Novels hitting the big screen this summer See page 7 . . .
Saying Goodbye to the Class of 2017 See pages 4 & 5 . . .
UC Acceptance Rates See page 2 . . .
The emotional side of sex ed See page 3. . .
Fremont High School
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Goodbye to FHS teachers
College finance by Karla Alejandro Staff Writer
by Emmanuel Ramirez Staff Writer
Miranda Kushner & Emily Wright | The Phoenix
The end of the school year oftentimes means the beginning of new change for next year. Among those changes are staff rotations, which means welcoming new teachers to Fremont High School and saying goodbye to familiar faces. Although some of these teachers will be greatly missed by the Fremont community, they must part ways for their own reasons. World Literature and Story and Style teacher, Anastasia Zamkinos, for instance, is leaving after this year at FHS. Zamkinos is leaving for a few reasons, mainly consisting of living in San Francisco and having to undergo a long commute. She will teach at Gateway
Vol. 5 Issue No. 8 May 31, 2017
High School, which is closer and more convenient for Zamkinos. Although she is leaving, Zamkinos’ memories of Fremont will stay with her. ”The community of Fremont is really one I cannot imagine being replicated anywhere,” Zamkinos said. “Not having that same sense of community will be very difficult.” While the students who experienced Zamkinos were sure to have been impacted, so was Zamkinos throughout all of her years here. “[Fremont] has simultaneously made me more patient and empathetic and also stronger in my beliefs,” Zamkinos said. Although Zamkinos will be leaving Fremont, she
Current Events: What’s going on around you? by Sofia Agha Staff Writer
Graphics courtesy of Freepik and ClipArtBest
is not the only teacher that will be leaving. Other teachers such as Ben Lowell, the AP Environmental Science and Chemistry teacher who has worked here at Fremont for six years, will not be returning. Lowell, however, will not be returning to Fremont because he is moving to Boston and will start a PhD program for education there. At Boston, he will continue to teach, but college students rather than high school students. Despite Lowell’s time here coming to an end, memories are still preserved. “One of my favorite memories is how open and accepting everyone, especially the students,
are,” Lowell said. Apart from being impacted by the students, Lowell was also impacted by the faculty. “The other things I will miss about Fremont, in addition to the great students, is [the] strong faculty [...] we work together really well,” Lowell said. There are more faculty members who will not be returning to Fremont for variety of reasons, but there will also be new teachers in the incoming year. However, change is inevitable in such a large campus as Fremont. Teachers leave and new teachers arrive, making the end of the year bittersweet.
Many high school students want a college education. They study and learn in order to pursue careers. Although many high school students have been accepted to their dream university, they are unable to attend due to financial problems. Because of this, they are forced to go to colleges that fit more into their budget. Their dream school is out of the picture because of one issue: money. According to the College Board, the published tuition fees for 2014-15 at state colleges for state residents are an average of $9,139 and $22,958 for non state residents which is very close to tuition at a private nonprofit college which costs about $31,231. The local schools in the Bay Area all have prices that vary based on if the school is private or government funded. According to the College Board, Santa Clara University’s price to live on-campus averages at $66,036, while San Jose States total cost on campus is $25,052 and California State University East Bay’s total on campus cost is $24,822. When transitioning into college, tuition is not the only expense; there is also housing, food, books, among other things to consider. There are many organizations and sources that help students out with their financial problems, but there is no guarantee that the student will get this help from Federal Application For Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), basic student loans or even scholarships. “I do believe that the costs for [higher] education is too expensive. The textbooks are quite expensive, and the classes are too, ” one Fremont student, who declined to have their name recorded, said. Having a college education today is not as easy to have as before, but is it worth it? “The price of education is definitely worth it to me.” The Fremont student said. “In today’s society if you do not have an education you really can not get around and achieve the American Dream. Well you can, but it is not very heard of and would take a lot longer.” Most people in America cannot advance into a college education. They only end up Drawings courtesy of Anubha Gupta
World News
Fremont High School News
-According to CNN, President Donald Trump has planned to send arms to Kurdish rebels in Syria who are fighting ISIS. The Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) is part of the Syrian Democratic Forces, which Washington has considered to be its main ally in the region. However, Turkey, a key NATO ally, has lashed out at Trump and Washington for their plan as Turkey sees the YPG as a terrorist organization that threatens Turkish sovereignty.
-The 43rd Annual Charlie Wedemeyer High School All Star Football game will take place on Saturday, June 24th, at 6:00 p.m. at Levi’s Stadium. Fremont High School will be represented by graduating football players: Jaylen Wynn, Jedidiah Ybarra and Jessy Lopez.
U.S. News -According to BBC, President Donald Trump has fired FBI director James Comey for giving inaccurate information about Clinton’s emails to Congress. Democrats, however, believe that Comey was really fired because the FBI was investigating alleged links between the Trump campaign and Russia. Ex-FBI Director Comey’s notes also allege that Trump attempted to obstruct the investigation on Ex-National Security Advisor Michael Flynn.
-The Fremont High School PTSA has announced that the winners of the Honorary Service Awards are Ganesh Balgi, Mark and Tracy Burriss, Mary Depew, Janelle Rose, Kip Scott and Sarah Smith. The last PTSA General Association meeting to celebrate the winners took place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 18 at the library. -Congratulations to the students who qualified for the 2018 National Merit Scholarship program. This is Fremont High School’s largest pool of qualified students. Yamini Adusumelli, Naman Bhargava, Rachel Brockman, Matthew Brunkhorst, Nathan Chen, Shaina Chen, Shivani Ghanta, Krishna Gomatam, Nicolas Heuchert, Alexander Ivanov, Prithvi Kannan, Thomas Kaufman-Gomez, Daniil Klyukinov, Neha Konakalla, Nikhil Krishna, Katia Manner, Rajiv Nelakanti, Aayush Patel, Daisy Qian, Hikari Sakai, Anreeta Saseetharran, Cameron Schultz, Maria Shaposhnikov, Niyati Sriram, Crystal Tan, Anna Vardapetyan, Frank Wang, Michael Wang, Kyle Weaver, Emily Wright, Cindy Zhang and Christopher Zhu.
News
may 31, 2017
2
UC acceptance rates for Fremont
College finance
by Suryan Bhatia
Continued
Staff Writer
receiving only a high school diploma which means they have to compete with people who have college degrees for high paying jobs. It is known that a person with a college degree does have a higher paying job than someone who doesn’t have a college degree. To many people, college education opens doors into the adult world, allowing graduates to be able to get high paying jobs. Help for college finance isn’t hard to find, what’s hard is finding a program that is willing to help you. Many sources like FAFSA, scholarships, student loans and financial aid are used by many students to have the ability to pay for college. “I’m getting a student loan like most students. I will have help from my parents but for myself I will have to squeeze in a job and get a loan to pay it off,” the student said. He says that he went through different options and tried to get as much help as possible but was not very successful. “Not a lot of resources have helped me as in this society we are known as pretty wealthy and FAFSA would not give us any scholarship money.” The student said. “I have applied to multiple other scholarships though. Other resources is that my grandparents have college bonds for me to use and that’s about it.” This high school student does not qualify to receive extra help because his family does not qualify to get help. It is always great to help those who don’t have enough but, what about the ones who just need a little extra to be able to pay everything off? Financial aid today can be very limited. Another Fremont student claims that “There are no resources that helped me financially.” Financing college is becoming harder to access for students today due to not being eligible or simply not qualifying for any type of help. Ultimately, many students have to give up their college dream to be able to pay for what they have to see as “reality”.
The University of California school system has multiple schools that have been highly rated and are often many students’ dream college. This year, many say that the acceptance rate of various UCs are dropping. However, FHS College and Career Center Counselor Lorena Villagomez thinks otherwise. “The variation isn’t drastic from my 6 years here,” Villagomez said. “There’s been some shift.” With the exception of UC Berkeley and UC Los Angeles, all of the acceptance rates for FHS students have stayed the same or increased. For example, UC Irvine accepted 27 out of 71 applicant in 2015. In 2017, the university accepted 28 out of 60 applicants. When asked why it may seem as though acceptance rates are dropping, Villagomez suggested a shift in the amount of colleges students apply to. “So, kids are not applying to 6 to 8 schools, they are applying to 10 to 15 different schools, so more kids are going to get denied, and more app[lications] are going to come in,” Villago-
mez said. Yet, the shift has created negative consequences. “[The shift in the amount of applications is] due to the competition,” Villagomez said. “Everyone’s resume is getting longer and longer. A lot more kids are getting 4.0s and many more are taking a lot of AP classes, tons of students are doing sports.”
kids are not applying to 6 to 8 schools, they are applying to 10 to 15 different schools, so more kids are going to get denied Lorena Villagomez The competition can create a competitive environment. Villagomez suggests that students who are eligible should get accepted into their first choice
Teacher milestones
Photos courtesy of Hillel International
of college. However, she also suggest that just because one is denied does not mean they are not a good student. “We are still getting a fair amount of students into these schools, and our kids that are eligible are still feeling like they’re getting into the right school,” Villagomez said. While many might think the competitive environment is good, since students will be achieving more; in reality, many students cannot get into the college they want to. “A lot of students then apply to ‘safety schools,’ where they are overachievers.” Villagomez said. “They don’t want to risk not getting into a college. What that does is block opportunities for students who want to go to schools but
are overshadowed by ‘safety school’ students.” Since colleges do not accept applications based on whether students will be going to a school or not, “safety school” students create a major problem for students who actually want to go to the college. Villagomez has some advice in order to counteract this problem. “The competition is not going to stop,” Villagomez said. “The biggest thing is for students to go outside the ‘mainstream’ colleges. Instead of applying to Stanford or [UC] Berkeley, apply to colleges out of state and outside mainstream California. And do research on schools that will provide the same type of quality of education.”
Corrections
by Thomas Poplawski Staff Writer
Jay Lin has been with Fremont for ten years. He is the Dean of Students at Fremont High School, however, he used to be a teacher. He attended John F. Kennedy High School and went to the University of San Francisco for his Bachelor’s, Master’s and teaching credentials. His favorite thing about FHS is how much like family it feels to him. He became a teacher because of a teacher named Ray Guerrero who was able to help him through a tough time in his life. His fondest memories are in teaching and connecting with students.
John Musser has taught at Fremont High School for ten years. He is a Spanish teacher at FHS. His favorite part of FHS is the student body because he says they are very kind and caring. He went to a high school in Pennsylvania and attended the University of Utah for a Bachelor’s degree in Spanish teaching and then Stanford University for a Master’s degree in education. He became a teacher because he was a ski instructor for 20 years and liked working with kids and found lots of joy and reward in helping them learn.
In the previous issue, Volume 5 Issue 7, History Teacher Geoff Beckstrom was reported to have attended Palo Alto High School as both a student and student-teacher. That was incorrect as Beckstrom attended Fremont High School as a student and was a student teacher at Los Gatos High School.
Sorry!
Thomas Poplawski | The Phoenix
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Fremont High School 1279 Sunnyvale Saratoga Rd, Sunnyvale, CA 94087 (408)-522-2200 fremonthighphoenix@gmail.com Advisor | Emer Martin Mission Statement:
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. 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.
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Opinion
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Sofia Agha Karla Alejandro Jessalynn Landor Chirag Bhatia Suryan Bhatia Roei Burstein Natalia Etter Cassandra Gines Lexi Kleinberg Miranda Kushner George Luna Claire Lyon Priscilla Martinez Karen Newmark Jenny Nguyen Thomas Poplawski Sophia Pulido Emaan Rao Patrick Ramos Emmanuel Ramirez Vivien Su Sam Tumkur Ambika Vaidya
Editorial Policy 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 do not reflect the official policy of Fremont High School, nor the opinions of the administration, faculty, or adviser. Advertise with The Phoenix Contact us for more details at fremonthighphoenix@gmail.com or call at (408)522-2200. Want to be part of The Phoenix? Letters to the editor and questions for Ask Esteban may be submitted online through our website, room 145, Ms. Martin’s mailbox, or emailed to us. Identities of those who submit questions will remain anonymous. The staff reserves the right to edit letters to conform to styles and policy.
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Opinion
May 31, 2017
Current sex ed fails to teach emotional aspect
by Sophia Pulido Staff Writer
Sexual education was the class that made us giggle due to the corny videos that were made a generation or two before ours. The videos portrayed how people reacted to situations differently than how people in this era would. They are focused on developing the skill of putting a condom on a banana, knowing what and where the clit is, and of course avoiding sexually transmitted diseases. What was sex education missing? Could sex have emotional consequences? We learned about the bodies of both genders, and how the body functions before, during and after sex. Did we ever think of the emotional consequences of sex? The topic of sex starts
to intensify in middle school, the time when our hormones start to rage and desire becomes a huge part of our lives. At this point, sex seems fun to us. Usually when we’re young and introduced to something new, we’re eager to do it. Teenagers start to go to parties and perhaps hoping to run into a perfect stranger, thinking that they’ll be their first. This perfect stranger has shared their body with you, at this point you think “SEX IS GREAT!”
There is a double standard that is hard to shake even in this era. Girls are considered sluts for the same behavior that boy are lauded for. Teenagers believe that when their “perfect stranger” hasn’t texted them since that night and now it’s Monday at 4:30 and they look at themselves in the mirror and all they can feel is the stranger’s hands on them. Forgetting about
what happened is the only thing they can do. Tuesday morning, they go to school and pass by a group of girls glaring at them, boys tend to act more friendly towards them, but why? The word of them not being a virgin anymore has reached the kids at school. People shame them for not being a virgin, make fun of them because now that they’ve had sex they are considered easy. In reality, “virginity” is an outdated social construct from a time when women were considered to be the property of men and they did not have ownership over their bodies. Even now, it still has a strong cultural power and can be used to shame girls. There is a double standard that is hard to shake even in this era. Girls are considered sluts for the same behavior that boys are lauded for and congratulated on. At an early age boys are introduced to things such as pornography, where in most cases the man is the dominant and the woman is the submissive. This dehumanizes women and makes boys feel as if this is acceptable. Sex ed fails to teach the
emotional perspective of sex and this has made sex a horrible experience for some people. Sex leads to a deeper connection with a loved one and is meant to be a memorable experience, not a regret. There’s many ways to make sure that someone is emotionally ready to share their bodies with another. After sex you suddenly start to feel a connection with this person, a connection that you’ve never felt with anyone else and you need to make sure that the both you are prepared for that. Sex is a beautiful thing and should be embraced. Although sex is a beautiful thing, it can be used for the wrong things. For example, many teenagers have sex to save their relationship or feel pressured to by their loved one. Sex isn’t
meant to save a relationship or something to do to please someone else. Teenagers need to realize that they’re their first priority and if they want to have sex then it should be for both people in the relationship. Some people only continue a relationship with someone else because it’s another way to get sex and by thinking this it ruins the idea of having sex with
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someone they care about. Sex ed fails to educate teens about intimate relationships, teachers focus on the physical perspective so much that they fail to educate us about the emotional perspective which is much more involved.
Karla Alejandro | The Phoenix
The need for Asian representation in media
by Sam Tumkur Staff Writer
Diversity is something that we call for in various forms of media. We praise it when people of color are in the media. But here in America, this diversity that we talk about is very limited. When activists praise diversity, to more African American actors along with white actors, but they fail to recognize one of the biggest ethnic groups in the world: Asians. Even when people of those backgrounds are recognized in the media, they are portrayed inaccurately allowing stereotypes to thrive in viewers’ perception. As a child, I grew up in a fairly traditional Indian household and I was reminded of my culture through religious holidays and Indian movies. However, as my interests began to shift toward Western or American TV shows and movies, it became difficult to find actors
that looked like me or characters that I could relate to, leaving. It was almost as if I was an outsider in the country I was born in. Because of this lack of representation, I found myself straying away from my roots and culture to fit in with the rest of my classmates, in fear of not fitting in with the rest of my classmates. One of the reasons I have this fear of not being able to fit in with classmates is a result of the lack of representation in the media. Even when there are Asian characters in Western media, they are misrepresented, painting them with stereotypical characteristics. The stereotypes and misrepresentation that Hollywood bestows on Asian American actors can cause the overall population of viewers to have a negative, one dimensional impression of Asian Americans. Some of the most popular stereotypes include, but
are not limited to: poor social skills, a heavy accent and the inability to talk to members of the other gender. Even when Asians are not being portrayed in that light, Asian characters are used as the “exotic” love interest or the super buff kung fu master. Although these stereotypes might be unintentional, the effects of shows like these can be drastic. Young children and adults who watch shows with such stereotypical characters, can impose these stereotypes upon
Asian Americans to conform to their views. This has serious repercussions on those of us of Asian descent living in this culture. It’s almost as if people expect Asian Americans to behave a certain way, lumping the diversity of Asia into very rigid roles. Stereotypical roles like the dragon lady, the Kung Fu master, the tiger mom, sexualized women and the barely English speaking taxi driver are making it seem that Asians must fit into these charac-
Photos courtesy of ABC, CBS and Fox
teristics to be Asian. This ideology is damaging and reductive to Asian American children and the overall impression of us. Not every Asian family is the same, and not everyone has the same ideals, goals and beliefs. Whenever I am asked what my future plans are or why I want to get good grades many people assume that my motivations are a cause of my parents expectations or my incessant need to go to a top notch university. While some of this may be true as my parents do expect good grades and a good college, they do not dictate my future goals as many may think. These stereotypes could be fought against with more Asian American actors in movies and shows, but even when roles that are for Asian characters pop up, they are often given to white actors as an attempt to attract more viewers. The most common instances being, in movies like Ghost in the Shell, Aloha and the Netflix adaptation of Death Note. In Death Note, the main role of a person of Asian descent is taken over by a white actor. For example, Nat Wolff is to
play the main role of Light in Death Note which was originally set in Japan and Scarlett Johansson plays Major in Ghost in the Shell, another character that is of Japanese descent. No matter how good the actors are, it still does not justify the whitewashing of predominately Asian characters. This is especially frustrating as Asian Americans already struggle to get speaking roles, but when these main roles are taken by more well known white actors, it becomes difficult for any representation to occur. However, this impression of Asian Americans is changing with the rise of actors like Aziz Ansari, Mindy Kaling, Priyanka Chopra and Constance Wu. Shows like The Mindy Project, Fresh off the Boat and Quantico portray Asian American families and people as normal members of American society without slapping one dimensional stereotypes. By encouraging emerging Asian American actors and incorporating more people of color into TV shows and movies, we can finally eradicate the stereotypical way people of Asian descent are viewed.
Special Feature 4
may 31, 2017
Kenta Itow: Cal Poly SLO; Statistics “My most memorable moment at FHS was definitely winning my first golf league match my senior year as a team. My biggest mentor during high school has been Mr. Eeg, because his passion for sports and his devotion to school is what I admire. It has been a good four years of him being my golf coach and friend.” Ziga Strakl: SJSU; Industrial Design “When I took Intro to engineering in sophomore year, I had a lot of fun with it and I realized I liked art mixed with engineering, and I knew industrial design was the closest to this. I am going to miss hanging with my friends and I made a lot of good relationships here. I liked the football games and I did water polo and swimming and had fun there. I’m going to miss the place.” Lauren Meier: UC Berkeley; Electrical Engineering & Computer Science “I took computer science classes at FHS and I also did robotics and engineering. I got a lot of real world and practical experience because I got to work on the code for robots. I worked not only in a technical manner, but also within a team. This experience made me a lot more comfortable with studying this as my major. I’m going to miss FHS and all the people here, because the teachers really care.”
Maggie She ican Univers “After Mr. Irvine’s found my love for h The staff at FHS is so go the extra step. During Zamkinos did a lot more th something very dear to me an D.C. is great for history, great for adult and I’m excited to gain some be fun to live on my own and make e myself and take my next step in being
May 31, 2017
ea Bernauer: Amerrsity; C.L.E.G APUSH class, I really history and court cases. caring and willing to g my senior thesis, Ms. han she had to. It was nd helpful. Washington r becoming a young e independence. It will executive decisions an adult.”
Special Feature 5
William Suy: San Francisco State; Computer Science “It was a great experience to see our teachers who actually cared about their students and teachers. My literature teacher, Ms. Zamkinos, was one of the teachers who let me enjoy English class again. Her class allowed me to be more immersive, and allowed me to enjoy English and literature.”
Emma Woodsward: Humboldt State University; English “I’m pursuing an English major, specifically creative writing so that I can edit and publish novels. I’ve always been interested in English and analyzing literature, and I want to work with novels but I don’t think that solely being an author is a stable job. My experiences in literature classes here have made me want to learn more. My English teachers, specifically Mr. Perez and Ms. Schuet, helped me a lot as a writer. Mr. Irvine always let me talk and [he] gave me advice. I’m looking forward to seeing how I’ll handle being an independent person.”
Jack Depew: SJSU; Musical Education (euphonium) “I have a real passion for music and I want to share it with others. I love when the entire band plays a really hard piece really well and you feel like you’ve accomplished something good and other people can enjoy it. Mr. Kelly and Mr. Howard helped me by giving me advice, helping me prepare for auditions, and giving me recommendations. I’m looking forward to inspiring people and helping them improve playing, spreading the joy of music, [having] new experiences and marching band. I’m also doing marching band in college.”
Pranav: UCLA; Electrical Engineering
“My math and science classes have inspired me to pursue Electrical Engineering as my major. My physics classes helped discover my passion for science. All my teachers were pretty helpful; I had Mr. Dobervich a few times and he was really great. I’m going to miss FHS and participating in our cross country and track teams.” Jakie Perez: West Valley College; Psychology “I chose this major because I like helping people. When I was in middle school, I had mental problems and getting help really helped me. I like the fulfillment you get when you help people solve their problems and you can just see the relief in their face. My teacher Mr. Kakes helped me to pursue this major. His support, Camp Everytown, and Mr. Howard have definitely helped me. I’m probably going to Mission or West Valley. I just really look forward to helping people.”
Dana Choy: Cal Poly SLO; Biomedical Engineering “I want to have an impactful job that deals with saving lives. I really find it interesting how you can incorporate biology into surgical robots. I’ve been interested in biology since the fifth grade and since we live in the Silicon Valley, working with biology and technology is natural. I look forward to attending Cal Poly SLO because it has a lot of hands on labs and equipment that I’m excited to use.” Photo courtesy of Phoenix Staff
Arts & Entertainment
may 31, 2017
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Women have been dominating the makeup scene since the beginning of time. However, the tables have turned and men in makeup are now more prominent than ever. Males like Jake Warden, Patrick Starr, Manny Gutierrez, James Charles and many more are fighting the stigma that only women can wear makeup and are working towards normalizing beauty for males. While they are not the only influential people in the male beauty scene, they are some of the most iconic guys who inspired other boys and girls alike to freely express themselves.
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James Charles
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James Charles is only 17 and is the male ambassador of the widely known drugstore brand, Covergirl. He runs a YouTube channel and has over a million subscribers. James does a large variety of makeup looks. His style ranges from everyday casual to sultry and fierce. Occasionally, he posts an absolutely stunning and crazy makeup tutorial that may involve out-of-the-ordinary eyeshadow colors, bold lipsticks, or face accessories. James continues to be a prevalent part of the makeup scene, inspiring even younger boys to do makeup as well.
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Manny Gutierrez Manny Gutierrez, widely known as Manny MUA, is a 26-year-old beauty vlogger and content creator on YouTube. He has collaborated with MakeupGeek and Jeffree Star, which both received overall good ratings from the makeup community. Manny’s makeup style is all about the glitz and glam of everyday life. He takes his love tof casual looks and spices them up to make them casual but glamorous at the same time. Manny has been able to be a prominent part of the makeup scene as the male ambassador for Maybelline. He continues to promote positivity and individuality through his various social media platforms.
ENNY S J TE NGYUYEN ERE o TYP S BY
Jake Warden is a 15-year-old YouTuber. Not only is he a content creator, he also does makeup. Jake is not afraid to do bold and crazy looks, ranging from colorful neon eyeshadows to blue lips with a signature white streak down the middle of his bottom lip. Many of his makeup looks can be seen on Instagram. With 1.6 million followers on Instagram and almost half a million subscribers on YouTube, the young boy is breaking the stigma against males in the makeup scene and is a big inspiration to those who love makeup.
STAFF WRITER
Jake Warden
Photos courtesy of Moldes Roupas, US Weekly, Twitter, CNN Money, Wallfiz, Business Insider and Tapetus
Live action films: retelling loved classics by Vivien Su and Patrick Ramos Collaboration
The Walt Disney Company owns many corporations for revenue, from film studios like Pixar, theme parks like Disneyland, or TV networks like ABC or ESPN. Disney has found a new formula to make more cash by investing in live action remakes of classic animated films. As live actions films, how do they compare to their animated counterparts? Some hold up to be just as good while others have disappointed the audiences. Ever since 2015’s Cinderella, a major success at the box office, Disney has constantly met expectations of high standard live action films. More hits has meant more enlivening the love
of animated classics of the past. Cinderella hauling in 543 million dollars made one thing clear: live action adaptations are hits. Cinderella’s original blue dress, as well as her beauty and grace, showcases her as a strong, independent woman who projects kindness through her actions. The storyline having almost no changes is perhaps what audiences loved, as they knew that live action versions were not meant to alter the original storylines. Instead, the live action elevated the story to new heights and brought refreshing imagery to the stage. Although Cinderella is not the first live action that Disney made, it is one of the first to gain national recognition as a live action film.
Even though it did make wonders, Disney made sure others also did the same. The Jungle Book remake was a simple confirmation to see if audiences wanted to see more Disney live action remakes. Investing millions into a movie about animals, the result was stunning. Not only did this film almost reach one billion in revenue, it was also well received by fans and critics, with a 95 percent rating from Rotten Tomatoes and and 88 percent for the original. Thanks to director Jon Favreau and the performances of the cast including Ben Kingsley as Bagheera and Christopher Walken as King Louise, the movie feels real. Both movies clearly dazzled audiences, but many do agree that the new
live action Jungle Book was better due to its re-imagination along with incredible CGI and design. Perhaps the Disney live action film that gained the most recognition until the day of its release was Beauty and the Beast with leads Emma Watson and Dan Stevens. The film grossed in 1.186 billion dollars—the best any Disney live action film has done. the cast did an extraordinary job portraying their roles, especially when Emma Watson brilliantly retained Belle’s characteristics of a princess and a strong woman. Despite Beauty and the Beast’s success, many people still prefer the 1991 original. It is the first Disney animated feature film to have been nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture. It
was the first princess film to reflect upon the true beauty of knowledge to younger audiences everywhere. The fact that these lessons did not stand as much of a central idea in the live action film has caused rather negative reviews from critics. Newsday states, “In the end, Beauty and the Beast still enchants, largely due to the irresistible story and [writer Linda] Woolverton’s still-intact touches. The hand-drawn original film, though, remains the real deal.” David Sims of The Atlantic said, “Disney’s newest live-action remake can’t shake the legacy of the original masterpiece. It will serve to remind you of the glory days of the past, but as its own pleasant viewing
experience, Beauty and the Beast is sadly lacking.” Another Disney live action to get excited for is Mulan, which is set to be released in November of 2018. As always, the charm of the animated version is expected to live on. Other films to be excited for in the future include The Little Mermaid (release date is sometime this year) and The Lion King (July 19, 2019). Live actions do succeed in reviving the magic of the celebrated films of the past, so they should very much be appreciated. There is no denying the sense of modern innovation that is presented within each interpretation. Their purpose will always be to allow viewers to enjoy the glory of enthralling storytelling of the past. Photos courtesy of Disney
Arts & Entertainment Novels to hit the big screen in the future 7
May 31, 2017
by Miranda Kushner Staff Writer
One of the most powerful and successful book genres is Young Adult, generally known as YA. Movie adaptations of YA books, are also very successful, as people who do not like to read will end up watching the movie. Some of the best examples are the Harry Potter films and the Hunger Games, but plenty of other fantastic YA books are coming to the big screen soon.
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
A Wrinkle in Time
Although this film is still in post-production according to IMDb, it promises to be exceptional. Nick Robinson stars as Simon Spier, a typical teenage boy. However he is gay, and the only people that know his secret is Bram “Blue,” his online pen pal, and his classmate, Martin (Logan Miller). Martin holds Simon’s private emails as blackmail material. Although the casting for Blue is being kept secret for now, there are plenty of other talented young actors already revealed as part of the cast. Simon’s closest friends Leah (Katherine Langford), Cal (Miles Leizer) and Abby (Alexandra Shipp) will also play important parts in this film, which has been classified as a dramedy. The book has a 4.26 on Goodreads, and the author, Becky Albertalli, has been very involved in the movie process, showing that it will stay true to the fantastic story. Look out for it in 2018.
This book is known as a classic example of the 1963 young adult science fiction. It tells the story of Meg, a young teenager who must travel through space and time, along with her little brother and her friend, Calvin, to find her father, who has been missing for five years. Although a TV movie of this book was made on Disney Channel in 2003, it did not receive very great reviews, and this 2018 film promises to be much better. It will feature an incredible cast, including Michael Peña, Mindy Kaling, Storm Reid and Reese Witherspoon. Something that sets this adaptation apart from previous ones is that Meg’s family is interracial, a small change that pushes towards diversity. Although the release date for this movie is still a bit far away, at March 2018, it is already in post-production, so a trailer should be coming soon.
This book has only been out for three months, but it already has been slated for a movie adaptation. What makes this book so good is not just the incredible writing, but also the fact that it addresses the Black Lives Matter movement in a way that makes it understandable to anyone. The main character, Starr, is in a car with her childhood best friend, Khalil, when a policeman stops them, and fatally shoots Khalil, although he was unarmed and only had a missing tail light. Starr gets caught up in a whirl of activism, and truly has to realize how different her life at her prestigious private school is compared to her home in a poor neighborhood. Although there are very few confirmed details about the movie adaptation, Amandla Stenberg will be playing Starr.
Photos courtesy of the Atlantic, iStock, Mostly Harmless and Sci-Fi Addicts
sports CCS athletes, why are you motivated?
May 31, 2017
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by Emily Wright & Suryan Bhatia Collaboration
Brianna Fu | Swimming | 50 and 100 Freestyle
Samantha Louie | Track & Field | Long Jump
“I’m really motivated because I have a lot of friends there who I like to see at CCS. I really like the team atmosphere and cheering each other on. I get to see a lot of old friends that I’ve met at other meets. It’s a lot of fun to just socialize with everyone.”
“[I’m motivated because] I just like to do the event and try as hard as I can.” Louie got 13th place in Long Jump at CCS, but because another player dropped out, will be advancing to the next round.
Jacqueline Leveille I Gymnastics “[I’m motivated] because club gymnastics is a lot different [than regular gymnastics] and CCS is just about having fun with your routine.”
Photo courtesy of Sydney Keller
Sydney Keller | Swimming | 50 Freestyle and 100 Butterfly
“I’m motivated because I have a great team; it’s really fun to go into big meets like that. It’s good to support my teammates like that. I also have a support system that allows me to approach my goals with enthusiasm” Emily Wright & Suryan Bhatia | The Phoenix
FHS tennis team’s successes this season by Patrick Ramos and Chirag Bhatia Collaboration
The tennis team has not been so successful in past years. However, this year, the team stepped up their game and qualified for Central Coastal Section. Not only that, they dominated the first round. This improvement has boosted the morale of players, including Sophomore Rick Zheng, one of the best individual tennis players in the state. “We indeed improved for the team, freshman year we took third in leagues, and this year we took second and went to Fresno [for the first time],” Zheng said. According to Sophomore Austin Tao, the team’s success was primarily due to its top singles players. “Our top three guys were almost always guaranteed wins between [Senior] Aman Suri, Rick and I” Tao said. “Our record was twenty-eight to eight in league matches.” These players were very successful due to their passion for the sport and competing for the school. “The tennis team is
obviously a very special experience for me,” Tao said. “It’s a very different feeling from competing on your own outside of season. It’s strange having tennis, an individual sport, be a team event, but that feeling is great. But having the opportunity to compete for our school is great and it’s a special feeling for sure.” While the individual matches had a great impact in boosting the Fremont tennis team’s ranking, the doubles matches furthered both the skill level and morale of the team, as well as its ranking. “At the start of the season, we were searching hard for potential pairs of players”, Tao said. “We worked hard to find good teams [of two], then drilled them into quality players.” The team’s excellent pairs in double matches helped each player both sharpen their tennis playing skills and their team working skills. Even though it was tough in the beginning, the doubles teams improved significantly due to plentiful team support. “The fact that we stuck
through the season as a team really helped,” Tao said. “We would cheer each other on, help each other out, look out for each other. That’s what I think made us great.” Because of the outstanding singles players and the effective doubles pairings, the team played well at CCS as they knocked out Caramel four to three before being eliminated by Saratoga in the second round. This feat has not been done in many years. Thanks to the individual and team success in each of the players, the team’s advancements helped move them into the right direction, hopefully leading them to greater success in the following years. Many players on the tennis team that made it to CCS thought it was intense due to the familiar faces. “CCS is pretty competitive because I see every one of those people during the offseason,” Zheng said. The many talents at CCS practice not just during the school year but also during the offseason. This only elevates the level of competitiveness of CCS.
“CCS is the cherry on top,” Tao said. “It’s where the best of the best compete. To be able to compete in the competition is a huge statement because it shows that we too are to play and fight
The fact that we stuck through the season as a team really helped. We would cheer each other on, help each other out, look out for each other. That’s what I think made us great Austin tao
at a high level. Overall it’s a collection of all the talented players from the area in the same tournament, which makes CCS a very special tournament.” Many players are very proud of the team success as it put Fremont’s team back on the map as one team that is to be reckoned with in the future against other teams.
With its increasing strength and talent that grows each year, the team gets better
and improves its record.
TENNIS team prepares for their matches
FHS tennis team is ready to face off with opposing team Photos courtesy of Aman Suri