Issuu

Brandy

Melville

One Size Fits None

see page 4

Solitary Confinement & Teenagers

see pages 6 & 7

Five Fad Diets You Should Know About

see page 10

Fremont High School

the

PHOENIX

Vol. 4 Issue No. 1 SEPT. 22, 2015

Photo courtesy of Silicon Valley Faces

CAMP EVERYTOWN delegates of summer 2014.

Camp Everytown cancelled: rebuilding a campus tradition by Jessica Lara Staff Writer

In past issues students were able to ask returning Camp Everytown delegates, “How was camp?” This year the school is left asking, “Where did the camp go?” The well-known camp was terminated this year and Jay Lin, the admin in charge of social intervention programs for Fremont High School, had some information to share as to why the camp has been removed from FHS’s curriculum. Camp Everytown is run by the nonprofit organization, Silicon Valley Faces, located in the Bay Area. This organization also runs Common Ground at FHS and in past years, hosted about 80 FHS students

every summer in a four day, three night experience off campus. According to the organization’s website, the camp focuses on “social awareness and providing an environment where students break down barriers that normally limit personal growth.” “The organization has completely altered the way Camp Everytown is done,” Lin said. According to Lin, the organization now invites multiple schools instead of hosting one school at a time, meaning only eight students and two adults from each school would be able to participate in the camp every year. “We felt that the Camp Everytown experience

wasn’t going to be the same as past years,” Lin said. He, along with his team of admin, felt the idea of “connecting students to students and students to adults” would be lost and not be able to be brought back to FHS. But there was another reason camp was no longer a feasible option – money. Camp Everytown had a flat fee of $150 per delegate. However, according to Lin, the actual cost of the camp was $350 per delegate. The price was subsidized, but even then many students could not afford the cost. The idea of “not letting money hold you back” was highly emphasized to potential FHS delegates. According to Lin, FHS requires the

Efforts to conserve water in Calif. by Kelly Zhong News Editor

As the drought in Calif. worsens by the year, Californians are making an effort to conserve water; however, it will take more than that to end the crisis. A drought like this would have been more survivable 50 years ago, according to Fremont High School science teacher, Laurie Turner. But since Calif.’s population is on an upward

trend, the state is using more water than before. “L.A. is essentially a desert,” John Magee, FHS science teacher, said. “Stop building homes in deserts. Stop building communities there because then they all want a golf course and then you have these green golf courses, which are luxury items that only a small number of people can use. It’s an extravagant waste of water.” The pressing issue will

affect the entire nation. According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the state produces nearly half of the U.S.’s fruits, nuts and vegetables, which Americans across the nation buy regularly. “We have the climate to grow a lot of fruits and vegetables, especially in the Central Valley,” Virginia McCabe, FHS science teacher, said. “It has a ripple effect because when we can’t grow

most intervention programs than any school in the Fremont High School District, and while the positive influence from the programs is evident, the dent in the budget is too. So with depleting funds, but the need for these specialized programs, what is FHS’s plan? Be The Change, a club based off the integral values gained through previous Camp Everytown experiences and its advisers, Jeff Kakes and Molly Sipraseouth, have been working to produce an on campus Camp Everytown. “We need programs that set the tone, set the culture we want here at Fremont,” Lin said. According to Kakes, the

club’s mission is to “identify parts of campus culture that we want to improve or we think should be emphasized.” Along with on campus events to address these issues, the club is also “going to attempt to remake Camp Everytown and bring a very Fremont specific, overnight or evening event to campus.” To be able to accomplish this goal, Kakes said the club is working on fundraisers, but as of right now, the club also has enough money reserved to potentially run two “mini Everytowns.” Any fundraised money would go to expanding and improving the current program in the works. The idea of a replacement for the camp seems

accepted by students as well. Jedidiah Ybarra, a junior at FHS, found Camp Everytown’s termination disheartening. “Maybe students can’t vent to somebody at home and a week away from everybody at home seems important for some students and gives them a chance to,” Ybarra said. Additionally, FHS junior, Graciela Alverez Jimenez, said she would attend a form of the camp in the future. With hard work being put in by a teachers and students at FHS, maybe in a few months Fremont students will be able to ask, “How was camp?” again.

as much food as we normally can because of rainfall, the prices go up and a lot of people can’t afford to eat in a healthy way.” People have already taken steps to conserve more water. By reducing shower times, watering plants less and other simple conservation tactics, Calif. has already cut water usage by 27 percent in June and 31 percent in July, far exceeding Governor Jerry Brown’s order to cut down by 25 percent, according to ca.gov. People have started painting their lawns green in

an effort to still have luscious lawns without wasting water, according to the Huffington Post. One brand of paint, Xtreme Green Grass, is made of a “natural earth pigment” and is kid and environmentsafe. Lawn owners simply dilute the paint with water to their preferred shade and spray it over brown grass. Alternate ways to save water include planting cacti and other plants that do not need as much water and installing artificial turf, which are both more costly than painting. These tactics alone

will not save Calif. from its drought. The state needs more incentive to conserve and to help its current situation. “I don’t think the drought has really hit home for California yet,” Magee said. “We do a lot of ‘token’ stuff, such as shortening the number of times we water our gardens, but I don’t think it’s really hit people. As soon as people start to feel the pinch and it has real impact on their lives that’s when people start getting Continued on page 2

News

SEPT. 22, 2015

Teacher Milestones by Sami Jin Staff Writer

Consideration of cancelling CAHSEE by Allyson Wilbur Staff Writer

Alyssa Long

10 years

Alyssa Long teaches English, communication skills and AVID. This is her 10th year at Fremont. She attended Columbia Middle School, but moved to Milpitas for high school. After college, she worked as a hostess at Marie Callender’s, an admission officer at Mills College and the Director of Education at Sylvan Learning Center. Long is currently attending SJSU graduate school for a master’s degree in teaching. Her hobbies include writing and traveling.

The California High School Exit Exam could be cancelled as a requirement for graduation in Calif. high schools due to the controversy on whether it can accurately assess a student’s skills. Cancelling the test has been an ongoing debate for two to three years at various levels of seriousness. Ever since the state’s budget crisis, the topic has become more prominent due to the expensive administrating of the test. The bill, SB-172 Pupil Testing: High School Exit Examination, was created to cancel the CAHSEE on Feb. 5, 2015. The CAHSEE was originally designed and supplied by Educational Testing Ser-

vices in 1999 after a movement to hold Calif. students to certain standards for graduation, but was delayed as a requirement until 2006. With the math portion at a seventh grade level and the English portion at a ninth grade level, an average of 81 percent of students pass the exam. However, the test has been described as unfair to English language learners. “One of the saddest things I’ve ever seen is a kid who got here from China,” Ben Gonzales, Assistant Principal, said. “He had been in the United States for two weeks and he knew some English, but it was really limited and we had to give him the CAHSEE. We started at eight in the morning. He was still going at three in the afternoon. He

was crying by the end of it, literally crying. And it was really sad. I think for certain groups, like EL kids, they really had been pushing for this.” Gonzales, however, stated that the CAHSEE does push teachers to make sure students are learning and receiving a sufficient education in order to pass and to set a minimal standard for students. Last year, those who met the requirements for graduating in the class of 2015, but did not pass the CAHSEE, were allowed to graduate. The bill for cancelling the test has passed through the Senate, but the conference committee is currently discussing the bill before they pass it to the assembly. According to Gonzales,

the CAHSEE will likely be cancelled, but he believes a new graduation standard will be introduced, whether it be an actual test, a written essay or something else in the next few years. “The way that accountability systems are being considered now, I think it’s changing,” Gonzales said. “As students move forward, you are going to have a different experience than the previous ten years had. You might be falling into this gap where it is a little different. But coming out of it, something will take its place, what that looks like, or how it is done, I do not know. But there will always be something. They will come up with something. They have got to be accountable.”

Water usage during drought Cindy Gowen

15 years

Cindy Gowen is a student advocate who helps students with personal and psychological issues. She has worked at Fremont High School for 14 years, but for a total of 15 years in the FUHSD district. Before working at Fremont, she worked at Intel for over a decade and at Monta Vista High School for one year. Outside of school, Gowen loves to cook, read and fish. She especially enjoys fishing and hopes to catch more fish in the future.

Jason Townsend

20 years

Jason Townsend is a physical education teacher and the coach of the FHS varsity boys basketball team. This is his 20th year teaching at FHS. In the past, he taught Social Studies as well. Townsend is a FHS graduate and since his last day at FHS, he wanted to come back as a teacher because he loved Fremont’s diversity and environment. In his free time, he likes to play sports with kids.

Carmen Zarate

Photo courtesy of CBS News

LAKE Oroville almost completely dry on Aug. 19, 2014.

25 years

Carmen Zarate teaches literature, learning skills for U.S. History and American literature honors. She has also been supporting home-teaching for five schools in the district. She is a Fremont graduate and has been teaching in the FUHSD district for 25 years. After graduating from FHS, she returned to Fremont because she had a fantastic experience throughout high school. Zarate enjoys reading, going to the beach and spending time with her family.

Continued from front page “... that’s when people start getting creative.” Gray water, water that has been used but is not as dirty as sewage, can be used for flushing toilets instead of using drinking water. In other words, people can reuse water more often instead of letting it go down the drain. Furthermore, making people more aware and have more control of their water usage would help as well. “There needs to be a system where it becomes mandated and built into the regulations that people can use gray water to flush toilets and laundry systems to use the water to water lawns,” Magee said. “We waste a ton of water. There needs to be things on showers, like I should be able to control my shower by Bluetooth and limit it to where the water turns off after five minutes.”

Another way to bring more water into Calif. is to build more desalination plants, which convert sea water into drinking water.

It has a ripple effect because when we can’t grow as much food as we normally can because of rainfall, the prices go up and a lot of people can’t afford to eat in a healthy way. John Magee

However, desalination plants are costly, which will make the water it produces expensive as well. A similar solution is to install more purification plants in Calif.,

which purify dirty water into drinking water; however, many people may be disgusted from the notion of drinking sewage. “Some of the solutions right now are not cost effective,” Magee said. “It’s only until we start seeing water as a commodity that there becomes some financial incentive to save water that we will become more efficient with the water we use.” Needless to say, Calif.’s largest sources of freshwater are quickly being depleted. The snowpack on the Sierra Mountains is one of the biggest sources of water for Calif. Over the years, snow usually melts slowly into the reservoir, but now that the snowpack is nearly gone, the reservoirs are also drying out. Groundwater, another major source of water for Calif. mainly used for agri-

culture, is also depleted. To replenish both the groundwater and snowpack, Turner said it would take about 2-3 wet winters. A wet winter, a winter with a lot of rainfall, is usually indicated by an El Niño. An El Niño is a warm ocean current that can cause warmer and wetterthan-average conditions over western and central Canada and the western and northern parts of the U.S., according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “It looks like we can get a really wet winter, but we still need another couple wet winters after that,” Turner said. “The indicators are that we are in for a severe El Niño, [but] it’s indicators; we might not get it.”

News 3

SEPT. 22, 2015

The Hills designed to replace Vallco Mall by Maggie Bernauer Sports Editor

Vallco Mall in Cupertino, Calif. is losing its popularity and as a result, Peter Pou of Sand Hills Property purchased the land with a vision to create The Hills. Pou’s new plan for Silicon Valley includes a 30-acre hilltop containing over three miles of trails for pedestrians. According to The Hills’ website, Pou not only envisions a new community area, but also wants to help improve various aspects of the Silicon Valley like social life and education. He plans to improve the education system by contributing $40 million to the local school districts, benefiting students of all ages. For students in kindergarten through eighth grade, he will be donating a new elementary school to the Cupertino Union School District for 700 students to attend and $1 million will be

Photo courtesy of Business Wire

PETER POU’S new vision for Vallco.

donated to the eighth grade Yosemite science program. “Sand Hills Property came to speak to our superintendent to ask what Sand Hills could give back to the community and especially wanted to make sure schools and education were taken care of,” Communications Coordinator of the FUHSD Sue Larson said. This project affects FUHSD since Sand Hills Property wants to build a 10,000 square foot multipurpose center along with The

Hills for all the high schools in FUHSD. The Hills will be much more than a hilltop. Sand Hills Property will still keep the movie theater, bowling alley, The Bay Club and ice-skating rink. However, many new additions will be made. About 625,000 square feet will be dedicated to commercial businesses, along with two million square feet for offices and new apartment complexes. “This project is still a

lot of hope without a lot of detail,” Larson said. The Hills is a project of many steps. The first step of action is having Pou buy the property. As of now, Sand Hills Property is trying to get the project approved by the City Council of Cupertino. “It is possible that in 2016, Cupertino will make a decision about this project,” Larson said. “If it is favorable construction project it may start as early as 2017. The dates are unclear, but it may take two or three phases and the project is predicted to take four to six years.” This vision is still in the works. There are many more steps needed until the Silicon Valley has its new addition open for the public.

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PHOENIX

1279 Sunnyvale Saratoga Rd. Room 145 Sunnyvale, CA 94087 (408)-522-2200 fremonthighphoenix@gmail.com fhsphoenix.com Editor in Chief Chau Nguyen

Managing Editors Sarah Arkoh Jasmine Salik

News Editor Kelly Zhong

Sports Editors

Maggie Bernauer Essam Rao

Arts & Entertainment Editor Emily Wright

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Revamped SAT changes old ideas

Hannah Butay

Copy Editor

by Michael Wang Staff Writer

On March 5, 2016 the College Board will administer its redesigned SAT worldwide. The College Board is changing the SAT because of a strong correlation between household income and SAT scores, a loopholefilled essay and testing that strays from school curriculum. Households with higher income can afford private tutoring to learn the “tricks” of the SAT more easily than lower income households. As a result, the College Board is partnering with Khan Academy to provide free and accessible test-prep to level the playing field. The current essay is corrupted in a way because there are loopholes to earning a high score. The essay graders do not fact-check test-takers’ evidence, so fake evidence can be awarded similar scores to real evidence. In a study conducted by MIT professor Dr. Perelman, there was a strong correlation between an essay’s length and its score; the professor correctly guessed an essay’s score just by looking at its length. “The shortest essays, typically 100 words, got the lowest grade of one,” Dr. Perelman said. “The longest, about 400 words, got the top grade of six.” In the revamped SAT, the essay portion is factchecked and optional. “Standardized tests have become far too disconnected from the work of our high schools,” College Board President and CEO David Coleman said.

Online Editor

Nicole Stibbard

Staff Writers

Created by Michael Wang

According to Coleman, the SAT isn’t “necessarily creating more college-ready students.” The new SAT includes both overall and sectionspecific changes. The former includes a change in the grading scale, the maximum score returning to 1600, half comprising of Math and the other half comprising of a combined subscore of Writing and Evidenced-Based Reading (EBR), previously known as Critical Reading. The Math section includes a no-calculator section and a calculatorpermitted section, whereas the current SAT has three calculator-permitted sections. In addition, the content is designed to mimic college level math, requiring students to understand a graph and analyze data. In the EBR Section, there are no more sentence completion sections due to the College Board’s belief that using “arcane” vocabulary words does not test a student’s true vocabulary. Instead, the new SAT focuses more on contextual

reasoning, making students select a word that best matches the context of the passage. Test-takers now have to cite evidence that best supports their answer for some questions. Since there are 52 questions instead of the previous 67, the questions are now asking for more in-depth analysis of the text. In the Writing Section, there are two major changes: the essay and the content. The College Board believes the current essay does not test skills needed for college: a student has to respond to a prompt in 25 minutes that he or she has never thought of before. The new essay asks students to analyze a test and explain the author’s structure of the argument in 50 minutes. For writing, the structure has been completely changed from before. All the multiple-choice questions are context-based and based on a paragraph. This is exactly like the old Paragraph Improvement’s format, a section of the current SAT’s Writing Section. Within the Fremont

student body, there have been mixed responses to how College Board changed the SAT. “I think that the College Board made the right decision, but how they changed it, I don’t agree with,” junior Calvin Luong said. “For example, they made the math section harder, which doesn’t make sense because not everyone can do harder math past Algebra 2. With the SAT [essay] section being optional, I don’t believe that’s a good idea because [the essay] is an essential part of writing.” Despite this, some people think the implemented changes are entirely beneficial. “I think it [is] an overall positive change for the long run because the new SAT appears to be more in line with school curriculum,” junior Rahul Prabhakaran said. “This levels the playing field...because it no longer favors those who can afford to get additional preparation as much as it used to, and instead is a better measure of cumulative academic achievement.”

Michael Alva Nadia Anees Manavi Chandra Mira Dhingra Caroline He Sami Jin Jessica Lara Momina Nadeem Jenny Nguyen Dana Nissan Susannah Schulze Sam Tumkur Ambika Vaidya Michael Wang Allyson Wilbur

Adviser Stacey Stebbins The Phoenix, protected under the California Education code, is a public forum for the students of Fremont High School. The Phoenix staff will publish features, editorials, news and sports in an unbiased and professional manner. Editorials are the official opinion of The Phoenix. Opinions and letters are the personal viewpoints of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Phoenix. All content decisions are made by the student editors and in no way reflect the official policy of Fremont High School, nor the opinions of the administration, faculty, or the adviser. Business advertisements are accepted in The Phoenix. However, The Phoenix reserves the right to deny any ad. Those interested in running advertisements can call the school at (408)-522-2200, or email fremonthighphoenix@gmail.com. An online version of The Phoenix is available at fhsphoenix.com. Letters to the editor and questions for the advice column, may be submitted online at www.FHSphoenix. com, to room 145, Ms. Stebbins’ mailbox, or emailed to fremonthighphoenix@gmail.com. Identities of those who submit questions will remain anonymous. The staff reserves the right to edit letters to conform to styles and policy. Letters to the editor will be published at the discretion of the staff. The Phoenix is the official student newspaper and is distributed free of cost to the students. The Phoenix publishes eight issues throughout the school year.

Opinion Few women in STEM stem from sterotypes 4

sept. 22, 2015

by Nadia Anees Staff Writer

You would think nowadays there would be a lot more women in computer science majors than in the past, but studies have shown there were a lot more women in computer science in the early 1980s than there are now. In 2014, the National Science Foundation studied the drop of women in computer science majors. In 1984, 40 percent of all computer science majors were women. Soon after that however, something caused the number of women in computer science to decrease drastically. In 2014, the number of females in computer science majors dropped to only 18 percent. So what is the reason behind this odd decrease of women in computer science? We know that around 1984, laptops became home appliances and millions of people were investing

in them. The laptops, or personal computers (PC’s) were marketed only toward men and boys, which began to isolate women from obtaining them. Computers were known to be a “toy” for men and a “tool” for females. From that time on, boys commonly used computers and became familiar with them, while girls rarely had or used one. Even if a girl wanted a computer, people would think it was strange for her to own one. When students wanted to major in computer science, their professors expected all of them to be familiar with computers. This wasn’t a problem for males; however, there were few females majoring in computer science because their inexperience discouraged them. Had computers been marketed for both men and women, this issue would not have been as big a problem. There are few women in computer science also because is some women with careers in computer science are not treated well by men who are biased against women. Most women do not want to work in

a place where they aren’t respected. I would think times have changed now and most people would be very accepting of each other, but it is disappointing to see that some men are still sexist towards women. “God knows what you would do to get 13-year-old girls interested in computers,” CEO of the company Y Combinator, Paul Graham, said in an interview from the webiste The Information This man probably had very little contact with 13-year-old girls and was making judgements without knowing what he was actually saying. Many female teens love computers, but because of stereotypes and sexism, they do not always pursue their dreams of working in computer science. Fortunately, hundreds of schools have noticed this decline of women in computer science and are making an effort to encourage women to enter computer science majors again. Harvey Mudd College, a private college near Los Angeles, is trying to welcome more women into computer science by separating computer science classes into different levels: beginner, intermediate and advanced. This

way, inexperienced computer users can take a separate class. Because of this, 40 percent of Harvey Mudd’s computer science majors are now women. Some schools are even trying to get girls into coding and computer early. At Cupertino Middle School, a club called “Girls who Code Club” is up and running with girls who are eager to learn coding. The club is such a success that it is completely full. Additionally, toy companies are now producing games and toy sets for girls such as GoldieBlox and a new doll line based on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), called MC2. As of now, it is important we do not use stereotypes to caution women from pursuing technical careers dominated by men. Women are capable of doing big things just like men and should be able to work the jobs they are

Manavi Chandra | The Phoenix

passionate about. We should encourage more people to take on the jobs that they want to do even if they face discouragement. After researching about the things schools and organizations are doing to help this issue, I

certainly have hope that the number of female computer science majors will be increasing in the near future.

One sized clothing discourages consumers

by Mira Dhingra Staff Writer

Walking around school campus, I cannot help but notice many fashionconscious girls wearing the wildly popular Brandy Melville brand, which is known for its cute and trendy clothing. Brandy Melville has recently become one of the most “in style” clothing brands for teenage girls–but not every girl is able to wear the label despite the brand’s “one size fits all” policy. At first glance, Brandy Melville seems inviting to all sizes and body shapes with its “one size fits all” marketing. However, once you look at any advertisement from Brandy Melville, it is easy to tell the image wanted for its brand is not girls in all sizes, but only girls with thin bodies. Brandy Melville’s marketing strategy creates false and misleading advertising that its clothes are for “all.” However, in reality, the only people who can feel good in the brand are the ones who

Jenny Nguyen | The Phoenix

can fit into its clothing. Brandy Melville is deceptive and able to send a message that its brand can only be worn if you are skinny. The popular clothing brand has been able to catch customers’ eyes from its savvy use on the brand’s Instagram page, which has an active following of more than 2.9 million users. By using such thin models on Instagram, Brandy Melville’s posts feature models to show its audience how you will look if you wear the

brand. From the moment you click on its Instagram page, it is evident that all of the models are skinny and the public’s standard of “beautiful.” According to the National Institute on Media and the Family, 53 percent of American 13-year old girls are unhappy with their bodies. By the time girls reach the age of 17, dissatisfaction levels increase to 78 percent. We live in a society where young girls already struggle with self-confidence and

body-positivity; Brandy Melville’s sizing can affect the mindsets of these girls, especially when their bodies cannot fit into the clothing that is supposedly “one size fits all.” Brandy Melville is bad for the perception of beauty, as well as the already insecure minds of many young girls struggling to feel happy with their own bodies. In order to be “accepted” in society by wearing the trendiest brands, many girls will do almost anything to

become skinnier, which can lead to eating disorders and illnesses. According to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, “20 percent of people suffering from anorexia will prematurely die from complications related to their eating disorder, including suicide and heart problems.” Buzzfeed, a very well known website, published an article in 2014 on how Brandy Melville’s “one size fits all” clothing really looks on various body types. Many of the girls that took part

in this feature said that they felt very insecure and ashamed of their bodies. Teenage girls’ clothing usually range from sizes zero to 13. On its website, Brandy Melville even gives the waist size of its models, who are all sizes zero to one. Brandy Melville is making clothing to fit “all” body sizes, but its clothes in fact do not fit anywhere near the majority of its targeted audience. Brandy Melville’s intentions may not be to body shame and make girls feel insecure of their bodies, but the sizing speaks for itself. If Brandy Melville were really open to various body sizes wearing its brand, sizes that actually do fit all would be offered. While not illegal, I believe that Brandy Melville manipulates teenage girls by making them feel like they should fit into its clothing because “all” are expected to. If they do not fit the clothing, they are then too abnormal to wear the brand. I believe that Brandy Melville faces two options. If the company wants to be true to its message, more sizes should be offered that fit all body sizes and shapes, while showing diversity in its marketing campaigns. If not, I believe that Brandy Melville should not promote its “one size fits all” message and instead promote itself as an exclusive brand.

Opinion Unequal representation of minorities Sept. 22, 2015

by Emily Wright

Arts & Entertainment Editor

The last time I read a young adult fantasy book, the main character was a white cisgender (a person who identifies with the gender they were assigned at birth) female. The sad part is this is the norm for entertainment: white heterosexual characters. When the entertainment industry features diversity, it’s a poorly written and stereotypical side character marketed for that minority. We need more diversity. Diversity is important because it provides positive role models for its viewers. People out there want to see parts of their identity represented on the big screen, instead of the same types of characters every time they go to the movies. What else is important about diversity? It creates new, exciting stories that everyone can relate to. After all, there are only so many times you can rehash an overused white, heterosexual romance story. Even when writers and directors try to make films of historical events, they whitewash the characters and completely disregard history. Such is the case with the upcoming movie Stonewall. Many members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender+ community are in an uproar over the movie’s false depiction of the first person to throw a brick in the Stonewall Riots was a cisgender white male, when actually, it was Marsha P. Johnson, a black trans woman. Another movie featuring a trans character coming out soon, About Ray, has been slammed by trans activists because the director’s

Julie Wi | The Phoenix

remarks towards the trans male protagonist misgender the character. These aren’t the only movies out there that ignore diversity. Exodus: Gods and Kings, which is about the story of Moses, features an entirely white principal cast, despite the fact that it is set in Egypt. There are plenty more movies out there that instead of choosing to celebrate the diversity of our world and produce ethnically-accurate films, decide to whitewash the entire story. It is not enough there are only a few movies that are beginning to represent the LGBT+ community. Representation does not mean just the character you see on the screen; it means showing actual, real-life people who can represent their community to the

world. Diversity does, in fact, sell. A study done by University of California Los Angeles’ Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies shows that out of more than a 1,000 television shows in the 2011-2012 season, shows with ethnically diverse casts and writers tended to have higher television ratings. There are also several LGBT+ movies that have earned high ratings, including Milk, which is about the first openly gay man who had a position in the government. However, even with more diverse entertainment, we still have a long way to go. Not many mainstream books feature LGBT+ protagonists; many characters from that community is relegated to a side character

position. A study conducted in 2014 by media advocacy group Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) found that out of 114 films released from major studios, only 17.5 percent, featured LGBT+ characters, and none of them were trans characters. While there are movies coming out soon featuring trans characters, they ignore part of the community that identifies as transgender: people who are non-binary or have a fluid gender. None of those movies contained asexual-spectrum (not feeling sexual attraction), aromantic-spectrum (not feeling romantic love) or agender (someone who doesn’t have a gender) characters. GLAAD also found that out of that small percentage

of films featuring LGBT+ characters in 2014, the majority of those characters were gay men, 65 percent of the films, while bisexuals made up 30 percent and lesbians made up only about 10 percent. However, this shouldn’t be the case. Members of the LGBT+ community should be represented equally, because they are all important identities. It’s pretty sad when we have to congratulate studios and authors for representing only part of the LGBT+ population in their work. Then there’s the romance, or rather, the entertainment industry’s assumption that everyone out there is looking for a romantic relationship and if a girl has a male friend, he becomes her love interest or boyfriend. Or that

mainstream entertainment requires a love story. Love stories aren’t bad; there are some out there that have been written very well. It’s just that when it gets to the point that nearly every single movie and scripted television episode I have watched in the past year (around 50) has had a romantic side to it, enough is enough. If you want a romantic story, watch a movie or read a book in the romance genre. If you want an action story, you watch an action movie. One genre shouldn’t be trying to insert itself into nearly all movies and YA books. We also need to send a message of diversity to children. It’s important to understand from a young age that people have different viewpoints and experiences, and that it’s okay to be different. Children are getting more and more exposed to the media and different ideas at younger ages since we live in a digital age where information and entertainment is more accessible. It’s important that when they do see diversity, it’s in a positive representation. I understand that studios are afraid of making movies with LGBT+ because they may not sell well over seas. Or that they may receive backlash from creating a poorly written character. However, the entertainment industry has a huge amount of influence on our opinions, so they should be using that power to create positive representations instead of creating negative stereotypes. As for writing and portraying LGBT+ characters, hire people who understand their experiences, instead of someone who doesn’t understand their point of view. There are a multitude of reasons out there why diversity is an important thing to have in our entertainment. So my question to Hollywood and all the writers out there is this: if the world around is diverse in so many ways, why can’t our entertainment be as well?

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Special Feature

Sept. 22, 2015

Sol·i·tar·y Con·fine·ment Noun

the isolation of a prisoner in a separate cell as a punishment

by Caroline He Staff Writer

Senator Mark Leno of San Francisco introduced Senate Bill 124 this January seeking to limit the widespread use of solitary confinement on juveniles. The Senate passed the bill this Jan., but according to the Official California Legislative Information website, it requires a signature from Governor Jerry Brown to become law. If it does become law, the bill would introduce rules and regulations the prison system must follow

pertaining to the use of solitary confinement on youths. Currently, the use of solitary confinement is legal to use for 23 hours a day, with the last hour reserved for exercise. Senate Bill 124 would cap solitary confinement to four hours, outline criteria that must be met before using the punishment, as well as require documentation of its use. California has very few limitations on solitary confinement. This has led to notorious prisons such as Pelican Bay State Prison

with their solitary confinement being described by Amnesty International as “cruel, degrading, and inhumane.” The organization observed inmates being forced into isolation in cells with no fresh air, no natural light, and absolutely no human contact. Some were left in this perpetual nothing for years. Senate Bill 124 addresses this by requiring the juveniles to be a serious and immediate risk of harm to others or themselves, without a mental disorder being used

as justification for use of solitary confinement. This would drastically curb the extensive use of solitary confinement in prisons and the time limit would ensure juveniles do not spend extended periods in forced isolation. Rationale behind this bill varies, from psychological to fiscal. Cells used to house inmates in solitary confinement are designed to let in little to no natural light and keep the impounded individual segregated from other humans. Long bouts in

solitary confinement increase the risk of mental health issues such as depression. The American Civil Liberties Union has noted that over 50 percent of the suicides in prisons occur while in forced isolation. That, coupled with how solitary confinement amplifies pre-existing mental health issues makes its use a harsh tactic for prisons to use. This all comes with a steep price tag. According to Solitary Watch, the money required to detain a prisoner in solitary confinement

is over double that of the general inmate population. The high cost of solitary confinement doesn’t seem to have any reward. Economically, it costs twice as much as housing inmates that aren’t isolated. Long term, the tactic doesn’t rehabilitate inmates or improve their behavior, and from a humanitarian perspective, solitary confinement does not achieve the endgame of inmate recovery and inflicts suffering.

Sept. 22, 2015

Special Feature The Psychological Effects of Solitary Confinement

by Hannah Butay Online Editor

The teenage years are a time intended for humans to develop socially and intellectually. For some teenagers in solitary confinement, however, their adolescent years can be spent in a seven by twelve foot cell for up to 23 hours a day.

The Teenage Brain Being isolated can have many negative impacts on the human mind. While solitary confinement can be mentally damaging to anyone, it has the most negative effect on teenagers. According to The Atlantic, juveniles are more affected than adults because juveniles are still in a critical stage of development, both physically and mentally. The brain is undergoing major structural growth, particularly in the frontal lobe, which processes the organization and planning of thoughts and actions. Because the brain does not fully develop until a person reaches their twenties, teenagers cannot control their emotions and impulses in the manner adults can. This can lead to a stronger emotional toil when left in solitary confinement. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, most teenagers who go to prison often have abusive and neglectful childhoods. As a result, many juveniles in prison may already suffer from some type of mental or mood disorder such as depression or bipolar disorder. Psychiatrist Terry Kupers says solitary confinement forces juveniles to miss out on many skills essential for adulthood, such as socializing, dealing with authority and empathizing. “All of this stops in solitary confinement—there’s a total cessation [a halt or stop] of socialization, education and social skill learning,” Kupers said. “If someone comes out missing that period, they will likely be dysfuncCaroline He | The Phoenix

Alternatives to Solitary Confinement The ACLU has suggested several alternatives to keeping control of juveniles in prisons. One suggestion is to have more activities allowing the convicts to release energy in a more positive way rather than through fighting and verbal attacking. Through this, prisoners can also interact with staff and other convicts and develop social skills that may have been hindered during their tenure in prison. Another method suggested by the ACLU to keep prisoners in control is to limit the use segregation. The ACLU suggests that prisons should create small groups among the convicts in which they can discuss various things they may want to see changed in the jail. By letting the inmates have a say in what they feel needs to be changed, any frustration due to bad conditions may be released. “At any time, youth are free to call a circle [...] to raise concerns or voice complaints about the behavior of other group members [...],” a correctional officer from Missouri said. “Thus, at any moment, the focus can shift from the activity at hand—education, exercise, clean up, a bathroom break—to a lengthy discussion of behaviors and attitudes.” The method with the highest success rate, according to the ACLU, was to reform the juveniles rather than punish. Several prisons reported to the ACLU that studying teenage convicts and tending to their specific needs led to a better reform than placing the inmates in solitary confinement. 24 percent of juve“What you want niles held in isolato do is tion are ultimately target their found not guilty. highest criminal re-U.S. Department cidivism of Justice [relapse] risk and then target their highest needs,” a psychiatrist in a prison said. “Maybe this kid has an emerging mental illness; maybe they have a low I.Q.; maybe they malinger a lot. If we could do that, then we could really help this

FROM THE INMATES

In a study conducted by the ACLU, several teenage prisoners in solitary confinement reported they had a range of mental problems they suffered while isolated, including auditory and visual hallucinations, recollection of traumatic memories and random changes in mood. “The only thing left to do is go crazy—just sit and talk to the walls,” an inmate said. “...I catch myself [talking to the walls] every now and again [...] because I have nothing else to do.” Some prisoners created imaginary friends to cope with their loneliness in isolation. One prisoner said he began to act out video game characters with his hands. He would have conversations with them and act out various video game scenarios while the guards looked on. The ACLU reported multiple isolated convicts have attempted or committed suicide due to depression and anxiety they suffered in solitary confinement. An inmate, referred to as Alyssa by the Washington Post, said she cut herself when alone because she felt it was the only way to get rid of her pain. Another prisoner said she tried to commit suicide on her first day of solitary confinement because, in her opinion, there was no way out of her mind and the thoughts in her head. A former inmate, DeAngelo Cortijo, was placed in solitary confinement for fighting and safety purposes for a total 882 non-consecutive days during his time as a teenager in prison, according to the East Bay Express. Cortijo suffered a childhood with gang violence and little stability. To him, solitary confinement only worsened his mental struggles and trauma from childhood, making him angrier and more rebellious. “At thirteen and fourteen years old, I was not some hardened criminal,” Cortijo said. “But they were trying to paint me as being this monster. I was going through a lot. I was angry. I was confused. I just wanted normalcy.” The Colorado Department of Corrections conducted a controversial study and reported being in solitary confinement did not harm convicts like they originally believed. Over the course of a year, the CDC noted that while inmates did report they suffered from things such as anxiety and depression, there was not an increase in those mental problems after spending time in solitary confinement. The only notable increase was in the feeling of withdrawal, though this only occurred in two surveyed groups. According to the CDC, only seven percent of convicts in the study had symptoms that worsened, while 20 percent of convicts improved. The study, however, has been criticized mainly for its methodology. The National Institute of Justice noted the study only surveyed male prisoners in one Colorado jail, thereby disregarding other prisons which may have stricter rules and harsher conditions. Another critique was prisoners had to volunteer to be in the study and be literate, which may have left out convicts that could have been more susceptible to the effects of solitary confinement.

Opinion Fremont rallies could use improvement

Sept. 22, 2015

by Momina Nadeem Staff Writer

You come to school on a Friday morning to see students clad in neon colors and face paint. Suddenly, you remember; it’s a rally schedule. Rallies are meant to bring students together while also being entertaining. I conducted a survey among 35 students to see what they think of the rallies and school spirit, and many of them had plenty to say about how the rallies can be improved and the amount of spirit the school has. While many of them say they’re fun, 32 said that our school rallies could still use improvement. The rallies are pretty much the same every time. You walk in and take a seat while the band is playing music, everyone cheers for their class then the cheer team, Featherettes and Color Guard perform. The Associated Student Body sometimes throws in a couple of games and that’s pretty much it. The theme of each rally and the performances are a little different each time,

but they are very repetitive because the same groups perform. Five of the people I surveyed discussed how rallies should change something each time, aside from the theme; because however many times you may change the theme, the content is still the same. Some students even skip rallies because they feel like there’s nothing to miss out on, so it would be a good idea to add something new each time to encourage more students to attend. This lack of diversity in performances is one of the reasons why nine of the students I interviewed complained that rallies are too short. Aside from the cheer team, Featherettes and Color Guard, the rallies don’t have a lot of substance. There’s so much more to Fremont High School that can be represented at rallies, such as the orchestra, choir, Glee club, the robotics team and the drama class. Although ASB does a skit for almost every rally, it tends to be quite cheesy and many students are confused throughout their performance because the audience is too loud and the skit is almost always rushed — so instead of having ASB perform the skit, the drama class could do it instead The Glee club and choir can sing, the orchestra can compose and play songs, and the robotics team can

make robots that do a various number of things such as throwing confetti everywhere or hurling t-shirts and other items into the audience. They could also make robots to match the theme of the rally. For example, if the rally is based on a movie, the robotics team could build a robot of one of the characters. Including more diversity of performances wouldn’t only make rallies less repetitive, but it would also make them longer.

There’s so much more to Fremont High School that can be represented by the rallies. I always feel disappointed when the rallies don’t have any fun or goofy games, and the students I talked to seemed to feel the same way. ASB sometimes includes games at rallies, however they’re not included often, and when they are, they aren’t always successful, whether because of ASB or the crowd. One of the rallies last year included a singing competition between classes and they had to stop the game in the middle because there was too much booing. One of the more successful games last year,

however, was during the back-to-school rally when audience members were chosen to participate in ridiculous-looking relays. Not only was it fun for the participants, but it was also hysterical to watch because the students were asked to do some seriously ridiculous looking things in order to win. ASB should include more relays and similar games for future rallies, because not only does it include audience participation, but it makes the rallies a lot more amusing to watch as well. When I asked students whether or not FHS has a lot of spirit, most said the same thing. “The sophomores, juniors, and seniors have a lot of spirit, but the freshmen are just kind of, well, they’re still getting used to it,” sophomore Esha Urs said. It’s important to make rallies exciting for students and it would help if ASB actually advertised the rallies often. A large number of students are not informed of upcoming rallies and those who do know usually hear it from either a friend or teacher bringing it up. ASB does advertise rallies on the school website, but most students fail to frequently check it. I’ve seen students walk

into class late on a day with a rally schedule because they completely forget that there’s a rally that day. ASB should release video announcements for every rally so that students are informed and look forward to the rallies,

increasing school spirit. Rallies are supposed to unite the school and raise school spirit in an entertaining, positive manner. They’re supposed to be something students look forward to and are excited about. Including more diverse performances and games in the rallies will make them more exciting, unique and more inclusive of other FHS activities and students. There’s a lot more to FHS than what is currently being represented at the rallies and the school would have more spirit if other activities were to be recognized as well. It is up to us to make the rallies better — because after all, the rallies are a representation of all of us.

Momina Nadeem | The Phoenix

Sleep deprivation affects teens’ lifestyles by Ambika Vaidya Staff Writer

Do you have a good night’s sleep? Do you wake up in the morning feeling bright and happy? Unfortunately, most teens do not. According to data collected while interviewing some Fremont High School students, three out of seven students say that they got eight hours or more of sleep. The data also points out that the average teen at FHS gets only about six hours of sleep. This is not enough for students who attend school for more than eight hours and are actively learning daily. Good sleep is essential for you to learn during school. According to Sleep for Teenagers, a website which states many of the negative effects sleep de-

privation has on teens, not enough sleep reduces your ability to learn, concentrate, and solve problems. The site states that teens need eight to ten hours of sleep each night, yet less than half the teens at FHS get the optimum amount of sleep. Freshman Ricabelle Villanueva goes to bed at midnight and wakes up six hours later. “I feel really tired and sleepy at first,” Villanueva said. “But I’m better once I’m in school.” True, your drowsiness may wear off after fifteen minutes, but in order for your brain to fully function, you need to feel refreshed almost immediately after you wake up. Not every drowsiness issue is due to lack of sleep. Some students are still in the summer-break mode. Freshman Esha Saini says she goes to bed inbetween 10:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. and wakes up at around 6:00 a.m. to 7:30 a.m., depending on when school starts. Even though Saini gets the proper amount of sleep, she still wakes up in the morning feeling sluggish. “It’s because during the

summer break, I slept for twelve hours, from 10:00 p.m. to 10:00 a.m. But now, I have to wake up earlier than that. So, since my body’s used to summer timings, I wake up feeling like I need more sleep.” And indeed, after two whole months of getting long hours of sleep, a lack of those five to six extra hours is a big change for your body. Tests also prove to be a sleep-depriving issue. Diya Bhandarkar, who is also a freshman, gets the perfect amount — from 9:30 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., which is 8½ hours of sleep, and has no problem waking up in the morning. “But, whenever I have a test,” Bhandarkar says, “I study hard up till midnight.” In other words, the night before test days, she only gets six hours of sleep. This is why tests should be on Thursdays or Fridays and not right after weekends — so that students don’t stay up late studying on Sunday night and instead can have a full school week to prepare for the exam. It is most necessary for students to have a good

Ambika Vaidya | The Phoenix

night’s rest in order for them to learn better and keep their grades up, and most importantly, for their own well-being and safety. Sleep for Teenagers says that more than 100,000 car crashes per year happen due to the driver being drowsy and droopy-eyed at the steering wheel. A Webmd site called Teen Sleep: Go to Bed! states that sleep-deprived teens lack good health. Lack of sleep can cause memory loss, diabetes, other weight issues, and even heart dis-

ease. Their behaviors tend to get more aggressive and their chances of suspension or expulsion increases drastically. Lack of sleep also produces dark lines under your eyes, and it makes you incredibly morose. This is the reason why some schools have a few late start days. For example, at Fremont High School, Wednesday and Friday mornings start at 9:19 a.m. If students do not have a first block, they can arrive at school at 9:19 a.m. everyday, with the exception of oc-

casional rally days. If students take advantage of these extra hours and they sleep well, they won’t encounter much stress. The more sleep students get, the more their temper problems will cease. A proper amount of sleep is also very important to prevent hair loss and health decline, and is a benefit to growth and skin, as all your wounds — cuts, scrapes, bruises and more — heal overnight. Overall, a good amount of sleep makes a better, healthier you.

Arts & Entertainment

Sept. 22, 2015

Apple’s newest streaming service in a nutshell by Julie Wi

Opinion Editor

Let’s face it—long gone are the times of CDs and illegally downloaded music. Paid streaming services are the biggest thing in music distribution right now and Apple, ever eager to jump onto the bandwagon, recently caught on with its newest launch of Apple Music. Right now with the on-demand streaming service Spotify ahead of the game, it will be a challenge for Apple to have enough unique flair to persuade Spotify users to make the switch. If you’re like me and many others who use Spotify, but are still curious about what Apple Music has to offer, you might be wondering, “What’s different about Apple Music?” or “Is it worth it?” Apple Music looks suspiciously similar to Beats Music, another streaming service, and that’s because it is Beats, but with some tweaks. Apple Music has a simple and great-looking interface, which is what you would expect of an Apple product. Despite the large platform and sleek inter-

face, however, sites like Yahoo! and The Verge report that users still aren’t warming up to the new service well. According to the research service MusicWatch, just one in 10 iOS users use Apple Music. Out of those who have tried Apple Music, nearly half of them said they are not currently using the service. Part of the reason why people haven’t been receptive to the new launch is that people are either unaware of it or they aren’t able to accept it yet. It’s understandable why Apple is struggling to find its feet in a market already dominated by music services like Spotify and Pandora. So what are some upsides to Apple Music? Some may find it more convenient to use a service linked directly with iTunes, which last year was reported to support over 800 million accounts. Search for a song in Apple’s huge selection of music and you can add it to your library in just two clicks. Still, while Apple’s library is full of all kinds of music, its collections are geared towards young and trendy hip-hop, indie, rock, and pop listeners, leaving out those whose taste might not fit in those categories.

Photos courtesy of Getty Images, Andrew S. photography, Shayne Hefferman, Achim Raschka, Michael Kovac, Hypetrak, Enjoy the Pics and Gan Nicholas.

Apple Music boasts playlists created by real people, and while some playlists are fresh and have interesting and eclectic music, not all of them are. Apple might make obvious recommendations of artists you already listen to, but it might even base recommendations

on artists in your library that you don’t even listen to anymore. If you ever went through a Lady Gaga phase when you were in the sixth grade, Apple Music’s recommendations might just bring back memories of a dark musical past you thought was well buried in

The Internet’s rise in entertainment by Nicole Stibbard Copy Editor

There are many avenues that can be accessed for entertainment in the 21st century. There are the seemingly basic forms of entertainment, such as broadcast television, mainstream movies seen in theaters and DVDs. Additionally, there are many other forms that can be viewed online, like YouTube, Netflix and Vine. YouTube was founded in San Mateo in 2005. The site features a rapidly increasing group of individuals. Over the past year, many have seemed to break barriers between the online and mainstream entertainment industry. One popular example is Shane Dawson. Dawson has approximately seven million subscribers on his main YouTube channel. Recently, Dawson came out with the film Not Cool in Sept. 2014. Despite Dawson’s billions of views over all of his work within the realm of YouTube, the movie received poor reviews from multiple platforms. On Internet Movie Database, the film received a 5.2 out of 10, a similar rating to others. Another recent Internet movie that failed in critics’ eyes was Expelled, written and directed by Alex Goyette. The movie featured Vine star, Cameron Dallas, along with a YouTuberpacked cast. The movie received a 5 out of 10 on

your iTunes library. Apple Music, featuring playlists and radio monitored by real curators, attempts to beat computergenerated services like Spotify with more human integration. This obviously sets some limitations on Apple Music’s variety and

abundance of recommendations and playlists, but you can at least be assured that everything you get is quality-made. A redeeming feature of Apple Music is Beats1, a live global radio that broadcasts 24/7. You might be used to services like Pandora and Spotify Radio that allow you to create “stations” based on particular artists or songs, but Beats1 provides listeners with a real radio that streams globally from London, Los Angeles and New York. You can tune into various shows, and go onto the show’s pages for fresh weekly playlists. Despite the public’s hesitance to accept the new streaming service, Apple Music really isn’t such a bad choice. It has convenience, a huge selection of music and a great-looking interface to top it off. Apple Music maintains its service at the same price as Spotify, which is $9.99/mo for individual users. For those without iPhones, the service is even becoming available to Android users at some point this fall. It isn’t perfect and it still has to work out some kinks, but for a new service that hasn’t reached its full potential yet, Apple Music is worth trying out.

What do you think about the new building on campus? “I haven’t been into the cafeteria or the kitchen, but I really like the new design of the building itself. It’s very modern and I think it adds a lot to Fremont’s campus.” -Karen Blaunstein, Senior

TYLER OAKLEY, popular YouTube star.

IMDb. One example of the clear popularity of YouTubers is Tyler Oakley, who has approximately 7 million subscribers and has appeared on many entertainment platforms, such as the Teen Choice Awards, the VMA’s and MTV “extras.” He too is a sponsor for the Trevor Project, a nonprofit organization reaching out to suicidal gay or questioning youth. Oakley is often claimed to be one of the best representations of YouTube and its community. Clearly YouTubers seem to have far more success on the Internet than they do on the big screen. Meanwhile, streaming companies such as Netflix are extremely successful. The company was founded in 1997 in Scotts Valley, CA. Despite its rather old origin,

it has really picked up steam over the past three to four years. Originally known for providing broadcast television, the company has decided to create shows of their own. A few of these well known shows include Orange Is the New Black, House of Cards, Daredevil, The Square and Lilyhammer. All of these shows have gained much success in the public’s eye. One show that has gained a lot of notice is Orange Is the New Black. Since its release, the show has been nominated for a variety of awards. Some of the awards the show has won have been the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Stream-

Photo courtesy of LA Weekly

ing Series, the Young Hollywood Award for Best TV Show and the Producer of the Year Award in Episodic Television. When looking toward popular channels on broadcast television, many of these popular stations are also incorporated with the Internet. MTV is one of these channels, which has some of the most followed people on the Internet starring in its shows. This heavy following creates mass popularity amongst the shows aired. So, the question remains; what is it about the influence of the Internet that makes entertainment better? This may be discovered as the Internet Entertainment industry continues to grow.

“It’s a terrific new building. It’s great to have the social studies teachers all together in one floor. For my room, everything seems to be working well. I know other rooms are having some difficulties, but they will work them out sooner or later.” -Brian Irvine, Social Studies Teacher “The new kitchen and cafeteria are just great. It’s a brand new facility, so it is very clean and it’s easier and faster to serve lunch to the students” -Pauline Wong, Food Services Assistant “I think our new building was one hundred percent worth the wait. It’s very beautiful, inside and out. I love the architect. The cafeteria is amazing and so is the full kitchen. We do come across some minor problems like with air conditioning, but for the most part, it’s great and everyone is happy with it.” -Carlos Ramos, Custodial Staff

Arts & Entertainment Five fad diets that are gaining popularity sept. 22, 2015

by Kelly Zhong

Lemonade Diet

News Editor

Diets, diets, diets. According to Livestrong, about 45 million Americans diet each year and collectively spend about $33 billion to achieve their weight-loss goals. Sadly, most don’t work, and the ones celebrities go on can be extreme. These are just some of the diets floating around the Internet today.

Legend has it Beyoncé lost 20 lbs in two weeks using this diet for her role in Dreamgirls. For 10 days, you only drink lemonade, salt-water and herbal laxative tea to clean out your digestive system. After 10 days, you slowly introduce solid foods back, but are still limited to meat and dairy products.

Paleo Diet

“Paleo” refers to the Paleolithic Age, or the Stone Age, when cavemen lived. On this diet you don’t eat processed foods, dairy products, grains, legumes, refined sugars and vegetable oils. Instead, you eat mainly fats, meats and some carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables. According to WebMD, you aren’t allowed to have salt either. Dr. Loren Cordain on The Paleo Diet says to avoid salt because it increases the acidity in your body, which it doesn’t need because meat does that already, and will prompt your body to use up more calcium in your bones, leading to osteoporosis.

Atkins Diet

Founded by Robert Atkins, the Atkins diet is a low carbohydratediet designed to help people lose weight and prevent health problems like obesity. By controlling carbohydrate intake and eating more protein and fat, you stabilize blood sugar levels and curb hunger cravings, ultimately leading to weight loss. During the initial phase, you can’t eat more than 20 grams of carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, caffeine and alcohol. You also can’t eat pasta, bread, grain and dairy other than butter, cheese and cream. Later, as you attempt to maintain your weight, WebMD says that you can slowly introduce back fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, wine, low-carb alcohol and whole grains to maintain your weight in the long run.

Raw Food Diet As its name suggests, participants of this diet only eat raw food. Raw food is defined as food never heated over 115 degrees Fahrenheit and consists of 75 to 80 percent of most participants’ diets, since very few people follow a 100 percent raw food diet according to US News. The reasoning behind this diet is that cooking food often destroys many foods’ nutritional and health benefits. By eating more raw food, dieters believe they will ingest more nutrition.

There are many ways dieting can go wrong. Some people will persist on a diet and lose some weight; however, when they go back to their regular habits, they’ll gain the weight back, and then some. This usually happens when you go on a crash diet like the Lemonade Diet. Also, when you go on particular diets, you lose water weight first instead of real fat. Furthermore, some people become obsessed with losing weight and develop eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa and binge eating. Anorexia Nervosa is when you don’t eat properly and become severely underweight. Needless to say, this will lead to several health problems, from heart palpitations to organ failure. Binge eating is when you overeat and

Clay Diet

You eat clay. Nature’s Cleansing Clay claims that their Living Clay® is mined from a clay deposit in Calif. that was protected from the climate and has extremely strong adsorptive and absorptive properties as a result. In other words, it many negative-charged particles on the surface and can attract positive ions, which helps detox the body and clarify skin, just to name some of its uses. Their edible Detox Clay Powder is $12.95 for an 8 oz. jar.

Manavi Chandra | The Phoenix

then feel bad. You’ll probably try to vomit up all the food you ate and go on “starvation mode” until you feel so hungry you’ll overeat again. It’s a vicious cycle. Frankly, the best diet is a healthy lifestyle: exercise, eat fruits and vegetables, drink plenty of water and avoid overeating. That isn’t to say that you can’t eat unhealthy foods at all. You can let yourself go once in a while

as long as you keep on track. Make slow and gradual changes in your eating habits and lifestyle instead of going on crash diets in short bursts. You can go on a diet for period of time, but if you don’t make permanent changes to your life, you won’t keep the weight off. Instead, think of “dieting” not as a temporary change but as a permanent lifestyle change.

sports Girls volleyball warming up to season

Sept. 22, 2015

by Jenny Nguyen Staff Writer

On Sept. 9, girls varsity volleyball game between the girls’ teams of Willow Glen High School and Fremont High School resulted in a 3-1 loss in Willow Glen’s favor. Willow Glen started with the ball. The serve was well executed, but the Fremont girls scored the first point of the game. The rallies of the two teams were short. Willow Glen not only managed to double the scores of Fremont, but surpassed them as well. Despite Fremont’s efforts, they were trailing behind in a loss in the first set, 8 to 25 points In the second set, the Fremont team used a more defensive-oriented game plan. The team utilized more blocking techniques and used this to recover from the first set. Players were more spread apart and played closer to the net. Two players were placed at the left front instead of one. The gap between the scores in the second set was considerably less than the gap in the first set, but it was not enough to win the second set, leaving the score at 17-25. In the third set of the game, Fremont incorporated more offensive strategies. The team called out plays more often and their com-

munication increased. Players were more active than previous sets moved around the court. The score was consistently close, both teams with no more than a 2-point lead on the other. The Firebirds won the third set with 25 points to 23 setting the game’s scores to 1-2. Even with the plays Fremont made during the fourth set, Willow Glen left the final tally to be at 15-25. “I thought it went really well,” Varsity Volleyball coach Tiffany Anderson said. “Fremont is not generally seen as to be one of the stronger teams. And to lose in 4 is actually a really great achievement for us.” Despite their loss, the Firebirds are fired up for the rest of the season. “I think we have to start out stronger and stay stocked in defense and also just stay relaxed,” outside hitter Caitlin Mackie said. “I feel really good about the rest of the season,” outside hitter Annah Jones said. “I was on the team last year and we didn’t do that well at all. But this season we have more chemistry together, we’ve known each other for a while and our skills have improved, so I think this season will be a lot better.”

Essam Rao | The Phoenix

SOPHOMORE Jin Burge serving.

Essam Rao | The Phoenix

JUNIOR Caitlin Mackie attemps to spike the ball back.

A tough defeat for Williams by Sam Tumkur

First football game by Manavi Chandra

Staff Writer

A shock to everyone from the fans to the players themselves, fan-favorite Serena Williams lost her chance at this year’s Grand Slam after Italian tennis player Roberta Vinci beat her on Sept. 11 at the US Opens semifinals. Williams has won 21 Grand Slam singles and is one of the four women who has consecutively won the Grand Slam titles in a year including this year’s as well. Williams is no stranger to victory. She is ranked number one in women’s single tennis and also holds the most Grand Slam singles, doubles, and mixed title wins, among both men and woman. Williams started extensive tennis training from the age of three and won her first major championship in 1999. Her epic victory at Wimbledon this year made her the oldest single Grand Slam champion. Vinci, who went on to lose against Flavia Pennetta in the finals, was an unseeded player, now ranked at number 19 in women’s singles. Vinci crushed Williams, 2-6, 6-4 and 6-4. According to The New York Times, Williams showed no emotions betraying how she felt, although she did say words could not describe how much disap-

Essam Rao | The Phoenix

FREMONT preparing to serve the volleyball.

The Fremont High School varsity football team started off their season strong at their Sept. 9 home game with a final score of 54-19 against the Gunderson Grizzlies. Even though Fremont won 54 to 19, the players think they are in for a tough season. “I think the season is going to be hard, we need to practice a lot and improve,” wide reciever Jordan Hendy said.

Photo courtesy of Julio Cortez SERENA WILLIAMS and opponent Roberta Vinci shake hands after the US Opens semifinals.

pointment she felt. “I’m not — I don’t want to talk about how disappointing it is for me,” Williams said. Vinci, although excited about her win, was apologetic towards Williams and her fans. “For the American people, for Serena, for the Grand Slam and everything, but today is my day. Sorry, guys,” Vinci said in an interview with The New York Times. That match ruined Williams 26 straight matches in 2015 and 33 overall including the previous year. It was William’s first loss this year in the Grand Slam singles. According to ESPN, Williams started the match off a bit shaky as Vinci took advantage of her two

forehand errors and started to take the lead at 2-1, although Williams won the next five games and took the first game in 31 minutes. According to ESPN, Williams’ Coach Mortaglou said Williams didn’t appear to like herself when he saw her, although Williams claims that there was no pressure in her performance. Williams seemed secure of the win, saying Vinci had not won a single set from the four other matches they had played before until Vinci had played a forehand which Williams could not have returned. According to Tennis Tonic News, Serena Williams does not plan to retire any time soon, although this loss has been quite shock-

ing.

“I’m not thinking about ending my career any time soon.” Williams said “I love playing tennis and opportunities to travel to wonderful countries make me very happy. While I am healthy I don’t see my career ending. It’s important to be No.1 in the world but it’s also fundamental to play Grand Slams.”

Chau Nguyen | The Phoenix

Early in the game, quarterback Hano Morales scored the first and second touchdown of the game. By the end of first quarter, the score was at 12-0. Coming into the second quarter, Hendy sprinted 80 yards after returning the kick-off to score a touchdown. A few moments later, wide receiver Mitchell Arteaga missed a pass and was pulled to athletic trainer Mary Rhatigan due to an injury. Arteaga was later able to get back up and keep playing. Wide receiver Elijah Presley then scored a touchdown. By halftime, Fremont was leading with 33 points and Gunderson with 6. After halftime, the Grizzlies were able to score more points in the third quarter, as running back Ben Tui sprinted 86 yards in 40 seconds, scoring the final touchdown of the third quarter and ending the score at 40-19. Despite their victory, the coach thinks that it’s better to focus on strategic form and techniques rather than winning. “There’s always opportunities to get better and improve, so that’s what we’re going to focus on,” Jake Messina, varsity head-coach, said. “As the season goes on, it’s definitely going to get harder,” Presley said. “But we should be able to keep our momentum going and succeed.” With two non-division victories, playing in the highest division of football in the district, the Firebirds are eager for the rest of the season.

sports Sports medicine teacher and karate master Sept. 22, 2015

Maggie Bernauer & Essam Rao Sports Editors

Teachers and their hobbies; some like to read, others like to travel. And sixth degree black belt Mary Crawford enjoys practicing and teaching karate. Crawford has been the sports medicine teacher at Fremont High School since 2009, but outside of Fremont, her passion for karate goes much deeper, as she has 31 years of experience under her belt. “Karate has so much to offer and it has changed my life in so many positive ways,” Crawford said. Crawford first began karate in college, when she needed an extra P.E. unit to fulfil her GE credits. She never intended that she would go on to have a career in karate. In addition to her sixth degree black belt, Crawford is also the second ranked female referee for the U.S.A. National Karate Federation. She has received the highest level of referee possible, which is the World Karate Federation AA Referee. Okaigan Karate International in Cupertino is her studio where Crawford trains people of all ages in

Shotokan Karate, a form of karate that is founded on the basic techniques of striking, punching, kicking and blocking, but also emphasises character development with training. Crawford also runs karate classes for the Santa Clara Parks and Recreation Department, Safari Kids and Bethel Lutheran. “I really enjoyed working with people and seeing them learn and achieve their goals,” Crawford said. Aside from practicing the art, Crawford has been teaching karate for 28 years. Though the two may seem similar on the surface level, practicing and teaching the art differ fundamentally. “When I train it’s all about what I can do to improve a technique for myself,” Crawford said. “When I teach it’s all about the student I am passionate about teaching not only the physical portion but also the history, culture and the manners and respect that goes hand in hand with the art.” Crawford is one of the few senseis in the U.S.A capable to train and place students on junior and senior U.S. teams. Her last success story was this year

Photo courtesy of Mary Crawford

on Aug. 24. Crawford went with her student, Anju Jain, who competed in the Juniors and Cadets at the Pan American Championship located in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. 23 countries participated and over 1000 athletes

were at this competition. Jain trained and competed in Kumite (sparring) 40 degree kilo. She was in the 12-13 age division and ended up bringing home the gold medal. While black belts and

Dealing with fatal injuries by Susannah Schulze Staff Writer

Athletes are frequently injured while competing in sports. Although most injuries are random, certain measures can be taken to reduce the chance of an injury. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, sports injuries can be prevented by stretching to increase flexibility, conditioning to strengthen muscles and resting to allow the body to recover. Fremont High School teams have different ways to reduce the chance of injuries occurring. “As you build the program, you build what you do in the water and slowly build up,” Moris Clark, Varsity girls waterpolo coach, said. “Usually the first week of practice is slowly building our endurance and conditioning.” Likewise, Varsity Football Coach Jake Messina implements weight training to prepare his football players and reduce the chance of injury. Injuries are spontaneous and despite what is done to prevent them, they still manage to occur. “A lot of the time it happens just based off an individual’s body alignment and luck,” Mary Rhatigan, Athletic Trainer, said. Injuries affect more than just an individual. An example of this was last basketball season when center Omar Shorab broke his nose during the Saint Francis Central Coast Section game.

Due to the severity of the then strengthening around injury, he was unable to play the injured area to provide for the remainder of the extra stability and lowergame, which upset ing the chance of reinjury,” the balance of the Rhatigan said. “If a bone team. isn’t given the proper “Games, environment and time obviously, are to heal it could somehard because times heal poorly and you don’t have would then give [the as many bodies athlete] problems to go to, esthroughpecially if out the you have rest of a good their life.” team, Beone sides the player immecan diate make impact a huge injuries differhave ence,” in an Jason athTownsend, letic varsity boys cabasketball coach, reer, said, “We tried to inpiece it together juas much as posries sible, but [having affect athplayers injured] letes later makes things fall in life too. apart really fast.” Studies have While athshown that letes do not have concussions control over the increase the risk of injury, if likeliness an injury does occur, of a decline of they can take control both mental of the healing process. and physical “Most injuries health over have a standard base 30 years later, that requires rest and according treatment - basically to Liverpool getting rid of the Training symptoms first, Solutions. eliminating the Torn carsymptoms that tilage and are bothering ligaments [the injured area] and also present Julie Wi | The Phoenix

high rankings might give her some glory, one of Crawford’s proudest achievements is working with her students. “I am honored to have been a teacher and sensei of so many students, watching

them grow up from a young age to graduating high school,” Crawford said.

Watermelon Run

problems for athletes later in life, as they increase the chance of arthritis, according to the National Centre for Sports Safety.

Games, obviously, are hard becasue you don’t have as many bodies to go to, especially if you have a good team, one player can make a huge difference Jason Townsend Sports injuries remove players from the game, limiting the athlete’s and team’s potential for success. Injuries affect teams with fewer players on a larger scale, but athletes can strengthen their bodies to protect against injuries.

Hannah Butay | The Phoenix

FREMONT students enjoying watermelon after the run.

Hannah Butay | The Phoenix

WINNERS of the various categories pose after the Watermelon Run.

Hannah Butay | The Phoenix

RUNNERS taking their first steps of the race.