The Union - Milpitas High School - December 2013

E D i to r i a l 3

UN I O N

O pi n i o n s 4

December 2013 Volume xxVI Issue III

F e at u r es 6

L i fest y l e 8

T HE

E n te r ta i n m e n t 10

s p o r ts 12

MHSTHEUNION.NET For the latest updates

STUDENT VOICE OF MILPITAS HIGH SCHOOL

Students donate to food drive

by Amy Bui

The Jack Emery Food Drive was promoted throughout MUSD from Nov. 18 to Dec. 11, Jack Emery Chairperson Germain Louie said. Incentives offered by A.S.B. and various competitions held between clubs encouraged donations, Louie said. As of Dec. 12, the school has raised 5734.5 cans and $4823.17.

Each holiday season, MHS has participated in the Jack Emery Food Drive since it was started in the school district, Louie said. MHS had set a goal of 6000 cans and $4000, Louie added. This is the first year that MHS received a challenge within the district, from Pomeroy and Sinnott Elementary Schools, he said.

Having different CLOGs pass out fliers and collect cans in different neighborhoods around Milpitas has helped increase donations, Key Club Secretary Gordon Luu said. Key Club and Interact also participated in We Scare Hunger, an event in which the clubs collected cans around neighborhoods on Halloween, Luu added.

“Key Club and Interact have joined together to issue a challenge against Tri-M,” Luu said. The two clubs set a goal to jointly collect 800 cans and $200, Luu added.

A.S.B. held a competition between first period classes, and the class that donated the most cans won a breakfast party, Louie said. There was a winner each in the small, medium, and large class sizes for the sake of fairness, Louie added.

“This year we also have something new for bringing in money, which was starting a Piggybacker,” Louie said.

“It’s an online website where students and staff can encourage family and community members to donate money to them.”

A.S.B. has also branched out towards the community by putting out collection bins for cans at the Milpitas Library and Grocery Outlet, Louie said. The collection bins have helped bring in more cans, especially because can collection has been centered within the school, Louie added.

“Other incentives in place to promote the food drive included a raffle where students could bring in a certain number of cans or money corresponding to different levels,” Louie said. Prizes ranged from a free Trojan Army t-shirt, a $10 to $25 gift card, to a free MHS yearbook, according to Louie.

There was also a pie-eating contest hosted in the fourth period leadership class for students who brought in cans, Louie said. According to Louie, Leadership has also encouraged students to bring in cans to participate in the Turkey Trot.

“This is the third year that MHS has participated in Duct Tape Wars, taking place from Dec. 2 to Dec. 10,” Louie said. Each of the different classes collected money to earn a certain amount of duct tape that would be used to tape a class representative to the pole, Louie said.

Duct tape wars occurred on Dec. 12 during lunch, Louie said. Spirit points were given to the class whose representative stayed on the pole the longest. The Junior class won the Duct Tape Wars, while the Freshman, Senior, and Sophomore classes were second, third, and last, respectively.

Courtesy of Casey Mcmurray

School officials and dignitaries dig their gold shovels into the ground during the ceremonial groundbreaking for the new pool. The new pool will be between the softball and soccer fields. Construction ends in fall of next year.

Community pool construction begins

by Amy Nguyen

MUSD school board and MHS administration members gathered to recognize the start of construction for the new community pool, Principal Kenneth Schlaff said. The ceremony took place at the construction site between the softball and soccer field on Dec. 3 at 10 a.m., Schlaff said.

Superintendent Cory Matsuoka and School Board President Daniel Bobay gave opening remarks about the future of the pool, Athletic Director Jeffrey Lamb said. School officials and dignitaries broke the ground with

gold shovels, Lamb added. “[Groundbreaking] is purely ceremonial,” Lamb said. “It’s to sit there and say that the pool is going to go in.”

Construction is to be completed by the fall of 2014, Schlaff stated. The pool will be open for the Milpitas community, he added.

“The community will be using it, we will be using it,” Schlaff said. “ There’s a need for a much better facility,” The swimming facility will serve as instructional space, coaching space, and a place for outside use, Schlaff said. Ninth grade swim units for P.E. will be discussed in the future, he said.

“With a brand new pool, instruction would seem to go hand in hand,” Schlaff said. “But [the swim unit]’s a discussion with the P.E. department, because it deals with curriculum.”

With the completed facility, water polo is looking to be implemented as an addition to MHS athletics, Lamb said. Home swim meets can be held now that the new pool meets regulations, he added.

“I think [water polo]’s the general plan right now,” Lamb said. “We would not have water polo next year, but we’re looking at doing it the following year.”

IN memoriam

Stephen Stewart passes away

by Jonathan ngo

Jazmin Drop | THE UNION

Different sections of the audience competed in a game during the Winter Wishes Rally. The audience was split into three sections and each competed against each other to carry plastic sheets up and down the bleachers.

A.S.B. grants students’ wishes at rally

by Amy Nguyen

About 500 students gathered in the large gym for the inaugural voluntary Winter Wishes Rally on Dec. 3, according to Winter Rally Committee Chair Biancka Dela Cruz. Wishes granted by A.S.B. in the past six weeks were highlighted at the rally, she said.

Wishes were also granted during the rally itself, Winter Wishes Committee Chair Alexander Tran said. Senior Cheyenne Centino was granted her wish of being able to serve in the Marine Corps, Tran said.

“I wished my parents would sign my papers for enlistment in the Marine Corps,” Centino said. With the help of A.S.B., Centino’s parents signed her waivers, granting her wish.

Senior Pauline Nguyen was gifted with a One Direction member Niall Horan cutout. Sophomore Melissa Difuntorum was presented with a brand new laptop, Tran added.

“We tried granting as many wishes as we could,” Dela Cruz said. “Although we were given a budget, we used creative methods on granting some wishes.”

Voluntary rallies run through lunch and Sustained Silent Reading (SSR), so time is not taken away from classes, Dela Cruz said. Only one set of bleachers is used in these rallies.

“There was a good amount of students who attended,” Dela Cruz said.

“But ideally, I would have liked to see the entire one side of the bleachers filled.”

The rally included several short games and a live band courtesy of Skoollive, Dela Cruz said. Students gave mixed feedback about the rally.

Some enjoyed the games while others disliked the music, Dela Cruz continued.

“This particular rally just happened to be one that was voluntary,” Dela Cruz said. “The next [rally] is Trojan Olympics. It is a double fourth.”

A.S.B. plans to repeat the Winter Wishes program next year, Dela Cruz said. They will take into account advertisement and rally entrance to increase attendance, she continued.

“I think we want to build on [the program],” Dela Cruz said. “But I don’t know for sure if it’ll continue after next year.”

teaching at MHS. He continued to MHS teacher Stephen Stewart, 79, teach up until the onset of his illness passed away Wednesday afternoon, in September of this year.

Nov. 27, after a long hospital stay.

He enjoyed teaching at MHS beAs a well-respected member of the cause of the opportunity to influence English and history departments, students. He was known by others to Stewart taught English, American be kind, generous, and thoughtful.

Government, and Oral Composition. He also made mentoring others his He founded the MHS Speech and life mission. He and his wife took in a foster family in order to Debate team. He took help its five children sucgreat pride in contributing to its growth. He ceed.

He truly loved teaching also recruited most of and planned to continue its members and aided doing so as his retirement the team in many of its successes. plan. Although he did not He was born on Dec. start teaching until he was 71, he felt as if teaching 31, 1933 in San Diego was what he was supposed and grew up in Southern California, where he to be doing. Stewart loved Stephen Stewart lived until 1999. He was every day because he was giving back to students. the youngest of seven children. After graduating as an EnAside from teaching, Stewart also glish major and an esteemed mem- loved collegiate sports. He was an ber of the Speech and Debate Team avid Stanford fan, attending most at the University of Nevada, Reno, he of their games. Stewart’s favorserved on active duty for two years ite person in history was Winston in the army as a First Lieutenant. He Churchill. He was a member of the then attended Stanford Law School.

Churchill Society and attended anIn the late 60’s he was sworn in as nual meetings. a California attorney. He practiced Stewart was big-hearted and allaw in Orange County for over 34 ways had appreciative words for years specializing in family law. He everyone. He was open-minded and also was appointed to the bench by was an all-around interesting man. then Governor Jerry Brown where The MHS community will truly miss he served one term as a judge. He him.

In honor of Stewart, his wife will be retired in 1999. Following retirement, he decided he wanted to find establishing the “Stephen C. Stewart a new career. He returned to school, Memorial Scholarship Fund,” which obtaining a master’s degree in ed- will give an annual scholarship to a ucation and a California teaching Speech and Debate Club member credential. In Oct. 2004, he started toward his or her college education.

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T he U nion

NEWS

December 2013

Cornerstone survey results ‘disturbing’

by Jazmin Drop

by Cindy Wu

Sidney Le | THE UNION

Congressman hopeful Rohit Khanna speaks about his campaign, philosophy, and ideas to students. Students had the chance to ask him questions.

Khanna discusses campaign by karen chi

House of Representatives Candidate Rohit Khanna visited MHS during second and third period on Nov. 22, according to American Government Teacher Michael Cummins.

Khanna spoke about his campaign for the House in California’s 17th congressional district and answered students’ questions, Cummins added.

Khanna is a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Department of Commerce and a professor of economics at both Stanford and Santa Clara Universities. He is running against Congressman Mike Honda to represent Congressional District 17, which includes the Silicon Valley, in the 2014 elections, Khanna stated in the MHS Theater. Khanna announced his campaign in a YouTube video posted in April.

Most students at the question-and-answer session were seniors enrolled in Advanced Placement (AP) American Government.

Many questions were related to the cost of higher education in the United States and how to place students’ interests at the forefront of Congress’ agenda—and how Khanna could help facilitate that process, if elected.

“I hope to encourage all of you [students] to become permanent absentee voters,” Khanna said. “Getting more young people like you all to vote is what I care about.”

There’s a philosophical difference between Honda and himself, Khanna said. They are both pro-marriage equality rights and pro-choice but their stances on business and technology are different, Khanna elaborated. Ultimately, he hopes young people will vote, Khanna said as he concluded the session.

“I would rather you vote for my opponent [in this election], than not vote at all,” Khanna stated. “Whether you support me or Mike Honda, I think this is going to be a great race.”

Khanna’s visit benefited students and staff as much as it benefited him, Cummins stated. Khanna needed to appeal to the younger generation, Cummins said.

“He uses social media like Twitter and Facebook, something his opponent [Mike Honda], does not seem to match,” Cummins explained. “When he says he wants kids to be politically active, when he says he would rather you vote for his opponent than not vote at all, I really believe him.”

Educational leaders visit MUSD

by Sumukh Shekar

National educational representatives and Google employees from 10 different countries came to visit MUSD campuses, according to Principal Kenneth Schlaff. The tour was organized by Google for its Google International Summit and was held on Nov. 13, Schlaff said.

“Google has the symposium summit for educational leaders in 10 countries and they all come into Google for this particular summit,” Schlaff said. “One of the activities for these educators was to see certain kinds of teaching utilizing technology in an innovative way. ” Senior Ahsan Zahid was one of the (Digital Business Academy) DBA students who helped set up the presentation. He and other DBA students also helped guide the visitors around the campus, Zahid said.

“Google brought together education officials and education ministers from various countries and talked about [promoting education],” Zahid explained. “They got to see how we’re using Google software and devices in a classroom environment and many of them want to do the exact same thing in their home countries.”

The MUSD tour was also supervised by Superintendent Cary Mat-

suoka, Assistant Superintendent Matt Duffy, and Director of Technology Chin Song, according to the Google Summit briefing document. Matsuoka was the main presenter explaining the integration of Google technology with learning at MUSD school campuses, according to the document. “[The visitors] were impressed and [wanted] to go back and replicate a number of things they want to do in their own countries,” Schlaff said. “[This included] technology, collaborative kinds of activities that were going on in the class, critical thinking, and kids being able to be independent.”

Google has also collaborated with MUSD to promote other education projects, according to Schlaff. Google has helped plan and fund many of these projects, Schlaff said.

“We have the EOS, which is the Equal Opportunities School, which deals with an organization where we took a survey,” Schlaff said. “We’re trying to diversify the Advanced Placement program and we’re looking to add 186 kids on to diversify the population. In order to do that implementation, Google will fund that, diversifying those classes that will need a number of support activities like the EOS.”

The Project Cornerstone Survey that MHS students took last May during fifth period provided some “disturbing” feedback such as a 19 percent attempted suicide rate, Principal Kenneth Schlaff said. Last year was the first year MHS has ever participated in the Project Cornerstone Survey, Schlaff added.

MUSD partnered with Project Cornerstone last January to create a program in which students can become mature, healthy adults, according to the Milpitas Post (Jan. 2, 2013). The estimated cost of administering the survey was approximately $15,000, the article said.

In regards to the results from the survey, MHS has done “nothing as of right now,” Schlaff said. “The California Healthy Kids Survey, which is almost the same thing [as the Project Cornerstone survey], has results that

contradict with the results from the Project Cornerstone survey,” Schlaff added.

The survey reports that 20 percent of juniors. 23 percent of freshmen have considered or attempted suicide.

There is a high level of stress-related incidents that have occurred where students have had to access support for, Schlaff said. There has been an increase lately in the number of students coming in and directly seeing therapeutic counselors. MHS is utilizing its four therapeutic counselors in order to mitigate things as much as possible, Schlaff said.

“Academic counselors have long standing relationships with kids, know particular hot buttons, know how to deescalate things, know the family, know the context within the family right now,” Schlaff said. “They are able to go and utilize that information in order to deescalate a lot

of things that can be brought back down.”

During the month of October, there were 18 incidents in which students were trying to hurt themselves, and could have been taken to the Eastfield Ming Quong (EMQ) institution, Schlaff said. The majority of these students were sophomores, Schlaff added. EMQ is the facility that deals with kids that need outside intervention, Schlaff said.

Senior Annie Tram, who participated in the survey last year, questioned the effectiveness and validity of the results. Although she said she took the survey seriously, she remarked that others may not have.

“I think the survey was a little absurd because the questions were invasive,” Tram said. “Since the survey was anonymous, people think they can put whatever. I don’t think the survey produced very accurate statistics.”

Students raise money for Haiyan victims

by Rishika Dugyala

Many clubs and organizations (CLOGs) have been raising donations in light of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, according to Filipino Club President Rhodora Villanueva.

Other organizations on campus that have been helping in the donation efforts are Unity and French Club.

Villanueva said that the club was part of the Filipino Youth Coalition (FYC) along with eight other schools.

She also said that the club hosted an event for the Philippines with the FYC on Nov. 23 and will be hosting one sometime in January. Club members were collecting used items for the Unity Yard Sale.

Unity’s Philippines Relief Committee hosts the MHS Online Yard Sale, according to A.S.B. Secretary Natasha

Gangal. “The basis of it is that we’ve seen a lot of girls selling their clothes or selling things that they’ve made,” Gangal said. “We figured that we could have like a larger version of that and we could raise a lot more money for a really good cause.”

The Online Yard Sale is a page on Facebook with an album designated to each club, Gangal said. If clubs choose to get involved with the yard sale, they can upload photos of whatever they want to sell in their respective albums. Gangal said that A.S.B. is selling used clothes while MHS MOVE is selling cards that it has made, and they have already made several sales.

The money is being donated through Red Cross, Gangal said. She said that although a goal has not been discussed with the committee, ideal-

ly, it would like to raise $500. The yard sale seemed like the best fundraiser that could be put up the fastest and have the most impact, Gangal said.

French Club fundraised over $2200 for the Philippines from collecting money during lunch, according to French Club Vice President Jessica Cao. “This was solely motivated for the Philippines; it was kind of on a whim,” Cao said. “We found out about Doctors Without Borders so we researched on that and just decided to raise money.”

A.S.B. Vice President Lauren Bond expressed surprise at the number of people involved in donations. “I think that a lot of them are coming forth to donate, especially since it’s a place that’s so close to a lot of the people’s hearts,” Bond said.

Blood drive successfully collects 134 units of blood

by Michelle Huang

The Stanford Blood Center hosted a blood drive at MHS on Nov. 25, California Scholarship Federation (CSF) Co-President Vivian Lau said.

National Honor Society (NHS) and CSF recruited donors and volunteers, Lau said.

Members were given sign-up sheets to recruit donors, Lau said. The volunteers at the blood drive either gave donors food and drinks after donating or gave donors water while donating, according to Lau. “Each blood donation saves four lives,” Lau said. “Four separate components are collected from the blood and each part can go to a separate

person.”

The NHS and CSF officers collaborated to schedule appointments for donors, NHS Vice President Veronica Wang said. The Stanford nurses then took care of the blood donations, Wang said.

“Around 235 people signed up with both clubs to donate blood, and there were about 50 people who walked in,” Lau said. “We had to stop accepting people around third period because the lines got really long.”

This year there were 134 successful units, Wang said. More people signed up this year but less blood was donated due to a stall in registration, Wang said.

Last year the blood center collected

271 successful units from MHS, according to Stanford Nurse An Saucedo. “It was a bit messy this time. We didn’t expect so many people through the door and we ended up having issues with the minor consent forms.”

There was a problem with the server connectivity, and since everything was done via computers, the registration had to be stopped for over an hour, Saucedo said. Due to the problems that occurred this time, the system may switch over to paper for the next blood drive, Saucedo said.

The Stanford Blood Drive hosted in the spring will not be taking place inside the library due to construction, according to Lau. It will most likely take place in the theater, Lau said.

Michelle Huang | THE UNION

Senior Kevin Chu donates blood in the MHS library on Nov. 25. The blood drive was hosted by the Stanford Blood Center. Students over the age of 16 were allowed to donate. Nurse An Saucedo expressed concern that the library was too small to host the event and some people were unable to donate because of issues with registration.

DECEMBER 2013

T HE U NION

EDITORIAL

EDITOR I A L : The Opinion of The Union

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PAT RONS

Union is a student-run publication that is partially funded Facilities inadequate for growing population; Tbelowheby local businesses and private citizens. The patrons listed have demonstrated their generosity by extending both alternative transportation, open campus needed moral and financial support to our newspaper for the 2013-

We, The Union, believe the school administration’s efforts to improve the issue of overcrowding have not affected this growing problem.

Overcrowding affects students before they even reach the campus. Morning traffic around school has gotten out of control. There are too many people trying to get to the same place at the same time, since the elementary school, the middle school, and the high school are all on the same street. Despite staggering the start times of the different schools, the traffic is still a problem for students attempting to get to school on time.

More than thirty minutes before school begins, cars begin to line up on Jacklin Road, Arizona Avenue, Escuela Parkway, and Washington Street. As a result, parents illegally drive in the bike lanes so that their students can arrive on time. This is a problem for student bikers; the cars that swerve out of traffic to drive in bike lanes pose as a safety hazard to both bikers and pedestrians.

The school has a responsibility to ensure the safety of students and to alleviate morning traffic. One way to do this is to promote alternative methods of transportation such as walking or biking to school.

The MHS campus is no longer large enough to accomodate the growing student population. This year, some staff conference rooms were turned into classrooms to compensate for the lack of space. This is only a temporary solution. Milpitas increases in size every year, and with the growing construction of homes in our city, more students will be attending the high school. We will need to expand the campus and increase the size of the staff in future years.

The foot traffic during passing periods has increased dramatically. Students in the L building have to navigate through two crowds of students moving against each other to go up and down the stairs. This causes at best a traffic jam and at worst an accident; this specific problem can only become worse as the student population expands.

Furthermore, lunch lines have also increased throughout the years. Students are only allowed a thirty minute lunch, and those who buy lunch on campus spend roughly twenty of those minutes in line waiting for their food. Therefore, many are unable to finish their food in such a short amount of time, and only some teachers allow their students to eat during class. Students should be able to finish their food during the allowed lunch time in order to increase focus and participation during class.

Creating a situation where students are not allowed time to refuel is not meeting our school’s goal of increasing student productivity. Students should not have to sacrifice lunch time because of long lunch lines. A temporary solution for such an issue would be to increase lunch time by cutting Sustained Silent Reading (SSR). Another solution would be allowing students to go off campus for lunch.

With facilities that are inadequate for a population of this size, it makes no sense for students to be detained during lunchtime. An open campus would allow students to leave school for lunch and alleviate the long wait time for students to receive their food.

By promoting a policy of walking or biking to school and opening the campus at lunch, MHS could temporarily deal with its overcrowding.

2014 school year. The Union staff would like to thank them for their patronage and encourage others to contribute. If you are interested in becoming a patron ($25 donation), please contact our Business Manager.

Alan L. Grimm, D.D.S. Calaveras, Crescent, Main St. Montessori Schools Denny and Marianne Weisgerber Edgie’s Billiards Giorgio’s Italian Food & Pizzeria Jerry Glass, D.D.S. and Staff The Milpitas Public Library Pete McHugh

U NION THE

S T U D E N T V O I C E O F M I L P I TA S H I G H

The Union is published by the Journalism class of Milpitas High School.

The views in The Union are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect those of the school, students, administration, or Milpitas Unified School District.

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EDITOR I A L : The Opinion of The Union

School offers help for underperforming students, deserves praise for supporting academic success We, The Union, commend our school for taking steps to ensure that underperforming students and those who want extra help have opportunities to improve. MHS provides programs such as Horizontes, AVID, after-school tutoring, and other avenues for students to achieve academic success. These programs create a support system for students falling behind. With a growing population at MHS, the administration has addressed the need to increase the number of these programs.

Students struggling with math have the opportunity to be tutored by an advanced math student after school. Students can choose to be a part of the AVID program which helps struggling students get on the path to obtaining a college degree.

Our school makes it widely known that it wants students to succeed academically by providing rewards like the Trojan Access Cards, Apollo Awards, and extended lunches. Providing opportunities for students to succeed through after school programs and support programs like AVID are other ways teachers and administrators alike have shown their support for MHS students.

Many teachers also stay after school to help students who have the desire to improve. The chemistry department has a rotation of tutoring sessions so students can get help from a teacher almost every day of the school week.

MHS students volunteer their time as after school tutors in many of these programs. The math department and AVID offer community service hours as incentives for students to tutor. These tutors put their academic skills to use in aiding their disadvantaged classmates.

Programs such as these give students something to focus on and redirect their energy to academic success. These programs also provide a safe environment for students to go after school. For many, this is a much needed alternative to the other distracting environments they would otherwise go to.

In an age where half of our lives exists on a social network, it is becoming more evident that the contacts people have are crucial to success. Students need to be not only hard working but also sociable.

These tutoring programs give them knowledge as well as a chance to expand their social circles.

Many students who attend these programs and activities meet new friends. United by a common interest of improving themselves academically, these students push each other to succeed in their goals and to learn.

For those students who do not speak English as their first language, after school tutoring is in many ways a benefit because it provides the ability to practice a new language and introduces them to friendly peers. This service has no limits to the amount of knowledge that a student can gain, as each interaction brings about new words and new phrases that students can add to their English arsenal.

We, at The Union, believe that programs such as Horizontes, AVID, tutoring, and the many other services MHS provides should be broadcasted more widely to the student body, and we encourage more students to participate in these services. They are beneficial not only to individual students but also to MHS as a whole. We thank the teachers and volunteers that put in so many hours day after day to provide these services.

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S TA F F Rachel Alvelais Sidney Le Editors-in-Chief

Brenda Su • News Editor Jonathan Ngo • Op-Ed Editor Jennifer Duong • Features Editor Karen Chi • Lifestyle Editor Moshe Yang • Entertainment Editor Akshat Das • Sports Editor Jamie Lam • Copy Editor Rakshit Garg • Web Editor Shelly Hsu • Photo Editor Pranay Patni • Business Manager Rishika Dugyala • Ad Manager

Naomi McCracken • Asst. News Editor Zahra Surani • Asst. Op-Ed Editor Amy Nguyen • Asst. Features Editor Vikram Sastry • Asst. Lifestyle Editor Ruth Park • Asst. Entertainment Editor Neal Bansal • Asst. Sports Editor Shubhangi Gulati• Asst. Copy Editor Sumukh Shekar • Asst. Web Editor Sarah Tang • Asst. Photo Editor Karen Shyu • Asst. Business Manager Amy Bui • Asst. Ad Manager

Jazmin Drop • Reporter Stephen Hsu • Reporter Michelle Huang • Reporter Elliot Ng• Reporter Bryan Tran • Reporter Nhi Tran • Reporter Michelle Wu • Reporter

Jeff Colburn

Journalism Advisor

L E T T E R TO T H E E DI TOR Math Teacher Nathan Dixon departing, bids farewell As many of you have heard by now, I unfortunately must leave MHS at the end of the first semester. In an unexpected and crazy turn of events my family will be moving to Minnesota at the end of December.

Leaving MHS is the most difficult career decision I have ever made. The move is very bittersweet. I am excited for the opportunity to be closer to our relatives in Michigan, but leaving MHS and this community is an emotional challenge.

Milpitas High School is a special place for me. It is the first high school that I have ever taught in.

In five and a half years of being here the students here have been nothing short of amazing.

Our campus is safe and fun to be on. The administration has been supportive and accomodating in helping me reach my goals for student learning. I have had a great experience coaching in our athletic department and many

memories were made outside of the classroom. My colleagues here at MHS have become some of my best friends and they will be greatly missed.

I am sharing these thoughts with all of you because I am coming to the realization that while I have an amazing opportunity ahead of me, MHS is a special place I am now seeing the true meaning of ‘you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.’

As my final day at MHS approaches, I see how great this school and community really is.

When I was engulfed in everyday work it was difficult to step back and see the true positives of being involved in such a great school.

Leaving MHS is the toughest part of making a move across the country for me and my family.

Thank you to everyone involved for making MHS a great place!

Nathan Dixon MHS Mathematics Teacher

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T HE U NION

OPINIONS

DECEMBER 2013

PRO

Current finals system works, good preparation for future The school’s current system of hav- the testing period has to be split up ing finals at the end of the semester into two, then the essay can no longer is the best way to test what students be a truly in-class essay. If the testing have learned throughout the semes- is held over two days, then what is to ter. Testing everything that we have stop someone from getting the essay topic the first day of testlearned for two hours per ing, writing the entire essubject once a semester is say at home, memorizing much more efficient than what he or she wrote, and testing students on everyrewriting the essay during thing they have learned the second day of testing? every week or two. Many Another point that stuclasses do not have the dents have to realize is time to give exams that that they will have to take test on more than just new many more finals in addimaterial. tion to midterms if they As it is, even without plan to go to college. In reviewing old lessons or NAOMI high school, only 15 pertesting on material from MCCRACKEN cent of your grade is based the beginning of the year, on how you do on your fimany classes struggle to find time to teach everything in nals, but in college, almost all of your the curriculum’s standards. Many grade is determined by how you do teachers have to rush through parts on your midterms and finals.

The bottom line is that you have of their curriculum just to make sure they teach students everything they to get used to having tests that are a big part of your grade or you will need to know.

Furthermore, regular class pe- struggle to transition into college. riods do not allow enough time for Just like middle school is supposed tests that can thoroughly determine to prepare you for high school, high how much students have learned and school should prepare you for what remembered. Finals do not have this you will face in college.

In addition, the whole school must problem because each class has two hours to take a test, so more can be follow the finals schedule at the tested. The current system of hold- end of the year, but not every class ing finals for two hours at the end of needs to take one final for two hours. the semester allows teachers more Teachers have a choice to give their flexibility with the tests they give students midterms, finals that are taken for multiple days, or finals that their students.

A good example of when a longer only take less than an hour. On the test period makes a positive differ- other hand, there is no way a teachence is when students write in-class er could give a test that would thoressays. If students are given two oughly test whether or not students hours to write an in-class essay, but remember what they have learned the testing takes two days because during the year.

CON

Cumulative finals ineffective; inaccurate test of knowledge The last week of the semester never used again. That is the reason is pure hell for most students and why classes that require prerequiteachers alike. Everything learned sites so often have to spend a month in a class for the semester is meant or two reteaching the prerequisite to be addressed in the semester final, material. That is why, despite having which is usually a large chunk of the finished Calculus, I still have no idea final semester grade. This is the sta- how to use matrices or really much of tus quo; it is not, however, the way we anything else from Precalculus. should operate. The notion of having The preferable method of learning just a single cumulative final at the would be to have more, smaller tests, end of the term is not only ineffective spread out throughout the semester. for creating well-educated students If all of these tests would be cumuand lasting knowledge, but also cre- lative as well, the knowledge would ates a necessity for cramming and more readily and easily be retained cheating and an environby students. ment of overstress.

Understanding the EbbTake a look at the way inghaus forgetting curve Harvard has decided to do model of memory is necesthings. About three years sary if one is to understand ago, Harvard decided to why having smaller cumuforgo the requirement for lative tests all throughout a final exam at the end of the semester is preferathe term for their courses, ble. Essentially, what the and only about a quarter of Ebbinghaus forgetting the courses decided to still curve posits is that over have final exams at all. time, memory atrophies SIDNEY There are other ways to exponentially. If informaLE assess a student’s capation is introduced to the bility and understanding, memory, over time, if it is such as papers or projects, which not accessed again, that information require application rather than rote loses retention and erodes. Repeatmemorization. If the goal of a course ed access in short intervals through is to teach students the material and testing can delay the atrophy until have them retain that knowledge, the knowledge that is being learned having a single, final exam is not the is retained in long-term memory. correct path to that goal.

The final is generally worth about The week leading up to finals is, 15 percent of the grade for the sefor many students, essentially just a mester, so it is a very enticing target cram week. Teachers know this and for cheating and other skullduggery. feel the pressure as well. Little to Even for students who are capable of nothing of substance besides ineffec- passing the class and the final exam tual review can be done during this legitimately, cheating is an attractive week, so our time, already a precious course of action simply because it ofasset, is wasted. fers assurance and safety. With mulOnce finals are finished, the knowl- tiple cumulative tests, the attraction edge is basically just dumped out and for cheating is lessened.

Sarah Tang | THE UNION

Commercialization ruins holiday tradition Mother’s Day. Christmas. Thanksgiving. What do all of these days have in common? They were all created with the intent of spending time with your loved ones and being thankful for them, but the 21st century has brought up an ugly problem.

No longer do we cherish our loved ones for simply existing; we only show them our affection if they “show us their love” by giving us materialistic possessions.

Christmas is supposed to be a time when people gather together and celebrate the birth of Christ. That meaning has vanished, as people tend to focus on the commercialized definition of Christmas. People opt to spend thousands of dollars on presents and focus on the spirit of “getting” rather than the spirit of “giving.”

The tranquility of Christmas has been lost due to large corporations seeing Christmas as a period of potential economic stimulus, bolstered by the advertising of Christmas items as early as October.

The same logic applies to the idea of Thanksgiving. The Pilgrims originally envisioned Thanksgiving as a period in which families would sit down together and give thanks for each other’s existence. Now, this idea has morphed into people giving thanks for the great deals Target has.

A friend of mine said this past Black Friday, “Was it Thanksgiving yesterday? I thought it was Black Friday Eve.” Albeit spoken jokingly, this question merits serious discussion, as this attitude is becoming more and more prevalent with the majority of

the American population.

No longer are we satisfied with reThe logic behind Mother’s Day ceiving an iPhone 5c from our parand Father’s Day is truly astounding. ents, as we have to have the brand These holidays are celebrated so that new iPhone 5s like the rest of society. a child can tell his parent that he truThis problem is exacerbated each ly appreciates all that his year, when people buy parent does for him. There holiday items a month or is one main flaw in this reatwo before the actual holsoning. iday, producers get a taste As children, aren’t we obof the consumer market. ligated to tell our parents They realize that the each and every day that we demand for their prodlove them, and that they ucts exists in a period long truly mean the world to us? before the holiday, which Then why do we single out causes them to further a day in which we can thank market their “great sales.” our parents?

This marketing leads to AKSHAT The answer can be found a spike in the number of DAS by looking to the founder of goods purchased, which this holiday. In 1908, Anna further exacerbates the Jarvis held a memorial serproblem. vice for her deceased mother. Soon Only a few years ago, stores would after, she began campaigning to make open doors for Black Friday only at 12 Mother’s Day a nationally recognized a.m., Friday morning. Just this past holiday in the United States.

Black Friday, most stores opened In 1914, her efforts were reward- doors at 6 p.m. Thursday. The human ed by the US government’s decision populace seems to be feeding the to make Mother’s Day a national problem, rather than doing anything holiday. By the 1920’s, Jarvis herself to solve it. admitted that she was disappointed There does not seem to be a soluwith the commercialization of the tion to this problem. In the midst of holiday. the technological age, people will get The extent to which commercial- more and more materialistic. This ization has usurped the kind-hearted problem can best be analyzed by approach to holidays is truly disap- looking at the graph of an exponenpointing. In the status quo however, tial curve. such a way of thinking is to be exAs people become more and more pected. The thinking of the human materialistic, the more widespread species began as being content with commercialization will be. The simple necessities and has evolved to abandonment of tradition is truly asthe current, materialistic view on the tounding, and can only be expected to world. worsen.

Working during the holiday season challenging It is the season of giving, which means it is also the season of shopping. Stores are having huge sales to get rid of their outdated items for the new year. As customers are getting ready to spend all of their money to snag the best deals, retail workers are preparing for an exhausting couple of months.

Working during the holidays is mentally and physically draining.

With Black Friday, Christmas sales, and New Year sales, employees must work in a chaotic environment.

Stores only have a limited amount of employees who become exhausted trying to please a crowd of people who want to take advantage of the sale. Employees have to run back and forth from the stock room to the center of the store attempting to tend to customers’ needs, while keeping the store organized.

With finals approaching, school is becoming more hectic and working on weekdays just adds more stress.

Working is time consuming. While I could be studying and doing my homework for Advanced Placement classes, I am at work helping others.

Balancing school, work, and other extracurricular activities is exhausting; by the time I get home I am too tired to do anything.

Working for retail stores in general is demeaning, but Black Friday is the worst. Customers treat employees with little to no respect and trash

the store. From my experience, cus- stop myself from falling asleep where tomers are very demanding and they I stood. By the end of my shift my feet would use me as a mere tool to get were practically numb, even though I what they wanted and disregard that wore my comfiest pair of shoes, and I I am a human too. Customers would was starving and dehydrated. request for a large quantity of shoes, Every year stores are opening up try them on, and end up leaving the earlier and earlier. This means that store empty hand, leaving me with a students who work the first shift on mess to clean up.

Black Friday are being taken away Most retail stores pay minimum from their families and might not wage or a little above to be able to eat Thanksgivteenagers. Do not get pering dinner, or might miss suaded by getting paid spending Christmas Eve more for working longer with their family because hours on the holidays. they did not get to choose Overtime does not comtheir work shift. pensate for breaking the Retail stores take adlaw; it is illegal for teenagvantage of unexperienced ers under 18 to work more high school students than eight hours a day, during the holidays. Peoyet I see some teenagers ple under the age 18 do working up to 10 hours or not have many options more. regarding employment so MICHELLE According to the Genthey automatically jump WU eral Summary of Minors’ at the opportunity of Work Regulations, which working during this time is given with a work permit, 16 and 17 of the year because it is hiring season. year olds can only work from 5 a.m. What they do not know of, however, until 12:30 a.m. It is obvious that it are the fatigue and rude customers is illegal for stores to have students they will face. work on Black Friday. However, a Working on the days surrounding large number of employees working those dreaded holidays is analogous in retail stores on Black Friday is un- to the torture of Sisyphus, who was der the age of 18. punsihed by the Gods. This king had When I was working on Black Fri- to repeatedly roll an boulder up a hill, day, I only got one 30 minute lunch just to watch it roll back down. Work and one 10 minute break during my is done, but progress is never made, 10 hour shift. By 5 a.m. I could barely and that is the ultimate torture.

DECEMBER 2013

T HE U NION

OPINIONS

5

Homework packets dampen winter break Seniors make clubs for own gain Well, it’s that time of year again. It’s amount of knowledge over shorter time to rejoice, to give thanks, to give breaks. gifts, to be happy, and to give warmth.

Even if they do forget what they’ve And to do homework. learned, packets of homework over A “break” from school usually im- break are not the best way for stuplies a cessation of the everyday rou- dents to retain knowledge. Teachtine; a time in which students don’t ers could administer quizzes on the wake up groggy in the cold Monday after break ends, morning and can spend the encouraging students to rest of the day doing what keep brushing up on what they please. they’ve learned the week However, there hasn’t before. been a single break in my Students can then study high school career in which to the amount they see I didn’t have mountains of fit. Those who don’t need odious packets of hometo study have the rest of work on my desk. their break unadulterated, I can see the practiand those who do need to cal concern in assigning study, will.

RAKSHIT breakwork. Students might The packets and workGARG forget what they’ve been sheets hamper teachers’ taught, nullifying teaching vacations as well. After time in an already time-pressed year. all, as soon as they return, they have Nevertheless, it’s unlikely that a to grade 30 packets times however student would forget a significant many classes they teach.

The proponents would argue that breakwork isn’t too time consuming and wouldn’t lead to a time tradeoff in terms of the other things students can do. The amount of time that a student spends on breakwork is entirely subjective, however.

It depends not only on the rigor of the class, but also on the student’s pace. We all work at different rates, and it’s nonsensical to generalize the amount of time we spend on breakwork by dismissing it as “not time consuming.”

In my opinion, homework over break is the antithesis of a break.

When students have a break, they should be spending it pursuing ventures other than schoolwork, whether that be shopping, spending time with family, or just anything that isn’t sitting at a desk furiously scrawling chicken scratch in a fervent attempt to finish before first period on Monday.

Grade scale disparities present among classes I have begun to notice many dissimilarities between the grading policies that are implemented at MHS, particularly among classes that teach the same subjects or are assigned to the same department.

Let’s say there are two Latin language classes, both of which abide by the same curriculum and teach the same material. However, the students that attend these classes are assigned letter grades based on different scales.

For example, one student receives a B+ for an 88 percent, while a student in another Latin class gets a B for the same percentage. This inconsistency may not have mattered a few years ago when pluses and minuses were treated as equals, but given the changes in the weighting system, the difference between a plus and a minus is now fairly noticeable in one’s GPA. Some classes on campus offer pluses while others do not. Some require a 96percent for an A, whereas in oth-

ers a 93 percent will suffice. I have school works best when there is an seen grading scales that set A+’s as established system for everyone to high as 110 percent, and others that abide by. have A-’s at 88 percent. I understand Once grading becomes standardthat different departments have their ized within each department, it will own grading scales that make sense be easier to compare the perforfor their corresponding subjects, mances of students who are taking a and that teachers of different class- specific subject. Grades will be more es have varying practices. easily transferable from What confuses me is when one class to the next. classes that are localized Having a consistent in the same departments, grading system gives or teach the same subjects, more inherent value to have differing methods for a student’s GPA since all assigning letter grades. students will be assigned These disparities progrades based on the same mote the notion that cerqualifications, the GPA tain classes or teachers are can become a more accuharder than others simply rate measure of one’s perbecause they follow a difformance in school.

MICHELLE ferent scale when it comes The grading scale will no HUANG to assigning letter grades. longer serve as a disadvanIt is important for all stutage to certain students. dents to feel like they are Rather, it will be a uniform on even ground with their peers. In- system that provides all students with stilling a standard policy for assigning an equal opportunity to achieve the letter grades promotes consistency; a grades that they deserve.

Community service should not be purchased What is community service? I this up, this is an actual thing. DBA is like to think of it as a commitment “selling” community service hours in one makes for the betterment of the exchange for items to donate. community, hence the “community” I know MHS’ chapter of California and “service” in community service. Scholarship Federation (CSF) gives However, the current concept of “CSF hours” for bringing in tangible community service in our school sys- items for certain events. However, tems is deteriorating the value of true these “CSF hours” differ from comcommunity service. munity service hours in Our school has a rethat these hours are specifquirement of 20 comic to CSF’s specific requiremunity service hours in ments to be a club member, order to graduate, and and doesn’t count towards people do really random MHS’ graduation requirethings to get those hours. ment.

For example, I know peoWhile it seems like a ple who “volunteered” at charitable thing to do on a for-profit organization DBA’s part, I know some that taught tennis classes people who are taking adand tried to pass that off vantage of this exchange SUMUKH as community service. and are buying hundreds SHEKAR Recently, I saw a poster of dollars’ worth of goods from the Digital Business to gain hundreds of comAcademy (DBA) advertising commu- munity service. MHS’ Community nity service hours in exchange for a Service Coordinator John Ribovich certain amount of items for the Jack told me that it wouldn’t count for Emery Drive. No, I’m not making community service. He explained

that all community service needs a sign in and out time where someone is actually doing a service for a non-profit cause.

However, what I find the most puzzling is the fact that community service hours don’t even get recorded on our official transcripts. Colleges are unable to see our “official” record of community service kept by our high school.

While there are some people who are simply ignorant of the fact that these hours are all self-reported and not even distributed to colleges by our high school, I think some people just see it as a status-booster. Others may just want to show off the gold cord they earn when they graduate MHS with 150 community service hours.

Whatever the reason, I think any reason to do community service other than for the sake of self-happiness is meaningless. This should be especially true for a “selfless” action, such as community service.

chartered it. The seniors would get Many people look forward to the the club, and in all likelihood, their hustle and excitement of CLOG Rush motivation to maintain the club that accompanies the start of every would wither away by the time secschool year. While some search to ond semester comes around. The join clubs that coincide with their same club which would’ve been run interests, many students prepare to a lot more efficiently by those who recruit members in an attempt to actually cared about it would end up make their club the best on campus. as deadweight because the founders However, there are several clubs that simply stopped caring, but didn’t are completely inactive even during want to relinquish their property. prime opportunities to recruit.

Now, I’m not saying that all clubs Why? Because many of these clubs and organizations on camare run by people who repus are like this. In fact, ally don’t care. most of them aren’t. And I I don’t object to the exbelieve the reason for this istence of clubs, but I beis that they have elected lieve that if they exist, they officers of all ages. should at least attempt to Look at some of the most be active on campus. If successful and organized you are going to start a clubs on campus and you’ll club, you should be willing see that they have a variety to take the responsibiliof officers, ranging from ties that come with it and PRANAY sophomores to seniors. actually make the club PATNI This balance allows these worthwhile. clubs to continue and apBut the problem is that peal to the interests of everyone bethe founders of many of these clubs cause the younger officers actually simply don’t care. It’s no surprise keep the older officers interested. that the majority of these dormant But the problem still does exist, and clubs are run completely by seniors. it needs to be addressed.

The issue is clear: seniors create My message is two parted. First, to clubs just so they can put them on seniors who have started clubs that their college applications. But this are now inactive: please start taking comes with many problems. the responsibility for your club, or Seniors who start clubs and don’t hand them off to underclassmen who make anything out of them actually actually care. Second, to the juniors waste the chance that the club could I say this: if you are going to start a be successful. Suppose a group of juclub next year, please don’t let it die niors wanted to start a club at the end like clubs have in the past. of the year, but seniors had already

Open enrollment pressures students Whenever the prospect of open enthe prerequisite classes and has the rollment is mentioned, I roll my eyes. basic skill set that the other student I know some students blame this polconsciously opted not to acquire. icy for “dumbing down” class discusAt the beginning of the year there’s sions and slowing the rigorous pace some reteaching involved in most of their advanced classes, but that’s courses. When students are in an not my problem. advanced class and haven’t taken If you want to take AP English with a prerequisite, that review period our great teachers, without doing the may seem too rushed and composed homework, without caring about the of never-before-seen material, and grade or your GPA, then you should they’re probably a little lost. be free to do so. Taking a course for The biggest danger with open enthe sake of exposure to the material rollment occurs when teachers are demonstrates an incredibly mature asked to bring these students up to spirit of intellectual curiosity. speed. This means taking up a teachOpen enrollment is a er’s time after school to great policy, and I wish teach the material stumore schools would adopt dents missed by not takit. It reflects well on a ing the previous course, or school, especially since a teacher must slow down most high school ranking his entire curriculum to systems account for the accommodate the student number of students enand hope that she catches rolled in advanced classes, up soon, or at least comnot performance in them. prehends enough of the Students who take admaterial to raise her grade vantage of open enrolla little.

RACHEL ment policies enrich their These pressures are ALVELAIS education in many ways, counterintuitive to the baways they might have been sic premise of open enrollprevented from exploring otherwise. ment: allowing students to dip their However, open enrollment is funtoes in different subjects and coursdamentally flawed in execution. It’s es without hindrance, experiencing hard for a school not to care about the teachers and disciplines they’ve how well students perform. There’s always been curious about. worry whenever a student’s grade If a student makes the conscious dips a percentage point. Even in a decision to shrug off the responsibilschool with a proudly advertised ity of grades just to absorb a lesson on open enrollment program, this Shakespearean sonnets and absurdtranslates to pressure on students ist literature, they should be able to. and teachers to “fix” the problem.

Students at a school with open enWhen a student doesn’t perform rollment should be free of the presto a certain standard, the student sure to meet a standard set by their is expected to perform at the same parents, counselors, or anyone else standard as one who has taken all in the system.

QUESTION OF THE MONTH: WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR WINTER BREAK?

“I’m going on vacation at Lake Tahoe to ski.”

Freshman Shilah Alojipan

“Resting, being away from school, and playing basketball. I’m looking forward to getting a PS4.”

Senior Saajan Bariana

“For winter break I’m going to go snowboarding.”

Junior Justin Lau

“I’m going to Los Angeles and Disneyland. I’m looking forward to giving and receiving gifts.”

Sophomore Abraham Nguyen

“I am going on a ski trip with my family.”

Freshman Alan Zhao

6

THE UNION

FEATURES

DECEMBER 2013

Math teacher to leave MHS, moving to Minnesota

BY AMY BUI

Many would find it difficult to leave a place they have become so accustomed to. It is a hard decision, but Math Teacher Nathan Dixon has chosen to leave MHS in the middle of his sixth year of teaching.

Dixon plans to leave at the end of this semester and to move to Minnesota with his family, Dixon said. Dixon’s wife received a job offer in November; Dixon had very little time to decide whether or not to continue teaching at MHS, he added.

“It’s really hard [to leave MHS].

It was the only thing that kept me from leaving California,” Dixon said. “It has been the ideal school to work at; the students are great and the parent involvement is very AMY NGUYEN | THE UNION

‘Baby Snake’ clenches onto a white baby mouse for a meal. His shedding snake skin covers his left eye, causing him to have monocular vision.

Seals owns array of animals; rodents, arachnids included

BY AMY NGUYEN

Rooms in the L-building are decorated in many different ways: anatomy classes have skeletons, math classes have posters of graphs, and biology classes have decorative DNA garlands. Chemistry Teacher Todd Seals, however, has a menagerie of uncommon animals in his classroom, L-35.

Seals has been teaching at MHS for 14 years and has had animals in his class ever since, according to Seals. The first animals, which arrived on the first day of school, were two bearded dragons that turned out to be a mating pair, Seals said.

A snake was brought in six months later.

Other animals that were once in the room include a savannah monitor that died of a fecal impaction, a family of Madagascar hissing cockroaches, a vicious rose hair tarantula, and a turtle that burned to death, according to Seals. “I like the variety. Variety’s a spice of life,” Seals said.

Currently, there are three ball

pythons, a mummified rat, and a soft-shell long neck turtle named Di-Andre in the room, Seals said.

He not only has animals in the class but also has animals at home, he continued. His house pets include a Mastiff, a Doberman, and a miniature Vietnamese pig.

“Taking care of the animals, [grading classroom papers, and taking care of my family] is not that bad,” Seals said. “Grading is the hardest part.”

Doing those three things: maintaining, teaching, and fathering, is highly time consuming. Seals fosters the animals and does not receive any margins, according to Seals.

Funding is needed to maintain the health and safety of the animals.

“Electricity comes from the school; I use my own money for the food,” Seals said.

Recently, enough money was raised to fund a bird-eating tarantula, according to Seals. The tarantula and several guppies will be new additions to Seals’ classroom, he said.

College Admissions Assistance considered misleading, ‘scam’

BY BRENDA SU

With college admissions becoming ever more competitive and daunting, some students are turning to professional help. However, they may not always get what they pay for.

In Oct. of this year, Junior Araceli Crisanto received a letter from College Admissions Assistance, LLC (CAA) inviting her to attend a workshop about college planning. She and her parents then had a one-on-one meeting with a CAA representative who told her its services would get her into the colleges she wanted. The cost would be $1,995.

The CAA has a D+ rating on the Better Business Bureau’s website, with 118 complaints filed against the business. The website stated that consumers report the company uses questionable and high pressure sales tactics to sell their product; it seems to target “low income and minority families.” Other complaints concern customer service, contract disputes, and refund failures.

During the meeting with the CAA representative, Crisanto said the representative alleged that high school counselors are inadequate.

The representative used great pressure to persuade her father, according to Cristanos. “[The representative] told [my father] that if he doesn’t sign this

contract, then he doesn’t care about my education,” Crisanto said. “They gave me a ‘scholarship’ of $1,000, so I’d only have to pay $995. Then we researched it later and found out it was a scam.”

The Crisantos had only paid a down payment of $20. They canceled their contract and were promised a refund but never received it, Crisanto said.

“The [workshop] was held at the Santa Clara Convention Center, which made it seem like it was real,” Crisanto said. “There were a lot of people. There were three workshops each day for two days, Saturday and Sunday.”

Crisanto knows several other people that also received a letter from CAA, she said. She did not know how the company got ahold of their names and addresses.

On its website, the CAA stated 92 percent of its students were accepted by one of their top two university choices. They promised to assist students with college essays, tutor them in classes and standardized testing, and help them get financial aid and scholarships.

MHS Counselor Julie Cler had not heard of College Admissions Assistance. “I don’t see why anyone would pay thousands of dollars to get what [high school counselors] do for free,” Cler added.

positive.”

The administration pushes the teachers in a way that encourages them to try new things. He has also been able to teach the way he wants, Dixon said. Dixon has enjoyed his time teaching at MHS and was honored as Teacher of the Year in October.

“It was a surreal experience [to be honored as teacher of the year],” Dixon said. “I just come to work every day and try to work as hard as I can; the awards are secondary.”

During his time at MHS, Dixon has been involved with many school activities, such as coaching Varsity Golf for five years. For the 2013 school year, he became an Engineering and Technology Academy math teacher and a 2017 Freshman class advisor.

One of his most memorable moments at MHS is participating in activities that benefited Pennies for Patients and The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, according to Dixon. The memories that stood out the most were shaving his head into the “Bozo the Clown” hairstyle as well as coming to school dressed as a woman.

After many years of teaching, Dixon has built strong relationships with many MHS students and colleagues. He has become wellrespected in the math department and MHS staff.

MUSD is currently interviewing new math teachers to replace Dixon for the second semester, Dixon said. Dixon hopes to begin a fulltime teaching job for the upcoming school year in Minnesota.

Phan’s passion furthered via competitive dance crew

BY ZAHRA SURANI

Dancing brings many insights to life and truly has the power to transform an individual’s world. Junior Kaitlyn Phan is one of many who has experienced the magic of dance.

Phan is currently part of a competitive showcase team called Hungry Kidz. The name ‘Hungry Kidz’ describes the members’ craving to learn and improve their dancing, Phan said.

Phan joined Hungry Kidz in August 2011 and is currently in her third season on the team. She had to learn several different types of dance to join the team, Phan said.

Phan began dancing at the age of three when she signed up for ballet and jazz. Phan gained experience

through many forms of dance but now concentrates her efforts on urban choreography.

Phan has participated in dance competitions such as Collaboration, World of Dance, Breakthrough, and Montage, according to Phan. She also had the opportunity to perform at Ken-Ya Dance, Funk Beyond Control, and Chapkis Halloween, Phan said. Through dancing, Phan met many individuals: Pat Cruz, Timothy Delaghetto, and Can from Poreotics, she said.

“My team is like my family, and I absolutely love them to death,” Phan said. “I’ve also met some of my closest friends through dance, and it’s a blessing being able to have such inspiring people alongside me who encourage me to always do my best and help pick

me up when I’m down.”

Through Hungry Kidz, Phan realized her passion for dance and cannot imagine life without it, Phan said.

She is thankful to have participated in Hungry Kidz, because it brought her closer to her passion, according to Phan.

“I encourage everyone to strive [for] and pursue what they love,” Phan said. “It’s worth it in the end.”

Phan plans to continue participating with Hungry Kidz through her senior year of high school, as well as her freshman year of college. Even afterleaving the team, she wants to continue dancing, Phan said.

“I love how dance allows you to express your emotions through movement,” Phan said. “It’s an amazing way to meet new people.”

DECEMBER 2013

ADVERTISEMENT

T HE U NION

Foster World Peace Through lasting friendships One city, one person at a time

The Milpitas Sister Cities Commission invites Milpitas High School students, parents and teachers to get involved with an exciting program of cultural sharing and experiences…

The City of Milpitas Sister Cities Program The opportunities are endless when you become a part of this program of innovative projects, cultural exchanges, hosting visiting students, exploring business and much more!

Since 1996, the City of Milpitas has supported a long-standing and successful program of sister city relationships. The Sister Cities Commission actively encourages travel, supports “e-pals” for students, prepares cultural exchanges of people and photos, and hosts special events supporting our sister city relationships with four international cities: • Tsukuba City, Japan • City of Dagupan, Philippines • Huizhou Municipality, People’s Republic of China • Figline Valdarno, Italy You are welcome to participate!

• As a student: Communicate with another student a world a way • As a parent: Send your student to a Milpitas sister city, or go as a chaperone; host visiting students in October each year; attend and support special events • As a teacher: Engage students in email “pen” pal relationships with focus on international events and cultural learning; chaperone student trips • As a business person: Profit from economic development partnerships As a member of Sister Cities International, our mission is to “promote peace through mutual respect, understanding, and cooperation – one individual, one community at a time.” As a participant with Milpitas Sister Cities Commission, opportunities abound for travel, creative learning, and problem solving through reciprocal cultural, educational and business exchanges.

Contact Information Milpitas Sister Cities Commission 455 E. Calaveras Blvd.

Milpitas, CA 95035 (408) 586-3352 www.ci.Milpitas.ca.gov/government/commissions/sister/asp Contact the commissions staff liaison for more information about meetings, latest developments and referral to a sister cities commissioner.

Sister City Websites www.tsukubainfo.jp www.dagupan.gov.ph www.huizhou.gov.cn www.comune.figline-valdarno.fi.it

7

THE UNION

8

LIFESTYLE

FASHION SPOTLIGHT

1

victor sui Senior

1. collared shirt from H&M 2. jacket from jackthreads.com 3. vest from jackthreads.com 4. shoes from Guess

4

2

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His Fashion Inspir ation:

“I dress like people from the East Coast in the winter. Fall is my favorite season to dress for because I like to wear jackets.”

DECEMBER 2013

Holiday presents thoughtful, affordable

BY AMY NGUYEN

It is getting cold, hot chocolate is being sold, and the craziness of Black Friday has just passed; this can only mean one thing: Christmas is coming. With the perfected procrastination skills that are innate within every student and the horrible economy that society faces, it is hard to find the perfect gift one week before Dec. 25.

Shopping for gifts is incredibly time consuming and is even unproductive at times. You could find the perfect gift, getting your wallet out to pay, only to find the present is $15 over your budget.

With a list of ideas under $5, however, shopping time can be cut in half and wallet sizes can double.

Gifts under $5 can be valuable and sentimental, if, of course, the right gift is given.

Compiling a list of inspirations

for an artist is one of the easiest and cheapest of gifts. Artists are always looking for inspiration to base their next project on, so a blank, unlined notebook with a sentimental note on the first page might not be a bad idea.

For the friend who never has cash, a gift card or two to his or her favorite coffee shop will be beneficial to both you and your friend. It won’t be awkward when you go out for drinks and the both of you have means of paying for something on the menu.

Single tracked CDs serve to be great “stocking stuffers” and small gifts for the music enthusiast. With some time on your hands, however, you can easily make mix CDs that can convey a message that you are too afraid to say aloud yourself.

Editing a picture of a friend with his or her celebrity crush may well be the perfect gift for the inner

fangirl. Manipulations (known as manips) can be hung on walls, like posters.

A trip to a nearby Target provides many opportunities for finding Christmas gifts for fewer than $5.

Purchasing abridged classics, like “Anne of Green Gables,” “Black Beauty,” or “Wizard of Oz,” for $1 each might be the best way to insult a friend’s intelligence.

Hair ties, bobby pins, and nail polish can be mixed and matched for the beauty queen in your life.

Scarves, mittens, and sweaters usually go on sale in the winter, and socks can be purchased for the friend who gets cold feet and frequently flakes.

If a friend does not fit into any of the categories above, snip out this article, place it inside a sheet protector, and wrap it. Doing so will save you time and money, for this is a gift within itself.

MHS students, staff follow alternate diets

BY PRANAY PATNI

Several MHS students and staff members practice varying degrees of vegetarianism. Some committed out of religious beliefs while others made the choice because of personal philosophies.

Freshman Kinbert Chou has been a vegan for most of his life. As a vegan, he does not eat or use any animal products whatsoever.

“I was raised vegetarian,” Chou said. “In third grade my family decided to stop consumption of all animal products.”

Religious beliefs as well as personal perspectives have influenced his lifestyle, Chou said.“It’s what my religion teaches and it’s what I personally believe in,” Chou said.

Given the choice, Chou would not start eating meat, Chou said. When in a situation where food options are

limited, Chou still manages to stick by his beliefs and either doesn’t eat or finds a way to get something that he will be able to eat.

Junior Shivani Prabala has also been a vegetarian for all of her life.

While her personal decision to be a vegetarian isn’t based off of religious beliefs, her family has historically been vegetarian because of their religion.

“My family is vegetarian according to our religion, Hinduism,” Prabala said. “It isn’t holy to eat meat.”

Since she has managed to live her whole life without eating meat, she finds no reason to start now, Prabala said. She does not believe she is missing out on anything.

“I think its good to be vegetarian,” Prabala said. “That’s why I would never consider eating meat either.”

Several members of the English Department also practice vegetari-

anism to a certain extent, according to English Teacher Kathleen Conradson. English Teachers Matthew Hanley, Ginger Roy, Lillian Bogovich, and herself all follow restricted diets, Conradson said.

“I’ve probably not eaten fowls or mammals for probably about between seven and nine years,” Hanley said.

Hanley is a pescetarian and will not eat any animal with the capacity to feel severe amounts of pain. His beliefs came from the lectures he gave about Peter Singer in the Philosophy class Hanley teaches.

“In the course of teaching philosophy over a period of time and repeatedly teaching Peter Singer,” Hanley said. “I found I did not have any sort of convincing counterarguments to his claim that the pain and suffering of non-human animals should receive moral consideration.”

85o Bakery opens; gains local popularity

BY SHELLY HSU

jazmin drop | THE UNION

Senior Victor Sui (left) and Junior Sandy Ho (right) embrace the cold weather climate. They show off their winter fashions with thick coats and warm boots.

1

sa nd y h o Junior

1. beanie from H&M 2. rings from flea market

2

3. jacket from Old Navy 4. boots from Nu Pair

3

Her Fashion Inspir ation: “I look at pictures on Instagram for ideas.

I like dressing up for fall the best because I can layer my clothing.”

4

After an arduous day at school, all I wanted was to go home and have a snack. When I got home, I saw something on the table that made my heart leap. It was delicious pastries from 85o Bakery Café!

85o Bakery Café opened in Taiwan in July 2004. Ever since, the café has had extraordinary records of serving more than 2,300 cups of coffee to nearly 2,000 guests every day. Eventually, the café began to expand, reaching over 250 café’s around the world.

Recently, 85o Bakery Café opened up a store in Newark, California.

The majority of sales made by the bakery are on the pastries. The breads incorporate many unique kinds, from Europe, Japan, Taiwan and Denmark.

Senior Ka Ying Yam commented on the uniqueness of the pastries.

“Their bread is really different from other places,” Yam said. “It’s definitely worth waiting in line for.”

More key details of 85o Bakery Café’s pastries are that the breads are very sweet and more calorie-packed. This makes them a perfect pick-me-up from a long day at work or school.

“In Taiwan, walking is the most popular form of transportation,”

Junior Jordan Li said. “Therefore, bakeries and milk tea shops take the liberty to make their products extremely sweet because they know their customers can walk it off.”

85o Bakery also offers a variety of different drinks to go along with their pastries. Options include milk tea, coffee, and smoothies.

“I had the Jasmine Green Tea with boba,” Senior Amberly Tam said.

“It’s not that different though.”

The recent grand opening of the 85 o Bakery Café store was so well-received that the time I took waiting in line to get into the store was around 90 minutes. Was it worth it? My stomach says yes.

Holiday season prompts need for volunteers

BY SHUBHANGI GULATI

As the holiday season draws upon us, a sense of giving begins to pervade the atmosphere that affects every part of our lives. Although this time of year is mostly focused on the giving of presents to one’s friends and family, the spirit of giving back to the community is prevalent as well.

This feeling of giving is showcased on our campus with the Jack Emery Drive, the collections for the Philippines, and the positive idea of Kindness Week, and should be continued by the students outside of school. Volunteering during this time of year encompasses the spirit and meaning of the holidays.

Volunteers are needed at the local food pantries and soup kitchens.

During the holidays, especially as

temperatures drop, the crowd at the Food Pantry increases. There is a great need for food, clothing, and people to hand out supplies.

Despite the growing amount of volunteers at soup kitchens and food pantries, facilities there are still overwhelmed with the overcrowding.

Due to the overcrowding, the Milpitas Food Pantry and the local soup kitchen are asking for as many volunteers as possible. This is a great opportunity to give back to one’s community and spread the giving spirit of the holidays. One can sign up for a shift at the Milpitas Food Pantry by emailing karen@ milpitasfoodpantry.org or visiting the Food Pantry website.

Another great place to volunteer during the break is The Family Giving Tree. The Family Giving Tree is

an organization that plays the role of Santa in poor neighborhoods and communities within the Bay Area.

Wishes are submitted to the organization, and The Family Giving Tree ensures that every child’s Christmas wish is fulfilled to the best of their ability.

Volunteers are able to help in this process by preparing the thousands of gifts for children in need. Gifts and clothing are wrapped and then distributed to the children in need.

One can sign up to help out for a shift at The Family Giving Tree by visiting their website at www.familygivingtree.org/volunteer.php.

These are only two of the many ways everyone can give back to our community this month. During this holiday season, embrace the giving spirit and help out those in need in any way possible.

DECEMBER 2013

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Play CommonWealth’s TrojansTrivia.

Win Cool Prizes. Learn About Credit Unions.

Correctly answer this month’s trivia questions and you could win a $50 Visa® gift card!* Winning is simple–just visit the Milpitas High School website and click on the CommonWealth banner to see this month’s trivia questions. Then, find the answers on our website and submit the correct answers to be entered to win.

Each month we’ll have new trivia questions and a new winner. Look for us in the paper, on the marque and on the website for more chances to win!

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*Answers must be correct to be eligible. Winners will be drawn on the 15th of every month. Contest ends June 15, 2014.

9

10

THE UNION

DECEMBER 2013

ENTERTAINMENT

Autistic teen writes memoir

MUSIC REVIEWS

RATING:

••••

BY JAMIE LAM

BRITNEY JEAN

by Britney Spears Pop RATING:

R&B RATING:

THE MARSHALL MATHERS LP 2

by Eminem Rap RATING:

BY JENNIFER DUONG

BY VIKRAM SASTRY

BY SHUBHANGI GULATI

When speaking about pop artist Britney Spears, one may think about her drug use, her time in rehabilitation, or her many achievements in the music industry. Spears is often seen as one of the pop culture icons of the world and is credited with the revival of teenage pop music in the 1990s.

Spears’ latest album, “Britney Jean,” incorporates many of her personal experiences and attempts to bring a different music style to the pop world. Unfortunately, Spears has failed to accomplish these goals.

Spears’ song “It Should Be Easy” is so autotuned that it is nearly impossible to hear what she is actually saying and know what the song is about. Her track “Body Ache” is basically like every other dance-pop song and possesses a stereotypical electric sound.

“Practically” is practically nonsensical.

Despite Spears’ lackluster songs in her latest album, she manages to make up for them through songs that provide a catchy beat and unique lyrics. Spears’ track “Til It’s Gone” incorporates dubstep and provides a profound message.

No artist is as infatuated with sex as R.Kelly is and perhaps no artist ever will be. R.Kelly over the years has established a thematic territory. His audacity with sensuality in the music industry has crazed a wide range of fans.

“Black Panties” is basically an album about R.Kelly’s sensuality. The album is just another single-typetrack sex album set to incite bad decisions. It invariably delves into the duration, power, scheduling, and semantics of sex.

Despite this monotony, R.Kelly does include some variation that is reminiscent of the music that preceded R&B artists today. “Marry the Pussy,” which is all about drowning in, engaging with and marrying a woman’s genitalia, is filled with full beats and wide ranging vocals.

However a couple of nostalgic singles a good album does not make.

R.Kelly ruins any progress he makes with the previous tracks. While radical, R.Kelly has been one of the greatest R&B and Hip Hop artists since the two collided, but “Black Panties” makes that pretty hard to believe.

After a long three years, Eminem has finally come out with a new album: The Marshall Mathers LP 2, a sequel to the infamous The Marshall Mathers LP (MMLP). Creating a sequel always comes with a fear that it will fall flat in comparison to the quality of the original, but Eminem has come out with a bang with this album.

He starts off the LP with slower paced songs like “Bad Guy” and “Survival” that create a sense of nostalgia and remind us of Eminem’s ability to create witty lyrics.

Then the album takes a complete 180 switch to more upbeat music like “Beserk,” which made its way to the top of the iTunes singles chart as well as “Monster”, a great mix between Rihanna’s vocals and Eminem’s rap skills.

Eminem continues with, “Rap God” in which he raps 10 lines in just 15 seconds; averaging six and a half words a second backing up his claim of being a rap god.

He finishes the LP with a reminder of his rap dominance and it is ensured that he does indeed deserve his self-given-title of Rap God.

•••

BLACK PANTIES

by R. Kelly

••

••••

Courtesy of Lionsgate

Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson, left) and Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence, right) lift their hands in a symbol of admiration and remembrance. “Hunger Games: Catching Fire” released in theaters nationwide on Nov. 22.

‘Catching Fire’ intense acting remarkable RATING:

••••

BY AKSHAT DAS

“The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” was a hit at the box-office, grossing $158.1 million dollars over its opening weekend, good for sixth on the list of all-time best opening weekends. While the statistics show that the film was truly marvelous, analysis of the production of the film, and of the film itself proves the elegance of “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.”

In April 2012, Lions Gate Entertainment announced that Director Gary Ross would not be returning to direct the sequel to “The Hunger Games,” due to his tight schedule.

A week later, Lions Gate Entertainment announced that Francis Lawrence would be directing the sequel.

Although occurring without fanfare,

this directorial change paved the way for the success of the franchise.

F. Lawrence brings his trademark emotional appeal to “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” as well. The first half of the film relies exclusively on character development, and is rather slow.

Actress Jennifer Lawrence executes F. LawMOVIE rence’s decisions in the REVIEW highest fashion; she brings out the best in Katniss. F. Lawrence also expands on the internal romantic conflict that arises in Katniss towards the end of “The Hunger Games.” Both Gale and Peeta are vying for her attention, and Katniss struggles to decide who the better man is. The two Lawrences team up effectively in building Katniss’ internal conflict.

In the build up to the games, F.



Lawrence throws some more emotion towards us. We see this in the repercussions of Katniss’ decisions.

These decisions bring both physical and emotional harm to Katniss’ loved ones; thus, we subsequently see Katniss question the logic and sense behind each of her decisions over the past few months.

As has come to be expected of the series, the Games are filled with endless and unnecessary bloodshed from start to finish. This is perhaps the only true knock on the film, as at some points, the killing seems to be overemphasized, and drawn out longer than it should have been.

When all is said and done, “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” is a truly remarkable film that leaves us gripping the edge of our seats, eagerly anticipating the conclusion to the series.

Nowadays, it’s difficult to find a book that truly portrays the struggles of those that find they are different from others around them. In his memoir “The Reason I Jump,” Naoki Higashida establishes how differently autistic people view the world, opening the eyes of the reader to an entirely new perspective to those with developmental impairments.

Higashida, a 13-year-old at the time he wrote the book, was diagnosed with autism at the age of five. Despite the communication issues he faced, Higashida still manages to keep his unique outlook on life.

Many readers may be curious to learn how Higashida was able to BOOK produce a book by himREVIEW self. With the help of his teacher and mom, he learned how to communicate by writing. His mom also invented an “alphabet grid” to help Higashida type out his thoughts, creating an easier and quicker way for him to communicate with others.

&

In the book, Higashida provides answers to delicate questions regarding autism, such as “Why do you speak in that peculiar way?” and “Why do you repeat certain actions again and again?” Higashida’s honest responses let the reader understand just how differently autistic people perceive the world.

One of the most stirring questions, which also serves as the basis for the book’s title, was “What’s the reason you jump?” Higashida answers this by saying, “It’s as if my feelings are going upward to the sky. Really, my urge to be swallowed up by the sky is enough to make my heart quiver.” He goes on to explain how sometimes, he feels as if his body “seizes up,” making it so he isn’t able to move his body in the way he wants to. By jumping, Higashida is “shaking loose the ropes that are tying up [his] body.”

Though written in simple language, Higashida’s book opened up a whole new perspective on those who have autism. It’s not every day that you can find such a thought-provoking story, and Higashida does well in giving readers a way to finally understand what goes on in the minds of autistic people.

‘Frozen’ great aesthetically RATING:

••••

BY SHELLY HSU

The latest Disney princess movie, “Frozen,” tells the story of Princess An embarking on an icy journey to save her kingdom, Arendelle, from eternal winter. The movie was based off of Hans Christian Andersen’s classic fairy tale, “The Snow Queen.” In the Disney version of the story, Queen Elsa accidentally loses control of her gift, cyrokinesis, the ability to control ice and snow.

Finding true love is a major theme in this movie. Anna, a hopeless romantic, is easily swept-off of her feet by a handsome prince from a southern kingdom. Blinded by romantic ideals, Anna is easily tricked into marrying the prince, who had malicious intents to take over the throne.

In this movie, both Anna and Elsa discover that only love can save their frozen hearts and their frozen kingdom. Even with a typical hero’s journey, the destinations were definitely a surprise. At the end of the road, Anna learns what true love is, while Elsa learns to open up and accept her cyrokinetic powers.

Like any other Disney princess movie, “Frozen” had a decent blend of romance, action and comedy. Although the visual effects were nicely done, the movie was too rushed. Who can freeze her entire kingdom and build an ice castle in the span of a few hours? Apparently, an upset queen can. That, and a few miscalculated plot twists left parts of the storyboard disastrous.

Aside from the plot, “Frozen” had a very nice ensemble cast. I liked that there were two female co-leads in the story, but I was also disappointed in the disconnected romance between Anna and Kristoff.

As expected of a Disney film, the musical numbers in the movie were not disappointing at all. A score composed by Christophe MOVIE Beck, the music in the REVIEW movie was on point and fit well with the movie.

Overall, I did enjoy the movie, and I do recommend experiencing it in theater to truly take in the music and visual effects. For another Disney princess movie, it was decent. Someone buy me an Olaf stuffed doll, please.



DECEMBER 2013

THE UNION

ENTERTAINMENT

11

‘Korra’ improves, great finale RATING:

••••

BY NHI TRAN

“The Legend of Korra,” Nickelodeon’s popular animated series, concluded its second season on Nov. 22.

This season follows Korra, who is the Avatar with the ability to master all four elements, and her struggles with the Spirit World and herself. Overall, the second season is much better and has improved from the first season.

The quality of the animation is incredibly beautiful, and the action sequences are spectacular. This season has also given us new and interesting details on the Avatar mythology and reintroduces us to the Spirit World.

The season finale wraps up the overarching story line of the season while simultaneously upping the stakes for the next season.

Throughout this season, the show has continuously improved. Korra has grown and learned to accept her responsibility as the Avatar. Korra’s character development this season is satisfying, and her journey to the Spirit World is especially enjoyable.

Her flaws, such as her bad temper and hot hotheadedness, make her relatable and refreshing to watch.

There have also been disappointments during the season. The arrival of Korra’s uncle, Unalaq, brings conflict, because Unalaq and Korra’s father have history. She gets stuck in the middle between her uncle and father.

Korra’s decision to side with Unalaq is frustrating, because it is obvious from the beginning that Unalaq is the villian. It is disappointing that Unalaq is obviously the main antagonist, because there is no suspense when he is revealed as the villain. It is also disappointing that Bolin is used mainly as comic relief throughout the season, and Asami is used as a supporting character. Their characters have po-

tential and are not adequately used.

The best episode in season two is “Beginnings,” which goes into depth about Avatar Wan, the first Avatar.

The illustration is stunning, and the scenery is breath taking, despite being animated. The episode also offers insight with Korra’s present day problems with the spirits and her relationship with the past Avatars.

Even though the episode does not focus entirely on Korra, it is still very interesting and also beautifully written. It stands as a great story about Avatar Wan on its own.

During the first part of the finale, “Darkness Falls,” Korra battles Vaatu, a dark spirit, while her allies, Bolin and Mako, fight to keep Unalaq from interfering. The fight sequences are intense and TV-SERIES impressively animatREVIEW ed. As the episode went on, it shifts subjects to Tenzin, Korra’s air bending mentor.

He initially searches for his missing daughter in the Spirit World, but his journey teaches him that he should be his own person and not try to be his father Aang, the previous Avatar. The part of the finale that focuses on Tenzin was poignant, since he has been struggling with his identity throughout the season. The first part of the finale is action-packed and touching.

During the second part of the finale, “Light in the Dark,” the stakes are raised as Korra continues her battle with Unalaq, who has gained an immense amount of power. Many of Korra’s allies return from the Spirit World and attempt to help. At the end of the finale, Korra makes a huge decision that completely changes everything and sets up new possibilities and problems for next season. The second part of the finale is thrilling.

The finale has made the wait for new episodes even more excruciating.



Brenda Su | THE UNION

The Bad Idea Bears (Freshmen Jevons Lin, left, and Rachel Fussell, right) try to ruin Princeton’s (Junior Peter Rafe, middle) judgement. ‘Avenue Q,’ directed by Theater Arts Teacher Kaila Schwartz, was performed from Nov. 21-23.

‘Avenue Q’ lively, but lacks emotional depth RATING:

••••

BY BRENDA SU

Puppets go wild in “Avenue Q.” The musical is unusual for its usage of puppets, animated by unconcealed actors alongside “human” actors.

Princeton (Junior Peter Rafe) is a puppet and recent college graduate.

He is eager to find his purpose in life and moves to Avenue Q. The musical explores controversial themes like racism, homosexuality, and schadenfreude (taking pleasure in others’ pain) in a humorous, inoffensive way. For example, after they crack racial jokes and make fun of Christmas Eve’s (Freshman Ca-Zao

Bui) Asian accent, the actors burst into the catchy number “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist.” Rod (Junior Mathew Caronongan) struggles to face his homosexuality.

Notable vocal performances include that of Sophomore Darlene Roque, who played Lucy, PLAY a “skanky” puppet seREVIEW ductress. Junior Devin Ralph, who played Gary Coleman, also displayed a confident voice and had fantastic comical expressions.

Princeton becomes involved in a relationship with Kate Monster (Junior Cameron Mateo), which he rashly breaks off when faced with

®

the prospect of commitment. To win Kate back, he raises money to build the school for monsters that Kate has always dreamed of starting.

Princeton discovers that it is okay to not have a purpose and be content with what he already has. The musical ends with the touching revelation, “Everything in life is only for now.”

Some actors were off-key and the opening song was not strong, but the rest of the performance compensated for these flaws. A main weakness was that the “sad” scenes felt ingenuine.

Overall, “Avenue Q” was enjoyable.

However, audience members should be prepared to simply laugh, not to cry or be left with any profound emotional impact.

12

THE UNION

SPORTS

DECEMBER 2013

Ice rinks usher in holiday fun

BY SARAH TANG

Are you having a difficult time searching for the right place to spend the winter with family and friends? If so, these three recreational ice skating rinks are perfect places to get you into the holiday spirit!

Sharks Ice: Sharks Ice is a recreational facility over 170,000 square feet and is located at 1500 S. 10th St. San Jose, CA 95192, near Fairgrounds. This place is great for those who enjoy ice skating, especially those who are fans of the San Jose Sharks hockey team.

It includes three different ice rinks, for public skating, ice skating, and hockey, respectively. These are not limited to professional skaters, as both children and adults are allowed admission. The general admission fee for ages 13 and up is $9.75, children 12 and under is $8.75, the senior admission fee is $6.25, and skate rental is $4.25. Training equipment like treadmills and weights is available and is great for those looking for an indoor workout during the chilly season.

The facility also holds meetings and parties, and has a full-service restaurant and bar called Stanley’s Sports Bar. “It’s fun to imagine you’re skating where athletes were skating,” Freshman Olyvia Yoon said.

Winter Lodge: If you’re looking for a small, family- friendly event for the holidays, the Winter Lodge is the right choice. This place, located at 3009 Middlefield Rd. Palo Alto, CA 94306, is an outdoor ice skating facility that opens seasonally from late Sept. to mid-April. It has a reasonable admission fee of only $10 and skate rental of $4. However, there are holiday closings on Nov. 28, Dec. 24 & 25, and Jan. 1. This lodge also includes a cozy, holiday-decorated fireplace that burns during the winter, a great place to relax and hang out with family and friends. Sophomore Jessica Kuo said the Winter Lodge was “very pretty.”

Downtown Ice: Downtown Ice, located at Circle of Palms, 179 S. Market St. San Jose, CA 95113, is surrounded by leading winter attractions like Christmas in the Park and Winter Wonderland. The rink is encircled with palm trees decorated with bright lights. The ice rink is fairly small and admission fees are a bit pricey, ranging from $13 to $17, depending on age. But with an atmosphere filled with winter fun and festivities to get you into the holiday spirit, it’s an opportunity worth taking! Senior Jessica Erevia said, “It [has] a friendly atmosphere.”

Intramurals foster unity

BY RUTH PARK

Basketball intramurals started on Nov. 13 and ended on Dec. 13, according to Freshman Alec Li, who coordinated the tournament. Intramurals are supposed to create a sense of unity among students of all grades at MHS, Li said.

Different sports are rotated throughout the school year, and the same sports are rotated every year.

Intramurals are open year-round for any student interested in getting involved with school activities, Li said.

“I think that basketball was initially picked as a sport when intramurals first started because of its simplicity as well as the easiness of being able to be held at lunch. Also, there is a large audience that is interested in playing basketball at MHS,” Li said.

Though any student at MHS is allowed to sign up to participate in the basketball intramurals, some criteria were made to make an eligible com-

peting team, according to Li. Li also said that the teams are randomly placed into different pools to determine the competition schedule.

“This year, to be eligible as a team, you would need to have three players and one substitute. Each team may only have one person from the basketball team,” Li said. “Although I did not decide to impose a gender requirement for this year, I still received a team that consisted of all females.”

“Once I gather the responses on a first come, first serve basis, I divide the teams into two pools,” Li said.

“They will compete in their pools, and the top two from each pool will go head to head in the finals.”

According to Li, he is not the only one who runs the intramurals, although he is the committee head.

Li’s tasks are made easier since his entire committee is rather proactive.

Li added that he enjoyed leading the intramural committee.

FEATURED TRI-ATHLETE running. I have been playing soccer for a very long time, and I love it just the same as tennis.

How long have you been playing each sport?

I have been playing tennis since I was two, but I was not serious about it until I was in seventh or eighth grade.

I have been playing soccer since I was in second grade. I did track in eighth grade, but I didn’t try freshman year.

It wasn’t until sophomore year that I decided to try it again.

Nhi Tran | THE UNION

Kristen Buchanan

Junior Soccer, Tennis, Track and Field Which do you prefer the most?

Why? I prefer tennis the most because it is a sport where you have to be strategic and very quick on your feet.

Which is the most challenging for you? Why? Soccer is the most challenging because it is so much more different than tennis and requires a lot more

How did you get into each sport?

I got into tennis because my dad had taught himself when he was young and then he taught my mom. Together, they taught my brother and me. I got into soccer right after my brother’s first season playing. Every time I saw him running around scoring and having fun, it made me want to try it out.

How do you train for each sport?

During the summer, I train for tennis and a part of a recreational soccer team. After both seasons are done, I am ready for soccer. In a way, tennis helps me get fit for soccer. Soccer helps me get fit for track. and track helps me stay fit for the rest of the year.

Courtesy of Kyle Do

MHS Wrestler Kyle Do (top) pins down his opponent during a wrestling match. The wrestling team’s first official meet was on Dec. 7 at Wilcox High School, which it lost. The team is looking to match last year’s success.

Wrestling season begins; high expectations set

BY STEPHEN HSU

With winter sports coming to an end, spring athletes begin to prepare for the upcoming season, including those on the MHS wrestling team.

After the team’s success at CCS last year, there are high expectations for the team this year. “Quite a bit of varsity wrestlers placed in league and moved onto CCS, like Angelo Banzon, Jammil Watan, Laurence Hou, Zander Wright, Ted Ngo, and myself,” Wrestling Captain Kyle Do said.

“Many of the girls also did very well, like Tatiana Almogela, who earned first in CCS and went on to State, Mabel Len, who placed 3rd in CCS and also went on to State, and Katie Blackburn, who placed 4th in CCS.” This year, most of the veterans on the wrestling team are expected to make it to CCS. In addition to the

veterans’ success, the team has high hopes for the rest of the wrestlers.

“A lot of athletes came out for wrestling this year, and a lot of girls as well.

The small gym is beginning to be a bit too small for the whole team to fit and drill, but I’m glad that many have decided to try the amazing sport of wrestling,” Do said. “One of our biggest goals is to get the new wrestlers to experience what a wrestling match feels like.”

MHS wrestlers go through vigorous training for the upcoming season.

The three hours of training from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Friday includes a variety of intense practices, according to Senior Derrick Lien.

“In wrestling, we train our bodies to be able to wrestle for six minutes, non-stop. We do a lot of explosive workouts and cardio. We do a lot of push-ups, core, squat jumps, and

more,” Senior Joshua Fernandez said.

Preparation does not, however, begin in the winter. MHS wrestlers have been training for the season since earlier this year. Many have been training with coaches and spending time working out in the gym on the weekends, according to Fernandez.

“If you’re wrestling, a split second can change the tides of a match,” Fernandez said. “To be able to change the tides, you need to know the feeling of when to hit a move or not, and it takes time to learn how to do that.”

Do offered advice to future wrestlers. “Wrestling is about being able to reach your goals, learning to persevere and commit, putting in work when no one else is watching, and also feeling great at the end of the season knowing that you did one of the hardest sports at this school,” Do said.