Volume 63, Issue 1, September 30, 2022

September 30th, 2022

The Thunderbolt In this issue:

Tribute to Bianca Reyes Student Workers in the Cafeteria Twice Album Review Class of ‘23 First Football Win

Volume 63, Issue 1

2

Minimumum Wage Increased for Chain Restaurants

By Jessica Poon, Staff Writer

On Labor Day 2022, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill creating a council that could bump the minimum wage for Californian fast food chain workers

up to 22$/hr and protects employees from discrimination. The idea of the Fast Food Council was created after the bill was signed. They are the ones who will determine the minimum wage, max hours, and several other working conditions. The Fast Food council will be elected through petition, only being able to be signed by fast food chain employees.The new bill, AB257, states that the council is allowed to decide the minimum wage between 15$/hr all the way up to 22$/hr starting Jan 1, 2023. A year after, on Jan 1, 2024, the minimum wage will be able to increase by 3.5% at most rounded to the nearest ten cents($0.10) to adapt to inflation. When the council no longer exists, which will be Jan 1, 2029, the wage will be increased by 3.5% rounded to the nearest ten cents ($0.10) until further notice.

According to the California Department of Industrial Relations, the current minimum wage in California is $15. The bill creates a possibility of increasing the wage by 7 dollars. Nicolaus Lau (17), a former Starbucks barista, says, “Yeah I only got paid like $15 an hour, it is not a lot at all. This bill would’ve helped me a lot if I still worked there.”

A 7-dollar possible increase of the minimum wage is exceedingly substantial. In addition, if you were to compare the current minimum wage to the national average minimum wage, which is $7.25, the difference would already be $7.75, which means the new capped minimum wage for 2023 is approximately triple the national minimum wage. With the wage increased, those working in the fast food industry would be able to take better care of themselves since majority of fast food workers are adults.

Another feature listed in the bill is new protection protocols for employees against discrimination from employers. Employers are not allowed to in any way retaliate or discriminate against employees for refusing to work under certain circumstances. As long as they have reasonable cause to believe that it would violate regulations or pose a health risk to themselves, other employees, or the public, the employers cannot do anything about it. Employers are also not allowed to discriminate against employees for responding to media and higher-ups with things such as health risks within the location or a news story.

Although this new bill seems like a dream come true for fast-food workers, will smaller restaurants be able to handle the change? Inflation is already causing prices to rise, and since the wages seem to be likely to increase as well, it is likely that the prices of food will spike once 2023 begins. A study on the new bill from UCR states that food prices are estimated to increase by 7%-22% due to possible compensation increases.

On top of that, a statement posted by the International Franchise Association(IFA), displays several new complaints by franchisees, saying how the increase in compensation may force them to close their doors permanently. One of the complaints displayed is from Alex Johnson, an owner of several restaurants. He says, “During the highest inflation in 40 years, this bill harms everyone from local businesses and their employees to the millions of Californians who rely on quick-service restaurants each week..”

This new bill has become a controversy for people working within the fast food industry. Many younger part-time workers support this idea of a wage increase, whereas many franchisees and store owners want the bill to be vetoed. Hopefully it all works out and both sides are able to compromise, and at least be able to keep the protection protocols for employees.

SMUHSD’S District Wide Equity Vision

By MIchaela Gonzalez, Opinions Editor Beginning in 2018, the San Mateo High School District (SMUHSD) created an equity vision and General Equity Committee to cultivate a balanced learning envi-

ronment for all students.Their mission statement reads: “We will continually identify, disrupt and eliminate institutional biases and barriers to ensure that all students have the skills and knowledge to thrive physically, emotionally and academically.” Through this mission, the General Equity committee plans to create equal access and opportunity for all students, identify and terminate systemic barriers, stop unequivocal thinking, and match qualified resources based on an individual student’s needs.

With appropriately qualified data, the committee plans to bestow those assets to stimulate them at their time at any San Mateo High School District.

According to collected data, 80-90% students meet the school’s academic expectations, 5-10% require supplemental instruction, and 1-8% of students need intensive instruction. The Equity committee plans to accurately target students at different levels three different tiers of action.

Due to this new provision of the ways of the school system, curriculum and training have changed as well. Students may have realized the dual electives taken during Freshman year; 2018 was the first year Ethnic Studies became a graduation requirement for all students. Mills students who have taken the class claim the curriculum greatly applies to life outside of school, recollecting being globally aware.

The Ethnic Studies course is a USC and UC transferable course, adopting the Social Science Framework for students to “develop respect for cultural diversity and see the advantages of inclusion”(SMHSD ETHS Course Study) Throughout the course, students touch on the experiences and struggles of immigrants, the LGBTQAI+ public, BIPOC, the disabled community, and body acceptance/normalization groups. Through these topics, the students then globally analyze their own identity and connect themselves to privilege and specific institutions. From politically, to socially and economically, students become conscious of their personal connections to local and global histories.

“I definitely learnt more about other communities and identities than my parents did in high school.”, reports Elaine Chan (10) The General Equity committee is also facilitating a Multi-Year Racism Initiative throughout the district. This transformational journey plans to “holistically examine our system to uproot oppressive practices and policies that are harmful to students and their learning”(smuhsd.org) In the 2021-2022 school year, professional training days organized anti-racist proffesional training days for teachers and staff to combat racial and harmful experiences on campuses all around the district. These days consist of addressing a positive educational experience, accountability, and equity focused data.

All in all, the initiatives of the General Equity Committee to create a safe and inclusive environment for the wide diversity of students is taking into great effect. From the Ethnic Studies course for students, to the Multi-Year Anti-Racism Initiative for teachers and staff, the San Mateo High School District is in the process of preventing systematic biases to the student body and designing a truly equal environment for all students.

NEWS

Interview With Mills’ Two New 3 Assisstant Principals

By Max Zaninovich, News Editor

L ast year the Mills Community said goodbye to two of our beloved Assistant Principals, Mr. Gomez and Ms. Schlax, both of whom will be sorely missed. Nevertheless, this year we turn the page and welcome two new Assistant Principals, Mr. White and Mr. Ding.

Mr. White grew up in the East Bay, but he frequently drove across the bridge to visit family members in San Mateo and San Francisco. Mr. White formerly worked as an assistant principal at a high school in Richmond called De Anza High School. While he enjoyed his job as assistant principal there, he decided that it was time for a change. He specifically chose to come to Mills because his cousins went to Mills and really enjoyed their experience. When he was growing up Mr. White was much closer with the African American side of his family and the opportunity at Mills gave him a chance to really embrace his Asian heritage. Mr. White also emphasized the importance of Mills’ focus on race and equity, and how that played a big part in his decision to come here.

Mr. White’s favorite part of being here at Mills so far has been the impressive amount of school spirit of the students. A highlight of his so far was the rally and he says that he, “really gets the feeling that Mills students are proud to go to Mills.” Mr. White wants to build a culture at Mills where students can truly connect with each other, and he wants all students to feel comfortable trying new things and feel confident in who they are.

Mr. Ding’s role as assistant principal at Mills is his first assistant principal job. Mr. Ding graduated from Aragon and was drawn to Mills because he liked the diverse student body and high population of Asian American students. Mr. Ding actually accepted a different assistant principal job from a school in the SFUSD (San Francisco Unified School District), and shortly after, canceled his interview with Mills. That was until, Principal Duszynski called him personally and pushed him to reconsider. Mr. Ding was so touched by the personal call that he took the interview and eventually accepted the position at Mills.

So far in his time at Mills, Mr. Ding has made an effort to connect with students and he has noticed that Mills students are very receptive to talking. He emphasized that if you see him around campus, not to be shy and come up and say hello. When Mr. Ding was at Aragon he says that he, “never felt a sense of belonging,” and he hopes to ensure that students at Mills don’t feel the way he did at Aragon.

Ironically, Mr. Ding and Mr. White knew each other before their assistant principal positions brought them together at Mills. They actually earned their masters degree together and were good friends. Both Mr. Ding and Mr. White stressed how coming in together made their transition much easier. They share the same core values, but often offer different perspectives and approach challenges in different ways. As a result, they frequently look to each other for advice and are excited to continue working together in the future.

When they are not hard at work, you can often find Mr. Ding and Mr. White bouncing fashion styles off each other, discussing their favorite sneakers (Mr. Ding’s favorite is the Nike Air Sacai and Mr. White’s is the Jordan Retro Bred 4), or talking about music. Both Mr. Ding and Mr. White are avid hop-hop fans and agree that The Blueprint by Jay-Z, is the greatest album of all time.

Mr. Ding and Mr. White are looking forward to helping all Mills Students along their highschool journey and can’t wait to continue their work as Assistant Principals here at Mills for years to come.

Millbrae Recreation Center Completed

By Noor Abdullah, Staff Writer

The city of Millbrae opened the new Recreation Center to the public on July 10th in Central Park to the thrilled welcome of the community, six years after the previous

recreation center was unfortunately destroyed in a fire set by former Mills High School students in the summer of 2016. The new Recreation Center cost $28 million to build and consists of a two-story building that stretches 24,000 square feet with a modern-looking glass and stone exterior.

“I’m proud to say this beautiful building will not only meet our needs today, but meet the needs of Millbrae residents in the future,” Mayor Anne Oliva stated.

The new building is a major upgrade from the dated-community center which centered around a small auditorium. The new community center consists of two large great halls, a kitchen, two classrooms, an art center, two conference rooms, a game room, a senior lounge, and a fitness center.

Central Park was also upgraded during the reconstruction of the Recreation Center. There is now a new colorful playground, many picnic tables, a biking path, and a well-kept grassy field and trees.

“Every aspect of the new Recreation Center, from the architecture, landscaping, building materials, and art, strongly ties into Millbrae’s rich history and culture.

Our mission is to create a space for everyone.” Justine Bleeker, Millbrae Public Information Officer When the previous Recreation Center was burned down in an apparently accidental fire in 2016, a new Recreation Center was promised to the community. However, three long years went by as the city had to settle with insurance companies and create new modern plans to accommodate the changing needs of the Millbrae community.

After the new construction plans were shared with the public in 2019, construction of the new recreation center began in 2020 and was completed in two years. With the completion of the new community center, the city of Millbrae created a new mission statement for The Recreation Center. “To engage the community in quality, innovative, and exciting experiences.”

Mills Student Chloe Ho (11) shared, “I go often, I was there last Sunday to attend a MHAI meeting and it was just a nice place to gather. It was our first meeting there, the rooms are very clean and spacious and the lighting gives it a very optimistic vibe.”

In fulfilling the new Recreation Center mission, the City has created a long list of community events, sports training, and classes for people of all ages. Kids aged 0-14 seem to have the largest variety of classes offered to them from an array of music and art classes to multiple different sport and dance groups. They may also participate in classes for debate skills, money and investing, and “Roblox Game Design”. Adults and Seniors are offered many engaging and affordable activities including Line Dancing, Senior Boutique Club, Ballroom Dance, Quilting, Chinese Line Dancing, and Sunday Social Dance. Many of these sessions are either free or cost as little as $3.50.

Unfortunately, high school-aged students seem to have the short end of the stick when it comes to the selection of activities with mainly academic support classes being offered. Students between grades six and 12 may take AP Chinese Support as well as enroll in the Daily Academic Support System geared toward kindergarteners to twelfth grade students. The only sport lessons offered are tennis lessons for anyone aged six and 17.

An event opened to everybody is Movie Night which will take place in the Great Hall of the Recreation Center. The Nightmare Before Christmas is going to be played on October 14th at 6:30pm and Elf is going to be played on December 9th at 6:30pm.

Mills High School student Sarah Lam (11) shares, “I think the movie nights are a sweet way to put the Recreation Center to use. I’ll for sure be bringing my little sisters, they’ll have fun.”

The new Recreation Center provides Mills High School students and the entire Millbrae community with a modern site to learn, gather, and have fun.

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Features

The Thunderbolt

Mills Music Premiers at the Arts and Wine Festival

By Staff Writer: Erika Kita

R

ecurring every year in Millbrae, the Art and Wine festival is one of the only times of the year when everyone from the Millbrae community may unite to support small and local businesses. As Millbrae comes together to attend this festival, entertainment from the Music Department from Mills High School livens the mood in Downtown Millbrae.

The Mills Music Department confirms that they have many performances planned for this year, such as the winter and spring concerts, Groove-a-thon, as well as other performances outside of school festivals and competitions. With the start of the 2022-2023 school year, many of the musicians in the department that premiered at the Millbrae Art and Wine Festival additional play in the Mills Concert Band, Jazz Band, and their new band, “Unparallel”.

Risca Li (12), the keyboard player for Unparallel, gave some insight on her band. With their Art and Wine performance being a great crowd pleaser, fans are eager to know what is coming up with their group.

When asked if they were planning to write their own original music, Risca answered, “Yes, we’ve been experimenting with our instruments and testing different melody combinations and song ideas!”

According to the school, their group has been playing since last year, however, recently two new members have been introduced into the band: Risca and Kameron Fung (10), the drummer. Since then they’ve rebranded themselves as Unparallel and their debut performance was during the Art and Wine.

The members at the moment are Jeremy Garcia (11) on vocals, Justin Garcia (11) on vocals and bass guitar, Kameron on drums and vocals, Risca on keyboard and vocals, Leland Le (11) on guitar and ukulele, and Evan Field (11) on guitar and vocals.

Preparing for their Art and Wine gig, their managers have played a significant role in helping them succeed, such as getting them this gig and even an interview that aired on TV. Leland’s father, one of the band’s managers, has played a big role in supporting them, as well as serving as their motivator who gives them advice about the music industry. Prior to their performances, the band would prepare by practicing 3 hours a day for almost 2 weeks to prepare for their gig. However, although they prepared a lot for their performance, they had an impromptu song that they had never rehearsed before on stage.

“Jeremy had an impromptu song for us called “Best Part” by Daniel Caesar that we’ve never rehearsed before. I didn’t even know the song too well or the key signature so I was very surprised that we played it.”

Despite their vast efforts, not everything went smoothly during their preparations for the gig. The band experienced conflicts with the setlist and disagreements with song choices, leading to replacing songs and finding new ones that everyone agreed upon.

Many fans have been wondering about their fandom name. As of now, the band has created two names: the Acuties (like an acute angle) or Perpendiculans.

Mr. G also had advice for anyone who is interested in joining the Mills Music Department. “It’s a place where you can come and learn about how to make music and express yourself.” He assures that if anyone is too scared to join Mills Music to not worry and that everyone is very supportive and optimistic about learning music. He is very excited for this year and believes that “the future is bright for Mills Music’’ and is confident in the new freshmen this year who are eager to learn how to play their instruments.

Mills Band, Arts and Wine Festival

Mills Band: Mills music director, Mr. Gonzalez leads the band in their performance to the crowd

Unparallel, Arts and Wine Festival

UNPARALLEL: Left to right, Jeremy, Evan, Leland, Justin, Kameron, and Risca pose for a photo

Student Food Workers

By Staff Writer: Kyle Chan

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Student Food Workers, Mills Cafteria

Student Food Workers: Student workers, Natalie, Phoebe, and [unknown] pose for a BeReal

uring lunch of the 2022-2023 school year, student food workers experienced many events; whether it is the joy of getting paid, the sense of being overwhelmed with large crowds, or maybe dealing with the conflicts that happen between students waiting in the lines.

Before the pandemic, the snacks during brunch had different prices (depending on the item) and lunch cost $5 dollars. Since Mills opened their doors for in person school during the 2021- 2022 school year, the SMUHSD district allowed school lunch and brunch to be free. With the food continuing to be free, “ including crowd favorites” such as the nachos or classics like the pizza, the lines are destined to be longer.

After the bell rings for lunch, the cafeteria is jam packed with students waiting in line for food. The cafeteria is always loud and hectic, whether it’s with the food being served, students ordering food, fighting or talking in line. There are a lot of events that go down during that period of time. Two student food workers, Natalie Yeung (12) and Phoebe Zhang (12), share their thoughts and experiences on this job so far this year.

“An underclassman hit a football player in line. There are a lot of fights that break out within this lunch period” said Zhang. But she also states that it is a fun experience as she enjoys serving food to other students. Yeung shares that her experience has also been positive and that the staff are very kind. She also includes that, “there have been difficult times when dealing with things but it’s a learning process.”

Although working with food helped her become more efficient during her shift, Phoebe explains that students need to speak louder because all the noises in the cafeteria makes it hard to hear orders. Having this job can be one stressful task just because of all the people asking for their orders while crowding the area. Even if it can be stress-inducing, Yeung said that it has helped her improve her multitasking skills.

“Everything happens really fast when serving. You can be selling someone a water while continuing to manage the students putting in their ID’s” she explained.

Approximately five minutes before brunch or lunch, they are to leave class to help set up the food. If they are unable to leave class early, Yeung says that, “The staff is understanding and is fine if you can’t leave class early”. There are also different positions when serving such as working the computer, which requires signing into the POS system. The POS system is a combination of hardware, software, and services that merchants use to accept payments from customers in exchange for goods and services in person or online.

The other position will serve food, in which they have to wash their hands, wear gloves, and to organize food.

Since this is a paid opportunity, it is a good way to make money without the requirement of going somewhere else or having to stay after school. Also, there will still be time to eat after your shift.

“What intrigued me the most about the job was the pay,” Zhang said. “You get paid $16.40 dollars an hour”.

If you are looking for an easy source of income, sign up to be a student food worker because this is a good occupation that can strengthen important abilities and the staff could use more help.

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Features

The Thunderbolt

From Taylor to Mills: Mrs. Donohoe

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Mrs. Donohoe and students, Donohoe’s Classroom

DONOHOE AND STUDENTS: Donohoe poses for a photo with Noor and Sarah

ou may know her as your current history teacher as a sophomore or junior, or perhaps you remember her from your middle school history class at Taylor. Ms. Donohoe may be a new teacher at Mills but she is no newcomer to the Mills community, campus, and Millbrae area.

Ms. Donohoe grew up in Millbrae where she attended Meadows Elementary School. She then graduated to Taylor for all three years of middle school and again to Mills for her highschool years. During her early school years, some of her hobbies included competitive cheerleading and participating in the Lunar New Year dragon dance team.

When she graduated from Mills in 2006, she applied to and was accepted into the University of Santa Cruz where she studied European history, aspiring to become an Egyptologist. “It was the most wonderful time in the whole wide world,” Ms. Donohoe commented when asked about her college experiences.

However, at the time of her graduation from UCSC, the Recession of 2008 was underway.

“We graduated from Santa Cruz during the recession, and we all went back to grad school because no one could get a job,” she shared. The setbacks of that time forced her to rethink her career. Her older brother was a teacher when this occurred and she also had a lot of experience from supervising children in summer camps and babysitting, so she decided to explore the teaching route. She transferred to the University of San Francisco and achieved a masters in teaching.

After receiving her credentials, Ms. Donohoe worked at a small private school, teaching about world religions. But when a new teaching position opened at Taylor for history, she was excited to explore a new curriculum. Since that time, she has worked at Taylor for five years teaching US history to eighth graders. “It feels super lucky because I [finally] found the thing that I love so much.”

In her time at Taylor, she went through five different years of classes in which she experienced many different teaching opportunities and challenges.

“My first year at Taylor was so hard…Taylor teachers have way higher expectations for how students were going to perform, standards were really clear for what you guys needed to be able to do, [and] how you were going to operate in an academic space was really different [from private schools].” However, once she understood the curriculum and standards, she found that she enjoyed teaching the history curriculum and collaborating with the wonderful students and teachers at Taylor. “We have the best students here in Millbrae… thoughtful, curious, engaged, funny, [and] fun.” She never thought she would be leaving her job so soon.

A new position to teach at Mills was posted a week or two before Taylor got out, whilst Mills had already finished their academic year. The opening was to teach Modern World History and US History for juniors and sophomores. Ms. Donohoe was reluctant to leave her much-loved spot at Taylor but she also wanted to take the opportunity to broaden her skillset and versatility by collaborating with a new set of students and staff at Mills.

“I loved teaching at Taylor and would never say one bad thing about it, but before there was only one other teacher who taught only history...Here at Mills, I think there’s ten people in our department [history and social science]…These are some of the best teachers in the...

• Continued on the Thunderbolt Website •

New Incoming Teachers to Mills

By Staff Writer: Julia Xia

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• Fe a t u r e s •

By Staff Writer: Amelia Naughten

very fall brings new beginnings to high school: new students, courses, clubs, and also, new teachers. This year Mills is excited to have brought in more than four new teachers and administrators to campus. For many of them, this is their first time in a classroom teaching material, rather than learning it. It is an opportunity for them to get to know our school, students, and the culture here at Mills. And while inevitably it is a period of stress and uncertainty, it’s also a time of excitement and expectation as they begin their careers here on our campus.

One of the new teachers here at Mills is Mr. Guzman, an English teacher who teaches sophomores and juniors. This year marks his first year of being a teacher after having been a teacher in training. The reason why he became an English teacher stems from his love for reading and writing. “I felt an imploding sense of happiness when my writing was improving, and I want to share that feeling with my students.” Mr. Guzman explains. What makes Mr. Guzman especially unique is that he went to high school at Mills. He’d characterize his years here as a second home; the environment was comforting, and he was impressed with the education he received here. So if you ever have any questions about Mills, you know where to go.

Ms. Fan is one of the Chinese teachers at Mills. She teaches a couple of level one classes. Having taught previously at a private school, she decided to make the switch because she didn’t believe the environment suited her. “I wanted to make full use of my expertise and clinical teaching.

I also wanted to apply my theories about education.” When I asked Ms. Fan about why she wanted to become a teacher, she said that since she already had a background in education and some teaching experience, she wanted to apply her knowledge in a classroom. She chose Mills because she believed that it would be a great opportunity to grow as a teacher. Also, she really liked and was impressed with the faculty and administration here at our school. Ms. Fan believes that the students here are very hardworking and she looks forward to more years of teaching.

Another new teacher here at Mills is Ms. Canas-Gonzalez, another English teacher who teaches both Freshman and Juniors. Ever since she was in school, she had the thought in the back of her mind that she wanted to be a teacher. However, ironically, she wasn’t necessarily the biggest fan of school itself; but being surrounded by great teachers really inspired her to pursue a career in teaching. She also wanted to create a place where students could gain a sense of pride rather than leave school feeling like they’ve done nothing. “I wanted to become a teacher because I wanted to empower the voices of students and create a community where students could see their successes.” She explained. She chose Mills because–like Ms. Fan–she noticed that the school’s staff were kind to her and really supportive. Not to mention the students that she would describe as “fun and goofy”.

The last new teacher at Mills is the art and ceramics teacher, Mr. Christenson. He used to teach art at another school, but after he was relocated into a smaller building, he made the change to Mills. Mr. Christensen didn’t always want to be a teacher, but when he joined an organization that helped bring art to low income children, it sparked a new passion in his life. When he joined Mills and began as a teacher here, he was not nervous; in fact, it was quite the opposite, “…once class starts, I seem to just get a rush of new energy and all is well for the time being” He hasn’t been teaching at Mills for a long time, but the time he has spent here has already made him feel like he’s at home. “This is quite different for me now, but I am really enjoying it! I love being on the Viking Ship!”

Being a new student in high school can be really stressful, after all you’re in a completely new environment surrounded by people you’ve never seen before. But many people may forget that it could be just as nerve-wracking for teachers since they are in a new environment and have to learn to adapt to teaching a bunch of rowdy kids who are all unique. Knowing this, feel free to stop by at lunch or recess and say hello to welcome them to the school. I know they would appreciate it.

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Center Spread

Jamie Wong Staff Writer

The Thunderbolt

freshmen on their experience so far

The beginning of the school

to look for volunteering opportu-

tually passionate about what they

year can be a challenging time for

nities and getting to know other

teach.” One example Naugh-

everyone as we say goodbye to

people.” Amayun joined Filipino

ten provided was her Biology

summer and settle back into our

American Alliance (FAA) because

teacher, Mr. DeBois (a favor-

school year routines. Freshmen are

she enjoys “connecting with peo-

ite among freshmen, along with

entering a completely new school,

ple that are the same ethnicity

Ms. Cañas). On the other hand,

where they are experiencing high

and [who have similar] values.”

Amayun prefers the teachers she

school sports, clubs, and academ-

Other

among

had in middle school. She says

ics for the first time. With their

freshmen interviewed were Heart

that since she went to a private

first month of high school behind

in Motion and Red Cross Club.

school, she formed closer bonds

them, we asked Mills freshmen to

A general trend among fresh-

with her teachers there, and be-

reflect on their experience so far.

men was their enjoyment of the

lieves

For many freshmen, high school

freedom high school has granted

are somewhat lacking in high

has exceeded their expectations, one

them. Kaden Ren (9) states, “The

school. Amayun also stated, “I

reason being the opportunity high

environment is much bigger and

think [in] high school, there’s

school has given them to meet new

exciting. There are so many more

more freedom. I honestly thought

people. Kevin Ren (9) says, “High

classes, clubs, people, and sports

it was going to be harder, but

school is much better than what I

to do. I enjoy the options and the

I actually like the work here.”

expected it to be. Adapting to the

freedom high school offers com-

Apart from academics, fresh-

much larger environment has not

pared to middle school.” Fresh-

men discussed the wealth of ath-

been hard at all. Making new friends

men also like the freedom to

letic opportunities available on

is not as tough as I thought it would

move around the campus. Ethan

campus. Amayun, a cross country

be.” Similarly, Chloe Amayun (9)

Cabrera (9) explains, “In middle

athlete and basketball player, is

mentions, “I thought it would be awk-

school, I felt like we always had

excited to participate in athletics

ward or bad, but I made new friends

to be monitored. In high school,

at Mills. She anticipates that high

and became comfortable in the en-

we’re free to go to the fields

school sports will be different,

vironment. I adapted really fast.”

without being watched and we

perhaps more intense, than mid-

Popular settings for freshmen

can also use our phones too.”

dle school sports. Cabrera, also a

to make friends are clubs because

Amelia Naughten (9) en-

cross country athlete, says, “So

they serve as ways to explore their

joys that the community here

far, I’ve joined the team and have

interests while meeting people who

is more accepting than at her

been enjoying it! From the start, I

enjoy similar things. Benjamin Ahnn

middle school, Taylor. She feels

feel like I’ve been welcomed by the

(9) says, “I have joined Interact Club

that “teachers [at Mills] are ac-

upperclassmen and by my Coach.

ploration of one’s self and the

ation, very often including be-

ar-

many changes in the brain as

ing mentally unwell, and when

around

it develops. However, there

not treated often lead to feel-

thing too complicated or long.

ing well, being placed in mental

suicide.)

are of course some external

ings of helplessness and sud-

Though definitely not a casual

health care, and for the person

This September was Na-

factors that contribute to this

den changes in behavior; the

conversation, it’s not like a po-

entrusted with the information,

tional Suicide Awareness Month,

problem and adolescence is

latter is actually a major sign

lice interview either. Practice ac-

fear of losing the relationship

a month that has been dedicated

just a minor factor in compar-

that something isn’t right, along

tive listening and keep the con-

or being subject to much anger

to acknowledging those affected

ison. The increasing pressure

with mentions of suicide, reclu-

versation on them. Be sure to ask

and resentment. But it’s im-

by suicide and promoting aware-

to succeed academically and

sion, and noticeable loss of in-

three important questions: Have

portant to keep in mind that it

ness

around

career-wise, for example, is a

terest in things once appealing.

you thought about suicide? Do

must sting before it heals. An-

the topic since 2008, but yet

big stressor and contributor

Though suicide is becom-

you have a plan? Do you have

ger and inconvenience are tem-

suicide rates continue to climb.

to mental health issues, which

ing less stigmatized, warning

the means to go through with it?

porary, but the help received

According to UCLA Health,

often lead to suicidal thoughts

signs are still often overlooked.

If the first question is the only

sticks with a person forever.

suicide is the second-most com-

or attempts. Struggles with

This may be because most signs

one to receive a yes, it’s okay for

If we all do our part brave-

mon cause of death among in-

their gender or sexual identity,

are directly correlated with men-

the conversation to remain pri-

ly

dividuals

From

experiences with any kind of

tal illness and not automatically

vate but treatment should be en-

we could save lives we nev-

2008 to 2018, rates of suicide

abuse, and poor relationships

signifying suicidal thoughts, or

couraged. Advise them to inform

er

increased by 57% and from

with peers, friends, or fami-

possibly because people just

a trusted adult (parent, school

the 2019 Youth Behavioral Risk

ly also are large contributors.

don’t seem “depressed” or “the

wellness

Factor

Program,

Stanford Medicine says that

type to do something like that”.

etc.) and if possible, offer to ac-

18.8% of high school students

“normal developmental chang-

Additionally, having a conversa-

company them. But, if all three

have

contemplated

es can be very unsettling when

tion about suicide still remains

questions receive a ‘yes’, it is im-

suicide and 8.9% have actually

combined with other events,

difficult and tricky to instigate

portant that a trusted adult gets

attempted. Since then, that sta-

such as changes in their fam-

because of how personal the top-

involved in order to treat the is-

tistic has only continued to rise.

ilies… changes in friendships,

ic is, but taking that courageous

sue, regardless of consequences.

Socially and emotionally,

problems in school, [and] oth-

step could potentially save a life.

A lot of the time, that very

adolescence is turbulent and

er losses.” Many other events

When having the conversa-

first step is the trickiest: for

unstable for many with the ex-

can contribute to suicide ide-

tion, it doesn’t need to be any-

them, fear of parents not react-

Chloe Ho Center Spread Editor (Trigger

warning:

ticle

revolves

the

subject

and

This

of

prevention

aged

15-24.

Surveillance seriously

clubs

popular

that

these

I’m incredibly grateful for their generosity and help. Everybody has given me tips on how to be a better runner, and I think I’ve improved because of them.”

As for freshmen’s hopes for where they will be in their senior year, many of the “typical” responses arise: taking AP classes, participating in varsity sports, and simply having fun. Leo Voytovich (9) says, “I see myself on varsity in every single sport that I’m doing. I see myself

connections

COLLAGE: (top) Amelia Naughten, Chloe Amayun, Leo Voytovich (bottom) Benjamin Ahnn, Kaden Ren, Kevin Ren, Ethan Cabrera

getting really good grades and getting a handle on all this work and Canvas, … doing clubs and knowing a lot about technology.” Ahnn, however, aims to be “somewhere hopefully ahead of where my pitiful self is” – an admirable goal many of us can relate to, regardless of grade level.

suicide prevention & awareness month

counselor,

therapist,

and knew

without needed

hesitation, saving.

Center Spread

The Thunderbolt

“Bianca was one of the most creative, kindest, and prettiest souls I’ve ever met. I truly adored and admired her so much and will forever remember the positive impact she had on me and those around her.”

- Leanna Yu

“Bianca was a gentle and bright student. She’s the kind of student I pictured would go on to do great things and I didn’t wor ry about her being lost out in th e world as an adult. It’s such a tr agedy and a loss that she left us so early. I hope she enjoyed her time at Mills and in my two math classe s. She will be missed.” - Ms. Bui

ys u’d ever meet. She alwa yo ul so st te ee sw e th s e “Bianca wa most adorable laugh. Sh e th d ha d an ce fa r he had a smile on oved to Millbrae. We m I en wh e m to d en fri was an amazing . Even s and I miss her everyday ar ye e fiv r fo ds en fri st love were be ew with us I never lost gr at th e nc sta di l ra tu na r with the her during Covid once he e se to ng tti ge r be em m for her. I re erything going on, she ev th wi en Ev r. he d re doctor had clea . Life dealt her a nasty ca an Bi ic ist tim op y, pp was the same ha e light she brought th r fo d re be em m re e’s hand but I hope sh eryday.” - Karine Chan ev r he iss m I e. lif ’s ne to everyo

remembering

T

97

“I remember Bianca as such a positive spirit in my class.” - Mr. Von Euw

“I am so o verwhelmin gly sad abo ing. Bianc ut the new a was kind s of Bianca , graceful, ing over h ’s passcreative, a er essays a n d nd projects very brigh and elegan t. , I Lo am remind ce. Once, she worke ed of her in okto combin d with a gr s e Gothic, R ights oup in AP omantic, a way. Bianc L it n e ra d Victorian a and her g elements in ture roup of th story ” wit ree created a new h three fem a “once up ale heroin pily ever a o n es, and yes a time fter.” Their they did li story conta and they s ve “hapined origin hared it on al ideas an -lin varied voic d art, es. Our cla e and read it aloud to ss (includin the class u deeply adm sing g me) truly ired Bianc a’s optimis loved it. I representa m and cou also tion of wh rage. Bianc at is person like a was a her that giv good in an individua l and it’s a es me hop e.” - Ms. P young rice

“I remember Bianca as a bright ray of sunshine in our Geometry class.” - Ms. Kovacs

bianca

reyes

his past summer on July 12, 2022, Bianca Reyes, a dedicated former member of the Mills Thunderbolt, tragical ly passed away. She was diagnosed with leukemia a week before her 18th birthday, right as her life was truly be-

ginning. She fought hard against everything, but the cancer became too much for her. A kind, quiet girl who was beloved by all, her presence will be greatly missed. Bianca would always help her writers with a smile, patiently giving advice and corrections. The encouraging comments she offered on articles were a breath of fresh air in class. Her passion for design will remain a part of the legacy of The Thunderbolt. As center spread editor, Bianca would create the most beautiful layouts, her love and passion for journalism shining through. Not only did she make gorgeous layouts, the articles she wrote conveyed her devotion to activism. She supported causes like feminism, LGBTQIA+ rights, certain racial issues. As a former Viking, her passing has greatly impacted the Mills community. Mr. Hensley, the advisor for The Thunderbolt, said “I have very fond memories of Bianca. She was in my journalism class for three years. As an editor, she contributed to the class by making wonderful, creative center spreads. Her work was always outstanding. As a person, she was sweet, thoughtful and smart . She is the kind of student that any parent could be proud of. I’m really sorry and sad about her passing.”

Our hearts go out to Bianca’s family and friends; the pain of following and supporting Bianca through her harsh battle must have been unbearable. Two of her aunts, Jocelyn Vellila and Joanne Vellila, have created a GoFundMe to help cover funeral expenses. Any extra money will be donated to St. Jude and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. If you would like to donate, scan the QR code.

Leukemia is one of the most common cancers found in children, and despite a bone marrow transplant from her brother, her body couldn’t handle the overwhelming cancer and tiring medications. May she be remembered as a blessing to all, and her family find comfort in knowing she has to struggle no longer. Bianca, thank you for being a ray of sunshine in our lives.

Opinions

8

The Thunderbolt

Studying With Music: An Aid or Distraction?

Elaine Chan

Staff writer For many students, cracking open

the books to kick off a lengthy study session in turn comes with pressing play to your favorite playlist.

But the question arises: does listening to music assist or distract?

While many swear by the smooth jazz or uplifting pop that pours in through their headphones, opposing beliefs argue that the rhythm and rhyme lingers more than the words crafted on the pages before you.

A study conducted by the University of Maryland Medical Center, unveiled that music helps to stimulate both the left and right sides of the brain. With an activated brain, you can expect higher levels of productivity. Furthermore, with producing better cognitive performance, music also has tremendous effects on one’s emotional state; a decrease in blood pressure and slower heart rate contribute to a tension-free study session. Whether it be a silky melody, or a cheerful beat pulsing through your veins, slipping on a pair of headphones can greatly affect your overall mood. A happy mind equals a happy student.

Endless hours spent poring over textbooks and handwritten notes can grow to be quite monotonous, so an obvious choice of relief from the growing pain in your neck would be turning the volume up to your favorite songs.

Supporting the emotional benefits of music, it assists your brain to categorize and process information as well.

When using an MRI machine, a study led by Stanford displayed how the brain recognizes and retains information, whilst playing music, with

ease. Digesting the material shortly after reading it is a beneficial asset for studying, and it is proven that music can truly be of aid. While observing our complex minds, the parts responsible for attention span and memory appear to be highly engaged whenever we hit play.

Despite the sizable list of benefits, the topic of studying with music has its fair share of drawbacks.

Exercising the short term memory, music may hinder your ability to retain material for longer periods of time. This could ultimately reveal itself in poorly-timed forgetfulness, especially during an exam. While many have attested that music genuinely improves their performance, in some cases it can actually have adverse effects. Overstimulation of the brain can bring about the inability to organize information. Since memorization is linked to familiarizing yourself with patterns and rhythms, some students can even

form a codependency with music. While this may not seem particularly negative, when taking a test in a silent environment, these students may find it impossible to focus; they have become reliant on their music.

After asking multiple other students, many have reached a similar verdict: it all depends on the type of music they select. The great mass of the student population agree that calmer music paired with little to no lyrics benefit their study hall the most. Aligning with that statement, music that is lyric-heavy or borderline noisy can be of disturbance. From personal experience, music is my backboard whenever I feel my concentration slipping; keeping me awake and attentive.

“I end up writing the lyrics down instead of my thoughts

sometimes, but I’m almost always listening to lofi while I work,” confesses a Mills student.

Music can be a stress-relieving and effective tool while hunkering down over your History notes. Yet, some believe silence is their best companion when it comes to studying.

A place of common ground however, is that there is no better way to end a rather taxing day than plugging in your headphones and escaping behind an enchanting melody, perfectly lost in the music.

Where Did the Cobra Go?

ic Masculinity” for the longest time and had what was coming to him.

whether it be hate or valid criticism clearly shows that his ego is way over his head. A second supporting fact is that Andrew Tate with his self-centered characteristics creates an environment where women do not feel safe.

Though it may sound as if a specific gender is being catered to, it certainly does not give the excuse for Tate to exploit his position as an influencer to spread distress to others.

This is how he takes over the algorithm and finds his way to all screens.

At this point, what can be agreed on is that Andrew Tate is a decent business influencer but a disgustingly toxic person of a “role model.” Tate has proven to be the complete opposite of what a helpful influencer should be.

The first notable fact of the matter is the way he has put himself out there immediately labeling him a self-centered attention seeker. His lack of care for what others think

But, this did not stop him from being on the rise, as his popularity has now scarred the youth of many young and particularly male adolescents.

The most notable trait Tate has influenced is that of treating women as if they were below men.

How has he he committed these utter acts of misogyny? Through the platforms he had been banned from such as Tiktok and Instagram, where he would use multiple profiles run by his fans and associates in order to spread his influence with short videos usually under a minute. The catch: Tate’s figure of speech contains very intense phrases which grabs the attention of all who watch.

ral for his “Alpha-male” content on social media.

For a long period of time, Andrew Tate has been a relevant person in all aspects of social media.. His most notable public services are his online courses Hustlers University 2.0 and his “War Room,” both of which are his major classes for his followers. The Hustlers University is held online and the War Room in person.

However, recent events have caused Tate to be wiped off of social media platforms almost entirely.

His supposed ban is due to alleged cases of violent speech such as “how he would assault a woman” and how “some women bear responsibility for being sexually assaulted.”

Despite the recent events, Tate has been labeled as the “King of Tox-

Brendan Phimsoutham Staff Writer

A large number of ado-

lescent young boys are in need of a role model to look up to in this day and age, as it is harder for them to find a proper role model in the family where sanctuary for their growth and development is needed. Most of the time, these young boys will look up to influencers on the internet who pose as these role models and give advice whether it be for good or for the attention and money they receive when doing so.

One example of these influencers is Andrew Tate or “Cobra Tate,” who has become vi-

The Thunderbolt

Opinions

9

Where Do Dress Codes Go Wrong? stopped in the hallway by a teachPhoebe Piserchio Entertainment editor

er and sent to the office for wearing a skirt deemed “too short”.

She was then forced to wear an When getting ready for outfit specifically designed by the school in the mornings, how school for dress code violations, many of us actually think, which included a bright yellow “I love this outfit, but does shirt and red sweatpants, both it conform to the Mills dress code?” Our dress code is one which featured the bolded words of the many policies listed in “dress code violation”. According the student handbook, which to the student, the school itself described what became known most of us have adopted the habit of blindly signing off on as the ‘shame suit’ as a way to purposely embarrass you and at the beginning of the year; discourage future violations. This we don’t often worry about dealing with any consequenc- shocking story highlights one of the main reasons why dress codes es because of what we’re have been so problematic; they wearing. Unfortunately, not are unfair towards young women all students have had that and can result in dehumanization. luxury.

According to an article titled, 14 Most Outrageous Dress Code Scandals, by Hannah Orenstein, a student in Florida who had won a county-level National Honor Society competition had her title revoked for wearing a sundress with spaghetti straps during her speech. In Tennessee, more than 40 high schoolers were sent home for wearing leggings without a dress, skirt, or shorts over them. These and countless other similar experiences

made me wonder: what’s the deal with traditional gender roles and biases, and why do they still make an appearance in our dress codes today?

Since 1969, dress codes have been enforced in schools to promote and establish safety, education, and image.

Our own district, San Mateo Union High School, has a policy that states the student dress code should support students’ “body-positive self-image.” The dress code also should be conducive to a comfortable and active school day that is free of unnecessary discipline. Although well-intentioned, these and other regulations have frequently been the subject of intense debate elsewhere.

In September 2014, a female student in Florida was

Nevertheless, in places where they aren’t so draconian, dress codes can still set a positive tone at schools for what is and is not acceptable, like supporting religious and self-expression and drawing a line against violent or hateful speech. For instance, offensive language or images on clothing should not be condoned.

Personally, I think the idea behind the purpose of dress codes makes perfect sense-- for instance, showing up to school naked shouldn’t be an option. However, it goes

without saying that these rules can, and will, be twisted to a ridiculous level. The notion that “spaghetti straps cause distractions” and the “fingertip policy,” which mandates that all bottoms must fall below one’s fingertips, are the most commonly referenced examples of dress codes taken to an extreme. It’s important that students feel empowered to dress in a way where they can express themselves and match their identity.

Lucky for me and you, Mills has a very reasonable dress code. We can come to school wearing pajamas, spaghetti straps, and even onesies—free of worry about being stopped in the hallway. While we can only hope for a change in places such as the ones alluded to above, here at Mills, with regard to the dress code, we can be content with the status quo

Instagram Reels Vs. Tik Tok Vs. Youtube Daniel Gao Staff writer

TikTok, Instagram Reels, and

Youtube shorts all have been go-toplatforms for students when they crave for entertainment to distract or unwind. However, which mindlessly-scrolling app is scientifically proven the best?

TikTok was the first platform that exclusively provided short video content and has created a brand name for itself since 2016. Its content ranges from 15 second shorts to 10 minute long videos about pranks, skits, lifehacks, and “tiktok dances”. Instagram Reels is also similar to TikTok providing short clips no more than a minute long in the Instagram app. Youtube Shorts similarly has a feature showing 60 second films within the Youtube app. With their similarities, it seems hard to distinguish which platform is the best.

In a recent student survey, 38.5% of students preferred TikTok, 30.8% of students preferred Youtube Shorts, and 30.8% of students preferred Instagram Reels. This makes TikTok the most preferred app with Youtube Shorts and Instagram Reels coming in at a tie respectively. With TikTok exclusively making short film content as its focus, it is easy to see why it’s the fourth most downloaded app in the Apple app store. According to Phoebe Zhang (12), she believed that “TikTok has more variety of videos and aren’t as repetitive as reels or shorts.” Many students also like the simplicity of TikTok with being on the landing page immediately after opening the app.

On the other hand, many students can debate on this perspective.

Kyle Chan (12) said that “With TikTok, you couldn’t really choose what you watch and see the recommended clips beforehand, unlike Youtube Shorts. With Shorts, you can choose what you can watch by scrolling though on the main Youtube home page before watching it.” Youtube user Christie Tjandra (12) also finds that “having both

short and long videos pertaining to the content I consume on one platform is convenient.” Others simply just stick to a single app as Charles Yao (12) who claims that he is too lazy to download extra apps on his phone.

Furthermore, this also seems to be the case with students who vouch for Instagram Reels.

With most students already fostering an Instagram account, there is easy access for them to watch Reels on the explore page along with other trending posts. With Instagram providing more utility with integration of direct messages unlike youtube shorts, many see Instagram as the “does-it-all” app that would centralize their social media life into a single platform. Jamie Wong (12) prefers Instagram Reels because she felt that it would be a big waste of time if she downloaded TikTok. With many interviewees, time management seems to be the top deciding factor in which platform they use. Mills Senior, Serena Mezzetta (12) who chose Instagram Reels testified that “[although] TikTok has the best content and is the most interesting out of the 3 options, I found it too distracting and deleted it.”

Focusing on these points in mind, there are clear winners depending on the main factors of the user’s preferences.

Depending how busy a student is, Instagram Reels or Youtube shorts could be their main sources of entertainment. These short video clips are already integrated within Youtube and Instagram apps which makes them winners in convenience.

However, if time is not a problem and watching quality content creators is your choice, TikTok would be the best fit. In conclusion, these social media giants are neck and neck, constantly involving and improving their services to better fit their consumers wants and needs.

10

SPORTS Mills Fo ootball On the Come Up Joshua Alcantara, Staff Writer O

n Friday, September 2nd, our Mills Vikings stepped onto the field to play their first home game against the Kennedy Eagles. By the looks of the Eagle’s performance in the previous season, it was anyone’s game. As students began to fill the stands, both teams covered the field with their special teams lineup. To start off the game, we broke the tension in the air, stopping the Eagles run at the 35 yard line. On the second play of the game, our defense penetrated the Eagles offensive line and forced an early fumble. Dylan Shu (12) started the game off right by leading the defense and setting the tone for the game. Throughout the fight in the first half, our defense continued to shut down the Eagle’s offensive drives. However, due to many turnovers from our offense, the Eagles were given more opportunities to gain the lead. Over time, the Eagles were continuing to widen the gap in score until the final whistle was blown. The long night ended with the Eagles taking a knee to finalize the score 9 - 26.

Regardless of the score, our Vikings used their mistakes as lessons to prepare for the next battle ahead of them.

Our second opponent, the Alameda Hornets, shared the same 0 - 1 record. Like last game, either team could have brought their school a win. However, many of our Varsity’s core players were not able to participate with their fellow Vikings. Regardless of the roster, the remaining players drove an hour to face the Hornets. Due to the changes in the roster, a new defensive scheme was made to better prepare for the game. Our defense yet again proceeded to stop the Hornet’s first offensive drive. The Hornets reciprocated the same defensive aggression and were able to withold us from scoring. With the help of a 35 yard run, the Hornets were able to run the ball into the endzone. Unphased by the previous play, our kick return team responded with a touchdown. Kick returner Rodolfo Carvhalo (12) made the highlight reel as he ran 70 yards to even out the score for us. Both teams took turns making big plays and scoring back-to-back touchdowns. Amongst these big plays, Carvhalo striked again to add on to the scoreboard. Shortening the distance, our Varsity team kept fighting with the hope of coming back home with a win under their belt. Fighting until the very end, victory fell short right beneath our feet, with the final score reading 23 - 34. After a good clash with the Hornets, our Vikings took it back to the drawing board to discover and implement a strategy. and start redrawing plays and looking for places to improve.

A message after this second game from main scorer Carvhalo stated, “I know Mills football hasn’t been the best recently, but we are ready to display the work we put in. Stay tuned”.

And he wasn’t wrong. In our fourth game against the Saratoga Falcons, our Vikings won 3028 on their own turf. This game has sparked a fire inside of our football team, as they plan on using that flaming energy for the rest of the season. With half of the season over, our Vikings have high hopes on what they can do for the rest of the season.

New Coaches for Mills Cheerleading Alysha Louis, Staff Writer T

he past couple of years have been rough for the Mills cheer team. Last year was a substantial struggle due to the lack of a coach to mentor the team, leaving it to the team to resolve issues by themselves. This year, the Mills cheer team has 2 new coaches, Jada Corbin the Varsity coach, and Ella Reyes the JV coach. So far, the Mills cheer team is loving their new coaches and they feel that they will have a lot of success this year.

The JV team worked all summer long to learn new stunts and routines before the start of the year. Now that the year has started, the girls are getting the feel of games every friday. Reyes says she was first interested in the job for Mills cheer coach because she had started cheer when she was a freshman in high school, and ended up loving it. She decided to pursue her passion by sharing her experience and knowledge with the team. One of her favorite things about the team so far is how fast they were able to connect with each other and bond with the new coaches. JV cheerleader Charlie Bingham (10) said, “I’m really loving this year! I’m a new student and I’m so happy to be a part of a team. Everyone is so sweet and has really good energy. I’m really excited to get to know everyone. I was a little nervous about changing schools, but I think it was a great choice because I met all of these sweet girls and great coaches. Reyes said she’s loving her job as coach and that she’s really having a lot of fun with it.”

So far this year, the cheerleaders have been having so much fun at practices and games. Varsity captain Chiara Torres (12) says, “My favorite thing about cheering at games so far is definitely the crowd. I feel like with our new cheers and sideline dances, the crowd gets more and more excited. Hearing the crowd cheer with us and watching them dance along really makes me happy.”

Corbin says, “What made me interested in coaching Mills cheer was from getting an overview of how previous years were and how the coaching and training system wasn’t there. I wanted to join in order to switch everything around and make both teams the best they could be. The girls have also been working really hard since summertime to be able to perform at the amazing level that they’re at. I love working as a head coach of the cheer program and love being able to bond with these girls and getting the experience of watching them learn new skills.” Alex Basco (12), another one of the Varsity captains added, “Something I look forward to this year is hitting newer and harder stunts. With our two new coaches, I’m confident that we’ll be able to reach our goal. I can’t wait to show them off at the games. The thing I’m most excited about is spending time with the team and creating stronger bonds with everyone!”

One thing special about this year and the Mills cheer team is our winning catchphrase. The new coaches this year are helping to bring together both the JV and Varsity teams, and forming stronger friendships. The Mills cheer team is so glad to have these amazing new coaches, as they have created a wonderful team with a powerful bond.

Cross Country and WOPO Overview Samuel Lam, Staff Writer

11

T

he school year has started, ushering in the exciting season of fall sports. With the graduating class of amazing athletes leaving, many wonder how these teams will fare as they start up their competitions. Among these many astounding fall teams at Mills, this article will spotlight the Cross Country and Water Polo teams.

Coming off an amazing season with the Men’s Varsity Cross Country team, coming closer to qualifying for the state meet than any previous team had ever had, many on the team wondered what direction the team would take. Considering half the Varsity team, consisting of Jason Habash, Lokesh Kumar, and Aaron Chin, had graduated the previous year, many people will have to step up and fill their shoes. According to an interview with Lawrence Cappel, the current coach of the Cross Country team, last year’s team was probably the best team Mills has seen in recent history.

Despite the pressure of filling in the shoes of the amazing season of the previous year, the team had an excellent start to its 2022 season. 38 athletes represented Mills at the Lowell Invitational at Golden Gate Park on Saturday, September 10th, with various athletes breaking their personal records at this course. Among these athletes were three stellar freshmen, Kaden Ren (9), Kevin Ren (9), and Ethan Cabrera (9), who all took home medals from this event. These freshmen also ran alongside Gabriel Solano (12), Samuel Lam (12), Remi Palomo (12), and Kyle Chan (12), putting up remarkable performances in the first Peninsula Athletic League (PAL) Meet at Half Moon Bay High School. Each of the freshmen put up remarkable performances and times with the top 5 runners of Mills finishing within an astoundingly slim margin of 30 seconds.

With another interview with Coach Cappel, he expressed his excitement about the girls teams. “This is the first time in five years that we have both a Frosh/Soph and Varsity Team.” Looking back on the performances on September 10th (Lowell Invitational) and on September 14th (PAL #1), Coach Cappel has hinted at the legitimate chance of taking our Mill’s Girls Varsity Team to the Central Coast Championships (CCS) alongside our Varsity Boys, and looks forward to an amazing if not a better season than any previous one.

Yet another sport that has started off their season and has needed to recover from the loss of alumni is Water Polo. Mills has always been seen as an underdog within their league and grouping. This year is not any different with the loss of amazing graduates and players. With a lot of freshmen wishing to make their debut in highschool Water Polo, many incoming seniors and juniors have commented on their need to step up. Especially considering the fact that there are less players who qualify for the Varsity spots. However, there seems to be some hope.

One player on the girls Water Polo team comments that she thinks that the team has lots of potential for this season. “I think our team chemistry is really good. We communicate very well with each other and I think we have a very strong group.” All the recent games have set them in perspective with the rest of their competition and details the work that they must do in order to improve.

When interviewing another Water Polo member, she detailed their aspirations and goals for the upcoming season. “With a new season comes new opportunities.” With an amazing mindset, they gave this quote of inspiration, “It is early in the season. Now is the time to make mistakes and to learn from them and improve.” As much as Water Polo is a team sport, each must improve to bolster the team spirit and performance as a whole. As such, the Water Polo team’s goal as a whole has always been to not only improve as a team but to improve as individuals as well.

We cheer on both of these amazing and spectacular teams as they continue through their seasons. Many of these stellar student athletes dedicate themselves to these sports towards the goal of improving their craft while juggling school work and other extracurriculars. We applaud them as well as other athletes of various sports on their dedication and determination to see these sports through. Go Mills!

Girl Tennis Game Recaps Rachel Cheng, Staff Writer W

ith the start of the 2022-2023 school year, our Mills Girls Varsity tennis team is excited to participate in the upcoming season. The team’s first two recent games started with a triumphant victory against the Terra Nova Tigers followed by an unfortunate loss against the Capuchino Mustangs.

Coach John Daquioag, the Girls Varsity tennis coach, expressed his confidence in the tennis team this year. “Our seniors’ hard work, camaraderie, and keen sense of sportsmanship instills confidence in the rest of the team.” He shows pride in his seniors’ and juniors’ skills and looks forward to coaching the new underclassmen recruits, who will be the new future of our Mills Girls Varsity tennis team.

When inquired about her experiences being on the tennis team for the first time, Natalie Cheng (9) responded, “Tennis has been fun so far, but also challenging at times. So far, I’ve enjoyed meeting new people and improving my tennis skills. Although it can sometimes be difficult and test your perseverance, I look forward to this season.” In addition, Cheng left a motivational message for the team this upcoming season: “Believe.”

At the game at against the Tigers, the score spelled victory for Mills, winning 6-1. Through an intense singles match with Kylie Huynh (9), she made her way through with 3 sets. While losing the first set 3-7, she broke through with a 7-6 (7) for her second set, finishing it off with 10-6 for the third and final tiebreaker set. The other 2 singles matches were both successes with 6-2, 6-2 for Rachel Cheng (12) and 6-0, 6-0 for Alyson Lo (12). With no one available to play for singles 4 from Terra Nova, Mills automatically won the singles 4 match by default.

In the doubles games category, doubles 1 unfortunately lost with an intense 5-7, 3-6. Although they only had a loss in their match, doubles 2 achieved their win after another 6-0, 6-0 and gained their last actual game win. The last team point was achieved through another default due to the Tiger’s lack of members.

When asked about the new singles 1 player for the team, Huynh, Daquioag stated that the team is “anchored at the top spot by a freshman who exudes camaraderie and sportsmanship.

Instead of putting off the team, she gets them to rally behind her.”

Following the game at Terra Nova, the team went on to play their second game at Capuchino High School, which led to an unfortunate loss. Nonetheless, Huynh, along with Mina Law (12) and Chloe Feng (11) managed to win two team points through their effort and persistence.

With the season kicking off with an intriguing start, the captains of the tennis team express their confidence in the players to improve throughout the season. They believe that in order to refine their skills, players should practice as much as possible and keep a positive attitude no matter the outcome of a game.

Doubles 1 player Erika Kita (12) reflects: “Last year, the seniors were really inspirational for me as a first time player. This year, the singles players are rising to fill their spots. The freshmen who haven’t played before also work really hard, since they are attending every practice and improving fast. Even though a lot of us are new, we are treat each other as one big happy family.” Kita additionally suggests that if players are in search of help or feel out of their comfort zone, Coach Daquioag is welcoming and supportive as a coach and can assist with drills step by step.

Coach Daquioag announces that the team has shown “competitiveness and mental toughness against players who may have started at a younger age.” He leaves an inspiring message for players on the team: “Skills are built daily, and if we get better day after day, victory will be ours.”

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Entertainment

April 15, 2022

The Thunderbolt

Taylor Swift’s New Album “Midnights” Abigail Chai Staff Writer

O

n August 28th, singer-songwriter Taylor Swift struck gold and won 3 Video Music Awards for Video of the Year, Best Longform Video, and Best Direction. However, that night her fans were arguably even bigger winners, as Swift officially announced her long-awaited 10th studio album.

After receiving the award for Video of the Year, her third and final award of the night, Swift announced to the very excited crowd, “I had sort of made up my mind that if you were going to be generous and give us this, I thought it might be a fun moment to tell you that my brand-new album comes out October 21st. I will tell you more at midnight.”

Staying true to her words, when the clock struck 12:00 EST, Swift released an official statement to her social media platforms, in which she officially revealed the album’s cover and title, plus the number of tracks that would be included. The cover includes a close up of Swift’s face, where she dons a blue, glittery smokey eye with a lighter held close to her face. The album, titled Midnights, contains 13 tracks. In her post, she describes the album as “. . .a collection of music written in the middle of the night, a journey through terrors and sweet dreams.”

To no one’s surprise, Swift’s Twitter and Instagram posts sent social media into a flurry, with her posts collectively amassing over 9 million likes. Topics in relation to the album quickly trended on Twitter as fans began to storm the app, expressing their excitement for Midnights.

Trending phrases included, “Taylor, MidnightsTS, and SCREAMING CRYING THROWING UP”. The new album is a surprise to many,

“Between

1&2”

as Swift had not previously hinted to potential new music any time soon. Nonetheless, it’s no secret that fans are ecstatic about the upcoming music. Fans hurried over to Swift’s official website, desperate to place a preorder on the album’s vinyl, however due to high demand, her website soon crashed.

While little is known about the album, fans have already begun to theorize about the aesthetic and potential content the album could possibly bring. Swift, who is notorious for leaving easter eggs about upcoming projects, often has her devoted supporters scrambling for any potential hints towards possible announcements. Her fans, dubbed “swifties”, quickly got to work, connecting the wildest- yet plausible- fan theories of the upcoming album. One popular theory circulates back to Taylor’s past album Lover (2019), in which fans believe that Midnights is a potential sister album to Swift’s 2019 album Lover. Lover’s pastel aesthetic and predominantly bright, loving message deeply contrasts with Midnight’s dark and depressive aesthetic, which has fans believing that the two albums could potentially be two different sides of the same coin.

To add on, in Lover’s final track “Daylight”, the closing lyrics are, “I wanna be defined by the things I love/Not the things I hate/Not the things I’m afraid of, I’m afraid of/ Or things that haunt me in the middle of the night/ I, I just think you are what you love.” Basically, Taylor ended Lover telling us she doesn’t want to fear the night anymore. Going back to what we know about Midnights, it’s an album “written in the middle of the night, a journey through terrors and sweet dreams,” so the album could possibly be exploring her fear of the night that she had previously referenced in Daylight.

Despite the theory being super elaborate and believable, Swift has yet to comment on the theory, so as of now it’s sim-

Album

ALBUM

Swift’s

“Midnights”

MIDNIGHTS Taylor Swift

album

cover.

Astrology Signs: Why Do People

Review Believe in Them?

A

lmost a year after the release of Formula of Love: O + T = <3, by Korean girl-group Twice, comes their long-awaited comeback with their retro-inspired 11th Korean mini-album: Between 1&2. Featuring a total of seven new songs, Between 1&2’s uniqueness particularly stands out as over half of the songs were credited as being written by various Twice members.

JYP Entertainment Talk that Talk (TTT), the album’s South Korean girl group. lead single, encapsulates the synth-filled TWICE: 80s dance-pop era concept of the album and nitely isn’t winning any awards for originality), what serves as the perfect jumping-off point for Talk that Talk excels at is making the perfect hit that you listeners. While the 80s’ pop vibe isn’t en- can’t help bobbing your head along to; from the silky tirely new for Twice—tapped into by various smooth first verse to the absolute banger of a last chorus, b-sides tracks such as PUSH & PULL and TTT is a fun, insanely-catchy retro-pop song that underMOONLIGHT—TTT is distinct from other stands what it wants to be. It delivers without its gimmick title tracks as Twice has never experimented feeling, well, gimmicky (cough* Red Velvet cough*). with this vibe in a song of this magnitude. Despite its lack of originality, TTT does its job well and While the Y2K-themed concept gives Twice fans another bop to put in their playlists.

With the growing popularity of K-pop with behind Talk that Talk’s music video is quite unique, the track itself doesn’t really stand out Western audiences, the inclusion of an all English musically from other songs. On first listen, I song has become almost a staple in many new K-pop simply brushed this song off as another ener- albums.. Between 1&2’s second track, Queen of getic, if not slightly outdated, pop song that Hearts fulfills this role and then some, with a catchy... doesn’t try anything new. Although this initial Article Continued on conclusion isn’t completely wrong (TTT defimillsthunderbolt.com to think, they just post. The newest social media platform sends a random notification everyday stating that it’s “Time to BeReal.” Users have a two-minute window to take a picture from their Nicole Lee front and rear camera in order to show their folStaff Writer lowers what they are doing at that very moment.

If posted after the span of two minutes, photos are marked as “late” and you are unable to see what Time to BeReal.” The app that has your friends are up to until you post. Once posted, been trying to build a name since January of 2020 you and your followers can react to each other’s has finally reached 2.7 million downloads as of late August and has sat as the number one free app in the iOS App Store for three consecutive months.

Why is it that BeReal is suddenly making its rounds throughout many high school and college campuses?

Alexis Barreyat, the founder and developer of BeReal, created a photo sharing app that promotes authenticity unlike other platforms which are picked through and polished over to depict a flawless exterior to its followers. Other photo sharing apps, especially Instagram, are notoriously known to have misleading posts with highly edited and distorted realities that become extremely toxic to viewers. It’s no secret that social media has created a false sense of expectations for many generations like what a “perfect” body should look like or people showing off the “ideal” lifestyle. There’s also been a demand for new photo sharing apps amongst younger users as they are fed up with Instagram’s constant changes and features. What makes BeReal so popular is its concept of unfiltered posting and simplicity. Users don’t have

“

Taylor

ply speculation. This huge theory is just one of many about her upcoming album.

Fans are hopeful for a tour in support of Midnights, as Swift hasn’t toured since Reputation (2018); however, Taylor and her team have yet to confirm any upcoming tours.

Since the official announcement of Midnights, she has released 3 new special edition vinyl covers and pressings available on her official website. Target has also announced a Target exclusive lavender vinyl and CD, that will feature 3 bonus tracks exclusively on the CD. Also, very recently Taylor has announced a series on TikTok titled Midnights Mayhem With Me, where in her words, she’ll “allow fate to decide exactly what track titles I’m going to be announcing and in what order.” As of now, we only know track #13 which is named Mastermind. Fans excitedly await the announcement of new track titles along with the release of Midnights and any more news Swift may release.

Bruce Nie Staff Writer

The Rise of “BeReal”

COVER:

Michael Lin Staff Writer

F

or centuries, humans have worshiped the stars and prayed to the heavens for answers, especially regarding their own lives. As early as 2,400 years BC, ancient Babylonians employed the symbols on the skies as celestial omens. By studying planetary movements, they attempted to predict the future. By the 16th century BC, there was an abundance of comprehensive scriptures left behind carved on stones, consisting of 7,000 celestial omens.

Upon the occupation of Egypt by Alexander the Great in 332 BC, Egypt came under the influence of Greek culture. The city of Alexandria, which was founded between the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC, created Horoscopic astrology by mixing Babylonian astrology and Egyptian tradition.

The new system included the Babylonian zodiac wheel, yet introduced the Egyptian concept of dividing it into 36 sections, 10 degrees each. The Egyptians also introduced the planetary gods, sign rulership, and the four elements. The word ascendant in Greek is horoskopos, which led to the creation of the English word “horoscope.”

In 140 CE, Ptolemy wrote Tetrabiblios, one of the famous astrology books to this day.

The book explains planets, zodiac signs, and houses. The twelve houses are divisions of the ecliptic plane, they cover aspects of life including personal growth, survival methods, relationships, and existentialism. The houses are based on Earth’s 24-hour rotation, and once you are born, whichever sign that was rising in the east becomes your house.

Astrology remained a central part of me-

dieval culture, practiced by doctors, astronomers, and mathematicians. In the midst of the following era, specifically the 16th century, men would peer to the skies and predict future events such as the French Revolution, the rise of Napoleon and Adolf Hitler, world wars and the catastrophe caused by nuclear weapons.

India and China had their own versions of the Zodiac, whereas the West remained steadfast to Greek beliefs.

The main constellations consist of Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. After the Roman conquest of Greece at 146 BC, Romans switched the Zodiac to planets: Mars, Venus, Mercury, Moon, Sun, Mercury, Venus, Pluto, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

In China, astrology held close to Confucianism.

The Chinese horoscope followed cycles of years and was represented by animals starting with the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. These animals each have distinctive personality traits that are to people who are born in that animal’s year.

Nowadays, astrology is shunned by modern scientific communities. Most people claim that the predictions are random and simply erroneous. We would appoint meaning and therefore fill the hole of fear and despair that is the uncertainties of life. In modern society where information is abundant, and accessible with clicks of our fingers, such information could be used as reference, entertainment, and perhaps a reassurance to the self. So perhaps Shakespeare was right after all when he said “It is not the stars that hold our destiny, but ourselves.”

post by snapping a photo of yourself, sharing your genuine reaction. The app’s mission is to promote honest, genuine social media that isn’t very time consuming. One snap and you’re done!

The app’s downloads spiked tremendously over the course of just a few months, however, this stardom was not the case at first. The app was founded in early 2020 but had not yet spiked until mid this year when it became all the rage thanks to young users promoting the app on TikTok, another popular social platform. TikTok allows people to post short clips and videos whether it’s funny memes or ‘how to’ videos. One of the many trends showing off the app’s features included a plethora of screenshots of people’s BeReals that captured what the person did that summer or school year. Some people took the authenticity of the app too seriously and posted TikTok videos of moments where it was time to BeReal at unfortunate times which blew up with millions of views.

Barryat also hired young ambassadors across the country to promote his app at their colleges. Any college student can apply to become an ambassador as there is an application on the BeReal website. The app wants these students to introduce the application towards their peers which makeup the majority of users and bring their mission to campuses around the United States. Schools such as Georgetown University, University of Alabama and even Harvard University have been swept with the BeReal events to encourage more downloaders.

BeReal has been extremely smart with their advertising and has worked hard to build their name and gain loyal users. The rapid growth has made its way to the Mills hallways where you can find students from all classes asking their peers and staff to take their photo. Lets see how long this app can stay afloat and remain the talk of the classrooms.