The Phoenix Vol. 8 Issue 3

2010s Recap

Kwanzaa’s validity

See Page 4

Frozen 2 Review See Page 8

See Pages 6 & 7

Fremont High School

the

PHOENIX

Vol. 8 Issue No. 3 Dec. 13, 2019

KABABAYAN JOINS THE FREMONT COMMUNITY

by Kiana Devera

Sports Editor

At the beginning of this school year, a group of Filipino teachers within the Fremont Union High School District (FUHSD) came together to talk about a problem they have been noticing: trends of rising absentees, academic struggles and feelings of isolation amongst the Filipino students here at Fremont High School.

After a month and a half of research and many meetings with guidance counselors and school administrators later, the Kababayan program was born to help combat these problems that many Filipino families are facing at Fremont.

Kababayan, for those who do not know, is Tagalog for townsmen — people of the same neighborhood.

“Why we choose this name is because the four value terms of FHS is community, collaboration, support and respect,” English teacher Chary Salvador said.

“Kababayan fits under those four FHS value terms.”

This newly formed program focuses itself on educating Filipino families about the available resources provided by the school and developing an interconnected community amongst the Filipino families, from American born Filipinos to Filipino migrants.

The Kababayan program is meant to act as further additional support to the systems already in place here for Filipino students, particularly for those who struggle with understanding the school system. It provides them with the necessary support in order to graduate high school and prepare for

college.

The support team is made up of Filipino faculty members here at FHS: Jayson Huliganga, Nimia Phillips, Salvador, Laine Sazon and Paulo Sazon who speak and understand Tagalog and other Filipino dialects such as Ilocano and Cebuano.

Many Filipino students and families alike attended the Kababayan meetings. On November 6, over 25 families came to the first Kababayan meeting. There, they were introduced to what the Kababayan program is.

“We went over what topics

we are planning to talk about throughout the year, one of them being financial aid and post high school options besides four year university or junior colleges such as trade schools and vocational schools,” transition specialist and paraeducator Huliganga said.

During their most recent meeting on December 4, the families that attended discussed the three different categories of financial aid, scholarships, A-G requirements, types of degrees and explained the differences between college and university. They also explained the importance of services such as School Loop and Infinite Campus to the families.

While every monthly meeting will focus on a particular topic, the FHS Filipino support team is also open to making their themes

based off what parents request or what students feel that they need.

In the eyes of a newly immigrated individual, there is always an added comfort when it comes to being in your own community. Especially if one were to feel intimidated to speak out or ask for help because of difficulties surrounding the language or cultural barrier.

Kababayan was made

to provide a sense of comfort to Filipino families to speak in their own dialect and to be who they are freely. It is there to additionally make new connections without any sort of prejudice or judgment from other people.

“I know from my background, being a FilipinoAmerican also means having immigrant parents and not knowing what’s going on,” Salvador said. “There’s all different kinds of representation here because some of us [...] were born back home and immigrated here while others were born and raised here. Our ways of being here are different and we can relate to them in all levels. [...] Everybody [in the Filipino support team] provides something to connect to the community.”

For parents or guardians, online resources such as School Loop and Infinite Campus can be confusing, mainly because it is all such a new experience. At Kababayan, many faculty members were surprised by the vast number of questions that the parents had for things many of

us use in our daily lives.

For the 2019-2020 school year, Filipino students make up 10 percent of the FHS student population, meaning that roughly 45 students from every grade level has a Philippine background.

Even though these Filipino students may not be seen widely throughout the school day, Filipinos at FHS gather together at the Filipino Youth Organi-

zation (FYO) club meetings. FYO’s vice president, junior Frances Mendoza believes that being a part of something that brings people together is everything.

“To see [all different kinds of Filipino] students in FYO supporting each other looks like laughter,” Mendoza said. “Joking around with everyone in the club, bonding together, yelling at each other out of love [...]. The support everyone gives each other is just so visible when I come to each meeting, and it makes me really happy.”

FYO, a student led organization, is more commonly used as a place for social gatherings rather than a high school resource that their parents or guardians can use.

Kababayan is made to serve these parents to help their students thrive in their academics.

“Whatever the need is, we will be there to help these students be successful,” registrar Laine Sazon said. “And this way, we can connect with [our Filipino students] […] so we as a

staff can help them if they are struggling in school and they know who they can reach out to.”

The Kababayan support team often finds that while their students are on track for graduation, they simply are not prepared enough for college. Another difficulty surrounding some of the Filipino students at FHS is their lack of confidence. While these students do want to ask for help regarding school, they instead keep their problems to themselves for various reasons.

Many dread and contemplate the idea that they are not good enough, feeding into the fear of disappointing not only themselves, but their families as well. Coming from the same culture, Kababayan is arguably much more suitable and well equipped to reach out to struggling Filipino students. A key component of this is due to the values that the faculty share with the students that they are supporting.

No matter what, Kababayan will always be there for these students. Even if a student feels uncomfortable with the amount of English they know, they can guide students and give them access to who or what they need in order to start feeling welcomed on campus, making the transition period less intimidating.

The creation of the Kababayan program took a lot of time and work. The entire support team was anxious, especially during preparations for the very first meeting. It involved pulling numbers and percentages from different aspects of the Filipino communities, figuring out who the Filipino teachers were, having talks and surveys with guidance and wrapping it up with long discussions between the school administrators.

“We wouldn’t be here without Los Padres,” Salvador said. “They are the skeleton of this operation.

Most of our things have come from them because they have been doing such a good job with the Hispanic Community.”

Los Padres is the Hispanic group Kababayan is modeled after. Los Padres started at FHS in the 19951996 school year, and has been dedicating themselves to helping the FHS Hispanic families since. The successes that Los Padres has produced for their Hispanic families heavily influenced Kababayan. Kababayan has used this group as their own foundation while making slight modifications to better fit the Filipino community.

“The reason why pulling it together wasn’t as hard on us is because the foundation has already been set for us,” Huliganga said. “We also have so many support systems here. We already had a model that we could follow, so we didn’t have to work on the fly of how to do things. It just so happened that we have many talented people here to put things together.”

With the creation of Kababayan, hopefully we see other minority ethnic groups be inspired to follow suit to help the many other families here at FHS. As a Filipino myself, it is amazing to see my typically overlooked culture having the chance to get the resources we need here in this high school to help us make our mark in the world.

So Maraming Salamat Po (thank you) to all those who helped make this Kababayan program a reality and to those who will continue to support it!

Graphic courtesy of Frances Mendoza and Dreamstimes

News

Dec. 13, 2019

2

Lockdown procedures at FHS

by Thomas Poplawski and Michael Wang Collaboration

With the number of mass shootings in the US rising every year, especially in schools, it has become increasingly more important to better prepare students and teachers for such events. School lockdowns are just one procedure that schools have been using to keep students safe during life threatening on campus active shooter scenarios.

On Nov. 14, 2019, a 16 year old with a homemade, untraceable handgun entered Saugus High School, California, killing two students and wounding three

more. He then committed suicide.

During the shooting, students followed their lockdown procedures as they were instructed, hiding and creating barricades.

Some students even preemptively barricaded rooms before an active shooter alert was announced on the intercom, according to the New York Times.

“Kudos to all of them for a job well done and, hopefully, that’s a job we never have to do again,” Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said.

While lockdown drills will never be able to completely prevent school

shootings, their main purpose is to ensure that students are safe during an attack. In order to adapt to different situations, the guidelines for a lockdown have changed from staying in place to three principles: run, hide and defend. “[School shooting codes] are about as effective as they can be,”Biology teacher John Magee said. “It is very difficult to practice effectively for a situation where a random person comes on campus hiding a weapon with the intent to kill people [at a random date and time].”

There is the concern that school-shooting drills

can be harmful to students regarding their psychological stress or feelings of anxiety because they are happening so frequently.

According to the New York Times, the National Center for Education Statistics reported that in the 2015-2016 school year, 95 percent of public schools across the United States held some type of lockdown drill. 57 percent of U.S. teenagers in 2018 stated that they were fearful of a school shooting happening in their school, according to National Public Radio.

Police are trying to improve drills and procedures to better protect students.

“They change in many ways every year, as the police review school shootings and update best practices,” Magee said.

Whether school shooting procedures are effective or not, they still exist in order to ensure the safety of students. While these procedures will remain for

Hello, Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. We are The Phoenix, Fremont High School’s student-run newspaper. We publish eight issues throughout the school year, around once per month. To continue to support our students and showcase their hard work, we are requesting a one-time, tax deductible donation. This donation will allow us to sustain our Journalism program and allows us to continue to provide The Phoenix to the community for free. Each donor’s name will be featured on every issue of The Phoenix, and a special title, depending on the amount donated, will be given to every donor. If this is something you would be interested in or if you have any questions, please feel free to contact fremonthighphoenix@gmail.com or emer_martin@fuhsd.org.

Thank you, The Phoenix now, researchers across the country are debating ways through which school shootings can be prevented or mitigated.

“I am still of the belief that building an inclusive school community and making people feel welcome and connected goes a long way to minimizing the

isolation and anger that can cause people to take such extreme actions,” Fremont principal Bryan Emmert said. “I also believe [in] creating a community that looks out for each other [and] helps to alert authorities when things might be bubbling up.”

Graphics courtesy of The Pioneer

Library now boasts a street art wall for all of FHS

by Sarah Madden

Staff Writer

In an effort to help boost and encourage artwork at Fremont High School, Library Specialist Ruben Zamora has pushed for allowing students to create their own street art wall.

Many teachers and students alike played an integral part in developing the project, such as English teacher Emer Martin, Drama teacher Tanya Misfelt and Art teacher Catherine Zweig. In addition, Stagecraft students made the physical wall which students were encouraged to put art upon.

“It is big to step up like that and present your art, your feelings or what you believe in,” Zamora said.

Wheat paste, also

known as flour paste or just paste, is used to glue the posters and art to the wall, since is often used as an adhesive for hanging up posters and art.

To make the wheat paste, mix two parts flour with three parts of water and stir the mixture before bringing it to a boil. Then, when the mixture thickens,

more water is added. Cook on low heat for at least half an hour and stir constantly.

Adding a little sugar or cornstarch can be good for extra stickiness as well.

Zamora is using this technique to add art to the school’s walls in an environmentally friendly way by avoiding the use of spray paints and oil based paints.

The official demonstration on how to use the wheat paste and what one would do during the event was held on November 18 during lunch. The art hand-ins and pasting were held on November 21 and 22.

Future pasting times will be announced in the morning announcements as well as emailed to students.

Many teachers like Biology and Chemistry teacher Mary Sargious agreed with the sentiment.

“I think this is a really good thing,” Sargious said.

“A lot of times students don’t have a way to express themselves creatively on campus.”

According to Zamora, this idea was somewhat

inspired by Banksy and Shepard Fairey, two very famous urban artists, who use their art as a way to share important messages to the community, allowing people to express themselves and their beliefs freely for all to see and appreciate.

Finally, as shown, the artwork already on the wall consists of a few quotes.

“Blowing out someone else’s candle doesn’t make yours shine brighter.”

It also included original artwork that students made specifically for the wall.

Keeping in mind that there is still more space for new art, with student drawings and quotes always being accepted.

Sarah Madden | The Phoenix

Sunnyvale City Council redraws the boundaries

by Vivien Su

Editor-in-Chief

The city of Sunnyvale is embarking on a new endeavor: redrawing the city’s boundaries, transforming the power that voters have.

One of the major flaws of Sunnyvale’s current election system is the cities misrepresentation of regional districts.

“Currently Sunnyvale has ‘at-large’ elections for seven numbered seats,” Sunnyvale’s Deputy City Manager Jacqueline Guzman said. “You vote for all candidates running for a seat on the City Council, and the elected council members represent the entire city versus a defined geographic district.”

“Cities with at-large voting systems have increas-

ingly faced legal challenges under the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA), a state law that prohibits voting practices that prevent racial minorities from electing candidates of their choice,” Guzman said.

“We knew that our [Sunnyvale’s] at-large system put us at risk of lawsuits from the CVRA standpoint, and we decided to move to district elections back in September of 2018” Sunnyvale mayor Larry Klein said. “Then in October of 2018, we ended up getting a potential letter of plaintiff lawsuit on the CVRA issue.”

In light of the difficulties and misrepresentation ongoing in the city, Sunnyvale’s City Council decided to remap the city’s geographical districts. The

remapping process was the result of months of dedication, collaboration and discussion.

“Over the summer, the City launched a community-driven map drawing process to determine the six council district boundaries for Sunnyvale elections in November 2020 (should the March 2020 ballot measure succeed),” Guzman said.

“We trained community members on the rules for drawing maps and provided them an online tool to help them draw a map. A total of 26 community maps were submitted. Over the course of three months the maps were refined and narrowed at public Council meetings.”

The whole process was arduous and did not go as expected.

“Our initial vision was to put something on the November 2020 ballot [about moving to] a district election, and then having our first district election on November 22,” Klein said.

“That would have allowed us initially to incorporate the 2020 census as part of the final district map. Instead what we’re now doing is changing the charter in the March 2020 primary elections to move to district elections, and then having our first district elections for council members in November of 2020. And then ultimately redistricting those districts after we receive the 2020 census data in April of 2021.”

After many months, a final map was decided on Nov. 12, 2019.

“The map was submitted by a group that called itself the ‘Unity Group’ that was made up of nearly 20 ethnically diverse residents from different geographic areas of the city,” Guzman said.

Under the new plan, Sunnyvale is divided into seven geographical regions, each having a population close to 24,000 and a mix of different ethnic groups, ages, household incomes and more. Each district will elect a council member that will serve as a representative.

The map will formally be adopted on December 3, 2019. The ordinance will have direct implications on the California’s primary election, which will occur on March 3, 2020.

To stay up to date on the district elections, citizens can visit SunnyvaleElections.org.

Graphic courtesy of Sunnyvaleelections

News

Dec 13, 2019

FHS senior creates the SRSHF

by Suryan Bhatia

Editor in Chief

For senior Aryia Dattamajumdar, the 2018 California wildfires served as an opportunity to use her skills to help first responders.

Dattamajumdar said that she has always been a curious student who loved tinkering with objects and building LEGO models.

“I got into robotics in seventh grade. I had an interest in coding and electronics,” Dattamajumdar said. “I love tinkering around with Arduino boards and sensors and all that.”

Dattamajumdar’s first project was a homemade spectrometer that could measure salt and sugar levels in processed foods.

She built the spectrometer during the summer after eighth grade and submitted it to the Cupertino Library Foundation’s S^4 Super Summer Science Search competition, which is open to all students of Cupertino, Lawson and Kennedy Middle Schools. To her surprise, she won first

place, sparking her interest in science, prompting her to participate in science and engineering fairs.

Dattamajumdar’s catalyst to create her Search and Rescue System to Help Firefighters (SRSHF) was two-fold. According to Dattamajumdar, her house flooded, causing her to lose many textbooks, photo albums and other precious items.

Then, in 2018, upon seeing the efforts of first responders during the wildfires, she decided to help out.

“I thought, ‘how can I get in there and help out?

What can I do?’” Dattamajumdar said. “I wanted to make a search and rescue system for a basic person, like me, to get in there. It started off as a search and rescue system. Then, I saw the Paradise Falls fires in 2018, and the bad air quality and all that; and I wanted to help out.”

Dattamajumdar also interviewed multiple firefighters prior to designing, and tailored the SRSHF to their

needs. Dattamajumdar’s system works in a series of steps. First off, a drone views the area, data from which is analyzed into DetectNet, a neural network that detects objects. Then, once an object is identified, a robotic retrieval system uses ultrasonic and light waves to connect a first responder to the area, using virtual reality, without the responder physically being present in the area.

Although the system has been developed, it is not complete yet. According

to Dattamajumdar, there are a lot of open circuits right now, and she expects the SRSHF to be fully ready sometime in 2020. She added that the system can be adapted to other disasters, such as floods, by changing the packaging material, allowing the SRSHF to help no matter the situation.

“It’s an early warning system,” said Dattamajumdar. “So, in the early stages of a [disaster], when you can’t get a lot of volunteers out there, you have this system go instead.”

by Caitlyn Chan

The transition from middle school to high school can be a frightening new prospect. There is stricter grading, less retake opportunities, unfamiliar buildings and a lot of new students. Nevertheless, everyone has to make the transition one way or another. The class of 2024 is no different.

Eighth graders often find themselves at odds with their friends going to different schools. Students are always torn, no matter how many

or how few of their friends are separated from them.

“I went to Lawson Middle School (LMS), so not a lot of people from my middle school are here at Fremont,” said former LMS student Shreya Suriya. ”It was hard at first, since the majority of the people I’ve known since kindergarten now go to a different school than me. But the atmosphere [at Fremont] has made it like ten times easier to adjust.”

Thankfully, eighth graders do have ways to help adjust when it comes to getting used to campus life, such as shadow day.

Shadow day allows prospective students to experience life as a Fremont student.

The next shadow day takes place in March of 2020; the date has yet to be determined.

“I expect the cafeteria food to be better than middle

by Dalia Lévy Staff Writer

Editor-in-Chief Suryan Bhatia | Vivien Su News Thomas Poplawski | Quinten Seghers Arts & Entertainment Trixie Rodriguez | Natalie Wolff

Center Spread Shira Agmon | Diana Piper Online Leann Bast | Michael Wang Photo courtesy of Aryia Dattamajumdar

school, and so far it is,” said shadow day attendee Ysbrandt Seghers. “It’s always still a bit nerve racking. I will have to meet a lot of new people.”

Some incoming freshmaen expect that high school will be scary, but that is more than often not the case.

Many middle school students come with the expectation that it will be hard to make new friends and to establish friend groups in high school. But many students often find that it is the opposite.

Although freshmen at Fremont have to face many changes, students do not have to interpret this new change as a bad thing.

“I feel like high school is different from middle school because high school is a lot more fun than middle school and the people are so much nicer,” said former Cupertino Middle

School student Eshika Jainai. “We have better spirit days in high school too.”

For previously homeschooled students who are now entering the public system, it can be even more challenging to adjust to public high school.

“There’s more stress involved because you have to follow the class’ pace versus going at your own pace,” said Pioneer High School student Julie Betler. “However, there isn’t that much drama like high school movies, and it was easy for me to meet new people.”

While the transition from middle school to high school is at times daunting, just remember that everyone else is in the same position. If one thing is for certain, it is that anyone can find their place at Fremont.

Graphic courtesy of Imgbin

- Time is continuing to run out for a nuclear deal between North Korea and the US; such a deal would settle the two nations’ decades-long nuclear stand-off and end economic sanctions according to ABC News.

- Iraq’s Prime Minister accepts resignation after more than 30 civilians were killed by gunfire from government security forces in a single day, according to BBC News.

U.S. News:

PHOENIX

Opinion Anahi Ruvalcaba | Sonia Wadher

World News:

Current Events

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Sports Kiana Thelma Devera | Emily Wilson

Transitioning to the FHS way Staff Writer

3

- According to The New York Times, on Nov. 28, 2019, President Donald Trump made an unannounced trip to Afghanistan, saying that he has reopened talks with the Taliban.

- According to Forbes, on the week of Thanksgiving, NASA announced that it plans to purchase seats on private spacecraft for their own government astronauts. This move would allow astronauts from outside the government sphere from companies such as SpaceX and Boeing to get onto the International Space Station.

- According to CBS News, a bomb cyclone caused major transportation delays across the country for up to 17 hours for some Thanksgiving travelers.

-According to CNN, on December 6, a gunman opened fire in the Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida, killing three and injuring at least eight.

Copy Editor Lauren Panzer Staff Writers Hannah Azur Steven Bhirdo Caitlyn Chan Charles Chang Sara Chow Hana Duus Maddy Garcia Jay Ghate Chris Guzik Audrey Hambrick J.J. Hernandez Nivi Khatana Dalia Levy Sarah Madden Jeanne Merigot

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Opinion

DEC. 13, 2019

4

Embracing Kwanzaa Christmas traditions

by Audrey Hambrick Staff writer

Face it: you don’t know what the hell Kwanzaa is.

It’s the one event on your calendar that shows up in December which people tend to overlook. Futurama made fun of it with the Kwanzaabot; there was a Rugrats special about it 18 years ago. Esteemed chef Sandra Lee of Food Network horrified thousands with her appalling Kwanzaa cake, and that’s about it in terms of recent pop culture. Don’t

worry, I’m black, and I can’t really tell you much about it from my own knowledge.

Kudos to you if you are wellversed in this holiday.

To brush up on my culture, I paid a visit to the official Kwanzaa website — which I might add, looks like it hasn’t been updated graphically since the 90’s — to help illuminate this celebration. Kwanzaa, an African American holiday that takes place from December 26 to January 1, was created in 1966 by Dr. Malenga Karenga, a professor of Africana studies during the Black Power movement. During Kwanzaa, families celebrate the Seven Principles, or the Nguzo Saba, through activities, feasts and other recreational activities. The principles celebrated are Umoja (unity), Kujichagulia (self-Determination), Ujima (collective work and responsibility), Ujaama (cooperative economics), Nia (purpose), Kuumba (creativity) and Imani (faith). The holiday “speaks not only to African Americans in a special way but also to Africans as a whole, in its stress on history, values, family, community, and culture according to the Official Kwanzaa Website.

The holiday is appreciated by many African Americans and gives them a festival that they can gladly claim as theirs. That’s a good thing, right? Especially since many Black people can’t really point to a certain

homeland or origin, considering that the majority of their ancestors were taken to America against their will. It all looks good on paper, correct? However, 87 percent of African Americans don’t actually celebrate Kwanzaa.

This begs the question: how can you feel united in family, community and culture, when only 13 percent of it celebrates with you? I feel that many Americans want to be supportive of Kwanzaa, but they’re unsure about the qualifications of the 53-year old holiday. I can guess what Black and non-Black people alike are thinking about Kwanzaa and its validity: it’s too ethnic, too out there; what’s the point? The African words sound silly; it’s just one of those holidays where Blacks reaffirm what makes them

roll around, I can’t really feel enthusiastic about them.

Come MLK Day, Juneteenth, or Black History Month — which I may point out, falls on the shortest month of the year — I skim over the news articles about them that only pop up once a year and go about my day, even though I could be making an effort to actually revel in my culture.

Our country has a dirty history of using slave labor to help build it up, and it can be definitely agreed that the wrongs of the past need to be addressed. We try to acknowledge the importance of supporting Black individuals, but it feels like the bare minimum so we don’t feel too bad.

It’s like the whole country gives itself a pat on the back whenever Google releases a well-illustrated doodle of

great. Isn’t that basically Black Hanukkah? I thought their culture was being ghetto, enjoying rap and hip hop and stabbing each other for chicken sandwiches?

For Black individuals, it’s easy to fall into that way of thinking, even if you do want to support your own culture, the one that you had to scrape and gather from what was hidden from you for over 400 years of slavery. Why take a risk and venture out of your comfort zone when you can just celebrate family, community and “culture” at Christmas?

Nevermind that Christianity was used for justification for your people enslaving your ancestors. It’s still our religion; we’re good Christians!

Do you want to know why Kwanzaa is overlooked?

It’s because America doesn’t value African Americans as much as it should. I’ve always adhered to a typical, White American perspective when celebrating certain holidays. It’s just been so normal for me to be pumped for days like Christmas or Halloween, and so much so that when Black-orientated holidays

Martin Luther King Jr. on his birthday because we all know that he had a dream or whatever. Kwanzaa is no exception to the rule, and that’s honestly saddening. It’s sad to feel like you should try to celebrate your community and perseverance, but can’t because it’s too much of a shift to go from good, typical Black person. We’ve grown comfortable in doing the bare minimum and that’s hurting people like me in the process. We don’t feel supported by our country, and we feel awkward in participating in a holiday we don’t know much about, even though it’s about us and for us. We all need to break through that awkwardness and embrace the issue head on: Black people and their culture is highly stigmatized, and until we make efforts to show our support for them and acknowledge the tension and uneasiness about talking about race, Kwanzaa is still going to be overlooked, shrugged at and ridiculed. It might be too late for me to feel comfortable with celebrating Kwanzaa in the future, but I can hope that African American holidays and culture will be better supported in the years to come. Or maybe they’ll just be extra nowork or school days, so we can pretend to care about the actual meaning and then go watch the newest Marvel movie in IMAX. It’s your move, America.

Photos courtesy of Google Images

by Emaan Rao and Sonia Wadher Collaboration

The holidays are around the corner, and people are getting in the spirit and jumping ahead on holiday festivities.

Families are hanging up their fairy lights and putting up their Christmas trees, and festivals, like Christmas in the Park, are opening for the season. Many people assume that because Christmas is a well known holiday, all people around the world celebrate it the same, but in reality, that’s not true. For years, people around the world have been adding their own twist to Christmas, carrying on traditions that have been around for years.

For example, people in the Philippines hold a giant lantern festival every Saturday before Christmas Eve, holding a competition to see who can build the most elaborate lantern.

In Austria, there is the legend of Krampus, a beast like demon creature that roams the city’s streets scaring little kids and pushing around the “bad” kids. Krampus is known as St. Nicholas’ evil accomplice, and this tradition has stuck around for years. Every year on December 6th in Germany, a man dressed as St. Nicholas (resembles a bishop and carries a staff) travels by donkey in the middle of the night going house to house to deliver coins, chocolate, oranges and toys in the shoes of good kids. He also visits schools in which kids recite poems, sing or draw a picture in turn for a treat. Some churches have dedicated activities of this day in honor of St. Nicholas’ Day. In Venezuela, families roller skate to church, and roads and streets are blocked or cleared up beforehand so people can roller skate safely and freely. Afterwards, they get together with family and have Christmas dinner.

In Norway, families hide their brooms on

Christmas Eve because old tradition says that witches and evil spirits come out on Christmas Eve looking for brooms to ride on. As for a more local tradition, officials light the nine meter Menorah that is raised on White House grounds for 8 days and nights of Hanukkah in Washington DC. My family doesn’t celebrate the holiday for religious purposes, even though Christmas is widely promoted in America, but we still take part in traditions that are considered Christmas like. Many families take part in traditions that involve loved ones as a way to spend time with them during the holidays. These include, but are not limited to, making gingerbread houses, picking and decorating christmas trees, counting down with an advent calendar, watching classic holiday movies and holding some sort of secret santa or cookie exchange. Some families take the time to go out of their way and give back to those in need as a reminder to be grateful of what they have and share the holiday spirit with individuals who might need it.

On the other hand, my family celebrates Christmas and other holidays that are widely promoted in America. On December 1, we put up our Christmas trees and lights, and start wrapping presents for our loved ones. Festivities like Christmas in the Park, Fantasy of Lights, and classic holiday movies like Home Alone are part of how we celebrate. Growing up in an Indian/African family exposes me to a multitude of holidays that are celebrated within our culture during the same time as Christmas. November through December becomes “the most wonderful time of the year” as my own culture is in a way combined with Christmas. On Christmas Eve, when my family throws the annual Christmas party with our family, we don’t have the traditional Christmas dinner consisting of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and roasted vegetables. Instead, in my family, there’s never one set cuisine. Each member of my family brings whatever they feel like bringing, and we ultimately end up with a hodge podge but delicious array of foods. The point of Christmas isn’t to see how many presents you received or how you spent your holiday. It’s to spend time with your family and be grateful for the opportunities that we have and spread the holiday spirit.

Photos courtesy of Google Images

Opinion

Dec.13, 2019

OK BOOMER: Generation Z’s new slogan

by Diana Piper

Centerspread Editor

“Ok boomer.” It has become an all-encompassing term used to defy the older generation, something that every high schooler has called someone and has been called, when they themselves appear to be regressing to the views of the old. Although we use this phrase as casual conversational ammunition against the baby boomers, those born between 1946 and 1964, it seems to signify so much more: a cultural shift between the different generations. Generation Z, those born between 1997 and 2012, has bred a unique crop of people, one that is more pioneering and enterprising than ever before.

“Ok boomer” origi-

nated on TikTok, the communal hub of Gen Z. The video in question has a baby boomer lamenting about the generations after his, while a Gen Z-er silently holds a notepad with the statement “Ok boomer.”

Since then, the phrase has spread like wildfire, becoming ubiquitous in Gen Z conversations. It has increased disputes between boomers and Gen Zers — now, if there seems to be any generational friction, “Ok boomer” is employed.

Although there has always been tension between the old and the young, this phrase has taken the generational dismay to a new level. No other generation has invented such a general term to use to circumvent the elderly’s anger and resentment for the youth.

It has fortified the image of Generation Z as a group of progressive and innovative individuals, people that will not comply with the status quo.

But why was our generation consigned this obligation, to invent such a defiant term? To understand this question, one

must comprehend how a generation is molded. Baby Boomers were influenced by the economic prosperity of the 1950s. Conversely, millenials were influenced by the economic plights of the Great Recession of the late 2000s. The cause of the development of our generation? The prodigious tech industry and prospect of climate change.

We did not merely witness the evolution of our convenient gadgets and software like the past generations did — we grew in tandem with technology.

We watched as Facebook became trendy, then obsolete. We transitioned from watching regular cable TV to streaming TV shows on Netflix. We adapted to the ever-improving technology and applied it to the rest of our lives. It became a part of the Gen Z philosophy: things will never stay the same, so we must keep on augmenting our society. The enterprising and resilient spirit of Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Elon Musk had diffused into our entire generation.

Past generations have

felt hopeless, especially when faced with the Boomers, who feel entitled to everything. Millennials could not find jobs because of the unrelenting economy.

Generation X, those born between the 1960s and the 1980s, were exposed to the hopeless and gritty Cold War and a stagnating economy. These past generations all have a fundamental belief because of these unfavorable circumstances: the world cannot be changed. That is why they have been so reticent and defeatist regarding world issues, allowing Boomers to control everything. But Gen Z is challenging the process, inspiring change and their fellow generations to do the same.

The most clear issue in which you see this development is climate change. The mocked “popular” VSCO girls are not prodigal and unaware like the past teenage stereotypes. They carry sustainable water bottles and advocate against plastic straws in order to “save the turtles.” Although they are widely ridiculed, VSCO girls represent a trend in our gen-

eration. We are cognizant of climate change, and we are trying to fight it. Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old Gen Z-er, has even spoken to the United Nations about climate change and (albeit reluctantly) met the president.

This has inspired other generations to act in the same manner. In New Zealand, Millennial Chlöe Swarbrick was speaking about a Zero Carbon Emissions Bill in Parliament, and an older member made derisive comments about her. Swarbrick responded with the terse “ok boomer.”

This seemingly insignificant phrase of teenagers has been adopted into the arsenal of young lawmakers. Generation Z has contrived a new sense

5

of defiance, co-opted by the past generations in order to affect real change, even in the exasperating and slowmoving throes of government.

“Ok boomer” may seem dismissive. It is deceptively simple, a term that seems to say so little but evoke so much. Yet, as you analyze the origins of this phrase, the notions behind it finally become transparent. It is a brusque, brief deflection, an act of rebellion made easy and simple. Gen Z, fed up with the regressive boomer perspectives and beliefs, have pioneered a new future, filled with a formidable sense of hope.

Photo courtesy of Pinterest

ASB, tell us how you’re spending our money

by Anoushka Samant Staff Writer

As someone who is not a part of the leadership class at Fremont, ASB should be more transparent when it comes to spending. ASB controls the majority of the money of the student body and decides where, when and why money should be

spent. As of now, for those concerned with where ASB’s money goes, you can refer to Johanna Moyoli, who manages financial matters for ASB. However, it would be helpful if this information was more accessible to students. As students of Fremont High School, this money pays for our events and reserved privileges. We should be aware of where our money is spent because these decisions directly affect us.

The purpose of ASB is to represent the student body and organize events for the school. In order for ASB to do their job best, more communication between the students and ASB

is always recommended. As of now, there seems to be a lack of communication between ASB and the student body. By being more transparent on spending and communicating, more students can be informed of decisions, improving this lack of communication.

This will better represent the student body. By closing the gap in communication between ASB and the students, the relationship between the two can be strengthened. As a result, this involvement would also be catered to students’ desires and priorities and increase overall satisfaction and the money spent

by ASB would be better

utilized.

Ways that ASB can be more transparent on spending is by using social media more — such as posting polls on the school Instagram, hosting online surveys, and having live chats on Facebook. Other options include having a more active presence on campus such as holding meetings and handing out pamphlets, or sending newsletters to educate students and parents on ASB’s financial matters. By doing so, students, parents and the community will be more involved in ASB and the matters of their spending.

Apart from these ideas, I believe ASB should be

more clear about the money that belongs to the students and how, where, when and why that money is being spent. This way, all students could be more actively involved in school events and programs, money can be spent efficiently and effectively and the relation-

ship between students and ASB can improve.

Photo courtesy of @FirebirdFelipe

Dear Esteban,

Do I have depression?

Sincerely, Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy Dear Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy,

Hey Google, play SAD! by XXXTentacion Love, Esteban Dear Esteban,

What do you do if your mom is a Karen?

Sincerely, The Kidz Dear The Kidz,

Shut up and go listen to Kidz Bop, Sincerely your mom.

Love, Esteban Dear Esteban,

If dentists make their living off people with bad teeth, why do we use the toothpaste they recommend?

Sincerely, Stubborn.bad.breath Dear Stubborn.bad.breath,

Don’t be rude, they have fillings too.

Love, Esteban Dear Esteban,

How do you fix a broken heart?

Sincerely, Taylor Swift Dear T-Swift,

We are never getting back together.

Love, Esteban

Special Feature

Dec. 13, 2019

6

Saying Farewe TV throwback

by Gianna Vargas

The decade is coming to an end. These were the years we teenagers grew up in, watching now-nostalgic TV shows.

There were two channels we all watched: Disney Channel and Nickelodeon. As we get older, we realize these shows remind us of our childhood.

Nickelodeon broadcasted memorable TV shows such as “Victorious” and “iCarly”. “Victorious” and “Sam & Cat” were recently added to Netflix on November 2. With these shows being added, many teens have begun to watch the series again, including me. Many teens have started to notice the small jokes in these series that they never noticed as a child. It is very exciting to now understand these jokes.

Iconic TV shows on Disney Channel such as “Wizards of Waverly Place”, “Shake It Up”, “Jessie”, “Hannah Montana”, “Good Luck Charlie”, and “Austin & Ally” played a big part in our childhood. Some teens do not realize that the friends you meet now are likely to have had the same Disney childhood as you. Picture yourself as a child, watching the new episode of your favorite show. Do you realize the friends you meet now could have been doing the same? It’s crazy to think that Disney could create shows that all children, no matter what background, can look back at.

You may have heard of Disney+, a new streaming

service for Disney. This service includes TV shows and movies from all Disney franchises. On the first day of Disney+’s release, over ten million people signed up for a subscription, demonstrating the popularity of Disney in our generation. This is a great service for all ages. Children today grow up watching different TV shows. The same goes for teenagers and adults because they can also watch the TV shows they grew up watching, especially our generation because Disney+ allows us to watch old Disney shows we love.

Some of the Disney Channel TV shows running in 2019 are “Andi Mack” and “Bunk’d”.

Younger children love these shows because they are the shows that their generation is growing up with. However, for teenagers, these TV shows are simply not the same. Obviously, over a decade, TV shows are going to change, but there is a clear difference between trends and humor. Now, Disney and Nickelodeon have started to become more kid-appropriate with their humor. “Andi Mack” from Disney Channel was also the first series on Disney Channel to feature an LGBT character. Since “Andi Mack” was the first series to do this, you can definitely see cultural differences between the shows then compared to now.

Over the course of ten years, Disney and Nickelodeon have provided great shows for our generation to grow up with. So

2010s playlist

By Shira Agmon and Leann Bast Our childhood is coming to an end and all we have to remember it by are the memories that we have made. So take a trip with us down memory lane, with some of the most popular songs of the decade. Scan the barcode below for the full playlist.

1. Rolling in the Deep - Adele 2. Moves like Jagger - Maroon 5 3. Paparazzi - Lady Gaga 4. Dynamite - Tiao Cruz

Photo courtesy of RED Development, Nick Y Disney, Wikipedia, FreeIconpng, Geek Wire, FreePngClipart

Fashion Flashback

by Anahi Ruvalcaba and Maddy Garcia The 2010-2020 decade has been a whirlwind, especially in the fashion world. From politically purposeful outfits to fashion statements that turned into memes, to some unforgettable gowns, we look back at the most memorable fashion moments of the last ten years.

We can’t forget our childhood shows that gave our young souls a sense of style. Disney Channel always pushed the envelope when it came to teen fashion. Alex Russo, played by Selena Gomez in “Wizards of Waverly Place”, wore long shirts and jean skirts with leggings and tall black boots. Because Selena Gomez had been one of the most influential celebrities of our time, her feminine style combined with her boyish personality made us all want to be as talented, clever and trendy as her, even if the only way to do so was to dress similarly. Not to mention her best friend Harper Finkle, played by Jennifer Stone, always made an impression with some very questionable outfits.

For instance, she once wore a sky blue dress with rubber ducks attached to it. Harper was known for making and designing her own clothes, which is what made her outfits seemed inspiring and interesting. She expressed herself dressing with whatever she wanted to like our younger selves did. Looking back at it now, it seemed that the clothes we wore were based on what made us feel good. Harper and Alex’s outfits portrayed their personalities clearly, exemplifying the style we used to prefer.

Most of us can agree growing up that we swore by Justice to emulate the style of Alex and Harper. With the rainbow mustache dresses and scratchand-sniff shirts, what was there

not to love? The clothing store Justice has gone out of style as we have gotten older, but will forever remain in our hearts for always giving us something to wear that were “fun”.

Everything had to match!

It was all about sparkles and matching with whatever we were wearing. Our personal favorite is Twinkle Toes. Twinkle Toes were probably the craziest shoes of our decade. The glittery shoes lit up and had every color combination imaginable.

It seems the trends of the 2010s do not sync up with the fashion of the youth of today.

Now instead of matching our outfits and color-coordinating, we care more about the type of aesthetic we present about ourselves. As teenagers, we take what others think of us very seriously. It is now accepted to wear things that are special and unique to us, similar to how Harper did. The major difference is that wearing things that are unordinary still have to align with what society has selected to be trendy. The best way to describe our greatest fashion trends now are outfits of the past: Big baggy painter pants from the 90’s and crop tops, the same aesthetic our parents once wore. These outfits are still unique to us but match with what the rest of what society finds trendy today.

The younger versions of ourselves were fun, outgoing, and artistic when it came to the things we wore. Every day, we chose our outfits based on what made us happy, not others. It’s best to say that Twinkle Toes and Justice clothing will always remain within our greatest memories for giving us clothing that made us smile and feel great, however, it’s likely they

Special Feature

Dec. 13, 2019

7

ell to the 2010s 2010s: A Recap

by Trixie Rodriguez

I was 6 years old at the turn of the decade. I didn’t get much time with the 2000s, and I wasn’t even really cognizant during the majority of the time that I did have. For me and for many other Gen Zers, the 2010s were the formative years.

It’s the decade of my youth. It’s the decade that shaped who I am and what I believe in. It was also the decade that truly defined what it meant to be alive in the Digital Age. Growing up in the Silicon Valley during this time sometimes felt like living in a twisted utopia. There are so many articles by older generations analyzing the effects of technology on today’s youth (us), but when you grow up surrounded by technology, it’s not the intrusive force that those who are new to it believe. So what exactly is it like to grow up in the Era of Technology? Well, I’m 16 years old. I’m still growing up, and I don’t pretend to know much, but I can at least try to make sense of it.

For me, one of the highlights of the past decade was entertainment. I got to grow up with streaming. I remember when the Blue Ray was first released and how I found the idea of watching Netflix on a TV to be exciting and exotic.

When entire seasons drop at the same time, a race against spoilers ensues. Binge-watching has become a unifying past time. Streaming is a force that has completely changed the entertainment industry; there is more content available than ever. Studios like Netflix and Amazon now dominate award shows. The best thing streaming has done is allow projects that never would have been made it 10 years ago to get a chance to shine. Shows don’t have to fit the 20 minute long episode format. They don’t have to be strictly hour long dramas, either. Entertainers have more freedom to be, well... weird. This freedom has allowed some of the best

shows of the decade to shine.

Then there are platforms like YouTube where people have managed to build entire empires by playing video games or showcasing nail art. YouTube completely altered stardom and the path to reach it. YouTube has also revolutionized the way students study, as well as in-class learning. The power of streaming cannot be understated.

My generation grew up in parallel with the internet.

Both Instagram and Snapchat were launched in the first two years of the decade and have played defining roles in the culture of my adolescence. The 2010s witnessed the rise of the smartphone. By 6th grade, the majority of kids at school had an iPhone. We grew up with an entire world in our back pocket.

So how did this affect us? The stereotype is that my generation became slaves to technology. The notion is incredibly insulting.

It’s also flat out ridiculous when you consider the ways technology has been used by teenagers as a vehicle for change. After the shooting in 2017, Parkland students turned to social media to rally for change and bring gun violence to light. And yes, sometimes people can zone out from reality and start idly scrolling through Instagram. The problem is that is the only thing that adults see. They don’t see girls hyping each other up in the comment section of a post, friends sending each other TikToks and snapping back and forth. These things might not seem big, but they’re so indicative of how our generation cares for each other.

There are millions of articles dedicated to the “evils” of social media, but thousands more praising it. There is something dangerous about championing and antagonizing social media.

It’s a part of everyday life, but it doesn’t define my generation, it is simply a feature.

Growing up in the Digital Age does not correlate to a lack of communication skills. In fact, technology is something that connects and excites people.

Social Media Success

by Emily Wilson Throughout this decade, society has gone through many technological and social developments. This growth was not only necessary for changing our personal lives and the workplace, but also for global communication.

In October 2010, Instagram, arguably the most popular social media platform, was launched.

While this app was initially released for the youth, users now come from a wider range of ages, from elementary schoolers, eager to be cool, to middleaged women, bombarding their friends’ feeds with posts of their children. Teens like myself use this app as a way to talk to people and simply keep up with what’s going on in the world.

In this decade, videosharing apps were thrown into the spotlight as well. Apps like Vine, Musical.ly and TikTok are all similar in the sense that they all consist of users sharing short, often humorous, videos. Teens mainly use these apps as a videostreaming device and not to take photos or text. This gives the average high schooler the opportunity to go viral, become famous and create names and careers for themselves. For example, teens from all across the globe can lipsync to a popular audio clip and become celebrities among their own generation. While this suppresses individuality, it fosters a sense of connection and community among respective users.

With the rise of these apps, the trend of seemingly non-talented people becoming famous over one viral post is also present in modern influencers. Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok alike all have famous users simply known for their viral posts. While some of these influencers are entertaining and can definitely hold their own, some are widely regarded as untalented and only receive clout by following the trends. For example, there is an astounding amount of hype sur-

rounding recently popularized TikToker Charli D’Amelio, whose content is anything but original.

This is immensely frustrating for users who create individual content because the work they put in is not as appreciated. Nonetheless, influencers who post popular content are often able to create a career for themselves, and their main or sometimes only source of income is through social media.

However, this is not the only way social media has increased our range of options for careers.

Social media allows widespread communication at the tap of a finger. Businesses can tell their customers everything that they need to know. New customers all across the world can learn about businesses without having to communicate with anyone directly.

That said, international communication between companies and customers is at an alltime high. Instead of searching for an email or phone number, one can just simply comment on a post or shoot them a DM, and the message is sent. Social media and technology have become an essential part of culture, all thanks to the rise of smartphones. Better communication is not the only way that smartphones have contributed to our daily life. The introduction of downloadable apps allows for people to accomplish everything they want to and more on one device. Social media apps are both a blessing and a curse in society. While they are unique in their purposes and users, online toxicity and cyberbullying is promoted. It is now widely believed that social media should be regulated among impressionable minds, as the hate that could potentially be received is harmful for self-image.

Regardless, we live in a digital world, and this decade alone is responsible for the most digital growth in history. Social media

Arts & Entertainment 8

Dec. 13, 2019

Frozen 2: another Disney sequel ruined

by Natalie Wolff

A&E Editor

“Some people are worth melting for.”

Disney’s Frozen is eas-

ily one of the most iconic movies that has ever graced the silver screen. After its release in 2013, Frozen Fever swept through the world faster than the Macarena in the 90s. It warmed

the hearts of millions and filled the pockets of Disney executives more than anyone could have predicted.

Frozen was undeniably a worldwide phenomenon; whether you loved or hated it, nobody was safe from the movie’s biggest song, Let It Go. Now, after waiting six long years, the highly anticipated sequel Frozen 2 has finally been released.

Creating a perfect sequel is a near impossible task, especially with a film as beloved as Frozen. That

being said, the expectation was that it would at least come close to the epic heights reached by the original, but unfortunately, it came nowhere near.

The original Frozen was a pure cinematic masterpiece with an unrivaled sound track, clean script and awe-inspiring animation. Frozen 2 felt more like a sloppy fan made follow up.

One of the biggest criticisms Frozen faced upon its release was a lack of backstory. People wanted to know more about Arendelle and the origin of Elsa’s powers. This is exactly what Frozen 2 aimed to do.

The movie follows Elsa and company as they travel outside of Arendelle and into an enchanted forest, in an effort to save their kingdom. Like most Disney musicals, the majority of

songs take place within the first 30 minutes of the movie, but the driving force in Frozen 2 is the relationship between characters.

The sequel focuses much more on dialogue than the original. This hinders the songs, as none of them are particularly memorable with the sole exception of Into the Unknown.

The relationship between Anna and Elsa was a focal point in the original film, but not in this sequel.

In addition, the plot of Frozen 2 felt tired and dry.

The movie is largely about Elsa’s self-discovery, which like most things, was not as exciting the second time around. Perhaps the real stars of the film were Olaf and Kristoff, who provided stellar comedic relief and showcased growth, which was genuinely interesting to

watch.

Another highlight of the few highlights of the film was the beautiful animation. Elsa and Anna got to showcase new hairstyles that would leave any viewer envious. The enchanted forest was also truly gorgeous, and it was clear there was much thought put into crafting the world of Frozen 2, possibly more thought than the actual script.

Compared to the original, Frozen 2 is consistently clunky and struggles to deliver. Truthfully, Frozen fans are better off rewatching the original than spending hard earned money on the mediocre sequel.

Graphic courtesy of Disney

Taylor Swift’s accomplishments over the decade

by Yashvi Rawat

Staff Writer

Taylor Swift has become an iconic and wellknown artist throughout this decade. This August, Swift released her newest album Lover, which made her the first female artist to have six albums sell more than 500 thousand copies in a single week. Billboard has also recently placed her in the top 10 artists of all time, among icons such as Michael Jackson and The Beatles.

Swift released her debut album at the age of 16 and has released six additional albums since then, earning her 28 American Music

Awards. This has made her the most awarded artist of all time, with Michael Jackson holding the previous record at 24 awards.

On Nov. 24, 2019, Swift was honored as Artist of the Decade at the American Music Awards. She was also nominated in five other categories, including Favorite Female Artist of the Year for Pop/Rock genre and Favorite Album for the Adult Contemporary genre.

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“Taylor’s impact on music this decade is undeniable, and her performances on the American Music Awards have been truly spectacular,” said American Music Awards production executive Mark Braco in an interview with ABC News.

“We’re thrilled to honor her as our Artist of the Decade.”

Swift’s large fan base can be explained by her relationships with both her fans and other artists. She

has shown her appreciation for her fans countless times, being one of the only artists to not charge money to meet her and even going as far as to invite fans to her house. Swift has also shown her support for smaller artists, calling out both Spotify and Apple Music for not compensating artists enough for their music.

Despite all her achievements in the music industry, Swift has had more than

a fair share of drama. Following a 2016 controversy involving artist Kanye West, Swift released her album Reputation as a response to rumors of her being a liar and victimizing herself.

More recently, Big Machine Records has been restricting her performances and claiming she owes them millions of dollars, prompting her to reach out to her fans for help.

However one feels

about Swift, it is clear that she has made many contributions and brought about significant changes in the music industry. This includes her paving the way for crossover artists. Many have criticized the artist for turning away from her country roots and transitioning to pop music, but through her albums Red and 1989, Swift has managed to successfully blur the lines between the genres.

Swift’s positive influence as well as her lasting impact on the music industry have made her one of the most iconic artists of all time.

Graphics courtesy of Big Machine Records and EEN

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Arts & Entertainment 9

Dec. 13, 2019

Mariah Carey is bigger than the holiday season

by Serenity Ramon

Staff Writer

Christmas time is here again, which means hot chocolate, fuzzy socks, ice skating and Mariah Carey.

Undeniably, the most defining Christmas song of the last 3 decades is All I Want for Christmas is You by the pop icon Carey. The song has become an essential aspect of Christmas in America. It’s practically inescapable at any department store through the month of December.

The song was originally released in 1994 and has kept Carey at the top of the charts for years. But Carey, or the newly crowned Queen of Christmas, is so much more than her hit song All I Want for Christmas Is You, so let’s take a look at Carey’s prolific career.

Carey got her big break in 1990 after signing a contract with Columbia Records to release her debut album Eponymous. The album was a smashing success and

launched her into stardom.

She was the first woman at the time to have five of her singles reach Billboard 200.

During the 1990s, Carey won best new artist for her single Vision of Love, which also made it to the top of the Billboard 200. Other iconic Mariah Carey singles include Hero, Without You and The Music Box, which all managed to reach Number One on Billboard. In 1994, she released her Christmas album Merry Christmas. It included covers like Silent Night and Santa Claus is Coming to Town as well as original songs like All I Want For Christmas Is You. Carey has no shortage of hit albums. In fact, in 1997 Carey’s sixth album Butterfly also reached number one in several countries. Her music style at the time could best be described as a mix of HipHop and RNB. In 1999, she made history with Whitney Houston

by performing When You Believe at the Academy Awards. At the same time, she was nominated for a

Grammy for the 23rd time for her seventh album, Rainbow, which featured other artists like Snoop Dogg and

Jay-Z. Carey had also guest starred on shows like The Bachelor and starred in a 2001 movie titled Glitter

alongside rapper Da Brat.

Carey reached a level of stardom many aspire to, but few are actually able

to achieve. However, this kind of attention and lack of privacy has the power to destroy a person’s life.

During her career highs, Carey experienced personal lows. At one point, she had to check in to a psychiatric hospital.

She did not let this hold her back seeing as how later that year in 2002, Carey released a movie called Wise Girls.

Carey is still extremely successful. In 2019, she made at least 7.5 million dollars through her world tour for the album Caution.

She’s been such a big influence for many artists and songwriters and has inspired many to follow their dreams in the music industry. She is also involved with many charities like Make-aWish. Her humanitarian work has made her very popular.

Carey is known as the Queen of Christmas for

a reason, but she has an entire library of work that’s appropriate all year round.

She has achieved so much in her career, so this holiday season, if you find yourself blasting All I Want for Christmas Is You, do yourself a favor and look into the rest of her discography.

Photos courtesy of PNG River

Christmas movie guide Christmas at Starbucks

by Abby Mingus

by Sara Chow & Nivi Khatana

Collaboration

The Grinch The 2018 remake of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a fun and modern twist to the familiar children’s tale. The Grinch, voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch, is just as green and grumpy as ever, but now he is relatable. He stress eats to deal with his emotions; his best friend is his pet and he isolates himself because the outside world is scary.

The remake still has the substance that made America love it: a Scroogelike character that softens because of Christmas love, but this movie has more moments of laughter and vulnerability. Everyone can see themselves in Cumberbatch’s Grinch because the movie is not just a Christmas movie, it is a movie about an outsider who is welcomed into a community for the first time. The Grinch is a must-watch for everyone who needs a good laugh and a good cry.

Love, Actually Love, Actually is a movie that covers nine interconnected romantic, platonic and familial relationships.

The movie is admittedly cheesy, unrealistic, and at times, a little problematic.

But the movie has a starstudded cast and contains an amazing soundtrack.

It is a movie that America watches year after year because, at its core, the movie is about love. This movie revolves around how the holidays make people fall, profess, enjoy and learn about love. Love, Actually is the ultimate Christmas movie as it embodies the true heart of the holidays.

Staff Writer

Home Alone Home Alone is a classic Christmas movie, and shares the hilarious story of eight-year-old Kevin McCallister foiling a robbery with his makeshift boobytraps and clever pranks.

This comedy is perfect for everyone in the family. The main conflict begins when Kevin is inadvertently left behind as the McCallister family hurries off to catch their plane to Paris. To his delight, Kevin wakes up with the house to himself and indulges in every kids’ guilty pleasures: jumping on his parents’ bed, eating a whole pizza and bingewatching television. Then, Kevin discovers that the incapable and unintelligent burglar duo, Harry and Marv, are preying upon the McCallister house. Duty falls to Kevin to protect the family home!

During the holidays, there are many things that get people into the spirit of the season. One of the biggest ways stores capitalize on the holidays is by selling limited edition holiday-themed merchandise. Starbucks is one of the nation’s leading companies and has mastered the art of holiday advertisement.

As the biggest coffee chain in America, they have a large contribution to the Christmas season.

From signature seasonal drinks to themed mugs, Starbucks is ready and prepared for the holidays.

On November 7, the five signature holiday drinks returned to Starbucks for another year.

The festive five — Peppermint Mocha, Toasted White Chocolate Mocha, Caramel Brulée Latte, Chestnut Praline Latte, and Eggnog Latte, are all available as hot or iced in the form of Frappuccinos and Cappuccinos, according to the Starbucks Stories & News website.

These festive drinks also come with a variety of cup designs specially made for Christmas.

After the controversial cup designs in past years, this year, they took a simple approach with a cup saying “merry coffee” in red, white and green lettering.

In comparison to past years, I think this year’s holiday collection and drinks are better than I expected. The drink selection has a variety of choices, all with

a festive feel. Personally, I had mixed feelings about the drinks. The main issue I had was the lack of coffee flavor as the drinks seemed to be slightly watered down.

The peppermint mocha, in particular, had the right amount of peppermint taste, but lacked mocha.

The toppings, consisting of shaved chocolate and whipped cream, added a nice touch to the drink.

The Frappucino version of the peppermint mocha was definitely sweeter.

On the other hand if you have a sweet tooth then the toasted white mocha is the way to go. A grande toasted white mocha has a very high sugar count with 56 grams of sugar.

The espresso mixed with white chocolate mocha and steamed milk created a sweet yet smooth balance of flavors. Although the sugar was slightly over powering, the espresso kept the sugar from becoming too much.

As someone who is not a huge fan of white chocolate due to the sweetness, I think the hot toasted white chocolate mocha is a good balance of sweet and bitter.

For people who are looking for a drink that is similar to the traditional Starbucks beverages, the eggnog latte is the closest holiday drink

to a classic latte. It is made like a regular latte with a hint of eggnog, making it traditional with a hint of holiday flare.

The Starbucks Caramel Brulée Latte has a richer caramel flavor compared to other drinks like the Caramel Macchiato. It has a smoky burnt taste that adds a more balanced savory feeling to the drink. When preparing the drink, they use a different syrup than the usual caramel syrup and top it all with a delicious layer of hardened bits of caramel and whipped cream.

The last holiday drink that Starbucks offers is the Chestnut Praline Latte, a blend of espresso and flavors of caramelized chestnuts with freshly steamed milk. It is topped with whipped cream and spicy praline crumbs. This drink lacked in comparison to others but it did not fail to deliver the holiday feels that I was looking for.

Overall the holiday collection at Starbucks was a perfect addition to the Christmas season. However, one area that did not get a festive makeover were refreshers. In the future I hope to see a holiday themed refresher complete their Christmas menu.

Graphics courtesy of Tumblr, IIMDb and Pngtube

Arts & Entertainment 10

Dec. 13, 2019

A look into Fremont High School’s traditions

by Perla Verduzco and Maya Zuljevic Collaboration

High school is a time full of stressful, hilarious and iconic moments. From graduation ceremonies to dancing the night away at prom, Fremont has many traditions to ensure that students get the best possible high school experience.

Throughout the school year, Fremont hosts seasonal sports so that every student gets a chance to

shine. One of the more popular sports is football, which has games every Friday of the fall season or both the varsity and JV football teams. Most students typically attend the varsity game to cheer on their honorable team. The biggest game of the year is easily Fremont’s annual Bell Game in which we go head to head against our rival Homestead High School. The two teams compete to take home the bell, which stays at the winning school for an entire year.

One of the best parts of

high school is spirit weeks where everyone shows up to represent Fremont. During spirit weeks ASB plans a spirit day for each day of the week. Each day has a theme, which can range from twinning with friends to appearing in full body costumes. Spirit weeks also end with rallies consisting of mini games for each grade to compete in. To bring up the festive spirit. At rallies students usually wear colors representing their class, and the school’s dance team, marching band, color

guard and cheerleaders get a chance to perform their routines. The class that has the most enthusiasm is declared the winner of that rally.

The winter spirit week leads up to the Homecoming Dance. This dance invites all classes to join.

ASB also partakes in this tradition by helping with decor. Homecoming usually takes place in Fremont’s cafeteria and goes well into the night.

Of course, the ultimate dance is prom. Unlike homecoming, prom is on

the more “prestigious” side. Upperclassmen dress up in more formal attire rather than the slightly more casual appearance of Homecoming. It is also significantly more expensive as it is typically in a nicer venue.

Another extremely sentimental tradition is graduation. Graduation is the day the high school chapter comes to an end for seniors. Every senior has to say goodbye to all teachers, peers and memories made at Fremont. Students will

wear a cap and gown of their school color and receive a diploma.

This is an emotional moment for many as they might not see their peers or teachers ever again. Families and friends attend to bid the seniors goodbye and see how far they have come.

Once you graduate high school, a new chapter to adulthood opens. However, the memories made in high school will never fade. Students should make the most of their time at Fremont by appreciating every moment.

Upcoming Fremont choir and drama shows

by Jay Ghate Staff Writer

December is here, and it’s time for the holiday season. What’s a better way to celebrate than supporting Fremont? Two important events are coming soon to Fremont High School, so there will be no shortage of ways to fill your December days. First, the FHS Drama Department will be presenting “Splintered Time: Tales of Past and Present” directed by Fremont’s drama teacher, Tanya Misfeldt.

Then, there is the annual Christmas choir concert conducted by choir director.

“Splintered Time” is a collection of monologues

with diverse origins such as classical pieces from Ancient Greece, Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde.

It will also feature monologues and scenes written by the students themselves.

Misfeldt is very excited for the student-written pieces.

She wanted to give Fremont students a place to showcase their work. The contrast between new work and beloved classics was intentional.

“The importance to me is to get my students to stretch and challenge themselves and for them to be able to pick pieces and express their thoughts and feelings on stage” said

Misfeldt.

She believes that it is important to theatre students’ education to have their voices heard by writing their material and presenting it on stage. Misfeldt’s desired takeaway is that students should be able to voice themselves without shame.

“You shouldn’t be afraid to put your thoughts and feelings on to stage and to express your voice and yourself,” Misfeldt said.

Her other message is that no matter the age of the play, it still has relevance and impact on the modern day.

“I just hope the audi-

ence is impressed with the variety of things they see on stage. We got some monologues that are tragic, so I hope their heartstrings get tugged. And there are others that are really funny so I hope they see the humour so they laugh. Dear God, please laugh.” said Misfeldt.

The opening night for “Splintered Time: Tales of Past and Present” is Saturday December 14 ”at 7 P.M. for five dollars.

Along with the play, Howard is also hosting a holiday choir concert. The main theme of the concert and the songs will be peace.

“I like the fact that we chose peace as the theme,

and we’re singing a song called Pachem, which means peace, and we’re doing it in Latin, Hebrew, and English that all revolve all the idea of peace,” said Howard. “[The songs] remind us that in a chaotic world that there are some beautiful things that we can enjoy and experience” There will be a range of songs, from classical holiday to contemporary songs, performed by all four groups of choir (including glee).

The most important song is Pachem, which translates into lasting peace. “[The song] reminds us that in a chaotic world that

there are some beautiful things that we can enjoy and experience,” said Howard.

“They should experience laughter, joy and peace. The holidays can be stressful for a lot of people and they can just sit back and enjoy and relax. A lot of people say this is the highlight of the year.”

The concert is December 19, at 7 p.m. at the St. Luke’s Theatre. Arrive early as tickets run out quickly.

This holiday season, find out what Fremont has to offer!

sports College sports requirements Holiday tips

11

dec. 13, 2019

by Isaac Tiscareno Staff Writer

Only about one in seven high school athletes end up playing sports in college and only one in 24 high school athletes play at the division one level.

Many FHS graduates such as Jason Townsend, the current athletic director, have played their respective sports in college.

“I went to DeAnza [after] high school, so I played Junior College Basketball,” Townsend said. “It kind of opened my eyes to how many really […] good basketball players [there are] and that was [when I had] a reality check or ego check playing there. After that, I went to Long Beach State and played basketball there that was a division one level.”

Fremont had a few amazing athletes continue to play their high school sports after they graduated last year. One of the FHS athletes of the year, Cohle Feliciano, is now wrestling

at a junior college. Idreece Barnes, a Track and Field athlete, is now running hurdles at San Jose State.

“Idreece walked on, so I contacted the coaches at San Jose State.” Fremont Track and Field Coach Mark Shields said. “He’s actually on their track team right now.”

Shields, himself, was a college athlete. He ran sprints and hurdles for Oklahoma State University.

For many college-level sports, there are divisions for schools that have teams in these sports. “[There are] NAIA Division 3, Division 2 and Division 1, you know, so there’s lots of different levels, I think, [in basketball] [...] for people who are college-level athletes,” Townsend said.

“You can find a level for yourself [in college].”

And contrary to the belief that track and field is not a team sport, college track coaches still ask former coaches about track athletes and how well they

work with other athletes.

“Even if you have really good times, any knowledgeable collegiate coach will still ask your high school coach about you, about your personality, [about] how you were toward[s] training [and about] how you were toward your teammates,” Shields said.

A coach recommendation is not only helpful in Track and Field.

According to USA Today High

School Sports, getting a recommendation from a high school coach in any sport can help a coach of a college team gauge an athlete’s character, attitude and talent.

College-level sports are very difficult to get into, and there are many different things to consider, but a few FHS athletes have met the challenge.

by Charles Chang Staff Writer

What comes to mind when Christmas rolls around?

Is it toys? Family? Maybe the event of doing 84 situps for a Christmas challenge? Was that last one out of place, the fact of doing activities on a wonderful break from Fremont.

Sometimes, a little work could be all that is needed to stay fit. Need fun ways to be active over the Christmas break?

Follow these challenges to spice up your productivity.

Push-ups can be a top choice for exercise to stay fit.

But a twist is needed to make push-ups more entertaining during the break. Consider this: start the week with two dice, roll said dice and add the amount of days into the break. Reroll every day while adding the days into the break as said before and voila, the winter push-up challenge with a peak of 26 push-ups for those few unlucky souls.

Sit ups are considered a useful exercise to many, but can be very repetitive for some. Adding a dice to the activity would go look like this: start with a die, any simple old die and roll it, after the roll add it to past rolls done on the break and do that amount of sit ups. With that a max of 84 sit-ups can be done, a challenge for anyone who is not a proclaimed athlete.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

On another note to staying healthy over the break, dieting is a great way to avoid massive weight gain. Food can be dangerous. To combat this danger the government made the average food chart which came out in 2011 with approximately 30 percent grains, 40 percent vegetables, 10 percent fruits and 20 percent protein with a side of dairy as a standard. Following this classic chart should give the right amount of substance the body needs. Basic things to look for when dining could be sugar, sodium and fat which are said to be the three deadly ingredients of cooking with alcohol as the fourth.

A successful season for FHS boys water polo

by Asaf Shchory Staff Writer

The fall season at Fremont has four sports available for its students.

Among those four sports is boys water polo. Although it is not a very popular sport, water polo is still very appreciated amongst its participants. This past water polo season, the FHS boys water polo team played in the El Camino Division against schools such as Monta Vista, Cupertino and Santa Clara High School.

This water polo season was tough for the team, having to switch coaches for the second year in a row and dealing with a lack of equipment and funding. Even without the best equipment and funding, the team has still managed to make the most out of its resources. The team has won multiple games and has

had two players on the allleague roster. The all-league consists of the top 12 players that were picked from the schools in the league. The team has managed to put up a good amount of goals during the season, and when they did lose, they only lost by one or two points.

If you ask the water polo team about their season, they will most likely talk about what happened outside of the water and the team chemistry, which was very strong this season.

“I really liked the team this year,” senior Dunnecha Howard said. “I thought we had a great team chemistry.

Even after tough losses, we still managed to pick each other up with words of encouragement and friendly acts”.

“I think this year was a good year in terms of team chemistry,” junior JT

Kaprelian from the varsity team said. “We got along very well outside of the pool and inside of the pool for the most part.”

Every team sport has a captain. For the 2019-2020 water polo season, it was senior Anthony Kawamodo.

Kawamodo has scored 75 goals this season overall and has made a great impact on the water polo team for four years now.

Kawamodo did not only play during the high school season throughout his high school career but also played on a club team called West Valley. This club team has achieved many respectable placings in a couple of known tournaments.

“The strongest thing about our team this season was probably our team chemistry,” said Kwamodo.

“Our team chemistry improved our gameplay since

we all trusted each other. If our team chemistry was not as strong as it has been our gameplay would have been much worse since we would not have trusted each other

and our gameplay would have become slower.”

To sum it all up the boy’s water polo season was very solid. The team had great team chemistry which

tightened bonds between players causing the amount of trust in one another to increase. This helped the team throughout the season and better their gameplay.

Photo courtesy of Gretchen Parenteau, QuickCycle Photo

The importance of after-school sports

by Coral Sheffer Staff Writer

Participating in after school sports is a great way to make new friends, play your favorite sport and get PE credits. Sports are important because they improve your physical and emotional health, and the exercise helps relieve stress.

During the winter season, Fremont High School offers four sports: girls and boys soccer, cheer, girls and boys basketball and wrestling.

“After school sports

are important because it is an activity where you can learn new skills and make new friends,” a varsity cheer member said.

After school sports help relieve stress. The article “Why sports are important for children” by Golf Canada states that children have as much depression, stress and anxiety as adults. Academics can cause a lot of anxiety, especially in teenagers.

Although relieving stress is one of the factors that sports help students with, not all students play

sports after school. This decision could be due to the fact that some students think that they will be exhausted after the sport, unable to complete homework or other work. However, sports allow more oxygen in a person’s blood system, and the more sports a person does, the more active they will become. By being more active, one might have more energy to do homework or other stuff in general, this means they would be less exhausted than before due to being more active,

according to student Amir Ianis at the University of Rochester.

Sports can also connect people that have similar interests in the same sport.

“Through sports, I have made so many new friends,” a varsity soccer member said. “I do not believe I would have made [these friends] otherwise.”

Through sports, athletes are bound to meet other students that share the same interests as them.

After school sports serve as a great way to

combat academic pressure and feel comfortable with people with similar interests as you. In the end, after school sports are important because they help with stress, allow students to become more active and connect students with similar interests.

Photo courtesy of Car Sickers, Inc.

sports 12

Wilcox Cheer

by Jeanne Merigot Staff Writer

Bullying in high school is a serious problem that results in unfortunate consequences for the well-being of the victims. Since it happens so many times in high school, it is often not paid attention to or cared about.

Not many bullying stories have had stories reported about them as they happen everyday, but sometimes they do.

For example, Wilcox High School has recently published an impactful bullying story that has happened within their campus.

If you live in the Bay Area, you have most likely heard or read this story which has been featured in many newspapers. This story is centered around a gay male cheerleader on the WHS cheer team. This 14-yearold was cheering at a pep rally and at the football game against Milpitas High School on November 1. At the game, the varsity football players from his own school allegedly chanted slurs at him, calling him a “f*g” and reportedly physically threatening him.

Since multiple people witnessed this, particularly the cheerleaders from the team, reports of the incident were posted on change.org to

explain the full story.

Due to this, the Santa Clara Police department showed up to WHS the next Monday to investigate the allegations. The investigation was also addressed at the Santa Clara Unified School District school board meeting later that week.

“From a disciplinary standpoint, the school has taken the actions available given the facts of the case, which range from removal from athletics to suspension from school,” said Wilcox High School Principal Kristin Gonzalez in a message to the WHS community.

According to the WHS principal, the football team’s season was supposed to end early, which meant that they were not supposed to play against Fremont High School the week after on November 8. However, the WHS varsity football team still played FHS and won 44-0. The WHS team also went undefeated in their season, which means that they are going to move up to leagues. In the end, the football players faced discipline from the school officials but will not face criminal charges.

Many parents, teachers and students from around the Bay Area were shocked by how the school handled the situation, expecting a more severe punishment from the school for these unacceptable actions. The reason many were appalled was because the student was a male cheerleader, dedicating himself to support his football team, but only got back hate and negativity.

The parents of the 14-yearold have also threatened the move their son to another school if more actions were not to be taken.

Nonetheless, the student was well supported by his family, his team, and most of his peers at WHS. In addition, a lot of famous cheerleaders from around the Bay Area, different high schools and professional teams came to the game against FHS in solidarity of the cheerleader. The whole Fremont High School cheer team was part of this support system. They all sat on the home bleachers to cheer on the cheer team throughout the game. As well, many cheerleaders brought posters and gifts to give to the WHS cheer team.

Dec. 13, 2019

Bicycle safety tips

by Christopher Guzik Staff Writer

Early in 2014, I went on a bike ride with my family and a few family friends. We were all on our way to a breakfast spot in San Jose. Being an energetic 12 year old, I decided to try taking my hands of the handle bars and putting them up in a celebratory pose. Obviously, I crashed, and I took my mother down with me, breaking three of her ribs and giving myself serious road rash. My most vivid memory of this event is not the actual crash, but the waiting that ensued after we called the ambulance. I was sitting on the curb, being consoled by 31-year-old Mathew O’Neal. This is because the day after, he was struck and killed by a car on a bike of his own.

O’Neal was in the area doing a 1200 kilometer bike ride that started in San Jose and was staying in the area. Despite wearing numerous lights and riding far right in the bike lane, he was struck and killed by a teen driver without a license in a truck. The teen could not control his own vehicle. As a biker, some situations are out of your control, but using bike lights, smart riding and taking the right roads can help keep these situations out of your life.

From personal experience, the most important thing you should have on your bike is a light. According to DriversEd, a driver’s reaction is 90 percent based on their vision.

As a general rule, I like to keep two taillights and one headlight on my bike at all times. A second item that is sometimes harder to find is a helmet. Sizing is one of the most difficult things to do with a helmet, as an adult-sized helmet will cost a bit, but it is super important in case of a crash. People who don’t wear helmets tend to think they won’t crash, so a helmet would be unnecessary. In the case of a crash, according to the National Institute of Health, a helmet will reduce your chance of head injury up to 88 percent.

Another easy way to prevent injury is to ride on bike-friendly roads. These can include roads with a large shoulder or bright green paint to alert drivers where the bike lane is. Some good biking roads around school include Sunnyvale Avenue, Arques Avenue and the John Christian Trail.

I find the easiest way to avoid getting injured on a bike is to be prepared. Taking safe roads, wearing a helmet and using bright lights will not prevent a dangerous situation from occurring. Being prepared is the best way to prevent the worst from occurring.

Photo courtesy of SeekClipart

Photos courtesy of PlusPNG and Dreamstime

Should professional teams play on holidays?

by Steven Bhirdo and J.J. Hernandez Collaboration

Professional sports don’t get holidays off. Players may be entitled to leave, but they don’t get holiday breaks like other professions, such as teaching and retail jobs. This is partially due to the sports teams’ owners and the sports organizers, who get money from watchers. The players have been paid to play games, and they get paid no more to play holiday games. So why play these games?

Football, hockey and basketball: these are just a few of the sports that are played during the holidays.

Lately, there has been a controversy about playing professional sports during holidays.

For some families, watching sports during a holiday is a family tradition. Watching sports like football brings the family together and prompts them to talk to one another. This is especially important to families who don’t get to see each other every day.

This year, the Detroit Lions played the Chicago Bears, the Buffalo Bills played the Dallas Cowboys and the New Orleans Saints played the Atlanta Falcons.

Watching football on

Thanksgiving is a popular tradition amongst many American families, and even though these football players are sometimes far from their families, the teams that play on this day are honored to play in front of large audiences.

For other families, it could be one of many other sports. One of these sports is basketball. This year, the Golden State Warriors, the Houston Rockets, the Boston Celtics, the Toronto Raptors, the Milwaukee Bucks, the Philadelphia 76ers, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Los Angeles Lakers, the New Orleans Pelicans and the Denver Nuggets all have games on Christmas Day. Each team plays at either their home court or away. Five of the 10 teams must travel away from their families on Christmas day to play their games.

Another popular sport played during the holiday season is hockey. Although other sports have multiple games on Thanksgiving, there was only one hockey game during the holiday season: the New Jersey Devils versus the Montreal Canadians. While all the other teams were with family, these players were on the ice, playing a game.

One sport that is not

as popular as the others but a highly popular sport elsewhere is soccer. There were many games on Thanksgiving this year across 11 leagues. However, there is only one game scheduled for Christmas day. The Kolkata ATK plays the Bengaluru FC, and both teams being part of the Indian Super League, the teams are not as popular as other teams like the San Jose Earthquakes or Manchester United or any of the other popular teams.

Soccer players are always traveling to play games, sometimes traveling outside their country to play games.

These players spend more time traveling and playing than they do relaxing with family, so the holidays are really the main time they have to spend time with family. But those players who traveled to play the Thanksgiving games were again, separated from their families.

The sport baseball is also played on holidays.

Luckily, the baseball season lasts from late April to early October, so the players do get to spend time with their families during some of the more important holidays.

During Easter Day all 30 teams played a game this includes the Kansas City Royals, the New York Yan-

kees, the Minnesota Twins, the Baltimore Orioles, the Washington Nationals, the Miami Marlins, the Chicago White Sox, the Detroit Tigers, the San Francisco Giants, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Atlanta Braves.

The Cleveland Indians, the Cincinnati Reds, the San Diego Padres, the Toronto Blue Jays, the Oakland A’s, the Seattle Mariners, the Los Angeles Angels, the Philadelphia Phillies, the Colorado Rockies, the Boston Red Sox, the Tampa Bay Rays, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Milwaukee Brewers, the New York Mets, the St.

Louis Cardinals, the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Chicago Cubs, the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers.

During Independence Day only The New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays played against each other.

Although there are many great things about being a professional sports

player on a popular team, playing games on holidays will always be a tough part of the job for them.

However, playing in largely broadcasted game could outweigh the negatives of sometimes having to travel hundreds of miles away from family to participate in the games.

Photos courtesy of FreePngClipart, PinClipart and Wikipedia