E D I TO RI A L 3
UN I O N
O PI N I O N S 4
DECEMBER 2012 Volume XXV Issue III
F E AT U R E S 6
S PR E A D 8
T HE
L I F E S T Y L E 11
E N T E R TA I N M E N T 13
S P O R T S 16
MHSTHEUNION.NET For the latest updates
STUDENT VOICE OF MILPITAS HIGH SCHOOL
Rally features honorees, encourages giving back BY BRENDA SU
Winter Rally was held in the large gym during a double fourth period on Nov. 30. The rally encouraged donations for Jack Emery Food Drive, promoted Winter Ball and Talent Show, and honored select students, athletes, and staff members, according to Activities Director Joanna Butcher. CCS Cross Country Champion Yohaness Estifanos, Tennis Girls Doubles League Champions Christi Tain and Shuyang Ye, and the Varsity football team were honored, Butcher stated. Seniors Eric Tao and Susan Wang received the Jefferson Awards for community service, and Custodians Victor Martinez and Michael Fulbright were recognized for contributions to MHS, Butcher continued. “Mr. Fulbright said it made him feel really good because it was an honest student response celebrating him,” Butcher added. “He said it really made his day.” “Make-a-Wish” was introduced in the rally, Rally Commissioner Natasha Gangal said. Three deserving people who had been selected through an application or nomination process were given gifts that would “brighten their days,” Gangal elaborated. “I loved the theme for [Spirit] Week,
‘Spirit of Giving,’” Gangal commented. “I think it was so rewarding seeing the faces on the people who got presents at the rally.” Some communication and timing errors occured, according to Butcher. One of the sound cords was unplugged, and the rainy weather made it difficult for people to settle down after they arrived, Butcher added. Gangal agreed, attributing some problems to poor speakers. However, new speakers would be really expensive to purchase, Gangal said. “We tried making the sound better,” Gangal said. “We used the ‘better’ speakers that we own and we added the speakers that we use for the noontimes that are small but strong, but it clearly didn’t work.” The alma mater was played at the beginning instead of the end to promote unity, Gangal explained. Past rallies typically began with the national anthem. The date of the Apollo Awards ceremony, previously held in November, was switched with the date of the February rally in order for teachers to have more time to select Apollo Award recipients, Butcher said. The Apollo Awards ceremony honors student academic achievements and will be held in February.
R����� A������� | THE UNION
Members of the MHS Glee Club wave their arms in the air as they perform at the double fourth period Winter Rally held on Friday, Nov. 30. Club Advisor Dan McQuigg conducts and leads the group as club members jams to an assortment of holiday music, welcoming the transition from the season of thanks to the season of giving.
Prop 30 passes to fund schools
N EWS IN BR IEF Jack Emery Drive receives record-low canned and monetary donations The Jack Emery Food Drive will end on Dec. 14. As of Dec. 7, Class of 2013 raised $54.18, Class of 2014 raised $279.05, Class of 2015 raised $88.86, and Class of 2016 raised $55.00. New incentives include tardy passes, excused detentions, off-campus lunch passes, and complimentary breakfast.
BY DAN LUO
MHS Art Department sells art pieces The Art Department will host its annual art sale on Dec. 18 in the cafeteria to showcase and sell pieces made by students and teachers. All proceeds will to go their respective art, ceramics, or photography classes. MHS Music Department and clubs help out at Crab Feed The MHS Music Boosters and Milpitas Kiwanis Club will host the ninth annual Crab Feed at Milpitas Community Center on Jan. 11. Some of the proceeds earned will go toward the district’s music department. Cultural clubs begin to prepare for their annual shows in 2013 The Indian Show, hosted by the Indian Club, will be on Jan. 18 during school hours. Chinese Club has �nished holding auditions for the Lunar Show, which will be on Jan. 26, while Vietnamese Student Association’s show will be held on Apr. 4. Class ranking might be eliminated for future years MHS administation is currently considering eliminating class rankings after this school year. Class rankings are based on students’ weighted Grade Point Averages (GPAs). Enjoy your Winter Break! Students are set to take �nals before Winter Break because the school year has been pushed ahead by several weeks. Finals week will be on Dec. 19-21 this year. School will get out on Dec. 21 and resume on Jan. 7.
C������� �� ��� M������� P����� D���������
Gunshots, �red at a Milpitas Police Of�cer after he pulled the driver over, crack the windshield of the of�cer’s car. The of�cer, whose name cannot be disclosed, was not injured by gun�re. The offender still has not been caught.
Driver fires at officer on Escuela, Jacklin BY MARISA LOUIE AND BRENDA SU
At the intersection of Jacklin Road and Escuela Parkway, a Milpitas Police Officer was fired upon on Nov. 27 at 1:49 a.m. by a suspect driver, according to Sergeant Raj Maharaj.The officer suffered minor injuries unrelated to the gunfire, Maharaj added. As the officer exited his patrol car after pulling over the suspect driver for a moving violation, the driver exited his car and fired multiple gunshots at the officer, Maharaj said. The officer returned fire and it is unknown as to whether the suspect was injured before he fled in his vehicle. The suspect, who remains at large, was described as a Hispanic male, approximately 20 to 25 years old, between 5 feet 6 inches to 5 feet 9 inches, and between 160 to 180 pounds, according to a Milpitas Police Department press release. He was wearing a black-and-white, horizontally-striped flannel shirt,
the press release said. The vehicle, a tan 1996 Honda Accord that had been reported stolen from San Jose, was found the same day abandoned in a local residential neighborhood, according to Maharaj. The incident did not pose a threat to students because police had determined he had already fled the area, he continued. “Jacklin Road was closed for approximately close to six hours,” Maharaj said. “We opened the roadway once we collected the evidence at the scene.” After police informed Schlaff at 6:15 a.m., he then called the school district for permission to issue informational phone calls that assured it was safe to attend school were sent to students’ homes at 7:32 a.m., according to Principal Kenneth Schlaff. Calls were sent late due to its hour-long processing, Schlaff said. Students expressed frustration towards the late receival time of the phone calls. Sophomore Don Huynh
said that he had already left his house by the time his parents received the phone call. “It took me half an hour longer than usual to get to school,” Huynh said. “I had to get dropped off at a park near Nob Hill and walk to school because there was a lot of traffic.” Senior Quan Luu was not affected by street closure, as she did not notice any unusual traffic. However, she expressed concern regarding the practicality of the phone call. “[The phone call] was so useless,” she said. “Why did they call people when it’s a time when people should already be out of the house?” A $10,000 reward is being offered by the City of Milpitas and the Milpitas Police Officers Association for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Milpitas Police Department at (408)-586-2400 or report information anonymously at (408) 586-2500.
Proposition 30 passed with 55.3 percent in favor of and 44.7 percent against on the November ballot, according to the California General Election website. Proposition 30 will help fund education in California by increasing the sales tax and taxes for high-income families, according to “Yes on Prop. 30”’s website. Doing so will stop budget cuts and generate new revenue every year, Principal Kenneth Schlaff stated. Under Governor Jerry Brown’s budget for 2012, if Proposition 30 did not pass, then many school districts would need to have furlough days as well as other cuts, Schlaff said. “If [Proposition 30] was not passed, that deficit would have to have been dealt with,” Schlaff affirmed. “Therefore, that would have been through trigger cuts.” The deficit refers to cuts in the education budget, while trigger cuts are made in response to the budget cuts, Schlaff explained. Both cuts could include minor safety cuts, reduction of the length of school years, and shrinkage of faculty size, he continued. Even if Proposition 30 had not passed, MHS probably would not have made any cuts because it has sufficient amounts of reserve money, Schlaff said. Although MHS has enough funds for now, it might encounter financial difficulties in the future, he continued. “Now there’s reserve money and there’s not going to be cuts,” Schlaff said. “California is slated to grow; more revenue [will] come in so therefore we’re in a relatively good place.” MHS will not receive more money as a result of Proposition 30, but the money generated will prevent cuts on existing services, Schlaff said. The proposition is only a temporary solution to help fix the fiscal crisis, Schlaff concluded.