INFLIGHT: Foothill High School News — OCTOBER Vol. 41, No 1

INSIDE: New Falcons in the Nest PG4 | Christine and Sharon’s Food Corner PG8

inflight

FHSINFLIGHT.COM

JOURNALISM

FHS

OCTOBER 2014 Vol. 41, No. 1

FHS

INSIDE LOOK

LEADERSHIP

Photo: ARTHUR HWANG

Photo: ARTHUR HWANG

YOU GOT QUESTIONS?

NEW TO FHS?

WE GOT ANSWERS.

By SOFIA BARRERA and SHARON CHU

Q: How many years of PE do I have to take? Is there any way of waiving them?

In order to graduate high school, you must take at least 2 years of PE and pass a FITNESSGRAM test. You must have PE on your schedule as a Freshman, but can waive your second year with four seasons of a sport (same or different sport). After every season or sports, you have to get your coach to sign a waiver form, which you can get in the Athletics area in the office. In order to waive an entire year of PE, you may either take an online PE course or participate in a sport for four seasons.

Q: How do I sign up for school sports?

Fill out and turn in to the Office a sports packet (which you can get on the Football website) and a Physical (normally costs $15 with your doctor). When scheduling a physical with your doctor, remember that other people are doing the same, so be sure to get an appointment early!

Also, the athletic packets take a week or so to process, so turn them in early!

CONTINUED ON PG 7

By ARTHUR HWANG and NATALIE BURGE

They run around campus during third period. They never forget to dress up for spirit days. Then they crunch their heads for another spirit week idea. They cannot count how many times they have ran to the office, nor how many posters they made in a class they jokingly call “AP Postermaking.” They are there, at every school event: at registration, in the quad, at games, at every rally.

Such is the life of a Foothill Leadership student. Sometimes, the rest of the school watches on, baffled at the inner workings of the Leadership Class.

“I don’t know much about Leadership and haven’t seen them much,” says Anjali Kantharuben (’18).

But there is much more the Leadership class is doing behind the scenes that may be unnoticed, but builds up the school more than what we see.

ASB President Carley Robertson (’15) explains, “Our purpose is to promote spirit throughout the school and make all activities we do fun. We want to make everyone proud to be a falcon and ensure class unity and keep the falcon legacy going.”

To achieve this goal, the class works on various projects throughout the year, each headed by a group of Leadership students.

“We try to make projects that try to include every group on campus in order to bring everyone together and build a positive falcon spirit,” explains Leadership teacher Mr. Joe Friesen.

Here’s a preview of some of the leadership projects of 2014, featuring one of the leaders for each project: RED RIBBON WEEK “The purpose of Red Ribbon Week is to spread awareness about the costly effects of drugs. In the past couple of years, the Red Ribbon Week committees have been responsible for planning various lunchtime activities, as well as passing out fun items such as stickers and tattoos. We plan on trying someone

different out this year by putting on a spirit week. Our goal for the spirit days is to unite the entire school in the abstinence of drugs.” —Raymond Hartjen (’16) LIP DUB “The lipdub is an amazing way to bring the entire school together and promote school spirit. It’s a way to unite our school as a whole and provide students with memories that will last a life time. This year I hope to somehow change the project, by hopefully add more staff involvement and make it 10 times better than last!”—Olivia Larsen (’16) BIRTHDAYS “We didn’t do birthdays last year but this year, we’re just trying to have everyone feel that we appreciate their birthday and care about all the students. On their birthday, we’ll send them a card and a lollipop.” —Julian Dessouky (’16) LUNCHEON “The luncheon project’s goal is to recognize the varsity sports players for all their hard work. We serve the players sandwiches from Mr. Pickles with gatorade, water, and chips. This year, we want to improes the recognition process.” —Bryanna Schreiber (’16) FLASH MOB “Everyone comes to school and does the same thing—this year we want to excite the general public and have fun with a flash mob. I can’t tell any more details because it’s a surprise. That’s the beauty of a flash mob.” —Cameron Freeman (’15) BULLETIN CREW “I’m not personally a part of the bulletin crew, but they work really hard to keep students informed on what’s going on as far as spirit weeks and events go. They make all the posters you see around campus and advertisements and calendars.”

––Myranda Marzocco (’15) CONTINUED ON PG 2

opinions

The Queen Bey Craze

BY TORI KNUPPE

of who we are as women. Lately, there has been so much hype for females flaunt their sexual selves without shame or embarrassment, Beyonce being the utmost pioneer in that campaign.

“Women should not feel like our emotions or free will is suppressed.”

Beyonce’s 2014 VMA performance.

Since when was female equality synonymous with erotic sexual behavior? This is what I ask myself whenever I see yet another one of Beyonce’s over-sexualized performances. Be it the Video Music Awards or the Super Bowl, Beyonce has made her sexual appetite blatant to all (including her two-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy). She struts her stuff while singing about sexual favors and making light of domestic abuse cases, and all under the name of feminism.

Well, if your idea of female equality is being overtly sexual in public, Beyonce definitely embodies that definition. At the VMA’S on August 25th, 2014, Beyonce performed a series of songs and dances, a few of which included the songs “Blow,” “Partition,” and “Drunk in Love.” A few lyrics from her song “Blow” are noted below:

She sings these lively lyrics to her hus band, Jay Z. For a women who preaches female dignity and leadership, it’s surprising that she so quickly consents to let her husband “be the boss.” Furthermore, in her song “Drunk in Love,” Jay Z raps about his resemblance to Mike Tyson, a retired boxer who is known as a convicted rapist. He goes on to describe all the violently sexual things he will do to her. Shortly after, he refers to a famous domestic violence case about Tina Turner. If you don’t believe me, do your re-

search.

Additionally, in her song “Bow Down,” Beyonce calls all women who don’t respect her as the B-word, and she allows her husband to endearingly call her “the baddest Bword thus far” in her song “Drunk in Love.”

This is coming from the same woman who actively participates in the Ban Bossy campaign, a movement that wants to eliminate the word “bossy” from the bank of adjectives that describe women.

Sure, sexuality can be a great thing in the correct context. But it’s such a finite part

I agree with this in some aspects. Women should not feel like our emotions or free will is suppressed. Nor should we feel like people will judge us (i.e. slut-shaming, gossip) for what we say, how we act, or how we dress. But just because we don’t agree with slut-shaming or “sexual suppression,” does that give us an all expense paid trip to irresponsible sexual behavior?

Feminists complain about female objectification. But the message I’m getting lately from Beyonce is, “Objectification is okay, as long as we are doing it to ourselves.”

Beyonce’s “Drunk in Love” music video.

Bringing work up on top of me I’mma let let you be the boss of me

FEEL GOOD FRIDAY “Every Friday, a group of us picks a staff member or teacher to bring a gift of special delivery thanking them for what they are doing for our school or to give them a boost of confidence or happiness. I like being a part of it and helping others. My favorite part is seeing people’s faces and reactions.”

––Myranda Marzocco (’15) OTHERS INCLUDE: FOOD TRUCKS, TRUNK OR TREAT, ADOPT A FAMILY, SPECIAL ED DANCE, etc.

NEW IDEAS Leadership is also a classroom where students constantly brainstorm for new ideas to improve their events and projects for the student body. The ASB, class officers, and project groups each hold meetings every week. This process of revision and renewal is consistent with its goal to strengthen the school spirit as a whole.

“ASB president means that I am in charge of making sure every student feels that their views and ideas are heard and valued,” Carley Robertson continues, “This year we really want to be more productive in the class and being proactive in making new innovative ideas.”

After the recent Welcome Back Dance, the whole class met to brainstorm ideas to improve, based on recent opinions from other students on campus. The temperature of the room rose with excited fervor as the class discussed brand new, potentially possible ideas.

Among them were a new website, Blue Battalion block party, a concert on the field, a Foothill color run...A discussion that was supposed to last 20 minutes took the entire period, and students did not leave their seats even after the bell rang.

That day, the atmosphere of that room reflected an immense, uncontained potential.

A promise that anything is possible if Foothill students have the collective will to do it.

Perhaps it is signal that this year will bring much more. We’ll just have to wait and see.

No—that’s not it. We’ll can’t just wait— we’ll have to participate, be interested… .and then see what difference our effort makes.

EDITOR’S DESK: Our Purpose High school is a bonding yet divisive experience.

It’s an exciting time of discovering passions, exploring different possibilities, forging our own paths, and finding what and who we truly love and have in common. We hang out with new friends, we go to new places, we experience new things.

Yet, despite and because of that journey of self discovery, high school slowly starts to resemble the adult world of classism, overconfidence and artificiality. Doubtful?

Step outside during lunch. Cliques and class divisions stand as clear evidence. Sometimes, finding an identity is not the same as finding your true self. In the classroom, on the field, we are plagued by an overemphasis

on winning, on rising above others. Many of us see Foothill as only a stepping stone to college, to a job, to our real life.

Is this all just an inescapable reality of high school life?

We at Inflight believe Foothill is more than just that. After all, we won’t remember the grades we got, nor which teachers we hated, nor how many games we won, nor what we fought about. High school memories only become meaningful when they are shared with others. We may lead different lives, but it is the shared memory that will stand the test of time.

That’s why Inflight serves as a forum that reflects our diversity as well as our unity. Because the more we know about our school

community, the more we know each other, and the more we become single team—one family.

Is it too optimistic? Maybe. But we’re happy to do our part.

Stay classy, Falcons.

Kaitlyn Wang and Arthur Hwang Editors in Chief

FHS JOURNALISM

Inflight Staff STAFF ADVISOR Mary Crawbuck EDITOR IN CHIEF Arthur Hwang Kaitlyn Wang ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR Alice Lee NEWS EDITOR Jessica Ou SPORTS EDITOR Adit Shrestha

OPINIONS EDITOR Tori Knuppe FEATURES EDITOR Monica Azmi Sharon Chu PHOTO EDITOR Anthony Minaise ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Jennifer Kim

BUSINESS/MARKETING MANAGER Christine Deng BUSINESS/MARKETING TEAM Robert Lee Michael Jurich Anjali Kantharuban

View Our Full Issue At

fhsinflight.com

STAFF REPORTERS Michael Jurich Anjali Kantharuban Gabrielle LaFrank Sanjana Singh Sofia Barrera Natalie Burge Sahna “Charlie” Das Augustin “Augie” Chen Robert Lee karen Pham Kayvon Heravi Daniel Downey Antony “Tony” Italiano

news

Millions Spread Awareness for ALS

By MONICA AZMI and DANIEL DOWNEY Social media feeds have been flooded with yet another viral challenge: the ALS ice bucket challenge. The purpose is to challenge an individual to pour ice water over their heads. The more individuals who participated and nominated their friends, the more awareness and money the charity received to help find a cure for ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease.

As with any phenomenon that has taken over mainstream media, the challenge has indeed acquired a lot of controversy about the question of whether pouring ice water is helping to find a cure.

According to ALS.org, over 5,600 people are diagnosed with ALS every year. A popular issue among society is whether the challenge is really helping to educate people on a disease that many people have to struggle with. Questions arose if there was another alternate method to raise money. Rachael Butler (’15) explains that “there are other ways to promote ALS without a bunch of people pouring water on themselves, especially if we are in a drought.”

On the other hand, with over over the millions of people sharing their videos and the eagerness to help with the cause, “the ALS ice bucket challenge is a great thing”, says Anthony Faccini (’15).

Regardless of the controversy, ALS has raised 100 million dollars, according to Forbes. Perhaps the most significant result of the challenge, is the fact that ALS wasn’t heard of much before, and now millions are informed about the disease. The main goal was to help spread awareness of the disease and it was remarkably achieved.

To help with the campaign to help find a cure for ALS, you can visit the ALS Association at ALS.org.

The War On ISIS

By CHARLIE DAS and MICHAEL JURICH

The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, is currently seen as one of the biggest international threats in the world, aiming to create an Islamic State across Sunni areas of Iraq and Syria.

The group is well known for its public executions, crucifixions, kidnappings, and its large-scale attacks for territory, as well as killing dozens of people at a time.

Since August 19th, four videos showing the executions of two American journalists, a British aid worker, and a Frenchman, respectively, have been released in response to the U.S.’s targeted air strikes and bombings on ISIS and Britain’s alliance with the U.S. The U.S. is currently working with its allies to combat the ISIS threat.

On September 17th, the House of Representatives voted on the President’s plan to train and arm Syrian rebels to battle ISIS. Republicans and Democrats alike are divided on the plan. Many do not believe the plan is developed and detailed enough to be effective.

Even the people who are backing the President’s plan are not completely satisfied.

According to The Huffington Post, Rep. Mike Pompeo (Republican, Kansas) stated in the House floor debate, “The president spoke last week and he presented nothing that could be remotely considered a strategy.

Yet the American people understand the destruction of radical Islamic terrorism is mandatory.”

President Obama insists that American forces “do not and will not have a combat mission.” He says they will simply “assist and advise our partners on the ground.”

The plan is said to cost $500 million.

According to the CIA, there are currently about 31,500 ISIS fighters in Syria and Iraq, half of which are foreign born. There are about 2,000 westerners, with about 12 Americans.

NEW FALCONS IN THE NEST

By KAITLYN WANG and JESSICA OU

DIANE MEGHAN BRENT DANIEL BOULTINGHOUSE ANDERSON ANDERSON DALBY

What subject do you teach?

American Sign Language 1.

Where did you teach before? I taught developmental psychology at UC Berkeley, I actually have a PhD.

How do you like Foothill thus far? I like it very much. I actually

work here because Mr. K was at the restaurant I own in Danville called Firehouse Bar and Grill, and saw me signing.

What subject do you teach?

What subject do you teach?

What subject do you teach?

History and English freshmen to seniors.

Culinary arts.

Where did you teach before?

Algebra II, Math I, and Math III.

I taught for 18 years in total, 17 in Los Angeles and one in Daly City.

taught at PMS: geometry and algebra and at American Indian Public Charter School I taught 5th grade.

Where did you teach before?

This has been my only teaching job; it’s my first true year teaching.

How do you like Foothill thus far? I love it here. I graduated from Foothill and feel at home. I love the community at here. I enjoy helping out where I can, too.

How do you like Foothill thus far? I love Foothill. The kids are really nice, and I’m anxious to really get started with the course. I want to start up a Prostart team, a competitve cooking/management team.

Where did you teach before? I

How do you like Foothill thus far? I love Foothill, glad to be back, I graduated from Foothill in 1999.

I’m also the freshman football team coach.

DENISE BRIAN HOLTERHOFF HOWARD

KYLE IRISH

LYDIA LIM

What subject do you teach?

What subject do you teach?

What subject do you teach?

What subject do you teach?

Special Ed Life Skills.

Leadership and Algebra II.

Biology.

Band.

taught at Donlon as a sub for over 15 years.

I’m a brand new teacher, and received my credential in Southern California.

Miramonte High School in Orinda, California, and San Leandro High School.

I taught band at a German international school in Menlo Park.

and the staff are nice and the area is very nice as well.

partment and I’m hoping to coach baseball.

Where did you teach before? I How do you like Foothill thus far? I love Foothill. My daughters graduated from here and my son is a current sophomore, so I’ve been here a lot.

Where did you teach before?

How do you like Foothill thus far? I love it at Foothill, the kids

MEGAN FRANCES LIPMAN MCCARRELL

What subject do you teach? Biology.

Where did you teach before? I taught at Hart Middle School for twelve years.

How do you like Foothill thus far? I am loving Foothill so far!

Where did you teach before?

How do you like Foothill thus far? I like it a lot: I have a great de-

Where did you teach before?

How do you like Foothill thus far? I love it! The kids are spirited and nice and it feels like a family.

SHANNON PORFILIO

KRISTEN WIESER

What subject do you teach?

What subject do you teach?

What subject do you teach?

Spanish II, Honors Spanish IV.

French, all levels.

French, all levels.

I taught in Burlington, Washington as a dual language social studies teacher.

I taught French in high schools in Chicago and New York for about 14 years.

I taught French in high schools in Chicago and New York for about 14 years.

students and staff are great, but the heat is a bit hard to get used to.

weather, and think the kids are helpful and friendly.

weather, and think the kids are helpful and friendly.

Where did you teach before?

How do you like Foothill thus far? I really like it at Foothill. The

Where did you teach before?

How do you like Foothill thus far? I love it at Foothill, I enjoy the

Where did you teach before?

How do you like Foothill thus far? I love it at Foothill, I enjoy the

community

arts&interest

LATIN CLUB “The main purpose of Latin Club is to compete in Certamen at Latin conventions. Certamen is kind of like quiz-bowl, but it covers the Latin language, ancient Roman history, Roman culture, and mythology. The conventions are a lot of fun, and we’ve done well in Certamen, beating many private schools. Latin Club gives us an great appreciation for the classics; it’s really cool being able to read famous ancient works in their original language. Latin also helps us understand language in general better, since most western languages come from Latin. The Latin language itself also teaches logic, since the grammatical rules are more technical than other languages, but they follow a logical pattern.” -- Roland Huang (‘15)

ART CLUB “In Art Club, we promote the creativity and freedom of expression to create art pieces that define character. We will be continuing to promote these values through our “You are Beautiful” campaign and Project SPARK. Art club welcomes any student who is interested in art. To us, art club is more than showing our appreciation for art, but also expressing individuality. Through art, we connect on a deeper level and appreciate the inspirations from our surroundings.” -- Lauren Liao (‘15)

FISH CLUB “Fish Club is to gather together believers and nonbelievers of God to provide a loving and caring atmosphere, to do activities that glorify God, and to evangelize on campus. Fish Club hosts events like “See you at the pole” (National Prayer Day), praise nights, and fellowship events. Fish club is an outlet for me not only to meet with other Christians or people interested in Christianity, but also to practice my faith on campus.” -- Ari Kim (‘15)

STUDENT FILMMAKER ASSOCIATION “The Student Filmmaker Association was created in order to help students learn, collaborate, and compete in the world of filmmaking. We offer weekly lessons, switching between basic and advanced concepts while allowing for practicing of those concepts every third meeting. We also offer both informal competitions that we create ourselves, and official third party competitions that offer both gold and glory. Most importantly, you get to work with other people who are as passionate about this art form as you are.” -- Jose Alvarado (‘15)

OUR MOVEMENT “Our Movement is a suicide prevention and depression awareness club. We strive to create a more positive environment at school through small acts of kindness, such as our pink “You Are Loved” balloons, Take What You Need campaign, and at the end of the year, our Post Secret event. I’ve been in Our Movement since I was a freshman and it has greatly impacted the way I treat other people. The fact that you don’t know everyone’s story has made me rethink my opinions of the people around me.” -- Stacy Lin (‘15)

INTERACT “Interact is a service club under Rotary International. Interactors have participated in projects that seek an end to polio, send solar ovens to refugee camps in Afghanistan, build libraries and publish books in Bangladesh, and collect cans for local food shelters. We put service above ourselves. To me, Interact means spreading love to the homies at school, the homies in the Bay Area, and the homies all over the world.” -- Angela Kim (‘15) CALIFORNIA SCHOLARSHIP FEDERATION “The CSF club is a chapter of the California Scholarship Federation. This club requires its members to meet the point system requirements and do 10 hours of community service every semester. At Foothill, however, our members go above and beyond. Some semesters, people turn in proof of doing 115 hours in just one semester. Also through the federation, the state offers highly prestigious scholarships to its members such as the Seymour and Michelson Scholarships. Above all, we strive to create a balance of exemplary school grades and meaningful community service.” -- Dhyani Parekh (‘15) NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY “The National Honor Society is a scholarship and service-based club focused on the betterment of mankind. NHS aims to understand and fulfill the individual’s inherent responsibility to improve one’s community.

Moreover, because all NHS events, meetings, and fundraisers are run solely by students, the club itself is a testament to the power and potential of youth.” -- Nick Zevanove (‘15)

KEY CLUB “(No, we don’t make keys. Please stop asking about that.)

Key Club is the oldest and largest service program for high-school students! We host dozens of community service opportunities that address both local and international causes. Upcoming events include: movie nights, animal shelter visits, our famous AmericanApparel fundraiser, and Trick-orTreat for UNICEF. Personally, I’ve been involved in Key Club since my freshman year.

I am incredibly thankful for the opportunity to both serve my community and help others develop leadership skills.” -- Omeed Ziari (‘15) TEAM HBV “Team HBV is the outreach arm of the Jade Ribbon Campaign. Our mission is to increase awareness of the dangers of hepatitis B and liver cancer. We are an international community comprised of collegiate chapters, high school chapters and local volunteers based out of the Asian Liver Center at Stanford University. One in ten Asians are infected with hepatitis B and as an Asian-American, I believe we should spread the awareness of this virus because hepatitis B is totally preventable.” -Jungyoon Yu (‘16)

CLASSIFIEDS: FALCON CLUBS

By JENNIFER KIM and KAREN PHAM

DECA “DECA is all about new learning and social experiences. From actually learning financial concepts to winging 10 minute presentations, DECA is all about the ‘in the moment’ memories. The organization teaches students the importance of punctuality, organization, and communication, and while doing so we get to network with other high schoolers across the globe and establish both professional and personal connections. To me, DECA means excitement, enthusiasm, and of course competition. DECA has helped me grow as an individual ever since I joined in my freshman year by helping me step outside my comfort zone and establish my identity in and outside of school. I have met most of my best friends through DECA and it’s the bond that keeps us all together.” -- Shivi Bhatnagar (‘15)

HOSA “HOSA stands for Health Occupations Students of America and is dedicated to helping students who are interested in the health science field to find the career they wish to pursue. Throughout the year, we try to engage members in this goal by volunteering and competing at the state and national level. I want to see HOSA flourish with its members and I want to see its members realize their potential for what they can achieve.

I want them to set goals for themselves and find the path they want to take. HOSA means I get to change people's lives, see them achieve, suffer with them through the hard times, and finally see them onstage and in society doing what they love.”

-- Jinna Yang (‘16)

MODEL UNITED NATIONS “Model United Nations is a speech and debate club with a twist. Instead of representing their own viewpoints, students represent the perspective of a country in order to solve a specific international problem. Foothill’s team attends several Model UN competitions at local universities each year. The amazing thing about Model UN is that it truly inspires students to learn about the world. Students have the opportunity not only to research global issues, but to actually apply that knowledge, debate their viewpoint with others, and formulate viable solutions to real-world problems.” -- Aakaash Rao (‘15)

FUTURE BUSINESS LEADERS OF AMERICA “FBLA stands for Future Business Leaders of America. FBLA brings business and education together in a positive working relationship through innovative leadership and career development programs. I never realized what I got myself into until I started going to socials and competitions. I found that FBLA is my family. Through FBLA I’ve experienced competing in events like Marketing and Banking and Financial Systems.

Most of all, I networked and met so many wonderful people and some of those people have become my closest friends.” -- Kim Szeto (‘15)

SPEECH & DEBATE “The Foothill Speech and Debate Club gives all students the opportunity to compete in interscholastic tournaments and improve their skills of debating, public speaking, and researching. We aim to create a nationally recognized debate team through building team spirit and educating students how to speak and debate effectively. Debate club is more than just an extracurricular activity; it has raised my confidence, taught me essential life skills, and connected me with cool people from around the country.” -- Jeffrey Huai (‘15)

competition

FUTURE PRACTICING PHYSICIANS NETWORK “Future Practicing Physicians Network, or FPPN, is a club dedicated to teaching students about the medical field through hands-on experiences and presentations from guest speakers, labs, and field trips. We hope to personally connect students to the medical network and enrich their knowledge and experience in the field. Our years of youth should be spent having fun and living healthily, without any worries along with preparation for the future. Thus, FPPN provides an opportunity to prepare for your future without all the stress of the other activities in your life. FPPN is solely meant for enjoyable education about the medical field, and for fun! If you are looking for a club that prepares you for your future in the medical field without any stress or major requirements and is super fun, FPPN is the club for you!”

-- Arshiya Jain (‘17)

SCIENCE FOR YOUTH “Science for Youth is Foothill's first community-service club dedicated solely to the sciences. We are part of a non-profit science organization that strives to promote science for the youth in our community by bringing science beyond the classroom. By providing high school students the opportunity to give free, interactive science presentations to children K-5 at the Pleasanton Public Library, we encourage our members to grow as leaders in our youth community. To us, Science for Youth is a way of giving back to our community through something we’re passionate about and nurturing that same passion in our members. We also want to create an overall better Foothill by providing other clubs the opportunity to host their own presentations (with a science twist!) for kids at our local library, so keep your eye out for us!” -- Grace Yu (‘15)

MATH CLUB “Math team is about approaching math in an exploratory and inspiring way. We also participate in a lot of nationally recognized competitions throughout the year. I feel that math is often overlooked as an art form, probably because it’s taught as something so simple and straightforward. Math team is a place to learn, explore and at competitions, apply.”

EARTH CLUB “Earth Club is about exploring the great outdoors and making a difference in the natural word. We go out on hikes, ride bikes, and are recently planning a kayaking trip! There is something beautiful about the wilderness that's unique every time and we love to explore. We are going to do trash cleanups and fundraisers for charities such as the World Wildlife Fund and the Sierra Club. It means a lot to us to give back to mother nature and explore the many miles of wilderness the Bay Area has to offer.”

-- Dhyani Parekh (‘15)

SCIENCE OLYMPIAD “ Science Olympiad is a club that competes in the Science Olympiad competition. The competition is kind of like a track meet, with events going on throughout the day, except with science. Events range from taking a test about insects to building rubber band powered airplanes, and you work with a partner in every event. The main goal of the club is to do well at the competition and have fun!

Science Olympiad is a place for people who love science to learn more about a field they are interested in and find out what other fields they like. There are many scientific topics that are not covered in school, so it’s a great place to find out what’s out there. And of course, winning always feels good!” -- Roland Huang (‘15)

math&science

sports

Ray Rice Case

By ADIT SHRESTHA and AUGUSTIN CHEN A controversial and gruesome Atlantic City casino elevator. video recently surfaced showing On March 27, Rice’s criminal NFL player Ray Rice assaulting charges were increased to aghis then-fiance in an elevator. gravated assault while Palmer’s Rice and Janay Palmer were charges were dropped. Rice, both arrested on February 15, however, was accepted into the on assault charges, with the pretrial intervention group. incident being described as a The terms of the deal include “minor physical altercation” a twelve month counseling

by Rice’s attorney, Michael program and for his name to Diamondstein. be cleared from the record as The video of the fight was long as he did not get any more released by TMZ and showed felonies. Despite this incident, much more than just a minor Rice and Palmer married the physical altercation. Rice was next day. caught on camera punching The National Football Palmer unconscious and dragLeague’s initial punishment ging her limp body out of an for Rice was only a two game

What Is FIVB?

Whenever the acronym FIVB is mentioned, nobody seems to know what exactly it stands for or means. It turns out, how ever, that it is a major international sporting event in which a multitude of nations compete.

FIVB stands for Federation Internationale de Volleyball. It’s a one of the most competitive games that the Professional Volleyball players and Coaches were waiting for. The FIVB was created in 1949 for Men and in 1952 for the Women. The event happens every other 2 years and it is located in different countries that are part of the FIVB. There are 24 countries involved in this event, who come from: Asia, South America, North America, Europe and Africa. This year, the event is held in Poland. Many students at Foothill doesn’t know about FIVB but there was few

suspension. This slight penalty has been widely seen as not severe enough. Many people were furious with the NFL for their original suspension on Rice. Benjamin Revell (‘15) said, “This should be treated as an actual domestic violence case instead of a suspension from the NFL.” Many other people have also been critical of the NFL for their punishments. Social studies teacher, Nathan Parrish, stated, “The first penalty was not anywhere close enough to be sufficient. The NFL arbitrarily hands out punishments

based on public relations; the NFL is behind.”

Fans were outraged at the NFL for the lack of severity in the initial punishment. However, Ray Rice was released by his team, the Baltimore Ravens, and subsequently suspended indefinitely by the NFL on September 8, the same day that celebrity news outlet TMZ released the video.

BY JAYVON HERAVI and ROBERT LEE

students that were interested in it. A fellow student in Foothill said “I like to cheer for USA because that is my country and I want them to win” said Armin Gholami (’16).

As now the FIVB is set for the Quarter Finals let see who is in for this competition.

Currently, there are six teams remaining who all are seeking first place in the competition. The countries are: Germany, France, Russia, Iran, Brazil, and Poland. Unfortunately the United states was knocked out after losing to Iran and Argentina, leading to less interest from American viewers.

Upon hearing that the United States were eliminated from the next round, Jaxon Kwong (’15) said “It’s irrelevant to me at this point.” Other Foothill students interviewed, simply didn’t know about the tournament

and what it meant for international sports.

This championship is looking increasingly interesting as the host country Poland is facing the number one team Brazil to head to the semifinals. Also Iran is steadily growing as a volleyball power, and is facing Germany and France to seek its own place among the semifinalists. Not mention good performances by Brazil and Russia who are vying for a spot to win.

OLYMPIC ATHLETES: WHAT DO THEY DO?

BY ANJALI KANTHARUBAN AND GABRIELLE LAFRANK Life after the olympics is tough for an athlete. Every four years, we witness a spectacle of sorts - the Olympics. We see athletes who have trained their entire lives for this moment to represent our country. But there is always part of the story we miss: The part where they spend their entire life trainingand not doing anything else. Unless you’re Michael Phelps, the money earned in the Olympics can only last so long.

For this reason, many athletes have day jobs, many of which are unexpected for world-class athletes. An example is olympic snowboarder Tyler Jewell, who revealed in an interview with CNN that he has held what he refers to as a “patchwork” of jobs. Some of these odd jobs include a golf course jockey, a concrete crew man, a sausage seller, and Home Depot employee.

“I have 5 hours a day of training, which makes having a steady job hard.” He said during his interview.

Other athletes manage to find jobs also related to their field, as trainers and coaches.

Most, however, are not so lucky. There are organizations, such as the Olympic Job Opportunities Program (OJOP), that partner up with the olympic committee to provide jobs with flexible schedules to athletes in between olympic years and after retirement.

The Olympic Committee doesn’t pay its athletes. All the money they earn has to be through sponsorship deals or medals they win. In America, Bronze Medalists win $10,000, Silver Medalists get $15,000, and Gold Medalists earn $25,000. That may seem like a lot, but be reminded that the Olympics

only come every four years. Imagine being forced to earn all your money for the next four years in four weeks.

Some Olympians, manage to earn more that enough money. An example would be ice hockey player Patrick Eilas from the Czech Republic. “I just enjoy my time with my family,” said Eilas in an interview with Inflight reporters, “[I just] see some concerts, enjoy tennis, golf, and I’m really looking forward to [Soccer]...”

Other athletes prefer to take a break from sports altogether, such as defenseman Bob Suter of the 1980 ‘Miracle on Ice’ American men’s hockey team. After his retirement in 1981, Suter told the Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail that “There are other things I wanted to do besides hockey, and as far as sporting endeavors go, I’ll never match the victory at Lake Placid.”

Of course, payroll also depends on which country you play for. As MoneyUnder30. com so delicately put it, “Italy and Russia lead the pack. In 2012 Russia will pay $135,000 for a gold medal, $81,600 for silver and $54,400 for a bronze medal. Italy will pay gold medalists $182,400; the country also paid salaries of $64,000 to its 14 gold medal winners from the 2008 games through this summer’s Olympics.”

In other words, we are skimping on the paychecks of our amazing athletes. Hopefully, one day, we can support our athletes and pay them back for how they bring us together every four years as a country.

arts & entertainment CONTINUED FROM THE FRONT PAGE

Q: What is Homecoming and what is it like?

There are the Homecoming Skits (Oct. 8th), the Football Game (Oct. 10th), and the dance itself (Oct. 11). For Freshmen and Sophomores, Homecoming is the only formal dance of the year and takes place in the Large Gym every October. Whether or not you want to go alone or with a date is completely up to you. This year the theme is Bedtime Stories. Afraid you’ll have to be in your high heels or carry your wallet or clutch during the dance? No worries - most

dances have a separate room in which you can place the belongings you don’t want to carry on the dance floor into your assigned paper bag. This year’s Homecoming theme will also be reflected in the skits, in which each class will perform a humorous skit involving dances, musical talents, and other talents based off their class’s theme.

Q: How do I make an appointment with my counselor?

Go to the Counseling area in the Office and sign up on the clipboards for a counselor of your preference. When they are ready to have you, you’ll receive a pass to leave class. In an emergency during class, you can

Fall Movies

By ANTHONY MINAISE and SANJANA SINGH Let’s Be Cops Rated: R Release Date: 8/13/14 Cast: Jake Johnson, Damon Wayans Jr., Rob Riggle Synopsis: Two friends plan to impersonate police officers, but soon find themselves way over their heads.

Stars: 4 / 5, “I liked the character progression and the storyline was really funny.”

-Carl Mubarak (’15)

The Maze Runner Rated: PG-13 Release Date: 9/19/14 Cast: Dylan O’Brien, Aml Ameen, Kaya Scodelario Synopsis: Thomas finds himself with a group of boys, with his memory erased.

Realizing they are trapped, they take a shot at escaping.

Expectations: “Expecting it to be intense, captivating and looking forward to seeing Dylan O’Brien play such an intense role.”

-Deepthi Kothakota (’17)

ask your teacher to go to the counseling office and your teacher will write you a pass.

Q; Are freshman-year grades important for college?

Whether you’re an incoming freshman or a senior in your second semester, your grades are extremely important and will have an impact on what colleges you may be admitted to, whether or not you graduate, and what scholarships you can receive.

Some (most) colleges will acknowledge your Freshman year grades, though most tend to focus on the marks you receive as a Sophomore and Junior. You’ll be following many of the studying habits you build up as

a freshmen in your later High School years, therefore don’t ‘slack off ’ your first year here. Do not procrastinate on projects and essays, or any homework assignment for that matter.

What are the state-assessed exams students need to take in High School?

The CAHSEE is the only state administered exam that you need to exit high school but if you plan on going to college , it’s highly recommended that you take either the SAT or ACT (or both). This year will be the first time the SBAC (Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium) is administered as part of Common Core.

Movie posters (clockwise from top left): Let’s Be Cops, This is Where I Leave You, Big Hero 6, and The Maze Runner.

This is Where I Leave You Rated: R Release Date: 9/19/14 Cast: Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Jane Fonda Synopsis: When their father passes away, his last request is for his four children to come together and live under the same roof for a week and re-examine their relationships.

Expectations: “I expect this to be super funny from what I’ve seen of the trailer, and the cast is perfect for this kind of movie.”-Sofia Bunnel (’17)

Big Hero 6 Rated: N/R Release Date: 11/7/14 Cast: Ryan Potter, Scott Adsit, Jamie Chung Synopsis: A young robotics prodigy, Hiro Hamada (Potter), and his robot Baymax (Adsit) uncover a criminal plot and gather a team of inexperienced crime-fighters to solve the mystery.

Expectations: “It looks like it’s going to be really funny, and a good movie to watch with younger siblings!” -Shloka Rao (’18)

Nintendo Speculation

By TONY ITALIANO and ALICE LEE

This fall, two highly anticipated titles from Nintendo are increasing enthusiasm for the 3DS and Wii U. Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire will be launched worldwide on November 21, 2014 for the 3DS; Super Smash Bros. will be released on October 3, 2014 for the 3DS and during the holidays for the Wii U. Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire is an update to their predecessors Ruby and Sapphire, which were released for the Game Boy Advance in 2003. Fans of the series are looking forward to the return of older game mechanics like secret bases and Contests, but the new addition garnering the most hype is the addition of new Mega Evolutions.

Mega Evolution is a temporary, battle specific increase in your Pokemon’s abilities. Each trainer can only mega-evolve a Pokemon once per battle, and the evolution is reversed at the end of battle or upon the evolved Pokemon’s fainting. In order to mega-evolve, the trainer must have both a Pokemon-specific evolutionary stone -- named for the Pokemon it affects -- and a Key Stone. “Looking for the stones was a great addition,” says Haley Dean (‘15), an avid Pokemon fan. “Anyone can have a Charizard, but putting the effort into unlocking Mega Charizard adds a whole new level to to the gameplay.”

The idea of Mega Evolution will also incorporated into the new Super Smash Brothers for the Wii-U and 3DS. It has been confirmed that Charizard and Lucario mega-evolve in their final smashes. This

isn’t the only new thing that Super Smash Bros. will be showcasing. They also have a cast of new characters, including the Animal Crossing villager, Pac-Man, and the Wii Fit trainer.

Additionally, Masahiro Sakurai, the creator of Super Smash Bros., has decided to omit story mode from the next game. “Unfortunately, the movie scenes we worked hard to create were uploaded onto the internet. You can truly wow a player the first time he sees [a cutscene]. I felt if players saw the cutscenes outside of the game, they would no longer serve as rewards for playing the game, so I’ve decided against having them.” Some future players are disappointed in the omission of this classic feature.

“I liked having a story mode,” says David Schmitz (’17). “It gave me something to do while playing alone.”

As you can see, all of this innovation in the new game may be disconcerting for some.. With the Wii U and 3DS, some people may have to learn a new way to play Super Smash Bros., and for those of us using a Gamecube controller, this may be a tad worrying. Luckily, there is a possibility that the Wii U will have a Gamecube adapter, but this is unconfirmed.

Nevertheless, these two new games, due to their place in a well-loved series, will likely be a huge success for Nintendo, giving Microsoft and Sony plenty of competition for the coming year.

A collage of all the confirmed new playable characters in Super Smash Bros.; images sourced from the game’s official website.

arts & entertainment

Photo By Anthony Minaise, Photo Editor

Art

“Art” is a blanket term that covers a multitude of medias. Sketching to painting, dancing to singing, and poetry to sculpture. This year, Inflight wants to encourage Foothill artists to share their talents with us through our monthly art contests. Each month we will provide a theme along with students’ thoughts of the theme. Then, you guys will submit work related to our theme, and those selected will be featured in our next publication!

E-mail us your submissions with your name, grade, and description(optional) at inflighteditor@gmail.com.

Contest Submit to inflight

Christine and Sharon’s

FOOD CORNER

TARA’S ORGANIC ICE CREAM Fairly new to Pleasanton after replacing ColdStone Creamery, Tara’s has fared well in gaining a large fan base. Their ice cream flavors shock and please the taste buds. Every ingredient is organic and made fresh daily. From Spicy Ginger to Tanzanian Vanilla, Tara’s is a definite place to try out. Also, they usually have waffle cone samples - delicious.

Falcon FEST 2014

Both of us are extreme foodies on the daily. The beauty of food has consumed our lives to such a point that we can sense a new restaurant from a mile away. This year we decided to share our adventures with you all. We hope to introduce new local restaurants for each of you to try out!

TULLY’S COFFEE

MAIN STREET CAFE

The perfect hub of Downtown Pleasanton to work on homework, projects, or social meetings while sipping a toasty, fresh coffee. They provide a variety of drinks distinct in taste in comparison to the usual Starbucks or Peet’s Coffee. In fact, Tully’s is known to be very customer-friendly. I’m not a coffee drinker, but their hot cocoa is the best I’ve ever had - not too sweet but still delightful.

Christine’s personal go-to for late night café eatery while doing homework. They close at 9 PM, and have way better WiFi connection than Tully’s. Order their Pesto Chicken Avocado sandwich with a half Caesar salad. Their pesto sauce is insanely satisfying, and the ripe avocados are the cherry to my vanilla. They also have a variety of other amazing dishes try their cheesy fries.

LOKANTA MEDITERRANEAN GRILL

Mediterranean grill gone modern. This restaurant has an spacious, comfortable back area plus a mini bar. Their sampling of bread and custom vinagarette is the perfect way to start off your dinner. It gives an overall understanding of the quality of food you’re about to eat. While a little bit more expensive, this is a good location to try something unique with that special someone.