Issue 1 - October 2021

CUPERTINO CANNABIS CULTURE An investigation on weed culture at CHS pg. 20

OPINIONS Romanticizing Sex Work pg. 08

SPORTS The Mental Game pg. 26

Queerbaiting Examined pg. 16

NEWS Santa Clara Sheriff Investigation pg. 06

ISSUE 1, VOL 64

LIFESTYLES

IN THIS ISSUE

news

Adjusting to the Free Lunch Program.......................................... 04

Santa Clara County Sheriff Investigation................................................. 06

opinions

Romanticizing Sex Work ................. 08 Manifestations and Subliminals.......................................10

features

Teachers who went to Tino...............12

The Jay Koo Academy EXPERT TEST PREP AND COLLEGE ADMISSIONS CONSULTING

PSAT Workshop • Sunday, October 10, 2021 Practice PSAT: 9am-12 noon Lunch: 12 noon-1pm Review/Discussion: 1pm-4pm

December 4 SAT Comprehensive Prep • Reading/Grammar/Math • SAT Taking Strategies • Course starts October 5, 2021 • Classes meet Tuesdays and Saturdays Please refer to the website for detailed schedules and fees.

408-712-5274

www.jaykooacademy.com info@jaykooacademy.com 12280 Saratoga-Sunnyvale Rd., Suite 201 Saratoga, CA 95070

featuring Ms. Benson, Mr. Morse, Mr. Mitchell

lifestyles

investigations

The Demonization of

sports

The Harm in Queerbaiting................ 16 Cupertino Cannabis Culture......... 20 Religion........................................... 18 the Mask you 28: What wear says about you

Team Bondings............................ 24 The Mental Game........................ 26

perspectives What the Mask you wear says about you.............................................. 28 Commuting to Tino...................... 29

postscript Back to School Mad Lib............... 30 Finding My Pieces........................ 31 COVER DESIGNED BY JENNY WU AND HENRY MA COVER PHOTO BY MEGUMI ONDO

THE PROSPECTOR

STAFF 2020-2021

editors-in-chief Jenny Wu Henry Ma Avi Pandit

photo editors Megumi Ondo Kavya Kaushal Theresa Nguyen

news editor Arnav Vishwakarma

features editor Meghana Vinjamury

online editors Arnav Vishwakarma Megumi Ondo Kevin Jia Saniya Laungani Dhruv Kerai Jun Kim

lifestyles editor Katelyn Chu

business manager Dhruv Kerai

opinions editor Raissa Ji

investigations editor Sonia Patil sports editor Arushi Arora perspectives editor Theresa Nguyen postscript editor Kriti Kaushal copy editors Juliet Shearin Joan Thyagarajan Jun Kim

writers Anand Ashar, Caroline Cheng, Evan Lu, Jolie Han, Lisa Octavia Valentina Zivanic, Norman Chow, Natalie Chen, Olivia Hwang, Prithika Sundar, Rajasi Laddha, Rishita Shah, Sania Mehta, Soha Roy, Tanvee Sai, Taruna Anil, Vishal Shenoy, Slava Miroshnichenko

advisor Ann Shriver-Peck Editorial Policy

“The Prospector” is an open forum of expression for student editors to inform and educate their readers. It will not be reviewed by or restrained by school officials prior to publication or distribution. Advisors may and should coach and discuss content during the writing process.

The staff of “The Prospector” seeks to recognize individuals, events and ideas and bring news to the Cupertino community in an accurate, professional and unbiased manner. “The Prospector” will not avoid publishing a story solely on the basis of possible dissent or controversy.

If you believe an error has been made or wish to have your opinion expressed in “The Prospector,” please contact us via mail or email. Letters sent become the sole property of “The Prospector” and can be edited for length, clarity or accuracy.

“The Prospector” editorial board reserves the right to accept or reject any ad in accordance with its advertising policy.

Contact Us: chsprospector@gmail.com The Prospector 10100 Finch Avenue Cupertino, CA 95014

A LETTER FROM THE EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Dear Reader, A year and a half online has exposed us to the magnitude and prevalence of prejudice, political polarization and environmental crises worldwide and in our community. Seven issues later, we have finally returned to a familiar production experience and feel at home once again, in room 210. With the mask mandate still strong, find out what the mask you wear says about you on page 28.

It is paramount that we try to understand other perspectives with a world so heavily divided. As Jun Kim, Katelyn Chu and Vishal Shenoy investigate the weed culture among students on page 20, they unravel the different experiences and opinions recreational users, medical users and teachers have on marijuana at Cupertino High. On page 16, Theresa Nguyen explores the nuances in queerbaiting from multiple angles.

From the free lunch program on page 4 to the demonization of religion on page 18, The Prospector extensively explores stories that significantly affect the student body. We are determined to tell the stories that matter most to our readers and spark discussion that drives positive change.

We recognize that in a time where fact is based on opinion, journalism is as important as ever. As we welcome the comfort of familiarity back into our lives, it falls on our generation’s shoulders to remember the harsh experiences and continue to push for progress and action.

Sincerely, Henry Ma, Avi Pandit and Jenny Wu

NEWS

ADJUSTING TO THE FREE LUNCH PROGRAM The logistics and challenges of offering free lunch to all students.

JULIET SHEARIN

4 | DESIGNEDBY BY ARNAV VISHWAKARMA

copy editor

Like all schools around the nation, Cupertino High School began offering free lunches to students during the 2021-22 school year as a response to the food insecurity sparked by COVID-19. Although hundreds of students on campus have benefited from the meals, the increased volume created a host of logistical challenges.

Over the course of the pandemic, food insecurity more than doubled, according to a study by the UCLA Center for Neighborhood Knowledge. To combat this, the federal government signed into effect a bill subsidizing schools so that they can offer free meal service year-round. Socioeconomically disadvantaged students — a category that includes 11% of Cupertino High School students — have benefited from free and reduced-price meal services before

PHOTO BY KAVYA KAUSHAL

FUHSD sites typically have multiple serving stations, designated to a certain type of meal to make the serving process more efficient

burden on each school’s food service team. One challenge is monetary: although federal subsidies help with the costs involved in Cupertino High School’s food service, they often do not provide enough funding to offset the real costs TO BE ABLE TO OFFER AN ENTRÉE, of feeding students.

FRUIT, VEGETABLE, MILK AND PAY LABOR Said Fremont Union AND PROVIDE PAPER PRODUCTS IN FOUR High School District Food DOLLARS IS AN IMPOSSIBLE TASK. Services Manager Divya DIVYA PURI Puri, “We get four dollars FUHSD FOOD SERVICES MANAGER for every lunch we offer.

To be able to offer an enthe bill; now, no students have to wor- trée, fruit, vegetable, milk and pay ry about meal prep or going hungry at labor and provide paper products in four dollars is an impossible task.” school.

The lack of revenue from students The federal law addresses an important problem, but it also places a large purchasing meals has also strained

“

”

PHOTO BY KAVYA KAUSHAL

the budget, although not as severely as the drastically increased demand. That demand has had other negative consequences: On the first day of school — and thus the first day of the free meal service — high demand and inadequate line management combined to prevent many students from receiving the meals that were originally on the menu. Strategies like more card readers and staff to move the line more quickly have mitigated the problem, but lines are still significantly longer than they were pre-pandemic.

“We’re trying to get kids to move faster, faster, faster — is that

a good experience for them?”

Puri said.

The main issue, however, has been one of support. Before the pandemic, roughly 300 students a day would come through the

“

gles that CHS’s food service staff now have with the increased demand will likely pay off in future years, too. A California bill, pending approval until the state budget is finalized, hopes

TYPICALLY, WE WOULD NEVER RUN OUT, BECAUSE THERE’S ALWAYS FOOD — FROZEN FOOD — [...] AND THE COOKS ARE TRAINED TO KEEP AN EYE OUT ON PRODUCTION. DIVYA PURI

FUHSD FOOD SERVICES MANAGER CHS food line. Since the free food service began, that number has tripled. One exceptional day saw 1000 students get cafeteria food. There has not been a comparable increase in kitchen infrastructure, and shipping delays mean increasing kitchen capacity is time-consuming or impossible.

The experience and strug-

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to provide similar subsidies to schools beginning in the 202223 school year and continuing for the foreseeable future. More state support seems unlikely to be forthcoming.

Said Puri, “We want to feed our students, but we want to have the right resources so that we can do a good job of it and not struggle all the way.”

41%

increase in

cafeteria budget from the 2019-2020 school year

*According to the FUHSD Budget Report from June

300%

increase in

the number of students getting school lunch

*According to Divya Puri, FUHSD Food Services Manager

$4.3

per lunch

allocated for a meal, utensils, labor

*According to Divya Puri, FUHSD Food Services Manager

PHOTO BY KAVYA KAUSHAL

School meals typically include an entrée, vegetable, fruit and milk

v

SANTA CLARA COUNTY SHERIFF INVESTIGATION A look into the allegations against elected SCC Sherrif Laurie Smith.

AVINASH PANDIT

6 | THE PROSPECTOR

online editor-in-chief

In a statement on August 16, San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo of Santa Clara County called for the resignation of Sheriff Laurie Smith. Mayor Liccardo, a former criminal prosecutor, is the first elected official to do so. Smith has been accused of multiple violations and has been the subject of a significant criminal investigation. One of the allegations against Sheriff Smith

included the repeated beatings of jail inmates, which resulted in many deaths. She has also failed to prevent the falsification of reports and investigations related to those incidents.

Mayor Liccardo further elaborated his case for her resignation in a written statement released to the press. In his statement, he states that Smith’s repeated mismanagement of the jail has violated its inmates’ most basic civil rights. He mentioned

the death of Michael Tyree in 2015, severe head injuries to Andrew Hogan in 2018 and Martin Nunez in 2019, and a seven-minute beating of a man by 31 other inmates in 2020. Licciardo compared Sheriff Smith’s treatment of some inmates to a “dystopian tenure in Hunger Games” and noted that Smith required officers from other city departments to remove their body cameras when entering the County Jail.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MERCURY NEWS

Mayor Liccardo also claims captain after the union contributed have Canny at the press conference that it is not just the treatment of in- $300,000 to her reelection campaign. was likely an attempt to shift some of mates that is a problem, but that Sheriff Smith addressed Mayor Lic- the responsibility for the murders and Smith’s actions have had detrimental cardo’s statements in a 45-minute brutality over to the government. monetary implications. A $450 million news conference the next day. Smith Said Canny, “We have a funof taxpayer dollars were granted to handed over much of the conference damentally broken system… asking a Smith and the Santa Clara jail to be a 21st-century menCounty Police to improve tal institution, it is insane.” jail operations and conWith the weight of two MAYOR LICCARDO ALSO CLAIMS ditions, without much to criminal investigations, the THAT IT IS NOT JUST THE TREATMENT OF show for it. Tens of millions lack of results for a $450 milINMATES THAT IS A PROBLEM, BUT THAT of taxpayer dollars were lion project to improve jails, SHERIFF SMITH’S ACTIONS HAVE HAD DETalso paid to victims of poand recent cases of police RIMENTAL MONETARY IMPLICATIONS. lice brutality for civil rights brutality all weighing on her violations by deputies who shoulders, Smith was calm were under Smith’s watch. and collected during the The allegations continue. The to Attorney Paula Canny, who repre- press conference. county is currently undergoing a crim- sented the family of Michael Tyree in Said Smith, “I welcome any inal bribery investigation on Smith, 2015. Canny praised Smith’s willing- and all investigations.” in which two of her top officials have ness to work with Tyree’s family and been indicted. Also allegedly a part how quickly the deputies accused of of the bribing scheme, Smith promot- murdering him were arrested. ed the head of her deputies’ union to Sheriff Smith’s decision to

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NEWS | 7

OPINIONS

ROMANTICIZING

$EX WORK

A closer look at how social media is promoting sex work among impressionable audiences SANIYA LAUNGANI

8 | DESIGNED BY RAISSA JI

social media manager

D

escribed as the performance of consensual sexual services or erotic performances by adults in return for money or goods, sex work has transformed tremendously over the past couple of years.

With platforms like Only Fans beginning to expand the online industry, new problems arise regarding the influence of sex workers on social media on the youth.

According to Open Society Foundations, sex work is typically done as a livelihood. Some find sex

work to be a way to explore their sexuality, while others find it is a job with high pay and flexible hours—though some sex workers do end up in poverty becuase of irregular income.

Contrary to social media’s glamorization of sex workers’ high earnings, performing sex workers only earn over $40,000 a year (PayScale).

For comparison, a minimum wage worker in California earns just over $27,000 a year.

Now, what is Only Fans? It’s an Internet content subscription service for users 18 and over. Content creators on the platform receive monthly

payments and one-time tips for selling explicit content. Social networks commonly show that creating a profile as a sex worker on platforms like Only Fans will result in some immediate income. In fact, although celebrities and the top 1% of creators on Only Fans make millions a year, the median income of Only Fans content creators is only about $180 a month (Influencer Marketing Hub).

Many celebrities and influences promote their usage on the forum, resulting in adolescent involvement. A BBC News investigation has revealed reports of kids on the site as young as

THE RESPONSE OF

TIKTOK USERS

under stripper and strip club content *From comment sections under @makayapeteet1 @baaabyyyjayyy and @accordingtoheather

“

Do you have any tips I’m turning 18 in 7 months and I wanna be one so baddddd

2 more years until I’m 18!!! Ima audition on my birthday

“

Y’all. I understand not demonizing seggs [sex] work but oh my god please do not glamorize or romanticize it it’s sooo dangerous

Can I be hired when I’m 18 ? I’m 14 rn

“

CCENSO ENSORRED ED

of income for many families. Despite the success of some sex workers, however, receiving an education before deciding on a career is a much more likely path to a solid life. Actual sex work shouldn’t be pushed as a “dream job” in media that high schoolers think is an option out of education.

There is no doubt that sex work is a stable source of income for many families. However, receiving an education before deciding on a profession will lead to more job opportunities in the future.

There has been an increase in media coverage on the benefits of sex work at a young age and how it provides a high income. Though not in the argument of whether sex work is empowering or a respected job, it is essential to consider how sex work is being discussed in the media aimed at adolescents.

G l a m o rized aspects of sex work should be shown with the side effects and dangers

“

12 years old. A 14-year-old used their grandmother’s passport to pass the age requirement to participate on the platform selling explicit content. This platform has security features embedded in it, but it comes with many risks that are often not seen. Content creators on Only Fans cannot manage who views their photos and videos since they only have access to the viewer’s username, which doesn’t reveal their identity.

Sex work has become popular on social media, where adolescents are prevalent. Sex workers are commonly open about their job on platforms such as Snapchat, Twitter, and TikTok. On social media platforms, strippers show the amount of money they make in one night without much context, a typical result being teenagers interested in the job without knowing the dangers of stripping. High schoolers see sex work as an option out of education since they have seen sex work romanticized through social media.

According to a recent study on sex work by Widener University’s Sarah Elspeth Patterson, M.Ed., “10% of students know of students who engage in sex work in order to promote themselves financially, with 16.5% indicating that they might be willing to engage in sex work to pay for their education.” Sex work should be considered a highly demanding job, not a quick way to earn money. In social media, it is familiar to see the positive aspects of becoming a sex worker, like the income and empowering factors of the job, as opposed to the risks and dangers that may come with it. Women can be taken advantage of in the circumstances and encounter dangerous people while working.

S o c i a l Media often portrays sex workers with stable incomes and confidence, and indeed sex work provides a steady s o u rc e

10 | DESIGNED BY RAISSA JI

PHOTO COURTESY OF MEGUMI ONDO

MANIFESTATIONS &

SUBLIMINALS A discussion on why one should be wary of such practices SONIA PATIL investigations editor

S

“

only happen to bad people. Life happens, and bad things are going to happen no matter how much one can visualize or manifest, and that’s no surprise.

Gallagher warns that manifesting can be harmful to people with anxiety. Said Gallagher, “[In therapy] we work a lot on helping people separate their thoughts from actual reality, especially the negative ones.” Some of her patients have struggled with intrusive thoughts. For example, if they think something bad is going to happen, such as seeing burning down a building while visualizing, they’ll accidentally cause it to happen in real life.

“This illustrates how the very idea of manifesting is ‘sticky’... a slippery slope that could lead to or exacerbate obsessive thoughts”, said Angela Haupt, writer for The Washington Post.

Obsession can be not only with certain objects or outcomes but with people. The initial innocence of using subliminals to get a new pair of sneakers is replaced with “how to get your ex obsessed with you.” Not only is it unhealthy to feel the need to control entire human beings, but can be enough to set one further down the obsessive route.

The idea that we can control our lives through our thoughts just by listening to the right frequency, visualizing the future, or doing things the right number of times is alluring. While the general practice of the law of attraction or any similar method, when done correctly, has the potential to elevate one’s mindset, the toxic ways it is oftentimes used bring more harm than benefit

LIFE HAPPENS, AND BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN NO MATTER HOW MUCH ONE CAN VISUALIZE OR MANIFEST. SONIA PATIL

”

OPINIONS | 11

o there you are, lights dimmed, candles lit, crystals lined across your bedroom window as you get ready to lay down to bed and play the “Abs in a Week” subliminal for the third time today. Deep down, you know that you aren’t going to wake up with a stomach like Madison Beer but still, you play it anyway. Across the street, an anxious sixth grade girl is scribbling her crush’s name 105 times in the journal she begged her mom to buy from Target. Down the corner, a banker tired of his routine 9 to 5 dreams so vividly of white sandy beaches in Cancun (pina colada in one hand, sunblock in the other) that you would think he lives there.

Subliminals, manifestations, visualization: all concepts that have been around for centuries, things we do in our daily lives, but rising trends have shifted the general goals. We are not manifesting only for positivity anymore, but to wake up with 90-degree shoulders and fantasized romances.

Each method stems from the law of attraction, the belief that both positive and negative thoughts directly impact the experiences in a person’s life. If done in the right way, the overall process is generally beneficial, bringing a positive mindset and perspective. For example, for someone struggling with self-image issues, the psychological response from saying “I love myself” or “I am worthy of happiness” can potentially alter their self-perception positively over time.

On the flip side, while many people may manifest as a joke with little expectation for any real outcome, the trends across the internet with subliminals for “get skinny in two weeks” or “have toned legs in a week” can be deluding. People profit from ex-

ploiting insecurities in their target audience that are often based on unrealistic or glamorized beauty standards. Such subliminals not only enforce toxic mentalities and horrible self-image but place more value on features associated with certain ethnicities or races. Youtube headlines of “get a smaller nose” or “have a Korean body” are now on many screens. While these beauty standards have existed long before, using subliminals for such purposes can put an unhealthy amount of emphasis on them. It is undoubtedly harmful that the media we consume on a daily basis pushes certain groups to seem as if their physical appearance is greater. But it is further damaging when those vulnerable or insecure go about trying to achieve them, believing that it is necessary in any way.

With social media, “manifestation is murky territory, with no clear guidance or regulation... Followers are free to interpret the trend however they’d like, and take advice from anyone labeling themselves as an expert,” said Thea Gallagher, director of the outpatient clinic at the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Treatment and Study of Anxiety.

The problem lies in the definition of the law of attraction itself, where the outcome of your life is a direct reflection of what thoughts you put in and what you deserve. Unfortunately, the expectations that can come when performing acts with the law of attraction are high. If not met, it can be a question of “well, what did I do wrong?” or “how come I’m not good enough?” It pushes the idea that one brought it on themself or that bad things

12 | DESIGNED BY MEGHANA VINJAMURY

TEACHERS WHO

WENT TO TINO

MS. BENSON MEGHANA VINJAMURY

A

features editor

my Benson, a math teacher at Cupertino High School and a 2004 graduate, believes that a lot is different about Tino, but at the same time, there are many similarities.

One of the main differences that Benson noticed is within the club’s scene and academics. When she attended Tino, there weren’t as many clubs to join, and academic pressure wasn’t as prevalent now.

Said Benson, “People took AP classes, but they never took like five at a time; they took maybe two or three. Whereas now, there’s a big control shift in Cupertino. There was a healthier balance between academics and social life, and free time existed a little bit more.

It was still a pretty rigorous place, but now it’s been amped up a few notches in the last fifteen years.”

There were also a relatively low number of AP classes offered at Tino as well.

“When I went to high school, the only AP science that was offered was AP Biology, but if AP

Physics or AP Chemistry had existed back then, I probably would’ve taken them, but it just wasn’t actually offered on campus at the time,” said Benson.

School spirit has stayed the same, if not been increased, since Benson

“

I THINK IT’S REALLY GOOD THAT CUPERTINO HAS SHIFTED THE FOCUS A LITTLE BIT TO JUST BEING BETTER HUMANS.

AMY BENSON

”

graduated. “I used to go to football games with my friends, and that was a pretty big social thing. As you got older, like junior and senior year, rallies become more special to represent your class, so I had some positive memories there,” said Benson.

When she was deciding what she wanted to pursue in the future, Benson decided to study engineering because of her strong skillset in the math a n d

FEATURES | 13

science field. She later attended UC Davis to get a degree in civil engineering.

Said Benson, “When I started to actually work in the [engineering] field, I realized it wasn’t quite what I wanted to be doing with my life, and then a really cool opportunity came along when I actually coached the JV girls basketball team during the 2009-2010 season.” Benson realized she found it fun to interact with and coach high school students, reminding her of a previous thought about her career. In the back of her mind, she thought that she could eventually become a math teacher.

“Mrs. Morris was having her second baby at the time, and so they actually had an opening in the math department teaching three Algebra 2 classes part-time, and I was thinking of switching over to the education track anyways,” said Benson. She then enrolled in the San Jose State teacher credential program and earned her credential while working as a teacher, and she eventually became a full-time math teacher afterward.

The main difference that Benson enjoyed the most was the advisories about current social issues. Said Benson, “When I was in high school, everything was kind of shoved under the rug a little bit because it just wasn’t as big of a topic. I kind of wish that we had talked about Latino Heritage Month and police violence because that was happening back then as well. So I think it’s really good that Cupertino has shifted the focus a little bit to just being better humans. They’re training people to be a little bit more sensitive and mindful of everyone around them.”

FEATURES

MR. MORSE KRITI KAUSHAL

A

postscript editor

s students enter room 6201, they are greeted by a plethora of treasured momentos ranging from geographical maps covering the depths of American history to poster-sized black and white portrait frames. On closer inspection, however, many of these pieces share deeper roots to Cupertino High School’s

“

NATURALLY, IT ALL POINTED ME BACK TO [CUPERTINO] AS A TEACHER AND COACH.

”

14 | THE PROSPECTOR

WES MORSE

history, all protected by history teacher, Wes Morse.

Through his lifelong connection with Cupertino High School, Morse has served as a teacher, administrator, basketball coach, department head, journalism, yearbook, and ASB advisor and most importantly, historian of several Cupertino-specific legacies.

Said Morse, “When I think about my high school career, I think a lot about my basketball team and my journalism experience. [...] I liked my life where it was; I liked being around. [...]

Naturally, it all pointed me back to [Cupertino] as a teacher and coach.”

Therefore, Morse was immediately

coined the “graduate who never graduated” for his involved role on campus. This return to Cupertino High School was spurred by an unfortunate car crash that nearly killed his brother.

Said Morse, “[My brother] was my coach growing up. In a way, coaching basketball was a way to honor him and his sacrifice[...]: He made a huge difference on not only me, but talking to other people, he truly was a really good coach. And so after the car crash, I returned back to Cupertino because I felt the immediate need to coach.”

Morse began attending gym practices, passing balls to the basketball players. His desire to contribute even further to the Cupertino community grew as he continued coaching, and be- came reality through the encouragement of several influential mentors including his own high school history teacher, Mr. Bogey and longtime school administrator, Barbara Nunes.

“When I studied here, it wasn’t necessarily a source of pride to go to Cupertino,” said Morse. “ W e

didn’t have a good academic reputation, but that got fixed in the eighties

by Mrs. Nunes. However, Ms. Nunes was also a changemaker in vitalizing Tino Spirit. She started this trend of hiring faculty alumnus with the knowledge that alums understood Tino culture due to built in familiarization and loyalty. And in such a way, Cupertino in the late nineties started to develop an identity because the students who attended and the faculty who taught appreciated the school holistically.”

Just like many alumni teachers, Morse appreciated Nunes, who hired him when he transitioned into teaching.

Said Morse, “A lot of how I think really is influenced by Nunes. She valued something she used to call the ‘plus one.’ It is the idea that you’re going to do not only your given role — for example, your responsibilities as a teacher — but one more thing as well. So for me, I have tried to internalize that through my thirteen years of coaching basketball, my organization of the Cupertino High School Hall of Fame, just everything extra.”

Morse hopes that students also understand this phenomenon as they navigate high school. He agrees Tino has become more focused on admission into prestigious colleges than finding a career trajectory that makes students feel truly happy.

Said Morse, “I think students should have that feeling too, that you need to be active in a club, sport or activity or anything that will be fulfilling for you, but also help the school provide an overall better experience due to your impact. [Cupertino High School] has always had and been committed to great people. In the past I have tried to be the champion for school history to provide a sense that everyone here is part of a longer journey but now it is up to the students to continue being the bridge between the legacies of yesterday and the future of tomorrow.”

MR. MITCHELL CAROLINE CHENG

T writer

he welcoming Cupertino High School community encourages many of its graduates to come back as teachers. Kenji Mitchell is a Cupertino High School graduate turned science teacher, and he continues to captivate and inspire his students each day.

During his time at Cupertino High School as a student, Mitchell appreciated being able to gather with other students during rallies and football games, as well as having the opportunity to meet new people and celebrate Tino together.

“School was very much about participating in [sports games and rallies],” said Mitchell. “This is the one place I just remember always feeling that I get to be with my friends all the time; we’re just doing stuff all together.”

On his journey to becoming a teacher, Mitchell was initially motivated by his high school mentors who supported him throughout his time at Cupertino High as a student.

“I had a lot of teachers that pushed me to make sure I was either turning things in, or if I was struggling, would check in on me. […] I saw that impact,” said Mitchell.

After high school, Mitche l l be-

gan coaching, which allowed him to realize his interest in working with teenagers and consider teaching as a potential career. He was also deeply inspired by the difference he was able to make in students’ lives.

“I could just think of seeing kids grow, seeing people develop a passion they didn’t know they had. I have been fortunate enough to have students tell me, ‘Oh, I’ve actually taken this course because you’ve made me like science.’ [...] So it’s very rewarding to make people passionate about learning, but specifically about science,” said Mitchell.

Although Mitchell thought he might eventually return to Cupertino High as a teacher, he did not initially plan on doing so. He was intrigued by different school cultures than that of his high school experience in the Bay Area bubble. However, Mitchell’s first job was here at Cupertino High, and by that time, its school culture had significantly shifted.

A c a d e m i c a l l y, Mitchell noted that, even though it was rigorous when he was a student, the competitive environment of the school had drastical-

ly increased.

Said Mitchell, “I feel like [the competitiveness] has been ratcheted up 30, 40 times more than what it was.”

In addition to academics, Mitchell also elaborated on the positive change in the social dynamic here at Cupertino High. In comparison to the culture of Cupertino High when he was a student, he now enjoys seeing more connection and support between students.

“It’s become like a real community,” said Mitchell. “I see now cross-class friendships that weren’t necessarily there before.”

Looking back, Mitchell would have liked to have been more involved in school spirit activities as an underclassman. It was not until senior year that he really participated in rallies and homecoming skits, which creat-

“

THIS IS THE ONE PLACE I JUST REMEMBER ALWAYS FEELING THAT I GET TO BE WITH MY FRIENDS ALL THE TIME; WE’RE JUST DOING STUFF ALL TOGETHER.

”

KENJI MITCHELL

ed long-lasting friendships and memories that he still cherishes today.

Mitchell encourages current students to “appreciate what you have right now.” He hopes that students will understand that Cupertino High is a special place to be in and connect with friends because life beyond high school may lead to many different opportunities

LIFESTYLES

QUEERBAITING EXAMINED An exploration of both the harmful effects of queerbaiting and calling it out

Q

16 | DESIGNED BY KATELYN CHU

ueerbaiting: a term that uses a word that it does not represent. With a history spanning to the early 2000s, ‘queerbaiting’ was first coined and popularized by internet fandoms frustrated with the lack of genuine LGBTQIA+ representation in television shows. And while the term has stuck around in today’s generation, its meaning has since been used to describe a variety of circumstances where promises of LGBTQIA+ representation are not kept.

Even though it might seem obvious that using an identity that many identify with as a marketing tool is distasteful, there are many more reasons why queerbaiting is

inappropriate and harmful. Not only ambiguous ending read as noncomdoes it lead young teens and chil- mittal to many modern fans. dren to believe that there is little rep“Because of the relative scarcity of resentation on screen, but it can also queer relationships onscreen, the bait enable corporations to profit from dis- and switch can be especially harmful. ingenuous marketing to the LGBTQ+ Seeing queer representation on TV community. can be incredibly affirming to viewers.

Many popWhen that ular shows representaBECAUSE OF THE RELand series tion ends up have used ATIVE SCARCITY OF QUEER being just for queerbaiting RELATIONSHIPS ONSCREEN, show, it can as a tactic to make you THE BAIT AND SWITCH CAN rope in a largfeel like your er audience, BE ESPECIALLY HARMFUL. story isn’t SARAH STIEFVATER appealing important to those of enough to the LGBTQIA+ community to rake be told—or even that it doesn’t exist,” in monetary profit. Some well-known digital media company PureWow ediexamples include Riverdale, Pitch tor Sarah Stiefvater said.

Perfect and, debatably, The Legend Seeing a character they can relate of Korra, which featured an ending to onscreen helps those who are still that left many viewers on the questioning feel more represented. edge of their seats without This is especially applicable to teens any answers. While co-cre- who are still unsure of their identity, ator Bryan Konietzko later especially those that may seek out confirmed that the two fe- movies and films to better understand male characters were themselves through a different lens. indeed in a re- But by using this as a cheap marlationship, keting strategy and not as part of the t h e character’s journey of discovery and growth, movies that queerbait quickly sever the connection between the viewer and character.

Said activist and filmmaker L e o

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THERESA NGUYEN perspectives editor/photo editor

for the LGBTQIA+ community and how prevalent their lack of commitment is to pushing for such progress.

Queerbaiting is an easy way for such companies to earn brownie points for seeming charitable, exploiting many trying to support a good cause at the hands of selfish enterprises.

Said Stiefvater, “It’s also a way for media to appeal to potential queer consumers without alienating the parts of their audience that might be uncomfortable with queerness.”

Alongside spreading their influence to queer communities, the non-commital tactics that companies use ensure that they are losing any of their conservative customers as well. This reveals how queerbaiting undermines the true meaning of Pride Month, a month dedicated to the LGBTQIA+ community, into just a month where associations can use rainbows and colorful flags to make money at the expense of those who need representation the most.

Despite this, calling out supposed queerbaiting can be just as harmful.

Those

who understand the effects of queerbaiting may feel inclined to call out others as they see it. However, because of the vast social media platforms and the broad audiences that come with them, content creators and artists who are either questioning or are part of the LGBTQIA+ community can face backlash for some-

thing that may seem like a queerbait.

The backlash is especially harmful to those using their online platforms to try and figure out their sexuality.

The threat of backlash could force them to out themselves while they are still unsure, and because of the enormous spotlight that comes hand-inhand with social media, the number of eyes judging them could grow to be millions of people.

There is a fine line between advocating for queer depiction and misusing it, one that results in the tragedy of queerbaiting. While one incorporates queer characters and messages in a way that accurately represents the LGBTQIA+ community, the other harms queer communities and uses stereotypical narratives void of any true meaning to benefit the greed of others

LIFESTYLES | 17

Herrera to Rolling Stone, “[Media makers] play with our lack of representation and desires to get us in the theaters or get us to watch.”

In addition to letting down viewers with expectations of a relatable experience, queerbaiting boils down the heartfelt experiences of many into just another short-lived trend or quirky aesthetic.

An excellent example of this is during Pride Month. Many large companies pretend to care about pride and change their logos to sell products that seemingly support LGBTQIA+ businesses and causes, only to switch back once June ends.

“Companies, including H&M, donate a portion of what their customers spend on pride merchandise to LGBTQ charities. The amount going to charity varies by the company and product [...] taken in aggregate, this consumerist donation structure creates a context of so-called slacktivism, giving brands and consumers alike a low-effort way to support social and political causes,” VOX Senior Culture Reporter Alex Abad-Santos said.

Even though this does not directly fit the definition of queerbaiting, the companies’ method of promising representation to appeal to a broader audience still applies.

Most of the time, such corporations use LGBTQIA+ color themes and symbols to promote products to their customers, benefiting from an identity that they do not actually care about. When the companies’ facade drops after just one month, it shows how fleeting genuine morale is regarding the advancement of rights

THE DEMONIZATION OF RELIGION

A look into the detrimental implications of inaccurate religious portrayals within media

PHOTOS COURTESY OF GOOGLE

SANIA MEHTA writer

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IN REALITY, POSSESSION AND EXORCISM ARE RARE AND UNTHEATRICAL, WITH A HEAVY FOCUS ON PRAYER.

the most brute imagery to bolster the movie’s narrative. This disregard for cultural accuracy is what makes the film so contentious. The Indian government even verbalized concern over the script; however, Hollywood simply shifted production from India to Sri Lanka, a country where people are not Hindu. Non-Christian religions are not even afforded an accurate representation. While movies invoke Christianity as a symbol of faith and hope, non-Western religions are invariably portrayed negatively. The issue with this film in particular is that it remains a cult classic even today. Many people still believe the stereotypes promoted in the film, which can be detrimental to human progress in becoming a more inclusive society.

Religion is a sensitive topic utilized in horror films and other entertainment, and often aspects of religion are decontextualized, promoting negative stigmas. For much of human history, questioning God’s existence immediately resulted in a death sentence. Only recently has this way of thinking been given room to thrive, and horror is one of the outlets actively used to do so. This demonization of religion exists in many shapes and forms, including genres with mass appeal like horror. It is essential to acknowledge these films’ effect on their audience and societal norms. Before stepping foot into cinemas, it is imperative that we consider the dangerous ideas we are financially endorsing in search of a good adrenaline rush

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ing upon the vibranium he is planning to steal as a part of his plan for global destruction, quotes Matthew 16:18, “Upon this rock, I will build my church.” This biblical quotation depicts Christianity in a negative light as a religion that correlates with the movie’s villain.

And despite the demonization of religion being widely centered around Christianity, the Indiana Jones film Temple of Doom is a prime example of how other cultures are demonized as well. In the movie, the leader of the Thuggee cult, Mola Ram, performs a violent human sacrifice. The entire depiction exemplifies the dogmatism towards Indian culture, cultivating

LIFESTYLES | 19

xiting a cinema, movie scenes replay in our minds, unconsciously instilling ideas. These ideas can spark inspiration or promote change. Other times these films can support harmful notions. Controversial topics can easily be misrepresented to millions of viewers. In films, especially horror films, aspects of religion are often depicted inaccurately or are used in disconcertingly exaggerated storylines. This improper usage of faiths can have detrimental implications in the long run.

The spiritual horror of today can be tied back to the swell of occult films in the 1970s. Many cultural norms transformed during this time, resulting in people starting to truly examine their beliefs. Dark spirituality, the supernatural and superstition became pervasive in western pop culture. Films often critiqued the inherent dangers of blind religious faith.

Movies about corrupt nuns, evil priests and cults provided viewers new perspectives on religion. In real life, cults are truly prevalent and can be life-threatening. However, the oversimplification of this issue and its acceptance in an almost-joking manner diminishes its significance.

Many modern horror films explicitly juxtapose religious components with evil to frighten their viewers.

Considering that horror films are fictional, the supernatural and deities are frequently intertwined to thicken the plot. A recurring element includes a terrifying, soul-screeching exorcism.

This can be observed in the horror film The Exorcist. Two priests conduct an exor-

cism to release a twelve-year-old girl possessed by a demon, using many sacred objects – crosses, holy water, and the repetition of the name Christ. While this depiction may be enjoyable in a horror movie, it is far from the average exorcism. According to Fr. Luis Ramírez, coordinator of the annual exorcism conference in Rome, such cases are not actually common. In reality, possession and exorcism are rare and untheatrical, with a heavy focus on prayer. The retelling of exorcism through horror movies is highly inaccurate, promoting false perceptions.

This theme of demonization is prevalent in non-horror media too. For instance, in the movie Avengers: Age of Ultron, the villain quotes the Bible. Ultron, gaz-

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INVESTIGATIONS

Teacher Perspective

Teacher attitudes towards marijuana use in Cupertino High School

KATELYN CHU lifestyles editor

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things the right way,” said Padgett.

Another consequence of students lacking proper resources is Oswald’s concern that Cupertino’s sheltered, “bubble-like” environment may leave some students unprepared and vulnerable when they move onto later stages in their lives.

“I get nervous, [when] kids leave California and go to [...] college. Well, they’re a long way away from home, and no one’s watching out for [them],” said Oswald. He worries that former CHS students could get into marijuana because they have been so protected their entire lives.

In order to address this lack of education within schools, Oswald suggests, for example, improving PE health units.

Said Oswald, “I think [our education about marijuana] needs to be more transparent so we can dispel myths.”

Padgett agrees, saying, “the whole War on Drugs [...] took conversations off the table. I mean, we just said all these things are horrible and scary and created a lot of, a lot of unnecessary fear. [...] We absolutely need a transparent conversation.”

Projecting towards the future, she proposes that we create “a place where students can have conversations where they can talk about being approached by friends or being interested or curious or intrigued [by marijuana], and [think about] how can we handle [those] good impulses [to] wonder about things.”

Said Padgett, “We need to handle this in ways that are compassionate and patient. And I say not reactionary but, but proactive. [...] There’s a lot of fear out there and a lot of terror, panic, you know, on behalf of parents, and it’s like, let’s all just work together.”

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When I first got here, [there] was a big [marijuana] problem.

It was very prevalent amongst our football team. And I didn’t have control over it because I didn’t really take over until the summertime,” said Chris Oswald, PE teacher and Tino Varsity Football Coach.

However, Jenny Padgett, a literature teacher, has had a completely different experience at CHS: “I’ve never had a student where I’ve been walking by or around and thought, ‘Oh, that student seems high’ [...] which isn’t to say that it’s never happened,” said Padgett.

While two vastly different experiences, a similar perspective arises from both teachers – that the sheer amount of stress that students at Cupertino High School face serves as a very possible root cause for weed usage.

Said Oswald, “People are always looking for an escape, right? [...] to take things to relieve their stress, whether it’s alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, or whatever they do.”

“And obviously there’s a lot of reasons: stress, anxiety, depression, issues around food or eating [...] I also think there are kids who want to do it because of [the] culture of music and movies that glorifies [weed usage],” said Padgett.

At the same time, Padgett is less concerned about marijuana use, compared to the potential use of “Adderall or [other] performance enhancement, academic kind of [drugs]–or even caffeine.” This is because Tino is a population that “wants to perform so badly” and

weed is “notoriously a non performing drug [that tends to take] you out of that game [which] a lot of students here don’t want.”

Nevertheless, to a certain extent, cannabis use exists at CHS, and teachers’ stances on approaching the issue differ.

For the football team, “what we try to do is create an environment where ‘that’s not cool. [...] If I truly knew someone who was using, again, I go, I would take them right to the office. [...] for all the reasons, but mostly, you know, I want them to be healthy [...] I just can’t tolerate it,” said Oswald.

On the other hand, as someone who does not believe in “banishing” kids from school with suspensions as punishments, Padgett emphasizes the importance of understanding and of looking at the underlying issues without shaming students.

“Certainly, [teenagers using weed,] it’s not legal. So it’s not like we can just [say], ‘oh, that’s just kids’. I get that. [...] But I think more important than the fact that they do it is understanding why, and I think there are as many reasons why there are kids who do.”

“I mean, we talk about stress and mental health all the time. But [it’s] a meme, that Cupertino High School teachers and admin, do their song and dance about mental health, and then turn around and say, do this [assignment], do this, do this. [...] Until we do something, to remove a certain kind of stress, or introduce places and ways to cope with the reasons that students would choose to, like, self-medicate that way, then I think, then we’re just chasing after trying to catch people doing something wrong, instead of helping them cope and do

Recreational Use

The perspective of an anonymous recreational user from Cupertino High School

tor, and receiving a recommended amount of cannabis. Under the name person walks into an alley of the parent or the minor’s guardian, and spots a group of people students can visit any dispensaries smoking cannabis. What are within their respective state and retheir instinctive thoughts? Most peo- ceive the prescribed amount — not to ple would hold their breaths and walk mention that students can also grow past them, simply labeling them as cannabis plants at home.

In particular, a Cupertino alumnus irresponsible “potheads.” But is it an shared how weed played an essential accurate assumption?

Ever since California legalized role when coping with their medical the recreational use of cannabis in condition: dissociative identity dis2016, medical weed users, general- order (DID). Experiencing constant ly overlooked, are often categorized moments of detachment from identity into reckless, recreational individ- and surroundings, they struggled to uals. Specifically, teenagers with a continue the healthy, productive lifeprescribed medical marijuana card style. Shared the alumnus, “I’ve tried are typically classified as “impulsive” almost a whole spectrum of medications, but nothing was working, and I who use drugs carelessly.

Such stereotyping behaviors, felt that hospitals were simply throwing prehowever, are far from scriptions at the truth, as a variety THE ONLY REASON me.” of people with mental AcceptWHY I EVER MADE IT TO health issues or othing the fact er disorders are using THIS POINT IN LIE WAS BEthat they marijuana for medicinal CAUSE OF MY WEED. were diagpurposes.

According ALUMNUS nosed with to Journal Military, VetDID was diferan and Family Health (JMVFH), nearly “52% of Canadian ficult to process, as they mentioned veterans with Post Traumatic Stress how “the side effects were kicking in Disorder use cannabis” as a form of [left and right] and life was an absoescape, relaxation, and pain man- lute chaos.” — and that was when agement. In fact, minors diagnosed weed offered a solution to their trouwith a certain medical condition qual- bled life.

“The only reason why I ever made ifies them into receiving a legal mediit to this point in life was because of cal marijuana card.

Changing lenses, students — age weed,” said the alumnus. “Floating of 18 or under — are also applicable a thick cloud while playing music in for acquiring the “plants” from weed the car helped me escape from this dispensaries. They undergo a series world momentarily, and I loved that of steps: filling out an online applica- feeling.” People have various tion, connecting with a medical doc- ways of coping with their stress

VISHAL SHENOY writer

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brewed from academics, friends, or personal reasons; for the alumnus, their main source for “de-stressing” was weed.

But indeed, dealing with the numerous stigmas revolving around weed was simply inevitable. The alumnus recalls back on an instance when “people in [my] classroom would start laughing or giggle whenever someone mentioned the terms ‘weed’ or ‘marijuana.’” Shared the alumnus, “people are simply portrayed as ‘stoners’ because they use weed, but some people actually rely on it to live to see tomorrow.”

Amidst the general community of smokers, particular individuals—like the alumnus—consider weed as a source that keeps them conscious of their life.

“Weed is like my lifeline,” concluded the alumnus

Medical Marijuana The perspective of a student medical marijuana user HYUNJUN KIM copy editor/website manager

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arijuana. Pot. Dope. Reefer.

Mary Jane. No matter what you call it, weed has certainly earned a variety of opposing stigmas and praises for its recreational purposes.

The development of increasingly casual attitudes and relaxation of legal restrictions around weed have contributed to a rise in its recreational usage over the past few decades.

Recent studies conducted by the Washington Post show that over 60% of high school seniors think marijuana is “safe” to use. Additionally, U.S. federal health data indicates that 6.3% of high school students use weed at least once a month.

Weed has been continuously glamorized by the media — advertisements creating a connotation of pleasure and celebrities ostentatiously smoking on social media flaunt the liberat-

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WHY ARE THEY DOING THAT? WHAT’S SO GOOD ABOUT IT? YOU KNOW, YOU JUST GET CURIOUS. ADONIS

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Adonis mentioned, “What got me into smoking weed was definitely the influence of other friends that had been doing it for a longer time, because hanging around with them constantly, obviously you start thinking [...] Why are they doing that? What’s so good about it? You know, you just get curious.”

These social influences among weed users result in a close-knit community. Adonis added, “I feel like people who smoke weed, who are also called stoners, are very kind to one another [...] There is a community or [...] a family type of thing. I just see it a lot.”

In California, the minimum age requirement to purchase weed is

21 years old and medical marijuana cards require recipients to be at least 18 years old. Even then, most students do not have a medical marijuana card; they often rely on older friends or siblings to attain the “devil’s lettuce”. The complexities of this system create a nuanced community in which weed users can easily empathize with each other’s struggles.

There are many reasons for why an individual would choose to smoke weed. Some recreational weed users may desire the psychedelic adventure of being high. For Adonis and many other students, weed is a forum of managing stress in overwhelming situations. Adonis added, “If you ever have [...] something to think about when you’re high, you can think about it in a different way, in a deeper level of meaning.”

Simultaneously, weed can complicate these negative feelings if used at inappropriate times.

“Sometimes, it gets pretty overwhelming if you’re having bad thoughts [while smoking weed] because they just multiply,” Adonis said, adding, “I only smoke weed at night... to help me relax, just meditate at the end of the day [...] and that will be it.

Or sometimes, I’ll get high and watch a movie [...] to enjoy it and be happy.”

The positive experiences and a strong social culture surrounding weed contribute to its existence as a highly addictive stimulant among high school students. Concerning weed habits among the youth, Adonis believes, “It’s not even a bad thing to continue because you choose to not stop [...] It’s like a little bit of goodness in your life.”

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i n g benefits of weed.

For example, influential rappers such as Lil Uzi Vert and Kid C u d i portray their recreational lifestyle, which includes

smoking weed, to impressionable high school students through social media.

These influences have directly impacted students at CHS. An anonymous CHS student shares, “I don’t smoke, but I feel like weed is the best because it helps many people with anxiety; it’s better than smoking [a cigarette] or vaping.” Indeed, weed still has many negative side effects which include breathing problems and increased heart rate.

Adonis, whose name has been changed to maintain anonymity, is another CHS student who regularly smokes weed. As for the factors which influenced them to smoke,

SPORTS

GIRLS VARSITY VOLLEYBALL Being on the girls volleyball team since the beginning of high school, Sona Kashyap, a junior, has loved being part of the team and has made so many memories because of volleyball. One of the bonding activities for the girls’ varsity volleyball team is called the “Compliment Circle”. After each volleyball game and most practices, all the players form a circle and each player takes a turn complementing one another player on something they did during that practice or game. Kashyap says, “This activity has been a game-changer for our team. As an athlete, we often base our self worth and attitude based on personal performance, and getting out of our own heads and getting appreciated and supported by teammates leaves us something more positive to think about, regardless of our own view of our performance.” Regardless of the game resulting in a win or a loss, the team activity helps all players feel good about their individual performance and appreciate other teammates. Something that came as a surprise to Kashyap when participating in this exercise was how her teammates would remember the small details of her performances, showing how the team really cared for one another. This exercise changed the attitudes and the mindsets of many players, as well as increased their motivation, because all the players get to leave practices and matches on a more positive note. Said Kashyap, “Personally, when I feel super tired and upset at myself based off of my performance at the end of a game or practice, and I have a teammate compliment me and acknowledge my efforts and hard work, I internalize those positive things that were said to me and use them as motivation to work harder.”

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VARSITY FOOTBALL Since football is one of the most recognized sports at CHS, there is a lot of pressure on the football team to perform to everyone’s expectations. But without team chemistry, there are no wins, which is why the football team promises to bond and enhance the team atmosphere.

Jayden Hall, a junior and quarterback for the CHS varsity football team, says, “Team bonding has changed the team a lot and allowed for us to have better chemistry on the field. It’s also allowed us to have more fun playing football because everyone on the team has a connection with all of the players. The team runs really smoothly because of this and overall is a really good environment.” The team has gone to the beach to practice team plays and play video games, Madden, to add in some fun to their season. These team bondings can help lighten the practice environment because players are comfortable with each other and can collaborate better. Hall has personally been impacted by these bondings and he now feels more comfortable with all his teammates. Hall says, “....giving me friends that I know have my back that I wouldn’t have met without football.” These team bondings have helped lift the pressures off of football and lightened stressful conditions that football brings.

TEAM BONDINGS AT TINO Team bonding culture and dynamic at CHS motivates team players to the best the game was,” said Bandi. Through of their abilities. Tino’s girls varsity hours of strategizing and planning eam bonding activities can soccer bondings have been unique among each ‘team’, the players range from getting dinner with and definitely exhilarating, accord- gained a unique experience mixed your team, to holding unique ing to several of their players. Over with excitement and adventure. Said activities for each individual sport. the years, they have had several Betini, “The whole experience inCHS sports teams also have different experiences that have elevated the volved a lot of trust … it was trust that bonding activities and experiences, closeness and created a developed we wouldn’t get left behind. We had to as well as a variety of impacts bond- team dynamic among each other. Se- get to know everyone a lot better, and ing sessions have had on student niors Bhuvana Betini and Misha Ban- there was a lot of building off ideas on di both elaborate on a special team like where to hide or where to find [our athletes. experiteammates]”.

These experiences help build trust bonding ence, a game of Specifically, this and encourage further communicaIT HELPED US REALFugitives with their experience helped tion within teams, ultimately resulting IZE THAT WE CAN RELY ON the players get a team, from when in increased team morale and motivaEACH OTHER ... AND TRUST better understandtion among the athletes. Additionally, they were sophTHAT WE WOULDN’T GET omores.

Starting ing of their team’s team bondings help players familoff as a sleepover, dynamic, as well iarize with each other better as indiLEFT BEHIND. the game quicktheir own individual viduals can recognize each other’s BHUVANA BETINI ly escalated and roles and how they strengths and weaknesses, improvbecame the main contributed to the ing understanding and awareness event of the night team. Said Betini, among teammates. This ultimately as rules were established and roles “It helped us understand how we work improves the team dynamic overall, were given out.

Each athlete took together, what type of person each and encourages individual athletes on the role of of a driver,cop, or fuperson is.

I understood where I was: and the team to make progress as a gitive, and were then blindfolded as my place in the team …

I think it was whole. the driver randomly an easy way to recognize the leadMost sports dropped off each ers on the field”. These athletes have teams have IT’S ALLOWED US TO fugitive at a random seen the impact and importance of team bonding HAVE MORE FUN PLAYING location. Given only team bondings reflected on the field, events to help FOOTBALL BECAUSE EVERYminutes to escape as their closeness and understanding strengthen the ONE ON THE TEAM HAS A before the cops led them through stressful and critical unity of a team came running after circumstances in games. Said Bandi, CONNECTION WITH ALL OF and improve them, their only goal “We were a lot closer because of the their collabTHE PLAYERS. was to make it back things that we experienced together. oration skills.

JAYDEN HALL to Cupertino High It made our playing improve, too, beTeam bondings School on foot while cause when you’ve bonded with your help strengthen remaining hidden. team, it’s much better to play soccer friendships that Reflecting on the with them.” are made during sports seasons, as experience, “I thought it was really well as making the atmosphere of the intense sports environment more en- fun, because it was a night that we’ll joyable. The presence of team unity never forget because of how crazy ARUSHI ARORA | PRITHIKA SUNDAR

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SPORTS | 25

SPORTS

THE MENTAL GAME JOILIE HAN | EVAN LU writers

dealt with this problem, Chan and there for one another.” It was amazAbassi said talking to coaches and ing, she said, to watch how “just a With Simone Biles’ voluntary with- being with supportive teammates tiny bit of encouragement and little things teammates did for each other drawal from the Olympics, more light helped.

However, when recalling the first were able to improve someone’s day.” has begun to shine on the mental health of athletes. As high school stu- time she tried talking with a coach, To both, teamwork is a core aspect of dents start to consider pursuing pro- Abassi said, “it’s always hard to admit their respective sports; it was essenfessional athletic careers and enter that you’re struggling with something, tial to help your teammates, Abassi more competitive environments, the especially to someone who you want said, “because when it comes down to it [...] you’re mental health of athletes becomes a to always see you at your best.”

However, only as good as JUST BEING IN THE more relevant topic. the worst player WATER HELPS MELT Hasti Abassi, a junior on the varsity she said, “if you just get into the habit of it AWAY ALL OF THE STRESS on your team.” team for water polo at Cupertino High, High school says she felt that “as you get more [...] it’s really easy to GOING ON IN MY LIFE... talk to your coach.” sports and club competitive, you start becoming more [IT] MAKES ME CALM Although the comsports have very and more critical of yourself. And no AND PEACEFUL. petitiveness of sports different d ifferent dynamRYAN CHAN matter how good you perform, you alics, though both ways think, oh, there’s this one thing I can negatively impact athletes’ mental can affect an athcould have done better.”

Keeping a healthy balance be- health, both Abassi and Chan saw lete’s mental health. On high school tween physical health and mental playing water polo as an “escape” sports, Abassi commented, “People health can sometimes be taxing; from academic stress and their social watching you during your game has Ryan Chan, a sophomore who swims life. Though playing sports makes him a positive impact because you have support from your friends who come and plays water polo for the varsity feel frustrated at times, Chan said, “just being in the water to see you.” However, there was also team at Cupertino High, says, “It’s imhelps melt away all of the stress going a challenge in having to play with portant for me to on in my life... people who had a larger diversity of recognize when IT’S ALWAYS HARD [it] makes me calm skill levels. Said Abassi, “I feel like to stop pushing TO ADMIT THAT YOU’RE and peaceful.” They it’s a different form of communicamyself so that I STRUGGLING WITH SOMEboth believed that what tion with everyone in comparison to won’t burn out THING, ESPECIALLY TO made their sport so en- club.” Though high school and club and cause my SOMEONE WHO YOU joyable was being in a sports may seem similar, the two may mental health to WANT TO ALWAYS SEE team, especially ones impact an athlete’s mental health difworsen.” Both YOU AT YOUR BEST. with supportive team- ferently because of the different kinds athletes noted HASTI ABASSI mates. Said Abassi, of pressure. Said Chan, “The way I that wanting to “It’s amazing to see play [inclub] is different because I be at their best how all of our team- feel like I should be at my best at all for everyone unmates come to support that one per- times.” Both find less pressure placed knowingly burned them out. When asked about how they son [who’s having a bad day] and be on them during high school games

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26 | THE PROSPECTOR

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because friends and encouraging teammates surround them.

Whether mentally or physically, every athlete has their own way of keeping themselves healthy. On this, both Chan and Abassi had their own tips. Said Abassi, “What I would do after every single practice is write down what I did wrong.” While this may seem toxic to some, Abassi found it helpful.

Said Abassi, “having [...] a plan to deal with my mental health struggles made it feel like [they were] easier to overcome.”

At Cupertino High, a school where academic pressure and stress are extremely prominent, the mental health of athletes can be the last thing on students’ minds.

However, many athletes are starting to be more vocal about the topic.

Said Chan, “I think it is important to be proud of yourself no matter how you are doing and to be aware of your mental and physical being.”

PERSPECTIVES

WHAT YOUR MASK SAYS ABOUT YOU From the common surgeon mask to the heavy-duty N95’s, find out what your mask says about you RAISSA JI opinions editor

28 | DESIGNED BY THERESA NGUYEN

You can’t go wrong with a standard ASTM Level 1 surgical mask. Readily available everywhere, these masks reveal that if you wear them, you are simply a chill, Generic Joe.

DIY masks made of cloth or t-shirts are a great way to show off your creativity. Changes are if you rock one of these, you are crafty and probably watched a lot of LaurDIY when you were younger.

Pull up with a plastic sheet as your mask, and you might be mistaken for Nikita Dragun or Addison Rae! You probably think Coronavirus is a limited edition beer flavor and would like to become an Instagram influencer one day.

As the blue ASTM Level 1 surgical mask’s black counterpart, these masks show that you are probably chic, stylish, and a little bit scenester (in a good way).

If you wear a custom printed face mask, you definitely run a prank channel on YouTube and get yelled at on multiple occasions for not wearing a mask.

If you wear a gas mask along with a hazmat suit, you are definitely not taking your chances with catching COVID-19. You are likely very responsible, confident, and perhaps a tiny bit crazy.

G N I T U M

COM TO O N I T

ny e ma ke h t o t ma er A lett uters that o comm to Tino s g gettin t ul diffic I

Dear Tino Commuters,

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nag KERA usiness ma V U DHR editor, b e websit

Please learn how to commute properly! I know it may sound crazy, but in just the last month and a half of school, I am already going insane. I already have countless stories about aggressive and impatient parents, bikers who think they own the road, and pedestrians whose whole world is their phone.

To the parent drivers, please be more patient! Every time I try to pull out of my parking spot, “HONK!,” goes some random parent slamming their steering wheel. I look back to see an angry parent giving me the “death stare.” Aggressive, grumpy and careless parent drivers never have the courtesy to let me back out. Once I’m able to force myself out of my spot, I sometimes pull down my window and just stare straight back at impatient parents.

To the bikers, you do not own the road! Not only are their parents who drive with massive egos, but there are also bikers who think they own the road. Whenever I drive down Calle de Barcelona, I see a swarm of bikers taking up the whole street.

They are always some freshman or sophomore kids who think that they are the main character. When I find a place to squeeze past the bikers, they stare at me like I committed a crime.

To the pedestrians, please pay attention! Even worse than the drivers and bikers are the mindless pedestrians. Students always have their faces glued to their phones. Sometimes, they suddenly drift off into the street and walk on the part of the actual road. Just like the bikers, when you drive by, they stare right into your eyes.

Looking back on my car-less days, I do not remember being an overly obnoxious pedestrian or biker. It baffles me how you pedestrians, bikers and drivers think that you all are the rulers of the road. While some days my head almost explodes during my commute, I am always left with multiple hilarious stories about the variety of stares I receive and confusing decisions other commuters make.

From a fellow commuter, Dhruv Kerai

POSTSCRIPT

First Day Back Back to School Mad Lib KAVYA KAUSHAL photo editor

I wake up one

morning and blink slowly, my eyes adjusting to the light ADJECTIVE

filtering through the curtains. The birds are chirping as I slowly rise from bed, scanning the room. Out of the corner of my eyes, the alarm clock reads

. OH TIME

NO! IM LATE ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL. Rushing, I

to the restroom VERB

and quickly get dressed. Scarfing down my favorite breakfast,

, I speed FOOD ITEM

out the front door only to realize I have forgotten my backpack. Once I grab it, I to Tino, making it to my first class just before the bell rings. When I get VERB

to class, all

students are already seated in their respective seats, so NUMBER

I quickly sit down. When the teacher asks me to make name tags, I open my backpack only to discover that I have packed

and NOUN (PLURAL)

of stationery. Luckily, my classmate

instead NOUN (PLURAL)

is willing to help me out! My FAMOUS PERSON

classes go by super

. During lunch, I stand in line to see the school is

30 | THE PROSPECTOR

ADVERB

providing free food from

. How LOCATION

! My friends and ADJECTIVE

I enjoy the short break, and I complete the rest of my day successfully. "I hope thiS " I tell myself on my way back home.

school year will be ADJECTIVE

FINDING MY PIECES Uncovering my cultural identity in the books I read

lanithi, Atul Gawande and Siddartha trates the journey of an Indian American kid Mukherjee. Weeks after the incident, I named Gogol who is named after a Russian he tears were streaming down first picked up When Breath Becomes author and spends his entire life struggling my face as I faced the back Air in which the author, Dr. Paul Kala- to come to terms with the unwanted comwall, wiping my face and hoping nithi, is a Tamil American who went to plexity that comes with being a born and no one saw me, wishing that I wasn’t Stanford and is now completing do- bred American, but also having rich Indian ing his residen- heritage. I identified with Gogol so intimatewho I was. cy to become a ly because he too struggled with having two My name is neurosurgeon. names:, Gogol and Nikhil. Gogol hates that Joan, a conHe is the epit- his name is obscure and that it is neither ventionally ome of every- American nor Bengali, just as I feel with the white, ChrisFINDING MY thing the typical name Joan. I feel rootless; attached to notian name Indian Ameri- where; an anomaly. My Indian name, Mridthat I have PIECES can should be, hula, became my little beacon, shouting to loved for all but his love for the world that “I’m here, I’m Indian, don’t of my life. But JOAN THYAGARAJAN literature and forget about me!” Having someone—fictiat that mohis ability to tious or not—who could relate to me gave ment I hated it. As a first generation Indian Amer- achieve excellence as described by such a tremendous feeling of companionican who does not speak Tamil (my all stereotypes while still exploring his ship that I had never felt before. While I parents’ mother tongue) I rely on my passions encouraged me to explore always knew that there were other people who were probably going thick black hair, chocolate skin, and what I wanted through similar experiencbig eyes to prove that I’m Indian, to. There was THROUGH MODERN LIT- es as I was exploring my but that day it hadn’t been enough. such an unforidentity, having it explicitly We were discussing the origin of our gettable culture ERATURE, I FOUND PEOPLE addressed and on paper in names in World History and when I shock in being WHO WENT THROUGH THE front of me was completely brought up my Indian name, Mridhu- able to relate to SAME CONFLICTING EMOdifferent. The books were la, one of my classmates exclaimed a character so TIONS AND CONSTANT ACwritten proof that I was not that he could not believe I was Indi- deeply that for CEPTANCE, REFUSAL AND the only person who felt an and he had always thought I was months I reread like they were never Indian Black. That day fueled the embar- that book al- DESPERATION FOR THEIR enough. My confidence in HERITAGE AND ASSIMILArassment and shame I burdened my- most everyday.

While living TION IN AMERICA. owning my Indian heritage self with over my culture. I was mad at grew exponentially. my heritage for giving me such dark in the Bay Area JOAN THYAGARAJAN There are still a lot of brown skin; I was mad at my parents means that I books I have left to read, for never calling me my Indian name; have met my I was mad at myself for just not being fair share of fellow first generation and as I do, I hope that I see a little fragIndian Americans, I had never gone ment of myself in every single one Indian enough.

From a young age my heritage into such depth while exploring the confused me. I was American, but complexity of my dichotomous I did not look like the stereotypical identity. However, through American kids I grew up seeing on modern literature, I found Nickelodeon and the Disney Chan- people who went through nel. I grew up facing constant im- the same conflicting emoposter syndrome in both the Indian tions and constant accepand American aspects of my identity. tance, refusal and desperOnly in high school, when I began to ation for their heritage and diversify my reading, did I see myself assimilation into America.

The second book that encourbeing reflected in the content I consumed. While I still loved J.K. Rowl- aged me to explore the two sides of ing, Suzanne Collins and John Green, my life was an AP Lit required read I mixed it up with works by Paul Ka- titled The Namesake. The book illus-

JOAN THYAGARAJAN

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