INSIDE

UN I N PAGES 6-7 Senior Colleges

MAY 2016

Volume XXVII Issue VI

T HE

PAGES 8-9 Senior Mosts

SPREAD: PAGES 10-11 Senior Advice/Tips

PAGES 12-13 Senior Wills

MHSTHEUNION.COM For the latest updates

STUDENT VOICE OF MILPITAS HIGH SCHOOL

Morales named new principal BY GURSHAAN BARIANA MIHIR THUMMAR

Noemi Crisanto | THE UNION

Ricky Hua receives four scholarships and takes a picture with (left to right) Principal Cheryl Lawton, Superintendent Cary Matsuoka, and scholarship providers Gurdev and Muhini Sardu, Raghu Banda, Kumi Lingle, and Jenifer Lind.

Awards Night recognizes senior accomplishments BY NOEMI CRISANTO

Approximately 300 seniors were recognized for their achievements in academics, fine arts, and community service during Senior Awards Night on May 18 in the large gym. During the ceremony, it was also revealed by Principal Cheryl Lawton that the graduating class had received $1.1 million in financial aid and scholarships combined. After announcing that 74 people in the graduating class were attending a Univerity of California (UC) and that nearly 20% of the class would be attending a California State University (CSU), the MUSD Board of Education also announced that this would be the first time they gave out a Board Member Scholarship to one lucky senior who later turned out to be Senior

Alex Faria. “This [scholarship] is out of our own pocketbooks, but most importantly our hearts,” President of the Governing Board Gunawan Alisantosa said. One new award was also introduced this year , the Seal of Biliteracy for students who are fluent in more than one language, Assistant Principal Ethan Stocks explained. The night is also meant to acknowledge the students who received scholarships and full rides to their schools. “The night is basically kind of like a mini graduation,” Stocks said. “It’s an opportunity for the parents to see their kids get acknowledged.” The night was also full of surprises because the students didn’t know what awards they would be receiving and a couple of scholarship recipi-

ents were actually named that night to the delight of many seniors. One of the seniors who wasn’t aware of all of the scholarships he would be receiving that night was Senior Ricky Hua, who also recieved the $20,000 Minnis Scholarship. “I was excited to receive the [scholarships] I knew about, and when they called the Minnis one, I didn’t even hear it. So when everyone came to congratulate me at the end, I was a bit confused,” Hua said through Facebook Messenger. “When I found out I got the Minnis Scholarship, I was happy all my hard work paid off.” Other recipients of the Minnis Scholarship are Senior Nina Quach who recieved $20,000, Senior Qian Ying He who recieved $10,000, and Seniors Stephen Tang and Sajel Shah, who both recieved $5,000.

On Tuesday May 24, the Milpitas School Board officially introduced Philip Morales as the new principal of MHS for the upcoming school year, according to Morales. Morales has been the principal at Newark Memorial High School for the past four years. The decision for the future principal was made last week when Morales was offered the open position. A panel consisting of various teachers and administrators was constructed to evaluate the performance of the potential candidates, according to English Teacher Kaila Schwartz, who was also a member of the panel and an active participant in the selection process. “The interview process was not a typical interview,” said Schwartz. “People can be very good at answering typical interview questions, but put them in a role play and you know right away whether or not they can handle actual angry parents and difficult students.” The interviewees came together, were given a group orientation session, and then were divided up and sent to different rooms for different things, according to Draeger. “One room was like standard traditional interview questions,” Draeger said. “Another room was a case study on a school and how they would handle being the new principal at the

school listed in the case study.” “A third room was a teacher evaluation room where they were given a video to watch of a teacher giving a science lesson, and then they had to say how they would do an evaluation,” Draeger said. “Then they did a role play of the evaluation and then after the role play, they debriefed with the other people in the room how they felt they did with the evaluation, and what they would have done differently if they had to do it again.” The evaluation was thorough and ensured the new principal was one that would help MHS improve. The selection process was a unique way to evaluate potential candidates, according to Morales. “I thought it was amazing. It’s a performance based interview, the first kind of interview I’ve been on,” Morales said. “It was fun and not your boring question-answer type of interview. I really enjoyed it. It’s a good way to look for candidates.” Regarding plans for the next school year, Morales does not have any concrete projects he would like to implement. Instead, he looks forward to becoming familiar with the school, students, and faculty, he said. “There are things happening at MHS that I want to be a part of. I just want to get connected with everybody and build relationships with students and faculty and parents,”explained Morales. “From there I can start putting together a plan based on student needs, and then go from there.”

Draeger named as new assistant principal BY BROOKE TRAN JUSTIN TSO

English Department Co-Chair Skyler Draeger is becoming Assistant Principal starting next school year after 21 years of classroom teaching, according to Draeger. Current Assistant Principal Hilary Brittan’s resignation has left a vacancy for her position, and after an interview process with four different applicants, Draeger was chosen as the new Assistant Principal, she said. According to Draeger, becoming an assistant principal was just the next step, as she has been taking more and more leadership roles over the past

couple of years. It is not clear what her exact duties will be yet, as there may be some redistribution of duties with two of the administrators leaving, Draeger continued. “A few years ago, I became department lead, and some of those jobs are similar in terms of taking on more of a management role and more of a leadership role in the campus,” Draeger said. “And I’ve been doing a number of things for several years that involve curriculum development on campus and being a leader in many ways.” As an assistant principal, Draeger hopes to be a good bridge between the administration and staff, and she hopes that her long history with the

school will help her, she said. As for what duties she’d like to take over, she is not completely sure, but she would like to keep the technology aspect of the job that Brittan previously held, Draeger continued. “I have an immediate goal of increasing the quality of our communication,” Draeger said. “I hope to add to the sense of team-building on this campus.” “I think [Draeger] will be wonderful like dealing with things like the master schedule [and] with the SBAC testing schedule,” Enlgish Teacher Conradson said. “She’s taught here for so many years, and we all know her well.”

Seniors earn significant financial aid through various means BY ABIGAIL ECAL SHERRY LAM STELLA XU

Many of the current seniors at MHS will soon be leaving the grounds of free education and into the world of having to pay tuition for their education. However, for a few seniors, they have earned scholarships that paved the wave into receiving freer education. Senior Ashley Ricks will be attending Santa Clara University (SCU) as a Johnson Scholar in the fall of 2016. As a Johnson Scholar, all of Ricks’ college expenses, except textbook fees,

will be paid for by the school. In addition to her full-ride scholarship, Ricks has also earned a $7,000 stipend that all students receive the summer after their sophomore year. “Actually when I was applying to Santa Clara I didn’t even know the scholarship was a thing that they did,” Ricks said. “But essentially their entire applicant pool is considered for the scholarship, so you don’t even need to fill out a separate app.” Ricks received an email in February saying that she was a semifinalist for the Johnson Scholars program. In order to confirm her semifinalist spot and potentially be a finalist, Ricks

had to write an essay. From however many essays they got back, fifty were picked to be finalists. All finalists then traveled to SCU to compete in person with professors and people evaluating them. The competition took place on a Friday and Ricks was notified of her acceptance on the following Thursday. Ricks was at Peet’s Coffee at 8 p.m. with a friend talking about the scholarship when the call came in. “It still feels very surreal,” Ricks said. “The next morning, I had to look in my call history to make sure SEE SCHOLARSHIPS ON BACK

Amal Mulaomerovic | THE UNION

Seniors Grace Shau (left) and Amal Mulaomerovic (right) is the first MHS debate team to fully qualify for the Tournament of Champions with two bids.

Mulaomerovic, Shau compete at TOC BY ABIGAIL ECAL

The Senior Public Forum Team of Amal Mulaomerovic and Grace Shau went 3-4 at the Tournament of Champions (TOC) on Apr. 30 to May 1 at the University of Kentucky, according to Speech and Debate Coach Charles Schletzbaum. According to Schletzbaum, this is the first time a MHS debate team has fully qualified for TOC with two bids. Another team qualified in 2014 but with only one bid, Schletzbaum said. “We went 3-4 which is good for the tournament especially [for the amount of ] times we have been there,” Schletzbaum said. “Two years ago, we sent a team and they went 2-5, so we’re getting better.” The different tournaments Mulaomerovic and Shau compete in offer bids which offers an invitation to TOC at certain levels, according to Mulaomerovic. They got their first bid at the James Logan Martin Luther King Invitational in Jan. 14 to

Jan. 17 and received their second bid at the Millard North Tournament in Nebraska on Feb. 26 to Feb. 27, Mulaomerovic said. “The first bid we got was at the James Logan Tournament where we made it to quarterfinals, [so] once you automatically make it to quarterfinals, you know you got a bid,” Mulaomerovic said. “Then we got our second bid at Millard North where we also made it to quarterfinals.” According to Shau, they started to prepare three weeks before the tournament. The topic they researched on was whether the U.S. should seek economic equality through meanfurther investment in means-tested welfare or infrastuture, Shau said. “We started prepping for the topic during spring break,” Mulaomerovic said. “Grace, Schletzbaum, and I would meet at the library to prep. Senior Vincent Le would help out a lot; he and Schletzbaum would sit and coach us while [Grace and I] would do SEE TOC ON BACK

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THE UNION

PRO

AP classes’ second semester finals should continue to be handed out After trudging through numerous bulence throughout a semester, stufinals during first semester, many dents may find themselves suspendof our AP students dread the idea of ed between two letter grades, which repeating a similar process second se- may significantly impact their GPAs. mester, along with the added weight If second semester finals were reof AP exams. At first, taking finals in moved for AP classes, students would AP classes second semester seems be refused the chance to raise their counterintuitive, simply because grades. It would be especially unfair AP exams are deemed more import- to require finals first semester, but ant than final exams, and there’s not not so second semester, as it may not much left to be tested on in class if accurately represent students’ peryou’re already taking the formances in their classes. College Board’s AP exam, Removing second sewhich cover the entire mester finals for AP classes year’s worth of material. would also be impractical. While this may be true for A majority of students take some, final exams do offer AP classes with the intenmore than just another tion of taking AP exams at nuisance to deal with in the end of the year, while May. Hence, second sesome other students take mester final exams ought AP classes simply for the to remain mandatory for GPA bump or for the thrill AP classes. of the advanced materiDIVYESH The most common justial. Because each class is a CHOTAI fication for requiring finals mixed bag of these types of is that teachers use these students, removing second exams to help their students prepare semester finals for AP classes would for AP testing. A majority of AP class- give rise to a host of other issues. For es at MHS typically administer finals instance, students that take AP classa few weeks before AP testing begins es without taking AP exams would to ensure that students have ample essentially get a free pass at the end time to refresh their memories and of the semester. Requiring second practice applying their knowledge, semester finals prevents this from as well as clear up any topics they happening and establishes a common may not fully understand. Although ground in which all students in the AP taking exams before AP testing feels class are tested on their knowledge like a hassle, the finals actually pose of the semester’s worth of material. a significant advantage in prepar- From there, those who want to take ing students, as corroborated by our AP exams can use their final exam reschool’s high AP passing rates. sults to prepare for the College Board While some AP students despise assessment, while those who elect to taking finals, many others rely on not take AP exams can focus on other the exams for a final attempt to boost classes after getting AP finals out of their grades. After experiencing tur- the way.

CON

Second semester AP course finals serve little purpose, unnecessary Semester finals have been given work harder by putting their grades to all students, but has anyone ever on the line. This argument is false for questioned their purpose for second a couple reasons. First, if a student semester AP students? Finals are cares desperately about his grade, understandable for first semester then he clearly cares about the AP because of the fact that new material examination and therefore does not is still being learned and needs to be need a final to accomplish the goal of tested. However, for second semester passing the AP test. Second, if a stuAP students, the concept of a final for dent does not care about his grade, he the whole year seems redundant and will not care about the class or the AP stressful. examination that makes First off, second semesthe final irrelevant. ter finals are completely Third, if a student spent unnecessary because AP 90 dollars for the AP test, exams are the bigger picthen he will try to pass it. ture. The AP exam is the Some might also argue true “final” that students that taking final exams must study for because earlier or before the AP it decides whether or exams will reduce the not the class was worth effect of “senioritis.” the effort based on your Even if you don’t buy score. This makes secthe aforementioned reaMIHIR ond semester finals not sons, consider the logic THUMMAR only completely irrelethat senioritis will affect vant, but also detrimenstudents with or without tal. When students are studying for taking a final, so there is no point of their AP tests, they don’t want the taking the final early or at all in genneedless stress of trying to ace the eral. final to maintain a high GPA. In fact, The final argument that those in the main objective of an AP class is to favor of finals may have is that stupass the AP exam for college credit, dents who choose not to take the not to ace the second semester final. AP exam have an advantage of not At that point, finals seem to only hin- being tested on a year’s worth of inder academic performance. formation if there is no final. This is Moreover, in most AP classes, true, but there is more to lose by not second semester finals usually last taking the AP exam which tests the multiple days because a year’s worth entire course. The fact that the entire of intricate material is being test- course does not count for any credit ed. Considering that most students in college without the AP exam outare desperately trying to remember weighs the testing of information for what they learned in the first week of the final. school, review packets would seem The final verdict is to not have fito be the logical alternative to a final. nals because the purpose of an AP There is the argument that finals class is to earn credit and gain colhelp prepare students for the AP legiate academic experience, not to exam by giving them the incentive to pass a final.

OPINIONS

MAY 2016

College admissions process flawed by latent bias For as long as they have existed, clear to see that the “holistic” review colleges have been perceived as a process colleges claim to abide by is gateway to greater opportunity and anything but. education for those who have worked Just take a look at the application their hardest and deserve to gain ad- process for private schools, especialmission. However, with college ad- ly when it comes to money. If one’s missions becoming more and more ability to pay really didn’t affect the competitive, that view is more and chances of getting in, wouldn’t it more challenged these make sense to ask for the days. students’ financial situation It isn’t without reason after they’ve been offered that this view is refuted admission? If they were more. When someone really equally accessible can become a Univerto anyone and everyone, sity of California (UC) shouldn’t colleges not ask Regents’ Scholar despite if anyone in your family attended the school previoushaving an SAT score ly, nor request one’s basic 400 points and a GPA 1.4 points below the avdemographic information? erages of the applicant If America is supposedly a IVAN pool, or get into every land where one’s life isn’t deHUANG fined by race or creed, and its single Ivy League unicolleges are what they claim versity despite a mundane academic record relative to the to be, then shouldn’t factors beyond pool, that is going to raise some dis- one’s control not be factored into sent, leading to Facebook arguments whether or not someone gets into about whether they got in by merit college? The issues above can easily be ador by some other factor, be it money, race, or as a legacy admit. No matter dressed with some changes to the what side you stand on this issue, it is application process. First, each appli-

cation should not include one’s name or any other demographic information when colleges receive them so that race or being a legacy wouldn’t play a factor; each student should be assigned a unique number and only be referred by it throughout the process. This shouldn’t be a problem, since colleges already assign these ID numbers. To eliminate one’s ability to pay from being taken into account, FAFSA applications and other information about income should be withheld from colleges unless they have already decided to accept a student. By merely altering two components, college admissions can be made dramatically fairer, which begs the question: why isn’t it like this already? In our lifetimes, we may see colleges with one-percent acceptance rates at the rates they are decreasing year by year. That would subject the admissions process to even greater scrutiny, especially in terms of how fair the process is. If the two steps proposed above are adopted, the process would be able to be reasonably described as one that does not favor one group over another.

Cap and gown decorations ought to be permitted Graduation for seniors is coming up soon, along with its infamous rules and regulations. The Senior Pledge outlines what seniors cannot do if they want to walk in the graduation ceremony. The one rule that I am upset by is the banning of decorations on the cap and gown worn during the graduation ceremony. MHS has once again implemented the rule of not being able to decorate our caps and gowns in any way, and once again many seniors are not in favor of this rule. The reason that there are no decorations allowed is our school wants the graduation ceremony to be a uniform and dignified event. While it is logical that MHS wants everyone to feel equal and have his or her moment to shine, I feel that stripping down every senior’s individuality is not the correct way to make everyone feel equal. I understand that graduation is

not just for the seniors but also for list of what you can and cannot put the parents who may not want their on the caps and gowns and then have children bedazzling their outfits. a screening process date set up a few However, that still doesn’t mean that days before graduation for those who the seniors who have worked hard to have decorated their caps and gowns graduate high school don’t to get it checked out, just deserve to wear what they like they did for the senior want during graduation. If sweaters. I know it sounds I had to pay 38 dollars for like a lot of extra work for a cap and gown and I only the administration, but get to use it for one occabeing willing to put in the sion, I think I deserve to extra effort would result decorate and wear it the in a great compromise beway I want to. All my fellow tween the staff and seniors seniors and I are asking for instead of just taking away is just a chance to decorate the right to decorate in the our caps for the graduation first place. CRYSTAL ceremony which we have The seniors of MHS unTRAN been working so hard for. derstand that the decoraI recommend a comtion of caps and gowns is a promise in which MHS privilege, and we’re asking conducts a screening process to see MHS administration and staff to conwhat is fit and unfit for the gradua- sider granting it to us. tion ceremony. MHS can release a

Gatorade G-week an unhealthy marketing ploy Spring sports athletes at MHS re- a student answered correctly, he was cently participated in Gatorade’s gifted a nice Gatorade squeeze bottle. G-Week, during which students were The representative failed to ask given tips on sports nutrition as well trivia questions such as, “How many as three days worth of Gatorade prod- grams of sugar accompany the 42 ucts. From my experience as a partic- grams of carbohydrates and 20 grams ipant in G-Week, it is nothing but a of protein in each recovery bar?” Cormarketing ploy to promote the un- rect answer: 29 grams. The amount necessary use of Gatorade products of sugar in the products athletes are amongst most high school athletes. supposed to consume before, during, My suspicions were aroused when and after a sports session can near my coach announced that all athletes 100 grams. A Gatorade Prime Fuel have to attend a mandatory meeting Bar contains around 20 grams of during lunchtime on the first day of sugar, depending on the flavor. The G-Week in order to obtain free sam- Thirst Quencher contains around 15 ples of Gatorade products. grams of sugar per eight Why would attendance fluid ounces, and many be mandatory during an athletes drink much more event distributing free than that. A whey protein samples? recovery bar contains Large Gatorade banners around 30 grams of sugar. welcomed my journey According to the American into the large gym, where Heart Association, the recI joined many other spring ommended sugar intake athletes who skipped per day for teenagers is lunch to attend the meetbetween five to eight teaing. The Gatorade represpoons (20 to 32 grams). sentative began by talking The Gatorade products WEE JIN for a few minutes about MHS athletes were enKOH simple facets of sports nucouraged to consume each trition, but nothing that day contain at least double the first few links on a Google search the recommended intake of sugar. wouldn’t tell you. It is ironic that MHS discourages The representative then described the sale of products loaded with sugin detail the various Gatorade prod- ar at school, yet it welcomes Gatorade ucts that spring athletes were so and its sugar loaded products with “lucky” to have for the next three open arms. Letting Gatorade host days. The representative ran triv- G-Week on campus allows Gatorade ia sessions with questions such as, to advertise their sugary products “How many grams of carbohydrates directly to student-athletes. I believe does each Chocolate Chip Whey that the school has an obligation to Protein Recovery Bar have?” When protect its students from untoward

approaches, and G-Week is basically a week of advertising for Gatorade’s sugary products that do not necessarily benefit the athletic capabilities of MHS’s athletes. Granted, Gatorade’s products are designed for furthering athletic performance. However, the exertions of most high school sports hardly require such a massive intake of carbohydrates, sugars, and proteins. Some of my fellow athletes complained of feeling bloated and sluggish after eating Gatorade’s bars, and many others grew tired of drinking Gatorade Thirst Quencher during practice. Personally, I wondered whether my yellow urine was a sign of my dehydration (which I treat by drinking water and eating food) or possibly an abundance of Yellow 6 food dye in my body from drinking Lemon-Lime Thirst Quencher. For athletes of most high school sports, adequate water and regular meals are enough to support the carbohydrate and protein needs of athletic exertion. Instead of relying on articifically formulated bars and drinks, student-athletes should make sure to eat lunch at school. For those who need more carbohydrates in their diets, I recommend rice, a natural grain that has supported societies for millennia. Protein needs can be satisfied through a plethora of animals and plants. Gatorade’s products are well intentioned, but high school athletes should not be consuming them every day, and definitely not under Gatorade’s guise of proper sports nutrition.

MAY 2016

EDITOR I A L : The Opinion of The Union

School year pleasant, but issues must be resolved While MHS has offered an enjoyable school year, there are some aspects of the school that can still improve to make the next school year even better. Many problems and complications have appeared this year regarding community service. First, new policies should be clearly established and announced so no students unintentionally complete invalid service hours. This year, many students have been denied service hours because of abrupt, unanticipated policy changes. This issue especially inconveniences seniors on the verge of graduation. Second, the added policies should be fair for all students; this year, issues arose when service that was previously accepted as valid was denied. In addition, some policies, such as the ten-hour limit for on-campus service, are illogical because they limit students’ opportunities to contribute to helping the community. Improvements on community service can be made by announcing policy changes clearly prior to establishing them, which may be accomplished through morning announcements, emails, or social media. One of the most crucial issues that MHS had this year was with communication between administration, staff, and students. For instance, what exactly happened when 14 suspensions were distributed to a group of students? What was happening with the football lockers? What happened during the fire drills in October? Many teachers were not informed about the most recent fire drill, as well, which led to a delayed response when fire alarms rang. Communication between administration, staff, and students may be improved through emails, social media, and newsletters. Many students have issues with tardy sweeps, specifically the sweeps in the morning because they do not punish the students who are constantly tardy, and those who are punished may have justifications. Many of the students who are caught by the sweeps are often late because of morning traffic or alarm clock malfunctions. Tardy sweeps often catch these individuals on a bad day; however, those who are constantly late cheat the system by attending class

after the sweep is over, when staff members or security guards are no longer issuing detentions. In addition, tardy sweeps held during lunch are also unfair in that many students have lunchtime activities, such as club meetings, that may cause them to be late. Tardy sweeps do not necessarily need to be completely removed, but they can be improved by only implementing them between classes, not before school or immediately after lunch. One recent issue students have had is club chartering, which was hectic since clubs were only given four days to complete paperwork and find a new advisor if necessary. This process may be improved next year by distributing instructions for chartering earlier and not during the AP exam season. Minor flaws can also be improved upon to make next year at MHS better. The L building bathrooms are always closed immediately after school for cleaning, which inconveniences a substantial number of students, since many need to use the bathroom after school. Stricter security should be utilized to patrol the bathrooms to prevent drug use and distribution. More bike racks should be installed at all entrances of the campus because an overwhelming number of students use bikes to go to school; however, there are not enough bike racks to support these students, as many bikes are found locked to fences, poles, or outside of classrooms located around campus. Despite the flaws, MHS still had a successful year. Being able to host prom at Levi’s Stadium is probably one of the biggest accomplishments for MHS; prom was an unforgettable event for many individuals. The renovation of PE lockers, although hectic, has still made MHS a more enjoyable campus. The active promotion of extracurricular activities and sports is also applaudable in that numerous clubs and organizations have grown. In general, MHS has been successful in growing as a both a school campus and a community. Overall, MHS has been a positive educational place for students this year, but numerous improvements can be made to enhance the school next year.

EDITOR I A L : The Opinion of The Union

Satire explores controversy in humorous format Satire is the use of humor to show the weaknesses or bad qualities of society, government, or people. Given the recent backlash against certain articles in The Onion, the satirical edition of The Union, it seems appropriate to address why satire exists and what its purpose is. Satire is a valuable tool used by people to expose and critique what they find disagreeable. They often do this through the use of parody or exaggeration. The point of satire is not to offend people; rather, the issues that are satirized inherently are controversial and cause offense in people. If you find yourself offended by a satirical article, then it is likely you’re missing the point altogether. By its nature, satire is bound to offend people. It is misguided to attribute offensive beliefs written about in an article to the writers themselves. Oftentimes, the very same beliefs are what the writer is trying to criticize by writing the article. For example, there was an article in The Onion about how people should embrace racial stereotypes. The article does not support racial stereotypes; it actually attacks them by making them appear ridiculous and exaggerated. If you are offended by this, you shouldn’t be angry at the writer of the article, you should be angry at the racial stereotypes’ existence. This is ultimately the satirist’s job: to draw attention to issues and create outrage that leads to change. Another benefit of satire is that it is a more effective way of educating people because of its use of humor. This can be seen in the rise of satirical television shows like The Daily Show and the former Colbert Report. Journalists, and the news in general, simply report, in an objective manner, what is happening around the world. Like satire, the news can bring to light horrible events that happen around the world. However, it’s a lot harder to get people interested in keeping up with the news because it’s not always entertaining. It would be great if everybody kept themselves informed and updated on what was going on around the world, but that’s not always the case. Satirical television shows solve this problem by providing important world news in a format that is both entertaining and informative. In fact, studies have found that a large portion of young people now receive most of their news through political satire

THE UNION

EDITORIAL

shows. It could be said that obtaining news from a biased source, as these shows often are, is worse than learning about the news objectively. However, the important point is that news issues are brought to the public attention and satire is a way to do that. Remember this—a statement or joke someone finds offensive will make another group of people laugh, and something someone finds funny will anger other people. There is no possible way to please everyone, and everyone must accept that before they go around getting offended by everything in sight. There is a clear distinction between one’s intended meaning and perceived message. For example, the White House Correspondents’ Dinner consists of The Leader of the Free World making “offensive” jabs and remarks at other politicians and sensitive topics. The people at the dinner don’t become outraged and throw temper tantrums about the statements; they laugh and enjoy the jokes. After all, Obama is not making the jokes with malicious intent, so why should people feel offended? Having a different opinion from somebody else is perfectly acceptable, but people shouldn’t feel obligated to correct others if their opinions bother them. If someone tried to force his or her ideologies upon us, we would probably laugh and then proceed to walk away. Sometimes, someone’s reasoning, no matter how rational he or she thinks it is, will not change another person’s mind. The same thing goes for topics like humor and taste in music, which are all subjective and vary from person to person. In our opinion, the media is the main reason for the recent sensitivity in culture and humor. Mainstream news channels give us their takes on a certain topic, and we accept it as the absolute truth. Then, when someone decides to challenge this idea with his or her own, he or she is welcomed by anger and ignorance. One too many times, it is possible to stumble upon a Facebook post about a subjective topic and see comments just degrading another’s opinion. Opposing a mainstream idea about a sensitive topic does not make one right or wrong; it simply means one opposes the idea. A clash of ideas is always good for the human race—­if there was nobody to oppose ideas and go against the grain, we as a society would not be able to progress.

THE

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Abigail Ecal • News Editor Stella Xu • Asst. News Editor Wee Jin Koh • Op-Ed Editor Brenna Hentschke • Asst. Op-Ed Editor Ashley Ricks • Features Editor Amal Mulaomerovic • Asst. Features Editor Julia Nguyen • Lifestyle Editor brandon Wettenstein • Asst. Lifestyle Editor Sherry Lam • Spread Editor Nicholas Luc • Asst. Spread Editor Terra Walls • Entertainment Editor Justin Nguyen • Asst. Entertainment Editor Amanda Nguyen • Sports Editor Mihir Hansalia • Asst. Sports Editor Ca-Zao Bui • Co-Copy Editor Brooke Tran • Co-Copy Editor Justin Tso • Asst. Copy Editor Amanda Nguyen • Photo Editor Gurshaan Bariana • Asst. Photo Editor Crystal Tran • Web Editor David Ngo • Asst. Web Editor Krupa Patel • Business Manager Amandeep Dosanjh • Asst. Business Manager Noemi Crisanto • Ad Manager Daanya Anand • Asst. Ad Manager AnneAlice Descamps • Reporter Misbah Surani • Reporter Mihir Thummar • Reporter Kevin Zhang• Reporter

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the union

Interactors Nguyen, Huynh travel to South Korea by Sherry Lam

There are only a couple days left of school, and with that, we’ll be ending the year off with finals and graduation. During the last week, most students will be taking finals as usual, but for two MHS students, time will be spent abroad in South Korea attending an international convention. Senior Cara Nguyen and Junior Victoria Huynh will be attending the annual Rotary International Convention (RICON) which will be held in Seoul, South Korea this summer, Huynh said. RICON will take place from May 28 to June 1, according to Huynh. “It’s basically a place where all the Rotarians from all over the world come together, and they listen to the new Rotary International President speak,” Huynh said. “They absorb different ideas and different ways of how different Rotarians from all over the world are kind of doing what they do for their different projects.” The convention is held in a different country every year where up to 50,000 Rotarians attend, Nguyen said. Attendees gather and network with each other to share the different projects that they are doing, according to Nguyen. “Interact District 5170 is invited because we are actually the largest district in the world, and a few district council members are there to represent our district and kind of give Rotarians a sample of what exactly we do as youth and how they can

empower their youth to do the same in their countries or cities,” Huynh said. “Basically, what we’ll be doing is having our own booth and possibly our own workshops.” While Huynh will be attending as an ambassador of Interact District 5170, Nguyen will be going with Big West Rotaract, Nguyen said. Big West Rotaract is a coalition of all of the Rotaract clubs on the west coast of the United States, Nguyen continued. “I think my purpose for going to RICON is to gain a more global perspective on service,” Nguyen said. “It’s also to see what people are doing around the world and how I c a n improve the way that I serve.” Huynh will be talking about Interact District 5170’s international project, Hello My Name Is, which fights modern day slavery, human trafficking. Huynh will be raising awareness about cultural identity and homelessness. “We’ll also be talking about the things we do about that and basically the kind of crazy, wild things we do as young people, which people don’t really realize that we have the potential to do, but we do it anyways.” Traveling abroad to do service is one of Huynh’s life aspirations, according to Huynh. Attending RICON is the first service opportunity overseas that has been presented to Huynh. “Although it’s not the opportunity I imagined where we get to do hands-

on work with nonprofits, this is kind of advocating for the youth’s voices,” Huynh said. “I just really want people to realize that Interact District 5170 is doing some pretty awesome things. They deserve recognition for caring so much about the world in a world that’s so much easier to not care about.” This summer, attending RICON will not be Nguyen’s first time. Last summer, Nguyen served as an ambassador for Interact District 5170 at RICON of 2015, which was held in Brazil, Nguyen said. “My experience in Brazil at last year’s RICON was really eye opening, and I got to meet a lot of people from Brazil, but also a lot of Rotarians from all around the world,” Nguyen said. “It was really cool to get to talk to all these different Rotarians about what they do for their communities.” As high schoolers, attending a conference in South Korea is not cheap. A lot of Huynh’s fees have to do with getting to South Korea and paying for the house that she has rented out for the duration of her time there, Huynh said. “We’re asking for a lot of sponsorships from local Rotary clubs, and we also have a generosity page that people can donate to,” Huynh said. “A lot of us are trying to find our own ways to raise money, and I think I’m going to sell brownies!” Going to this convention will add up to an estimated total of $30,000 for the representatives of Interact District 5170, according to their Generosity page. They hope to raise two-thirds of this estimate, according to the page.

May 2016

TALKIN’ WITH TORRES BY Gurshaan Bariana

Meet our counseling secretary, Charlotte Torres! How long have you been a counseling secretary? One year.

What made you want to apply to become a counseling secretary at MHS? To be able to help the community and the students at Milpitas High School. I wanted to utilize my experience and skills to contribute to the education for them.

What does your daily routine look like?

My daily routine involves making appointments for students and parents for five counselors, managing the appointments through Google Calendar for the counselors, as well as filing and cleaning the student records or files.

What do you like about your job?

What I like most is being up here in the front and socializing with the

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Beach pup:

Artistic inspiration: “For me, it has to be a new band from the Bay Area called SWMRS… For the band, we all have the same music tastes like The Killers, Vampire Weekend, and such.” -Christian Bui Story behind the name: “I was just scrolling around Spotify to try to get inspiration to find a last minute band name, but I had no luck. I eventually went on Facebook and found an old picture on my friend’s Instagram that was on my feed and saw a Corgi on a beach. I had Beach Puppy in mind, but Beach Pup sounds cooler in my opinion.” -Christian Bui Fondest memory: “Jamming out with another band called The Side Project, all instruments unplugged and playing Twenty One Pilots and other indie/alternative music.” -Christian Bui C o u rt e s y o f K

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ARNOLD FRIEND CLUB: Vishal Reddy (12) Drums John Suico (11) Guitar Jason Broyles (11) Guitar LucienMangulabnan (11) Synth/Vocals Roz Bamberger (11) Bass Co

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Fan-base: “We’ve performed so little times that I don’t believe we have a fan base. We did rally a couple of fans at MOVE Charity Dinner 2015. The crowd really liked us, and a couple of girls asked us for pics after the show. I also heard from a friend that his friends had seen us at the same performance and they were fangirling hard.” -Lucien Mangulabnan Artistic inspiration: “There’s no single band or artist that we are inspired by. Most of the music that we cover is indie pop and indie rock, so I guess the indie sound is what we look for when we perform and create. Lately, we’ve been getting into progressive metal/math rock through the band Chon. We’re amazed at how good they are and that pushes us to recreate their music and advance our musicianship.” -Lucien Mangulabnan

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Christian Bui, pictured (12) Lead Guitar Lucien Mangulabnan (11) Vocals/Rhythm Guitar Josille Candari (11) Bass Vishal Reddy (12) Drums

The Rivals:

Juan Topete (12) Bass 1 Daryl Evangelista (12) Rapper/Lyrical Emcee Vincent Academia (12) Lead Singer/Rhythm Guitar Austin Tumacder (college) Lead Guitar Max Huss (12) Drummer Khang Nguyen (12) Bass 2 Justin Mel Cortez, not pictured (college) Keyboard/Keytarist Co

Story behind the name: “In a conversation with my uncle, on a vacation about a month after the band’s formation, I explained the lack of a solid name to call ourselves. We wanted something classy and simple, short but fun. After listening to me explain the background of the band’s beginning, he said, “Well, it sounds like you guys will be the rivals of other bands at school. You should just be The Rivals. That sounds cool, huh?’ We were hooked.” -Max Huss Post-graduation: “Post-graduation is a little too murky to see that far despite it being so close. We won’t be too far from each other, but different cities do split us off from one another. We’ll still meet up to jam every now and then, but as far as taking The Rivals further than what it is is a question that can’t be answered fully. The best we can say is ‘we’ll see what the future allows us to do.’” - Vincent Academia

Ashley Ricks |THE UNION

Do you have any future career plans?

I would say for myself, I would like to take extra classes towards a Masters Degree in the area of counseling.

What is the most exciting or weirdest thing that you have seen at MHS in your time working here?

The most exciting or weirdest thing I’ve seen happen this year would be participating in the rally and watching everyone participate in the spirit week and dress up.

Teachers to depart from MHS, look to pursue future interests BY Brenna Hentschke Gurshaan Bariana

by Ca-ZAO BUI

Gurshaan Bariana | THE UNION

students and the staff members.

With the end of any school year approaching, there must be a farewell not only to the graduating senior class, but also the graduating teachers. Arguably, the graduation of our teachers is far greater than the graduation of our students, considering the teachers have not only been here longer, but have also helped make the school what it is today. So this year, we’ll be saying goodbye to a few teachers from all over the school who will be missed greatly; and the class of 2016, who will be bid good riddance to. Don’t worry, 2016’s inflated ego will help cushion the kick. Perhaps one of the more shocking retirees of 2016 is MHS’s very own Spanish Teacher Carol Feige. After 44 years of teaching, Feige wants to “start living again” in retirement, she said. Although Feige has no favorite moment, she does have advice for teachers: “Be prepared to grow and change.” And for the students: “Turn off the phones and leave them at home,” she said. “It’s ruining your education.” Feige also said that she appreciates the landscaping that MHS has put in. Another great loss MHS will be taking is that of Biology Teacher Lisa Brizuela. After ten and a half years of teaching, Brizuela is ready to leave and spend more time with her family, she said. A word of advice for younger teachers: “Focus on the classroom, don’t get involved in politics, find a happy balance between working and life.” “I hope that the school can be united, between teachers and administrators, between teachers within departments,” Brizuela said. “I hope that they can build a sense of unity so that the students can see they’re being led by a strong group of people who care about their jobs and care about the people they’re leading, and want to set an example of what it means to work together.” English Teacher Thu Ngo will also be taking off this year. as she is moving up to Oregon this summer. After eleven years at MHS, Ngo would like to thank everybody for making the MHS campus such a “special

place to be.” “I’m really glad that I had the chance to learn how to teach here and to learn a lot not just about my profession, but about myself,” Ngo said. “Just remember that every kid that comes through the door is a person with their own history and their own experiences, and it’s important to respect that.” Leaving from the math department will be Math Teacher Dr. Thadarine McIntosh, who has taught at MHS for the last ten years. Of those ten years, McIntosh’s favorite moment is any moment when the students are doing well, she said. In retirement, McIntosh will be expanding her real estate business, travelling the world, and completing her bucket list, she said. She will also be lecturing at Historical Black Colleges and Universities. “I’d like to say to the students that they should strive hard to graduate,” McIntosh said. “The baton is being passed to them.” One piece of advice that she has for teachers is not to be afraid to ask for help. Special Education Teacher Tomina Morgan will also be retiring this year after twenty-eight years of teaching; she is moving to Idaho to be close to her new granddaughter, she said. Of her twenty-eight years, Morgan’s favorite moment is “just watching the kids graduate.” “It’s a great school, great kids, great employees, and they all seem to care,” Morgan said of MHS. To all teachers, she says, “enjoy the kids.” Another hit to the English department, English Teacher Skyler Draeger is moving out of the classroom and into an office, as Assistant Principal. Discipline will be quite a change after twenty-one years teaching. “Stick with it, it’s a rewarding job,” Draeger said of teaching. “It’s hard work, but it’s never boring.” Before the tears come, however, remember that Draeger will still be here. “See ya next year,” she said. “I’m not leaving. I love this place, I love the students, I love the staff.” So, cheers to our teachers; enjoy the change! Some of us still have to go to school, get a job, and hit sixty before we can join you on those lovely Hawaiian beaches.

May 2016

5

the union

FEATURES

Jha qualifies for Rio Olympics BY Amal Mulaomerovic

difficult for students like these seniors to fulfill their obligations and work in both areas. Time management and organization become super important to maintaining success. “It was harder to balance my job and schoolwork during junior year, but it’s easier now that I’m a senior,” Trinh said. “There were certain times throughout the year when it was really stressful, but since my work place is quite flexible about hours and days, working part-time is manageable.” Senior Rebecca Tan has also been working for one year at Jersey Mike’s Subs after getting the job by being recommended by another employee there. She was initially interested in working there because her friends also worked there, so it would be fun to all work together. “I love making the sandwiches and interacting with customers but dislike all the cleaning,” Tan said. “Though things can get busy with school and work, my manager is extremely flexible with her schedule and adjusts it to my availability for the following week.” Another student with a part-time job is Senior Sajel Shah. Among various other jobs, she worked at Snocrave for three months. She went there quite often because of its close location, so she immediately thought of applying there when she started looking for a job to save up for college and to pay for personal expenses like food and extracurricular activities. “My favorite part of the job was meeting new people. I never knew that Milpitas attracted such a diverse group, and sometimes when I started talking to my customers, I got to hear their stories which were always interesting and sometimes quite powerful,” Shah said. “[On the other hand], I’m kind of an introvert, and waitressing got tiring after a while. It can get really busy at Snocrave, and people can get impatient. It’s hard to deal with that sometimes.”

n Re sa li

A great way to spend the summer is working at a part-time job! You can earn money and spend time doing something fun and interesting. Many of our current MHS seniors have a wide variety of part-time jobs. Senior Christine Bui works at the Milpitas Sports Center as a lifeguard and swim instructor since last summer. She found out about this job through her cousin and friends, and to actually get the position, she had to go through an interview and swim test that included swimming twelve laps, treading for two minutes, and retrieving a brick from the bottom of the pool. “I wanted this job because I wanted to learn how to perform CPR and because I loved being around water,” Bui said. “My favorite things about my job are my coworkers and swimming during my breaks, but my least favorite thing is getting cold after coming out of the pool.” Another student with a part-time job is Senior Felicia Trinh, who has been working at The Tutoring Center for almost two school years. She primarily tutors middle school and high school students in math and chemistry. Trinh’s interest in tutoring began when she started tutoring for community service hours over the summer, and to continue helping children while also earning money, she began looking for tutoring jobs. After finding out about the position through the Internet, she went through an application and interview process. “My favorite thing about the job is that since I work with mostly the same children every week, I can actually see their improvement,” Trinh said. “I can see if I have positive effect on them, and I’m really happy when I do. My least favorite part is that because the job starts right after school, some of the students are reluctant to work.” With the responsibilities of both school courses and job, it can be

Court esy of A

SPENCER WONG musician

JUAN TOPETE FILM PRODUCER What's your favorite part about making films? I love daydreaming. Simply because you can create objects, locations or scenarios that can never exist in the real world. I love the fact that I can bring these ideas from the back of my mind and give them life in my videos. It’s just an astounding feeling to bring concepts that you created in your mind to the big screen. How long have you been making films, and how did it become your passion? I first started making short videos around eight years ago during fifth grade. That continued throughout the rest of elementary and into middle school. However, middle school was where I realized that filmmaking was what I wanted to do with my life. The realization came from the amount of support people gave me, but, most importantly, the fact that I could invest hours in this hobby and never get bored.

What did you do with music in high school? I auditioned for the County Honor Band and the All-State Music Groups, and I became the principal chair tubist and the only tubist for the All-State Symphony Orchestra. How long have you been playing music, and how did it become your passion? I played music for 11 years. It became a passion because I felt like I was actually good at it, and I like being good at things. What do you hope to do with your skills in the future? I hope to use music to get priority registration for classes in college and maybe join a community band when I’m done with schooling. Court esy of S

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BY Misbah Surani

by Krupa Patel

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Seniors work local part-time jobs

Court esy of J

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MHS Sophomore Kanak Jha has qualified for the singles table tennis event for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He is the youngest male table tennis player ever to qualify for Olympic Games and the first to be born in the 2000s. Jha secured his spot at Rio by defeating USA’s number-one player Timothy Wang 4-0 at the ITTF-North American Olympic Qualification Tournament which concluded Sunday, April 10 in Toronto, Canada. He will be playing in the Men’s Singles event and the Men’s Team event. There were two stages to the qualification process. The first was in February in North Carolina where the top four Americans advanced to the second stage in Canada, according to Jha. There the top four Americans played against the top four Canadians in a final three-day tournament. “In the second stage in Canada, there were three mini-tournaments, and every day the winner [...] would qualify for the Olympics, and I won on the third day,” Jha said. “I just feel very happy to have qualified, and this is very big for me.” Jha said his older sister, former MHS Student Prachi Jha, helped foster his passion for table tennis at an early age. “I started playing when I was five years old,” Jha said. “I used to watch my older sister, Prachi, play in the recreational center in Milpitas, and then I started getting kind of bored just watching, so I started playing.” Currently, the two siblings live together in Sweden where they train daily at their club. Jha moved from Milpitas to Sweden in August of 2015. “I moved here because there’s a very strong club in Sweden, and Sweden is very good in table tennis, so it’s very good training for me,” Jha said. “I’ve

been here many times before; all the coaches and players know me well so they all help me out as much as they can to make me feel welcome.” There, he follows a strict, daily training regimen, in addition to maintaining a regular schedule for his studies. “I start training in the morning around 9:00, and I train until about 12,” Jha said. “I usually eat lunch in the arena with the other players, then I go back to the apartment where I stay with my sister, Prachi, and we usually rest and study until the second session in the afternoon around 4:00, and then I train until the evening.” Jha keeps up with his schoolwork while training through Milpitas High’s online schooling program, studying and taking classes between training sessions. Before heading off to Rio in August, he will be attending two Olympic National Training Camps with the US Table Tennis Team. “I come back home in June, and then I have a US National Training Camp. We have two of them actually: one in June, and one two weeks before the Olympics,” Jha said. “They’re two week training camps where we train as a group and then go to Rio. We’ll play some matches, and I’ll also see some of my opponents.” Jha attributes his success to all the support he’s received from his coaches and family. “I’ve trained hard for a long time, and I’ve been lucky I’ve had some great coaches in the U.S. when I first started playing table tennis, and that’s been very helpful,” Jha said. “And of course, my parents: they’re very supportive of me; not all parents let their kids go to Sweden. They’ve brought me to training for a long time, and this has all been very important in helping me qualify.”

Alisa Ren illustrator What’s your favorite part about digital art? I like coming up with ideas and telling stories through my art. What did you do with digital art in high school? I did take AP Art last year, and it helped me learn what it’s like to receive criticism for my work. I am still using Photoshop and learning how to do new things with it as I go. What do you hope to do with your skills in the future? It’s my dream to start a cartoon. I just want to make more art for people to see. How long have you been drawing, and how did it become your passion? I’d started around sixth grade. I really liked animating. I got inspiration from comics and cartoons.

Ashley Ricks |THE UNION

Claudia Wang competes in artistic figure skating by Noemi Crisanto

When many people hear the word roller skating, different 80’s trends like knee high socks and fanny packs come to mind. What many people don’t know about roller skating, though, is that it is a creative form of art and also a competitive sport that Freshman Claudia Wang enjoys immensely. Wang began skating at the age of four after spending a lot of time at the rink watching her older sister practice. She would often just run around the rink to watch her sister practice and later enrolled into Milpitas Skating Club. “My mom asked if I wanted to try [skating], too, because they wanted more people, so I decided, ‘Why not?’” Wang said through Facebook Messenger. “I was hooked the

minute my little wheels rolled on the hardwood floor.” The sport, also called artistic figure skating, is made up of three main solo events: figure, dance, and freestyle, with the level of difficulty pertaining to the competitor’s age. Wang prefers competing mostly in figure and dance and finds that explaining all that she does in her events can be difficult. “It is very hard to describe a sport that I’ve done for almost my entire life and one that not many people know about or do,” Wang said. Wang is very dedicated to the yearlong sport, and her dedication paid off in 2014 when she won her first national medal. Wang remembers the competition fondly because of the kind words her sister told her rather than her national medal. “I came off the skating floor, just finished my Elementary B Figures event, and my sister comes up to me

and says, ‘I think you did the best,’” Wang said. “It was very emotional for me because my sister criticizes my skating pretty harshly and would never say that unless I actually did really well.” One major problem that skating faces today is the closing of many rinks which has consequently led to many people leaving the sport because the nearest rinks are too far, according to Wang. “The sport is slowly dying, and in recent years, events in competitions besides Regionals and Nationals, only have at most ten contestants. It is very heart breaking,” Wang said. “Although it is pretty lonely at practices now, I don’t know how to give up this sport just yet. Without this sport, I would have not been shown early on how important it is to be disciplined, respectful, and determined.”

Senados travels to Guatemala, Xie Ng to Panama for summer 2016 by Daanya Anand

MHS has some pretty great students, with some pretty cool summer plans. Seniors Crystal Senados and Jenny Xie Ng are two of these students and have exciting plans for this summer, after the busy season of graduation makes way for the long months of summer. Senados is going on a mission trip to Guatemala for a week in June with her church group. In Guatemala, her church group will build two houses for two local, Guatemalan families, according to Senados. She’s no firsttimer to the experience, and has gone on three mission trips prior to this one. “I’m going to Guatemala this summer to build to two houses for two families and to built a kid’s club with crafts and activities for the local Guatemalans,” Senados said. “This is going to be my third time

going [to Guatemala], and I went on another mission trip to Costa Rica my freshman year.” Senados is very passionate about what she does in Guatemala, and said it is something she looks forward to all year. Senados enjoys the experience so much that she was unable to choose her favorite aspect of the mission trip. “My favorite part of the mission trip is… that’s hard. I think it’s like building relationships with the people there throughout the week. Even though we don’t speak the same language we can speak the same language of love,” Senados said. “My second favorite part is being able to see the joy and the light in the family’s faces when we finish the house and hand over the keys to them. That’s always my favorite part of the mission trip that I look forward to most: the last day when we hand over the keys to

the house, because their joy is just so great,” she added. Xie Ng is also planning on going abroad this summer. She will be going to Panama for a week right after graduation to visit her family there, according to Xie Ng. “I’m going to Panama this summer, just for fun and to visit my family there, and I’m really excited to go,” Xie Ng said. She added that in Panama, she will be “going to the beach, visiting [her] family, and just going to a resort.” Xie Ng also added that she does not visit Panama often, so she is eagerly looking forward to the trip. Her favorite part of visiting Panama is the weather there, because even though it’s very hot, she does not enjoy t h e cold at all, she said.

6

THE UNION

Colleges

MAY 2016

senior colleges Az A riz o n a S tat e U n ivers it y Tam, Allen

Uni vers ity o f a r i zo n a

Vishnubhotla, Anusha

ca A n telo pe Va l l e y Un ive rs it y

Robillos, Samuel

Bay view B ar b e r C o lleg e

Ojeda, Chris topher

C a l Po ly Po m o n a

Campos, Tiara Canagaraj, Naga Shree Sinsay, Kalei Truong, Calvin

C a l P o ly S a n L u i s O b is po Chavez, Diana Ecal, Abigail Le, Khoa Lopez, Martin McDonald, Sean Svirsky, Oliver Wong, Nathan Wong, Spencer Zien, Eric

C añ ada C o ll e g e

Mejia, Christian

C ity c o lle g e o f S a n fran c is c o

Blanco-Rios, Jazelle

CO LL E G E O F S AN M A T E O Silva, Cesar

Cy pres s C O LL E G E Ngo, Henry

C S U C hic o

Trejo, Victoria

C S U E as t B ay

Bush, Juané Evangelista, Daryl Flores, Jessica King, Alyssa Lim, Keene Edwin Ma, Kelvin Ming Fai Oo, Ciandra Rahim, Amr Sadueste, Austin Salas, Jennyfer Shaw, Jeremy Sigmon, Jennifer Trinh, Melody

C S U Fullert o n

Bezema, Kaitlin Pham, Minh

C S U Humb o l dt

Chagolla, Javier

C S U Lo n g B e ac h Lau, Jessi ca Pham, Denise Ta, Patricia Tan, Rebecca

C S U Lo s An g e l e s

Manisay, Tyler

CSU Mo n terey B ay Campos, Tiara

C S U S ac ra me n t o

Hong, Jonathan Singh, Upinder Tran, Nguyen

Cog s well C o l l e g e Julian, Jeralyn

de an z a c o ll e g e

Abundiz, Miriam

Aguilar, Leslie Ahmad, Sana Amian, Jase Aquino, Erika Joy Aspiras, Erika Bagsik, Angela Baquilod, Victor Paulo Barnachea, Judy Bhagat, Shuvam Borcelis, Ronald John Bosier, Anthony Brown, Tasia Bui, Christian Catlhanan, Gianina Chacon, Lilliana Chen, Mark Chen, Sheng Chen, Xing Chuong, Jessica Crosby, Joseph Cuyugan, Nicholas Dai, Aaron Daniels, Andrew De Leon, Rizzalynn Del Mundo, Regan DelaCruz, Matthew Diana, Alcasar Diaz, Hernán Do, Theresa Duong, Jessica Escala, Sharmaine Espinosa, Karen Fantone, Lourdina Feldman, Larra Fernandez, JohnAlvin Fernandez, Samantha Garcia, Ysabelle Gempis, Megan Gerej, Matthew Ghaemmaghami, Kian Gimeno, Abie Fojlin Hua, Vinh Huang, Meilin Huang, Zhixin Khan, Rudaba Lam, Kathleen Lam, Victoria Lam, Weng Le, Donovan Le, Phong Le, Tony Leggin, Shea Lieu, Felix Loveless, Jonathan Luu, Tiffany Mauricio, Dan Cesar Meiers, Xavier Morad, Rameil Ngo, Darien Nguyen, Alan Nguyen, Bao-Than Nguyen, Devin Nguyen, Duc Nguyen, Hieu Nguyen, Nguyen Nguyen, Quang Nguyen, Tri Nolasco, Joseph Ong, Khason Patel, Het Penaloza, Zulma Phan, Tu Rehman, Aysha Reyes, Angela Rimando, Jeremy Rodriguez, Ailynne Ronquillo, Tim Rosas, Ilse Ruiz, Alyssa Saito, Hiromi Santiago, Shawn Santillan, Joselle Sharma, Saloni Supo, Bettina Tan, Mingming Tomista, Elisha Gail Tran, Duy Tran, Jessica Tran, Phuc Truong, Huy Valladares, Yadira Vinh, Julie Vo, Hieu Vu, Vinh Wang, Brian

Wong, Phillip Xie, Wenbu Yassin, Tawfik Ye, Jianlong Zaidi, Fatima Zhou, Elton

Evergreen valley c ollege

Acosta, Alisa Amezcua, Karen Aviles, Kendra Bach, Vuong Camposano, Camille Concepcion, Gabrielle Concepcion, Johnuel DePaula, Logan Dumlao, Joshua Faria, Alexis Faustino, Camille Gomez, Fernando L a n g horst, Samantha MacBay, Rowen Martinez, Christian M e z a , Mathias Pariñas, Dandrev P h a m , Minh-Tam Rodriguez, Jesse Salinas, Kenneth Sandoval, Alyssa

Angelica Gempis, Deion Gonzales, Amy Joy Go nzalez, Edgar Gross, Aliss Gu nabe, Dianne Gu nabe, Dianne Ha, Anton Halsey, Emily Hernandez, Jacob Huynh, Phuc Jaculina, Alec Jarapa, Jomari Jimenez, Giovanny Joseph, Sargon La Rogue, Audel Lam, Willis Lambert, Michael Landayan, Rheana Laude, Brandon

courtesy of easymapmaker.com

Yandok, Jonathan

Ohl one col l e ge

Aiona, Marcus Allen, Casey Alvarez, Aaron Balora, Charisse Balsbaugh, Xavier Bell, Douglas Bunnell, Jennifer Cacao, Emily Calica, O’Neall Dacallus, Kyle Del Valle-Haaland, Alissa Descamps, AnneAlice Eaoret, Allison Flores Salcedo, Ezianeth

F ooth i ll c ollege

Ariola, Richie Bal, Vivlin Chan, Princess Lea Darilay, Samuel Franco, Jaison Masvda, Aili Sandoval, Alynna Sandoval, Alynna Son, Nikki Walker, Da’Zane

gav i lan c olle g e

Minter-Grate,Antuan

Menlo C ollege Jogi, Sachal

mi ssi on c ollege

Abella. Aezel May Agustin, Alexis Allauyan, Richard Ron Matthew Balatico, Jude Baltazar, Ma Vanessa Mae Berger, James Bobay, Joshua Caballes, Ma. Michaela Nicole Carson, Alyssa Catura, BabyJane Cortez, Peter Crabajales, Justin Cruz, Saul Cusi, ZairaMae Damaso, Desiree Delane, Queen Delaserna, Liyahmae Echanis, Sheryl Espe, Allen Esposo, Andrea Estergard, Brandon Famatid, Shawn Ferrer, Genevieve Figueroa Moreno, Micaela Fojas, Keanna Garcia, Sean Garduno-Perez,

Lopez, Javier Lugtu, Rachel Meraz, Samuel Miguez, Louise Marie Miranda Lamas, Maria Monteagudo, Kathleen Nguyen, Cindy Nguyen, Huy Nguyen, Yen Owrnelas, Esteban Paronable, Jeannien Pino, Veronica Prudente,Lorelyn Grace Quinones, Imee Ramirez, Trish Reyes, Divine Robles-Gonzalez, Priscilla Robles, Angel Robles, Jessica Rodriguez, Carlos Jaime Saddi, Ken Angela Sa lazar, Ramon Sanchez, Alexis Soria, Kevin Stefanko, Lisa Tayaba, Damien Tran, Anthony Tran, Hoa Uril, Camille Velasquez, Michael Ventura, Stephanie Victoriano, Casey James Vin luan, Joronica Vu, Tam Walker, Isaiah Weber, Mark Wong, Winnie

Flores, Delilah Flores, Elaine F l o r e s , Genyves Goddard,Teagan Gomez, Melissa Handy, Arthur Kako, Anthony Kerby, Rebekah Lam, Phat Le, Giau Llamas, Miguel Lucero, Joshua Marie Martinez, Jon Ranulf Mayo, Reina Mock, Sabrina Pannu, Mehtabh Pardemilla, Julian Pulido, Rodel Ramirez, Erwin Ramos, Kyla Claudine Rendon, Sarah Ricafrente, Danielle Rosas, Caeser Sahlberg, Jaelene Sattar, Irfan Shields, Monique Silva, Miguel Simmons, Nicole Sueoka, William Taylor, Sarah Tran, Thuy Villanueva, Alexander

Pa c i f i c C o n s e r vat o ry of

Colleges

MAY 2016

the Pe rfo rming A r t s

Torres, Maryellen

Abbott, Serena

Sai n t Ma ry ’s C o l l e g e

S a n J o s e State U n i v e r si ty

Stanf ord Uni v ersi ty

Templeton, Patrick Bunyard, Ryan

S a n D i e g o S tat e U n i ve rs it y Chiang, Anna Descanzo, Jose Miguel Huynh, Sarah

San Fran c is c o S tat e Un ive rs it y

Abellera, Austin Academia, V incent Azarcon, Jomar Chavez, Cros Cortero, Ashley Fu, Kaitlyn Gil, Joseph Han, Cheng Hui, Alina Huynh, Jus tine Huynh, Kevin Huynh, Nicholas Isla, Melissa Ann

Abarca, Vanessa Arellano, Shiela Ma y Baltazar, Jericko Banzon, Paolo Becite, Kiefer Bell, Travis Bhogal, Paral Bui, Christine Bui, Philip Buquing, Yesah Carter, Breya Castro, Jonathan Cervantes, Yvette Chan, Emerson Chung, Henry Crummie, Dejaun Dao, Thomas Dinh, Jonathan Dinh, Kimberly Do, Trisha Doan, Tyler Duong, Thien Eblacas, Justine Paz Estebar, Alyssa Hon, Shirley Iglesias, Shelley Ma e Ishikawa, Tatsuya Jimenez, Mario Kim,Royce Knitter, Courtney Lam, Viv ian Layco, Kimberly

Surani, Misbah

Si mpson Uni v ersi ty King, Emily

Rojas, Giovanni Sanchez, Alberto Savella-Dye, Gwyneth

UC Berkeley

Chotai, Divyesh He, Michelle Huang, Ivan Kuo, Jessica Ly, John Ng, Samuel Rao, Jiaxin Shah, Sajel Thummar, Mihir Trinh, Phu-Quy Zhao, Yutong

UC Dav i s

Jiang, Fenglan Ko, Jovan Kung, Ava Le, Trang Le, Trang Marzan, Audrey Nguyen, Amanda Nguyen, Brandon Nguyen, Julia Quach, Nina Roxas, Renz Rainier Wang, Emily

san

j o a q u i n d e lta c o lle g e

Mora, Marcos

san j o s e c it y c o l l e g e Clark, Trayson Green, Jarred Guzman, Jennifer Herrera, Steven Johnson, Jordan Knox, Isaiah Konaka, David Lavalu, Ina Lee, Kevin L ucero, Angelo Sidhu, Mankaran Thornton, Zoe

S a n ta C lara U n i v e r si ty

Baculi, Ckarl Brent Anderson, Micaiah Kuan, Felicia Lu, Kent Ricks, Ashley Wang, Cynthia

s a n ta c ruz c o m m u ni ty c o l l ege

UC LA

Tiffany Claudia Alice Sharlene

UC Merc ed

Al-Khafaji, Meriam

UC Ri v ersi d e

Badesha, Sukhpreet Balaoing, Ryan Chen, Anastasia Do, Pauline Huynh, Vicky Nguyen, Liem Pham, Felicia Singh, Tarandeep

UC San D i ego

Do, Dung Espinoza, Carla Ho, Linh-An Lau, Edmund Luc, Nicholas Ren, Alissa Shen, Cyrus Than, Henry Ton, Peter

UC Santa C ruz

Hoang, Dan Kok, Wesley Man, Nicole Nguyen, Minh Anh Ruiz, Catherine Vyas, Rutu

University of F ranc i sc o

San

Le, Vincent Podsadecki, Chloe Tran, Jennifer

Uni v eri sty of South ern

Haangana, Christian

Unive r sit y of t he Pacific

Se at t l e Unive r sit y

Brewer, Daniel Chan, Christy Chow, Melissa

Nguyen, Cara

Se at t l e Pacific Unive r sit y

Senado s, Cry stal

wi

fl

Marquette Univeristy

F l o r i d a A g r i c u lt u r a l and Me chanical Unive r ist y

CANADA

T urner, Kiara

hi

Yang, Karis

Unive r sit y of Br it ish Col umbia Tang, James

UH Hil o

Internat.

MA

Mulaomerovic, Amal

Nor t h Shor e Communit y Col l e ge

military

nj

Dumag, Jason Finuliar, Jacob Nguyen, Abraham Palinar,Dianemarthe

Lam, Dillon

Difuntorum, Melissa

Seton Hall University Randle, Adrianne

NY C orne l l Unive r sit y Shau, Grace

Vau ghn Col l e ge of Aeronautics and Te chnol ogy Xiong, Edgar

nd val l e y cit y stat e unive r sit y Mataele, Tafua

or Uni v e r sit y of or e gon Aceves, Paola

pa poi nt par k unive r sit y Carrasco, Lea

c ar ne gie me l l on unive r sit y Patel, Krupa

ri brown unive r sit y Tang, Stephen T ran, Audrey

tx texas sout he r n unive r sit y

Latimore, Jazmin Ramos, Angel

ut Br igham young unive r sit y

Villanueva, Brigham

uni ve r sit y of utah Chou, Patrick

vt C h a mp l ain Col l e ge Dangvu, Caitlyn

wa Washingt on Stat e

Mine rva School

air for ce

Ar my

Alamillo, Avrey DeGula, JonAndrew Vaughn Lacanlale, Christopher Lee, Caleb Salas, Jimmy

Mar ine s

Altamirano, Cristian Crummie, Devin Edrosolo, Patrick Jason Guerero, Fernando Ho, Oliver Nguyen, Khanh Vazquez, Jose

navy

Bernardo, Allen Escosio, Kharl Michael Inguito, Abbygael Reyes, Benjamin Santiago, Jhassper Yandoc, Patrick

congrstulations seniors!

Kofuma-Henry, Iyamedey Liu, Sharon Lopez, Christopher Mata, Vanessa Nguyen, Kryssie Thao Nguyen, Michelle Nguyen, Quynh Nga Nguyen, T uan Ortega-Bond, Danielle Padilla, Jessica Palacpac, Roselle Topete, Juan Uychoco, Patricia Vidal, Joshua Wilson, Nathaniel Wong, Winston

Anand, Daanya Chau, Kenneth Ho, Yu-Ning Liao, Heng An Macaualay, John Nguyen, Holly Nguyen, Kimberly Ta, Timothy Thai, Tammy Tse, Serena Tu, Emliy Xie Ng, Jenny Yaun, Benjamin Hsu, Huey, Lai, Reyes,

Cal ifor nia

Nguyen, Tiffany

UC I rv i ne

L e , Olivia L i , Sam L u u , Justin Mai, Martin Meyer, Alex Mirador, Brandon Ngo, Derek Ngo, Tracy Palis, Alyssa Paningbatan, Darlene Pham, Amanda Pham, Anna Pham, Khanh P h a m , M i n h Hung Sarigoz, Suleyman Sevilla, Erwin Tam, Nicola Thach, Cindy Thapaliya, Sujina Thompson, Andrew Tong, Rose Tran, Catherine Tran, Crystal Tran, Jacky Tran, Ryan Truong, Dustin Truong, Livya Van, Kalvin Vasquez, Savana Ventura, Jennifer Walls, Terra Wu, Tina Zamora, Jaryle Zarate, Danica Faye

Bains, Gavin

w est val l e y col l e ge

Sonoma State Uni v ersi ty

7

THE UNION

8

T HE U NION

  SENIOR

MOSTS

MAY 2016

Most likely to be in the wrong .place at the wrong time Esteban (Este) Ornelas .Iyameday (Yami) Henry .

Most likely to become a .supermodel Antuan Grate .Jaelene Sahlberg

Most likely to find the meaning .of life and forget it Yutong (Tony) Zhao .Denise Pham

Most likely to end up with .thirty cats Cristian Altamirano .Anne Alice Descamps

Most likely to become the next .Bill or Melinda Gates Misbah Surani .Matthew (Max) Huss

MAY 2016

  SENIOR

MOSTS

T HE U NION

Most likely to win a grammy .for their mixtape Kyle Dacallos .Darlene Paningbatan

Most likely to become the next .reality TV star Thien Duong .Zoe Thornton

Most likely to take over the .world Sean McDonald .Cara Nguyen

Most likely to end world .hunger Ashley ricks .Ricky Hua

Most likely to become a .starving artist Alissa Ren .Vincent Academia

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THE U NION

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MAY 2016

Use these study tips to ace your classes BY DAANYA ANAND

We all have tests to study for, freshmen and college-bound seniors alike. Therefore, from The Union to you, we upperclassmen have a few study habits that might help you guys in the future. If you ever feel unmotivated while studying for a test, here’s an easy way to incentivize yourself: food. While reading through a textbook or an old notebook full of notes, place little snacks throughout the book at 10-20 page intervals. When you get to that page, you can eat the snack! You can use your favorite chocolate, candy, cookie, etc. Need to outline a chapter? First off, make sure you’re writing out this outline by hand, as opposed to reading a chapter outline online. When you’re writing, your brain is consciously thinking about what to write, which helps you retain much more information than absent-mindedly typing out notes on a laptop verbatim or reading an out-

line online. If you really have trouble memorizing certain formulas or short facts, write it out repetitively; muscle memory will help you, too. If you do decide to take our advice and write things out by hand, we recommend using a pen. It’s been scientifically proven that writing in pen, as opposed to in pencil, increases the amount of information retained. Some say that writing in blue ink is the most effective according to color psychology, but this isn’t as agreed upon. This one might hurt a little: don’t listen to music while studying! I personally do this all the time, but scientifically speaking, your brain is incapable of doing more than one thing at a time. It works similarly to a hard-disk drive; your brain can give the illusion of multitasking by switching between tasks extremely quickly, but it can’t actually do both at the same time. So, increase your efficiency by focusing on one task at

a time. Last but not least, take breaks! Breaks have been scientifically proven to boost productivity and energy-levels. Usually, you’ll want to work in 60 to 90-minute bursts, and take a 10-minute break, and when we say break, we mean away from the screen! Scrolling through Twitter for 10 minutes will not suffice as a break (I’m guilty of this, too). There are tons of tips out there to boost efficiency! If you have trouble with time management, download an app on your phone and LIVE by it. (I recommend “30/30” for iPhone users or “Fabulous - Motivate Me!” for Android users.) If you’re into using colored pens and highlighters, read up on color psychology and maximize the benefits of those colored pens you have. We hope these tips help you study, and best of luck to all MHS students next year!

You get out of high school what you put in BY ASHLEY RICKS

It’s been a long four years since we all first nervously gathered at freshman orientation, clad in our best tribal crop-top (with a tank underneath, of course), side bangs, OBEY crewnecks, and iPhone 3Gs. Throughout all of the stressful, embarrassing, and maturing moments that have taken place between then and now, I’ve come to appreciate the struggle that is: high school. I have learned that in a way, high school can very much be like the “real world,” even though we are repeatedly told that this elusive “real world” is something in the distant future that we will be released into at the end of our four-year sentence. The horrors of the basketball unit in PE and group projects in Spanish 2 are simply microcosms of the enormous, universal theme of overcoming obstacles - you can choose to grow through them, learn to laugh at yourself, and power through the chaos. Another thing that high school has taught me is the importance of investing in sincere relationships. Not the ones that inspire you to

purchase matching Minnie and Mickey Mouse “he’s/she’s mine” crewnecks from the Great Mall. The ones who you can vent to at the end of a hard day, the ones who will go to your senior nights, the ones who will proofread your essays and the ones who know when to encourage you go to a school dance, and when to have a night in. They may not be your friends for the rest of your life, but don’t spend four years trying to impress people who don’t genuinely care about you. On the tangent of relationships, don’t be afraid to reach out to teachers. You will need recommendation letters at some point, whether it be for a college, a scholarship, or a job. Having a teacher that knows you well, or at least has some idea of what you’re about and where you’re headed, will make for an immensely more meaningful letter. And even more than that, just having an adult that can pour wisdom and insight in your life is an awesome thing. Contrary to popular belief, grades aren’t as important as you may think. At least, not as important

as taking the time to build yourself into a well-rounded, holistic individual. Learn how to balance spending time poring over a study guide with figuring out what you’re passionate about. Take that art class if you’re genuinely interested in it, try out for the team even if you have no experience, or dabble in dance even if it’s not expected of you. Your education is likely never going to be free again --take advantage of experiencing all that it has to offer. Lastly, remember that all of this is fleeting. Whoever the slightly socially awkward freshman that you were when you entered high school does not dictate who you will be when you grab your diploma and blast out of here. Allow yourself some room for exploring different mindsets, hobbies, and friend groups. It’s okay to be a little silly, it’s okay to take some risks, and it’s definitely okay to allow yourself to care deeply about things. You get out of high school what you put into it. Sometimes taking the cliches to heart is the best thing you can do for yourself.

BY DAANYA ANAND

THE U NION

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MAY 2016

11

Three tips for surviving your P.E. classes BY TERRA WALLS

For some, physical education consists of an hour of pure athleticism. Sweat, blood, and tears go into the reputation of the rugball champions each period. Some treat P.E. as a miniature olympics, the ultimate test of skill and strength. For the rest of us, P.E. can seem like an hour filled with demanding classmates with too much testosterone. Two years of physical education is necessary to graduate, so here’s some helpful advice towards surviving (and maybe even enjoying) P.E. 1.Put in a little effort You may not be the most physical person on your team, but that doesn’t mean you have to be the laziest as well. If you’re playing a sport where you have teammates that are relying on you to contribute, try to help them out. Don’t be that person on the team that can be found in the corner of the gym or the far end of the outfield. I’m not saying you have to force yourself to be a triathlete,

but at least try to make something out of the period. 2. Be prepared These are some tips leaning more towards the females, but guys, there’s something in this for you too. You have already been in this class for a year now, so if you’re a forgetful person, it’s good to learn ahead of time what might come in handy throughout the school year. Extra socks are a true blessing. That sounds like a ridiculous exaggeration, but there’s nothing as gross as sweaty, unprotected feet in the hot sun. Do yourself and your nostrils, a favor. Put some hair ties and makeup wipes in your locker as well, along with extra feminine products for emergencies. As it begins to get cold, P.E. in shorts might seem like a true injustice to your body temperature. Put some sweatpants and a jacket in your locker as the fall months begin. You never know what you’ll end

up needing after an intense game of table tennis. 3. Get to know the teachers If you’re trying to slack off and take a sport that doesn’t require that much effort (and most of them do), pay attention to who is teaching what. Don’t end up taking badminton in the hopes of just relaxing and end up with a teacher that grades without mercy. Aside from saving your grade, getting to know your P.E. teacher has other advantages as well. Teachers are people just like everyone else, and they’re competitive and funny once you’re able to befriend them. A rugball rivalry between a teacher and students can add a little fun, and even possible incentives that you may enjoy (no lap, maybe?). P.E. really isn’t all that bad if you learn to make the best of it. Get to know your teachers, come prepared, and get into it, and maybe even you can be a rugball reigning champ.

Sherry Lam | THE UNION

ADVICE: Best and worst AP classes offered at Milpitas High By now, it’s too late to change your we answer questions about each of AP courses, so I don’t really know them. There is no homework 95% what purpose this article serves of the time, which may sound relaxother than to make you confirm ing, but this teaching format makes or regret your choices. I’m writing it extremely difficult to retain the from my own perspective and ex- course material. There is hardly periences, so some of this any class discussion and is subjective. Everybody student participation. has different interests, I would highly recomstrengths, and preferred mend taking AP World learning methods, so History (WHAP) first if please take your own into you want to take APUSH, account as you’re reading because that’s the only this! I hope this advice is reason I knew how to helpful! write essays. In APUSH, Worst: U.S. History we went over the rubric, AP U.S. History but we never learned (APUSH) at MHS has about the essay-writthe lowest average score ing process, any helpful STELLA and lowest passing rate on strategies, or went over XU the AP exam out of all the any example/practice esAP classes offered at our says like we did in WHAP. school, and there’s a reason for that. Furthermore, all essays are graded I strongly believe that it isn’t the quite arbitrarily. difficulty of the class that makes the If you take this class, it isn’t comscores, but how invested the teacher pletely impossible to get a 5 on the is in teaching his students. There’s exam, but expect to do some extra also a reason why so many students learning on your own, like watchopt to take Mission College’s US ing Adam Norris’ videos on YouHistory instead. Maybe it’s because tube or doing the official sample APUSH is where fun goes to die. questions available online. I would In class, we are given sources and recommend this class if you are an

independent learner, have strong self-motivation, or dislike speaking in class. Best: Spanish Everybody warned me not to take AP Spanish, because practically everyone in the class is a native speaker. While that is true, and I often had trouble understanding things in the beginning, it became easier and more enjoyable over time. We receive many opportunities to prepare for the exam, and we are constantly practicing for it. This class is so fun, so you should take it if you want to improve your Spanish! Worst: Physics “Messy” would be the best word to describe AP Physics. It’s the class with the second lowest average score and passing rate at our school, but for slightly different reasons than APUSH. Most students have no idea what is going on, because the lessons are either too confusing, too boring, and often, both. The only thing I remember from Physics is ‘F = ma’ and... Actually, that’s it. On labs and projects, the instructions are unclear and it takes grueling work to receive a clear response from the teacher. Also, for

some reason, mid-way through the year, the teacher stopped announcing the days that we would have tests on. Most of students who understood the class took regular Physics at school or at Mission College, so I’d recommend that you do so too, if you want to understand the material or get a 5 on the exam. Otherwise, you can probably slide by with an A (or a guaranteed B) due to the extremely generous curve that boosts your test grade to a 60% even if you get zero points. Best: Calculus BC Calculus does right what Physics did wrong. It is a difficult math class, as everyone will tell you when you get your AP form signed, but don’t hesitate to take it if you’re ready. I usually have a hard time understanding things, but even as someone who is bad at math, I enjoyed this class and learned a lot from it. All the difficult concepts are explained extremely well, and if you need extra help there are plentiful tutoring hours to go to. There were even two four-hour-long Saturday sessions that helped us prepare for some of the big tests and finals.

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  SENIOR

T HE U NIO N

WILLS

MAY 2016

SENIOR WILLS CLASS OF 2016

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SENIOR WILLS

MAY 2016

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THE UNION

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ENTERTAINMENT

Courtesy of amp.cbslocal.com

In ‘Keanu,’ actor-comedians Keegan-Michael Key (left) and Jordan Peele (right) portray bumbling duo Clarence and Rell, respectively, who enter the Los Angeles crime world in order to recover a kitten named Keanu from the gang that took him.

‘Keanu’ entertains, a great debut for comedic duo

RATING:

Street (where else?). The duo poses as the Allentown brothers, a pair of infamous murderers known for their BY IVAN HUANG trend of brutality, as well as the forIn director Peter Atencio’s latest mer owners of the cat who found and film “Keanu,” comedians Jordan lost Keanu during a raid on and masPeele and Keegan-Michael Key make sacre of the members of a Mexican their big-screen debuts in the film drug cartel. about two cousins who go to extreme The two then perform various lengths to recover a lost kitten. tasks while they’re in the Blips in Rell (Peele) is going through a an attempt to get Keanu back, such breakup when he finds a kitten at his as going on drug runs for the gang’s doorstep that helps him move on, and leader, whose street name is Chednames him Keanu. Unfortunately, dar. Rell, however, decides to steal Keanu is stolen from Rell by the 17th the cat after they are unable to get Street Blips, a gang composed Keanu back immediately, causof the rejects from the notoriing both a confrontation with ous gangs known as the Bloods the real Allentown brothers and and Crips in Los Angeles, when one with the Blips. Clarence and MOVIE Rell are then brought to a cartel they rob the wrong house while REVIEW boss (Luis Guzman) in order to going for the drug dealer next door, taking nothing but the beclaim a bounty and get caught loved kitten. Rell then gets his cousin up in a gunfight. In the end, Clarence Clarence (Key) to accompany him in and Rell, along with the other memnavigating the Los Angeles under- bers of the Blips, are sentenced to six world to help get Keanu back, visiting months in prison. an exotic dance parlor located on 17th The movie is filled with the type of



comedy fans of Key and Peele’s work have come to expect from the dynamic duo: politically incorrect, profanity filled, physical, and dramatic. It also contains many things we wouldn’t expect from a movie that plays heavily on certain stereotypes, like gang members who become fans of disco pop musician George Michael. The amount of drugs, suggestive sexual material, and violence that one sees in the movie make it apparent why it is rated R, so bringing an ID to the theater to purchase a ticket is necessary. Although it was hilarious, ‘Keanu’ didn’t deliver the level of comedy those familiar with Key and Peele’s work would expect from them. If you’re not familiar with their work, the movie is a great introductory piece to their works of hilarity on Comedy Central, especially their skits and TV show. For anyone looking for a good laugh with easy-to-understand, outlandish humor, I strongly recommend watching “Keanu.”

Courtesy of nytimes.com

15

THE UNION

VIEWS by Drake

LEMONADE by Beyonce R&B RATING:

Hip-hop/Rap RATING:

BY JUSTIN NGUYEN

BY CRYSTAL TRAN

The day before the Superbowl, Beyoncé released “Formation” unannounced and had the world at a standstill. It incited critique and political discussion with its nuanced portrayal of the American South. After posting a teaser of an HBO event on her Instagram titled “Lemonade,” Beyoncé left fans in a frenzy over the potential release of an album. On April 23, Beyoncé dropped ‘Lemonade’ along with the visual album on HBO, gracing us with one of the greatest works of art in our lifetime. “Lemonade” plays out as a saga of growth from personal experience in hurt and healing in the intersections of race and gender. “Lemonade” starts with Beyoncé tenderly coming to the realization that she’s being cheated on in the opening ballad “Pray You Catch Me” and transitions to the unapologetic damnations of a woman scorned in “Hold Up” and “Don’t Hurt Yourself.” The album then enters its climax in “Daddy Lessons” and “Sandcastles,” shining on the album’s themes of growth and empowerment. That being said, “Lemonade” isn’t intended for everyone. “Lemonade” is not just an amazing work of art for everyone like previous albums, but it is also a depiction of the centurieslong disenfranchisement of black women that non-black people have no right to co-opt. “Lemonade” is a masterpiece, but it is made to be culturally niche. It was constructed by a black woman for black women; so enjoy and relish it, but unless you are a black woman, don’t adopt it.

Drake has once again blessed us with another classic for hip hop and rap music. “Views” was released on April 29, 2016. ‘Views’ reflects on Drake’s life experiences and his feelings about his hometown. The album consists of a total of 20 tracks, including singles “Hotline Bling,” “One Dance,” and “Pop Style.” “Views” takes us from “Weston Road Flows,” where Drake talks about his childhood in Weston Road, a neighborhood that is known for being poor, to “9,” where Drake talks about making the most with what he had. The song “Hype” is targeted towards his previous Twitter drama with rapper Meek Mill, where Drake compared himself to Michael Jackson and claims that “Views” is already a classic. Typical of Drake’s works, there are a couple of songs about Drake’s constabnt relationship problems and betrayals, which can be heard in “Redemption” and “Keep the Family Close.” The music throughout the album has hints of Jamaican or Caribbean influence. This is clearly shown in his song “Too Good,” in which he continues his famous trend of collaborations with singer/songwriter and rumored girlfriend Rihanna. I personally love the tropical trend in his songs since it’s perfect for summer jamming. My favorite line from Drake’s album has to be, "Why you gotta fight with me at Cheesecake, you know I love to go there” in his song “Childs Play.” Each song within the album has a completely different message, and is meant to be relaxing with a tropical vibe. Once again, Drake has released a solid album that will be adored by his fans.

The ‘Powerpuff Girls’ Bubbles, Blossom, and Buttercup make a comeback in the re-boot of the 1990’s animated cartoon featuring a trio of girls with superpowers. The series was rebooted in 2014, with the first episode airing on April 4, 2016.

‘Powerpuff Girls’ and ‘Samurai Jack’ return to T.V. RATING:

BY ABIGAIL ECAL

After 12 long years without any new ‘Powerpuff Girls’ episodes, it is finally time to see a reboot… or is it? On April 4, Cartoon Network launched a reboot that kept the synopsis the same as in the original show. Produced by Nick Jennings (‘Adventure Time’) and Bob Boyle (‘Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!’), the look of the cartoon is sharper and emphasizes the importance of color in an effort to make the series more appealing. Although the gist of the show stayed the same, the newer episodes still do not live up to the original series. The show is okay, but not unbearable. If you have never watched ‘Powerpuff Girls,’ then you shouldknow that the show is about three five-year-olds, Blossom (Amanda Leighton), Bubbles (Kristen Li), and Buttercup (Natalie Palamides), who kick butt before their bedtime. They live a normal life; they go to kindergarten, play with their friends, and have a father who

treats them as his children. The girls themselves are very amusing to watch as each has a different personality, yet remain compatible with one another as they work together to defeat crime in their home of Townsville. When Cartoon Network announced that it would make make a reboot of the ‘Powerpuff Girls,’ I was skeptical. With the notable remake of the ‘Teen Titans’ into ‘Teen Titans Go!,’ it was obvious that the producers were going to take the original show and make it somewhat dissimilar in terms of the animation itself and the humor. First off, I would like to say that the new series approach is good. The show is more comedic than its predecessors and revolves more around the three girls than the original series. Since I’m technically a “millennial kid,” I am supposed to enjoy all the references that the show produces that the original show did not. Some references in the show try too hard to be relevant and attract a younger demographic. For example, the girls speak a sort of

slang language that is very relevant to this day and appeals to a certain demorahic. There’s an episode where each girl says “yasss” instead of simply saying “yes” to show approval. Also, a reference to Air Jordans not only took up the entire first episode “Princess Buttercup,” but it was also rather lame. Overall, the new episodes cannot compare to the older ones. The innocent, simple, and action-filled plots are now scrapped to pursue a more comedic and relevant approach. Despite the division between fans who love and those who hate the series, the admiration of the Powerpuff Girls still remain whether it originates from the older series or the newer series. Adult Swim announced that ‘Samurai Jack’ will also get a reboot sometime this year. The series first aired on Cartoon Network in 2001 and ended in 2004, the same year the ‘Powerpuff Girls’ ended. The teaser of the show shows no obvious difference, but we shall see what it has to offer its audiences, eagerly waiting to see what type of show is delivered.

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THE UNION

16

LIFESTYLE

MAY 2016

Get prepared for college with these necessities BY ASHLEY RICKS

BY TERRA WALLS

Junior

Cardigan from Banana Republic

Dress from Pacsun

In the midst of financial aid forms, scholarship essays, and searching for that cute university sweatshirt to wear to school in order to publically finalize your SIR, it’ s easy to push off one thing until the week before move-in date: dorm shopping. The experience of living in a dorm - away from the comfort of home- is what most would consider a valuable part of the college experience. Make this experience more enjoyable by getting the following items, so you can settle into your dorm with (somewhat of a) peace of mind.

Additional lighting: The overhead lights in most college dorms are typically harsh and uninviting. Get a floor lamp in order to create a more comfortable environment and balance out the lighting in the room. Desk lamps: When your roommate has the flu and is desperately trying to get some sleep, you’ll be grateful you can still stay up to cram because you brought a desk lamp. Don’t be that guy who leaves the overhead light on until 2 a.m.

Loafers from H&M

Shower baskets/bags: If you’ re

living in a hall, bring a shower basket that you can keep by your door, so your toiletries are in one place and you can grab them all at once. There are even waterproof shower bags that dry fast and are slime-free. Storage containers: Utilize the space under your bed for extra clothes, shoes, and other items that would otherwise clutter your dorm. They’re also a good way to organize and keep your things separated. Tupperware: With some tupperware, you’ ll be able to get more out of the meal plan you’re paying for. Pile some extra food in and bring it back to your dorm for the next meal.

Mattress pad: This won’t take up any extra space, but it will give you so much more comfort. Snacks: A pretty obvious college-dorm must. Stock up on Costco-sized snack packs to save money. Remember to bring chip clips so your food doesn’t go stale. Earbuds: If you need some alone-time while your roommate has been skyping for three hours, pop in some earbuds and relax in your own Spotify playlist. Or set that early-morning alarm without waking others up by going to sleep with earbuds in. Water filter: This will save you money on packs of water and from collecting bottles and cans. Fill up a pitcher with tap water and let the

filter work its magic- it’s better for the environment, and your wallet. Photos of your friends/wall decorations: You will be able to bring a piece of home to your dorm with you by developing photos of your senior summer adventures to eventually hang up. Go crazy on Pinterest and figure out how to make your corner of your dorm absolutely you. DIY matching posters with your close friends to bring to your respective colleges. It will add a sentimental touch to your room and make parting a little easier. Mugs: Of all sizes. You will likely be using them for all the Buzzfeed microwavable meals you’ll try. Carpet slippers: Flip-flops are a must for the community showers, but many freshmen neglect to bring carpet slippers. Don’ t agonize over the mysterious stain in the corner; bring some comfy carpet slippers to keep your conscience at bay and your socks clean. A planner: If you’re switching from the familiar semester lifestyle to the fast-paced quarter system, a planner will help keep track of everything. Organizing your schedule doesn’t have to be in the form of a physical planner, either. Apps such as “Planner Pro” can help you manage your schedule. Electric kettle: While this may sound random, it will enable you make a variety of foods without even leaving your dorm, if you don’t have the space or the funds for a microwave. You’ll be able to make ramen, macaroni, and tea, among others, all from one $30 appliance that can sit comfortably on a desk.

Her Fashion Inspir ation: “I’ve always loved Jenn Im’s style, and I find a lot of inspiration on Tumblr, too.”

Junior

Shirt from Calvin Klein

Homework Help Skills Review Tutoring  ESL

Backpack from Amazon

Br acelet souvenir from Hawaii Shorts from Macy’s

Sneakers from Vans

Headin’ for Success! HIs Fashion Inspir ation: “I go for the casual preppy look. I look at YouTube and my friends for inspiration.”

Success! Learning Center a non-profit educational & tutoring center

355 Dixon Rd.  Milpitas CA 95035

(408) 263-9754 Visit us on the web! www.successlearningcenter.org

MAY 2016

THE UNION

LIFESTYLE

Improve your résumé with summer activities

Do It Yourself

BY MISBAH SURANI

As summer approaches, most high school students begin to plan out their schedules for the summer. There are a wide variety of things to do in the summer, ranging from jobs and internships to classes and volunteering. Through any of these activities, you can not only enjoy your summer but also gain valuable skills and experiences that can look great on college applications and résumés! Starting with jobs, these positions are a great way to gain work experience and earn money for college or recreation! Common occupations that are readily available for high school students are summer camp counselors, tutors, lifeguards, or cashiers and sales associates at retail stores. Most jobs will be part time, but there are also several full-time positions available. Though the jobs may not be related to the career paths you want to pursue, they can be interesting and build your skill set. And if you find a job in your intended career field, that is even better! Moving on to internships, these opportunities are often more in line with your career interests and thus are not only fun but also show colleges you are serious about this path. Internships are almost always offered by employers to potential employees.

Though you might not earn money, you can definitely learn a ton about the field you are interested in and have real-world experience. If you have a passion for a certain field, then look for potential internships that can place you on the fast track for a solid career in that field. Since it is an election year, political campaigns are eager to look for volunteers and interns, so that could be something to look at as well. To learn about topics that interest you, you can also take summer classes at a community college, university, or online. These courses can replace classes you would have to take during the school year or are a chance to learn about more advanced subjects in depth. Though local classes are admittedly not a fun way to spend the summer, they are important to maintain your grades and be academically prepared! Local community colleges such as Mission College in Santa Clara, De Anza College in Cupertino, Evergreen Valley College in San Jose, Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, West Valley College in Saratoga, and Ohlone College in Fremont offer a variety of courses that not only can count for credit in high school, but also in California colleges such as San Jose State University, UC Berkeley, and the University of Southern California. For a more exciting experience,

you can also participate in summer programs in different states across the US. Through an academically-focused summer program, you can prepare for college by learning and living in a college environment. Not only can you meet students from all over the nation, but you can also get hands-on experience in different areas, like medicine or science. Through an extracurricular summer program, you can learn or improve on specific skills depending on the topic of the camp, such as sports, music, art, or debate. Another way to spend the summer is volunteering. There are many local volunteering opportunities, and you can even find ones that are related to what you love to do! Volunteer opportunities include tutoring kids and helping local charities. Some examples of organizations you can help include Habitat for Humanity, the Humane Society, and the American Red Cross. Some organizations even offer global travel opportunities of a lifetime in which you can promote social good to those around the world! No matter what you choose to do this summer, make sure to save time to pursue your hobbies and have fun with your friends and family. With over ten weeks of no school, spend your time doing things you enjoy and will learn from! Make sure your summer vacation is one to remember.

BY AMANDA NGUYEN

17

Graduation L eis

It’s that time of the year: the end of the school year. Graduations are coming up so don’t forget to decorate your favorite seniors with some colorful ribbon leis! These leis are super affordable, and after a little bit of practice, you can make one in minutes.

MATErIALS 1

Ribbon

(two different colors) 2

1

Scissors

Instructions

DOUBLE-KNOT the two rib-

bons together, least 5 inches

2

MAKE TWO LOOPS with

each

color

of

leaving at at t h e e n d

ribbon

PLACE ONE LOOP into the other

3

Make some memories with quaint road trips BY CRYSTAL TRAN

Want to make the best of your summer but can’t go far? Can’t afford to go on your senior summer trip before adult life starts? The Union’s got you covered! Here are some geographically convenient day journeys you could take that are three hours away from Milpitas. 1. Monterey Bay Monterey Bay is home to one of the most diverse marine life populations in California! Located on the Pacific Coast, it is only an hour and thirty minutes away from Milpitas by car. Mustgo locations in Monterey Bay include the Fisherman’s Wharf, where you can enjoy delicious seafood and whale-watching; Cannery Row, where you can shop and

suck in the nightlife; and of course the world-famous Monterey Bay Aquarium. If you love the sea, this is where you need to be. 2. Santa Cruz Santa Cruz is pretty close and well known for its beaches, but that’s not all that this city offers. If you haven’t already, check out the Mystery Spot, an illusion tour attraction, and the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, the oceanfront amusement park. There are many beautiful beaches such as Natural Bridges, Pleasure Point, and Waddell State. Learn how to surf in the Club Ed Santa Cruz Surf School. Immerse yourself in the Santa Cruz vibe by visiting the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum or the Santa Cruz Arboretum.

Restaurant Reviews

If you’re a prospective college student, UC Santa Cruz is also a place to visit. With a beautiful campusrenowned for its astronomy and computer game design majors, the university should be on every aspiring STEM major’s list of colleges to apply to. 3. Vacaville Vacaville is a unique city with tons of outdoor and indoor activities located about two hours away from Milpitas. To fully absorb this whole city’s views, you could hike in the Lagoon Valley. To experience more of the Vacaville culture, visit the Vacaville Museum. If you’re more of an adrenaline junkie, Six Flags is just a little south of Vacaville! Food-wise, there are many vintage and quaint restaurants and the Jelly Bean Factory. If you are in the mood for shopping, Vacaville Premium Outlets is a prime location for getting a good deal.

Pull the other ribbon down around the base of the first loop

4

W i t h t h e r i b b o n t h at y o u j u s t p u l l e d d o w n , c r e at e a n o t h e r l o o p

5

6

R e p e at t h e s t e p s a lt e r -

n at i n g t h e r i b b o n c o l o r s , u n t i l you reach your desired length

The Silicon Valley has become a hot spot for new trendy restaurants and beverage vendors. Milpitas and the surrounding area is no exception to this phenomenon.

Teaspoon delicious but pricey Poké House offers unique options at low prices BY AMANDA NGUYEN

After attending Teaspoon’s soft opening and having a rather negative experience, I was hesitant to give Teaspoon another try, but as the Buy One Get One Free deal and promotional posts seemed to explode on social media, I felt reassured that Teaspoon would step up their game for the official grand opening. When I arrived the line stretched out past the door, almost pouring into the parking lot. However, the line moved steadily and once I was able to inch forward into the doorway, I instantly noticed that the once boring, white walls were decorated with colorful art and ample seating was available. Besides the couple of basic drinks such as the House Milk Tea and Taro Lovers which I had tried a variation of at many other milk tea shops, the rest of the drinks on Teaspoon’s menu were blends of teas and juices that I hadn’t heard of before. I ordered a Mango Mojito and the

newest edition to the menu, Liquid Gold. Liquid Gold is a oolong milk tea topped with organic cream. Surprisingly, the drink wasn’t overpoweringly sweet and the tea flavor was still distinguishable. The Mango Mojito, which has mango green tea, basil, and lime juice in it was very refreshing. Furthermore, the generous helping of honey boba that was added to each drink, wasnt too syrupy and had the perfect texture. Although I appreciated their unique specialty teas and use of organic ingredients, the drinks are more expensive than other milk tea shops in Milpitas.

Amanda Nguyen | THE UNION

BY JULIA NGUYEN

Originally from Hawaii, Poke Bowl incorporates various ingredients, usually found in sushi, to create a messy yet delicious meal. Although Poke Bowl restaurants are nothing new in the Bay Area, a new breed of restaurants have opened up, luring customers in and keeping them around with their unique ingredients and great prices. Poke House, which recently opened on Hostetter Road, is part of this ever growing trend and always seems to have a line out the door. When you first walk in, it resembles a factory with glass shields separating customers from the ingredients and the employees assembling the bowls. Much like Chipotle, lines on the cement floor mark out a path for customers to follow as they move down the assembly line and pick out which ingredients they want to add to their bowl. There are 3 steps: base, protein,

and dressing. With 5 or more options for each step ranging from salmon to pineapples there are endless combinations and bowls to create. This can be a little overwhelming if it is your fist time coming so make sure to read reviews to decide what you want beforehand. It takes about 15 minutes to finish ordering and get your food once you’ve made it to the counter. There are plenty of tables and chairs both inside and outside the restaurant so seating an issue though eating Poke Bowl for the first time can be a little frustrating. All the ingredients are piled so high into your bowl so mixing the ingredients together without spilling gets challenging. However, spending extra time to mix all the ingredients is worth it. The hefty servings of each ingredient make is so that each bite is packed with flavor: sauce is squeezed on liberally and guac is heaped on with an ice cream scoop. Although Poke Bowl is simple

enough to make, the freshness of the ingredients at Poke House, and the variety of options available makes it unbeatable. Eating at Poke House was a great experience because the service was fast and I got to combine all my favorite types of sushi into a single bowl.

Julia Nguyen | THE UNION

18

THE UNION

ADVERTISEMENT

MAY 2016

SPORTS

C ou r

te

ee Ji n

Koh

Badminton

Co

ry

Ng

Will you play basketball in the future?

What have you learned from track?

My favorite part is the interaction with the other schools and making friends.

te

sy of Dill

on L a m

DILLON LAM

ur

How long have you been PLaying Tennis?

I have been competing since I was twelve.

What is your favorite memory from tennis at mhs?

What have you learned from Tennis?

My favorite memory from being on the MHS team was going to Fresno with the team and pigging out on barbecue.

I've learned that if you want to achieve something you have to work day and night to reach it.

What was the most rewarding thing about Tennis?

The most rewarding thing about tennis is that when you win a tournament it's all you, no one can take it away from you saying your teammates carried you.

what position do you have on the team?

I play varsity doubles 1.

What have you learned from playing Tennis?

I've learned about my bad habit of being very nervous and I’m definitely still trying to learn how to be more relaxed. I’ve been trying to fix this while working with my doubles partner.

What is your favorite part about playing Tennis?

My favorite part about playing tennis is being able to practice with the team but play individually for the most part.

fB re

Tennis

I've played basketball since 6th grade. I've been competing since 8th grade. My freshman year I wasn't on the team but in sophomore year I started on the junior varsity basketball team.

What is your favorite part about playing Tennis?

My favorite part of tennis is not needing to rely on anyone.

Will you be playing tennis in the future?

I plan on playing Division 2 tennis at the University of Hawai'i at Hilo.

C ya

ar

ter

I plan to continue playing basketball in college and see where it goes from there. I'm going to either De Anza or Ohlone so I plan to try out and play for the team wherever I go.

What is your favorite part of playing basketball?

My favorite thing about basketball is having to work hard and the unity of the team.

What have you learned from basketball?

I've learned to persevere and work hard to get where I want and I've also learned how to work together with the team and fight through hardships with them along the way.

What is your favorite memory of basketball at mhs? My favorite memory is probably the team dinners, just hanging out, eating food, and watching the game footage.

MAGGIE WU

Co

M ag gi e Wu

Co

My favorite memory is being able to spend my last four years of playing softball with my best friend on the MHS team.

of

I'm running track next year at Arizona State.

My favorite memory was when Michael Chen went to state last year because everyone was crowding around him and cheering him on.

what is your favorite memory of playing softball?

sy

Will you be running track in the future?

What is your favorite memory of Track at mhs?

I learned to be selfdisciplined and have confidence. I learned not to worry too much about the girl next to me and worry more about my own performance.

te

My most rewarding experience was getting CCS top eight this year.

I started track in the seventh grade. I was on the middle school team and on a club team outside of school.

What Lessons have you learned from playing softball?

ur

What was the most rewarding EXPERIENCE?

How long have you been running track?

How long have you been playing basketball?

yo

What do you love most about being on track team?

I learned that track isn't as easy as it seems. You have to put hard work to accomplish things. Also, when you're older, people are going to look up to you so I learned to grow up.

Tennis

How long have you been PLaying Tennis? I started playing on and off during the end of elementary school and then I began taking lessons and getting coached by our varsity coach, Dong Pham, starting in middle school and throughout high school.

Will you be playing tennis in the future? I want to get into intramurals in college but I don't plan on playing at a competitive level in the future..

BREYA CARTER Track

C ou r t e s

I do the four by one relay and hurdles. My main focus is on hurdles.

What do you love the most about playing softball?

Basketball

Track

Which event do you compete in?

Softball

JONATHON LOVELESS

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He

DEVIN CRUMMIE

n

u v in Cr m mie

of

De

ORTEGA BOND

The most rewarding experience was this year some recruiters came to talk to me about playing in college. It was rewarding to see them come and pick me and it felt like all my hard work finally paid off.

Do you plan to continue playing

C ou r t e s y

es

f yo

ur

t

My favorite part is proba- badminton? bly how you get to play the sport after school for prac- Given the opportunity, I will tice because it takes your play badminton recreationmind off of schoolwork. ally but not competitively.

DANIELLE

What was the most rewarding experience playing for the mhs team?

I learned sportsmanship from playing matches where I have to make honest calls.

I’ve played for all four years of high school and I also play in tournaments outside of school. I started playing badminton in freshman year.

g a B on d

My favorite part of playing the sport is the interactions with the new players and taking on the responsibility of my position.

What lessons have you learned? What do you love the most about playing badminton?

Ort e

tes

During my sophomore year when there were a lot of good seniors on the team. I learned a lot from playing alongside them.

how long have you been playing badminton?

a

lle

C ou r

what are your favorite memories from playing on the badminton team?

of W

WEE JIN KOH

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With hundreds of student athletes across the fifteen different sports offered at Milpitas High School, these student athletes have been recognized by their coaches for outstanding sportsmanship and achievements.

BY AMANDA NGUYEN

19

THE UNION

f

MAY 2016

What is your favorite memory of Track at mhs?

How long have you been running track?

Which events do you compete in?

My favorite memory is get- I’ve been competing for 6 ting a trophy my sopho- years. I started in 7th grade more year because I felt but I’ve always loved to race. like it was a sign that I was going in the right direction.

What have you learned from track?

What was the most rewarding thing about track?

I compete in the 4x1 relay, 100 meter, and 200 meter events.

A ity

positive mentalis everything.

Being on the team with my friends and making new ones.

Do you plan to continue competing (in college)?

I plan on continuing to compete; I can’t imagine myself not doing track.

20

T HE U NION

MAY 2016

  NEWS

MHS ‘Running Man’ video hits 11.2 million views weren’t cool, like, we weren’t friends, but we made up like ten minutes afterwards and decided to keep going along with it,” Buchanan said. “So we started Twitter beef, and everyone thought it was really going to happen, but we just wanted to make everyone laugh, we didn’t care about the fame and stuff,” Buchanan said. Word about the fight also got out to the MHS administration, which is why so many people came out to see the fight, according to Crummie. Everyone thought it was going to happen, he continued. “Some of the teachers found out about it, and they were the ones who rallied the messages,” Crummie said. “When we got out there, there was

BY NOEMI CRISANTO

Senior Dejuan Crummie and Junior Andy Buchanan recently became internet sensations after a video of their fake fight reached more than 11.2 million views, about 171,000 likes, and about 111,000 shares on Facebook as of May 24. The students made the video as a way to participate in a new online dance challenge called the ‘Running Man Challenge,’ according to Buchanan. They decided the day before to fake a fight to see who would actually show up, and it escalated. “Well, [Crummie] got me mad earlier that day, and everyone thought we

admin, security, and police officers [there].” There was actually a fight the day before on campus which ended up on the grounds of Pomeroy Elementary school, which is why the administration was ready and alert, according to Principal Cheryl Lawton. Even though the prank was done with good intentions, she believes that it put a lot of students and staff in an unfavorable predicament, Lawton said. “I think in the end it was a clever idea, but it also put a lot of students and staff at risk,” Lawton said. “It was an unnecessary use of manpower and people’s time that could’ve been better spent serving the students in a different way.”

Korean language to be offered as class next year Policy Council,” Lawton said. “Then, we get MUSD Board approval, apply for UC a-g approval, initiate sign-ups, determine how many sections and what classes these will replace in the schedule, and hire a teacher.” According to Korean American Student Association (KASA) President Richard Sung, the process of starting a Korean class began back in Oct. 2015 when his organization was approached by Dr. Eun-Hee Koo of the Committee for Korean Classes in American Schools of North California. Dr. Koo came up with the request of putting out a survey to the students of MHS to see who would be interested in a Korean class, Sung said. “We only needed a total of 60 responses in order to move forward with the idea and to bring it up with administration,” Sung said. “We

BY AMANDEEP DOSANJH

Korean 1 is being implemented as the introductory Korean class for the 2016-17 school year at MHS, according to Principal Cheryl Lawton. The class will start with approximately 70 students, and there will be two sections, Lawton said. According to Lawton, [the administration] is in the process of interviewing potential candidates to be hired as the teacher. One of the conditions for offering the course is that it will be a full three-year sequence, Lawton said. “The first thing we needed to do to implement this class was gather information about potential interest, submit a proposal and make a presentation to the MUSD Curriculum

ended up, however, getting far more responses than we needed, and from that moment, we realized the obvious and high demand for a Korean class.” The ultimate goal of establishing this Korean Class at Milpitas High school is to promote the Korean culture and to teach and spread its ideals and language to American society, Sung said. “The other sophomore KASA officers, Sally Seok, Crystal Bui, and Jennifer Smith, were also heavily involved in the process,” Sung said. [The administration] greatly appreciates all of the initial preparation work and offers of support by Dr. Eun-Hee Koo, as well as Mr. Chul Soon Choi, Education Director of Korean Education Center in S.F. and Mrs. Nojin Bae, MHS student Sally Seok’s mom, Lawton said.

Caps and gowns go temporarily missing BY KRUPA PATEL KEVIN ZHANG

MHS caps and gowns were passed out on Mar. 11, however, some students were unable to pick their apparel up, according to Senior Alyssa Palis. Many students were frustrated at the disorganization on part of Herff Jones, the company that manufactures the caps and gowns, Palis said. “When they told me that they didn’t have my cap and gown, I was very disappointed and mad,” Palis said. “I was

shocked at how many people didn’t get theirs and wondered how this even happened.” According to Palis, other packages even had last names misspelled and the Herff Jones employees took a while to give it to the right owner. They should have been more responsible and double checked before they delivered, Palis stated. “The delay was caused by an unintended oversight in our manufacturing facility,” Herff Jones Representative Dick Wescott said via email. The delay was due to an error in the

business’s system that caused a group of students to be omitted from the MHS order for graduation cap and gowns, according to Wescott. Despite the delays that have occurred graduating seniors do not need to worry since the lost orders will be delivered a week prior to graduation, Wescott said. “Unfortunately, we were unable to uphold this commitment and deeply apologize for the frustration and undue stress this delay has caused during what should be a time for celebration,” Wescott said.

SCHOLARSHIPS: Seniors awarded money for merit FROM PAGE 1 they actually called me and I wasn’t dreaming it or something. I’m so excited.” Another student that received a hefty scholarship was Senior Gavin Bains. According to Bains, though merit and financial need, he earned $181,000 from the University of Southern California (USC). Out of his total cost for four years at USC, he would only be responsible in paying only $15,000 - $20,000, Bains said. “I never thought this would happen to me, and when I found out, I cried because I always thought I’d be forced to attend a community [college] because of money issues,” Bains said. “USC came in with the clutch.” According to Bains, USC was one of his top choices. Being able to attend is a dream come true, he continued. “It feels amazing,” Bains said. “It validates the hard work I put in for high school. It’s like I’m being rewarded for getting through all the problems [that] life has thrown at me. Words can’t really describe how I feel.” Senior Ryan Bunyard received two scholarships to go to Saint Mary’s College: the Gael Scholarship and the Saint Mary’s Scholarship. The Gael Scholarship offers Bunyard $14,000 per year and the Saint Mary’s Scholarship offers $3,500 per year, he said.

“The Gael Scholarship was given to me because I had an above average GPA throughout my years in high school,” Bunyard said. “I still have no idea where the Saint Mary’s Scholarship came from because when I got it, there was no description as to why I had earned it.” According to Bunyard, one must have at least a 3.0 GPA in high school in order to qualify for each scholarship. “The money is going to go towards my books and tuition,” Bunyard said. “This is what most of the [college] cost [which] is $60,000 per year.” Senior Caitlyn Dangvu received three scholarships to Champlain College. The Achievement Scholarship offers Dangvu $19,000 per year; the Innovation Scholarship offers her $2,500 per year, and the Champlain Scholarship offers her $11,000 per year, she said. “All three scholarships, totaling $32,500, are renewable all four years while I attend college,” Dangvu said. According to Dangvu, every person who applies to Champlain College is automatically taken into consideration for all scholarships available and is determined if qualified based on the application. This was the only college she applied to, Dangvu said. “I’ve been dreaming of going to this

college for the past four years, and the only thing stopping me was the steep price,” Dangvu said. “The fact that I was able to receive these scholarships mean the world me. I never expected to get this much. There’s no way I would have been able to attend this incredible school if it weren’t for its generosity.” According to Senior Chloe Chu, she received two scholarships from Arizona State University (ASU). Chu won the New American University Scholar Provost Scholarship Award worth over $52,000 and the Gold Standard Award worth $4,000. “I think one of the qualifications is that you have to be out-of-state,” Chu said. “[ASU doesn’t] specify the exact qualifications of these two scholarships, however, you do need to have good academics.” Although it does not pay for all of her tuition fees, Chu is very grateful for the offers, she said. “I’m really grateful for the amount of money I got because with three kids in the family, going to college is a big chunk of our income,” Chu said. “I was really discouraged in the beginning because other schools that accepted me only gave me $1,000 or a little more, and I guess every bit of money counts, but out-of-state tuition is extremely expensive.”

Courtesy of Kelley Tran

Jomar Azarcon (center in both images) is currently recovering from his injuries.

Student hit with 12-pound shot-put BY CA-ZAO BUI BROOKE TRAN

Senior Jomar Azarcon was severely injured and hospitalized after being hit in the head with an approximately 12-pound shot-put ball during a track meet on May 5, according to his close friend, Senior Kelley Tran. The impact fractured his skull, and he suffered from a seizure before being rushed to the hospital, Tran stated. Azarcon was competing at the Track and Field De Anza League Finals at Los Gatos High School when the accident occurred, according to Track Coach Bridget Hall. She did not see it happen, Hall stated, but it was clear when she ran over to Azarcon after being notified by a Palo Alto High coach that he had been seriously injured by a shot-put ball and needed immediate attention. “In the ten years that I have been coaching, I have never seen anything like it, and the Los Altos coach, [who has] been coaching for 35 years [...] has never seen anything like it either,” Hall said. “I think it kind of was a freak [accident], where communication got mixed up between people.” Azarcon received emergency first aid from the Los Gatos High trainer who assessed the situation and a doctor who happened to be the parent of one of the students at the meet, Hall explained. She contacted his parents, and the paramedics took Azarcon by ambulance to the hospital with his throwing coach, Luisa Musika, who stayed with him until his parents arrived, Hall added. “[The accident] was a really traumatic experience, and it was traumatic for anyone who saw it,” Hall continued. “It was really traumatic for Jomar, for any of our athletes, and for any of the other kids.” According to Athletic Director Jeffrey Lamb, the track meet was stopped and Azarcon was rushed to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, where he was put into intensive care. He then had to undergo surgery two days later, after his conditions worsened, to alleviate the blood clot, Lamb continued. “Jomar was going to be okay when

the doctors examined him. He was only to get stitches first and then wait to see if he would need surgery,” Tran stated. “Two days later, his conditions worsened and his blood clot increased. He had to go into an emergency surgery which, thankfully, went well.” A GoFundMe page, a site that allows the public to donate to causes online, was created by Azarcon’s friends in an effort to raise funds for his recovery fees, as the surgery alone cost $50,000, Tran stated. As of Saturday, May 24, the page managed to raise about $8,200 which is more than 75% of its $12,000 goal, she continued. “We, [Jomar’s friends], started the GoFundMe page because we knew that the medical bills would be hard on any family, especially since we knew that the surgery could cost thousands of dollars,” Tran said. “Our page has been up for 12 days, and so far we have raised $8,288 out of our goal of $12,000. We also asked around school for donations with our homemade donation boxes and were able to raise over $675 in several days.” As Azarcon heals, his friends are continuing to try and make more people aware of the GoFundMe page according to Tran. “We would really appreciate it if [people] could help spread the word about Jomar’s medical fund,” Tran said. “Jomar is a genuinely amazing person; you can tell by his group of friends, family, and teachers who are willing to go long lengths just to see him get better.” Azarcon is well along the road to recovery after almost two weeks in the hospital, Tran stated. He is communicating with friends and was able to go home, and he will even be able to say goodbye to MHS with the rest of his class, she added. “Jomar is still tweeting and making jokes, so he is recovering well,” Tran said. “He was able to go home on Monday the 16th. He is up and about and going through therapy. Good news is that Jomar will walk across the stage on graduation day.” Jomar’s GoFundMe: gofundme.com/jomarazarcon

TOC: Mulaomerovic, Shau head to nationals FROM PAGE 1

practice rounds. We would do scrimmages against other schools [too].” The tournament itself was a lot of fun, according to Shau. Their record is something to be proud of, Shau continued. “It was pretty fun,” She said. “We didn’t go in there expecting to do exceptionally well because it is the best in the nation, but I think we did pretty good with a 3-4 record. I mean our school hasn’t been to the Tournament of Champions much but last time they went, they had a 2-5 record, so we’re pretty proud in beating that.” According to Mulaomerovic, competing in the TOC is the highlight of her senior year. Debating with top debate teams in the nation was surreal, Mulaomerovic said. “You watch some of the best debaters that you idolize and they’re in the same room as you,” Mulaomerovic said. “But the coolest thing is that you

see all the people you’ve gone against in your four years of high school, and they’re all in one tournament. I had a great time. I just loved it. ” According to Mulaomerovic, she is not planning to pursue college debate. According to Shau, she is going to use her experience as a high school debater for various debate-associated activities at Cornell University. “It was definitely a roller coaster,” Shau said. “It’s fun to compete. The downside is the amount of work you put in, but in the end, it’s worth it.” “I’m really glad I joined Speech and Debate,” Mulaomerovic said. “It’s great to see how much Grace’s and my skills as debaters from freshmen year when we could barely give a two-minute speech to now when we’re competing on a national level and not [just] going against [national teams], but beating them [as well].”