Volume 65, Issue 8, May 22, 2025

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Volume 654 Issue 8 | | may2202524 LATEST AT MILLS

|| Proudly Serving the Mills Community. || www.millsthunderbolt.com

viking

SEC Unveils Auditorium Mural, Celebrating Mills Diversity

Velocity

Read about the inspiration behind the new mural.

News on pages 2-3

LMP Hosts La Fiesta Featuring vibrant traditions, student-led performances, and food, La Fiesta was a celebration of heritage and community spirit. Find out what made it so special!

Features on pages 4-5

Class of 2025 College Map! Discover where our seniors are off to after gradutaion!

Check out the college map to see the destinations and future for the class of 2025.

Center Spread on pages 6-7

Photos courtesy of Vincent Reinhart Melgazo (12) & Jovian Cheung (11)

Streak Culture: Duolingo, Snapchat, Tiktok From the media to learning platforms, streaks are part of our routines. Are they motivating us or creating unnecessary pressure?

Opinions on pages 8-9

Mills Track and Field: Keeping Up the Pace Fast finishes, unforgettable moments, this track season is one to remember. Read more about the highlights and standout athletes.

Sports on pages 10-11

Chicken Jockey!

A review of the Minecraft movie, exploring the plot, visuals, and a fan-favorite moment with the chicken jockey. See if the film truly lives up to the standards.

Entertainment on page 12

Andres Luis Makilan Staff Writer

S

ince the founding of the Dance Program here at Mills, they (along with FAA and the Dance Team) have worked diligently to bring us a huge dance show near the end of the spring semester. With multiple group, duo, and solo acts, Viking Velocity proved to be a worthwhile addition to the series of school-backed events. But how did the show come to be in the first place?

According to Ms. Himes, the dance teacher at Mills, the inspiration for a school dance show actually dated back to when she was shadowing San

Mateo’s dance program last year.

“I covered it as a long term sub when [the director] had a baby… I completely took over a full time dance program”. She continues, going on to say that the director’s show managed to inspire her enough that she carried the idea of a show to Mills and the tips & tricks she’d learned to create a show that was true to her and the style of dance she loves to teach.

Preparations for the show began at the start of the fall semester, with both dance class and the dance team creating their choreography for the different dances that they would perform. Ms. Himes says that a lot of these dances started all the way back in October for both her first and third periods of beginner and intermediate/advanced dance.

Chloe Xie, a senior in intermediate/advanced dance, is one of many students in dance class who have created choreographies for the different songs that were used in the show. When asked about the factors that inspired/influenced her choreography for the song ‘Finesse’

by Bruno Mars, she answered that she wanted to “bring the energy that dance has always made me feel, which is to feel energized and to be myself.”

She continues, saying that she “wanted to express that part of myself to others”.

I was able to see the show for myself during its April 25th showing, and it is safe to say that all that preparation and practice paid off tremendously.

It was very clear that e a c h performance had a tremendous amount of care put into it, and after the a c t was done, you could hear the energy and excitement backstage between p e e r s .

Even after the show, that e n e r g y was still visible with all the students t h a t performed.

News

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The Thunderbolt

Weightlifing Club!

Matthew Du Sports Editor

T

Mills High School Publication Dear Mills community,

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

Thunderbolt Staff Faculty Advisor aNthoNy Pretto

Editors-in-Chief amelIa NaughteN ‘26 meNtor: elaINe ChaN ‘25 meNtor: Phoebe PIserChIo ‘25

News Editor emIly Wu ‘28 meNtor: amelIa NaughteN ‘26

Features Editor meagaN so ‘28 meNtor: JaNelle PaNtIloN ‘26

Center Spread Editor

This is our very last letter that we will be writing to you all as the Editors-inChief of The Thunderbolt for the 2024-25 school year. As we wrap up an incredible year, we want to take a moment to reflect, say our thank you’s, and most of all, share our gratitude for the immense support we’ve received from this community over the years.

This paper would be nothing without the brilliant staff behind it. We are endlessly grateful to our editorial team, who brought this publication to life every single cycle. Huge thanks to Amelia Naughten (News), Janelle Pantilon (Features), Abigail Chai (Center Spread), Isabelle Yang (Sports), and Bianca Pando (Entertainment); we’re so grateful for your creativity and commitment!

To Mr. Pretto, our advisor—thank you for your unwavering support, guidance, and humor. And to our families and friends—thank you for your endless encouragement (and for reading every issue we hand delivered to you).

Being part of The Thunderbolt has given us a platform to speak, to grow, and to connect—with our peers, our campus, and ourselves. Journalism started out as simply an elective that sounded “pretty cool” to our underclassmen selves.

Now as graduating seniors, it ended up being the class that drove us to continue our exploration of Media, Journalism, and Communication in our next 4 years of undergraduate study. Being able to serve this team and publication as staff writers, section editors, and finally Editors-in-Chief made our high school career incredibly unique and impactful. As much as it gave us the space to use our voices and share our opinions, the best gratification came in the form of giving a voice to our student community here at Mills. The Thunderbolt holds a special place in our hearts as we dedicated our time, effort, and genuine passion to uplifting the student voice and emphasizing its power in our community.

As for our next 4 years, we will continue our studies, majoring in Media Industries and Communications. We just knew that this path toward a more nuanced discovery of the topics we covered as a part of The Thunderbolt was a natural fit for us. We are incredibly excited to pass the torch onto Amelia Naughten who will be taking on the role of Editor-in-Chief in her upcoming senior year. We wish her all the best adventures as well as to the entire management team for the 2025-2026 school year! Thank you again for giving us the opportunity to serve the Mills and Millbrae community through The Thunderbolt and watch out for next year’s first issue coming out in the fall of 2025!

Signing off, Elaine Chan & Phoebe Piserchio Editors-in-Chief 2024-2025

elIJah CabatIC ‘26 meNtor: JulIa XIa ‘25

Sports Editor mattheW Du ‘28 meNtor: Isabelle yaNg ‘25

Entertainment Editor maDysoN taNg ‘28 meNtor: bIaNCa PaNDo ‘26

Copy Editor eDuarDo galINDo aguIlar ‘25

Staff Writers hayDeN buNCe ‘26 kalyssa Chu ‘25 tIaNyou lee ‘26 aNDres luIs makIlaN ‘26 JaDa PaN ‘26 elIzabeth PaNIagua ‘28 WarreN shIu ‘25 Noah uNg ‘25

Janelle Pantilon Features Mentor

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ills’ Filipino American Alliance Club (FAA) recently danced their hearts out at the hip hop conference, “Rock the School Bells” at Skyline College, placing first on April 10, 2025.

Rock the School Bells was created in 2008 by Skyline College as an outlet to build community among the youth through creative expression. This conference aspires to gather a community full of dancers, deejays, artists, and more to enhance leadership and collaboration across the Bay Area.

Although FAA entered Rock the School Bells at the last minute, they pulled through to take the win home. After hearing about the conference from Mills Counselor, Ms. Tijero, who had previously worked at Skyline and heard former colleagues recommend the event, FAA was

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Spotify: @thunderboltrecords The Mills Thunderbolt

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interested from the start. Under shorter notice, FAA reused their hip hop choreography that was later performed at the Mills “Who We Are Assembly.”

FAA President Reece Roach (12) said everything fell into place as they had “the perfect quick practice run” of their dance during the conference, several days leading up to the cultural assembly.

Despite having typical preperformance nerves, many of the dancers reminded themselves that they have performed in front of an audience plenty of times. They also used the drifting attitudes and atmosphere at the conference as a way to boost their confidence. They “fed off the environment” as Roach described it.

Speaking of the environment, the DJ, rainbow floors, and variety of diverse people alluded to a comfortable and lively space.

Recognized for their inclusivity, Rock the School Bells had people of all groups participate in the competition, most of which were

REECE ROACH / FAA Co-President

GROUP PICTURE: FAA dance membes posing with first place trophy.

high school students, college students, and young adults.

In addition to the people and opportunity to expand community outreach, the food, music, and entertainment allowed the event to be enjoyable for all. “We learned about the culture and significance of hip hop in education and across the world, it was really

enlightening,” said Roach.

Considering this was FAA’s first time both hearing and attending this annual dance off, it’s an activity they’d like to take part in in the future. If

Continue reading on millsthunderbolt.com

Mills Music Dominates the CMEA Festival Emily Wu News Editor

Good luck on finals, Vikings!

Have a great summer break!

Continue reading on

Mills FAA Dances Their Way to First Place

mIkayla ho ‘28 meNtor: abIgaIl ChaI ‘25

Opinions Editor

he Weightlifting Club this year has been an overwhelming success and more students have joined their club than before. Many students have had positive reviews and feedback.

This is also the first year the club operated consistently.

The Weightlifting Club was founded by former Mills Vikings Brandon Lum before he graduated in 2024, he passed it down to current senior Daniel Ingalsbe (12).

Ingalsbe has gone above and beyond to elevate the club and make it better for the students.

Ingalsbe illuminated the process of starting the club.

Originally, he wanted to do weightlifting, so he asked the office if he could go into the weight room and weightlift.

However, the office refused to let him in and said only athletes could be in there. A friend told him that there’s a club for weightlifting that Lum started. The only problem was that it was “very inconsistent and kept on getting shut down.”

After Lum graduated, he handed the club down to

Ingalsbe, where he got all the paperwork signed and then got the club officially registered for this school year.

Ingalsbe said in a statement, “It was a gift that I have and I just wanted to give that to other people.”

The Weightlifting Club is a co-advisor club with Dean Tim Christian as their official advisor and Mills campus safety specialist German Trujillo as their co-advisor. Trujillo helps open the doors and facilitates the weight room to make sure all the students follow the set rules. This is also the only club that operates during FLEX. Ingalsbe mentions, “I always encourage people to do weightlifting…Basically, you walk in and you touch what you want. Then, if I see a struggle or if I see confusion, I definitely go to the person and then try to give him a mini intro and then see if they like it.”

Ingalsbe also adds, “People just seem to be really inclusive, like, ‘Hey, can I join?’ ...then they join. So the club members are really inclusive.”

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rom April 25th to the 26th, Mills High School music had an exciting and rewarding experience of participating at the California Music Educators Association (CMEA). In addition to competing for awards, students also had the opportunity to perform at two local schools and California’s Great America.

CMEA is an organization that encourages music education and brings together music programs from schools across California.

“It’s kind of a foundational group of all the music teachers in California,” explained Mr. Gregoric, Mills’ band director. “It’s held throughout the year and supports and

promotes music education.”

This year, Mills participated in the jazz, band, and orchestra CMEA events, and all three ensembles earned united superior ratings, the highest score possible. “It went really well. I mean, you know, we were tired,” said Mr. Gregoric,

referring to the group’s packed schedule. “We were doing a lot of things because the day before, we did concerts at Taylor Middle School and Spring Valley.”

Performing for younger students turned out to be one of the most memorable parts of the trip. “...the highlight for us

was the Spring Valley kids,” Mr, Gregoric said, “...they were so engaged, and it was a time where the audience was really involved and they were so cute and so fun.”

After the school concerts, Mills musicians headed to Great America for their final performance. In total, they brought home six awards, four first-place trophies, two sweepstakes awards, and a special jazz soloist award earned by sophomore Daniel Grimkov.

These awards reflected not only the talent but also the countless hours of preparation.

While most of the competitors were from California, some came from further away. “There was one school from Washington

Continue reading on GRACE CHOY / Mills Band Member

GROUP PICTURE: Mills Music posing for group photo during the CMEA.

millsthunderbolt.com

News

The Thunderbolt

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Spring Film Festival Arose Filmmakers Elijah Cabatic Opinions Editor

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s is tradition here at Mills, the Spring Film Festival took place in the Mills Auditorium on April 17th, and as always Mills students brought its A-game.

Every category was filled with high quality films made by Ms. Arge’s Art of Film and Media arts classes. The films ranged from music videos to drama and showed the true creativity of their creators. After the films were shown, 13 awards were given out. The trophies were VHS tapes painted gold which added an extra “film” touch to the award ceremony, even if most high school students have never used a VHS tape. I talked to some of these winners to get what they thought of the whole event.

One of those winners was Fin Cereface (10) whose group won the Upcoming Filmmakers Award. His group had two entries into the film festival including a music video set to “Homesick”

by MICO and a short film advertising sleep. He felt good about their chances going into the film festival because “Mrs. Arge avidly showed interest in our films, but I think we were definitely surprised when we did

win.” When asked about what their favorite part of the film was, he responded, “[It] was in the music video and was when we were dancing on the logs like in the Lion King”. The film festival gives a chance for students to express themselves creatively in front of a large, captive audience. One of the hardest things about creating videos is getting people to see them, so the opportunity the film festival gives is vital in not just showing off, but also gaining confidence.

Junior Jacob Ramos also won an award, which for him was the Drama award for his film “Murder 2”. He enjoyed the shooting of his film as well as he said, “When Jimmy (Leo) chases Lydia (Kelly). We spent a long time trying to figure out how to do the shot, and then executing it. It was very rewarding to finally get a satisfactory shot.” Many filmmakers gain enjoyment from shooting the film just as much as seeing the final product. He also carried the same confidence as Cereface as he said that he “absolutely” believed he would win. It can be said that you may need some level of confidence to succeed in anything, but both Ramos and Cereface had a lot of confidence in their films.

Another student who

submitted work was senior Nicholas Chang who created “Exit the Dragon” which won Best Animation and Audience Choice for Advanced. He was no less confident in his chances of winning as he said, “I would be lying if I said no.” He didn’t mean it in an arrogant way, but later explained, “I also told myself in the beginning of the semester I would do anything to win an award.” A lot about filmmaking is just how much effort you put in is what you get out, and as shown by Chang’s animation.

In the almost 10 minute long film he had to draw each scene and was also able to fully voice the film with a full cast. When asked if there was anything he would have wanted to improve he said, “I definitely should’ve colored my film if I had more time”. Even without the color, his film stood out winning the aforementioned awards.

Mills is full of talented filmmakers who put their heart and soul into their projects, and the film festival gave those students a chance to show off their talents. As the school year comes to an end, this also acts as a last show for the seniors like Chang. His favorite film in the show that he didn’t create was “Momento” by

Mark Chan. He enjoyed the film because, “as a senior, I got to look back at the people and memories that got me here.”

As director Peter Jackson once said, “The most honest form of filmmaking is to make a film for yourself.” In the end filmmaking is just a creative outlet for a person to express something about themselves and Mills has done, and will hopefully continue to foster that within the community.

Abby Chai Center Spread Mentor

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s the school year comes to an end and so does my time at Mills, I will be saying goodbye to a few things in the next few weeks. Some of those being teachers, friends, and of course, the school food. While I admittedly don’t eat the school food a lot, there are a few items I’ve had in the past that I will hold a fond space for in my memories at Mills; many of which are well-loved by most students!

Pizza No matter what day it is, you can never go wrong with a slice of pizza for lunch.

Whether it’s the cheese or pepperoni, the Mills pizza always seems to hit the spot for most students during lunch. So out of the many options the lunch carts provide, a piece of pizza will always be a safe and delicious option to opt for.

Fuji Apples

REECE ROACH / Mills High School

FILM FESTIVAL: Near the end of the show, student filmmakers and hosts stood on stage holding their awards after showcasing all films to the audience.

Celebrating Diversity; SEC Unveils Mural Tianyou Lee Staff Writer

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long-term project of the Student Equity Council (SEC), the auditorium mural has finally been completed and sits hungup in the lobby. The artwork celebrates the diversity of Mills High School and features various cultures, extracurriculars, students, and staff.

The idea for the mural was first conceived in spring 2023, and drafting began in September of that year. Work on it was finished in the first few weeks of 2025, and the finished mural was put up during spring break with the help of facilities.

In the Who We Are assembly on April 14, SEC co-president Clarissa Louie (11) and SEC member Jay Luken (10) announced the completion of the mural to the school.

“The mural represents the greater Mills community, taking note of cultural differences, ethnic backgrounds, and the uniqueness of each and every one of us,” Luken said in their announcement.

On the right, the mural features a large Viking ship that resembles a dragon, referencing the Mills mascot and branding.

Clubs such as the Latina Mentor Program, the Dragon Dance Team, and the Filipino American Alliance have their cultural activities on display while other

Mills programs like music, basketball, and the robotics team are represented as well. Depicting the diversity of the Mills community, staff and students of different backgrounds — all modeled on real people — are present throughout the mural, especially on the left.

At the beginning of the project, SEC members sketched out ideas with

pencil and paper, brainstorming how to represent the different identities of Mills, incorporating symbolism in the visual elements, and figuring out the composition of the piece. Then, around halfway through the 2023–2024 year, they s t a r t e d work on the actual mural c a n v a s , drawing and painting over

TIANYOU LEE / The Thunderbolt

PROCESS PHOTOS: Art students and SEC members painting the mural.

the previous auditorium mural.

Painting was done in one of the storage rooms of the classroom of Matthew Christenson, the art and ceramics teacher.

Both Louie and Luken contributed to the planning and painting of the project. Louie estimates that — including SEC members, students of the art class, and staff — 170 people in total helped create the mural.

“It’s not just the students who are painting but also the brains behind the mural ... and the teachers and the administrators,” Louie says. “And definitely we do have to give a lot of credit to Mr. Matt because he poured in a lot of hours into that mural ... He just helped us get to the finish line.”

Luken and Louie share personal feelings about the mural and their part in creating it.

“I feel like working on the mural gave me something to do that contributed to the school,” Luken says. Compared to his personal painting projects, Luken was glad to work on something “for the whole school to see, for it to be there for a long time.”

Similarly, Louie emphasizes the legacy of the mural. “It’s going to be for all the future student activists and all the future generations of new students that are going to come to the school,” she says, “Even as all the faces on the mural ... leave, they still serve or stand as a symbol.”

Regardless of the fact that I don’t usually eat school lunch or breakfast, I will always be paying a visit to the small box of fruits on the sides of the lunch carts.

Filled with a melange of fruits like oranges and pears, I always keep an eye out for the fuji apples.

Crunchy and sweet, these apples save me a trip to the grocery store every week.

Bagels While pizza is a go-to option for lunch, bagels are another safe-bet for breakfast!

Simple and quick, the plain school bagels are the perfect way for a n y student to start the d a y .

Every now and then, different flavors of bagels are offered which are another fun twist to these classic breakfasts!

Frozen

Fruit

Cups

Albeit offered throughout the year, these snacks are mainly offered during the finals months of the school y e a r w h e n the sun is out and shining; making for a refreshing treat! Whether it be frozen cups of peaches, strawberries, or berries, smashing these cups into a sweet slush are the highlights of some of the hotter days of the year.

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Features

Alumni Adventures Meagan So Features Editor

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ills Alumni and current UC Berkeley student, Rachel Cheng shared about her life now, her high school and college experiences, and the transition between the two.

Here’s what she said: What was your high school experience like?

Firstly, she explained, “My high school experience was really fun, as I got to meet my closest friends, try a whole bunch of new activities, and learn to manage my time and become independent.”

She added that although the preparation for her future was intimidating, it allowed her to understand who she was and wanted to be.

How was the jump between high school and college ? “[It] was slightly shocking, as I was introduced to an entirely new community of people with different diverse backgrounds. I was able to meet people from all across the world and learn a variety of new perspectives and cultures,” she answered. “The most drastic change was that I was now in an environment where I had complete freedom over my own life.” She confessed, “Though it was

RACHEL CHENG

challenging at first, I learned to become independent and responsible for my own actions.”

As someone who has finished the college application process already, what advice do you have for future applicants?

“My biggest advice for future applicants is to start as early as possible and to use your essays as a chance to express yourself not only academically but also creatively,” she recommended, adding not to stress too much about which school you get into.

How was it graduating?

What is college like?

Cheng explained, “When graduation came around, it was bittersweet knowing that my high school experience was over, but that the door for many new opportunities was now open. I was able to figure out what my passions were and joined clubs that included my interests.” Finally she commented, “College presents an extremely diverse environment and community, [but] you are guaranteed to find people with similar interests and plans for the future.”

The Thunderbolt

Latino Mentor Program Hosts La Fiesta Julia Xia Opinions Mentor

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n May 9th, the Latino Mentor Program (LMP) hosted La Fiesta.

La Fiesta is a celebration of Mexican culture, where dancers, singers, and music acts are performed by students for the school and families. Aside from the performances, LMP held a dinner filled with Mexican dishes, such as tacos with beans and rice, and activities, such as raffles.

La Fiesta began in 2019 as a way for the club to make money for events and showcase their culture. Since its creation in the early 1990s, the club has hosted events for their members such as visiting colleges, inviting speakers, and lunch-in’s. LMP needed a way to generate money to continue doing these events, so eventually, La Fiesta was created. Hosted once every two years, this celebration became a way to fund the club as well as showcase Mexican culture.

“They’re proud of it, they enjoy it. We’re bringing in money and support to help the club, it’s sort of a win-win because we’re celebrating our culture,” the club’s advisor, Lori Durham remarks.

There were three acts for this year's La Fiesta. The main act was a Mexican Folkloric Ballet, a style of dance the club's dancers performed for the majority of the event. In between their performances, another club member, Rachel Jerome (10), performed a singing act, and there were churros made and given out during intermission.

Every performance was done by a member of the club, each person expressing love for their culture in their own way.

“My favorite thing is to just see how everyone comes together, when we practice for the event and when we finally perform,” Melissa Gordils (12), president of LMP comments.

The dance members met twice a week to practice, learning new dances throughout the year

JULIA XIA/ The Thunderbolt

LA FIESTA CELEBRATION: LMP performs a traditional Folklorico dance.

to perform for the event. Some of the songs they danced to were Pescador, El Torito, and Mazatlan. LMP also brought in other dancers from the dance company they worked with to participate in the performance.

La Fiesta will always be open to the entire student body and even anyone outside of the school. The event will continue to be a way for people to experience

Mexican culture through music and dance.

“What I like most about La Fiesta is that I can share my culture with the people I love; like, I’ll tell my family all the time about the dances I practice throughout the year, during La Fiesta I can actually show them,” Julie Martinez Mora (12), the club's treasurer, notes.

Mills Boba Bots Season Recap

team’s spirits high. But, during their second competition, the East Bay Regional (EBR) at Berkeley High School, they rose up to the challenge and ended up placing 25th out of the 55 other teams at the regional, ending the season positively.

Earlier this year in January, the game “Reefscape” was released for teams to design and build robots for competition.

“Reefscape” was an ocean themed competition where robots had to pick up coral and place them on posts or remove algae game pieces and place them elsewhere to score points.

Eduardo Galindo Copy Editor

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n February 27th, the Boba Bots attended their first competition, the Pinnacles Regional at Hollister High School, starting the season off rocky placing 34th out of the 35 teams. Despite the low placement, the team did not leave empty handed, winning the imagery award for their branding and imagery along with Boba Bots member, Sharon Zhang, winning the Dean’s List Finalist award at Pinnacles Regional, keeping the

Continue reading on OLIVE AGUILAR / Boba Bots 253

BOBA BOTS: Mills robotics team takes a group photo at Berkeley high school.

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Features

The Thunderbolt

Thunderbolt Class of ‘25 Portraits and Farewells Abigail Chai (Center Spread Editor):

“Since joining The Thunderbolt in my sophomore year, I’ve grown a deep fondness not just for the class, but also for the experience as a whole. Albeit hectic at times having to submit a layout just hours before the deadline or trying to think of the final lines to an article, it was those moments that made journalism what it is. Chaotic, yet nurturing, my time in journalism over the past three years has grown my attributes as a student, writer, and reporter. Being in an environment where creativity and authenticity is both encouraged and supported is a rare case, which I advise any new staff writer and/or editor to not take for granted. But for now, hasta la vista journalism!”

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Eduardo Galindo (Copy Editor):

“Being here as a member of The Thunderbolt for three years has been such a wonderful experience. I joined on a whim but it is something I won’t be able to forget. Learning how to be a better writer, growing my confidence in myself, and so many other skills will help me so much in the years to come.”

Elaine Chan (Editor-In-Chief):

“As my last year of Journalism comes to a close, I feel so much gratitude for having had the opportunity to be a part of such a special group of people. It truly did not feel like just another class in my schedule, instead it was a team and a staff of incredibly creative and innovative minds coming together to produce relevant and entertaining content for our community. The Thunderbolt has shaped my future path immensely and I appreciate every single person I have connected with as a result of my experience on the team. The Thunderbolt will just continue to flourish and bloom and I’m excited to see where student creativity will take the Mills community!”

Isabelle Yang (Sports Editor):

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“Being a part of the Thunderbolt community has been such a privilege these past two years. I’m grateful for the experience this program has given me, as well as the peers I’ve met along the way. This class has offered opportunities to learn so many different skills, allowing me to discover a new passion and preparing me for the future. Although I wish I could’ve spent more time in journalism, I’ll always cherish the memories and connections I’ve made through The Thunderbolt.”

Julia Xia (Opinions Editor):

“Being a part of The Thunderbolt for the last four years has been one of the highlights of my high school experience. I have learned so much about my school’s community and improved in so many different ways. I was able to get out of my comfort zone through interviews and working with people on articles. I am so grateful for the memories I’ve made and the people I’ve met while writing and editing for the newspaper.”

Kalyssa Chu (Staff Writer):

“Being part of The Thunderbolt has been such a meaningful experience for me as both a writer and person. In my sole year as a staff writer, getting to learn alongside my peers as a student journalist, I’ve gained invaluable skills that I’ll carry with me beyond high school and into the rest of my life. I’m incredibly thankful for this experience and extend my best wishes to The Thunderbolt and all future Mills student journalists!”

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Noah Ung (Staff Writer):

“This has been my first and last year in journalism and it has been a special one indeed. It has provided me with an opportunity to meet new people and to go out of my comfort zone in both interviewing people and collaborating with people on a single project. On top of this, it provided a space where we could build community and have fun with one another once in a while in the form of potlucks and fun activities that still served a purpose.”

Phoebe Piserchio (Editor-In-Chief):

“Taking journalism has, without a doubt, been one of the best decisions I’ve made in high school. Since joining as a freshman staff writer, I’ve grown in so many ways beyond just writing, from strengthening my leadership skills to learning how to listen, collaborate, and navigate unexpected challenges. What I’ve come to love most is the energizing mix of mutual respect and the shared drive to meet every deadline, no matter how chaotic things get. I’m incredibly grateful to have spent the past four years with such a dedicated, creative, and (occasionally) slightly sleep-deprived team (I’ll miss our late nights spent on layouts)! I can’t wait to see The Thunderbolt continue to grow in the hands of the next generation of student journalists.”

Warren Shiu (Staff Writer):

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“Although I’ve only spent one year in journalism as a staff writer for the Mills Thunderbolt, the experience has been incredibly welcoming thanks to the kindness of everyone in the class. I’ve learned a variety of skills throughout the year, from conducting formal interviews to understanding different approaches to writing articles. Overall, it’s been a fun and rewarding experience, and I’m glad I got to be part of this class during my final year of high school.”

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Post-Grad Map

The Thunderbolt

Cal Poly Ponoma Jayden Chan Spencer Louie Chistopher Park

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Kamran John

California State University, East Bay Ian Song

California State University, Fullerton Ethan Grassi Ethan Lee Mason Yee

California State University, Long Beach Noah Ung

California State University, Monterey Bay Brandon Vitug

Cañada College Giovana Amaral Vannessa Rivas Valeria Ruiz

Chapman University Aiden Tat

Chico State MJ Santos

Eduardo Galindo Kaleb Harper Joleen Huang Ethan Lew Gavin Ma Ieon Na Rachael Wang

Santa Clara University Janice Zheng

Savannah College of Art and Design

College of San Mateo Elie Alhaj Francis Alhaj Hanna Alhaj Peter Alhaj Bradley Baus Daniel Chan Hong Chang Araam Eskandarian Jack Forman Alex Fu Raymond Huang Isabella Leary Hazel Leung Isabella Lin Joshua Lobo Ebenezer Lokotui Jordan Low Callista Machlis Vincent Reinhart Melgazo Luna Mengel-Yoshimura Claire Montserrat Tyler Ngo Bohdan Salenko Justin Shih Gabriel Soto Alvarado Baron Tiffany Alex Vasquez Jonathan Villalvazo Cary Yeung Samuel Zhu

Sierra College

University of Oregon

Daniel Ingalsbe

Morgan Chu

Skyline College

Kaua Costa Richard Faulhaber Chasyd Kate Francisco Kayla Huang Abby Loren Julaton Theodora Ngai Sofia Romero Anna Sakovich Lucia Vargas Bryce Yonemura

Menlo College Nathaniel Lafon

Mills College at the Northeastern University Nathan Lu

San Diego State University Carmel Fleifel Mia Khan

San Francisco State University Justin Liu Jeffrey Taumalolo

Kameron Fung Cady Lee Kandice Li Tala Isabel Pantua Emma Pham

University of California, San Diego

Elizabeth Bours

Southern California Institute of Architecture Sophie Hohmann

University of California, Berkeley Abigail Chai Hem Dadlani Lucas Du Sara Meng Reece Roach Joey Situ Chloe Xie

Sushim Chakrabortty Elaine Chan Nicholas Chang Paola Delgado Jayce Gu Mika Khan Charis Li Ally Man Daniel Wu Carissa Yee Jiawei Zheng

University of California, Santa Barbara Kalyssa Chu Jade Hu Abbey Li Jessie Ngai

University of California, Davis Justin Gao Angelina Komashko Matthew Lau Maya Mosteiro Brady Ou Jessica Poon

University of California, Los Angeles Melissa Gordils Ray He Emi Le Chloe Lee Andrew Lim Jeckie Ng Jonathan Pak

University of California, Santa Cruz Liv Dewhurst Maya Eidson Ria Khalasi Annie Nguyen Warren Shiu Geoffrey Won Leiying Yang Caleb Yeh Zachary Yui

University of Nevada, Reno

University of the Pacific Kian Chen Hailey Feng Alauki Parikh

University of California, Irvine

Loyola Marymount University Theresa Bruce Justin Lu

University of W

Ray Li

City College of San Francisco Stanford University Riley dela Fuente Chantal Loong

CLas CLas

San Jose State University

Finn Tannehill Ryan Spicker

Universi

University of Southern California

Adam Chen

Phoebe Piserchio Matthew Situ

Samantha Chen Caleb Lubiano Ashley Ma Morgan Nguyen

University of California, Riverside Rachel Chen Ryan Dang Kurtis Dun Jareth Fung Collin Kong Anthony La Evan Lam Ethan Lau Hendrick Liu Justin Liu Kayden Mak

Gap Year

Mark Chan Salvador Lewis

Military Work

Ithzel Hernandez-Solis

INTERNATIONAL Sweden

Lunds Universitet Jonah Zilberter

EDITOR'S

All responses through which according to s email to the T to change. Loc *All highlighte

Post-Grad Map

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ss ss oF oF 2025 2025

Northeastern University

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Washington

Lainey Tsai

Wellesley College

Charlotte Leung

Bianca Santos

Middlebury College

University of Utah

Miya Cheng

Benjamin Nopper

Carnegie-Mellon University Cornell University

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Tanay Rai

Jessica Lee

Oberlin College Julia Xia

Austin Zou

New York University Jimmy Guan Sofia Kwan Isabelle Yang

Pratt Institute Terrick Tang

Yale University Zhiyuan Ma

The George Washington University Elizabeth Chen

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Designed by: Mikayla Ho Center Spread Editor

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The Thunderbolt

When Do AP Finals Make the Most Sense?

Jada P! Staff Writer

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oose notes strewn across my desk. Prep books stacked beside my overheating computer trying to run forty tabs at once. The fan whirs and the sound fills the room, my mind, just as the stress of exams muddles my memory.

It’s not just me. Every April, students experience the overwhelming cram before AP exams. And when we think we can finally take a breath, it’s back to late-night review sessions during dead week—for another exam in the same class we just took the AP exam for.

Sounds redundant? That’s because it often is. Hence, the question of whether AP classes should have final exams. My answer is yes.

AP classes should have finals, especially because not all students who take the class plan to take the exam administered by the College Board in early May. Some take the class simply because they are interested and want the GPA bump. Having a final allows all students to be assessed fairly, so the actual question should instead be the timing of that final and its purpose.

If the final is a test, then it should be given before the

Jada P! / The Mills Thunderbolt

AP TESTING: Kayli Tsang (11) taking a practice AP test in AP Biology in order to get ready for the AP test.

AP exams. For instance, in Mr. Wang’s AP Biology class, the last multiple-choice practice exam that students take before the AP exam counts as their final.

This helps students review and prepare for the AP test as they familiarize themselves with both the format and content.

Furthermore, it also motivates students to review throughout the weeks before the AP exams. Natalie Lo, a junior taking AP Biology, shared her thoughts. “I think it’s better to have the final before the AP exam because when you’re studying for the final, you’re also

studying for the AP. It’s more beneficial that way. And after the AP exam, you can finally relax.”

On the other hand, some argue that finals should remain after the AP exams in the last week of May. They reason that because students have already studied for the AP, then the final

exam shouldn’t be too hard for them. However, when finals feel more like busy work, the stress that comes with them seems pointless. Motivation drops and memory retention fades; the final feels like a burden for many.

“If the final is after, it’s much more stressful,” said Lo. “I have to relearn everything again for the final. My memory retention is really poor after the AP exam.”

Given the redundancy of a final test after AP exams, AP U.S. History teacher Ms. Campbell assigns a final project instead.

“They do a lot of cramming for the AP, and then having them do that again a couple weeks later— it doesn’t really make any sense to me,” she said. “They can’t just do nothing. And so I would hope the project is more valuable than a test because it’s an overview of everything we’ve learned.”

Finals don’t necessarily have to be the traditional scantron or essay. They can be capstone projects, group work, a reflection, and maybe even celebrations. I think the best way to end an AP class could be a combination of both a structured review and final before the AP exam to help students prepare, followed by a meaningful and fun wrap-up afterward. Because after all the effort and hard work poured into AP exams, students deserve more than another test.

Out of This World or Just Out of Touch?

Abby Chai Center Spread Mentor

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or many, making the incredible trip to space is a far-fetched dream that only a handful can ever experience.

However, iconic pop star Katy Perry is now one of the few who could proclaim to go on such a journey to the stars. Hosted

by Blue Origin, a private space company founded by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. Perry, along with five other prominent female figures, embarked on a short, nonetheless unforgettable 11-minute voyage into space; an experience which Perry described as “second to being a mom.”

While the entirely female crew’s trip was meant to mark a historic milestone, it was instead met with backlash. Social media users criticized the starstudded trip to space, with even some celebrities and brands joining in on the conversation

as well. For instance, American fast-food chain Wendy’s left a snide comment towards Perry on their X account, asking, “Can we send her back?”

Many shared a similar sentiment to the fast-food chain, as the trip was largely seen as ridiculous. There was one main question being asked, why?

Despite its seeming intentions to symbolize a groundbreaking and empowering occasion for women around the world, it was ultimately perceived as everything but that. As illustrated by senior Matthew Situ, rather than finding the Blue Origin trip inspirational, he instead saw it as pointless. “I think it’s a big waste of money and resources,” he stated, “I think she (Perry) just wanted the clout”.

While it is a harsh opinion on the trip, it is an opinion that seemingly resonates with most on the internet. Because while the women onboard marketed their journey as an experience that anyone can, and

should embark on, they also conveniently left out the jawdropping price of $150,000.

The price just to reserve a seat on a Blue Origin spacecraft. Out of touch and tone-deaf, their experience left the internet not just confused, but also angry.

This is disregarding the six-member crew’s 11-minute outing into space may have left more than just a bitter taste on the internet, but on the environment. Despite Blue Origin’s claims of zero carbon emissions from their excursions, the large abundant amount of water vapor released from each journey can contribute to global warming at such high altitudes.

Nonetheless, the crew has defended the flight, asserting that the impact of their trip extends beyond just personal memories. Broadcast journalist Gayle King, who was another crew member aboard the shuttle, argued, “What it’s doing to inspire other women and girls - don’t forget that”.

@katyperry / Instagram

BLUE ORGIN CREW: The all female space crew from left to right: Lauren Sanchez, Amanda Nyugen, Katy Perry, Gayle King, Kerianne Flynn, and Aisha Bowe.

The Ice Bucket Challenge Makes a Comeback Eliz"eth P!iagua Staff Writer

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n 2014 celebrities, athletes, and even CEO’s were dumping buckets of ice water over their heads because of the Ice Bucket Challenge. Now, what would you do if you found out that it has made a whole comeback 11 years later?

The Ice Bucket Challenge was a way to raise money and awareness for the neurodegenerative disorder Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). It was started when Anthony Senerchia, Pete Frates, and Pat Quinn poured ice water on themselves and would nominate people to do the same

within24 hours. If you didn’t, you would have to donate $100 to the ALS Association. It was a huge success as they raised $115 Million and had many notable participants like Bill Gates, Dwayne Johnson, and Lady Gaga.

In March of 2025, the student-led group MIND from the University of South Carolina, posted a video on instagram in order to raise money and awareness for mental health.

Wade Jefferson, the founder of MIND and said he created this group after losing two of his close friends to suicide. In those videos you could put #USCMIND or #SPEAKYOURMIND in order to raise awareness for this cause. So far there has been a total of $321,000 raised in less

than a month. According to the Teen Mag, “It’s spread across continents from Europe to Asia” and has had celebrities like James Charles and Haylee Baylee join in. The same rules from the Ice Bucket Challenge apply.

This challenge has spread so far it has come all the way from South Carolina to us here at Mills High School! Lets see what participants have to say about the challenge.

Mikey Kwan (9) was the first freshman here at Mills to participate in this challenge. Once Kwan saw it he was interested and immediately posted his story with the “#USCMIND”. He was nominated by his friend Dexter from Burlingame High School.

Kwan then nominated two more

freshmen here at Mills and a student at St. Ignatius College Preparatory School.

Kwan believes that the challenge shows us how connected we all are as it quickly spread from the other side of the country all the way to us.

“The challenge sent a big message about being aware of others’ mental health as well as our own.”

The Eliz"eth P!iagua/ Mills Thunderbolt

ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE: Elizabeth Paniagua participating in the challenge.

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The Thunderbolt

How Streak Culture Has Changed Social Media Entertainment Mentor

hy did apps start including streaks in their platform? Maybe it’s the mental pressure we end up putting on ourselves to not be the one to end the streak, or maybe it’s the app’s big plan to get us using their app daily.

The first big example of streaks on social media was found on Snapchat, where in order to keep the streak alive, you must send a photo of a person within a day.

The more consistent you are with it, the longer your streak with the person will last. I’m sure we all have had the experience of having a long-time streak with a friend, then waking up one day to see either you or they forgot. The streak died, now having to repeat the whole cycle again.

Honestly, I definitely fell for the ‘streak’ trap on Snapchat.

Everyday, I would open Snap, take a quick photo, and then send it to the people I had a streak with. It, in a sense, made me feel closer with the person I had a streak with, which I thought was the whole point of having one.

And whenever there was a timer right next to the streak, I would try to remind the other person to keep the streak alive. Ultimately, one of us would always forget, and that’s completely normal because it’s super hard to always be going on the same app every day, which is almost impossible, as everyone has their own life to live. And the disappointment one ends up feeling after having a long streak finally come to an end, it almost makes you want to restart the streak all over again.

I can see why apps would have this on their platform. It’s really useful to have consistent user interaction, but I also think that this streak culture had its moment; now it’s time to move

John Hawk/Flickr

Hayden Brunce Staff Writer

With Coachella fin-

BIANCA PANDO / The Mills Thunderbolt

SNAPCHAT STREAKS: Keeping a streak alive sending a picture like this one.

Is Hapara An Invasion of Privacy?

Madyson T!g Entertainment Editor

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apara has become widely known in the Mills community. For those who don’t know, Hapara is an extension that allows teachers to view students’ tabs and their screens. It is a newly introduced classroom management tool to Mills. Students hate the fact their privacy is being invaded and screens are being watched throughout

classes. So, is Hapara a helpful tool or an invasion of privacy?

Mr. Delimme, a Biology teacher here at Mills regularly uses Hapara in his class. He mentions, “I find it allows me to make transitions on online content very seamlessly. It gives me more control as a teacher, on what students are doing when I’m trying to do a particular lesson.” He mentions, “ I try to use it more as a way to make the lesson go smoother, rather than a way to discipline students for doing the wrong thing at the wrong time.”

Madyson T!g / The Mills Thunderbolt

HAPARA IN USE: Health teacher Mr. Cotrell using Hapara during his class.

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forward. We even see Tiktok implementing a similar thing, sending tiktoks to each other everyday in order to keep the streak alive. But honestly, it just promotes and encourages people to spend even more time on those apps. Everyday you end up feeling this pressure to go on the app, and once you’re there, it’s hard to take your focus off of it, making you feel like you’ve been trapped. As someone who took a break from social media, I can see that the whole point of ‘streak culture’ is a marketing trap to keep you tied to the app.

And now that I have stopped being part of streaks with people, I found myself not using those apps either as much or not at all.

The reason I believe streak was heavily used by social platforms was because that was the whole part of apps.

For example, Snapchat was promoted to be only used for streaks. Now, after ending all my streaks, I haven’t opened it at all.

Talking with another junior at Middle College, it seems like we both believe in a similar thing.

Jack McNeely (11), a junior at Aragon High School, had some very strong beliefs “They’re just a marketing tactic used by companies to ensure prolonged engagement and to stress you out about not using their product.” exclaimed McNeely.

Sure, streaks could be fun, especially with a friend, but it’s important to not cross the line and make something that is supposed to be fun, into something stressful and pressuring. It’s most likely that more social media will use streaks on their apps; such as Duolingo, trying to bring you in with rewards to ensure you continue using the app. It seems like streak culture will not end for a long time, especially with the growth of social media.

M

Bi!ca P!do

Ms. Canas is a beloved English teacher at Mills who also uses Hapara to support her students in completing their assignments in class. This helps them finish work so none of it turns into homework. When asked if Hapara is an invasion of privacy, Canas told me, “I know a lot of our students think it is but I do not look at screens outside of my class time. I only look at screens as students complete work and as they know, once the assignment is done, they can use their computer for whatever they need.” During the interview, Ms.Canas also went over how students just naturally would prefer to play video games on their screens then do class work.

A freshman at Mills also gives their opinion on Hapara, saying, “A lot of people cheat in class or search up answers or use AI, so it’s good to prevent that stuff happening.“ She also followed up with her answer, “Most of the time, especially during class if we can’t view other tabs where the teachers could see what

we’re doing it’s kind of creepy.“ Lastly, Mr. Cottrell gave his take on Hapara, “I don’t think I am alone in my thinking here, where students tend to get distracted on devices, and it’s a way for this to be able to redirect some students who may not be using their district technology in a way that is going to support their learning. I actually find it to be pretty helpful and some students have commented about how its helpful too. For example, it doesn’t take as long to find links for things and teachers can share that right away.”

In my opinion, Hapara can be a helpful tool to use to keep students on task. The downside to Hapara is having your screen watched at all times. Not having the freedom to go to different tabs or search questions on your chromebook is the main issue.

Hapara is a topic that comes with many opinions on both sides. If it is an invasion of privacy or useful tool is strictly up to the district and if it shall remain on school issued Chromebooks.

ishing its 2-weekend run on Easter Sunday, if you were on TikTok, you were bound to see a performance you just loved, whether it was Charli XCX, Clairo, Yo Gabba Gabba, and so many other artists. My personal favorite was Lady Gaga, as not only was she serving vocals, but she was serving looks. She was able to play so many of her hits like Shallow while teasing what her new concert, Mayhem Ball, will be like. Lady Gaga’s performance for “How Bad Do u Want Me” is ingrained into my brain and injected into my veins; even though I didn’t see it live, it changed my life. Also, I adored Charli XCX’s performance. She really knows how to give the girls and gays FOMO. During week one, she literally brought out Lorde to sing “Girl so Confusing,” which started the new era for Lorde’s fourth album; she really resurrected the Lorde.

Then during week 2, she played my favorite song of hers from “Pop 2”, “Track 10,” like no, I’m not jealous. Not only did she change my world both weeks, but she also performed “Talk Talk” with Troye Sivan, where, if you are online, you saw him wearing the shirt that said, “Protect the Dolls,” which is the same shirt Pedro Pascal wore in support of Trans Women. Then Clairo changed the indie girl game by bringing out Bernie Sanders to talk politics, which I love that for her, and now you can say Bernie performed at Coachella. Green Day is known to bring up politics during their concert, so they stayed supporting the kids in Palestine, which more celebrities need to do.

I also loved Arca’s performance because I’m that one girl at the function who doesn’t play about Arca, then during week 1, she brought out Ms. boyfriend I’m nervous to perform their song Arcamarine, then Addison Rae announced the release date of her new album on the back of her underwear, talk about camp...

Continue reading on millsthunderbolt.com

Sports

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The Thunderbolt

Let’s Celebrate Mills Spring Senior Sport Athletes!

Meagan So Features Editor

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the team because it’s really fun to be around them.”

Swim team member Abbey Li (12) commented on how her sport usually celebrates their senior night, sharing, “Our tradition is usually for our underclassmen to make posters and buy small gifts for us.” She continued, “ Then, during [our] 10 minute break, the seniors all [stood] by their posters and [were] acknowledged by Coach Christy.” When asked about how she felt about leaving her high school sport, Li remarked, “I feel

(12) talked about how his sport celebrated their soon-to-be graduates.

“Underclassmen made posters and decorated the gym with balloons for the seniors,” he explained, “[and] we also had a senior ceremony before the game.” When asked about any emotions connected to leaving high school and volleyball, Lo explained the situation as “bittersweet” but stated how he is “ looking forward to graduating and going to college.”

s the spring sports season comes to a close, the Mills community is filled with heartfelt goodbyes and well wishes towards our graduating student athletes. Each sport has spent their own way honoring these upperclassmen through senior nights to celebrate the bittersweet ending to their high school sports journeys. Let’s take a look at some of the unique ways each sport commemorated their seniors!

Track and field captain Miya Cheng (12) shared her sport’s senior night tradition, explaining, “We usually celebrate senior night by closing the meet with the seniors running a fun fourby-four relay and they usually dress up and also use different objects to use as the baton.”

She continued, “This year people wore their costumes from the musical, dressed up as Pink Man, and Kimberly Yu/ Instagram used rubber chickens SENIOR NIGHT: Varsity boys volleyball Kent Lo (12) with family as batons and it was really fun to watch!”

Cheng also added how she felt sad that this is my last high school SWIM SENIOR NIGHT: Abbey Li enjoying swim senior nights with friends.

To end it all off, about the idea of having to leave swim season because swim has thank you to all our Mills and high school sports, been a really big and fun part of spring sports seniors for all the along with what she’d miss my four years of high school.” time, effort, and dedication put the most. She said, “Since I’m She finished by explaining, “I’m into representing Mills through running in college, I don’t have going to miss all the friends and sports and the Thunderbolt much sentimental feelings for new people I’ve met through wishes our seniors all the best; the sport itself, [however] I will swimming the most.” good luck class of ‘25! definitely miss the people [on] Volleyball player Kent Lo

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Sports

The Thunderbolt

Mills Boys Varsity Tennis Dominating 12-0 Athletes’ Advice Noah Ung Staff Writer

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Despite the team’s dominant record, the road to success hasn’t been without challenges.

One of the most challenging matches came against Sequoia.

The captain played four matches that week and felt completely drained by the time they faced Sequoia. “I tried to adjust my

Looking ahead, winning the league title holds significant meaning for the team. “It would mean a lot to us,” says Chang, “We’ve worked so hard, and the title would showcase not only our skills, but also our determination.

It would mean that our players can make up a point for another

he Mills Varsity Tennis team is having an incredible season with a perfect 12-0 record and the Peninsula Athletic League (PAL) championship nearly in hand. As the regular season comes to a close, the team is focused on preparing for the Central Coast Section (CCS) playoffs. We caught up with senior team captain, Nicholas Chang (12) to hear about the team’s success, challenges, and plans for the future.

“It feels amazing, especially since it’s my last year here,” Chang shared. “I trust my team, and I know they’ll give it their all. Leading this group has been such a rewarding experience, and to see how well we’re doing feels really special.”

So, what’s behind the Noah Ung / The Mills Thunderbolt team’s undefeated record?

BOYS TENNIS: Varsity Boys Tennis Team takes home wins after wins 12-0.

According to the captain, it’s all about determination. “The biggest factor in our success is playstyle to be more defensive, and show how committed we our determination and the will to but I ended up losing that match. are.” Chang highlights the win. I always tell my teammates Fortunately, Mills won overall,” importance of the team’s unity to ‘want’ the win more than the Chang recalled. This match was and how it plays a crucial role in other team,” the captain explains. a tough one, but it showed the their success –when one player This attitude has been crucial in team’s ability to push through falls, another steps up. keeping the team motivated and tough situations.

Throughout the season, focused throughout the season.

everyone on the team has grown both individually and collectively as a team. “Our team has gotten a lot more confident. We learn through our mistakes and take advice from each other,” explains Chang. This growth has been reflected both on and off the court in the team’s record as well as their supportive attitudes towards each other.

However, the players aren’t the sole reason for their team’s success. According the Chang, the coaches played a vital role throughout the season “My coaches are fantastic. Both have been very engaging in and outside of tennis,” said Chang. “They’re always honest and always encouraging, which really helps us stay grounded and focused.” Their guidance has provided the team with both structure and inspiration, reinforcing a strong work ethic and a positive mindset.

As CCS approaches, the team still isn’t letting up. “We’re practicing four times a week and playing against each other to sharpen our skills,” Chang shared. “We know what’s at stake, and we want to finish strong.” With a near-perfect regular season coming to an end, the Mills Varsity Tennis team intends to continue their success deep into their postseason.

Kalyssa Chu Staff Writer

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arsity softball pitcher Hailey Pedroza (11) is in the midst of an amazing season — supporting her team’s current 18-1 record and coming off an impressive five-inning no-hitter game against Gunn High School. “[Pitching] a no-hitter was a really good moment for me,” Pedroza said, “It brought me up a lot because my confidence was definitely low at the time.”

As a three-year varsity player, Pedroza noted, “It’s important that I always pick up my also it’s teammates….[but] important to pick myself up and take care of myself on the mound, as well.”

As a pitcher, eyes are constantly on her; Pedroza must be secure in her confidence.

“It’s super hard as an athlete, especially as a pitcher, knowing that what happens kind of depends on you, so confidence is a big key,” she said.

Pedroza, to According relaxation is the biggest secret to confidence. “The key to confidence is to relax yourself… definitely don’t get in your head,” she said. Pedroza continued, “Before I pitch, I just remind myself to be set and also have trust in my teammates that provide a defense behind me…it always helps clear my mind.”

From the Track to the Field: Keepin’ Up On Pace Warren Shiu Staff Writer

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s the spring season winds down, the track and field team of Mills High School is finishing strong. Currently sitting in first place among the Peninsula Athletic League (PALS), the team has supplied steady performances throughout a wide variety of events. With league finals and CCS berths on the horizon, the Vikings are all set and prepared.

For senior Tului Battulga, this season is a culmination of years of steady hard work. As a member of the discus team, Tului has been a key contributor to the team’s success and has also gone above and beyond his personal records.

“It went really well,” he said after a recent meet. “I got a couple PRs, you know, and I think we’re number one in the league right now.” Battulga currently ranks in the top 10 in CCS for discus—a big achievement that reflects

how far he’s come since he first joined the team.

That progress wasn’t instant or purely talent. He has been working on his shape and strength since his freshman year, building consistency over the years.

Chen has been impacting the “As a team, we’re doing really track. A returning varsity runner, good,” Chen said. “Especially she’s witnessed the team getting the varsity and JV girls—we’re better consistently throughout undefeated in PALS this year.” her high school career.

The team’s success is about

Warren Shiu/ The Mills Thunderbolt

TRACK FEATURE: Senior Miya Cheng (12) running distance at meet.

While Battulga has stepped up in the field events, senior Miya

Warren Shiu / The Mills Thunderbolt

TRACK AND FIELD: Coach times long distance runners during practice.

more than talent. Daily practices, weekly meets, and the challenges of managing academics alongside athletics have built a team culture centered around accountability and effort.

“It’s really motivating to be part of a team that pushes each other,” Chen said. “You can tell everyone wants to improve and support each other, no matter what event they’re doing.”

It’s clear to see that the team camaraderie has been one of the highlights of the experience.

Whether it’s sharing tips during warm-up or supporting each other on the sidelines, the team spirit has been a huge asset.

As the postseason draws near, the Mills track and field competitors are still on task.

Every practice session, every race, and every throw moves them one step closer to finishing the season strong.

On the track to the field, the team isn’t just playing well— they’re showing everyone what hard work can build.

Art of Photography: Say Hello to Shot By Kim Yu Kalyssa Chu Staff Writer

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f you’re active on social media, odds are you may have come across the work of 22-year-old photographer Kimberly Yu, better known around Mills as “shotbykimyu.”

This past year, Yu has made her mark at Mills by photographing various school events, including athletic contests and senior nights, the Viking Velocity dance show, prom, and more. Mills has also recently invited Yu to photograph and capture more cherished

memories at this month’s upcoming graduation ceremony.

Yu, a Mills alumna, graduated from high school in 2020 before studying and playing basketball at the College of San Mateo for two years. Yu then graduated from the University of California, Riverside as a film major; yet, she didn’t pick up photography until the beginning of 2024.

“Mills has really helped me get my start in photography,” Yu said, “One of my first opportunities came when I was invited to shoot for the football team…I’m really grateful [for] that chance. It opened the door for everything that followed.”

She further emphasized, “I had no idea [photographing for Mills]

would lead to everything that came after…I eventually fell in love with the process of creating a story through my lens.”

As an emerging photographer, Yu expressed, “[Mills] has been a great place to build my portfolio and my confidence.” She continued, “Coaches allow me access to games, students and faculty members love my work, and families ask for photos…everyone I’ve met [at Mills] has supported me in getting my name out to people, which gives me more opportunities to do new things.”

On that note, Yu says she finds the community to be the most rewarding part of photographing for Mills.

“Getting to connect with athletes, coaches, and families and being able to give them photos that mean something has been really rewarding,” Yu said. She added, “Specifically, my favorite team to shoot so far has been girls’ basketball. I really felt at home with them. They were super welcoming, supportive, and just had such great energy on and off the court. It made every game fun to capture.”

This year marks just the start of Yu’s career in photography.

“I want to keep growing my freelance work, especially in sports and portraits,” Yu said, “Eventually, I’d love to work with collegiate or professional teams. I’m also open to exploring

creative storytelling through photos, whether it’s for athletes or artists.”

Yu is open to work and available on Instagram under the user @shotbykimyu or by email at ky7shoots@gmail.com for anyone interested in her services.

Kalyssa Chu / The Mills Thunderbolt

SBKY: Photographer Kim Yu smiles.

The Thunderbolt

Isabelle Yang Sports Mentor

E very spring, Coachella draws hundreds of thousands to Palm Desert, transforming the Empire Polo Club into a hotspot of global entertainment. Its reputation for iconic musical performances, unique fashion, and celebrity appearances has made it one of the most popular events in pop culture.

However, for many high school students, the hype around this event is rather controversial.

For some, the appeal of the festival is understandable, as it provides a space for creativity and selfexpression. Noelle Young (11) explains, “It’s like a

Entertainment

nice gathering with so many cool people.” She believes the opportunity to express personal style is enticing and is fascinated by the trends and outfits that emerge every year.

A senior here at Mills, Joleen Huang (12) also highlights the fashion aspect of the festival.

She expresses her excitement, saying, “The outfits – I would plan my outfits so early.”

On the other hand, many believe the event itself is

overpromoted and glorified by social media and influencers.

“Now it’s just a thing for influencers and not actually to have fun,” Young (11) added.

This perception that the event is catered more towards social media was echoed by other students as well.

Another junior, Khaycee Carreon (11), shared similar reservations. “I think Coachella is fun for people to go to and participate in, but it’s expensive.” The rising cost of attending the festival, which includes tickets, transportation, lodging, and often elaborate outfits, has made it inaccessible to many. Brianna Kei (12) adds, “I'd love to go to Coachella, but I would only go if I was rich or someone paid me to go, like a company.” The event seems to be becoming more exclusive,

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which contributes to the controversies over the festival.

Although the music lineups consist of many popular artists, the weather and conditions in the scorching desert remain a factor in determining whether Coachella is worth attending.

Huang notes, “I don’t know if I would do the camping stuff…It’s also really dry.”

With temperatures often rising above 90 degrees during the day and plummeting at night, the environment can often be physically taxing. The dry air, long walks between stages, and limited shade make comfort a real challenge, especially for those camping on-site.

Ultimately, while many high school students would love the opportunity to attend Coachella, they also express various reservations and conditions about the experience as a whole. While the festival may still hold its appeal, students are becoming increasingly aware of the realities, leading them to view Coachella with both fascination and skepticism.

A Minecraft Movie: Chicken Jockey!

Hayden Bunce Staff Writer

absolute love for the movie, there is just one scene that will live in infamy, and that is the Chicken Jockey scene.

With this movie’s phenomenal opening weekend, there is an elephant in the room... if you’ve been on TikTok recently, you have probably seen the trend where teen guys

will scream “chicken jockey” while Jack Black says the line.

Unfortunately, this has led to theaters being trashed, making movie theater employees’ lives a lot more difficult. However, a lot of trends happen when a movie comes out. For example, high schoolers dressed fancy when Minions: Rise of Gru came out.

However, there is a big downside for movie theater workers, Junior Octavia Savaerese pointed out, “They

were hurting live animals. If people were just normal and just yelled it instead of throwing everything around, it would be fine.” With the destruction of property and the harming of animals, this is an example of the negative consequences of trends because it doesn’t just affect you, but it affects the people around you in other theaters, such as the person next to you, and the movie theater employees who have to clean up many spilled popcorn buckets.

It’s still important to have trends b e c a u s e they bring community, but if you want to partake in a trend, it’s important to make sure it doesn’t negatively impact others.

Despite the Chicken Jockey trend, the movie still captures what Minecraft is.

Whether it’s you spotting your favorite YouTuber or “Creative saves lives,” the Minecraft movie captures the spirit of what the game is. It is rare that a video game movie or show puts effort into making something based on a video game, but Warner Bros. did it.

Image courtesy of Warner Bros.

ave you ever wonderedwhat it would be like to watch a Minecraft villager be in love?

Oh, you haven’t, well that’s awkward. “A Minecraft Movie” is the newest movie that has fallen under the video game trend seen in movies like The Mario Movie and Sonic the Hedgehog.

When a video game is adapted into a film, that movie needs to have hidden details for fans of the game to look for. From the infamous Chicken Jockey scene, or the fan tribute to the game of our childhood, the Minecraft movie has taken the internet by storm. If you are a long-time Minecraft fan, you probably have noticed one of the various easter eggs they put in the movie. Whether it’s the ones you can spot in the background, like DanTDM or LD Shadowlady, there is something for every Minecraft lover. The movie highlights the YouTubers we grew up watching while honoring the newer Minecraft users, like their tribute to the late Technoblade. Despite the

Image courtesy of Warner Bros.

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