Cinco de Mayo: reality or business ploy See page 4
Summer Festivals 2017
#getwellTanguy
See Page Nine
See Pages 6&7
see page 11
Fremont High School
the
PHOENIX
Vol. 5 Issue No. 7 may 5, 2017
We Challenge You To... {make a change} by Emily Wright & Andrea Lanfranconi Collaboration
Challenge Day has arrived at Fremont. On April 24, Fremont High School invited 100 students and 25 staff to participate in a day-long empathy building camp, according to Jay Lin, Dean of Students. Challenge Day is a nation-wide organization that offers programs that aim to reduce bullying and build school culture. The traditional Challenge Day format that FHS participated in is “an experiential social and emotional learning program . . . [offering] an opportunity to ignite a shift toward greater school connectedness, empathy and inclusivity,” according to the Challenge Day organization. “[It is] a powerful high energy program to increase self esteem, self empowerment, shift dangerous peer pressure into positive group support,” Jeff Kakes, a FHS teacher who participated in Challenge Day, said. “And eliminate the acceptability of teasing, bullying, all other forms of social violence and oppression. It’s like Camp Everytown on steroids.” According to Lin, building school culture at FHS is one of his goals. “It’s been instilled in me by previous administrators and teachers [of] this need to build empathy in our school culture,” Lin said. “To be accepting of all people, it doesn’t matter their creed.” Students who participated in the program, which ran from 8:30 to 3:15, were nominated by teachers. Teachers were asked to select students that they felt could benefit from this kind of leadership training. Among the students
that were nominated, 100 chose to participate in the program after going to an informational meeting. Before the event, students said they were excited to participate in Challenge Day. “I want to get to know others better,” one student said. “I went to Camp Everytown and I think that it [Challenge Day] will be something like that,” Vicky Chung, senior, said. “I think we are going to be talking about controversial issues like race, sexuality, United Airlines,” senior Steven Vong said. Additionally, teachers were allowed to volunteer for the program. However, they did not facilitate the program. That was done by outside instructors from the Challenge Day organization. “[Teachers are] facilitating exercises, but they’re not leading anything,” Lin said. “In fact, often times when they’re facilitating, they’re sharing their experiences as well, and so they become involved. So every time I’ve gone to Camp Everytown and I imagine we’ll see this here [on Challenge Day], there are some staff members that are going to get emotional too.” “The teachers that have never done it before are really excited about it,” Kakes said. “All teachers have applied the assumption that if you are not doing anything, it is because you are lazy. Simply, Challenge Day proves that it is not true. Breaking these barriers allow for teachers and students [to] become more aware about each other. I think that it is really cool that teachers are walking away with something new.” While this is Fremont’s first year hosting a Challenge Day, it is not the first
school in the district to do so. According to Lin, Homestead and Cupertino High Schools have also participated in Challenge Days before. Lin brought Challenge Day to FHS in part because of the rising costs of Camp Everytown. According to Lin, FHS has been sending students to Camp Everytown since 1996. However, rising costs have limited the number of students the school can send. “Camp Everytown is getting really expensive,” Lin said. “It’s costing over $350 per student . . . We used to bring 80+ students to Camp Everytown. Now we can only afford to bring 10 to 20.” Additionally, the camp’s format has changed. Now, instead of having a camp involving just one high school, multiple high schools participate together. “The format in which they do it is different . . . so that’s why I want to include something else that can help build school culture,” Lin said. “I think this might sound selfish, but we want to strengthen our culture. ‘Cause if you send 10 to 20 people, them coming back, I don’t know how much of a dent they will make in saturating the environment with empathy and inclusion versus sending 100. And so I’m hoping that sending this 100, they’ll be able to come back to school and really saturate the [school] environment.” The money for Challenge Day comes from the Walmart Grant for Challenge Day, which Lin had applied for. “The grant that I received allowed me to do quite a few things,” Lin said. “Staff Challenge Day, general assemblies of the whole school, and then regular Challenge Day. Now, given
the nature of the end of the year, it is impossible to do everything.” However, Lin is hoping to be able to table some of the grant for next year, as he plans on continuing Challenge Day. He would also like to offer something like a Challenge Day assembly for the school, although he feels it may not be as individually effective. As of right now, he has no plans to include this program in freshman orientation. Instead, he feels that Common Ground, an optional program after freshman orientation, is similar and has the same goals as Challenge Day. Ultimately, Lin hopes that Challenge Day will bring students and teachers together and help create a more positive, empathetic school culture. “Anytime you have students opening up to each other and teachers opening up to students, something special happens,” Kakes said. “It opens my eyes up because I get to see the students as something more than themselves . . . Hopefully it is not just making life better for people at school but also in our community. In 3 or 4 years from now, I think that a lot of students will make changes in our community. Once you plant that seed of how you want to look at people, it is really hard to shut people out and keep making such broad assumptions about them.”
Check out Photo gallery of Challenge Day at fremonthighphoenix.wixsite.com/the-phoenix Drawings courtesy of Anubha Gupta
News FHS student debuts Spanish application
may 5, 2017
2
by Momina Nadeem Online Editor
In early January 2017, Fremont High School junior Neha Konakalla released her app WordCognition Acentos to the App Store. The app is designed to help students taking Spanish improve their grammar skills. “It’s an app to improve your Spanish grammar, and particularly it helps you place accent marks on words,” Konakalla said. “It’s supposed to help people, especially in the beginning classes, who are still learning the grammar.” The app comes with many features to help students learn, such as listening and speaking activities with built-in word recognition so the user can receive instant feedback. The app has features particu-
larly helpful for kinesthetic learners, or learners who learn through interaction, since users can touch each syllable of a word and listen to it in order to identify which one has more stress. Konakalla has been receiving guidance in the development of the app since June 2016 from Advanced Placement Spanish teacher Israel Gonzalez. Some of Gonzalez’s students are using the app to improve their accentuation skills. Konakalla has always been interested in linguistics even at a young age, having been one of the championship finalists in the 2014 Scripps National Spelling Bee. It is her interest in linguistics that drove her to make the app. “I would like to create apps to help people learn
language, because that’s what I’m interested in, and I want other people to have an interest in it too,” Konakalla said. It took Konakalla three months to build the app and four more months to compile a list of approximately 700 words to use within the app for practice exercises.
I would like to create apps to help people learn language, because that’s what I’m interested in, and I want other people to have an interest in it too Neha Konakalla
“It was definitely a lot of work building the app, but when I finally released it to the app store it was something I was really proud of,” Konakalla said. “Especially since they approved it on the first try. Usually, people who submit their first app get rejected and they have to resubmit it, but mine just went through.” The app is available on the App Store and an Android version is coming soon.
Graphics courtesy of Neha Konakalla
FUHSD introduces new schedule proposal by Suryan Bhatia Staff Writer
A schedule change has been proposed for all schools of the Fremont Union High School District in response to many factors relating to student wellness. “Ultimately, [the decision will] be made by the teacher’s association of the five high schools,” Bryan Emmert, Principal of Fremont High School said. The decision will be in response to the Wellness Survey that students and parents took at the beginning and middle of the school year. In the survey, a majority of students indicated that they needed more sleep.
The proposal includes many changes that would affect all FUHSD high schools. “[The change would] standardize the time,” Emmert said. This would mean that all FUHSD schools would start at 8 a.m., resulting in a 3:30 p.m. end of seventh block, according to Emmert. Other than a later start, the proposed schedule has many other benefits. “There is potential for kids to be able to take classes at different schools,” Emmert said, “The ability to share staff…. and allow students to sleep more.” Through a district standardized schedule, students
Current Events: What’s going on around you? by Emaan Rao Staff Writer
will be able to take classes not offered in their school at other schools. This way they do not need to worry about their and the other school’s schedules conflicting. This would also mean that a teacher can teach at different schools, and not have to worry about varying schedules. Lastly, a later start for all schools would mean that students can sleep more. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that high school students receive nine or more hours of sleep each night. However, the CDC reported that fewer than 10 percent of students receive that amount.
Furthermore, according to U.S. News, high school students only receive an average of 6.8 hours of sleep per night. A later start could give students the few more
There is potential for kids to be able to take classes at different schools. The ability to share staff…. and allow students to sleep more. Bryan Emmert
Emmert and the administration will help students create schedules that work for them. The adaptation to change has to come naturally. For all its pros and cons, this change is still just a proposal. The details of this schedule are still being evaluated and subject to change.
World News
U.S. News
-According to CNN, 19-year-old activist Malala Yousafzai recently became the youngest honorary citizen of Canada. She is only the sixth person to receive honorary Canadian citizenship and was personally given a certificate of citizenship and a flag from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
-According to NBC News, US troops recently dropped a 21,600-pound bomb on an Afghanistan target, referred to as the “mother of all bombs.” Officials believe it is the largest non-nuclear weapon ever used in combat by the United States military. NBC News also states there was no early estimate of deaths or damage caused by its attack.
-According to The Huffington Post, French minority party politicians Emmanuel Macron (En Marche!) and Marine Le Pen (Front National) are the final two representatives in the French Election. The President of France will be decided in a run-off election held May 7.
Fremont High School News
California News -According to The Los Angeles Times, Donald Trump’s plan to reform education includes taxpayer-funded vouchers, leaving several California residents unhappy. Recent polls show that a majority of residents support increased school funding instead of the taxpayer-funded vouchers. -According to The Los Angeles Times, the University of California, Berkeley is facing a lawsuit for allegedly impeding on free speech after cancelling a talk by conservative writer Ann Coulter. UC Berkeley cancelled the talk originally because they feared inflaming more protests on campus.
Graphic courtesy of Freepik
crucial hours they need to function at their best. However, the proposed schedule would also have some negative impacts. “If students have a sixth or seventh [block], the schedule change wouldn’t make it any easier for students playing after-school sports. However, since the change to the end time isn’t significant, it might not cause too many conflicts for student-athletes,” Emmert said. “Since this is a change, people might not like it, and adjusting to change might be hard.” While it is true that a later end time for schools might create problems for after-school activities,
-According to the Fremont High School Website, the Fremont High Annual Art Showcase will be held until May 12 and is open to the public. The district office will be showcasing the wide range of art pieces made by students from across our school district. -According to the Fremont High School Website, sophomore Stan Zhang has placed as one of the top 26 participants of the USA Computing Olympiad season. Congratulations on this outstanding achievement! -According to the Fremont High School Website, junior Daisy Qian’s art piece Goodnight, Sleep Tight will be showcased in the 21st Annual Young Artists Showcase New Museum Los Gatos High School Art Competition. She is one out of only 24 high school students that will have their works showcased
News 3
may 5, 2017
DACA and financial aid by Sam Tumkur Staff Writer
From the start of his presidential campaign, President Donald J. Trump has vowed to abolish the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or more commonly known as DACA. DACA is an American immigration policy that was founded to provide undocumented immigrants a temporary social security number. Students that take advantage of programs like DACA and pursue higher education are known as DREAMers. In America, to work or apply for financial aid for college, a social security number is required. However, with the aid of DACA, people that fit the requirements of the policy can obtain a temporary social security number, giving them the ability to work and apply for financial aid for college. At Fremont High, there is a good amount of students enrolled in DACA, using it to work and support their families. College Career Counselor Lorena Villagomez encourages those eligible for programs like DACA and the financial aid for undocumented citizens to apply and take advantage of their benefits.
“We always just tell them to focus on growing as a person and go to college and to get as much education as they can because realistically, it can only help you,” Villagomez said. “I know a lot of people who have bachelor degrees but no social security number and they’ve managed to find ways to work one way or another.” Although currently there is no way for undocumented immigrants to gain legalization or temporary residency, the federal Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act has tried to fix that by granting undocumented citizens temporary residency. The proposal has been rejected twice: when it was introduced in 2001 and once again in 2010. But to qualify for the federal DREAM Act, DREAMers would have to have a basic General Education Development and be a certain age to obtain legalization. “Now if an opportunity opens up for those students to obtain legalization then they’re already running on way for it,” Villagomez said. “It’ll help their case to have a degree and be a contributing member of society, but none of that is for sure.” Unlike other states, California has an abundance of resources for students
without a social security number like Assembly Bill 540, which exempts students from nonresident tuition. However, the most well known is the California Dream Act. This act is different from the DREAM Act
We always just tell them to focus on growing as a person and go to college and to get as much education as they can because realistically, it can only help you. I know a lot of people who have bachelor degrees but no social security number and they’ve managed to find ways to work one way or another Lorena villagomez proposal and only exists in California. The Dream Act is similar to Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) with one of its main differences being that FAFSA is federally funded, while the Dream Act is funded entirely by California.
Villagomez encourages students without a social security number to take advantage of these resources in California, as they may not be in other states. “Some of these students were brought here and probably didn’t realize they didn’t have a social security number until they tried to apply for a job or when applying to colleges,” Villagomez said. “So as a kid, you grow up and this is the only world you know, and you don’t really realize how hard it is without that number. “Which again is why it’s important to take advantages of going to school and college,” Villagomez stresses. “Which is why it’s a bummer that they have the benefits of getting a job but they choose not, of course it’s not all the kids but there’s always that one group where we say ‘Hey use your social security number and get to college because there are many other people who wish they had that opportunity to have that.’” Even though its future is unsure, the potential disbandment of DACA could have devastating effects on many Fremont students and their ability to work, go to college and support their family.
Teacher Milestones by Claire Lyon & Suryan Bhatia
Collaboration
Jessica Branco is a Spanish teacher and has been teaching at Fremont High School for 20 years. She graduated from Palo Alto High School and a university in Oregon. She found her love of teaching in high school while being a teacher’s aid of a special ED class and coaching soccer. She loves seeing the growth in a student and finds it important for students to learn how to study and educate themselves, and believe it will help progress the student in the future. Branco finds the developing of students to be inspiring and gives her a sense of pride whenever she can reflect on how a student has grown.
Geoff Beckstrom has been teaching at Fremont for 10 years. He currently teaches World History and AP Microeconomics. In the past he taught AP U.S. History. Although this is his first teaching job, he was previously a student-teacher at Palo Alto High School, which was also the place he went to high school. He later received his degree in teaching from San Jose State University. Beckstrom used to work at the Young Men’s Christian Association, which gave him the desire to work with young people. Beckstrom loves spending time with students and being able to pass on mature ideas and topics and being able to have civilized discussions about those topics.
Principal Bryan Emmert has been at Fremont for 20 years. He went to Pioneer High School and graduated from Santa Clara University. Before he was at Fremont, Emmert worked at the district office as the Director of Educational options. One of the things he liked most about working there was how it was a new experience to him. The one thing he liked about FHS, however, is the energy on campus and the interactions with all the students and staff at Fremont. Emmert wants all Fremont students to work hard and follow their passions because he finds it to be most motivating for a student rather than having just passion or working towards a goal.
Claire Lyon & Suryan Bhatia | The Phoenix
the
PHOENIX Editor-in-Chief Maggie Bernauer
Managing Editor Emily Wright
News
Caroline He
Arts & Entertainment Manavi Chandra
Sports
Michael Wang
Opinion
Dana Nissan Hannah Butay Center Spread Mira Dhingra Nadia Anees Lead Photographer Andrea Lanfranconi Online Momina Nadeem
Staff Writers
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 Fremont High School 1279 Sunnyvale Saratoga Rd, Sunnyvale, CA 94087 (408)-522-2400 | 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.
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.
opinion Cinco de Mayo: reality or business ploy
May 5, 2017
4
by Miranda Kushner Staff Writer
Cinco de Mayo is the most widely celebrated Mexican holiday here in the United States. But in reality, it is not as important in México, and the historical context is widely ignored in the US. The celebration of Cinco de Mayo originates from the 1860s, when the French invaded México. The powerful French army began to approach the Mexican city of Puebla, located in the state of Puebla. Against all odds, the underdog Mexican army defeated the French in what is now known as La Batalla de Puebla, or the Battle of Puebla on May 5. However, in the second Battle of Puebla that took place a month later, France won, and then eventually
won control of the country. However, the Battle of Puebla became widely celebrated yearly as a triumphant underdog story, although mainly in Puebla. Despite how widely celebrated it is in the United States, Cinco de Mayo is not even a federal holiday in México. This raises the question of why it is so celebrated here in the U.S., when in México it is more minor, like President’s Day here, with banks and schools closing for the day. It has been celebrated in the California since the times of the gold rush, when patriotic Mexican-Americans heard the news of Mexico’s victory against the invading French. It remained widely celebrated in California, especially when the Chicano Movement of the 1950s led more young people of Mexican descent to embrace their cultural heritage. It gained popularity in the US in the 1980s when beer, and other “party food” companies, began to use it as a chance to sell more product. This way the celebration began to spread it’s bothersome in multiple ways. First off, seeing an
element of your cultural heritage reduced to a cute marketing ploy by American owned companies is strange at best, and disrespectful at most. Back in the 80s, and even now, most of these companies had no Mexican people in positions higher than production, showing that profits made off their culture never reached them. Even more disconcerting is how people across the United States have absolutely no idea how the holiday came to be, even believing it to be a celebration of Mexico’s independence, which is wildly mistaken. The fact that Americans across the country are celebrating a Mexican victory would be touching if they actually knew what they were celebrating and if they were respectful of Mexican culture. This lack of respect is shown through how the holiday is celebrated in the states, which is through excessive drinking of tequila and consumption of “typical” Mexican foods, like nachos or burritos. Not only are those foods not of Mexican origin, but drinking tequila and eating party food is
something Americans do on a regular basis anyway, although without the handy excuse of “celebrating culture”. After all, if an American is going to get trashed and eat tacos until they burst, it will happen anyway. And that does not even begin to cover the offensively stereotypical Mexican attire these party-goers don, such as sombreros and ponchos. These articles of clothing have become almost synonymous with Mexican culture in the United States, and while they are worn in some regions, they do not represent the wide variety of Mexican traditional clothes. An entire diverse country’s culture being reduced into a few simple stereotypes is insensitive when it happens on a small scale, and downright offensive when it happens as widely as it does in the U.S. Given how Latino, and especially Mexican, people are being treated under legislation and in the media, it is strange how Americans decide to pick and choose what parts of a culture to “embrace”. Many people holding wild Cinco de Mayo parties are the same rooting
for Trump’s border wall, or gunning for mass deportation of immigrants. None of this is saying to stop holding Cinco de Mayo celebrations, but if you found yourself uncomfortable reading any of the above statements, you may want to reconsider how you celebrate. Another option is that instead of celebrating something that has little significance in the country of origin, you could attend a local Día de los Muertos celebrat-
ing in November, or a Día de la Independencia event in September.
Sam Tumkur | The Phoenix
Late night ridicule Late night shows, such as the ones hosted by Seth Meyers or Stephen Colbert, are becoming a popular source of news. The popularity has risen recently due to the U.S.’s current state and the various controversies surrounding Donald Trump’s presidency, by Patrick Ramos as well as his rather Staff Writer unprofessional personality. Trump’s ridiculous behavior as president provides a lot of material for comedians. Comedians are able to criticize Trump because of his absurd actions and how he acts toward the media. His twitter account is comedy in itself. The late night shows present news in a way that makes serious topics comical. Satire is a powerful tool to hold the powerful accountable. The comical approach coveys serious topics in a way that is both interesting and informative. Late night show hosts point out little details that make politics seems silly and they also point out major flaws. The shows are able to balance each topic with humor and seriousness, as well as calling attention to pressing issues. This format not only appeals to the people but it also serves to inform them. While other forms of media are not as comical as late night shows they also present the news correctly in a less entertaining way. Late night shows appear to take all of politics with a grain of salt they are actually addressing serious issues. Luckily, news media has caught on to the trend. News outlets from CNN’s Jake Tapper to MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow use sarcasm and humor to make their arguments. They point out how the morality of President Trump is “nonexistent.” At this point Trump has made American politics seem silly. Politics has gone over its breaking point of absurdness and that has made Americans think that news outlets are taking it too seriously. While late night shows and some news segments point out the obvious allowing for political satire. That is why political satire thrives.
To submit questions visit: fremonthighphoenix.wixsite.com/thephoenix or e-mail fremonthighphoenix@gmail.com All questions are anonymous but are subject to be edited to fit the newspaper’s format.
Hey there, could you give me some advice on how to give advice? My arsenal of generic answers are becoming increasingly less effective. Cheers. Sincerely, General Jane Always listen before speaking. Try not to dominate the other person’s opinion/mindset, they are probably already set on what they would do but they just want you to give them more confidence or the final push. When people ask for advice, they don’t want you to sway their opinions so much as they want to feel as though their choice is valid. All they probably want is someone to be there for them who would listen to them. In the end, they’ll chose what they want, whether or not it’s what you advised them to do. What kind of measures do you have to take to stand out at college? Sincerely, Anonymous College may be intimidating at first since there will be an overwhelming amount of new faces. However, as cliche as this sounds, do not force yourself to get out there right away and try to be someone you are not. Instead, find something you are passionate about and follow it. Join clubs that catch your eye and build connections with your friends and professors. As long as you are being genuine and open to opportunities, success will come your way. Remember college is not a popularity contest, everyone is there to move on and pursue a career, it isn’t high school. How do you end a relationship when you don’t want to but have to?
Sincerely, Helpless
Think first about why you have to end the relationship. Is it going nowhere because you two want different things? Are both of you too unstable for it to work out? Regardless of the reason why you feel the relationship has to end, you have to decide if the pain and any consequences are worth it. Talk it out with the other individual, they need to understand your reasons. Remember you can’t play with this person’s feelings. If you’re ending the relationship, make sure it is because you are done. Don’t play games. Do bald people use shampoo or body wash for their heads? Sincerely, Ray Oliver Evan Ivanov According to Reddit, bald people prefer to use shampoo to wash their heads because shampoo is better at reducing dandruff. It is known that body wash can have a drying effect which causes more flakes on your head. Shampoo on the other hand, only cleans and doesn’t cause any problems. Answers compiled by Hannah Butay & Dana Nissan Artword by Sam Tumkur
opinion
5
may 5, 2017
Respect the meaning behind religious holidays
by George Luna Staff Writer
Holidays are times when people are able to celebrate a special occasion, often with friends and family. Celebrating could mean a lot of things from throwing a party to vacationing in another country. For many religious people, celebrating their holidays may mean fasting for a certain period of time or going to a place of worship to pay respects. Although many holidays are religious, many people celebrate them even if they don’t share the same religious beliefs or are not religious altogether. Many non-Christian people celebrate holidays like Christmas and Easter. According to PewForum, 96 percent of Christians celebrate Christmas while eight in ten non-Christians also do. This is because the
general public has regarded them as cultural holidays instead of religious ones. Christmas has become a day where you decorate your house with bright, colorful lights and receive presents from friends and family. Easter also has become a day where you go hunting for eggs and watch parades. For example, the day of Easter is about the resurrection of Jesus Christ, although there is a lot of preparation to do before Easter if you want to celebrate it religiously. Lent, a season in the Christian calendar, lasts 40 days. During those days, one will have to give up something to replicate Jesus’ sacrifices in his time in the desert. One will also have to give up meat on Fridays. There are many other traditions that many people follow in order to celebrate Easter correctly. As a member of a religious community, I have heard people say that it’s a shame that those days of worship has been turned into more of a public event. They have complained that the real reason to celebrate those holidays have been forgotten or isn’t practiced correctly anymore.
When I went to church school, I was always taught to do specific acts for these holidays so that I would be faithful to my religion. Personally, I don’t think of it as a large problem. As long as it isn’t mocking or disrespecting the holiday or religion, like blatantly saying the religious practice is wrong or stupid, it’s fine to have customs on these specific days. Most people who are truly faithful in their religion will obviously be celebrating those holidays with more depth. I also think it’s nice to have people at least acknowledge the fact that it is a religious holiday. Of course, there are many special religious seasons that aren’t part of the mainstream American culture, like Hanukkah or Diwali. I believe that those holidays should stay only celebrated by that religious community or those who are well versed in the religion, as the traditions and customs could be practiced without influence from modern culture. They get to keep the authenticity of the holiday true, which makes it more unique and exclusive, as in
only people with knowledge about the customs are able to celebrate. Also, the secularization of these holidays has led to corporations monopolizing off of them to make more profit. Since they are more of a cultural holiday, businesses have a larger pool of people they can advertise to. Every year you see these advertisements marketing sales for cars, clothes and other items that were most likely very expensive before. This takes out the spirituality of holidays as it makes people focus on the material. Although it is true that companies try to sell more during the holiday season, more people buy gifts for each other during those times, whether they are religious or not. People who don’t follow the religious customs should be able to buy from these sales because business is meant to be targeted to the largest audience. That means everyone should have the
right to buy products despite religion. Even though people may complain that those businesses are destroying the true meaning of the holiday, they have a right to sell to the masses. Where people should
be mindful is when they don’t truly believe in the religious aspects of the holiday or else they shouldn’t say they are celebrating it because it can offensive to those who truly celebrate it as part of their spirituality. Even if you may have traditions that you only do on that specific holiday, that does not mean you are commemorating the holiday.
Photo courtesy of Stepping Toes
The grip the College Board has on students On Advanced Placement tests, the SAT and the future
by Michael Wang Sports Editor
The College Board. The company name itself is intimidating. Typically, students associate the College Board with the SAT, which is one of the tests students take to display their college readiness along with and Advanced Placement Tests. On the surface, this may seem fine, but many people do not realize the extent to which this organization controls students. The College Board traps students in a prison of stress during school. Many people want to challenge themselves by taking AP classes. Taking one of these classes can even be a rite of passage for some people, because it is a transitioning from high school level classes to a “college level” classes. However, these classes full of rigorous and chal-
lenging content, which many people struggle with, are essentially yearlong test prep courses. The only purpose for these advanced classes is to help students pass the test at the end of the year. A by-product of this is constant stress in the form of a vicious cycle. As students continue to learn the challenging content, some of which they may not understand, the test draws closer and closer, creating stress and a sense of urgency for the student. This stress may hinder the student from learning the content while the amount of time until the test is decreasing concurrently, leading to even more stress Prolonged stress can impair both mental and physical health, which can possibly lead more stress Additionally, bad health can contribute to an in-
ability to learn and comprehend brand new content. Many people may contend that stress is involved in every high school class, not just AP
classes. This could be true in that some content may be difficult to understand, which can lead to stress, especially before a test. However, this viewpoint fails to
Sam Tumkur | The Phoenix
take into account that a test is approaching that culminates the knowledge learned in the class that is longer than any test administered in a high school setting. In addition, the test is not written by a teacher, so if anyone has a question, it may not be answered fully. This adds yet another layer of stress to students. The College Board claims that they prepare high school students for college. While this argument has some merit, they make school unnecessarily stressful for a typical student. However, I think that College Board is just another scheme to make money. Isn’t 100 dollars per test a bit excessive? According to the official College Board website, approximately five million exams are administered each year, which provides for a grand total of half a billion dollars. Where does all that money go to? Even after paying for proctors, exam writers, there is still an excessive amount of profit. In addition, College Board claims it is a “nonprofit” organization, which can imply two things, both
of which of negative: either they are overpaying the staff of College Board, or they are concealing the whole truth about the status of their company. College board is essentially capitalizing from students’ desires to get into a good college. You want to have a stellar profile with that 1500 plus SAT score and 4s and 5s on 8 AP exams? Well you have to go through us, and in the process pay an exorbitant amount of money for a high school student. This creates an equity issue, as some students cannot afford it, and therefore cannot take certain exams and will thus be disadvantaged. Even though there are no solutions to this problem, as College Board is a monopoly in this aspect, it is crucial for people to become aware of the grasp this company has on all of us. A majority of the stress everyone has comes from and are controlled by the college board, which is not right. An organization should never have total control over someone’s future.
Special Feature
may 5, 2017
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expanding your musical ho history of rap by Roei Burstein Staff Writer
Rap music is one of the most popular genres of music listened to today. Many iconic rap artists such as Drake, Chance The Rapper, Kendrick Lamar and Kanye West reside on today’s Top Charts and account for a majority of the popular music of 2017. While rap music seems to have been around forever, many do not know the origin and history of the infamous music genre. The primary roots of rap music come from old Western Africa, where story tellers would deliver stories rhythmically over drum beats. This style of storytelling was not very widespread or well known at the time, but later in history this method of narration became the inspiration for rap music more similar to what we have come to know today. During the early 1920s, rap made a comeback, and a great deal of music artists adopted the style of storytelling in a more musical way over popular beats and instrumentals of the time. One primary example of this was the
Charlie Patton song “Shake it Break It” released in 1929. Lots of the older rap music regarded stories from times of slavery and the abolitionist movement. At this time, rap music was still very unknown and only existed in the former confederate states. Jumping to the late 1960s, infamous boxer Muhammad Ali incorporated rapping into his trash talk and outside of boxing in his political commentary and activism. He integrated rhyme schemes and other elements of spoken word poetry into his narration. The 1970s for rap was basically an extra feature of other genres of music such as rock, disco, and punk music. This was also the era of deejaying and microphone announcing, but once more it was the side piece to the deejay. In the 1980s, rap music drastically changed with the popularity of “ganga rap” and artists such as N.W.A., Run DMC, and the Beastie Boys. With the decline of disco, rap music had an avenue to popularity and became significantly more widespread. This is around the time where many of
the “Fathers of Rap” began their careers and created the foundation of modern rap music. The 1990s is referred to by many as the pinnacle of rap music, often called the Golden Age of hip hop. This was the time period of emblematic rappers such as 2Pac, The Notorious B.I.G., Nas, Dr. Dre, and Snoop Dogg took over the rap game and created innovative music that changed the face of rap for the rest of history. Big record labels such as Def Jam also came to be around this time, and to this day many of them recruit the top rap artists of the current day. The twenty first century is basically rap as we know it today. The early 2000s delivered rap artists such as Eminem, Jay Z, Ludacris, and André 3000, and since then many have been added to that list. Rap music today is one of the most popular genres of music and is listened to by a majority of the current youth. Its immense influence on pop culture and the American lifestyle is prevalent in our society.
by Miranda Kushner & Emmanuel Ramirez Collaboration
Nowadays, alternative rock and indie rock are terms that people use interchangeably. Although it may seem like there is not much difference between the two genres, the small difference between the two is still there. Historically speaking, indie originated in Britain, but became known as alternative in America. However, the main difference now is that indie has come to be more underground, or less known, while alternative is more mainstream. Alternative has a wider variety of genres that can be categorized under its scope, but it originates from the underground genre of indie. Some like to say that indie and alternative are classified as different genres altogether because their sounds can vary. However, the two are similar in their roots, but change slightly since alternative is accommodated to fit more of a well-known taste. Arctic Monkeys for instance is an indiealternative rock band that started off labeled as indie,
Photos courtesy of PDXRetro, Airship Advocate, Amazon, NeptunePinkFloyd and KissRocks
Sam
indie and alternative but recently is classified as alternative with their newest album. The earlier works of the band have a grunge-like, more distinct sound while the latest album “AM” is clearly influenced by more contemporary sounds being labeled as alternative. Nonetheless, Arctic Monkeys fits under the genres indie and alternative despite any fanatics categorizing their albums as strictly this or that. Not only do fans of these genres tend to try to categorize bands, but there also tends to be a lot of gatekeeping in the community. Notably, the alternative genre is very male-dominated, while any women of similar styles tend to remain indie, so they are less known. This is not exactly a bad thing, but it keeps many good artists from being recognized, and is also seen with non-white artists. A few good examples of underrecognized diverse artists are Mitski, CHVRCHES, and Run River North. Similar gatekeeping is seen in fans, many of whom consider themselves such die-hard indie fans that they
will stop listening to a band one they become “mainstream” and get a record deal. This can be disappointing, as this is a genre that constantly evolves in original ways, and shutting certain bands out due to their success can be limiting. However, despite the sometimes-closed-minded community, the music itself does not stop having its originality. Indie and alternative music is known for being in the forefront of new sounds and styles, such as synthpop in the 1980s, or grunge in the 90s. Taking form in many different sounds, the genre can often be categorized alongside other, more specific genres. For instance, a lot of indie music is classified as “indie pop”, as it has sounds that are more common in mainstream pop music, but remain indie through their underground fanbase. Some examples of this genre include Walk the Moon and Misterwives. Another sub-genre that is on the rise is that of indie punk, which stays a lot truer to punk’s counterculture
roots than a lot of pop punk. Notable indie punk bands are PWR BTTM and Diet Cig, both of which have new 2017 albums that are worth a listen. Indie’s exploration of new sounds leads to changes in mainstream genres as well. Thanks to punk and grunge, bands like Green Day and Blink 182 were able to break into the mainstream as pop punk bands. The same goes for the more acoustic type of indie and alternative. Generally known as indie folk, this subgenre is very popular in the coffee shop and bookstore sort of demographic. It has had a lot of influence on more popular music, especially in the 90s. Overall, indie and alternative are two closely similar genres that contain a diverse variety of different sounds, all of which make this type of music very appealing to listeners. This is a genre that will continue to develop and evolve into the future, always providing exciting new sounds to explore.
Special Feature
may 5, 2017
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orizon the history of jazz by Nadia Anees & Lexi Kleinberg & Emily Wright
Collaboration
Tumkur | The Phoenix
Jazz is one of the most influential types of music. Its famous for its syncopation, brass sounds and upbeat rhythms. Jazz is often referred to as one of America’s original art forms. The birthplace of Jazz music is known to be the bright and unique city of New Orleans, Louisiana. As early as the mid 1700s, New Orleans was known to be a very special city because of its diverse population and the city’s strong passion for food, dancing, festivals, wine and of course, music. New Orleans’ became largely populated by Africans and African Americans as well as Europeans. “Creoles of color,” people of African and European descent, were very popular in New Orleans. The uniqueness of New Orleans, it’s liveliness and diversity is important for understanding the development of Jazz. Charles or “Buddy” Bolden came out in 1895 with the “Blues” and
dance tunes. Segregation laws of the 19th century helped strengthen relations between African Americans and Creoles, allowing them to join together to make more music, a mix of uptown and Creole music. Clarinet, trombone and cornet became the base of any brass band in New Orleans, leading the jazz style to become more significant. Jazz spread to other cities like New York, and many places had a higher demand for Jazz musicians from New Orleans. Louis Armstrong, a Jazz icon, was summoned to Chicago from New Orleans and his work soon became incredibly popular. Some of Armstrong’s best work appeared in his earlier bands, the Hot Fives and the Hot Sevens bands. Armstrong was an irreplaceable trumpeter, and musician who left a huge impact on Jazz. Jazz played a huge role in developing America’s pop culture as well as one of the most influential musical eras: Big Band. Big Band music usually involved a music ensemble typically
including 12-25 members. This type of band’s main role was for dancing, but more importantly, Big Band contained key elements of Jazz including improvisation and syncopation. Famous musicians like Louis Armstrong and Earl Hines were two frontmen of Big Bands during this time. The swing music era, generally from 1935 to 1945, was generally born of jazz and became somewhat an extension of Big Band music, according to Jazz In America. This type of music was mostly made for dancing. Later in the 1950s Rock and Roll emerged onto the American pop culture scene. In the early 50s artists infused blues, which originated from Jazz, into their music. Elvis Presley’s “Hound Dog” is a perfect example of Blues, Jazz, and Rock and Roll all fused. Later, toward the mid to late 50’s popular artists emerged such as Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, and BB King, all who included rhythm and blues (R&B) into their music.
Technique-wise, jazz is both freeform and structured. Improvisation is a key part of jazz, although musicians create the melodies based on chords and chord progression. Although Jazz may not be the leading force in music anymore, Jazz has paved the way for many of the artists we love and cherish today. R&B as we know it was is a product of an evolving Jazz culture. Jazz exists even today, although not as widely appreciated. Artists, like Norman Brown, Gregory Porter and Norah Jon still produce jazz albums, although there is no one style and some have incorporated other music genres and styles into their unique take on jazz. The uniquely American music of jazz just keeps on playin’.
rock n roll by Karla Alejandro & Sophia Pulido Collaboration
There is no simple way to describe Rock ‘n’ Roll. It is more than just music—it is a lifestyle. From people like Freddie Mercury to Elvis Presley, Rock has left a large impact on modern society. Rock music has an outstanding way of energizing people, whether it is through the creative mind of David Bowie or lyrical genius, Jimi Hendrix. Rock ‘n’ roll originated in the United States during the 1940’s and early 1950’s taking inspiration from gospel, jazz, and blues. Rock ‘n’ Roll is known to have a stronger beat and rhythm, include heavy electric guitar notes and have more liberal lyrics. Common rock lyrics describe sex and Rock artists experiences with love, sex, and drugs. Before Rock ‘n’ roll was developed, many women dressed with mod-
esty in order to gain respect from fellow women or to appear ladylike to men. This changed when Rock ‘n’ Roll became popular because it taught people to not conform to society and to liberate themselves from all societal expectations. It became very common for women to start wearing shorter, tighter clothes. In addition, many womens’ rights movements that emerged during the time can be credited toward Rock ‘n’ Roll. As Rock ‘n’ Roll gainedpopularity in the 40’s and 50’s, society changed from one that was sheltered and conservative to a one that was free, open and expressive. For example, jazz is more soothing and calm and became less popular than Rock, as loud punk music started attracting more of the rebellious youth. For this reason, many
parents did not like Rock ‘n’ Roll due to the belief that it caused juvenile delinquency. Rock stirred up lots of controversy because teenagers began to rebel against the more conservative culture their parents were used to. Along with and parents, churches were also condemned Rock, clamining that it was satan’s music. The widespread hatred of rock led to Rock ‘n’ Roll being banned from many radio stations and even schools for its profanity. In the 1950’s, teens realized they not only related to Rock music but also to the Rock musicians themselves. The Rock generation became more of a carefree as people normalized sex and drugs. Rock became their lifestyle.“ Drugs, Sex, and Rock “n” Roll” is what this generation lived by. After Rock ‘n’ Roll became popular, people
started to see Rock artists as role models. In an episode of “That 70’s Show” the main characters, Eric and Hyde were told to draw “God” but ended up drawing Eric Clapton, a famous guitar legend at the time. This example shows how people ultimately worshipped Rock ‘n’ Roll artists. Although Rock ‘n’ Roll is not as popular in today’s generation, there are still many people who love the unique genre. For example the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Queen, Pink Floyd and Elvis Presley are all very popular, iconic names of Rock musicians and bands that are still praised today.
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Arts & Entertainment DreamWorks, but does it really?
may 5, 2017
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by Vivien Su Staff Writer
T
he releases of DreamWorks’ major blockbuster films like Shrek, Kung Fu Panda and How to Train Your Dragon once proved that they were major competition against Disney. But recent flops and obvious cash-grabs have caused some controversy on them to become a concurrent issue. Over the past two years, DreamWorks has experienced a handful of layoffs, due to a lack of profit. Why? The fact is, their movies are not as good anymore. In addition, DreamWorks do not own theme parks or huge
broadcast stations like ABC, so it would be challenging for them to receive a steady income, especially if their films are falling flat at the box office. But what really led to DreamWorks’ downfall? Maybe the simple answer is that they have run out of ideas. It is not easy creating a film that Americans will love from scratch, and have it rise to be a timeless success. Many critics claim that their infamous humor in the past have now gone dry. Their latest film, The Boss Baby, has earned mixed reviews from critics and audiences (mostly adults). One evident association with the film was that it served as an obvious “cash-grab” for the studio. Its uncreative and forgettable storyline of an adult in a baby’s body to challenge the attention of puppies resulted in its low success. One thing was clear: it was no masterpiece. Contrary to their films made in the early 2000s, Shrek became an instant
iconic hit. Shrek is regarded as one of the top animated films ever, winning the Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2002. The film made its way into the hearts of audiences of all ages with its crude humor, upbeat music (courtesy of Smash Mouth), memorable storyline and lovable characters. Now with attractions at Universal Studios and places worldwide, its success will never die down. Shrek was arguably the film that put DreamWorks’ name on the map, and solidified their credentials of being a top animation studio. Although many argue that fans were sick of the franchise by the third and fourth installment, there is no denying its initial success. The very same can be said about Kung Fu Panda, released in 2008. The sweet and all-around adorable panda stole the heart of millions nationwide. The blockbuster had a variety of captivating characters, a great message and an enthralling journey. Its humor appealed to both adults and kids, alike, spinning off a franchise that had great success in the box office. However, the hits didn’t stop from there. How to
Train Your Dragon did superiorly well among critics and viewers, as well as at the
boxoffice. The animation was breathtaking and showed the innovation of the 21st century. But one thing that DreamWorks has kept consistent until now is the high quality of animation of their films, still making them top competition against Disney. DreamWorks stood as a statement that an animated
film does not have to be from Disney to be good. Even to this day, DreamWorks succeeds in maintaining the charm that audiences will forever love. The animation continues to get better and hopefully in the near future, they will
once again meet the expectations they set so high for themselves years ago.
The lengths taken to capture a selfie by Ambika Vaidya Staff Writer
Selfies: seemingly harmless, silly portraits of you and your friends, family or acquaintances. Selfies allow us to take a picture of ourselves instead of handing our photo-snapping devices to complete strangers who may skive off with the valuable item, instead of telling you to say “cheese” and clicking a snapshot. But here is a food for thought: selfies can literally mean the death of you. Since 2014, also known as the “year of the selfie” according to Twitter, teenagers to middle-aged folks have lost their lives after trying to take a selfie. According to the Daily Caller, from March 2014 to September of 2016, there were 127 people around the globe that died while trying to take a selfie. Many were in the process of taking a daring selfie for their social media accounts. Whether it be from electrocution, getting struck by a vehicle or anything else, here are some of the senseless, yet nonetheless tragic, deaths that have occurred in the past year. Inquirer.net reports that in January of 2016, a 19-year old student, Cristina Pagalilauan, fell 20 stories from a parapet
wall of an apartment building in the Philippines after she had reportedly tried to climb the wall to take a satisfactory selfie. Like her, many teens or young adults in particular, are dissatisfied with their selfies and end up doing something dangerous in order to catch a daredevil of a selfie. According to The Times of India, a year before the death of Pagalilauan, four college students stood on the railway tracks in northern India in order to snap an “eye-catching” selfie for their social media profiles. Tragically, they were run over by a speeding train, where only one of them survived. Selfie deaths are most common in India, where the Washington Post notes that in the year 2015, “of at least 27 ‘selfie related’ deaths around the world last year,
about half occurred in India.” But according to a bar graph on PetaPixel, Russia and USA are close behind on being the home of these selfie fatalities. StL Today, a newspaper publication from St. Louis, Missouri, reported a 15-year old accidentally shot himself square in the chest while he attempted to take a selfie with the gun in June 2016. He died on his way to the hospital. Several other selfie deaths happen when one falls off a cliff or drowns—or falls off a cliff and drowns. Two weeks after the death of the St. Louis teen, an Emergency Medical Service lieutenant from the New York Fire Department was found at the base of the Adirondacks mountain range near Lake George. Allegedly, JoAnn Restko had gone
mountain climbing when she reached the top of the mountain and decided to take a selfie. According to a friend, Restko fell from the ledge after which rangers found her body near the lake below. She was reported to have fallen “80 to 100 feet, striking the rock walls as she fell.” On August 9, 2016, an 11-year old Pakistani girl was swept away by the Kunhar River while attempting to take a selfie. According to Dawn, the situation was made even more gut-wrenching when the girl’s mother dove in after her and drowned; then the father of the girl dove into the river to rescue his wife and
daughter, but also drowned. The survivors of the family included a six-year old boy who also witnessed the tragic scene. An unusual circumstance of a selfie death occurred in September 2016 when a 66-year old Italian tourist was having breakfast with his wife in Kenya. He noticed an elephant near a waterhole outside the Swara Camp and decided to take a selfie with it. The elephant of course did not agree and trampled the man to death.
Photos courtesy of Dreamworks and DeviantArt
Believe it or not, selfie deaths where people have stood for a selfie in the middle of an airport runway have also taken place. Pulse reports that on the night of December 30 2015, five tipsy teenagers lay down in the middle of a runway to take a selfie with an airplane landing in the background. A truck driving down the runway ran over two of the teens, killing them. The remaining three rolled out from under the truck in the nick of time. Such tragic deaths have been the sensation in the media now for the past three years and are still occurring in masses all over the world. These deaths are easily preventable when people are aware of their surroundings and not goofing off in dangerous places. Of course, there is nothing wrong with taking a selfie. They are a way to show our inner joys and goofiness, and make us feel good. But that doesn’t mean that you need to do something stupid and dangerous to make your selfies masterpieces. A dozen masterpieces of a selfie are not worth a single life.
Arts & Entertainment 9
may 5, 2017
Summer Festivals 2017 by Jenny Nguyen Staff Writer
Outside Lands
KAABOO
Lightning in a Bottle
Outside Lands is a music festival that features artists and music producers from around the world. The festival also promotes eco-friendliness, encouraging participants to take public transit in order to get to the venue. Music genres include indie rock, alternative rock, hip hop, and electronica.
KAABOO is the ideal event with the ideal venue. Located a few miles north of San Diego, the warm shores of the Pacific create the perfect atmosphere for a summer music getaway. Enjoy world-class music, dance, cook and so much more.
Lightning in a Bottle is a camp out festival all about self-expression, environmental awareness and personal health. The music aspect of the festival includes genres such as electronic dance music, devotional song, experimental music and folk music, enabling people to experience a wide range of music.
Inception: 2008 Location: San Francisco, CA Outside Lands 2017 dates: August 11-13 Outside Lands 2017 Lineup: Metallica, The Who, Gorillaz, A Tribe Called Quest, Lorde, and more Outside Lands 2016 line-up: Radiohead, LCD Sound-system, Lionel Richie, Lana Del Rey, J. Cole, and more Tickets: $375
Inception: 2015 Location: San Diego, CA KAABOO Dates: September 15-17 KAABOO 2017 Lineup: Muse, Red Hot Chilli Pepers, P!nk, David Guetta, Sam Sparro, Lany, Timeflies, Machine Gun Kelly KAABOO 2016 Lineup: Aerosmith, Jack Hohnson, Fallout Boy, The Chainsmokers, Flo Rida, Echosmith, and more
Inception: 2000 Location: Bradley, CA Lightning in a Bottle Dates: May 24-29 Lightning in a Bottle 2017 Lineup: Bass Nectar, Kaytranada, Wafia, Troyboi, Elephant Revival, and more Tickets: $270
Wanderlust The Wanderlust festival promotes calm and clear mindsets, community, eating well, sustainability, creativity, purpose and awareness for the most important issues currently. From yoga and meditation classes, adventurous hiking and Speakeasy talks to a variety of live music performances and nutritious food, Wanderlust is not an event to miss out on for the free-spirited.
Inception: 2009 Location: Squaw Valley Wanderlust Dates: July 20-23 Wanderlust 2017 Lineup: IN-Q, Lettuce, Little Dragon, Quixotic, Katie Wilcox, and more Tickets: $104 Photos courtesy of Grind Official and Coachellla Arts and Music festival
by Manavi Chandra Arts and Entertainment Editor
Fashion has been constantly evolving since the beginning of time. While many may believe that fashion is all about the newest clothes and accessories, it is actually much more complicated. Fashion just about exists and bounces off of any dimension of the creative world, the most common being itself and music culture. While today fashion is dominated by fashion gurus like Gucci, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and Coco Chanel. Coco Chanel and other designers have also served as pioneers in the industry because of their ability to make one-sided fashion trends acceptable for everyone and defy societal expectations towards them. Music and fashion started having associations with each other when have built off of each other for a long time, which is what resulted in their clash of
the newest trends. Both have influenced each other since prior beginnings, which have changed the identity of the people with the progression of time. Possibly the biggest trend to kick off a new identity in society was the introduction of the idea of the teenager in the early 20th century. Teenagers had the mindset of adults yet did not encounter situations that adults have to face everyday. This led to their well-known reputation of being party animals and desirably error-prone, which officially established them as the new rebels of the modern age. Because of these new ideologies of the teenager, the growing influence of music created trends in fashion choices of that time, which were heavy on Neoclassicism and such.
With the era of the rock and roll in the 1950s, female American teenagers became known as BobbySoxers, often wearing ankle socks, hair ribbons, denim rolled-up jeans and blouses with baggy sweaters, and saddle shoes. This was often mirrored of the stylings of Frank Sinatra. The next decade led to the formation of the mods in Great Britain. Their main purpose was sole and group identification. They often cited themselves in espresso bars, the mini motorcar and the image of Perry Como from the film Shoot the Pianist (1960). They sited themselves in an
urban backdrop of espresso bars, Vespa scooters, the mini motorcar and an image backdrop of Perry Como and the French look. The mods served as a fusion of teenagers with different interests, but they ultimately rejected traditional values for modern jazz, blues and beats. While the legacy of the Mods well-continued into the 80s and 90s, retro-futurism and neoclassicism came into play starting in the 70s. Clothing often consisted of American army parkas and tailored suits, showing
graphic symbols such as targets and horizontal color stripes. Designers such as Gianni Versace and Claude Montana designed motifs with asymmetry and uniformity to represent the synchronization of fashion with music. While there are many examples that have shown how music inspired new trends in fashion, it is not wrong to say that the oppo-
site also happened. Following Rave came Punks and Hippies in the 21st century from fashion to music. Music and fashion are two interrelated concepts that both objectify youthculture and will continue to influence each other.
Arts & Entertainment
may 5, 2017
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by Caroline He News Editor
Many people, above all, want to make an impact and be successful. For high school students, those ambitions might feel later in life. But for Fremont High School sophomore Aneesh Goel, they are beginning now. Utilizing the entrepreneurship and science in Silicon Valley, Goel has been working on several projects that he started towards end of freshmen year. Goel sat down with The Phoenix to share his perspective and motivation behind his projects.
What are some of your current projects? I’m working on a research project with a professor in University of Pennsylvania, in the Wharton Business School, in which we’re doing marketing research with Zappos Incorporated, to actually analyze their customer service language and be able to depict how to optimize customer satisfaction. I am also in the process of developing an entrepreneurship curriculum for public secondary schools in South Africa. Last fall, as I was running some iDEA [Innovative Development by Entrepreneurs Association] classes, I received an email from a Nigerian immigrant mother, who informed me that she moved to California in hope for a better future for her son. She wanted him to become a better public speaker and learn business, but she didn’t have the money to pay someone to do it. I offered to coach him for free, and worked with him. This experience opened my eyes and I was able to understand the situation the millions of students faced in developing countries with their education system. After contacting the South Africa Ministry of Education informing them my stance on the problem, I was referred by the public relations officer of the Ministry and was asked to submit a proposal to the board to develop a curriculum for their schools. I am currently in the process of going through that. Being able to work on this project would be a once in a lifetime experience and its impact is huge.
What is important to you about business and what you do? The way I see it, we live in a global capitalist system in which only the best countries progress on becoming more advanced. But what’s happening is that the countries that need more enhancement, innovation and entrepreneurship are falling behind. As a high school student, we are told to seize the opportunities we are given. Entrepreneurship not only helps us better detect opportunities, but allows us to create our own opportunities. It helps us identify problems and help create a positive change.
What motivates you? Failure motivates me a lot of times. I’m a guy, where if people don’t believe in me, or when I see failure it motivates me to do more. I have failed many more times than people think. So that makes me think: I don’t want to be the guy that sits there, works hard, but doesn’t accomplish anything. I also have the motive to work for myself. I don’t want to work for anyone else and I want to be on my toes, always doing different things in life.
What do you hope the impact of iDEA will be? I hope to expand across the nation and create a entrepreneurial youth community.
How has Fremont impacted your perspective?
Here, I see students who have a harder time learning. Over here, I start seeing new problems I never thought I would see. I see people who do not have correct funding for their education, who are struggling to take the SAT, ACT, because their parents can’t finance it. It helped me understand the market and strong demand for quality, free STEM/Business Education. I would also like to recognize Mr. Lambrecht. He has been there for me since day one and believed in me. As a high school student, we are supposed to take the educational assets that we learn at school, and apply it into the “real world”. That is my goal, as I tie entrepreneurship into my life. Whether it is leadership and advocating that I learn through our school’s Speech and Debate program, or learning Market Research, professional writing, and delivering presentations through the school’s DECA club, or sitting down in classes, I try my best to apply what I have learned to my passion outside of school. I think that is something everyone should focus on doing.
Photoes and graphics courtesy of Aneesh Goel and the iDEA Organization.
How successful has iDEA become?
iDEA has become progressively successful. We started out last summer with 3 classes with 15-20 students each and 3 main teachers. But since then we have grown to 30+ teachers, access to 20+ locations, and 25-40 students per class. We have teachers from Bellarmine, St Francis, Monta Vista, Homestead, Basis, Valley Christian, Evergreen Valley, Lynbrook, American High, Mission San Jose, as well as Fremont High School, of course. We started out with one class the entrepreneurship class, but now we have expanded to having additional programs in Java, HTML/CSS, and Android App Development, Computer Graphics, CAD (computer aided design). The current class I am teaching, had 120 students sign up within 2 days, and we have capped our class maximum to 40 students. The rest are waitlisted and will attend our next opening session. We are looking to expand in other states currently.
Has Fremont impacted your ability or motivation in creating iDEA?
Fremont has definite impacted my ability because it has shown me a different scope of society. I have always been used to seeing more of the privileged students, but as I came to Fremont, I saw students who were aspiring to become our future’s next generation of leaders not be able to support their outside education financially or not have the appropriate resources to fulfill their goals. It helped me understand the market and strong demand for quality free STEM/Business Education. I want to thank one of my biggest inspirations in the school Mr. Lambrecht. Since the beginning of freshman year, he has watched me grow into who I am today, and has shaped me. I came into freshman year, not sure what I was going to do in high school, and by interacting and spending time with Lambrecht I was able to understand what I really wanted in life. He gave me a lot of advice, helped me become a confident individual and gave a lot of interest of my future goals and passions. He stepped in to help whenever he could and put in countless hours after school helping in not just debate but all aspects of my life. That is not something many individuals do, and it means a lot to me. I live by many of his philosophies. If there is anything I have learned from him, it is that hard work will always pay off. Hard work wins the “American Dream”.
What would you like to accomplish in the future? I want to go on to have a successful career. I want to be rich and have 30 million dollars to my name by the time I’m 30 yrs old, thats a very clear goal of mine. And eventually become a philanthropist. And having a positive impact is my goal in life, and being able to assist others and society with solutions to problems would be a great way for me to help. Entrepreneurship isn’t just business, it is a way to solve problems.
Check out the iDEA blog and website at: http://gobeyondidea.com/ https://ideablogweb.wordpress. com/ And like their facebook page: the Innovative Development by Entrepreneurs Association
sports Golf team putts out the best season yet
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may 5, 2017
by Thomas Poplawski
team. “[I enjoy] playing with my teammates who are now family to me,” Itow said. Similarly, sophomore Joshua Yu likes how the seniors look out for the underclassmen. Although some of the players are interested in attempting to become professional golfers, some do not seem to want to pursue it as a career “I would never think of going professional because there are too many people and the bar is set way too high,” Lydon said. Overall, the golf team has improved significantly from their performance in the past years and hopefully the future years will follow this trend.
Staff Writer
The golf team at Fremont High School has been performing exceptionally well this year under coach Aaron Eeg. Eeg has been coaching at Fremont since 2000 and had two years of experience at a different school prior to his career at Fremont. Additionally, he has been playing golf since he was 16, giving him over 25 years of experience. Coach Eeg continues to play golf because he enjoys the environment in which it is played. “I love the challenge of golf and being in nature, wildlife and being outside,” Eeg said. He says that this is the best the team has performed since 2001; the team is at an all-time low at 210 strokes, compared to last year’s 235 strokes. Strokes are counted each time the ball is hit by the player; the lower the strokes, the better the score. Just like the coach, the members of the team are motivated to play for a variety of reasons, but the main one is inspiration from professionals. “[I] watch the masters knowing one day I’ll be there,” Senior Kenta Itow said. In addition to being continually motivated, most players on the team have extensive experience in the
sport. For example, Connor Lydon, a sophomore, has played golf for 3 years and Liam O’Brien, another sophomore, has been playing golf since he was in eighth grade. Despite the fact that the golf team is doing very well, some of the players feel as though their sport is not as recognized as the others. So far, the best player has been Matic Likar, a senior and the captain of the golf team, who will be going to the playoffs and attempt to qualify for the Central Coast Section.
[I] watch the masters knowing one day I’ll be there Kenta Itow O’Brien believes that more people may get to know about the golf team if they were put on the announcements more frequently than they are currently. The golf team now is only put on the announce-
ments if they win, which is not at the same standard as other sports teams at FHS who are put on the announcements regardless of performance in their events. The reason why players on the team have continued to play goes back to why they were interested in golf in the first place. Lydon became interested after he saw old highlights of Tiger Woods, a professional golf player, while O’Brien has seen it as a stress reliever. Many team members’ also appreciate the feeling of family among the golf
Photos courtesy of FHS Yearbook
SENIOR Matic Likar practices his stroke. Photos courtesy of FHS Yearbook
Volleyball team bumps up their game by Natalia Etter Staff Writer
“Compared to last year we’re doing much better because we are getting to know each other, the team chemistry is amazing,” Tam Hoang, one of the team captains, said. The boys Varsity volleyball team’s season is quickly coming to an end. The last strides of the season will be tough as they are playing the top three teams. However, the team is confident that if they play strong, they can win the last games and finish the season strong. All the boys have played together more than once because last year they did not lose too many seniors, making it easier for them to all play effectively together. The team always tries to have fun while working hard during their practices and games. It is always good to have fun while playing a sport but sometimes it can become a weak spot. One of the two team captains, Krishna Gomatam, thinks the team should sometimes focus more so they can improve. Fun is important but so is focus. “I think our team is good at offense, but there’s always room for improve-
ment, we can definitely work on everything even what we’re good at,” Gomatam said. The coach, Jon Briones, thinks the team is strong in all aspects. However, like any sports coach, he finds that there is room to improve passing. In any sport, passing is part of an important cycle because It helps to set up plays to score points. The team keeps pushing themselves because no team is ever perfect at anything. For everyone, this year was not as much of a grow-
ing experience compared to last year. A majority of the team was on Junior Varsity the year prior to last year, and Varsity is a much faster pace than JV. Consequently, last year, most of the team had to adapt, and the fact that they had played Varsity last year helped a lot. Last season was more of a transition from JV volleyball to Varsity volleyball, so this year they were able to hit the ground running immediately and got to play with all they had. Even though the season is quickly coming to close,
team members still want all players to participate equally in games. “What I want to accomplish is to see other people play because I know that throughout the season there have been people who haven’t played. They have been on the team for a long time and they should get a chance to play.” Hoang said. The team hopes to win leagues. There have not been many fans attending their games but to them it does not matter. They play for each other and that is what keeps them going.
When they are able to play the game for on and other it’s when they are able to play their best. The boys Varsity volleyball team has continued to improve throughout the season, and are set to finish out the season strong. Toward the end of spring break, an event occurred that beset the team. During spring break, Sophomore Tanguy Cossoul went skiing and got into an terrible accident. He fell off a cliff and suffered multiple broken bones. He was airlifted and is currently being
hospitalized in an Intensive Care Unit. Cossoul fell into a coma following the accident, but is still responsive to some sensory motions. The team felt his loss greatly and want to continue to support him in anyway possible. Thus far, the team has made cards and posters for him, and are constantly trying to stay in touch with Cossoul through his family.
Photo courtesy of the Cossoul Family
THIS graphic was created Tanguy’s family to wish him the best to recover and get well soon Photo courtesy of FHS Yearbook
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The future of Fremont High School athletes by Maggie Bernauer and Mira Dhingra Collaboration
Senior Adrian Madrigal has been actively playing soccer ever since he was only four years old. One of Madrigal’s biggest supporters throughout his life has been his father, who always wanted him to become a successful soccer player. “I have always loved soccer and [my] parents have always pushed [me] to be the best [I] can be, so I just keep playing,” Madrigal said. After he decided to pursue soccer in college, he reached out to coaches and visited colleges to talk to them in person. Although the process was difficult for Madrigal, he ended up meeting with coaches that liked how he played. Madrigal will be attending Saint Martins University this fall and is currently on a Pre-Med track. Madrigal does not know how long he will be playing soccer alongside his plans to become a doctor, but hopes to pursue both for as
Senior Kaylene Patti participated in track and field when she was in middle school, but reconnected with her passion for track this school year. Patti realized that track and field was extremely beneficial to her when looking at not only the physical but also academic benefits of participating in sports. “I find it important to have a balance of academics and outside activities,” Patti said. “With this balance, I actually end up performing better in my academics.” Patti also played softball and soccer during her high school career, but is excited to focus on track and field at University of Arizona in the fall. “I’m looking forward to the excitement of playing a sport in college,” Patti said. “In high school, your times are not kept track of that much whereas in college there is more excitement and motivation to do well.”
Fremont High School senior Nick Tognoli has had a passion for baseball ever since he was four years old. From elementary school all the way up to his senior year, he has been motivated to keep playing. “I just love the competition and the fact that I can get better,” Tognoli said. In high school, Tognoli started to see baseball as an important part of his college career and began the recruitment process. “I worked through some of my coaches who told me which college would be the best for me,” Tognoli said. He will be attending West Valley College and plans to focus on baseball only during his time there, but nonetheless is excited to be playing in college.
Senior John Vergara’s life has been revolving around his love for basketball since he was ten years old. “Everything I do is about basketball,” Vergara said. “I love it and there is no going away from it.” Vergara has been building up his basketball career since he was in elementary school, but gradually realized that this was something he wanted to pursue as a professional career. Basketball is extremely gratifying for Vergara because it not only has helped him gain confidence, but also has given him an opportunity to be a professional athlete. As for his great success, Vergara credits his father for always pushing him to improve. Vergara is excited to be attending De Anza College to follow through with his passion for basketball. Andrea Lanfranconi | The Phoenix
Badminton team is serving up a great season by Jessalynn Landor Staff Writer
Badminton is often seen as a recreational sport that can be played by anyone, but when played at a high school level, it is not easy. Compared to last year, Fremont’s Badminton team has taken many more wins. The team has had massive growth.
Something our team does really well compared to other teams is cheering. We like to bring all our energy to the games. While other teams might be sitting down, we’re always roaring or screaming after every point our team scores. Mani Movva
Andrea Lanfranconi | The Phoenix
THE badminton team gathers around and does their cheer before the game
The results of last year’s Badminton season are nothing compared to the amount of wins taken place this season. Last year the team won only one single match, while this year they have won seven matches, all thanks to the team’s effort in working together. The team not only focuses on winning matches
against other schools, but also on team bonding; Fremont’s Badminton team does an excellent job balancing both, and this can be seen in the perspectives of new members. “My favorite thing about being a part of badminton is team bonding because I get to meet a lot
of new, upperclassmen and everybody is so nice,” freshman Sandra Kim, a new member of the badminton team, said. “Aside from just getting fit and becoming healthy by working out with the team and playing games together, you can gain a sense of family. You make a lot of new friends on the
court and off the court.” When it comes to sports, everyone knows that most people do not enjoy conditioning or doing drills repetitively every day, but when working together as a team it can become a fun experience. Conditioning as a team brings teammates together and allows them to work on communication skills that can be very useful during games. Through the effective communication gained by team conditioning, those who are at a higher rank can teach the players below them how to develop their skills and become a better player. “I like how the team is structured, how it’s divided between Varsity and Junior Varsity [yet we play together],” freshman Yash Gajula, said. “It can give the players above you an opportunity to help you improve as a player and teach you the things they know.” Working with others at a higher level can make a player feel pressured as
if they have to meet their expectations, but it can also help someone to make sure they put in their best effort and do their best. Effective teamwork starts off with being able to support teammates by cheering them on and giving them the motivation they need to succeed. Every player needs that extra push in order for them to keep moving forward in their game. “Something our team does really well compared to other teams is cheering, Senior Mani Movva, badminton captain, said. “We like to bring all our energy to the games. While other teams might be sitting down, we’re always roaring or screaming after every point our team scores. That’s what keeps us going.” The three main rules for Fremont’s badminton are: positivity, communication and cheer loudly. All of these are things that helped lead the team to this year’s great success.