Where are FHS Seniors Going To College?
Athletes Share Their
Pregame Rituals On Page 8
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Fremont High School
the
PHOENIX
Vol. 3 Issue No. 8 May 26, 2015
Arrest escalates into riots protesting police brutality by Essam Rao Staff Writer
The city of Baltimore, Maryland has gone through many mixed reactions all sparked from the arrest and death of Freddie Carlos Gray Jr. Gray, a 25-year old African-American male, was arrested on April 12 by the Baltimore Police Department for carrying an illegal switchblade, according to The New York Times. Two bystanders captured a video recording of the arrest made by Lieutenant Brian Rice, Officer Garret Miller and Officer Edward Nero. The video and medical reports show that the arrest involved unnecessary force. While being escorted to the police van, Gray suffered serious injuries, which later put him in a coma. He was held at the hospital for a week until his death on April 19, due to a fatal spinal cord injury sustained from the arrest while in police custody. Upon later investigation, it was declared that the switchblade Gray possessed was legal in Maryland state law, thus making the arrest unlawful, according to The New York Times. In response, the total six officers involved with the arrest were suspended without pay from the BPD on April 21, according to The Guardian. The medical examiner’s report from May 1 ruled Gray’s death as a homicide. The officers were charged with a number of crimes, including murder and manslaughter. All officers were arrested with their
A PROTESTOR in Baltimore stands in front of a police formation as a store burns behind them.
bails set between $250,000 and $350,000, but were all released from jail shortly afterwards, according to court orders. The events of the Gray incident have sparked protests and riots varying on their intensity of violence, mirroring the aftermath of the 2014 Michael Brown shooting. According to The Baltimore Sun, hundreds of people protested outside the BPD on April 18, one day before Gray’s passing, over the injuries he sustained in his arrest. Then on April 21, hundreds of demonstrators protested after Gray’s death
went public, according to Reuters. These protests were fairly peaceful, yet things escalated as time went on. CNN reported that after Gray’s funeral, the streets of Baltimore looked like a warzone. “Buildings and cars across the city were engulfed in flames. About a dozen businesses looted damaged,” a police commissioner said in an interview with CNN. A total of at least 20 officers were wounded and over 250 people have been arrested since April 28. Riots became so escalated that Maryland
Photo courtesy of Patrick Semanscy, AP
governor Larry Hogan declared a state of emergency, and deployed the Maryland National Guard, according to IBTimes. The Baltimore protests again shows a similar struggle between a community and its police department. “There’s no excuse for the kind of violence that we saw yesterday,” President Obama said in a White House press conference on April 28. “It is counterproductive. When individuals get crowbars and start prying open doors to loot, they’re not protesting. They’re not making a statement. They’re stealing.
When they burn down a building, they’re committing arson. And they’re destroying and undermining businesses and opportunities in their own communities. That robs jobs and opportunity from people in that area.” In an interview with CBS, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake feels that all of the civil unrest is not just a reaction to the Gray incident, but a reaction to a lot more pain. “The pain you saw, yes, it is about Freddie Gray, but it’s about so much more,” Rawlings-Blake said. According to The Balti-
more Sun, people protested last Saturday over concerns beyond the Gray incident. Dozens marched and demanded for better investment in the city’s poor neighborhoods, along with amnesty to those facing charges from protests. “This is an uprising,” Reverend Courtly Witherspoon, leader of this protest, said to the crowd according to The Baltimore Sun. “People are standing up and for the first time are saying enough is enough and meaning it.” Although Sunnyvale does not encounter as much friction between the citizens and the police force, students and staff at Fremont High School are still impacted by the events in Baltimore. FHS senior Ashayla Harrison expressed her concerns on the Gray incident. “The peaceful protests are [justified], but not the riots and destroying of property,” Harrison said. “Riots are never justified,” AP United States History teacher Brian Irvine said. “However, there is a whole lot of discontent in the poor communities, and it’s not just a racial thing, because half of the police force in Baltimore is black, the mayor is black, the police commissioner is black. It’s more of a power thing between the people who have the power and are using it excessively versus the people who have really no power at all.”
FHS engineering team wins design challenge by James Kanuch Staff Writer
Last month, three Fremont High School engineering students were able to compete against students from other schools and claim first place in regionals for the Chevron Design Challenge. The competition was held by Project Lead the Way, an engineering program and non-profit organization that encourages the interest of science among students of all grade levels. In partnership with Chevron, FHS engineering students were able to come up with a design challenge that tasked competitors
with coming up with design sketches that met a certain goal and present them to judges all within one day while on a strict deadline. Regionals were held in the FHS engineering classroom on April 18, with 16 teams in total competing against each other. The first place prize was an iPad, while the second and third place prizes were Amazon gift cards. The FHS engineering team consists of sophomore Jackie Otala, freshman Collin Howard and Anreeta Saseetharran, who were able to rely on the strengths of each other to pull through in the competition. “It was definitely a
lot of teamwork,” Otala said. “Collin was very tech savvy and he was able to get the part done quickly and Anreeta was very good with time management and was also able to help Collin with some of the technical work. I then worked on the presentation a lot and so it was definitely the division of power, the division of work and the teamwork that helped us in the end.” The PLW organization is dedicated to its goals of increasing the interest of science among students who want to enter the scientific field. They are able to accomplish this goal through the use of their learning programs and
support among schools. The Chevron Design Challenge is one of those ways that helps to introduce newcomers to the environment of science. On May 16, the FHS team will be moving on to championships to compete at Folsom Lake College. The top three teams from each competition will move on from regionals to championships. Since there were five regional competitions in total, there will be 15 total teams competing in the championships. Championships are also almost exactly the same as regionals, where teams have to design sketches and present them to judges, but now
with the addition of harder concepts. Also, the first place prize for championships is a laptop, while the prizes for second and third place are Amazon gift cards. With the overall experience of competing in the Chevron Design Challenge, the FHS engineering team was able to accomplish and learn so much within a short period of time. “It was really fun and you learned a lot,” Otala said. “It added a lot of professionalism to what I know about the market and just engineering in general. The project gives you more professional ideas about engineering and you learn a lot from it. For example,
learning how to work together because I really did not know Saseetharran or Collin before this and I learned how to work with them, how to manage time a lot better and how to meet deadlines.” The Chevron Design Challenge was able to give students a better understanding of the engineering world while also giving the chance for students to work together in a competitive environment. PLW will continue everyday for the next year, with initiatives such as the Chevron Design Challenge in order to keep motivating students that are looking forward to getting a career in science.
News
May 26, 2015
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Corinthian colleges shut down: Students left with unfinished degrees by Kelly Zhong Staff Writer
On April 27, 2015, the Corinthian College system shut down and left about 16,000 students with an unfinished college education. The Corinthian College system includes Everest College, Wyotech and Heald College and has several campuses located around the Bay Area.
It was very shocking to be told, ‘Hey tomorrow, no more school.’ Alexandra Roske According to U.S. News, the main reason the system shut down was because the Department of Education was fined $30 million for allegedly misleading students with falsified job replacement rates and other data. Ac-
cording to the Huffington Post, the state of Calif. sued the colleges. As a result, the company had to shut down and sell many of their campuses, as said on the Corinthian Colleges’ homepage. Almost 90 percent of the colleges’ revenue came from taxpayer cash. However, since Calif. had sued the colleges already, the company lost a major source of cash. Thus, the colleges had to strike a deal with the Department of Education, in which the Corinthian Colleges would receive money, but would gradually have to close its campuses. Even though there was some news that the colleges were going to shut down before April, many students felt surprised by the sudden change in events. “It was very shocking to be told ‘Hey, tomorrow, no more school,’” Alexandra Roske, a student at Corinthian’s Heald College in Salida, Calif., told NBC station KCRA of Sacramento. The mass surprise was probably because the
colleges had continued to encourage enrollment, even on the campuses that were going to be sold, in order to attract potential buyers. Some campuses were already slated to shut down; the students attending would go through a “teach out” process, meaning the students would be able to finish their degrees before the college closed for good. As for Corinthian Colleges’ other campuses, the students’ fates were less clear cut, according to NBC News. Several students had loans to pay off, while others still had class work to finish. “I put everything I had into my academic career to set myself up for a bright future, not only for me but for my family,” Roske said to NBC, who had invested $18,000 towards an education in dental assistance. To add to the impact, some of the students were preparing to graduate with their degrees in about two months and only had a few more credits or hours of volunteering left to complete. As for the students’
debts, a group of debt strikers, known as the “Corinthian 100,” has refused to pay monthly sums of money for their debts, according to the Huffington Post. As a result, the Department of Education also agreed to shoulder some of the students’ debts, specifically for those who refused to transfer their credits to another college. “Corinthian’s bankruptcy filing follows aggressive enforcement actions taken by the department to protect students,” Education Department spokeswoman Denise Horn said in a prepared statement to the Huffington Post. “The department remains committed to protecting students and ensuring that those who have been hurt by fraud, including at Corinthian, receive the debt relief they are entitled to.” Furthermore, according to U.S. News, the company is working with the Department of Education in order to transfer some of the students to community colleges in order to complete their degrees.
Two earthquakes strike Nepal by Cindy Zhang Staff Writer
On April 25, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal, killing more than 8,000 people. Within weeks after the first major earthquake, another 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck on May 12th, with the combined death toll said to exceed 8,500 people, according to the Home Ministry. This makes the disaster the worst earthquake on record to ever hit the country. The previous worst earthquake struck Nepal in 1934, killing 8,519 people, while the two quakes combined has a death toll of 8,583. Within the week after the first quake, a 15-year old boy was rescued after five days of being trapped under a motorcycle and a 101-year old man was lifted out of the remains of the quake with barely any injuries. However, as the days pass, hopes of rescuing survivors from the rubble of the first quake become grimmer. Since thousands are still missing, the death toll is expected to be higher. More than 600 climbers on the Himalayas are missing. The entire village of Langtang, which includes 55 guesthouses for climbers and visitors, were wiped out by the two quakes, according to The Guardian. “Volunteers and police personnel are digging through six-foot snow with shovels looking for more bodies,” Assistant Chief District Officer Gautam Rimal said.
the
PHOENIX
1279 Sunnyvale Saratoga Rd. Room 84 Sunnyvale, CA 94087 (408)522-2400 fremonthighphoenix@gmail.com fhsphoenix.com Managing Editors Ashley Chavez Kayla Layaoen News Editors Jasmine Salik Sonya Jindal Sports Editor Chau Nguyen Arts & Entertainment Editors Sarah Arkoh Emily Wright Opinion Editors Melissa Parlan Tatiana Castillo Lead Photographer Priya Lee Staff Writers Sravya Bathula Margaret Bernauer Hannah Marie Butay Ariana Honavar Hiro Sarah Kacmarsky James Kanuch Kristina Lechuga Juan Martinez Dana Nissan Rachel Pena Nazmiye Ornelas Rodriguez Essam Rao Snigdha Rayala Nicole Stibbard Julie Wi Cindy Zhang Kelly Zhong Adviser Stacey Stebbins
Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Times
CITIZENS of Nepal salvage through the rubble left by the earthquakes.
Google Executive Dan Fredinburg, who often scaled Mount Everest in his spare time, was doing just that with three other Google employees when the first earthquake struck, causing an avalanche to hit the climbers. While his colleagues survived, Fredinburg succumbed to a severe head injury. “We appreciate all of the love that has been sent our way thus far and know his soul and his spirit will live on in so many of us,” his sister Megan wrote. “All our love and thanks to those who shared this life with our favorite hilarious strong willed man. He was and is everything to us.” Due to Fredinburg’s incident, Google is committing $1 million to the recovery efforts of the earthquake and launching Person Finder to help families find their loved ones.
Fifty eight foreign people have also been confirmed dead from the two quakes, including 40 Indians, one Briton, one Spaniard, as well as four Americans. However, there are still more than a hundred foreigners unaccounted for. Families in foreign countries are growing in fear as they wait for news of their loved ones. Eight Spaniards who were in the area at the time of the first quake are still missing. Due to this, Spanish rescue teams are also helping to search the area. Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world and an economy that relies largely on tourism was damaged severely by the two consecutive major earthquakes. Thus, Nepal is in need of massive international support in the upcoming months of reconstruction.
According to The New York Times, relief supplies have been piling up at the airports because Nepalese authorities insist that standard inspections and procedures must be followed, even in situations like an earthquake. The U.S. aims to deliver relief supplies to people in the most remote areas, airlift victims out of the most remote areas and provide shelter, which the U.S. government believes is a pressing need for those affected by the earthquake. On May 15, a U.S. Marine Corps helicopter that was delivering relief supplies to northeastern Nepal was found crashed into the mountains, along with the bodies of six Marines and two Nepalese soldiers inside. All eight bodies have been flown back to Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital.
The Phoenix, protected under the California Education code, is a public forum for the students of Fremont High School. The Phoenix staff will publish features, editorials, news, and sports in an unbiased and professional manner. Editorials are the official opinion of The Phoenix. Opinions and letters are the personal viewpoints of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Phoenix. All content decisions are made by the student editors and in no way reflect the official policy of Fremont High School, nor the opinions of the administration, faculty, or the adviser. Business advertisements are accepted in The Phoenix. However, The Phoenix reserves the right to deny any ad. Those interested in running advertisements can call the Business Manager at (408)522-2400, or email fremonthighphoenix@gmail.com Letters to the editor and questions for the advice column, may be submitted online at www.FHSphoenix.com, to room 84, Ms. Stebbins’ mailbox, or emailed to fremonthighphoenix@gmail. com. Identities of those who submit questions will remain anonymous. The staff reserves the right to edit letters to conform to styles and policy. Letters to the editor will be published at the discretion of the staff. The Phoenix is the official student newspaper, and is distributed free of cost to the students. The Phoenix publishes eight issues throughout the school year.
Opinion Professionalism over opinion in writing 3
May 26, 2015
by Emily Wright
Arts & Entertainment Editor
Last Nov., Rolling Stone magazine featured an article by Sabrina Erdely called “A Rape on Campus” which detailed the story of sexualassault victim “Jackie” at the University of Virginia who was allegedly raped by members of a fraternity in Sept. 2012. The story became well-known because of its inaccurate reporting and the controversy surrounding it. Within days, commenters were questioning the story’s validity. Erdely focused mainly on Jackie, instead of verifying that the assaulters existed or fact checking basic information in her account. It’s possible that Jackie may not have been raped at all. Charlottesville Police have halted the investigation on the alleged sexual-assault after they determined four months later, that “there is no substantive basis to support the account alleged in the Rolling Stone article.” “Erdely’s reporting records and interviews with participants make clear that the magazine did not pursue important reporting paths even when Jackie had made no request that they refrain,” Sheila Coro-
nel, Steve Coll and Derek Kravitz wrote in a Columbia Journalism School report requested by Rolling Stone. Erdely also failed to interview some of Jackie’s friends who were only talked to after the article was published. In fact, the article made it appear Erdely had interviewed one of Jackie’s friends when she never did. There is also no disclosure that Erdely didn’t know (at the time the article was published) the real name of “Drew”, one of Jackie’s alleged assaulters. In a world where it is much easier to access and send information, journalists who report to the entire world need to be sure that the stories they are writing are accurate. Even a small error is noticed. Part of the problem is that Erdely may have been biased towards the issue at hand. It’s hard not to be, since many people have strong opinions about college rape. It is a journalist’s job to report the facts, not a personal opinion. Bias shouldn’t change the story. The thing that really gets me is that this isn’t just the fault of Erdely. All of the editors who read her story should have known and realized that something about the story smelled fishy. There was no evidence other than Jackie’s account, and she appeared to be unreliable at times, refusing to name the main perpetrator. We must hold journalists and writers more accountable to make the accuracy of their articles more important than their
opinion on the subject at hand. Sometimes, it’s best if journalists don’t write a story that they feel extremely passionate about. When that’s not possible, they need to be professional and get the story from both sides, no matter how they feel. It may not be possible to remove every last bit of bias from a story, but factchecking is a good way to start. I’m all for letting opinions be heard, but that’s what the Opinion section of the paper is for. Writers shouldn’t be pushing personal thoughts into a news piece. I understand that journalists mess up every once in a while. It’s a fact of life, and that is what the corrections box is for. But a failure as big as this was avoidable and should have been fixed. However, Erdely should have learned from her past mistake. The journalist once wrote an article on child abuse in church that was criticized for focusing on an unreliable victim who changed his story several times. It is a good thing that Rolling Stone asked for a review to see what truly went wrong. However, as of now, they have yet to act on it, except for retracting the article. This wasn’t some simple typing error, or one piece of incorrect data. This was a train wreck that crashed and burned, and Rolling Stone really hasn’t done anything about it. The biggest problem about this whole failure is
the repercussions it will cause. While Erdely and everyone else involved with the article were not fired, her articles will now be viewed with scrutiny and people won’t trust her sources, even if they may be accurate. This also involves other journalists; when people who are charged with reporting the news accurately fail to do their job, it makes everyone trust journalists less, no matter who they are. When someone messes up, it makes them look bad. Erdely’s mistakes will also affect the victims of sexual assault.
Julie Wi | The Phoenix
The fact that Jackie’s story may not have been true increases the perception that women lie about being raped. It will also make the University of Virginia look negligent in handling rape cases, even though the administration contests Jackie’s account of her dealing with them. Mistakes affect the perceptions of people, and not always for the better. The importance of fact-checking, and being professional, applies to
everyone, not just journalists. Just because you’re not a journalist doesn’t mean it is time to slack off or that you’re somehow exempt from the “rules” when asked to write something. Put your best foot forward, because it will help you later in life when you might have to write something else. Sure, in high school a paper only counts for a grade, but later on it could determine whether you get to keep your job or not. Be professional, and don’t let your bias affect the accuracy your work. The important thing to remember going forward is that journalists are not perfect. Everyone makes
mistakes once in a while, and that’s acceptable. However, when journalists fail to do things they’re supposed to have done, like fact-checking, it’s something that needs to be noticed and acknowledged. We can’t let people who discard basic procedures get away with something like that. While Rolling Stone hasn’t acted on the report they received on their failure, I’m hoping that it will cause other publications to push their reporters to be as accurate as they possibly can. That’s the only way Erdely’s article will be able to change things for the better.
Celebrities exposed: don’t get fooled by the fame One of the most followed people on Vine, Nash Grier, is known for his socalled inspirational “What Guys Look For In Girls” video. Just in case any of his fans were wondering if they fit a teenage boy’s standards, Grier explains that he finds the smallest details in a girl beautiful. These traits include having no body by Sarah Kacmarsky hair, being fun and outgoing Staff Writer but not too outgoing to the In today’s society, social point that she is overbearing. It is also important that media has become a whole a girl will “stay on top of new category of fame. you” and make sure you do “Internet fame” has not slack around. However, skyrocketed in the past you cannot be a pushover, three years and most recently with the rise of the yet you have to listen to what he says. Vine app and rising YouBy implicating these Tube fame. Popular Viners and Youtubers have reached double standards, Grier the point of popularity that displays his misogynistic views and sends a message they have been invited to to his younger viewers who award shows such as the are going to take the advice MTV Video Music Awards to heart and change themand even the Grammys. Now, it is no burden to selves to fit his standards. With all of the misogyny have a lot of followers and and double standards get such wonderful opportunities, however, many aside, it’s still a mystery why he has 4.53 million “internet famous” people adoring fans. I don’t know are not always worthy of about you, but I love it glorification.
when a guy is glorified for having pretty eyes and a nasty personality. Secondly, new artists like Meghan Trainor are moving up the charts with their hit songs. Trainor has made a huge impact on the music industry; not only with her body positivity song, All About That Bass, but with her opposition to feminism and ignorance towards eating disorders. In an inter-
view with Entertainment Tonight, Trainor stated she wasn’t “strong enough to have an eating disorder.” She is portraying anorexic people as strong and glorifying eating disorders. Trainor also stated in an interview with Billboard that she doesn’t “consider herself to be a feminist,” and she wants her main message to be “love yourself more.” I’m so glad people like her are inspir-
Photo courtesy of Pacific Coast News
ing people, mostly teenage girls to love themselves yet oppose gender equality. If that’s not idol material, I don’t know what is. Lastly, everyone’s favorite revolutionary, Jennifer Lawrence, has had such a beautiful impact on the world. Lawrence is well-known for her quirky personality and starring role in the Hunger Games series. However, not many people know what lies beneath the surface. On the Jay Leno Show, Leno was talking about his Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder; to which Lawrence replied “You’re the most interesting person, I want weird quirks.” Lawrence displaying her love for “weird quirks” may just be acting out of ignorance, but once again we see such inspirational people inspiring us with the noble glorification of mental illness. Earlier in her career, Lawrence stated, “In Hollywood, I’m obese. I’m considered a fat actress. I eat like a caveman. I’ll be the only actress without
anorexia rumors.” Now, she was new to the industry at the time, and was trying to make a name for herself, but differentiating herself from people in Hollywood because she “eats like a caveman” doesn’t seem plausible. But, wow, I’m so glad we see curvy people like 5’9”, 140 pound Jennifer Lawrence in the spotlight. She makes me feel like it’s perfectly normal to not weigh 100 pounds, but to weigh 140 pounds. That’s so much heavier than anyone in the industry. Go Jennifer! In the end, before you glorify and idolize someone for being “different” and “quirky,” you may want to do a little research to make sure that person is a good influence and not so much of a problematic fave. If your body positive “idol” glorifies eating disorders and doesn’t go for gender equality, or if they consider 140 pounds “fat,” or they are glorified for being misogynistic, I highly recommend glorifying anyone else but them.
Special Feature
May 26, 2015
4
Farewell Cla
FREMONT HIGH SCHOOL panarama photo of the 2015 graduating class.
California Schools Represented Number Attending: 2
Number Attending: 3
Number Attending: 3 Number Attending: 1 Number Attending: 2
“I left my heart in San Francisco High on a hill, it calls to me To be where little cable cars climb halfway to the stars. The morning fog may chill the air, I don’t care -Tony Bennett” - Ashley Chavez
Number Attending: 1
Congragu of
Number Attending: 10
Number Attending: 1 Number Attending: 8
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Number Attending: 1 Number Attending: 1
I’m looking foward to studying Graphic Design, meeting new people, experiencing new things, and just moving onto that next chapter in my life! - Grace Lee
Number Attending: 10 Number Attending: 11
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I’m choosing this college because it’s the best option I have right now but I’m going to be earning my Associate’s and then transfer to UC San Diego or San Francisco State! - Mina Nejal
I’m looking forward to start a new chapter in my life. To make new friends and to see what college is like! - Bradley Murdock
Number Attending: 1
There’s really nothing I want more than to go live in the forest with a bunch of hippies. I tried to convince myself all year that I didn’t want to go to UCSC, but I know it’s where I’m meant to be. - Kayla Layoen
I’m choosing Chapman because of its business program and smaller, more intimate classroom sizes that give me the opportunity to form close relationships with my professors. It also has a great study abroad program and tons of internship opportunities specifically for my major. -Vi Luong
Number Attending: 1
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Number Attending: 4 Number Attending: 4
Number Attending: 3 Number Attending: 4
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I am looking forward to new experiences, and being able to find myself. I am also looking forward to living right next to the beach, and seeing how different Southern California is going to be. - Sabrina Huey
Number Attending: 2 Number Attending: 1
I’m going to miss the wonderful community and supportive atmosphere. I look forward to figuring out what I want do to with my life. - Steven Newman
Number Attending: 2 I’m looking forward to pushing the boundaries of what I’m comfortable with in college. I’m excited to challenge myself academically and to find my independence. - Priya Lee
Special Feature
May 26, 2015
5
ass of 2015
ulations Class f 2015!
Photo courtesy of Sue Larson
Firebirds Flying Out of State Number Attending: 1
Number Attending: 1
I picked University of Portland because it is in Potland and they have good coffee and food. - Monica Salazar
Number Attending: 1
Number Attending: 1 I choose Montana because it wasn’t super large, and not too small. they have great programs that I want to join, awesome campus and college town. - Sean Kitson
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I really wanted to go out of state, I didn’t want to be 40 or 50 and have only lived in one state. I am going to miss the familiarity of the Fremont community. - Rujuta Kortikar
Number Attending: 2
I am going to miss the teachers at Fremont. I feel like we have tons of falculty that care and want to help the students. I am excited for the programs they offer, because there is an opertunity to work for 6 months before you graduate. - Elena MacKie
Number Attending: 1
Number Attending: 1 I am going to the ACES cybersecurity program in the Honors college. Also because University of Maryland has a great Computer science program. - Conor Lum
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I am going to miss all the people I formed bonds with. Also the robotics team, and the sun! - Sitar Harel
By Maggie Bernauer and Sarah Arkoh
Logos obtained from University/School Website Numbers of attendees are according to the submisions from Naviance.com
Arts & Entertainment Fremont students with a love for singing 6
May 26, 2015
by Julie Wi Staff Writer
Fremont High School is home to many students who love to sing and you can find many of them singing in our very own choir. The choir room is one of the most lively places to be on campus both inside and outside of class. Always loud and full of students singing and hanging around, the room is home to three blocks of choir: concert choir, Aria and Bella Cantorum, all taught by Joseph Howard. On Fridays during lunch, members of the Glee Club also find their way into the choir room and get together to sing pop songs “a cappella”, without instruments or background music. Of all these singing groups, Bella is one of the more established branches and is the advanced co-ed choir. Aria, an all-girls choir, is a brand new addition to the choir program that began just this year. Because more girls than boys typically sign up for choir, the addition of an all-girls choir can support the overflow of female singers. According to Howard, the choir program has seen a lot of growth since he began teaching. When
he began, the choir had 12 students, and now that number has grown to about a hundred in total. With the choir program having grown, the students in choir and the Glee Club have the opportunity to go to festivals and compete, as well as hold concerts on the FHS campus. Choir is a great opportunity for many students to meet new people and create bonds through music. With performances throughout the year in other cities as well as a yearly trip to Disneyland, there are many opportunities for members to interact with each other and share memorable experiences together. “It’s really nice to be around people with the same goals as you or that truly enjoy music like you do,” Bella member Nisha Jagota said. As for their personalities, the people in Bella are, in Jagota’s words, “very vocal.” Glee Club, which sings mostly pop music, is known for their yearly Singing Valentines. Because Glee isn’t a class, it’s a good option for students who can’t fit choir into their schedules. Glee Club is relatively new, and has seen a lot of development since its
THE boys from Fremont’s Bella Choir share a love for music. establishment. Four years ago, the club “Voche” was made up of just a few people who liked to sing. A couple years later, Voche became known as the Glee Club and since then it has seen a lot of growth under its current president, Emma Russon. “We didn’t have a plan at all; we would just come here and sing for fun,” current club Vice President Elena MacKie said. “Emma really took charge of the club this year and made it bigger and more organized and expanded it.” Since more members
joined, the club was able to expand its reach, beginning Singing Valentines and being able to perform in festivals with the choir. They even placed first in their category in last year’s Vallejo Festival, which was a huge achievement for the newly established group. Now, the club is made up of 16 members. “There was this concept that to be in Glee Club you have to be a choir member, but that’s so not true,” Russon said. “As long as you have an interest in singing [you can join]. I think that
Photo courtesy of Aaron Eeg
attracted a lot of people who shied away from the choir experience but were interested in just singing and doing pop stuff.” Mackie says being in Glee Club can also help individuals gain self-confidence and break out of their shell. “It’s really, really fun, and it’s no pressure,” club Secretary Alana Fujimoto said. “You do your best and no one’s judging and it’s really great because you can still sing and you don’t have to feel like you have to be a soloist to participate.”
If there is one thing that Glee Club has, it is people who are passionate about music —like Holst, who has been singing since the second grade, or Russon, who grew up with a mom who sang and now wants to pursue music in college. Senior Tristen Barragan, Glee Club’s designated beatboxer, sees beatboxing in the club as a way to express himself and expand his horizons. “For me it means, like I said earlier, experimentation, exploration of style, see what I can do,” Barragan said. “I know I can drop you a hip hop beat right now, out of nowhere. But can I drop you a classical one? Can I drop you some random percussion that you’d probably hear in the band room? I don’t know. But I’ll try. That’s how I feel.” Fremont is full of musically talented individuals, and both choir and Glee Club are places where students can join forces and share their love of singing together. “It really brings people together,” Aria member Ariela Brodbeck said. “Because if you sound good together, that’s possibly one of the greatest feelings ever.”
sports Sprinter’s attitude towards her speed
7
May 26, 2015
by Chau Nguyen
athlete? It gave me fire to want to win even more.” After Jackson and Jones It was an evening filled waited at the end of the with setting new personal straightaway, Head Coach records at one of the powerMark Shields talked to houses of track and field in Jackson. SCVAL. “Not both of them,” Raw speed, power, Shields said to Jackson pure athleticism. The fist about her win against Escalpumped as it crossed the era, but loss to Jones in the finish line. But these things 200 meter. “Not this time.” are only shown for 25 secBut at League Finals, onds, maybe 29 max in the Jones experienced severe 200 meters. It makes sense, disappointment when her considering that the last trail leg was caught by the track meet of the season hurdle near the end of the took place at Wilcox High 100 meter hurdles. She School. placed eighth. Junior Annah Jones “Crap, there goes third stood behind her starting place,” Jones said. “When I blocks as the only Fremont fell, I knew I needed to get varsity girls sprinter in the up quickly.” 200 meters on April 30. She Shields even has a nickstood alongside D’Airrien name for her: Annahmal. Jackson, ranked fourth in Jones still advanced to CCS for the 200 meter. DifSCVAL for the 100 meter ferent things went through hurdles because her preJones’ head while she liminary time from League waited for the announcer to Trials was used instead of fire the starting pistol. her time from League Fi“Runners, to your nals. At League Finals, Jones marks,” the announcer said. placed second in the 100 “Set.” meters and third in the 200 Bang. meters, advancing to SCVAL From the angled body for all of her events. that remained still on the At SCVAL, Jones placed starting blocks turned into fifth in the 100 meters and a sprinter that zoomed the advanced only in the 100 curve and straightaway in meters. She experienced 25.76 seconds, clinching disappointment again when the win at the end as she the FHS 4x400 meter team narrowly beat Jackson by didn’t advance. 0.02 seconds. According to Of the two heats, FHS Jones, she beat Jackson beran in the slowest heat and cause of her technique and even though they placed motivation after Jackson first in their heat, they beat JJ in the 800 meters at didn’t place high enough. WHS. Jones was disappointed “When she beat JJ in since Shields placed her in the 800 meter, I was so frusthe 4x400 meter instead of trated because she’s good the 200 meters, which she in every other event,” Jones could have advanced in. said. “But then she goes “I was really mad bewilly-nilly in an event she’s cause he took me out,” Jones never done before and she said. “We didn’t talk to each beats another CCS-ranked Sports Editor
other after that much because we both knew, darn.” Despite placing first in the 4x100 meter relay, 100 meter and beating one of her rivals and friends at WHS, despite placing first in all of her events at trials and finals, Jones had a different attitude towards track. Her attitude evolved over the years and at first, it changed her perspective of her path as an athlete. Then it took a U-turn and another U-turn. This attitude towards track began freshman year. It is still changing. “Before, I was doing track because I liked it,” Jones said. “I thought I was good at it. Well, I mean I know I’m good at it. But I enjoy doing it. Relatively. In freshman year, I came home and I knew I had a lot of homework. But I wasn’t really good at managing my time, so I’d start my homework at 10 in the evening.” From her parents’ advice, Jones began to focus more on academics after she viewed a potential athletic career as difficult. When she devoted more time to track and began to balance her schoolwork, she was already set for track and academics. “Before, I was very focused on the academics because I knew that’s what would get me into college, not sports,” Jones said. “But then I realized it’s possible to be both a student and an athlete.” Even though one of the FHS track and field t-shirts says that “champions are made in the off-season”, Jones questioned when she would become a “champion.” “During the off-seasons
are the worst because you’re not really competing, you’re just constantly training and training and training,” Jones said. “I felt like it was a waste of my time. It’s a lot of work and you don’t feel like you’re getting much of a reward.” This year, Shields added the 100 meter hurdles to Jones’ events. But Jones was slightly hesitant to hurdle since she received a concussion from it in seventh grade. “Once I started hurdles, I realized I wasn’t the best athlete that there was,” Jones said. “For a short period of time during the track season, I thought it was useless to do track.” Now, she is closer to fulfilling her dream of becoming a collegiate heptathlete by one event; she hopes to attend the University of Oregon to work with their athletes or the University of Nevada, Reno for their sports medicine program. As the season progressed, her technique improved in the hurdles. She nailed the three step approach, an efficient way of skimming over the hurdles in three steps instead of “jumping” over them. It was evident when she trimmed her 17.06 second time at the Quicksilver Classic to 16.09 seconds at Fremont versus Santa Clara.
With Jones earning the majority of points in sprints, the “Gangster Squad”, a name given to the varsity girls team by Shields, became a powerhouse in SCVAL, with distance runners JJ Escalera, Monica Salazar, Kate Everhardt, Lauren Meier, Mackenzie Cox and jumper Sabina Dayal. “I wanted to be seen as a threat almost to other girls from other schools that are good,” Jones said. “I wanted
to be up there with all of them.” At the first meet of the 2015 season, Jones saw the rewards were right on track. Jones placed first in the 100 meter dash at a triple meet against Santa Clara and Homestead High School, beating rival Eleni Reynolds of HHS. “She would always beat me, but in that one day, I finally beat her,” Jones said. “And I was like, ‘Yeah, I got it.’” Before League Finals, Jones had high hopes for her team. “We’ve trained hard enough that our body can do everything we want it to do, it’s just our mind isn’t in that direction,” Jones said. However, she also challenges the idea that their bodies can do everything. In her opinion, sometimes it’s hard to get out of a position due to the competition. “Since everybody’s staggered [in the 200 meter], you don’t know what place you are in at that moment,” Jones said. “So it’s like you’re going into a cave blind. Because at the level I compete at, the girls are so fast, if you come out of the first 100 and you’re in last place, you’re going to stay in last place because you can’t catch up to them.” Jones likes the competition because by competing against top-notch athletes, her technique and times steadily improve. She hungers for it.
Chau Nguyen | The Phoenix
An opinion on post game interview questions by Nicole Stibbard Staff Writer
Numerous pointless and repetitive questions are asked to athletes by reporters before and after games. Such questions have become so frequent within sports interviews that many of these athletes are clearly unamused, not to mention extremely exhausted after whatever game they’ve just played in. Pre-game interviews are a time for fans to get to know the players and formulate predictions of the upcoming game, not to listen to a reporter ask the same few questions over and over again. Before games, players are often asked what they predict for the outcome of the game, which evidently is a question they don’t know the answer to. Why not ask about certain pre-game rituals, traditions, workouts, among other things—something that will actually help the fans see the players and
understand them. If interesting or hardhitting questions are not asked during a pre-game interview, what is left for the post-game interview? Of course the outcome of the game is discussed, but that can only take up so many questions. Players have already reached their point of exhaustion and most likely are in awe that they just won or disappointed because they just lost. With players in this state of physicality and mind, how much are their answers really going to change after being asked how does it feel to win or lose? It’s understandable that many reporters are trying to make a story, stir up controversy, find out something interesting that can be blow out of proportion, but there comes questions that are offensive and invasive. Apart from pre-game and post-game interviews,
Julie Wi | The Phoenix
certain alarming questions have arisen during press conferences, such as one that took place during the
Super Bowl XXII. A reporter asked Doug Williams, the Washington Redskins backup quarter-
back for Jay Schroeder, “How long have you been a black quarterback?” Other questions have just been downright ridiculous. During the Super Bowl XLIII, Ines Sainz of TV Azteca asked wide receiver for the Cardinals, Steven Breaston, “Can I measure your bicep?” Often times questions are taken out of context, which also ends up making the reporter appear offensive or confusing. As a reporter, clarity is extremely important. Being clear on what is asked is key to receiving intersting, important answers. Without these elements, an athlete’s answer may seem thoughtless and aloof. Of course, a failed interview isn’t always the reporter’s fault. Certain athletes present themselves with very little interest and sometimes, all of the effort to create an interesting
interview comes from the reporter. If an athlete isn’t giving honest and compelling answers, then a reporter may be, in some ways, forced, to ask more thought-provoking questions. When reporters are lead to carry the weight of the interview, questions created on the spot may be underdeveloped and appear to be derogatory. Although a reporter may end up interviewing an uninteresting and unresponsive athlete, it’s still up to the reporter to be prepared for said events to transpire. It’s a reporter’s job to be as professional and accurate as possible. With all of these questions ranging from questionably offensive to strange, it appears that certain reporters have failed to take the time to formulate their questions.
sports 8
May 26, 2015
What ritual do you have before your games?
Junior JJ Escalera: Track and field, captain “I have a pair of socks that I wear every time I run a meet. I’m afraid that if I didn’t, I would probably feel like ‘I’m not going to run well today’. My dad got them for me and they were my favorite pair of socks. I started wearing them to every game. Right when I’m at the starting line, I have a small mantra I say to myself.”
Sophomore Kinsey Mangan: Varsity softball, right fielder “What we do is everyone holds hands in a circle and we’ll squeeze each others hands. We’ll go all the way around to our coach. Personally, I don’t believe in superstitions. I don’t really do anything except for take a nap before the game. I think in athletic games, it really comes down to the individual skill and how a team works together. It’s not really luck.”
Junior Justin Young: Varsity golf “I do a little warm-up before a game. I do lot of breathing stuff. I try to take my mind off of things. Especially with golf, if you are the first one up, everyone’s looking at you. There’s a lot of pressure. Some of the things I do are specific to golf, like playing with my golf club. I try to block everyone out of my mind.”
Senior Levi Torio: Varsity baseball, utility player “I have the same meal before each game, a waffle sandwich with banana and peanut butter. I usually put on my right shoe and then my left shoe. Before even stepping onto the field, I take a drive to take my mind off of school. Before I take the ball, I write the initials of the person I’m playing for. It reminds who I’m playing for and why I want to win.”
Junior Ofir Bekker: Varsity swimming, part of 200 IM CCS relay team “Before a game, I go home. I eat a good lunch with a lot of protein while relaxing in front of the T.V. Then I take a shower, get my bag ready and go to school again.”
Sophomore Aman Suri: Varsity tennis, 9-1 in singles “I have a lucky bracelet that I keep in my left pocket at all times. My mom got it for me for good luck. It’s an elastic bracelet that has Stanford Health Care on it since that’s where my mom works.”
Senior Regita Soetandar: Varsity badminton singles “I think for me, my superstition is that I have to wear my hair in a bun especially because I have really long hair. It’ll be in my face during badminton. I’m not really good at braiding my hair, so a bun is easiest for me.”
Junior Nima Lama: Varsity volleyball “I take a nap and then I eat an apple. I usually take naps and it makes me feel more energized. An apple just makes me feel healthy.”
Interviews done by Snigdha Rayala Photos by Chau Nguyen and Essam Rao
El Camino League Champions and CCS Trials by Chau Nguyen Sports Editor
Photo courtesy of Fremont High School Track Team
SOPHOMORE JOHN ANGELES jumping in his final phase of triple jump at El Camino League Finals. Chau Nguyen | The Phoenix
JUNIOR RICK FRANC preparing to dive in as the third swimmer of the varsity boys 200 meter relay at League Finals.
The varsity girls and varsity boys 200 meter freestyle relay team, boys 400 meter freestyle relay team, and varsity girls 200 medley relay team all advanced to Central Coast Sections. Freshman Sydney Keller qualified in the 50 and 500 meter freestyle for CCS, while freshman Alys Chang qualified for the 100 breaststroke. With a majority of the relay teams going to CCS, there were still other athletes that went for individual events. Freshmen David Noyes and Jack Schertler qualified for CCS in the 200 Individual Medley. Schertler also qualified for the 500 meter freestyle, while junior Hailey Young placed 51st in diving at CCS. Noyes and Keller also broke many school records throughout the school year.
He has “hops.” Sophomore John Angeles became the El Camino League Champion in triple jump for junior varsity with a jump of 40’5.25. That jump was actually farther than varsity’s first place triple jumper, so if Angeles jumped the same length in varsity, he still would be the ECLC. Freshman Brenda Blanco became the ECLC in the 300 meter hurdles, alongside freshman Dee Dee Jones, the ECLC in triple jump for junior
varsity. Sophomore Dhruv Sabherwal placed first in the 800 meter junior varsity after pushing past two runners on the last 100 meters. Although there were a large number of throwers in shotput, like senior Aqueel Ali, juniors Saul Scher and Amber Clermont, only four athletes advanced to CCS trials. Senior Sabina Dayal advanced in the triple and long jump, while freshman Samantha Louie advanced in the triple jump. Junior
Annah Jones advanced in the 100 meters, while junior JJ Escalera advanced in the 800 meters.
CCS Trials began on May 23 and the track athletes hope to advance to CCS Finals.