Teacher Goodbyes Page 4
Hillsdale Senior Spotlights Page 5, Page 9
May 22nd, 2018
News In Brief Congratulations to Thomas Karpishin for throwing a perfect no-hitter on March 29th, the only no-hitter that was thrown in the entire league this season!
Senior Sports Profiles Page 8, Page 9
Editor’s Goodbye Page 10
Website: www.hillsdalescroll.org
Students March for Social Change Anya Lance-Chacko Senior Staff Writer After the school shooting in Parkland that followed countless other gun related incidents throughout the United States, many youth and teachers alike decided to partake in the national March For Our Lives movement. Hillsdale seniors Micah Dayag and Kyle Guanzon and their peers led the student body in a protest of their own. Students like these hope to make a crucial difference in these pressing time- as they’re the ones running tomorrow. Guanzon explained, “We know that this is a very polarizing issue and it’s been going on for a while, and no one has brought it up for a long time. And then due to the recent events, we were inspired to do this because of the momentum from the March for Our lives event, and the students in Florida are just like us. It’s hard to do something like this, there just regular students and
they want to bring change, and this is why we’re doing it–we want to create a platform in our community through March for Our Lives addressing issues around The organizing committee meets with Jackie Speier. school safety, and just being Photo Credit: Eilleen Zhang more accepting.” So the sparked.” Guanzon added,“There was a students decided to take on the responsibility of necessary political action. lot of extensive planning. We had Monday D a y a g e x p l a i n e d h o w t h e meetings every week at room 110 and it demonstration ignited: “It all started was an open invite to everyone, it was a with Superintendent Skelly and we all coalition of twelve schools, and not just met up and were invited to go speak at a schools in our district but other schools, like Student Panel and we met other students private schools around San Mateo County... (continued on page 2) from different schools and that’s how it
Knight Under The Sea: Sink or Swim? Sean Tjoa Staff Writer
Congratulations to the Varsity Boys’ Tennis Team for having their best season in school history, making it to the second round of CCS!
This year ’s prom, A Knight Under the Sea, was held on the night of April 14th, lasting all the way until midnight. Taking place at The Galleria in San Francisco, a spectacular venue with two stories, the turnout for prom was great, and the venue was packed but not overcrowded. Various employees were serving drinks to students at the counter, checking in bags, and taking photo-shoots for groups. Prom-goers could choose to party on the dancefloor itself or even pack into the brightly lit elevator to dance while ascending and descending between floors. The entrance to the venue was great despite the flurry of people in suits and
dresses, rushing inside to refuge from the cold wind outside. The interior of the venue remained a perfect temperature for the entire dance, letting everyone dance to their heart’s content. Although the line for check in was long, the sight of the dance floor awaiting you was amazing. Lights were going off from the DJ’s stage, elegant tables were placed at the sides of the dance floor, and the bright elevator behind the stage served as a nice contrast, outlining the first and second floor. At the back of the room was a large table piled high with cookies, brownies, chocolate-covered strawberries, and more. To the side was an open-bar, serving sodas with an easy access to water. As throngs of people began to fill up the dancefloor, the energy rose exponentially, but the experience may have been less than the best for some.
While the music was loud and filled the room, the energy was low at some points of the dance. Huge crowds of people were dancing on the floor, but it was clear that the music didn’t fit everyone’s tastes. There were a few times during the dance when a large amount of the crowd tried to get the DJ to switch the song by holding up their fingers in an easily-recognized shape: L. Hillsdale senior Katia Promono said, “I was disappointed by the music because it was a lot of songs that nobody really knew, so we didn’t get excited by them”. Although not everybody loved the music that night, prom still remained a great experience for many. Hillsdale junior Kathryn Jia noted, “I think prom is something that everyone’s really excited for… (continued on page 2)
One Year of Thursday Late Starts Jamie Ip Staff Writer
Support the Art Department in their art show Wednesday, May 23rd, 6:30 - 8:00 PM, in Room 421! Do you have comments, feedback, letters to the editors, or want to buy an ad? Contact us at: thehillsdalescroll@gmail.com
A valuable break in the week or an inconvenient break in the schedule? As curtains slowly fall on the school year, it concludes the first year of Hillsdale’s new bell schedule. This year, Hillsdale changed the bell schedule in hopes of promoting healthy sleeping and accommodating teenage workloads. Instead of starting normally at 7:45 and finishing early at 1:49 on Thursdays, the Thursday schedule now begins at 9:20 and ends at the normal time of 3:15. This allows for an extra hour and thirty five minutes of sleep time in the morning; to some, a much needed break. To others, it marks the end of minimum days. Responses to the new schedule have been generally mixed. Some are in strong support of the late start, with senior Zack Berger stating that “If my sanity is dental floss, then I’m all out of dental floss and late start Thursdays are like a little bit of extra toothpaste.” A late start on Thursday helps many survive arduous school weeks.
An anonymous senior describes the extra bit of sleep-in time on Thursday as “a much-needed break for preventing zombie outbreaks on Friday”. Beyond the mental benefits, the extra sleep time has physical benefits as well. Studies have repeatedly proven the importance of getting quality sleep time; for teens especially, sleep is crucial for healthy growth and development. Sleep deficiency can result in decreases in both physical and mental health, while students who sleep properly can function productively throughout the day. The late start may only last Thursday, but the extra sleep time it provides still serves as a great relief for sleep deprived teenagers. On the other hand, the new schedule has its flaws. For one, it can be inconvenient for parents and students who don’t live near Hillsdale. As an anonymous junior concisely stated, “Late start Thursdays are unhelpful for people who don’t live within walking distance of school.” The further away one lives from Hillsdale, the more troublesome a constantly
changing schedule can be. By disorganizing the bells, it can be confusing for parents to know what time to drop off and pick up their children. Furthermore, on Thursday block days, the switch back to a normal starting time of 7:45 can be disastrous for those unknowing of it, and morning classes can be decimated as hordes of students unintentionally sleep in. Some students have also shown a dislike for the new tutorial time; both in the fact that it’s mandatory and for how late in the day it is. Along with that, the pushed back schedule also marks the end of minimum days for those who have seven periods. The extra length of the Thursday schedule prevents one from going home early, taking away precious time for homework and extracurriculars. The new schedule, which has had a profound impact on the school, is beloved by some and hated by others. While it remains impossible to please everyone, hopefully Hillsdale can accommodate both sides and work towards a perfected bell schedule in the future.