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Fremont High School

the

PHOENIX

Vol. 6 Issue No. 1 SepT. 29, 2017

Drawings courtesy of Anubha Gupta

by Nadia Anees & Mira Dhingra Collaboration

has left hundreds of thousands of people worrying about what their futures entail. An FHS senior and DACA recipient expresses confidence in the Latino community to persevere through the struggles that they are facing.

“If the Latino community keeps fighting, things can change and the government might make something more permanent,” she anonymously said. “So after hearing this, I wasn’t thinking ‘I give up.’ Instead, I was thinking ‘We just have to keep going.’”

Not only does repealing DACA disturb Dreamers’ lives and futures, but it also affects the entire U.S. economy. According to the Center of American Progress, Dreamers contribute immensely to the American economy. The repeal of DACA would call for 7,234 people a day being removed from their jobs.

As reported by CNN, the Trump administration claims they are enforcing laws and serving the American public by rescinding DACA. For the Trump administration, DACA is seen as “unconstitutional,” according to Vox News.

However, DACA did not automatically legalize undocumented immigrants; it simply gave them a way to live, work and study here lawfully.

Robert Reich, previous Secretary of Labor in the Clinton Administration, has disproved several myths about immigration which are common beliefs of the Trump administration. For example, Reich explains that immigrants are not a drain on public budgets because immigrants pay taxes. Specifically, undocumented immigrants paid $11.8 billion in taxes in 2012.

Also, immigrants enhance economic growth by causing firms to increase more jobs, so deporting these hard working immigrants would only hurt the U.S economy.

“We need to pass comprehensive immigration reform, giving those who are undocumented, a path to citizenship,” Reich says in his video titled Immigration Facts (2015). “Scapegoating them and other immigrants is shameful.”

With the recent repeal of DACA, it may seem nearly impossible for individuals to enact change.

However, DACA recipient or not, anyone can contribute to current efforts by merely offering their support.

As a result of the recent events, the FHS campus has been filled with encouragement for DACA. Posters with messages such as “#DefendDACA” and “We Stand with Dreamers” have been stapled to several bulletin boards in order to

800,000. 800,000 empowered students, teachers, nurses, engineers and food preparation workers who could lose their careers in the U.S. 800,000 people who immigrated to the United States as children. 800,000 undocumented immigrants who have been protected from deportation under DACA, which stands for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, since 2012.

Many are unaware of DACA and how it has helped thousands of people find a way to thrive in the U.S. as undocumented immigrants. Since 2012, DACA has assisted thousands of young undocumented immigrants throughout the U.S., some of which are known as “Dreamers,” to receive a Social Security number in order to get a job and a driver’s license. Every two years, participants are required to renew their Deferred Action.

Immigrants who apply for DACA are rigorously checked before they are accepted. According to the Department of Homeland Security, DACA recipients do not commit crimes or pose a threat to the security of the nation. DACA is specifically for people who have come to the United States under the age of 16, which means at the time of their entry, they were too young to decide whether or not they would join their families.

Most Dreamers have lived in the U.S. for the majority of their life. Deporting them would equate to sending them away to a country they have never known.

“We’ve been in the US education system ever since we were kids,” a Fremont High School alumni said.

“We’ve been raised here, so all we know is the United States. We built our own network here, so if you take that away, you’re stripping someone of their entire identity.”

Although DACA recipients have proven themselves by working or studying, they are now at risk of being removed from their careers and the country.

FHS students and staff supporting DACA The repeal of DACA

emphasize that the campus remains a place of safety and inclusivity.

Posters stating rights that should be exercised and a list of future steps also have been displayed in order to keep current DACA recipients up to date and protected. FHS has also set out informational DACA infographics for students who want to become more informed about the program.

Besides becoming more informed about DACA, many FHS students and faculty say that the best way to make a difference is to offer support to others and to continue making FHS an inclusive environment.

FHS US Government teacher Geoff Beckstrom expressed the importance of bringing people together instead of highlighting their differences.

“We need to abandon the need to judge others,” Beckstrom said. “As a society, we can continue to bold those borders between us or we can try to break down misconceptions.”

Misconceptions about DACA recipients prevent people from getting to know each individual recipient.

This leads to potential false information that can spread and hurt the image of recipients.

“From my experience, sometimes people don’t

know that I’m a DACA recipient,” an FHS alumni said. “They’re like ‘When you speak English you don’t have an accent or you don’t look like someone who is a DACA recipient.’ But what does a DACA recipient look like? What do they sound like? There’s no one certain image because there’s so many of us and we’re all doing what we can to make the best of what we have and keep working toward a better future.”

The repeal of DACA may seem out of the general population’s control, but it is critical to realize that strength comes in numbers.

Every signature on a petition, every hashtag tweeted, every letter sent and every phone call counts. Here is how to show support and make a difference: Teachers at FHS and other students will be holding letter-writing campaigns in which students and staff can write handwritten letters to California Senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris as well as local House Representative Ro Khanna to pressure the government to protect DACA. “[A way to help this situation is] to become an advocate, to get your hands into the ground and start to do things, to write letters, to make phone calls, to push those around you to do the

Nadia Anees | The Phoenix

same,” Homestead High School alumni and current FHS teacher, Onette Zabinski said. “I think if we exert enough political pressure and if we put our heart into this, things are bound to change.”

In addition, there is a new DACA and Dreamer support group that has recently opened at FHS. The first meeting was held in room 84 on September 26 at lunch and undocumented students, DACA recipients as well as allies are welcome to attend future meetings.

Social media is currently an extremely powerful outlet to get political messages across. Tweet to local Congress members with the hashtags “#HeretoStay, #DreamAct and #DefendDACA” along with a personal story or even just a few words showing support. If unsure about what to include in a message, Weareheretostay.org has created pre-written tweets that can automatically be sent by linking a Twitter account. The message “RESIST” can also be texted to the number 504-09 which sends an automated message to elected officials.

Continue to stay educated by following verified and fact-checked Twitter accounts, such as ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union), National Immigration Law Center and United We Dream.

Most importantly, keep in mind that “800,000” is not just a statistic. It is a community of 800,000 Dreamers—people who have their whole lives built in the US, work diligently to achieve their goals and belong in our classrooms as students and teachers.

“Get to know your neighbor,” an FHS alumni said. “Get to know those around you and learn people’s stories. Everyone’s story is so unique but what connects us is that we’re all here and we’re just going to keep doing what we’re doing because it’s all we know and all we have.”

News 2

Fremont’s ASB changes with time

Managing Editor

Staff Writer

ment, especially since we changed rooms, it’s a classroom environment, so it’s been a little more organized and we have more structure,” Liu said. “So, rather than just staying more freestyle, it’s like a legitimate class. So I think it’s a pretty good change.”

Liu continued to share some more benefits that the student body discovered because of these new changes.

“When you’re in a free environment with like no seating chart or nothing, it’s a little harder to talk to the class,” Liu said. “[When you’re] in a classroom structure, people have to respect the person speaking. So, it’s an easier way to enforce classroom norms.”

The school’s financial technician, Johanna Moyoli, explained that the student body has to work with the resources they have.

“The changes are first: the place,” Moyoli said.

“They aren’t able to use the

What’s going on Around you?

Editor-in-Chief

Photo courtesy of Sabrina Liu

ASB at work in room B-25

Current Events:

by Emily Wright

Hurricane help

by Michael Wang

by Genavieve Marquez

Due to construction, teachers and management, the Associated Student Body (ASB) is now facing new changes to their role in the school.

The Associated Student Body is the governing group on campus that is in charge of athletics, funds and other student activities, including football games, rallies and school dances.

It is their duty to make sure everyone’s opinion is heard and to make Fremont an inclusive environment.

Almost two months into the 2017-2018 school year, ASB has already planned and organized multiple activities. On August 18, there was the Back to School Dance and on August 25 there was a Back to School Rally and the Battle of the Bell football game.

Not to mention, Homecoming is on October 7, which is just around the corner.

Assistant Principal Susan Rocha explained that when planning for the dance, rally and football game, the student body did not have that much time to prepare, considering it was within the first two weeks of school.

Since ASB is currently under the management of World History and AVID teacher Jeff Kakes and Assistant Principal Susan Rocha, various changes have occurred. Also, construction where the 140’s and 120’s wing used to be is causing students to transition from working in the ASB room to Kakes’ classroom.

ASB Cabinet President Sabrina Liu says that these new changes are having a positive impact on how ASB runs.

“In this new environ-

sept. 29, 2017

ASB [office], so now they have to use the cafeteria for [making] posters and the meetings are in room B-25, Mr. Kakes’ room.”

Liu also expressed some difficulties with some setbacks due to construction.

“I feel like one problem [that occurred] is because we don’t have the paints anymore,” Liu said. “We’re using paper on paper and we’re trying to post announcements everywhere and it’s hard because you can’t automatically finish a poster in one day, it takes a couple days [longer] than it usually would do.”

Even through all these new changes are occurring this school year, the student body is still working toward their goal to get everyone involved in all sort of different activities.

“This year, ASB’s overall goal is to create a closer sense of community and spirit on campus

through school events and community service,” ASB sophomore cabinet member Sandra Kim said.

Liu also shared what she interpreted as ASB’s goal when the student body met up over the summer to start planning for the back to school festivities.

“We proposed a situation where if ASB didn’t exist, would the school still be able to run without [the student body] planning events?” Liu said. “Most of the class response was yes, so then we had to reconsider what was ASB’s purpose. So one big thing that we ended up concluding was that we want to get the community, not just in our school, to be more involved with this schools environment and everything we do. We want people to be appreciated and people to feel welcome at Fremont.”

Two hurricanes have ravaged America in the past couple of weeks. With the deaths of 82 people and an economic burden of tens of billion dollars, Hurricane Harvey was one of the most devastating disasters in American history. Adding to the damage was Hurricane Irma, deemed as the strongest Atlantic hurricane ever recorded, according to CNN, It has hit various states on the other side of the country: Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas—but Fremont High School students can help.

American Red Cross is one of the main organizations that aid those in need following a disaster. Currently, the organization is focusing on relief for parts of Texas affected by Harvey, and Caribbean islands affected by Irma such as the Virgin Islands and St. John because coverage of the devastating effects in this region were glossed over by the media. At FHS, the Red Cross Club bridges the gap between student support and the American Red Cross’ efforts throughout the United States. “[Students] are one of the main supporters of the Red Cross,” Leanne Loo, Red Cross Club President, said.

“We have a GoFundMe set up where our goal is to raise 5000 dollars and the goal is to give money to the American Red Cross because they currently have people on the ground and boats on the ground. We’re distributing the GoFundMe link to students and hopefully staff in the next few weeks to really fundraise for Harvey as Fremont and Sunnyvale community as a whole.”

There are two ways to donate. If students have a credit or debit card, they can donate directly to the GoFundMe page. If not, they can put spare change in mason jars the Red Cross Club will distribute.

“In the previous years, through mason jar drives alone, [Red Cross Club] has been able to raise around 500 dollars for each drive,” Loo said.

Even though the combined goal for Hurricane Harvey and Irma is not defined yet, Loo hopes for more donations, especially because these two disasters are on a much larger scale than any of the previous disasters they had supported.

Every cent counts. Through Fremont High School’s combined efforts, the school can help to alleviate the effects of two of the most destructive natural disasters in American history.

Graphics courtesy of Red Cross and 8Backgrounds

Fremont High School News

U.S. News

-Nine Fremont seniors have qualified as National Merit Semifinalists. Congratulations to: Shaina Chen, Shivani Ghanta, Neha Konakalla, Katia Manner, Aayush Patel, Hikari Sakai, Niyati Sriram, Frank Wang and Michael Wang.

-On Sept. 12, the Supreme Court granted an administration request to continue to bar most refugees, according to CNN. The court is expected to hear the case on the legality of the ban on Oct. 10.

World News -On Sept. 19, a powerful earthquake hit central Mexico. The quake was a 7.1 magnitude on the Richter scale, according to The Washington Post, and over 200 people are reported dead by officials. This occurred on the anniversary of another powerful quake that hit Mexico City in 1985. It also happened less than two weeks after another powerful earthquake in Mexico in a century hit and destroyed thousands of homes, according to the New York Times.

-Although it has been declared illegal by the Prime Minister of Spain, plans are still in place for an independence referendum vote in Catalonia on Oct. 1. According to the New York Times, a financial crisis in Spain has helped fuel separatism in Catalonia.

Graphic courtesy of Freepik

-In a speech to the United Nations on Sept. 19, President Donald Trump issued a warning to North Korea, saying the U.S. would “totally destroy North Korea,” according to CNN. Trump also derided the Iran nuclear deal brokered under President Barack Obama and accused Venezuela’s leader Nicolas Maduro of depriving his people.

California News -On Sept. 12, Apple released the iPhone X, ten years after the release of its first iPhone. According to Apple CEO Tim Cook, the new phone will come without a home button and features an edge-to-edge display.

Instead of the previously used TouchID, the phone will offer FaceID, which lets one unlock their phone with their face. It will reportedly cost $999 for a 64 GB version.

News 3

Sept. 29, 2017

The minds of drug dealers

by Vincent Cabigao Staff Writer

Disclaimer: interviewees will be referred to with fake names.

Fremont High School has changed over the years from its “ghetto” image to what it is now. However, like any other high school, FHS still has a student population which uses drugs.

According to the Dean of Students Jay Lin, “There have been ten incidents linked to drug abuse, and students have claimed they have an abuse problem or depression due to their use of drugs.”

But what effect do drugs have on students’ achievement? Does it end up hindering academic performance, or can people benefit from their use of drugs?

First of all, what is the mindset of the people who have been using the drugs?

When it comes to education, some believe that they are better off selling drugs instead of going to school.

“Really, school officials are out to get me, and the students can never really relate to me,” drug user and Fremont senior Jerry said.

However, that is not the belief of all drug dealers or users since some are aiming for college.

“I convert my bud into wax and smoke a gram a day before class,” FHS senior and drug dealer John said.

“But for me personally, since I’m still invested for an Ivy League college, I maintain a 3.0 GPA average as a collection of all four high school years.”

Despite their use of drugs, many people can still work day-by-day. They can be described as a functional addict and some people under the influence even turn to drugs as a way to manage existing emotional disorders or stress outside of school.

“Drugs helps me cope with reality and how my life isn’t perfect,” Jerry said.

“But weed is one thing I can control and I plan to use it to the fullest.”

According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, people suffering from mental illness may use drugs as a form of self medication. Approximately 29 percent of people with mental illness also experience substance abuse, a report from the Journal of the American Medical Association found. When one

is pushed to the edge, those who use drugs start to have tendencies of alienation.

They feel neglected by everyone; family, friends, or even just strangers.

Money is also a big motivator for selling drugs.

The profit coming from drugs is often more rewarding that someone working a part-time job.

“In a month, I moved at least 2 ounces since the demand is at an all time high for me, since less people offer what top shelf I have,” Fremont freshman Danny said.

“I would say I can rack in

$350 in this month alone.”

By profiting from selling drugs, the dealer can support his family and himself. For example, Danny relies on his earnings from selling drugs to pay for his rent. A loss of this income could lead to potentially moving out of this area.

“I would have to go back to going home in order to make the rent and most likely have to move out of Sunnyvale,” Danny said.

“Since I have to try and make it through the month.”

the

PHOENIX Editor-in-Chief Emily Wright

Managing Editor

Nadia Anees | Michael Wang

News

Caroline He | Samhitha Tumkur

Arts & Entertainment

Manavi Chandra | Vivien Su

Sports

Suryan Bhatia

Opinion

Dana Nissan | Hannah Butay

Center Spread Lexi Kleinberg

Photo Editor

Miranda Kushner-Pérez

Online

Momina Nadeem

Drawing courtesy of Anubha Gupta

Welcoming new teachers to FHS

by Caroline He News Editor

Amanda Paul is a new Fremont High School science teacher. She went to high school in Morgan Hill and got her undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of California, Riverside. Paul originally entered college wanting to be a lab scientist, but realized that she would rather be a teacher in her senior year of college. Her favorite part about teaching is building relationships with students.

At Fremont, Paul likes the spirit and diversity of the student body and collaborating with her fellow teachers. In her free time, Paul binge watches Netflix shows, hikes, and spends time with her dog.

She hopes that all her students will get applicable skills from her class and her one word of advice for students is to remember that being a student is not their only identity; they have much more to offer the world.

Math teacher Micaela Kaye graduated from Palo Alto High School and got her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Wesleyan University and Stanford University respectively. She realized that she wanted to teach math in the summer before her senior year of high school when she interned for the Breakthrough Collaborative. There, she taught middle schoolers Algebra and Pre-Algebra. Her favorite part of working with students is listening to their ideas and insights and seeing their perseverance. Kaye loves FHS’s welcoming culture and its beautiful campus. She hopes that her students learn that mistakes can lead to success and that everyone can be a math person from her class.

Her word of advice for students is to take a deep breath and believe that they can get through whatever problem they face. In her free time, Kaye likes to run, read and play with her dog.

New teacher Thane Ferguson developed an interest in Auto Technology at the age of ten after watching his father fix cars. Ferguson later attended Evergreen College in San Jose for his formal training in Autotech. He began teaching after a previous FHS Autotech teacher encouraged him to do so. He first taught at Homestead High School, but later moved to FHS. Ferguson enjoys spreading the word about Autotech and takes pride in maintaining the Autotech program for future students. He likes the FHS campus and the support the student body has for the Autotech program. His one word of advice for students is to not be afraid.

Caroline He | The Phoenix

Staff Writers Sean Abellera Leann Bast Veeryan Bhatia Vincent Cabigao Kaleb Cordova Michelle Cortez Katherine Davis Eva Devanathan Mira Dhingra Cres Hohmann Magali Julien Sydney Keller Lisa Lopez

Genavieve Marquez Priscilla Martinez Luisito Marucot Sophia Pulido Patrick Ramos Guy Reuven Trixie Rodriguez Amira Salama Anoushka Samant Sydney Sharp Guppy Uppal 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.

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Letters to the editor and questions for Ask Esteban may be submitted online through our website, room 87, 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 4

Sept. 29 , 2017

High school students burdened with stress

by Amira Salama Staff Writer

Stress is an issue experienced by all students worldwide no matter which school they attend. However, stress is becoming problematic for students nowadays with homework, assignments and outside activities. The amount of homework given to students should be reduced for the sake of their health.

According to a study conducted by New York University, 50 percent of the students that were studied felt a great deal of stress on a daily basis and a third of the student population reported feeling somewhat stressed.

Students experience too much stress and that is something we must change by reducing the amount of homework. Little changes like this can make a huge difference.

The NYU study examining “Top High School Students’ Stress and Coping Mechanisms” states that the most common causes of teenagers’ stress are school

work, college applications, extracurricular activities and parental expectations.

Stress seems to be greatest in junior year because this is when students are considering career choices and thinking about the future. They start getting ready for senior year when college applications are due.

I think this is true because although I can’t relate to that, ever since I started high school, people have been telling me that junior year was going to be my most stressful out of all the years in high school.

Adrian Mendez is a current junior in Fremont High School and he said, “First of all there is the SAT and PSAT to worry about, also most likely the first year of AP classes, which is a lot of work and clubs. Overall it is just too much.”

This year I started feeling stressed because sophomore year grades actually matter, but next year is going to be worse.

As soon as you enter high school, there is already this pressure of getting good grades for colleges Freshman year was not too stressful, but teachers were already talking to us about college and we had to get used to different learning techniques used in college.

At the end of last year, we needed to choose classes for sophomore year. There

was an internal debate to choose harder classes so it would look better for my transcript, or choosing easier classes so I would be guaranteed to have an A which would look better than getting a B in one of my harder classes.

This was stressful because I didn’t know which was the right choice, and I finally decided to choose harder classes and knew I had to step up my game and work harder.

According to NYU, female students reported higher levels of stress than males (60 percent vs. 41 percent). I think this is true for some cases because girls have a lot of things to worry about.

I decided to interview a few classmates of both genders, to see what their opinion was on this subject.

“Girls experience higher levels of stress compared to men because we have more things to worry about. We are also perfectionist most of the time,” said Yasesvi Punuganti, sophomore at FHS. I agree with this because it’s true that girls go through a lot compared to boys.

Planning and being organized can be efficient tools to cope with stress.

Personally, I can’t start working with a messy desk and I always write everything down in my planner,

or else I end up feeling disorganized or forgetful about certain tasks.

Exercising and sports can also help relieve stress.

During my freshman year, I had no extracurricular activities and the only exercise I had was during Physical Education.

I now realize that it was a mistake not doing more exercise, and I have started going to the gym. Going to the gym makes me feel so much better than the days I stay at home, not really doing anything.

In the article Physical Activity Reduces Stress, it states that exercise may be the one most recommended by healthcare professionals. It also says how physical activity improves concentration because if your body feels better, so does your mind. Scientists have also found out that regular participation in aerobic exercise decreases the levels of tension and improves sleep as well as self-esteem.

Students are experiencing too much stress === and there should be changes to reduce this amount of stress.

There should be a better collaboration between the teachers to make sure they don’t give too many assignments or projects on the same day. They should also balance out the number of tests we have on the same day, in order to avoid having

too many tests each day.

Additionally, extracurricular activities should be shorter because I’ve noticed that part of the reason why students don’t finish their homework and are behind is because of the time their extracurricular activities, such as sports, take up.

They come home late and are too tired to finish all their assignments or they still finish all homework which causes them to stay up late and not get enough sleep for the next day.

Samhitha Tumkur | The Phoenix

Chess should be considered a sport

by Veeryan Bhatia Staff Writer

Chess is one of the most well established and widely played games in our generation and frankly, most of us have played chess at least once in our lifetime.

But is chess a sport or not?

Even though chess hasn’t officially been classified as a sport, I think that it can and should be.

What is a sport? As defined by Cambridge Dictionary, “[A sport is] a game, competition, or similar activity, done for enjoyment or as a job, that takes physical effort and skill and is played or done by following particular rules.”

What truly makes chess a sport is its tournament play, or in other words its competitiveness. Competition is important because it is what drives a sport.

As mentioned by AC Field Hockey Academy, “Competition is important in sports so that athletes develop their highest potential and set goals and reach higher than their competition.” It is

what provides one with the ambition to strive toward the top and become the best. In fact, the first ever World Chess Championship was held in 1886 and has been held biennially (once every two years) ever since.

Moreover, the competitive aspect of chess has grown remarkably. Chess has spread from solely international and national championships to tournaments held in all sorts of places, specifically those held in local areas, such as bookstores, schools and chess clubs. Some of these include CalChess, Bay Area Chess Club and The Berkeley Chess School, etc.

Just being able to perform “well” or even stand a chance in a tournament against hundreds and sometimes thousands of people requires skill at a very high level that comes through hours and hours of practice.

Many do not consider chess a sport because of its apparent lack of physical skill or ability. However, some of the sports we think of do not require one to be an athlete. This includes sports such as golf, bowling, darts, fishing, shooting and poker. Which is why the mental aspect that goes alongside chess is a crucial element in defining it as a sport.

Although the mental aspect in chess is far too difficult to talk about in one article, its complexity can

be summarized into three parts.

First, having great mental capacity and being able to think strategically, in this case, reacting to how an opponent plays.

Secondly, being able to think quickly and have fast reflexes, especially when one is trapped by their opponent.

Lastly, attaining mental discipline in order to allow one to be able to stress their brain for continuous hours in competitive play and be able to deal with losses and learn from their mistakes.

Nevertheless, in some ways, chess actually does require some physical capability, since being able to use one’s brain’s capacity to its maximum over a long period of time also causes physical exertion.

According to Dr. G’s BrainWorks, chess drastically improves one’s creativity, mathematical and logical thinking, problem solving skills, emotional intelligence, verbal communication skills and other such qualities.

And, according to Online College Courses, chess can increase one’s IQ, exercise both sides of the brain, increase one’s creativity, problem solving skills and concentration. These are reminiscent of benefits gained from playing sports.

Since the year 2000, the chess has been formally recognized as a sport by

Dana Nissan | The Phoenix

the International Olympic Committee. According to the Official Olympics website, “[The international Olympic Committee] were the first organizers of the modern Olympics and created an organization to assist in planning the events, spreading the spirit of the Olympics and protecting the integrity of the sport”.

From then on, the idea of chess as a sport has been spread globally, with now well over 100 countries rec-

ognizing chess as a proper sport.

Countries such as Japan and Russia have been pressuring the idea of including chess as an official event in the Olympics and chess is now being considered for inclusion in the upcoming 2018 Winter Olympics, as well as the 2020 Summer Olympics. Likewise, the International Olympics Committee is now planning on implementing chess as an official event each subse-

quent competition.

Not considering chess a sport is unfair to all of those who have dedicated themselves, those who spent countless hours of time and effort working hard to improve their game.

Chess is a not a game, but rather a sport, that requires a lot of talent and skill to master. It is completely unjustified to call chess just a board game.

Opinion 5

Sept. 29, 2017

Bursting the bubble: Bay Area not as accepting as it seems

by Samhitha Tumkur News Editor

With housing prices still rocketing, stellar public educational institutions and availability of sought-after tech jobs, Silicon Valley has become an extremely diverse community.

Although we praise our area for being a place free of misogyny, racism, classism and homophobia, especially compared to other areas, we might be congratulating ourselves falsely, as most of these issues still persist.

Issues like racism are especially relevant to the people living in the Fremont Union High School District area.

Racism is a topic that is often introduced to people at a young age, whether it be intentional or not.

Ever since I was a child, I have attended schools with diverse racial demographics, unlike the majority

of my family friends who attended mostly Asian or white populated schools.

Because of this I was warned by my parents to “make good friends” and “good choices,” due to the higher percentage of Latino and African-American people in Fremont compared to other schools.

As a result of these statements, I found myself looking for friends who looked like me or were predominately Asian. Although that has changed for me and my family, I still notice that many of the different friend groups in school are divided by race.

Though my parents never said this explicitly, the implication was that Latino and/or African-American people were less successful and dangerous. These views still remain largely unchallenged in our community, despite being in an area we consider diverse.

This stereotypical perception of different minorities is not only shared by my parents but also many other families.

Many of them moved out of the Fremont High School part of the district to attend schools like Monta

Vista or Lynbrook, claiming that they wanted their children to be in a more competitive environment when, the ugly truth is because of the desire to be surrounded by those of similar races.

By moving to other schools, a lack of diversity occurs, which often results in outward racism toward the minorities in schools.

At Monta Vista High School, this issue of race surfaced to public eye after African American students were put on a “kill list”, leading to the relocation of one of the bullied students.

These events aren’t exclusive to non-racially diverse communities, because in Fremont, known as a racially diverse community, racism is still a problem.

Last year, there were several anti-semitic threats made toward Jewish students. Although the aggressor was swiftly disciplined, there was no direct follow

schools do not fully delve into topics like simply being a good human. Issues like racism are largely unspoken about with students and even with parents. Other than the standard zero tolerance talk, no other lessons are given about dealing with racism.

Racism has also become progressively more visible since President Donald Trump started his term and feelings of anti-Muslim and anti-Latinx were amplified.

White supremacist

up within the entire school regarding the importance of not making such statements.

Because of the large amount of content needed to be covered in a small amount of time, most high

groups have emerged throughout the country and there has even been certain white supremacist rallies in the bay as well.

Implicitly encouraged

by Trump, these supremacists have amplified whatever racist sentiments may have already existed within the community.

Because of this, it is important to make sure that we as a community are aware of these issues and address them properly. By condemning these beliefs or even protesting, we can help minorities who are often the target of racism.

It is true— the Bay Area is a more diverse and is not as explicitly racist as other parts of the state and the country, but if we continue to act like racism does not exist, this behavior can be toxic to those affected by this injustice and cannot be properly addressed.

Dana Nissan | The Phoenix

The struggle of being a second generation immigrant

by Hannah Butay Opinion Editor

Growing up, my parents always stressed to me how important my education was. They weren’t the stereotypical Asian parents who pressured me to be at the top of the class all the time, though they would probably be happier if I was. All they told me was to appreciate school and never take it for granted.

I remember, one night, when I was around eight years old. It was late and I was trying to stay awake so I could see my parents, something that for most of my childhood was a rarity. It wasn’t because my parents were neglectful; they simply just worked that much.

Each night, when I went to bed, my parents were still at work. When I woke up in the morning, they had already left.

I thought this was normal and it came as such a huge shock to me whenever I went to a friend’s house and both parents were home.

“Don’t your parents work?” I would ask. When my friend nodded, I would respond with, “Then why are they home?”

This always followed

with a look of confusion and an answer: “Yeah, but they don’t work all day.”

I couldn’t comprehend how that was possible.

My parents, both immigrants, spent long hours laboring just to keep food on the table. I had learned that hard work meant more money at a young age, but it never occurred to me that it wasn’t normal for people to work as much as my parents did.

Every time this happened, I would feel a rush of jealousy. Why couldn’t my parents spare a day of the week and just stay home?

Why did I have to wait until the late hours of the night or the early hours of the morning just to be able to see them? It didn’t make sense.

That night was different from other ones, however. I knew that they worked hard and long and as a result they usually came home exhausted. But this time, they were more tired than I had ever seen them.

My dad could barely manage to move his feet and my mom was almost crawling to the bed we all shared in our small, one-bedroom apartment.

I watched as they hobbled to the bed. My dad didn’t even bother to change his clothes before he fell asleep. My mom struggled to even make the small walk from the door to the bed.

In the dim lighting of the room I could see how worn-out she was. She had bags under her eyes. Her face was thin and pale. She

Caroline He | The Phoenix

took small, labored breaths that showed how exhausted she was.

Before she fell asleep, she crawled over to me and gave me a hug. She did this every night, so I thought nothing of it, until she whispered something into my ear.

“You have to go to school, okay? Work hard and get a good job. I don’t want you to be like me.”

In that moment, everything clicked for me. My parents didn’t want me to do well in school for the sake of pride and honor; they wanted me to be educated enough to get a job where I could live without being completely exhausted to the point of passing out on a nightly basis.

My parents immigrated to America from the Philippines. Neither of them had attended college and my mom left school early to support her family. For my entire life, I watched them work hard and sacrifice everything for me and my sister. I watched them live a life of struggle and financial instability, and that night, I decided I didn’t want them to live like that anymore.

Going to college is the first step on the pathway to a career. The way I see it, a career is different from a job because you actually choose your career based on your interests, while a job is something you do because you have no other option.

My parents didn’t like working long hours every day,

but they had to in order to support the family.

From that point on, I told myself I would have a career where I could make enough money to support my parents.

I wanted the both of them to retire as early as possible and live a life of ease, the life they deserved to have after laboring for so long.

I even made a checklist for myself. First, I would get perfect grades in school, from elementary to college.

Then, I would attend Stanford, major in English, my favorite subject and become a famous writer. Once my book became a national best-seller and I was a millionaire, I would give half my money to my parents

and let them do whatever they wanted.

Back then, it all seemed so simple.

Of course, now I know how far away that dream is. The life I wanted to have when I was eight was nothing more than a child’s fantasy. The career I’ve decided I will pursue is not as lucrative as a bestselling author, but it’s more stable.

I still want to support my parents as much as I can financially, but I’ve had to accept that I can’t give them a life of complete luxury and ease.

There’s different kind of pressure children of immigrants are subject to that’s difficult to truly explain or comprehend. The pressure comes from within.

It’s a feeling of guilt, of filial piety.

I want to make every long night of work worth it.

I want to make my parents know that all the sacrifices they made were not in vain.

When I’m unable to, a wave of self-hatred rushes through me. I think: How could I waste my parents’ hard work like that? Why am I so ungrateful?

It took a lot of selfgrowth for me to finally accept that I cannot be perfect. I know I’ve worked as hard as I can and I think I’ve done well for myself. I may not be able to get into an Ivy League school or get an executive job at a large company, but as long as I’ve made enough to give my parents a comfortable life, I’ll be happy.

Special Feature

Sept. 29, 2017

6

A History of Heritage Month

by Leann Bast & Anoushka Samant Collaboration

Hispanic Culture Month is a month where Latinos celebrate their independence all over the world. Of course, they don’t always celebrate in the same way, since there are hundreds of Latin American countries with different cultures and traditions, but every celebration is a vibrant explosion of dancing, food, music and family. Here is the history of how a few different Latin American cultures broke away from their rulers and gained their own independence.: According to the History Channel, Mexican Independence Day is a 300-year-old celebration of when Mexico broke from Spain’s rule. It takes place on September 16, the day Mexico became an independent nation. It is a two-day long celebration, the first day being the 15th, when a re-enactment of El Grito de Dolores (The Cry of Dolores) takes place while the second day is the actual celebration of Independence Day. Father Hidalgo was a key activist in the movement for independence, since he initiated the war by sounding The Cry of Dolores. Mexico finally obtained their independence and the Declaration of Independence of the Mexican Empire was published on September 28, 1821. Annually, at 11 pm on September 15, the president of Mexico rings a bell and recites the words said in El Grito de Dolores. Mexican Independence Day is celebrated all over the world. Shortly after Mexico gained their independence, Brazil gained theirs. Brazil’s independence story was slightly different than Mexico’s.

According to brazil.org, Brazil’s Independence Day actually occurred a year after Mexico’s, on September 7, 1822. In 1815, the King of Portugal gave his son Dom Pedro, the Regent Prince, the authority to govern Brazil in the event of his death. When Dom Pedro returned to Portugal, he was manipulated by Jorge Avilez, who was the head of the military. Cortes, an assembly composing of liberal constitutionalists demanded that Dom return to Portugal. Dom was so tired of the humiliation and mockery, he decided to stay in Brazil and protect it with his own blood.

He sent a letter to his father, breaking ties with Portugal once and for all, and on Oct. 12, 1822, Prince Pedro became Dom Pedro I, Constitutional Emperor and Perpetual Defender of Brazil.

Slightly before Brazil, but a few years after Mexico, Argentina achieved its independence. They broke away from Spain, going against the royal Spanish crown, according to brazil.com. As stated in Don Quijote.com, Argentina achieved its independence on July 9, 1816. From the 16th century, Spain had maintained its control on Argentina since seizing the land from the indigenous tribes. In 1810, the official Argentine War of Independence began, led by Manuel Belgrano, Juan Jose Castelli and Jose de San Martin. The war continued until 1818, when the Independent Government of Spain declared them separate countries from Spain’s rule. The colonists claimed independence as Napoleon invaded Spain, which threatened Spain’s capability to govern its colonies in the Americas. When Spain was least expecting it, they struck and won.

In different Hispanic countries, there are different ways of celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. They each gained their independence, but still kept their roots and cultures, modifying them slightly. They abandoned some pieces of them and accepted other parts, integrating it to their culture. For example, the Brazilians and Argentinians. According to Brazilian Phenomenon, the Brazilians value family, friends, celebrations, traditions and generally getting together. In Argentina, they are more concerned with perfection. Brazil is more concerned with belonging. The Brazilians are said to be less formal and more carefree than Argentinians. In some cultures, the people hold many festivals and parades, while serving traditional foods like Tamales, Salsas, Pozole, Chiles Relleños and Chicken Mole. There is a lot of cultural music and dancing. In the Brazilian tradition, they also showcase some of their martial arts. Hispanic Heritage Month is a festive and lively month in places where it is largely celebrated. In the US, Hispanic Heritage month is celebrated in many different places, such as Houston, Los Angeles and San Diego. For example, in Houston, Hispanic Heritage month is celebrated by many ways, one of them being the Houston Latin Fest. This festival is held in the Discovery Green Park and the Houston Public Library, all in downtown Houston. The festival is filled with Hispanic food, drink, art, music, dance, education, and more. Overall, there is a wide variety of ways that different Hispanic groups celebrate their independence, know that you know some of them, maybe you can try getting involved.

Photos courtesy of pino daeni Thetattoohut.com Styleite.com El dorado mexican restaurant Polyvore.com clipground.com Victoria champion aminoapps.com Istockphoto Patricia awapara Liberty flag and banner

Photos courtesy of amazon Mexican-folk-art-guide.com Sharon weiser Sofikookmin pinterest 8backgrounds.com amazon Sadiessalsa.com rio.wikia.com

A Fremont Connection Sheila Sanchez Banos is a junior at Fremont High School who was raised in Mexico until the age of six.

She will be one of the millions of people celebrating Mexican Independence Day, a worldwide celebration that takes place on September 16. It’s a day of celebration filled with dancing, music, fireworks and food.

For many, this is an incredibly important and symbolic day. When asked what Mexican Independence means to her Sanchez Banos said “It was the day in which we the Mexicans were liberated from everything and it’s an incredibly important and impactful day in

our nation.”

Living in Mexico City until the age of six, Sanchez Banos was at a cultural hot spot and got to experience the celebration at its height.

“On the independence day, the kids don’t go to school because it’s such a big day. A lot of them go to the federal district of Mexico City and they celebrate. There are florical dances and music. Everyone participates in the traditions, whether it be the dancing or the music and food. Everything’s just so alive and you can you really feel the pride.”

For Sanchez Banos, a big aspect of Mexican

lat amer Heri Mon

by Trixie Rodriguez Staff Writer

Independence Day was the fact that she got to celebrate with her family.

When asked about her favorite memories celebrating Mexican Independence Day, she said, “My mom would always take us and I got to see the florical dances and eat the food. Just being there experiencing my culture with my family was such an important part of the celebration to me.”

Sanchez Banos’ experience growing up in Mexico is one that she treasures and remembers fondly.

“I had my own house with two dogs and I really loved growing up and building memories. I was so close

to my school and friends.

I was incredibly close with my mom’s side of the family which was really important to me.”

Like many others, Sanchez Banos is someone who takes pride in her culture, which is why celebrating her heritage and country is such an important experience.

“My culture is who I am, whether it’s the music, the tradition, or even my language it’s who I am. I’m proud of who I am and no one will ever be able to take that away, no matter what happens, Mexico is part of how I define myself.”

Special Feature

Sept. 29, 2017

7

The Frida effect

by Sophia Pulido Staff Writer

tin rican itage nth

Photos coutresy of animemobile.com Flagspot.net Commons.wikimedia.com Beau Gustafson askideas.com picofunny.com Venuslotus.com Jrotazo.blogspot.ca Paperandfox.com Svpply.com Vzaobao.com

Photos courtesy of coloringpages24x7.com/ red+pepper+drawing www.1st-name.com www.todocoleccion.net Keywordsking.com Boston calender Echeveria-blue-bird.png J watson Altman plants Boston calendar

The Importance of Heritage Month

by Miranda Kushner-Pérez Photo Editor

Hispanic Heritage Month is an excellent time for outsiders to be introduced to aspects of Latinx culture. Although celebrations during this month vary between cultures and regions, one thing they all have in common is the joyful and passionate participation of everyone involved. Despite the widely visible celebrations of this time of year, people in the United States tend to not fully understand what it means to be Latinx, or why this heritage is so widely celebrated.

When most Americans think of “Latinx” or “Hispanic,” they think of Mexico. Although it’s true that a large amount of Latin American people in the United States are from Mexico, Latin America is a large region with diverse cultures, people and histories. Mexican-Americans do

Hispanic Heritage Month is a time of the year where different Latin American countries come together to celebrate their independence. There were several key players in revolutionizing Latin America, but Frida Kahlo played a role in distinguishing Mexico as an independent country. Kahlo crafted art which changed the way the world viewed female artists.

With the talent of an artist and the mind of a diligent leader, Kahlo has inspired generations of artists and created a wave of new feminist ideas.

Frida Kahlo was born July 6, 1907, also the start of the Mexican Revolution. Kahlo grew up in Mexico as the country was fighting for its independence. Her persona could be very intimidating, a towering figure of great talent, intelligence, strength and charm. Kahlo was a woman who is now such an emblem of Mexico that her portrait and art is now famous around the world, despite the fact that she was born in a time when women were considered inferior to men and were not respected in the public eye.

Frida Kahlo was never one to accept convention; she used her art to question identity, gender, the nature of physical pain and social class. Her art takes form in a personal and feminine manner, almost as if it was her diary, with most of her work illustrating painful memories. Kahlo suffered numerous miscarriages leading to a piece of work called “Henry Ford Hospital” in which she depicts her pain and failures as a woman who desired to be a mother.

There are various reasons as to why she touches the lives of so many, but the most recognized reason was that she established her own beauty norms, rather than conforming to those of her society. Her sense of style showcases naïve folk style and vintage jewelry. Most women work very hard to pretend they have no body hair because they are expected to be like dolls and ornamental creatures. However, Kahlo proudly wore a unibrow and upper lip hair as a badge of honor and immortalized this in her paintings. As a radical woman, Kahlo embodied what we now consider to be a “strong, independent woman.”

She was not afraid of who she was and that is real beauty.

Growing up with two parents who were both liberal and pro-independence, Kahlo was constantly surrounded by talk of politics. Therefore, she heavily participated in her community, helping individuals fight for their rights. She would often convey political messages through pieces of art such as when her husband, Diego Rivera, featured her in his painting named “The Weapon Arsenal” which depicts her vision of a communist society. Communism was popular amongst the Mexican working class because it provided a solution for the extreme wealth inequality. Expressing political perspectives during debates or in writing is simple, but Frida expressed this in art... a much more impressive feat.

Frida Khalo stands amongst some the most admired leaders during Hispanic Heritage Month. As a result of her work, women have been inspired to become individuals, instead of relying on a man to guide their way through life. Kahlo has expressed her culture through many forms, showing that being a cultured intellectual comes with a productive lifestyle.

not represent or speak for the entire Latinx diaspora in the U.S., even though they are a large percentage of them. In fact, almost all the Latin American nations that gained their sovereignty themselves from their colonists celebrate their independence during this month, although in varying ways.

As to why these celebrations are so common here, currently, Latinx people make up almost 18% of America’s population, according to the US Census Bureau, and this amount will continue to rise. Despite the fact that the US took almost half of its land from Mexico, and that Latinx immigrants tend to be the ones doing the majority of difficult labor in the country, politicians continue to make thinly veiled racist laws targeting Latinxs for simply being a part of the country’s make-up. For these reasons, taking pride in one’s Latin-American

heritage is not only something that is sentimentally important to many people, but an act of resistance against a nation that expects people to assimilate, or even leave.

That is the reason why so many Latinx Independence Day celebrations happen in the form of public parades. It is a form of defiance to be publicly proud of one’s culture, especially given how so many Latin American countries overcame colonists in the same way that Americans defeated the British. Even now, Latinx people face oppression, from blatant racism to gentrification, which can be seen as a modern form of colonialism. By parading in celebration of their freedom, Latinx people are throwing their pride in their oppressor’s faces, showing that they cannot be held down.

At the end of the day, that is what Independence Day celebrations come

down to. It does not matter whether one was born in the country they are celebrating; the celebrations of freedom and revolution are something that anyone can partake in.

In the same way that the Women’s March became a rallying event for all people who disagreed with Trump’s administration, Independence Day celebrations, this year especially, promise to be politically charged, given Trump’s border wall and his removal of DACA, a program that has helped countless members of the Latinx community.

For these reasons, anyone is welcome to attend Independence Day celebrations, whether they are of Latinx descent. It is important to show solidarity to communities in need, as well as the fact that this is an excellent opportunity to learn more about another culture, as long as outsiders do not speak over actual Latinx voices.

Opinion

Sept. 29, 2017

8

Taking down Confederate statues erases history

by Cres Hohmann Staff Writer

On August 12, in Charlottesville, Virginia, white supremacist protesters surrounded a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee to protest it being removed. Counter-protesters marched against the white supremacists and deadly violence erupted according to Al Jazeera.

This day caused the nation to wage war on their own confederate statues, taking down statue after statue.

This is not the war America should be fighting

and these statues should not be taken down.

Any proponent taking down the Confederate statues will tell you about how these statues were built to keep African-Americans downtrodden and to let them know that Caucasians were better than them.

The proponents will speak triumphantly about how demolishing the historical landmarks will create a new era of peace and equality.

However, by doing this, these people have unwittingly created something worse: an America where fear of racism is normal.

Not wanting to be racist is fine. Now, don’t get the wrong idea, I am not a racist in any way. I don’t think the average person is racist.

But when people start fearing it, it becomes dangerous. I worry about the people who fear racism so much that it controls them.

The fear of racism drives people to always think

about racism, always talk about racism and always look for racism.

Like an infection, the fear consumes the victim, until all that person can think is “Was that racist?”

And the idea grows and expands, influencing more and more people, until the fear of racism becomes an epidemic.

And the people who fear racism look for anything else that could be racist and find American history.

So, this army of individuals goes to war against our history, stripping down and hiding all racist things in American history. And then they turn around and preach to the crowds how they have created change.

This is the rationale for taking down the Confederate statues. This is what justifies stripping down priceless history.

These people are so blind that they can’t see the

light of the truth, no matter how bright it is. They don’t understand that change does not happen by hiding history and saying it never happened.

Change only happens if we can accept our racist past, and be better than they were. If we can get rid of racism from the present, and leave it in the past, then we, as a nation, have truly changed.

I like to imagine a world where people aren’t afraid of racism. A world where I can go outside and take a walk. I’ll walk through a park, past a museum, and I’ll see a statue of Robert E. Lee or “Stonewall” Jackson. And I’ll look up, and remember the war, remember the slavery and remember all the cruel things that were done.

Then I’ll remember that America is not the place it was 150 years ago.

Remembering the bad moments in American history

will help me remember the good moments in history, and it will give me confidence in our country.

I may be an idealist, but I believe we can make this world a reality. And it all starts with standing up to save

our Confederate statues.

Photo courtesy of CNN

American legal driving age: just right

by Vivien Su

Arts & Entertainment Editor

Every teen in America dreams of driving. What many overlook is how fortunate they are to touch the wheel so young compared to many in other countries where you have to wait much longer.

For many, the thought of driving is daunting and the process is confusing. It’s important for an individual to realize their “optimum” age of driving.

You see, the suitable driving age differs from country to country more than people realize. It comes down to the simple principle of when the higher power thinks the younger citizens can finally handle the privileges of driving.

What’s scary for many is the preliminary steps needed to take in order to achieve the final result of gaining a license.

The beginning steps are as follows.

First, you take a Driver’s Ed Course, either online or at an administration. It’s important to lay a foundation and learn the fundamental skills required for the road. 15 is usually the minimum age for most states. High schools used to offer this as an elective but that has been reduced over the years due to budget cuts

and the urge of highlighting courses that directly help the challenge of college acceptances, according to The Orange County Register.

A Certificate of Completion is offered and needed to prove your success in completing the course. The program’s sole purpose is educating the student on the rules of the road.

Afterwards is the Learner’s Permit and with that comes much practice and commitment on the student’s part. Studying through your material and relaying to yourself all the necessary info is the way to success.

Next comes the Behind-the-Wheel. Students learn from a hired instructor at least three times as well as an additional five hours with a parent.

And then the “fun” part: the actual driving test.

From there, it’s a straightforward road to getting your license. But it’s impossible to avoid this question: when should you hit the road?

There is no “perfect” time or the “best” age of when you should get your license. For some, the pressures of high school prevent them from trying. For other high school students, it’s a necessity to get it as soon as possible.

The bottom line is deciding when you are ready and whether it’s something you really want.

But how is this required age determined?

That’s where the real debate begins.

In most of Amer-

ica, the standard age of getting a Restricted License is 16 where a Full License is gained around the age of 17.

Once a student acquires this license, he/she keeps this for a year or until 18.

There really is no discernible difference between a Restricted and a Full License except that, under a restricted license, students are not allowed to have passengers under the age of 20 or drive between 11 P.M. to 5 A.M. without an adult who has a license and is above the age of 25.

In addition, certification of nighttime driving for 10 hours is required for a Learner’s Permit, according to the DMV. I personally love the U.S. standards for driving age. 16 is the pivotal year of high school. Schedules pile up and high schoolers are at the age where they can take care of themselves.

Driving prepares for one of the many responsibilities of adulthood. With busy schedules, students can manage their own time, making it very convenient for themselves.

Plus, driv-

ing gives a sense of freedom. A freedom cherished by the younger generation, so why not let them enjoy it when they can. After all, the burdens of life only pile up from there.

For other countries that’s a slightly different story.

In Taiwan and Australia, the legal driving age is 18. For some, this may not be much of a difference, but for others the age does make a difference. Raising the driving age could complicate the lifestyle of a student because so many other things are going on.

So why this difference in age?

The main reason for these different standards is to prevent the risks of accidents.

According to Allstate Insurance, driving accidents are the leading cause of death for those under the age of 18. Many further question if the 16 year-old brain can even handle driving.

Hormones and immaturity is why people doubt if 16 really is the right age for driving. In addition, due to the high accident risks, the insurance rates and other costs can heavily burden poorer, or lower income, families. However, many teens have proven that it’s doable.

I, for one, do think that 16 is the right age to drive.

Accidents can happen to anyone and it’s unfair to say that age is the cause of these accidents.

Of course, there can be teens that are reckless, but this applies to adults as well.

We can’t generalize and presume things that can’t be definitively answered.

It’s not fair to set expectations on an entire age group based on several cases.

Therefore, it comes down to an individual’s own willingness to learn and follow the rules to the best of their abilities, as well as ensuring maximum safety

for all.

Even though accidents are sometimes hard to control, sticking within the guidelines can minimize the number of deaths or injuries that may arise, allowing the minimum age to stay perfectly at 16.

The bottom line is: safety is the most important thing and as long as one prepares well and follows procedures to the best of their abilities, accidents will not come up so often. That’s why I encourage students to get their license as early as possible.

Getting a license shouldn’t be seen as a burden, but instead a privilege.

It’s a transition to adulthood and that’s why it’s so important that it’s done right.

So stay safe on the road and treasure the privilege you have!

Photo courtesy of Haadia Nadeem

Arts & Entertainment

9

Sept. 29, 2017

Cafe Stop: food 2 eat

by Sydney Sharp Staff Writer

Cafe Stop is a brand new restaurant with a tasty array of snacks perfectly fit for high school students. Although it has been around for a couple of months, it has become fairly popular among both families and students. It has a bright and energetic atmosphere, with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating along with a very open design and rustic furniture.

The customer service is very impressive. The cashier gave recommendations on their personal favorite dishes. The line was fairly short and my order was taken quickly.

Personally, my favorite menu items were the frozen coffee and the apple strudel, a puff pastry with apple filling. For five dollars I was able to get two small pastries and the frozen coffee. Both of these items were fairly low priced in comparison to the actual meals that Cafe Stop offers. Most of the larger dishes were around ten dollars a piece.

In terms of taste, the frozen coffee was fairly strong but still tasted sweet and refreshing. Unfortunately, the frozen coffee is not always frozen fully depending on the time you visit. Most other customers claim that it is more “chilled” than frozen when you buy it earlier in the day.

The apple strudel was very sweet, so I could only eat it in moderation.

The menu, aside from snack items, is expensive for the average teenager’s budget and is best suited for informal occasions such as a small outing with friends.

Unfortunately, the portions were very small, considering the price. The pastry was not quite worth two dollars for a few bites. Aside from the pricing, I was fairly satisfied with my visit to the restaurant. I would highly recommend the frozen coffee to anyone who enjoys the coffee drinks at K’s Crêpes. The cafe is also very similar to restaurants such as The Prolific Oven and Coffee & More, both of which are located in downtown Sunnyvale.

Cafe Stop stands out from other restaurants around the school because it offers freshly baked pastries that are not served at any other place within walking distance. While their entrees might not be the ideal choice for high school students, Cafe Stop is the ideal spot for a quick snack. Overall, I would rate Cafe Stop four stars out of five for its great customer service, good food and inviting environment.

Miranda Kushner-Perez | The Phoenix Photo courtesy of Google Maps

Photos courtesy of Genius, 8Backgrounds, and Ebay

by Patrick Ramos Staff Writer

Music is always an important part of people’s lives. It makes us sing, laugh and dance because music is such a large platform to communicate ideas. Artists such as Logic have started to use music as an outlet to express social issues.

Robert Bryson Hall Jr., or Logic, a biracial rapper and producer, released his newest album Everybody, on May 5, 2017. Logic uses his new album to talk about many controversial topics that have been arising over the past decade such as race, gender, mental illnesses, family problems and death.

In Everybody, Logic describes being discriminated by white people for being African-American and

by African-Americans for being half-white and not undestanding the African American struggle. This in turn discouraged Logic’s lifelong pursuit of being a rapper. On top of that Logic’s parents suffered from drug addiction along with his father being absent for his entire childhood, and his entire family lived under the poverty line. To put food on the table, his siblings would sell cocaine.

His frustrations from being discriminated on both sides are expressed throughout the album.

Logic also discusses his struggle with mental illnesses like anxiety, a nervous disorder by a state of constant uneasiness, typically accompanied by panic attacks or compulsive behavior, according to Psychiatry. When he was in line to watch Star Wars, Logic experienced his first panic attack in 2015, according to an organization called Genius, who conducted an interview with Logic. The following year, Logic had to deal with the constant imbalance between his mind and body. With Genius, Logic discussed why hip hop artists are so afraid of speaking about mental health, saying it shows a sign of weakness and vulnerability.

He also speaks of how the world is only focused on being wealthy and fail to see how people’s health should

come first. This is especially shown in the song “Anziety,” where Logic raps as if he himself is the anxiety that people are dealing with.

Another important topic that has been very controversial in high schools nationwide is suicide. The song “1-800-2738235,” featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid, follows a person who is suicidal because of stress from school. This is also followed by the voice that says they should kill themselves. This topic is elaborated even more in the music video. In the music video, it follows a young African American who has to deal with the negativity of being a homosexual. When his family and his school find out, he nearly kills himself, but instead ends up calling the suicide hotline with Khalid’s outro speaking about how he or she does

not want to die anymore, hence the name of the song being “1-800-273-8255”, the national suicide prevention hotline.

Logic’s entire album, if played from track one to track thirteen, is told like a story. Each song has its own problem about life, which all connects to the story of “Atom,” played by Big Von, who is killed in a car accident. Afterwards, he is sent to “the waiting room,” a place people supposedly go after their death to be reborn. Through the end of the songs “Hallelujah,” “AfricAryaN” and the entire song of “Waiting Room,” conversations between Atom and God, played by astrophysicist Neil Degrasse Tyson, take place. Atom learns that he is everyone that has lived or will live.

This is symbolic to the main theme conveyed throughout

the album: everybody is the same, regardless whether this philosophy is true or false. At the end of the album, God explains how humans must live their lives to the fullest, despite their differences, because in the end, everyone will eventually die. Individuals must live their lives according to their happiness and for the betterment of themselves.

Many artists collaborated on the album, including J Cole, Khalid, 6ix and Alessia Cara. Each one helped Logic produce the album “Everybody” to discuss problems within the world. Given that Logic and these artists have experienced many issues they discuss in the album, they invoked more meaning into the final project.

Along with the amount of big name artists, the album has spread vastly amongst the United States. The song, “1-800-273-825”, is in the top ten, according to Billboard’s top 100 chart.

With the mainstream media not discussing many of these topics like suicide, it helps those experiencing these problems to know that someone in the world cares for their well being and that is why “Everybody” has an incredible footprint on the teenage community. According to Child Trends, in 2014, suicide was the second leading cause in teenage deaths. With the diversity in America increasing as well, and the amount of emotional impact that social media has on teenagers, Logic’s album only adds more meaning to those who are going through the struggles life hits them with. They know they are not alone and that they are cared for regardless of race, gender or political party. Thanks to the global recognition, Logic has been getting many other artists to shift their focus to this demographic of using music to spread social ideas the media does not talk about.

For example, Joey Bada$$ raps about the struggles of being an African-American.

Songs have always been globally impactful and using them to educate people on everyday social problems they face is the right direction they should go in.

Arts and entertainment Sept. 29, 2017

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Teachers: motivators or not?

by Manavi Chandra

Arts and Entertainment Editor

“I’VE FELT MOTIVATED BY A [FORMER FHS] TEACHER, MS. ZAMKINOS. OFTEN TIMES SHE HAD A LOT OF ONE-ON-ONE TALKS WITH STUDENTS AND SHE WAS ALSO VERY ACCEPTING. I’VE NEVER HAD ANY DISCOURAGING TEACHERS, JUST THAT I FELT DISCONNECTED WITH SOME OF THEM. TEACHERS [CAN HAVE] INTIMIDATING TONES IN THEIR SPEECH.” -TOMMY PHAN, JUNIOR

“You don’t know how to learn.” “Do you know how to teach?”

It is a known fact that everyone needs support in whatever they do. Support is the very thing that most people, let alone students, use as motivation to strive for their goals and achieve beyond their imaginations.

However, there are a number of students that, no matter how hard they try, simply do not receive the support they need to succeed. It is safe to say that everyone, including teachers, parents, etc., have been those people at some point in their lives.

Where exactly do students usually get support? The answer would be parents, friends, peers and especially teachers.

Some teachers, especially those with greater expertise, at times do not know how to do that. In other words, teachers would love the subject they teach to the point where teaching, for them, does not matter as much.

That is the harsh reality. A reality that has been ignored to the point where it seems like imagination.

Knowledge and teaching are two different art forms that each take much skill to accomplish. And for the most part, not everyone have been able to accomplish these expectations.

Even though these expectations are the same for everyone, they determine the future of relationships between teachers and students.

This can lead to students feeling intimidated while trying to talk to these types of teachers. For example, some teachers do not realize that the ways they choose to say things have effects on students. And this can lead to teachers feeling that a lack of participation translates to a negligence to the subject, failing to recognize that the reason might not come from the students, but their teaching styles.

According to the American Astronomical Society (AAS), “Intimidating either through expertise, or the threat of grades are but some of the behaviors which prevent students from engaging in the active processes needed for significant learning to take place.”

The AAS conducted an

“MS. ZAMKINOS CONNECTED WITH ALL OF US IN A WAY [THAT] OTHER TEACHERS [DIDN’T].”

-YAMAIRA CRUZ, JUNIOR

“THERE WAS ONE INSTANCE WHERE THE TEACHER ASKED ME A QUESTION. I DIDN’T EVEN RAISE MY HAND. I WAS REALLY TIRED AND I GOT THE ANSWER WRONG. HE BASICALLY CALLED ME AN IDIOT. THEN HE TOLD THE WHOLE ENTIRE CLASS THAT IF WE WERE IN THAT CLASS, WE SHOULD KNOW THAT CONTENT ALREADY. OVERALL IF TEACHERS ARE ENTHUSIASTIC AND HAPPY, THAT IS MOTIVATING.” -CERYS EDWARDS, JUNIOR

experiment in classrooms to note the amount of participation of students with different types of teachers.

“It is interesting to note the increased levels of student participation when instructors do not conceal the fact of their ignorance; when they [students] sometimes hesitate about certain questions or information; when their [teachers’] responses are dictated more

by an honest desire to assist the students than to demonstrate the extent of their own knowledge.”

There are always hardworking and passionate students that fall behind at times. Especially for a teacher, it is important to understand why rather than believing that it is the student’s responsibillty to catch up.

Students must feel like

“I DON’T THINK TEACHERS ENCOURAGE OR DISCOURAGE. MY TEACHERS ARE VERY MUTUAL. WHEN THEY DO GIVE ENCOURAGEMENT, IT’S ABOUT MY WORK, BUT I AM THE ONE GOING TO THEM AND ASKING FOR TIPS WHICH IS WHERE THAT ENCOURAGEMENT COMES FROM.” -GABRIEL YIP, JUNIOR

“SOMETHING I FOUND DEMOTIVATING WAS THE FACT THAT YOU HAVE TO DO CERTAIN STUFF FOR A CERTAIN GRADE. LIKE IF YOU WANT A, B, OR C, DO THIS STUFF. I FELT LIKE MORE EMPHASIS WAS BEING PLACED ON THE GRADE THAN MY ACTUAL LEARNING.” -A FRESHMAN

they are being supported because they are all human after all. Everyone possesses a varied amount of intimidation and anxiety, so it is the teacher’s job to make sure that this does not happen by asking for feedback, connecting to students and motivating them.

By doing this, teachers must not fail to call on shy students when they worked hard to build up the courage

to attempt to participate.

The Phoenix sat down and received input from students who have felt motivated or discouraged by teachers they have had or simply their opinion of the education system in general.

Photos courtesy of Pinterest and Stick PNG

sports Captain Stein tackles the competition

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Sept. 29, 2017

by Eva Devanathan Staff Writer

Senior Roman Stein kicks off the football season as the quarterback of the Fremont High School’s varsity football team with his great leadership skills. Although they suffered a loss against Homestead High School, the team rebounded and won 48-7 against San Jose High School. Stein lead a great victory with his amazing plays and knowledge. He has learned how to be a great leader through the FHS football team.

“Football has taught me how to be confident in what I do,” Stein said. “When I do something, I go through with my decision and whatever it is, I complete it 100 percent.”

He believes that being captain of the team holds him to a high character

standard. He understands that it is his responsibility to help his teammates, especially if they feel overwhelmed.

Stein’s motivation was his father, who always encouraged him to play sports and stay active. Stein played tee-ball, flag football and many other sports. He started playing tee-ball with Jack Barden, a senior who is currently the quarterback for HHS’s football team.

Stein later found out about flag football from Barden’s father, who began coaching a team. Stein played flag football throughout middle school until freshman year when he decided to join the FHS football team.

Being the quarterback isn’t all fun and games. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication. Sometimes the pressure really gets to Stein, but he knows how to

handle it. Stein is aware that the team had a really good season last year and he feels like there is a high standard to live up to, but he tries not to think about it too much.

Instead, he plays game by game with high hopes and a great attitude.

At times, Stein juggles the role of being the captain and also acting just as a fellow teammate. Many of his teammates look up to him because he’s a lot older and since he is the quarterback, he has a lot more experience than many of his teammates.

“It’s a big responsibility,” Stein said. “There are a lot of guys on the team and there are also many different opinions and different character types, but at the end of the day, you just have to make sure everyone’s ideas are heard. You also have to remember to do

ROMAN Stein gets ready before a game

your job and find a way help the team and do what’s best for them.”

Managing school and playing football can be tough, especially for the quarterback, but Stein manages to do both with time to spare. He has just enough time to do his school work.

“For me, football really isn’t a big deal with my school work,” Stein said. “It actually helps me because after football practice, I have just enough time to finish my homework so I get into a routine.”

Stein feels that after the season is over it will make it even harder for him to do homework because he will have time to procrastinate.

So, football helps him finish and complete homework on time.

This is Stein’s fourth and final year on the FHS football team. Since he is a senior, he is currently deciding to make plans for the future and he hopes that he can find a way to play football after high school. At the moment things are un-

decided, but it is likely that Stein will figure everything out after football season is over.

FHS football team huddles around Stein

STEIN get ready to throw the ball Photos courtesy of Roman Stein

An insider’s view on year-round athletes

by Michelle Cortez Staff Writer

Senior Cassandra Gines was a year-round athlete last year at Fremont High School.

She played volleyball, soccer and softball. This year, she will be adding cross country and continue her streak of playing a sport all three seasons. Gines has been playing soccer and softball since eighth grade. Keeping a tight schedule is how Gines keeps focus, not only while she’s playing, but during her academics as well. One of Gines’ biggest inspirations is her aunt, since her aunt played those sports as well and provides Gines with support. Gines listens to 1980’s cardio music to get ready because the rhythm and beat calms her down before a game. When asked which sport is her favorite, she explained that she could never pick one; each of them has its own beauty. This year Gines hopes to place in events for cross country and have her team win as well.

Senior Amit Sharir played sports all three seasons last year at Fremont High School. He has been playing basketball since he was four years old, and was very excited to continue it in high school because it is his favorite sport. Sharir is also a water polo player and a swimmer. Even though Sharir has been playing basketball since he was a toddler, both water polo and swimming are new sports that he started in high school. Sharir says it is the best decision he has ever made because he has developed new skills as well as a passion for the sports. Though playing sports and going to school can be a struggle, Sharir says that having a tight schedule keeps him on task and focused. Sharir mentioned that playing a sport for the school has many benefits. He, for example, has formed many new friendships during each of the seasons he has played. Sharir’s biggest inspiration is Kobe Bryant, he admires Bryant’s drive and dedication.

Goodluck Gines and Sharir. Go Firebirds!

Miranda Kushner-Perez | The Phoenix Photo courtesy of Facebook

sports June Vanlerberghe splashes to victory

Sept. 29, 2017

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by Sydney Keller Staff Writer

“Wing out!”

As players sprint across the pool, Junior June Vanlerberghe directs them from her position, ball in hand, ready to defend the goal.

In the three years that she has been playing, Vanlerberghe has committed much of her time and focus to water polo.

“I started playing my freshman year of high school,” Vanlerberghe said. “I had never played before. Since the goalie had just graduated and they didn’t have one they kind of trained me over the summer. [My friends] Caley, Chrissy and Carmen kind of forced me into playing, but now I love it.”

As a goalie for Fremont High School’s varsity girls’ team, Vanlerberghe has made a lasting impact on and

dedicates her time to play not only for Fremont but also for Stanford water polo during their summer and winter seasons.

With no shortage of love for the sport, Vanlerberghe fully embraces her role as a goalie.

“My favorite part of being a goalie is being in charge of the defense, telling [my teammates] where to go,” Vanlerberghe said.

“Being a goalie you can see the game from a different perspective.”

Though she has not been playing the sport for long, Vanlerberghe is not lacking in skill. In her sophomore year, FHS varsity girls beat rival team from Homestead High School 11-4. She has many other favorite moments, among those playing against a friend from Cupertino High School.

“Blocking two of Anna [Rajaratnam]’s shots from Cupertino High School, who is currently attending

Stanford and playing for their water polo team [has been one of my favorite moments],” Vanlerberghe said.

Although Vanlerberghe is a well trained goalie, there is always a high risk of injury in the sport of water polo.

“On the last game of the season last year I got hit in the face twice and got a concussion so I took off...two months from the Stanford winter water polo season,” Vanlerberghe said.

“I hyperextended my elbow about a week before the Junior Olympics in the summer and it still hurts to this day.”

Despite her injuries, Vanlerberghe has pushed herself to prepare for the upcoming season,

acknowledging what the FHS team needs in order to reach its goals. “[Our most important values are] teamwork and dedication because without knowing that your team is going to show up and without trust you will not be a great team, even if individual players are amazing,” Vanlerberghe said.

Coach Moris Clark has been training the var-

sity girls’ team to work together in using these values to win their League

tournament, a tournament at the end of the season that will determine what teams compete in Central Coast Sectionals.

With Vanlerberghe being the only junior on a varsity team of seniors, it

My favorite part of being a goalie is being in charge of the defense, telling [my teammates] where to go. Being a goalie you can see the game from a different perspective June VANLERBERGHE

Regardless of how this season turns out, Vanlerberghe plans to continue playing water polo. However, she has not decided whether she will play for a college team.

“I’m not really sure about it yet because I know playing water polo in college is a large commitment and though I might play club I would rather go to a school for academics,” Vanlerberghe said.

No matter what Vanlerberghe decides to pursue, Fremont has and will continue to take pride in her extreme dedication to water polo.

could be the last season for a while that the FHS varsity girls team has a shot at winning Leagues.

Cres Hohmann | The Phoenix