Volume LIII, No. 8

Page 1

MISSION SAN JOSE HIGH SCHOOL

VOL. 53, NO. 8

May 4, 2018

41717 PALM AVENUE, FREMONT, CA 94539

Art students design and paint two new murals on C-120 Students paint murals depicting diversity within MSJ

The design of the first mural to be painted.

By Joelle Chuang & Toshali Goel Staff Writers Two murals, designed in January by Art 3 students Sophomore Shreya Chidambaram and Senior Hannah Scherer, are currently being painted on the back walls of C-120. Chidambaram, Scherer, and other Art 2 and Art 3 students are assisting in painting the murals, which they hope to finish by the end of the school year. Art students and interested staff members voted for their favorite designs out of all the murals designed by Art 2 and Art 3 students. Commenting on the chosen designs, Art Teacher Edie Christensen said, “We also tried to make sure that they were somewhat complementary, in that they both have very strong geometric shapes.” Both Chidambaram and Scherer’s murals focus on the diverse aspects of MSJ. Using bright colors and defined shapes, their murals feature the music and art program, sports, and academic departments. Their inspiration came from observing the school and the daily lives of students; as Chidambaram said, “I just looked around me.” The murals, which are each 27 feet by 4 feet, are larger than any artistic endeavors that Chidambaram and Scherer have ever taken on.

Senior Hannah Scherer paints a mural on the wall of C-120.

Chidambaram said, “I think [size] was the most challenging aspect because usually I’m used to drawing and painting on smaller canvases.” Additionally, Scherer added, “[My mural] had a lot of different colors of green, and having to mix all of those and coordinate where the colors go was probably the hardest part.” Despite these challenges, the two artists are proud to see their designs come to life. Christensen commented on the designs, saying, “I think they are both very strong and positive in their approach, and I think it makes the room much more vivid, bright, and cheery. Christensen aims to have the students finish the painting process by May 9, after which her AP Art students may assist in its completion if it

is not yet done. While Art 2 and Art 3 students are often the ones responsible for painting murals, other MSJ organizations such as National Art Honors Society also occasionally conduct mural painting projects. Various school departments as well as Principal Zack Larsen have donated to the funding for murals, which generally costs around $200 for paint and supplies. Any students interested in painting or designing murals can get involved through NAHS or the boxART! Program. Most mural painting and designing opportunities are confined to art students at MSJ. As Christensen said, however, “There is room in our community to do artwork.” ▪

The design of the second mural to be painted.

PHOTOS BY STAFF WRITER JOELLE CHUANG, COURTESY SHREYA CHIDAMBARAM & HANNAH SCHERER

Ohlone Newark hosts series Science Olympiad places 9th of STEM workshops at NorCal States Ohlone teaches students hands-on STEM applications By Rishi Chillara & Shreya Sridhar Staff Writers Ohlone College Newark Center for Health Sciences and Technology held its first Ohlone Makes maker workshop on April 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. With an attendance of around 30 high school students from Fremont, Newark, Dublin, Milpitas, and Pleasanton, Ohlone held a series of nine STEM workshops. Each event was taught by Ohlone professors and staff. Ohlone Makes was held to help open the eyes of high schoolers to STEM careers and give them a hands-on opportunities with technology not normally accessible students. Ohlone College Dean and Co-organizer Lesley Buehler began planning the event last November and after contacting individual

departments, recruiting volunteers, and signing vendors, finished preparations in January. Funding for the event came from Ohlone’s computer science department and Strong Workforce program grant, a grant from CA’s legislature to spur career technical education in CA’s community colleges. The first and most popular event, held from 10:15 to 11:45 a.m., was a workshop designed to teach students how to program and build LED light shows. The first half of the workshop was an interactive lecture on the uses of LED lights, including concerts, banquets, and building exteriors. The second half was designed for students to work in

See OHLONE NEWS Page 2

MSJ RELAY FOR LIFE 2018: RECAP

From April 21 to 22, MSJ hosted its sixth annual Relay for Life event to raise awareness and funds for the American Cancer Society. Go online for more coverage!

Science Olympiad has several medalists at annual tournament By Samir Jain and Praveen Nair Staff Writers Students from MSJ Science Olympiad competed in the NorCal Science Olympiad State Finals at CA State University, Stanislaus in Turlock on April 14. The team placed ninth in the competition but did not qualify for the 2018 Science Olympiad National Tournament. Science Olympiad is a team science competition divided into Division A for elementary school, Division B for middle school and a Division C for high school, with more than 20 events that students compete in within each division. Each of the 15 students on a team competes in three to four events, with two or three different students per event. Science Olympiad events fall into three main categories: study, lab, and build. In study events,

ECHOSMITH GIVES CONCERTGOERS A NIGHT TO REMEMBER

Indie-pop band Echosmith started their 23-concert tour in San Francisco, and the Smoke Signal sent two staff writers to cover the event. Read on for more details!

teams take a test, usually at the college level, in areas ranging from astronomy to ecology. Lab events require teams to perform an experiment and often create a write-up in 50 minutes. Competitors in build events create devices such as helicopters, mousetrap vehicles, and hovercrafts, refining their crafts months before the event. At a tournament, each team receives a ranking in each event, which factors into the team score that determines whether a team as a whole advances to the next state or national level. MSJ Science Olympiad, coached by Physics Teacher Peter Geschke, has historically done very well, with its ‘A’ team placing 3rd in

See SCIENCE NEWS Page 2

FOR MORE COVERAGE,

VISIT www.THESMOKESIGNAL.ORG


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