Issue #1 – The Prospector – 2012-13

F RI DAY, S EP T EM B ER 28, 2012

Students deal with injuries and illnesses

Bring the elections into school OPINIONS pages 4 & 5

VOLUME 54 NO. 1

The presence of Bollywood in America LIFESTYLES page 8 & 9

FEATURES pages 6 & 7

Trainer program troubles on campus

Sports page 10 &11

The Prospector

CHSPROSPECTOR.ORG

Student Newspaper of Cupertino High School

10100 FINCH AVENUE, CUPERTINO, CA 95014

Construction elicits reactions from students and staff understanding what the final result will mean for the school. Because the school is using its sports assistant remaining bond money on construction, this Ongoing construction, set to finish in final restoration will satisfy the projected influx August 2014, has prompted various reactions of students and create a lasting image for the from the staff and students. Many of the staff school for decades to come. members see the expansion as a necessity that “The facilities at Cupertino can be up to 60 is worth the wait as the population of the school years old and do not comply with our needs of is projected today. The to grow to aplibrary that prox imately I was pretty disappointed when is currently 2,500 stutoo small I found out that we would not for our dents within the next few have a senior lawn anymore be- s t u d e n t s years. Withcause ever since freshman year, would have out expanbeen just sion, many I wanted to follow the seniors and eventually perfect 10 would be be able to hang out at the senior lawn years ago,” left without Morse said.

- Senior Kaeya Shah “This conclassrooms in which to struction study.

Deis needspite the temporary issues, such as increased ed to re-establish these facilities and bring traffic and a deviation from routine, teach- them up to date with the necessities of today. ers such as ASB advisor Wes Morse are able At Cupertino, teachers generally have their to adjust to the construction’s conditions by CONSTRUCTION PROMPTS MIXED REACTIONS, pg. 3 NIRMIT SHAH

COMPILED BY NIRMIt SHAH & ILLUSTRATED BY Chis Cai

New scantron technology helps students and teachers get better results TRINA BHATTARAI opinions assistant

The new school year brings fresh technology to the school as teachers begin to use the latest version of Scantron, called Mastery Connect. AP economics and government teacher Kristen Kakes was one of the first teachers to test the grading abilities of the updated system.

This renovated technology allows teachers to hold up an answer bubble sheet to the camera of any regular computer and attain the student’s assessment score. In addition, it also allows them to compare class averages between different teachers and periods much more efficiently.

“Now I can have daily formative assessments and instantly know if the students understood the day’s material,” Kakes said.

This new method provides teachers an opportunity to get a glimpse of the effectiveness of their teaching techniques and thus improve their skills. Students also benefit from the new grading system as they find out their test results quicker, and therefore can locate and fix their weaknesses.

“If [history teacher] Ms. Konwinski and I passed out the same quiz, we could compare how we taught and know how our students did respectively,” Kakes said.

Kakes also aims to make the technology more environmentally friendly by laminating the bubble sheets and asking students to use dry erase markers when marking their answers. This way, the bubble sheets can be used multiple times.

Mastery Connect comes with a heftier price, but the five teachers split the price between them at $159 each. However, the efficiency of the product proves worthy to teachers like Kakes.

JESSICA SHIN

MASTERY CONNECT | History teacher Kimberlee Konwinski grades students’ test using bubble sheets and a computer.

2

News

The Prospector

S TA F F 2012-2013

The Prospector

September 28, 2012

Core-Scholars and Writing Lab: the new, write way to tutor MICHAEL LI news assistant

Cupertino High School Established 1958 Vol LIV, No. I | 2012 editors-in-chief azadeh rongere jesse zhou news editor seong hwan yoon

The arrival of fall has brought two new programs to the school: Core Scholars and the Writing Lab. The Core Scholars program eases the transition between the freshman Literature course and sophomore World Core while the Writing Lab aims to help students of all grades improve their writing skills.

The Writing Lab, the creation of English teacher Susan Rocha, is an afterschool program where students can get help with their writing. It is partly student-run and offers one-on-one tutoring.

“A lot of college campuses have writing labs, and I know that I used them myself a lot. I was thinking that it might appeal to students at our school because I know that writing is something that is really difficult and it takes time to develop. I hope that [the writing lab] is a place where students can go and feel comfortable to get feedback and improve as writers,” Rocha said.

The first Writing Lab was held the week of Sept. 17 after school from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day.

Said participant Vaibhav Vijaykar, “I like it. It provides us with a resource

opinions editor nikhil kanthi features editor laura kao lifestyles editor natasha sharma sports editor abhishek zaveri flip side editor michelle cheung copy editors alya omar anand hemmady katie martin victoria duan

CORE SCHOLARS| Core Scholar Advisor Kelly Bavor with Co-President Tiffany

Chiu and Suleman Khan. Below, Core Scholars help students on their Me-Board. speech.

photo editor jason chen business manager kevin chu

news assistants

diana kruzman vinitra swamy michael li

opinions assistants

trinia bhattarai chris cai

features assistants

kevin chu ashley liu keely zhang

lifestyles assistants

thu dam youseph pavlovic

sports assistants

nirmit shah tanay tandon

flip side assistant

jessica shin

photo crew

nirmit shah thu dam jessica shin adviser 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.

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Contact Us The Prospector 10100 Finch Avenue Cupertino, CA 95014 prospector.chs@gmail.com

ALL PHOTOS BY NIRMIT SHAH

WRITING LAB | Upperclassmen help all students regardless of class in writing.

that we can rely on for assistance in literature.”

The Core Scholars program is designed to familiarize sophomores with the World Core Program. They host tutorial sessions where students can ask questions about material they find challenging, receive suggestions for improving the content of their work and watch sample presentations as references for speech day. Core Scholars are assigned to their former Core teachers’ current students.

The idea for this program was proposed by Kelly Bavor, a World Core literature teacher.

“We help out the students who need extra guidance,” Bavor said. “The people who did really well last year and are really special provide some of their time and help out.”

When the Core Scholars conducted a trial session during Wednesday tutorial on Aug. 29, they were overwhelmed with eager sophomores and quickly realized the potential for the program.

Said Core Scholar co-president Suleman Khan, “We were expecting only four or five people per Core section but we had an amazing turnout of more than 150 sophomores. I thought we really made a big difference because 100 percent of the people [to whom] I asked ‘was this beneficial for you?’ said ‘yes.’”

One of the advantages of the Core Scholars program is that World Core students are able to communicate with upperclassmen in a one-on-one setting. “[The upperclassmen] have a different level of experience and connect to the student in a way that sometimes teachers can’t,” Core Scholar co-president Tiffany Chiu said.

Core Scholars volunteer their time even though many are taking multiple AP and Honors classes and are often heavily involved in extracurriculars. Through the Core Scholars program, these students make further use of their talents to help others succeed.

AP Physics: student opportunity, administrative challenge TANAY TANDON sports assistant

The announcement of AP Physics’s inclusion into the school’s science program was met with great approval by the student body late last year, and the enthusiasm has continued among students and staff with the start of the course this semester.

“I think it was an excellent idea to include AP Physics because it is an important course for those aspiring to be engineers,” junior Ashwin Balakrishna said. “I believe an important quality of a good school is allowing students to explore as many career options as possible, and Cupertino High has expanded our horizons by allowing us to take this class.”

Until now, students were offered AP courses in chemistry and biology, while the physics program was available only at the honors level. This made it difficult for students to pursue deeper studies in engineering-based careers or discover their passions and talents for physics under a challenging curriculum.

“Our science department was originally set up so that people were discouraged from taking physics earlier in their high school career,” AP Physics student John Zhao said. He believes that students now may be more likely to take classes in the physical sciences, and perhaps even pursue a potential career in the field.

While AP Physics is new and presents unique opportunities for the future, it’s still an AP level class, which ultimately means long work hours for students. The course is heavily intertwined with advanced mathematics and Zhao describes it as “not for the slacker.” Furthermore, the lab portions have been noted as tedious and challenging for students

who have never taken physics-related courses before.

AP Physics requires the high level of mathematical analysis present in a calculus class while also incorporating the precision and attention to detail necessitated by a lab-oriented class such as AP Chemistry or AP Biology.

Along with the challenges from a student’s perspective, AP Physics has also required weeks of preparation from the administrative side. Counselors and teachers alike have had to work countless hours to make sure the course on par with the rigor that its curriculum demands.

“I spent the entire summer from early June up till when school started in preparation for teaching AP Physics,” Charles Williams said, the class’s instructor. “One of the first steps in the process was selecting a book for the course, and we were able to get much help from Monta Vista teachers in the process.”

After choosing the appropriate book, Williams attended a one-week seminar that informed and prepared him for the basics of AP Physics. He was then able to begin preparing course material and lab related work.

“The majority of the time was spent in the development of the 14 labs involved in the course. We hope the labs will allow students to visualize the theoretical knowledge taught through lectures in a more concrete way,” Williams said.

Williams, who received a PhD in Physics from Stanford, has taught calculus and other math courses for years. This, along with his active mentorship of the robotics program, helped him in course preparation and made him an obvious choice to lead the class.

“Many of the concepts applied in robotics can really help a student, especially when conducting

JASON CHEN

AP PHYSICS | Williams helps AP Physics students on their lab.

labs. For example, we were able to take many of the appliances used in physics, and directly transform them into robotic instruments,” Williams said.

The new window of opportunity for students provided by AP Physics would not have been possible without the long hours put in by teachers and administration over the summer.

September 28, 2012

The Prospector

Construction prompts mixed reactions Cont. pg. 1

own rooms and do not have to share, so when we start mixing classes together, it starts to cut back from teacher performance because now there is a lot less space for the teacher to work with.”

The patience and acceptance of the teachers, however, varies vastly with the viewpoints of the students who have a limited time to utilize the facilities at this school. The construction prevents students from using the bus circle, which was the primary drop-off zone for students in past years. This has resulted in a major increase in traffic during the mornings.

“I have to start leaving quite a bit earlier because of the buildup of traffic near the old student parking lot,” junior Arnav Vaid said. “I am really hoping that the admin find a new way to direct traffic for the remainder of the year.”

Although administration has opened a new drop off-zone near the back of the school on Tilson Avenue, the majority of

students continue to arrive near the pool, causing traffic jams on Finch Avenue. The construction has also taken out a major section of the school by permanently tearing up the senior lawn.

“I was pretty disappointed when I found out that we would not have a senior lawn anymore because ever since freshman year, I wanted to follow the seniors and eventually be able to hang out at the senior lawn,” senior Kaeya Shah said.

The senior lawn was an important part of the school’s tradition because it was the symbolic home of the seniors. In order to compensate for the lost senior lawn, the class of 2013 has set up turf and sofas in the same area where the lawn used to be.

Despite the seniors’ disappointment at the effects of the construction, it will continue in order to ensure space for the future students and bring a more progressive look to the school that will eventually act as a model for other schools around the nation.

News

Hello students and staff of CHS, We are pleased to publish the very first issue of The Prospector, a student-led online and print publication run by staffers here on campus. In particular, this first issue brings you the freshest perspectives on everything from sentiments on school construction to camaraderie on the girl’s water polo team.

Of course, with construction and sports being one of the biggest topics for the fall semester, one cannot forget that this is the end of homecoming week. Issues and opinions regarding rally posters and school spirit can be found in our opinions section, as well as a unpopular but honest opinion about school dances in our flip side section.

Yet, with the hectic schedule of homecoming finally coming to an end, it is important to slow things down a bit and relax. Check out the lifestyles section if you are interested in the appeal and differences between Bollywood movies and Hollywood movies; you may even want to watch one tonight. But just in case you’re feeling a little under the weather, check out the features section for some home remedies and stories on students who have survived the worst of human sickness and lived to tell the tale.

A week ago, the space shuttle Endeavor flew off into the distance around fourth period, leaving many of those watching below inspired with the notion of possibility and exploration. We implore everyone to use such an emotion as a starting point for this new school year and the many great things to individually fall before us.

And to our football team: Good luck! Our staff will be rooting for all of you tonight.

Until Next Time,

Azadeh Rongere and Jesse Zhou Editors-in-Chief

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Opinions Let them come to school with us

September 28, 2012

Political apathy must be combated both inside and outside the classroom CHRIS CAI opinions assistant

The US is a representative democracy. It makes no sense, then, for a study by the Pew Research Center earlier this year to show that 66% of Americans are dissatisfied with the national government. Approval of the federal government is at the lowest it has been for the past 15 years.

As citizens of a country with popular sovereignty the people should have corrected the government long before this dissatisfaction accumulated. These numbers illustrate a massive problem with the current US society, not with its government.

Citizens of the United States are becoming less and less politically involved and this apathy cannot be solved by advertisements and political oratory. The solution needs to be applied before citizens enter this society, while they are in high school. There has to be some way of making the SAT taker; the AP scholar; the football player; the gamer; invest time and effort in civil participation.

The solution lies in inspiration and passion, and these require two different kinds of exposure to which most teenagers are severely lacking. First, there must be exposure to a positive mentality towards politics, and then there must be exposure to current affairs, the history of the world and the structure of the US government.

The best source of exposure to a positive mentality can be provided by teachers. If teachers can display a passion for what they teach, then students would feel similarly compelled to take interest in the material. Fortunately, teachers do a fantastic job of filling this role at school. Exposure to current events, though, is a far more complicated matter. California High School graduation standards require students to take two years of social sciences including history and government; however, the state imposed curriculum limits the flexibility teachers have in the classroom. The social studies department does its best to include politics, but it cannot thoroughly explore them due to the constrictions.

What needs to happen, aside from exposure to politics in the classroom, is that the inspiration for civil activism must not stop with the boundaries of the classroom. In this regard our school is severely lacking although to no fault of its own. Cupertino is situated in the heart of Silicon Valley and the environment of a strongly technological culture makes politics seem irrelevant in contrast to pursuing computer science or medicine. That does not make civil activism any less important or the current status quo in political interest any less unsustainable. For this reason, politics must be carried into casual conversation and political science clubs or interest groups need to be introduced at school. A community of politically active students can serve as inspiration and a source of 31 wrote exposure to their peers. By creating student activists and leaders, the interest for politics can be carried out of the classroom and magnified into passion. There is no dearth of students who are interested in politics, but they need to express their interest. An extracurricular forum for politics, in which that interest can be turned into passion and given a place to be voiced, must be implemented at this school.

cheer

14 wrote

fun

STAFF EDITORIAL

One word does not describe school spirit

Dancing. Facepainting. Posters. Bigger posters. Music. Costumes. Screaming. Cheering. The school is renowned throughout the district for its extravagant rallies. Students from each class spend hours choreographing, painting, planning out cheers and setting up for rallies. Indeed, rallies are an exceptional way for students to show their school spirit. Many students have found rallies engaging and fun and have given the school much to be proud of in their efforts. Unfortunately, such zealous devotion to rallies has caused a perception among many that participating in a rally is the only way through which one can display school spirit. Many students, however, are not keen on participating in rallies, and the sentiment of rallies being the only true way to express school pride has only served to alienate these students from the very concept of school spirit. When these students are told that they are unspirited for failing to participate in rallies, it is only natural that they feel bitter towards rallies and school spirit in general.

The fact is that one size does not fit all. This statement is true in many areas of life, from teaching styles to clothing size to food preferences. It also applies to school spirit.

Students are all different and their mediums of expression are not uniform. Ordinarily, this would not be an issue. Those who did not enjoy rallies would accept that and move on. However, with the notion that only by participating in rallies can a student flaunt school spirit, students slowly be-

came disdainful towards the school because they feel that they cannot be proud of it if they do not enjoy screaming and dancing.

It is time that we as a school begin to embrace school spirit in all of its forms. A student who buys a gift for their teacher may not be a suck up, but rather an honest student who wants to show their teachers that they appreciate their effort. Is that not a form of school spirit in itself? How about a student who elects to go to the weight room to condition for next season’s sports instead of painting? Or a student who spends hours in a club?

Indeed, all these are forms of school spirit. Saying otherwise is tantamount to preventing every student from joining in school spirit. It is great that some students have found rallies to be to their liking, but our school is diverse. We should be proud of this and must stop assuming that all students fit into the same mold. Students who do not participate in rallies do not necessarily dislike their school. Perhaps they just would prefer not to participate in rallies, and instead show their spirit in other, less conventional ways.

It is our duty to acknowledge that school spirit exists not just in rallies but in many other ways as well. This is the only way that we as a student body can unite around our collective school pride. Otherwise, it is inevitable that we will remain fragmented, with many students cynical about the school and the concept of spirit.

79 wrote

Rallies

Opinions

The Prospector

September 28, 2012

5

Doubling up on classes is good Open

ASHLEY LIU features liu ti 89

the door to new

possibilities 18 wrote

25 wrote

sports

Pioneer

Every year during course selection, students find themselves in internal turmoil as they struggle to decide which classes to take and which to sacrifice. While some students dream of breezing through their required courses, others hope that they won’t need to drop one elective for another. Either way, however, the dreams of these students fail to translate into reality, for students are required to prioritize their requirements over their genuine interests. As this inner tug-o-war ensues, a significant proportion of the student body tends to reach a general consensus: students ought to be allowed to take two classes of the same subject in one year.

Doubling up on the same subject is a viable method to allow students to pursue their interests. By choosing to double up on classes of the same discipline, students are not throwing away their options; rather, they are highlighting their interests. For example, a student who wants to become an engineer could take Chemistry Honors and Physics Honors in sophomore year, then Physics AP in junior year and Chemistry AP in senior year. This student’s decisionmaking process demon24 wrote strates an integral part of becom24 ing a successful high school student, as well as an ambitious

Dusty

and independent scholar. Many institutions expect students to choose their paths once they leave high school, all the way from prospective majors to potential jobs. In fact, according to the admissions board of the California Institute of Technology, research-based institutions often look specifically for evidence of the pursuit of one’s talents. Doubling up on classes is one of the best ways to show this.

Not only can doubling up on classes bolster student resumes, but it can also immerse students in subjects they love. Quite plainly, it is the school’s job to encourage students to foster these kinds of passions and interests, but the problem rests in the matter of an increasing student population and limited space. However, funding the option to double up on classes outweighs the sacrifice of, the cost of requiring students to take classes which they detest; far from promoting well-roundedness, this actually causes them to further distance themselves from those subjects.

In addition, the school need not view the rigor of doubling up on classes with concern. Frankly, students already have the option to overwork themselves by taking multiple APs and honors— classes which may not be within the same subject, but mentally challenge students just the same.

Thus, there is no reason to assume that doubling up on classes will create more stress than taking two AP classes in different subjects.

It is always a good idea to take caution when deciding to take a rigorous or focused courseload, but wrote students with the potential to succeed in their chosen fields ought not to be barred from doing so.

colors

10 wrote

What’s up with the circles?

For this issue’s Staff Editorial, the Prospector went out to all four classes with a question. Students were asked to write down the first three words that came to their head when they heard the words ‘school spirit’. The most popular words are displayed in circles according to their popularity across this page.

212 STUDENTS POLLED

Posters: YOUSEPH PAVLOVIC lifestyles assistant

COMPILED BY NIKHIL KANTHI

Butche

ring

the environment Five years ago, the school bought 10 rolls of butcher paper. One roll went to cheer, one roll went to ASB, and one roll went to dance. All others are given to the individual classes. Their primary use is in rally posters.

Every single roll of butcher paper is

3ft by 1000ft Last year, the school ordered a total of

16 rolls An integral part of ASB’s green policy for the 20122013 school year is the implementation poster-free rallies. ASB is also limiting the amount of posters used in the Homecoming rally used next year from sixteen to either twelve or ten.

COMPILED BY NIKHIL KANTHI

The school prides itself in having strong school spirit, and rallies are a central part of a culture that encourages students to support their classes by participating in school organized events.

They are a great way for students and staff to let off steam in an otherwise hectic school year. But with almost every rally adorned to the tee with copious amounts of streamers, balloons and painted posters, rallies are not environmentally friendly. To cut back on the whiplash this causes to the environment, the Associated Student Body has begun enforcing greener standards on how the rallies are decorated. Students should stand behind ASB’s initiative to reform them.

In preparation for rallies, each class paints large posters and hangs balloons and streamers with which to decorate their section of the gym. These decorations take up lots of materials. Large sheets of white paper, taped together at the seams, are used to make the posters; four or five canisters of paint are used by each class; balloons are hung from the ceiling and handed out to students during many rallies. The decorations are hardly used or appreciated — they are hung up behind the crowds of students for the duration of the rally, and quickly discarded afterwards.

35 minutes of utilization hardly justifies the amount of resources used.

The amount of posters we paint and streamers we hang is not the only indication of how much we care for our class. People

gold

an inconvenient

truth

show their spirit in many different ways, even at spirit rallies. Dances and chants arguably do a better job of showcasing the skills and unity of the student body. Classes should be encouraged to spend most of their time on choreographing better dances, thinking up more interesting chants, and synchronizing themed outfits, rather than sketching and painting.

Sacrificing thousands of square feet of butcher paper is not the only way to showcase talents of students.

The school has been at the forefront of many other environmental reforms in the district. Two years ago, it became the first school in the county to begin composting food waste, and its recycling program has been steadily growing. Last year, the school installed solar panels in the student and teacher parking lots to counterbalance high electricity consumption on campus. Now, ASB advisor Wes Morse is taking steps towards making rallies more environmentally friendly. The plan will include designating many rallies as “waste-free,” which means no painting, no streamers and no trash.

If the response is positive, ASB is considering making all rallies waste-free. Posters may be an amusing background for rallies, but the cost of having them is simply too high.

From cafeterias to policies, nothing is permanent in high school. Whatever is built can be torn down. If the school’s rallies are to become truly green, the decision cannot come from Room 211. The future of this school’s environmental awareness lies in the student.

{INTERNATIONAL invasion}

8 #11

BILLBOARD HOT HITS

Lifestyles

September 28, 2012

Gangnam Style PSY

#31 What Makes You Beautiful One Direction

#51

Set Fire To The Rain

Adele BILLBOARD

THU DAM lifestyles assistant

Within the first 10 seconds, practically any teenager with Internet access is able to recognize the virally popular, pulsing beat of the Korean pop (K-pop) artist PSY’s hit single, “Gangnam Style”. The song – aided by PSY’s unconventional dance moves – is currently the most viewed K-pop song on YouTube. Those who have listened to it cannot suppress the urge to imitate the equestrian dance moves upon hearing its distinct and catchy rhythm. But PSY is only the latest of many international musicians whose music has gone viral and become the latest trend on the American interwebs.

Though many people are content with Maroon 5, Lady Gaga or Usher, international artists seem to have quirks that separate themselves from the countless American bands and recording artists. K-pop and J-pop is often talked about, but opinions on the music does tend to vary. Some listeners fall for the unique vibe instantly, while others require time to accustom themselves to the differences.

“People listen to international music because they enjoy it from their first encounter, or they are a part of a diverse family. I remember I started to listen to J-pop ( Japanese-pop) so I could see if I could understand [the lyrics], since I take the Japanese language course at school, but I don’t think you would need to un-

derstand [the language] to enjoy and appreciate music,” junior Axle Aquino said.

Many popular artists have come from or have at least been influenced by the music of other countries. Though they originated in England, the four members of the 1960s sensation The Beatles were, and still are, adored and idolized in America. Fast forward to the current era and the same trend still holds; Western Europe is still musically influential, boasting singers such as Adele with her powerful vocal abilities. Genres like techno and dubstep, which are building up their popularity, originated overseas in Southern London. And who could forget the British-Irish quintet, One Direction, whose lyrics seem to be stuck in everyone’s heads? The group is bringing back boy bands and forming part of a new “British Invasion.”

Said freshman Katie Pavy, “I know that there are some haters, but One Direction is amazing. They’re crazy and aren’t afraid to look stupid on camera, and it’s nice to see real people behind celebrities. And they have British accents.”

Music is the universal language. K-pop, J-pop and British heartthrobs have all proven that songs do not need to conform to a certain sound or language in order to make it onto iPods in the United States. Students continue to branch out to different types and genres of music, and as international music continues to emerge and gain popularity, the variety of beats and rhythms become as diverse as the people.

UTILITARIAN WALLET CASE $39.95

FASHIONABLE S CASE MICHAEL KOR $79.95

TECHY iBIKE $329.95

RUGGED SPECK TOUGHSKIN $39.95

iAccessory From simple solid colors to rough alligator skin to a close up of Scarlett Johansson’s face to the shape of a whale, the style of the iPhone case has become more important than just its level of protection. In the past few years, the popularity of obtaining an iPhone case that showcases one’s personality has spread to wherever an iPhone exists. Cases have evolved into an object that not only protects the well being of one’s phone, but also identifies who they are. Half the excitement of getting an iPhone is perusing through the infinite choices of potential coverings. It is treated as something to be adorned and admired and has ultimately become an accessory.

Unique, personal cases have gotten to be so in demand that high-end brands like Marc Jacobs, Coach and Louis Vuitton have produced cases specifically for the iPhone.

The case has become an accessory as necessary as a bag or earrings, something that illustrates one’s style and place in the world of fashion. Furthermore, designers have taken into the consideration the versatility of the iPhone and made water proof cases with the knowledge that someone might want to take pictures underwater. Although it was meant for practical use, the aesthetics of the iPhone and its case have seemed to overpower the initial use of communication and expanded to become part of a person’s identity. Perhaps though, it was inevitable that a one-of-a-kind case would be desirable, as the iPhone has far exceeded the expectations of a phone.

COMPILED BY MICHELE CHEUNG

Lifestyles

The Prospector

September 28, 2012

9

WELCOME TO

VINITRA SWAMY news assistant

Masses of Indians from the Desi community frequently flock to the nearest Indian theater to watch the latest Bollywood flick. This increasingly popular, frequently ridiculed and highly profitable industry is slowly but surely rising through the ranks of the Cupertino movie-watching public.

While many non-Indian students still have not had the opportunity to watch an Indian film, the term “Bollywood” is becoming increasingly popular and more familiar.

“I’ve heard a lot about the Indian film industry, and though I haven’t watched a Bollywood movie yet, I definitely wouldn’t mind,” sophomore Henry Yang said. “They seem really interesting, especially with all the spontaneous dancing.”

Bollywood’s distinctive style and eye-catching nature sets it apart from the well-known Hollywood. The bright colors and fastpaced “masala” (a combination of romance, drama and action) are what define a standard Bollywood movie.

A true Bollywood flick would not be complete without the customary antagonist who can almost always be identified by a creepy laugh, a scar on his face or his failing attempt to capture the heroine of the movie. If all else fails, this villainous character can be identified by a theme song that occurs every single time his face appears on screen. Which is often, because a regular Indian movie is anywhere between two and four hours long.

“I think Bollywood movies are fun to watch because of all the drama and action, and students who haven’t watched one are definitely missing out,” sophomore Lyn Bafour said. “Watching Hollywood and Bollywood movies are entirely different experiences.”

While Hollywood movie directors strive to make their mov-

ies realistic, the Bollywood movie industry’s goal is to inject about 10 minutes of comedy, 60 minutes of pure drama, five to six songs, lots of action and some familiar actors and actresses to construct the perfect, mass-appealing Bollywood box office hit.

“Bollywood is more dances and songs, making it more of a musical than an unusually long film,” junior Diksha Venkatesh said.

Movie revenues of 2011 show that Bollywood sold roughly 3.6 billion tickets while Hollywood sold only about 2.6 billion tickets, proving that the demand for Bollywood movies is higher than it is for those from Hollywood. It is clear that the Bollywood influence is expanding to people from different nationalities all over the world.

“I think the interest increases and the Indian culture becomes more available in our community, Bollywood cinemas are popping up everywhere. Even American movie theaters like AMC are starting to show Indian movies now,” sophomore Sahiba Kashyap said.

The Bollywood craze is even influencing the school campus.

Student organizations, such as Desi Club and International Club, provide a platform for students to display their culture. With all of these opportunities for students to embrace their Indian nationalities, Bollywood cinema has easily become more prevalent on campus.

“I prefer to watch Bollywood movies over Hollywood movies because they are definitely more entertaining. Usually if I watch a Hollywood movie, it’s by myself, or maybe with my friends or my brother. Bollywood movies are more of a family thing, like sitting on the sofa with my parents,” sophomore Himaja Movva said. “It’s something I look forward to when I come home, because it gives me a chance to relate to my culture in India.”

Throughout the school and the Bay Area, it is clear that Bollywood movies are becoming more popular and leaving a lasting impact on students, while managing to thoroughly entertain their audiences along the way.

chsprospector.org

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I prefer to watch Bollywood movies over Hollywood movies because they are definitely more entertaining. Usually if I watch a Hollywood movie, it’s by myself, or maybe with my friends or my brother.

-- Himaja Movva (10)

6

Features Frequency of Sicknesses per year OUT OF 133 STUDENTS POLLED

September 28, 2012

MEDI MALA

Sickness, injury and recovery are inevitable factor and friends and high school life, well-being and general pushed off the list of priorities that consume a student’ of all people, be it recovering from a cold or being str determine whether a person is fit for the everyday act oneself is crucial to maintaining grades, effective study

COMPILED BY NIKHIL KANTHI

Following her heart KEVIN CHU features assistant

Feeling anxious about how to use the summer productively?

High school students can draw inspiration from senior Mithya Jayakumar, who spent this past summer working in a Stanford University laboratory that discovered the relationship between pulmonary hypertension (PH) and the human immune system.

She loves science with every drop of her 17-year-old soul. Just spend a minute listening to her talk about the details of the experiment. Nothing from the Oscars to the Grammys could inspire the kind of unabashed excitement and joy Jayakumar expresses when charging into the laboratory to engage in each phase of the research.

She seized this opportunity by applying for the internship, armed with an extensive resume and interview process, and met her supervisor through her father. Her results affirmed the lead professor’s hypothesis that a “malfunction” of the immune system, or autoimmune disease, is the cause of pulmonary hypertension.

It seems far too advanced a discovery for normal high school students, but researchers at Stanford University are not average students. As a high schooler, Jayakumar understands the complex mechanisms involved in HP, but she also makes it understandable to the common audience.

The study Jayakumar participated in compared treatments on mutant rats depleted of B cells with treatments on control rats throughout a one-month period as they injected SUGEN (a chemical that induces changes in PH). Over the course of the study, she monitored the rats’ hearts, learned how to run echocardiograms and became an expert at drawing blood. Once the experiment was completed, she collected and stained lung samples, noting positive results in the proliferation of the capillaries.

“I got to listen to a variety of speakers through the process and work with many doctors and professors at Stanford and the Veterans Affairs hospital,” Jayakumar said.

She strongly believes the experience uncovered her interests and ambitions. While research has its positive aspects, she now leans towards practicing medicine instead because she yearns the instant gratification of applying her knowledge and seeing tangible results. She gained key insight into the daily life of many of the researchers; her fear of rodents and “anything that moves at night” made handling the animals a challenge at the start, but she is grateful for overcoming that fear and developing expertise in proper animal treatment.

“I held a beating rat heart after it was excised from the heart. Seeing the complex structure of a simple animal’s anatomy was quite a life-changing moment,” Jayakumar said.

The lab meetings taught her the overall process in which scientists publicize their breakthroughs, from gathering data to publishing papers. She found her lab mates’ finished papers interesting as well.

Her passion for the summer research brought her to the laboratory from Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and personified the fiery spirit of her motivated team. She now thinks fondly of her summer as a period filled with hard work but a worthy end product.

A pestering ALYA OMAR copy editor

Scars, bumps and bruises are the milesto with band-aids and kisses to make it all better the ouchie that a child comes home with turn As a fifth grader, current senior Keilagh H and pulled her arm. The foreboding signs beg After going home and examining her arm mor doctor.

“I was actually not very scared. I was just said.

The doctor returned with worse news th cyst. In other words, there was a tumor grow Higham recalls that her parents were “My dad was very logical, as per usua to get any smaller I’m afraid, dear,’” Higham The cyst had begun growing inside Hig size.

“You know how when a balloon inflates, that too, and it got really thin after the cyst.”

To bridge the gap, doctors inserted a met forced it with titanium. The surgery took appr After her not-quite-fifth-grade experienc attitude.

“I don’t mind [my scar] now,” Higham s more muscular.”

The road Higham wa “W I was could so I thro my

Hig a “s hand life re and any ture. High band and play

Features

The Prospector

September 28, 2012

ICAL ADIES

INTRO:

The Best Home Remedies

Between overwhelming amounts of homework, sports events, SAT preparation, drama productions and club activities, it can feel impossible to find the time to take care of oneself. The immune system can really take a beating, as the stress kicks in, sleep takes a backseat to schoolwork and students are once again exposed to the illnesses of their peers. While there is no cure for the common cold or flu, home remedies can provide respite from the runny noses and sore throats that often pervade the classrooms.

Case:

General Prevention

One of the best ways to ward off sickness is to get enough sleep. The National Sleep Foundation recommends an average of at least nine hours of sleep per night for teenagers. Unfortunately, this ideal can be difficult to achieve when one has homework, numerous extracurriculars and a first period beginning at the ungodly hour of 7:35 a.m.

rs of life. In the midst of the hectic whirlwind of school l health are more than often disregarded, forgotten and ’s everyday life. But health plays a huge role in the lives ricken by a fever. Physical, as well as mental, wellness tivities needed to sustain his or her life. Taking care of ying and maximum productivity. COMPILED BY VICTORIA DUAN

Case:

Cold Symptoms

Already feeling under the weather? Try a comforting mug of decaffeinated tea or a bowl of chicken noodle soup. Researchers at Cardiff University in Britain have confirmed that consuming warm liquids can ease congestion by loosening mucus in the chest and sinuses. Though these foods do not have the power of cough syrups or other medicines, drinking hot soups and beverages is a delicious way to temporarily relieve cold symptoms.

Case:

Sore Throat

As disgusting as it sounds, gargling salt water when sick can ease a sore throat. A saline solution can remove irritants, calm inflamed throat tissues and prevent more serious illnesses such as bronchitis, according to the Mayo Clinic. For best results, add a teaspoon of salt to a glass of warm water, gargle and spit.

COMPILED BY KATIE MARTIN

protrudence

ones and landmarks of growing up, and parents learn to stand by r with little concern of the matter. But it is a different story when ns out to be an aneurysmal bone cyst growing inside her arm.

Higham was walking her friend’s dog when the animal sped up gan there, when Higham noted that it hurt more than it should. re closely than before, she noticed a slight bulge and went to the curious and frustrated that it hurt to use my right arm,” Higham

han expected: Higham was diagnosed with an aneurysmal bone wing inside her right arm. very calm. al. I asked him if I had to have surgery and he said ‘It’s not going m said. gham’s arm, weakening the bone as it increased in

, the material stretches out? My bone was doing

tal rod to scrape the “bad tissue” inside and reinroximately three hours. ce, Higham is left with only a scar and a positive

said. “It’s a part of me. Plus it makes my arm look

to recovery took six weeks, during which as unable to use her arm — and legs.

When I was home after the surgery, on morphine for a week and I dn’t walk. My legs were like jello, I just sat on the couch watching ough the Air Bud movies while y mom feed me soup.”

Writing was impossible for gham, who remembers having scribe” and trying to use her left d during her recovery. In the end, eturned back to normal for Higham, y return of the cyst is unlikely in her fuham is now the high brass section leader in ys the trumpet, right hand and all.

In (k)need of field hockey JESSICA SHIN flip side assistant

With a sudden breakaway, she is running with the ball towards Fremont High School’s goal. While approaching the opposing team’s goalie, the player suddenly trips and desperately tries to catch her fall. Failing to do so, she falls directly on her knees and is temporarily stripped of the ability to walk.

About two years ago, senior Tori Votino visited the hospital with an injury from a field hockey game. The doctor told her that the injury was nothing serious and that physical therapy would quickly do the trick.

However, the truth was worse than both the doctor and Votino had expected. Last August, Votino decided to get a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), a medical imaging technique that uses radiology to visualize the internal structure of the body, taken of her knee. The results showed that Votino’s Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL), one of the four major ligaments in the human body, was completely torn.

Because the ACL is crucial when playing a sport, this news had a big impact on Votino’s life. As passionate as she is about field hockey, her injury forced her to make the heartbreaking decision to quit her favorite sport. Although this was a choice made in order to ensure future physical health, it was a big sacrifice on Votino’s part.

“It was hard to cope with at first. I went home and I cried for a little bit,” Votino said. “But I just kind of cope with it by trying to get involved in other things after school.”

The pain not only keeps her from playing field hockey but from doing almost all physical activities. Still, she has found a way to cope with this devastation by playing softball; however, she must play very carefully on the field in order to avoid pain in her knee.

Being accustomed to an active lifestyle, Votino does not enjoy the mundane lifestyle that her ACL injury brings her. The injury causes her to miss out on events like sports or even hiking with friends over the weekend.

“If I’m just sitting at home, not doing anything and just going to school, [my injury] doesn’t affect my life, but that’s not what I want to do. I want to do more.”

Although she may be prevented from participating in physical activities, nothing holds her back from being involved on campus. She is the current president of Tino Challenge Club, and also the ASB vice president. Recently she joined the drama department, which helps her cope with her inability to play field hockey. “[Because of the other after school activities], I don’t feel as down by the fact that I can’t play [field hockey],” Votino said.

Though Votino has lost the dream of continuing field hockey, she never stops laughing and keeps a bright and cheery attitude. It could be that her source of happiness comes from the hope of someday playing field hockey again.

7

Sports

10 The Deep Squat

September 28, 2012

“The murder mile. So, we run a mile, right? Except in this one, we run the four laps while running up and down the bleachers next to the tracks as well. By the time you are done, you feel spent all over.”

- Julia Seaton, 12

The Guillotine Press

Challenging Workouts and Exercises “Although this is one of the hardest leg exercises, it allows you to generate the most gains. Balancing your body while doing this compound movement is difficult, requiring flexibility. The deeper you go, the more strenuous it gets.”

- Daniel Lee, 12

“I’d hop bleachers on my right foot, all the way to the top, jog down, hop on my left foot, all the way to the top. It was fifteen hops on my right leg, fifteen hops on the other, and I was skipping. After that, I would run up and skip down three times. That was my hardest workout.”

- Craig Ellegood, Athletic Director

“Bench press is a key exercise that works out your chest, but to really target your upper chest, neck press, as known as guillotine press is essential.

Lighten the weight and press away.”

- Omri Hazan, 12 COMPILED BY NIKHIL KANTHI AND ABHISHEK ZAVERI

Saying Goodbye Coach Bradac, the JV basketball team coach, unfortunately passed away last summer. A few team members wanted to pay their respects and talk about Coach Bradac’s impact on their lives.

NIRMIT SHAH

The three bees: girl’s polo revitalized KEELY ZHANG features assistant

A casual observer watching the water polo game would witness a sea of heads made indistinguishable by swimming caps. However, below the surface, an opponent is trying to hold down senior Mariam Beg. Fellow teammate senior Varsha Prabhakar sees the shot clock. Eight seconds left. She immediately tells right fielder senior Eileen Javadi. Beg shrugs off her assailant and resurfaces to the middle of the pool. She receives the ball. Five seconds left. Javadi tells her to shoot.

Beg shoots. She makes the goal.

Every day, Beg, Javadi, and Prabhakar subject themselves to the grueling routine of practices, games and chlorine. Although the girls varsity water polo team has been unsuccessful in the past, acccording to Javadi, the girls are determined to “break the curse of losing.” Before they graduate high school, they hope to leave a better legacy for their teammates; they want to instill a sense of pride for the sport in the underclassmen.

Winning will be difficult as there is no girls junior varsity water polo team, meaning that the captains have had to recruit players with little to no experience and train the team in the span of three weeks to face opponents who have been playing water polo for up to five years. Nevertheless, the captains expect this year to be better. They are placing more emphasis on perfecting drills and scoring points.

However, to the captains, the most important part of water polo is not winning — it is the friend-

ships they have developed along the way. This year, the team has its own set of special traditions and rituals, such as hollering tribal chants during practice scrimmages and rapping before each game.

“We’re all comfortable with each other because we’re pretty much half clothed,” Javadi said.

As teammates for the last couple of years, the captains have forged a special bond with each other.

According to Beg, Prabhakar is the one who always wants to “go on an adventure.” Prabhakar considers it her job to boost morale and make sure the girls are not discouraged.

Said Prabhakar, “This is important … because we’re not a winning team. We just want to have fun and play our hardest.”

On the other hand, Javadi, the “grandmother” of the group, is the oldest of the co-captains. She is also the one who stays grounded and strategizes during games.

As the “mother” of the group, Beg considers the girls on the team to be her babies. She is always trying to help them with their problems — both water polo and everyday life related. Beg is also the most involved in water polo of the trio, and is the role model the other captains look up to. She completes the group by balancing out Prabhakar and Javadi’s contrasting personalities.

This year, the girls water polo team is determined to win. However, the love and support the girls get from the team and each other transcends simple victory.

“The three of us, wherever we are, are the polo girls,” Prabhakar said.

Coach Bradac helped me improve so much last season, physically and mentally. He always encouraged us to never give up and to get out of our comfort zone during games. Coach Bradac put so much time into our team. In the beginning of the season, he made it clear to the team that the main goal of the season was to improve individually and as a team, not to win as many games as possible (even though we ended up winning many more games than the previous season). No matter what the outcome of the game was, Coach Bradac congratulated us for our efforts and told us that he believed that every one of us could play better, establishing faith in ourselves and our game. -Colleen Chan, 11 Honestly, Coach Bradac was one of the best coaches I ever had. He really helped me improve as a player and finally leave the bench to play on the court. I remember him telling the team at practice that we had to be tough, look at our opponent and tell ourselves that we are going to be beat them.

He told us that if we wanted anything in life we had to have that sort of mentality. I will remember his words every time I want to win in anything.

I have great reverence towards him. He respected every single one us and believed in every single one of us no matter how many shots we missed.

-Priyanka Tavya, 11 Coach Bradac was no doubt the best coach I’ve ever had. Throughout the season, he always motivated me to keep persevering in whatever I do. He taught me to not only be a better player in the game but also a stronger person mentally: a more determined and positive individual.He was always there for me, especially when I injured my knee. He gave me advice on what to do and was the one I would always turn to for help and assurance. If it weren’t for his positivity, I wouldn’t have been able to work harder to go back to the sport I love. Thank you, Coach Bradac, for everything.

-Ashni Shetty, 10

COURTESY OF GIRL’S JV BASKETBALL

Sports

The Prospector

September 28, 2012

11

2012 Athletic dept. hires trainer outside of SJSU programs

2011 Current Tino trainer leaves due to cancellation of internship program

SJSU budget cuts jeopardize school trainer program

2000 - 2010 JASON CHEN

DIANA KRUZMAN news assistant

Within the world of school sports, the athletic trainer helps athletes with minor wounds, manages physical paperwork and oversees supplies in the training room. These responsibilities make the trainer an important aid to the school’s athletics program, which is why the athletic department panicked at the end of last year, when it found out that the school may not have a trainer for the 2013-2013 school year.

For the past eight to ten years, the school’s athletic trainers have been San Jose State University graduate students studying to earn their degree in Kinesiology, or Physical Fitness. They intern at the school as part of a two-year graduate assistant program to gain practical experience in the field. Every two years, a trainer graduates from the program and moves on to work full-time in the field of kinesiology. The school’s previous trainer, Jessica Claussen, followed this trend. In any other year, the cycle would have continued, and San Jose State would have pro-

vided the school with another student to serve as trainer. But this year, for the first time since its inception in the early 1900s, the Department of Kinesiology may be shutting down.

Money is at the root of the problem. Cal State universities are facing substantial budget cuts from state legislature, forcing them to cut several programs and significantly downsize others, including the Department of Kinesiology.

Fewer classes means earning a degree in kinesiology takes longer and is less rigorous than before, so finding jobs is harder for graduates.

“Their program is no longer accredited,” athletic director Craig Ellegood said. “They’re going to have more difficulty getting people who want to be athletic trainers to be a part of it. [As a result, they] don’t have trainers to disperse out to the schools. We very easily could have been without any trainer this year.”

Luckily for the athletic department, this situation was averted. With the new school year looming and no interns from San Jose State in sight, the administration sent out a desperate plea for help in the form of a job offering on simplyhi-

red.com. A week before the start of school, their request was answered. The new trainer, Teddy Aretchmer, has saved athletes from a year of aching muscles and twisted ankles. He explains that his arrival at the school is not a coincidence.

“Coach Oswald was my coach in high school,” Aretchmer said. “I worked with him at a different job — he knows that I’m going to school for kinesiology, and he let me know about an opening.”

For this year, the school has someone to fulfill the duties of the trainer, but the administration is still unsure about where the school’s trainers will come from in later years. That depends on if San Jose State is able to overcome the cuts to its budget and revive the trainer program.

Said Ellegood, “[The position is] a one-year thing right now; the district has to make some decisions.”

Those decisions will determine the future of the school’s athletes and their injuries. The trainer’s job is one of vital importance, and the school can breathe a sigh of relief this year, knowing its athletes are in good hands.

Program provides high schools with undergrad trainers

1900-2000s The department provides undergraduates opitmal education

the early 1900s SJSU The Department of Kinesiology is founded

Flip Side

September 28, 2012

12

AUGUST & SEPTEMBER IN PHOTOS NIRMIT SHAH

JASON CHEN

JASON CHEN CHEN JASON

JASON CHEN

GIRL’S VOLLEYBALL | The Varsity team celebrates a well-earned point against Santa Teresa.

CLUBS FAIRE | Ryan Lui, Andy Fang, and Trina Ng manuever through the crowd to advertise Interact Club.

HOMECOMING PREP | George Iremadze works on a poster for sophomore homecoming day.

CROSS COUNTRY | Riti Bedi hands Susan La a baton at a Cross-Country relay meet.

JASON CHEN

Teacher Feature: Ms. Anderson Q: Why did you make the move to Cupertino High?

students and I expect them to achieve excellence.

A: I decided to move to Cupertino High School because of the decrease in the number of students at Monta Vista, and a significant increase in the number of students at Cupertino. The district needed someone to move here, and many of the teachers had just arrived at Monta Vista. I decided to help out and make the move.

Q: Which novels and short stories are you looking forward to teaching most?

Q: How does the Cupertino student body differ from other students you have taught in different areas?

A: As a teacher with 19 years of experience, every place I have taught at, the students seem to be similar.

They all are willing to learn and want to receive an education. Other schools I have taught at are Huron High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Santa Monica High School in Southern California and Lycee Francis de New York in New York City.

A: Since I have never taught “Samurai’s Garden” or “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest,” I am excited to add them to my repertoire.

Q: Which authors influenced you the most and inspired you to become an English teacher?

A: In elementary school, I struggled with reading and looked at it as a challenge. I began reading more and more books because of the support of my teachers who read books like Boxcar Children to me at a young age. In high school, my favorite class was 12th grade humanities, in which I took interest in books like “The Plague,” “Hamlet” and “Crime and Punishment”.

Q: Aside from literature, what other subjects do you admire?

Q: What changes have been made to the Cupertino lit program this year?

A: The program is generally the same, with more focus on formative assessments than just a final assessment at the end of the semester.

Q: What expectations do you have for your students this coming year?

A: I have very high expectations for all my

THU

A: I enjoy math and science. I was good at math and almost decided to become a math teacher, but English turned out to be better for me.

DAM

Q: Lastly, what are your favorite hobbies?

A: I mostly like spending time with my family, especially my son, a 1st grader, by taking him to swimming classes and other activities.

COMPILED BY ABHISHEK ZAVERI

CHRIS CAI

NEXT MONTH: OCTOBER Comedy Hour

Wednesday, October 5 (7:00 p.m.)

Clubs Day

Friday, October 12 (all day)

Tournament of Bands

Saturday , October 13 (all day)

TRUTH & WISDOM

JASON CHEN

FRESHMEN BOYS DANCE | Faces complete with whiskers, the freshmen boys perform their first dance.

Challenge Day Thursday, October 25 (all day)

Choir Debut Concert

Tuesday-Wednesday, October 23, 24 (7:00 p.m.)

Halloween Costume Contest Friday, October 31

A librarian from Virginia claims to have lost 85 lbs. from a “Starbucks Diet”, in which she committed to buying all her meals at Starbucks.

In Texas, registered voters are receiving letters from elected officials for verification that they are still living.

A woman from Ohio hid her cat inside a briefcase for a 10-hour trip to Florida, even getting past security scanners. The cat was discovered only when she opened her brief case at a hotel in Orlando.

COMPILED BY JESSICA SHIN

Jesse Zhou I’m really not a freak I used to hate high school dances for the most ironic reason ever: the dancing. I’m specifically talking about the overlyintimate dance that occurs when a girl bends at an acute angle while a boy lies tangent to the girl’s gluteus maximus, while both rigorously sway their bodies to a pattern of rap or dubstep. And unsurprisingly, this geometric definition of “freaking,” as first explained to me by an old friend, couldn’t save the shock of seeing it firsthand.

It was the Back-to-School dance my freshmen year. The night was vivid, and E-40 was dropping the beat in the background.. At first, people were only socializing with their friends, and I was okay with that. But as the evening progressed, I began to see dorsal and ventral sides attract like opposite ends of a magnet and — bazinga! — coitus started, except there were clothes. So, so many clothes.

Clothed coitus at school with a blaring E-40 rap in the background? For a person like me, who in middle school danced by jumping up and down for 50 minutes straight, seeing people freak was an utter shock. Where was the jumping and group dancing?

I was turning redder and redder by the minute. My senior brother came up to me later and said that I better get comfortable with freaking because it happened a lot at high school dances. In fact, he told me to go try it out; if everyone else was doing it, what harm could it really do to me?

I took my brother’s advice into serious consideration. I knew a lot of people were offended by the concept of freaking already, especially the admins on campus with their “NO FREAKING” shirts. But me? How could a student of Generation Z be uncomfortable by something so trendy and commonplace on the dance floor? Logic implored me to follow the group, but did I really want to?

Sadly, the night ended with me sitting alone at a table, uncomfortable with the coitus around me. However, in time I came to realize that it was okay to be uncomfortable. In fact, I’m still quite intolerant of freaking. Even four years later, at the very same back to school dance that occurred a month ago, I jumped around for 50 minutes like the good old days instead of freaking on the bandwagon. I had a great time and didn’t have to sacrifice who I was just to fit in.

Now that I think about it, I’m glad that I accepted that I’m just not a freak. If I’m uncomfortable with something, especially at a dance, I’ll find another way to have fun, and it really is as simple as that. Honestly, I know that clothed coitus may truly be special to some, and I’ll try to not judge personal tastes. But for the record, I think clothed coitus is just like trying to read a book naked in the park: it’s just way too provocative and out of the ordinary.