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Volume 62 Issue 6 || may 2022 ||

Create.

Narrate.

Resonate.

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Goodbye to our two Assistant Principals Choe Ho Staff Writer

t’s been announced with excitement and sadness that our two assistant principals will be moving on from Mills after this year. Mr. Gomez will be recommended to become Capuchino High School’s new principal after this school year. The decision was announced by superintendent Kevin Skelly on April 20th, including in a press release page for this announcement that Gomez has been in education since 2005, starting his career as an intern special education teacher in San Francisco, and has been an assistant principal at Mills High School for seven years. The decision to have him instated as the new principal of CHS will be made through the Board of Trustees. In a statement for the press release, Mr. Gomez stated that he is “excited to begin directly serving the students and families of Capuchino High School… this return to my alma mater as its leader grants me the opportunity to give back to the community that has given so much to me.” Gomez has personal ties to Capuchino High School as a graduate and a baseball player and had grown up in San Bruno. He and his family are greatly dedicated to their local community and becoming the principal of Capuchino High School will give Mr. Gomez the ability to further contribute to the San Bruno community. Throughout his career, Mr. Gomez had switched through

school in the state (and thus making to require an ethnic studies course and the only school in the country to offer African American studies. She begins her farewell email with expressing her pride in helping to “build a more inclusive school and [bringing] new exciting learning experiences to students”. Continuing on, Ms. Schlax states, “[The job] will allow me to be closer to my family and take better care of my-

lationships with our students, that will advocate for students and people who are good communicators. experiences as students would really help them serve as mentors and role models as well. Additionally, she expressed that “I think we need to bring their whole selves into their work in a similar way that Gomez and Schlax have done and not just see it as a job, but as a calling and a really great privilege and honor…

This experience helps them better understand how to support teachers and students and the best teaching practices to keep students engaged. But when one has all of those it might be a mystery to many students as to what exactly they do all day. “We’re tackling everything when there’s hurt feelings, when there’s bullying… [to] staff – how do we recruit and retain teachers

ter of all of it, though, nothing is impossible to create a solution for. But, the principal acknowledges that it can be tricky. “We have to problem-solve, and not every situation’s the same. Not every action for how to address that is the same.” The Mills community undoubtedly will greatly miss our two APs. Ms. Schlax and Mr. Gomez has gone all the way and beyond to ensure the safety of students, and they have always been their number one priority. “They are both very dear to my heart; they’ve been a part of my daily existence… I think Mr. Gomez has the skills, the knowledge, the experience, and the talent to be just an outstanding principal at Capuchino… Ms. Schlax is joining a state-renowned ethics department at Berkeley High School… it’s truly her passion and I think she will vocacy for our students in general.”

A Note from the Thunderbolt Staff:

District in 2007. He’s been a part of Mills High School as our assistant principal since 2015, and will continue his journey in education as Capuchino’s principal starting July if approved. Ms. Schlax informed staff in an email on April 28 that she’d be moving onto being a history teacher at Berkeley High School. The school is

self, and to continue to build the advocacy work and teaching practices I love so much.” With two assistant principal spots vacant, Ms. Duszynski has acknowledged the need to hire people to continue their work. In an interview, she states that some of the traits she’s seeking are people that are student-centered, that are going to be able to form really strong re-

and who are innovative and can really think critically and problem-solve in effective, collaborative ways… who really want to be out with students… and enjoy the whole experience of the Vikings ship… and who really want to be involved in the school culture and climate.” Interestingly enough, Ms. Duszynski also particularly is interested in applicants with teaching experience.

Duszynski said. “Thinking about next year… and developing what we call a ‘master schedule’ for… when classes happen and balancing those class sizes so that teachers don’t have more than 35 kids in a class, but yet be able to offer as many courses that students want [as we can give].” Everyday provides new challenges, new tasks, and new thinking. When the students and staff are the cen-

The Thunderbolt would like to thank Ms. Schalx and Mr. Gomez for all of their hard work and service towards Mills. Thank you for your tireless dedication and efforts towards improvement. Your presence will be greatly missed on campus.

Features

Center spread

OpiniOns

spOrts

entertainment

Student Opinion: Food Fair during Ramadan

Feature on T&F star, Jason Habash

Graduation themed word search

districts before coming to San Mateo Union High School District. He began his career in 2005 as an intern special education teacher at San and moved on to become an assistant principal at El Camino High

The new ASB Leadership for 2022-23

Post-graduation map for our new alumni

News

The Thunderbolt

Real Estate Deal on Mills Property

Mills High School Publication 400 Murchison Dr. Millbrae, CA 94030 editors@millsthunderbolt.com www.millsthunderbolt.com

Ryan Kurniawan Staff Writer

turing 42 rooms, a conservatory, a carriage house, a gatekeepers house,

n December of 1848, Darius Ogden Mills, an entrepreneur from North Salem, New York, took an expeditionary trip to California to join the gold rush with three of his broth-

and various manicured gardens. Sadly the Estate was burned to the ground in 1954, leaving 37,000 Acres of land behind. The estate was then divided and sold / donated, With a large portion of the land being donated to Paul W. Trousdale

Thunderbolt Staff Faculty Advisor Kelly heNsley

Editor-in-Chief KatelyN ChaNg ‘23

News Editor magdaleNe Ko ‘23

Features Editor KatelyN lam ‘23

Center Spread Editor Nagham masarweh ‘24

Opinions Editor Joshua Choe ‘24

Sports Editor maxwell ZaNINoVICh ‘24

Entertainment Editor KatelyN ChaNg ‘23

ers. Born on the 25th of September, 1825 to Hannah Ogden and James Mills, he was one of 5 children born to the wealthy Ogden Family. Needing to support his family after his father’s passing in 1841, he took an interest in California Gold. By November of 1849, Darius had founded a banking and railroad business that would help support gold and silver miners in California. In the following year, Darius became an investor, and later a partial owner of the Virginia Truckee railroad. In 1864, Darius founded a second bank, The Bank of California, Which ran from 1864 to 1996 when it was merged with Union Bank. He served two terms as the Bank’s President before resigning to pursue further endeavors. In the Early 1860, during the Height of Mr. Mills’s Career, Mills Purchased a large portion of the Rancho Buri Buri, a Mexican land grant which included present day South San Francisco, Colma, San Bruno, Millbrae, Burlingame, and Brisbane. It was here that he built an estate he called Millbrae. The estate took three years to build and was an imposing three-story structure fea-

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Spotify: @thunderbolt records The Mills Thunderbolt

For over 65 years, Mills high school students have always thought the Perimeter of Mills High school extended from the Homes on Sequoia Ave up to the Field on Magnolia. It was only recently In April of 2022, that us students at Mills high school were told otherwise. On April 4, of 2022, A large section of the path around the Northwest side of Mills near the baseball was largely unused, with a small dirt path that Cross country occasionally used to run laps. According to a spokesperson for Garrison Properties, the property was supposed to be used by Mills High School, but the

at approximately 3:52 AM. The Fire was quickly controlled by Central County Fire, San Mateo County Fire, and the San Mateo Sheriff’s gators and Detectives from the San started externally, and was highly

suspicious. Agents from the ATF were called to assist with the investigation, which led to the arrest of two Mills High School students, who claimed it was accidental. Evidence collected by Arson Investigators denegligence. Attempts to rebuild the recre-

ation center began almost immediately, but the city faced stiff resistance from city, and county leaders, as well as some Millbrae residents. In 2018, Measure LL of the Millbrae Recreation Center Restoration Bond was put on the ballot for voters. The Measure required a 66.5% Majority in order to pass, but failed with only 62.22% of voters in support of the Measure. A Yes vote would have authorized the city to issue up to $12 Million In bonds at an estimated tax rate of $8.70 per $100,000 of assessed value to fund the restoration of Millbrae Recreation Center folAccording to City Ordinance, In Emergencies, the Recreational center is supposed to serve as an emergency evacuation center. The Insurance that the previous building only provided the exact amount it would cost to rebuild the same building. However, the old Recreational center was not big enough to house the current population of Millbrae, and therefore would not be able to serve as an evacuation center, so in order to produce enough funds to complete the Facility, parts

of city land needed to be sold. Since the land on 0 Sequoia Ave was never used by Mills High School, The City of Millbrae reclaimed the land, and listed it for sale, in hopes to produce enough funds for a new Recreational center. The new Recreational center will have its grand opening on June 11 of 2022, almost 6 years after the

Prom on the Hornblower Cruise

Staff Writers elIZabeth CheN ‘25 samaNtha CheN ‘25 mIChaela goNZaleZ ‘24 haNsoN haN ‘23 Chloe ho ‘24 mIa KhaN ‘25 ryaN KurNIawaN ‘22 ZhIyuaN ma ‘25 VaNessa NguyeN ‘25 breNdaN PhImsoutham ‘23 Phoebe PIserChIo ‘25 CIara whIPPle ‘22 KalIya wIllIams ‘22 JulIa xIa ‘25 tIffaNy xu ‘25

Construction company, where They built Mills High school, Spring valley elementary school, and the Peninsula Hospital. The Extra 150 Acres bordering the bay was turned into the Mills Field, which later became the San Francisco International Airport. Any other land was sold and turned over to the City Of Millbrae. The land given to Mills High school was used to build multiple class-

school only used part of the property tion currently being sold was never touched by The school, so after 60 years, the City of Millbrae reclaimed the land, and sold the property. The Property is currently valued at 1.3 Million Dollars, and according to Ann Schneider, a Millbrae City Council member, “The Land is surplus, meaning the city will never use it for any public purposes. The Reason the city put this property on the market now is because the Recreation Center was burned down by Arson In July of 2016. There was Insurance but not to rebuild to the size of the facility now needed for a much larger population.” For those who do not know, on July 24 of 2016, The Millbrae

Ryan Kurniawan Staff Writer

here are many things that you can do more than once, like attend a ball or graduate from school, but prom is a once in a lifetime night that concludes 4 long years of high school. Prom to me was an experience I wish lasted longer, and could do again. Date or not, it is not every day that you can dress formally and spend time with your long time friends and classmates. In a way, prom is a farewell party, a one last time for you to eat, dance, and take photos with your friends and classmates you will probably never see again. According to a 2014 Poll conducted by YouGov, 70% of all Americans who did not go to prom say they regret their decision. Prom is an experience most upperclassmen would say is a frosting to the cake which is Senior graduation. Who needs senior portraits when Prom was one of the most memorable moments in my life. However, for some people, preparing for the event was one of the most stressful moments. On May 2, the date of prom was switched from Saturday, to Friday of May 6. School admin

wrote in a statement that the reason for the change was that the boat previously booked for Saturday was not large enough to accommodate the amount of tickets sold. As a result a larger boat was needed, and the only one available was on Friday. This created havoc among the Mills ting appointments scheduled for Friday and Saturday. This forced many people to reschedule appointments. Since the appointments were so last ment time is hard, many Seniors and Juniors had to resort to ditching school that day in order to accommodate for unusual appointment times. Many Seniors also chose to skip school in order to get to San Francisco early in order to take photos at landmarks like City Hall and the Palace of Fine Arts. According to attendance records collected from core class teachers, only 16% of Seniors actually attended class on the Friday of Prom. know, It’s a school, man,” upon being asked why he came to school. Another senior, Lokesh Kumar, claims his parents threatened him into attending school. Many Juniors and Seniors also cited AP testing as a reason to come to school on Fri-

day, but many left school right after. Movies, TV shows, and books often portray prom as a spectacular,

swarm of people. The next few minutes were spent admiring each other’s suits and dresses. The real prom

the senior experience, which is true to some extent. My expectations of prom were probably very similar to yours. Free food, dancing deep into the night, and lots of photos with friends were all highlights of prom. My experience with prom was somewhat what I expected. It started

experience began when we boarded the cruise, but not before a hasty and ineffective search conducted by school staff and private security. Upon boarding the ship, we made our way to the midship, where we were greeted by the food, which was described as bland, and sad looking by numerous anonymous Juniors and Seniors. Drinks available were

date, who looked absolutely stunning in her red dress. When we arrived at Pier 3, we were greeted by a

Continue reading @ millsthunderbolt.com

News

The Thunderbolt

Mills’ Retiring Teachers Film Zhiyuan Ma Staff Writer

ith the still ongoing pandemic and its numerous safety protocols, this school year has been both unique and exciting. It seems quite unbelievable that summer break is already out on our doorsteps. This means that it’s time to say goodbye to all our beloved teachers that are retiring this year. Below, science teacher Mr.Olson, English teacher Ms.Price, and arts teacher Ms.Jackson share their thoughts and experiences of their term here. Q: When did you start teaching at Price: I wanted to be a “teacher” since I was in third grade. Many years later, I started out as a student-teacher at Mills in 1991. Then, about 2 weeks before school started in the summer of 1991 … I got a call from then-Principal, Marshall Umpleby, saying that they were starting a new position called “Dean” for a one-semester trial and a current English teacher, Bob Silva, was taking the job, and he offered me his position. Here I am, thirty-one years later. Jackson: I started the year 2000 when Outcast came out with the song “I’m sorry, Ms. Jackson.” So, students will sing that to me going around center court when I was going through three different departments… I taught computer application classes, business math, soccer, and an English class for juniors my my life. Oh, I just loved to go to in a great school! Olson: I started at Burlingame High School where a teacher was chemistry and AP Biology for one semester and then I applied for a permanent position. It was at Mills and I joined here in the fall of 2005. Q: Why did you decide to become Olson: I used to do computer

Samantha Chen Staff Writer

ver the past few years the English curriculum has changed a lot, as well as the requirements for what students are reading. With an always changing society, there is a push to make the books that are taught to be more inclusive and culturally diverse. At Mills especially and throughout the district the reading material has been changing to follow the trends of society, being more open to previously scorned ideas. Currently, it is more about acknowledging diverse cultures and identities outside of what is considered the canon and written by white males who are no longer alive. Canon is the body of books, narratives and other texts considered to be the a particular time period or place. In the school district, there is a list of approved books which can be taught. Over the years, certain books haven’t been used, such as To Kill a Mockingbird. This book is still on the list for approved texts but hasn’t been taught because most of the students had already read it in the previous grades. There is also a fear that they will be reported for racism if the book is taught. Instead of To Kill a Mockingbird teachers are now teaching books which relates

programming and I loved it but I wanted to get into education because I wanted more contact with people. The project of learning is a wonderful and inspiring task and I would refer you to that beautiful quote about education by Joseph Addison: “Education is a companion” etc. Jackson: Oh, I loved learning, myself. I am a lifelong learner and I love sharing that joy of learning new things with others. I tried different age groups, working with younger and working with adults at college level and my favorite age group has been high school… Olson: I was in the portables which were out back in the football er here, I was struck by how much the teachers help me adjust to others and at that time I need a lot of guidance. So I guess that is the thing that strikes me the most. That and we have a wonderful student population here. Students that really want to learn and are well behaved and help make the whole process work. Jackson: It was such an incredible contrast to working at an alternative school. Students would say thank you even when I was handing out a test. My colleagues were interested in making sure that I got further information so they would invite me to things like conferences or professional development opportunities. And the students were so responsive. And very productive, interested in social causes and other things. They had community involvement for volunteering positions and things. So, it was a whole different caliber of students. Q: Any fond memories during your Price: A memorable time (in

pizza. Olson: I really have enjoyed through the years sometimes we had classes make videos and sometimes they were musicals. Students were really creative and I think that was a real highlight. Jackson: There are so many. You don’t have enough pages in the paper. Quite honestly, I have fabulous memories. My son, who was young by the time I started, would come with me to back to school nights and help hand out my brochures to parents. He decided that he wanted to come to Mills so we put in the lottery and he was told he was eligible and he was delighted. I was delighted I also had the great opportunity to bring the AP studio arts and crafts to the district because we didn’t have them. So in 2006, I went through the steps to get it approved… It enabled students district-wide to be able to take an AP studio class so they can see it as a serious possible career choice. Attending different staff developments with my colleagues, interviewing people in my department and then you know some of these relationships are lifelong. Jackson: Well, I haven’t seen my family in a two and half years because of the pandemic. They live in Washington Dc. So, I am going to be spending at least a couple months this summer… I am going to miss all of this but I also know that being away from my family this long has just been a true hardship and I want to open another chapter. I love to teach here, don’t get me wrong. And who knows, I may come back to teach some things someday in my life… But for now I know that this is what I need to do. Q: Is there anything else you would

students met me at Rotary Park from 6PM-12 midnight and we performed Macbeth. We had candles in the ditches; carpets were used as robes; we had a live guitar; and students took on all of the roles. We took a break because parents brought us

Olson: I want to thank the entire Mills community, the students and faculty and staff for having me in part of their community all these years. It has been a pleasure and an honor.

to different cultures. One of these books is Persepolis, which teaches students about Iranian culture and history. Another is Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian which is about a teen navigating mainstream American culture and Native American culture. The books on the board approved list is always expanding, and when the books are cycled through, no one goes through and removes

them from the list. Logistically, for certain books to be taught, the school must have it in stock and it needs to be approved. For the most part, the same books are taught for each grade. For example, The Great Gatsby is almost always taught in Junior year English. Each teacher normally selects books from a core book list and has to coordinate with the textbook room so there is enough for each student to have a copy. If the

Mia Khan Staff Writer

Festival ed with golden mixtape trophies. Nominations included 24 Hours To Fly for best animation, Teenage Dream for best music video, Behind The Athlete for best documentary, Immoral Women for best over-

made in video production and media arts as well as advanced students. Organized by Ms. Arge, weeks of preparation occurred along with a selected panel of guest judges including Ms. Fanton, Mr. Carillo, Ms. Ryan, and Ryan Silber. Wellness support was also available for triggering media. This year’s creative collection featured 24 projects ranging from music videos to documentaries. In an interview with Ms. Arge,

for cinematography.

she talks about her inspirations for her students, “It was an exciting moment to see all the work on the big screen presented to the school community. I’ve always loved attending

tic way to express yourself and your art.” Charli Deng won best animation with her animation 24 Hours To Fly. “My inspiration came from my interest in a bug documentary about

important to celebrate student work and share with the Mills community.

their lives. Many hours were spent on graphics and compositing took

2016. It’s an opportunity to honor the students who dedicated years into this subject and focus on their ative person.” Judges give helpful feedback after viewing all the students projects to improve upon and

so awesome and exciting to see other people’s projects. It was very inspirational and I felt humbled.” This year’s Film festival along with Mills’s creative department helped demonstrate how Filmmaking is one of the most powerful mediums, students get to tell their own stories instead of other people telling them. Good job to all who participated!

The awards ceremony was a celebratory moment for all of the video creators, as they were present-

textbook room doesn’t have enough, the school might borrow from other schools to provide students with books. Some teachers may even put in a recommendation for a certain book to be put into the curriculum. Not only have some of the books changed, but the writing requirements have also changed. There is now a greater emphasis on four types of writing which include narrative, synthesis, argumentative and analytical. Some teachers have even been putting the focus of those essays on the culture and identities of the students, ensuring they expand their knowledge. Due to this, which books are taught and what the topic of the essays are varies from teacher to teacher. Although some teachers might collaborate, certain teachers will have different topics that they want to incorporate into their teaching. These variations may include having more culturally diverse authors, female writers, or those who represent the LGBTQ community while others may want important world issues and the individual student’s views. Making students write about these topics helps them think more deeply about current issues in society. Other ways that the curriculum has changed is that it has now gone to common core standards and teachings. For teachers who

on her project, Immoral Women. “I was really inspired by the movie came to me as I wrote them down. The script took about 2-3 weeks,

continued from there. The festival was a good opportunity to showcase students’ hard work, it’s a therapeu-

have been teaching for a while, the change has been very welcomed and creates a better way for students to connect with the literature they are students to relate to the works that were done many years ago, there was a push for change and increase in diversity not only by Mills but throughout the district. These topics were things students learned about and understood in their daily lives. It was not something random from a long time ago that they would lose interest in. With the increase in more culturally diverse topics where students could relate to the work some of the teachers have noticed that students have been doing better in their writing and become more engaged in activities like discussions. Ultimately, over the years, the English books and requirements have taken a step towards a more inclusive and diverse curriculum. This sends the message that all voices matter and when respectfully represented it can help improve a students understanding of what is being taught. It teaches students of new topics in a safe environment. However, some are worried that these books ignore the literary value of classics. Either way, through the long process of change, Mills has nect more to the student body and their personal identities.

Features

4 Cotter’s Mask Disagreement Joshua Choe OpiniOns editOr

P Physics and Physics teacher, Mrs. Cotter is sparking an ongoing mask objection, following the re-evaluation of the mask mandate. On March 12, an email went out to families and students from the San Mateo Union High School District, considering removing the mask mandate for indoor spaces. In a few days, however, another email was sent, stating instead that current mask mandates were going to be kept in place until school ended. As stated per multiple students in her class, subsequent to this new email, Cotter then moved her desk outside of the classroom to hold classes there, as masks are optional outside. Cotter then planned lessons to be held outside in center court, and had her desk outside, should any help. Students in her class then complained, criticizing the distraction of being outside and also complaining of the frustration of a lack of the active presence of a teacher. One of the students says, “Personally it makes me uncomfy and I know a lot of students [here] are too. A lot of us don’t even want to be around her physically.” and “When cold since it was still winter. Although it did not start to warm up, it still doesn’t excuse people’s allergies nor everyone else’s complaints. Sitting outside is a nice change of pace, but it doesn’t put the class in the right mindset; it feels more like fooling around than learning.” (In

response to the question, “How does this affect your learning because of the outdoor learning setting?”). Chester Ho (11) also talks about feeling unsafe and complains about not having his (and his class’s) education hindered due to lack of teaching presence. He further elaborates on having to learn an entire unit with notes and online guidance. He also talks about the lack of motivation there is no driving-presence that a However, during an interview with Cotter, that did indeed take place at her desk outside of her classroom, Cotter raised multiple valid reasons as to why she does this, and it did help me understand her point of view. “The district had a meeting about re-evaluating the mask mandate after the email went out about not requiring masks in school anymore and they resulted in a conclusion at the meeting, going back on their decision [of requiring masks indoors],” said Cotter. “It was frustrating as any attendees in the meeting could not state their own opinion decision”. Though this was the largest reason to her mask Cotter also elaborated on other positives of having her class outside. For instance, Cotter noticed a sigthat went up to Cotter to ask her for help, probably stemming from the more private, one-on-one setting outside. In conclusion, Cotter stands up for her beliefs against a tide of opposition.

Boba Bots, Mills High School

BOBA BOTS:

Boba Bots Place Fourth in Quarter Finals Elizabeth Chen staFF Writer

eam 253, also known as the Boba Bots, represents Mills High School FIRST FRC (First Robotics Competition), the team has been student led and organized since 1998. The robotics team is made up of students from varying backgrounds. As the Boba Bots website advertises, they “work to promote STEM education among youth, learn about robotics, construct a robot, and have fun while learning skills applicable to future careers” and over the course of the competition season their most important goal is to be an open and welcoming space to everyone. Boba Bots is a great resource for all types of applications, college and resumes, as people gain a lot of experience in interpersonal skills.

ronment; they’ve experienced many of the same modern-day high school worries that someone like a teacher wouldn’t be able to understand because they went to high school in a different time period.

Joshua Choe, Mills Thunderbolt

BRIEF ON IMAGE: Ms. Cotter pictured outside teaching from her desk

Seniors Advice Julia Xia staFF Writer

ith the year coming to a close, many students are wondering what they could do differently in the next year. Whether it’s a freshman becoming a sophomore, or a junior becoming a senior, a little extra knowledge on how to survive high school is something everyone needs. There are three main aspects to high school life that many people seem to struggle with, or get stressed out about: extra-curricular activities,

The Thunderbolt

education, and social life. The main reason for these struggles is that many students go into high school not knowing anything about it. So where should you go to get this advice? Well, look further than your school’s seniors! Since they’ve all been in high school longer than the rest of us, they’re bound to know more, and have past experiences that underclassmen can learn from. But you might be wondering why it’s better to listen to the words of a few high schoolers, rather than a teacher or an administrator. Well, it would from someone around your age because they grew up in a similar envi-

school is the extra-curricular activities you choose during the year. Whether it’s joining a fun club, having an after-school job, or internship, many students want to do activities such as these because they help students gain work experience, they are a good addition to your college applications, and they are a great way to explore new hobbies and interests. Ciara Whiple, a high school senior here at Mills, explains that one of the ways she found internships or small jobs was by going to the career center. One of the main problems that seems to come up is that a lot of the part time jobs around Millbrae require the person to be eighteen or older. Since we are in high school, a lot of the students here aren’t old enough to apply for these jobs. The cally there to show kids what’s going on, and what options are a bit more inclusive in terms of age and scheduling. When it comes to clubs, Ciara also added that many students think that they should join as many clubs as they can in order to gain experi-

However, the team is always looking for new members-no experience is needed and there are always members willing to teach anyone wanting to learn. The robotics team competes in two competitions, Central Valley Regional (CVR) and San Francisco Regional (SFR). These are both competitions hosted by the First Robotics Competition and presented by The Boeing Company. In these competitions teams must “use innovative engineering, creative thinking, and teamwork to reimagine the future of safe, high-speed travel, and lightning-fast deliveries to propel the next evolution of transportation forward - in this world and beyond.” At Central Valley Regional the robotics team made it to the quarter went Ryan Chan, one of the drivers, said that “We did really well considering there was no season last year.” He also said that the competition “taught us a lot about teamwork and gracious professionalism and

ence, and have more things to put on their college applications; she then goes on to explain that, one of the things that many colleges look for is not how many things you’ve done, but how committed you were to these activities. If you join club after club but never fully commit to any of them, this won’t look as good as joining one or two and staying with it for multiple years. Doing it this way would also relieve some stress because you wouldn’t be constantly switching the clubs you’re in. The second aspect of high school is your education: your classes, grades, electives, ect. This is probably the most stressful part of high school considering the fact that many students are pressured by their parents to have perfect grades. Whether they’re busy, or just uninterested in the class, many kids struggle with procrastination actually do their work. One of the ways you can organize your work is to make a schedule. If you were to do so, be sure to take into account your after-school activities; when you usually eat dinner; and when you begin to feel tired; and create an after-school schedule that works to make time for your homework, but also makes sure you have time to eat and sleep. It’s always important to make sure you know yourself, when you get tired and when you’re the

coopetition.” (Coopetition is a combination of cooperation and competition.) Despite a year of COVID, Boba Bots managed to come back strong this year. Another member said that “we could always do betnice.” Each team gets to choose an alliance which consists of three teams. With their alliance, they compete against other alliances throughpick is like drafting in sports, it can mean all the difference to winning. Besides building robots, the robotics team is also very closely bonded. As freshman Mika Khan says his favorite part about Boba Bots is “working together and hanging out.” The robotics team has also built a sense of family. For example, one member stated that they affectionately call a senior ‘mother’. Congratulations to the Boba Bots for a great competition season. We look forward to next year!

most productive. Another senior, Ryan, gave some advice on how to study

when it comes to studying for tests is that they help you memorize the words or equations that you need to pass. Another way, similar to terms you need to know multiple times to get your brain to memorize them. The last part of high school is your social life, also known as your relationships. Whether you’re extremely extroverted, or extremely introverted, everyone has somewhat of a social life during high school, and it’s important to make sure that you never let what happens really get to you. When asked about her friendships in high school, Ciara Whiple explains that in high school, the relationships you start out with are often different from the ones you end with. High school is a time where we all begin to develop and form our own identities, so the friends we thought would stick with us till the very end might end up becoming different people whom you’re not really compatible with.

Continued. on the Thunder Bolt Website

Features

The Thunderbolt

Meet the 2022 ASB Officers President: John Huang What are you most excited about this year?

My main goal for next year is to create an uplifting, inclusive, and most importantly: fun, school community. I hope to achieve this by incorporating all of our successes from previous years as well as adding new ideas.

Why diid you decide to run for your position? position because of how rewarding and fun the past 3 years of my experiences in class council were.

What does your role entail?

My role entails active participation and responsibility for all leadership activities on campus and leading by example.

What would you like to accomplish in your term next year?

Next year, I hope to bring back many activities that were taken away by COVID-19 such as rallies inside the gym and Mills Mania with the entire community. I also hope to encourage more participation during spirit weeks.

What challenges do you anticipate next year, especially with covid-19? able to organize large-scale activities while keeping everyone safe.

Vice-President: AN DANG What are you most excited about this year?

In regards to the next upcoming year, I am most excited to be a part of leadership as a representative of the students at Mills and to be able to employ my creativity into the planning of our many school activities.

Why diid you decide to run for your position?

When being a part of class council for the past three years, running for ASB has always been a goal of mine and I have always wanted to have a role in the production of our many very fun school events.

What does your role entail?

The role of being ASB Vice-President entails working side by side with my fellow ASB members to be the best representatives of the students at Mills and to work together to

What would you like to accomplish in your term next year?

After quarantine, there has been noticeable disunity between the different grades, so I hope that the other ASB members and I will be able to help connect the students of Mills through collaborative and inclusive school activities.

What challenges do you anticipate next year, especially with covid-19? possible shortfall of school spirit. However, with the current juniors being the last class who have been a part of pre-quarantine rallies, we hope our extensive spirit will rub off onto the underclassmen for their future endeavors.

Treasuretary: Serena Mezzetta What are you most excited about this year?

Genuinely I am most excited about hopefully having quads again and playing another season of basketball. In general next year is our senior year which is supposed to be the most fun part of high school so I am pretty excited for that too. Regarding ASB I am excited to make next year the best it can be, not just for seniors but for everyone at Mills. Hopefully we will get to do more fun events if the pandemic is less bad so I am excited to plan things with ASB that we have not had the last few years.

Why diid you decide to run for your position?

I decided to run for my position because I wanted to be more involved in the Mills community and make a positive impact in whatever way I could. I was inspired to become and I had thought about running for ASB for a while too, so this year I did.

What does your role entail? What would you like to accomplish in your term next year? another so the student body did not get to build a strong sense of community last year, this year we did a little but a lot of people were still recovering from the issues caused of us on ASB have the power and responsibility to strengthen the Mills community and school spirit****(this is something I think is really important about ASB and a big part of

What challenges do you anticipate next year, especially with covid-19?

I think next year there will probably be many of the same challenges as this year in regards to COVID. We will have to be adaptable to the circumstances of public health just much of a setback but I do anticipate it may be the cause of some challenges at some point.

Culture and Climate Commissioner: tiffany Huang What are you most excited about this year? of such driven and hard working students. I know that together, we will create a memorable year for everyone.

Why diid you decide to run for your position?

While I never would have seen myself as an ASB representative, I decided to take the opportunity and run for C&CC because I felt a longing desire to participate as a role model. As a strongly opinionated individual, I wanted to pursue the chance to voice the perspectives of myself and others.

What does your role entail?

My role as C&CC entails collaboration with my fellow peers to enhance the school year through future projects providing mental and emotional enrichment. Among countless meetings, interviews, and discussions, I also anticipate tons of new experiences, friendships, and memories.

What would you like to accomplish in your term next year? What challenges do you anticipate next year, especially with covid-19?

Rally Commissioner: Remi palomo What are you most excited about this year?

I hope to make the rallies more fun and entertaining for everyone next year.

Why diid you decide to run for your position?

I chose to run for rally commissioner because I think it suited me the best out of all the positions.

What does your role entail?

As rally commissioner I help plan, organize, prepare and speak at all of the rallies.

What would you like to accomplish in your term next year?

Next year I want to make the rallies memorable and entertaining.

Can you tell us anything about the exciting plans you have for rallies next year?

Next year I would like to have student suggested games and activities to take place during a rally. Maybe prizes to winners of games and a prize to the winning grade. I want to ensure that the rallies are more inclusive to everyone

Rally Commissioner: Aiden Adeva What are you most excited about this year? Why diid you decide to run for your position?

I was sort of nominated by many people in my class to run for the spot so with everyone backing me it gave me a support system and a reason to run.

What does your role entail?

As rally commissioner, my role is to make fun ideas for games, themes, and maybe even skits for the rallies. My role is to bring the vision to life.

What would you like to accomplish in your term next year? Can you tell us anything about the exciting plans you have for rallies next year? Those are a secret for now ;)

Post-grad MaP

The Thunderbolt

AZUSA PACIFIC UNIVERSITY Ryan Chong CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, EAST BAY SAINT MARY’S COLLEGE OF CALIFORNIA Ionie Thompson Jason Habash CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, LONG BEACH SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY Ethan Alviar Claudine Sebastian Nehir Kuralay UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES CAL POLY POMONA Fernando Catpo Adam Wang Carey Lin Kiana Chin Nathan Chu Kyle Munar Kaelyn Fung CAL POLY SAN LUIS OBISPO Ciara Whipple Emma Pfister David Lock Ashley Han Alec Machlis Monae Lee Kylie Chan SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY CANADA COLLEGE Min Young Kim CITY COLLEGE OF SAN FRANCISCO Alexandra Cordova Donovan Brambila CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY Devon Tjong Alyssa Tat COLLEGE OF SAN MATEO Alec Gluzman Sky Calvert-Alameda Marc McDaniel Ana skyriotis Dany Alas Talya McDonald Andrew Chapman Julia Moura Jessica Guidry Gabriela Ortiz Parshawn Ansarinia Erin Crowley Wilson Velasquez Jadyn Gee Dru Leary Gabriella Pinto Airiane K. De Dios Tyler Jack Andrew Jwainat Elisha Loreto Zach Talaeai Fabian Camarena Veliz Nicki Moreno Isabella Ganim Kaliya Williams Austin Shih Samantha Acosta Dariana Villalvazo

Matthew Maldonado Hana Estagin Marc Sanna Lokesh Kumar Brandan Dadoun Aaliyah Stuart Lara Alburahma Chiara Bettucchi Luisa Mindel Emanuel Aguirre

SKYLINE COLLEGE Soemi Duenas Nareg Aristakessian Litzay Velasquez Aratita Taramarawa Marlyn Sanchez Huer Jay Buted Madison Schoening

LEWIS & CLARK COLLEGE Heather Galles REED COLLEGE Noah Lai PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY Soledad Bradford

UNIVERSI

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, MERCED Isaac Lee Khloe Lagunte Jordan Huynh UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE Edgar Penas Masaya Miyake Cayenne Wong Edward Yu Sara Catpo Grace Chan Chris Woo William Bruce UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA BARBARA Alexander Lou Samuel Kim Colman Yeung

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY Isabel De Klerk Warren Kuang UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA CRUZ Kardon Lam Molly O’Dea Qinglin Ruan Henry Garrett Cedric Chan Max Kerns Andre Lapachet Addison Kuang Kavi Singh Kayli Lee Aaron Chin Justin Jiang Christopher Dong Molly O’Dea Sherina Chan Jack Wong Collin Tse Jack Xie Ian Chu Emily Xiao UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO Erik Headley Martica Manuel Maram Ahmed Seneca Yu Alyssa Chew Olivia Ghilardi Abigail Yan Derrik Lin Ryan Huie Brian Chiang Mark Menz Christopher Dong UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO MENLO COLLEGE Alyssa Chan UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS Jeshua Ambrosio Hayley Wong Nicholas Li Rama Abdullah William Handoko UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC Cecilia Luo Brandon Lam Victoria Lin Makaylan Tseng Carisa Chiu UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Jake Kim Ryan Lin PITZER COLLEGE Melanie Yee Lakshya Desai Matthew Leung Chrisson Yang LAGUNA COLLEGE OF ART & DESIGN Justin Lee UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE Caleb Woo MISSION COLLEGE Jessie Cao Kevin Rivera James Liu Samira Estraela Nanthan Choi SACRAMENTO STATE UNIVERSITY Ben Garcia Kenji Fung

UNIV

TRADE SCHOOL Allan Berriors GAP YEAR Alyssa Niwa WORKFORCE Sophia Rivera

NOTE FROM THE EDITORS:

All responses were provided to us throu the students of the class of 2022 and a sions, unless corrections were emailed t

*Names highlighted are members of the

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CLASS OF ‘22

ITY OF COLORADO,

BOULDER

enson Zou

VERSITY OF HAWAII AT MANOA Chloe Gao

ugh a Google form submitted by are listed according to submisto The Thunderbolt.

e Thunderbolt

NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY

Shane Williams

NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY

Amber Chan

THE CITADEL Ryan Kurniawan

MARYMOUNT MANHATTAN COLLEGE Taylor Le

SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY Samantha Alaraj

RICE UNIVERSITY Arkin Si

AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE Maria Dimitrova

EMORY UNIVERSITY

Carl Yu

INTERNATIONAL CANADA University of British Columbia Jennifer Ko

OpiniOnS

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Nasa Scientist Chain Himself to Building as Protest, Wow. Michaela Gonzalez Staff Writer On Wednesday April 6th, Nasa scientist and three others were arrested after chaining themselves to the front of the Chase Building in Los Angeles, California for protesting the ignorance that big corporations have presented to the issue of climate change. The J.P Morgan building was especially chosen for its role in funding the most recent fossil fuel projects. This was also a repercussion of the UN’s recent worrisome climate report that states the world is nearing the brink of disaster and will eventually become inhabitable if governments don’t put a stop to their energy policies. Scientists all over the world have taken to protest. This worldwide movement is named the Scientist Scientists all over the world and doing what is right. 25 countries and more than 1,000 scientists are participating in this world-changing project. Protests are taking place in Italy (Rome, Turin, Venice), Denmark (Copenhagen) Rwanda (Muanga), Sierra Leone, Colombia(Bogotá), Panamá, Ecuador (Quito) to name a few participants. According to their website, these scientists state their mission as the following, “We are scientists and academics who believe we should expose the reality and severity of the climate and ecological emergency

Student

Ramadan is a beautiful month celebrated by many Middle Eastern citizens around the world. Consisting of a month of fasting from sunset to sundown, there are 28 days to be clean, self-controlling, mindful, and supposedly to be pure. During Ramadan there are, of course, a few downfalls to where it affects lives, including: energy, sleep schedule, dehydration, and other negative effects. I’m not saying that we exist in a poor condition where we feel as if we were being tortured, it’s nowhere near complaning. I’m simply saying that we simply won’t be able to be our full-selves, without water nor any source of necessary prothe day. Students are fasting during school which is often even more difAs a person who celebrates Ramadan and has been for most of my life, I can say it doesn’t bother me that much. Perhaps it’s the fact that I’m used to not eating during this time since I have been celebrating it for a while and can upon. I may get light headed here and there but it’s not too hard. Now, we have events at school sometimes that involve great amounts of cuisine and cultural meals. We had a food fair recently, packed with food

Muslim

Michaela Gonzalez, Staff Writer

KLAUMUS: Local polic directing Klaumus to leave his protest.

by engaging in non-violent civil disobedience.” Videos and articles have been circulating new outlets and social media apps of the particular speech that Peter Klaumus made when attention was on him. In the videos, he clearly appears fact that the world is on the verge of perishing and chaining himself to a building was the last resort. In the speech, he puts an emphasis on the risk he is taking to show how drastic the circumstances have gotten. “We’ve been trying to warn you guys for so many decades that we are heading toward a f****** catastrophe. The scientists of the world are being ignored and it’s gotta stop. We are going to lose everything.” he exclaimed. The Paris Climate Agreement in 2015 agreed on doing all in their power

Opinion

Nagham Masarweh Center Spread editOr

TRADITIONS:

an action all of us privileged citizens can partake in: stop the waste of food. The production of produce and livestock involve the use of much methane emitted in the atmosphere.

couple

and lines of students with money already in their hands. That wasn’t the case for all students though. Some of us were fasting since the food fair was during the middle of Ramadan. Now one could say “oh it’s okay, they can just skip a day” or “ it’s not that big of a deal, it was just a last minute thing” but some could also say that “I already have to deal with this when we are eating normal lunch, now I have to see this,” or “ why would they plan this when saying how considerate the school should be of what we are going through and then pulling this, doesn’t it contradict what they stood for”. In my opinion, I think the school had no intention of being inconsiderate or planning this on purpose during Ramadan. It was most likely a change of plans or an event that had to happen for the sake of cultural week. Just because a few students may be participating in Ramadan doesn’t mean that events have to be paused or that anything with food has to be banned. If that was the case then they should cancel lunch! There were also other things that students that may have been bothered with that could’ve been done during the food fair to ignore the whole event in general. Our geometry and algebra 1 teacher here at Mills, Mr. Yan is a Muslim as well and held his room, open for any students that were bothered by the food fair. Leadership dearly apolo-

breaking

their

to limit the world’s temperature to go beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit). Despite this, the UN claims that we are on a track to be at an Earth temperature double the limit the Paris Climate Agreement agreed on. The one question is: How can we stop this? According to Business Insider, redesigning urban transportation will help enormously. transportation biking, and walking, and building housing near workplaces. Converting to wind power instead of fossil fuels is a no-brainer: coal, oil, and natural gas release an immense amount of greenhouse gasses, making the Earth warmer. Restricting the release of methane release of greenhouse gasses since it has “...30 times the heat-trapping potential of carbon dioxide” Next is

Food

the food we get can lead to companies producing less of it and eventually emitting less greenhouse gasses. Lastly, an abundance of trees can es of climate with their carbon-dioxide-absorbing-bodies. “In this decade, the IPCC’s plan could cost $100 or less for every ton of carbon dioxide emissions it prevents. More than half of those mitigation strategies cost just $20 or less per ton, the report estimates. Many of them would ultimately save money,” reports Business Insider. Although these easy tools are familiarly known throughout the public, why do we still ignore them? As history has proven, humans are disgustinga recent Time article following the UN’s climate report, Paul Slovic, a psychologist from the University of Oregon expresses,“If we think the consequences are far in the future, we tend to discount the risk. People just aren’t going to inconvenience themselves unless they’re forced to.” For this, we can all relate to the reluctance of completing tasks that are not affecting us in the near future. But, when it comes to climate action, it requires “...a lot of

Fair

during

line pay-off: the future of our planet. And developed nations like the U.S. are typically going to be able to deal with climate instability better than developing ones, which allows us to conclude that while disasters happen elsewhere they don’t happen here. Many have made comparisons from this warning to the outcries of the scientists, Dr. Randall MinDon’t Look Up, made to the public addressing the global catastrophe heading their way. For anyone who has seen it, we all know how it ends. And it’s no coincidence that Peter Klamus emerges as a taller look alike of Dr. Randall Mindy.

Michaela Gonzalez, Staff Writer

POSTER: Climate change protest poster.

Ramadan gizes and didnt mean for this to happen, the food fair was a last minute event and just a slip up on their end. Ramadan is an amazing cultural celebration that is dearly appreciated in the world. I am glad that the school does sympathize and tries to make sense of what we are going through during this time. The school does many things for us to feel like we are being included and that they are being culturally aware, this was just a mishap on their end.

Nagham Masarweh, The Thunderbolt

FOOD: Many who practice Islam wait for many hours until the sun sets to eat.

Nagham Masarweh, The Thunderbol

IFTAR: Tradition to break fast with dates

SCHOOL:

High

school

students

Nagham Masarweh, The Thunderbolt

breakfast

celebration.

Nagham Masarweh, The Thunderbolt

fast

with

water. Nagham Masarweh, The Thunderbolt

UNKNOWN: Explaination of the multiple practice during the Muslim tradition of fasting called, “Ramadan”

The Thunderbolt

From

Pugh

Ronan:

Wonder, and the highly-anticipated

Phoebe Piserchio Staff Writer Meryl Streep, Angelina Jolie, Kate Winslet, and Scarlett Johansson are four of many world-renowned actresses who have long dominated the acting industry. These talented women - and many others - have had what it takes to be the faces of Hollywood for quite some action-packed Marvel Cinematic Universe. That being said, there will come a time when the torch is to be passed on to younger, rising

Phoebe Piserchio, Staff Writer

PUGH: Florence Pugh at the 2020 Oscars.

actresses who come to my mind when I consider who is ready to take on the job. Florence Rose Pugh is an award-winning, 26-year-old sional acting debut was in 2014 when she starred in The Falling, but later became more widely known in Lady Macbeth, a 2016 British drayear was not until 2019, when she starred in Fighting With My Family, Midsommar, and Little Women, where she was nominated for an Academy Award for her portrayal of Amy March. She later gained even further recognition as Yelena Belova, a new character introduced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Recently, Pugh has been working on many imminent projects, some of which include A Good Person, The

OpiniOnS Actresses of

Phoebe Piserchio, Staff Writer

RED CARPET: Zendaya at the 2016 Golden Globes

where she costars alongside famed musician Harry Styles. She was also recently cast in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming thriller Oppenheimer, as well as Dune 2 with Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya. This is an impressive lineup for a 26-year-old, and it’s clear she has no intention of slowing down any time soon. Pugh has been my personal favorite actress for years, and she is one of the most versatile I’ve ever seen. I do believe she has the potential to be one of Hollywood’s next major stars. Whether you know her as a Disney Channel kid or Spider-Man’s girlfriend, there’s no doubt that Zendaya is one of this generation’s greatest actresses of all time. Her career kickstarted early when she began acting and singing on Disney Channel. Playing Rocky Blue in Shake It Up at the age of 14 and in a large variety of other Disdercover and Zapped, the majority of Zendaya’s fandom was younger kids. She later moved on to star and The Greatest Showman, as well as play MJ in Spider-Man: Homecoming – both in 2017. It wasn’t long after this that she took a leap and starred in and directed the popular HBO Max series Euphoria. As Rue Bennett, she gave an outstanding, Emmy award-winning performance in this series. Zendaya is one of the most rapidly growing actors in Hollywood, as she always stands out and executes her roles perfectly, regardless of the importance of her character. I’ve known and followed Zendaya since her early Disney days, so to see her acting repertoire expand and popularity increase over time further proves that, in my opinion, her acting has always been top-notch. Anya Taylor-Joy is an Argentine-British and multi-awardwinning actress, best recognized for limited series: The Queen’s Gambit (2020). Taylor-Joy has played a variety of roles since leaving school

Our

Generation,

9 2022

at the age of sixteen to pursue acting. Aside from The Queen’s Gambit, she has starred in Emma (2020), Split (2016), Last Night in Soho (2021), The New Mutants (2020), and more. Her most recent projects are The Northman and an episode of Peaky Blinders; she has also been announced to voice Princess Peach in a forthcomcertainly climb to take the world by storm as her career and reputation expand with several new projects, and she has clearly proven she is more than capable. Saoirse Ronan, a 28-year-old Irish actress and fourtime Academy Award contender, rounds out my list. Despite making her Broadway debut in 2016 with The Crucible, it’s her most recent projects that have brought her to

Phoebe Piserchio, Staff Writer

RONAN: Saoirse Ronan at the 2020 Oscars.

are Lady Bird (2017) and Little Women (2020), both directed by Greta Gerwig and starred alongside Timothée Chalamet. Ronan and Chalamet’s chemistry even led them to a third movie together, The French Dispatch (2021). Other famed roles include Ammonite (2020), Mary Queen of Scots (2018), and Atonement (2007). Her is seen in her outstanding perforPhoebe Piserchio, Staff Writer

From what I’ve seen among the media, Ronan can be considered quite the underrated actress, so I have high hopes for her and believe it won’t be long before she rises to the top of Hollywood.

MONROE: Renowed actress from the 50’s

Phoebe Piserchio, Staff Writer

JOY: Anya Taylor-Joy at the premiere for Emma.

Phoebe Piserchio, Staff Writer

RED CARPET: Hailee Steinfeld at the 2022 Vanity Fair

Roe-ing Away From Body Rights: The Abortion Debate Michaela Gonzalez Staff Writer

SportS

Track

and

Hanson Han Staff Writer

Jason Habash (12), is one of the most talented and accomMills High School’s long history. So good, in fact, that he is going to go to St. Mary’s College, a Division 1 school located in Moraga, California. The rest of this article will highlight what Habash has done to earn this level of status. Habash has always been a talented athlete. He has played soccer since he was young, which trained him to naturally develop speed and stamina. He joined the Mills Track and Field team in his freshman year, and immediately discovered he had a special talent. During practice, Habash would constantly train with the upperclassmen, since he would simply be too fast for the freshmen and sophomores. As he progressed throughout high school, he simply just got better and better.

Field:

Standout:

healthy foods available which ones

ed to multiple schools that all had

and limiting himself to the amount of healthy foods he can eat. With the help of his brother, parents, and Coach Larry giving Habash the support and motivation that he needed, he was able to place himself above any other athlete the Mills track

reputation. A few of these schools consist of Chapman University in Orange CA, as well as the University of Washington in Seattle, WA. What ultimately drove Habash to choosing St. Mary’s College over these other prestigious schools was his brother. Jason Habash’s brother, Samir Habash, went to St. Mary’s College, and was also an

Habash’s hard work and dedica-

to at the end of the day - something refreshing. While many people may one must do to stay in shape, Habash sees Track and Field as a family-like environment dedicated to self-improvement. It is also a great place

has always been supportive, friendly, and healthy after school sport. With all these positive aspects, it is no wonder why Habash has dedicated so much time to the sport. In order for him to get to the level he is at today, Habash has

daily commitment and strict diet. For the past four years, Habash has been running at least 6 days a week. This would include practice everyday after school, as well as a potential meet on the weekend. On weeks where there is no meet, Habash takes it upon himself to put in the hours and run on his own. Habash also has to maintain a strict diet in order to keep his body in prime condition. This includes avoiding junk foods, picking and choosing amongst the

He is currently ranked second in the league for the 800m race, with a time of 1:58, and third in the league for the 400m race, with a time of 0:51. With these rankings in Habash’s back pocket, it was a no-brainer for St. Mary’s College to accept him. What is interesting, however, is that he originally got into St. Mary’s College on academics. Habash, with an unparalleled academic work -

The Thunderbolt

outstanding athlete. With the prospect of following in his brother’s footsteps, along with St. Mary’s College’s quality of education and positive atmosphere, there is lit-

Habash would choose St. Mary’s College. Habash has also noted that St. Mary’s College is smaller compared to other universities, leading to more individual training, as well as deeper personal connections with friends, coaches, and teammates. He has stated that he looks forward

St. Mary’s was not an easy decision for Habash. He had been accept-

athletic career, given the better fa-

Jason

cilities and abundance of resources. As Habash will be graduating

athlete. When asked about this question, Habash stated that, “It is hard to say who is going to be really good talent in a lot of people right now, but I think the thing that separates someone from being good and great

Habash is their commitment and motivation. As of right now, I think that Samuel Lam (11) and Alyssa Draheim (10) have the commitment and motivation that it takes, and that they could

will tell how these predictions will pan out, and if these athletes have what it takes to reach the level of stardom Jason Habash has achieved.

SportS

The Thunderbolt

Kalea

Sheung:

Magdalene Ko NeWS editor

any might have heard of a

Students to compete in a badminton competition in Beijing. This compeis second only to the Olympics. Although the games got postponed Sheung, nationally ranked number doubles in junior championships? Sheung is a friendly, outgoing student, who has played badminton for 12 years, ever since she was about 6 years old. She is hardworking and kind, always willing to lend a helping hand when one is needed. ances her school and tournaments. As all athletes are aware, having school during a competition always makes one play catch up. She states that she “was really good about ter where she would plan ahead and During the second semester, however, she “fell behind in some of her classes because she had back to back tournaments and it became overshe still remained focused on all her work and stayed dedicated. She also

Mills

Badminton

offered some advice to others struggling with workloads, that she “highly recommends communicating with your teachers because majority of the time they’re super understand-

to other opportunities in the future, especially since she’s still young. Despite the postponement, Sheung still has packed plans for badminton. This summer, she’ll be going to the Dominican Republic to compete in the Santo Domingo Open. Originally, the timing of the World ed with the Junior Nationals. Now that the games aren’t happening this

catch up or at least offer some en-

is a huge international competition only one step away from the Olympics. It’s held every two years, and was projected to be held in Beijing summer of this year. Unfortunately, the games have been pushed to 2023, disappointing all the athletes

Kalea Sheung, Mills Badminton

Collegiate National Championships. These games have “an athletes village, opening ceremony, closing cer-

Captain

Badminton player and Mills junior Kalea Sheung prepares intently ahead of a match

so important that the US actually chartered planes to bring their athletes over to China, although such plans were canceled because of the postponement. Understandably, she was a bit disappointed that the games were canceled this

compete in her last junior nationals. Ultimately, Sheung has a bright future in her badminton career. She won NorCal on May 22 with her partner Charlotte, climbing to the top of the highschool competition. She’s also team captain for our Mills badminton team, who has gone undefeated this season. As Kalea Sheung continues to develop her badminton skills and compete further, Mills will always be proud that luck and congratulations Kalea!

“gave her the opportunity to do some networking and still opened on ABC’s Channel 7 when their anchor, Dion Lim, caught wind of the story! “Disappointed but most-

Kalea Sheung, Mills Badminton

Kalea

Sheung

poses

with

fellow

badminton

partner

for

photo

Kalea Sheung, Mills Badminton

A young Sheung, pictured playing in the middle of a Badminton match

Student Opinions on Mills Swim Unit Tiffany Xu Staff editor

hen hearing about the swim unit coming up, everyone groans, nervous about what it’s going to be like. Thinking about showering, changing, swimming, the weather, and other factors that worry everyone, Many students have worries about the swim unit. Being sticky and wet with the smell of chlorine is the last thing they would want to be in the middle of the school day. There are other concerns such as the inconvenient changing, and swimming in windy or rainy weather. This could also make students feel self-conscious about wearing ging around a swim bag may also seem tiring for people too, which

makes the swim unit feel like a lot of work. Most students will feel emotions before starting the unit.

On one hand, it sounded fun, but it was very intimidating at the same time. Even though I am a swimmer myself, and am part of the Mills swimming team, it didn’t make much of a difference to my nervousness of

and dreaded it. They would bring it up during conversations about how they felt about it, and what Once the swim unit started, everyone slowly got used to swimming and it wasn’t as bad. The routine got more familiar, and students were put into levels based on their skills. There were a few hot days that felt really refreshing to swim,

and some cold days that were very windy but would always feel better in the pool. Students would have fun learning new skills in the water. I enjoyed learning survival skills I didn’t know about, which is really important. I also noticed othSome people I’ve talked to have agreed that it was a unit they would dread until it started. It would be a slight hassle having to shower and change especially if there were classes after or it was a Monday schedule. Besides that and the occasional windy weather, they all really enjoyed this unit, as something small to look forward to. The swim unit can sound terrifying for most people, but in the end, it really isn’t bad at all. It’s really fun, and time passes by very quickly. Especially on sunny days, nitely make your day a little better.

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