Volume 51, Issue 5, March 31, 2021

MVHS community members in different age groups reflect on the pandemic year in the context of their lives

COVID-19

DISTANCING UNPRECEDENTED

ZOOM

27

A FRACTION OF TIME

“YOU’RE ON MUTE” VARIANTS

REOPENING

SYNCHRONOUS

MARCH 13, 2020

ASYNCHRONOUS

HYBRID MODEL

ADVISORY PERIOD

“What day is it?”

VACCINE stimulus check

FRONTLINE WORKERS

PANDEMIC

MENTAL HEALTH

6 feet apart

ZOOMBOMB

MASKS

21840 McClellan Rd, Cupertino, CA 95014 elestoque.org mv.el.estoque@gmail.com Editors-in-Chief: Ayah Ali-Ahmad, Oishee Misra Managing Editors: Justine Ha, Andie Liu, Robert Liu, Brian Xu Copy Editors: Sophia Chen, Riya Ravuri, Matthew Yoshimoto News Editors: Devin Gupta, Rachel Jiang, Jefferson Le, Tina Low Opinion Editors: Tyler Cho, Leanna Sun, Krish Dev Feature Editors: Michelle Chen, Anushka De, Iman Malik, Tanish Mendki Entertainment Editors: Ishaani Dayal, Vivian Jiang, Claire Wen, Annie Zhang Sports Editors: Jayanti Jha, Anjali Singh, Lance Tong Graphics Editor: Iman Malik Design Editor: Tyler Cho Website Editor: Devin Gupta Staff Writers: Ritu Atreyas, Diya Bahl, Sophia Chen, Melody Cui, Mikaylah Du, Suraj Gangaram, Gavin Hung, Anna Jerolimov, Minjae Kang, Nishat Kazi, Justin Kim, Sophia Ma, Arjan Madan, Shivani Madhan, Gauri Manoj, Kripa Mayureshwar, Abdullah Memon, Amber Milesi, Collin Qian, Shreshta Ranganathan, Riya Ravuri, Anika Sharma, Jannah Sheriff, Aditya Shukla, Neysa Singh, Irene Tang, Prisha Tiwari, Shivani Verma, Mira Wagner, Matthew Yoshimoto, Sean Yagi, Nika Zamani Adviser: Julia Satterthwaite Mission Statement: El Estoque will accurately inform our community through well-researched, unbiased and indepth accounts of the student body and staff, news and developments and taboo topics prevalent in and near MVHS. Investigating various voices and credible perspectives, we hope to foster active discussion, effect positive change and spread awareness of timely, relevant content. As a trustworthy and reliable source of information, we strive to be accountable, adaptable and ready to correct and address our mistakes. Constantly striving for improvement, we will uphold integrity and ethics to be respectful and empathetic to our sources and our readers. We will exercise our press freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment and California Ed Code 48907 while maintaining a community passionate about our work and journalism as a whole.

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS The MVHS community is experiencing a reckoning.

Social media has provided a space for survivors of sexual harassment and assault to come forward and share their stories. Many within our community have stepped up to share their own or amplify others’ stories, to offer solidarity and to begin having difficult conversations in smaller circles with friends, siblings and classmates.

Learning that this issue is so pervasive has brought forth many emotions — shock, fear, anger, anxiety and disappointment. As survivors share their stories, it’s important to not only listen with empathy, but to translate that into tangible initiatives to effect positive change.

Students are determined to take action beyond just posting on social media. For instance, seniors Rachel Kim and Sachi Roy, co-presidents of the Girls Empowerment Project (GEP) Club are compiling feedback from survivors of sexual harassment and assault, friends of survivors and students with opinions and suggestions for how to improve the FUHSD Title IX policies. Later, Kim and Roy plan to send this feedback to the district administration.

El Estoque reporters Anushka De and Prisha Tiwari published a piece on elestoque. org — “The experiences of too many women” — where they linked to a variety of resources including books, videos, articles, hotlines and centers. In her column, El Estoque reporter Iman Malik denounced the movement “#NotAllMen” and wrote about the responsibility of men when it comes to supporting the #MeToo movement and working to make society a safer space for all. She also wrote about her own experiences of being a woman, of feeling unsafe and of fearing the escalation of harassment to assault, an experience that unfortunately resonates with many.

It is a stressful time — especially since this collides with the one year anniversary of distance learning — and supporting those experiencing negative emotions is more important than ever. In this issue, our Staff Editorial highlights the myriad of things we’ve learned this year despite claims of this being a year of “lost learning.”

And our Features package tells the stories of how individuals from various age groups experienced a pandemic year differently. Yet the common thread among all of these individuals, regardless of age, are their memories of forging deeper connections and of empathy.

Let’s continue with this reckoning — let’s keep moving forward with productive discussions, with meaningful actions and with kindness.

COVER PHOTO ILLUSTRATION | OISHEE MISRA

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EL ESTOQUE | MARCH 2021

PHOTO | JUSTINE HA

Oishee Misra

Ayah Ali-Ahmad

TABLE OF CONTENTS EL ESTOQUE | MARCH 2021

5

Plotting the future

BY MIKAYLAH DU, DEVIN GUPTA, RACHEL JIANG, ANDIE LIU AND PRISHA TIWARI

Examining course allocations at MVHS through the lens of declining enrollment

16

“Bitch”

BY IMAN MALIK AND OISHEE MISRA

Examining the internalized misogyny behind using “bitch” to denote empowerment

38

Gaming with ‘Genshin Impact’

BY CLAIRE WEN

Exploring student experiences with the popular video game

47

Women in sports

BY JUSTINE HA, ROBERT LIU, GAURI MANOJ, ANJALI SINGH, MATTHEW YOSHIMOTO AND NIKA ZAMANI

Examining the experiences of women in sports in honor of Women’s History Month

PHOTO COURTESY OF SCOTT VICTORINE | USED WITH PERMISSION

27

A FRACTION OF TIME

BY ANUSHKA DE, SOPHIA MA, IMAN MALIK, RIYA RAVURI AND BRIAN XU

MVHS community members in different age groups reflect on the pandemic year in the context of their lives

EL ESTOQUE | MARCH 2021

03

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...to 335 sections

Plotting The Future

BY MIKAYLAH DU, DEVIN GUPTA, RACHEL JIANG, ANDIE LIU AND PRISHA TIWARI

1

THE PROBLEM

Investigating how declining student enrollment at MVHS has affected course allocation

BY MIKAYLAH DU AND PRISHA TIWARI

F

or many years, declining enrollment has been a trend at MVHS and across most of FUHSD. An enrollment projection report written by Thomas R. Williams, the Principal Demographer for Enrollment Projection Consultants, projected MVHS would lose 102 students in the 2021-22 school year.

According to Williams, this annual pattern of declining enrollment can be attributed to two major factors: the high housing prices in the Bay Area and recent modifications to the interior designs of homes. Housing in the Bay Area is now more suitable for young tech employees; this consists of various studios and onebedroom units. These factors lead to fewer families with children settling in, which decreases the number of students who attend FUHSD schools.

Additionally, assistant principal Michael Martinez points the trends of declining birth rates as another reason for declining enrollment. In the 20202021 school year, student enrollment has even dropped at the kindergarten grade level. By the time those students become high schoolers, Martinez projects that the

Number of courses allocated at MVHS by year

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EL ESTOQUE | MARCH 2021

student population will have dropped even further. Williams predicts the MVHS student population will be around 1,855 students by 2022-23 (two years later) and 1,619 students by the 2025-26 school year (five years later).

With a dwindling population of students at MVHS, FUHSD school administrations are forced to cut sections of courses, or different sessions of the same course, for future school years, as the criteria for expected student to teacher ratios have not been met.

If section cuts continue to occur, classes with fewer sections would be at risk of being permanently removed from the MVHS course list. Martinez reassures that entire classes have not been cut so far in recent years.

According to the MVHS 2020-21 course allocation, from 2019 to 2020, MVHS administration cut a total of 34 sections from the 394 sections the year prior. Due to declining enrollment, classes have steadily been losing sections year after year. From the current 2020-2021 school year with a total of 360 sections, the following years are each predicted to lose around 25 sections; it’s projected that there will be 335 sections for the 2021-22 school year and 310 sections for the 202223 school year.

Since the quantity of sections per course depends on the amount of student interest for each course, the number of sections offered for a certain class varies annually. However, according to Martinez, STEM classes typically remain popular choices. Thus, the risk of them being completely cut is much lower.

Nonetheless, all sections, including science and math classes, face the almost same number of section cuts every year.

Though, popular courses such as Java and AP Biology will not face as large of an impact when sections are cut. Classes that are less popular, such as AVID and Drama, tend to face more risk when their sections are removed as they originally had fewer sections available.

Ceramics and Photography teacher Jodi Johnson states that when she first

started teaching at MVHS 16 years ago, there were five art teachers who each taught five sections for a total of 25 art sections. Now, there are three art teachers who each teach five sections, a sharp decline in total art sections offered, by around 10 sections cut.

To promote the different courses offered at MVHS, an annual course selection night and course info fair occurs in February. This year, due to COVID-19, these sessions were shifted online via Zoom and YouTube to reach as many students and families as possible. In order to learn about specific classes, students had the opportunity to visit teachers through Zoom, and the information about all classes was listed on a spreadsheet. Sophomore Tulasi Janjanam believes that attending these webinars was a huge asset to her course selection.

“Since there were a lot of courses and options, I had to go through all of them [to] look at what I needed,” Janjanam said. “The course info fair really helped because I got to talk to the teachers and [learned how the class] is actually going to work. The positive thing is [that for] some of [them], there weren’t there weren’t a lot of people, so me and the teacher had a one-on-one and they actually showed me what was going to happen next year [and] what [a] class was about.”

Unlike Jananam, who was able to receive guidance from teachers from different subjects over the Zoom course info fair, senior Sawyer Day felt as though these information sessions were not as helpful throughout his time at MVHS. “I feel like the [teachers] still don’t give you that much information on how rigorous the courses are going to be,” Day said. “They give the general idea of the content covered, but you can’t really know exactly how it’s going to be until you take it. It’s much different throughout the year. They give an estimation, but it’s not consistent [for] the entire year.

So I generally just ended up taking [the courses] I was recommended by my friends, peers or my older [siblings].”

Day found it difficult to choose his STEM and English classes because he wanted to maintain an academically

*According to a survey of 202 MVHS students

his art credits, he says taking an art class junior year helped relieve stress.

Johnson notes that art allows students a place to learn not only art skills but many life skills as well. She emphasizes how art courses can provide freedom of creativity, which is something STEM classes may not necessarily provide.

“It’s [a] fun environment, it is loose, you get to express a different part of your brain that doesn’t work all day and it’s nice to also have that creative release in your day,” Johnson said. “It’s nice to have that kind of stress break and you get to talk with your tablemates, and you’re still doing something that is mindful and engaging, but in a totally different way.

You’re getting a lot of problem solving skills and critical thinking, and it’s also really good for self discovery and you tend to learn more about yourself through some projects.”

NEWS | MARCH 2021

07

2

THE PROCESS

Examining how MVHS makes course allocation decisions

BY DEVIN GUPTA AND ANDIE LIU

F

rom 2008 to 2010, MVHS enrollment trying to guess the behaviors of 10,000 peaked at 2,600 students, with teenagers.” an average class size of 700. For Class size or teacher to student the 2021-2022 school year, enrollment ratios, which are determined through is projected to be 1,913, according to negotiations with the FEA, determine Principal Ben Clausnitzer. how many sections of each class will be Every December, FUHSD Demographer offered. According to Bonnie Belshe, FEA Thomas R. Williams shares the next Site President for MVHS, this is outlined year’s resident enrollment projections in the Collective Bargaining Agreement (where students live in the district) with (CBA), which sets workplace conditions. It FUHSD Director of Business Services also defines safeguards like the minimum Jason Crutchfield. Crutchfield converts and maximum students per class. the resident projection into attending The CBA allows for some flexibility enrollment, the number of students per with understaffing and overstaffing.

FUHSD high school, taking into account For instance, fully tenured teachers are transfer programs and special education. currently given a full-time job regardless The attending enrollment calculates of declining enrollment, though not at each school’s target section allocation their current school site. Additionally, the — the total number of sections (class district administration checks whether periods) allowed — according to a formula schools can share a teacher through a agreed upon with the Fremont Education split assignment or if teachers can teach Association (FEA) union, which includes another subject or take on another role at all certificated FUHSD staff. MVHS’ target their own site. section allocation is 335 for the next If there are extra sections in a school year. department when all teachers are working After students turn in their course full-time (five classes), department leads selection forms in February, the like Belshe, who leads the Social Studies scheduling assistant principal (SAP) at department, scout for other teachers in each school works with the departments the district to pick up the extra section at and Crutchfield to develop a master MVHS. This year, history teachers Robbie schedule. MVHS’ Hoffman and David SAP, Michael Hartford are both we call it trying to Martinez, then teaching six classes guess the behaviors of predicts the course with increased enrollment on the salaries due to two 10,000 teenagers.”

40th day of school extra sections of U.S. of the next school History. year, a week after In contrast, FUHSD Director of Business the first progress when the formula Services report is issued. generates a decimal This is because number of sections students often or results in a section drop classes during the first few weeks of with too few students, the schedulers try school and near the first progress report. to round down, minimizing the number “Based upon March 24, what did the of sections. Crutchfield says that “people last three years show how many kids don’t realize that [creating sections] adds dropped calculus before the 40th day?’” up to millions and millions and millions Crutchfield said. “Well, it shows 19 of dollars a year,” given that each costs [students] dropped. Then I better have $25,000 to $35,000. If each school in the 19 more [students] than I need, so if they district adds one extra section to the drop, we’re going to hit our mark. You can master schedule, the costs come close to imagine how difficult that is — we call it $1.5 million.

“

Jason Crutchfield

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EL ESTOQUE | MARCH 2021

2

“If we offer nine sections of Algebra According to Crutchfield, it would cost the 1 and we only need eight, I’m going district five to 10 million dollars annually to tell [the math department], ‘You if all students got all seven choices on have to close one of those classes and their course selection forms. Instead, redistribute those kids and change all the seventh period helps students make their schedules,’” Crutchfield said. “It’s up for failed classes to graduate in time miserable work. No one wants to go to and make room for English Learner (EL) a parent and a bunch of students in the students who are required to take extra fourth week [of school] and say, ‘Hey, classes. The entire process only targets we’re rearranging your entire schedule general fund classes, paid for by property and changing your classes, so you can go taxes; sheltered EL classes are not to a bigger class.’ But that’s $30,000 so we involved. Crutchfield says to “think of it as force ourselves to do it.” seven opportunities to take six classes.”

Once each department has a target Schedulers prioritize placing singleton number of and doubleton s e c t i o n s , classes — where schedulers there is only one look at specific or two periods course signups for that specific by working in course — and Infinite Campus, fixed period and department classes such as leads narrow American Studies, the department World Studies and section allocation sheltered classes. section to each school at FUHSD A c c o r d i n g to specific course allocations. to Belshe, According to schedulers have Crutchfield, MVHS frequently faces over to navigate specific student constraints enrollment for the following school year such as a student taking the AP level of a and loses 30-40 freshmen in the fall who foreign language and Journalism, both of move elsewhere. SAPs accommodate this which are singleton classes that are only particularly in math, science and modern available in a specific period. language classes, the three areas with “The doubleton, singleton day, [is] the largest amount of drops during the actually one of my favorite days of the school year. whole process, because it is so focused “People say, ‘Why don’t we get our on the students and getting students schedules until the first day?’” Crutchfield the maximum access to what are very said. “We’re making changes all the way specialized courses,” Belshe said. “[We up until that morning [because] new kids consider] how can we create this puzzle enroll [and] new kids drop every day of to put these pieces together to give the year for us.” [students] the most access to take all [the Generally, after dividing enrollment by classes] that they have signed up for.” target section allocation, each student Crutchfield, a previous SAP, says that at MVHS is allocated 6.13 classes, he always reminded students, “You won’t with fluctuations across grade levels. get every class you want every year. It

$150K cost of adding one

MVHS class sizes since 2014

just doesn’t work that way. But you will get it [eventually].” He says that popular classes like Engineering may take a couple years before a student can get it in their schedule since courses in the seventh choice on the course selection form are not guaranteed.

“You’ll get to college and realize how much easier it is in high school to get the courses you want,” Crutchfield said.

Even at the high school level, scheduling conflicts don’t work out for every student, according to Clausnitzer. “[If] we’ve got one student who has [two conflicting singleton classes], we have to go talk to this student and tell them that [they] can’t take two classes during one period and they’re going to have to make a choice,” Clausnitzer said.

“That’s the most complicated part of [course selection].”

In the past, FUHSD has made some changes to the process. They’ve taken students in sheltered classes out of the general class ratios, decreased freshman math class ratios from 32.5 to 23 students per class, decreased music class size ratios from 40 to 36 and guaranteed every school 10 sections of music. Every three years, FEA and FUHSD have the opportunity to negotiate a new contract but don’t change ratios due to the hefty costs involved. Yet Crutchfield foresees that the district may be overstaffed enough next year that the teachers will agree to a temporary ratio reduction.

“Overall, our financial health is really preserved, a lot of it is by this process,” Crutchfield said. “And the healthier [the district is] financially, the more resources there are for students [and] staff members. We are in wonderful financial shape in the last three years. We’ve given 2-5% raises [to staff] the last three years in a row.”

NEWS | MARCH 2021

09

3

THE SOLUTION

Investigating the different ways through which the teachers’ union could address course selection cuts during declining enrollment

BY RACHEL JIANG

O

nce a school with two sections for Beginning Drama, MVHS now only offers one section for the 2020-2021 school year. A combination of annual section cuts coupled with the ordinary low student demand for certain courses has created a dramatic amount of uncertainty for various arts and humanities courses, putting the course sections at existential risk of vanishing completely the following school years.

This is a major concern for MVHS English and Drama teacher Hannah Gould, who felt the stakes of losing sections for her drama courses.

“I had a class that had 50 students in it at the beginning of the year and it’s since dropped down to 44, but that’s still a lot,” Gould said. “If I had only had 25-students section for beginning drama, then I wouldn’t have enough signups, and advanced drama wouldn’t exist.

Next year, and then the following year, honors drama wouldn’t exist. It’s really an existential threat to the subjects that I teach.”

To tackle the issues, Gould, Fremont High School math and engineering teacher and union representative for Fremont Education Association (FEA) Robert Capriles, FEA president Jason Heskett and other FEA members have been brainstorming possible solutions together to create their campaign.

Their ideas and proposals all stem from the FEA Union Representative Council.

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EL ESTOQUE | MARCH 2021

As a union representative, Capriles and Using the annual fiscal year voting, other representatives from across FUHSD Gould and her team are considering frequently gather to vote on different creating a measure that can be voted initiatives for the district’s schools. on district-wide, asking whether FEA According to him, a 50% majority vote members should redirect extra funds into either within the representative council sustaining the at-risk course sections of or among the FEA members would pass a each school. measure, with a few exceptions.

“Some years we get extra money, and According to Capriles and Heskett, at we’re gonna get a 5% raise this year,” the end of Gould said. each fiscal “We’re asking, year, FUHSD ‘Is it possible NO matter which school commonly to have less of you’re going to, you need to allocates a percent of a have support programs like its budget raise this year?’ [avid] in addition to arts and into three So maybe different [teachers] will humanities.” g r o u p s , have a two w h e r e percent raise or “teachers get a three percent 66% because raise, and then FEA Union Representative [they’re] the rest of that the largest money could group of that, be targeted to revenue administrators get 15% and then […] these electives that suffer in terms the CSA, which [includes] our janitors and of just students signups, but are really our secretaries and even some of our tech important to the health of the school people on campus, get 19%.” community, to students’ well being, to Rolling projections for the next few supporting struggling students and [to] school years indicate that the district just having a comprehensive high school will have an extra amount of budget education.” to spend. Historically, the remaining With the official arrangements still money is divided among the teachers, under discussion, the team hopes to direct administrators and classified staff at the the extra money to modifying — usually percentages listed above; this allocation decreasing — the students per teacher occurs twice a year. ratios that lowers the bar necessary to

“

Robert Capriles

Surplus District Budget Allocation After Paid Expenses

create new sections. In the past, this idea was used to preserve at-risk sections.

Heskett wishes to make sure that the FEA has the “right number of elective courses offered to students” and that the teachers are “properly compensated for their health care and their salaries.”

With this strategy, however, there are a few caveats that concern Gould and Capriles as causes for opposition.

Primarily, they anticipate that some FEA members may put their personal interests first, as the proposal advocates for a reduction of annual raise percentage and thereby causes some teachers to be hesitant to vote for it.

“People like salary increases,” Gould said. “The Bay Area is a really expensive place to live and any bit of increase in salary helps […] For teachers who are closer to retirement, their retirement [payments are] determined based on their salary in the last couple of years. So, there’s a big incentive for teachers to get that number as high as possible.”

While Gould understands the complex positions that these teachers face, she hopes “people see the value in the arts” and the “benefit in AVID and other support classes.” Foreseeing the long-run impacts of protecting at-risk electives,

she believes that they will also improve students’ mental health and stress levels.

Gould, Capriles, Heskett and the rest of the team also formulated alternative ideas to address the issue. One of those was changing school schedules to allow more students the opportunity to take courses across schools in the district.

Capriles noticed that different schools have different trends in course selection, comparing the high-demand of AVID programs at FHS to the low-demand for them at MVHS. “Right now in my engineering classes, I have two Lynbrook students because they can just Zoom in [to class ...] they don’t have to physically leave the campus,” Capriles said. “But if we were to go back to in-class learning, they would need to come to Fremont […] We need to give the students some time to get between schools and one of the solutions we might have is [that] we can’t offer every elective at every school, but maybe we offer it somewhere in the district.”

With various ideas pouring into the campaign, the march to save at-risk course sections remains a work in progress.

Though it is hard to guarantee permanent action, Heskett ensures temporary flexibilities will be implemented until

enrollment trends change in the future.

For permanent action, however, Capriles believes that the issue and campaign currently needs more awareness.

“Right now, because of Ms. Gould’s work at MVHS, [the campaign has] really been focused at MVHS, but I believe this work really needs to spread to all the schools in the district,” Capriles said.

“No matter which school you’re going to, you need to have support programs like [AVID] in addition to arts and humanities [...] But the first discussion [we had with the Union] was to see if there was a way that we could solve the problem we have of declining student population.”

NEWS | MARCH 2021

11

DO YOU HAVE A PAD? Why free menstrual products should be available in public school restrooms

BY DIYA BAHL

ILLUSTRATION | OISHEE MISRA

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EL ESTOQUE | MARCH 2021

OPINION D

‘‘

o you have a pad? A tampon, around with them anymore? tampons and pads are available in all maybe?

Toilet paper and soap — these hygienic schools, jails and shelters. According to There it is — a dreaded question products are usually deemed necessary Vox, after providing students with free for anyone who has been faced with the in every school restroom and therefore menstrual products, it was recorded that unfortunate occurrence of starting their are available for free. But for some student daily attendance at these NY period during school. reason, pads and schools shot up, which increased their They check every tampons don’t make performance in class and created more nook and cranny the cut. This problem productive conditions such as greater of their backpack, is exacerbated by academic concentration in their high because they swear what is known as the school environments. they had some extra Tampon Tax, an extra Since MVHS is being remodeled, such as pads laying around in charge placed on the new classrooms or the beautification there from last month. menstrual products of the academic court, our school should PERIODS ARE AN Nevertheless, they all over the country. also invest in free menstrual product INCONVENIENT AND resort to awkwardly According to Period dispensers in the girls and gender-neutral having to ask a friend Equity, in October of restrooms. By doing this, individuals will UNCOMFORTABLE or teacher for one.

2019, it was reported have easy access to free products, which TIME OF THE MONTH, And let’s say said that 33 of the 50 states they could need at any time of the school AND IT’S TIME THAT friend or teacher did were still exercising day. Taking these actions helps normalize THE SCHOOL MADE have a product — the the Tampon Tax. the topic of menstruation as a whole; after ACCOMODATIONS TO person in need of it Specifically in all, it’s about time we stop pretending would have to avoid California, the tax was that periods don’t exist. Ideally, carrying a ALLEVIATE SOME OF the awkward stares eradicated starting pad or tampon to the bathroom shouldn’t ITS STRESSES. while carrying their Jan. 1, 2020 and will spur a feeling of embarrassment, since whole backpack to the stay in effect through menstruation is a completely natural restroom or struggle Dec. 31, 2021. But, process that impacts roughly half of to hide it in their sleeve so that no one when concerns about the tax were our student body. However, creating figures out the real reason they had to go. brought forth in 2016, former California easier access to these products directly There has to be a better solution, right? Governor Jerry Brown vetoed a bill that at school helps ease into what we hope It goes without saying that menstrual would abolish it altogether. Citizens were will become a new norm regarding the products are a necessity for anyone angry with this decision, since it seemed subject of menstruation. who menstruates. Without them, taking women were Access to care of our bodies during that time of being taxed for free menstrual the month would be next to impossible, simply being products in school since these products ensure a safe and women.

The bathrooms would hygienic way of keeping ourselves clean. tax classifies prevent a waste Starting your period during school is m e n s t r u a l of time and avert already a pain, but not having immediate products as “a the loss of focus access to such products only makes the luxury,” which and productivity ordeal more difficult. Feminine hygiene is inherently in a learning products should be available to students, sexist. With that environment. free of cost, to help ease tWhe struggles argument, toilet spent by women on menstrual Periods are an and improve the quality of life at school. paper should products in the U.S. yearly inconvenient and Currently, menstrual product be seen as a *According to a study by Period Equity from 2019 uncomfortable dispensers in MVHS school restrooms “luxury” too, and time of the month, require students to insert 25 cents to we know guys and it’s time that obtain either a pad or tampon, both of are lining up to say they’d be fine without the school made accommodations to which are poor quality. That additional it. alleviate some of its stresses. And in the cost to obtain an essential product only Providing these products in school future, the school will hopefully take the makes the experience of getting your bathrooms free of charge would get rid of necessary steps to remove this barrier for period worse. Not to mention, these these inequities and would further help us so we can keep learning, and so that dispensers hardly ever function properly, dissolve the social stigma that currently we no longer have to ask the question “Do with the machine either being broken surrounds menstruation. you have a pad?” or the products not being regularly Some states, such as New York, have restocked. And who carries change already implemented laws in which free

150 million dollars

OPINION | MARCH 2021

13

Analyzing the impacts of adopting a hybrid, in-person instructional model

BY ANIKA SHARMA

PHOTO BY JUSTINE HA

RETURNING TO CAMPUS Analyzing the impacts of adopting a hybrid, in-person instructional model

BY ANIKA SHARMA

D

uring his first month in office, President Joe Biden, aiming to return to pre-pandemic life by Christmas of 2021, began to implement significant changes to combat the COVID-19 pandemic — which includes reopening schools as soon as safely possible.

Talks of reopening the CUSD elementary and middle schools as well as FUHSD high schools started to circulate more frequently after Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on March 1 that schools reopening would receive grants to curb costs. On March 8, FUHSD hosted a Parent & Community webinar that discussed a potential return to inperson learning in upcoming weeks. The following day, the district’s administration sent out an email explaining that schools would adopt a hybrid model and offer an inperson option for students starting April 19.

T h e turnaround time for this decision was swift — it happened less than a week

after Newsom’s announcement. And considering the district’s previous conservative approach towards reopening, it seems that the decision was motivated by Newsom’s promised funding, rather than the well-being and safety of students and staff.

Santa Clara County is currently in the Orange Tier, which signals that schools may reopen based on state and county guildlines. But at the start of the school year, the county was in the Red Tier for 15 days, which meant the district had the choice to implement hybrid learning.

However, they decided against it, citing logistical and safety concerns in an email to the community on Sept. 24. Yet the county had moved from the Purple Tier into the Red Tier only five days prior to the March 8 webinar. Certainly, the present situation is significantly different — people are now eligible for a COVID-19 v a c c i n e .

However, the county reported 1,604 total COVID-19 cases from March 16 to

SCAN FOR LIVE COVERAGE

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EL ESTOQUE | MARCH 2021

29, and the situation has not evolved enough to warrant the district’s complete shift in stance. Currently, the district is negotiating with the Fremont Education Association (FEA), the teacher’s union, but the decision to return to school has been finalized.

In the days that followed the March 8 webinar, the district said that the safety protocols aim to have 12-14 students per classroom, meaning there would be a rotational group schedule in which students would attend school two days a week. However, new CDC guidelines released on March 19 stating that desks can be three feet apart instead of six added another wrench into the situation.

As of Feb. 25, approximately 20% of students are back on the MVHS campus and are meeting in cohorts for athletics, drama and other academic programs.

But hybrid learning would give all students the choice to return to school in-person, and as a subsequent FUHSD Parent & Community webinar on March 18 explained, COVID-19 safety guidelines would be enforced, guidelines including social distancing, wearing masks, having a daily symptom checker and reporting

A

and contact tracing. This webinar also clarified that in-person students will still be on Zoom, which begs the question of why the hybrid model is even happening.

Moving to this hybrid model, especially with an abrupt notice and quick transition, is accompanied by harmful consequences. There are multiple potential safety issues, and despite the promised precautions, the limited time frame raises concerns — the school will have to create and implement safety measures and protocols within a month before students and staff return to campus.

In addition, with hybrid learning beginning on April 19, there will only be six weeks remaining in the current school year. This will inevitably arrive with many changes, and quickly adapting to a different learning environment will prove demanding. For instance, all FUHSD schools are currently still under construction or being renovated, and the logistics of assigning classrooms is difficult — many teachers will need to share classrooms, which seems like a contradiction to the promised safety measures, and a choice that many teachers and students will be uncomfortable with.

Additionally, for the staff, adjusting to hybrid teaching will present yet another steep learning curve. Teachers will have to juggle both online and in-person students, and their attention will undoubtedly be split. Despite assurance that the content will be the same, Superintendent Polly Bove said at the March 8 webinar that they “cannot promise that there’s going to be the same kind of concentrated effort that there’s been on Zoom.”

Although teachers will face the brunt of

the logistical challenges of a hybrid model, In more ways than one, hybrid learning the teacher perspective on this decision does not seem like the right path for the seems absent. A March 18 webinar slide district to take. The issue, however, is read that teachers were eager to return multifaceted, and should be addressed to in-person work, but the closed-door from a variety of perspectives, including discussions within students, parents the union about and teachers. The at-risk individuals switch to hybrid or those who had seems drastic, second vaccination yet in-person appointments experiences cancelled went would benefit unmentioned.

It the community seems as though the and creative district is making alternatives should decisions motivated be considered returing to school in person by funding, but *According to a survey of 202 students and pursued. disregarding the The prospect of voices of teachers returning to school and how they feel about returning. And is not a black-and-white blame game, and although the district has given teachers should not be treated as such, but making the opportunity to communicate with the transition with caution is critical. one another about hybrid learning, Distance learning has improved teacher opinions on the hybrid model immensely over the past school year, itself seem absent. If the district intends and our community has demonstrated on carrying out its plans, it’s necessary remarkable levels of resilience and that they receive additional information adaptability. The eagerness to return to and feedback from teachers. normalcy is valid, but it seems foolhardy For many, however, returning to school to become complacent and possibly and some semblance of normalcy is a upend our community’s progress when much-needed option. From mental health it comes to reducing the number of benefits due to more in-person social COVID-19 cases. interactions to an increase in productivity The district administration needs to by being in an environment outside of rethink its decision — is this worth it? their homes, many students and staff are anticipating this return to in-person school. March 13 marked a full year since the implementation of distance learning, and the MVHS community undoubtedly misses being together.

But to what extent do the associated stresses and risks outweigh these silver linings?

ILLUSTRATION | ANIKA SHARMA

25% of students are

OPINION | MARCH 2021

15

B BI IT TC ‘‘ CH

“BADASS BITCH”

Dismantling the internalized misogyny behind using “bitch” to denote empowerment

BY IMAN MALIK AND OISHEE MISRA Well-behaved women seldom make Freeman kickstarted a movement to history. redefine “bitch” to mean “empowered” This quote by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich after writing the essay “Bitch Manifesto.” has materialized as stickers on laptops, In subsequent years, several notable posters on walls and on who knows how figures have followed suit in changing many Pinterest boards. Most interpret the connotation, with celebrities like it at its surface Tina Fey and level, declaring congresswoman that women need Alexandria Ocasioto stop being wellCortez claiming behaved in order to “bitches get make history. stuff done” and And this Madonna proudly sentiment often identifying as an emerges through “unapologetic ESSENTIALLY, THE TERM phrases like “own bitch.”

“BITCH” — PREVIOUSLY your inner bitch” Obviously, AND CURRENTLY USED or “be that boss though, “bitch” AS A DEROGATORY TERM bitch.” Essentially, is not used in the term “bitch” an exclusively TOWARDS WOMEN — HAS — previously and e m p o wering BEEN RECLAIMED BY SOME often presently context. A person FEMINISTS AND MARKETED AS used as a will say a woman AN EMPOWERING TERM. derogatory term they don’t like is towards women — “such a bitch,” and has been reclaimed the next day, that by some feminists and marketed as same person will admire their friend’s an empowering term. But why are we confidence and call her a “badass bitch.” reclaiming it in the first place?

This relentless tug-of-war between The etymology of “bitch” reveals that insult and empowerment is inherently the term means “female dog” in Old problematic — it is representative of English. Its origins date back to 1400 our own internalized misogyny. Our A.D., when it first started being used “as rhetoric has become muddled; when we a term of contempt applied to women,” call women who appear either evil or and subsequently appeared in writing to empowered “bitches,” we are conflating describe a “a lewd, promiscuous woman confidence and assertiveness with hatred … a prostitute.” In 1975, author Muriel and hostility.

Schultz explained that rhetoric pertaining We’re guilty of this too. We call ourselves to women often follow this trajectory bitches to justify our empowerment and — beginning as a term with innocent validate our confidence, and on the flip or neutral connotations and eventually side, we also call ourselves bitches when evolving into a derogatory, pejorative we criticize ourselves and fail to live up to sexual slur (wow, patriarchy!). our own expectations.

But in 1970, feminist author Jo It’s time to fix our rhetoric.

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EL ESTOQUE | MARCH 2021

IMAN

I am not shy about my accomplishments.

And why should I be? I’ve done my part; I’ve failed, I’ve succeeded and I’ve worked hard to get to where I am. So when I am good at something, I want people to know it and give me my due respect.

But — and I suspect this happens to me often, simply because I don’t have the luxury of being a man — I am often called “bitchy” or “toxic” when I own my achievements. And now, since I have come to expect these labels, I try to beat everyone to the punch — when I say I’m good at something, I follow up with: “I know I’m toxic” or “I know I’m a bitch.”

Society has normalized women hating themselves, so much so that I have internalized that a powerful woman is also a bitchy one.

But it’s time I understand that being confident does not make me toxic.

Being passionate does not make me stubborn. And being openly proud of my accomplishments does not make me a bitch.

So the next time a Pinterest board tells me to “own my inner bitch,” I’ll ignore it.

There is no bitch to own.

OISHEE

Stop being a bitch frequently runs through my mind (self-criticism is unfortunately one of my fortes).

I have a somewhat incessant need to be perceived as a “good person” (what does this even mean?) — someone who is kind, intelligent and actively works to better society. And whenever I deviate from these goals, my mind instantly jumps to bitch. Stop being a bitch.

I’ve internalized that the worst possible thing to be is a bitch, that whenever

I make a mistake or think a negative thought, I’m the word that the patriarchy uses to reduce women to lesser beings.

But maybe I should rethink my internal rhetoric. Maybe the next time I mess up, I won’t tell myself to stop being a bitch. I’ll tell myself to learn and to do better.

Isn’t that all we can do?

reclaimed for the purposes of diminishing the language’s impact and subsequently decreasing its harm. And while this has been true (to an extent) in cases like some members of the Black community choosing to use the N-word or the LGBTQ+ community adopting the word queer, there are simply better ways to describe women than using the term “bitches,” even if it’s the “empowered version.”

Ulrich’s quote — well-behaved women The patriarchy and internalized seldom make history — is actually often misogyny have manifested differently misinterpreted. Ulrich wasn’t advocating for both of us, but the problem is the for women to stop being “well-behaved,” same. The she was problem criticizing isn’t that how society we pride neglects the ourselves history made for being by women incredible who largely women served in or that we domestic strive to be roles, as if incredible d o m e st i c i t y women should not be — the respected, as problem is have used the term “bitch” in an empowering context if domesticity that we’ve is not a *According to a survey of 193 MVHS students conflated compelling all the enough topic characteristics associated with these to discuss as a facet of femininity. characteristics with the word “bitch.”

Not only should we stop renaming Trying to morph the word “bitch” to confident and ambitious women have an empowering connotation is a as “bitches,” but we should also be quest we should have abandoned a long highlighting the accomplishments and time ago. When it comes down to it, by contributions of all women, regardless of labeling women who are smart, strong what they choose to do. and confident as “badass bitches,” we are Because actually, well-behaved associating positive characteristics with women do make history — but they are an inherently negative word, revealing seldom recognized for it. layers of internalized misogyny. A woman who is confident is not a “badass bitch,” she’s confident. A woman who is not confident shouldn’t be told to “own her inner bitch,” she should be encouraged to recognize and celebrate her worth.

We shouldn’t feel the need to “reclaim” the word “bitch.” Often, hateful rhetoric is

46% of MVHS students

“OWN YOUR INNER BITCH” BITCH

OPINION | MARCH 2021

17

ILLUSTRATION | SOPHIA MA

LET’S STOP FAST FASHION Examining the environmental harms of poorly constructed clothing

BY MELODY CUI

H

&M. Forever 21. Romwe. Urban Outfitters. All of these reputable brands, well-known for their trendy and cheap clothing, fall under the category of “fast fashion,” which is simply defined as the rapid production of cheap and stylish clothes.

Coined in the 1900s by the Spanish apparel company Zara, fast fashion began weaving itself into many popular brands.

Instead of launching new designs four times a year — paralleling the traditional four seasons — fast fashion follows the new 52 “style seasons” curve, meaning that every seven days, stores restock with their latest clothing lines.

The inexpensive prices allow customers to stay up to date with the newest fashion trends without putting a noticeable dent in their wallets. With rapid releases and low prices, customers are encouraged to buy, wear and soon thereafter, replace their clothes. Since companies continue to produce new lines of alluring outfits, trendiness is emphasized while sustainability is deemphasized. But this lifestyle, although enticing for customers,

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has taken a toll on the environment.

As the popularity of fast fashion rose, clothing brands began to cut corners, adopting a “quantity over quality” mindset. They are able to meet their overwhelming demand by using synthetic fibers such as polyester in their clothing since these fibers are easy to produce.

However, these fibers are non-recyclable and can take up to 80 years to decompose.

With the fast cycle of production, consumption and discardure, we have been filling our landfills with textile waste at an alarming rate. According to The True Cost, a documentary released in 2015, the average American generates 82 pounds of textile waste annually, 85% of which ends up in landfills. A Vogue article published in 2019 states that around 50 million tons of clothing are discarded every year.

The global fashion industry is also currently the second largest polluter of clean water and is responsible for 20% of global water waste since fast fashion materials like polyester and other cheap fibers shed tiny plastic bits when decomposing, which can pollute entire

ecosystems. Marine life is extremely susceptible since these microplastics can easily be mistaken for food; after entering their digestive tract, the pieces can cause endocrine disruption, growth stunts and starvation. Marine environment expert Heidi Savelli explains that “one of the problems is plastic ingestion at all levels of the food chain, which may pass plastic to larger animals and humans. The question is, is it acceptable to us to end up eating plastic?”

The need to rapidly produce more clothing has not only negatively impacted the environment but has also increased the amount of resources used by fast fashion companies. One cotton shirt is made with 800 gallons of water — in total, the amount of water used in cotton production has reached 93 billion cubic meters of water per year. Extensive water usage is detrimental to small areas that specialize in growing this crop since they are usually simultaneously suffering from water stress. As we package their fresh water into trendy T-shirts, we are indirectly depleting their resources,

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forcing them to contend with harsh customers to help reduce the harm they have been fostering, such as beginning to conditions.

Cotton and other fibers are also support and buy from eco-friendly brands such as Reformation, produced with oil — Girlfriend Collective one polyester shirt and Frank and Oak. has a 5.5 kg carbon Eco-friendly brands footprint while one follow and promote cotton shirt has 2.2 the idea of building kg. Currently, the a sustainable closet, fashion industry is reducing the amount responsible for 10% THE AVERAGE of textile waste we of annual global AMERICAN produce and the emissions, and The amount of clothing Ethical “Unearthed” GENERATES 82 they make — as the says that if the POUNDS OF TEXTILE production rate goes production continues WASTE ANNUALLY, down, water usage to grow at this rate, 85% OF WHICH ENDS and pollution rates we could see the total will follow. carbon footprint of UP IN LANDFILLS. But ecoour clothing reach DOCUMENTARY friendy brands are 26% by 2050. Climate change is a huge “TRUE COST” significantly more expensive than fast societal issue, and fashion brands, popular ways to making them less address it have been to promote electric cars or commend the appealing and affordable for the general passing of the Clean Air Act. However, public. Being more intentional about what is often overlooked is the fashion the material and brand you wear can heavily contribute to this change, but industry’s carbon footprint.

Although fast fashion corporations are simply buying less can also make a huge at fault, there are still numerous ways for impact. Fast fashion revolves around the

“throwaway” culture — a mindset that involves discarding clothes because you can always buy more. Buying just what you need and wearing it for a lasting period of time, or even mending and repairing older clothes with buttons and seam stitches can prolong your wardrobe’s life and reduce the amount of textiles being sent to the landfill. Donating is also a good way to declutter your closet while preventing it from going to waste.

Fast fashion’s impacts, however prominent, can be considerably dampened if we become more aware of where we buy and how much we buy.

This is something that we should all begin to do.

How often do you buy new clothing?

Do you buy clothing from any fast fashion brands?

*According to a survey of 201 MVHS students

*According to a survey of 193 MVHS students

Weekly

Monthly

40%

59%

No Yearly

44%

56%

OPINION | MARCH 2021

Yes

19

REDEFINING APATHY Challenging our need to always have opinions on issues

BY TYLER CHO

G

iven the near-constant stream of crises over the past year, it seems like there is always something we need to keep up with while simultaneously juggling the everyday struggles that come with being high schoolers during a pandemic. And while it is undoubtedly admirable to be able to keep up with new issues, many of us simply don’t have the bandwidth to do so.

One common issue is becoming emotionally drained when we consume media, which we are doing more as the internet integrates itself further into our lifestyles. Our insatiable desire for the most exciting stories and latest trends has manifested itself primarily in the way that news is presented to us, with news sources commonly using sensationalized headlines and focusing more and more on the negative sides of scenarios to gain more attention. Combined with all the

other issues we all deal with, some of them exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is understandable that constantly informing ourselves about every current event may feel overwhelming for some.

Another common issue we face is having a lack of background knowledge on different topics. Take the issue of universal healthcare, for example.

The United States is currently the sole developed country in the world that does not offer universal healthcare — a difficult issue that we have been tackling for decades. With healthcare, a range of issues ranging from people’s aversion to making personal sacrifices or enacting large-scale changes to the sheer amount of money, parties and perspectives involved contributing to the lack of progress cause the topic to be extremely difficult to address. And the depth of knowledge needed to

ILLUSTRATION | ANUSHKA DE

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EL ESTOQUE | MARCH 2021

completely understand the issue, ranging from a solid grasp of different economic principles to a good understanding of the jargon and language involved, makes it a challenge that not many would be excited to tackle.

But as a community, many have begun equating neutrality with a lack of desire to solve problems. The statement “I don’t know enough about our country’s healthcare system or have the capacity to learn about it enough to have an opinion on universal healthcare” could be interpreted as “I don’t care about the struggles that low-income households and minorities face in our current healthcare system,” a leap in logic that most likely simply isn’t true.

This culture of accusation and blaming, of jumping to conclusions without taking into account personal context and situations, needs to come to an end.

These kinds of assumptions promote to it. Whether it’s because we don’t have with discussions instead of hiding a fear of neutrality that pushes many the capacity to take on another crisis behind our screens and sending chat to make uninformed decisions to avoid or we simply don’t know enough on the messages just to appease our teachers. being labeled as apathetic. They make issue to have an informed opinion, we Opportunities and resources to grow our it more difficult to have productive should not feel pressured to rush into understanding are all around us — in our discussions, as people who could gain making decisions and forming strong classes and at home, with our teachers knowledge from engaging with others stances on various issues; it may prove and peers, online and in real life — yet if they are honest to open up more many of us have become jaded and about their lack opportunities to choose blissful ignorance. of familiarity are learn and explore What real activism should do is make a more likely to avoid if we are honest difference, whether in our inner circles of conversation as about our current friends and family or on an international much as possible. situations, and scale. For instance, the Student Equity Task If this fear ultimately allow for Force that was formed this year as a result of apathy is left more nuance within of students who saw issues within our IF WE ARE UNABLE TO unchallenged, our discussions. community that needed to be addressed we could develop But the way and devoted their time and energy to CHANGE THE WAY WE a culture of we view people’s bring about specific action items. Though ENGAGE NEUTRALITY, AS conformity through neutral stances is they may not have all the answers from WE APPROACH THE TIME which people not the only thing the get-go, their engagement with our WHEN WE WILL DEVELOP follow whatever that needs to administration to make these changes a OUR OWN POLICIES FOR opinion is popular, change. While each reality, developing informative lessons making it easier one of us may have on systemic inequities and injustices, THE WORLD, IT BECOMES for misinformation our personal issues demonstrates a willingness to learn, to ALL THE MORE OF A to sway people’s that likely require engage and to reach out — a mentality CHALLENGE TO ENACT opinions — and we time or changes in that all of us could benefit from.

ANY CONCRETE CHANGE. might be moving order to overcome And any actions that we do choose down this path them, a fear of to take need to be both informed and already. It is even engagement with effective, with a clear purpose in mind. more crucial for us to be able to make others should not be one of them. Too Doing things like sharing trending decisions for ourselves as we consider the many of us balk at the idea of labeling posts on social media neither sparks position that we are in as students, as the ourselves as “real activists,” put off by the the meaningful, necessary dialogue we ones who will be voting and representing so-called standards need to have, nor is our own communities in such a short that we see others sufficient to educate amount of time. dictate, so in order others. It can be as If we are unable to change the way to avoid appearing simple as diversifying we engage in neutrality, as we approach apathetic but still the authors and the time when we will develop our own staying within our directors in our policies for the world, it becomes all the comfort zones, we entertainment choices more of a challenge to enact any concrete opt for security and (try the Academy WHAT REAL ACTIVISM change. Even in the past several weeks, speak up when it’s award-nominated SHOULD DO IS MAKE A we have seen major issues requiring easy. But activism movie “Minari,” which our attention coming to light, from the doesn’t have to be DIFFERENCE, WHETHER highlights the struggles presence of sexual assault and harassment the huge, intimidating of a South Korean IN OUR INNER CIRCLES in our school to the persecution of AAPI life commitment that immigrant family OF FRIENDS AND people throughout the entire nation. many of us view it as. who fight to adjust FAMILY OR ON AN And if people are increasingly lacking a When we are to life in the States) INTERNATIONAL SCALE. real stance on such things, it becomes participating in Honors or lending a listening all the more likely for them to contribute American Literature ear to peers who to the shallow practices of performative fishbowls about have been affected by activism that we have developed — challenging and thought-provoking sexual harassment or assault, but these actions that don’t have much meaning topics, rather than blindly picking seemingly small actions can make a and don’t accomplish much at all — rather sides and agreeing with the rest of our world of difference. than embracing a spirit of true activism peers, we ought to honestly reflect and that is open to making changes to our question what we truly believe is right. own mindset and actions and doing the During the Wednesday morning advisory same in others. presentations about racism, xenophobia, Not having an opinion on an issue sexual assault and other pressing issues, doesn’t necessarily mean one is apathetic we should focus on genuine engagement

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OPINION | MARCH 2021

21

A YEAR WE DIDN’T LOSE

Discovering the myriad of things we learned this year

W

e missed out on a year of learning.

March 13 signaled the one year anniversary of distance learning.

And many MVHS students claimed it also signaled one year of unfinished curriculum, inadequate education and lost potential. But did it really?

Speaking from our seats of privilege here in Cupertino, it seems unfair to equate distance learning with no learning.

Sure, distance learning hasn’t been the same. But our teachers have been working tirelessly to provide an in-depth education, allowing students to learn an exceptional amount of material this school year despite the unprecedented (the word so aptly describes this past year that it’s become a cliche) circumstances.

It would be unfair, even blatantly false, to claim that teaching and learning hasn’t been happening.

And learning transcends merely academic learning. This past year has offered us time, and with it, opportunities to learn more about ourselves. The d o w n t i m e during

quarantine let us explore new things, weekend hikes, cooking together or whether that was taking up the ukulele eating dinner together, playing music or realizing hiking was far from a horrible or building puzzles, small yet persistent ordeal (it’s exercise with bonus points for actions helped us rekindle and strengthen pretty scenery!). our bonds. Perhaps halting the breakneck High school is supposedly the four speed of life was something all of us years of our lives where we can explore a needed. And when we graduate high variety of interests and start to discover school and leave our homes, maybe we who we are and who we want to be. But will remember this year as not the year ironically at MVHS, this is often neglected. we lost, but rather the year we developed More often than not, we are unequivocally more meaningful relationships with our goal-oriented and constantly push families and friends. ourselves to get into our dream colleges This isn’t meant to dismiss the and construct our dream futures. And challenges of this past year. Distance sometimes, we learning has forget to just been hard. exist and use Going to OPINION OF THE EL ESTOQUE the time that school inwe have to do person makes EDITORIAL BOARD the things that it easier for we like. Sometimes we forget to actively us to learn, and seeing our classmates work towards being happy and liking and teachers in-person was a blessing ourselves — but isn’t that the real goal? that most of us took for granted (maybe We also learned how to bridge distance we’ll remember this and complain less in in relationships, whether that was being the future?). And sure, in-person school physically distant from our friends or would likely have yielded better test perhaps being emotionally distant from scores and we would have gotten through our families. For our families in more curriculum. particular, many of us used Yet the MVHS community has a the gift of additional tendency to embrace a single-faceted time to develop new definition of learning. Learning is family practices. not just about the AP classes and the Whether they numbers on Schoology and the SAT and were daily ACT scores. Learning is about the selfwalks or management we cultivated this year, like time management and organization.

And learning is also about developing introspection, building relationships and practicing empathy. We’ve done all of those this year, likely to a larger extent than we would have during a regular school year. Learning about yourself — who you are and who you want to be — is probably the best kind of learning there is. And when we look back years later, maybe we will remember this year as not the year we lost, but rather the year we learned how to commend ourselves for our resilience and like (hopefully even love) ourselves and those who matter most to us.

It isn’t fair to say we missed out on a year of learning. We didn’t miss out on a year of learning. We’ve been learning all along.

STAFF EDITORIAL

MARCH 13, 2020

self-management

EMPATHY

RESILIENCE

CONNECTIONS RESILIENCE

EMPATHY

self-management

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MARCH 13, 2021

EL ESTOQUE | MARCH 2021

THIS TIME'S THE CHARM

Coming to terms with my constantly changing interests

BY SHIVANI VERMA

if I’ll be happier by doing something else, would I even know? I give up before I can leaving me constantly dissatisfied. I can ever find out. never just choose, because I’m afraid I So what’s the verdict with the ukulele, won't make the then?

Have right choice.

I found my In sophomore soul in string year, when I instruments? joined the MVHS Well, I’m not Dance Team, I sure. I haven’t was confronted gotten past IN THE MIRROR with a group tuning the C of people who string. The tuning SHIVANI VERMA had made their peg is stuck. choices. Here were girls who had stuck Now, the ukulele just kind of sits there with dancing their entire lives, who had in my room, waiting for me to pick it up participated in multiple conventions and and use it, just another reminder that competitions and could do fouetté turns maybe I’m just too scared of commitment. and bend in ways I would never be able Because anything that fascinates me for to. I had only done dance recreationally even a moment hums with potential, — dropping ballet after a couple years, every new thing sparks joy in my heart. embarrassed at my lack of skill, then But in the end, I’m back to feeling like I’ve quitting tap dancing after plateau-ing been aimlessly trying on activities like because the class wasn’t fun anymore. clothes at the mall — nothing feels right.

At MVDT practice, the weight of And that makes me absolutely terrified my teammates’ about my future. College seems to be skill felt like it was lurking right around the corner, and flattening me dozens of opportunities are tugging me into the ground. in different directions. But I’m paralyzed, Oh, I thought. caught between being better than a So that’s what beginner but not good enough to make it it’s like to my dream. actually be good But despite how much I despise my at something. inability to focus or be truly happy with I'm grateful something that I’m doing, I just can’t that my parents resist the allure of all the new things that never forced cross my path, or convince myself to me to stick with focus on things I “should” do and deny something I myself the opportunity to explore new didn’t want ventures. Is there really anything wrong to do, but now, with pursuing that glimmer of hope? realizing the Society makes us believe that when benefits of years we do something, we need to have of practice makes something to show for it — but that’s not me wonder if I had true. All of the best things in life come from missed my chance genuine happiness, however fleeting, not to be someone desperately chasing outcomes that we impressive. Could I think we should achieve. have been actually good at something After all, maybe this time I won’t if I had stuck with it? Maybe it's my fault give it up. And the thought of that is too because I’m lazy or lack the determination captivating to let go of. to push through obstacles and turn my hobbies into something more. But how ILLUSTRATION | ANUSHKA DE

S

o last week I got a ukulele.

I didn’t buy one out of the blue — I just borrowed my neighbor’s. She was more than happy to give it to me without a second thought. I definitely had second thoughts, but not about the ukulele — rather, about the possibility that I’m starting something I’ll never finish again.

The other day, my mom came into my bedroom and picked up the instrument, plucking on the strings in a discordant way that made me wince at my homework.

“Put it down, you’re distracting me.

Plus, I haven’t finished tuning it yet, so I can’t play any songs.”

“Why do you have to learn songs?”

I had put my pencil down. “What else am I going to do with it?”

“Well, you don’t have to learn anything.

Why can’t you play it for fun like this?”

“I don’t have time for that right now.”

Frowning, I’d ignored her and got back to my frustrating assignment.

The ukulele isn’t my first venture into the world of music.

I learned to play the keyboard in second grade, took vocal lessons for a couple of months in eighth grade and spent second period of ninth grade in choir. In between I’ve done all sorts of things: art classes, swimming lessons, gymnastics classes, jewelry and friendship bracelet making and a multitude of dance classes.

But nothing I’ve done can count as more than just a measly hobby. Every time I start something, that sparkling sheen of newness eventually dulls and with it, my interest fades. Sooner or later, I start wondering

OPINION | MARCH 2021

23

THE PANDEMIC YEAR IN

six words

Twelve months of quarantine expressed in half as many words ILLUSTRATIONS | ANUSHKA DE

I’m in therapy now; that’s good.

ANONYMOUS

I am tech-savvy and sleepy.

ANONYMOUS

More comfortable in my own company.

ANONYMOUS

Discovered myself. Mom isn’t having it.

ANONYMOUS

I think I’m a bit lonelier.

ANONYMOUS

Same old sh--, just slightly worse.

SOPHOMORE VIDYA BHARADWAJ

Time to think, but never enough.

ANONYMOUS

24

EL ESTOQUE | MARCH 2021

Wait, it’s been a year already?

ANONYMOUS

My social skills are almost dead.

ANONYMOUS

I fell. I soared. I triumphed.

ANONYMOUS

A FRACTION OF TIME MVHS community members in different age groups reflect on the pandemic year in the context of their lives

Isha Kharlekar, 7

MARVIN WU, 16

SCOTT VICTORINE, 40

Varshini Srikanthan, 19

RICHARD PRINZ, 72

“ MY EARS GREW A BIT BIGGER” How a year of quarantine has impacted the lives of elementary school students

S

BY ANUSHKA DE AND SOPHIA MA

econd grader Isha Kharlekar doesn’t know what “pand-duh-mic” means, but she knows that everyone is staying home because of the coronavirus and that “we are making a cure or a vaccine for it.” She also knows that she has to wear a mask and stay six feet away from everyone when she leaves her house.

Kharlekar is one of the approximately 57 million elementary and middle schoolers whose lives have transformed due to the COVID-19 pandemic — lives of lunches spent watching YouTube instead of running around on playgrounds, typing

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question marks into Google Meet chats instead of raising their hands and making friends in breakout rooms rather than in the classroom.

But the youngest age group of students is perhaps the most resilient of all. Despite their physical isolation, elementary and middle school children have found the silver lining that frames each Google Meet screen — from exploring hobbies to learning something new each day, these students are examples of how to turn any situation, no matter how dire and depressing, into an exciting adventure.

Second grader Atharv Kulkarni knows his classroom rules by heart: be kind, listen to the teacher, don’t speak without pressing the “raise hand” button and no bad words in the chat. Not everyone follows these rules though, Kulkarni explains. His classmates sometimes type inappropriate messages in

the chat, like the word “poop” or the poop emoji. Students who spam the chat, however, are far from the most challenging part of school online — the real obstacle is the internet.

“School online is a bit tricky because everyone’s getting internet problems and then what happens is [that] no one will be able to hear you and your camera goes off and [you] cannot see them,” Kulkarni said. “It is also a bit too tricky because they give too much work [to do alone] online. When you go to school, [it’s easier because] you can work exactly with the teacher.”

Kharlekar, who is Kulkarni’s classmate at Regnart Elementary School, echoes that in-person school offered a more robust teaching experience because the teacher could actually see her students and was therefore better at determining when someone needed help. Kharlekar can’t tell if there is more or less work online — last year, she ILLUSTRATIONS | ANUSHKA DE was a first grader, so naturally the volume of work increased this year — but she does think it would have been more in person. Now, however, rather than turning in worksheets to a basket at the front of their classroom, Kharlekar and her classmates upload their work to an app called Seesaw, where they can leave comments on their friends’ posts.

Making friends on Google Meet occurs in two ways, Kulkarni explains: students can either say “Hi” to each other in the chat feature or in breakout rooms. He states that since moving in January of this year from Central Park Elementary School in Santa Clara to Regnart, he has made four friends.

“So the first [friend] I made was Aayansh,” Kulkarni said. “He was like, ‘I’m going to teach Atharv, I’m gonna help him to do [his] project’ in the chat, so I made friends with him.

Then someone else named Preston, and then someone named Shivaansh. First, Ayaansh said ‘Hi’ to Shivaansh in the chat, and then he said ‘Hi Atharv’ and then we made friends. And for Dan I asked if I can be his friend in the chat too and he just said ‘Yes.’” Kulkarni’s friend, Shivaansh Kompalli, explains that the only time he interacts with his friends at school is during the time they spend in breakout rooms, which his teacher assigns at the end of the school day. He and his friend will ask to be assigned the same breakout room, where sometimes they are assigned a topic to discuss — such as U.S. presidents — and other times, they can choose to talk about whatever they want — usually their Hot Wheel cars.

The longing to return to in-person school isn’t uncommon, as Kulkarni cites that he is able to learn more when physically in a classroom rather than in front of a computer screen. He finds meeting friends in real life much more fun, especially since the factors of eating lunch and playing on the playground together are actually plausible when it comes to in-person school. When Kulkarni thinks of going back, all he can say is, “Can I go now? Can I go now? Can I go now?”

Fourth grader Shouki Baba, who attends Regnart Elementary School, thinks the same but for a slightly different reason — being at home gives Baba’s mother the opportunity to ask him to complete various chores around the house, which he does not enjoy. “[I want to go back] because when I go on break, my mom keeps making me do tasks, like [feeding] the chickens,” Baba said. “And also, when I go to online school, I’ll be late [because] sometimes I forget to go to the class because of YouTube.”

“

But while Baba and Kulkarni are eagerly awaiting the return of in-person school, not all students feel the same. Second grader Dan Zhao — another classmate of Kharlekar, Kulkarni and Kompalli — agrees that there are “lots of things” to hate about the pandemic.

He has to wear masks, he can’t go outside even with his mom and he has to constantly reload the Google Meet page before classes as he stares at the words, “You are not allowed to start the meeting.”

But after hearing that Regnart Elementary School plans to return in-person learning on April 5, he exclaimed, “Please no, please no. Please let me stay home, please let me stay home.”

For Zhao, his favorite thing about the pandemic is that he can fulfill his dream of staying home. He recounts that the intensity of the in person school at his old school, Challenger School, “just drives [him] crazy” and that he enjoys the absence of that rigor online.

“I just don’t like to learn, that’s just a normal person’s reason,” Zhao said. “One of my friends loves to go to normal school and I’m not sure why, but I think it’s just a normal person’s reason [for] why I don’t like to go to school. I don’t need to go to the real school and I get to stay home, and I love to stay home.”

Through the ups and downs of the pandemic, however, all six students echo the same sentiment — that the hardest part of a year in

please no, please no. please let me stay home.

SECOND GRADER DAN ZHAO

quarantine has been the inability to see their friends. Kompalli explains that, when he goes back to school, he will value the classroom environment much more.

“I’m gonna appreciate that I can meet all my friends again,” Kompalli said excitedly. “And also, I can touch them. I can really touch them.”

Kharlekar recalls being thrust into online learning almost exactly a year ago, and reflects on how her experience with the sudden changes that accompanied a life in quarantine — there were suddenly safety protocols and rules about wearing masks and staying socially distanced that confused her. For Kompalli, the beginning of quarantine was also scary because he heard that people were dying from a novel illness without a cure. But when he reflects on this past year, he can only think of one way it has changed him.

“I think my ears grew a bit bigger so my headphones could actually fit me,” Kompalli said. “That’s pretty much all that changed.”

FEATURES | MARCH 2021

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“ I HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE ” How a year of quarantine has impacted the mental health of MVHS students

I

BY IMAN MALIK

t was 10 p.m. one night when senior Reva Lalwani began to feel the effects of being isolated at home. Lalwani had been in quarantine with her parents and older sister for a few months now, and there was only one thought in her mind.

I have to get out of here.

Lalwani looked at her older sister, and together, they left the house and drove to the MVHS student parking lot in their dad’s 21-year-old sandy brown MercedesB e n z .

L a l w a n i ’s s i s t e r brought along

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her childhood Winnie the Pooh stuffed animal for emotional support. Both Lalwani and her sister were distraught.

Once they arrived, they stayed in the car and ate chocolate — Hershey’s Miniatures wrapped in gold foil — for an hour.

“When I tell it now, it doesn’t seem that bad,” Lalwani said. “But it was really hard on both of us. Even worse than the arguments is the aftermath because you’re walking on eggshells. So I started going on more walks.

And my walks got longer. Once, I just sat outside for three hours and stared into the void — something I would have never done in the past. One time, I went on a walk while listening to music and I walked until my AirPods died. It was a feeling of needing to just escape.”

Lalwani describes her mental health throughout a year of quarantine as “fluctuating.” When shelter-in-place was first mandated in March of 2020, Lalwani had more time to reflect, causing thoughts she had previously kept at bay to emerge and lead her into a “pessimistic place.”

Towards the end of the 2020 school year, Lalwani kept herself busy with club activities, which improved her mental health, but the lack of work

“

she had to do during the summer of 2020 made that time period the most difficult for her.

Recently, Lalwani has become aware of how to best manage her mental health to ensure it remains relatively stable.

She started reading for pleasure again — something she has not had time to do since her freshman year — and stays on top of her club responsibilities and school assignments.

For junior Taralynn Kang, all of the extra time that accompanied the beginning of quarantine made it exciting. She started playing video games and spending time with family, but similarly to Lalwani, she quickly encountered what she calls a “depressive episode.” Kang suddenly found herself much less passionate about hobbies she had enjoyed her entire life like playing the piano.

“I don’t want to be negative, but it was pretty much, for me, a year of loss,” Kang said. “Our lives are placed on indefinite pause. I had a lot of big things planned and to have those just snatched away out of my grasp, it was like, ‘I have nothing to look forward to, what is the point of anything anymore?’ Even now that I’m adjusted to it, I think I’ll always look back and remember that with a bit of regret. I

I just wished I hugged my friends a bit harder.

JUNIOR TARALYNN KANG

remember on the last day of school, my didn’t feel the motivation to call anyone entire friend group all got together and either. I just felt so listless and lacked the hugged each other because we didn’t energy and motivation to do anything.” know when we would see each other Kang says her mental health journey again. I just wished I hugged my friends a through quarantine taught her a lot about bit harder.” herself. Specifically, Kang feels more in Junior Marvin Wu also describes the touch with her emotions and encourages beginning of others to ask quarantine for help, even as a “huge though doing turning point” so might be in his life, but difficult at contrary to first.

Lalwani and “ I t ’ s Tang, Wu important feels that his for people to mental health know that improved they’re not felt their mental health during the first alone and suffered DURING quarantine few months. there are He says his people that *According to a survey of 189 MVHS students c o n f i d en c e they can turn level is much to when they higher now feel like they because of the lack of social interaction don’t have anyone to lean on,” Kang said.

— Wu feels that he no longer has to be “A couple people that I talked to were like, “hyperaware” of the judgement of people ‘Oh I don’t like the school counselors’ around him. or ‘I don’t recommend that.’ But I don’t Academically, Wu says the beginning of think that should allow someone quarantine was like “a breath of fresh air” to be discouraged because, — he was a second semester sophomore even if it’s just a one-time at the time, and his workload was session, just talking increasing by the day. Quarantine gave is very helpful. It’s a him the opportunity to relax and focus means of catharsis. on self-care. Now, though, Wu notices a If I had to sum up lack of motivation among himself and his [my mental health peers regarding school assignments. journey] in a single “Going back to school, there would be a word, I would better structure in students’ lives because say evolution, you’re going to school and then you come because I back home to a different environment,” learned a lot Wu said. “In distance learning, everything about my is in your room. The boundaries of what is own power class time and what is work time are very over my blurred. When we do get back to normal, I definitely do think there’s going to be a boost in morale. We’re finally getting back out there and talking to people. emotions Lalwani has seen this same lethargy and how I that comes with distance learning deal with manifest itself in her own emotional state. things.”

“I was always so stressed, because I’d L i k e be like, ‘I have to get this done,’” Lalwani Kang, Lalwani said. “Then I wouldn’t do it. Then when it also learned was time to do it, I had no time to do it. So more about herself then, the quality of my work decreased. and her emotions through My stress and anxiety was really bad. I just her time alone during the closed in on myself. I stopped talking to pandemic. people. I was distraught because I wasn’t “One positive lesson talking to anyone. I felt really lonely, but I that’s come out of this is:

70%

I am enough for myself,” Lalwani said.

“This was a pretty big lesson for me in particular to learn because I depended on others to make me happy. Even still, having a good time with friends definitely fills up my emotional battery. But it’s not to a large extent anymore. I could spend several days by myself and be perfectly happy with it.”

ILLUSTRATIONS | ANUSHKA DE

of students

FEATURES | MARCH 2021

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“ we're not

invincible ” M

Exploring how a year of quarantine has impacted the career ambitions of MVHS alumni

BY IMAN MALIK

VHS alum Shuvi Jha ‘20 was set on did which impacted her the most: taking becoming a journalist. After a positive an online Coursera class on global health. experience writing for El Estoque, Jha “Global health itself was [in this] believed journalism was something that very colonial perspective, and after came naturally to her. But after reading that course, I was really interested negative media coverage surrounding in decolonizing basically everything, COVID-19, specifically regarding how because I realized everything is [seen N a t i v e with] such a American colonial, whiteand BIPOC man perspective,” experiences Jha said. were becoming “Maybe health is “trauma porn,” something that’s Jha began to for me. Maybe have second healthcare is what thoughts about I want to do. I did her career path. more research Jha realized into it and I really HAVE CHANGED THEIR CAREER that if she joined liked it. I’ve always PLANS DUE TO QUARANTINE a professional liked biology, but *According to a survey of 172 MVHS students publication, [the course] really she would made certain frequently have to grapple with for me that I am pre-med. I had a major overexaggerated and inaccurate realization.” coverage. Because she immigrated from Similar to Jha, MVHS alum Varshini India, Jha’s career and life philosophy Srikanthan, ‘19, credits the solitude of stems from the struggles her parents quarantine for helping her decide on a went through to come to America — she major. Before quarantine, Srikanthan was strives to use her privilege to do good. having a difficult time narrowing down After realizing the disconnect between her interests. She was passionate about journalism and her personal values, Jha writing, public health and public policy, began to look for more fulfilling career but she was also interested in economics opportunities with her newfound free and the business aspects of industries. time due to COVID-19. Currently, she Srikanthan is planning to attend law is writing a book about the impacts of school after earning her undergraduate COVID-19 on Native Americans and is a degree, but she wanted to consider the member of the Proswrites Foundation. possibility of not being accepted into She is also a founder of Edits for Good, law school when choosing a major. For a college-counseling and essay-editing her, it came down to choosing a more program targeted towards MVHS practical major or a major she was students, which donates its funds directly passionate about. Exploring majors to the civil rights organization NAACP. But like math, cognitive science, ultimately, it was the smallest activity she public health, philosophy

21%

of students

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and English, Srikanthan felt that at one point, she was debating between every major in the college catalog. However, during quarantine, Srikanthan decided to declare economics as her major.

“Before quarantine, I was surrounded by so many different people who had so many different majors who would tell me so many different things about what they liked about what they were studying,” Srikanthan said. “It was really beneficial for me to be forced into my own space and just think about what my own interests are. I was constantly pursuing the first thing that would come to mind or the closest exciting opportunity, and I think that was distracting. One good thing that came out of quarantine for me is that I was just able to take a step back and assess my own interests, because there is no one else creating that noise for me.”

In contrast, as a senior in college, MVHS alum Nicholas Chen ‘18 has remained focused on finishing his degree in computer science. He believes quarantine gave him time to w o r k on CS projects revolving

“

There’s a certain serendipity to in-person life, where you can just bump into somebody you haven’t seen in a while.

MVHS ALUM Nicholas Chen ‘18

how he would want to spend his time, Jha learned more about herself through quarantine. Now, she has a redefined one of her common mantras: “be a strong and independent woman.”

“I use that [phrase] a lot, but I don’t think I really knew what that meant until this pandemic,” Jha said. “To me, prior to the pandemic, being strong [and] independent meant being fully confident and aware of yourself and knowing that you’re right. But I think I’ve learned now that it means being vulnerable and recognizing that you need to be open to new ideas. You might not know yourself fully and that’s OK. But just embracing more of the change that has come with this year, like in my personal life, in college and everything.”

Like Chen, Srikanthan has also experienced the drawbacks of a schedule of structured Zoom meetings, because with everything online, it is harder to gauge how much

time she actually has. With in-person life, Srikanthan experiences her “natural limits” — it is impossible for her to physically go to many places in a single day. However, in quarantine, a lack of commute convinced Srikanthan to take on a lot more activities.

“One thing that I’ve learned is that it’s OK to shift your expectations of yourself,” Srikanthan said. “When you’re just clicking on one link to the next link, it’s easier to pile on more until you’ve reached your physical limit. But that limit is harder to determine because you’re just moving from your bed to your desk. So I was doing a lot, but as time progressed, I was like, ‘I am burned out.’ It was easy for me to feel discouraged by the fact that I wasn’t able to handle the same things that I used to be able to. But I think going through all of this, you realize that we are in a global pandemic. This is not a normal time, so it’s OK to not be doing so many things. Because as much as it can feel like you have all the time in the world, we’re not invincible. And I think that’s OK.”

ILLUSTRATIONS | ANUSHKA DE

around personal interests — like building music and note-taking apps — instead of projects to solely impress recruiters.

For Chen, the arrival of COVID-19 in the U.S. was not entirely unexpected because his grandparents, both of whom reside in Wuhan, warned his family ahead of time by describing how they saw dead bodies being carried out of their apartment complex. What Chen was surprised about, however, was the speed at which the crisis progressed.

“I remember nothing was bad, and then one day later, the whole country literally shut down,” Chen said. “A bunch of universities had shut down and then a day later, UC Davis canceled finals and spring quarter. It just felt like a super fast ramp up. I don’t think I have felt anything like that [previously].”

For Chen, there have been several benefits of quarantine on his college experience — for example, now that lectures are in video form, he feels he can learn the content with greater efficiency.

However, there are some aspects of inperson life Chen misses, and he has made plans for his life post-quarantine.

“There’s a certain serendipity to inperson life, where you can just bump into somebody you haven’t seen in a while,” Chen said. “You haven’t really been thinking of them, but you just bumped into them in the hallway. You don’t get that with Zoom because everything’s planned out.

Personally speaking, quarantine has been a time for me to sit back and reevaluate my priorities, so it’s not like I’m itching to just do something. I do want to travel. I do want to go to concerts, check out a bar, but I’m in no rush.

I’ll take my time.”

W h i l e C h e n discovered what is important to him a n d

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“ iI can't give my mom a hug ” How a year of quarantine has impacted the milestones of adults in the MVHS community

BY RIYA RAVURI

A

ILLUSTRATIONS | ANUSHKA DE

fter 40-year-old history teacher Scott Victorine decided to stop by his local Safeway to stock up on groceries before the county-wide shelterin-place order was enforced on March 13, 2020, he was surprised to find the shelves sparse and a man

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frantically saying, “The world’s gonna end next week! The world’s gonna end next week!” With already budding fears about the pandemic, Victorine reflects on how he never expected to experience anything similar to the COVID-19 outbreak during his lifetime.

Before the shelter-in-place order was issued — signaling what, in Victorine’s mind, was the start of the pandemic — he experienced another life-changing surprise: he found out that his wife was pregnant with their first child, a happy but unexpected event for his family. Their daughter Samantha was born on Oct. 7, 2020. Although the couple was initially apprehensive about experiencing the pregnancy process and bringing a baby into their family during a pandemic, Victorine explains how the time in isolation actually served as a blessing.

“When I look back on this years from now, I will be very glad that I was able to spend this time with my daughter, and I’ve been able to see her grow and build this bond,” Victorine said. “I think it would be very different had I been leaving in the morning, going to work, heading out the door at 6:15 [or] 6:30 and then coming home at 5:00 at night. There would be a different relationship we would have between father and daughter.”

While Victorine cultivated a close relationship with his newborn daughter in quarantine, 29-year-old MVHS alum Tarun Galagali, ‘09, also strengthened a relationship with a loved one — his partner. During his first year at Harvard Business School, he had been maintaining

a long distance relationship with her. After he completed his first year of graduate school in May 2020, he decided to defer for a year to spend time with his partner and gain real world business experience by joining a startup.

Galagali chose to stay with his partner in Palm Springs, a city located in California’s Sonoran Desert, for three months. They spent their days hiking in the morning, watching Marvel movies together at night and simply enjoying each other’s company.

“It was probably the best few months we’ve had together because we found that in isolation, near [a] desert, even though we knew no one, we could make a little home,” Galagali said. “It was our first time living together so it was really powerful to be with her and be connected with someone who understood me so well emotionally.”

While Galagali and Victorine got to physically spend time with loved ones,

28-year-old Cupertino resident Sai Saroja Kolluru was separated from her fiancé, who lived in Minnesota while she stayed in California, so that both of them could live near their jobs. The couple had planned on hosting a traditional wedding with 500 - 600 attendees in Kolluru’s hometown of Hyderabad, India, on July 31, 2020.

But despite the substantial work that had been put into the planning process — down to the details of the wedding invitation — the couple decided to postpone the wedding due to safety concerns. Since then, they have started to plan for the postponed wedding, which they hope to hold sometime in three to six months with a smaller group of people and safety precautions.

Although Kolluru had been excited about the wedding, she chose to find the silver lining — with the extra time, she and her fiancé, who are both very career-oriented people, were able to excel in their professional lives, despite experiencing what Kolluru’s brother had dubbed “retroactive love,” because their wedding date would be much later than originally scheduled. She described the postponed wedding as a “blessing in disguise,” and explained that despite her disappointment, she felt that “everything happens for a reason.”

Victorine and his wife had also identified as busy professionals who maintained an active social life before their lives were brought to a “screeching halt” with the shelter-in-place order. For them, however, the pandemic allowed them to take a step back from the fast pace of work and find a new appreciation for aspects of their lives that had previously gone unnoticed.

“I know it might sound a little cliche, but it really is the ‘don’t take anything for granted’ idea — you hear it all the time,” Victorine said. “But for me it really set in, because it was like, ‘Wow, I can’t give my mom a hug.’”

Galagali echoes that one of the most difficult parts of the pandemic was not being able to hug his family and other loved ones, while Kolluru describes the disappointing feeling of not being able to see people smile through their masks.

“I go to the grocery store, and everyone’s so friendly, and I can’t even see what they’re doing,” Kolluru said. “I can’t even see their smile. Something as little as that is what kind of bothers me.

It’s the little things that keep humans going, right?”

Over the course of quarantine, Galagali realized that despite leaving behind his friends at Harvard and the stability of graduate school, being able to see his loved ones kept him grounded.

Instead of following a strict route through life, he was able to stop being a “passive participant of experiences” and instead take advantage of the lockdown to control his life.

“I’ve learned that all I really need to be happy is people that I love being near me and having some measure of purpose [in my life] and being able to be healthy,” Galagali said.

“I don’t actually think that I need much more than that.”

Kolluru also described how the pandemic taught her to be grateful of her loved ones, and how the obstacles she experienced as a result of COVID-19 only made her stronger. She explains how, even after a return to

a semblance of normalcy, people would remember the lessons learned from the pandemic for years to come.

“I don’t really want to sound too dramatic, but it just opened my eyes as to what Mother Nature’s really capable of — all of a sudden, you had this small, invisible particle that was controlling the entire world,” Kolluru said. “To me, it was like a wake up call as to how we as human beings should be so careful going forward in whatever we do if we do want to preserve what the Earth has provided for us.”

FEATURES | MARCH 2021

33

HOW much MUCH “ How

OF a A mistake MISTAKE of CAN iI make?

MAKE? ” can W How a year of quarantine has impacted lifestyles of older adults at MVHS

BY BRIAN XU

hen Economics teacher Pete Pelkey stayed overnight in a Los Angeles hotel one evening in late 2020, he was “scared to death.”

“You can’t take the hotel room — that’s a death wish, you know,” Pelkey said.

Pelkey pulled out a pile of towels and rearranged them, laying them over the comforter of the hotel bed until it was completely covered. This was during a surge of COVID-19 cases, and Pelkey feared that the beds had not been c l ea n e d to ensure his safety.

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Though traveling used to be one of Pelkey’s favorite activities, it has now become a great source of concern for him due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ever since MVHS announced its transition to remote learning on March 13, 2020, many teachers, especially those at higher risk of COVID-19, have adapted their lifestyles.

While many t e a c h e r s experienced o b s t a c l e s adjusting to remote learning, some found unexpected benefits of being able to teach from home. History teacher Ben Recktenwald shares that instead of having to commute to MVHS from Hayward, which is 30 miles away, he now saves around 90 minutes each day to spend elsewhere. Similarly, school-based therapist Richard Prinz is grateful that he no longer needs to drive from Santa Cruz to MVHS each day, allowing him to spend his mornings meditating instead of spending hours commuting.

“

However, teaching remotely does come with several drawbacks for many teachers.

Prinz notes that his job usually requires calling students to his office, but reaching out to students who may need help has become harder over digital means. Sometimes his emails go unanswered, and he needs to involve parents more heavily in his work.

Likewise, Recktenwald has found it challenging to gain the same sense of satisfaction he originally felt when teaching in person.

“I think it’s the fact that I can’t see anybody, I can’t hang out with anybody — I can’t do anything,” Recktenwald said.

“One of the reasons I got to be a teacher is because I love working with young people. I feel like [they] help keep me young and keep me energetic and [keep me] going.”

Adapting to quarantine has also required these teachers to be more careful about their health and how they are interacting with others. Recktenwald has asthma, a pre-existing lung condition,

I love working with young people ... [they] help keep me young and keep me energetic and [keep me] going.

HISTORY TEACHER BEN RECKTENWALD

which places him at a greater risk if he And so we feel like we can probably pull were to contract COVID-19. As a result, he this off, and maybe even drive together was extra careful about social distancing, and wear masks. I think it’s going to be a staying further away from crowds at the little strange, but there’s going to be a bit grocery store and always opting out of in- of celebration, and I think a bit of a relief person hangouts with friends to minimize [that] this [tradition] holds up.” his own risk of infection. Similarly, Many MVHS teachers scheduled their Prinz also has asthma and took extra first vaccine shots as early as Feb. 28 precautions such as only buying groceries and will be receiving their second shot from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. when seniors were in late March. For Pelkey, receiving a full allowed at his local store, and wiping vaccination will feel like a great relief and down every item a bit of a safety before taking it net day to day. inside his house.

“So I’m Spending probably not nearly a full year going to die in quarantine from [COVID-19] also meant that now,” Pelkey these teachers said. “That’s the celebrated many good thing. I can milestones make a mistake. remotely, At one point I allowing for was like, ‘If I’m creativity. Pelkey gonna go to the recalls attending store, am I gonna a drive-by baby die? Is this gonna shower with have a negative gifts and waves effect on my exchanged life? How much in the lawn. of a mistake Recktenwald can I make *According to the Center for Disease had originally and survive?’

Control and Prevention planned to Because at 61 recreate a years old, if Thanksgiving it doesn’t kill feast with his sister by cooking a turkey, you, [it] can also ruin your heart, your packaging it into individual to-go bags lungs, your kidneys or your liver. It has and allowing family and friends to come damaging effects on your body. So now I pick up their own bag. The next day, feel protected. I can make a mistake and they were all going to heat up the meals probably not die from it.” together and eat together, but their plan For Recktenwald, spending a year proved too overwhelming to carry out. during COVID-19 has been Prinz plans an annual golfing trip with a historic experience, three friends, but he had to cancel the trip comparable to last year due to health concerns. However, watching Barack he hopes to continue this tradition as Obama get elected more people get vaccinated. as the first Black “We’re planning to do something over president or the April break,” Prinz said. “And we’ll all w i t n e s s i n g have had our second vaccination shot. D o n a l d

25x Risk of COVID-19 hopitalization for 50-64 year-olds compared to 5-17 year-olds

Trump get impeached twice. He plans to teach about COVID-19 in his classes as an example until he retires.

“This is an opportunity to learn new things and change how we do things for the better,” Recktenwald said. “And I’m just hoping that is the lasting legacy of this whole COVID-19 thing. For example, tons of people are now comfortable doing video conferencing — technology has had to improve rapidly because we haven’t had a choice. And the people we really need to help us, these essential workers who work in grocery stores or whatever, who’re getting paid nothing are the people that we really need to be looking out for. So I hope attitudes have shifted to recognize the fact that our society has serious inequality. People who are poor minorities are suffering more than people who are wealthy and white. The stupid crazy attacks against Asian Americans because it’s the ‘China Virus.’ It’s so dumb.

It’ll be interesting to look back on the history books, see what historians think of all this crap.”

FEATURES | MARCH 2021

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GRAPHIC COURTESY OF MIHOYO

GAMING WITH ‘GENSHIN IMPACT’ Exploring student experiences with the video game

BY CLAIRE WEN

S

crolling through Instagram, sophomore Kelly Tung saw a promotional illustration of the video game “Genshin Impact” by one of her favorite artists, @rosuuri, on Instagram a year before it was released. Although she found the image interesting, she didn’t think much of it at the time.

In September of 2020, during the week of “Genshin Impact’s” release, TikTok videos of the game popped up on her “For You” page, leading Tung to giving it a try.

She has been playing it ever since.

According to WIRED, “Genshin Impact” is the most popular Chinese game release in the West, as Screen Rant reports that there were an estimated 39.3 million players in 2020.

“Genshin Impact” is set in a fantasy world where characters can control elemental magic. Players can obtain characters through the gacha system — mimicking the toy vending machines it is named after in Japanese — where players spend a certain amount of in-game currency, which can be purchased with real money, in order to “pull” and obtain randomized characters. The game also features an open-world environment, which allows players to explore the virtual world freely, rather than more strictly structured gameplay.

“I think [‘Genshin Impact’] was just a bit special because it combined

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gacha and open-world together,” Tung “I think the main appeal that really said. “I haven’t really seen this unique brought in people was the aspect of the intersection between the two genres graphics being so nice,” Wu said. “But before. So I think that appealed to a lot of ultimately what kept them hooked on audiences and it also generated a really [‘Genshin Impact’] is a bit of the storyline, interesting game aspect.” but a lot of the sense of ‘gambling’ that Tung enjoys the aspect of collecting you do with the gacha system. It gets and playing the characters she wants, and people excited to get new characters and sophomore Adian build them their Du agrees with the own way.” sentiment.

Du enjoys “I think a building new large portion characters by of the appeal collecting artifacts is that [a] lot of and leveling the the characters character up. He are fun to play,” finds the process [THE STORYLINE] Du said. “When of getting artifacts [‘Genshin Impact’] to be tedious, CREATES THIS KIND OF first launched, I since it’s luckWORLD THAT YOU DON’T remember a lot dependent, but REALLY FIND IN OTHER of people were says it feels good GAMES, OR THAT AREN’T hyping it up to get a good AS PRONOUNCED IN because of its artifact after trying unique character for a long time. Wu OTHER GAMES. designs and art also likes “trying style.” random stuff on JUNIOR MARVIN WU Du describes [his] characters.” the art style “Because it’s and characters a single-player as similar to anime. Junior Marvin Wu game, that leaves you with this freedom also compliments the graphics quality, that you don’t have to just do as much especially for a game that is available on damage as you can, but you can customize mobile devices. the gameplay to how you want to play it,”

‘‘

O

Wu said. “You don’t really have to build what the internet says you have to.”

Tung’s favorite part of the game is playing the characters, and she enjoys it as a break from school to destress. However, at the same time, she appreciates that the game doesn’t require a significant time commitment.

“So there are these things called Dailies [Daily Commissions] where you can just do a certain amount of tasks in a day and you don’t really need to spend extra time grinding or trying to get the best equipment [or] weapons,” Tung said.

“So as a student who has to balance both extracurriculars along with schoolwork and homework from MVHS, I think that ‘Genshin Impact’ is a great game that can allow me to balance these different aspects in my life efficiently.”

Du agrees that there aren’t many downsides as he doesn’t think it is easy to get addicted to the game because “after a certain bubble, there’s not much left to do.” He has currently finished the content available in the game so far and primarily logs on for 20 minutes a day to complete Daily Commissions.

As a game that is still getting updated with new events and characters, Wu also thinks that “Genshin Impact” is a new experience as a game in-development, whereas other games he has played in the past were fully developed and addons consisted of features rather than storyline. He thinks that the storyline incorporates itself into the gameplay and the backgrounds of characters are particularly well developed.

“Their storyline just keeps on giving; while new characters are introduced, they somehow fit in with the existing characters,” Wu said. “It creates this kind of world that you don’t really find in other games, or that aren’t as pronounced in other games.”

Tung also appreciates the worldbuilding and the ability to explore the open-world in the game. There are currently three territories available in the game — Mondstadt, Liyue and Dragonspine — which are inspired by the real world locations of Germany, China and the Alps, respectively.

“It kind of gives me a glance into the outside world, because I’ve been staying inside throughout COVID-19,” Tung said. “It’s just really cool to discover and explore the variety of places that the game offers.”

ARTS & ENT FAVORITE CHARACTERS “[Xiao] has a really interesting backstory and lore. He’s basically a guardian yaksha who slays demons.

Usually these kind of characters are really cold hearted, but the game gives a different perspective to him because he’s also suffering when he kills these demons, he kind of gathers karma. I just thought that was really interesting and a deep part of him.”

SOPHOMORE KELLY TUNG “I’ve gotten really lucky with all of my gacha pulls and stuff, so I have a lot of characters that I haven’t really leveled up. But in my party, I have Keqing and then Qiqi and then Xiangling and Ganyu. And I think my favorite out of those is probably Ganyu, because she’s the most fun to play around with.”

SOPHOMORE ADRIAN DU “My favorite character is Klee. She’s one of the earlier characters that released. I started using her because when I got her, I was still starting the game, and I didn’t really know what she did, but I just used her and then I started building her and then she started to do a lot of damage. So I think that’s why I started playing her. Her character itself is also very interesting in the way that her background is just like a tiny arsonist child that throws bombs at people.”

JUNIOR MARVIN WU GRAPHICS COURTESY OF MIHOYO

ARTS & ENT | MARCH 2021

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PHOTOS BY BRETT PARK | USED WITH PERMISSION

ART AFTER HIGH SCHOOL

The stigma against pursuing art-related careers in the MVHS community

BY KRIPA MAYURESHWAR

I

remember telling someone I wanted to pursue animation,” senior Pearl Raina said. “And they were like, ‘You should learn how to code because it goes together,’ and I was like … ‘I don’t think you know what you’re talking about.’”

Raina believes that the STEM focus in the Bay Area makes it difficult for people interested in art to find opportunities to “hone [their] skills as creative people.”

She feels this is due to a lack of knowledge of what art-related careers actually entail, causing careers like product design to be looked at more favorably, as people see more job prospects in that field.

Senior Purva Gangur plans to major in user interface and user experience, which she feels combines creativity and technology. She agrees that majors like hers are met with different responses than traditional art.

“Working with technology is what most people like to hear, [but] let’s say [that] I [was] majoring in painting or something,” Gangur said. “They’d be like ‘OK, that’s cool, but what’s going to happen to your future? [What] would your job look like?

How are you going to earn money?’”

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According to Gangur, people associate the “19th century notion of a journalist STEM with job stability because it is writing about romanticizing the artistic a growing field, whereas they look at bohemian lifestyle” and the “starving the creative field as something people artist myth.” Chow reasons that although seldom succeed in. MVHS art department those ideas may have applied hundreds lead Brian Chow agrees, attributing part of years ago, they are now outdated. of this mentality to While USC the jobs of many freshman and parents in the MVHS alumni MVHS community.

Brett Park ‘20 “The community agrees that at MVHS tend to the stereotype be people that associated with are working in the art careers is STEM field, so they archaic and know technology, comes from that there is a stigma in the MVHS they know tech people making companies, and community against pursuing art money to that’s sort of the careers “maintain the predominant part *According to a survey of 198 MVHS students lifestyles [they] of our economy,” grew up in,” he Chow said. “I think people inherently also believes that there is some reasoning promote what they know is successful. If behind the statement. parents know that they’re in this field and “I think the starving artist is definitely they’re successful in [this] field, they tend a stigma and stereotype … [but] I think to see that as being the [best] pathway.” [the] capitalistic idea of artists not making According to Chow, parents in the that much money, if you look at statistics, MVHS community also often fall victim to it’s true,” Park said. “Our majors don’t

74%

of students believe

make as much money as someone who goes into [computer science]. [So] I think parents are just super concerned for their kids.”

Park is currently majoring in communications at USC, but is applying for a second major in art. Park says part of his reasoning for choosing communications as a major was to conform to the expectation of not going into an art field for financial stability, but also that it teaches skills that are “transferable to different positions.”

“I’m [working on] a portfolio, and I do art on the side, like little webcomics and TikTok stuff,” Park said. “This year [I’m] trying to double major, so I went all out for my portfolio in the summer, planning out my pieces [knowing] I had to create 10-15 pieces for the USC art portfolio.”

Park believes that if the metric for success is money, it is harder for artists to compete with STEM majors, especially in the tech industry.” However, he also believes that money isn’t the only component to success.

“I think artists are extremely happy [with] what they do because they are creating what they want, [and it] is a way of self expression when you’re constantly expressing yourself on your own terms,” Park said. “I think that is really liberating, and you don’t really see that as much in

‘‘

the corporate tech industry.” [and] she earns the same amount of Chow says that there is no standard of money as a software engineer. She had success for everyone. to work a lot though a lot to get there, “I think that we have that problem but she got there and [is] probably more with defining [success], in that people successful than engineers in the Bay think it’s about Area.” money and stature Chow advised and getting a good those majoring in paycheck, [which] art to “do 100%” provides stability and because you can’t economic security, “backdoor your way and everybody wants into the art field.” that I suppose at “You can’t go YOU HAVE TO JUMP some point in their major in pre-med, life,” Chow said. “But and then do [art] as IN WITH BOTH FEET is it the only thing that a minor and decide AND SEE WHERE you want out of life?” [after] college [you] [YOU] LAND ... IT’S For her own can go do art now,” THE SAME ADVICE I’D interpretation, Raina Chow said. “[It’ll] be GIVE SOMEBODY FOR believes that success a hard road to travel. in art fields is much [It’s] the same thing [ANY] MAJOR. more ambiguous than if you want to be a ART TEACHER in STEM fields. She concert pianist — you BRIAN CHOW says that competition don’t tell someone in the art industry is [who’s] gonna be a extremely intense and concert pianist to go those not passionate study biology and do about it shouldn’t go into the art field, piano on the side and [make] a decision but notes that financial success in the after they graduate … You have to jump creative field is possible. in with both feet and see where [you] land “I know someone who is an illustrator, … It’s the same advice I’d give somebody and she works at Warner Brothers now,” for [any] major.”

Raina said. “She also used to go to MVHS PHOTOS BY PEARL RAINA | USED WITH PERMISSION

Left: Senior Pearl Raina’s self portrait; top right: Raina’s watercolor piece; bottom right: a piece by MVHS ‘20 alumnus Brett Park.

ARTS & ENT | MARCH 2021

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PERSONAL COMPUTERS Why students built their own custom machines

BY AYAH ALI-AHMAD

T

his past year, as people have been confined to their homes and stuck to their screens, the interest in building custom PCs and buying gaming consoles has reached an all-time high.

Gaming platforms have also seen an increase in activity — the largest PC gaming platform, Steam, has seen 50% more hours of games played and 21% more games sold in 2020 compared to 2019. And with the recent releases of nextgeneration computer parts, there has been a significant shortage of graphics cards (GPUs), the heart of the PC, as a result of their ability to sell out online in a matter of seconds.

Custom PC builds, as opposed to prebuilt PCs or laptops, allow for consumers to personalize their machines for their intended usage, whether that is focusing on a strong GPU designed for machine learning like senior Andrew Yang, or creating a basic gaming PC under $1,000 like juniors Kyle Huang and Howard Peng.

‘‘

laptop or pre-built. he used his computer to set up servers “Before, on my old laptop, I would and needed a PC that could run multiple open two tabs of Google Docs, and my virtual machines, rather than just a computer would start to freeze,” Peng game. Peng also considered his choice of said. “In pretty much operating system. He every aspect of prefers using Linux, speed, graphics and as opposed to the everything, my new more commonly used PC was significantly Microsoft Windows. better. So I think it “One of my biggest was hugely beneficial drawbacks with prefor productivity in built [computers] was the general usage the software because I WOULD OPEN TWO experience. My main pretty much any of the TABS OF GOOGLE priority was getting a pre-built computers DOCS, AND MY really good [computer that you buy come COMPUTER WOULD processor], CPU.” with Windows, it is Along with his PC, already installed, and START TO FREEZE. Peng also invested I hate Windows,” Peng JUNIOR HOWARD in his setup — his said. “When you’re on PENG keyboard, mouse, Windows, if you open monitors, chair and Task Manager, even desk. idle, and if you don’t “My friends kind of make fun of me for have anything open, you’re still running this, but my setup gives me everything I like 20% of your memory or like 10% Junior Howard Peng can to play games — I got a light-up RGB of your CPU. When I’m on Linux, I have Peng built his custom PC after using keyboard, light up mic [and] light up literally zero lag and have like 20 windows a MacBook Pro for years, as he found mouse — but all I do is watch YouTube,” each with 100 tabs, and it’d be fine.” the laptop to be slow and that building Peng said.

Peng saw similar drawbacks with his his own computer and determining its While organizing his “PC parts list,” old Mac, as he believes that MacBook different components would be more Peng said he was looking for a strong computers have limited software beneficial than purchasing another CPU rather than heavy graphics because customizability. On a Mac, he says there are barriers to running your own programs PHOTO COURTESY OF HOWARD PENG | USED WITH PERMISSION and with code signing, whereas on Linux, there are fewer limitations.

“The second thing I would say is a pro for Linux is customizability,” Peng said.

“And this is a massive criticism of Mac, like the Mac ecosystems are kind of a walled garden — you don’t have a lot of options and you can’t really configure software.

This is especially true in iOS — you have very limited control over your computer, and you’re basically renting out a sort of computer from Apple.”

Another drawback for Peng when considering custom building a PC rather than buying one already built by a company is the stigma around buying a pre-built PC in the PC community.

“I think your social status will drop if you get a pre-built,” Peng said. “Building Junior Howard Peng’s deck setup has a gaming chair, PC, keyboard mouse and dual monitors. your own PC is cheaper and you get more

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freedom as to what to pick. I’ve had friends who wanted to build a PC but ended up not doing it because they thought they would mess it up. But honestly, building PCs is really easy. If I were to describe the process, it is kind of like Legos, but the stakes are kind of higher.”

Senior Andrew Yang When Yang needed a faster computer after entering high school, his dad helped him build his first custom PC. Yang’s main focus was to have a PC with a strong GPU, as his projects relate to machine learning and require a lot of computational GPU power. Because he was looking for specific specs (components), he says he opted out of buying a pre-built PC. “GPUs produce a lot of heat and … that’s one of the main reasons for why I got this computer, because with a prebuilt computer, specs usually aren’t as good, they run very loud and it’s just not the best bang for the buck,” Yang said. “So basically, I researched for a few weeks, and I just kept a tag on prices online. And I bought all the parts that I wanted when I felt that they were reasonably affordable to me.”

Yang is currently working on a project that requires machine learning with his friends and dad, in which they compile images of cancer in patients and compare them to doctors’ labeling of MRI images.

He says that his “high spec” computer enables him to complete such work.

However, Yang says because he frequently plays games and edits photos, both computer-intensive tasks, his GPU and CPU cooling systems are often loud

PHOTO COURTESY OF KYLE HUANG | USED WITH PERMISSION

The components of junior Kyle Huang’s PC, with purple RBG lighting.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ANDREW YANG | USED WITH PERMISSION

Senior Andrew Yang’s deck setup has one monitor, a mic, keyboard, mouse and PC.

on his desk where his PC sits. Though his computer has helped him run more demanding programs and he is satisfied with his build, he has been slowly modifying parts overtime to reduce noise pollution in his room.

“To be honest, I have a pretty high spec computer, it’s too much for what I really need,” Yang said. “I have made some modifications over the years … I got more silent fans, because those offer better performance at lower decibel ratings.

And that’s important because on my computer on my desk, so if it’s loud, it’s quite disturbing.”

Though he does not have a pre-built PC, Yang says he supports others who buy them — despite agreeing with Peng that they tend to be more expensive compared to building a PC with the same specs.

“There are pre-builts for some people,” Yang said. “Some people, they don’t want to spend the time to research because time is money, and that is valuable to a lot of people … But personally, I chose to build myself because I thought it would be a really great experience and putting together a computer also helped me understand better what each part did, how each component matters in the operation of the computer and I just found that that was a really cool thing.”

Junior Kyle Huang For almost five years, Huang has been using the custom PC he built in the seventh grade. He says he loved the process of researching the parts he wanted to buy

(within his budget of $1000) and found the experience of putting it together rewarding. Because his dad used to work at Corsair Gaming, Huang was able to get his cooler and power supply, as well as his gaming chair, keyboard and mouse for free from his father’s work.

“I want[ed] to build a PC because at the time, I was still using a family computer and I really wanted to have my own computer,” Huang said. “And I wanted a custom one because then I could choose what parts I had in my computer and customs are generally cheaper than pre-builts. For my PC, I was looking for a decent graphics card and a good CPU.” Huang says he uses his PC for everything — communicating with friends, playing video games and completing homework — and that he rarely feels the need to touch his phone.

Despite the PC being a few years old and the fact that he has not upgraded any components to new-generation parts, he says the performance has kept up, which would not be the case for a laptop.

Like Peng, he uses Linux and says he built his PC with productivity in mind, though he does game as a hobby.

“When building, I tried to go for productivity,” Huang said. “I think that Linux is a lot better because … I can basically choose whatever I want to put on my computer, and I can choose how I access things and I can choose what those programs can access.”

ARTS & ENT | MARCH 2021

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D D

DO YOU PLAN TO RETURN TO

school in-person for hybrid instruction?

Survey respondents explain their choice as part of the 75% who say they will stay home and the 25% who wish to return to school

“I have an immunocompromised grandfather at home, and I’ve already lost a grand uncle to COVID-19. With almost none of the students vaccinated and barely able to reliably keep a social distance and keep their masks on, the risk just doesn’t seem worth it to return to basically what is Zoom in a classroom.”

“Because barely anyone would be going.”

“As a senior, I’ll be graduating anyway — and distance learning has done wonders for my social anxiety, and I see no reason to trigger it by trying to re-adjust to in-person hybrid learning.”

“I’m not vaccinated yet.”

“With food, entertainment, somewhat reliable internet, pens and paper at home, bringing stuff like lunch, worksheets, notes and more in a heavy backpack to school every day seems to be a more inconvenient option.”

“As much as I’d love to be able to see my teachers and classmates, I don’t think it’s worth having to wear masks all day and stay constantly socially distanced.”

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“Online school has really allowed me to step away from everything and focus on myself. I feel like I can just think about what I want for myself and it’s so much easier to not be in an environment of social pressure where, for example, a test is passed back and everyone is quickly asking what grade you get when I don’t like sharing things as such. Or even maybe when it comes to clothing I don’t have to feel as conscious about how I look, what I am wearing and how I feel in my clothes.

It really helped me think about my needs and desires and learn how to enjoy being with myself.”

“My parents don’t have vaccines yet.”

“

Remote learning makes it impossible for me to be productive or motivated to complete tasks and also takes a heavy toll on my mental state. Returning to a more dynamic and physically active classroom environment will be a source of relief for me.”

“I miss my friends, and many of them are returning back. I would also like to get used to the campus a bit more before my second year of high school.”

“I’ve gotten to the point where the benefits of returning to school for my mental health supersede the relatively small risk of contracting COVID.” “I think it’s the first step of going back full time, and I want that to happen in the fall.”

WOMEN

IN SPORTS For Women’s History Month, El Estoque Sports set out to highlight the stories of women in sports in our community. From the misogyny entrenched in professional women’s sports teams to the unique experiences female athletes face in male-dominated sports, women have endured challenges, shattered stereotypes and inspired their communities throughout the athletic world.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ALLISON LEUNG | USED WITH PERMISSION

SPORTS | MARCH 2021

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DANCING, DIVING AND ROWING Profiling three MVHS female athletes

BY MATTHEW YOSHIMOTO Dancing: Junior Kina Siu

As the doors to the NBC’s “World of Dance” stage opened, junior and dancer Kina Siu heard the cheers from the audience echo throughout the studio.

Beneath her was an entirely glass, circular stage, with equipment underneath to project special effects. Siu looked up at the crowd and was blinded by the studio’s lighting until she was able to recognize the faces of Jennifer Lopez, Derek Hough and Ne-Yo sitting on the chairs in front of her, staring directly at her and her team.

“Is this real? It doesn’t feel like real life. I can’t believe they are right in front of me,” she thought to herself.

As she was only 11 years old at the time of her performance, Siu expresses the disbelief and shock she had felt as she performed on one of NBC’s sets — she PHOTO COURTESY OF KINA SIU | USED WITH PERMISSION had never danced in front of an audience to this degree.

At 14 years old during her second performance on NBC’s show “World of Dance,” junior “I was at a loss for words,” Siu said. “I Kina Siu and her dance team compete in front of judges and a studio audience. was just super nervous because I wanted to do really well and make all the hard have done differently, such as answering environment. However, once she was work worth it. Before we actually began interviewer’s questions more confidently. introduced to her teammates and teacher, the dance, I was just like, ‘Calm down, if She recalls “feeling very unsure of [her] she started to feel comfortable. you keep freaking out, it’s not gonna go answers and at a loss of words” due to “They were so welcoming, and my well.’ But once the music started and I being surrounded by 20 staff members teacher really opened up my perspective started dancing, everything just worked watching her in silence as she responded on dance and how much more there is in out.” to the questions. the dance world and what I can do with Siu shares that she witnessed the Siu was only two years old when it,” Siu said. “My team has been a great behind-the-scenes action of creating she started recreational dance classes community and like a second family I a national dance and five years old can lean on. They really taught me a lot television show and when she joined a about teamwork — I’m always inspired by learned how to deal competitive dance them.”

I WAS SUPER with the pressure team. Her mom After experiencing a variety of highs NERVOUS BECAUSE I of performing in first noticed Siu’s and lows in her dancing career, Siu plans WANTED TO DO WELL. front of professional interest in dance to continue pursuing her passion for cameras and a BUT ONCE THE MUSIC when Siu would dance, as she feels that she can express grand live audience, dance along to the her creativity through the sport.

STARTED, EVERYTHING emphasizing that show “Dancing with “When I got older, I really saw [dance] JUST WORKED OUT. this professional the Stars.” Wanting as a career and something that I love doing experience provided Siu to explore her and I can’t imagine my life without it,” Siu JUNIOR her with “a once in a budding fascination said. “I’ve always had dance as something KINA SIU lifetime opportunity.” with dance, her mom I could go to as sort of an outlet, where However, Siu placed her in classes. I’m just focusing on bettering myself and ended up returning Siu later switched working on my technique and skills. It’s to this same stage from her old studio something that I could just hone in on and just two years later at age 14 for the third to her current one, NorCal Dance Arts, at not worry about other worries I have. I season of “World of Dance.” In that two- age 10, which she describes as a nerve- really love that aspect about dance where year time period, Siu reflected on aspects wracking transition since she had to you can never be perfect at it — you just of her overall experience that she could meet new people and adapt to a different [have to] keep working on it.”

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Diving: Senior Allison Leung

The smell of roasted marshmallows filled the air as the movie “Get Out” played softly in the background. Senior Allison Leung and her MVHS diving teammates circled around their coach’s bonfire after finishing homemade spaghetti and marinara and a chocolate bundt cake. As the night progressed, the team played games together, making sure to snap photos as often as possible so that they could remember this happy moment.

Along with these occasional reunions at her coach’s house, Leung shares that her team would meet every Friday at Jake’s Pizza Restaurant, or even sometimes at a teammate’s house before the pandemic. Leung notes that one of the greatest choices of her sports career was joining the MVHS Diving team.

As a kid, her mom had noticed Leung’s passion in both gymnastics and swimming, so she recommended that Leung “combine the two” and start diving. Leung began diving in 2011 with Santa Clara Diving’s club team — after joining the club, she advanced through the levels relatively quickly due to her strong gymnastics background.

“Ever since I was young, I started diving with some pretty old divers,” Leung said.

“Most of the girls were already seniors

Rowing: Sophomore Charlene Lee

when I was in fifth grade. All the older girls had more experience, so they basically became my mentors in the sport and still to this day, give me advice about life.”

Leung also felt comforted by PHOTO | JANICE CHIU her teammates when she won Senior Allison Leung and her teammate MVHS alumna Demetra first place in Williams ‘18 practice their dives at MVHS’ pool. the 2014 Junior Olympic National Competition, making sisters. They’ve definitely defined my her the 12th best diver in the U.S. in the personality the most, even to this day.”

11 and under girls group. This event To further her diving career in college, occurred during her first couple years of Leung committed to Chapman University competitive diving, and she feels that it in December of 2020. After looking at many was “definitely one of [her] high points” colleges, she decided that Chapman was playing her sport. the right school for her as it was a NCAA “The year before [Nationals], I had Division III school, which she felt would gotten second to last place out of 30 be a good match for her priorities. people — then after a year of grinding, I “I wanted to find a balance between [decided I] was good enough to move making sure I prioritize my health, and on,” Leung said. “[When] going to that also being able to do the sport that I’ve Nationals, I had no expectations. I knew done for so long,” Leung said. “The coach I was going against the best divers, but I is also a really well-known diver. I also had my teammates’ support. All the older met the team and the whole experience girls, they were basically like my older made me fall in love with the school.”

because she was inspired by her older sister’s passion for diving. However, since the sport requires the competitors to face backwards while rowing, Lee explains the initial difficulty of adjusting to this.

“At first, [rowing backwards was] kind of weird,” Lee said. “It took me half a year to adjust, but once you get the hang of it, you don’t even need to look back. When you’re [racing], you see the other boats, and it motivates you to push yourself.”

Lee’s club team is located in Redwood City, which she enjoys because she feels that it is “eyeopening to talk [to] and meet new people’’ outside of Cupertino.

Additionally, since Lee is the bow seat — the person in charge of steering the boat — she faces the backs of her PHOTO COURTESY OF CHARLENE LEE | USED WITH PERMISSION three teammates.

Sophomore Charlene Lee competes at Lake Natoma in 2019.

She notes that seeing Alongside three of her teammates, sophomore Charlene Lee felt a cool breeze on her back while droplets of water splashed on her face as she rowed vigorously, pushing the paddle through the waters of Lake Natoma in Sacramento.

Upon reaching the finish line, Lee turned around and faced forward, noticing that she came in second place in the freshmen quad (four people in a boat) race at the 2019 Southwest Regionals: Frosh 4x+.

Lee first began rowing in eighth grade

all of them working for the same goal and actively trying to make the boat faster drives her to do the same.

However, due to the pandemic, the normal quad races no longer take place and she doesn’t have the support of her teammates while out on the water. In December of 2020, for the first time, Lee raced alone (singles).

“When you’re really tired, and you just want to quit, the only motivation is yourself when you’re rowing in a single,” Lee said. “Pushing myself and crossing the finish line alone is a big accomplishment for me. When I crossed the finish line, my legs [hurt] and I was breathing really hard and everything felt like it was worth it.”

Through Lee’s years of rowing, she has found that her sport not only provided her an outlet to get exercise but also has introduced her to various other life skills. “[I’ve learned] how to be patient and test my mental limits,” Lee said. “It’s a repetitive sport, where you’re doing the same stroke again and again, so you have to dig deep to find that motivation.”

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PHOTO COURTESY OF JASMITA YECHURI | USED WITH PERMISSION

BREAKING THROUGH THE GAME Student athletes share about inspirational female athletes and misogyny in sports

BY GAURI MANOJ AND ANJALI SINGH

Junior Jasmita Yechuri poses with an award she won at the 2019 Stanford Summer Classic tournament in Palo Alto.

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S

enior and former tennis player Naimisha Adira comes from a family of tennis fans — when she was younger, her father encouraged her to watch Serena Williams, the renowned American professional tennis player and former world No. 1 in women’s single tennis. After seeing a documentary about Williams, Adira’s admiration for her grew, and she is now one of Adira’s favorite athletes.

“My dad always used to say, ‘Hey, you should be looking up to Williams. She had to fight through all these adversities.

She’s a prime model of what an athlete should be,’” Adira said. “[In the documentary], you just [saw how] she had to go through so much — she wasn’t brought up in the wealthiest neighborhoods, her dad was her coach … seeing her [come out of] and fight through all of the sexism and the discrimination that she faced at such a young age was truly inspiring.”

In addition to Williams, Adira admires other professional female athletes, including Japanese tennis champion of the U.S. Open and the Australian Open, Naomi Osaka.

Since Adira is on the Varsity Girls soccer team, she also looks up to soccer players

Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan, who play for the U.S. Women’s Soccer team, the most successful international women’s soccer team, winning four World Cup titles.

Like Adira, junior and Varsity Girls soccer player Jasmita Yechuri’s appreciation for the U.S. Women’s Soccer team — particularly Alex Morgan — began in seventh grade, when she was playing soccer for her eighth year. Yechuri highlights that in addition to improving her own skills as a soccer player, she also admires how Morgan balances her life as a mother and a professional athlete.

“Morgan recently had a baby… and I noticed how even when she was pregnant, she was still shooting around, playing soccer,” Yechuri said. “And right now, [after taking some leave], she also got back to playing soccer. It’s really inspiring to see that [she’s] continuing [professional soccer] even after having a family.”

For Yechuri, watching game highlights and examining how the players execute certain moves has helped her improve her own game performance. Similarly, sophomore and Varsity Girls Basketball player Varshini Peddinti, who is an avid fan of gymnast Simone Biles and Brigham Young University basketball player Shaylee Gonzalez, explains that these female athletes specifically have made her feel secure in her own athletic career. “[Gonzalez] radiates so much confidence, both in the sport and as well [as] as an individual,” Peddinti said.

“Every time [she] maybe miss[es] a layup, [she’ll] just come back on the court and continue playing. It makes me feel inspired because anytime I see [her] do well, it makes me feel motivated to do well too ... If she can do it, I can do it as well.”

According to the three student athletes, despite the skills of these professional female athletes, many face unfair treatment in comparison to their male counterparts. For example, in 2019, the U.S. Women’s soccer team filed a lawsuit alleging that the U.S. Soccer

Federation had denied them the same they are used as an outlet to spread payment and working conditions as the their misogynistic beliefs, noting how U.S. Men’s soccer team. The pay inequality Williams has won more awards than her was later dismissed due to a ruling “that male counterparts but still has to fight the suit could only continue if it focused to be respected by audience members. on working condition inequities,” so the She shares an example of this sexism settlement (reached a year later) aimed to that she’s noticed within athletics: the equalize working conditions for both the different respect and attention female men’s and women’s athletes receive soccer teams. depending on what Adira and Peddinti they’re wearing.

JUST BEING A WOMAN also share that these “We need to SHOULDN’T STOP YOU female athletes are shift the culture so FROM DOING WHAT often made fun of by that there’s more spectators for merely respect,” Adira said.

YOU LOVE OR DOING playing their sport.

“You can see a lot WHAT YOU WANT TO Peddinti shares that of blatant sexism in DO. while there might be American football, countless reasons for where women are SOPHOMORE these comments, a wearing these VARSHINI PEDDINTI common one is that skimpy outfits, people often assume whereas guys are that women’s sports wearing these are less entertaining full cover[age] than men’s and thus don’t give female [uniforms], so it’s like you’re objectifying players the same respect. Adira attributes these women rather than watching them this as another example of the mental for their sport. You should be giving the stamina of female athletes. same respect to women, even in their “[These female athletes] are both [other] uniforms.” physically and mentally strong,” Adira Adira adds that another reason for said. “They’re highly criticized for not the presence of these stereotypes of being as good as men’s sports or not athletic women is the upbringing of girls, being as capable and they’re fighting citing the mentality some parents have every single day to prove that they do of enforcing traditional gender roles on belong in the sport and deserve that young girls as opposed to exposing them same recognition.” to the potentially more “aggressive” Additionally, Adira thinks that people athletic world. Peddinti agrees, sharing unfairly treat female athletes because her own experiences with hearing these

gendered stereotypes as an athlete.

“There’s those regular remarks like, ‘Oh, she plays like a girl,’ or, ‘She’s not as good,’ just because I’m a girl,” Peddinti said. “I would say I haven’t had as much backlash [as other female athletes] but I’ve definitely seen in games, boys in the crowd that [say], ‘Overrated!’ to one of the best players on the team. And it’s like, ‘Are you sure? Can you even shoot a hoop?’ I think that people should be more appreciative because sports is sports and there shouldn’t be any gender indifference in regards to just playing how you want to play.”

In order to change this culture, Yechuri, Adira and Peddinti all encourage more people to watch women’s sports.

Peddinti shares that the importance of respecting professional female athletes goes beyond just bridging the inequality between men and women — it’s also about empowering other young girls to take part in the athletic world.

“It’s important to just be aware and appreciate women’s sports in the first place because sports [is] such an amazing thing and there shouldn’t be any barriers or limits to stop someone from playing sports,” Peddinti said. “Just being a woman shouldn’t stop you from doing what you love or doing what you want to do … If you see a female athlete working hard and doing their best, go ahead and give them the encouragement and continue watching them, so then they can be empowered and they can work well.”

“ALEX MORGAN SHOOTING” BY CLAPPSTAR | LICENSED UNDER CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

“SIMONE BILES” BY SUSIE BUTLER | LICENSED UNDER CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

“SERENA WILLIAMS” BY NAPARAZZI | LICENSED UNDER CC BY-SA 2.0

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UNDEREATING AND OVERTRAINING Analyzing the perception of body image amongst female athletes

BY JUSTINE HA PHOTO COURTESY OF LESLIE LIGIER | USED WITH PERMISSION

Ligier poses for a photo after a workout at her university’s gym facility.

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TW: This article discusses sensitive topics such as eating disorders.

W

hy does my face look so chubby?

As she scrolled through the photos she had taken with her friends at Junior Prom, MVHS alumnus Leslie Ligier, ‘19, couldn’t help but think about her appearance.

“Before Junior Prom, I didn’t honestly care what I looked like,” Ligier said. “I didn’t really focus on that and [it] never really came to mind at all. I didn’t diet before, and I didn’t even wear makeup ...

It was what came after Junior Prom that really messed me up.”

As a Varsity Tennis player since freshman year, Ligier shares how tennis was a big priority for her throughout her first two years of high school. However, Ligier began to see herself “let go” by her junior year — her passion for the sport faded as school got harder and she began eating whatever she wanted, rarely exercising unless it was mandatory for tennis practice.

Similarly, junior and Varsity Field Hockey player Vaishnavi Suresh also faced a lack of motivation to continue the sport she grew up playing. As a swimmer since she was four years old, Suresh found it difficult to keep up with her sport’s rigorous environment in middle school.

As she was dealing with an eating disorder during this time of her life, Suresh notes that it would hinder her ability to swim.

“I’d be swimming laps and then I’d feel dizzy in the pool,” Suresh said. “I’d have to get out and I wasn’t even swimming nearly as fast as I probably could have.

That feeling of not being able to hit a certain time made me feel worse about myself. Because [being on a] swim team was pretty toxic, it wasn’t that easy to get over. And that fueled more of my eating issues because a lot of it has to do with your view of yourself and your selfesteem.”

Suresh states how she was using food as a weapon against herself rather than a source of replenishment after hours of rigorous training. She began using restrictive calorie counting apps and

following fad diets in order to drop weight fast. As days passed, she continued to restrict eating more and began purging regularly.

“I knew I had an eating disorder and nobody else did,” Suresh said. “I knew that it would hurt me and I just didn’t care. I was at the point where I was selfloathing so bad — I didn’t care if my health was impacted. I just want to feel good about myself which was weird because it didn’t make me feel good about myself, it just made me feel worse.”

Similarly to Suresh, Ligier also began restricting her diet. She also increased the rigor of her fitness regimens during her first year of college. Alongside following an intermittent fasting diet, Ligier ate less than 1,000 calories every day.

Ligier describes herself developing disordered eating habits, whereas Suresh was diagnosed with an eating disorder.

Sports psychiatrist Danielle Kamis explains the differences between the two.

“Many people can have disordered eating,” Kamis said. “This means that they are thinking about foods ... that they are restricting, purging or binging [food]. But [in certain cases], it might not be actually affecting their weight itself even though they’re not eating appropriately. Versus an eating disorder like anorexia — there are actual changes in their weight or they meet the criteria for what’s average by body mass index.”

Along with constricting her diet, Ligier overtrained four to five times a week — she would not leave her school’s gym until she had burned 1,000 calories on the treadmill. As a tennis player for Washington University in St. Louis, Ligier believes that athletics never pushed her to live up to certain stereotypes when it came to body image. Rather, restructuring her fitness regimen and diet was a personal choice for her in order to lose weight.

Ligier explains that under-eating and overexercising were both draining and exhausting to her body and mind.

“At night, I would be so hungry that I would eat anything, anything at all,” Ligier said. “I would [even] eat stale and expired

foods … During the day, I would also have fitness blogger Natacha Océane as Ligier a lot of my mental capacity on what I was found her workout videos to be inspiring. going to eat next, rather than focusing Ligier also used time during the on what I was doing at the moment. If COVID-19 lockdown to slowly build a new you over exercise and you just don’t have fitness and eating regimen. While Ligier the fuel to do that, then you’re probably describes healing from disordered eating going to binge and I wasn’t strong enough to be a work in progress, she currently has to continue that fasting. And I don’t think goals to lift 200 pounds in her split squat anyone really is.” and is working on getting a disordered While Ligier never sought medical eating awareness club at school up and advice during this time of her life, she running. notes how the support she received As someone who has been subject from her family and to disordered friends pushed her to eating habits, overcome unhealthy Ligier emphasizes EATING IS A GOOD training and eating the importance THING — IT’S FUEL habits. of understanding Similarly, Suresh fueling with food and FOR YOUR BODY, found the support being easy on one’s SO DON’T THINK of her family to be self, even during especially helpful relapse moments.

OF IT AS FEARFUL. when she was “Focus on how admitted into an you feel personally,” MVHS ALUMNA ‘19 inpatient facility for Ligier said. “Do I feel LESLIE LIGIER her eating disorder in happy today? Do I May of 2018. Suresh feel lively? Do I feel describes how this like I could run miles moment of her life and have a lot of was a turning point in regards to her energy? [Ask yourself these questions], eating disorder — she was motivated then you’re on the right track ... Realize to take her health more seriously. She that food is also very social. Going out, ultimately learned that her fitness and hanging out with your friends and eating eating habits were not making her feel with your friends is not a bad thing. Eating better. is a good thing — it’s fuel for your body, so While she spent a total of 10 days at don’t think of it as fearful.” the treatment facility, Suresh was focused Suresh is also still on the path to healing on staying in bed while eating a healthy as she is currently undergoing therapy amount of food during her time there. weekly for her obsessive compulsive She reflects on the important lessons she disorder (OCD) — she notes how much learned at the inpatient facility. her OCD ended up influencing her past “At the time, I thought that doing all eating habits. In addition to therapy, these toxic things would make me feel Suresh explains how team sports like field better,” Suresh said. “[But] I [learned] hockey allowed her to find a supportive that when [you change] how you feel community during her healing process in about yourself and actively work towards high school. She advises individuals with making yourself feel better, there’s so disordered eating habits to take that first much that you can do that you never step of asking for help. realized you could do. I didn’t think that “The first step to finding recovery is to it would be to the point where now I’m admit that you have a problem,” Suresh a student-athlete and I’m doing fine — I said. “And I know that’s super cliché, didn’t think that that would be possible.” but it’s really hard for people with eating Suresh firmly believes in doing disorders because you don’t want to thorough research when it comes to admit that you’ve been starving yourself healing from disordered eating habits, and you don’t want to admit that you’ve and Ligier can attest to this advice. As been using food to attack yourself. So just Ligier realized the impact undereating admit that ... and knowing that you need and overtraining had on her mental and help, that’s OK.” physical health, she began researching ways she can healthily workout during the week — she especially highlights

ADVICE FROM SPORTS PSYCHIATRIST DANIELLE KAMIS

1

Ask yourself questions about quality of life

“How much time are you thinking about food? How much are you changing [to] your eating habits?

How are you feeling? [If] someone starts noticing [that they’re] counting calories each day, restricting foods that they usually enjoy or maybe [their] quality of life changes ... those are signs [or disordered eating and it’s] something to keep a closer eye on.”

2

Reach out for help when needed

“If someone has their primary care doctor or if they have a pediatrician, that’s a really good place to reach out ... Also in school, if there’s a school counselor, athletic trainer, psychologist, [people who need help] can go speak to them and get them connected [to more resources].”

3

Explore different therapy types

“There are types of evidence based therapy for different types of eating disorders like anorexia ...

There’s also individual therapy — [patients] figure out the insecurity that [they] might have or find what’s triggering ... Therapy [allows patients] to explore what’s really important to them and their values.”

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OUTNUMBERED Female athletes describe their experience playing male-dominated sports

BY NIKA ZAMANI

B

adass.

That’s the first word that comes to mind when senior and Varsity football player Melannie Ooi thinks about females who play male-dominated sports.

“You walk onto the field [while] holding your gear and [people] look at you and they’re like ‘Hey Melannie!’” Ooi said. “But then they do a double take and they see you with your helmet and pads. You just get this amazing feeling of empowerment.”

According to Ooi, this feeling is one of the most rewarding aspects for females who break the status quo and join a heavily male-dominated sports team.

She remarks that all too often, females are faced with the stereotype that they are too weak and emotional to play certain sports — especially sports that often consist of one coed team, such as football, wrestling or cricket.

Sophomore and cricket player Chetnaa Prasad feels similarly to Ooi since being selected for the USA Cricket Women’s National Training Group in January of

2021. Prior to this achievement, Prasad example, the male athletes would be told said that she felt a certain degree of to run three laps while Prasad would be imposter syndrome due to the unfair told to run one. However, Prasad always treatment she received at times for being makes an effort to train the same amount the only girl on her previous cricket team. as her male counterparts to prove that “I’ll meet a new coach and they’ll ask she deserves to be there and is as skilled me if I can even do as everyone else on the some super basic team. skill,” Prasad said.

Having played IT KIND OF MAKES “I’m on the same hockey as a child, Head ME FEEL LIKE I DON’T level as everyone Athletic Director at DESERVE TO BE THERE else so it really puts Cupertino High School BUT IT’S PRETTY me down because Katelyn Watts relates NORMAL TO ME there’s no reason to female athletes like NOW SO IT DOESN’T why I wouldn’t be Ooi and Prasad who BOTHER ME AS MUCH. able to do it. It kind play male-dominated of makes me feel sports. She notes that SOPHOMORE like I don’t deserve biological advantages CHETNAA PRASAD to be there but are always a reality it’s pretty normal on coed teams and to me now so it believes that while doesn’t bother me males have more as much.” favorable traits for athletics than females, Furthermore, Prasad shares that both parties deserve equal playtime and coaches sometimes give her special should be trained the same way. treatment and don’t require her to do Watts emphasizes that high school as much as the males on the team. For is the time to try new things and loves

PHOTO BY PHILLIP SILVEIRA | USED WITH PERMISSION

Senior Melannie Ooi poses with the 2020-2021 MVHS Football team.

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seeing more females step out of their comfort zone.

“When you’re the only female around [on a sports team], it’s a unique role to be in,” Watts said. “You get to be the role model for others. It’s something that I never thought I would [be for] others but it’s a great opportunity to show others that [they] can do this, [they] can be involved and that it’s all possible.”

Ooi agrees, sharing that her reason to join the football team was to prove that females have as much of a right to play football as males. She describes going to her very first football practice as scary but much to her surprise, there was no judgement from her teammates and coaches. The best part, Ooi says, is that the team and the coaches acknowledged that she was a female but asked no questions and gave her no special treatment.

Like Ooi, senior and Varsity wrestler Grace Lei explains she was terrified on her first day of practice because she saw no other girls in the room. Considering the fact that wrestling matches are divided by gender, Lei was worried that she would have an uneventful season due to the lack of female opponents. However, she was soon able to find the advantages of being one of few females on the team.

“Because it was my first time ever doing wrestling, a bunch of people had to help me learn the skills and how everything works,” Lei said. “I was able to pick up things pretty fast, which was good for [everyone], especially the coach because he was excited to have a girl on the team. [I realized] that being the only girl meant that [I] technically had less people to compete with and that [I] stood out to people, which could be a good thing.”

When comparing coed teams to all girls teams, Prasad clearly distinguishes the dichotomy having experience with both.

She reasons that issues like changing in bathrooms or dealing with menstruation are much easier when everyone on the team can relate, while coed teams provide other advantages. “[Playing on a coed team] really broadens your horizon and gives you so many different perspectives,” Prasad said. “If you were to play on an all girls team, there’s definitely more support because [your teammates] know exactly what you’re [going] through. On an all guy team, though, you get their

perspective and they push you to do more. [My cricket teammates] don’t think of me as ‘oh you’re a girl, you can do less [than me],’ they encourage me to do more and constantly improve.”

According to Watts, getting more girls to be confident enough to join maledominated sports teams is crucial in order to break the stereotypes that currently surround certain sports. She believes that nothing should be considered a “girl sport” or a “guy sport.”

Sophomore Chetnaa Prasad poses for her Northern California Cricket Association (NCCA) photo.

Ooi affirms that all the females who are in that position are “killing it” and serve as “an inspiration”. Prasad echoes this sentiment and urges females to not doubt their athletic abilities.

“Work hard,” Prasad said. “If you can prove that you’re as good as anyone else, nobody can say anything to you. If you have as much skill, as much fitness or as much passion for the game, you can prove that you’re better than them. Never limit yourself.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHETNAA PRASAD | USED WITH PERMISSION

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BUILDING VALUES Profiling three MVHS female coaches

BY ROBERT LIU Girls Basketball: Sara Borelli A common thread throughout English teacher and Girls Basketball coach Sara Borelli’s athletic and coaching career is resilience — standing up for her ideas despite opposition. She says this theme has been present throughout her 19 years and counting of coaching; for instance, it was echoed in a basketball game that she helped coach with her sister years ago.

“We were losing, but then we were like, ‘OK, now it’s about strategy,’ so we started … putting on a press, fouling and getting the ball back and scoring,” Borelli said. “I can’t remember [if] we ended up winning or losing, but afterwards the other coach was so upset that two female coaches outcoached him and then he went and complained and my sister got in trouble.”

Borelli says that like many other female coaches, she has faced sexism from referees, coaches and spectators alike in almost every sport she has participated in or coached. No matter the occasion, however, Borelli’s advice to other coaches is to always remain confident and stand up for one’s beliefs. Her favorite part of coaching is also passing down these values to her own players and watching them develop.

“Building that community together and seeing the girls finding confidence in themselves and their own game, and just changing their attitude [toward] themselves — I think that’s the most inspirational for me,” Borelli said.

But Borelli believes that this is also the hardest part of her job, hindered by the self-doubt that she says is so rampant among MVHS athletes — especially female athletes. To help her players find confidence and grow, Borelli constantly strives to set a strong example.

“Hopefully, they see me as a strong woman in their lives — I don’t back down when it comes to [referees] and I say what I feel,” Borelli said. “And they’ve seen the injustice [when referees] treat me differently than the other coaches. I think that empowers them too, in regards to not allowing that to happen in their own lives. But it has to work both ways; they have to be willing, but they are malleable

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PHOTO COURTESY OF SARA BORELLI | USED WITH PERMISSION

Girls Basketball coach Sara Borelli and her team celebrate after a Santa Clara tournament.

in the sense that they’re growing and and team spirit [has been] the most they’re learning to become who they are memorable for me,” Borelli said. “When as people.” the girls are coming to you because Borelli cites one of her favorite they’re upset about the loss — I think memories as a game in which her team those moments are the most memorable faced one of the then-best teams in the for me because they’re turning to me for league. She recalls the immense pride that support emotionally.” she felt in watching her team bounce Borelli retains these bonds beyond the back after a seemingly hopeless match: court — she says she cares deeply about the team was down each of them and 20 points, but their development through tireless as both players and I’M THE SAME AS efforts and strategy, individuals.

BOTH A COACH AND they shortened “I’m the same as A TEACHER; I HAVE the loss to just one both a coach and a HIGH STANDARDS BUT point. This parallels teacher; I have high one of Borelli’s core standards but I will I WILL ALWAYS HELP takeaways from her always help you get YOU GET TO THAT career: “taking the to that standard,” STANDARD. wins with the losses.”

Borelli said. “I don’t Other memories know [if] that’s GIRLS BASKETBALL Borelli recalls always bought COACH SARA BORELLI fondly include into as far as with the instances of students because I’m emotional bonding known as the ‘hard’ that she shares with her team, from team teacher and the ‘hard’ coach, but I think sleepovers to pranking an assistant coach the kids do get to know me and know how by covering his car with Post-It notes. much I care about them as people and “Just having that camaraderie care about their growth as individuals.”

Dance: Katie Sullivan Assistant Dance Coach Katie Sullivan has danced competitively since high school, when she participated in various national competitions. Since then, she has embraced the fitness aspect of dance as a core part of her life, later becoming a certified personal trainer and volunteering frequently as a dance coach.

Sullivan enjoys the unique dynamic of a dance team and appreciates how each dancer is a microcosm of that team.

“There’s nothing better than competing as a dance team where you all have worked so hard and trained to get to this point where you’re competing on stage,” Sullivan said. “And if [we] get a good score or win, it’s just amazing to celebrate with each other because we all know how hard each of us have pushed ourselves, and to be able to cultivate that in myself — it’s been awesome.”

Now, as an assistant coach, Sullivan shares this experience with her own dancers. Her favorite part of the job is watching her team’s solos, but she also relishes the bonding and inside jokes that come with her excitement for her dancers.

“In every [solo], my heart is just in — I’m

so there for it,” Sullivan said. “I’m pretty team, I’m focused on dance — that is my goofy and so when they were doing the priority. Then, when I’m at school, that is dances [last year], I would sing over it or my priority. I can’t overthink it.” beatbox for them. And so the whole team Sullivan tries to instill similar values in was like, ‘Katie, we need your mixtape of her dancers, encouraging them to always all of last season’s songs’ because I knew give their best. all the songs in my heart — I’d try anything “Every moment should be your best to hype them up.” because it’s fleeting,” Sullivan said. “You In addition to coaching the dance team, don’t want to leave practice being like, Sullivan is also a middle school teacher in ‘Wow, I should’ve done better.’ Just give Los Gatos and a masters’ student at Santa yourself that time and work as hard as Clara University. She says that making you can — and it’ll be over.” the most of every moment helps her manage what is often a chaotic schedule.

“I’ve always been the type of person to take on a lot, but I just really have to try to be present in what I’m doing because I think I would lose my mind if every time I was doing something, I was thinking about what’s happening next,” PHOTO COURTESY OF KATIE SULLIVAN | USED WITH PERMISSION Sullivan said. “So when I’m [with the] dance Assistant Dance coach Katie Sullivan celebrates her seniors.

Cross Country: Jodi Johnson Art teacher and Cross Country coach Jodi Johnson has been involved in both coaching and athletics from a young age, having taught skiing to specialized populations and participated in basketball, track, volleyball and cross country. These passions translated into her career as a coach: first for the softball team, then for the cross country team.

Kirk Flatow more than 10 years ago, she faced countless challenges in establishing expectations and building a foundation of strong work ethic. Pushback from runners was frequent, especially when problematic or unsafe team traditions were changed, but looking back, Johnson is proud of what she and her team have accomplished together.

“It’s really difficult to know if what you’re doing is in the best interest of the athletes,” Johnson said. “It’s been a challenge [especially] with the pandemic — one, am I keeping my athletes safe?

And two, how much do you push them?

Do you just let them come out and be, or do you push them like you would in any normal season?”

Overcoming these challenges, however, is ultimately what makes the journey worth it for Johnson. She shares that her favorite part of coaching is seeing her athletes grow and achieve success.

“Having an athlete who competes to the best of their ability and achieves [their] goal, whatever that goal is wherever they are on that spectrum of abilities, is such an amazing feeling and such a great part of coaching,” Johnson said.

“When I started working at [MVHS], I wanted another way to connect with the students on a non-academic level and so I sought out [the softball team],” Johnson said. “I started volunteering my time out — it was out of a desire to be part of a team again and to give back to [MVHS] in a different way.”

Johnson treasures the relationships she has accumulated over the years — relationships that encompass more than just coaching and athletics.

“There are so many facets that go along with coaching — you’re not only coaching students with their athletic abilities but also through a variety of life scenarios,” Johnson said.

“Athletes don’t just come to me for advice on athletics; they come looking for advice on a variety of areas.

Those relationships are what keep you going.”

When Johnson first PHOTO BY ROBERT MA | USED WITH PERMISSION took the reins of the Cross Cross Country coach Jodi Johnson high-fives a runner.

Country team alongside Coach

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