly healthy person chemotherapy on the pretext that it was a preventive measure put in place in case the body had any hidden cancerous cells, people would call him crazy. Not only are the chances of there

Anyssa Karkaeng | El Estoque

Anyssa Karnkaeng | El Estoque

being any cancerous cells slim to none, but the therapy will end up doing more harm to the patient by killing normal, functioning body cells. Similarly, the enforcement of this policy threatens the very existence of clubs on campus, rather

Middle school cuts are our problem too New district budget removes elective classes, hurts students

Holidays not happy for many students Some religious days do not receive due recognition

by Christophe Haubursin

W

e all remember those laidback middle school days when students would pick up a school newspaper on their way out of class or sign up for zero-period leadership to contribute to school events. Those were the days of middle school journalism and leadership, places where subjects like literature and technology could come together for an even richer learning experience.

Those days, and all the good memories that came with them, are now as good as gone.

With the cut of leadership for the first trimester and the current cut of journalism from the course selections of middle schools such as Kennedy and Lawson comes a critical question for MVHS: how will the changes affect the attitude of subsequent classes towards academics and the social atmosphere in general? And more importantly, what can we do to ensure this gap doesn’t grow too large?

The inevitable shift would appear in the focus of students. Our school already conditions its students to

by Joseph Beyda

W

Christophe Haubursin | El Estoque

become academically focused, but what if students came here already equipped with the mindset of doing nothing but traditional academics?

The problem will come up that students will lose interest in nontraditional classes, affecting the popularity of certain fields early on in students’ education, to the point where the lack of student participation in middle school would carry on to high school, college, and then out into the professional world.

The elimination of opportunities in middle school generates a trickling effect that will impact everyone—it needs to be stopped. If participation in these classes drops, there’s a chance that the lack of enrollment numbers could lead to the removal of these classes.

Shutting off opportunities for middle school students impacts the interest of students in the future, setting off a domino effect for the popularity of these essential courses.

hat is the most important Jewish holiday?

If, like 68 percent of MVHS students, you said Hanukah or Passover, you were wrong. In terms of religious meaning alone, Hanukah is actually one of the least significant Jewish holidays, dwarfed by the all-important High Holidays Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, according to the Israel Ministry of Tourism.

But students weren’t just wrong about the spiritual practices of Jews. In the same online survey of 195 MVHS students that yielded the above results, students were asked to identify the most important holidays of different religions, and they were again mistaken. Fifty one percent of Christians identified Easter as the most important holiday, but only 15 percent of others picked it. Similarly, 35 percent of Muslims identified Eid Al-Fitr as their most important holiday, a percentage higher than any other Muslim holiday, but only nine percent of others picked Eid Al-Fitr. And, most strikingly, 28 percent of the responses to such questions claimed that they did not know what the most important holiday was.

On a campus where we value cultural diversity, even devoting an entire Diversity Week to it in spring, many students have no idea of the relative significance of the holidays their peers hold sacred.

see CUTS on page 8

QUICK TAKE

by Stefan Ball

A snapshot of the issues surrounding campus today

than ensuring their safety.

Before it becomes too late, either enforcement must be relaxed or funds for advisors be provided by Club Commission.

The existence of some of our clubs depends on it.

Teachers granted access to Youtube We’ve endured a long conflict over which websites are blocked and which aren’t, but we’ve at last seen a bit of internet sensibility with the new log-in system. While the need to log in is a speed bump in getting online on campus, teachers now have the ability to access blocked websites like YouTube. In a country where education is ranked as the least innovative industry, this is a good step towards a more modern MVHS. As part of the Silicon Valley, any increase in technology use is welcome.

D Building bathroom touched too much We’ve taken steps to ensure we live in a more healthy swine-flu-less environment, but possibly missed one of the dirtiest and most contaminated areas on campus—the bathrooms. In the D-building bathrooms where the door must be touched to be opened, many of the taps are hard to operate and unreliable, resulting in multiple touches and multiple possibilities of leaving the bathroom dirtier than you entered it. We should instead be moving forward to a touchless and clean bathroom experience where we can stay happy and healthy.

see HOLIDAYS on page 10

Study Buddies left buddy-less At such an academically-motivated school, there should be an endless supply of help for students. However, the Study Buddy program has found itself lacking in tutors. Consisting of two hours of tutoring a week—that go towards community service hours—excelling students should make time and use their skills to give back to the school. Publicity for the program is low and it can benefit from more coverage in any form.

PAGE 8

DECEMBER 16, 2009

EL ESTOQUE OPINION

Laptop splurge taxes many, helps few Expenditure to improve learning experience for selected classes cannot be justified

by Stefan Ball

E

veryone wants to look cool. Sure, the impulse pours into the teenager’s mind with unrivaled vigor, but it thrives in the minds of teachers and administrators as well when it comes to sporting the latest gadgets.

Our school was recently blessed with a couplet of carts kitted out with Dell Netbook Latitude 2100’s. The netbooks will serve primarily AP Japanese and Chinese classes in the form of two sets of 24. They will be available to all classes on a firstcome first-serve basis, but the aforementioned AP classes will be able to reserve two weeks ahead of time. Whether or not this was the best use of tax payers’ money is the question that inevitably hangs in the air, and that will be answered in the coming months.

There is without a doubt both a need and a rational desire for technology in the classroom. We’re a society in a changing world, and as the minds of the future, we should have the privilege to at least work with the technological fruits of our time. But is it so vital to our education that pulling the netbook plug would be like pulling the plug on our

nationally ranked education?

The fact remains that technology in the classroom is still a privilege, not a necessity.

Money for the school comes almost entirely out of our community’s pockets, and while many funds are earmarked before they have time to crease in administration’s ever-shrinking wallets, the money that passes through our classroom doors should enhance the education of as many students as possible as often as possible.

Pull up a simple list of statistics about the student body, and you’ll see that only a small percent of students ever pass through AP Chinese or Japanese. The justification for the carts seems to balance shakily—teachers claim the carts are necessary to save time and unify the classes in ways the library can’t. Walking from the upper A-building to the library takes a leisurely 95 seconds. Multiply that times two for the round trip and the teacher find themselves out 190 seconds of lesson time, a record surely quicker than that needed to distribute 24 netbooks to a class of 30 or more students, boot them up and deal with technical difficulties, and then quiet the class down.

There lies another issue:

30 students can’t type on 24 netbooks. Roll in the second cart, which teachers have been told will be possible, and the school finds itself with one usable set of laptops and 18 laptops in excess.

Students will be able to record and listen to materials, as well as retrieve multilingual documents from School Loop. But the modern language department already has access to and uses highly functional tape recorders which are both cheaper and more versatile. Each student can have their own tape.

As for document downloading, with a bit of early notice this is something students can do at home before class on their own more powerful computers. Teachers also plan to use the computers for more efficient essays and tests and because it’s unfair to end it before it has begun, it will be interesting to see where the use of the netbooks takes us.

Hopefully it will be somewhere where a class set of laptops is advantageous in a way that can’t be utilized by students working separately at home, in the library, or by cheaper means.

We should use what we have in a way that justifies the cost.

It’s nice to say our school has netbook carts and it’s nice to say we have a set of Bose speakers

Anyssa Karnkaeng | El Estoque

in every classroom working in sync with roof-mounted projectors.

That is cool. It’ll be cooler to see them used in a way that makes them work for their cost. Instead of laptops being used for printing documents and recording—tasks we could already achieve—they should be used for quick modern collaboration (think class Twitter

Library policy leaves students out in cold

Denying access during class visits wastes valuable space

Anyssa Karnkaeng | El Estoque

by Bhargav Setlur

“O

kay, everybody out!” All students with unscheduled periods have heard this at least once. “A class is coming to use the computers, so the library is closed. The Career Center and cafeteria are open.”

So much for free and open facilities.

Students with unscheduled periods often head to the library to get work done or just pass the time. Spacious and with lots of work space, the library is without question the best place on campus to stay during an open period.

That all changes if a class reserves the computer area for a given period. In that case, all students with open periods are asked to leave. This rule makes sense if unscheduled students with open periods are using the computers, thereby hindering a teacher’s lesson plan for the day.

But even students who are not using the computers must leave, and that does not make sense. As it is, library workers monitor students at the tables to make sure they are not making noise, and those that do are asked to leave the library. So if there is already a system

in place to ensure that students at the tables are working quietly, how could they possibly disturb a class working in the computer area?

It’s perfectly clear that during these times, library use is not being optimized. Sure, it may be easier for library workers to assist a visiting class if they do not have to supervise students working at the tables, but that goes back to the fundamental issue at hand. The whole point of maintaining a large, modern library like the one we currently have is to serve as many students as possible.

If we are going to kick out students from the table area when a class comes in to use the computers, then why have work spaces at all? Ultimately, when classes are in session the library is for students with open periods. As such, any and all library policies should be created with the intention of giving them as much benefit as possible.

Moreover, it is important to realize that when students are restricted from using the library, their other options just don’t measure up. The cafeteria is primarily a food space, and with uncomfortable portable tables, it is

not suited for studying. Worse, a strange odor permeates the air— most likely due to the food—and makes studying inefficient and unpleasant.

The Career Center, although comfortable and free of bad smells, is simply too small to accommodate all the students turned out of the library. Like the cafeteria, the Career Center serves a very specific purpose, and providing students with unscheduled periods a place to work does not fit into the Career Center’s original intent.

Without a doubt, the library is more than large enough to accomodate two groups of students at one time. A class can come in to use the computers, and students with unscheduled periods can work silently in the table area. It’s inconceivable that these students would disrupt or disturb a teacher’s interactions with his or her class. Worst of all, closing the library on those days would be a tragic waste of a great deal of taxpayer money.

If the library was not the wonderful resource that it is, being kicked out every once in a while would hardly be a problem.

It is because our library is so good that when students are prevented from using it, there is cause for concern. It is important for classes to remain uninterrupted when they visit the library, but that does not mean that students with open periods should be denied access. The library is a facility that the whole community can and should be proud of, and it is more than capable of serving the needs of many students. Let’s make the most of it by keeping it open to students with unscheduled periods every day of the week.

discussions during lectures and student interaction through Google Docs) and things like interactive presentations students can follow at their desks. And more. Education can grow.

Not to mention seniors everywhere are still lugging around books or, at best, storing them in their cars. Some lockers, please.

CUTS:

End of elective classes hurts students continuted from page 7

The truth is, classes like Journalism and Leadership operate differently from other classes. They enable students to collaborate with one another, interact with a variety of personalities, share successes, manage conflicts, and most importantly, benefit from an experience as representative of real life as school gets.

You can’t get that from your typical literature discussion or science experiment group. The real-world lessons and experiences that students get in these electives are hard to find elsewhere, and it’s just as difficult to think of any reason why the student body would lose interest in these vital subjects.

In the midst of this problem, there are many things within our capability to do. As students, we need to acknowledge the issue and take action, since the student body’s lack of experience and interest in a subject now will carry on and create further complications later on.

To prevent the situation in middle schools from extending to high school, teachers and students need to inform incoming classes about the importance and practicality of these courses by actively promoting enrollment. It is our responsibility at this point to take a more active role in building up extracurricular activity amongst middle schoolers to fill the void that will come from these cuts.

On Nov. 23, Deans of Students Denae Moore and Michael Hicks invited 30 students from Kennedy and Lawson Middle Schools to a leadership conference at James Logan High School to give them a taste of the dynamics in the class. Like Moore and Hicks, we must step up to the issue of course limitations and do what we can to encourage the restoration of Journalism and the preservation of Leadership in middle schools.

Given the close proximity of Kennedy, Lawson, and MVHS, we can easily extend that idea to our campus: middle school Journalism and Leadership classes can arrange periodic visits to workshops in the corresponding classes here. Conversely, our Journalism class could distribute samples of our monthly newspapers to middle school students in general, to spark an interest and ensure the preservation of these classes. In order to solve this issue, effort must be made by every group that is affected—it’s not fair to put the blame solely on middle school administrations.

It’s our community’s responsibility to take care of the student body of the future. After all, it’s not just their problem. It’s a problem for our entire society.

EL ESTOQUE OPINION

DECEMBER 16, 2009

The Road Less Traveled

PAGE 9

SARIKA PATEL

Sometimes, the road less traveled is indeed the better way to go. But with a gate closing off a residential route to the public, bikers, walkers, and cars are forced to share McClellan Road.

It’s all in your Head

Whip out the cheat sheets

T

Christine Chang | El Estoque

Honorable position discredited Student Board Representative opinions muffled, remains restricted

by Samved Sangameswara

T

hanks to some very restrictive rules governing the Student Board Representative, it looks like the position is being groomed for observation, not representation.

With the future of our schools uncertain due to the failure of Measure G, it’s now more important than ever that we as students have some sort of a voice to represent us on the Board of Trustees.

And, while we do have a single Student Board Representative to represent the over 10,000 students in the FUHSD, as his responsibilities stand that voice sounds like a weak whisper.

The current privileges of the FUHSD Student Board Representative are limited, to say the least. Senior Christopher Chui, who is currently fulfilling the role, is obligated to attend every open board meeting; however, he is barred from attending the closed sessions. Meaning, he has just as much access to the inner workings of the Board as anyone who wants to attend the open sessions.

In addition to the lack of access, his voice is heavily muffled by the restrictions

placed on his voting rights. All members of the board, which Chui is technically a member of, are granted the right to vote on the various issues that come their way.

However, the Student Board Representative does not enjoy all of these rights. While the Student Board Representative can vote on items such as portions of bond measures, he is not granted a vote on issues such as the hiring and firing of staff members, expulsions, and any other issues involving members of the five schools’ student bodies.

It might seem wrong to let a student decide the fate of these adults, but bear in mind that the adults’ job is to help students.

There is really no better judge than the students themselves.

Of course, it’s easy to say that the Student Board Representative is just a student, and no ordinary student should be given the powers that we grant to the other adult members of our Board of Trustees.

However, the Student Board Representative is chosen by all five schools to represent each and every one of us in the district. To water down the power of the job is to stifle the voice of every student that the board currently governs.

For several years, we have been

JOB RESTRICTIONS

Cheat sheets

Under current regulations, the Student Board Representative has specific limitations on what he or she can and cannot do. Here’s a look at some of those limitations:

He can: • Attend open sessions • Vote on parts of bond measures • Give reports on all five schools He cannot: • Attend closed sessions • Vote on issues regarding pink slips • Vote on expulsions and other cases involving students appointing capable seniors to this role only to have them cast aside due to heavy restrictions on what they can and cannot do.

The district faces some pressing issues and no one is in greater danger than students.

Strengthening the voice of the Student Board Representative would simply be the most effective way to make sure the needs of those students are heard.

Off/away policy uneeded, intent still not achieved

Only innocent students targeted , rule should be scrapped for good

by Kanwalroop Singh

O

n any normal day, a classroom is alive with sounds—whether it is the chatter of friends, the ticking of the clock, or the sound of the heater whirring. According to the Off/away policy, even in this turmoil, the split second ringing of a phone is enough to result in confiscation. But to say that a student should be punished for an act of forgetfulness, rather than one of negligence, is simply ludicrous.

What it comes down to is whether the accidental ringing of a cellphone can be considered a distraction. A distraction in class is something that takes everyone’s mind off of what is being taught. Teachers themselves are distractions, especially when they begin telling stories about their lives during the middle of a lesson. Fire drills are also distractions. However, the momentary, spontaneous ringing of a cellphone, is by no means more distracting than a teacher’s story or a fire drill—so why is there a punishment?

In fact, the real culprits—those who use the slight of hand to text or play games during class—are never caught.

According to an El Estoque survey of 183 students, 94 students admitted to texting, calling, or taking pictures during

EL ESTOQUE POLL

Has your phone been confiscated in class by a teacher?

Have you ever used your phone in class? If so, what for?

Yes 21%

No 79%

Never 41% Take pictures/ videos 11%

Text 36%

Other 8% Call 4%

*183 students responded to this online survey

class. However, only 39 students said their phone had been confiscated by a teacher.

These results clearly prove that there is great disparity between those violating the rules and those being punished.

It is more serious for a student to deliberately distract themselves and others by texting than for a phone to go off accidentally, especially if the phone was put away. So the off/away policy actually punishes the wrong students. And it is aggravating to those who never intended to break the rules. Running through

hanksgiving is over, and the gift giving holidays are upon us.

Following the national holiday set specifically to be thankful comes the season tied closely with receiving and even demanding presents. Whether intentional or not, presents tend to bring people together. They create a bridge for people to go from knowing each other to achieving deeper level of understanding.

Buying a present for someone, regardless of your relationship with them, requires a certain amount of thought and that should be taken into consideration before going out and buying the first thing on the rack.

Of course, living in the world we do today, we can find a way to cheat ourselves out of being considerate.

administrative hoops to get a cellphone back will only embitter students toward the school, not inspire a willingness to be more “careful.”

Sometimes, even the greatest degree of carefulness cannot stop an accident from happening. It is the simple truth that everyone forgets things sometimes. And forgetting to turn off a cellphone one day should not be punished so severely.

There is only one real solution to the problem of cellphones. Punish those who deserve it, or don’t punish anyone at all.

Assuming that you love your six-year-old little sister, and know at least something about her, you wouldn’t go out and buy her a pair of a socks for Christmas. That just doesn’t happen, or at least it shouldn’t.

Buying her socks would be a reflection of your relationship and possibly how little you know her. But since in today’s world, we seemingly have no time for thoughts or emotion, we have wish lists. Also known as a Christmas cheat sheet. Buying a present for someone is a test of how well you know them and what they want. A wish list is a list of the person’s expectation verbatim. The point of a present is to put thought and effort into it, and have a certain emotional attachment to the final product. These cheat sheets take away from that experience and prevent you from putting time and thought into your relationship. Whether it is your sibling, your parents, your friends, or significant other, a present should come from the heart and have some thought behind it.

This thought, not matter how big or small should be reflected in your present.

Make that thought count

Let’s say you ignore your sister’s wish list because you don’t want to cheat (more power to you), and you want to think of something else she’d like on your own.

But still, you wind up purchasing those socks. She opens her present Christmas morning and looks at you with obvious disappointment. What do you do? You smile at her helplessly and say, “Hey, it’s the thought that counts right?” No. Wrong.

Let me clarify that it’s most definitely not just the thought that counts. By saying that it’s just the thought that counts, you’re implying that there was some sort of rationale behind it. Some sort of logic that no one else knows because your thoughts are in your own head. There is no way your sister could have known what on earth led you believe that she wanted a pair of socks for the holidays.

Sure, there are the occasional mess ups, and no matter how much thought and effort you put into your presents, you still miss the mark. But for the most part it’s obvious that these “thoughts” have just become excuses. These vague “thoughts” that we put into the presents that we give can never shared without anyone and aren’t noticable to anyone else and can be misjudged as carelessness. A trait which is easily apparent to everyone.

This holiday season, don’t fool yourself.

Put some thought into the presents you give. But please, if you find yourself purchasing socks for anyone who doesn’t have a known sock fetish, use a cheat sheet. Otherwise you might find yourself making excuses.

PAGE 10

EL ESTOQUE OPINION

DECEMBER 16, 2009

Empty lockers show lack of planning Ineffective action highlights need for communication between students and administration

by Jiachen Yang

“W

e now have 32 skateboard lockers located in the bike rack area. These lockers are big enough to hold a longboard and are open on a daily first come, first serve basis to all students with skateboards. Please bring your own lock!” the announcement said on Nov. 19. It did sound cheerful, expectant and optimistic enough. But it did not predict reality.

Next time you walk past the bike cage during rush hour, take a brief glance.

Processing the jungle of metal racks and the bicycles artistically arranged like dominoes in mid-fall, your eyes inevitably will be dazzled by the chaos. But they will spot an oasis of calm: located in solitude, isolated from the bustle of the cyclists, there stand 32, newly-installed, pristine, metal and empty skateboard lockers. Undoubtedly, irrefutably, categorically empty.

If administration intended to relieve skateboarders from the burden of lugging a skateboard around all day, or if it wanted to prevent skateboards from taking up space in classrooms, it will still see skateboards around on campus. If it thought that installing skateboard lockers would be a good use for the leftovers of a categorical fund—money given by the state, which

can be used for anything—it thought wrong. So much for a seemingly beneficial action by the school—and so much for the connection between administration and the student body.

When we reflect on the students’ response (or lack thereof) to the skateboard lockers, and on the Homecoming Dance and internet censorship, we realize that this lack of communication stems not merely from the fault of either party, but from both. And unfortunately, both the potential benefactor and the potential beneficiary retain the adjective, “potential,” because neither does the former see that its actions are benefitting the latter, nor does the latter see its needs fulfilled by the former.

To reverse this history of unfulfilled needs and ineffective actions into a winwin situation, both parties should strive to establish a connection.

Whenever administration considers enacting a policy or taking an action that can feasibly become more informed through consideration of students’ perspectives, it should open a discussion— possibly on School Loop­—where students can voice their honest and reasoned opinions. Moreover, it should inform Leadership about its future actions and

Jiachen Yang | El Estoque

EMPTY LOCKERS: New skateboard lockers lining the bike racks remain unused during school on Dec. 2. enable them to find out and represent the views of the student body, to move from merely organizing rallies to organizing the constituents who elected them.

On the receiving end, students have to participate in voicing their opinions.

There’s a phrase, “No one has more vested interest in you, than you.” Find out what

College costs rising: Are UCs a bargain?

Tuition increased, but fees reasonable compared to others

administration is planning. Contribute constructively to the online discussion. Talk to the assistant principal. Send an email to your class officer. Offer your perspective.

Only then can students get their opinions across and can the connection exist.

And only then can we start to decrease ineffective actions and see benefits.

HOLIDAYS: Teachers

need to be more aware continued from page 7

COST OF COLLEGE

Given the UC tuition increase, how do California’s public schools compare to its privates?

Tuition

$7,473

$36,000

Housing

$15,308

$11,463

Health insurance

$698

$501

Average financial aid package

$16,194

$33,108

Percentage of students with financial aid

48%

43%

Approximate total after financial aid

$7,285

$14,856 Data from www.collegeprowler.com, berkeley.edu, www.stanford.edu

by Aileen Le

L

iving in California has its benefits: beautiful weather, Hollywood, Silicon Valley, and a world-class three tier college system, among others. But it also has its disadvantages: a growing debt and failing economy that’s dragging a strained University of California system down with it.

Although the UC Board of Regents passed a 32 percent fee increase in tuition last month, they are still worth it. When compared to private universities, the UCs are a better bargain.

Private universities appear attractive at first with personalized attention, but their glaring price tag gets in the way. That’s where the UCs step in. With an affordable price tag of around $8,700 a year and schools that rank competitively with top privates, quality education is within reach of anyone who desires it—regardless of income.

Sure, the disadvantages that come with overcrowding and lack of funding aren’t desirable for anyone’s education.

But they are things that nearly all students in public schools deal with—whether or not there is a financial crisis. That’s the price that students pay for public schools and we know it, because we realize that large public research universities still offer a world-class education.

Even though students may share the classroom with more of their peers, they still experience the same spirit and networking opportunities along with a wealth of different majors that small privates may not offer. UCLA students are known to love and support their sports teams and they don’t have to shell out extra dollars to experience school pride. UCSD offers a six college system for undergraduates, mixing residential and academic life to create an atmosphere that mirrors small liberal arts schools—without the extra money.

UCs offer a legitimate college experience. It’s just a

different type of experience. The small class sizes that privates offer are great, but it’s debatable whether or not they are right for every type of student. Some students are happier sitting at the back of a 250-plus student lecture, taking notes, and then socializing with over 10,000 students on campus after compared to interacting with 15 students and a teacher in an intimate learning experience and being stuck with the same 300 people for four years. We learn and excel differently, and some of us would be happier with the options that UCs offer socially and academically.

Granted, with small classes and top-notch faculty, privates offer personalized attention and all the resources students need to graduate on time. It’s tempting to pay those extra thousands a year and graduate on time if the lack of classes and resources pushes back the graduation date of a UC student by a year or more. But students have to realize that although they may graduate in four years at a private, five years at a UC is still probably cheaper no matter how it’s spun.

Both UCs and privates offer the same resources and programs such as student advisers, career counseling, and libraries. The only difference is that privates may hold a student’s hand a little more throughout the process, while UCs require students to be more proactive. They are very similar resources for very different price tags. What UCs offer is in many cases just as good as what privates offer; students just need to take the initiative to take advantage of those resources.

Students in California who are applying to prestigious privates also have UC Berkeley on their list because both types of institutions are ranked highly and offer top-notch education. Privates and UCs are battling it out neck to neck in the quality of education they can offer their students.

Even though UCs may not be at their brightest point, the bottom line is that they offer quality education for a reasonable price.

Unfortunately, students aren’t alone. Some teachers do not make provisions for students missing school for religious reasons because they do not understand the significance of certain holidays. For students, the repercussions are severe.

Assignments pile up when students miss school, especially over multiple-day absences. There are only so many lunch periods a week available for make-ups, and students feel obliged to alter plans to meet short timeframes.

Teachers mean well, despite these problems. If all teachers understood their students’ cultures fully, attempts would surely be made to schedule around the all-important days in any given faith. Physical education teachers have let Muslim students take it easy during the month of Ramadan, a month of missed on average for fasting that leaves students weaker than normal. religious holidays by But when teachers are students who belong not aware of all-important holidays, students must to one of five major choose between religion religions surveyed and school, something nobody should be forced to do. Quality of work suffers, and the student would be missed if may blame their religious schoolwork were not obligations for dropping grades. At that point, an issue. holidays aren’t so happy after all.

On a campus where teachers are extremely supportive of students, we should make it as easy as possible for them to accommodate each student’s individual needs.

The only logical solution is to let teachers know which days are the most important to each prominent faith before the year even starts. Parents can be asked to submit a few dates on which their student must be absent for religious reasons. Teachers can make all attempts possible to schedule tests, quizzes, and other major assignments around these days. Students should not have to deal with making up these things in each class when they return; those exercising their right to miss school for religious reasons should not be buried under a pile of work.

To ensure that religious diversity is fully appreciated throughout the year, students can be given the option to explain their religious practices to peers and teachers in class during Diversity Week. This way, teachers will not see the list of dates to schedule around as a burden, but instead as a way to uphold the rich cultural diversity on campus.

It may seem impossible to schedule around every religious holiday celebrated at this school, but if each of five or so major religions had two largely-significant days a year on which many students had to miss school, teachers would only have to schedule around one in 18 days.

And if that is what’s necessary to follow through on our commitment to religious diversity, it’s well worth it.

0.69 days 2.41 days

PAGE 11

DECEMBER 16, 2009

EL ESTOQUE A CLOSER LOOK

modern families

As we bubble in our last scantrons tomorrow and head home for two weeks of family time, we realize that families today — and especially here in Cupertino — are different than they were when our parents were teens.

So, after administrating a survey to almost 900 students, we’re taking a closer look at what constitutes the modern family. *All statistics come from an online and in class survey of 873 students

How many hours of family time do you spend each week?

Hours

0-3

17%

3-6

28%

6-9

21% 34%

9+ 0

What is the highest level of education your parents have completed?

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

High school Undergraduate

7%

12%

Graduate school 81%

Jane Kim and Ashley Wu | El Estoque

Parts of a whole: Our families El Estoque looks at the characteristics of the typical Cupertino family

by Mansi Pathak

I

n the minds of some, family might consist of a mother, father and two children singing along to popular holiday tunes, while to others, they imagine dinner with aunts, uncles and cousins consisting of their traditional ethnic cuisine. Whatever it may be, the question is obvious: what is the typical family?

In this era, families often prefer bonding and communicating over meals. According to studies by Columbia University’s National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, 59 percent of American teenagers dine with their families at least five times a week.

The studies have proven that even a simple family routine, like eating dinner together, can reduce the risk of alcohol and drug abuse amongst kids by nearly two times.

In the MVHS community, the number of

students who dine with their family is even higher—in a survey taken of 873 students, almost 65 percent said they eat dinner with their families every day.

Sophomore Jacob Lui is one of those 550 students who follows a daily family dinner routine.

“My dad doesn’t come home until after 8 p.m., but the rest of us have dinner together,” Lui said. “[Dining together] is pretty much a routine. [We talk about] how our day was and how work was, etc.”

The modern family also makes the effort to spend quality time together, even amidst the busiest schedules. At MVHS, nearly 1 in 6 students spend over six hours of quality time with their family every week, even though 40 percent of students’ parents take three or more business trips every year.

In addition to the quality time teens spend with their parents, today’s typical American family embraces their unique ethnicity and culture. In 2007, the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics discovered that 21 percent of American families predominantly spoke a non-English language at home. In the homes of MVHS students, 44 percent speak their ethnic language instead of English.

Many choose to speak a non-English language, while others are forced to because their family is not fluent in English.

“To me it’s normal to speak Korean at home. I’ve been doing it my whole life,” junior Alvin Kim said. “Even though my parents don’t speak perfect English, I can still talk to my parents about anything in Korean.”

Inside this issue  Modern family challenges page 14  One teacher’s multi-religion family page 12  Junior lives apart from parents page 13

PAGE 14

EL ESTOQUE A CLOSER LOOK

DECEMBER 16, 2009

What is your ethnicity?

How many people are in your immediate family?

60

56%

50

Latino

48% 28% 13% 2% 1% 1%

Other

7%

East Asian South Asian Caucasian Middle Eastern Pacific Islander

40 30

Other 3%

South or East Asian languages 25%

6% 2%

1%

2

3

4

5

6

7+

What language do you primarily use at home?

English 57%

Q A

with Carol Satterlee Carol Satterlee, mother of two MVHS alumni, is a co-founder of Family on the Edge, which assists families in handling adversity in their lives and rebuilding relationships. El Estoque sat down with Satterlee to ask her to elaborate on the importance of families spending time with each other.

Sarika Patel | El Estoque

16%

10 0

More than one language 15%

19%

20

Interview by Sarika Patel

How do you think students are affected by the absence of their parents?

SATTERLEE: First of all, I think every teen is going to react differently and it’s very individual but overall, I absolutely believe that teens need both their parents and when I say both their parents, I mean both their parents in a way that they’re happy and connected.

How important do you think it is for the family as a whole to eat dinner together?

SATTERLEE: Whether it is lunch, dinner or brunch, there has to be some time the family knows that they are coming together. But I think it gets hard because parents kind of set kids up to get very active. In elementary school they have soccer practice and their schedule changes. I’m not saying they shouldn’t do that, but other things should be more important, not necessarily just eating the meal, but the whole purpose of being together. Dinner is just the most common, wherever it is, and however you do it. But it gets harder as you get older. If you make a commitment, you have to work around these kids. There are always sacrifices, and you can make it work.

In this area, there are a lot of people who are immigrants. Their parents are of an older generation, following their own cultures, so it’s more difficult for them to connect on a more straightforward level. How do you feel about this?

SATTERLEE: I really feel for those teens. I think that it’s probably one of the the biggest struggles in this area. For parents who come from a different culture and expect to be able to carry on that culture, it’s tough. I think there is a lot of negotiation that has to happen and the minute the parents cut out an option for the kids, they’re just making a huge mistake.

You’ve probably noticed that students here feel the pressure to keep up academically. But what some people don’t realize is that parents are working just as hard, and both parents and kids are working for the same success. Does it seem as though the hard work on both ends is taking away from family time?

SATTERLEE: Yeah, and there’s just not time for there to be a connection. I know everyone is busy, but it’s all about what your intention is. I don’t think you need to have a full-on hour or two hours a day to be connected. You have to make that time, even if it’s just in passing. I think you can make a child feel very loved and very safe, but the moments can be fleeting and you just have to be very aware of that.

Have you seen any trends working with families from this area?

SATTERLEE: I hear a lot of parents talking about what should change, that there is too much stress on academics, and that we need to get more connected to our kids and see them as the whole child. I think a lot of stress and the things we hear about, such as teenage suicides, is a sort of cry for help. I think these extreme cases are flags for parents to make them aware of what are we creating. I don’t think we are there yet and there is still the mad dash of getting into the best schools. I think it kind of makes sense because people from different countries are coming here because they feel like it is the answer. It’s just going to take time and you can’t just turn around over night. It takes one family at a time and it comes down to, if it sparks any desire for any parent to stop to think and say wait.

Is there any one piece of advice that you can give people with problems in their families?

SATTERLEE: Typically, it’s the parents that are out of sync, and they are not parenting on the same page. So that’s the first thing I’ll ask, “Tell me about your parenting styles,” and it just surprises me that they don’t seem to have talked about it before.

That blows me away and they’ve never talked about how they raise their kids and what their values are. I get that people have different styles, so what I always bring up is the subject of respect. I put a lot of stock into respect and I put that stock into any relationship. If you don’t have respect, then it’s really hard to build anything strong.

That’s good for parents, but what about for their kids?

SATTERLEE: Same for kids. I think every parent should respect their children. You can’t tell a kid to respect me as a parent; everything a parent does is modeling for their kids. Modeling is way more than just telling them what they want, and parents just have to know how to show what they want their kids to be. That’s where teenagers learn how to treat each other and their parents.

sports PAGE 16

Meet the wrestling team

1

5

PAGE 17

#

Girl’s soccer season preview

7

8

10

11

Future of our fields

CHAMPIONS Varsity girls tennis plays for the Northern California Championship on Nov. 20-21. The team went on to beat Saratoga High School, who they lost to in the CCS finals, in the title match.

1

2

15

PAGE 18

3

4

6

9

13

12

Photos courtesy of Annalisa Choy

1. Senior Gizem Gures returns a serve.

2. The girls pose with jerseys.

3. Freshman Ruri Kobayakawa volleys the ball.

4. Junior Vynnie Kong at the NorCal Championship on Nov. 20-21.

5. Junior Jaqueline Lim plays a forehand ball.

6. Senior Tara Nguyen with an overhead shot.

7. Senior Annalisa Choy hugs freshman Jody Law. 8. The whole team holds up a banner after the NorCal Championship.

9. Senior Annalisa Choy reaches for the ball.

10. Freshman Wendi Kong returns the ball.

11. Freshman Jody Law takes a shot.

12. The whole team takes a picture with the trophy they won at the NorCal Championship.

13. Junior Sylvia Li hits a backhand.

Varsity girls tennis overcomes loss in CCS, reclaims Northern California championship

by Jane Kim

A

ll spectator eyes were fixed on the tennis ball rallied back and forth past the net. Senior and captain of the girls varsity tennis team Annalisa Choy was playing with her partner, freshman Jody Law, as number two doubles against Saratoga, when one hit became the deciding factor between first place and second at the CIF Girls NorCal Regional Tennis Championship. The Saratoga defender missed the ball, thus sealing the victory for the varsity girls tennis team. The team rushed onto the court, hugging Choy and Law with celebratory yells for placing first in the region.

This was the fifth NorCal win for the team, however, it was far from an ordinary achievement for the girls. After placing second in this year’s CCS finals and the goal they made to come back this season by winning all their titles after a disappointing season last year, they were determined to succeed at the NorCal championship.

According to senior and captain Melissa Kobayakawa, losing this year’s CCS finals to Saratoga couldn’t have been more disappointing.

“We did expect that we would win. We thought that since we beat Saratoga twice already, that we could easily beat them during CCS,” Kobayakawa said. “But a lot of

things ended up happening and [junior Sylvia Li] ended up getting sick, I ended up playing horribly and my sister and her partner did, too. It was just a horrible day.”

But just as the loss disappointed them, it also added more fuel to their determination in beating Saratoga by winning NorCal. “We were a little shocked,” Choy said. “I think it was a big wake up call because it made us bring our game for NorCal. It helped motivate us to win even more.”

Gene Fortino, the varsity girls tennis coach, finished his sixth year coaching the team. He’s seen the girls work very hard this season to come back from last year. Last season, the team failed to reach finals in CCS for the first time in six years. Seeing the team rise up from this at NorCal, only reinforced Fortino’s high regard for the team’s progress and success this season.

“Even though we’ve won Nor Cal five times in the last seven years, this is one of the most gratifying because we hadn’t won it in three years,” Fortino said. “That’s one of the things that I think is really special. The team worked really hard for it after last season.”

Last year, the team had lost its senior players as well as their top player, alumna Sophie Chang. And unlike other years, no new freshmen had joined the team. This was vastly different from Kobayakawa and Choy’s recounts of their freshman years joining the team. In their first year,

the team had been undefeated: winning CCS, their league and NorCal. “My freshman year we won everything,” Kobayakawa said, “but slowly lost everything over time. It was disappointing. The captains this year [Kobayakawa, Choy and senior Tara Nguyen] were just very determined to do well this year.”

And they succeeded. Kobayakawa believes this year’s team to be close to the team she’d seen in her first year.

According to Fortino, this year’s success mostly had to do with everyone returning to the team and the addition of three strong freshmen.

“We did win the De Anza League,” Fortino said. “The De Anza League this year was very competitive from top to bottom. Extremely competitive. So for us to win Fresno, De Anza, NorCal and finish second in CCS—it was a pretty successful year.”

Fortino will remember the revival of the team’s success.

He will also remember the three varsity girl tennis captains, Kobayakawa, Choy and Nguyen winning NorCal in their first year on the team, and winning it in their last year.

And next season, he expects the team to stay competitive and be a top contender during the tournaments.

The team huddles together after the end of their match.

They cheer “Good match, Saratoga!” and leave NorCal with their renewed champion titles.

Wrestling coach adjusts to working with freshman-heavy team Only eight returning varsity players, team faces season with a much younger talent pool

by Somel Jammu

T

he kid walks over to head coach of the varsity wrestling team, Nolan Verga, and hands him a note.

“A note?” Verga asks, seeming a bit puzzled. Then he realizes it’s asking for permission to use the wrestling room. With a knowing smile, he looks over to varsity wrestler and four year member of the team senior Kevin Chen.

“Looks like we’re moving up in the world, aren’t we, Kevin?”

And perhaps the team is—with this year’s wrestling season now in session, the wrestling team has seen an unexpected rise in the number of students trying out.

Though the increase in interest is positive, Verga attributes the cause as nothing more than mere coincidence, keeping in mind that the team is still small when compared

to other high schools. “[Wrestling] is not so much a sport as it is a lifestyle,” Verga said. “It’s hard and requires a lot of commitment...that’s also why it’s a dying sport.”

“Dead when I’m out of it,” Chen added.

As a result, Verga purposely makes practices shorter than they were the previous year, also acknowledging that his team has a heavier workload academically than students at other schools may face. In the end, Verga’s actions add up to make a team filled with camaraderie—no matter what the size. In fact, when there were two females on the team earlier this year, Verga was willing to change the way he trained the team so that they could be included.

Unfortunately, because the parents of the individuals did not feel comfortable with their daughters participating in the sport, they left the team.

“To keep [the girls], I would’ve compromised and allowed them to wrestle only with each other,” said Verga.

As one of eight returning varsity players, Chen also embraces the idea of being part of a team.

“There’s a lot of freshmen this year, but there’s also potential in this year’s team,” Chen said. “If you treat [the freshmen] respectfully as equals, are mature, and laugh at their jokes, everyone gets along.

Just because you’re older, it doesn’t mean you’re better.”

Trying to convince an old member to join again this season, Verga yells out. “[Wrestling] is good for your soul!” Then he explains.

“Once you’ve learned wrestling, anything asked of you mentally, emotionally, or physically all becomes easier—it really pays to have heart in wrestling.”

Erin Chiu | El Estoque

HOW IT’S DONE Nolan Verga, coach of the wrestling team, demonstrates a move at a practice on Dec. 11.

PAGE 16

EL ESTOQUE SPORTS

THE PAGE

DECEMBER 16, 2009

A LOOK BACK AT THE MONTH IN SPORTS

THE PLAYER ALEX CHIU—VARSITY BASKETBALL

#32PLAYER - C, PF, THE

THE GAME

VARSITY BOYS SOCCER VS TERRA NOVA

SF

Junior Alex Chiu has been a key player for the varsity girls basketball team since her freshman year. She started as a freshman, when she was awarded All-League honors for her solid play. Chiu continued to be a dominant force for the Matadors in her sophomore season, where she led the team in scoring, rebounds, and shooting percentage, earning her the MVP award for the De Anza League. Chiu has played power forward and center over the last two seasons, and she is looking forward to playing small forward this year.

Erin Chiu | El Estoque

El Estoque: What league are you guys playing in this year?

Alex Chiu: We’re in an upper league this year, the De Anza league. All the teams are pretty good and we need to play really hard to get wins in this league.

Everyone is going have to step up individually, but we also need to step up as a team.

EE: How long have you been playing basketball? When did you start playing competitively?

AC: I started in fifth-grade, but that was recreational. I started playing more and in more competitive leagues starting in seventh-grade.

I’ve played some NJB and in some other competitive leagues, but the highest level that I’ve played at is in AAU. I’ve also played with my asian league team, The Ninjas, since the the 8th grade.

EE: So you started out playing at a very recreational level only five years ago. Jumping from recreational play in 5th grade, to starting on varsity is quite the learning curve. How were you able to improve so much in such a short time?

AC: Well it’s mainly because of my dad. He’s really good at basketball and really smart about technique and strategy. He’ll video tape games and at practices and we’ll review them together. Then I’ll take what I learn from him and try to apply it in practices, and then in games, technique and form stuff, but also team strategy, movement and positioning as well. It’s helped me a lot.

EE: What is your favorite position to play?

AC: I prefer to play the three, which is like a small forward. I feel like it’s my position. I’m not tall enough to play center or at the four spot, so the three is a good fit.

If I get a smaller player guarding me, then I can post them up. And if I get a bigger player, then I can go around them.

EE: Do you have a favorite shot that you like to take?

AC: My favorite would be either like a quick two step pull up jumper, or a turn around jumper form a post up position, with a little bit of Fade. Not like Kobe or anything, but I like getting some fade off the turn around.

Hannah Lem | El Estoque

USE YOUR HEAD Junior Yash Chitneni fights with a Terra Nova player for control of the ball. The matadores played a pre-season game against Terra Nova on Dec. 5, which MVHS won 3-1.

MONTA VISTA MATADORS

3

by Hannah Lem

“T

his team is physical.”

This message was exchanged between the Terra Nova goalie and another Terra Nova player, as yet another penalty was called on Monta Vista. The varsity boys soccer pre-season game played at Monta Vista on Dec. 5 against Terra Nova High School, started off slow, but soon turned into a tense and fast-paced game.

The home game was a morning game, starting 11 a.m. Coming in with an .500 record of 1-1, the Matadors were looking to get their season started on a positive note and a winning record.

By the end of the first half of the game, both teams were scoreless. In spite of a fairly even distribution of ball control, neither team was able to find the back of the net. Both teams collected penalties for both small offenses like holding shirts to larger transgressions such as hitting another player before kicking the ball. One Terra Nova player ended up being hit by an MVHS player and ended up sitting out for a large portion of the game. Seniors Christian Chu and John Byun each received yellow cards.

As the game continued, both teams had clearly

THE TEAM

TERRA NOVA TIGERS

1

realized that they needed to step up their games.

In the middle of the second half, the Monta Vista goalie stepped out of the box and the Terra Nova player had an open spot to score. After the first Terra Nova goal, Monta Vista changed the tempo of the game, playing more aggressively and had several runs toward the Terra Nova goal.

Sophomore Julio Pereyra got the offense going for the Matadors, on a shot which first bounced off the crossbar. Although he was unable to put MVHS on the board, junior Josh LeFevre scored the first of the three Monta Vista goals moments later.

After Lefevre tied it up, there was no looking back for the the team as junior Yash Chiteni added another goal and then Lefevre finished the Tigers off with a penalty shot late in the half.

The second half surge proved to be enough as the Matadors were able to cruise to a 3-1 victory.

The boys showed that, although they were unable to strike first, they could overcome a defecit.

The win was the team’s second of the year, earning them a winning record for the time being.

In the weeks since, they have gone on to beat both Branham and Cupertino High School, bringing their record to 4-1 as of Dec. 10.

THE PLAYERS AND PERSONALITIES OF VARSITY WRESTLING Minh Bui | El Estoque

Sophomore Michael Whittaker Whittaker is the team’s stat girl-in-training because he takes stats for the team.

Freshman James Whall Whall’s last name is similar to the Pixar robot Wallie’s name.

Freshman Maxwell Dygert Dygert can’t pass the driver’s permit test.

Sophomore Joseph Malcom Last year, Malcom took a picture with six cheerleaders at the Los Altos meet.

Junior Adnan Hamwi Hamwi is also called Shakespeare because he’s a romantic and writes poems.

Senior Kevin Chen Chen skips practice to go to work at KFC.

Junior Andrew Pappas Pappas is the jokester and likes to throw everything.

Freshman Forest Liao Liao is also called Forrest Gump because he asks many questions.

Senior Justin Shie Shie is called Chunky Money because he’s exremely buff.

Sophomore Dmitry Grinenko At match last year Grinenko bled out, bleeding over the 5 minute limit.

Freshman Matt Merkhofer Merkhofer looks like the MVHS mascot, the bull.

Senior Victor Kuo Kuo made the illegal move, the clasp, many times during one match last year.

Sophomore Navraj Gill Gill is called the Slinky because he’s so tall and thin.

Sophomore Jason So So likes to break dance.

Sophomore Faraz Abidi Abidi is very flexible.

Freshman Ashton Krajnovich Krajnovich was one of the first boys to have his clothes hung on the rafters by teammate Andrew Pappas.

Freshman Justin Figueroa Junior Adrian Garcia Freshman Ani Rajagopalan Rajagopalan is nicknamed Figueroa is called Mini Fig Garcia is the fastest Onix after the Pokemon. guy on the team. because his older brother was on the team last year.

Freshman Joshua Myerholtz Whenever you see Myerholtz, you have to smile.

DECEMBER 16, 2009

EL ESTOQUE SPORTS

Achieving goals with kicks After winning CCS last year, expectations for girls soccer are high

Eric Wong | El Estoque

NOT JUST FOR KICKS Senior Captain Michelle Pao looks to pass the ball in a game against Lynbrook on Nov. 30, when her focus helped the Matadors win 9-0.

This year, the team is attempting to keep the CCS Champion title.

by Samved Sangameswara

F

ollowing last year’s CCS championship, their first in 30 years, the varsity girls soccer team is preparing for the coming season. This year they know that, in addition to the usual challenges, they’re the team everyone in the county has their eye on.

Coach Alan Kute acknowledged that this means that the competition will be that much tougher this year.

“You’re going to get the best from the other teams each time you play,” Alan said.

Alan’s daughter, who is one of the team’s three captains, San Jose State-bound senior Cheryl Kute agrees, noting that the team’s attitude could end up being their own worst enemy. Although the team is well aware of their talent, they are wary of not taking opponents seriously enough.

“We’re more confident this year,” Cheryl said, “but we don’t want to be cocky. Everybody is going to want to get us.”

And the team is already working toward fighting off those teams that will try to challenge their title. The girls lost four players to graduation, a relatively small number, but they also gained five new players. Pepperdine-bound senior and captain Michelle Pao said that the team’s chemistry is one of their strengths and will play a big factor in their success.

“Our offense [will be strong this year],” Pao said. “We’ve been playing together for a while.”

As Dec. 10, the team is still in nonleague play. They are 4-1, with victories against Lynbrook, Valley Christian, Girloy, and Branham. Their only loss came on Dec. 10 in a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Archbishop Mitty.

League play starts in January and the team is keeping a closer eye on rivals like Los Gatos and Mountain View. They are also looking forward to rematches of last year’s CCS championship matchup, when they will square off against Palo Alto twice, on Jan. 7 and Feb. 2.

Right now, however, the team is preparing for how exactly they will deal with the pressures of being reigning CCS champions. Cheryl noted that the attitude of the team coming into this season has completely changed from previous seasons.

“Last year we would talk about making CCS,” Cheryl said. “We didn’t expect to actually win it.”

Alan agreed, saying that repeating last year’s feat is a goal that the girls should have in mind from the very beginning of the season.

“There is no reason why we should not be thinking about winning [CCS],” Alan said. “Going into the season one of the goals will be, ‘Let’s win league, let’s win CCS.’” With those high goals in mind, the whole team is getting ready for yet another title run. Even though the competition is going to be that much more difficult due to their new status, Pao says that the team knows what they’re going up against.

“This year will be more intense,” Pao said. “We have to do better.”

Taking the plunge to become a certified diver

Diving takes senior Donny Jennings to new places around the world

by Sarika Patel

W

hen Senior Donny Jennings goes to the beach, he doesn’t think of the hot sun, the sand, or the surfing.

Instead, he imagines the world from under the ocean; he thinks of being deep under water, looking in between forests of kelp for creatures and being held down by his weight belt.

Jennings has been scuba diving for three years in Monterey Bay and was introduced to it by his older brother in Florida.

“Since we were in Florida, my parents just suggested I get certified for free,” Jennings said.

Although Jennings was reluctant to try it, he is glad that he did because diving has become a hobby for the whole family. Both his parents also scuba dive now, and it has become an outing for the whole family. They frequently go to different places to scuba dive together.

“We definitely center our vacations around places in which we can scuba dive,” Jennings said.

His older brother, a professional diving instructor, helped him get certified. In order to become a certified diver Jennings had to go through a series of tests and classes. There were pool classes to practice all safety precautions and learn how to use all the equipment, followed by a series of tests and then four practice dives with a professional.

During this training, Jennings learned about all the diving equipment, how to use it and, what to do if there was an emergency.

Mostly Jennings scuba dives in Monterey, but sometimes he goes back to Florida to dive with his brother. He has scuba dived in Mexico and Hawaii and wants to dive in different places around the world.

Jennings is considering a career in marine biology. Although he is not certain about this career choice, he thinks that marine biology is the perfect combination of his interest in science and his passion for diving. He says that he could see himself diving for a living and marine biology is the most practical application.

“Just being down there is so cool because it’s not human nature

SAMVED SANGAMESWARA

For the LOVE of the GAME

Axe the act, take a seat

I

saw a poster a few weeks ago that read “Tradition: Just because you’ve always done it that way doesn’t mean it’s not incredibly stupid.” It was particularly fitting because the day I saw that poster was also the day I sat down to watch the 112th Big Game.

For those of you who don’t already know, the Big Game is the annual football game between UC Berkeley and Stanford University. This game is up to its neck in traditions of every shape and size and as a result, there are some pretty stupid ones. But the tradition that takes the prize for most painfully idiotic has to go to the disaster I saw at the end of the game known as The Axe Staredown.

Please stop

The Axe Staredown is when Cal’s Rally Committee and its Stanford counterpart the Axe Committee (think Bull Spirit, but on a much larger scale) take a break from watching the game during the last few minutes and instead just stoically stare at each other while last year’s winner holds the game’s trophy, The Stanford Axe. Now I really hate to bash on traditions, especially century-old ones, but this Staredown thing is pretty damn stupid. In a game that truly came down to the wire this year, these two groups chose to neglect the final crucial moments, in which Cal narrowly escaped a defeat, and instead engage in a bout of what can only be described as “aggressive looking.”

There’s a time and place

Now don’t get me wrong, school spirit is awesome and I’m all for it, but there is definitely a time and place for it. I would compare the Staredown to those facepalming moments at our own football games, when one or two audacious fans take it upon themselves to ask our cheerleaders “how they feel” during that nail-biting fourth quarter drive.

These atrocious acts are clear examples of what I like to think is the Cardinal Sin of being a spectator: taking away from the game. If you are going to pay money to attend a sporting event, why would you ever do anything but watch the game?

And when you take your “school spirit” shenanigans to the front and center of the student section, you detract from the game viewing experience of those who are enjoying the game around you.

Learning our lesson

Samved Sangameswara | El Estoque Photo Illustration

UNDER THE SEA Senior Donny Jennings shows his diving gear. Jennings and his family are avid divers. to breathe that long under water,” Jennings said.

For Jennings’ coming adventure, he will go to Spiegel Grove in Florida, an area named after a huge sunken ship.

“Seeing everything under there [makes it feel like a different world,” Jennings said.

PAGE 17

Fortunately, The Axe Staredown, like any other sort of atrocity, has a lesson to offer. In this case, I think the message is very clear. When you are at the game, don’t make the game about you. I understand that when at a sporting event, especially one affiliated with your school, the urge to show just how much school pride you have is pretty hard to contain. But there are better ways to do it. Everyone hates the obnoxious, attention-grabbing player, so why should we have any love for his spectator counterpart?

There is really no better place to be obnoxious than at a high school or college campus. We have spirit weeks, pep rallies, and tailgates just for that purpose. So for those of you who think that this is the best way to show your spirit, feel free to do so.

Just keep it out of the holy temple that is the stadium. And if you still feel the need to engage in these ridiculous antics, prepare for a different type of “Staredown” from the real fans.

PAGE 18

EL ESTOQUE SPORTS

DECEMBER 16, 2009

Players find club teams advantageous Senior players Christian Chu and Tsuk Haroush rely on club teams for college scouting

Hannah Lem | El Estoque

BEND AND KICK Senior Christian Chu passes the ball at the game on Dec. 5 at MVHS against Terra Nova. Chu has been on the boys varsity soccer team for four years, and hopes to play college soccer. Many seniors who play competitively for sports are looking to sign on with colleges.

by Victor Kuo

F

or many soccer players, their greatest hope is to be noticed by college scouts.

“Scouts watch players at big tournaments called college showcases,” senior Christian Chu, a member of the Almaden Force and the varsity soccer team said. Scouts then approach and continue to keep in contact with

players through email. Then they bring the player down for a weekend to see the campus and ask the player to verbally commit. The player signs on officially in February.

This process will be especially important to many senior sports players.

Senior Tsuk Haroush, who plays for both the USA 17 De Anza Titans and the varsity soccer team, puts more value on his club team than on the school team.

“[Club teams are more important] because there [are] way more opportunities to be seen by college scouts and the level of play is better,” said Haroush.

“Teams and players are better skill-wise at club tournaments,” agreed Chu. Both players put more of an emphasis on their club team than on the school team, as they aspire to continue playing soccer in college.

Although Haroush and Chu see more value in their club team, they are focusing on their school team now since club season is over. According to Haroush and Chu, winning throughout the season will be a struggle but both look forward to playing on the varsity soccer team for their last year at MVHS. “The school team lost a lot of talent from last year,” said Haroush. “But with new coaches and nonstop conditioning, I think we’ll do fine.”

“My expectations are that we will do well,” agreed varsity soccer coach Mia Onodera. “We have not been to CCS in a while, but this years players are motivated to win.”

So what’s in the future for Haroush and Chu after the season is over? Haroush recently verbally committed to the soccer program at University of California San Diego over programs at San Diego State University and the University of California Santa Cruz. “[I chose UCSD] because their soccer program is on the rise, and their engineering school is one of the top in the country,” said Haroush. “I’m also going to be playing with my club team for a couple months after school season, and then I’m off to pre-season in college soccer.”

Chu, on the other hand, hopes to sign on with San Jose State University and continue playing competitive soccer in college.

But in the end, whether it’s on a school team, club team or at the division 1 college level, Haroush, Chu and Onodera agree that the most important thing is about loving the game that you play, not where you play it and who you play for.

“I like the competition, the game in general,” said Haroush. “It’s just my passion I guess.”

Uncertainty surrounds proposed track and field renovations New outdoor sports facilities funded from Measure B face potential delays in construction

by Jordan Lim

W

ith the passing of Measure B in last year’s general election, MVHS and the rest of the schools in the Fremont Union High School District were granted $198 million. So far the Measure B funding for MVHS has been used to install projectors and renovate the staff parking lot, but the new athletic facilities that came with the measure, are nowhere to be found.

Blue prints have been drawn, timelines set, contractors hired, funds at the ready, but there is still uncertainty surrounding the proposed renovations to the upper and lower fields.

What are we waiting for?

Currently the construction of both the upper and lower fields are set to begin the day after graduation, June 11. 2010 and be completed by May of 2011. However, there are several factors that could delay the renovation projects.

“This is a gigantic project in scope, because it’s taking place at all five high schools in the district,” Dean of Students Michael Hicks said. “Our timeline is contingent on the overall timeline at the other schools.”

Considering that construction at MVHS will follow the completion of the new tracks and bleachers at Homestead, Cupertino, Lynbrook, and Fremont, there is a lot of room for delays. Currently, construction at both Homestead and Fremont are two weeks behind.

Another factor that could disrupt the construction timeline is the CEQA

(California Environmental Quality Act) process. CEQA’s mission statement is to “[require] state and local agencies to identify the significant environmental impacts of their actions and to avoid or mitigate those impacts.” All proposed public and civic construction projects need to pass the CEQA process before construction can begin.

Traffic conditions, noise, lighting, garbage, safety, pollution, and electricity usage, are some examples of the data collected and analyzed in the CEQA process.

“Is our initial timeline still intact? The answer would be yes,” Hicks said. “We are suppose to [start construction] the day after graduation. But the CEQA process and the projects at other schools put a question mark on that date. “ Let there be light?

The issue over lights at the football field has been long standing and filled with controversy. MVHS has never hosted a night game at the football field due to lack of lighting. However, the current plan for the upper field renovation includes lights on the upper field that will remedy MVHS’ lack of night time sporting events.

A letter was sent out to the households neighboring MVHS on Oct. 10, notifying residents of the CEQA process and asking for any input regarding the planned renovations, such as lights near the football field for night home games. Community members’ opinions will be combined with the data collected from the CEQA process, and both will be presented to the MVHS administration sometime in January.

Pending the public’s response and feedback

@ Niledriving.com or Call (408) 249-3186

Courtesy of FUHSD

BLUE PRINT The preliminary design of the new upper and lower field sports facilities at MVHS. Construction is scheduled to begin the day after graduation, June 10, 2009) from CEQA officials, MVHS may or may not have lights on their fields.

Where will we play?

Currently, the MVHS administration is in the process of compiling possible locations for MVHS sports teams to practice and play their games while the upper and lower fields are under construction. So far, the nearby schools are the most likely options for substitutes.

“De-Anza, Kennedy, Faria, and Lincoln are ideal because of their location,” Hicks said. “We may also have to use the facilities at other schools in the district like Fremont or Homestead. It isn’t unusual to use

facilities of the other FUHSD schools, we’ve done it in the past.”

MVHS’ administration has not set up any contracts or agreements with the schools because of uncertainty regarding when construction will start. If the construction begins at its projected time at the beginning of summer 2010, all three of the seasons will overlap with construction and will have to move.

“If construction begins in the middle of the season, say in the fall, we’ll wait until football and field hockey finish their seasons before starting construction,” Hicks said. “That way a team won’t have to move during the middle of their season.”

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&e aBATTLE

PAGE 20 Senior finds meaning in photography

PAGE 21 Fashion designer starts young

19

PAGE 23 Freshman violinist aims high

20 THEBANDS10BROWN SOUND OF

VACANT ANTHEMNEW HEIGHTS

AARON AND LIBBYANOMALY

C&C CALIFORNIAFAT LUI CRASH ON GARAGE DOOR

Bands battle it out in early auditions

Eight bands selected to perform at 2010 Battle of the Bands. Here’s a look at four groups

by Erin Chiu

A

Anomaly

sk any member of the sophomore band Anomaly about their music, and they will tell you about the rise and fall of their fictional army “Seventeen” that appears throughout their original songs. This is the unique style that lead singer Jeremy Irvin, lead guitarist Max Sorg, drummer Brandon Hayes and bass guitarist Jake Lee believe will win them Battle of the Bands on Jan. 8. The four friends got the idea to start a band in seventh grade but never put the plan into action until their freshman year. Focusing mostly on the soft rock and alternative genre, the band practices four times a week for their performances. Past shows include Open Mic Night 2009, the Walk-a-thon at Lincoln Elementary School and Sorg’s 16th birthday party. Sorg, dubbed the hardest worker of the group, is very passionate about the music that he and his friends perform together.

“You get to create music and then play it for an audience, and when you’re up on stage playing with your friends and the audience is just cheering for you,” Sorg said, “it’s one of the greatest feelings I’ve ever had.”

T

Brown Sound

wo years ago, Brown Sound went into Battle of the Bands not knowing that at the end of the night they would be going home with the $200 prize. Now, as seniors, the group is back on the same stage with high hopes of going home with that very same prize once again.

Members of Brown Sound have had much practice through their involvement in the MV Rock Fusion club and jazz band.The Brown Sound that you might have heard two years ago has a whole new “sound,” as they have replaced two of their former members with vocalist senior Christopher Beall and bass guitarist senior Naveen Venkatesan. Their new and improved style is a combination between punk, techno and hardcore genres. Seniors Beall, Venkatesan, guitarists Sumukh Anand and Paarth Shah and drummer Shreepal Shah write all their own songs about anything that comes to mind, including cardboard boxes. To them, it doesn’t matter what they write about, but rather the actual music behind it.

“We’re just out there to play hard and have fun and we don’t care what people think,” Beall said. “We just want them to have fun.”

I

Crash on Garage Door

t might take weeks, months, even years for a band to think of the perfect name.

For Crash on Garage Door it only took one day and one mysterious noise.

While practicing in junior Gavin Mueller’s garage, a sudden crash against the garage door startled the group. When they opened the door, there was no one there, leaving the group puzzled. And with that mysterious event, the band dubbed themselves Crash on Garage Door.

Beginning their freshman year, juniors Pavan Kanekal, Zack Lamm, Brendan Lee, and Mueller started their band, beginning with music that had rougher vocals. Over time, the musical group evolved into a band of more simplistic music.

Their past performances include an FBLA conference, the 2009 benefit concert and Day of Rock 2, a performance by local bands in front of the Cupertino library that was held on Aug. 15. As for future performances, Crash on Garage Door will be performing at the AIDS benefit concert and at the Battle of the Bands.

“We go for the more simple music, and we make it sound good,” said lead guitarist Mueller.

I

C&C California

f you go to Battle of the Bands on Jan. 8, don’t expect to only hear bands blasting chords on their electric guitars. Seniors Catherine Shieh and Christina Yglesias are bringing a new, calmer style to the table with Yglesias’ singing accompanying Shieh piano playing.

The two girls first met in seventh grade, not knowing that five years later they would be performing together on the same stage.

Though it is Yglesias’ first time performing on stage, Shieh continuously supports and encourages her talent, knowing that with a little push she can overcome her nerves and perform at her best. Shieh has had much experience performing on stage, since she is in MVHS’ Variations choir and performed as a filler act during the voting of last year’s Battle of the Bands.

Going into Battle of the Bands this year, the duo plans on bringing more of an acoustic feel, performing original songs written by Shieh, which she plans on perfecting by January.

“We’re not [in Battle of the Bands] to win,” Shieh said. “We are just here to have fun and for [Christina] to gain experience performing for an audience.”

Saturday Night Live attracts fresh talent, theatre first-timers Thespian club students organize, produce extensive annual production for January involved and have the opportunity to perform something funny and easy that the audience can appreciate. Most n Jan. 22-23, the MV Drama Department will be cast members work hard to get their lines down and follow hosting MVSNL9, with host science teacher Jim stage cues, but without the experience of taking a drama Birdsong. For the past nine years, they have class, it may be a difficult for some. been performing sketches, modeled after the popular TV “We want to include as many people as possible, but show, Saturday Night Live. This year, there will be 15 in previous years, we were not as careful, and at the last total sketches, each performed by a group selected during minute, people didn’t have their lines memorized,” senior auditions that were held on Nov. 16.

Sheiva Khalily said. “People [outside of the drama club] The auditions were all held after school on the same day, may not understand the commitment that productions on which about 90 people auditioned. Senior Christian take, and they’re not used to the environment.”

Lei, who is in charge of the production, said that he had to Both Lei and Khalily, as well as the six or seven sketch go through the tough decision of cutting about 20 people; directors of MVSNL have the responsibility of preparing no cuts had to be made in previous years. their groups and organizing all the logistics After the initial auditions, call backs and SHOW TIME! for the show. general observations, around 70 people “We have to make sure everything’s in MV SNL, Jan. 22-23 were cast for the final production. order, everything’s blocked, and everything’s Lei was part of MVSNL last year as well, 7:30 p.m. $6-8 in advance ready before the performance, “ Lei said. managing with Class of 2009 alumnus seatyourself.biz/montavista The directors of each group are in charge Brian Miller. of putting together rehearsals at scheduled “Last year I had the help of Brian, but this year I’m doing times and letting the cast members know about scene it myself,” Lei said. As officer of the International Thespian changes and making sure they memorize their lines.

Society, which is the drama club that produces MVSNL, he Holly Cornelison, drama teacher and advisor of the has control over this production, which is the club’s largest International Thespian Club, explained that MVSNL is project of the year. a completely student-run production. The first time MVSNL is meant to incorporate not only students Cornelison gets to see all the sketches will be after winter involved with drama, but the whole student body. People break, as a sort of check-in on the progress. who do not have the time to be fully committed can be Putting on a show that follows the style of such a

by Ashley Wu

O

Ashley Wu | El Estoque

PUTTING ON A SHOW From left to right, seniors Michelle Chow, Christopher Chui, and junior Anna Crouch practice lines in preparation for their performance in the annual MVSNL show that opens on Jan. 22. popular TV show can be a lot of pressure but somehow, in the end, everything turns out the way it should.

“It always ends up being good, no matter how crunched it is,” Khalily said. “It will always turn out to be something people laugh at.”

PAGE 20

EL ESTOQUE A&E

DECEMBER 16, 2009

Clubs in a flash A swing into the 1920s

by Aileen Le and Samved Sangameswara

“F

ive, six, seven, eight.” The dancers start moving in rhythm to the music, twirling their parents around.

On Dec. 4, Student Life hosted MVHS’ first Blue Pearl in the gym from 7:30—10 p.m.

Dinner from Buca di Beppo was interspersed with periodic jazz and swing-dancing lessons

by MVHS alumnus Melissa Yusem as jazz band played music in the background.

“We didn’t want to create a complete 1920’s feel,” Student Life commissioner sophomore Neil Fernandes said. “Instead, we created a sense of oldness, but also a modern one so that people could relate.”

In the future, Student Life is aiming to make Blue Pearl a dance instead of an event. As an event, at least half of the lights had to stay on, but fewer chaperones were required.

Student Life considered the event a success, with approximately 16s0 tickets sold—far above the amount that they expected. Keaton Chui, who was part of Student Life last year and tried to bring the event to MVHS, came back to see the event take place.

“This is awesome,” Chui said. “I’m impressed by the chill atmosphere that [Student Life] managed to create. Even if I couldn’t be a part of it last year, I’m glad to see it go on.”

Samved Sangameswara | El Estoque

BACK TO THE FUTURE Junior Stella Ziegler and freshman Elad Michael attended Student Life Commission’s Blue Pearl event on Dec. 4. The event, which was held at Lynbrook High School in the past and was at MVHS this year, brought the 1920s to life with swing-dancing and jazz. Proceeds went to the American Diabetes Association.

Exchanging cookies

Elf game rings in holiday season

T

his holiday season the Roleplaying Club is taking it upon themselves to bring our campus some Christmas cheer.

The Elf Game, which started the week of Dec. 7, has participants searching the campus for Role-Playing Club members dressed as elves. There is an elf for each day of the week and when the participant locates the elf, a letter is revealed. If all the elves are located over the course of the week, the given letters spell out a location where a candy prize is rewarded.

Junior Dennis Siu, president of the Roleplaying Club, says that his club saw the weeks leading up to winter break as the perfect time for an event like The Elf Game.

“We hope to relieve the stress of finals by providing a way to get into the Christmas spirit,” Siu said.

B

Writing letters to Santa

aking Club plans on getting their winter break started by doing what they do best: making and enjoying delicious treats.

On Dec. 19, the members of Baking Club will celebrate the end of the first semester by having their annual cookie exchange.

The cookie exchange is when the members of the club all bake their favorite type of cookie on their own and then meet up at an officer’s house for the exchange. At the exchange, they taste each other’s cookies as well as participate in bonding events such as watching movies and playing games together. It’s a combination of a bonding event and an end of finals celebration, which makes it a very popular event. “[The Cookie Exchange] is a really nice way to chill after finals,” sophomore Pooja Ravikiran said. “I really look forward to getting to know the members [of the club].”

I

t’s easy to make a difference. Just grab a piece of paper and write a letter to Santa. This year, Interact took its annual Project Connecting Communities activity and expanded it to include the entire school.

In previous years, the activity would be limited to club members.

For every letter written to Santa, Macy’s Believe campaign will donate $1 for up to $1,000,000 to Makea-Wish Foundaition. Interact will screen through the letters to ensure that they’re appropriate. They’re hoping to recieve 50 to 100 letters.

PCC director junior Andrew Shiah agrees with Macy’s Believe that this event captures the Christmas spirit of giving.

“It’s about believing in the magic of Christmas, and the idea of one person helping each other out,” Shiah said.

Capturing a dream:Student pursues passion for photography Photography class ‘poster child’ aims to create meaningful art, finds her dream career

by Stefan Ball

C

ount the number of Facebook photo albums created by students in a year and it adds up to, well, a lot. But behind that odd cylindrical doorway of the MVHS darkroom are students pursuing photography not to upload memories to Facebook, but to create meaningful pieces of artwork.

Art and Photography teacher Brian Chow considers his photography TA and Photography 2 student senior Ana Gash as somewhere between the student and professional realms. As a student who has experienced the benefits and drawbacks of various photography styles at school and at home, she serves as the poster child of what photography can be in a student’s life. She owns over 20 vintage cameras, a modern Canon Rebel XTi, two “so cute” pet frog models (down from nine), and for her, a getaway.

Gash caught the shutter bug in middle school when very few people were into it.

She enjoys both, but when it comes to the film vs. digital debate, Gash says that to

understand digital’s ease of use, you have to have used film. But besides technicalities, and for her, college opportunities, Gash believes the best photography has to have an extra dimension.

“I want [people who look at my photos] to realize that photography’s not just you have a camera, let’s press the button,” Gash said. “It’s more than that. It’s showing something other people can’t see, and it’s a story and a past moment—you can’t reinvent the picture.”

Gash hopes that photography will lead to traveling around the world and in a dream situation, a job at National Geographic. She takes portraits and pictures of her frogs and personal photos for her family.

The aforementioned portraiture is being taken in that same house, in a home studio where she photographs her friends and family, human or otherwise.

“I take a lot of pictures of my frogs, of course,” said Gash. “And I have a crab. I used to take pictures of my dogs a lot. And my mom.”

Gash is currently in the process of shooting photos of her mom for her mom’s

Photos courtesy of Ana Gash

PHOTO CREDIT Senior Ana Gash in a self portrait (left) and a photo of one of her three frogs (right). Gash hopes to turn her passion into a career at National Geographic. boyfriend. While talking about shooting a particularly loved curve of her mom could be awkward or silly, it isn’t for her. Yes, the curve before the waist was allusive and hard to describe, but as Gash sits with legs outstretched and contemplates it calmly, it serves as a representation of how she wants her photography to develop—into something that means something to someone, even if it’s difficult to describe.

She doesn’t have a Flickr account, her portfolio website is password protected,

and that’s okay.

“I like seeing the final product,” said Gash concerning what she does with her photos after they’ve been taken. “They’re all over my house.”

A snapshot of the current state of teen photography can’t be taken through Facebook albums. As Gash moves on to college, and in the future travel photography if things go her way, maybe her photos will make it onto Facebook. But they’ll mean something more.

DECEMBER 16, 2009

EL ESTOQUE A&E

PAGE 21

Combs links music, literature in her class English teacher and singer Diana Combs discusses correlation between music and writing

Photo courtesy of Steve Combs

SOUND OF MUSIC English teacher Diana Combs plays Norah Jone’s “Angel” on Dec. 9. Combs learned to play the piano from her grandmother, who was a concert pianist.

by Vijeta Tandon

E

nglish teacher Diana Combs’ students don’t just read American literature, they listen to it.

Combs is not only a lifelong singer, but has also found a way to incorporate it into her teaching style. For example, when teaching her juniors about different literary movements throughout American

history, Combs would make them read specific pieces of literature while listening to a sample of music from that same time period.

“I think [the music] really sets the mood for the day and helps me see the context and the setting better,” said junior Deepthi Mahesh, a student in Combs’ class.

Combs believes that music and literature have a complementary relationship.

“Music augments the spoken word. It goes beyond what can be said, and it utters what is felt,” Combs said. “It’s a release.”

She feels that she has grown as a result of her experiences with music and singing.

For example, Combs is currently a part of the Stanford Symphonic Chorus, where the conductor’s philosophy that they venture deeply into each piece reinforces the ideas presented in the literary technique of close textual analysis.

“The words we use need to represent the core feeling that we are trying to portray,” Combs said. “Music does it so efficiently, that if we need words to explain a situation, they should be carefully chosen.”

Combs also sings pieces which she does not even fully understand the meaning of, since they are in a different language.

Nonetheless she is still able to grasp the meaning of the piece simply through its tone and the mood which it sets.

“The irony of it is that when I’m singing, I don’t know half the words,” Combs said.

“So the words almost become superfluous.”

This idea was proven in an event in Combs’ life, as well. Last October, Combs’ grandmother was very sick and was struggling between life and death.

Her grandmother was actually a concert pianist, and as Combs went to see her one Sunday night, her grandmother was flitting in and out of coherence, the events of her life flashing before her eyes. When Combs walked over to her bedside and spoke to her, her grandmother had a single response.

“She said, ‘Go play the piano for me,’ and I said, ‘Okay,’” Combs said.

As she walked out of the room to go play, Combs remembers feeling slightly uncomfortable, but she knew that the best thing she could do for her grandmother at the moment was play the piano.

“I went and I sat down, and then I played for [around 45 minutes] when I ran out of stuff to play, and then I went back in,” Combs said. The only thing Combs’ grandmother said to her was, “Keep playing.”

Combs then proceeded on playing the same songs again, and kept playing for around two, three hours.

Even at her grandmother’s funeral, Combs’ entire family sang while Combs’ grandfather played the trumpet. Music has always been a part of Combs’ life since as far back as she can remember, and she can’t imagine life without it. “[Music] is the backdrop to my life.

It’s the thing that’s the most soothing to me, most comforting to me,” Combs said.

“There are certain songs, whether they’re ones that I’ve written or not, that have set the soundtrack for my life.”

Combs’ best friend for the past 13 years, Cupertino High School English teacher Teresa Filice, can attest to this. She has seen Combs grow not only as a musician and singer, but also as a person. “[Music] is integral to who [Combs] is and really central to her,” Filice said.

“Without it, she’d be like a colorless version of herself.”

Designing dreams: Fashionista’s future career unfolds early on Freshman Franchesca Yamamoto creates online fashion line, inspired by summer vacation

by Natalie Chan

N

ot all teenagers can be proud that they share the same taste in fashion as their parents. Freshman Franchesca Yamamoto, on the other hand, can be. After all, she designed some of the clothes in her mother’s wardrobe.

Nine months ago on March 19 Yamamoto created Bleu Umbrella Co., a fashion company based out of her own home. Her company sells clothing and apparel inspired by a school trip to the United Kingdom Yamamoto took during the summer after seventh grade.

The new experience pushed her to seek independence. Shortly after she returned home, Yamamoto decided to start her own business. “[In Europe,] I opened my

eyes,” Yamamoto said. “When I got back, I told my parents I wanted to own a company. It just happened overnight.”

Although the idea to found a business was a leap of faith for Yamamoto, the idea to design and sell her own fashion line was quite practical; fashion runs in the family like stitches in a hemline. Yamamoto’s mother worked in the industry for five years and her aunt designed for retailer Neiman Marcus. From the beginning, Yamamoto had the foundation to build her career, Bleu Umbrella Co. Throughout the eighth grade, Yamamoto prepared for the opening of Bleu Umbrella Co. She spent two weeks learning business law and months designing clothes and developing her website.

In addition to her regular

schoolwork, she worked an average of four hours a day on her business venture.

While Bleu Umbrella Co. has expanded to sell apparel to numerous countries from the United States to Japan through the online store, Yamamoto has halved the time she works daily on her company.

“I just work less because I have more employees,” Yamamoto stated, noting that she now has the support of 25 workers. Most of her employees know her through school, working as models, freelancers or designers. Freshman Soumya Kurnool is now Yamamoto’s codesigner, working as La Fille de Verte, or the Girl in Green in French, to parallel Yamamoto’s Gal With the Bleu Umbrella.

Yamamoto’s two parents constitute her board of advisers,

and the family spends up to an hour discussing Bleu Umbrella Co.’s future every day.

Yamamoto gets professional support from her parents as well as educational; they support her plans to take college classes for architecture and psychology. For Yamamoto, attending college will not be to prepare for future jobs; Bleu Umbrella Co. is her career for the road ahead.

“I want college to be more leisurely,” Yamamoto said. “My parents are not going to say anything. I have to trust my judgment.”

Along with expanding Bleu Umbrella Co., Yamamoto wants to make her own mark in the world. “I want to open a foundation for underdeveloped countries. I want to improve lifestyles,” she said.

Erin Chiu | El Estoque

IDEAS TO REALITY Freshman Franchesca Yamamoto shares photos on Dec. 5 of her Bleu Umbrella Co. premiere. She plans to continue her career in fashion design.

PAGE 22

EL ESTOQUE A&E

DECEMBER 16, 2009

Top 10 of 2009: This year’s top picks With 2010 right around the corner, don’t leave 2009 without these top picks. From fashion trends to movies to songs, three students share their favorites from this year

by Aileen Le

Best of Movies Best of Music These movies are so good that ROP multimedia student and avid movie enthusiast senior Sharif Elrefaie, places them at the top of his must-watch list from 2009.

In other words, microwave some popcorn, grab the remote, and turn on the T.V. because it’s time for a movie marathon—before 2010 comes around.

1. TIK TOK BY KE$HA

2.

BELONG WITH ME 2. YOU

BY TAYLOR SWIFT

“It’s just a really fun, catchy, and up-beat song that will get stuck in your head.”

FROST/NIXON

“A great movie except for the fact that the ending made you feel a bit bad for Nixon.”

3.

4. GRAN TORINO

4. PAPARAZZI BY LADY GAGA

“Clint Eastwood delivers again; bad acting from everybody not named Clint Eastwood.”

5.

6.

STAR TREK

“Fun, funny, great for Star Trek fans or people who don’t follow it at all.”

PRECIOUS

“Queen Latifah was great in the movie, but it was just too emotional at times.”

Image from startrekmovie.com

7. BRUNO

“Although at times very gross, [it] made you laugh and Sasha Baron Cohen did a great job of showing the ignorance of American people.”

8. FUNNY PEOPLE

“Not your typical Seth Rogen movie; still funny, but two and a half hours too long.”

9.

PUBLIC ENEMIES

“Not as good as I expected it to be, but Johnny Depp’s acting makes up for it.”

10.

THE HANGOVER

“Funny. [It] kept you laughing until the end.”

FOR MORE EASY-TO-DIGEST HOLIDAY CONTENT SEE EL ESTOQUE ONLINE’S

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

Image from buzzworthy.mtv.com

“They have a really different sound, and it is more mellow than anything else I listen to.”

“The music video that goes with this song is so different.”

5.

RUSSIAN ROULETTE BY RIHANNA

6.

CRAWL BY CHRIS BROWN

7.

8.

“It’s about her relationship with Chris Brown, so it’s something new and different for her.”

“This song is like nothing else that Chris Brown has done. It has more of a pop-like sound to it.”

“They’re a British band and have a different sound that’s very rock-ish.”

“I’m really feminine and love flowers and bows, but if you wear blazers and trouser pants the right way, it looks really good. I love menswear, and it looks good on most people.”

4. BOOTIES

“I prefer the flat booties [over heeled ones] and you can wear them with leggings and pretty much anything.”

5. LAYERED NECKLACES

“Worn over a plain tee, it’s something really easy to pull off. “

6. KNEE-HIGH BOOTS 7. WINTER SHORTS

“The fabric is like wool, but you have to wear them with opaque tights—only opaque tights. “

ALL THE RIGHT MOVES

BY ONE REPUBLIC Image from thepianopages.com

ME HALFWAY BY THE BLACK 9. MEET EYED PEAS

“I love the music video for this song. It’s just so unique, but hard to explain.”

10. REPLAY BY IYAZ

3. MENSWEAR

“I don’t know how long they’ll be around since they seem a little uncomfortable, but it’s a fashion risk that’s really popular now.”

UPRISING BY MUSE

“There are really strong instrumentals in this song that make it stand out.”

“That biker and rocker kind of look can be found on almost anything, like belts, and they have been around for a really long time.”

“I really like pants that are fitted at the waist but go in skinny. They’re really flattering for a lot of people if they get the right kind.”

3. INGLORIOUS BASTERDS

FIREFLIES BY OWL CITY

1. STUDS

2. 80’S STYLE

“It’s the cross-country theme song this year, so I really love it.”

Image from d-9.com

“Your typical Tarantino film; great writing and acting.

Not his best, however.”

If you’re stuck in a fashion rut, staring at your closet with exasperation, and wondering what to buy with that Christmas money, worry no longer. Freshman Navya Cherukuru, fashion club member and fashion guru, believes that these trends will carry on into 2010. It’s time to make a fashion statement.

There’s no need for a quiet end to the year since these ten tunes have earned the right to be blared across radios on car rides home.

Freshman Ellen Tang, whose friends always see her listening to her iPod, considers these songs to be her top picks for 2009 and will continue playing them--even in 2010.

1. DISTRICT 9

“The underlying message was great. [There was] great acting and no real script.”

Best of Fashion

“My friend loved this song and got it stuck in my head because she played it over and over again.”

8. MINI PENCIL-SKIRTS

“They can be really casual but really dressed up with a cute top. They’re really classic and can’t go out of style.”

9. CABLE KNITS

“I’ve bought really big comfy sweaters and [I] like to wear them over tights.”

10. LEMON YELLOW

“I noticed this color coming up a lot. [I see this color a lot] in really flowy, loose fabrics.”

DECEMBER 16, 2009

EL ESTOQUE A&E

Warming up during winter

El Estoque reviews several local coffee shops for the cold months

by Sarika Patel

M

ost coffee shops fail to strike the perfect balance between crowded and intimate, but Caffe Adria does just that.

Upon entry to the cafe, rather than being bombarded by the overwhelming aroma of coffee, the visitor is instead greeted by a subtle, warm scent. That, combined with the dim lighting and wall lined with artwork by Lynbrook High School students, sets just the right mood for a cozy afternoon. Caffe Adria is located in the same shopping complex as Rite Aid on Bollinger but with no particularly flashy sign or display.

The menu has a wide range of choices which caters to bitter, black coffee drinkers, sweet caramel latte drinkers, customers who prefer hot drinks, and even coldloving smoothie and frappuccino drinkers. The Caramel Macchiato offers the same sweet coffee taste of larger coffee chains at the same price, but without the unappealing after-bloated feel. Most of the drinks come at a reasonable price between $2 and $5.

Even though Caffe Adria closes at the inconvenient time of 4 p.m. and is hard to locate, it’s worth the time and hunt and will leave you with a warm Sarika Patel | El Estoque feeling for the holidays!

S

omewhat of a misnomer, Roasted Coffee Bean seems more like an art store than a coffee shop. Although the coffee counter is located right in the middle of the large open room and has a large fridge lined with pastries, cakes and jars of cookies, the fact that the rest of the store has vases, scarves, jewelery and other odds and ends for sale distracts costumers from its supposed main attraction: coffee. There are a few tables with tall stools in the corner, but most first-timers would probably prefer to walk around and look at the expensive and original items for sale.

The menu is standard and does not deviate from the ordinary findings at most coffee shops. It does not have any must-haves and seems easy enough to replicate.

Fair prices give customers their money’s worth. As an added bonus, beverages can be consumed right away as the temperature is just right, and the drinks are not drowned in whipped cream, which takes away from the flavor of chain-store coffee. Plus, since it’s not a chain coffee shop, service is quick and personal. Although it’s not ideal for a group outing, Roasted Coffee Bean provides a good experience and is acceptable for a one-time visit for someone Sarika Patel | El Estoque in the mood for coffee to go.

Starbucks 20520A Stevens Creek Blvd.

Bonjour Crepe Company 19929 Stevens Creek Blvd. t’s not primarily a coffee shop or cafe, Bonjour Crepe Company is a new addition to the Plaza near Quizno’s on Stevens Creek just past Blaney and before Wolfe. Bonjour Crepe Company could fill the needs of bitter coffee drinkers. It has a very standard and satisfactory coffee selection, offering only the basic lattes, cappuccinos, mochas, and espressos without extra additions; although these Sarika Patel | El Estoque simple drinks are hard to come by, they are all that Bonjour Crepe Company offers. The prices are cheaper than other larger and more well—known cafes and are ideal for students on a tight budget. A cappuccino comes at an economical $3 and most drinks can be bought at the same price range. The cheap prices, however, might come from the standard and inflexible menu and one—size option. The coffee is ideal only for experieneced coffee drinkers, since it’s served with almost no sugar and an unusually bitter taste. Adding sugar doesn’t help and the bitterness leaves an after taste. Bonjour Crepe Company has a welcoming seating arrangement, with couches and comfy arm chairs. Unfortunately, since it’s located on Stevens Creek, usually a busy road, the cafe tends to be surrounded with much of the not fit for a sit down. Unless you’re in need of some strong, cheap coffee, try somewhere which primarily focuses on coffee or maybe take a stab at some of the crepes and ice cream.

T

hey’ve got the big name and the big chain, but I’m not so big on their coffee.

The Starbucks on Stevens Creek is one of the 10 Starbucks coffee shops within a 15 minute driving distance in Cupertino. Starbucks serves nothing particularly extravagant to make it a must visit in Cupertino. It’s something short of a miracle that it’s possible for three Starbucks shops to thrive within sight of each other Samved Sangameswara | El Estoque when their coffee is not more than ordinary. Although the Petite Vanilla Bean Scone was by far one of the best I’ve ever had, it is probably the only reason I would want to go back. The Caramel Macchiato was not exciting; it only had the same overly sweet whipped cream piled over strong coffee available anywhere else. Starbucks usually attracts a loud crowd making it uncomfortable for sit downs. The chaos makes it hard to tell what is going on and it’s hard to tell when your drink is ready. In addition to the choas, the side with the full window has only one long table with high stools placed too close to each other for comfort. The only two arm chairs are located in a corner right by the door, making it drafty and rather awkward for both people sitting in it and people coming inside. It’s not ideal for private conversation or small group settings and the overall scene isn’t set to provide a must visit. The only thing Starbucks can seem to provide without fail is comfort in the name.

Lord of the strings: A rising violin prodigy

Freshman performs all over the world, including Carnegie Hall

by Christophe Haubursin

M

usic legend Jimi Hendrix started out strumming broomstick straws instead of sweeping when his parents were out of the house. Musician and composer Yo-Yo Ma started to study cello with his father at the age of four. And freshman Stephen Kim started out with rubber bands wrapped around an empty tissue box at age two. Now 14, he recently returned from a solo violin performance at Carnegie Hall, one of the world’s largest and most renowned concert venues.

Following in the path of his older brother and sister, Kim has been taking private violin lessons at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music for 11 years, ever since he was deemed old enough at three and a half. But his musical talent soon surpassed that of his siblings.

“When Stephen was in my tummy, he listened to his siblings play classical music all the time,” Stephen’s mother, Michelle Kim, said. “I think that’s why he took up the violin.”

Inspired and encouraged by family, he

VICTOR KUO

the Temp

Roasted Coffee Bean 19110-A Stevens Creek Blvd.

Caffe Adria 6174 Bollinger Rd.

I

PAGE 23

soon gained the musical expertise needed to become the youngest member of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra at 11, for which he now performs as the main soloist after winning their concerto competition.

His performances have taken him to venues all across the United States and Europe, including some in Italy, Germany, and the Czech Republic. He is the first freshman permitted into MVHS’ chamber orchestra, for which he is now co-concertmaster, and all the while he maintains straight A’s and keeps up with his work at school.

In the midst of fame, the young prodigy retains an air of modesty. Though capable of performing before 2,400 people at a Davies Symphony Hall debut that drew high praise from the San Francisco Classical Voice, he is overcome with momentary shyness before the audience of one reporter that allows him to play only a short but astounding excerpt before putting down his instrument.

“Music is a way to express myself,” Kim said. “Authors and poets express themselves with writing, but I like to use my violin.”

Kim took composition classes for a short

time, but abandoned the subject to spend more time with his instrument.

“When he first started playing, he told me never to cover the violin case,” Michelle said. “He liked to be able to play any time he wanted to.”

Kim was chosen to perform as a soloist at New York’s Carnegie Hall this Thanksgiving as a result of winning first place in the Alexander and Buono International String Competition. Early this fall, Kim appeared on the NPR radio show “From the Top,” which music teacher John Galli calls “an elite show to get on for a young amateur musician like him.”

“He’s doing all the right things,” Galli said. “He isn’t going too far above his head or trying literature that he’s not ready for.”

With plans of becoming a professional violinist in mind and a great deal of time on his hands for improving even further, Kim has a promising future set for him as he continues to work hard.

“He’s at the place all musicians want to end up at some time,” Galli said. “The fact that he’s there at his age, that’s pretty cool.”

Teeth time

I

checked my bank account statement and breathed a sigh of relief. With Black Friday over, I don’t need a job anymore — I already have enough money for Christmas gifts. My needs are satisfied until the new year. But as much as I would like to sit around at home, I decided to spend some time investing in my future instead.

As a senior, college is much closer than it was freshman year. And with the future drawing near, I need to spend time planning for it. I need to decide classes I want to take in college, what major I want, what career to pursue—the worries of any senior. Of course, I won’t decide the rest of my life in the next few weeks or months, but at least I can get a head-start. And that’s where I got my next job idea.

I peered into the gaping mouth and wrinkled my nose in repulsion. Something about saliva and chewed food particles disgusts me. I followed my dentist around for the day for two reasons: to gain knowledge about dentistry and to experience a day as a dentist. I was considering dentistry as a possible career. Notice the past tense.

Lesson One Always brush your teeth. Please. In general, just take care of your teeth and have good hygiene. Out of the 15 patients of the day, one came in with cavities. It didn’t look too fun when the dentist drilled out a bunch of gross black stuff from the kid’s mouth.

I looked at it in disbelief. I had no idea so much black gunk could be in such a small tooth. I touched my own jaw gently, praying that nothing of that sort was growing. The dentist was talking with the kid’s mother while he was working. I only caught bits of the conversation, but apparently the kid gets a lot of cavities easily.

Besides the little kid, the other patients quietly lay there for 20 to 30 minutes as the dentist calmly cleaned each and every one of their mouths. I can see how dentists are rumored to have the highest suicide rate out of all occupations — no offense to anyone who wants to be a dentist. But to be honest, I almost fell asleep standing up after the first patient. I do however remember one thing: the cleaner your teeth, the less painful the visit to the dentist is. Soon we’re all going to be alone. We’re all going to grow up and go to college. We’ll have to pay our own bills, deal with our own problems, and handle our own responsibilities. No matter how much we try to hold on or try to stay young, we’re growing up. That includes brushing our teeth.

Lesson Two Don’t ever fall on your teeth. Root canals are really, really painful. One guy came in with a dead front tooth after he slipped and hit his kitchen counter. I winced involuntarily while he told his story. Selfreminder: never spill beans on a tile floor. I looked away while the dentist cleaned out the dead nerves from the tooth. Actually, it reminded me of the game “Operation.”

Every time the dentist’s hand moved, the patient flinched. It would have been funnier if it didn’t look so painful. This went on for about 30 minutes, during which I resolved never to trip again. I almost expected the patient to stand up and start screaming at the dentist about the pain. But when he stood, he just smiled, with cotton and gauze and blood and everything, thanked the doctor and went about his day. I was impressed. You know, it’s okay to start over and try again. It’s okay to mess up; as long as you don’t give up. Make it a resolution for the coming year.

Well, time to move on. I’ve learned my lesson and I’m ready to try out my next job in life. At least that’s one less career to choose from.

HOLIDAY TREND WATCH holidays have hit stores all across town. Stop by HOLIDAY PICKS The and see what they have to offer to your festivities

Need a last minute gift or some holiday cheer? Target might be your best-bet, one-stop shop.

For $5, treat a friend to a clever packet of Toffee Fudge Hot Chocolate Mix. The packet comes in the shape of an ice cream cone with the chocolate powder at the bottom topped with marshmallows, fudge chunks and toffee. The packaging is so innovative, that you won’t even need a gift bag or wrapping paper. Also available is prepackaged sugar cookie mix in a winter-themed oven mitt and boxes of red and green chocolates all for $5. To bring some holiday spirit back home, head over to the media aisles for a wide selection of traditional and modern Christmas CDs between $10 and $15.

Christmas in the Park Through Dec. 24 from 6-9 p.m. on weekdays and 1-9 p.m. on weekends Cesar Chavez Park Enjoy this free annual event, with moving displays and Christmas trees

Yogurtland 19700 Stevens Creek Blvd.

Stop at Yogurtland for a holiday mix along with your regular favorites. In the spirit of the holiday, Yogurtland is offering Peppermint, Pumpkin Pie, Eggnog and Gingerbread yogurt flavors in addition to their usual choices. Try a Gingerbread and Vanilla Bean swirl topped with all your favorite candies for a sweet treat over Winter Break or the Peppermint flavor mixed with chocolate and white chocolate chips for Peppermint Bark style snack.

Michaels 20640 Homestead Rd. For colorful ornaments and light-up snowmen and reindeer, Michaels offers great low prices and a wide variety to choose from. Their racks of ornaments include large Santa Claus and elves, glittering birds and original globes, not to mention they come at the steal price of $3 to $8. If your tree is full, purchase a full gingerbread house kit for $8 as a great family pastime.

Peet’s Coffee 20807 Stevens Creek Blvd., Suite 200 Even a morning fix of caffeine can put you in the holiday mood. Every year, Peet’s adds three special holiday lattes to their menu. This year, try a Caramel Brulee, Peppermint Mocha or Gingersnap Latte. The Peppermint Mocha is the perfect, rich mix of peppermint freshness and Peet’s specialty hot chocolate, topped with whipped cream and curls of chocolate.

WINTER LIGHTS

Don’t miss these up-andcoming Bay Area holiday events

by Mansi Pathak

Target 20745 Stevens Creek Blvd.

What’s Next?

San Jose Ice Rink Through Jan. 18 Circle of Palms, Market St. Spend a day with your family and friends in this downtown outdoor ice skating rink

Great Dickens Christmas Fair Through Dec. 20 on weekends Cow Palace San Francisco Experience Charles Dickens’ Victorian London Town with pubs, winding streets, and lamp-lit shops

Mansi Pathak | El Estoque

Senior Tara Nguyen shares her family’s tradition of decorating their house every holiday season

by Erin Chiu and Mansi Pathak

Simcha, a Hanukkah celebration Dec. 19 Campbell Heritage Theater Learn about Jewish culture in this dance show inspired by the stories of Sholom Aleichem

ZooLights

Erin Chiu | El Estoque

S

enior Tara Nguyen and her family know what it means to have holiday spirit. As Thanksgiving winds down, the family sets out for their next holiday endeavor: decorating their home. The weekend after Thanksgiving, the Nguyens decorate their house with lights and travel to Santa Cruz to choose the perfect tree. This year, the 11-foot Christmas tree in Nguyen’s living room is her favorite decoration.

The Perfect

Gift

Though these presents may seem small, they are bound to put a smile on everyone’s face.

“ ” “ ” An iPod Touch [is a perfect stocking stuffer] because it is small enough to fit in the stocking but it’ll fill it up.

“ ” “ ” Ford Mustang car keys [would make a great stocking stuffer]; the bigger present is waiting outside!

junior Angeline Chen

senior Parag Kikla

[Gift a friend] marshmallows, Hershey’s chocolate and graham crackers so they can make s’mores.

sophomore Jasmine Hayden

Dec. 4 to Jan. 3 Oakland Zoo Listen to live holiday music and see more than 120 animal structures illuminated by energyefficient LED lights

[Give a friend] Cup of Noodles because it warms the heart in the chilly season.

freshman Britni Chon

Photo illustration by Varshini Cherukupalli, Mansi Pathak and Aileen Le