Issue 3 - December 2018

F RI DAY, D E C EM B ER 14, 2018

The Prospector Student Newsmagazine of Cupertino High School HOLIDAY EDITION

12 | FEATURES

30 | POSTSCRIPT

CHS students who moved from around the globe

Christmas-themed mad lib and Elon Musk illustration

16 | LIFESTYLES THE PROSPECTOR’S ORIGINAL CHRISTMAS CARD GUIDES

VOL. 61

NO. 3

ISSUE 3

Table of Contents

NEWS Midterm Elections Recap Game Development Club Showcase

4 6

OPINIONS UK Body Shaming Controversy

8

Anti-banning books

9

FEATURES Students From Across the World

LIFESTYLES The Prospector’s Christmas Cards Quitting Epidemic on The Prospector’s YoutubeCards Holiday

INVESTIGATIONS Natural Disasters/Smoke 20 Threats and Code Reds 22 SPORTS Anushka Brito: 24 Ice Dancing Champion Opinion: P.E. 9 Rigor

26

CSS Girls Tennis and Field Hockey

27

PERSPECTIVES 12 Insecurity Flowchart 28 Horror Short Story 29 16 18 26

POSTSCRIPT Christmas MadLib Column: Ariana Fahri

30 24 31

IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR

The Prospector

STAFF 2018-2019

PHOTO BY BRANDON HONG

A LETTER FROM THE EDITORSIN-CHIEF

It’s that time of year again. What do you mean you don’t know what we’re talking about?

It’s that time of all our cherished holidays: Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Years, 12-hour Netflix marathons—you name it.

It’s that the time when Cupertino sports its red and green decorations, students drink from Starbucks holiday-themed coffee cups, and students choose their dresses and tuxedos—or ripped jeans and a t-shirt, if you are unashamedly rebellious—for Winter Formal.

It’s the time of year when teachers begin the countdown to winter break and we get ready to take our dreadful finals, but not before we find ourselves lying on the floor contemplating our mortality. Too soon? Oh, what a festive time! Yes, it’s time to face our grim reality with some holiday cheer.

Finals are here as first semester comes to close. It’s difficult to accept, but it will not do us any good if we don’t. Stress seems to be a permanent fixture in Cupertino, especially around this holiday season, but we cannot let it distract us from what’s really important.

So take a moment to unwind by making The Prospector’s original holiday-themed Christmas cards on pages 16-17 that staffers Aashna Shah, Brandon Hong and Stella Jia graciously created after many trials and errors.

The cards are perfect gifts for family and friends!

Staffers Christina Shao and Claire Warner are sure to make you laugh with their hilarious Silicon Valley-holiday-esque Mad lib on page 30. Create your own unique story and send it to prospector.chs@gmail.com to be featured on our instagram!

And here’s something to be really grateful for: head to the Sports section to read staffers Casper Wu and Sudyut Yuvaraj’s detailed coverage of our sensational CCS girls tennis and volleyball team who succeed into getting CCS finals!

There are so many moments in life that we’ll lose if we keep moping over our stress in this competitive environment. This holiday season has brought stockings-full of successes at Cupertino. Let’s celebrate it!

As we break for winter vacation, whether traveling across the world or staying at home to make gingerbread houses, do us a favor and bring us back some more of your amazing and unique stories. We’ll see you at the dawn of the next year.

Esha Radhakrishnan and Santosh Muralidaran Editors-in-Chief of The Prospector

editors-in-chief esha radhakrishnan santosh muralidaran

business managers kavya gupta sudyut yuvaraj

news editor leo rassieur

news assistant sanat singhal

opinions editor anthony zhu

opinions assistant casper wu

features editor sydney liao

features assistant darshini vijayakumar

lifestyles editor aashna shah

lifestyles assistant suchetha kalluri

sports editor yooni park

sports assistant angela ma

investigations editor investigations assistant ashley kang alexandria hunt perspectives editor taha shefiei

perspectives assistant jeffrey xiong

postscript editor claire warner

postscript assistant sarah pollans

copy editors christina shao kavya gupta taha shafiei tal ashkenazi

copy assistant lawrence fan photo assistant brandon hong

photo editors ariana fahri kenneth jeon

online assistants stella jia keerthi lakshmanan

online editors neerali shah varun shenoy

advisor ann 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 The Prospector 10100 Finch Avenue Cupertino, CA 95014 prospector.chs@gmail.com

3

NEWS

DECISION

2018

The candidates and ballot measures that won in November ANTHONY ZHU opinions editor

TAHA SHAFIEI

T

perspectives editor / copy editor

he midterm elections on Nov. 8 were a chance for Cupertino citizens to make a change in their community.

For the city council elections, which had three open seats, incumbent Darcy Paul held onto his position with over 9,000 votes. Behind him were newcomers Liang-fang Chao and Jon Robert Willey, who took the remaining two seats. Willey edged out incumbent Savita Vaidhyanathan, former council member and mayor, with a razor thin margin triggering a manual recount. If the recount does show Vaidyanathan in the lead, she may reclaim her seat. The mayor of Cupertino is decided within the council after elections, and this year they chose Steven Schwarf.

The election was a referendum on the development happening around Cupertino.

Chao ran on a platform of putting the control of crucial development decisions back in the hands of citizens through transparency and fiscal responsibility, stressing the dangers of hypergrowth. Wiley focused on sensible growth which he believed was the solution to threats such as traffic gridlock, crowded schools and housing affordability.

Both candidates promised to place citizen interests in front of those of developers.

Vaidyanathan’s loss might be attributed to her vote for the Vallco expansion which left many citizens unsatisfied.

4

On a state level, California remained mostly liberal. From Senator Dianne Feinstein to Governor Gavin Newsom, citizens elected mostly Democrats across the board for statewide offices.

Proposition 1, 2, 4, 7, 11 and 12, which would affect the entirety of California, were all passed. Proposition 1 allows for a $4 billion bond measure that is split between the construction and preservation of affordable rental housing and loans for veterans to buy homes and farms. Proposition 2 gives the state approval to spend money from a 2004

“ These days, too many politicans want to tell us what can’t be done, but our can-do campaign painted in bold colors and big ideas.”

— Calif. Governor-Elect Gavin Newsom mental health bond measure on housing for mentally ill people who are in danger of becoming homeless. Proposition 4 is a bond measure to fund expansion and renovation projects at seven nonprofit hospitals, five University of California hospitals and other medical centers that treat children’s diseases. Proposition 7 asks the Legislature to put California on year-round daylight saving time, but any change would require a ⅔ vote from both houses. Proposition 11 allows

private ambulance providers to require that employees are on call during paid breaks and proposition 12 improves conditions for egg laying hens, calves raised for veal, and breeding pigs.

Propositions 3, 5, 6, 8 and 10 all did not pass. Proposition 3, a bond measure would have paid for dam repairs, restoration of watersheds including San Francisco Bay, construction of desalination plants, and other water-related projects. With the failure of Proposition 5, homeowners 55 and older and all disabled homeowners cannot move anywhere in California without suffering a property tax penalty. Currently, older homeowners can transfer their tax levels only once, and just to a handful of counties.

Proposition 6, which was heavily contested and lost by 9.3 points, would have repealed a 12-cent-per-gallon increase in the state gas tax and an increase in the vehicle license fee, proceeds of which are designated for improvements to roads, bridges and public transit. Proposition 8 would have set maximums for charges at kidney dialysis clinics.

It would limit a clinic’s revenue to 115 percent of the cost of dialysis in the state, including any health care improvement costs.

Proposition 10 would have repealed a 1990s state law that restricts cities’ ability to impose rent control.

Locally, Measure A, the renewal of a one-eighth cent sales tax increase in Santa Clara County was passed by a 48% margin keeping most of the county’s total sales tax at 9%. A $275 million bond for Fremont Unified School District, to continue the work started under Measures B and K which were improvements in education, was also passed by a 28.3% margin.

E L E C TI O N R E S U LTS SP OTLI G H T FREMONT UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT ROSA KIM

NAOMI NAKANO-MATSUMOTO

• Hopes to create solutions for student wellbeing and mental health • Favors student-led initiatives • Worked at Silicon Valley Korean School since 2007

• Wants to achieve racial and socioeconomic equity in educational opportunity • Plans to prioritize student wellbeing and mental health as PHOTO well COURTESY OF NAOMI NAKANO-MATSUMOTO

PHOTO COURTESY OF ROSA KIM

CUPERTINO CITY COUNCIL JON ROBERT WILEY

LIANG-FANG CHAO

• Defeated incumbent Savita Vaidhyanathan by only 28 votes • Leader in Better Cupertino grassroots organization against development that would overcrowd schools

• Believes that development can be corrupt and should be in the hands of citizens • Founder of the anti-development organization Better Cupertino

PHOTO COURTESY OF LIANG-FANG CHAO

PHOTO COURTESY OF JON WILEY

BALLOT MEASURES CA PROPOSITION 1

Creates $4 billion bond for affordable housing and to help veterans secure loans for housing and farms.

CA PROPOSITION 12

Mandates that all egg-laying hens be cagefree by 2021; certain meat-industry animals have minimum amount of space.

GAME DEVELOPMENT CLUB SHOWCASE STATS HP:80/80 PWR:96 DFNS:63 MGC:42

SAT:1650 GPA:5.1 LVL:17 EXP:3084

PATRICK WANG: I MADE THIS CLUB TO CREATE A COMMUNITY FOR PEOPLE TO MEET OTHER GAME DEVELOPERS, TO TEACH PEOPLE GAME DEVELOPMENT, AND TO MAKE PEOPLE PASSIONATE ABOUT GAME DEVELOPMENT.

NEERALI SHAH online editor

ANGELA MA sports assistant

C

6

upertino High School’s Game Development Club held their first game showcase on Nov. 9, where various games created by CHS students were displayed.

Founder and president, senior Patrick Wang created CHS’s first Game Development Club to provide a platform for people passionate about game design to deploy games and learn skills essential for game development. During meetings, members partake in workshops which teach them technical skills necessary for game design. They then practice their knowledge and create games which they present at showcases.

Said Wang, “In the future, we plan to transition into making games in small teams and possibly making virtual reality games.”

Inspired by League of Legends and Test Subject Arena 2, Wang also designed his own game, “Colorsseum.” After playing fighting games online during lunch, Wang noticed that even though he enjoyed them, he believed the mechanics of the fighting game were too

simple. His new game was a huge success, so Wang continued to add more characters until he created “Colorsseum.”

Throughout the process, Wang faced many setbacks including having to redesign because his previous code could not support the game’s new features. Eventually, Wang did manage to publish it on itch.io, an online platform for developers to share, sell and download games.

“It is like if you were building a building and you wanted to add a door, but you already had solid metal sheets for the walls, so you have to restart,” Wang explained.

Senior, member of the Game Developer club Ethan Soo created a game called Space Drifter using Unity, a platform with a built-in physics systems (scripts that handle the physical simulation for the programmer).

Said Soo, “I spent about an hour creating the foundation of my game, Space Drifter. Then, I left the game on hold for a few weeks and was able to finish the rest of the game just a day before the showcase.”

Although one day seems short, the club develops most of their games in under a month. During meetings mentors guide them through the foundational skills of coding a game. Members typically come in with a few months to a year of programming knowledge. However, the mentors play a crucial role in teaching students how to transfer their expertise to the field of game development and create working games.

ABOUT THE SURVEYS...

THE TEA IS HERE, SIS

A LETTER FROM THE INVESTIGATIONS EDITOR

A LETTER FROM THE PERSPECTIVES EDITOR

ASHLEY KANG

TAHA SHAFIEI

investigations editor

Since its humble debut as a subsection of The Prospector’s brand new Insights section in December 2017, Investigations has grown tremendously in its credibility and caliber. Although we are nowhere near achieving the legendary prestige of Bernstein and Woodward, I am hopeful for the progress we can make by discovering and examining the facts of incidents and issues that arise regarding our school. The first step we’ve taken is the implementation of an unbiased sampling system in which teachers are randomly selected to have their students fill out a survey every issue. I’d like to thank all the time-strapped teachers who have generously given portions of their class time this month to support us in our pursuit for more accurate data from a wider demographic of students. I can’t wait to see the impactful investigative journalism my writers will carry out in the future.

perspectives editor / copy editor

Everyday, while designing, I would sit at home in my mildly comfy chair and wonder what I could do to improve Perspectives. Then suddenly it hit me: change (technically that’s the only way to improve something—but let’s ignore that for the time being). Perspectives has changed for the good. We are no longer doing a look into a controverisal topic through multiple peoples’ perspectives or a “day in the life” feature.

Perspectives now will contain relatable comics, short stories, flow charts, satirical articles and cartoons with the hopes that this section will become a place where we can present the experiences, beliefs and quirks of our student body in either a serious or humorous way. Essentially, the section is where we are going to be publishing tea—and lots of it! The kind that you keep brewing because you just can’t get enough. So, what are you waiting for? Flip to pages 28-29 to check it out!

OPINIONS Why We Shouldn’t ban Controversial Books SARAH POLLANS postscript assistant

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BACKGROUND PHOTO BY ANTHONY ZHU

Although students at Cupertino High School have the liberty of reading whatever book they please, no matter the genre, topic or subject, books like The Great Gatsby, The Kite Runner and The Lord of the Flies have been commonly banned in schools across the country for derogatory language, violence, immoral themes and other vulgar topics. That said, book banning should stop, as it does not benefit children’s growth and education.

Take To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. This book is required reading for all freshman at CHS as a part of their argumentative writing unit. Throughout the unit, students openly discuss and talk about the plot and the language used in the book.

Talking about controversial topics is a common occurrence in Cupertino’s literature courses; however, schools in the states of Virginia, Mississippi, and a handful of others disagree. Despite its many accolades since its publication in 1960, school boards have argued that Lee’s use of descriptive profanity makes the book unfit for school curriculum.

While there is a fair amount of vulgar language in the novel, Lee uses these words to further enhance the book’s plot. Without the character’s sudden outbursts of words, the novel would become a bland laundry list of the occurrences a small child experiences.

Besides controversial language, books are also banned for their content, particularly in the presence of violence. Fahrenheit 451, The Giver and Harry Potter are common examples.

While violence is not the answer when dealing with real life situations, most books that deal with violence have a clear level of fiction to them. And the books that seem completely factual often end with a warm hearted message at the end that balance them out.

Preventing students from reading books that contain disputable information does not take away the pre-existing curiosity for these topics that students may have about the world. Not allowing students to understand the full value of life leads the younger generations to take a majority of life for granted and take everything as a given.

The standard argument for banning books is that many believe that students are too young or innocent to be exposed to profanity, violence or hateful wording. Though this may be true, authors use vulgar language for the sole purpose of spreading a message about society and getting students of all ages engaged in critical conversations. The fact is that hateful phrases exist and simply banning younger generations from reading them is not a solution. It is important to have a classroom discussion about why an action occurred, or why something was said, because it helps students have a more realistic view of the world.

While Fahrenheit 451 uses violence and strong language, it sends a message about individuality. While The Lord of the Flies depicts gruesome imagery, it stresses the importance of leadership and raises discussions about government. The levels of indecency in the books serve to teach thought-provoking, and signifcant themes.

In the end, banning books is not an effective solution. Hesitating to give younger readers access to highly debated topics creates a sugar-coated reality, resulting in them not being able to fully understand all the imperfections of the world.

In a way, Ray Bradbury, author of Fahrenheit 451, was right. Perhaps not to the extremes he described in his book, but the main ideas he wrote about are relevant. Although our society will likely never get to the point where we are all complacent zombies, banning books is taking us one step closer to making that a reality.

UNCOVERING THE COSMOPOLITAN UK BODY SHAMING CONTROVERSY KENNETH JEON photo editor

Cosmopolitan UK recently turned heads with its magazine cover for the month of October 2018. In step with the growing movement for body positivity and self acceptance, the fashion magazine featured Tess Holliday, a plus-size model, with the caption ‘Tess Holliday wants the haters to kiss her ass.’

Somewhat unsurprisingly, the backlash has been monumental. Critics have argued that the cover promotes obesity by affirming the success and beauty of an overweight model. Said journalist and show host Piers Morgan on a Twitter post, “Apparently we’re supposed to view it as a ‘huge step forward for body positivity.’ What a load of old baloney. This cover is just as dangerous & misguided as celebrating size zero models.”

This may seem like a sound argument at first, for it applies the similar view of unhealthily skinny models to the opposite end of the spectrum.

However with a more nuanced look, it becomes clear that this point drastically ignores the context of the situation.

Essentially, this argument lies on the presumption that the entire world’s beauty standards will be flipped upside down to encourage women to become or stay obese, and that is something this cover alone will not and cannot do. Being overweight has not suddenly become more desirable than being underweight, as evidenced

by Cosmo UK’s November cover, which features singer Ciara, whose body is more typical of one one would see on a fashion magazine. It is clear that neither Cosmopolitan nor the beauty world are trying to reinforce a new perception of beauty. The October issue does not attempt to normalize obesity so

much as it attempts to present a new point of view. The cover and the article both revolve around the fact that Holliday is overweight and how her life as a model has been influenced by it.

The cover does not glorify obesity, it provides a source of confidence that readers can use to better their lives.

Obesity and low self-esteem are strongly linked, often creating a vicious self-fulfilling prophecy. In research compiled by NBC News, overweight people who reported experiencing weight discrimination were more than twice as likely to become obese four years later.

Said Rebecca Puhl, deputy director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University, in an interview with NBC News, “Stigma and discrimination are really stressors, and, unfortunately, for many people, they’re chronic stressors…And we know that eating is a common reaction to stress and anxiety—that people often engage in more food consumption or more binge eating in response to stressors, so there is a logical connection here in terms of some of the maladaptive coping strategies to try to deal with the stress of being stigmatized.”

Holliday shows her audience that people with body issues can be accepted and valued, and that self-worth is essential for people unhappy with their physical appearance. Before beginning to lose weight, a person needs to feel that he or she is important enough to invest effort into self improvement. As Holliday herself states, “My message isn’t, ‘Let’s all be fat!’. My message is, ‘Let’s love yourself, regardless of how you look in your current body’. Your mental health is far more important before you can worry about your physical health.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF WARWICK SAINT

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FEATURES

BOUNCING BETWEEN COUNTRIES

PHOTO BY KENNETH JEON

An tAontas Eorpach European Union

AN JAP RT

EIRE IRELAND

O

P PASS

PASSPORT

Pas Passport

REPUBL

IC OF IN

DIA

UNITED KINGDOMS

REPUBLIC OF KOREA

PHOTO BY ARIANA FAHRI

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YOUSSEF ROSHDY, GR 9 SANAT SINGHAL news assistant

“I was surprised at how nice people here are,” Youssef Roshdy, a freshman at CHS who just moved from Egypt this summer, said.

By now, moving has become a normal part of his life. He has moved from Madinat Nasir, Egypt to Shanghai, China and finally Cupertino, California, United States.

“I was indifferent to [moving around so much] most of the time,” Roshdy said.

A clear exception was when he moved to China for the second time. His family was forced to move again because of the Egyptian revolution in 2011.

“The revolutions were on everywhere. People were getting hurt every single day,” Roshdy said.

Out of concern for his family’s safety, his dad was adamant that they move to a different country, although his dad had to stay back. Roshdy was distraught when he had to say goodbye to his dad at the airport.

“It was hard seeing him there and having to leave him,” Roshdy recalls.

Continually being on the move has made it hard to maintain friendships. “All of my friends were superficial. I got used to not having very close friends because I would always move around,”

Roshdy revealed.

However, he also has fond memories of his time in China. “In China, we would go to the movies almost every week and eat out frequently,” Roshdy said.

Furthermore, moving to a completely different place and knowing they could not put down roots there brought him closer to his family, especially his sister. “[Moving] pulled my sister and I closer. We were always together,” Roshdy explained.

After three years, they moved back to Egypt because their dad was feeling increasingly lonely, and even depressed. Upon returning to Egypt, Roshdy finally started to settle down.

“In Egypt, I thought we were going to stay there forever. So, I started making very close friends. But when we moved again, I was a bit annoyed,” Roshdy said.

Despite this, he has managed to stay positive and find his place wherever he goes. “[Living in different places] helped me realize that wherever you go, you will find people that are like you,” Roshdy said. “I have friends here, I had friends in Egypt, and I had friends in China. Wherever you go, you will find like-minded people.”

KOKI NISHIDA, GR 12

when living in Mexico.

“It was really difficult because I didn’t know any vocabulary so I didn’t understand. At the same time, even if you knew the words, it’s hard to use your brain to translate it quickly and speak it,” said Nishida.

However, Nishida believes that he has greatly benefitted from

AASHNA SHAH lifestyles editor

Due to his father’s job, senior Koki Nishida has lived in Japan, Mexico and the United States. Through his experiences, he has had to transfer schools and learn new languages.

“I move because of my dad’s job. He got transferred from his office. I lived in Japan, my home country, for six years. Then I moved to Mexico and lived there for four years. After that I moved back to Japan for a little over four years. Then I came to the United States and it has been two years here,” said Nishida.

After moving schools four times, Nishida finds it difficult to adapt to new rules and curriculum.

Said Nishida, “Each school is really different in terms of rules.

For example, in Japan, I was in a private school where the rules were really strict. You have to keep your hair no longer than a standard length. There were also a lot of subjects—approximately 15 subjects for the final test. It was really tough. The courses are different in Japan and here and I wasn’t at CHS for freshman year.

It was very different because other people had taken classes in freshman year that I had not.”

Nishida has also found it difficult to have a successful education when being taught in a language that he is unfamiliar with.

Nishida found it particularly difficult to learn and communicate

“

I was pretty timid and quiet as a child, but when you have to learn a new language, you definitely have to be more proactive.”

- Koki Nishida

his unique experiences and does not regret moving so often.

Said Nishida, “I was pretty timid and quiet as a child, but when you have to learn a new language, you definitely have to be more proactive. I’m not as shy anymore because of my experience. It has been beneficial to me.”

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Visas RACHEL PARK, GR 10 ALEXANDRIA HUNT investigations assistant PHOTO BY ARIANA FAHRI

friendships.

Yet after she does form friendship, another difficulty Park endures when moving is making those friendships last.

Says Park, “Usually, I try to keep [my friendships] through email or social media. But in the end, we both forget to respond, so the relationships break.”

However, through moving so often, Park notes that she has learned a valuable skill: how to reach out to others and make new friends.

Says Park, “I have learned that you cannot just stand there, waiting for someone to be your friend. You have to be the person that jumps in [and takes the lead].”

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ESTADOS UN SECRETAR IDOS MEXICANOS IA DE GOB INSTITUTO ERNACION NACIONAL DE MIGR A CION

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Sophomore Rachel Park has lived in a total of four countries during her lifetime—England, Mexico, South Korea, and the United States—due to her father’s job.

Of these four countries, Park disliked living in South Korea the most due to its high-pressure education system, and her favorite place that she has lived in is England.. “[When I lived in England], my family and I traveled to Germany, France, and more. There were a lot of castles and fields. It was beautiful,” Park said.

During her leisure time Park would hang out with friends and do various other activities.

Says Park, “When I lived in Mexico, my friends all lived in different places, so it was hard to meet them. In Korea, we went out to the streets and hung out there.”

To Park, some advantages that come along with moving include experiencing new cultures and learning new languages. Park can speak Spanish, English and Korean fluently.

However, Park acknowledges that there are many disadvantages of moving as well, such as language barriers, falling behind in school and difficulty making new friends. Park notes that the biggest difficulty is meeting new people, as it is difficult to communicate with and make new friends when you don’t speak the same language as they do. In the past, it’s taken her up to three months to form new

Visas AMRUT RANJAN, GR 11 KENNETH JEON photo editor PHOTO BY KENNETH JEON

demic pressure, it’s a little hard [to adjust].” he said.

However, he feels he has gradually come to overcome these challenges.

While Ranjan fully acknowledges the social and academic disadvantages of his moving, he attributes his broader perspective

“

When you move... to a place where there is a lot of academic pressure, it is a little hard [to adjust].”

- Amrut Ranjan

of different cultures to his experiences with relocation, especially his involvement in different styles of education. Said Ranjan, “I understand different parts of the culture. I see how both sides think about how people should live.”

ION INDI A GRAT I M M

I

Following his father’s work-related relocations, junior Amrut Ranjan has moved from India to Ireland to the United States throughout his life.

Having been born in India, Ranjan experienced drastic change with his move to Ireland at thirteen years old, where he was immersed in a completely new culture. Getting used to the new school environment consisted of a large part of his adaptation process. “People would focus less on academics and more on sports and extracurriculars,” Ranjan said. “I had an advantage in Ireland because [studying was not the main focus] there.”

However, his social endeavors proved much more difficult.

Ireland’s notoriously unique accent presented itself as an obstacle for his efforts to localize himself. “During the first couple of months, it was pretty hard to talk to people,” Ranjan said. “I spoke English since they taught it in India. The problem was mostly the accent. It was all about trying to understand that and make out what they were saying.” Ranjan’s closely-knit school was also an interesting community to break into. Said Ranjan, “It was a tiny school, it was only about 40 people per grade, so maybe around one-eighth the size of CHS at most. It was hard to find one person to always hang out with, but people talked to everyone.”

On the other hand, Ranjan’s move to the CHS in the United States felt somewhat like a return to India.

Said Ranjan, “People here are very focused on education.” He faced challenges readjusting to that previous lifestyle.

“When you move from an area where they do not really care that much about academics to a place where there is a lot of aca-

INDIA ARRIVAL

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15

LIFESTYLES

The Prosp Christm

a gift from santa

Santa’s Sled

2.

Fold construction paper in half (hamburger style).

Cut two pieces of ribbon. One piece should go across the horizontal length of the card. Another pieces should go across the vertical length of the card.

Glue the two pieces of ribbon so that they make a “+” shape on the face of the card.

Cut another piece of the ribbon that is about twice as long as the vertical length of the card Using this ribbon turn it into a bow to top your “present” (similar to tying your shoelace).

Glue the bow on the intersection of the two pieces of ribbon. Let it dry for a little bit.

The materials needed Using a spare piece of paper draw a are red construction paper, little stamp including words along the line of “Made a small piece of white paper, in the North Pole.”

Cut out the “stamp” and glue it onto a green satin ribbon, a pair of scissors, glue, and markers. the card wherever desired.

1.

16

BACKGROUND PHOTO BY AASHNA SHAH

2.

Lightly outline an oval shaped area with ridges on the front side of your card for a frozen lake with a pencil.

Fill in the oval area with some While waiting for the glue to dry, cut one-third of wood off of two sticks, and split the third in half, adjust necessary..

Cut the paper clips into two small Arrange the popsicle sticks in the the lake to create a sled with the two sticks sandwiching the smaller two in dle.

Tuck the two paper clip hooks neath the outer two popsicle sticks glue the wood sled and paper clips to Color in your sled (optional).

pector’s Original mas Cards 1.

The materials needed are 3 popsicle sticks, hot glue, glitter, dark blue construction paper, a paper clip, a pencil, a pair of scissors, and a colored marker.

Fold construction paper in half (hamburger style).

AASHNA SHAH lifestyles editor

STELLA JIA online assistant

BRANDON HONG photo assistant

ornament Christmas tree 1.

The materials needed are colorful scrap papers, green and brown construction paper, a pair of scissors, glue, a pencil, and an exacto knife.

2.

Fold construction paper in half (hamburger style).

Cut a few small scraps of papers and glue in the area you will eventually place your tree.

On the green construction paper, outline and cut out a Christmas tree.

n hot glue. popsicle lengths if hooks. center of longer the midunderand hot the card.

3.

Use an Exacto knife to cut holes into the Christmas tree that match where you glued the colorful scrap paper on the card.

To give the card a slight 3d effect, roll up small pieces of paper and attach them to the Christmas tree on top of the colorful scrap paper On the brown construction paper cut out and glue a small rectangle for a tree stalk.

17

YouTube Search Over the past decade, YouTube has reached astonishing heights.

Since its launch in 2005, it has garnered over a billion users who collectively watch over a billion videos a day. As a platform that caters to people of all age groups and professions — seniors applying for college, gamers, aspiring photographers, stay-at-home moms with a passion for baking, middle schoolers seeking DIY tutorials, high schoolers with an extra 30 minutes to relax before bed — YouTube’s popularity has been growing intensely. With this growth comes intensifying competition aboard the platform; YouTubers have disappeared, and others have risen to take their place, a phenomenon referred to as the YouTube quitting epidemic. So why exactly are some channels declining while others are flourishing?

At the core of YouTuber success is the algorithm. Other than maintaining the support of their subscribers, YouTubers must consider how well their videos will do under the algorithm. Various social media platforms, including YouTube, use an algorithm to predict what their viewers want to see. Viewers’ recommended videos are tailored to the type of content that they typically watch.

In order to earn a spot in the recommended section, a channel must have a large amount of views, traffic to their channel, and many subscribers. However, it is only through the recommended section that many YouTubers are able to achieve this. As a result, large Youtube channels grow immensely, while smallers ones are not even given the opportunity to become more popular. In 2016, YouTube’s goal to accumulate more time spent on its site prompted it to drastically change its algorithm. In order to encourage users to remain on the

platform for longer periods of time, YouTube shifted its focus from views to video length. Now, longer videos are prioritized over videos with more views. Through this, both YouTube and YouTubers receive large sums of money, since long videos will have more ads throughout it.

YouTube’s continuous evolution presents an obstacle for many of its content creators. Veteran YouTubers must adapt to a completely different set of rules, which is a large challenge. As the competition on the platform grows, so does YouTubers’ fear of becoming irrelevant. YouTubers must cater to both the algorithm and their viewers, which can be mentally and emotionally draining. As a result, many YouTubers have resorted to using things like “clickbait” to gain views. Through this, viewers are lied to by deceptive titles and misleading thumbnails. Not only are viewers lied to, but many original content creators disagree with this method to gain views, and as a result, they have grown tired of YouTube and quit.

Another contributing factor to declining YouTube channels is backlash, often for a YouTuber’s controversial actions and words.

Logan Paul, a once trending YouTuber, has received much hate as the result of a video posted in early 2018. In a video of him touring Aokigahara, a Japanese forest known for its high rate of suicides, Paul filmed the body of a person who had committed suicide. Many people called him out for being insensitive, and said that his obsession with views and money led him to have loose morals. As a result, Paul lost his business relationship with YouTube and his once trending channel is no longer such.

#126 ON TRENDING

How the Quitting Epidemic of YouTu SYDNEY LIAO features editor

Zoe Sugg, another one of YouTube’s biggest stars and the creator behind beauty/lifestyle channel Zoella, has also faced immense backlash for numerous reasons. Her reputation was tainted when a string of offensive past Tweets, including homophobic and fat-shaming ones, were uncovered. In 2016, many called her out for taking credit for writing the best-selling debut novel Girl Online, when it was actually ghost-written. She further hurt her career by selling overpriced products, which sparked disapproval in many parents. Sugg has also been accused of promoting unhealthy beauty standards. Disappointed fans have used Twitter and even YouTube videos to express their concern.

Although Sugg boasts nearly 12 million subscribers and is still considered a YouTube success, her views and number of new subscribers have plunged tremendously and will continue to do so.

According to co-founder of Smosh, Anthony Padilla, “When I first started, it was just me being excited about creating things. It wasn’t about the numbers.” Padilla’s beliefs are synonymous with

many others as YouTube started as a hobby for people who had free time and wanted to share their passions with the world. Most YouTubers were not getting paid for their videos, but after YouTube began paying their influencers, many quit their jobs to make videos full-time. However, in their “burning out” videos, creators voice concerns about their mental health and their dissatisfaction of their content. As Lilly Singh, whose comedy channel iiSuperwomanii has amassed 14 million subscribers in the span of 8 years, confessed in her “taking a break” video, “[Being a YouTuber] is exhausting mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.” Most notable is the line “YouTube has changed,” implying the detrimental impacts of the algorithm.

While YouTube has come a long way, the diminishing numbers of influencers foreshadows the future of YouTube, and the potential for its failure.

The mechanisms of YouTube success and burning out are complicated, but one thing is for certain: content creating is not as easy and glorious as it seems, and at a certain point, YouTubers come to realize that they can’t sacrifice their mental health for prominence.

With YouTube’s growing popularity comes intensifying competition; YouTubers have disappeared, and others have risen to take their place, a phenomenon referred to as the YouTube quitting epidemic.

ube Foreshadows its Failure 6 Up Next

16

SHARE

What’s With the Smoke?

Investigations

SAVE

AUTOPLAY

19

INVESTIGATIONS

THE PROSPECTOR RANDOMIZED SURVEY | Prompt: The school

should lower the air quality threshold for canceling school due to air pollution.

WHAT’S WITH THE W SMOKE? 28.7% Agree

52.9% Strong Agree

TAL ASHKENAZI copy editor

T

he recent Campfire and Paradise fires did not only cause great chaos and destruction in the areas that they have been affected. Cupertino residents, 170 miles away, could smell the smoke created by these two catastrophic blazes. Although Cupertino did not suffer nearly as much as the towns closer to the fire, the air quality remained at very high “unhealthy” levels, with the Environmental Protections Agency suborganization, Airnow, issuing warnings against prolonged exposure and intensive activities. The air was polluted with PM2.5, a very small particle that can pass through most fabrics, rendering makeshift protection such as bandanas, coat sleeves and some facemasks useless, while also severely damage lungs. Students were surprised when school did not close since classes were canceled at other schools and universities including UC Berkeley, UC Davis and San Jose University. Cupertino tried to accommodate those who wanted to get out of the air by opening the gym and wagon wheel during lunch and brunch, but even still many students were unhappy with the situation.

Some students even went so far as to email administrators with their grievances and misgivings about coming to school under such smoke. The air quality nothingless created discussion around the response and decision that Cupertino made with some arguing that school should have been canceled, while others argue that as long as students stayed inside they would not need to cancel classes. Either way, with the air quality improved and the fires contained, the discussion is focused on what the school can do in the future to combat similar catastrophes.

20

10.3% Neutral 2.9% Disagree 5.1% Strongly Disagree 136 TOTAL RESPONDENTS

hile the fires raged and blew in from almost all sides of the Bay Area in mid-November, school districts across Silicon Valley scrambled to determine what ought to be done. Here in Cupertino, to the chagrin of some and the relief of others, schools in the Fremont Union High School District (FUHSD) decided to remained open. However, one thing remained constant throughout the student body: although the season of air pollution has come and gone, the vast majority of the student body — 81% in fact, according to a survey by The Prospector of 136 randomly selected Cupertino High School students — wants a lowered air quality threshold for canceling school due to air pollution.

There is no standardized policy as to what schools should do in the event of high levels of air pollution.

Stated Graham Clark, FUHSD Deputy Superintendent, while describing the uncertainty of the situation, “The county health department provides some recommendations on how to keep people healthy [public health crises] but they do not tell you exactly what to do.”

The decision to keep schools open was not made blindly. Ac-

AFTERMATH T SUCHETHA KALLURI lifestyles assistant

he weeks of poor air quality shrouded the Cupertino High School in a thick blanket of gray smoke, forcing many to wear face masks to avoid inhaling the harmful air.

This crisis and its severity was unprecedented.

In order to analyze the damages and prepare a course of action during those smog filled days, many schools in Santa Clara County worked together on a conference call with the county office and the health department to jointly decide on what the best action would be, based on the weather forecasts and the current air quality”.

Seeing that various other local agencies chose not to close for

THE PROSPECTOR RANDOMIZED SURVEY | Question: On a scale of 1-5 how prepared do you feel for a natural disaster?

136 TOTAL RESPONDENTS

EFFECTIVENESS How Air Pollution Policy Was Set and Students’ Reactions

1 Not at all

2

3

4

5 Completely

JEFFREY XIONG perspectives assistant

cording to Clark, a variety of factors were taken into consideration when coming to a consensus. “We had the county health department on [a call] and based on what we were hearing and the weather reports, we would decide on whether we would cancel and close school,” he stated.

Eventually, a consensus was reached. Described Clark, “All the superintendents of the school districts in the area got on a conference call with the county office and the health department. There was not anything that said ‘Hey, you must close school.’”

However, the final decision came with discontent from the student body. For example, said freshman Saloni Mahajan, “I disagree with the current threshold [for closing school] because for people with asthma or any other breathing problems or even just little kids in the area it is probably dangerous for them way before [an Air Quality Index of] 275.”

Added sophomore Purvi Rajan, who participated in the CHS drama show Pippin,

“We all had to share two inhalers for the entire cast [at the draw bad because a lot of us had never used ma show]. It was really an inhaler before, so it ran the risk of us getting injured further.”

Moreover, there still remains a large disconnect between the perspective of thstudents on air pollution policies and the district’s actions. Said Mahajan, “I would say that the school should be more transparent about how they decide on policies. I do not know how they would go about doing that. During the air pollution incident, [the ad- ministration] kept saying that they were working with the school district, but they did not really explain why other schools are cancelled versus why we were not.”

Despite some pushback, the district continues to stand by its decision. Explained Clark, “[we] were also looking at what other government agencies, hospitals, courts and post offices are doing. The reality was that very few other agencies closed, so most people agreed to keep school open and try to keep everyone indoors as much as possible.”

those days, the district decided to keep the school open and keep people indoors. Many believe that this protocol can become a precedent for future incidents; however, others state that this first crisis allows for potential improvements from both the school and the district.

For future crises of a similar nature, many assert that some improvement should be made, starting with whether school should stay open on not. The air quality threshold for shutting down the school due to poor air quality is an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 275. However, the recent crisis with smoke has inspired many to call for lowering that number. Based on a randomized survey of 136 students by The Prospector, 75% of students agree or strongly agree with lowering the threshold.

Said Junior Ojas Moor, “[the air quality threshold for cancelling school] should be lower, because actually a lot of people got pretty sick, and I stayed home from school because of it”.

Both Cupertino High School students and the administration agree that communication about procedures and policies is the biggest improvement needed, and the school is looking into a system to do just that. “We are looking to have a system where we can send out a system-wide text [where]... we could send you information

as x, y and z, and this is the response you should be following,” Geoff Wright, assistant principal at CHS, said.

The school regularly reviews its safety policies, and the district feels the procedures are sufficient. Even if policies and procedures exist, many suggest that giving students more exposure to the procedures while educating them on the policies could quell any apprehension about school safety.

PHOTO BY ARIANA FAHRI

17

THIS IS NOT A DRILL. TAL ASHKENAZI copy editor

C

upertino High School, like all schools, must prepare for a multitude of threats to the student body, including ones that involve bomb or shooter threats.

The school holds simulations to familiarize students with how to deal with such threats.

When a potentially dangerous individual nears school grounds, the school will issue a “code red” in which students either run off campus if they are able to or, if the threat is near a certain area on campus, barricade themselves in classrooms. This strategy, called “Run, Hide, Defend,” is meant to give options to those that may be in harm’s way and is practiced in association with the Santa Clara County Sheriff.

22

BACKGROUND PHOTO BY ARIANA FAHRI

With the repeated bomb threats last year, Cupertino students and administrators are looking for more ways to protect students from harm and student opinions regarding how the school responds to such threats has also been changing as a result. Dealing with possible similar crisis is an ongoing battle and students that were on campus at the time of the mass evacuation last year on Mar. 27 experienced first hand how a real-world bomb threat evacuation would work, giving them some important ideas for what can be done to improve the process to be more transparent and effective.

EFFECTIVENESS YOONI PARK sports editor

W

to protect themselves, especially since these rooms are easily accessed.

Many students are advocating for the administration to come to a conclusion as to whether this route is the safest solution for our students or not as many are concerned that the current one-period drills are not effective.

AFTERMATH

ith constant dangers approaching public schools all over the United States, it is crucial for our student body and administration to stay protected at all times. Earlier this semester, CHS ran their first baseline “Code Red” drill to eval- KAVYA GUPTA copy editor / business manager uate how each classroom would respond. This drill is more heavily enforced and requires police/deputy involvement as uring a seemingly typical lunch at Cuperwell. The “Code Red” is more time consuming than the fire or tino High School, on Tuesday, Mar. 27, earthquake drills. When the announcement is made, students 2018, students were scattered throughbreak apart their classroom, protecting the doors and winout the campus, some bunched in the dows and creating a barricade for the students to shelter in. quad and others playing on the field. No This drill traditionally takes place during fourth period, one had expected the announcement telling them to run, in each student’s respective classroom, taking anywhere from leave their belongings and evacuate the campus immehalf the period to the full 90 minute block period to com- diately. Although the threat was later declared false, the plete. Despite it being designed for serious school remains on edge regarding active threats on campus. and threatening situations, the drill hapAfter this ordeal, a grievances against school’s policies pens once every year in the fourth-period have emerged: “I think it’s essential for schools to practice the class. Students know exactly what to do drill more often because certain situations would be chaotic in this class at that certain time. without them. It’s extremely important for our safety, and it However, many note shouldn’t be something the school does just to get out of the that they are most way,” freshman Cassidy Yin stated, “We should have drills at likely unprepared for least twice or thrice a year because when we have an emergenwhen this situation oc- cy, it is hard to remember what to do and it’s easy to panic.” curs in any other periHowever, FUHSD staff believe the opposite: “I think the od. In fact, statistically response is the same for every class. Where you run or what speaking, there is only a you do is based on your geography or where the threat is. But 14% chance of the emer- the practices are generic, it’s an overview, and as we’ve seen gency happening in a student’s when we do have a perceived threat, students are trained how rehearsed classroom and an 86% of the event occurring in to barricade and lock down,” Assistant Principal Geoff Wright any other of the student’s classes. said, “If students had Although classrooms of the same hall con“I would rather be prepared. concerns, I think it tain similar room formats, many students are would be a very good concerned of the classroom’s variations in design You never expect bad things to practice to just ask and furtniture placements. The science class- happen to you until they actually their teachers and talk room, for example, contains bulky lab tables that happen, and it sucks to be unpre- it through with them.” are not easily moved.

A number of pared and unable to process it.”

Said sophomore Heather Kuhl, “Some may students felt dissatisfeel [this way] because our school is very acafied with the school’s -- Heather Kuhl handling of the evacdemic based, but safety comes first. I would rather be prepared. You never expect bad things to happen to you uation, claiming that communication was inadequate. “When until they actually happen, and it sucks to be unprepared and announcements are made, they need to be repeated over and unable to process it.” over again nonstop, so people know what’s going on even if Another common issue students note is the classrooms they didn’t hear the first time,” senior Olly Milshtein said. with floor-to-ceiling glass windows in the new building that FUHSD is working on developing an opt-in system to was just built last semester. These windows, although provid- send out school-wide text messages to improve the ing a modernized look, can become a serious issue if an active conveyance of messages to students and teachers. shooter were to be on our campus. If students have classes in It may serve the school and students to work this building while an event occurs, they should know how together to build a safer environment for all.

D

23

SPORTS

CUPERTINO

1

CCS HEROES 24

the story of how the Girl’s teams dominated their competition and preformed at the highest levels of CCS and CIF States

FIELD HOCKEY CASPER WU

TENNIS SUDYUT YUVARAJ

opinions assistant

business manager

After a week of delays and limited practices due to poor air quality, the Cupertino High School Varsity field hockey team took the field at Gilroy High School in their first ever CCS appearance on Nov.17.

Facing a staunch opponent in the defending Los Gatos High School champions, Cupertino found themselves trailing by two goals early in the game. However, the girls held firm and clawed their way back, stringing together a series of offensive plays in hopes of evening the score.

Said Senior defender Samantha Jaehnig, “We pulled ourselves together. Before it was just us defending the entire game, but this time we had quite a few chances.”

Unfortunately, the team was not able to capitalize on those chances, and after a hard-fought match, they lost to Los Gatos with a score of zero to three. While the loss was not the outcome they desired, this year’s high-flying field hockey team made school history with its second-place finish at CCS - the best Cupertino has ever ranked.

Said fellow Senior defender Nooriya Gunja, “I was very proud of my team, I expected to feel a little sadder than I actually was, but I expected the result that we got. We made it so much farther than we have in the past, so I was already happy about that.”

However, given that the field hockey team had only been moved up to the upper-league this year, the road to this year’s record-setting finish was anything but expected.

Said Senior Co-captain Hoa Doan, “Though it was rough at first, we learned to work as a team and got comfortable in our positions and with each others’ capabilities throughout the season.

By the end, we knew we could count on each other and our play really improved as the season went on.”

While the season did not end with their ideal finish, the girls field hockey team is looking forward to a fresh start next season.

Although ten of the players on this teams roster are seniors, the five players expected to return are encouraged by this year’s results.

The girls may not know what the future holds for their team, but in the present, they can celebrate making school history with sensational CCS performance.

PHOTO BY ARIANA FARARI

Said Senior and Captain of the CHS girls varsity tennis team Irene Tsai, “Our league is one of the most competitive leagues in California, so just getting to leagues is an achievement of itself.”

This year, the varsity team qualified for the Central Coast Sectionals, with a 8-4 record in league matches. The CCS team competitions are divided into four singles matches and three doubles matches for a total of seven total sets, and has an individual tournament as well.

Two athletes stood out in the individual tournament; Sophomore Arushi Malek, and Junior Kate Duong. Duong played singles 1, and Malek played singles 2 in the individual tournament – the top two singles players on the CHS team respectively. Malek lost in the semifinals, and Duong placed second in the final round – marking the end of their individual seasons Said Tsai “Walking into the season, they [were] the top two players on the team, so we expected that they’d go far.”

In the teams division, the Pioneers won against Saratoga and Palo Alto, but placed second in the CCS finals against Los Gatos in a 1-6 loss, which let them qualify for the CIF NorCal Championships, which took place on Thursday, Dec. 6.

The Pioneers came back in their first NorCal match against Rocklin High School, with a 4-3 win, which qualified them for the NorCal finals against Los Gatos.

The advancement of the tennis team became a focal point in the school’s winter spirit week, with a pep rally organized in the quad at lunch the day of the finals. A crowd of students gathered around the stage to show their support for the athletes, wishing them the best of luck in their games. The rally included performances from the CHS Marching Band, and the Cheer Team Duong and Malek were joined by Senior Sravanthi Dandamudi, and Tsai for singles.

The team lost 2-5 to Los Gatos on Thursday, but anticipates a strong future.

PHOTO COURTESY OF IRENE TSAI

Don’t Sweat It Why CHS P.E. 9 curriculum requires more rigor VARUN SHENOY online editor

“Exercise is like fertilizer for the brain. It’s so good, it’s like Miracle-Gro.” These are the words of Dr. John Ratey, a clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and an author on numerous books that focus on the effects of physical activity on the mind.

Physical education at Cupertino High School is mandatory only in ninth grade and is seen as simply a requirement for graduation. For this reason, many students do not take it as seriously as they should. However, Dr. Ratey’s advice says otherwise.

The benefits of a rigorous P.E. 9 curriculum are unparalleled.

Not only does it strengthen the brain and improve performance across the board in academics, but it also combats physical inactivity, the leading cause of disease and disability according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Sedentary lifestyles have been shown to increase the risks of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, depression and anxiety. Approximately 60 to 85 percent of individuals lead a sedentary lifestyle and two-thirds of children do not partake in enough physical activity.

Like any muscle, the brain enlarges with extensive and frequent activity and decreases in size with inactivity. Thus, exercise improves learning and mental performance in academic tasks. For example, a 2013 report titled “Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School” was released by the National Academy of Sciences in response to the increasing number of schools cutting funding towards their physical education depart-

Li 26

fe

ments. It claims that physical activity, particularly that of vigorous or moderate intensity, improves cognitive functions, such as memory and attention. For the same reason, daily exercise has also been proved to be a deterrent to early-onset brain-related afflictions, including Alzheimer’s and dementia. It has also been shown to improve quality of sleep and decrease stress within students.

Said Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, a former WHO Director-General, “The habit of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, including regular exercise and a nutritious diet ideally, begins in childhood.”

However, in order to effectively implement a more intensive physical education, a few necessary changes need to be made.

First, there needs to be less of an importance on performance and increased expectations of effort. Tools such as heart rate monitors provide a quantitative measurement of how much a student is exerting themselves, and those metrics should be used for grading, not a thresholded time in the example of a timed mile run. Resting heart rate values can be compared to those after a run or workout.

Currently, only P.E. Total Fitness utilizes heart rate monitors. However, it should be included in all classes, especially P.E. 9. Heart rate monitors provide a way for those who are unable to successfully complete a mile at an A-level to still earn points and prove they are putting in maximum effort.

Moreover, exposure to physical education will develop good habits within students at a young age. High school is the ideal time to meet the body’s needs. A comprehensive coverage of what a daily physical exercise regimen involves and the steps one must take in order to stay in optimal shape should be emphasized in classes. A way to keep students in check would be to require the maintenance of a nutrition and physical activity log book for points, with authorized parent signatures. Students will learn to keep track of what they’re putting into their body and manage changes they’re making to improve their health.

A more intensive physical education class would provide a bounty of benefits, including improved academic performance, less sedentary behavior and lower risk for a wide array of both physical and mental detriments. If we make this transition, our generation would be in much better shape.

Eazy P.E zy 9

Anushka national ice dancer

ILLUSTRATION BY ANGELA MA

Brito

week, I have gotten up at five a.m. every day before school LAWRENCE FAN copy assistant to go to practice at San Jose Sharks At CHS, most of the attention is paid toward large school [Ice],” Brito said. sports teams, such as football and basketball. However, these are Brito has also not the only sports students take part in. With over 8,000 sports grown as a person listed in the World Sports Encyclopedia, athletes have no short- from her experiences out on the ice rink, as the mental and physage in ways they can best express their talents. Senior Anushka ical preparations that she has put in each of her competitions have Brito competes professionally in one such less-conventional resulted in personal growth in multiple ways. sport: ice dancing.

She has also successfully balanced Brito began ice skating at a very young age, but her decision her hectic practice schedule for ice of choosing ice dancing over the typical figure skating was de- dancing with her demanding acrived from her leg fracture in the seventh grade. Due to her in- ademic life as well, managing to wake up at three in the morning schoolwork.

I fell in love with ice dancing and the to complete Said Brito, “I would want opportunities that came with it. Ice people to know that even though dancing is less stressful than free- skaters make skating look easy, elegant and flowing, it is still a sport. style skating, and it offered more op- A lot of people do not realize how portunities for major competitions.” much training goes into achieving - Anushka Brito high levels of skating.”

Although Brito has earned a multitude of reability to accomplish jumps for six months after the injury, her wards while competing at coach introduced ice dancing as an alternate option to her. the national level, some As an ice dancer, Brito competed at the national level, trav- tangible and others eling to major ice skating areas in Colorado and Massachussetts not, she is not looking to attend the ice dancing nationals. In her years of competing, at competing regularBrito faced many challenges, often placing at tenth or eleventh ly anymore. Instead, Brito place. However, she learned from her failures and ended up win- is aiming to complete her ning last year’s nationals. tests as an ice dancer and Although figure skating and ice dancing may sound similar, focus on her senior year in Brito emphasizes the differences between the two events. Figure high school. skating is a more structured sport, involving a set scoring system, Said Brito, “I only have which is based on the completion and perfection of moves, as to take one more test before well as the specific timing for each movement involved. It is also I am done with testing, and a lot more open and interpretive.

I can say I have completed all As an ice dancer competing at high levels, Brito’s practice the levels of ice dancing and can schedule is often rigorous, and it takes time to maintain her skills coach.” and to continue to train for future events.

“Since the fourth grade I have practiced five or six days a PHOTO COURTESY OF ANUSHKA BRITO DARSHINI VIJAYKUMAR features assistant

27

PERSPECTIVES

LEO RASSIEUR news editor

28

An Original Short Story

KEERTHI LAKSHMANAN online assistant

“You know what? You’re downright beautiful!”

The Monster-Under-the-Bed reeled back,his fanged mouth dropping open. “You don’t mean that.”

“What if I do?” said the Monster-in-the-Closet, matted fur bristling. “Charlotte’s more terrified of her bunny slippers than you!”

Bed-Monster tried, “Just because you picked this house first—” “—and I didn’t sign up for a partner!” Closet-Monster roared.

He whipped around, claws digging into the floorboards, and stalked back into his closet.

Closet-Monster nestled by Charlotte’s raincoat and last year’s Halloween costume and forced himself to relax. The darkness hid the furious red tinge to his snow-white fur.

He had applied for the Glens’ house over a year ago, when their daughter turned five. He’d moved onto the property after the paperwork had passed, and Closet-Monster became the source of Charlotte’s nightmares. The hideous, shadowed beast lurking in her closet.

It had all gone downhill after the Monster-Under-the-Bed arrived. ***

The Monster-Under-the-Bed thought it was a brilliant stroke of luck when he discovered he’d been assigned to the Glen household. Monsters of his breed were a dime a dozen; the rest of his family worked in a motel, so this felt like a miracle.

Charlotte’s room was perfect, too. The walls were plastered with superhero posters and pink tulle. The gap underneath her bed was cozy, spacious, and Bed-Monster had no trouble with the accommodations.

One afternoon, Closet-Monster slipped outside his closet and promptly tripped over a massive figure on the floor. Groaning, he hauled himself onto his paws.

“Sorry! I’m sunbathing,” Bed-Monster said, his coiled body in taking up half the room. “Try it. It’ll warm up your spirits.”

“I’m not cold-blooded.”

“You’re cold-hearted.” A growl left Closet-Monster’s throat, but Bed-Monster had already risen, a placating expression on his face. “Sorry. You make it difficult to be friends.”

Friends? Closet-Monster would rather chase his own tail. “I would rather chase my own tail.”

“Can’t you even try?” Bed-Monster pleaded. “We can have fun!”

Closet-Monster didn’t want to have fun. His life alone had been perfect before. A Monster-in-the-Closet was a rarer breed.

He was accustomed to being treated like one.

“Stop it,” Closet-Monster said.

“You’ll sunbathe, and you’ll enjoy it!”

“How are you always so...” Closet-Monster searched for the word. Ridiculous. Meddlesome. “...happy?”

Before he could reply, a stout sixyear-old girl waddled inside the room. ***

Little Charlotte peeked up at them, wide-awake, sunlight streaming through the window. She dropped a school backpack.

Both monsters froze. ‘”Ma says you should talk instead of fighting,” Charlotte said, without so much as a flinch.

“We’re not fighting!” Closet-Monster said, defensively. “We’re having differences!”

Charlotte crossed her arms. “You should talk about those too.”

Bed-Monster shook himself out of his shock. He’d never actually seen her unafraid and bold. “...Why aren’t you screaming?”

“I don’t feel like it,” the girl said. “What are you having differences about?”

Bed-Monster sighed. “We’re different monsters, honey. We can’t live in the same house.”

Her brown eyes grew wide. “You’re the monsters in my room?

But you’re not scary!”

Bed-Monster hoped he wasn’t going to be fired for that. He supposed it made sense; you couldn’t be afraid of something you understood. Monsters only worked when they remained in the shadows of furniture.

Closet-Monster insisted, “I’m terrifying!”

Charlotte giggled. “You look like my bunny slippers.”

“I do not!”

Bed-Monster scratched a scale. “Why are you so afraid to have a little fun... or to be happy?”

Closet-Monster’s ears twitched. “I’m a Monster-in-the-Closet.

I’m supposed to be the worst of them all. I’m supposed to be rude and lonely and scary and I’m sick of it!”

“You are a monster,” Bed-Monster said. “No one ever said you needed to be a bad one.”

Charlotte tilted her head. “I don’t wanna talk to bad monsters.”

Closet-Monster’s tail wagged. He nuzzled Charlotte gently.

“You can keep talking to me.”

Bed-Monster found himself a bit salty. “Yes, good, you’ve finally come out of your closet, but what do we do if Charlotte isn’t scared of us?”

The girl blinked. “What’s coming out of the closet?”

“When you’re not scared to be the monster in it,” Closet-Monster answered.

Bed-Monster grinned, wide and toothy. “You are a sweetheart!”

Closet-Monster growled, “Say that again.”

Charlotte flopped onto the floor. “I think you’re both kinda ugly.”

“That’s the best compliment I’ve ever gotten.”

“We’re never leaving.”

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POSTSCRIPT

Mad Lib: A Christmas Story (holiday)

Check the Key below to complete!

14. and verbs

CLAIRE WARNER

Suddenly, 16. pet nam

postscript editor

CHRISTINA SHAO

18. and verbs

copy editor

and 5. political figure 7. adjective

20. nounnnnn

.

other guests 10. verb

stand there, mouths open in shock, we hear a light tapping on the 21. roof. A jolly “

11. cent blank

in 23. color

in agreement.

13. verb

5. . Fortunately, political figure

begins

slides down the chimney. He takes one glance at the

24. nounnnniii to mess in the living room and starts throwing plural

. However, when I start repeat most re12. too, name

exclamation” rings through the

cold night air before a(n)22. adjectiveeeeeeeee , bearded man, dressed

,” I reply. The

After dinner, I separate from the adults to join the kids, who are all 11. verb ending in ing

everywhere, 16. same pet nameee tries to free him-

which tastes self/herself but, to our horror, rips up the presents instead. As we

8.

“Strange/awkward question .”

9.

“Response to the question

follows his/her nose to

straight into the Christmas tree. Tangled in the lights with pieces of

arrive soon after and we all gather around ,

, bounds over

19. our faces. Smelling the adjective

A bang, a crash. 16.

Same pet name hurtles out of the kitchen,

4. ” they say. Celebrity

6. the table. I take a bite of the dish

jhhb.

the leftovers.

rings the doorbell.

3.

“Exclamation

, my 17. animal

16. pet name scents from the kitchen, same

1.

It’s the night before Christmas when my relative 2. name

, which makes all of the kids 15.

all the guests. Picking up a cookie, 25.

to

swoops in

male celebrity opens his

26. plural body

part wide and

mars

exclaims, “Merry Christmas to all!”

KEY: 1. Relative; 2. Name; 3. Exclamation; 4. Celebrity; 5. Political figure; 6. Dish; 7. Adjective; 8. Strange or awkward question; 9. Response to the question; 10.

Verb; 11. Verb (ing); 12. Name; 13. Verb; 14. Verb; 15. Verb; 16. Pet name; 17. Animal; 18.

Verb; 19. Adjective; 20. Noun; 21. Exclamation; 22. Adjective; 23. Color; 24. Plural noun; 25.

Famous person; 26. Plural body part

30

not my reindeer!

bile

mo lon-

E

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ALONE IN A NEW LAND how inspiration and independence got me to Austria

ARIANA FAHRI photo editor

When I flew alone to Stuttgart, Germany to catch up with my cousins, I thought we would have endless time to explore Germany and possibly surrounding countries as well. Unfortunately, my cousins were still in school and unable to serve as tour guides. I soon realized that if I wanted to explore, I would have to do it alone.

Eventually, I decided on a destination: Salzburg, Austria. A smaller city with less foot traffic than more famous European destinations, Salzburg is also home to the set of “The Sound of Music,” my favorite childhood movies of all time.

Before hitting the road, I watched several Youtube travel videos of vloggers encouraging solo trips and teaching me to pack minimally while still having all of the emergency necessities, like Tylenol, on hand. I also learned that the key to a successful trip is extensive research and planning. Before setting foot in Salzburg, I

Not only was I at the right place, I had been able to solve the problem without panicking or depending on Google.

PHOTO BY KENNETH JEON

researched how to book my hotel, what bus lines to take, how the train schedules worked and which tourist attractions to go to.

After finally reaching the end of my 12-hour bus ride from Stuttgart to Salzburg, I was surrounded by a hub of activity: trains and buses coming and going, tourists rushing to catch their next ride or buying souvenirs.

The next day, I found my way to the historic district of Salzburg, where no buses or cars run. Instead, horse-drawn carriages crowd the streets, hysterically regulated by ordinary traffic lights.

Cramped in a cable car, 20 strangers and I traveled to the top of the Festungsberg Mountain, a feature unique to Salzburg’s skyline, to reach the Hohensalzburg Fortress, one of Europe’s largest medieval castles. At the peak of Festungsberg, I saw the city of Salzburg below, as well as the snow-capped mountain range, Salzburg Cathedral, the Locks of Love Bridge and countless ant-sized people.

With all the zeal of a new traveler, I refused to leave Salzburg’s historical district until I hit all of the items on my checklist. For hours on end, I gazed at the artwork of famous Austrian artists and Mozart’s original notes in the Salzburg Museum. Every day, I passed through the Mirabell Gardens, where the Von Trapp family sang “Do Re Mi.” Later, on a one hour bus heading for the Hellbrunn Palace, the Archbishop’s summer castle, I suddenly realized that I had taken the wrong bus. If there is one thing I know about myself, it is my reluctance to ask for help from strangers, especially with a language barrier. However, the prospect of having to go back on an hour-long bus ride shifted my perspective. I pushed my fear aside and ultimately asked the locals for directions. To my surprise, they were happy to help me through my predicament.

Never in my life have I felt as victorious as when I arrived at the right stop; not only was I at the right place, I had been able to solve the problem without panicking or depending on Google. It was a step in the right direction—a sense of liberating independence.

There are countless “what ifs” in life but if I had let myself focus on my doubts, I would still be sitting at home, dreaming of traveling like the YouTubers I watched. I am beyond grateful for the chance to explore Europe. That being said, there is so much of the world left to explore and only so much time.

Carpe diem, my friends, seize the day because it’s only as good as you make it. As always, the choice is yours.

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