The Union - Milpitas High School - May 2014

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E D i to r i a l 3

UN I O N

O pi n i o n s 4

May 2014

Volume xxV Issue VII

Fe at u r e s 6

W i ll s 10

M o s t s 12

T HE

C o l leg e s 1 4 L i fe s t y le 16 E n t e r ta i n me n t 19

sports 22

MHSTHEUNION.com For the latest updates

STUDENT VOICE OF MILPITAS HIGH SCHOOL

Lawton named new principal

Lawton said. She plans to work together with teachers in order to better inform herself about the changes Current Hillsdale High School necessary. Co-Principal Cheryl Lawton was “I’m coming from a school where named the new principal of MHS the teachers are empowered. Everyat the Board of Education meeting thing on the campus where I am right on April 22. She will begin working now is shared decision-making,” as principal during the 2014-2015 school year, Lawton said. Lawton said. “Administration does not make any deLawton currently serves cisions without buy-in from her eighth year as the the teachers.” co-principal of Hillsdale One issue Lawton believes High School in San Mateo. to be a problem at MHS is Prior to working as an administrator, Lawton taught the achievement gap, she in Los Angeles before movsaid. The issue has to be ading to the Bay Area; she then dressed through the curriculum, she said. taught for ten years at MHS Cheryl in the Math department, “I think we have to look Lawton established the Digital Busiat the programs and look at ness Academy, and then worked at what we’re offering to students and Hillsdale, she said. the rigor that we’re offering students and the expectations that we have,” “One of the advantages at Hillsdale Lawton said. “Maybe it’s time to start is that there are three administrators getting rid of the bottom-level classand we share everything, so there es. That’s something that I did find at isn’t just one person who understands how to budget or how to do the school that I’m at, both schools scheduling or how to do whatever,” I’ve been at since here at [MHS]. Raise the bar, and yeah, there are just Lawton said. “So I feel like I’ve been going to be some kids that don’t meet running a school, a smaller school, it, but a lot of them will.” yes, but I’ve been running a school for eight years.” Lead Principal Jeff Gilbert worked Lawton does not plan to introduce closely with Lawton at Hillsdale as a any major changes to MHS during fellow lead administrator of the three small learning communities within her first year, Lawton said. Instead, she will be using her first year to obHillsdale, Gilbert said. As principal serve the school. of one of these communities, Law“My first year is going to be a lot of ton was a progressive educator and watching and listening and talking worked hard to understand her students, Gilbert said. to people to just find out what’s “She is a very talented administraworking,” Lawton said. “I’ve already tor,” Gilbert said. “One of the chalbeen asking students as I’m walking around.” lenges she’ll have to face going to Changes to the school will not be Milpitas is that she will be unacclimatized to the culture [at MHS].” implemented from the top-down, by Sidney le and Brenda su

Amy Nguyen | THE UNION

Senior Michael Le (middle) accepts an award from Mayor Jose Esteves (left). Principal Kenneth Schlaff (right) congratulated winners as they stepped up to receive their honors. Almost 400 seniors were honored on May 21.

Seniors Awards Night honors achievements by Amy Nguyen

Awards were given to 376 seniors for their achievements during Senior Awards Night on May 21 in the large gym. Students were rewarded for academic successes, community service accomplishments, and scholarships, Principal Kenneth Schlaff said. Representatives from organizations presented scholarships to the recipients during the ceremony, according to Counselor Cory Nakamoto. Nakamoto presented the MHS Guidance Award. Scholarships presented at the ceremony were from the MHS Parent

by Ruth Park

MHS Spring Carnival takes place May 30 All MHS students, with an identification card, will receive five free game tickets. Additional tickets will be sold at one dollar for five tickets. The activities including a Velcro wall and slide will be free of charge. Airbrushed tattoos will be $5 and $3 with a ASB card. Food trucks will also be selling food.

School ends June 5 The last day of school will be Thursday, June 5. Seniors to graduate on June 7 The graduation ceremony will be held on the football field on Saturday, June 7. The ceremony will begin at 9:30 a.m. There is a mandatory graduation rehearsal on Wednesday, June 4 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Six members of badminton team make CCS Sophomore Alice Lai and Seniors Stanley Cheah, Kevin Chu, Timothy Hsu, Jaime Tran, and Roberto Zeng qualified for CCS.

rian, President’s award; they reward academic excellence.” 251 students received gold cords, 162 received maroon cords, 60 received President’s awards, and 181 received the Golden State Seal Merit Diploma award, Schlaff said. Two students were recognized for being National Merit Scholarship finalists, he added. Senior Brian Lien received a gold cord, a NHS stole, and an award presented by Superintendent Cary Matsuoka, Lien said. “It’s not the amount of awards you get,” Lien said. “It’s how you get it and what you did to get it.”

Several staff members to leave

n ews in br ief Leo B. Murphy Athletic Awards ceremony to be held May 29 MHS athletes will be honored at the Murphy Awards on May 29 at 6:00 p.m. in the large gym.

Final exams to begin Final exams will begin Tuesday, June 3 and end on Thursday, June 5. First and second period exams will be held on Tuesday, third and fourth period exams on Wednesday, and fifth and sixth periods exams on Thursday. The school day will end on 12:20 p.m. during finals.

Teacher Student Association (PTSA), Focus Optometry, the Minnis Scholarship, and the Sandy King Memorial Scholarship, Nakamoto said. “Just from outside donors who were in attendance, about $86,000 [in scholarships] was awarded that night.” The ceremony recognized not only monetary rewards but also academic ones, such as the gold cord, the maroon cord, the President’s award, and the Golden State Seal Merit Diploma recipients, Schlaff said. There are prerequisites for each award, he added. “There are also internal awards that occur here,” Schlaff said. “Gold cord, maroon cord, valedictorian, salutato-

Bryan Tran | THE UNION

Pool construction takes place in one of the fields behind the school. The pool is one of many renovations scheduled to be completed this year.

Renovations to take place; completion scheduled for Oct. by Bryan Tran

This summer, MHS will be going through a multitude of renovations in preparation for the upcoming school year, according to Principal Kenneth Schlaff. The renovations will include new furniture and carpeting, improved air conditioning and heating (HVAC), a complete learning center, new wallings and classrooms, and a competitive swimming pool that meets the requirements of high school regulations, Schlaff said. Renovations will be taking place in the G, E, F, and L buildings as well as the library and the field where renovation has already begun on the

swimming pool, according to Schlaff. All of these projects will be completed before school starts in August except for the learning center which is predicted to be finished in October, according to Schlaff. The HVAC and carpeting renovations will be universally taking place in all of the mentioned buildings according to Schlaff. “This stuff has been around for fifteen, sixteen years,” Schlaff said. “Even though it might look clean, there’s imbedded dirt and stuff. We’re talking about cleanliness. The upgraded HVAC will also fix the problems in climate consee Construction on page 24

Three MHS Mathematics teachers, as well as Science Teacher Lisa Brizuela, will be leaving MHS after the 2013-2014 school year, according to Principal Kenneth Schlaff. Two of those teachers, Mathematics Teachers Ruth Hakim and Elena Pages are replacements for Mathematics Teachers Mehrzad Rasti and Nathan Dixon, respectively, Schlaff said. Mathematics Teacher Stacy Hseu and Social Studies Teacher Carol Weiss will also be leaving MHS, Schlaff said. The open positions are first offered to teachers within Milpitas Unified School District and then opened to the public afterwards, Schlaff continued. “The job openings have been open and posted,” Schlaff said. “We open them internally in the district for five days, then open it to the public.” Brizuela will no longer teach at MHS after the 2013-2014 school year, Brizuela said through an interview via email. She plans to continue to work for an education consulting company called Think Tank Learning (TTL), according to Brizuela. “TTL provides services for junior high all the way to college transfer students to maximize their potential for the best college they could get into,” Brizuela said. “I’ve started part-time and I’m really enjoying it so far. I don’t plan on being there long-term. Hopefully, just a year to learn how the program operates and then either apply to graduate school or see what other doors might open up from that.” Brizuela has taught various sub-

jects at MHS, including Anatomy and Physiology, Biology, and Life Science, according to Brizuela. Her fondest memories of teaching come from when she hears or sees her students after they graduate, Brizuela said. “I decided to resign for many reasons,” Brizuela said. “Prayer was the biggest reason. I am a very spiritual person and after some lengthy praying, I saw many things that confirmed this would be my final year at MHS. The second was that I felt I had reached a ceiling in my career. I decided it was time to learn new things and make new goals. Weiss, on the other hand, decided to resign from her teaching position to increase her involvement in the government as the Humans Relations Commissioner for the country, according to Weiss. She also plans to continue her work on Congressman Mike Honda’s political campaign, Weiss said. Finding a new, eligible teacher requires a process that includes interviews with the school principal as well as the respective department and program heads for the open job, according to Schlaff. One person is never solely in charge of hiring a new teacher, Schlaff said. “If we were getting a new science teacher, we would have interviews with at least me and Meyer, since she’s the department head,” Schlaff said. “If we had a position that had something to do with the Academies, then we would interview the candidate with the Academy program teachers. I never make the decision by myself.”


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