MISSION SAN JOSE HIGH SCHOOL
VOL. 52, NO. 6
March 3, 2017
41717 PALM AVENUE, FREMONT, CA 94539
Robson Homes proposes to construct new drop-off loop FUSD has entered into an agreement with Robson Homes, who will fund the construction of a two-lane drop-off loop on the MSJ campus
“... most of our students are being dropped off by parents, and they aren’t carpooling, and everyone tends to come at the same time, so that’s basically the problem.” — Assistant Principal Jeana Nightengale the MSJ garden and the school’s dumpsters. During a January 26 hearing, a planning commission presented the housing plan and recommended ap-
Number od Responses
Which of the following has the most traffic at MSJ? 93
43 2 Student parking lot Mission Boulevard
Palm Avenue
*The Smoke Signal released an online survey inquiring about students’ methods of transportation and their opinion on traffic in the MSJ area. The form was released on February 13, and collected a total of 139 student responses.
How do you usually get to school?
10% 2% 27%
I walk I bike
61%
I drive
courtesy robson homes
Map of proposed drop-off lane, provided by Robson Homes. Robson Homes offered to fund the construction of this dropoff lane that will be located at the north end of campus off of Mission Boulevard.
proval. The Fremont City Council, which consists of five members, including the mayor, will vote to approve or reject the plan on March 14. Currently, traffic around MSJ increases dramatically immediately before and after school hours.
85
100 Which of the following roads do you use to get to school? 37
31 Mission Blvd.
Palm Ave.
Driscoll Rd.
Washington Blvd.
“Really, the major backups that we see don’t last that long,” said Principal Zack Larsen. “It’s a short span of time where it gets really crowded.” According to a transportation study conducted by WTrans and provided by Robson Homes, the new houses will only add 27 U-turns at Palm Avenue in the morning hours, a tiny fraction of the many hundreds of cars that currently travel down Mission Boulevard. The study also predicts that the new loop will accommodate at least 200 cars at once in the morning hours, a significant portion of
the 351 vehicles the Smoke Signal counted travelling past MSJ on Palm Avenue, on February 10 from 7:30 a.m. to 8:10 a.m. Furthermore, the new loop will reduce other traffic-induced problems such as pulling illegally into the bike lane to drop off students. “In this situation — this is the applicant voluntarily going above and beyond to work with the school district on the drop-off,” said Fremont City Associate Planner Bill Roth. Feedback to the project has generally been very positive. “I think anything we can do to alleviate
“...one aspect of the traffic problems for the neighborhood is with the school drop-off, and we saw this [project] as a way to benefit the community, improve the dropoff process and make our proposal more appealing, but hopefully also improve the situation.” — Robson Homes Project Manager Jake Lavin congestion in the morning and afternoon would be helpful for students and families, and also just generally the city in terms of traffic patterns,” said Larsen. “[The loop] would be permanent and if it works, it can be a long-term solution.” ▪
On the morning of February 10, Smoke Signal journalists stationed themselves at six different locations around MSJ to count the number of vehicles passing through the area during student drop-off times. Writers began counting at 7:30 a.m. and continued until 8:10 a.m., resetting their count at five-minute intervals. The proposed student drop-off loop is targeted to reduce right-turns from Mission Boulevard onto Palm Avenue. Between 7:40 a.m. and 8:10 a.m., there were 351 cars travelling down past MSJ on Palm Avenue from Mission Boulevard. Since the double-lane drop-off loop is projected to accomodate 200 cars at once, the lane will significantly reduce the number of students being dropped off on Palm Avenue. Below are the specific times and figures for passing traffic at different locations.
Number od Responses
Someone takes me to school
Number od Responses
Robson Homes, in partnership with FUSD, has proposed a new two-lane drop-off loop on the MSJ campus along Mission Boulevard in order to relieve traffic congestion. The drop-off loop is one aspect of the Orchard Heights/Hobbs Residential Project, which will include the construction of 55 new single-family homes in the hills on the opposite side of Mission Boulevard from MSJ. Robson Homes has volunteered to pay an amount equal to the Level 3 developer fee rate, a fee school districts can charge to help cover the cost of providing facilities for new students brought in by the residential development. This fee — $16.38 per square foot of new residential development — is almost twice the amount required by the state and will be paid to FUSD. Robson Homes has additionally volunteered to build the dropoff loop to alleviate traffic potentially caused by the new neighborhood. It would be located near the athletic field and circle in front of classroom buildings on the north side of campus, between
By Gloria Chang, Julia Park, Ansh Patel, Bethany Woo & Richard Chenyu Zhou Staff Writers
What time do 84 you usually arrive to school? 8
5
Time (a.m.):
27
15
7:40-7:50
Before 7:30
7:50-8:00
7:30-7:40
After 8:00
How often are you late because of traffic? 12% 20%
19% 30%
20%
Never Rarely Sometimes Usually Often
“I would say in this situation — this is the applicant voluntarily going above and beyond to work with the school district on the drop-off … I think the developer wants to work with the community, they want to get approval for their project … because there’s a lot of concern about making sure the school district is doing okay and making sure that all the people who live there are going to be happy with the project or at least okay with it.” — Fremont City Associate Planner Bill Roth “I think anything we can do to alleviate congestion in the morning and afternoon would be helpful for students and families, and also just generally the city in terms of traffic patterns.” — Principal Zack Larsen
courtesy maps.google.com
An overview of the surveying points for the Smoke Signal’s traffic study. Journalists counted cars at various locations around MSJ to determine how traffic might be affected by the new drop off lane. graphics by piktochart.com
THE GREAT WALL IS LESS THAN GREAT The Smoke Signal reviewed this action-fantasy film directed by Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou and starring Matt Damon. Check out our thoughts online!
MIGOS CONCERT REVIEW The Smoke Signal sent a writer to a concert held by Migos, the Atlanta-based rap group, on their Culture album tour. Read on for a short recap and our opinion on the event.
FOR MORE COVERAGE,
VISIT www.THESMOKESIGNAL.ORG
The Breakdown: HVAC Crisis By Hannah Chou, Joelle Chuang, Andrew Kan & Helen Wang Staff Writers
In recent years, the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system at MSJ has had various issues with its operations. According to an online survey the Smoke Signal conducted with 25 teachers, 26.1 percent of the teachers reported that their classroom’s temperature was six to 10 degrees lower than the one shown on the thermostat, 13 percent reported that their room was zero to five degrees higher than the set temperature, and 21.7 percent said that their classroom temperature was the same as the one set by the district. Furthermore, 52 percent of the teachers also reported that they had always been experiencing problems with their HVAC systems. As problems with HVAC continue to become more apparent, the Smoke Signal decided to revisit two HVAC investigative reports conducted by the Smoke Signal in 2009 and 2013 to see how the HVAC situation has changed in recent years and investigate the future plans for addressing this problem.
The Past
According to the investigative report the Smoke Signal conducted in 2009, FUSD gained control of the HVAC systems of all schools in the district in 2009 as a way to make each school’s HVAC more efficient. However, whenever the HVAC system failed, it took between three days to three weeks to get it fixed, and classrooms experienced heating and AC problems during the waiting time. According to the Smoke Signal’s 2013 investigative report, de-
spite maintenance workers replacing parts and checking classrooms over the summer of 2012, numerous components of the HVAC system were malfunctioning because they were outdated, and many classes had to be held in different rooms due to HVAC issues. An independent HVAC system was installed in 2011 in B-8, which proved to be reliable as it had no further issues after replacement units were installed.
temperature, and 11 percent of the classrooms reported having nonfunctional HVAC systems. According to a Smoke Signal survey in the 201617 school year, 40 percent of teachers are dissatisfied with their classroom’s HVAC system, and 36 percent of teachers are very dissatisfied. Only 21.7 percent of classrooms have the same temperature as the one set by the district, and 48 percent of classrooms have temperatures that are five degrees Fahrenheit or more different Previous Coverage MSJ’s HVAC problems have continued to from the thermostat temperature, although a worsen. Even though the control of the HVAC deviation of two degrees Fahrenheit is expected. system changed in 2009 from classroom to Current Problems district control, many classes began reporting Currently, the most apparent problem with the problems with AC and heating. According to the HVAC at MSJ is its inability to bring the room Nov. 10, 2009 Smoke Signal issue, of the 86 class- temperature to the temperature set on the therrooms surveyed by the Smoke Signal, 39.5 percent mostat, which should be 72 degrees Fahrenheit, of them reported problems with the AC and according to FUSD regulations. Another problem 36 percent of them with heating. In 2013, 66.7 is the lack of uniformity of the HVAC systems. percent of classrooms reported temperatures While FUSD controls all of MSJ’s main building consistently two degrees above or below set HVAC systems, portable classrooms and a few main building classroms have independent sysHow satsified are you with your tems. Additionally, according to FUSD Mainteclassroom’s heating and cooling nance, Operations, and Grounds Director Kevin system? Arthur, while some of MSJ’s HVACs are connectVery Satisfied ed to a water-looped system with boilers, others 36% Satisfied are their own individual units.
40%
12% 8%
4%
Dissatisfied Very Dissatisfied
“For the past two weeks, HVAC units in many B-Wing classrooms were not producing heat ... This is the second winter where my classroom is just as cold as the outside. While I have too much cold air now, the HVAC units won’t produce enough cold air during the warmer months. I urge the district to address this problem and then allow teachers to set temperatures in their classrooms that are most conducive to learning.”
42%
corrections
for the FEBRUARY 3, 2017 issue News Pg. 1: “Investigative Report: Copy Machines” was written by Staff Writers Ian Hsu, Amber Lee, Deeksha Raina & Vicki Xu. News Pg. 1: Rachel’s Challenge visits MSJ on January 10. News Pg. 2: Photos were taken by Staff Writer Amber Lee. News Pg. 2: Second student voices photo is incorrect. Christiane Nguyen should be pictured. News Pg. 3: First pull quote is by Alisha Agarwal. Opinion Pg. 7: National Popular Vote Interstate Compact is misspelled. NPVIC requires states within the compact to have at least 270 electoral votes to take effect. Feature Pg. 9: Photos were taken by Feature Editor Kevin Li. Feature Pg. 11: Ali El-Sadany is misspelled. A&E Pg. 17: Isaiah Rashad is misspelled. Sports Pg. 21: Super Bowl is misspelled. Sports Pg. 23: The game was played on Tuesday, January 10. Photo Pg. 24: Sophomore Samir Banerjee was also a quarterfinalist. Sophomore Shreya Srinivasan competed in Public Forum. Both Speech and Debate competed at the MLK Invitational.
the final completion date is June 30, 2020. The plan includes the replacement of the central HVAC plant with high efficiency units, installation of door sensors and occupancy sensors for HVAC control, and implementation of an optimum start and stop program, which will begin the heating or cooling at the optimal time so that the space is at the set temperature at the scheduled time. ▪
How different is the temperature in your classroom from the reading temperature on the thermostat? 6 3
3 0
1
1-5°F lower
1-5°F higher
6-10°F lower
6-10°F higher
11+°F lower
11+°F higher It is the same
13 When did the ventilation issues in your classroom start? 2
2
1 month ago
Proposition 39, which was presented at the Board of Education meeting on April 27, 2016 includes $13 million in funds for MSJ’s HVAC systems. The project is set to begin in 2018 and
5
5
6 months ago 1 year ago
7
1 I have always had this issue I have no ventilation issues
*Total number of responses may vary due to an option to abstain from questions.
STUDENT VOICES
“The ventilation system ebbs and flows. There are days my classroom does not get above 55 degrees. Other times when it is warm outside, the ventilation system is sending out heat. It makes it difficult for the students to learn, when they are shivering or sweating.”
“There is no excuse for, year after year, teaching students in a classroom that’s super uncomfortable and not conducive to teaching Yes or learning.”
The Future
Neutral
TEACHER VOICES
“I would love control over my classroom. In the winter my students say they are too cold to function. In the spring we have labs and dissections in my class and without control the smell is horrendous because of the heat. Control would allow me to moderate these negative effects.”
Friday, March 3, 2017
The Smoke Signal
Number od Responses
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Number od Responses
2 News
Do you think the current classroom heating/cooling system should be improved? If so, why? “I think that they should definitely be improved because in a lot of classrooms the heating doesn’t really work, and especially during the winter, it is really cold. It’s not every classroom, but it’s common, especially in the N-Wing. It’s [the HVAC situation] been the same since I’ve been here at school.” — Karen Zhu, 11 “Sometimes it goes off without us knowing and it is hard to control, which makes it sometimes really uncomfortable in class so it bothers us while we are trying to learn. But I think it might not be the biggest of all issues on school campus, but think it is definitely somethng we should try and fix.” — Ethan Wong, 10
Has your learning experience ever been affected by the heating/cooling in the classroom? How so?
“A lot of people would start complaining [because of the temperature in the classroom]. There’s that one spot in the middle of the classroom where the draft hits you, and the people sitting there would be complaining a lot and the teacher can’t do anything about it because they don’t control it.” — Isha Gupta, 9 “The heater turns on randomly in the middle of class, and then it always starts off with a strange noise, which then goes to a higher pitch noise that eventually you can’t hear. When this happens, everyone stops working for half a minute, which I think is very disturbing towards the general atmosphere of the classroom, as it is a severe distraction towards the students’ and the teacher’s mindset.” — Louis Cai, 12 graphics by printable-alphabets.com, piktochart.com
NEWS IN BRIEF sacbee.com
Compiled by Shivani Avasarala, Joelle Chuang & Heather Gan Staff Writers
Lake Oroville overflows, causing an evacuation of 188,000 residents.
foxnews.com People protest for immigrants during “Day Without Immigrants” on February 16.
cnn.com A branch of ISIS attacked a Pakistani shrine on February 16 in a suicide attack.
Oroville Dam overflows Lake Oroville, a reservoir located in northern CA, filled to its capacity on February 11, sending water gushing down the emergency spillway of the Oroville Dam for the first time ince the dam was built. Soon after, a hole in the emergency spillway was discovered and the hillside dramatically eroded, prompting authorities to order an evacuation of all residents downstream. Environmentalists had predicted the occurrence of these same events in 2002, but in 2008, the Department of Water Resources responded, reporting that the dam was in “good condition.”
Immigrants go on strike for “Day Without Immigrants” Immigrants all across the nation went on strike on February 16 as part of social media campaign aimed to highlight the economic importance of immigrants. Many restaurants, schools, and businesses closed on “Day Without Immigrants,” as workers took a stance against the new administration’s approaches regarding immigration. “Immigrants are the backbone of this country, and Donald Trump needs to learn that,” said the youth justice coordinator at Many Languages One Voice.
Suicide attack launched on Pakistan shrine The Islamic State Khorasan, a branch of ISIS in Afghanistan and Pakistan, launched a suicide attack on Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine on Thursday, February 16, in the city of Sehwan in Pakistan’s Sindh province. Numerous worshippers of all ages had been gathered that day to take part in the Sufi ritual of Dhamaal. The attacking organization claimed responsibility for the massacre via a phone call with CNN. An estimated 75 people were killed in the attack with approximately 200 injured.
Friday, March 3, 2017
The Smoke Signal
www.thesmokesignal.org
News & Opinion 3
New courses in Women’s Studies and Civics for 2017-18 Two new classes will be offered as electives in the following school year By Stephanie Dutra & Jonathan Ko Staff Writers The FUSD Board of Education officially passed two new classes, Women’s Studies and Civics, on January 25. The two courses will be introduced to MSJ for the 2017-18 school year. The Women’s Studies course will be available for upperclassmen, while Civics can be taken by students from any grade level. The Women’s Studies course is a yearlong elective unique to MSJ that will be taught by Social Studies Teacher Stephanie Kearns. The course will explore women’s past and current roles both nationally and internationally. The curriculum will consist of a history unit which focuses on women from colonial times to
ics, students have the opportunity to gain skills such as self-advocacy and political activism. The Civics course is a district-wide, semester-long course that will be taught by Social Studies Teacher Jeffery Alves and Social Studies Teacher Matthew Vierk at MSJ. Students may choose between taking Health with Civics or Geography, as both will be taught in the 2017-18 school year, or the course can be taken with any other semester-long courses. The course will be inquiry-based, with a strong focus
“Civics gives the opportunity [for teachers] to impart civic responsibilities, understanding of rights, and possibilities to participate.” — Social Studies Teacher Jeffery Alves
Social Studies teacher Stephanie Kearns designed the Women’s Studies Class.
present day, as well as modern-day issues such as social structures, gender identity, and the media’s portrayal of women. Additional topics include feminism, violence against women, reproductive rights, and other issues affecting women worldwide. Through studying these top-
was initiated when teachers submitted their ideas for new classes. Kearns suggested the Women’s Studies class for MSJ in September 2016, while FUSD Social Science Coach Thomas Birbeck proposed a district-wide Civics course. Next, the Instructional Leadership team, consisting of all department heads, approved each class. Principal Zack Larsen and interested teachers then brought the courses to School Site Council. From there, the District Office approved the classes, and eventually the FUSD Board of Education met and formally approved the classes. Both the Women’s Studies and Civics courses will be available for students to sign up for during registration. On what she hoped Women’s Studies would bring to the community, Kearns said, “I hope that it brings to light that there are many contributions that women have made throughout history and are continuing to make that have just never been studied.”
on research, projects, and presentations. The curriculum features units about media literacy, social dialogue, and the US government. Civics will emphasize local government and what citizens can do to contribute to their community outside “I hope that it [Women’s Studies] of voting. Alves said, “Civics gives the brings to light that there are many opportunity [for teachers] to impart civic contributions that women have responsibilities, understanding of rights, made throughout history and are and possibilities to participate.” The continuing to make that have just course will also include a service learn- never been studied.” ing unit, which will connect students — Social Studies Teacher with organizations and nonprofits to Stephanie Kearns help fulfill their 40-hour service learning requirements. Alves said, “[Civics teachers] want stuThe process of passing each course dents to be successful not just in school
Social Studies Teacher Jeffery Alves will co-teach the Civics Course with Matthew Vierk.
but in civic life. We want people to feel like they matter in their community, that they can make a difference.” ▪
Social Studies Teacher Matthew Vierk will co-teach the Civics Course with Jeffery Alves.
photos by staff writers ella chen & jonathan ko
STEMinism: a step for gender equality
By Evangeline Chang & Amber Lee Staff Writers
By Jessica Jen Staff Writer
staff writer amber lee
staff writer evangeline chang
We are known for our focus on academics and on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in particular. Students apply to a range of STEM enrichment programs each year, some of which favor or are exclusively for girls, a concept often known as “STEMinism.” Although we might not find these initiatives necessary, they are important in closing the gender gap in STEM fields nationwide. These programs expose high school girls to diverse career choices in science and engineering fields. We do not always encounter the stigma that girls require additional assistance in STEM to succeed. A study by the University of Washington, published in Psychological Bulletin, found that the gender gap in STEM interest is smaller among US high school seniors in schools that offer stronger science and math courses. However, courses such as computer science, engineering, and advanced physics are often not required and therefore rarely offered in high school, contributing to a nationwide gender gap in STEM interest. Our community, which strongly emphasizes STEM, has a relatively small gender gap. It has had numerous female students who have achieved in STEM both within classrooms and in extracurricular programs. For example, the percentage of female students in AP Computer Science is about twice that of the nation. The Smoke Signal’s November 2016 and February 2017 issues collectively featured three female students who earned prestigious distinctions in STEM competitions. Our strong interest in STEM often pushes us to think that “STEMinist” programs are unnecessary. Although our school community might not need these programs, we should not dismiss them as superfluous. Rather, we should use our resources to empower other female students to explore science and engineering. STEMinism helps girls who lack the resources, encouragement, and school environment to explore careers
in STEM. Programs such as Girls Who Code and Stanford’s Artificial Intelligence Outreach Program introduce girls to coding and artificial intelligence tools through faculty lectures, industry field trips, and hands-on projects. These programs will help defeat stereotypes about gender’s role in STEM proficiency and increase the number of female role models in STEM fields. “STEMinism” is necessary in order to overcome the current stereotype that boys are more suited for careers in hard sciences. However, the fight for gender equality involves more than current “STEMinist” approaches. Girls will benefit from “STEMinism,” but this is not a permanent solution. It is a BandAid struggling to heal a laceration. Closing the gender gap in STEM-related fields requires a greater societal effort to remove the stigma associated with gender and STEM proficiency. For example, we can consistently eradicate the stereotype that women are unsuited for science or engineering careers by featuring more female STEM accomplishments in news articles, popular entertainment, and textbooks. The 2016 movie Hidden Figures tells the story of three female African-American mathematicians involved in multiple NASA launches. Likewise, Hope Jahren’s book Lab Girl details her experiences as a geobiologist, and computer scientist Grace Hopper has earned more than 10 distinctions for her work in compilation. These rolemodels can have a tremendous impact on aspiring scientists and engineers. With all this said, nothing will change if students do not actively participate in spreading accessibility to STEM education beyond our community. “STEMinism” is changing how people perceive gender and career roles, and after it has done that, it will become a construct of the past. Until then, spreading accessibility to science and engineering education will continue to play the major role in changing perceptions of girls in STEM. ▪
4 Opinion
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English reading lists — What are we reading, and why?
The Smoke Signal
Friday, March 3, 2017
By Joelle Chuang, Stephanie Dutra, Michael Ren & Hana Sheikh Staff Writers
The Smoke Signal looked over national, CA, and FUSD standards for English reading and interviewed teachers to understand how reading lists work. While teachers supplement their curriculum with outside sources and context, students can work with teachers to promote certain books if they both feel that certain books have classroom value. However, for students to be able to effectively contribute, they must first understand the process behind the reading list’s selection.
Background foundation
National standards
CA standards
FUSD standards*
Common Core has a national list of recommended novels that school districts choose from to make a required reading list.
The CA Common Core State Standards, adopted by CA in 2010, are divided into four categories: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, and Language.
The FUSD Instructional Service Department developed a CA Standards Plan in 2014 aimed to be fully implemented in every school by 2016-17.
“Complexity”: Quantitatively, the Lexile rating factors in word length, word frequency, and sentence length. Qualitatively, the standard considers teacher’s own opinion of the text, and its relevance to the students that the teacher is teaching.
Incorporate research and input from other educational groups, including state departments of education, teachers, parents, and students.
Three of seven focus areas include alignment of instructional materials and methodologies, student learning and feedback systems, and student transitions to higher education and careers.
Our opinion: Literature aims to teach cultural values, overarching life themes, and critical thinking. Classics are taught because they encompass these major pillars of literature — that is what makes them classics. Therefore, Common Core’s current recommended reading list is satisfactory. However, given the scope of that list, a frequently updated list of more specific suggestions that take into account the major issues we see today, such as gender equality, race relations, and cultural values, would also be helpful in determining content.
Standards do not require any specific curriculum; teachers may develop their own lesson plans, and school districts are required to adopt instructional materials.
Teacher voices
Embed research and media skills to prepare students for college and the workforce.
Our opinion: Current standards value analyzing and interpreting text but do not expose students to as many diverse texts and authors as possible. The core classics help teach lessons that align with standards, yet new supplemental texts should be incorporated to introduce students to more viewpoints, cultures, and lesser known issues.
Core novels are used for each grade and a list of approved books for supplemental reading is constantly being updated with additional books. The book list on the FUSD website is under Textbook and Literature Lists on the Curriculum and Instruction Department page. Our opinion: A common argument is that the required reading list should feature more female authors and multicultural works. While culturally diverse books are desirable, they should be taught in class because they are quality literature pieces, not for the sake of being politically correct. The list of approved supplemental reading books includes many diverse novels, and teachers in FUSD are allowed to teach these novels. However, obtaining class sets of these books is difficult and costly.
* For reading lists and more information on FUSD standards’ focus areas, visit the FUSD website.
The Smoke Signal reached out to English teachers who teach different classes and grade levels and interviewed those who wished to be featured. The following are selected quotes from their interviews about the resources and reading lists they work with.
Do you think the English content taught in class is outdated, and if so, how do you think it can be improved? “It is not outdated. There is a long list of approved supplemental reading books that are very relevant to today’s issues. The problem is that it’s very expensive to buy class sets of these books, so even if you want to teach them, that’s an obstacle.” — English Department Chair Katherine Geers
“Most of the books on the required reading list that we are teaching are classics, in the case of The Crucible and The Great Gatsby, so those would be books that I think students should read anyway ... What I would like to see is just additional books included on that list.” — Honors and College Prep English 11 Teacher Valerie Carattini
“Students should focus on the feelings or the human experience [in novels] and not necessarily the specifics of the story as they relate to it. You know, I have never lived in Boston during the Puritan era but I could relate to certain feelings or aspects of Hester and Dimmesdale’s story because it deals with aspects of the human condition.” — Honors English 11 and ERWC Teacher Nina LaRosa
Should reading lists include more cultural or international works? “Sophomore year is supposed to be cultural literature. Multicultural is an outdated term; I prefer to be more in alignment with the university system which, when they talk about multicultural literature, it’s really postcolonial literature, and that really brings more of an emphasis on the voices of others. And so yes, there should be multiplicity of voices, such as ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation.” — Honors English 10 and College Prep English 12 Teacher Brian Rath
Should the reading lists be altered to focus more on female authors? “We have women authors. The problem with that — and this is a hotly debated topic all over the world, particularly in America — it would be nice if we had more female writers, but to achieve that since women have not been writing that much until the modern era, we’d have to jettison people like William Shakespeare and instead do a modern writer who does not have the standing or the cultural value of reading William Shakespeare.” — Honors English 10 and AP English Literature Teacher Cherylle Lindsey
How important is it that the English curriculum is relevant to students and the global issues happening today? “It’s more important now than ever for students to understand the magnitude and importance of the literature. Some of the classics were originally banned because they raised an issue that challenged the status quo ... This literature brought suppressed voices to the forefront and these issues are still with us.” — English Department Chair Katherine Geers “With my freshmen when we do Romeo and Juliet, there’s a 400-year-old text. But any Shakespeare text can be presented in a way that’s relevant to life today ... A big part of Fahrenheit 451 is a dystopian society that is dystopian because they don’t read. So I bring in a lot of articles from different sources, including past Smoke Signal articles, that are written about literacy. And I use video clips as much as I can ... Any time you can bring in material that is relevant to a student’s life, that is a benefit.” — Honors English 9 and Honors English 10 Teacher John Boegman
“Literature, to survive, has to retain relevance and we can find that in virtually everything we read. We’re still the same people, we’re still making the same mistakes, we’re still facing the same problems. So that’s the way I like to teach. But that’s a separate question than whether in America, we should have a common background of common literature that has helped form our culture and our language and our history. I think that’s one of the things that keeps America united.” — Honors English 10 and AP English Literature Teacher Cherylle Lindsey
Book adoption process and student involvement To become involved in the process of adding supplemental novels to the approved list, students should first talk to their English teachers and discuss the novel to confirm that it is appropriate, as teachers typically are the ones to request that a novel be approved and explain their rationale for use of the novel. Furthermore, according to Secondary English Language Arts Coach Dawn Nogueiro, the novel must be free of bias, in accordance with Education Codes, and aligned with CA State Standards. If the novel is approved, then the books must be bought. An example of this process is the book Missoula. Teacher Librarian Maile Ferreira — who is on the committee for the book adoption — approached Expository Reading and Writing Course (ERWC) teachers about the book because of its relevance to one of the class’s units.
“For the senior class there’s a unit on language, gender and culture. And part of that last year was talking about the epidemic of sexual assault, not just in this country but around the world. As part of the discussion on gender and other issues I thought that [Missoula] would be an appropriate worthwhile book as a part of that unit. And a couple of my students have read it and they thought it was really worthwhile, important, and interesting. So hopefully that will work out.” — Honors English 11 and ERWC Teacher Nina LaRosa graphics by opinion editor anthony chen & graphics editor victor zhou
Friday, March 3, 2017
The Smoke Signal
Mission San Jose High School Est. 1964 Vol. 52, No. 6 | Mar. 3, 2017
SCHOOL POPULATION 2014 students EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Rishab Ramapriyan, Monica Tang NEWS Ishika Chawla, Lucille Njoo OPINION Anthony Chen, Tanushri Sundar FEATURE Kevin Li, Brian Tseng CENTERSPREAD Ashley Chang, Mallika Gupta A&E Michelle Dalarossa, Sayan Ghosh SPORTS Mustafa Ahmed, Cindy Yuan GRAPHICS Zen Thumparkkul, Victor Zhou WEB Andrew Choi, Carolyn Ge TECH Andrew Kan, Julia Park BUSINESS Jonathan Ko CIRCULATION Deeksha Raina ADVERTISING Ella Chen, Richard Chenyu Zhou EVENTS Heather Gan, Amber Lee WRITERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS Shivani Avasarala, Evangeline Chang, Gloria Chang, Amy Chen, Hannah Chou, Joelle Chuang, Stephanie Dutra, Katherine Guo, Ian Hsu, Jessica Jen, Jonathan Ko, Anagha Mandayam, Jenny Miao, Ansh Patel, Michael Ren, Hana Sheikh, Evie Sun, Helen Wang, Bethany Woo, Vicki Xu, Maggie Zhao ADVISER Sandra Cohen Send letters to the editor to opinion@thesmokesignal.org. Letters under 300 words may be considered for publication and must include a full name and school affiliation. The Smoke Signal reserves the right to edit for clarity and length. To advertise in the Smoke Signal, email ads@ thesmokesignal.org. Advertising that is included on the pages of, or carried within, the Smoke Signal, is paid advertising, and as such is independent of the news and feature content. The Smoke Signal’s right to freedom of speech and press is protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution. All policies on distribution, corrections, and bylines can be found at www.thesmokesignal.org/about.
anthony’s answer
“CAPS LOCK is underrated,”
remember your origin By Anthony Chen Opinion Editor
By Tanushri Sundar Opinion Editor CAPS LOCK IS UNDERRATED. See? I’ve got your attention, and all I had to do was press a button on my keyboard with my pinky finger. And I wonder why politicians, reformists, and social advocates are struggling to get their voices heard. It’s so simple — CAPS LOCK IS THE ANSWER! I feel like I’m being a bit too forward. Now that I think about it, with all this CAPS LOCK, you probably feel as if your internal narrating voice (mine sounds like Donald Trump) is shouting deep into your inner ear. The sporadic changing between upper and lower cases was interesting for two paragraphs, but fame is a fickle friend. MaYbE tHiS WiLL WorK? Aha! All eyes are back on me. I’ve done something neW and NOveL, and therefore, you are still reading this sentence, despite the fact that 139 words into this column, I have said nothing of substance. But I’m exhausted. I’m so focused on capturing your attention that I haven’t had time to think of anything to actually say. Should I show up to the VMA’s wearing a couple slabs of sirloin steak? No, Lady Gaga’s already covered that. I need something with more permanence, something people’ll really buy into. I’ve got it! I’ll be as provocative as possible. The act will be consistent: get people to talk about me by being loud, stubborn, and shameless, no matter the subject matter. I’ll poke every controversial topic I’ve read about on Wikipedia and publicly announce that Megyn Kelly’s got “blood coming out of her wherever.” You know, really grab the people by the p***y. Social media will be the best way to feed my latest stints to the masses. They’ll call me the “King of Twitter!” (Or “Twit-
Opinion 5
Think outside the boxers:
said the snarky columnist
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ter Terror,” I don’t really mind). No person, place, or thing shall be free from my ridicule — not Obama and definitely not “Crooked Hillary!” I’ll probably take on Mexico, Macy’s, TMobile, disabled reporters, and other women too. Why not take advantage of my platform while I’ve got it? Sure, this stint will eventually grow stale just like CAPS LOCK and aesthetic TyPOgrApHiCs did, but I have a feeling it’ll be a bit longer lasting. The key is in balance — in being absolutely outrageous but also striking a chord with many of my fellow citizens. Let’s be honest, who hasn’t toyed with the idea of a “great wall on our Southern border” and a “Muslim ban” in their spare time? I’m not the ideator, I’m the just the genius who’s serving as a mouthpiece, spewing whatever it takes to get all eyes on me. Because evidently, CAPS LOCK does not work. To be honest, I could probably ride this out for a year or two. So many people really seem to like what I say. They just might elect me President. But Presidents can be so dull. Can you name the 29th president off the top of your head? Point made. Perhaps I’ll be a President who only gives executive orders in CAPS LOCK. He sounds like a man who’ll go down in the history books! And if that fails, I’ll just appoint a grossly underqualified Secretary of Education and detain innocent Americans at airports nationwide. That’ll get me in the papers too. ▪ Disclaimer: This is satire. For a definition of satire please visit www.merriam-webster. com/dictionary/satire.
Scrolling through Facebook, I saw that Twenty One Pilots accepted a Grammy award without any pants — the music duo went on stage in boxers. Their eccentric personas were nothing new, so I was unsurprised that they did something unique during the Grammys. However, when I listened to their acceptance speech, I found that not wearing pants onstage meant more than just an onstage persona. The speech proposed that anyone watching the Grammys had the potential to achieve anything, but what made the speech stand out was that they had come so far and still remembered where they started — remembered their stories and promises from before they came to fame. Lead singer Tyler Joseph gave an anecdote from before they were signed to a record label. He and his bandmate Josh Dun were watching the Grammys in their underwear when Dun came up with a wild idea. Joseph said in his speech, “We were no one at that time — [Josh] turned to me and he said, ‘You know, if we ever go to the Grammys, if we ever win a Grammy, we should receive it just like this.’” While this moment may seem insignificant compared to other moments from the 2017 Grammy Awards — such as Adele’s heartfelt speech to Beyoncé — I found that Twenty One Pilot’s small gesture resonated with me the most. Joseph’s speech began with, “This story, it starts in Columbus, Ohio.” In their big moment, their first words returned to their hometown. As many MSJ’s seniors are receiving their college acceptance letters and preparing to head off to university, will we remember the stories from this city that has been our home for years if not our entire lives?
Having heard many students point out that Fremont is a boring city because barely anything happens in Fremont, I have also heard from alumni who have come back to visit and believe Fremont is a great home to return to. It goes without saying that not everyone will win a Grammy or significantly change the world, but we have been taught that the world is our oyster. We have been taught to dream big and reach for the moon. Among all the clichés, the message is clear: go out there and achieve. In our flurry to leave, whether it is to another city, state, or even country, we must not forget where we started. This origin captures more than just our current geographical location. It includes the ideas, values, and dreams that we have. What are the crazy ideas students are throwing around now that they can come back to later and reflect on? Will the students who discuss our nation’s politics end up running for office, and will they remember the first time they participated in politics as a teenager? Will the students who go into different professions remember what they wanted to be in high school? The examples go on and on. In a school that encourages students to constantly push forward in academics, extracurricular activities, problem solving, and other life skills, we must not lose sight of where we started. Framing our stories with an origin gives perspective to our experiences and helps us reflect on how far we have come. In our rush to “put our big-boy pants on,” let us not forget where we stand now. We won’t want to forget where our story starts. ▪
The Opinion of the Smoke Signal Editorial Board
Rethinking and diversifying course registration With pre-registration around the corner, many students are rushing to fill out their packets with the “heaviest” math and science courses. Although a varied course catalog is available, most students are quick to jump to the three “big” sciences: biology, chemistry, and physics, or perhaps pursue the most accelerated math courses possible. By unnecessarily putting blinders on, students often choose to give up a diversified high school education for a narrowly focused curriculum. This issue, the “New courses in Women’s Studies and Civics for 2017-18” story discusses two new electives available for the upcoming school year. These unique courses offer students an opportunity to gain wide-ranging perspectives from civic engagement and activism to the interplay of social structures, policy, and gender identity. However, students do not lack interest in such topics spanned by the humanities and social sciences. Students already demonstrate a rich commitment to the pursuit of such subjects — whether it be through activities such as Debate and Model United Nations or clubs like MSJ Political Science, Exit Zine, or Gay-Straight Alliance. While students are ready to nurture their passions through extracurricular activities, there is often a spirit of unwillingness to commit to a yearlong academic exploration of these subjects. An overriding culture that values STEM over other academic pursuits binds students to convention despite their mixed interests. MSJ’s fixation with STEM — from academics to competitive activities such as Science and Math Olympiads — creates an atmosphere in which students feel compelled to maximize the number of STEM-related courses they take and pursue certain subjects to the furthest extent possible. For example, the race to achieve proficiency in math begins in elementary school, when students take placement tests to determine whether they can jump ahead. It is not that we need a
humanities counterculture at MSJ, but rather an atmosphere of academic freedom. Those who sign up for college preparatory classes, especially math and science subjects, are often stigmatized for their course choices — academic elitism is no novelty to MSJ. Even when comparing college preparatory and Honors/AP-level classes, STEM-related courses are scrutinized less intensely than their humanities and social sciences counterparts. Specialized electives such as Introduction to C++, Discrete Math, or Linear Algebra are generally well-received by students. Likewise, students should view humanities and social sciences electives such as Women’s Studies or Ethnic Studies as extensions to core classes like CP/AP World History or US History. When students restrict themselves from taking certain classes, they miss out on opportunities to improve upon skills that are essential regardless of their career paths. By diversifying the range of courses students take to include more than STEM-related courses, students can strengthen skills such as critical and creative thinking, public speaking, and writing skills, among others. Treating the high school experience as a hermetically sealed pipeline to college with a specific major and career choice in mind limits us to spending these years in a one-dimensional manner. High school provides an opportunity to explore a wide variety of subjects and interests. Capitalizing on the broad range of choices gives students the ability to advance certain skill sets and upon graduation emerge as more balanced individuals who are better equipped to deal with a far-reaching set of circumstances. ▪
Letters to the Editor: Clarification on NGSS Science Curriculum Dear Editor, Just as the Smoke Signal released its article “New science curriculums to be implemented next year,” FUSD Science teachers learned that the much debated NGSS course pathway was no longer going to be executed as planned. Due to the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing’s (CTC) recent determination that Physics in the Universe must be taught by a teacher with a Physics credential, the district needed to reexamine its implementation plan. Despite the contention that Physics in the Universe is a physical science course and not a physics course, the CTC decision dictates the district’s sudden changes as there are not enough teachers with a Physics credential to begin implementing the course next year. In light of the CTC decision, FUSD decided to keep the current courses and sequence for another year. Specifically, the ninth grade course called NGSS1 will be offered again to incoming freshmen in 2017-18. Honors Biology will also be offered. Current NGSS1 students will continue on to CP Biology next year, while current Honors Biology students will be offered CP and Honors Chemistry. At this time, the district intends to implement two of the three NGSS courses in 2018-19: freshmen will be offered The Living Earth (CP and Honors) and sophomores will be offered Chemistry of Earth Systems (CP and Honors). Physics in the Universe (CP and Honors) will be offered in 2019-20 to juniors. Lisa Ishimine and Julie Luikart Science Department Co-Chairs
6 Opinion
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Dispelling the community college stigma By Ella Chen & Anagha Mandayam Staff Writers
theater. There are students who choose a two-year community college as their first It is with subdued whispers and side- option, opting to transfer later to another ways glances that the words “community university. According to Community Colcollege” are uttered in the hallways. To lege Research Center, of the students who many MSJ students, community college is choose to transfer to four-year instituhardly an option for the future, especially tions, 62 percent are able to complete a with private universities and Universities bachelor’s degree. Moreover, community of California (UC) as more glamorous college is more financially feasible than choices. This perspective paves a narrow any other institution. The College Board track for students vying for competitive reports that the average in-state tuition at schools, creating a climate that ridicules community colleges for 2014–15 was just choosing more unconventional education- $3,347, which is less than a third of the al paths. In our society, community col- price of UC and way less than tuition for lege is overlooked as a viable option due private universities. Because most commuto people’s misconceptions that attending nity colleges are commuter schools, stucommunity college results in a less suc- dents also save money on room and board. In addition, community colleges pro“Going to De Anza [College] vide students with the flexibility to cusawarded me a second chance at tomize their schedule in a way that althe academic life I knew I was lows them to learn at their own pace. As more than capable of achieving. a result of smaller class sizes, community I graduated after one year with a colleges often offer more intimate lessons 3.9 GPA while also working parttime and interning for several and interactive professors. Such flexibility different newspapers in the Bay provides students with the opportunity to study part-time and balance outside work [Area]...” — Tara Ruff, Class of 2014 Alumna experience with their academic schedule. For example, Class of 2014 Alumna Tara cessful life. However, contrary to popular Ruff said, “Going to De Anza [College] belief, community college courses are of- awarded me a second chance at the acaten just as interactive, informative, and difficult as traditional college courses. Even “I made my decision based off so, community college is still often viewed of the goals I wanted to achieve as a final option for students who have no in one year’s time. I felt that I alternatives to higher education left; this wouldn’t be able to achieve them idea stems from assumptions, stereotypes, at a UC or four-year university beand a general lack of knowledge regarding cause I would fall into the same the opportunities that these colleges hold high school pattern, not being able to focus on objectives outside of for incoming students. my academics.” Many community colleges still offer the — Rudrik Suthar, Class of 2016 same extracurricular activities as four-year Alumnus universities, including debate, sports, and
demic life I knew I was more than capable of achieving. I graduated after one year with a 3.9 GPA while also working parttime and interning for several different newspapers in the Bay [Area]...Community college proved that my past failures would not define me. I wouldn’t let [them].”
achieve them at a UC or four-year university because I would fall into the same high school pattern, not being able to focus on objectives outside of my academics,” said Class of 2016 Alumnus Rudrik Suthar. Community colleges are not reserved solely for working parents and first-gener-
BENEFITS OF ATTENDING COMMUNITY COLLEGE: THE AVERAGE COMMUNITY COLLEGE CLASS SIZE IS BETWEEN 25 AND 35 STUDENTS STUDENTS CAN IMPROVE THEIR GRADES AND EARN ASSOCIATE DEGREES CLASS SCHEDULES ARE FLEXIBLE AND ALLOW STUDENTS TO LEARN AT THEIR OWN PACE
$3,447
$13,500
Estimated Average cost of 2016-17 in-state cost of 2014-15 in-state University of California tuition community college tuition
$5,472
It is important to keep in mind that there are infinite pathways to success, whether Cost of 2016-17 that path entails attending a four-year California State University school or a community college. However, tuition for students taking in our community, attending a UC, private more than 6 units per term school, or other prestigious four-year university is often regarded as the only option. Our community has convinced students *Data from American Association of Community that community college is inferior to other Colleges, College Board, University of California, California State University forms of education, when in fact, several paths can result in the same outcome de- ation college students; they host a diverse pending on how students make their educa- mélange of cultures that span the ethnic tional choices. “I made my decision based and social spectrum. ▪ off of the goals I wanted achieve in one year’s time. I felt that I wouldn’t be able to
Friday, March 3, 2017
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Feature 7
MPPFA PROJECTS SPOTLIGHT By Ian Hsu, Andrew Kan, Amber Lee & Vicki Xu Staff Writers
The Mission Possible Parent Faculty Association (MPPFA) has transformed the campus of MSJ with the many renovations and technology updates it helps make possible. In this issue, the Smokev Signal spotlights three MPPFA projects — 110 Chromebooks for the Flex Room, refurbishment of the Career Center, and landscaping in front of the N-Wing — as well as features student voices on the impact of these projects.
Chromebooks
This January, 110 Chromebooks were added to the A-Wing Flex Room for students and faculty to use. The entire process of procuring the Chromebooks took around seven months. As a whole, the project cost $36,280. The idea of adding Chromebooks to MSJ’s inventory of technology came up during an MPPFA meeting with the school in July 2016. The 400 devices MSJ had at the time — such as laptops and iMacs — were located in the library in carts, which teachers could check out to bring to their own classrooms. These carts were constantly checked out, becoming a source of frustration for teachers who were planning to use them in their curriculum. MPPFA originally planned to buy two carts of Chromebooks with 35 Chromebooks in each. However, after discovering a greater need for the devices, MPPFA increased the number of Chromebooks to 110. The project was approved in MPPFA’s October 2016 meeting, after which the organization placed orders for the Chromebooks, which arrived in January 2017.
“I feel like sometimes [the Chromebooks are] not really necessary in classes other than History, but I understand how in History and Geography you can talk about maps that you find online and see how the countries relate and look up interesting resources and information. For classes such as math and P.E., obviously, you wouldn’t need that. I think MSJ should invest in other aspects as well as just buying Chromebooks because I think we have enough. For our school’s surveys or standardized tests, they can be helpful, and also for people who want to work on their projects during lunchtime. Then again, you could do [projects] at home.” — Ashley Fang, 10
N-Wing Landscaping
“I think that it is good that the N-Wing is getting landscaped. There’s like this one area on that grassy area in front of the N-Wing that gets really muddy every time it rains, and I always forget about that spot and end up getting mud on my shoes. And also, there’s like a set of bushes that block anyone from getting from the grassy area to the actual sidewalk so you have to walk around.” — Anika Sharma, 10
MPPFA is planning to beautify the land bordering the lawn next to the N-Wing. The project was initially approved in a budget allocation meeting at the start of the school year. The process of choosing a vendor and finalizing the cost of the landscaping plan continued from September 2016 to late November 2016. The total cost of landscaping the N-Wing is $21,500, of which MPPFA will contribute $20,000 of funding. When the project was approved, MPPFA Vice President of Membership Roshini Kingsley and Principal Zack Larsen began requesting estimates from five landscaping vendors for the amount of money needed to landscape the N-Wing area, before deciding to work with Dutra Landscape & Gardening. Regarding the timeframe of the project, Kingsley said, “If we don’t have any more rain it will start as soon as possible around March or April, and we’re hoping that by around May the job will be done. If not, before school finishes, we should have that done.”
Career Center Refurbishment
MPPFA is planning to refurbish the Career Center by adding new Chromebooks, enhancing internet access, replacing the carpet, repainting the room, and reorganizing the furniture. The MPPFA board allocated $30,000 to renovations at its November 2016 board meeting, and work is scheduled to start during Spring Break and finish near the end of the school year. A committee of four people (Kingsley, Assistant Principal Jeana Nightengale, Career and College Specialist Cathy Castillou, and Hopkins Junior High School Teacher Thomas Birbeck) has been formed to organize the refurbishment of the Career Center. Kingsley, who first proposed the project, said, “For me, it was very important that the students could have a 21st century learning environment.” Afterwards, the committee met with a small sample of students to get feedback about what upgrades they envisioned for the renovated Career Center, and thereafter the committee soon started planning for the project.
“I think that renovations to the Career Center will help to make the learning experience much more efficient for the students. Not only will students be able to access information at higher speeds, they might also be able to actually just spend time in the Career Center if it gets renovated. Since newer tech allows teachers to do more, they might also be able to take their classes there more often.” — Karina Wu, 10
Student Ideas for Improvement “The air conditioning. In one of my classrooms, the air conditioner was on during the winter and it was really cold. In another one of my classrooms, the heater doesn’t turn on, so it was really cold during the winter as well. In a third classroom, the heater makes random noises. We should find a way to make sure they [the heaters and air conditioners] are working properly, such as having more maintenance.” — Jacob Wang, 11
“In order to improve our school, I think we should [expand] our facilities, with cleaner bathrooms and more automatic water fountains that are better-filtered, and adding more hand air-dryers that are sensitive to touch into the bathrooms.” — Tanya Chadha, 12
photos by staff writer amber lee, courtesy roshini kingsley
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Feature 9
DEAR DIARY: TIME TRAVELER By Maggie Zhao Staff Writer
Date Unknown Dear Diary: I have never been so utterly lost before. No, not even the time I was four, and ran away in indignation after I was told I wasn’t allowed a dog. I’m sure you remember that, Diary, because I tried to sell you out for seven dollars to buy myself a meal. Regardless, I have a serious problem on hand. I can’t remember much about how I arrived here, I just remember calling that crazy lady’s bluff about a time portal, but I don’t see how that could have put me in this situation. I don’t know where I am, but it certainly doesn’t feel like the 1960s anymore. After wandering around, I have decided to take shelter next to a large concrete building labeled “Costco,” in the hopes that I may be able to beg for a bit of food from shoppers. I will keep you updated, Diary, as soon as I manage to figure out how and why I have arrived in this strange world.
elite universities and work alongside men now. I wish I could write back home and tell everyone that what they fight for will eventually be accomplished. Unfortunately, it seems that as of now, I have no way out.
However, nothing comes as such a rude jolt as what I was informed of today. I was watching the inauguration of the new president of the US through a television store window. A few people stopped by as well, watching along side me, and I asked why they seemed so upset about the new President. Perhaps the 60s really was a better time. I know that in my time, we would never have elected such an arrogant, loudmouth bother. Somehow, the President’s speech felt like déjà vu. It seems I have traveled to the future, yet the “America First” refrain is so strongly reminiscent of the non-interventionist groups back in World War II. Regardless, there is much I have been learning these last few days. Looking at the President, I suppose fashion really has changed in this day and age. In the 1960s modest colors were much preferred, but I suppose orange has become a very in-style color.
Jan. 1, 2017 Dear Diary: Today is New Year’s Day. While sitting outside of Costco after eating from the sample carts inside (at least I won't starve), I heard a few customers wish the workers a happy New Year. Upon inquiry, I have discovered that somehow, I have found my way into the 21st century, in the year 2017. What could have caused me to transport in time? Perhaps the crazy lady was right about that time portal? No, impossible. She’s absolutely crazy. All she does is make wild predictions about how, one day, the Jan. 21, 2017 Dear Diary, Chicago Cubs will win the World Series. Ridiculous. It seems in the last half-century, the Women’s Rights movement has grown considerably. Today, people floodJan. 20, 2017 ed the streets with signs, chanting and protesting. ApDear Diary: It seems these days I am often in shock and disbelief. parently, it is quite commonplace for women to attend
THOUGHTS BEFORE
Jan. 29, 2017 Dear Diary: The President I wrote about last time, what was his name … Donald Dump? No, sorry, I remember now — Trump. I learned yesterday that he has enacted a travel ban from predominantly Muslim countries. Does this not sound like Roosevelt denying entry to Jews in need just a few decades ago? The discrimination has merely shifted from one religious group to another. I’ve begun to see a lot of recurring patterns from my era, and yet I don’t think I like what I see. Feb. 4, 2017 Dear Diary: It seems that perhaps there is hope for the future after all. Today someone showed me this marvelous invention. It was a small box, with a glass screen, that lit up and played images and videos. Videos on a box the size of my hand! You can talk to people far away with this, and send messages and pictures to people across the globe. Isn’t that incredible? On these glass boxes I have discovered endless pictures of small dogs. They all seem to oddly be labeled “doggo” or “pupper,” but I suppose it is just another 21st century norm I will never understand. I have spent the entire day today living vicariously through this endless supply of pictures. I suppose every time period has its advantages and disadvantages. ▪
photos by clipartfest.com, freelancer.com, supercoloring.com
Student Spotlight: matthew
cho
DIY ORNAMENTS
By Joelle Chuang and Michael Ren Staff Writers Sophomore Matthew Cho is a self-taught filmmaker and photographer who receives many com- MC: Probably just all the videos I watch on possibly more personal projects. More short missions from YouTubers and other clients to film or edit their videos. The Smoke Signal inter- YouTube. film, story type things, and maybe submit vidviewed him to learn more about his experiences and aspirations. eos into film festivals. I’m working on a project The Smoke Signal: What first got you interSS: Where did you learn editing from? for a startup called Nexar, it’s a cloud-connectested in photography/filmmaking? When was MC: I started with a trial of Adobe Premiere ed dashcam, so I’m making a promotional vidthis? and I didn’t really know what was going on, eo for that. I’m also making some ASB camMatthew Cho: I’ve always just been exposed I watched a couple of YouTube videos, but paign videos. to media like movies and TV shows, so I really mostly it was just clicking around and figuring wanted to do that stuff. I began intense dedicatout what happens. SS: Do you have any advice for aspiring filmed work probably in 2014. makers? SS: How do you balance work and school? MC: Just get out there, create a lot, make misSS: What are some of the most exciting projMC: I’m really bad at balancing work and takes, and grow. For some projects, I might preects you’ve worked on so far? school, so I don’t sleep very much sometimes. visualize an idea of some sort and then gather MC: There was that one YouTube video, with shots with those ideas. Other times, I might 2000 people singing in synchronization. It was SS: Are there any photographers or filmmakers just grab a bunch of footage and when I’m pretty fun, but I lost a lot of sleep. I just helped that you look up to? editing see what how it turns out. I would say him make [the video] look good. [Tompkins] MC: Not really, I just consume all of it, absorb three-fourths of the time is spent in post-projust dumped a lot of footage and then I just everything I watch. duction thinking and then 25 percent out there staff writer michael ren Sophomore Matthew Cho edited it, and he revised it. shooting. SS: What do you hope to achieve in the future SS: Can you tell us specifically what you did apply to those jobs, and we get paid a commis- in terms of your filmmaking and photography? To view Cho’s work, visit his website at www. when you edited a video for Mike Tompkins? sion. He contacted me in August of 2016 and mchoproductions.com. ▪ MC: People submitted footage of themselves then it was posted in October, so it took about MC: Make more videos for interesting clients, singing or clapping, and [Tompkins] split them of month of just revising. up into different sections like an acapella. Then I synced it up and laid down a pretty good tem- SS: In your opinion, what makes a video great? plate for him to work off of. I did make some MC: If the shot looks good, and it’s not shaky of the effects. or blurry. It tells a story of some sort, or expresses some emotions for the viewer, or the SS: How did you get to work with YouTubers audience. like Mike Tompkins? Did they approach you or did you approach them? SS: Has photography and filmmaking shaped MC: I went on this freelance website that peo- your personality, and if so, in what way? ple can post their jobs on, so Tompkins posted MC: It helps me shape my feelings or emohis job there and I applied, and somehow I got tions through a visual medium. it. The website is a hub for freelancers where people can put their ideas, or what they have SS: Do you feel like your editing style is influyoutube.com in mind, and a set budget. [We] freelancers can enced by anyone or anything? 2000 people sing in a video edited by Cho
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THE
DIEHARD TRYHARDS go Karting RISHAB I’ve always been a huge fan of racing and go-karting since childhood. Tackling Wii and Xbox games from Mario Kart to Need for Speed, I honed my hand-eye coordination and steering-control skills. I can proudly say that I have "go-karted" in four countries so I’m ready for any challenge. I anticipate the hardest part will be successfully executing the turns without losing significant speed, which requires a precise balance of minimal braking and latency before accelerating again — but I’m just going to “wing” it.
MALLIKA Having been a licensed driver for a while, I am ready to finally have my need for speed satisfied on this track. Save smashing through the barriers and sending rubber flying off my wheels, I’m ready to do whatever it takes to win this race. While my opponents might think we’re here to have fun, I did not come here to make friends. So, I guess you could call me competitive. Given that, along with my mom-approved vehicular control, my fellow racers should know that the power of the Mallika-Mobile must not be underestimated.
Friday, March 3, 2017
By Mallika Gupta, Rishab Ramapriyan, Tanushri Sundar & Hana Sheikh Centerspread Editor, Editor-in-Chief, Opinion Editor, and Staff Writer
Four brave Smokies hit the track to try out European-style karting locally. After completing safety training and donning protective gear, they competed in a 10-minute “Time Attack” race at LeMans Karting, located at 45957 Hotchkiss St., Fremont, CA 94539.
TANUSHRI
HANA
I'm a little athletically challenged, so speed isn't my strong suit. I'm planning on taking advantage of good ol' physics to win this race. While my opponents are likely to speed around sharp turns, I'll roll past them at a moderate pace and watch the rough track burn their tires. I’ll make my opponents some scrumptious chocolate cake beforehand so that they’ll be of relatively larger mass (and relatively smaller acceleration). All's fair in love and go-karting! However, I’m not planning on crashing into anyone’s car — conservation of momentum states that I’d have to share my forward momentum with an opponent, and there’s no way that’s happening.
I just got my driver’s license this past week so I know I will be the least experienced on the track, despite years of watching The Fast and the Furious movies and playing Mario Kart. Yet, driving through the wild streets of Fremont during rush hour has taught me to be a fearless driver, which keeps me mentally prepared. I’m hoping to defy everyone’s expectations and win the race by keeping a steady pace and using swift maneuvers. But my biggest goal is to not crash into any barriers or people!
After watching a safety video, putting on a bulky helmet, and strapping on a neck brace, I realize that we will be driving like professionals, which makes me nervous. At the start of the race, I am lucky to have my car placed at the front, but in less than one lap Rishab overtakes me. It takes me a few laps to get used to the sharp turns, and a couple of times I feel myself drift at the corners. I am constantly keeping an eye out for Mallika and Tanushri, but Mallika passes me when I slow down for a turn. I see Tanushri close in on my back so I hit the accelerator harder without a second thought.
THE COMPETITION
Donning my head sock and helmet, I was ready for my next adrenaline rush. Tailgating Hana from the start, I decided that it was time to overtake her when the marshal raised the blue flag. Now leading the race, I entered each curve with a leap of faith as I was sure that I would crash into the barriers and flip over due to my excessive speed — but somehow I made it out alive. I could feel the tension in my torso with every turn, as I wildly drifted before pounding the accelerator again. It was exhilarating!
I would be lying if I said LeMans didn’t intimidate with all the color-coded flags, very legitimate helmets, and neck braces. But as soon as they fired up our engines, I knew that channeling my inner NASCAR racer would be easier than I thought. Riding the adrenaline I felt with the engine vibrating the entire kart, coupled with the resistance from the wheel as I skid at every turn, I quickly shot past Tanushri and Hana. Setting my target on Rishab’s back, I pushed my little cart as far as it could go. However, after nearly hitting one of the barriers, I decided that my life was more valuable than beating my Editor-in-Chief.
With my head sock, helmet, and racing suit on, I’m ready to go. But one look at Rishab effortlessly speeding past the first corner tells me that slow and steady isn’t exactly going to win this race. All of a sudden, I see Mallika pass me up on my right side. I press my foot on the gas and throw away all notions of defensive driving. When Hana overtakes me, I know I have to act fast. I breathe deeply and think two things: 1) Under no circumstances will I be in last place 2) This helmet smells really bad.
First place! My inner adrenaline junkie and carefree attitude allowed me to surpass my fellow Smokies. With the race coming down to fractions of a second, every bit of acceleration counted — those high-speed turns, however risky and life-threatening they might have been, definitely paid off. I’m glad that this challenge didn’t turn out to be like my last, underwhelming Diehard Tryhards Play Pokémon Go challenge. While I may have championed this race, I’m still watching my back next race, as my fellow Smokies were truly tough competition.
I think my fellow Smokies and I are all a little dazed by how intense that experience was, as we shakily hoist ourselves out of our karts onto stable ground. Despite my initial goal, second place feels pretty good, given that I started at the back and still emerged in one piece! I must say that speeding down a track at (what feels like) 100 mph feels far better than I thought winning would feel. After that race, readjusting to mundane Fremont street traffic is definitely going to be a challenge, but I know that I can always go back to LeMans for more.
Third place! And I’m still alive! I wish we had a round two because I figured out the perfect speed to use to turn the corners without skidding, but I’ll save my victory for another time. I don’t think tailgating Hana for the last lap was particularly strategic — I should have just taken the leap and jumped in front of her, like frantic drivers tend to do to me and my Corolla. But the adrenaline rush afterwards made it all (even the sweaty helmet smell) worth it.
1ST
THOUGHTS AFTER
I’m a little dazed after I hop out of the car and my hands ache from gripping the steering wheel. I guess I should have disregarded my lessons on defensive driving and just sped up sooner, because my lap times improved exponentially when I did. I am not disappointed with getting fourth place because driving that fast was an exhilarating experience and channelling my inner Dominic Toretto definitely got me through the race.
FINAL RANKINGS
2ND
3RD
4TH photos by feature editor brian tseng
Friday, March 3, 2017
The Smoke Signal
Special 11
WWW.THESMOKESIGNAL.ORG
Race and Ethnicity at MSJ To begin the series, the Smoke Signal goes beyond the surface to discuss personal experiences and issues concerning race and ethnicity. While racial issues may bring fear, insecurity, and discomfort, it is important to celebrate the racial diversity present in our community to foster pride and appreciation in each individual’s unique identity. By opening up the dialogue on race and ethnicity, we hope to shift the perspective on these topics and break the stereotype by recognizing nuances in cultures. This coverage will include personal stories, graphic opinions, and informational displays of statistics gathered from surveys of the student body.
By the Numbers By Gloria Chang, Hannah Chou, Heather Gan & Deeksha Raina Staff Writers
An Introduction In light of the recent political climate, it is more important than ever for us to cherish our differences and unite regardless of our backgrounds. This special coverage series, which will be presented in four installments: race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, religion, and unity, aims to empower members of the community to reach out and embrace individuals of all backgrounds. The special coverage is intended to provide our school community with insights into the differences among our backgrounds and promote unity while celebrating diversity.
The following graphs depict MSJ’s demographic trends over the years as well as students’ perceptions on racial identities at school. The statistics unveil the unspoken emotions that students carry with their race and give insight into the diverse perspectives of our community. The Smoke Signal hopes to open the dialogue and dispel racial attitudes students, parents, and staff may hold. Student data was obtained via cluster sampling of students in eight English and Social Studies classrooms, two from each grade level. Out of the 249 students surveyed on February 14, 203 responded.
2015-16
- American Indian or Alaskan Native - Hispanic or Latino
- African-American
- Mixed Race
- White
- Pacific Islander - Not Reported
MSJ DEMOGRAPHICS over the years
- Never
This data was retrieved from the California Department of Education website. The four graphs show racial changes over intervals of approximately 10 years, from the 1981-82 school year to the 2015-16 school year.
- Rarely
- Sometimes
2004-05
- Filipino
how often have you experienced these feelings toward your racial background?
- Often
1993-94
- Asian
In the last SIX months...
- Always
1981-82
PRIDE
SHAME
WITHIN THE MSJ COMMUNITY. . .
INDIFFERENCE
BELONGING
how often have you experienced these feelings because of your racial background?
4.7% face discrimination DAILY or OFTEN. 65% have NEVER experienced discrimination. 88% ALWAYS or OFTEN feel that their racial
identity is welcome.
On a scale of 1-5, how much of an
MISTREATMENT (most)
ACCEPTANCE
do you feel race has on your life?
“
(least)
IMPACT
MISCONCEPTION
FEAR
57 % agree race carries a STIGMA at msj.
24%
5 4 3 2 1
22% 27%
9%
19% 8%
- Always
34%
23%
- Often
have you ever perceived someone differently due to their race?
Word Bank
I don’t care for the dictionary’s definition [of race] only because I think race can be used in many ways that will both help and harm individuals.
HUMAN GEOGRAPHY TEACHER bill jeffers
”
“
- Sometimes
39%
- Never
26% 12%
race: a social construct categorizing people based on physical traits and assigned innate qualities.
ENGLISH TEACHER NINA LAROSA
”
Ethnicity
Privilege
The fact or state of belonging to a social group that has a common national or cultural tradition (Oxford Dictionary)
A right or immunity granted as a peculiar benefit, advantage, or favor (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
Race A category of humankind that shares certain distinctive physical traits (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
29%
how often do you seek information about other ethnic cultures?
28%
Xenophobia
Racism
Racial Profiling
Ethnic Minority
Dislike of or prejudice against people from other countries (Oxford Dictionary)
The belief that some races are better than others, or the unfair treatment of someone because of his or her race (Cambridge Dictionary)
The use of race or ethnicity as grounds for suspecting someone of having committed an offense (Oxford Dictionary)
A group of people of a particular race or nationality living in a country or area where most people are from a different race or nationality (Cambridge Dictionary)
LAYOUT BY GRAPHICS EDITORS ZEN THUMPARKKUL & VICTOR ZHOU, COVERAGE LED BY GRAPHICS EDITORS ZEN THUMPARKKUL & VICTOR ZHOU & WEB EDITORS ANDREW CHOI & CAROLYN GE
12 Special
www.thesmokesignal.org
In an effort to feature individual experiences with race, the Smoke Signal asked the MSJ community to share stories about racial identity. Student and alumni responses were taken from a survey via Facebook from February 10 to 17.
“As a Muslim-Afghan, embracing both my culture and religion has been a struggling battle. I saw ‘different and unique’ as being ‘strange and unacceptable.’ My main objective was to blend in with the people around me, which I now deeply regret. I even kept my distance from my own religion and culture. Time went on and I began noticing hate crimes against people just like me. That … opened up my perspective, and I began putting my interest in my roots … I took those titles with pride and cleared out my fear of being different. As someone from a minority group, I feel as if I hold a role of presenting my title in a positive light. Conversations stir up about the Middle East or Islam, and I use my voice to express the beauty of it all. Being able to express my identity and become an unfiltered voice on Islam has helped me embrace who I am.” — Hanniya Zohdi, 11
“I attended an elementary school where there was a diverse mix of Vietnamese, Filipino, and Mexican cultures. Even in a concentrated community of these minorities, there were racial divides in our subconscious. It became evident one time in fifth grade, when my teacher had my class read a Chinese version of a Cinderella tale called ‘Yeh-Shen.’ I was the only Chinese person in my class, and consequently, my classmates recognized a striking coincidence in my Chinese ethnicity and in the similarity of my name, YiChen. Previously, I thought I blended in with my Vietnamese classmates because I got along with everyone. Instead, a handful of them assumed my name meant the same thing. As a result, Yeh-Shen quickly caught on as a nickname, and I was given a new identity of a character in a fairytale. Even in a predominantly ‘Asian’ community, there were still slightly varying nuances that we defined ourselves with, already as elementary schoolers. This experience allowed me to realize early on that racism isn’t just a problem in black and white — there’s a spectrum that we have to hold accountable as well. However, it’s this spectrum that ultimately allows us to recognize differences and initiate our interest in learning about other cultures outside of the ones which we are exposed to.” — YC Xing, 12
The Smoke Signal
Friday, March 3, 2017
“I was born in Charlotte, North Carolina and lived there for about six years. Unlike Fremont, Charlotte lacked racial diversity, and I was one of the very few Asians in my school … During an Indian festival, my grandmother had bought me new Indian clothes which I thought were absolutely gorgeous. Full of excitement, I wore my new clothes to school, anxious to show all my friends. This attracted a lot of stares, and I felt so different from my peers in my foreign clothes. Luckily, my friends were understanding of my culture and were even intrigued by my dress. This taught me to embrace my culture instead of shun it.” — Shreya Sridhar, 9
The Smoke Signal
www.thesmokesignal.org
Special 13
To present student views on race and identity, the Smoke Signal asked the student body for guest graphic opinions that reflect racial issues and celebrate racial diversity. Student responses were collected from February 13 to February 21.
“While I was at Mission, it was entirely too easy to forget that I was a member of a minority. My racial identity was not part of what I considered my identity -— I was Chinese, but it wasn’t that important, since I was surrounded by people who either looked like me, ate Asian snacks like me, understood my background, or all of the above. In college, without the comfort and safety of the Mission Bubble, I realized that to some people, my race defined me before I ever opened my mouth. The first thing some people labelled me as was ‘Asian’ … I met other Asian students who came from high schools where they were the minority and listened to why they identify as people of color, and for the first time, I had to think about whether or not I considered myself a person of color.” — Grace Dong, Class of 2016 Alumna
“As a white student at MSJ, I often find myself on the receiving end of racist jokes and judgment. At our school, whites are stereotyped as ‘the dumb white kid’ or ‘the Trump supporter.’ Ever since middle school, when kids would find out I took honors classes, I was met with looks of surprise and astonishment. Some of my fellow teammates attribute my success on the school’s sports teams to my race. Whenever I do something differently than my friends, they joke about and pass it off as ‘something a white person would do.’ Although frustrating, I have gotten used to all the comments and jokes surrounding my skin color. I find myself laughing along with them. It just bothers me that white students aren’t perceived the same way as everyone else at our school.” — Connor Sayle, 10
This mural design, chosen by student and faculty votes, was created by Sophomore Toshali Goel, an Art 3 student, as part of a class project organized by Art Teacher Edie Christensen. Art students were asked to design a mural falling under the category of either student life or multicultural diversity. Art students will start painting Goel’s seven by 12 feet mural in early March, weather permitting, on the wall to the left of the cafeteria snack window near the Bell Tower Quad. Regarding the concept behind her design, Goel said, “I was thinking about how children are often oblivious to the hate and discrimination in the world around them … I decided to draw a group of children from all around the world playing together. I remembered the phrase, ‘The world is our playground,’ and tried to incorporate that [concept] as well — literally having the children playing on the playground of the world.” staff writer richard chenyu zhou
Friday, March 3, 2017
By Amy Chen & Vicki Xu Staff Writers
Imagine: after four hours of sleep, you slog through six hours of school in a sleepy haze, only to return home to bask in fourteen hours more of your textbooks’ companionship. Study, sleep, eat, repeat. Or maybe not sleep, as long as you maintain that 4.0 GPA. But what about non-academic pursuits, like the arts or the athletics? Well, those aren’t necessary if they keep you from your acceptance letter to that prestigious School of Engineering your immigrant parents expect you to attend. Sound patronizing and untrue? For many outsiders looking in, however, this is the MSJ they see. Sometimes, this is even what we see. Critics looking into the school environment often point towards our largely Asian-American student body to demonstrate a lack of diversity. When the football program was suspended last May, the online response largely constituted a flurry of racially-charged insults. Outsiders viewed our students as athletic weaklings, knowing only how to memorize every word printed in their textbooks — just because we have a majority Asian-American student body. They failed to recognize that our school is not completely “Asian,” and that even within the “Asian” bracket, cultural differences are prevalent. But we internalize that com-
mentary. So many of us generalize ourselves as “Asian,” “white,” or “black,” without a clue of what these broad categories entail beyond being labels on identification forms and standardized tests. We ideologically homogenize our own cultures and ethnicities into a sweeping abstract category, because that is what society expects. Ironically, Asian-American students may generalize other races the same way “outsider critics” generalize Asians, but there’s no outcry. A common stereotype is that Asians are academically superior to non-Asians. As with any stereotype, this places pressure on both non-Asian and Asian students to rigidly conform to expectations; those who choose not to do so are consequently treated like outsiders. This results in a toxic cycle of self-fulfilling prophecies and confirmation biases in which students perform the way they are expected to, thus affirming the prejudices of their peers. While prejudice from outsiders is common, in reality some of the most potent barbs come from within our little bubble. Many of us are members of minority groups in the general US, but thanks to our school’s unique circumstances, most of us have the privilege of attending school every day as the racial majority, relatively shielded
from disdain. But racism continues to be present in the form of prejudice towards white, African-American, and Hispanic/Latino students. We caricaturize ourselves and each other, even while inside our Mission Bubble. Fortunately, we do not have to change how we view our identities just for the sake of eliminating racial prejudice. To create a more positive, unified environment, we need to celebrate and respect different ethnicities. The recent executive orders have made certain cultural groups more vulnerable than ever. We need to be more proactive in showing cultural appreciation, so all these different groups that make America great know that they are accepted and loved. Communities are better off when we appreciate each of our unique backgrounds. Consider the value of diversity in the workplace. University of Texas at Dallas Management Professor Orlando Richard sampled 177 national US banks in 2003 to compare financial performance, racial diversity, and emphasis on innovation within the bank. He found that banks with higher racial diversity were more innovative and experienced better performance than banks with lower racial diversity. Functioning in the context of different ethnicities introduces us to the nuances of each culture, which
in turn provides us with valuable different perspectives regarding an issue. This allows us more ways to approach and solve problems. Furthermore, Columbia Business School Professor Katherine W. Phillips wrote in a Scientific American article that “when we hear dissent from someone who is different from us, it provokes more thought than when it comes from someone who looks like us,” drawing off of a variety of research done by faculty at universities including Tufts University, Stanford University, Columbia University, and Harvard University. Hearing different opinions and values allows us to open the doors to new ideas and interpretations. Diversity forces us to listen more closely to each other in order to bridge our differences and communicate, thus broadening our perspectives. Likewise, by encouraging diversity in our school and work environments, our communities are more likely to be better off in the long run. We see the values of diversity in our own community. The Bay Area would not be the flourishing hub it is now without the massive cultural and intellectual input from all around the world. We live and breathe in a rich, vibrant hub of culture that deserves to be embraced rather than avoided, and we can begin doing this by loving our own backgrounds. ■ layout by centerspread editor mallika gupta
14 Arts & Entertainment
www.thesmokesignal.org
The Smoke Signal
Friday, March 3, 2017
MSJ Art Clubs By Heather Gan, Amber Lee & Julia Park Staff Writers
Among MSJ’s wide array of clubs are several dedicated to the visual arts. For those looking to join a community of artists or to discover a new interest, the Smoke Signal compiled a guide to six clubs that focus on subjects ranging from origami to photography.
Paper Business Origami Phoenix’s main activity is Club is not just a club for publishing and selling its anseasoned origamists, but also for nual art and literary magazine, people who are looking to learn this which showcases works from MSJ Japanese art. According to President students. In the beginning of the year, Senior Eric Jair, anyone can join this club. they prepare for Phoenix fundraisers by “We teach origami step by step so if someone making artsy items such as soap or colored is less skilled, we have officers teach one-onmugs. Later, they select the top student submisone,” said Jair. At each meeting, members learn to sions of artwork, photography, prose, poetry, or make different models of origami, which are usually Are you someone constantly even college essays. The club is planning to expand related to the current season and holidays such as on top of fashion trends or on their coverage in the future. “We’re working on Christmas-themed origami for December. The the lookout for new ways to re- starting a monthly spotlight on MSJ artists, inclub also planned its annual Valentine’s Day vamp your style? If yes, A La Mode stead of just artists around the world,” Editorfundraiser where they sold origami roses is the right fit for you. The club, whose in-Chief Senior Ashley Chang said. Their with chocolate. The club holds meet- adviser is Counselor Ivy Lee, is perfect for adviser is English Teacher Cherylle ings regularly every two weeks in anyone who enjoys design, art, and fashion. Lindsey, and club members usually B-24, English Teacher Patricia Besides discussing current trends and hosting meet off-campus. Weed-Wolnick’s room. clothing swaps, the club holds an annual fashion show and receives invitations to college fashion shows. A La Mode plans on having a few more clothing swaps before the end of the year so members can switch up their styles. “I love how this club is a platform where people with different interests come together as a whole to enjoy and share different styles of selfexpression,” said President Senior Grace Huang.
MSJ Picture Perfect PhotogVisual Arts and Music Society raphy is the perfect club for any(VAMS) offers the perfect comone interested in learning how to bination of visual arts, music, and capture a good photo. The club meets service. They accommodate people in Digital Photography Teacher Bruce of all skill levels, and their main activity Farnsworth’s room, E-7. During meetings, is organizing benefit concerts such as the club members can participate in photo shoots recent Hymns for Haiti concert in the winter. and practice photography techniques in a studio However, there are a variety of other creative acset up in Farnsworth’s room. Students of all skill levels tivities that VAMS participates in, such as making can join Picture Perfect, and although some special equipmusical greeting cards that play a song when opened or National Art Honors Sociment is needed for photo shoots, the club is currently creating instruments out of recycled material. VAMS ety is an active community of looking to add more equipment to the studio for stuPresident Senior YC Xing said, “What I like most students interested in the visual dents to use. Regarding what he liked most about is the interdisciplinary culture that we have bearts and welcomes people of all skill the club, President Senior Mitchell Wu said, “I tween music and art…[which] gets people levels. Art Teacher Edie Christensen is think it’s just the flexibility of this club, and with all different kinds of interests tothe adviser for the club, which meets most we get to choose what to do, and there’s gether.” They meet once a month in Tuesdays in her room, E-3. There is a different always a lot of people interested [in P-25, English Teacher Nina LaRoagenda each meeting, and officers hold tutorials this topic].” sa’s room. and activities for different art forms. The club holds workshops and also has yearly activities, such as participating in the annual Trashy Fashion Show organized by L2’s Green Team. Co-President Senior Melissa Zhuang said, “It’s been really great to see how we’ve grown. We started out with literally no members, and then we started planning our activities, trying different things, and it was kind of tough but I think it was especially rewarding.”
photos courtesy ashley chang, grace huang, eric jair, mitchell wu, yc xing & melissa zhuang
Friday, March 3, 2017
The Smoke Signal
www.thesmokesignal.org
Arts & Entertainment 15
C R I T I C S’ C O R N E R M us i C : sa m p h a, Ad ib s i n | F ilm : t h e le g o bat ma n mov ie | book : Mod er n d eath
Under the radar Adib Sin By Evangeline Chang Staff Writer Adib Sin is a 23-year-old electronic musician from Leeds, United Kingdom now residing in Brisbane, Australia. Sin has been making music for 10 years, collaborating with friends, and using Logic Pro 9 to create his works. According to Sin, he ironically grew up hating music, but picked up his first acoustic guitar when he was 13, and his first electric guitar when he was 15. Sin had originally started making music at such a young age to prove that music wasn’t that impressive, but later began finding a passion in it. He has always been interested in creating things, such as art and small video games that he would share with friends. For one of the games he made, he composed a soundtrack, and has continued making music since then. In response to being asked about his opinion on making music, Sin said, “What people have to have in mind is that, creating music is different to playing it. You start with a blank canvas and slowly fart out ideas for weeks and months, coagulating small melodies and riffs into a coherent piece of music.” Sin uses a variety of social media to post his works and get in touch with his fans, including SoundCloud, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. His oldest posted work from one year ago, “From Here,” featuring Cae, has nearly 500,000 views and 20,000 likes on YouTube. His works have a happy and nostalgic tone, utilizing synthetic sounds to make the lyrics sound more faint, and the acoustics of the pieces are the focus. ▪
Book Bites By Bethany Woo Staff Writer
the lego batman movie
Music review sampha
imdb.com
By Ansh Patel Staff Writer Taking a sharp turn away from Christopher Nolan’s dark, gritty Batman trilogy, Director Chris McKay’s The Lego Batman Movie gives us a lighthearted, comical take on the caped crusader. When Lego Batman (Will Arnett) first appeared on the big screen in 2014’s The Lego Movie, he was just a supporting character playing a limited role in the movie’s plot. Though the movie draws heavily from the plot structure of its predecessor, the new film focuses on the hero and his developing relationships with his sidekick Robin (Michael Cera) and butler Alfred (Ralph Fiennes). Though it’s clear Bruce Wayne doesn’t have a family or close friends to support him, he has a hard time admitting it. Despite the offers of help and backing from those around him, Batman refuses to open himself up or work with others. The film approaches the character from a new perspective, one that spotlights Batman’s need for companionship rather than his ability to fight crime.
The movie’s sense of humor makes it stand out, packing so much comedy that it feels as if every second the audience is given a new one-liner. Though the movie is funny, it sometimes becomes difficult for the viewer to keep up with the barrage of jokes, making the movie a little frenetic. Even so, the laughs keep the movie entertaining, though they come on a little too strong at times. McKay also takes the animation in a different direction by ditching smooth character movements, like we’ve expected from animated movies, and emphasizing the rigidity and choppiness of Legos, making the movie almost feel like a feature-length stop-motion animation. The bright oranges and dark colors that make up Gotham city bring the setting to life, making the movie more enjoyable. With the entire Batman franchise at its disposal, the movie had plenty of characters and plotlines to parody and make fun of. For example, Arnett pokes fun at Batman’s history and idiosyncrasies in his stellar role as the voice of the Gotham City Avenger. Zach Galifianakis also takes a unique approach in
his portrayal of the Joker, making the Clown Prince of Crime’s primary objective not to destroy Gotham City, but to prove himself as Batman’s greatest enemy. The movie satirizes everything from the 1960s black and white Batman TV series, to the hero’s most recent films, and its numerous pop culture references show that it understands what to make fun of about the character and what to exploit. Visual and soundtrack references are scattered throughout the film, keeping the audience engaged and on the lookout. Overall, The Lego Batman Movie successfully plays its role as a spoof movie. The numerous quips, sarcastic humor, and references to past movies, comic books and television series, all work together to create a new type of Batman that keeps his audience laughing. ▪ Grade: A-
modern death: how medicine changed the end of life
Student Recommendations
Title: Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage Author: Haruki Murakami Rating: Easy Genre: Realistic Fiction Follow the journey of a young college graduate as he struggles to discover his identity and find closure after terrible losses that leave him deeply mentally wounded. “The story line is pretty relatable because everyone goes through issues with friends. There’s a lot of self discovery and stigmatized topics that I don’t usually see all [in] one book.” – Jessica Chung, 10 Title: Life of Pi Author: Yann Martel Rating: Medium Genre: Adventure Life of Pi is the extraordinary tale of how a boy called Pi and a Bengal tiger survive for more than 200 days stranded in the Pacific Ocean. “It’s very suspenseful but at the same time there’s also lots of periods where it is really funny. Even though it seems almost larger than life it is very interesting.” – Jonathan Kretchmer, 12
Staff Recommendation
Title: How Not to Die Author: Michael Greger and Gene Stone Rating: Medium Genre: Nonfiction Dr. Greger examines the top 15 causes of premature death in America, and explores how good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle often surpass pharmaceutical approaches. “It’s an excellent book that’s researched-based about health. Everyone should be well-informed about deceptive practices that are practiced by our government and private companies regarding nutrition.” – Chemistry Teacher Rick Flores
us.macmillan.com
By Jessica Jen Staff Writer Modern Death: How Medicine Changed the End of Life by Haider Warraich, M.D., provides an introspective look into death, its role in modern society, and how it has changed into what it is now. With death broken down into manageable portions, readers will be able to comprehend death as they had never before considered. Warraich brings into question when, where, how, and why people die today, along with plenty of discussion on what death actually is. Doctors and families alike are all so focused on saving the patient’s life that the idea of death is never fully considered. Physicians may do this because they are not sure what the patient wants, but patients may not be aware of Do Not Resuscitate and similar options that challenge the value of survival over quality of life. Death itself has changed for people alive today. Lifespan has extended from an average of 30 years in the 19th century to an average of 85 years in the present. However, in modern times, factors such as socioeconomic status influence life expectancy. People are also dying away from home, in hospitals and hospices
instead of in their beds. This is their personal choice, but some cannot pass away peacefully at home any longer; Warraich notes that the patient’s wishes must correlate with feasibility. Also often ignored during a patient’s illness are the caregivers and healthcare proxy. These people make decisions that must compromise their own emotional conflicts with what is best for the patient. Topics involving death are not the focus of many dinner conversations, but Warraich’s writing forces readers to consider how these choices will play out in their own lives. Warraich also mentions that doctors may be uncomfortable discussing death in part because they are used to diagnosing disease, not life, and treating illness, not the prospect of death. For many the focus is on surviving instead of living, and Warraich contends the dominance of this mindset. In a book otherwise devoid of characters save death, Warraich humanizes the pages through personal stories. He includes anecdotes of memorable cases he himself encountered in the hospital, along with keystone cases that changed how control of death is managed. Karen Quinlan and Jahi McMath, for example, were each involved in high-profile controversies when, in their comatose states, the patients
were involved in legal cases debating the right to die and legal death. Warraich writes with a friendly, approachable tone to offset the often morbid topics he discusses. His voice shows his intelligence, yet is never esoteric. The book manages to portray macabre death in a less than macabre manner, thanks to the mix of medical lecturing and personal stories. For many, death is the alternative to a comatose existence. It is not the particulars of death that matter, but how the person lived and what effect he or she had on others that matters. Modern Death is a moderate to difficult read, depending on the reader’s extent of medical knowledge and familiarity with the terminology. Although at times sad, the book is never depressing, and is an informative read about death and dying. ▪
By Stephanie Dutra Staff Writer 28-year-old British singer, songwriter, and producer Sampha Sisay, whose stage name is Sampha, released his debut album Process on February 3. The album explores his emotional baggage and life over the past few years through ballads which artfully combine contemporary R&B, soul, and electro. Process may be Sampha’s debut album, but he made a name for himself prior to the album’s release. In addition to his two EPs Sundanza (2010) and Dual (2013), Sampha collaborated with other artists to write, sing, and produce music. In the following years, he worked with global superstars, including Drake, Kanye West, Frank Ocean, Beyoncé, and Solange. While Sampha’s career was taking off, his mother was diagnosed with cancer, and he had to devote his time to supporting her and to other personal issues. Finding the time to split between his beloved work and family was difficult, prompting the long break between the release date of his EPs and Process. The masterpiece he put together during this time is deeply personal, showcasing his raw emotion through his voice seemingly worn with pain (but by no means weak), his poetic lyrics, and experimental instrumentals and production. The album opens with “Plastic 100°C,” an innovative ballad recreating the US moon landing and intertwining it with his own feelings concerning grief and crying for help. Following the creative track is “Blood on Me,” the most immediate and pop-like song on the album, and not surprisingly the most popular, which features Sampha’s vocals sounding desperate and frantic as he is in a fight-or-flight situation. His unconventional choice of instruments is clear in multiple tracks, but most notably in “Kora Sings,” a song drawing inspiration from the folk music of Mali. “(No One Knows Me) Like the Piano” is the album’s most intimate ballad, showcasing his pure, ethereal vocals accompanied by the calming piano instrumental as he mourns his mother. Another popular single is the soul number “Timmy’s Prayer,” cowritten by Kanye West, which tapers into a unique soul and electronic piece halfway through the song. All of the tracks offer an emotional complexity written in his poetic lyrics and heard through his warm voice. Just as it is harder but more rewarding to digest a poetic masterpiece, or how people tend to enjoy mindless, entertaining films, there are likely many people who will not appreciate the music Sampha’s album Process offers. If not paid proper attention, the album can easily melt into one long and enjoyable, yet unmemorable track. Process is not the album that people will belt out the lyrics to with their friends or hear overplayed on the radio, but rather a breathtaking soundtrack that tells the story of an artist’s beautiful yet emotionallyharrowing and complex journey. For those who appreciate the process of creating musical masterpieces and authenticity, Process will not fail to impress. ▪ Grade: A
Rating: B+
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Arts & Entertainment 17
Love the art, hate the artist By Vicki Xu Staff Writer If ancient caveman drawings in Lascaux are any indication, the arts have been an outlet for creative expression since the dawn of human history. And since art itself does not discriminate, great but controversial creators — who, for all their unconventional or reprehensible behaviors, have produced work worthy of recognition — are able to achieve prominence. This presents a dilemma to the public: choosing between recognizing the artist and everything the artist stands for by association, or distancing the artist from their art in an effort to commend just the art. Notably, Actress Constance Wu objected to the Oscars’ Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences for its 2017 nomination of Actor Casey Affleck, who was sued for sexual harassment in 2010. In a January 24 tweet, she said, “Boys! BUY ur way out of trouble by settling out of court! Just do a good acting job, thats all that matters! bc Art isn’t about humanity, right?[sic]” Wu’s impassioned criticism pinpoints the central struggle in recognizing controversial creators. Does awarding a great artist (but a bad person) implicitly condone his or her actions? Of course, artists can never be completely separated from their artwork. The sheer dedication that goes into producing each piece of artwork is an investment unto itself, a product of the creator’s unique circumstances and style.
This presents a dilemma to the public: choosing between recognizing the artist and everything the artist stands for by association, or distancing the artist from their art in an effort to commend just the art. But at the same time, the art extends beyond the artist. Like parent and child, just because the artist and the artwork are related does not mean that the two are one and the same; the art —
and its own influence — remains long after the artist is gone. For instance, Renaissance painter Piero di Cosimo is little known for anything other than his work. In a sense, he is survived by his art, which by this time has made its own impacts on the world. However, this doesn’t just apply to obscure Renaissance artists. Beatles Co-Founder John Lennon is revered as one of the greatest singer-songwriters and advocates for peace to have ever walked the earth. He also physically abused both of his wives, which he himself admitted in a 1980 interview with Playboy magazine. Wilhelm Richard Wagner, a German composer whose orchestral pieces and operas are still widely performed today, wrote an essay named “Judaism in Music” that bitterly attacked Jewish musicians for supposedly being artistically incompetent.
Like parent and child, just because the artist and the artwork are related does not mean that the two are one and the same; the art — and its own influence — remains long after the artist is gone. Certainly, Lennon and Wagner’s creative acuity do not justify their actions. At the same time, we cannot deny their geniuses, which revolutionized their respective fields. Lennon ushered in a new age of experimentalism in music and integrated powerful messages within his songs. Even when he did not live up to his own notions of kindness, he inspired a massive cultural movement of boundless love and respect that still carries weight today. Wagner broke traditional musical barriers, transformed the format of the opera and invented a new instrument, the Wagnerian tuba, with a rich enough tone for his operas. For these contributions, they deserve merit.
Actress Constance Wu (left) and Actor Casey Affleck (right)
The Oscar voters, who are in charge of choosing actors for one of the most prestigious awards in film, must have nominated Affleck for similar reasons. While his personal actions were certainly inexcusable, the artistic work he produced was praiseworthy as well. Suppressing the inherent public worth of the art for the artist’s faults is akin to punishing a child for his or her parents’ actions; in the end, the
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creation’s impact spreads far beyond the creator. Condemn these artists for their personal actions, but recognize them for their powerful works — which are capable of influencing generations of people. ▪
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Tilden Regional Parks Botanic Garden
Address: 2501 Grizzly Peak Blvd., Orinda, CA 94563
The 10-acre Tilden Regional Parks Botanic Garden is located in the Wildcat Canyon of the north Berkeley Hills, showcasing a diverse display of native plant communities. It is divided into ten sections: Southern CA, Shasta-Klamath, Valley-Foothill, Santa Lucia, Channel Islands, Sierran, Redwood, Sea Bluff, Pacific Rain Forest, and Franciscan. The Tilden Regional Parks Botanic Garden presents a vast array of manzanitas, as well as its extensive collections of native bunchgrasses, bulbs, and aquatic plants. A variety of different plants and flower species are in bloom each month, creating a beautifully unique exhibit that lasts throughout the year.
San Francisco Botanical Garden
The San Francisco Botanical Garden showcases more than 8,000 plant species in its 55 acres. Located near the Golden Gate Bridge, the misty, mild Mediterranean climate allows for exotic flowers, ferns, and trees to thrive. Plant collections include the Australian Garden, Chilean Garden, Mesoamerican Cloud Forest, Redwood Grove, and California Native Garden. The San Francisco Botanical Garden is also famous for its abundant magnolia collection, which blooms in beautiful shades of pink from January through March.
Hayward Japanese Garden
Botanical Gardens By Gloria Chang and Evie Sun Staff Writers
Visiting a botanical garden is a great way to enjoy the beauty and serenity of nature outside of the busy city life. Whether you’re an amateur botanist, a budding gardener, or someone who simply appreciates the outdoor life, the Bay Area holds a wide variety of botanical gardens that are sure to suit the interests of everyone. From a historic Japanese tea garden to exotic bonsai collections, the Smoke Signal has compiled a diverse list of the Bay Area’s must-see gardens.
This 3.5-acre area originally housed the agricultural studies program for the Hayward High School from 1913 to 1962, but became the first Japanese garden to be developed in CA. Designer Kimio Kimura used traditional Japanese garden art principles to build wooden structures, in juxtaposition with native Californian plants and trees. Nowadays, the garden’s koi pond, teahouse, and greenery provide the perfect setting for weddings and other photo shoots. The garden is currently maintained by the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District.
Address: Address: Address: 650 Bellevue Ave. 22373 N. Third St. San Francisco Botanical Oakland, CA 94610 Hayward, CA 94541 Garden The Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt is the only major all-volunteer bonsai garden in the US. The garden was 1199 Ninth Ave. built and is maintained by volunteers throughout the Bay Area. The garden is known for its historic Daimyo San Francisco, CA 94122 tree, which the Japanese government presented to the US Ambassador in China in the 1860s. The garden also features
Bonsai Garden at lake merritt
one of the largest collections of bonsai on the West Coast. The garden displays around a hundred bonsai at one time, and rotates regularly so that visitors have the opportunity to experience seasonal changes. In 2015, the Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt opened its first year-long Bonsai School to provide education on bonsai care.
photos by gardensatlakemerritt.org, us.lasdistancias.com, nativeplants.org, thymetogrow.com
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Sports 19
Boys’ Golf
Varsity Junior Varsity The Boys’ Tennis team is composed of a Varsity and Junior Varsity team. All players will be returning and they welcome numerous talented freshmen. The team retains its strong rivalry against James Logan High School, and looks to defeat them in both of their league matches. The team will also compete in the James Logan Invitational, and other tournaments in the East and North Bay to see how well they match up to other Bay Area teams.
Varsity Junior Varsity
Baseball
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Boys’ Tennis
Boys’ Volleyball The Boys’ Volleyball team plans on continuing their dominant streak from last season, and hoping to win MVALs as well as a few NCS matches. The team lost some key starters from last year, but has also obtained several talented freshmen. With the abundance of new players, the team is unsure of how well it will perform as a group and acknowledges that mental attitude will be a huge factor in their season. The team will play in five outside tournaments in South and East Bay.
Varsity This year, Boys’ Golf will only have a Varsity team of 12 players. They plan to focus on and truly understand their own individual weaknesses as well as improve their course management skills. The team has had a strong showing at NCS the past two years and hopes to place in the top three of this year’s competition in order to qualify for the Nor Cal Championship.
Spring Sports Preview Softball
Varsity Junior Varsity
By Heather Gan & Andrew Kan Staff Writers MSJ’s spring sports teams are starting to prepare for their MVAL matches. Read on to see what each of the eight teams is planning for their season.
Badminton
Since the majority of last year’s team were sophomores and juniors, the team looks to win more games than previous years with improved team communication among many returning players. Outside of MVAL matches, the team will also compete in a tournament at Milpitas and the Michael DeJesus Baseball Classic.
Swimming and Diving
Varsity Junior Varsity With the departure of two coaches, Shelley Wenzel is the new head coach and Physical Education Teacher Melissa Kaeo is serving as the assistant coach. Despite the changes to coaching staff, they look forward to dominating the season by winning MVAL, advancing to NCS, and potentially competing at the California Interscholastic Federation state competition. The team also looks to improve the team atmosphere by having more spirit during cheers as well as having Varsity and Junior Varsity bond together.
Varsity Junior Varsity
This year’s team is very young, with only three senior Varsity players. Despite having a less experienced team, Badminton welcomed strong freshmen who are a great addition to the team. The team has high expectations for this season — they hope to remain undefeated in their league and take home the NCS title for the 14th consecutive year. The team also hopes to strengthen the team bond by supporting and motivating each other, which they believe is an integral component to their longtime success.
Varsity Junior Varsity
Half of this year’s Varsity team consists of travel ball players, players who play competitively outside of school, so the team hopes to win at least two games with their more experienced team. Besides league meets, the team does not have any tournaments but will be participating in five to six preseason games to prepare for the league season.
Track and Field
Varsity Junior Varsity The track team welcomed Jahdai Bolds as the new distance coach and Stephen Glock as the new jumps coach, which will allow returning Coach Brian Singleton to focus more on sprints and hurdles. While the distance team is composed of more experienced runners, sprints, jumps, and throws have more underclassmen. Nevertheless, each section anticipates competing at MVAL meets and advancing athletes to NCS Bayshore and potentially beyond.
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Boys’ Soccer pulls off senior night 3-0 victory By Michael Ren Staff Writer MSJ Varsity Boys’ Soccer faced off against American High School on February 10. The game ended in a 3-0 victory for the Warriors after 80 minutes of fast-paced action. Heading into the game, both American and MSJ had evenly matched records, with American at four wins, seven losses, and three ties, and MSJ at four wins and 10 losses. The game was also the Warriors’ senior night. Before the game, the team’s seniors were each formally recognized and given a collection of gifts by their younger teammates. Many seniors also attended the game to support the team. Both teams came rushing out of the gates with very energetic plays. However, MSJ managed to come out on top, retaining control of the ball for the majority of the first 10 minutes. This eventually lead to the first goal of the game, off of a huge throw in by Left Defender Senior Kevan Mathis that deflected off the American keeper’s arm and into the goal. Following this play, the tempo of the game slowed slightly, and American took possession of the ball. Two minutes after the Warriors’ goal, American also found an opportunity for a goal, but it was saved with a great block by Goalkeeper Sophomore Michael Bettencourt. At the 17-minute mark, Right Midfielder Freshman Justin Kim found a clear shot towards the goal, but American’s goalkeeper successfully blocked the attempt. American also continued to dominate ball possession, but the Warriors’ defense prevented any chance that they might have had at scoring. MSJ scored again 25 minutes into the game off of a huge defensive steal and run across the field. After a well-placed cross from Forward Junior Jonathan Nguyen, Striker Senior Lucas Song suc-
cessfully shot the ball into the goal, giving the Warriors a 2-0 lead. “I saw [Jonathan] looking over at me, and I knew he was trying to cross it over to the goal, so he crossed it to me, and I controlled it with my left foot and hit it in,” said Song. Three minutes before the half ended, the Warriors again created an opportunity to score when Midfielder Senior Saurjya Mukhopadhyay was fouled in the box. This led to a penalty kick that propelled MSJ to a 3-0 lead going into halftime.
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The second half started out much slower than the first half, with both teams playing more reservedly. This was in part because MSJ was playing with only 10 players as a result of a red card in the first half. “Even though we only had 10 players in the second half because we got a red card, we still kept it together,” said Mathis. The defensive playstyle from both teams led to a less eventful half. While the Warriors still found numerous chances to score, none of their attempts found the back of the net.
On the other side of the field, MSJ’s defense stifled American’s attack, only allowing for a single chance the entire half that went unconverted. As a result, the game ended in a 3-0 victory for the Warriors. Given the success of the team this year compared to previous years, there are high hopes for the next few seasons as well. “If we can play like we played today and hopefully all the freshman that were here today can see what we did, it’ll be a good year next year,” said Head Coach Ruben Raygoza. ▪
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Sports 21
Spotlight: New Coaches By Amy Chen, Hannah Chou & Deeksha Raina Staff Writers The Smoke Signal interviewed new Swim Coach Shelley Wenzel, Track and Field Distance Coach Jahdai Bolds, and Track and Field Jumps Coach Stephen Glock about their previous experience as well as their goals for each team in the upcoming spring season.
The Smoke Signal: How much experience do you have with coaching? Stephen Glock: I have 47 years, ever since I started teaching. I retired two years ago, [but] I still participate at different schools and help in their sports programs. I go to Washington and years ago Newark Memorial and Prince of Peace Junior High. I also ran track programs in the Tri-City Area. SS: What made you decide to become a coach? SG: I’ve been in sports for all my life, even when I was in elementary school. I’ve coached Boys’ Volleyball at Washington when [they] first started the program. I’ve also coached basketball and track all the time. SS: What do you anticipate to be the most difficult aspect of your new position and how do you plan to address it? SG: I don’t find [coaching] difficult [since] I’ve been teaching and coaching all my life, and I just enjoy it. I enjoy being around students, and I think that’s one of the biggest things about coaching. I remember the first year after I retired, I really missed being around the kids. I just enjoy it I don’t find anything really difficult about it. SS: What is your coaching philosophy and how has it changed over time? SG: My main thing is for the kids to have fun [and] to enjoy what they’re doing. Especially in track, [which] is all individual, it [depends on] what you want to do, so there isn’t that kind of pressure [that’s present] in team sports. You come out and do the best you can whether you have the abilities or not. You’re just there and have the kids
do they best they can while having fun. SS: What are your plans and goals for MSJ’s team this year and in the long run? SG: My plan is mainly be able to teach the kids. Especially in the triple jump, I found out that a lot of the kids don’t really know about the triple jump. [I want] them to develop the coordination in order to do the triple jumping and the long jumping and coordinate the hands, feet and the body to be able to exert the body forward. SS: What made you change from Boys’ Volleyball to track? SG: I was always involved in both [sports], and finally, after coaching [Boys’ Volleyball] for 10 or 12 years, another coach wanted to take over, and so I said ‘Fine. I’m done building the team.’ So [after that] I went back to [coaching] track. ▪
staff writer hannah chou
Track and Field Jumps Coach Stephen Glock
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Negative body image in athletics
By Bethany Woo Staff Writer
Recently, there have been tremendous efforts to address body image as a social construct and raise awareness on the influence media has on how people view themselves. However, the role that athletic sports play in self-objectification has been, for the most part, overlooked. Revealing uniforms, coaching pressure, and society’s general views on fitness contribute to an athlete’s self-perception. It is common for athletes to — subconsciously or consciously — compare their own body figure to what they consider the “ideal” shape created by stereotypes for their particular sport. For example, male athletes that participate in football are expected to be tall, muscular, and broad shouldered. Female dancers are expected to have a tall and slender body. In a study of Stanford athletes conducted by Regina C. Casper, M.D. and Ellen Reed, B.S., surveys found that a high percentage of both male and female athletes were dissatisfied with their physique. Of the female athletes, 52 out of 84 (62 percent) wished to change their body. Of the male athletes, 21 out of 37 (57 percent) expressed similar desires. However, the ways in which the genders wished to change their bodies were completely opposite. Roughly 32 percent of the women wished to lose weight, whereas 35 percent of the men wanted to gain more body weight. This study accurately reflects athletes’ mindsets and their desires to conform to what they perceive as a better form or body structure to improve performance. The objectification of the body causes athletes to impose body changes in pur-
suit of an ideal shape. Unfortunately, these methods have strong negative effects on users. For example, a controversial way of increasing muscle mass is using performance-enhancing drugs (PED); however, they lead to liver damage, stunted growth, and increased aggressiveness. One harmful method of achieving thinness is by starving oneself or throwing up consumed food. Athletes can become bulimic or anorexic from trying to forcefully lose weight. Aspects of competitive sports that affect an athlete’s body image include uniforms, coaching pressure, and society’s views on fitness. Tight-fitting or revealing uniforms, particularly for women, cause athletes to be more self-conscious about contrasts between their bodies and other athletes’ physiques. One illustration of this is the Speedo swimsuits that expose much of a swimmer’s body. Additionally, coaches who focus primarily on an athlete’s success motivate athletes to alter their body to perform better. However, the root of these self-image issues stems from what society defines as fitness, such as the belief that thinness in females and defined muscularity in males results in greater accomplishments. Despite these external pressures, ultimately it is up to the individual to prioritize his or her overall well-being over ideals and to form a positive attitude towards his or her own body size and/or shape. Moreover, athletes have a responsibility to be able to recognize when they are harming their health in order to maintain a certain image, and seek out professional help to overcome these obstacles. ▪
The Smoke Signal: What is your background in track and field and cross country? Jahdai Bolds: I’ve been running track and cross country since freshman year of high school at Mount Eden High School. I ran for about three years. I couldn’t do it senior year because of some injuries, but right now I run at the collegiate level. SS: What is your background in coaching? JB: I’ve coached high school teams both officially and unofficially. Officially just for a few years, but unofficially for some time now. SS: Why do you enjoy running? JB: I enjoy running as a personal activity for the feeling of achievement felt after putting myself through some of the worst suffering I can feel. That feeling of achievement or accomplishment makes running peaceful, despite such juxtaposition. SS: Why do you enjoy coaching distance in track and field? JB: Coaching, on the other hand, is a career I enjoy for the results that come with teaching students that they are more amazing than they are given credit for. It allows me to interact with students in a special way that teachers and parents don’t get the privilege to have. Coaches are an integral part of students’ lives, we get the opportunity to instill students with character, integrity, grit, [and] fulfillment while also having a lot of fun. I coach students, I don’t coach track. SS: What are your goals for the team this year? JB: This year, our goal is to get first place at MVALs. Not second to [James] Logan, or second to Newark Memorial, but first place. I really think they [MSJ’s team] can do it if they work hard on improving.
The Smoke Signal: What is your background in swimming and swim coaching? Shelley Wenzel: I’ve been swimming since age five. I did summer swim leagues from ages 5 up until 18. I swam in high school, and I also swam my freshman year of college. I also played water polo. I have a lot of background swimming in the pool, water polo, all of that good stuff. I was the assistant coach here in the fall of 2014 for water polo, so I have some coaching experience too. SS: What do you enjoy about swimming and swim coaching? SW: There are a lot of things to enjoy about it. I think it’s definitely more of an individual sport, so it’s really fun being able to compete not only with others when you get to swim meets, but also to be able to compete with yourself every day and being able to see yourself get faster. By the end of the season when you taper, you get to drop a lot of time. That usually makes the whole season of pain and conditioning worthwhile. Swimming with a good team, too, helps you have a lot of fun.
SS: How do you plan to achieve those goals this season? JB: Well, we’ll have to do a lot of running. The mileage is going to go up, for sure. These guys are going to be running like they never have before. SS: What are some of the team’s strengths that you would focus on? JB: One of the best parts is that team has a really strong bond. Their friendship is great and teams always perform best when there is a good friendship between members. It makes running the long distances more fun and enjoyable for everyone. SS: What do you anticipate to be the most difficult aspect of your new position and how do you plan to address it? JB: The most difficult part is probably managing the team because we have 30 to 40 kids running distance. My high school team was smaller so I’m used to working with smaller teams, so I think just working with such a large number of runners [will be difficult]. ▪
staff writer hannah chou
Track and Field Distance Coach Jahdai Bolds
SS: What are your thoughts on the swimming pool renovations? SW: I’m so excited for them to happen, and they couldn’t get here soon enough. This pool, while I’m very grateful to have a pool, is very old, and we have a great team that deserves a nicer pool, so I’m very excited for it. SS: Do you have any advice or additional comments for students looking to join the swim team? SW: This is a very competitive team, and it always has been. If you didn’t make it the first year, or you weren’t able to make it onto the team, don’t stress out. It’s not you, just a bunch of really fast kids that have been swimming for a long time. Try again next year. The thing about the swim team is that it’s really not personal, because as long as you show up and you try, and once that’s out of the way, it’s all based on times, and how fast you are. It’s not a personal cut for you if you can’t make the team. Keep on trying, and try again next year.▪
SS: Why did you come to coach the MSJ swim team? SW: I swam on this team when I was here, and I loved it. Joe was my coach when I was here, so I had someone I was able to look up to. There was an opening, and I applied, so I got lucky. SS: What do you expect will be the most difficult aspect of your new position, and how do you plan to overcome it? SW: I think with any first-year coach, just the whole team dynamics and meeting everyone and them getting to meet you [will be difficult]. What your expectations are, whether or not you’re different from the last coach, how things will be the same, and just getting to know everyone will be the challenge. Everyone’s been wonderful so far, and once rules are established and everyone gets more comfortable, I don’t think it’ll be a challenge. That would probably be the biggest challenge.
Swim Coach Shelley Wenzel
staff writer amy chen
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FLEX COLLEGE PREP PROUDLY PRESENTS
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“ROADMAP TO COLLEGE” FEATURING FORMER ADMISSIONS Rob Jackson Anjali Vaswani OFFICERS YALE UCLA
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Friday, March 3, 2017
The Smoke Signal
Winter Sports Recap Smoke Signal {
www.thesmokesignal.org
Sports 23
By Ella Chen, Katherine Guo & Jenny Miao Staff Writers
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As the winter sports season comes to an end, the decided to take a look back on the six winter sports teams: Boys’ Soccer, Girls’ Soccer, Boys’ Basketball, Girls’ Basketball, Wrestling, and Cheer. Coaches and captains were interviewed regarding how each team’s season went, as well as their expectations for the future.
girls’ soccer
cheer
According to Co-Captains Seniors Maleni Morales and Seema Saini, Girls’ Soccer finished its season with an overall 4-11-3 win to tie to loss record. With new coach Terry Dalziel, the team persisted despite illnesses and injuries to strong core players. Many games began with different formations to make up for players who were out, and the team faced several opponents who began season training long before MSJ’s winter season started. Even so, they tied top teams like Kennedy High School and James Logan High School in upset games and consistently came back stronger in the second half of most games. With seven seniors leaving, the captains hope that the team chemistry continues to grow and that fresh players join next year to stabilize the team’s core formational balance. “As captains, we only asked that [the players] perform at their best, and that’s what they did. We proved again and again that our loss record doesn’t mean that we played badly … we are still a team with talent that comes off as a threat to those on top,” said Morales.
For the Cheer team, starting off the year with a very young team was a struggle, but the team made it through the difficulties and made huge progress throughout summer and fall. They carried on that momentum into the winter season. During the winter season, many cheerleaders were injured or had to leave for other obligations, but the team was still able to persevere through such difficulties and work as a cohesive unit. According to Captain Senior Jiti Sarkar, the cheer season is coming to an end, as they do not continue into the spring season, but said, “We [cheer team] are already working on tryouts and we can only see a growth coming up from here because this was a rebuilding year.” Losing just one senior this year, the team looks forward to growing and improving as a group.
wrestling According to Wrestling Co-Captains Juniors Michael Crawford and Lance Renteria, this season has been one of their best to date. Despite the loss of many of last year’s graduating seniors, many new faces joined the team this year, allowing for a new group of wrestlers to grow as a team. With a team largely made of freshmen, Crawford said, “They [freshmen] have all learned pretty well and improved over time.” One of the highlights of the season was the Wrestling Invitational hosted at MSJ, where a junior placed fifth in the 150 lbs section. This was a great achievement, especially considering the caliber of the tournament. Given the relatively young age of the team at the moment, Renteria said, “I look forward to seeing the team improve a lot more, and by senior year, I think we will have a really strong team.”
boys’ basketball With only five returning members and very little varsity experience, the Boys’ Basketball Varsity team started out with a rough offseason. However, despite the young team’s inexperience, they managed to win five preseason games and four league games, which is twice the number of games won last year. Though they faced powerhouse teams like James Logan, Moreau, and Newark Memorial High School, they’ve played extremely well, exceeding even their own expectations. Co-Captain Junior Austin Chang said, “The other schools are a lot more athletically gifted and a lot more talented. However, I think that we’ve managed to work together despite our very hectic schedules and we’ve managed to pull off four wins despite all that has been against us … I’m really proud of what we’ve accomplished so far.” Next year, the team will have a lot more returning players and even higher expectations. “We [will] have many more returners and we have a very promising Junior Varsity team [right now]. Hopefully we’ll have a good off season and get some more wins,” said Coach Mike Kenney.
Team members huddle prior to the start of the game.
Senior Stephanie Tu goes up for the ball.
Senior Shawn Pham goes for a takedown on his opponent.
Junior Austin Chang attempts a free throw.
Sophomore Rhea Guliani fights for possession of the ball.
Boys’ Soccer This year, Boys’ Soccer kicked off the season with four captains: Seniors Kevan Mathis, Vikyath Ramana, Vishal Ramana, and Vijay Srinivasan. The team ended with a 4-10 record. The team managed more wins this season than in the past, and for the most part, the players grew mentally stronger despite the recurring injuries. With its third coach in four years, the team struggled through inclement weather and fields not suitable for practice. While the captains had hoped to finish top four in the league, they credit each game as a valuable lesson that motivated their drive for victory. “We’ve never given up. We came back when we were down, especially during a Washington game, finishing with a 4-3 win despite losing at halftime. This season was the most fun we seniors have had, and we want to thank everyone who has come to support us at our games,” said Co-Captain Senior Vikyath Ramana.
girls’ basketball With many seniors having graduated last year, the Girls’ Basketball team has been working hard to play as well as they had hoped to. By the end of preseason, the team had started playing better together, with better team chemistry. However, once the season started, their performance did not fulfill their expectations. Nevertheless, the team has still won six league games, currently tying for fifth in league. Their spirits are still high as the team continues to learn how to play together better. According to Captain Junior Michelle Lin, as individual players everyone has improved throughout the season, and many of the younger players have stepped up extremely well. “One of the most memorable parts of the season was when one of our juniors, Shannon Chau, broke the three point record at our school, hitting eight three pointers in a game,” said Lin.
Cheer performs at the Winter Sports Assembly. photos by centerspread editor mallika gupta & staff writer richard chenyu zhou, courtesy michelle lin, julia shen & nishit vasavada
24 Photo
The Smoke Signal
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Friday, March 3, 2017
Mallika Gupta, 11
Juniors Mallika Gupta and Sonia Sakleshpur showcase their acoustic cover of “Girl on Fire” by Alicia Keys. Sonia Sakleshpur, 11
Hopkins Eighth Grader Janista Person, Newark Memorial High School Senior Sharisse Pauleand, and Irvington High School Sophomore Sua Choi dance to “Blue Sky” by Francesca Battistelli. Senior Lucille Njoo sings
Lucille Njoo, 12
Hercules’s “Go the Distance”
Peer Resource held its annual benefit show by Michael Bolton with with this year’s theme, “Write Your Own Chapter,” on Senior Melissa Friday, February 24. The program featured several student Zhuang. performances, speeches by guest speakers, and discussions that addressed the importance of being able to deal with the pressures of school and improving mental health.
Melissa Zhuang, 12
Peer Resource is a student-run organization that strives to make the school a more supportive environment for students. The class consists of students and officers who serve as mentors for their peers in need of guidance in managing social, academic, or personal issues. Members organize events and “peer talks” throughout the school year to create conversation among students about stigmatized topics that might affect their daily lives. Some examples of discussed topics are body image, resiliency, and fears for the future. The organization also collaborates with movements outside of school, such as the “No One Eats Alone” campaign, to join the national movement towards student welfare. In addition, Peer Resource also organizes events for the campus such as “Self-Care Days” where the class passes out roses with uplifting quotes and advice on maintaining healthy self-care practices. The theme of this year’s show, “Write Your Own Chapter,” was inspired by the issue of dealing with the numerous pressures associated with high school, and the understanding that students can take control of their actions and decisions to maintain their happiness. Peer Resource Officer Junior Mallika Gupta said, “ ‘Write Your Own Chapter’ is a reminder that your decisions should be based off what makes you happy, and what can let you build a life that you’re proud of. Your life is your own book, so don’t let anyone else decide how your chapters should be written.” The profits from the show will be put towards employing a therapist from Fremont Youth and Family Center for students on campus. The show started with an introduction of the theme by Peer Resource members Senior Tiffany Basrai and Junior Joshua Kingsley. Students performed musical pieces and dances, and discussed how each piece impacted them personally. Guest speakers Junior Andy Ho, Seniors Ethan Huang, Kenny Li, and Harsheen Tasser, and MSJ Alumnus Kylan Nieh shared their personal experiences with mental health and mental illness, giving insight on the importance of self-care, especially in high school. The program concluded with a moving rendition of the song “Youth” by Daughter, performed by Seniors Ashley Mehta and Shawn Yip.
MSJ Alumnus Kylan Nieh
Peer Resource
Benefit Show By Shivani Avasarala & Anagha Mandayam Staff Writers
MSJ Alumnus Kylan Nieh speaks about his experiences with mental health as well as its importance from a broadened perspective.
MSJ’s 2016-17 Peer Resource class pose for a photo along with L2 Tech Committee Members Kousheyo Kundu and Vineet Raju. Peer Resource Members Junior Nathan Lau and Senior Simran Bhullar are not pictured. PHOTOS BY STAFF WRITERS SHIVANI AVASARALA & ANAGHA MANDAYAM, GRAPHICS COURTESY PEER RESOURCE