Volume 64, Issue 7, May 24, 2024

Team

Mills Music Wins the Ultimate Superior Award at CMEA

Congratulate our Mills music department!

NEWS ON PAGES 2-3

Bye Bye Birdie Musical Review and Reflections

Read a recap of the spring musical, as well as a special edition spotlight on the Bye Bye Birdie lead from 1972, Nancy Call.

FEATURES ON PAGES 4-5

Find Out Where Our Mills Seniors Are Headed After Graduation!

College Map

CENTER SPREAD ON PAGES 6-7

Teaching Change: The Strength of Student-Led Movements

Our Opinions Editor provides insights into college protests surronding the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

OPINIONS ON PAGES 8-9

Mills Badminton Season Recap

How did Mills Badminton compete this season? Read about the trials and successes of the sport this season.

SPORTS ON PAGES 10-11

The Rise of NYT Games

When did the daily Wordle and connections become, well, daily? Read into the popularity trend of NYT.

Celebrating 25 Years of the Boba Bots

2024

Eduardo Galindo Copy-Editor

Before 1998, robotics was unheard of. That was, until a group of four Mills students saw a news story and were inspired to bring this program to life. These four brought together a handful of students to start robotics at Mills, named Team Themis.

With a total of 38 members, Themis faced many challenges

in their first year. From having to learn everything all at once, to raising enough funds for registration and competition, they eventually managed to travel to Florida, where they had their first competition. In the end, the team prospered, growing with more and more members over the years and renaming themselves to the Boba Bots

2018

2007 1998

in 2018. Twenty five years later, the Boba Bots continue to make great strides.

Just in this one season, the Boba Bots won a personal record with two awards: the first at Silicon Valley Regional (SVR) with the Creativity Award, making it the first technical award in the team’s history, the second being the Team Spirit Award at Monterey Bay Regional (MBR). “What I’m really happy about this year is how good our team spirit was,” exclaimed Sharon Zhang (10), the construction assistant lead for the team, “If you think back to last year, 2023, we didn’t actually place that much better in placings but it felt so much better.”

build a robot that could move and score a hoop-like piece called a note, by dropping or shooting it into different slots to gain points, with more points rewarded at the end of the game if the robot is able to hang off a chain.

Having only six weeks to build their robot before their first competition, they made their priorities to create a simple design: “This year our goal was to make a solid mid bot that could accomplish the basic functions and make it very reliable,” Zhang explained. Following those six weeks the team designed, built, wired, and programmed the robot (named ForTEA-simo) while the operations side of the team fundraised, created a mascot, and prepared presentations for awards.

Beginning with a rocky start, the Boba Bots entered their first match without playing practice matches before, and with many connection issues that led to the bot shutting down mid-matches. But they pushed through, ending 21st place out of 42, and winning the Creativity Award, the first technical they have ever won.

After ending the competition at SVR they regrouped a week later to prepare for MBR. There, they decided that driver practice was the priority and planned the next month accordingly.

And then the Monterey Bay Regional came around on March 27 and the Boba Bots were ready to compete. This time around, the team was able to attend a majority of the practice matches and all of the qualification matches.

Further into the competition,the team was even able to beat a match they were projected to lose by 90%.

Ziao Liang (10) explains “As a lower seated team we had to think outside the box as competing with higher seated teams was difficult.” With these wins, the team managed to rank 13th place and become Alliance Captain 8 working with 2 other teams in playoffs. At the same time, the team hasn’t always been this successful. Throughout these 25 years, the Boba Bots have had setbacks which could have meant the end for the team.

Starting in January, the robotics season starts off with a kickoff where the game of the season is revealed and prototyping begins. For this year’s game, the goal was to

In 2007, the team experienced a critical decline in members.

On top of this, Mills Robotics was also on the verge of bankruptcy.

Continue reading on page 3

photos spanning across the Boba Bot’s 25 years of operations.

Photo credits: David Huang / Boba Bots

Mills High School Publication

400 Murchison Dr. Millbrae, CA 94030 thunderbolteditors@smuhsd.org www.millsthunderbolt.com

Thunderbolt Staff

Faculty Advisor

Hope Price

Editors-in-Chief

Michaela Gonzalez ‘24

Phoebe Piserchio ‘25

News Editor

Amelia Naughten ‘26

Features Editor Julia Xia ‘25

Center Spread Editor

Elaine Chan ‘25

Opinions Editor

Noor Abdullah ‘24

Sports Editor

Joshua Choe ‘24

Entertainment Editor

Abigail Chai ‘25

Staff Writers

Ameena Stringer ‘25

Arianna Alvarez ‘24

Bianca Pando ‘26

Eduardo Galindo ‘25

Isabelle Yang ‘25

Janelle Pantilon ‘26

Sang Kyeong Choi ‘25

Thank you for supporting The Thunderbolt and student journalism this year! We wish you luck on your finals and hope you have a relaxing summer!

Mills Music Rated Unanimous Superior at CMEA

Bianca Pando Staff Writer

On April 6, 2024, for the first time, both Mills Band and Mills Orchestra won the title of ‘Unanimous Superior Award’ at the CMEA festival.

The California Music Educators, further known as CMEA, was established officially in 1948, however they had previously existed as an association within the Western Division of the Music Educators National Conference for years prior. The CMEA includes nine geographical regions, each providing a different event catered for music educators and students within their respective areas.

CMEA’s core values include equity, inclusion, service, community and collaboration. They believe that through their events, leadership and advocacy is shown, expanding and developing music student’s skills both within music and in character. Through providing programs and activities for professional educators, students, and future music educators, they bring equitable access for music teachers and students to all CMEA events, with a chance to develop professionally.

Yet, this is not only applicable for the students, they also aim to include the development of educators as well. Through the CMEA festival, their mission is to develop diverse leadership in music education, allowing all voices to be heard, embracing and modeling diversity, equity, and inclusion, and ensuring communication and collaboration between educators and students.

Included in this festival is a chance to perform and receive a judgment by official board judges part of the CMEA. A “Superior” rating is described as “the finest conceivable performance for the event and the level of participants being adjudicated; worthy of being recognized as among the very best… The Adjudicator might find some minor points to criticize and make some helpful suggestions for further improvement.” Their categories include quality of sound, intonation, blend, and balance. They also look

for rhythm and precision in technique, musicality, as well as choice of music and professional appearance and conduct of performers.

“We play our chosen song, and three different judges each give us a grade. Then we do sight reading where we play a piece we have never seen before and that judge gives us a grade,” described Liam Glass Hussain (12), a bassoon player.

The day of April 6, both the band and the orchestra traveled to the festival, both performing four songs. The band’s choice of songs included Fan Fair for Justice, Rippling Watercolor, Bayou Breakdown and El Relicario. And for orchestra, they performed Allegro, In the Sun, Zempa, Handle and Silk Screen.

“They give you a bunch of folders that you are not allowed to open until they tell you to. You are not allowed to play until you are playing the piece for the first time. If you open the folder, you basically fail,” Zeb Feldman (9), another bassoon player commented, remembering the moments before the sight seeing part of the process.

“It was actually not that bad, we played better than we thought we would,” added Fanny Montes

Gutierrez (10), a trumpet player in the band.

For orchestra, Olive Aguilar (10), a viola player, recounts that they arrived at the festival during sixth period, took team photos and then set up for the performances.

“The sight reading part killed me a little bit, but that was pretty much it. We did really well on the songs we prepared for,” they commented.

“This was the first time both band and orchestra were given the “unanimous superior award!” ex-

claimed Mr. David Gregoric, not only Mills Music director, but also a board member of the CMEA titled the special rep for jazz education.

“They both did great and received superior from all the judges, including in sight reading. And when you do that, they give you the “Unanimous Superior Award.’ It becomes a reflection of the hard work and dedication of our students here at Mills,” explained Mr. Gregoric. “I think it was cool man.”

The Mills Thunderbolt

Bianca Pando / The Mills Thunderbolt

MILLS BAND AT CMEA: The Mills band performs at the CMEA concert in front of an audience. Mr. G (front right) conducts.

Bianca Pando The Mills Thunderbolt

MILLS BAND AT CMEA: The Mills band impresses by playing together in unison.

Celebrating 25 Years of the Boba Bots 253

-continuted from page 1-

WEduardo Galindo Staff Writer

ith a shortage of funds scraping up to $3,000, the team could barely pay the registration fees needed to compete. With the lack of members the team started a robotics program at Taylor Middle School, but failed and ended the program.

The team stayed short of members until 2010, when all the previous leadership had graduated. This opened space for a new push for outreach and inclusivity, resulting in rising student interest. Now at the present day, the team hasn’t forgotten the struggles of the past, and continues to carry these essential values such as community.

Even more, the Boba Bots decided to revive the Taylor Robotics program. Starting on November 13, 2023, mentors from the Boba Bots went to Taylor Middle School once a week and taught them about ro botics using LEGO kits. Initially, the team thought the club would start with a low membership, but they couldn’t have been more off.

“During the school year we had 90 students signed up, we freaked out since our initial estimate was 20,” remembered Ryan Chan (11).

As explained by Chan, “I think a lot was making sure everyone had something to do and keeping students engaged.” For a total of 19 weeks, the team has been with them and helping them construct LEGO robots and design projects with solutions to community issues. Both the mentors and the club enjoyed the experience and hope to continue to next year and enter competitions with teams from across the state.

Spirit Award

The Boba Bots took home the spirit award at the Monterey Bay Regional, marking their second award that season. Their mascot, Bob, cheers with the team (left).

With all the team has accomplished in this year alone, having won their first technical award and another team spirit award from their competitions, it’s easy to say the Boba Bots are making waves in the robotics community. Although this is only their 25th year, we have a feeling they’ll be sticking around for oolong time.

Mills Finance and Business Awareness Club

Lucas Du, a junior, founded the Mills Finance and Business Awareness club with a mission to support local small businesses. If you scan the QR code below, it will take you to a directory of Millbrae businesses, put together by the club, that you should check out!

Alliance Captain Strategy

After every match, intense strategy sessions are held to discuss gameplay. In this photo, the team brings the robot back to the pit for maintenance.

For the first time, the Boba Bots become alliance captains at the Monterey Bay Regional. Strategy Lead Casey Niwa (11) (middle left) represented the team.

Eduardo Galindo Wins Region 5 ESS Award

Phoebe Piserchio Editor-in-Chief

On Saturday, March 30th, Eduardo Galindo Aguilar (11) became the first Mills student to win the Every Student Succeeding (ESS) Award, given by the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) to honor students who have achieved academic success in spite of significant challenges.The ESS award has been around since 1996 and recognizes a total of 19 students every year: one pre-K to high school student for each of the state’s 17 geographic regions, plus two adult education students. As a 2024 Student Honoree, Eduardo represents Region 5, which comprises San Francisco and San Mateo Counties, or 25 school districts with over 300 schools and 158,000 students.

“I was very surprised that I won and that it was me being 1 of 19 [students] in the whole state,” Aguilar shared. He received news of the win on March 30th, but officially got the physical award on April 18th. In November, ACSA will fly him along with the other 18 honorees out to San Diego, where they will receive a generous scholarship of $1,000 at the ACSA Leadership Summit and awards ceremony.

Aguilar is very active in the Mills community; he is a writer on our very own Thunderbolt team, a lead in the Boba Bots, a member of the Dragon Team, and a member of the Longship Library Magazine. These are some of the reasons Principal Duszynski nominated him. She also noticed Agu ilar’s academic growth as he progressively took on more ad vanced courses and wanted to find out what set him up for success. In an interview with The Thunderbolt, Duszynski explained, “We’re constantly looking for ways to get more Latinx and Pacific Islander stu dents in rigorous courses like advanced standing, and that’s happening for Eduardo. So I was really interested in talking with him…When I learned more about Eduardo’s story and the ways that he and his family had to overcome barriers and obstacles in his path, I was really inspired.”

The award comes as a special validation that motivates Aguilar to continue pursuing his end goal: “It’s a major accomplishment for me and my family and to see where my hard work has gone.” In the future, he plans to go to college and become a mechanical engineer.

For Duszynski, Aguilar represents all students at Mills who show courage and resilience in the face of obstacles:

“We have students who strive to succeed no matter what barriers are in the way for them, whether they’re the first to graduate from high school and go to college in their family, whether they belong to an underrepresented a demographic in advanced placement classes…whether they have overcome certain things like learning disabilities or English as a second language.”

On that note, it’s important to acknowledge all the students (and staff) around us who are quietly overcoming obstacles every day. Congratulations to Eduardo!

Eduardo Galindo Aguilar (11) poses with ESS Award Certificate.

Photo Credits: Eduardo Galindo

1972’s Rosie Alvarez: Nancy Call

Amelia Naughten neWs

editor

For this edition, The Thunderbolt reached out to one of the leads from the previous 1972 Mills production of Bye Bye Birdie, Nancy Call Torres. Nancy was a student at Mills from 1968-1972 and later founded Art Attack, the local art studio at the Burlingame Plaza (and a sponsor of The Thunderbolt!), which she currently runs alongside her daughter, Audrey McInnis. Here, Nancy shares insight from her experiences in Mills drama and personal life.

Off the bat, one of the most prominent things about Mills’ drama that Nancy recalled was the professionality of everything. Students in woodworking collaborated with students in drama to build sets, resulting in the massive and complex structures shown in the photos at [the top right]. These sets included the full McAfee house, telephone scene, train station, and stage for Conrad Birdie. Mills also hired director Roy Casstevens (who later started Broadway by the Bay), choreographer Berle Davis, as well as a vocal coach.

As a senior at the time, Nancy secured the lead role of Rosie Alvarez: an unexpected surprise considering her past in theater.

“I auditioned for shows my freshman year, and I never got called back, I auditioned my sophomore year, and I never got called back,” Nancy remembered. She felt so discouraged that she never auditioned as a junior. But the next year, everything changed.

“My senior year, I made a promise to myself: if you feel like doing anything this year, this is your senior year, this is your last chance… go for it Nancy.” When the musical came around, she wasn’t intending

to try out, but upon remembering her promise to herself, she attempted to give it one last shot. This time, she received a call back.

The morning of cast postings, Nancy remembered being utterly surprised: “It was like a Cinderella moment for me and it was so wonderful.”

For the offcial performances, Nancy remembered that “every seat was flled for the two weekends that we did the production. It was [so packed that there was] standing room only every [show].” At the time, theater was one of the main extracurriculars offered at Mills and a popular pastime for parents and students to spectate. Shows were tight and ran just as they had in rehearsals.

Throughout her time in theater, Nancy felt at home with the community. “That kind of family atmosphere that you develop becomes a special bond. And often it’s a different group from the people than what you normally hang around.” Looking back on her time at Mills, Nancy

fnds that the advice she gave herself her senior year–”try anything”–was a key mindset that changed it all for her. She would like to remind everyone to “trust your heart and listen to your heart…Don’t sell yourself short and don’t talk yourself out of something that you’re really passionate about.” This mindset is what allowed her to pursue art at UCSD after graduation, and it’s what kept her going when establishing one of the most successful art studios in the Bay Area.

The Thunderbolt would like to thank Nancy for spending time with us and sharing her experience in drama, and would like to extend her message to the Mills community: “Don’t give up on yourself, keep trying.”

Her story shows how allowing yourself to dream and not give up when faced with adversity, pays off and will align with your goals in the end. Regardless of what you’re looking for and wish to accomplish, Nancy has taught us the value of being bold and following your heart.

Memories

Michaela Gonzalez, Noor Abdullah, & Arianna Alvarez editor-in-chieF, opinions editor, staFF Writer

The 2024 senior graduates are departing from The Thunderbolt as they enter a new chapter in their lives, post graduation. Here, each share insight on their own experience with the newspaper and class.

To start, former Editor in Chief, Michaela Gonzalez expresses: As I wrap up my last year at the Thunderbolt, I can now reminisce about my last three years with my school’s beloved paper. From staff writer to editor, and fnally to Editor-in-Chief, I am so grateful for everything The Thunderbolt has taught me. I have learned people skills, leading a group of dedicated students, and overseeing articles to layouts. Throughout my years here, it was remarkable to see how dedicated the student reporters were to giving the Mills community relevant and honest news every month. Before I go, I would like to ask the Mills community to never forget The Thunderbolt. Please don’t let the hard work of journalism students go unrecognized, because we work so hard! It has been an honor leading the staff this past year, and I am so unbelievably grateful to have served a small part in the life-changing organization that is The Mills Thunderbolt.

Adding on, previous Opinions Editor, Noor Abdullah refects: As I reminisce on my two years on the Thunderbolt team, the friends I met in the class and all of the conversations we’ve had are the frst thoughts that come to mind. Our shared interest in journalism and unique focuses and skills made up a class that was never boring. Many signifcant parts of my Thunderbolt experience also took place outside of the classroom;

interviewing student organizers, performers, and athletes, photographing school events, and following stories. Now a senior and the Opinions Editor, having the opportunity to guide and encourage new writers has left me with endless memories of trading advice and reassurance, laughs and stories.

Finally, staff writer Arianna Alvarez shares: Refecting on my senior year, I can say that it was a lot of fun. This year taught me that it’s okay to try new things, meet new people, and generally venture out of your comfort zone. Even though it did fy by so quickly, I enjoyed everything about it. I was a little unsure about joining journalism this year, since I didn’t think I was a strong enough writer or creative enough for this class. I’ve learned from talking to everyone in this class that everyone is creative in their own unique ways. One thing I loved about this class is how everyone is really close, we all have a different type of bond with each other and it makes everyone feel welcome.

oF 2024: Noor Abdullah is picture ready during senior portraits.

amelia naughten The Thunderbolt

attacK: Current photo of Nancy Call, posing inside her founded art studio.

amelia naughten/The Thunderbolt

the rosie legacY: Lights, camera, action! Nancy Call leads Mills’ 1972 Bye Bye Birdie musical adaptation as main character, Rosie Alvarez.

arianna alvarez/ The Thunderbolt class oF 2024: Writer, Arianna Alvarez smiles, taking her fnal school picture.

michaela gonzalez/The Thunderbolt class oF 2024: Michaela Gonzalez looks and feels good during pictures.

MHS’s Bye Bye Birdie Overview

Amelia Naughten neWs editor

Mills

Drama made audiences “put on a happy face” early this spring with a stunning production of Bye Bye Birdie, directed by Gary Stanford Jr. and Mills music teacher

Dave Gregoric. Across two weekends on Friday April 19 & 26 and Saturday April 20 & 27, the collective work that the student cast, crew, and pit put into rehearsals came together in a fun, energetic and memorable performance.

Inspired by rock and country idol Elvis Presley’s enlistment into the US military at the height of the 1950s, the musical Bye Bye Birdie (released 1963) centers around famed popstar Conrad Birdie, who like Presley, joins the army. The story follows Birdie’s music manager, Albert Peterson, and girlfriend Rosie Alvarez trying to keep the business afoat in the wake of Birdie’s departure from the industry. Across various scenes of Birdie’s diehard fans screaming at the top of their lungs to the rollercoaster of Albert and Rosie’s relationship, the audience is taken through a comical journey exploring the ups and downs of stardom.

Rehearsals for the musical started in early January and began as vocal and instrumental lessons for learning the new music. Later, the crew transitioned to the stage where full run-throughs of dialogue, choreography and singing transpired. The last stage of these rehearsals fea-

tured the backstage technicians who layered on the set, light, and sound cues.

Joey Situ (11), who played Kim McAfee (a girl chosen to be featured in Birdie’s last music premiere), found these early vocal rehearsals essential in her success playing the role: “It took a lot of time in front of the piano to extend my range because I’m naturally an alto,” Situ shared.

For other actors like Ishaan Arora (12), who starred as Conrad Birdie, they found that studying the character was an equally important task. Arora recounts that to really embody the spirit of a 1960s music idol, he “defnitely started listening to Elvis again, watched Austin Butler do his accent, and spent lots of time trying to get the hips right.”

When tech week rolled around, excitement built up amongst the drama department. Everyone was able to work out all the last minute changes over the daily rehearsals ranging from after school to as late as 10pm. When opening night rolled around, everyone gave their all to bring the stage to life in a seamless showing.

Ryan Spicker (11) played the main character, Albert Peterson, and proudly saw his hours of practice pay off: “It was a lot of practicing but we pushed through and I ended up being able to memorize all of [my lines].” From within the show, he remembers the “dance break in ‘Put on a Happy Face’ or the fnal number with Rosie [were my favorite parts]. I feel like that’s such a fun number to do and I had a lot of fun.”

Outside of the spotlight, the stage crew also brought the musical together. Stage Left Assistant Stage Manager Mia Khan (11) organizes the set runners and communicates with her fellow managers to coordinate the show backstage. Khan believes that being in the musical is “a really amazing experience, especially to teach people how the ins and outs of the show runs and help out backstage. It’s a lot of work but I’m really proud of this crew.”

For many of the cast members, this was their frst show with the Mills Drama Guild. Newt Wolter (10), who was part of the dance and vocal ensemble, refected on his frst time experience in cast: “It’s such a different community compared to regular school. It’s a space where everyone is so expressive so it feels way more comfortable.”

At the same time, it wasn’t only underclassmen who had a phenomenal frst show experience. Brianna Kei (11), who played Rosie Alvarez, was trained professionally in singing and dancing for most of her life, but hadn’t auditioned for a show until this year. Her stunning range landed her the lead part, and she stepped up to the challenge. Kei explained that her favorite memories from working with this group were “being backstage with everybody because it’s the best community. It’s the people, but it’s also getting to play a character.”

The frst weekend of the show went smoothly, with only small adjustments to be made across the board. However, exhaustion from

the long hours spent rehearsing in tech week and late nights after the show slowly set in. Essential cast and crew fell sick, and this affected the following week’s showing.

The night before the second Friday, Gianluca Bettucchi (12), who played Harry McAfee, called in sick. Bettucchi held a lead role with multiple songs dedicated to his character, but had no understudy. Justin Garcia (12), who was previously part of the dance and vocal ensemble, stepped up to take on his role in just under 24 hours.

Spending his entire morning and afternoon before the show hastily memorizing his lines, Justin was able to put on a fuent performance in the new role. Jeremy Garcia (12) commented on his experience playing in the musical and watching his brother Justin perform: “The pro-

cess of working through the show with making it the best it could be, it was really fun, and I made sure that I brought that kind of energy so that everyone else can feel it. My favorite song was Kids, which is really funny, and after hearing both my brother Justin and Gianluca sing it, they really put their badussy into it and it made it really funny.”

With the show closing its curtains for the last time on Saturday night, it also sadly meant that it would be the last show for the seniors. Final shows are sure to stir-up sentiments among the cast members especially after having created such lasting friendships with one another.

CALIFORNIA COLLEGE

OF THE ARTS

Owen Neuymer

CALIFORNIA STATE

UNIVERSITY FULLERTON

Selina Zhu

CAL POLY POMONA

Collin Chen

CAL POLY SAN LUIS OBISPO

Ethan Chu

Amanda Dong

Sohan Lemieux

Lucas de Paula

Noah Ramilo

CAL STATE EAST BAY

Luke Pilara

CAÑADA COLLEGE

Giselle Rodriguez

CHICO STATE

Nia Camacho

Jacob Chew

Leland Le

Nathan Mei

Samantha Padilla

Matthew Tana

SANTA CLARA UNIVERSITY

Tyler Chan

Chloe Feng

Ethan Lee

Tyler Tan

SKYLINE COLLEGE

Kristin Alpay

Gianluca Bettuchi

Aiden Yim

SONOMA STATE UNIVERSITY

Alison Lee

Erin Tringali

CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA

Melody Kwong

CITY COLLEGE OF SAN FRANCISCO

Angelique Farris-Chavez

COLLEGE OF SAN MATEO

Arianna Alvarez

Marcos Bendana

Jeuss Marco Buted

Adrian Chan

Isabella Chan

Megan Cheung

Aavey Gill

Cassius Greene

Julia Jiron

Olivia Lau

Joshua Lee

Ryan Liu

Nicholas Lofranco

Bella Lozano

Brandon Lum

Giselle Miramontes

Aagna Modi

Fidel Moreno

Tyler Okada

Madison Pintor

Justin Ruidera

Julian Sanna

Diego Santos

Beatriz De Souza

Zaina Uthman

Tyler Vuong

DE ANZA COLLEGE

James Zlatunich

POMONA COLLEGE

William Walz

SACRAMENTO STATE

Angelina Bouri

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY

Brendan Chow

Marlo Cowan

Sabrina Guo

Ellie Lau

Tianr Lee

Lana Levison

Megan Leung

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

DAVIS Lucas Cheung

Travis Choi

Dvorak Chloe Ho

Kuang

Woo Jessica Yam

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

IRVINE Harry Ahn Jacqueline Pan

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

LOS ANGELES

Ishaan Arora

Ronit Barman

Winston Chiang

Aiden Chin Carlia Chin

Tse

Kaylie Wong

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

MERCED

Caspar Li

SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY

Amani Rizvi

Zainab Syed

SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY

Gerome De Guzman

Elsa Guzman

Aaron Han

SAN JOSE CITY COLLEGE

Quinn Sprecher

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

SAN DIEGO

Johnathan Broussard

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

SANTA BARBARA

Anthony Ma

Isabelle Tam

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

SANTA CRUZ

Raquel Catpo

UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO

Noor Abdullah

Manal Faisal

Ryan Han

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Aden Lee

UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC

Zoe Huang

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

RIVERSIDE Joshua Choe Pamela Hu

William Levison

Matthew Zong

Class Class

COLLEGE OF SOUTHERN NEVADA

Jaeden Vazquez

UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO

Sydney Lotti

Gianna Mezzetta

ADULT TRANSITION

BAY UNIVERSITY

Ashba Khan

Donald Hanlon

GAP YEAR

Alissa Angeles

Jhannie Brioso

Class of 2024 Class of 2024

CORNELL UNIVERSITY

Hilary Kuang

Jacob Wang

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

Tina Su

NEW SCHOOL

Liam Glass-Hussain

NEW YORK UNIVERSITY

Cherry Zhai

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY

Manu Byrisetty

BOSTON UNIVERSITY

Michael Poniente

NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY

Franklin Chen

Brandon Jiang

James Kim

BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY

Chengwu Meng

UNIVERSITY OF UTAH

TULANE UNIVERSITY

Evan Fields

Erich Rockelman

Editor’s Note:

All responses were provided through a Google and/or paper form which the Class of ‘24 submitted. All are listed according to submission, unless corrected through an email to the Thunderbolt. Student responses are subject to change.

**All highlighted names are members of the Thunderbolt.

Jennifer Lo

RUTGERS UNIVERSITY

Sydney Yu

GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

Michaela Gonzalez

Kylie Chow

GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY

Christian Edwards

UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI FLORIDA

RHODE ISLAND SCHOOL OF DESIGN

Teaching Change: The Strength of Student-Led Movements

Noor Abdullah OpiniOns EditOr

Learning about the power of advocacy is an integral part of education, from elementary school to college. Promoting change and justice through activism is a vital lesson in American schools. In Social Studies classes, students are taught to be proud of our country built upon a liberation movement, and advanced through further movements for change. We commemorate those who took risks, standing for what they knew them to be right despite the pressure to abide by the way of things at the time. Overall, an emphasis is placed on speaking up against anything you know is wrong, whether it’s playground bullying or a greater injustice. The curriculum students learn is refected in their actions.

As we have all seen, when matters affecting students arise, students act. Children in elementary, middle, and high school participate through rallies, walk-outs, and lie-ins.

Notably, on March 14, 2018, students across the nation walkedout commemorating the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting victims and calling for an end to gun violence at schools. Just last year, hundreds of Mills students walked-out in another protest against gun violence. And earlier this year, a rally was hosted at Mills by the Middle Eastern North African South Asian Alliance, call-

ing for more representation and support for students from the regions.

College students protest with similar methods. Due to popular past movements in which students’ efforts created change, advocacy has become an expected part of the college experience. The most recent movement to spread across college campuses has been calls for an end to America’s involvement in the violence inficted upon Gazans and in support of a liberated Palestine. But are student-led efforts truly effective? Short answer, yes. Long answer, of course!

The power of student protest is undeniable. Ms. Donohoe, a Social Studies teacher at Mills, refected on past social justice movements advanced through student protest. She highlighted the efforts that helped end apartheid in South Africa, “Students at UC Berkely, in the early 1980s, engaged in a protest where they were seeking for the [University of California] system to divest, basically pull all of their investments out of businesses in South Africa. This was a very effective strategy because in 1986, the UC regents voted to pull $3 billion from business with South Africa’s government.”

Ms. Donohoe further explained the direct ties between college students in the U.S. and issues abroad. “It was really about the way that via tuition, student dollars were being spent. Students did not want to see their money spent on a racist, oppressive system.”

After observing the student en-

campments at the University of San Francisco (USF), Stanford University, and San Francisco State University (SFSU), the similarities between their motivations and goals to those of the anti-apartheid student protesters of the 1980’s were very clear.

At the encampments, which were created to apply round-theclock pressure on university board members, students chant and display signs with the words “disclose and divest”. They demand their institutions disclose all Israeli affliated endowments and investments, and end all monetary relations with Israel. At USF, advocates cite Israel’s decades of violence upon and persecution towards Palestinians as contrary to USF’s stated mission of “social justice”.

USF students have taken their education into their own hands, naming their encampment the “People’s

University for Palestine ‘’ in which classes and lectures are regularly held on subjects including Black and Palestinian solidarity, anti-imperialism, and protestor’s rights. A student organizer stated, “We have fourished in this People’s University that created a space in which countless teach-ins have been held, art builds, and political groundings. Everyday we educate and become educated, grow and become stronger together.”

Education and advocacy go hand in hand. Any push against student protests is an attempt to prevent something entirely natural as students simply practice what they were taught. And in the case of today’s encampments, students are not discouraged by university administrator’s promises of academic consequences— and even arrest. In response, they chant, “Disclose, divest. We will not stop, we will not rest.”

nOOr AbdullAh: Mills high schOOl

USF POSTER: A poster at USF asking their school to divest.

nOO

USF ENCAMPMENT: One of the posters set up, renaming the school the People’s University.

nOOr AbdullAh: Mills high schOOl

STANFORD ENCAMPMENTS: The student-led Stanford University encampment.

nOOr AbdullAh: Mills high schOOl

USF: A speaker presenting at the USF encampment.

nOOr AbdullAh thE thundErbOlt MILLS STUDENTS: Protest at school.

Taylor Swift Enters Her Oblivious Era

Fans Are Asking, “PR Team Where?”

Julia Xia fEAturEs EditOr

On April 19th Taylor Swift dropped her new album: The Tortured Poets Department; in the album, one song in particular has received a lot of backlash since the release.

The song many of her fans were focusing on was “I Hate It Here,” in which Swift sings about how she hates where she is right now, and wishes to escape into the places she’s created in her mind. Swift mentions how she and her friends would play a game where they would pick a decade they would most want to go back to. That is where the problematic lyric came to be.

“I’d say the 1830s but without all the racists and getting married off for the highest bid.”

Reading the verse, I’d say it’s pretty clear what the issue is. She states that if she had the choice she would want to live in the 1830s, if there weren’t any racists. This sentiment is shared with a lot of people. Many people mention how they wish they were born in past eras such as the 1920s or the 1980s; this is because those eras are often known for their fashion, trends, and overall infuence on American society.

However, when you look back at the 1830s you don’t see anything but racism, more specifically, slavery. The 1830s is one of the many early American eras that is known for slavery, when you think 1830s you think slavery.

Fans and critics of Swift were

thrown off by this lyric because of the ignorance surrounding it. You can’t erase history, you can’t just say you wish to go back to an era defned by its racism with the excuse that you would remove the racism. By saying this you are reducing the impact slavery and racism had on minorities in America.

However, as Swift sings on, she sings, “Nostalgia is a mind’s trick, if I’d been there, I’d hate it”. To me, this was her agreeing that when many people look back at the past, they often romanticize it and forget all the negative events that happened. Many people chose to fxate on the art and trends of the era, instead of the dark, often racist, aspect of it. The thing is, as mentioned before, when people think 1830s…they think racism. No one looks back at that era and frst thinks of the fashion or literature of that time, they think of slavery and the Trail of Tears.

Even if Swift wanted to use

the 1830s as her dream era because of the art and literature of that period, as many “swifties” have stated in her defense, while making the point that many people look at the past with rose colored lenses, it’s simply not a good example.

If she wanted to bring up an era that was flled with new art, literature and social trends, she could have just sung about the renaissance era. Everyone knows the renaissance era as this time of art, literature, and societal rebirth, a time where poetry thrived. No one really thinks about the issues going on at the time, because people focus on all the good and rebirthing.

At the end of the day, the lyric just seemed a little insensitive to minorities in America, especially African Americans, because she dismissed the racism of the era. I think it was simply ignorance and is easily correctable.

The Stigma Around Certain Colleges

Michaela Gonzalez EditOr-in-chiEf

May 1st was a memorable day for many of our seniors here at Mills. That day, everyone in the Class of 2024 were required to commit to a select college, if they chose to. Although most choose to stay in sunny California, many will choose to travel to the East Coast. But, there are many factors that go into a student’s decision to where to receive their secondary education. There are usually three central options for a choice from: a community college, public university, or private university. These elements include fnance, location, prestige, campus, class size, etc. For community college, many students select this route for the fnancial beneft and close location. The TAG program, implemented by CSM, Skyline, and Canada ensures that students that have spent 2 years at community college get accepted to at least one of 6 participating UC campuses. On the fnancial side, the national savings average for transfer students who receive their frst 60 credits at a community college saves $11,377 compared to a student who goes directly to a 4-year college. In California, students get the cheapest education in the country, saving $18,403 in total.

Ms.Woolsey, our College and Career Coordinator here at Mills began her education journey at CSM before transferring to University of California Santa Cruz. “ I paid my own tuition both for CSM and UCSC and I realized I had saved a lot more money and often had just as good or much better instruction at community college,” claims Ms.Woolsey. On top of that, she was utterly shocked when she, “realized the ‘lower’ prestige of community college as a

starting point in higher education is largely a social delusion.” Despite the low esteem of community colleges such as CSM, Canada, and Skyline, Ms.Woolsey confdently ensures community college as a great way to start if, “you are not very clear about your path and/or if you want to be very smart about your money.” It is also very common to attend community college if a student would like more time to work and stay at home before they move.

On the other hand, going to a private college also maintains benefts. The smaller class size provides a more hands on experience, career opportunities, and alumni connections. Although, the downside includes the expensive sticker price which can add up to more than $300,000 over the course of 4 years according to Research.com.

Evan Fields, a Concert Band senior, is heading off to Tulane University in New Orleans to pursue Biology. It turns out Tulane was his top choice, “I love the location and I could see myself living there, ” Fields said. The school also has a top-tier program for his major. But, as Tulane is a private school, he feels a level of pressure to exceed there because of it’s prestige and price.

An in-between for both of these options is choosing a public school. California is widely known for its excellence in public education. In fact, four of the ten University of California campuses were included in Forbes’ 2023 Top College List. Only one other public school in the nation made the cut for the list, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. Many students choose this route for the in-state price, the strong research system, and worldclass reputation for still being safe.

Senior Nia Camacho chose CSU Chico to continue her education. She chose it because it was the #1 CSU for her major, Kinesiology and because there are no UCs that housed her major.“Reputation throws me off”, says Camacho. She didn’t have much care from the prestige of whichever college she chose, “I just wanted to keep going to school after high school and Chico fulflls that for me”, Camacho claimed. She also really liked the campus and resources that Chico provided.

Overall, whether you are a senior fguring everything adulthood out, or a freshman attempting to see what the future holds, everyone is on their own journey.

Should CAASPP Testing Be Optional Again?

In past years, Mills students and parents were informed that they could opt out of CAASPP testing. This year, we were not given the choice to opt out, even though California laws require that schools provide that option.

According to the California Teachers Association website, “California Education Code section 60615 allows a parent or guardian to submit a written request to school offcials to exclude his or her child from any or all parts of state-mandated assessments. Section 852 of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations further provides that parents or guardians may annually submit a written request to the school to excuse their child from any or all parts of CAASPP for the school year.” The CAASPP website also states that schools are legally required to inform parents of their right to exempt their child from standardized tests.

After reviewing the announcements that were sent about CAST and CAASPP testing, it seems that parents weren’t told that they could excuse their students from testing. In fact, Mills administration threatened to take away prom from seniors who didn’t take the CAST test. Is it even legal to discipline students who don’t take the test?

In my opinion, standardized tests should be optional since it is unfair for students who put a lot of effort throughout the year to take a test that will not affect their fnal grades. Students already have to worry about studying for fnals at the end of the semester. To add this testing on top of that can cause a lot of stress for students.

By telling families that CAASPP testing is optional, students who feel stressed or anxious about state testing can opt out. Students who prefer to show to the state how well our school teaches us various subjects can still choose to take it.

The fact that Mills is now requiring students to take the test in order to attend prom is another reason why it should be voluntary. Attending a school dance should be a separate issue from taking a standardized test. The ability to attend Prom should be a right, and not a privilege based on taking a test.

MichAElA gOnzAlEz: thE thundErbOlt

SENIOR: Nia Camacho (12) and Evan Fields (12) at their future colleges.

Arianna Alvarez stAff WritEr

AriAnnA AlvArEz: thE thundErbOlt TIPS: An infographic that displays how to prepare for testing.

JuliA XiA: thE thundErbOlt

TTPD: The cover of Swift’s new album “The Tortured Poets Department.”

Mills Badminton’s Memorable 2024 Season

Janelle Pantilon Staff Writer

As the spring season comes to an end and fall sports are soon to emerge, among the various teams, Mills Badminton has had a lasting fnish. Their months of playing were full of determination and poise, demonstrated by all the athletes; each experiencing notable moments with gains and losses. As a team, they’ve spent time and time working together to encourage that their best efforts are brought to the court each day.

They’ve been commended for being undefeated over the last three years, almost making it four, with only having lost one match in 2023 against rival school, Aragon. That season concluded with a record of 13-1.

March 5th marked their frst match of this current season. It took place on Mills’ home courts against Aragon. A competitive environment brewed with the mix of anticipation and excitement. Players from both sides held their ground and put up a good competition.

The 2023 year was flled with bliss but after kicking off the new year with a match against the Aragon Don’s, a fnal score of 10-20 had lost the team’s ongoing streak. While disappointing for co-ed badminton, the defeat was short lived and replaced with ambition for the remainder of season. “We did not

want to drop divisions,” explained Nika Eskadarian (10). The team gained motivation to do better the next time as they wished to remain in a higher division and have the ability to contend with competitors from upper rankings.

Generally, there have carried wins against schools such as Capuchino, San Mateo, Menlo-Atherton, and Burlingame with substantial point differences in between. Although, there were defeats, often prompted by Aragon and Carlmont, two strong and dominating forces.

Five players moved forward to CCS. Becky Liu (10) and Charlotte Tse (12) competing in women’s doubles, Leona Sin (10) and Dominic Pang (12) for mixed doubles, and lastly Stephen Rong (10) for men’s singles. “When my partner and I made it to CCS after playing PALS, we were surprised that we made it so far, or at least I was,” expressed Sin (10). “It was hard but I am glad that I got the chance to experience it.”

The team has many goals they wish to accomplish in the future. With the current seniors departing, giving farewells to the team and the younger athletes on the rise, whats to happen is looked forward to in the nearing time. “Hopefully we can make it [CCS] again next year,” spoke Sin.

The Thunderbolt acknowledges badminton’s hard work and hopes the best for them next season. They have made great strides and will hopefully continue to progress.

Janelle Pantilon Thunderbolt

BADMINTON: The team gathers for a tradition, putting their rackets together in a huddle before they begin their matches.

Janelle Pantilon / Thunderbolt

BADMINTON: The team and coaches pose for a group picture outside after their matches have fnished for the day.

Janelle Pantilon / Thunderbolt

BADMINTON: The team poses for a picture, showing off their scoreboard and win after fnishing their home game in the gym.

Janelle Pantilon / Thunderbolt

BADMINTON SENIORS: The Class of 2024 celebrate their last season on senior night with gifts, decorations, and posters.

Janelle Pantilon / Thunderbolt

BADMINTON: The team prepares for their matches against Menlo Atherton.

Student-Athlete Experiences During Fasting

Noor Abdullah Opinions Editor

Student athletes juggle a lot, including coursework for classes, practices and games for their sport, and other extracurriculars.

For some spring season athletes this year, another responsibility was taken on: religious fasting. For 30 days of Ramadan, and 40 days of Lent, some students partook in fasts causing changes in diets and schedules. Although the fasts vary between the Muslim and Christian students following these practices, their commitment to both their faiths and sports are clear. A few skilled Mills athletes shared of their experiences fasting this spring sports season and answered some questions. How do they manage it all? Does the change in diets affect

their performance and abilities?

This year, Ramadan ranged from March 10 to April 9th, a period of time coinciding with the spring sports season. During Ramadan, practicing Muslims fast from water and food from sunrise to sunset, the time in which most school sports activities take place. As these two seasons overlapped, Muslim student athletes face challenges and work around .

Third-year badminton player

Zaynab Masri (12) detailed the initiatives she takes prior to and during Ramadan to take care of herself without compromising on her sport. She begins by checking in with her coach, and communicating her needs for the next four weeks. “I take it easy, I can take a break when I need to.” Masri explained that she regularly lightened her efforts during warm-ups to save her energy for

games, and took a minute to catch her breath between points to avoid over exerting herself. She also shared of her strategy for fueling up for the day. “I was waking up [before the sun rose] every day, there’s no way I couldn’t have. I’d chug like so much water, and eat a heavy breakfast.”

Nagham Masarweh (12), a seasoned track and feld athlete about to complete her fourth season at Mills, explains similar methods she follows as she fasts for Ramadan. As a shot put and discuss thrower, Masarweh is able to avoid much cardio during Ramdan that could cause her to feel thirstier faster, otherwise, her practice and game routines are unaffected. As for her diet for the month, Masarweh makes sure to “focus on protein for lasting strength.” She also shared of memorable moments Ramadan created this season, “My teammates, when we’d go out to eat after meets, they would always make sure it was at the end of the day when my fast ends.”

Ranging from February to May, Lent is observed by Christian and Catholic students. Practices vary from sect to sect and person to person. As part of the Great Fast, many students observe by abstaining from certain foods amongst other things, most commonly meat and other animal products. In Eastern traditions, those who partake in Lent refrain from all animal products for 40 consecutive days.

Michael Jada (12), an off-season football player shares of his experience with changing his diet as he fasts from animal products for 40 days of Lent. “I avoid eating any of the food that the school offers, if I end up being hungry

at any point of the day I drink water or eat fruits,” Jada said. Students learning about each other’s personal commitments creates more connected teams, and safe spaces for everyone to be who they are without feeling the need to compromise on one thing to do another. These students’ actions, as well as their teammates’ support, have

shown the devotion of student athletes as they work through challenges. Their practiced strategies have proved to keep their performance and health entirely unaffected. As fnal words of advice for younger student athletes, Masri and Masarweh emphasized the need for communicating with coaches, taking necessary breaks, and taking care of yourself.

Jackie Pan Makes Daily Journal Honor Roll

Isabelle Yang Staff Writer

As the spring season comes to a close, Jackie Pan (12) refects on her years of competing with the Mills Track and Field Varsity team. Despite not getting the opportunity to run her freshman year due to the pandemic, she has competed for three years at Mills. This past season, the team hasn’t done the best due to various diffculties, but Pan still voices her pride for the team and believes her last season was positive.

Although she claims her favorite season was her junior year with the class of 2023 seniors, she’s achieved an impressive amount throughout this year. Pan ended her high school career positively, breaking her personal record by a signifcant amount in two of her main events, the 1600 and 3200-meter races.

As a result, Pan was nominated for the San Mateo Daily Journal Honor Roll after her phenomenal performance in the 3200-meter race. She fnished the race in under 11 minutes, breaking her personal record and earning her sixth place on the Central Coast Section (CCS) leaderboard for this season. Pan describes how she prepared herself, mentally and physically, before the race. Pan says, “I warmed up for like an hour. I also had a specifc goal in my mind – breaking eleven minutes – that [was] really drilled

into my head during that time.” She emphasizes that these two preparations allowed her to accomplish this challenge she had set for herself. Pan is very grateful that she was nominated. She also highlights that she is pleased distance running got an opportunity to be recognized, as it is often overshadowed by other sports.

In addition to working hard and accomplishing challenging goals, she enjoys cheering on her teammates and watching them succeed as well. Pan conveys, “When you’re emotionally invested in a race it becomes a lot more exciting to watch, and I love being able to celebrate when my teammates have success.” Pan remembers a couple of her favorite memories, specifcally, “...When my friend Thomas went under fve minutes in the mile and when my friend Miya was able to close our 4x800m relay with a close win.” She mentions that she sees her younger teammates doing well in the future, too. Pan believes, “I really think that because of our strong underclassmen classes, Mills’ track and feld team is going to see a lot of success in the coming years.”

In the future, Pan will continue to run cross country and track and feld throughout college. She was recruited by UC Irvine a few months ago to compete with their team while also majoring in biology. Pan concludes, “I’m really grateful that I get the chance to continue running competitively.”

Jackie Pan / Instagram

TRACK AND FIELD: The team’s seniors gather for a picture after celebrating their last meet with the Mills team.

Jackie Pan / Instagram

TRACK AND FIELD: Jackie Pan (12) sprinting through the pouring rain during her event at the Menlo Atherton meet.

Noor Abdullah / Thunderbolt

PLAYER: Zaynab Masari (12) sporting her red badminton uniform and racket.

Noor Abdullah / Thunderbolt

SOCCER PLAYER: Nagham Masarweh (12) poses for a photo taken during the season.

øf The New York Times’ Gåmës

In 2024, modern newspapers must come up with new and accessible ways to stay relevant in this quickly evolving digital world, so it seems that every morning, our daily routines consist of waking up, eating breakfast – and opening up the satisfying game of Wordle and

Connections. The New York Times has not only been supplying us consumers with only the highest quality news articles and artistic editorials, but they have also been providing us with entertaining and convenient mini games every morning. It all began within The New York Times offce building in 1942 when Charles Erlenkotter made history as he constructed the very frst crossword puzzle. Following his invention, “the Cross-

word” was published in the newest Sunday Magazine of The New York Times. At the time of the game’s release, America was in the midst of the Second World War and the publication explained that these seemingly simple games were ways to take the stress off and simply focus on “4 down, 6 across”. The crossword puzzle quickly became a permanent resident inside the pages of the morning paper, and the editors were thrilled to see that

this game had the potential to grow into an entire empire of New York Times games.

Come 2014, The New York Times made an even more accessible version of their iconic game with the launch of the Mini Crossword. Now digital and miniature, players can enjoy a 5x5 square with niche and brief hints. These bite-sized games only grew more popular as the NYT Games section added the Spelling Bee, Letter Boxed, Tiles, and Vertex to the roster. The Spelling Bee gets players’ minds going as they attempt to create as many words as possible with only 7 letters, while a more visual game like Vertex aims to create a beautiful picture in the end. These little pockets of entertainment are crafted daily by hundreds of game makers at The New York Times and one of the Vertex game makers, Noca Wu attended the New York University’s Game Center. There, she heard discussions about a new NYT Game: Vertex, and later in 2019 she helped publish the very frst Vertex puzzle. She is one of the many game designers who are hard at

work supplying the seemingly bottomless pit of new puzzles, words, and images. The New York Times has been the top newspaper and magazine outlet for decades and they remain at the top even amongst the digital renaissance that we fnd ourselves in today. The 21st century has steadily catapulted towards the future with heavy emphasis on technology and social media. It is impossible to mention NYT Games without the 2022 Wordle or Connections crossing your mind. Students at Mills are frequent players of such games as it keeps them busy during dull moments. Nico LoFranco (12) expresses that he loves NYT Games because they “...stretch my already tired brain during the day.” LoFranco plays them everyday, either as soon as he wakes up or when he has time in between classes. The digital journalism scene is constantly changing and growing and we can always count on The New York Times to supply us with a never ending plethora of entertaining and mind-stimulating mini games for years to come.

Elaine Chan Center Spread editor