The Epitaph, Volume 56, Issue 1

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HS will be hosting the Western Association of Schools and Colleges for a scheduled visit in March of this school year. WASC typically visits once every six years.

According to the WASC website, WASC is an accreditation committee that seeks to outline goals and suggest improvements for students, parents and educators in the academic board.

“We already knew that this was going to happen because a school that needs to be accredited by WASC … [is] on [a] cycle to be accredited every

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six years,” assistant principal Brian Dong said. “This process happened six years ago already and now, in March of this school year, it would have been the sixth year.”

Members of the HHS community will partake in focus group meetings that occur during teacher collaboration mornings once or twice each month. The meetings began on Friday, Aug. 24 during the first week of school and will continue to meet eight times before the visit in March.

Participants are categorized into each of the five focus groups: organization with a focus on vision, purpose, governance, leadership, staff and resources; standards-based learning curriculum, instruction, and assessment and accountability; and school culture and growth.

“The staff right now is broken up into five focus groups that

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Photos by Melody Chen

WASC FOCUS GROUP MEETINGS DISCUSS ACTIVE STUDENT INVOLVEMENT Parents, students, educators self-evaluate HHS culture, academics

By Melody Chen help write the self-study [book].

[The] self-study has numerous chapters that covers things like demographics of the school, future goals [and] what is currently going on,” Dong said.

Dong, English teacher and selfstudy group lead teacher Christina Graham and Principal Greg Giglio, as well as other administrators and teachers, are the authors and edi-

tors of the 150-page self study book.

Nearly all public high schools experience the self-evaluating process with the WASC organization, Dong said.

“The organization helps facilitate our accreditation which is how colleges and other organizations recognize that the education at Homestead High School is valid [and] useful,” Graham said.

During the last visit, students and parents were only invited to view the product of the staff’s work.

Now, as contributors to the effort, students and parents can experience the process behind the making of the book and share ideas during the focus group discussions.

“The thing that I really appreciate about the WASC process is that it allows us space and forces us Infographic by Aishwarya Jayadeep to do some self-reflec-

tion,” Graham said.

While the visiting committee assesses the final product of the self-study, WASC does not set goals for schools, Graham said. Instead, the overarching goals are developed by the staff.

The setup for a school self-reflection also allows the staff, parents and students to consider the efficacy of the education at HHS, the future changes that can be implemented and the overall process of how the school runs.

“I think [the influence is] individual [and] I think that teachers who are new this year that don’t know very much about the school will learn a lot,” Graham said.

“They will get the sense of really looking close at different aspects of the school and I think that will be really beneficial. But a lot of the process is figuring out where we want to go and I think that this is something we’ve been working on for years.”

INAUGURAL LATINO PARENT EVENT FOCUSES ON RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LATINO FAMILIES, SCHOOL Parents learn how to get further involved on campus

By Shruti Magesh and Katelynn Ngo

H

HS hosted its first Latino Parent Outreach Event in the cafeteria last Sunday. According to event coordinator Claudia Ortiz, its purpose was to inform Latino parents about various events going on at school, and how to be more involved through the resources available to them.

In previous years, language has been a barrier against

Latino parents becoming more informed about school matters, according to observations made by teacher focus groups at HHS. At this event, all the information was given solely in Spanish, allowing Latino parents to comprehend crucial information, like how to use SchoolLoop.

“With the goal being to really get parents and families connected, a lot of it is about

information and how to communicate with the school, what kind of resources are available at the school,” history teacher Andrea Yee, a member of one of the teacher focus groups, said.

Due to the success of the event, there are hopes for preceding events and ongoing interaction with Latino families.

“We are going to continue the communication with the parents. We are going to start with the workshops this month in October,” event coordinator Claudia Ortiz said, referring to the Los Padres Group, an organization aimed at Latino

Photo courtesy of Claudia Ortiz LATINO FAMILIES LISTENED to a presentation given in Spanish at the event.

parents, where they will have workshops to support the Latino population both emotionally and academically.

The active involvement of teachers in promoting the event is vital to its turnout, Ortiz said.

“Maybe some kind of support from … the teachers, [t]hey can [tell their students], ‘You can receive extra points if you bring your family.’ These kinds of things to encourage them to come,” Ortiz said.

Coordinators of the event

are happy with the event’s success, but also see room for improvement, such as better planning to secure the venue they want.

“We wanted it actually at another school, in a neighborhood where a lot of the Latino families are coming from,” Yee said.

Ultimately, the event coordinators said, the event has already started strengthening ties between the Latino population and the school.

PAGE BY EMILY CHOI AND AISHWARYA JAYADEEP

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News

Friday, October 5, 2018

DEAN DELIVERS ACADEMIC INTEGRITY SPEECHES TO CLASSES Presentations are related to last year’s AP statistics cheating scandal

By Patrick Yu Dean Steven Puccinelli delivered presentations related to academic integrity from Sept.

3 - 7. These speeches, which occured in AP and honors courses, outlined the definition of academic integrity, said math teacher Shawn Southerd.

The speeches have also gone into depth regarding the negative impacts that cheating has on teachers. In the speeches, Puccinelli said seeing students cheat affects him on a personal level, stating that cheating “hurts his heart.”

Science teacher Jessica Wakefield agrees.

“I was a little bit surprised that [Puccinelli] used that specific language, because that’s exactly the language that I’ve used before, that [cheating] does hurt my heart,” Wakefield said.

Apart from aiming to bolster academic honesty and highlighting the effects of cheating,

Puccinelli said he chose to give these speeches partly in response to the AP Statistics test cheating scandal, as well as several other accounts of cheating, all of which occurred last year.

“We’ve noticed an increase [in cheating] and want to be proactive about it. Last year’s AP Stats issue was pretty high-profile. I’d say that was probably a factor in deciding to do this,” Puccinelli said.

Some teachers, such as Southerd, believe that the students took the speech to heart.

“Just based off my observation of the presentation, [the students] were engaged and they got the message,” Southerd said.

AP and honors courses are seen as more difficult than standard courses. Puccinelli said AP and honors courses instill more pressure within students than standard courses.

“We know that students who [cheat] are doing so because of pressure. And students who are in AP and honors classes tend

Infographic by Patrick Yu

to be the ones who feel that pressure more than [students] who aren’t,” Puccinelli said.

According to data gathered

by Puccinelli, out of the 66 accounts of cheating seen last year, approximately 50 of those came from AP and honors courses.

“I see a lot more cheating or attempted cheating in my AP class than I do in my freshman biology course,” Wakefield said.

Puccinelli has stated that cheating is a part of school culture, and that speeches such as the ones that he has been admin-

istering ultimately serve to “fight against the cultural tidal wave”.

“It’s just something we see in our culture, and that’s a big disservice [because it] causes a lot of people to try to get there unethically.” Puccinelli said.

MAJOR LEADERSHIP, ASB CHANGES NEW GUIDANCE TAKE EFFECT THIS SCHOOL YEAR COUNSELOR LIGHTENS WORK LOAD

Leadership students adjust to new year

By Laurel Schmidt

Alpha groupings change with addition to counseling staff

By Harley Anderson

Photo By: Jacqueline Beaufore

Photo By: Laurel Schmidt

With every school year comes new changes to the leadership class, made up of ASB, EL and HOP. This year, there were four major changes made to the leadership class: the addition of teacher Jessica Kirby as the new leadership adviser, the class period moving from seventh skinny to a block period, the exclusion of class officers from the class and an increase of the ASB card price.

Kirby said an administrator approached her about the idea to take over the role from former adviser, PE teacher Sara Frausto.

Initially, she said she was against the idea of being the leadership adviser due to her own lack of spirit in high school, but after reflection, Kirby said she decided it would be a good challenge.

“I thought this would be a really good opportunity for me to challenge myself, and also because it’s fun to work with lots of different types of students,” Kirby said. “This was a good learning opportunity for me.”

For leadership members, the change of adviser has given all of the students more freedom and new opportunities, ASB President and senior Trinity Gao said.

“Ms. Kirby brings a lot of new things to the class, from ideas to perspectives to crazy new ways of doing things,” Gao said.

In terms of the class itself, two major changes have occurred: class officers are no longer in the class and the class is now fifth period. “[It] is something we are definitely still adjusting to,” Gao said. “I see the reasoning behind the decision, as the people who remain in the class can be more focused at times.”

Gao and HOP Commissioner and senior Kelsey Van-Horne dislike not having officers as apart of the class, as they do not feel they are able to create a strong connection with them.

This year the change in schedule was a major change for all HHS students, leadership included. With the change in schedule, there is more time for

discussions, Kirby said. It also means that the students have to keep on top of their work on the days they do meet, because class is no longer everyday, Gao said.

The final large change that occurred since last year is the increase in the price of an ASB card to $100. The main reason for the price increase is because ASB has been getting less money from ASB cards every year, Gao said.

“The idea of the price increase was to have a dedicated fund for clubs instead of leftover money after other budgets,” ASB Treasurer and senior Eric Cheng said. “Additionally, this hopefully will allow us to raise more money and increase funding for programs that request it, like our Athletics department.”

The changes in leadership overall for this year are an exciting opportunity to try new things, Van Horne said.

“This year I am the most excited to see what new events we can put on that we would not have had the opportunity to put on in the past,” Van Horne said.

The guidance department has made a change in staffing by hiring a new counselor, Lillie Phares this year.

This modification was made due to counselors Leslie Ogawa-Boon and Wilma Wu going part time.

According to the FUHSD website, Ogawa-Boon has Tuesdays and Fridays off, while Wu has Mondays and Thursdays off.

Since HHS now has five guidance counselors, significant alterations have been made to the original alpha groupings, based on student last names.

Phares — previously a college and career counselor at CHS and substitute for guidance counselor Nicole Deatherage during second semester of the 2016-2017 school year — now oversees students with last names that begin with the letters Oi through T, while Ogawa-Boon has taken over the alpha group U through Z and Wu Lj through Oh.

To adjust to this change, all three counselors have been in direct contact, giving each other necessary information when it comes to students, making the transition easier to adjust to, Phares said.

“We as a team meet every collaboration, and meet all the time to give each other insight and ask questions,” Phares said.

Phares said she has been in close contact with Ogawa-Boon and Wu, to get to know student profiles better and complete senior letters of recommendation.

Specifically for letters of recommendation, Phares said students will be taken care of, as she has met with students, and received notes from Ogawa-Boon and Wu. “Some seniors may be concerned because they knew their previous counselor well, but I want them to feel … assured that I will put my heart and soul into their letters of recommendation,” Phares said.

PAGE BY PRANAVI ABBURI AND LEIYONEE BOSÉ

News

Friday, October 5, 2018

MANDATORY FRESHMAN TUTORIAL AIMS TO BRIDGE ACADEMIC GAPS BETWEEN STUDENTS Program will tutor in biology, literature and writing and algebra

By Renee Wang The transition from middle to high school is not always seamless. Assistant Principal Denae Nurnberg said that incoming freshman with learning deficits in areas such as math, reading and writing often struggle in class.

To bridge this gap, the guidance department has spearheaded the Ninth Grade Guidance Tutorial Program.

Freshman with a C or below in biology, literature and writing and algebra will be paired with a student or parent tutor. The guidance department is working with teachers to identify students who are potential candidates for the program, Nurnberg said.

“Our guidance counselors have been looking at ways to more effectively target our student population that is struggling,” Nurnberg said. “A lot of data suggests if you have an

intervention embedded within the school day and students are not able to opt out of it, that is the most successful.”

The program is structured such that a tutee will be paired with the same tutor each time to allow for consistency and for tutors and tutees to build a rapport with one another, Nurnberg said.

“I think this program will be very effective in reaching out to students,” junior Sophia Chen said. “We also are going to be working with one or two specific students, so we’ll be able to build a strong relationship throughout the year with them.”

Chen will be one of the tutors in the program and will help students in biology. She decided to volunteer her time, as she said helping students was something she had always wanted to do.

The program began Sept. 24, and will occur once a week. On Mondays, students will be tutored

Reporters Photo by Brandon Welty

NINTH GRADE MANDATORY tutorial began Sept. 24.

in biology, literature and writing on Wednesdays and algebra on Fridays.

Support programs to help freshmen socially and academically have been created in the past. Previously, now-defunct

ninth grade homeroom tutorials focused on social and emotional support, Nurnberg said.

Although still in its pilot year, Nurnberg said the program will look into opening its doors to more grade levels in the future.

Competition provides fair platform for students to embrace hidden talents without prerequisite of technical skills Many students will be participating in the annual PTSA Art Reflections Competition this year. The contest is designed for applicants to “explore their own thoughts, feelings and ideas, develop artistic literacy, increase confidence and find a love for learning,” according to the contest’s website.

The PTSA Art Reflections Competition, which has been around for 50 years, accepts submissions from students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

It offers students the opportunity to present entries in the following overarching categories: dance choreography, film, literature, music, photography and visual arts, according to the website.

Works of art must adhere to the general theme of the competition, “Heroes Around Me,” for the 2018-2019 school year, and must be submitted by mid-October. Applicants are also required to submit an artist statement to the PTSA Board.

“Students can unleash their unknown capabilities of art and they can explore a new side of themselves that they’ve never really known before [through the competition],” senior and PTSA Chairperson for the HHS Branch of the Reflections Competition Brenden Koo said.

The pieces are assessed by a blind panel of judges based on the following criteria: creativity, merit and adherence to the theme, Koo said.

“If you can bring a really nice and developed idea and support that through your artist

statement, then that’s better than having a really developed technical piece,” Koo said.

The top three pieces of artwork are then chosen and transferred to the district board, where they are judged once again. This process repeats many times, all the way up to the national level.

“The biggest takeaway from the competition is that people can grow and develop and understand the type of artist they can be,” Koo said.

In the past, most students have not actively submitted entries for the competition.

In fact, there were only three entries two years ago, Koo said.

However, applicant numbers have increased, jumping to ten entries last year.

Sophomore Reva Samant, a past competitor in the competition, said she believes that the competition has helped her learn more about herself and her artistic ability.

“I learned that I can write, and that I can be creative if I want to be in certain aspects,” Samant said.

There are strong beliefs that the competition will hold true to its name and will help participants reflect on various topics, junior Ashleigh Dong, an art student and prospective competitor, said.

“From this competition, I am hoping to gain more experience, improve my artistic abilities and gain some exposure to other forms of art,” Dong said.

Dong also hopes to improve certain technical skills through the competition.

STAFF Editors Editor-in-Chief Thomas Denome Editor-in-Chief Aishwarya Jayadeep Senior News Editor Aarya Gupta Senior News Editor Laurel Schmidt Senior Opinion Editor Gianella Ordoñez Senior Opinion Editor Renee Wang Senior Lifestyles Editor Andrea Boyn Senior Lifestyles Editor Hana Baig Junior Lifestyles Editor Andrea Sun Senior Entertainment Editor Katie Fung Senior Sports Editor Izzy La Rue Senior Sports Editor Nicole Fuller Senior Design Editor Eden Pollitt Senior Photo Editor Brandon Welty Junior Photo Editor Jacqueline Beaufore Copy Editor Kate Gabrielson Copy Editor Batool Al-Jabiry Senior Multimedia Editor Claire Torii Business Manager Katelyn Pan

PTSA ART REFLECTIONS COMPETITION MOTIVATES STUDENTS TO UNLEASH THEIR CREATIVITY

By Shruti Magesh

3

Pranavi Abburi Harley Anderson Leiyonee Bosé Melody Chen Emily Choi Ryan D’Amour Anastassia Dardenne

Lyndon Lee Steven Lefaive Shruti Magesh Katelynn Ngo Fonzie Pitco Patrick Yu

Adviser

Natalie Owsley

The Epitaph is a non-profit publication at Homestead High School, 21370 Homestead Rd, Cupertino, CA 95014.

The Epitaph is a forum for student expression and not subject to prior review, in accordance with Education Code 48907. The staff is composed of Homestead Journalism students.

Views expressed do not necessarily represent views of the school, its staff, or the district. Editorials are opinions of the editorial board.

The Epitaph welcomes all letters to the editor but reserves the right to edit all submissions. Letters should be limited to 300 words. Include contact information. Unsigned letters cannot be published, but names will be withheld upon request. Send via homestead. epitaph@gmail.com, or drop letters in the newsroom or the office mailbox.

If the Epitaph has made an error, please send corrections to homestead.epitaph@gmail.com.

The corrections will be published in the corrections box for the next issue.

To reach the Epitaph staff in C105, email homestead.epitaph@gmail. com

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Let us hear your voice If you have any corrections, concerns or comments about this issue...

1. Send them to homestead. epitaph@gmail.com OR 2. Bring them to room C105 ... and you might have your letter printed in the next issue!

Donors Photo courtesy of Brian Ozawa Burns

THE COMPETITION ALLOWS students to explore various forms of art and discover more about themselves through the theme of “Heroes Around Me.” This painting by junior Brian Ozawa Burns was featured in last year’s show.

“Prior to this competition, I was just a humble art student,” Dong said. “After this competition, I think my basic

skills might be improved and I think I will have more experience drawing based off of a theme or general topic.”

Jason Halden David & Charline Sun Catherine Hansa Spencer Fung Thomas Kendall Manjari Patel Laurel Schmidt Greg Tatsukawa Dexter Tatsukawa Julie Tatsukawa Angela Wipfler Morpheus Tatsukawa Bridget Wipfler James Tatsukawa Katelyn Wong Sadae Tatsukawa Katie Yasuda Margaret Batek Virginia Uchiyamada Christopher Zeren Hinoko Torii

PAGE BY KATE GABRIELSON AND LYNDON LEE

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Opinion

Friday, October 5, 2018

TEACHERS’ OPINIONS NECESSARY TO LEARNING Instructors’ political views wrongly hidden in classrooms

By Eden Pollitt This past summer I was faced with a difficult task many teachers are also confronted with: I had to step in and correct a child’s potentially offensive behavior.

To be more specific, I was coaching at Kick, Lead, Dream, a soccer camp for underprivileged kids in the South Bay community. One of my campers was pretending she had two imaginary mothers in a game she was playing by herself. Another one of my campers began to make remarks about how that was “gross” and “weird.”

I felt uncertain about whether or not I should step in. This was not my child, and I had no authority in how they should be raised. But something inside me said I needed to correct her.

This made me question how teachers decide when they should step in on a behavioral dilemma.

Some teachers can be made to feel restricted from directly criticizing politicians in office or political parties because it can make students uncomfort-

myth that students feel pressured by teachers to choose. In reality, students don’t feel they must align their opinions to match others, which suggests that educators withholding opinions is an unnecessary precaution.

There are no FUHSD policies that explicitly instruct educators to not speak out on political topics. Additionally, teachers who share their opinions on political issues are protected under the First Amendment. According to the Huffington Post, in the 1968 Pickering v.

Board of Education ruling, the Supreme Court ruled that teachers are Photo by Eden Pollitt protected under the First Amendment when speakCONTRARY TO SOME people’s belief, teachers’ opinions do not sway the ing on public issues, poliones their students may have. tics included.

If there are teachers that able, or possibly initiate a parYet there are concerns based identify with other political ent-administrator meeting. around if students will feel pres- philosophies, it is important to “Teachers’ fears of parents is sured by their teachers to take encourage them to share why what prevent us from doing real the same political stances. they identify with that way of teaching,” AVID and American According to a survey from thinking. This way, students Literature teacher James Ratti “The Political Classroom: Evi- can have a broader undersaid. dence and Ethics in Democratic standing of the political party Educators withholding their Education,” 90 percent of stu- system and how it works. In political views restricts students dents surveyed disagreed with this setting, educators are fosfrom questioning their beliefs the statement “my teacher wants tering open discussions while when adolescents should be students to have the same opin- teaching the importance of cichallenged academically and ions on issues that he/she has.” vility, perspective and self-eduphilosophically.

The survey counters the cation.

THE BEST WAY TO GET AROUND

Are the benefits of driver’s licences worth it?

By Izzy La Rue Almost every high school student looks forward to the day when they get their driver’s license and their own car.

Yet I wasn’t as eager as most students were, and only started driving at the beginning of my junior year.

But once I started driving, it became the only form of transportation that I wanted to use. Throughout most of my high school career, I had walked to school and home.

Driving, however, became an easy way to get to places.

Being able to drive gives you important life skills, such as time management.

Driving also made my life easier because it helped with my other responsibilities, like football. When I wasn’t driving, I had to leave my pads and backpack in the locker room. But the locker room is one of the worst places to be: it smells, it’s always packed and there are always people messing around.

Now I can leave my pads in the trunk of my car. Then, when school ends, I leave my backpack in there, get my pads and change on the field. It gives me more time to relax and get ready for practice.

Once practice is over, all I have to do is go to my car. This is a lot easier than going to the locker room and then walking home with all my pads and backpack.

Getting lunch with my friends in our cars gives us a lot more options than eating at school or around campus. Since we can go to more places to eat during lunch I look forward to it all day.

Driving is one of the best things to do, and is an important high school experience. Sure, it might take time and money to get your license, but at the end, it’s all worth it.

DRIVING IS WORTH all of the time and money needed to get a driver’s license because it saves time and energy and allows for freedom.

Photos by Gianella Ordonez

By Claire Torii Am I lazy? Perhaps. I have studied for my permit test, but as I see it, I would not have time to practice driving even if I had a permit. As for a license, if I wait until March, I won’t have to spend six hours and over $350 on money better spent on my college application fees.

The only time I need transportation is when going to school, and I live close to several of my friends. Typically, I’ll carpool with them in the morning, and my house is usually on their school route , so it’s no trouble to them.

It’s the same story when I’m headed home. If all fails, the bus will always be there to pick me up.

When I do have to go somewhere, it’s either back at school or somewhere my parents would feel more confident driving me to.

We also live in a glorious age where companies like Lyft and Uber present affordable prices for my strict budget, for when I need to get somewhere, or get out, in a pinch.

But if I’m not lazy, maybe I’m scared. As I sit as a passenger in someone else’s car, I scorn the countless faces of drivers looking down at their phones, and cringe when I see someone blindly backing up into another car in the student parking lot.

Even as I ride in the passenger seat of my mother’s station wagon, I see that not even an experienced driver could be fully prepared for biking daredevils crossing in front of us, and vehicles disregarding the right of way.

I become grateful that I do not have to worry about my driving inexperience negatively affecting others.

According to the California Department of Motor Vehicles, the crash rate for 16-year-olds is 3.7 times higher than drivers of all ages. As for citations, the California DMV also indicates that the citation rate is 2.1 times higher for 16 to 19-year-olds than that of drivers of all ages.

So yes, with a car comes a new sense of independence, but in my senior year, I have 100 other things to worry about, and getting into a car accident is not one.

THREADS OF INJUSTICE

By Aarya Gupta Humans have entered an era in which society continually increases its knowledge.

Limitless information is reported daily, available with a click of the button or quick trip to a newspaper stand. The media influences our perception of policies and politics, making journalism a potent field.

With its massive presence, media has a duty to accurately represent each and every voice. Yet, women are still underrepresented, abusing the power this institution holds.

According to a 183 page report published by Women’s Media Center — a nonprofit organization founded in 2005 — women receive 25 percent of bylines and other credits in evening broadcasts, while men receive 75 percent. In terms of print news, women only comprise 38 percent of credits, compared to their male counterparts, who receive 62 percent.

Famed news outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post and (even more locally) The San Jose Mercury News fail to achieve gender parity, according to WMC. Women experience different things than men and deserve to tell stories that indirectly impact them.

Moreover, the content women and men cover in the media indirectly breeds and maintains gender stereotypes.

According to the WMC, women are more inclined to report on lifestyle, health and education, while men pen a majority of sports, weather and crime and justice stories.

When society perpetually discerns males reporting on topics more frequently than females, the audience is inclined to believe that males are more knowledgeable in certain areas.

According to an article published by Poynter, while two third of journalism or mass communications graduates are women, only one third of the media industry is female.

Next time look at online platforms, and pay special attention to the bylines.

You will be surprised to see how many are penned by males.

PAGE DESIGN BY GIANELLA ORDONEZ

Opinion

Friday, October 5, 2018

5

DIVERGENT POLITICAL VIEWS DO NOT HAVE TO RUIN RELATIONSHIPS

BEING RIGHT

By Lyndon Lee

Gun control advocates say that the U.S. has a unique gun problem that kills tens of thousands annually. However, the right to bear arms makes Americans safer and maintains the freedom of the nation.

According to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) there are between 500,000 and 3 million defensive gun uses, in which a victim of crime uses a firearm defensively.

In comparison, approximately 99,000 are injured or killed by a firearm each year in which about 11,000 are homicides, according to the National Institute of Health.

In order to stop an armed bad guy, an armed good guy is needed, whether they be a police officer or an armed civilian. Police take time to arrive at the scene, and every minute matters in violent shootings. That is where armed civilians step in.

For example, NRA instructor Stephen Willeford stopped a mass shooting at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. Willeford chased the shooter away with his rifle before police arrived, saving dozens of lives.

According to a study by the Crime Prevention Research Center, 97.8 percent of mass shootings occur in areas where individuals with open carry permits aren’t allowed to be armed, such as schools.

According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, gun sales in the U.S. have more than doubled since 1990, while homicides have been cut in half in the same time period according to a DOJ study in 2011.

The U.S. owns over 51 percent of the world’s guns despite being ranked 43rd globally in the homicide rate, according to the U.N. More guns doesn’t necessarily mean more homicides. If anything, it reduces them.

The right to bear arms shall not be infringed upon, as stated in the Second Amendment. Ineffective gun control measures restrict the ability for law-abiding gun owners to defend themselves and protect others in their homes and communities.

It is easy to forget that politics is also an ingredient in our melting pot

By Melody Chen Stewed in a palette of religion, ethnicity and sexual orientation, the melting pot of our culture is fortunate to be entitled with a mixture of beliefs and identities in the U.S. These qualities have sculpted the unique individual that is still shaping and reshaping each day.

However, as much as the effect of a person’s beliefs about society differ, politics is the most profound issue that can heat up discussions, generate skepticism and result in increasing frustration.

Divergent beliefs or not, there is one aspect to note: they do not have to ruin your relationship.

We are told to avoid politics in conversations because it is impolite. In addition, we often take convictions from others too personally. It is always difficult to hear opposing arguments from your best friend, while you still share similar interests.

No matter what heated debate one is involved in, emotion wins over sound reason.We as human beings easily yield to confirmation bias, or the susceptibility to search for new proof to confirm pre-existing beliefs. If we steer away from voicing our opinions, we could fall prey to uncertainty, and thus, prejudice.

Illustration by Emily Choi

“THE POLITICAL DEBATE shouls not be a battle of ciompeting forces but a sincer, empathetic discussion.”

Without comprehending the full story of one’s peers, it would be impossible to identify the reasoning behind political beliefs.

Instead of endeavoring to begin a safe conversation, one would alternatively retreat to personaljudgement, neglecting the other half of the image.

According to a TED talk re-

garding the insight of two close friends with divergent political beliefs, there is no need for debates in relationships or friendships. Instead, a dialogue should be established. By developing a courteous exchange of conversation, friends can foster a novel understanding that does not arise from an evasion of genuine

truth and understanding. Society strives for curiosity, empathy and identity, not judgment, hate and disillusion.

As we appreciate the countless elements stewed in unique cultures and interests, we would welcome the diversity that make up the sweet tastes and aromas of our melting pot.

Thus, by inviting various political opinions in a respectful manner, our society would be mindful of new ideas and beliefs that wouldn’t be initially brought up.

The political debate should not be a battle of competing forces, but a sincere, empathetic discussion.

We cannot assume that one’s political beliefs translate to one’s personal attributes; that’s a huge misconception. If we attentively listen to other’s beliefs, perhaps there would not be a political battle, or a divide in friendship.

Instead, we can realize that others do have thoughtful reasoning and evidence that may not appeal to us personally, but may open up a mutual conversation.

I say it is time to shatter the growing tension of disagreement and embrace the diversity of new visions.

To acknowledge the silent, powerful voices that tremble below and are set to soar high with novelty and flair.

GIVE STUDENTS MORE OPPORTUNITY TO STUDY

The library should extend its daily hours

By Jacqueline Beaufore Late start is a blessing and a curse. Sometimes, we want to sleep in, get dressed and go, but sometimes, we may not have a ride and have to take the bus or an UBER, which can get costly.

One solution is to come to school earlier. But rather than using their time at school wisely, students are left to wait around for the bell to ring.

The library would be the perfect place to do homework, check out books and get help from tutors - if only it were open.

We have the same schedule as FHS, but our library is only open on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Wednesdays and Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The library at FHS, however, is open Monday to Thursday from 7:15 a.m. to 5 p.m., and from 7 a.m. until 3:30 p.m on Fridays, according to the FHS website.

By opening the library earlier on late starts days like FHS does, students could have the opportunity to arrive to campus early and get homework and last-minute assignments done.

If the library opened at 7:15 a.m. and closed at 5 p.m., students could have 9 hours and 45 minutes of work time instead of only 8 hours and 30 minutes.

Photo by Jacqueline Beaufore

STUDENTS USE THE facilities of the library to research, write papers, do homework and study.

With the extra hour, students could access textbooks, computers, printers and craft supplies that they may not have access to at home.

If the library opened earlier, students could both finish assignments and print them out before

class even starts. As it stands, on late start days, students only have 25 minutes of library usage time before the first bell rings.

That’s simply not enough time.

The library is a sacred place for students to learn, and which

allows us to be sufficiently equipped with the resources we need to succeed in school.

Opening the library earlier and closing it later could provide a much-neeeded resource for students to help them study and get homework done.

PAGE BY RENEE WANG AND SHRUTI MAGESH

6

Opinion

Friday, October 5, 2018

LACK OF VEHICLE AND PEDESTRIAN ETIQUETTE PROVES DANGEROUS STAFF EDITORIAL The student parking lot is straight ahead, but two large, blinkerless SUVs try to make a left turn while a herd of pedestrians cross the street. As cars enter the ramp up to the student parking lot, students, plugged into their devices, continue crossing, despite the fact that the stoplight blinks a red warning hand.

Meanwhile, as cars driven by students look for a spot that will be easy to get out of after school, more vehicles stop ahead, with parents dropping off students, before allowing others to look for an open spot.

These are common happenings in the hustle and bustle of students arriving at school.

Thanks to the new schedule, students are given anywhere from 10 to 70 extra minutes to get to class, yet they still find themselves in the same traffic dilemmas as previous years.

The issues: distracted walking, unsafe street crossing and unsafe drop-off behavior.

According to Safe Kids, one in six high schoolers engage in

distracted walking, with 44 percent tuning out with their headphones, without a concern for safety. At the same time, 1 in 3 drivers engages in unsafe dropoff and pick-up behaviors.

The outcome of such behavior is fatal — according to the same source, there are five teen pedestrian deaths every week in the U.S. Since 2013, there has been a 13 percent increase in pedestrian fatality rates for adolescents.

Although it may be easy to look at these statistics as faraway numbers, this year, two pedestrian-related incidents have already occured.

A jaywalking student was hit by a car September 4 while walking across Homestead Road.

Allegedly, the student was in a rush to get to class and was struck by a car. Although the accident was not fatal, the student’s rush to get to school paired with unsafe practices proved to have consequences.

Similarly, last week, a pedestrian student was hit at the intersection of Homestead and Ken-

newick at the entrance to the student parking lot.

Overall, students and parents must evaluate the approaches to school safety over their own convenience. Jaywalking to get to your morning classes or getting dropped off in the student parking lot may be convenient for you, but a safety risk for the drivers and pedestrians in close proximity.The effort to wake up ten minutes earlier to walk to school or get dropped off in the Horseshoe is easier than being faced with injuries that impact you forever.

So to pedestrians, we ask: get off your devices, abide by crossing rules and do not expect that you have the right of way.

To drivers: don’t be inconsiderate to other drivers and pedestrians, or hold up lines and engage in unsafe drop-off and pick-up practices.

Ultimately, improving school safety is not a feat accomplished by one group, but an entire community.

Infographic by Renee Wang

Photo by Claire Torii PAGE BY BATOOL AL-JABIRY AND EDEN POLLITT

Lifestyles

Friday, October 5, 2018

7

CLUBS PUSH SOCIAL CHANGE THROUGH ADVOCACY, EDUCATION Officers detail how best to make a difference

By Aarya Gupta and Aishwarya Jayadeep

Illustration by Aishwarya Jayadeep

“FOR GSA [GENDER and Sexualities Alliance], we focus on educating and being able to come to a community where you don’t have to be scared of asking questions,” GSA secretary and treasurer Lotus Taylor (10) said.

High school is often when teens discover their voices, and the students in clubs scattered all over campus are no exception.

From The Differences Among Us to Genders and Sexualities Alliance, clubs can raise a variety of prominent social issues.

However, they may approach those issues differently, with

the definitions of the pursuit of “social justice” varying.

“Social justice is just trying to fight for something that you believe in, fighting somehow for some group’s equality,” GSA secretary and treasurer Lotus Taylor said.

Taylor, a sophomore, added that club members tend to

either be part of or interested in learning more about the LGBTQ community. As a result, the club usually engages in activities to spread awareness.

“People who believe their club is a social justice club tend to do more ... advocacy things,” Taylor said. “For GSA, it’s focusing on educating, and trying to get

people to look at their sexuality in a new way, and being able to come to a community where you don’t have to be scared of asking questions.”

Education is also an important aspect of American Sign Language Club, co-president and senior Helen Wang said.

“We’re hoping to share more about deaf culture and bringing awareness and understanding of the community that we’re talking about,” Wang said.

Wang said the club leadership wants to include more outreach and volunteering this year, as opposed to prior years.

“We did [a volunteer event] last spring where we went to a library and read books to kids while signing,” Wang said. “And that’s not something that’s typically available so we would like to do more of it.”

Similarly, TDAU treasurer and senior Jianna Gladfelter believes her club allows people to work with and befriend a variety of people.

“We do a lot of events where we get people to get more integrated with people of all different kinds, so ... as a result people are more accepting and people are more aware,” Gladfelter said.

Gladfelter joined the club last year as a junior and would like to become a special education teacher in the future. “[The club] kind of attracted

me because I ... like learning about different kinds of people and wanted to immerse myself more in that,” Gladfelter said.

However, advocacy for marginalized groups isn’t all that makes a social justice club.

The creation of an inclusive and welcoming community also plays a key role. Taylor argued that the two are intertwined, especially in GSA, where focus is placed on forming safe spaces for students to discuss topics like coming out.

“I think [the education aspect and the community aspect] are equally as important to each other,” Taylor said. “Essentially, the community piece and the education piece can feed off one another.”

Over time, the club leaders hope to add other aspects of social justice to their own clubs.

“We’re thinking about doing a queer sex ed,” Taylor said of GSA. American Sign Language Club also hopes to expand.

“We’re trying to build a community aspect through our club members by planning social activities and bonding events,” Wang said.

But, above all, club leaders agreed that education was the first step to forming a true social justice club.

“I appreciate getting to learn something that I never would have been able to learn on my own,” Wang said.

DEAR DAISY ...

“How do I manage time between a social life, sports and honors classes?”

Time management is a skill all of us high schoolers should know in our “adult” lives.

Although I would consider myself a procrastinator through and through, I have a couple tricks up my sleeve.

The key thing to remember about time management is organization. The more organized you are, the more time you will have for friends, family or other responsibilities. Taking a look at your schedule before you commit to anything is a great place to start. Remember, it’s okay to say no: if you can’t do something, sometimes you just can’t do it.

Motivation is another big component when it comes to

time management. If you are not motivated to do something, then you most likely will not commit to whatever you are doing. Let’s say you really want to go hang out with your friends, but you have a lot of homework. In this situation, make sure you put your homework first and your friends second. By doing so, you are giving yourself a realistic goal of finishing your homework. By having a motivation to hang out with your friends later you can get what you need done without stressing about your homework later.

One thing that helps me is to make to-do lists, whether it be on your phone or in the agendas they pass out on the first day (they aren’t really that

attractive, but we can deal with it). These agendas are foolproof for managing your endless list of homework and other activities.

All you need to do is write your homework and other things you have planned for the week, like work, sports or parties and organize your schedule accordingly. To give yourself a reasonable amount of time to get what you need done, you should figure out how long it will take to finish each assignment and then set an alarm, so that once you reach your time limit, you go on to the next subject.

A pitfall that I believe all students struggle with is having their phone with them while they do their homework. If you are not using you phone for homework

you should put it on silent and put it aside so you can not see or hear it. I always try my best to be one with my homework, in hopes that I can focus and finish faster.

Unfortunately, as a high school student, our lives are filled with crazy homework assignments, nagging parents and absurd social issues, so it is always good to take a break. Personally, before I start my homework I like to take a 30-minute break, whether that be sitting on my couch while watching “SpongeBob” and eating Cheerios or by having a quick meditation break.

Remember to always stay calm, be motivated and try not to procrastinate too much.

Love always, Daisy

Struggling in school?

Need advice about friends? Having relationship troubles?

Scan the QR Code to ask Daisy a question!

TEENS AND PARENTS DISCUSS FREEDOM, ONLINE PRIVACY

Adolescents, adults often at odds about how much freedom students deserve

By Dexter Tatsukawa

When brought up, the topic of privacy between parents and teens can sometimes be seen as a conflict between the two.

Although adults and adolescents can be firmly divided on aspects of privacy, there are also things they can agree on, such as the idea that although teens need to be monitored for their own protection under certain circumstances, they should also be given enough freedom so that they can develop as individuals.

“I would say that while [being

monitored for safety] is a valid argument, I feel that learning to be safe is a learning opportunity for the teen,” junior William Mason said, “unless it’s something really dangerous, like ... drug dealing, you should let the teen figure it out themselves.”

English teacher Debbie Vanni, who is currently taking care of her teenage nephew, shares a similar opinion.

“It depends on the age. [In] high school that boat has sailed; there’s no hovering or keeping an eye on them at that point,” Vanni said. “You’re asking ques-

tions because you’re Vanni believes teen emotionality concerned, you’re not can cloud judgment. completely absent, “What you learn as kids get o l d e r is they’re soon adults ... but to hover, that’s you’re going to have a counterproductive.” lack of control, so all H oweve r, you do is try and instill adults and teens those things, and one are far from would be, ‘how do you use agreeing on evsocial media?’” Vanni said. erything. For “The domino effect [of instance, Matheir actions] is the son believes thing that they miss.” that teens are Mason and Vanni rational enough also disagree on teens’ to be trusted right to privacy. with social me- Illustration by Emily Choi “I feel like teens dia, whereas

should have quite a bit of privacy,” Mason said, “but I feel like it depends on the parents’ beliefs, the children’s beliefs ... obviously, some parents are going to be more stricter [sic] than others.”

Alternatively, Vanni said she believes that privacy is instead something that teens get from a positive relationship with their parents.

“I think it is an agreement,” Vanni said. “There has to be a level of trust, and if the child has earned the level of trust, then ... they do have a right to privacy.”

PAGE BY JACQUELINE BEAUFORE AND KATELYNN NGO

8

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Friday, October 5, 2018

Levi’s Stadium High School Football Series lends opportunity to play U.S. Bank offers Mustangs, Los Gatos game

By Aarya Gupta The varsity football team played at Levi’s Stadium on Friday, Sept. 21, against Los Gatos High School, resulting in a 0-28 loss.

The opportunity came about through the Levi’s Stadium High School Football Series, presented by U.S. Bank.

“At U.S. Bank, we are focused on closing the gap between people and possibility which comes to life through our corporate social responsibility giving and engagement platform called Community Possible, focused on the areas of Work, Home, and Play,” U.S. Bank Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications Susan Beatty said in an email.

“It is through partnerships like the one we have with the San Francisco 49ers and specially the 49ers Prep program that shines a spotlight on the value

of play.”

The Levi’s Stadium High School Football Series is a facet of ‘49ers Prep,’ which is a program to encourage football among Bay Area youth, Beatty said.

“When we have availability at the stadium, we really look to partner with local high schools,” Director of 49ers PREP and Fan Engagement Jared Muela said. “We look for a balanced match up. Part of it is we know Homestead’s football program has been solid for a number of years … We also try to find games that we don’t have to rearrange.”

The Levi Stadium also hosts other community outreach program like 49ers PREP Flag Football, 49ers PREP Camp and Play 60, according to their website.

Planning for the event commenced in early August, HHS Athletic Director Steve Lavelle said.

“This is Los Gatos’ home game and the 49ers chose this game … to play at Levi’s Stadium. We, be-

ing the opponent, were fortunate enough to be included in this great opportunity,” Lavelle said.

In order to promote this event, the Athletic Department advertised to HHS faculty by sending emails, reaching the student body through the morning announcements and hanging up flyers, Lavelle said.

“This opportunity is one they’ll never forget,” Lavelle said. “No matter the outcome of the game, you get to play in a professional stadium with a big crowd. It really is a special moment … you cherish these opportunities.”

According to the Levi’s Stadium website, general admission tickets for the lower bowl of the stadium were $15 for attendees under 18 and $20 for adults.

“Unfortunately, it’s Los Gatos’ home game, so they get the gate for it,” Lavelle said.

Photo by Harley Anderson Alonso Lopez (12), Dimitar Atanassov (12), Cooper Berthiaume (11),Tommy Cacho III (11), Israel La Rue (12), Nate Michelotti (11), Yotam Nahum (12), David Palomares (12), Sasha Mcindoo (11), Aramba Shah (11), Gerardo Ramirez (11), Enrique Alas (11), James Wyman (12).

Passing Yards :

Receiving Yards :

Ryan d'amour 13 yards

aaron oduor 1 reception, 12 yards

rush yards :

jarrett conkin 1 reception, 1 yard

Photo b

“BEING AND PLAYING at Levi’s Stadium was such a surreal experience for me since it has been a dream the 49ers Stadium since I was in the first grade,” senior Izzy La Rue wrote.

Field of

Faithf

Mustangs lose 0-2 Gatos High School

noah leaupepe-tele 7 carries, 15 yards

HHS participates in annua School Football series

Harold rucker iii 7 carries, 15 yards

By Thomas Denome and Andrea Sun

casey Latini 9 carries, 14 yards

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Jarrett Conkin (12)

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Tommy Cacho III (11)

Ryan D’Amour (12)

Photos by Harley Anderson

Despite their efforts, the Mustangs lost 0-28 to the Los Gatos High School Wildcats at Levi’s Stadium on Sept. 21. The game was part of the annual Levi’s Stadium High School Football Series.

The Wildcats opened the game with a touchdown on their first drive, and kicked the extra point to pull ahead 7-0. Otherwise, the first quarter was uneventful, with the Mustangs failing to move the ball beyond midfield on two possessions in the quarter.

During the second quarter, a

blocked punt by Conkin ended wit beginning a drive Gatos red zone, a line. However, the stay in the Musta for long, as they m yards, leaving the yard line.

The Wildcats s touchdown as the ed, but failed on attempt ending the 13-point lead.

While the Musta

Spread

Friday, October 5, 2018

POV: Playing at the 49ers’ stadium

Achieving a life goal of playing football at Levi’s Stadium

By Izzy La Rue

Photo by Aarya Gupta

xperience for me since it has been a dream of mine to play on a Rue wrote.

Wow. That was the first word that popped into my head when I first set foot in Levi’s Stadium. Playing at the 49ers’ stadium has been a dream of mine since I was 7, and even though it didn’t turn out how I planned, my dream was still fulfilled.

Although I’d known about the game since the middle of summer, reality didn’t strike me until the bus pulled up behind the stadium, and a bomb-sniffing labrador climbed aboard for a brief moment.

Going into the locker room, I had my bucket hat and Gucci

d of the

ithful thful

Photo by Harley Anderson

angs lose 0-28 against Los High School Wildcats

rticipates in annual Levi’s Stadium High Football series

Denome and Andrea Sun

efforts, the Muso the Los Gatos ildcats at Levi’s 21. The game was l Levi’s Stadium ball Series. opened the game wn on their first the extra point to therwise, the first ventful, with the to move the ball on two posseser. econd quarter, a

9

blocked punt by senior Jarrett Conkin ended with the Mustangs beginning a drive inside the Los Gatos red zone, at the four yard line. However, the ball did not stay in the Mustangs’ possession for long, as they moved the ball 3 yards, leaving the ball at the one yard line.

The Wildcats scored a second touchdown as the first half ended, but failed on the extra point, attempt ending the quarter with a 13-point lead.

While the Mustang offense con-

tinued to stall, the Wildcats’ lead continued to expand, with a touchdown and successful two-point conversion in the 3rd quarter, and a final score and extra point for an additional seven points in the fourth, making the final score 28-0.

Though HHS lost, many key players shined in the game. Juniors Noah Leaupepe-tele and Harold Rucker III were the top rushers, each running for 15 total yards.

Even with Leaupepe-tele’s good game he had two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.

slippers on and my headphones in, playing “Sicko Mode.” There was a fridge full of Gatorade and water for us to drink. I took one of each, while the team stormed the fridge and took everything.

I got to pick out my own locker and put my pads in there, while the trainers got their own room, which we went into to get taped, spatted (which is when your cleats get taped to help protect your ankle) and treated for any injuries that required STIM (which is electrical stimulation to help reduce swollen muscles and other injuries) or head pads. Both of my ankles were taped and spatted, and my wrist was taped with a pad underneath to protect my wrist.

Because we got to the stadium early, we were able to chill in the locker room and watch some of the game that took place before ours. Seniors Jarrett Conkin, Ryan D’Amour and I threw the game ball around for a bit to get our hands ready for the game.

Head coach Milo Lewis also let us go on the field and watch Santa Clara play against Saratoga. I took photos with my friends to remember the game for the rest of my life.

It was surreal, to the point where I would be watching the jumbotron, see myself and think, “I’m here, I am actually playing on an NFL field.” After a play where junior Harold Rucker III got a strip fumble and the refs called in

favor of Los Gatos getting the ball, I stared at the jumbotron.

My defensive coordinator, Tom Fernandez had to yell at me to stop looking at the jumbotron and call the play. That’s when I finally snapped back into reality and called the play.

At the 50-yard line, I looked at the 49ers logo and thought, “This is it, you’re doing it.”

As the final minutes of the game were ticking down and the student section disappeared, it hit me that we lost the game and I felt every emotion possible.

I will never forget this experience. And now, I can cross playing on an NFL field off my bucket list.

Photo by Brandon Welty

PERFORMING AT SUCH a large venue, the cheerleaders said they were nervous but excited to perform at the same time.

Left to right: Alexa Cendejas (12), Nejra Mujkanovic (12), Juliana Hernandez (12), Shirley Orozco (11), Amanda Cardenas (12), Zoey Sun (12) Maria Lopez (12) and Jacqueline Beaufore (11).

Cheerleaders revel in experience of a lifetime

Scan here for a video recap of the game

From sidelines, cheer team embraces spirited atmosphere

By Anastassia Dardenne It seems to be a regular Friday night football game, but one major difference sets it apart: It is taking place at Levi’s Stadium. The atmosphere is hectic as students, teachers and parents hustle to take their places, and the cheer team begins an upbeat routine. Screaming at the top of their lungs, they encourage the crowd to stand and share their enthusiasm. Senior Jannina Mock, captain with Emilee Thompson, smiles brightly, radiating energy.

“We were all really excited to [cheer at Levi’s],” Mock said.

Their confidence was enviable, but on the inside, they felt the pressure of performing in such a well-known stadium.

“It’s a lot bigger, so I think that was a nerve-wracking thing for them because its so much bigger than high school football teams,” assistant coach Alycia Harlow said.

The size of the stadium was just one of the challenges cheer faced. Because the team had

only practiced their halftime routine on indoor mats, Mock said she worried that the unfamiliarity of the stadium would throw them off.

“It was our first time doing it on the field and we were just hoping everyone would just go to the right spot, and that everything would work and that the grass wouldn’t mess us up,” Mock said.

Moving past their fears and worries, cheer incorporated a few stunts to impress the audience. As the second half neared its end, the cheer team redoubled its efforts, hoping to animate the crowd regardless of the score.

“I think most of the girls just enjoy performing in general, no matter how the team is doing. It’s just really exciting for us to be there,” Harlow said.

Although the football team ended up losing to Los Gatos, the cheerleading squad said they would do it all over again.

“It was a really cool experience, it’s like one of those things that you never even dream of doing,” Mock said. “And then you get the opportunity and you’re just like ‘Oh My God, this is happening.’”

Scan here for interviews with the team

Casey Latini (12)

PAGE BY HARLEY ANDERSON, ANASTASSIA DARDENNE, THOMAS DENOME AND CLAIRE TORII

10

Friday, October 5, 2018

V

Lifestyles

Around the World in 80 Plates Language teachers recommend food from their cuisines

Photo by Andrea Sun

HERE AND THERE

By Kate Gabrielson

Paco Arévalo Country of Origin: Spain

Arévalo prefers cooking to eating out and enjoys making paella, a traditional Spanish dish containing seasoned rice and meat.

Muriel Von Stein Country of Origin: France

Von Stein’s favorite French restaurant, Le Petit Bistro in Mountain View, serves simple delicacies at a reasonable price.

Ying Jin Country of Origin: China

Golden Palace, Jin’s favorite Chinese restaurant, is known for its authentic yet inexpensive dim sum.

Gabriela Balás

Country of Origin: Argentina Balás’ favorite Argentine dishes to make include empanadas and alfajores, dulce de leche sandwiched between two cookies; she buys ingredients at Crossroads Market

Junko Birdsong

Country of Origin: Japan

Birdsong, from Osaka, Japan, enjoys eating takoyaki, a snack containing octopus and tempura. One of her favorite restaurants, Orenchi, serves authentic ramen.

Illustration by Aishwarya Jayadeep

UPPERCLASSMEN UPHOLD OVERACHIEVING LIFESTYLES Brenden Koo, Hannah Oh know what it takes to keep up with academics, extracurriculars

By Emily Choi The word “overachiever” has long been used in a negative connotation: someone who cares too much, or tries too hard. But junior Hannah Oh thinks otherwise.

“To me, it’s more of just doing everything you could possibly do and sometimes that may be too much, but I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing all the time,” Oh said.

Oh is in two AP classes, one

honors class, Wind Ensemble I and participates in extracurriculars, including volunteering at the local soup kitchen and marching band rehearsals.

Senior Brenden Koo is another self-proclaimed perfectionist.

“I’m doing what not many other high school seniors are doing, taking seven classes and five AP classes,” Koo said. “Leadership is basically another AP class ‒ you have to attend and organize events and take care of logistical stuff.”

Something both students struggled with was knowing when

to limit themselves and call it a day.

“Because of the workload, I end up sacrificing a lot of sleep,” Oh said. “I try to sleep by midnight, but sometimes I don’t succeed.”

As a senior, Koo has since worked out the importance of sleep and is getting better at prioritizing it.

“I make it a point that if I am tired, I go to sleep … I am working on going to sleep by 11 p.m. so that I can wake up early and finish my work then,” Koo said.

B o t h students have reasons for their rigourous lifestyles that keep them anchored and motivated.

“The idea of helping someone, and improving the lives of others keeps me going,” Koo said.

Oh takes difficult classBRENDEN KOO es for personal IS taking five AP reasons. She classes, and is in wants to push leadership. herself.

“I like learning so I like taking hard

classes and challenging myself,” Oh said.

Taking multiple difficult classes is a tough but gratifying lifestyle choice. At its core, the overachieving lifestyle is all about balancing academics and social life.

“Make sure to spend time with the people you care about,” Oh said. “Because in the end even if you have a 4.0 GPA, if you have no friends and no family life, and you don’t enjoy it, [your classes and extracurriculars] then nothing matters.”

“I am usually someone who gets things done right away,” Oh said.

HANNAH OH SPENDS nearly twenty hours a week at Marching Band rehearsals.

By Andrea Sun

Photo

by Emily

Going on vacation with family is a great privilege to have, but if you’re anything like me, the idea of a week with your mom trying to make conversation with you when you’re showering in the bathroom, your dad taking selfies at Michelin Star restaurants in Switzerland and your brother throwing a tantrum when he doesn’t get the window seat is not exactly the ideal getaway.

But when my parents announced that they were planning a cruise to Greece during the summer with four other families, I was excited. However, a part of me thought that my friends would be too busy with their families to spend any time with me. Despite my parents’ good intentions, I knew we’d all end up in a small cabin with snoring parents and sleeptalking siblings.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

First of all, to my surprise, I was thrown in a room with two of my closest friends.

Let’s call them Friend A and Friend B. Since I had previous experience rooming with both of them, I thought I knew what to expect.

Friend A was often reckless in her actions and disorganized when it came to her belongings, but was extremely strict with her daily routine. Meanwhile, Friend B was very flexible and didn’t care much about anything. She was in the grade above Friend A and I, however, so she felt responsible for us.

Yet eventually, it was Friend B’s character traits that created issues among the three of us.

When Friend A and I wanted to stay out on the boat late, Friend B chose to go back to our cabin, later telling us she had needed a break from us. During our excursions in Greece, Friend B did not show much interest in the sights and history, disappearing to hang out with her little brother and his friends.

by An drea S

un

Photo by Emily Choi

Choi

Photo

Scan this QR code to read the rest of the article at hhsepitaph.com PAGE BY ALFONSO PITCO III AND ANDREA SUN

Lifestyles

Friday, October 5, 2018

11

NEW TEACHERS EXPRESS THEIR PASSIONS More educators introduced to school staff Tyler Cripe

Photo by Katelynn Ngo

Photo by Katelynn Ngo

Photo by Katelynn Ngo

Band (Director)

Art 2, Art 3, AP Art

World History, Government & Economics

“ART was always my passion, and music. When I was the age that my students are, I wanted to be a rockstar, and that’s probably not gonna happen now at this point.”

“I really just like HISTORY because it’s a really great way to show people representation of themselves and how important it is to have some positive examples of who you can be in history.”

Biology, AP Environmental Science

“I enjoy writing MUSIC in my free time and for other groups; I write for high school and college marching bands and college band ensembles and drum chords during the summer.”

“I’ve always had a passion for SCIENCE. When I was in high school, I had a really, really amazing biology teacher, who inspired me to become a biology teacher.”

Nicholas Neese

Photo by Katelynn Ngo

Daniel Bacher

Paul Rendon

By Katelynn Ngo

Visit hhsepitaph.com to read about the rest of our new teachers!

ENGINEER TURNED TEACHER Photo by Batool Al-Jabiry

FUNG PUSHES HIS students to connect ideas together that are beyond those mentioned in the textbooks.

Sam Fung utilizes teaching techniques beyond textbook

By Batool Al-Jabiry “Make sure you fall in love with the subject, not with Mr. Fung, I am too old for you,” chemistry teacher Sam Fung said.

Fung has been a chemistry teacher at HHS for 14 years now, and recently returned to teaching Chemistry Honors after a six-year hiatus Prior to teaching, Fung worked as a chemical engineer where he was in charge of looking for defects in products and creating solutions. When he first began his teaching career, this portion of his old job came in handy, he said. However, this time, the products are the students, and helping struggling students in creative ways is the solution.

Fung uses a common technique that other teachers have also implemented in their classrooms: the ever-so-dreaded cell phone cubby.

“I tell my students, okay, it’s time that you put your phone in the sleeping bag so it can get some rest,” Fung said.

Fung constantly strives to push his students to connect ideas together, especially when they are abstract.

“For example, do you remember Hund’s rule? It’s a very abstract concept!” he said.

Fung runs up excitedly to a chemistry textbook and pulls up the definition of Hund’s rule, a chemistry concept that explains that each orbital can have a maximum of two electrons, with opposite spins.

“This concept is too abstract to understand, it doesn’t even sound like English,” Fung said.

To help his students understand this seemingly abstract topic, he uses Barbie dolls and chairs. In each chair, one Barbie sits facing in one direction and another one sits facing the opposite direction.

He hopes that that if his students hear the words “Hund’s Rule,” they’ll remember this model and be able to explain what it means.

Although there is a level of rigor for the course, Fung wants his students to constantly challenge themselves.

“I really want to activate the students’ passions for learning science,” Fung said. “I want them to focus on the subject, but why stop there? Think beyond the classroom! How does this relate to other topics?”

GIRLS TAKE ON STEM

Senior defies norm in all-female robotics team

By Nicole Fuller Although it is not uncommon to participate in robotics while living in the heart of Silicon Valley, women tend to be underrepresented within the robotics community.

Senior Kelly MacDonald said she established a passion for the science behind engineering and participates in a robotics team outside of school. Although HHS has a highly ranked robotics team that is currently more successful, MacDonald prefers her own team, “Space Cookies.”

“I did not know much about HHS robotics but I liked the idea of being on an all-girls team and I liked the idea that I would be able to meet people from different schools,” MacDonald said.

MacDonald said being part of an entirely female team is empowering. Their team is also registered as a Girl Scout troop, so they participate in community service work that helps reach out to younger girls and inspire them to pursue careers in robotics or STEM. “A lot of my friends on my team originally came from a school team that was coed, but they found it hard for girls to have a larger role on the team,” MacDonald said.

Senior HHS Robotics Team members Shaylan Dias and Suvan Agarwal said there is not an even ratio of boys to girls on the school robotics

Photo by TKKTKT

Photo courtesy of Kelly MacDonald

WITH AN UNEVEN ratio within engineering, girls tend to be less motivated to join robotics.

team.

“There were efforts made to get more girls involved, but it did not work that well,” Dias said.

“It is a standard problem with robotics clubs at most schools.”

The HHS team hopes to recruit more girls in the future. “[Robotics] can be improved if it was more specifically marketed to girls because right now it is seen more as a boy’s sport,” Agarwal said.

MacDonald has no experience on a coed team and is not against the idea, but said she also loves the all-girl team because they have traditions such as glittering their safety glasses and getting their nails done before competition.

For the most part, MacDonald enjoys every part of her outside of school team, but there are some challenges involved.

“One thing that makes it difficult is that we have people

coming from all around the bay so it is difficult to work out times with everyone’s schedule and make decisions together,” MacDonald said.

MacDonald said these challenges have improved her communication skills, as she has been given the role to organize meetings and plan team events.

This will be MacDonald’s third year participating in robotics, and said she plans to remain with her team and hopefully win a championship.

“This year we got to World Championships in Houston and competed in a Regional Competition in Canada,” MacDonald said.

“Unfortunately an all boys team beat us, but we are inspired to work harder and hopefully claim the title next year.”

PAGE BY HANA BAIG AND DEXTER TATSUKAWA

12

Entertainment

Friday, October 5, 2018

MOVIE LITERATE : TO ALL THE CHICK FLICKS

By Claire Torii

SPILLING THE TEA

By Steven Lefaive Gong Cha brought its premium tea series to Sunnyvale this September. The series, released in April, features honey aroma black tea and roasted oolong. The teas differ from Gong Cha’s standard products because they are naturally flavored and coldbrewed.

I found Gong Cha’s latest additions to be a refreshing change from their usual fruity cousins on the menu.

The tea sports a cylindrical bottle with a screwable top, a change that strays from the film top of a typical drink. The bottle is sturdy, and has a large tea bag inside for continuous flavoring. The bottles are pre-brewed and stored in a fridge, so customers get their drink in under a minute.

The tea itself is high quality for only $4.25, compared to competitors’ usual price of $4.50.

The honey aroma black tea tastes refreshing, though the honey is not apparent. The black tea is overwhelming, but it’s great for people who enjoy a more traditional taste.

The roasted oolong tea tastes similar to the honey aroma, despite the contrasting names. Gong Cha claims the oolong is roasted, but it tastes like normal oolong. I didn’t mind, but if you enjoy the earthy taste of roasted oolong, consider another option.

Something I noticed with both beverages is that they made me dehydrated after a while, and I had to drink water to revive my throat.

I ordered three roasted oolongs and two honey aroma teas over the span of a week, and Gong Cha ran out of honey aroma after three days. It took them four days to restock.

Gong Cha’s premium series is great for people who don’t like added flavoring, sugar or toppings.

The series introduces customers to the roots of tea, and reveals Gong Cha’s simpler, more traditional side.

3 out of 5 pearls Photo courtesy of Flickr

I saw him after another daily brainless perusal of my Instagram explore page. I guess he was cute, in a boy-next-door kind of way.

He looked like the kind of guy who only spoke to you when he needed the physics homework.

His name was Noah Centineo and I didn’t understand everyone’s fascination with him at all.

I ended up watching his breakout film, “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” while I had the flu, and I can’t say I expected anything worse. In the film, the protagonist, Lara Jean Covey (Lana Condor) leads a very average life: one best friend, good grades, no extracurriculars, a comic-relief dad. That is, until she has to pretend to date our friend Noah Centineo after a series of unfortunate events.

Sound familiar? It’s because you’ve met these characters already.

Whether it’s Molly Ringwald in “16 Candles” or Lindsey Lohan in “Mean Girls,” chick flicks have been a series of “quirky” girls chasing after jock boys long before these seemingly new Netflix originals like “Sierra Burgess is a Loser” and “Insatiable.” All these movies revolve around the same principle: “If she’s normal just like me, that means I can receive approval from boys, just like she does.”

Sure, in some variations of the chick flick, the main protagonist ends up choosing herself in the

I’VE SEEN BEFORE

Illustration by Claire Torii

THE CHICK FLICK movie genre continues to inaccurately depict the motivations of young women.

end, but only after getting male approval of some kind.

Overall, chick flicks have failed to accommodate to a new wave of feminism which tells us that women don’t need male validation to be successful. Now is the time to kick out sexist chick flicks and bring in empowering movies that tell women and girls that their worth is determined by things they accomplish, not the boys who fall in love with them.

“Lady Bird,” a 2017 film chronicling Christine “Lady Bird”

MacPherson’s struggle to find her identity in a Sacramento suburb, is an excellent example of how to balance looming romantic relationships with the complex ideas of female empowerment.

Throughout the movie, the audience sees Christine falling in love, but does not get the sense that these boys are especially desirable, or grant Christine fulfillment. Instead, the audience sees the awkwardness of her first boyfriend, and the pretentiousness of her second.

In the end, she chooses to rekindle her friendship with her best friend Julie Steffans. She is not choosing to put herself first, but to put what she has always known — Julie — first. Christine then leaves for college, not letting any thoughts of previous boyfriends crowd her mind.

Instead, she is ready to learn more about herself, as well as keep her previous experiences in her heart.

Some may regard “Lady Bird” as more of a coming-ofage movie, but I would argue that it is equally a chick flick.

Director Greta Gerwig includes scenes with both of Christine’s boyfriends that remind the audience what it is like to be in love, and ultimately desired, without making it feel like Christine is being overshadowed by male dominance.

The definition of a chick flick is a movie with love and romance directed at a female audience.

In order to change what chick flicks look like, women need to be able to admire all the positive qualities of Lara Jean Covey that are not determined on whether Noah Centineo’s character Peter Kavinsky, likes her or not.

I want to see the day when not only are female directors directing chick flicks, but women are encouraged to choose their careers, passions and their own mental health over some teenage boy.

WATCH THIS ... NOT THAT!

By Patrick Yu

Photo courtesy of IMDb

Those who lean toward movies that are less actionpacked may appreciate “Crazy Rich Asians,” which puts a twist on the classic rom-com story.

In the film, Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) agrees to accompany her boyfriend, Nick Young (Henry Golding), to a wedding in Singapore. Little does she know that Nick’s family is the richest in all of Asia.

The director, Jon M. Chu, expertly contrasts traditional Chinese values with contemporary ones to craft an interesting, buoyant film.

Slick, stylish and fastpaced, “Mission: Impossible — Fallout” is the best action movie of the decade, no exaggeration.

In the latest installment of the franchise, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his Impossible Mission Force crew join the CIA to fight against terrorists.

Tom Cruise is brilliant; his age is clearly no limit as he leaps, climbs, fights and hangs from dangerous heights. He is also backed up by a stellar cast.

The action is brilliant: chases, brawls and a spectacular helicopter dogfight culminate in a nail-bitingly, jaw-clenchingly tense thriller.

Photo courtesy of IMDb

Photo courtesy of IMDb

The Good: the cinematography and the dynamic between protagonist Rey and Kylo Ren. The Bad: literally everything else. This movie is stagnant, boring, lazy and downright idiotic at times.

Even worse, “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” makes no attempt to expand the mysteries left by its predecessor.

The inability to tie up loose ends and finish character arcs left many, including myself, incensed. “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” is an insultingly poor attempt at a sequel.

An absolutely horrendous slog to watch, in “Slenderman,” the four main characters are interchangeable, bland teenage girls who summon the Slenderman by looking him up online.

He proceeds to torment them through insipid jumpscares until the girls find a way to stop him.

The cinematography is dull, the actresses lifeless and the plot simply moronic. And while there are plenty of lousy horror flicks that are spewed out, Slenderman is different. At least a flick like “The Bye-Bye Man” can be enjoyed for how bad it is. “Slenderman” can’t.

Photo courtesy of IMDb PAGE BY KATIE FUNG AND PATRICK YU

Entertainment

Friday, October 5, 2018

FROM MARGINALIZED TO MAKING BOX OFFICE

13

What the success of ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ says about Asian representation

By Renee Wang Before I watched “Crazy Rich Asians,” I watched another movie with an Asian lead: “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.”

And after I watched “Crazy Rich Asians,” I spotted a trailer for another movie with an Asian lead: “Searching,” starring John Cho. To see a slew of movies depicting Asian-Americans not as overdone stereotypes, but as complex people, is refreshing.

When “Crazy Rich Asians” first premiered, I, like many others, was ecstatic.

Finally, a movie with faces that looked like mine and had experiences similar to mine.

However, the opportunity I have to see faces like mine onscreen is not an experience all Asian-Americans have had.

But we must remember that before we had “Crazy Rich Asians,” we had non-Asian actors acting in Asian roles.

Before we had “Crazy Rich Asians,” Hollywood claimed tropes such as the nerd and the kung-fu fighter sufficed as adequate representation of Asian-Americans.

According to a multi-university study involving professors from San Jose State University and the University of California, Los Angeles, “Tokens on the Small Screen,” the media is resistant to cast Asian-Americans due to fears that an Asian character may be unrelatable to audiences and therefore unprofitable.

So, when Asian-Americans are represented on screen, it is minimal — according to the same study, Asian-American and Pacific Islander actors make up 4.3 percent of series regulars on TV and are often portrayed in a tokenized manner.

Yet the commercial and financial success of “Crazy Rich Asians” refutes the fears of Asian actors being unrelatable or unprofitable.

According to Hollywood Reporter, “Crazy Rich Asians” is the most successful romantic comedy in nine years.

In fact, the New York Times reported that it topped the box office for three weeks.

“Crazy Rich Asians” is proof that Asian actors do not have to be nerds or relegated to token characters to be bankable.

“Crazy Rich Asians,” to me is not just another romantic comedy, but also a reclamation of the Asian identity.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Kevin Kwan, author of “Crazy Rich Asians,” rejected a trilogy deal from Netflix in order for the movie to be seen in the mainstream media: cinema.

“We needed this to be an old-fashioned cinematic experience, not for fans to sit in front of a TV and just press a button,” Kwan said.

The last all-Asian Hollywood studio movie was “The Joy Luck Club” in 1993. That means that in the span of 25 years, Asians-Americans had only one opportuity to see faces like theirs on the big-screen.

In my lifetime, it took 16 years to see positive, normalized portrayals of Asian-Americans in traditional and new media. In someone else’s lifetime, it might have taken 40 years to see such positive portrayals.

And, as the media continues to evolve, I can only hope that in another lifetime, there will be no waiting period.

WHY IS THERE A LACK OF REPRESENTATION? ACCORDING TO THE STUDY "TOKENS ON THE SMALL SCREEN."

DO IT FOR THE CULTURE : THE PROBLEM WITH KIM KARDASHIAN WEST’S VERSION OF EMPOWERMENT

By Katie Fung Kim Kardashian West is arguably the most influential person of the past decade. You can hate her for it or try to dispute it, but it doesn’t matter.

With 118 million Instagram followers and 55.8 million Twitter followers, she has fans to the corners of the Internet and back.

After all, Kardashian West is the distinguished champion of a uniquely 21st century way of making money; her wealth comes from living a lavish lifestyle.

Kardashian West was an Instagram influencer before Instagram influencers were even a thing, and her impact doesn’t stop at mere recognition. To

many girls, she is not just to be acknowledged, but emulated.

People don’t follow her on Instagram just to see photos of her vacation to Fiji. They want to be her — they want her fame, her money, her life.

One can admire Kardashian West’s business prowess, if nothing else. She started with a sex tape and built herself an empire. Currently, she runs the successful KKW Beauty and KKW Fragrance. A scroll through her Instagram reveals Kardashian West in a bikini, advertising her latest perfume.

This isn’t necessarily bad in and of itself. Sex sells, after all.

However, considering that her fanbase is made up of primarily

teenage girls, one has to question this technique.

“I am empowered by my body. I am empowered by my sexuality… And I hope that through this platform I have been given, I can encourage the same empowerment for girls and women all over the world,” Kardashian West wrote in an essay posted to her website for International Women’s Day in March 2016.

The problem with this is that Kardashian West only advocates a single form of women’s empowerment: sexuality.

That is how she empowers herself, and that’s completely okay. No one but herself has the right to tell her how to dress, or

how to live her life.

But by advocating this singleminded version of empowerment, she has assisted in creating a culture that tells us confidence, fame and fortune come only from dressing provocatively.

And that same culture pressures girls to act like adults before they’re truly ready. When all celebrities advocate female empowerment, and all celebrities dress a certain way, it’s easy to make the mistake in assuming that correlation equals causation.

The internet generation faces a dilemma unique to today. They want to be famous, just like their role models, but fame only seems to come from dressing in a sexualized manner. Therefore,

they must dress this way if they want the kind of fame and wealth Kardashian West has attained.

Right?

The only problem is that this isn’t empowerment. This is imitation of a celebrity because you want what they have and don’t know how else to get it. And with no one to dispel this idea, it prevails in the minds of girls.

I’m not saying Kardashian West is a bad role model, though she may also be so.

My point is that not everyone needs to follow the model that she sets. And amid the waves of her influence and her kingdom that is social media, it’s easy to forget that.

Photo by Katie Fung

KIM KARDASHIAN WEST is one of the most-followed people in the world, with 118 million Instagram followers and 55.8 million Twitter followers.

PAGE BY KATELYN PAN AND MELODY CHEN

14

Sports

Friday, October 5, 2018

CULTIVATING SUCCESS ON AND OFF THE VOLLEYBALL COURT Girls’ volleyball team builds a culture of chemistry and commitment

By Emily Choi At the start of the their season, the varsity girls’ volleyball team have already begun to gel well together.

“The thing I see the most in the girls is an unselfish attitude,” head coach Gary Carroll said.

“They’re team players; they embrace what’s best for one another to get better and practice.”

Carroll has been coaching at HHS for 12 years. In all his years of experience, he understands that volleyball is all about the teamwork. This season, the team has a solid dynamic.

“The girls know what’s best for each other, sometimes sacrificing their own needs to make other players better,” Carroll said.

It’s not just the coach who understands the importance of teamwork; the whole team gets it.

“We have a motto: play for the person next to you. I think what’s important is not focusing on yourself but making the other person better,” senior and captain Stephanie Zhang said.

In order to measure success, a goal must be present. The team has one common goal: to win the league.

“We talk about how to execute

Photo by Emily Choi

THE DEFINING TRAIT of the girls’ volleyball tem has been their team chemistry.

and not mentally deteriorate each game,” senior and captain Chanel de Smet said.

But off the court, the girls are focused on building player-to-player connections. In fact, the team went to Reno for the High Sierra Volleyball Invitation-

al to get comfortable on the court together before the start of the offical school season.

“Because we went to Reno solely for bonding, and we got closer, and we definitely communicate and play better on the court now,” Zhang said.

The team has already reaped the benefits from attending the invitational. By the end of the trip, the team tied for third place in their division.

In games, every player is focused on getting that ball over the net. Their collective effort transforms their side of the court.

They work as one body. The num-

bers on the scorebord don’t faze them. They just keep pushing.

As they continue to climb up the ranks, the team is optimistic about this season.

“Homestead volleyball is an amazing program,” de Smet said.

“We care about each other so much, and put so much effort into every single thing we do.”

PLAYER OF THE MONTH: JARED WADE

Jumping from tight end to full back

By Eden Pollitt

Junior Jared Wade has stepped up on the varsity football team this season, having to switch between offensive and defensive positions.

“Jared has moved from outside backer and tight end to inside backer and fullback for us, due to the injuries,” head coach Milo Lewis said.

“He’s contributed at those positions [without] knowing a lot about them.”

This year, several members of the team have suffered injuries, beginning with the first game of the season.

“In the beginning of the year we just had like five or six players get hurt,” Wade said.

“We were on our fourth string quarterback for a little bit, so now people are starting to get better. If we can hold off on the injuries, we’ll be fine.”

Because of the injuries Wade has had to play both inside linebacker and fullback, but he hasn’t complained once.

“He works hard and he doesn’t complain and he plays to the best of his ability,” Lewis said.

Teammates said they have noticed Wade stepping up to be a leader on the team. Teammate and senior Aaron Oduor has commended Wade on his outstanding efforts.

“Jared, this season, has been the best player on the team,” Oduor said. “He’s had

more tackles than anyone else.

He’s had more yards than anyone else. He’s carried the ball more than anyone else. He plays both ways, which means basically he doesn’t come off the field, so basically Jared’s carrying us.”

Wade said he was surprised at the nomination for player of the month but has noticed his teammates treating him differently this season.

“Well last year, Aaron thought I was absolutely garbage and this year he thinks I’m actually good,” Wade said.

This season has become a pivotal point in Wade’s future, regarding college and continuing to play football.

Originally, Wade said he started playing football because it was fun.

“I just like hitting people,” he said. “It was fun [but now] that’s kind of one of my main goals - to play [Division I football] in college.”

Lewis said he agrees that Wade can play football at the collegiate level.

“I think Jared’s one of the people on our team that can play at the next level, which is college, because he has the size and he has the work ethic to do it and I think he’s a very strong mental person,” Lewis said.

Wade has left a lasting impression on the team and still has the second half of this season and next season to further improve on the field. “[Come out to a game],” Lewis said, “[and] you’ll see number 80 running around the field everywhere.”

Photo by Brandon Welty

JARED WADE PLAYED fullback and inside linebacker in HHS’s first game ever held at Levi’s Stadium.

PAGE BY STEVEN LEFAIVE AND EDEN POLLITT

Sports

Friday, October 5, 2018

SCOREBOARD

15

FOOTBALL The Los Gatos Wildcats beat the Mustangs 0-28 at Levi’s Stadium. Key players included inside linebacker Jared Wade, outside linebacker Taylor Jordan, defensive back Tommy Cacho III and cornerback Aaron Oduor. The non-league record for the team is 0-5.

Field Hockey Tennis The varsity field hockey team remains in CCS contention after a league realignment. They face St. Francis on Tuesday.

Photo by Brandon Welty

Cross Country

The tennis team lost their match against Los Gatos with a score of 6-1 and will participate in matches next week against Harker and Cupertino.

Photo by Aarya Gupta

Photo by Aarya Gupta

Volleyball

The girls varsity volleyball team started off the season with a record of 3-2. In their game against Los Altos, key players included junior Paige Bensing with point winning spikes, blocks by senior Molly Vainish and score-saving digs by sophomore Indy de Smet.

Photo by Emily Choi

Water Polo Cross country’s invitational meet was held in Los Angeles on Sept.

15. Junior Gabe Rosado, senior Sahil Morchi, sophomore Anna Perronne and senior Ryan Ma all competed, and Ma placed 30th of approximately 300 west coast runners.

Photo by Brandon Welty

The girls varsity team is currently 1-5 overall and 1-3 in the league. Players to watch include senior captain Erin Slaney and sophomores Jessica Matkovitch and Isabella Lucas. HHS beat the Palo Alto Vikings in preseason and took them on again on Sept. 27.

Photo by Nicole Fuller PAGE BY NICOLE FULLER

Photo by Ryan D’Amour

Freshman Nils Eliot Giffon is a competitive gymnast on the Gold Star gymnastics team.

“I started gymnastics in first grade, and I started at California Sports Center, then I stayed there for two years and then went to Gold Star,” Giffon said. “I did intermediate, then got invited to team and then I’ve been doing team until now so ... level four, level five and then level six.”

His events are rings, high bar, pommel horse, vault and floor.

Last April during the state competition, he won First Place in Pommel Horse and vault. Giffon dedicates 16 hours a week to gymnastics.

Photo by Ryan D’Amour

Freshman Dalia Querenet has always played club Volleyball outside of school. Querenet has traveled all the way to Washington for the sport.

Now that she is in high school, she said she is excited to be part of the school’s Volleyball team.

Querenet said there are several things she loves about volleyball: “The friends that you make, the experiences that you have and the skills you obtain,” she said.

Photo by Andrea Boyn

Meet Abacus World Champion and freshman class president, Martin Wu. Back in the day, Wu said he went through a time period where he would do really well at international competitions. Wu said he enjoyed it because it allowed him to meet people and experience different cultures.

“I met kids from India, Taipei, Mexico and China,” Wu said.

Wu is also the class of 2022 president.

“We currently have a lot of work since we have to plan homecoming, but I am really excited for BOTC, homecoming and overall just enjoying my freshman year,” Wu said.

Photo by Laurel Schmidt

Freshman Evan Spielvogel likes to spend his time outside of school perfecting his ability to solve a Rubik’s Cube. His interest in Rubik’s Cubes began five years ago when he attended a summer camp.

“I said, ‘Hey can you teach me?’ [to another camper]And he let me borrow his Rubik’s Cubes, and the whole day I just practiced and practiced and practiced, and then I learned,” Spielvogel said. “Then over the years, I learned different cubes and got a little bit faster.”

Spielvogel said his record time is currently around 45 seconds.

Last Word

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of 128 freshmen

With every new year comes a new class of freshmen. This year, there are many who are looking forward to adapting to high school life. From wiggling their ears to building robots, these kids can do it all!

NEW KIDS IN THE QUAD

# of

16

PAGE BY ANDREA BOYN, RYAN D’AMOUR AND LAUREL SCHMIDT

“Yeah, it’s really up to them, do what you want. If you want to dress up, do you, that’s it, simple,” Cianna Burse said.

5. Do people dress up for Halloween?

“Utilize the block schedule because since you only have two to three classes each day [during finals week]. You have more time to study for those specific classes, depending on the day,” Emily Song said.

4. What are some tips to get through finals week?

“By the end of your sophomore year you should start preparing for SATs or ACTs, and then middle of your junior year you need to start making connections with your teachers for recommendation letters,” Sean Chen said.

3. How soon do you need to prep for college?

“Going into junior year, I strongly recommend taking American Studies,” Lucas Newman said. “I guarantee, if you take American Studies with Clausi and Gonzo, your year will be 10 times better.”

2. What is the class you would most recommend?

“I would say by far the best is McDonald’s. They have the $1, $2 and $3 menu,” Erastus Kuria said. “It’s close by, not everyone can drive. It’s an easy distance to walk to.”

1. Where’s the best place to go for lunch?

Freshmen asked seniors their most compelling questions through a survey. Here are their responces.

SENIOR Q&A

Friday, October 5, 2018