Volume LVIII, No. 9

2022-23 YEAR IN REVIEW

By Anandita Devata, Ashley Pang & Callie Yuan Sta Writers

As the 2022-23 school year comes to a close, MSJ wraps up yet another year full of momentous events and milestones. Check out the Smoke Signal’s compilation of some of the major schoolwide events, clubs, STEM, sports, arts, mental health, and local news.

Sports

Numerous sports teams at MSJ qualified for regional and state-level championships this year. MSJ Boys Water Polo placed fifth in MVAL — the team’s best in five years — while Girls Water Polo placed third, qualifying for NCS Championships. Freshman Hannah Bi and Girls Tennis Co-Captain Junior Megha Hedge placed second at the NCS Doubles Tournament, and Boys Tennis won MVALS and NCS. Girls Golf also won NCS Division 1 Championships for the first time in five years. In addition, Badminton has seen numerous victories during the year, including securing the championship for their 17th NCS this year. To celebrate the achievements of seniors attending college as athletes, MSJ held its Athlete Signing Day on April 20. The event showcased Seniors Audrey Wang, Selena Tang, Tara Ushiro, Julie Wu, Marco Yang, and Shrish Choudhary signing their letters of commitment to their respective colleges.

CLUBS

Mental Health

This year marked the addition of many new mental health and destressing strategies at MSJ. Lasting throughout the second week of December 2022, L2 announced its first Destress Week — a week filled with free hot chocolate, candy, a movie in C120, goodie bags from Santa, and a petting zoo — in order to help students relax before finals week. In response to the positive reception, L2 hosted a second petting zoo paired with therapy dogs on April 28 with an extended lunch so students can unwind before a busy two weeks of AP testing. Aside from new activities implemented throughout the year to aid mental health, the completed Student Wellness Center and Therapist Room have also been opened. Located next door to each other in C1 and C2 respectively, students now have access to a welcoming and comforting environment during lunch. This year, FUSD also introduced monthly Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Advisories, organized by English Teacher Nina LaRosa and Social Studies Teacher Nancy Benton. These lessons teach students about recognizing healthy and toxic relationships and exploring emotions during their teenage years.

Schoolwide Events

In order to accommodate for the many diverse interests at MSJ, students have taken the initiative to pitch and start new clubs. In the past year, ten new clubs have been established at MSJ: Swab4MSJ, MSJ Vietnamese Student Association, MSJ Psychology, MSJ Cybersecurity, MSJ Competitive Pokemon, MSJ Korean Club, MSJ Red, MSJ Smile, and MSJ Physics. Over the past year since their respective formations, these clubs have hosted introductory meetings with free food and weekly meetings to garner student interest. One of the largest service clubs on campus, MSJ Key Club hosted its annual Fall Rally North on October 22, 2022, raising $3,400 for the Pediatric Trauma Program. MSJ Interact also collaborated with other Area 5 Interact clubs to coordinate the annual Fall Leadership Conference. In honor of Green Week from April 23-26, MSJ Green Club worked with L2’s Green Team and Campus Committee to organize pizza fundraisers, thrifting activities, tote bag making, pass out free donuts for walking to school, and invite Sustainability Manager of the City of Fremont Rachel DiFranco as a guest speaker. They also collaborated with NAHS to bring Fremont’s boxART! community beautification program to MSJ. Many MSJ clubs also went on to represent MSJ at state, national, and international level competitions. MSJ Model United Nations competed at the 49th annual National High School Model United Nations Conference, one of the most di cult conferences of the year. MSJ DECA also had 40 students advance to and attend the International Career Development Conference from April 22-25.

Throughout the year, Leadership 2 (L2) has hosted a multitude of events, ranging from Homecoming Week to MSJ’s first ever Service Week from Oct. 31 to Nov. 5, 2022, in which L2’s Community Committee organized an activity each day dedicated to special sectors of the community, including special needs children and women battling breast cancer. Other school-wide events previously covered by the Smoke Signal include Service Week and Charity Fashion Show. In February, the Community Committee also brought back the Charity Fashion Show, featuring breathtaking dances and student models as participants helped raise money for charity. L2 carried its momentum to organize Multicultural Week at the beginning of March and the Multicultural Assembly in a celebration of MSJ’s diverse cultures. At the end of March, the school hosted its annual Spring Expo after 3 years, renewing the tradition of showcasing student work and introducing underclassmen and junior high students to MSJ. Clubs also set up booths around campus to publicize their mission and encourage incoming high school students to join.

Local News

STEM

During the 2022-23 school year, MSJ students participated in a multitude of STEM-related events and competitions, including the Samsung Solve For Tomorrow, Science Bowl, Alameda County Science & Engineering Fair (ACSEF), and Ms. Kuei’s first-ever stoichiometry eats. Notably, MSJ Science Bowl advanced to Nationals for the second year in a row following a first-place regional finish, while others were recognized for their projects and abilities to solve real-world problems in Samsung, ACSEF, and Exploravision competitions. As one of the most prestigious scholarships awarded to high school students, the US Presidential Scholars Program and National Merit Scholarships were presented to 12 and 81 MSJ students, respectively.

Arts

On Sept. 6, 2022, the Art Department completed a new mural in the E-Wing titled “Star Fish,” capturing student’s love for sea creatures like clownfish and stingrays. MSJ Universal Performers also excelled this year at Lenaea High School Theatre Festival, earning various awards including Gold in the One-Act Plays Production category for their original musical, A Minor Inconvenience. The club will be showcasing its spring musical, Spongebob the Musical, from May 24-26 in C-120. Performing in various parades and reviews, MSJ Band & Orchestra have also flourished this year, securing first place HS Open Class Mace Drum Major at the 51st Annual Santa Cruz Band Review. In Dec. 2022, MSJ Marching Band participated in Redwood City’s Hometown Holiday Parade; in March, MSJ’s Winter Guard and Winter Percussion competed in the Northern California Band Association Armijo Winter Review and were awarded third place in the Regional AA Division of their respective categories.

From bell schedule changes and “rickrolling” through the intercom system to extreme weather events, the 2022-23 school year has been filled with unique local news. To begin the school year, FUSD and MSJ initiated three immediate changes — the switch of the bell schedule from 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., the adoption of Minga, and the removal of the Totem Pole. In addition, MSJ also adopted key curriculum updates, including opening AP World History class to rising sophomores and implementing a new Chemistry of Earth’s system textbook. Beyond the campus, due to the intense rainfall and high-speed winds during the month of February, the local community experienced extended periods of power outages, fallen trees, and snow-capped mountains.

Compiled by Sarah Hu, Anushka Vasudev & Callie Yuan Staff Writers

Senior Cruise sets sail for a memorable night

Returning after more than ten years, Senior Cruise leaves a lasting memory for the class of 23.

By Chahak Gupta & Katie Tang Sta Writers

From 7-9 p.m. on May 19, Class of 2023 soaked up the last bits of their senior year on a luxurious voyage across the San Francisco Bay aboard the 124-feet yacht, Cabernet Sauvignon. Hosted for the frst time in more than 10 years, the event proved to be an impressive feat of planning by the senior class offcers and an unforgettable night for the graduating class.

San Francisco Airport frst to use new COVID-19 screening device

On May 9, partnered with the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention, San Francisco International Airport (SFO) became the frst airport in the US to monitor airplane wastewater samples for new coronavirus variants following the recent COVID-19 surge in China. As a part of the program, SFO will automatically sample wastewater from arriving fights and send them to laboratories to test for emerging SARS-CoV-2 strains. “Testing of airplane wastewater can provide early detection of new COVID-19 variants and other pathogens that can cause outbreaks and pandemics,” Chief of CDC’s Travelers’ Health Branch Cindy Friedman said.

Facilitated by the 2023-24 ASB Offcers, boarding began at 6:30 p.m. as seniors clad in crisp formal attire trickled into the marina. Attendees were escorted to the second and third foors of the four-story yacht, where they dined on an extensive dinner buffet including pasta, salad, bread, drinks, and later, an assortment of cookies and teas as the cruise set sail. “My favorite part of the cruise was the delicious dinner they provided. It was very nutritious and favorful,” Senior Jackie Wang said. After dinner, students leisurely roamed around the yacht, enjoying everything from the booming dance foor and the breezy outdoors to the softly majestic sky deck.

As the night unfolded, energetic seniors took to the dimly lit dance foor to jam to the pulsating beats of “Levitating” by Dua Lipa and “Dynamite” by BTS and sing their hearts out to timeless tunes like “good 4 u” by Olivia Rodrigo, “THATS WHAT I WANT” by Lil Nas X, and “Mo Bamba” by Sheck Wes.

The stunning backdrop of the bay enhanced the already vibrant ambiance on board. Bone-chilling winds on the outdoor deck didn’t deter seniors from posing for

pictures with the sparkling lights of the San Francisco — Oakland Bay Bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco’s iconic skyscrapers, and the charming banks of Sausalito in the background. “I liked looking at the Bay Bridge; it was really beautiful when the sun was setting,” Senior Siyona Vinaik said.

Disney cuts investments in Florida

On May 19, Disney made the public announcement to withdraw $1 billion worth of investments out of Florida’s Disney World. This decision is a result of a long relationship of opposition between The Walt Disney Company and the Governor of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis regarding many of DeSantis’s actions such as the signing of the “Don’t Say Gay” Bill. Original plans for Disney to build another Dis

neyland campus in Lake Nona have also been can

celed, saving Disney $5.5 billion in costs. For Florida, this decision is a major loss in both the park investments and in taxes to the state as Disney pays roughly $1.1 billion in taxes yearly. This decision has also caused much controversy as this may affect DeSantis during his anticipated announcement for presidency.

INTERNATIONAL

United Kingdom celebrates coronation of King Charles

III

On May 6, Charles III and his wife Camilla were offcially crowned as King and Queen of the United Kingdom during the royal coronation at Westminster Abbey. Following the death of his mother, Elizabeth II, Charles assumed the position of the throne on Sept. 8, 2022. During the day-long celebration, many celebrities, politicians, and royals, as well as millions of United Kingdom residents were in attendance for spectacles and historic rituals, from a live Katy Perry performance to ceremonial oaths. The event also garnered an average of 18.8 million viewers across 11 TV channels.

The event was a culmination of monthslong efforts by the Senior Class Offcers, and its relatively unprecedented nature posed challenges. “Since it’s been more than 10 years since the last [senior cruise] was organized ... we couldn’t really contact last year’s class offcers and had to work directly with [Leadership 2 Adviser] Mr. B[reazeale] and [Commodore Cruises & Events] in order to bring the event to life,” Senior Class Trea-

surer Jennie Wang said. Senior Class Offcers conducted multiple rounds of publicizing to cover the large cost of nearly $28,000 for the cruise, with a portion covered by funds acquired from other events. “When we were low on cruise signups, we released an [additional] infographic ... along with a drone video [of the yacht at sea on the company’s website] that we posted that [Class of 2023’s] Instagram and Facebook pages to try to convince people it’s really credible,” Jennie Wang said. Senior Class Vice President Adyant Patnaik also briefy mentioned some of the hassles concerning sorting out fnances. “Organizing all the checks, permission slips, and working with the vendors can be stressful sometimes,” Patnaik said. But with nearly 300 signups, the scale of the event also contributed to the thrill of organizing it. “You really get to see that you serve a big student population that’s just much larger than yourself,” Jennie Wang said. ▪

Former MSJ teacher narrates mother’s story as Holocaust surivivor

By Shuhan Jin & Lucy Yao Staff Writers

“How did she survive?” Holocaust Event Speaker and Former Special Education Teacher Lawrence Polon asked the still audience of MSJ students. “Was it wits, stamina, or sheer luck and circumstance?” On May 16, during read and third period, all sophomores were invited to hear Polon’s answer via Zoom meeting at C-120 or their English or Social Science teachers’ classrooms. Polon, who represented the Jewish Family and Children’s Services Holocaust Center (JFCS), recounted his mother’s experiences before, during, and after the Holocaust and the life lessons that spread throughout the rest of his family.

Polon worked as MSJ’s special education teacher for 27 years before retiring in 2014. Now, he closely collaborates with JFCS to share his mother’s story with the world. In December 2022, Polon reached out to Principal Jeff Evans about speaking at MSJ and was directed to Event Organizer and World History Teacher Kim Mathis. The planning process took around six months due to scheduling conficts and extensive paperwork. Ultimately, Polon and Mathis decided to hold the event virtually so that other teachers could live stream the event in their classrooms. “In pre-coronavirus times, the English department would facilitate fnding a genocide speaker ... but especially with the Holocaust, survivors of that time are less and less, so we have to rely on ancestral information,” Mathis said.

After giving a brief history of the Holocaust awareness efforts, Polon began narrating his mother’s heartbreaking experiences. Polon’s mother and her brother Bernard were the only two to survive out of their family of nine. In the two years she was persecuted, she went through three different concentration camps — Auschwitz-Birkenau,

Neuengamme, and Bergen-Belsen. Through Polon’s somber yet eloquent storytelling, he described the conditions of the camps, his family’s grief, and his mother’s survivor’s guilt. Separated from the rest of her family on the frst day of Auschwitz, Polon’s mother blamed herself for relinquishing her sister. “[It was] the bitterest point in that whole period ... my father stood in his column waving to me and said ‘Don’t cry.’ And I thought, ‘You still have your two sons with you, I don’t have anybody,’” Polon’s mother said in a videotaped interview shared during the event.

The most symbolic representation in the speech involved the aftermath of the Holocaust and the reunifcation of Polon’s mother with family members. His mother was released on the frst night of Passover, precisely two years after her capture. Although Passover itself means freedom from slavery, to Polon’s family, it also symbolizes his mother’s own liberation “[Her story is one of] deep-seated trauma, but also resilience in surviving dehumanizing disruption, persecution, [and] an unimaginable loss,” Polon said.

Polon’s mother found catharsis in sharing her experiences because according to Polon,

“they gave [her] a new reason for life.” She would often visit schools to raise awareness about the Holocaust and give videotaped interviews to organizations such as the Spielberg Foundation, now known as the USC Shoah Foundation and the Bay Area Holocaust Oral History Project.

After his mother’s death in 2008, Polon dedicated himself to working with JFCS to tell her story. Despite the genocide’s decades-long global impact, misinformation and denial of the Holocaust still remain prevalent in social media. According to Polon, an online survey found that 33% of participants doubt the Holocaust’s existence, and when asked four basic questions on the topic, only 25% were able to answer all four. Through his speeches, Polon aims to educate the new generation while combating misinformation, continuing his late mother’s mission to protect the legacy of all survivors and ensure that the world never forgets this tragedy. “[The Holocaust] did not start in a vacuum but rather a systematic process of dehumanization to incite hatred … [we must stay] aware of the historical lessons and vigilant to incidents of [these human violations],” Polon said. ▪

In order to test for new coronavirus variants, San Francisco Airport has been testing the wastewater samples of arriving flights.

King Charles III was coronated at Westminster Abbey.

Disney withdraws investments to Florida’s Disney World due to disputes with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

“I liked looking at the Bay Bridge; it was really beautiful when the sun was setting.”

- Senior Siyona Vinaik

PHOTO BY STAFF WRITER CHAHAK GUPTA

Seniors delighted in a view of the bay, while enjoying delicacies and chatting with friends.

Sophomores gathered in C-120 to listen and actively engage with Guest Speaker Lawrence Polon.

THE SMOKE SIGN AL

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Vol. 58, No. 9 | May 25, 2023

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MISSION STATEMENT The Smoke Signal’s mission is to represent the voices of the MSJ community and serve the public by providing accurate, meaningful, and engaging information presented through print and digital mediums.

SCHOOL POPULATION 1877 students

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Helen Tian, Jerry Yuan

NEWS Rohan Bhagat, Shelley Li

OPINION Esther Lau, Annika Singh

FEATURE Julia Peng, Elton Yu

CENTERSPREAD Christy Huang, Angela Xiong

A&E Sanah Bhardwaj, Joanne Park

SPORTS Karina Han, Kaitlyn Wang

GRAPHICS Sarina Li, Hannah Shen

WEB Jennie Wang, Bryan Xiong

TECH Chahak Gupta, Jason Tang

BUSINESS Chloe Gao, Sahas Goli

CIRCULATION Elaheh Khazi, Amy Luo

ADVERTISING Annie Xu, Aaron Zhou

EVENTS Andria Luo, Nessa Tong

WRITERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS

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Since the start of the coronavirus, the Smoke Signal has collaborated with Leadership 2 (L2) to host an annual Senior Panel in hopes of shedding light on the college application process, mental health, networking, and more — advice that underclassmen can take to improve themselves with. Upon reevaluating the original purpose of the Senior Panel, the 202223 Smoke Signal Editorial Board has concluded that the organization will no longer be holding or participating in such events.

Although the tradition of the Senior Panel was short-lived, it has held much weight in celebrating the graduating seniors’ accomplishments. However, the format of the Senior Panel with its select speakers fails to truly represent the abundant experiences of a diverse and inclusive community. Since the panel’s inception, the Smoke Signal and L2 have had to pick a certain number of people to represent distinct communities, whether it’s those attending a four-year institution, entering the entertainment or sports industry, or joining the military. Even in just one eld, there are thousands of di erent pathways that people can explore, and select individuals are unable to speak to those countless experiences; the Senior Panel fails to grasp the nuance behind everyone’s individual journey. us, we believe that it is unfair of us, as an organization, to choose speci c stories to share as it implies that some are more relevant and important than others.

Now more than ever, many stu-

Increasing our cultural sensitivity

By Annika Singh Opinion Editor

A few days ago, I watched a lm titled Mrs. Chatterjee vs. Norway, a heartfelt story about an immigrant Indian mother who ghts against the Norwegian foster care system after her children are removed from her custody. ey are taken away from her due to di erences in methods of upbringing, emphasizing the consequences of cultural clashes in society.

As I re ected on the arduous journey Mrs. Chatterjee went on to reunite with her children, I was acutely aware of the privilege I have when it comes to participating in my culture or sharing it with my friends. e MSJ community, being around 91.1% Asian, is constantly surrounded by numerous cultural practices. During Multicultural Week, we excitedly purchase a variety of ethnic dishes, and during Homecoming Week, we loudly cheer on our peers’ performances to Indian, Korean, and American songs.

Yet, a majority of individuals around the world do not receive the same opportunities to learn about and celebrate other cultures. ey are forced to assimilate to a singular way of life, since their communities fail to acknowledge cultural di erences. For example, in Mrs. Chatterjee vs. Norway, which is based on a true story, viewers witness two social workers roll their eyes and make annoyed faces at Mrs. Chatterjee while she cooks Indian food, feeds her older child by hand, and speaks in her native tongue.

Personally, I’ve never witnessed

anything less than appreciation for my South Asian culture from my family, friends, and other peers. I’ve grown up in an environment intertwined with American and Indian ways of life, yet I’ve never faced judgment for wearing lehengas (traditional Indian clothing) or enjoying my mother’s delicious paneer curry during lunch. I didn’t realize how unique my experience was until I saw videos about people struggling to t in at their schools on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.

As students who are fortunate enough to grow up in the Bay Area, it’s crucial that we take advantage of the diverse learning opportunities presented to us. In order to dismantle the divide between di erent ethnic communities, we should deepen our understanding of the cultures that surround us through research and participation. In doing so, we can cultivate a diverse set of perspectives to carry with us as we progress through life and are exposed to new environments and communities.

Whether it’s sampling another culture’s food or excitedly taking part in a local celebration, our cultural sensitivity is enhanced through each new experience. is can help us reassess our personal biases and build our knowledge about the world. By simply learning and understanding the cultures that surround us, we can create a safer environment for people like Mrs. Chatterjee, and prevent cultural insensitivities similar to the ones she experienced. ▪

Four years, four lessons

By Esther Lau Opinion Editor

In a week and a half, I’ll be turning my tassel and tossing my graduation cap in the air, marking the end of my high school career. As I look back at the past four years, here are four lessons I’ve learned:

First, gratitude is an understated value. When we reach large milestones, it’s easy to overlook the journey, especially the people who helped you along the way. Whether it’s your elementary school teacher who helped create some of your favorite memories or your supportive supervisor at your previous job, it’s important to acknowledge the impact others have made on your journey, no matter how big or small. Write that thank you note or stop by for that visit — acts of gratitude always mean more to others than you know.

Second, mentorship is what you make of it. Seek out guidance from others, carefully consider it, and apply it to your life as you see t (for more on the nuances of receiving advice, read “Understanding the Limits of Advice” in this cycle of e Smoke Signal). Additionally, mentorship doesn’t have to look like a formal mentor-mentee relationship with someone in an older generation. It can also be reaching out to a peer for advice, or emulating someone’s trait that you admire. e bottom line is that people are always more willing to lend a helping hand than you may expect, so don’t be afraid to ask.

ird, pay it forward. Mentorship can be valuable, but it’s equally important to commit yourself to being

a resource for others. While we’re all on our individual, unique journeys, there’s likely something from your experience that can help others, and the simple act of taking the time to understand someone else’s situation and possibly helping them can go a long way. You might need to spare a few minutes of your day, but it always comes around.

Fourth, “I made it” moments will come with staying present. From dramatic montages of a TV show character admiring the view from an o ce window at their dream job to videos of singers like Taylor Swift and Gracie Abrams wistfully looking out into their record-setting crowds on TikTok, others’ “I made it” moments of euphoric disbelief have been etched into my mind since childhood. Yet, throughout all of my personal achievements that may have brought an “I made it” moment, those emotions have never come. Instead, my mind is so focused on the future that when the future becomes my present, I’ve already moved on to the next thing that I think will make me feel as if I “made it”. Rather than being xated on the future, I’m learning to stay in the present and allow myself to fully process each milestone I reach, and maybe I’ll nally have my “I made it” moment when I look out the airplane window and see the New York City skyline this August. Whether your next step is college or the next year of high school, take a look back on how far you’ve come — in one way or another, you made it! ▪

By Chahak Gupta & Nessa Tong

dents have come to de ne their success based on surface level achievements and spotlights, which the Senior Panel, in ways, would contribute to. e nature of such an event alienates students who have strayed from traditional paths and discourages others from being adventurous with their interests. Individuals participate in speci c hobbies and extracurriculars because of their passions and involvements, all of which have far more complexity than any short response can summarize. In addition, the activities that people are involved in cannot simply be replicated in hopes of obtaining similar goals. Although guidance can be helpful, it can be very di cult to apply and adopt in a vacuum, especially for current high schoolers who are still in the process of exploring their career options.

Instead, we should take a nuanced approach to events like the Senior Panel by understanding that the best advice we’ll receive won’t be from impersonal, generic comments addressed to hundreds of students at once. If you’re trying to seek advice, however, reach out to individuals whose goals and stories align with yours for one-on-one conversations (for a list of MSJ seniors who are open to outreach, look for names with asterisks in this cycle’s “Post-Graduation Plans centerspread). rough these personal conversations, you’ll have the opportunity to explore someone’s journey in-depth, gaining insight far more speci c and applicable than you would in a group setting.

On the other hand, when you’re

in a position of giving advice, try to stay keenly aware that your life and that of the individual seeking advice are separate, so stray away from approaching the conversation with a self-centered mindset. According to David Garvin and Joshua Margolis of the Harvard Business Review, selfcentered guidance overlooks “how the seeker feels, perceives the situation, and understands the choices ahead — the kinds of insights that lead to empathic understanding and useful recommendations.” Instead, Harvard Business School professor and behavioral scientist Francesca Gino suggests to ask questions and assess the advice-seeker’s needs, as “good advice is dependent on the advice-giver understanding the situation at hand.”

Ultimately, the urge to blindly give or take advice comes from the lack of understanding that in our individual high school journeys, applying a few words of advice won’t guarantee the same college acceptances, leadership roles, or experiences. Rather, it's most important to be yourself and understand that you know yourself and your situation the best, and what may have worked for others may not work the same way for you. As we each continue to navigate our unique and inimitable life journeys, let’s remember to separate others’ advice and journeys from our own, because our journeys are never the same. ▪

The Opinion of the Smoke Signal Editorial Board

Staff Writers

STAFF WRITER CHAHAK GUPTA

The nuance behind advice

governmental legislation in environmental disasters

By Anandita Devata, Elaheh Khazi, Abha Kulkarni, & Lucy Yao Staff Writers

On April 20, SpaceX’s Starship rocket blew up and sent debris fying in a radius of six and a half miles, startng a fre in Boca Chica State Park. The pollutants released have impacted surrounding natural areas and towns by harming the area’s many endangered species, people’s lungs, the soil, and the long-term health of the natural habitats. The recent increase in such environmental disasters, including the East Palestne, Ohio train explosion and Xcel Energy’s nuclear power plant explosion in Montcello, Minnesota, have seen litle to no government protectons, despite their wide-ranging impact. In order to hold companies and individuals accountable for environmental harm and create a safer future, more legislaton must be passed and discussions must be encouraged in regards to these issues.

Just in the past year, there have already been multple environmental disasters in the US. In November 2022, Xcel Energy reported leakage in their Montcello power plant, which resulted in over 400,000 gallons of tritum-laced radioactve water leaking out of the facility. On February 3, a similar issue arose when an industrial train carrying highly toxic and corrosive materials derailed in East Palestne. While clean-up eforts of the toxic chemicals were underway, scientsts found more than 700 tons of contaminated soil and 1.8 million gallons of contaminated water at the site. Most recently, SpaceX’s Starship rocket blew up, sending debris and other pollutants into the city of Port Isabel and the surrounding environment.

As politicians and lobbyists continue to ignore the environment, regulatory bodies fail to prevent companies from accurately reporting pollution created by their processes and output, leading to more unregulated greenhouse gas emissions and the contamination of nearby environments.

Despite the contnuous disasters, the US government has approved almost no legislaton to mitgate the impacts of such events. Most infamously, the US has not agreed to back the Kyoto Protocol, which states that industrialized natons will reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to the amount in 1990 (around 354 parts per million (ppm). The US has also not ratfed three major internatonal chemical con -

ventons, including the Stockholm Conventon on Persistent Organic Pollutants, thereby disregarding the protectons these policies provide for the environment.

This lack of regulaton only increases the probability of health risks while the general public remains unaware of such problems. Additonally, following Former President Donald Trump’s budget cuts for the Environmen tal Protecton Agency (EPA), current government funding for environ mental organizatons and com mitees remains low. His overall pro posed budget for the 2021 fscal year included a 26% cut in funding for the EPA, eliminatng 50 of its programs including energy re search and development proj ects. Trump also approved a budget decrease from $5.3 to $2.8 million, leaving them with few resources to implement neces regulatons for environmental protec politcians and lobbyists contnue to ignore the en vironment, regulatory bodies fail to prevent com panies from accurately reportng polluton created by their processes and output, leading to more unregulated greenhouse gas emissions and the contaminaton of nearby environments. This results in exponental environmental destructon for the sake of economic proft.

The current regulatons on environmental effects stem mostly from the Natonal Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) set in 1970. NEPA states that so long as there is an explicit, disclosed declaraton of the possible environmental impacts (which is given in the form of environmental impact statements (EIS)) then they won’t prohibit the acton being proposed. In a decision made on June 13, 2022, the Federal Aviaton Administraton (FAA) ultmately decided that an EIS for the Starship Rocket Program was not required and instead wanted over 75 mitgaton measures. However, according to High Plains Public Radio, an email from the FAA’s Chief of Staf for the Ofce of Commercial Space Transportaton revealed that there was originally an EIS planned for SpaceX, but the decision was then deferred to

MSJ VOICES

"I don't think the goverment has done its proper role in environmental protection. For example, the Am-

terms of pre vention there really wasn't anything the government was able to do since that's kind of the FAA's job so really the only thing left for them to do is address the aftermath and try to help clean up as much as possible. I don't know if there's anything the government can do about alleged SpaceX and FAA ties ex

"I don't think the goverment has done its proper role in protecting the environment because regulations are often not enforced,

SpaceX to take charge of. Instead of the standard EIS, SpaceX held an Environmental Assessment instead, which is much less intensive than an EIS. Major concerns have arisen that in their rush to launch, there was room for error due to the company conductng their own inspecton.

Opponents of stronger environmental legislaton believe the government should have a smaller role in regulatons for these companies. Many believe in a free enterprise system, and government regulaton increases producton costs and expenses while lowering productvity. While looser regulaton increases profts in the short-term, the environment and people’s health are harmed in the long-term. This can drive prices up and reduce profts as resources become more To mitgate environmental harm, the most important step the government must take is to enforce stricter regulatons against companies with records of harmful environmental impacts. Apart from placing limits on carbon emissions, the law must clearly detail ways of mitgaton that these companies must adhere to in the worst-case scenario. Students can also contribute by signing pettons that fght for legislaton that restricts environmentally harmful actvites. They can also lobby elected ofcials and hold them accountable to ensure that their policies and stances do not harm the environment.

Even though the knowledge of environmental issues found in the media is limited, it will remain the same unless students and the public spread awareness of its impacts. Students can stay informed about the environment through reputable sources such as The Guardian, The New York Times, and www.epa.gov. Students can also sign pettons to fght for legislaton that restricts environmentally harmful actvites and volunteer their tme to environmental restoraton. Furthermore, joining clubs like MSJ Green Club and other organizatons can allow students to develop a more holistc perspectve on the environment and stay up to date on environmental issues. By staying proactve and urging others to follow suit, we can move towards an environmentally friendly future. ▪

"The reporting of major spills and harmful events can defnitely be improved; in the train derailment in East Palestine, there was constant uncertainty on whether or not the envi-

Fox News Network's lawsuit re-emphasizes the need for reliable reporting

By Angelina Chen, Novak Chen, & Keerti Koya Staff Writers

“... is case underscores the conse quences of spreading lies. Truthful report ing in the media is essential to our democ racy,” Dominion Voting Systems (DVS) CEO John Poulos said. On April 18, Fox News Network (FNN) settled a defamation lawsuit by DVS for $787.5 million. DVS’ initial lawsuit claimed that FNN repeatedly aired allegations that the company’s voting machines were rigged in the 2020 elections. Importantly, DVS alleged that FNN know ingly defamed DVS and spread false news to the public. is is not the only lawsuit FNN faces for defamation, and other outlets such as 70 News and American News met with similar accusations. Supporters of such outlets often justify unethical actions by arguing their First Amendment rights. While misreporting has been a prominent issue in the news industry, high-pro cases like DVS v. FNN bring its repercus sions to light. Media outlets must prioritize reliable reporting and advocate for misrepresented communities and people of color (POC) by understanding the consequences misinformation and biased reporting may have on the public.

Reliable reporting holds those with inuence, such as elected o cials and prominent companies, accountable by placing them in the media spotlight. According to polls from the American Press Institute and the Associated Press-National Opinion Research Center for Public A airs Research, 54% of Americans believe that it is important that the “press can act as a watchdog.” For example, e Washington Post and e

Guardian’s truthful reporting of whistleblower

respondents reported “not very much” and “no trust at all” in the media, respectively. As more lawsuits similar to DVS v. FNN arise, these numbers are likely to increase. ects of misinformation impact everyone, they are most consequential for POC. Although misinformation harms the general public by spreading false narratives, it can also perpetuate existing stereotypes in the media, which is detrimental to POC. A report by the Equal Justice Initiative and Global Strategy Group found that news media “often reinforced a presumption of guilt and dangerousness assigned to Black people when reporting on crime.” As a result, media biases are re ected in social perceptions, furthering the negative image Scienti c American, people “perceive someone with darker skin as more likely to have committed an immoral act.” Instead of perpetuating harmful racial stereotypes, media outlets should give a voice to those su ering under it, while also being held accountable when the media reinforces stereotypes rather than shutting them down.

represented when they are kept from doing so themselves. To ensure that students do not consume the potentially biased perspectives of one outlet, they should use a multitude of media outlets when learning information. In addition, they should also be sure that their sources of information do not have a past of misreporting issues and are not heavily skewed toward a certain political party, as that often brings about biased reporting. Students can also take media literacy courses on well-known platforms like Coursera or Crash Course to better understand how to detect bias in the media. When aware that a group or issue is being misrepresented, students can advocate for change by contacting the news outlet regarding their false reporting. Students can also speak out through protests, following action kits to join advocacy movements, and reaching out to local legislators about media disinformation. To minimize the impact of misinformation, we must ensure that media outlets solely report truthful information. ▪

As daily consumers of the news, we have a responsibility to speak out about platforms that deviate from reality and stand up for the misrepresented when they are kept from doing so themselves.

to lower trust in mainstream media across [political] party lines” according to a 2020 study by Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review. Moreover, not only does continuous exposure to misinformation decrease trust in the media as a whole, but it also makes it harder to di erentiate between fact and ction. In a 2020 Gallup poll of more than 1,000 respondents, 27% and 33% of

A poll by found that FNN was seen as the most biased news organization by poll respondents, having received a high bias score of -51. However, many of their supporters invoke the First Amendment to justify such biased reporting. ey claim that because free speech is constitutionally protected, FNN cannot be forced to report the truth of public events as they take place. However, the First Amendment does not include defamation, libel, and slander, all of which are common strategies used to push misinformation. us, the idea that their biased reporting is justi ed and constitutionally protected is false.

As daily consumers of the news, we have a responsibility to speak out about platforms that deviate from reality and stand up for the mis-

"On May 5, the director-general of the World Health Organizaton (WHO) announced that COVID-19 is no longer a public health emergency. However, the virus stll claims hundreds of lives every day, and SARSCoV-2 mutates about twice as fast as the fu. Is the WHO’s declaraton premature and overly optmistc, or is it the appropriate response to societes shifing away from social distancing and similar past preventatve policies?"

"As we've reached more than three years into the pandemic, it is my opinion that this is the appropriate response. While the pandemic does stll claim lives, some of the more strict preventve measures will negatvely impact peoples livelihoods. In my opinion, the most important thing to have right now is tools like contact tracing, since it's more important to know who exactly is at risk of COVID-19 and adress them individually rather than enforcing preventve policies over the entre populaton."

"The WHO's declaration in the standpoint of society is, in my opinion, an appropriate response. It is critical for us to move forward from the COVID-19 emergency, and it's unethical for us to keep dragging the disease on or returning to quarantine, seeing as the effects are already fading. However, the lives lost from COVID are not to be forgotten. I think that we should continue searching for better vaccines or cures, and maintain proper safety and hygiene in public places, but at the same time remain in person and recover from the effects of COVID on society."

"I feel like it’s a toss up, to be honest. As someone who’s stll self conscious and stll takes precautons, it’s mostly up to what the public thinks. I think they should’ve done something like ask a natonal poll on what they should do in the future, even if it’s a stretch. It would beter represent who’s afected and would give the WHO a beter idea on how they approach this ongoing situaton."

"I still believe that WHO’s declaration is quite overly optimistic, and the stats prove it. WHO should only announce that when it reaches a death rate similar of other cases like the flu. Although there are a lower number of cases than before, it’s still good to social distance from anyone who is unwell."

"I believe that the WHO's declaraton isn't premature or overly optmistc, although the public shouldn't take this as a sign that COVID isn't a problem anymore. Just like other, more common diseases, COVID will contnue to be a problem in our everyday lives, and we just have to learn to live with it."

"I believe it is appropriate for societes to shif away from social distancing and return to “normalcy” as we know there are certain things that have to be done in person in order to keep the global economy afoat. Individuals should stll be careful and test every tme they feel symptoms; however, I believe restrictons should be relaxed."

WHO & COVID-19

“To Mrs. Kang: Above and beyond what a teacher should be doing. Mrs. Kang is kind and patient.”

— Jordan Suleman, 12

“To Ms. LaRosa: Thank you so much for making English such a relatable subject and for fostering such a great atmosphere in the classroom!” — Rohin Vig, 9

“To Mrs. Sultana: Thank you so much for being the best bio teacher Mrs. Sultana!! I look forward to coming to your class every day even if I’m not the best student (I will clutch up the 5, trust)!! — Vicki Chen, 11

“To Maestra Robles: Hola maestra, really enjoy our talks no matter the subject because you are so bright and bubbly, though you always say you’re tired. hope you get your well-deserved rest soon, and I’ll drop by more often! ” —Yesun Lee, 10

By Elaheh Khazi Staff Writer

“To Ms. Rusu: truly admire your dedication and passion for teaching. Math was never my favorite subject, but I developed a liking for it after taking your class. Although AP Calc AB was probably the hardest class I’ve taken in high school, it equipped me with skills and knowledge that will cherish for life.”

— Gokul Velayoudame, 12

“To Ms. Geers: Your teaching this year has been so informative and has helped me grow both as a writer and as a person.” — Keerti Koya, 10

“To Mr. Usrey: Dungeons and Dragons is COOL. They are and no one can change my mind.” — Aaron Zhou, 11

“To all teachers and faculty members: Thanks for staying with us this whole year :D” — Patricia Wu, 10

“To Mrs. Kumar: Thank you Mrs. Kumar for teaching me hard work and pushing me to be the best can be.” — Anya Kapoor, 11

“To Mr. Jan: You have enabled me through personal tremendous growth and countless experiences that will remember for the rest of my life.” — Waylon Li, 11

“To Mr. Usrey: Thank you so much for always working hard to make sure our classes are not only informational, but also interactive.” — Sarah Hu, 10

On April 24, Principal Jeff Evans informed the MSJ community that his transfer to serve as an assistant principal at Thornton Middle School will be effective July 1. After being a part of MSJ’s faculty and administration for 18 years, Evans hopes the transfer to his alma mater will allow him to expand his experiences and knowledge, serve new grade levels, and contribute to the school’s transition from a junior high with two grade levels to a middle school with three.

Evans grew up in Fremont, attending American High School, and returned after graduating from college. A colleague from American High School referred him to MSJ, and he soon became a part of the school’s staff. He first began his MSJ journey as a student teacher, a graduate student that teaches under the supervision of a certified teacher to earn a degree in education. Throughout the years, Evans has been a student teacher, Social Studies teacher, softball and football coach, the Social Studies Department Chair, an assistant principal, and ultimately, the principal. “As an administrator, … while I don’t get to see as

Student Spotlight: Seth Christo De La Pena

By Goonja Basu Staff Writer

Twice a month, Senior Seth Christo De La Pena makes a 20-minute drive to Dublin, where, unlike most high school students, he will be on base for the National Guard for two days. What was originally an instilled childhood duty to serve his community has now turned De La Pena to work as an intelligence analyst for the United States military.

“To Mrs. Sultana: Your AP Biology class was my favorite last year. It felt like a family where labs and lectures were filled with laughter and fond memories. Your class really inspired me to study something related to biology in college, and I’ll be forever grateful for that.”

— Gokul Velayoudame, 12

“To Ms. Salazar: love the way you teach, always feel prepared for your tests, and barely gain stress from this class. You and your class are basically a breath of fresh air for me, and will always be grateful for it!” — Ivy Lu, 10

“To Ms. Carattini: Thanks for being very willing to help.” — Jasmine Wang, 11

“To Ms. Geers: I learned so much in your class and loved your teaching style.”

— Mruthika Praburam, 11

“To Ms. Carattini: Thank you Ms. Carattini for everything you do for us and for all the advice and good moments, especially at ICDC!” — Anya Kapoor, 11

“To Mr. Jeffers: Thank you, Mr. Jeffers, for an amazing year in AP Human Geography. I have learned so much from your class.” — Maryam Naseer, 11

genuinely one of the kindest, funniest, and most loving teachers at school. From being able to talk nonstop about anything to uncontrollably laughing about the most random things, always look forward to PE so can have a bit of fun every day.

:)” — Aanya Bachamada, 10

“To Mrs. Sultana: Thanks for being the realest, kindest, most honest teacher that I could talk to about literally anything. I would not have survived junior year without you.” — Chahak Gupta, 12

“To Mr. Jan: Thanks Mr. Jan for the spirit and fun you bring into the classroom!” — Anya Kapoor, 11

“To Mr. Usrey: Dungeons and Dragons is COOL. They are and no one can change my mind.” — Aaron Zhou, 11

“To Ms. Dotson: Thank you Ms. Dotson for creating such a fun atmosphere in the classroom and for sharing your stuffed animals with us!” — Anya Kapoor, 11

“To Ms. Saldivar: Thank you so much for always been patient with us and doing whatever you can to make sure we understand the concepts.” — Anushka Vasudev, 11

De La Pena officially joined the National Guard in Oct. 2022, looking to gain experience and try something new after getting a certification in social psychology from Duke University in 2018. Now, he currently works as a 35 Foxtrot, an intelligence analyst for the National Guard. “It [involves] collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data and information that we receive so that we can give that to policy- and decision-makers,” De La Pena said.

Being a part of the Armed Forces while juggling the responsibilities of a typical high school student is not an easy feat, but De La Pena manages to make it work. He makes weekend visits to the base twice a month. “I don’t have to put a lot of work into my career outside of those two days,” De La Pena said. Even then, there are times where he has assignments and schoolwork to finish while actively working on base that are difficult to complete. In those scenarios, De La Pena has had to work with his teachers on getting extensions. “Outside of the [National] Guard, I just spend the rest of my time trying to keep track of my schoolwork and extracurriculars,” De La Pena said.

Through his time at the military, De La Pena has developed discipline and responsibility, which has helped him stay on task and motivated in his daily life. This also comes with the quality of not being picky. “I think one thing about the military is that most things are one size fits all,” De La Pena

Farewell Principal Evans

By Vedesh Kodnani & Kaylee Liu Staff Writer

many kids day to day and get to know them, I get to work with specific families and students and really help them through some tough times.” Evans said.

After working with the MSJ community for nearly two decades, Evans has made many fond memories. One of his favorite memories occurred when he was a defensive coordinator for the varsity football team in 2005. “It was Homecoming at [Newark Memorial High School], and we won that game … Everybody’s just going crazy, it was amazing, and I thought, we’re going to become this powerhouse team. … That was a really fun moment,” Evans said. Another highlight of Evans’ career was when he was announced as the next principal during a staff lunch in 2019. The enthusiasm and support from the other teachers and administrators helped him overcome his initial nervousness about transitioning from a teacher to the principal. Additionally, Evans treasures the time he spent with MSJ students.

During his time as principal, Evans has done several things to help improve

MSJ. “I’m really proud of the Inclusion Council that we created a few years ago to bring some changes like student surveys and more advocacy,” he said. The Inclusion Council discusses areas of improvement in MSJ and establishes goals for the year, including developing a more diverse curriculum, implementing student feedback forms, and inviting guest speakers on mental health. Other additions to the campus Evans worked on include the Makerspace, the Student Wellness Center, and the new patio area by the A-Wing. However, the accomplishments Evans is most proud of remain centered around making a positive impact on MSJ families. “[Through] those sort of one-on-one things the kids don’t see, I know that I helped make a difference with some families,” he said. “I still have every thank you letter I’ve ever gotten

said. “With the things you do or the way that you’re supposed to do them, there’s always policies and procedures and instructions on how you get that done.” To De La Pena, being able to be part of an organization that directly supports the community, the people he knows, is the best part of being in the National Guard. The National Guard recently had been activated to work in San Francisco as part of a counter drug operation for fentanyl overdoses. Working on this project has been impactful on De La Pena, as he sees his own achievements reflected back at him from the community he is a part of.

Since getting a degree from George Mason University (GMU) in 2021 for national security policy studies with a focus on cyberspace/cyberwarfare, De La Pena is set to obtain a college education at GMU’s Korea campus in the fall after graduating MSJ. “I won’t be stateside and I won’t really be able to take part in my military role. Because of that, I’m expecting to discharge from the military this year so I can focus on college,” De La Pena said.

While he’s still in the Bay Area, De La Pena has done a lot of community outreach and events at MSJ itself. “It’s nice for us to go out and be able to inform people about the military mission and the National Guard mission and the army mission as a whole so that people understand what it is we‘re out here to do. We’re out here to help,” De La Pena said. ▪

“

To see them graduate, go on to do something, and to keep in touch and let me know how they’re doing, that’s been really amazing ” —

Jeff Evans

from staff and students. Those are the things that I cherish and hang on to.”

Closing off his legacy at MSJ, Evans hopes to share some advice with the student body. “Enjoy the process. Whatever happens afterwards happens, and you’ll do great regardless of where you go,” he said. “It’s not about the end of the road, it’s about the journey that you’re on now… Take the time to take classes that you enjoy, not because an algorithm or a tutor says to take these classes. Just enjoy life because it goes by pretty quickly.” ▪

“ When I was in the classroom teaching, I had a lot of fun.

I was kind of a goofball teacher and liked to joke around ”

—

Jeff Evans

PHOTOS COURTESY SETH CHRISTO DE LA PENA

Teacher Spotlight: Monica Kraft

By Vidyuth Sridhar Staff Writer

On Monday, May 8, MSJ Band and Orchestra Director Monica Kraft announced that she will retire at the conclusion of the school year, marking the end of her illustrious 35-year career teaching at MSJ.

Kraft initially began teaching music at MSJ and neighboring elementary schools during the 1988-89 school year, leading the high-school’s only band at the time of about 25 students. “The program was just starting out so I didn’t have a ton of great music [and] we didn’t have the kind of budget that most bands have,” Kraft said. Though she also branched out to the English and General Music classes early on in her career at MSJ, rising student demand coupled with support from administration led her to expand MSJ’s music program. In 1993, MSJ, which had previously operated a joint marching band with neighboring Irvington High School, became its own separate group. Furthermore, Kraft founded MSJ’s Orchestra in 1994 with administration backing the installment of a new class, creating FUSD’s frst student orchestra at the time.

With Kraft’s continued instruction, the MSJ attendance area’s music programs continued to grow and develop. MSJ gained international prestige – performing in various international events such as the 1997 Paris and 2012 London New Year’s Parade.

“The [1997 Paris New Year’s Parade] really changed the band and brought everyone together. And, you know, we had done really well that year … and everything after the trip was awesome,” Kraft said. The program also continued to strengthen its community involvement, with the marching band performing in football games, music competitions, and local festivals such as the Newark Days Parade.

MSJ’s band and orchestra ensembles continued to perform in the Bay Area and

around the world during the 2010s, touring areas such as Australia and Central Europe on multi-day international trips. Furthermore, Kraft reinforced students’ musical creativity and knowledge of various styles, conducting the Jazz Band and organizing feature performances such as the MSJ Performing Arts Gala, which ran annually from 1995 to 2019. Kraft’s wide-reaching impact on her students also became more apparent than ever as MSJ’s music program grew from 25 to more than 250 performers. “MSJ’s band program to me has really been synonymous with Ms. Kraft’s name. Our success is all thanks to her,” Sophomore Ishaan Awasthi said.

Kraft proudly maintains that her MSJ teaching career can be summed up as successful. “We always had the support that we needed to do things that we do, [and] the pride that we have in the music department goes … throughout the school,” Kraft said.

Post-retirement, Kraft hopes to continue immersing herself in music — working on various compositions, advocating for the expansion of elementary music offerings, and helping out with MSJ’s music programs whenever needed. “I think we also have this innate ability to be creative, so that you know, getting an instrument into the hands of many people, they feel that right away. And so everyone should have that opportunity to know more about music as we’re surrounded with it,” Kraft said. ▪

school.”

Despite the coronavirus pandemic decimating community music involvement, health issues, and high staffng turnover,

“We always had the support that we needed to do things that we do, [and] the pride that we have in the music department goes … throughout the

— MSJ Band and Orchestra Director Monica Kraft

MSJ Band and Orchestra Director Monica Kraft conducts the 2016-17 MSJ Orchestra at Palo Alto High School

Wes Anderson Films

Recently popularized on TikTok, Wes Anderson-style short films explore the romanticized lifestyles of content creators across the world. To end off the 2022-23 publication on a high note, four Smokies competed to create the best Wes Anderson adaptation reflecting the diverse experiences of MSJ students.

Annie

9 hours and 12 minutes. That’s my average daily screen time. Half of that is TikTok. In the past few days, my brain has been blasted with so much “Wes Anderson” content that I now see only in pastel colors and flat plane images. I’ve stopped moving my eyes and head in order to only see in perfectly symmetrical shots, and I’ve been listening to Obituary on loop. With these life adjustments, I know my video will be the Mona Lisa of short form content TikTok videos. I. Am. Wesley. Wales. Anderson.

Hey Wesley—can I call you Wesley? I’ll just call you Wesley. I know my first-place finish means you’re already dialing my number, but I’ve moved on to bigger and better things. With DieHard TryHards Wes Anderson 1st place in my resume, I’m already hav ing to hide from adoring fans who are clamoring to know how I was able to achieve such stunning levels of symmetry and pastel col or-ness. Maybe I’ll tell old Wesley some of my se crets if he asks nicely enough.

AP testing week is not an ideal time for me to explore another popular filmmaking trend. What makes me even more unprepared is the fact that I have never used TikTok for more than three consecutive days in my life, and I never plan on doing so in the future. However, inexperience and stress won’t stop me from menacingly condescending above the rest — when it comes to creativity, I am the best.

I desperately craved the first place victory, so second place is simply dis-asteroid-ous. For a project that only took two days of filming and editing, my video incorporated the day-in-the-life vibe, color gradients, and storylines that defines a solid Wes Anderson-style film. Perhaps I could have improved the film with a tad more unique sound effects and more TikTok binging experience ... oh well. First time might not be the charm, but there’s always room for improvement.

I deleted TikTok a year ago for the sake of my sanity, and I have never ever been happier. So why did I sign up for this challenge, you may ask? I guess I love cha os! With less than a gigabyte of storage left in my phone and no ideas whatsoever, at this point, why even try. There is truly no hope for my success, so I plan to start with low expectations and end with low expectations, in true Wes Anderson-symmetry. We’re off to a great start!

Do I know who Wes Anderson is? No. Have I edited a video before? No. Do I know why I’m taking part in this challenge? Yes. From today forward, I’m dedicating myself to living life on hard mode. It’s not enough to blend in. I strive to stand out in every aspect, and picking up a challenge I know nothing about sounds like the perfect way to start.

Today, I’m setting the ambitious goal for myself of not getting disqualified. It’s truly hard out here.

2nd 3rd 4th

Second to last. I have to say, not bad. I may have given up on Wes Anderson halfway to pay tribute to my favorite filmmaKer who has yet to win an Oscar, Taylor Alison Swift, but that’s most definitely besides the point. Art is all about expression, and I expressed myself by completely disregArding the rules of the challenge. My vIdeo was commenTing on the sociaL rigiditY of visual art in the moderN age. It’s actually quite deep. So anyway, do I call Hollywood or does Hollywood call me?

Last place. With my 12 a.m. iMovie clip stitching and the random videos I took when I remembered my impending challenge, I’m proud that I was able to make it this far. Since I wasn’t disqualified, I can say for sure that I’m meant for a career in film. I’ll start by investing in a TikTok account to study the intrica cies of modern trends and video editing.

Wesley Wales Anderson, I am coming for you.

Amy Luo, Jason Tang, Annie Xu & Aaron Zhou Staff Writers

1st

Jason Aaron Amy

DISTRIBUTION ACROSS STATES

>28% 5-28% 2-4% <1%

* Students with an asterisk by their name are open to being contacted for advice/questions.

Domestic

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

Aditya Patil Computer Science*

Adrian Zhang Electrical & Computer Engineering*

Ailey Chen Global Studies

Alexander Castilla Ecology & Genetics*

Alexander Gatto Doctor

Ambika Mohindra Psychology*

Ananya Hooda Electrical Engineering*

Andy Wang Electrical Engineering

Anish Sanku - Economics

Archita Sarin Computer Science*

Ashley Kim - Computer Science: Game Design*

Ava Shah - Engineering

Bhavana Bandla - Global Studies*

Bhumika Iroji Molecular & Cell Biology*

Carolyn Kuo Biological Sciences*

Chang-Lynn Tan Nursing*

Chantale Tso Math

Christine Pham Computer Science

Christy Huang Electrical Engineering & Computer Science*

Darren Choe Data Science

Darrius Robertson Computer Engineering*

Diya Kochar Marketing*

Edison Liu Biology (Pre-med)*

Elana Galleon Biochemical Engineering

Erika Gosti Computer Science

Esha Potharaju Film & Data Science*

Govind Nainani - Applied Math / Data Science*

Harshita Bathina Microbiology*

Inara Ahsan - Liberal Arts & Islamic Studies*

Isabella Bei - Electrical Engineering*

Jack Lee Jr. Engineering

Jeffrey Cheng Biology (Biological Sciences)*

Jennie Wang English Literature*

Jerry Yuan Physics & Astronomy*

Joanne Park - English (Pre-law)*

Jordan Suleman Communications*

Justin Kuo Economics*

Kimberly Jeung Computer Science: Game Design*

Krisha Bhat Business / Economics*

Kyle Bazzone Computer Science / Business

Laiba Mustafa Biochemistry*

Lakshay Soin - Applied Math*

Lawrence Tran Economics*

Michelle Lin Data Science*

Minahil Iqbal Business*

Nandika Nambiar - Molecular & Cell Biology*

Olivia Chen Computer Engineering

Pernece Kaur Grewal Business*

Pooja Mayya Biology*

Priyal Jain Biology (Pre-Dental)*

Robert Trinh Computer Engineering

Rohan Bhagat Linguistics*

Roshan Sanjeev Computer Science

Ruhani Chhabra English*

Saira Hamid Art and Design: Games & Playable Media

Saloni Sao Public Health*

Shashank Karthik Rajan Robotics Engineering*

Smaran Mishra Computer Science

Srikar Devesetti Computer Science

Stanley Ho - Biomedical Engineering

Taylin Tyhurst Communications

Terrence Lee Computer Science & Engineering*

Vaishak Sandeep Data Science*

Via Das Molecular Biology*

Vipransh Sinha Computer Science

Zachary Gatto Pre-med / Health*

Ziyan Batada Bioengineering*

Class of 2023’s Future Aspirations

By Ruhani Chhabra,

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Aiden Wong Computer Science

Aiswarya Aluru Psychology*

Akash Iyer - Computer Science & Engineering

Allison Wang - Computer Science*

Alton Gu Neurobiology

Alvin Zhu - Computer Engineering*

Alyssa Halvorsen - Chemistry*

Amulya Harish - Anthropology & Computational Neuroscience*

Andrew Liang Political Science (Pre-law)*

Andrew Sun Biology*

Ansh Bhatnagar Data Science*

Arav Kasliwal Nutrition & Computer Science*

Atif Ahmad Computer Science & Engineering

Ayushi Kashyap Computer Science*

Bill Su - Mechanical Engineering*

Brian Liu Political Science

Catherine Liu - Illustration*

Chahak Gupta Microbiology*

Christine Yiu Materials Engineering

Claris Chan - Materials Engineering*

David Lin Economics*

Diya Sen Economics & Math*

Elkan Wong Mechanical Engineering

Ella Maile Lym Psychology*

Ethan Yu - Political Science*

Faye Widjaja - Theatre*

Jasper Zhang Chemical Engineering / Materi-

als Science

Jasper Tang Urban Planning*

Jessica Guan Computer Science*

Jiahe Qin Data Science*

Jonathan Zhang Computer Science*

Kaavya Saini Psychology & Brain Studies*

Katherine Liang - Psychology*

Kaylee Wei Computer & Environmental Science*

Kevin Sheng Computer Science*

Lily Jiang - Neuroscience*

Lucas Liang Economics (Transferring Business Administration)*

Michael Zhou - Computer Science*

Nandana Nambiar Linguistics & Computer Science

Nathan Zhang Data Science*

Neenv Menon Data Science*

Nolan Kim - Engineering

Patrick Zhou Civil Engineering*

Phoenix Tat Psychology

Prajit Rajkumar Bioinformatics*

Pranav Hastak Microbiology*

Rayane Salhi Architecture*

Ruthsha Deb Biochemistry (Pre-med)*

Ryan Ma Biochemistry*

Saanvi Nandanwar Computer Science & Linguistics*

Sai Reddy Public Policy

Saloni Gune Life Sciences*

Samir Kurudi Chemical Engineering*

Samuel Li Business*

Sanjana Rathore Computer Science*

Siddaarth Prasanna Applied Math

Sinchana Nama Art, Tech, & the Business of Innovation*

Sirtaj Bansal Biochemistry

Skyla Polishchuk Electrical Engineering

Smaran Mishra Computer Science

Surabhi Honnavalli - Computer Science and Engineering

Uday Shukla Math of Computation

Wallace Chiu - Interdisciplinary Computing & the Arts

ARIZONA

Arusha Roy - Biology

Max Zhao Computer Science*

Monica Calderon Civil Engineering*

Rusheel Baratam - Computer Science*

GEORGIA

Ananth Sastry - Neuroscience / Biology*

Kaitlyn Wang Computer Science*

Leo Jiang - Computer Science*

Meher Jain Chemistry*

Samarth Tewari Computer Science

Selina Kao International Relations & Spanish*

Alan Zhao Biology*

HAWAII

Reina Shimomura Studio Art / Business*

ILLINOIS

Aadarsh Nair Psychology (Clinical)*

Akul Sharma Computer Science & Advertising

Brian Da Cruz Computer Science*

Daniel Gong Biology & Economics*

Helen Tian - Computer Science & Sociology*

Matthew Wang Data Science*

Nisheet Panda - Statistics & Computer Science*

Ritam Nandi - Computer Science*

Siddharthasai Cheetancheri Computer Science

Yong Yi (Sophia) Yang Early Childhood

Education

Araav Diwan Physics

Edward Lin Neural Engineering / Bioengineering*

INDIANA

Alicia Zhou Computer Science*

Arhan Chaudhary Computer Science*

Atulya Prasad Music Performance & Business*

Note: This spread is representative of students who voluntarily answered the Google Form by May 16, 2023. All information is based on responses submitted.

OHIO

Ananya Srinivasan - Chemistry*

Gokul Velayoudame - Neuroscience

Joseph Ho Computer Science*

Pratham Bhashyakarla Neuroscience (Premed)*

OREGON

Jayden Gravett - Journalism*

Joseph Du Data Science*

PENNSYLVANIA

Benjamin Qu Data Science*

Jason Tang - Electrical & Computer Engineering*

Julie Wu Computer Science

Ryan Liu Health & Societies & Mathematical Economics*

Serena Cai Design*

Siddhant Chakraborty - Mechanical Engineering*

Amy Luo - Bioengineering*

Jiya Gupta Business & Computer Science

Pareekshith Krishna Electrical & Computer Engineering*

RHODE ISLAND

Ishaan Ganti Applied Math / Computer Science*

TENNESSEE

Natasha Chang Music Performance & Biology (Pre-med)*

Jeffrey Wu Computer Science*

Olivia Koo - Business & Data Science*

Ray Chen Applied Math

Rishon Nazareth - Computer Science & Game Development*

Audrey Lee Data Science*

Sammith Belur Integrated Business & Engineering*

MARYLAND

Bryan Xiong - Computer Science

Katherine Lin Violin Performance (Pre-med)*

Sahana Kuchibhotla Public Health & Biology*

Sarina Li - Social Data Science

Shelley Li - Chemistry / Biochemistry*

Siddhant Upadhyay - Computer Science*

Vidit Raju Computer Science*

MASSACHUSETTS

Chris Ge Computer Science & Math*

Diya Chatwani Neuroscience (Pre-med)*

Olivia Lan Human Physiology

Samuel Zhou Computer Science & Finance / Physics*

Ariel Kim Economics*

Audrey Wang Economics & Data Science*

Julia Marcelis Business Administration*

Nessa Tong Media Arts & Sciences / Computer Science*

Shrish Choudhary Computer Science

MICHIGAN

Eric Teng - Computer Science*

Matthew Wong Data Science

MINNESOTA

Nathan Singh Math / Physics*

MISSOURI

Andria Luo Computer Science*

Jackie Wang Undecided Business*

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Garret Duo - Computer Science & Economics*

NEW JERSEY

Aidan Paragas - Nursing*

NEW YORK

Arav Sachdeva Computer Science*

Ashley Buk - Global Public Health: Applied Psychology*

Esther Lau Political Science & Human Rights*

Etta Sou Business*

Jessie Huang Computer Science / Biomedical Engineering (Pre-med)*

Lukaluigi Lucario Art*

Michael Wang Computer Science*

Rucha Kulkarni - Psychology*

Sean Sung Industrial Labor Relations*

Shantanu Bulbule Computer Engineering

Siyona Vinaik Architecture*

Sohani Sawant Acting*

Parul Veda Business, Tech, & Entrepreneurship*

NORTH CAROLINA

Angela Xiong Biology & Global Health*

TEXAS

Advika Govindarajan - Data Science*

Rhea Ray Neuroscience*

VIRGINIA

Jia Bansal Business Information Technology*

WASHINGTON

Raagini Hazarika English Literature*

WASHINGTON DC

Adyant Patnaik Criminal Justice / Political Science*

Sophia Chen Justice & Law (Criminal Justice)*

Abroad

CANADA

Kyle Brown Statistics*

UNITED KINGDOM

Amelie Wu Political Science*

GERMANY

Caleb Lu - Business Administration*

JAPAN

Jeffrey Zhang - Physics*

SINGAPORE

Youda Lin Military, Math & Neuroscience*

Jacob Han, Amy Luo, Andria Luo & Nessa Tong Sta Writers

With the 2022-23 school year coming to a close, the time for us to say goodbye to our graduating seniors has also arrived. From their time as the Freshmen Avengers to their nal year as Shang-Chi Seniors, the Class of 2023 has made an everlasting mark on MSJ. To celebrate the class and wish the seniors good luck on their journeys ahead, the Smoke Signal has compiled a list of their future aspirations.

Seniors in Arts and Entertainment

Jiyun Guo, Keerti Koya, Priyanka Shah & Anushka Vasudev Staff Writers

NATASHA CHANG — MUSIC PERFORMANCE, VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY

Ever since she was young, Senior Natasha Chang has found a sense of purpose and self expression through playing piano. She will be attending Vanderbilt University for Music Performance, and possibly biology, this fall. While applying to college, Chang knew that she wanted to do something related to music. “I’ve been playing music for so long, it’s part of my life essentially, so I definitely want to keep pursuing it,” Chang said. In college, she’s hoping to explore different forms of music and performance beyond piano, which has been her main focus. “Over these years, I haven’t really had the chance to perform, and one aspect of music is to share what you’ve learned with others and try to mingle with different cultures and music styles,” Chang said. While Chang has always held a passion for playing the piano, it has not always been easy for her to stay motivated and dedicate countless hours to it. She has learned to use any time she gets between classes and extracurriculars to squeeze in practice. Her efforts have paid off, as Chang has had the opportunity to develop her skills and ultimately, perform at Carnegie Hall, which is one of the most prestigious performances a musician can get invited to. In the future, Chang hopes to explore a field related to music therapy, in which she can combine her experiences in music and biology. For aspiring artists, Chang shares, “Don’t give up. Eventually you’ll learn to appreciate all this time that you’ve dedicated to your single passion, and that alone means so much more than your academic achievements.”

ANNA ZHU — GAME ART, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Senior Anna Zhu first took interest in Game Art because it combined video games and art, two of her favorite pastimes. She tested the waters this year by taking the Game Design/Interactive Media Arts class at Mission Valley ROP and found that she really enjoyed the class. As a result, this fall Zhu will be pursuing Game Art at the University of Southern California. “I hope college will bring me opportunities to collaborate and learn from other artists, and I also hope to use the connections I make during college to venture into the industry,” Zhu said. Believing that art stems from life, Zhu has taught herself to be observant of everything around her. During her application process, Zhu carefully crafted her senior portfolio, taking inspiration from music, other artists’ works, and daily life. “Within the span of two months, I made 30 to 40 pieces, so I’m really proud of how they turned out even though it was such a rush,” Zhu said. In ten years, Zhu plans to finish her degree in Game Art and potentially earn a minor in video game programming. After college, she wants to go into the video game or film industry as a visual development artist, ultimately working at a big company like Riot Games or Blizzard Entertainment. To aspiring artists at MSJ, Zhu advises seeking out a passionate community. “Your environment and the people you surround yourself with are really important, so try to find people that’ll spark your creative growth,” Zhu said.

KATHERINE LIN — VIOLIN PERFORMANCE & PRE-MED, JOHN HOPKINS UNIVERSITY

Since the day she picked up her mom’s old violin as a toddler, Senior Katherine Lin has been inspired to pursue the path of a concert violinist. Throughout middle and high school, she participated in a medley of orchestra programs, including the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra and California Youth Symphony. Lin’s experiences broadened her access to the musical world, and her passion for violin grew stronger day by day. In the summer of her junior year, Lin served as concertmaster in the 2022 Honors Performance Series, a program that took her from New York’s Carnegie Hall to Vienna’s Musikverein. “I think just walking on that stage playing solos was something that I really enjoyed, and it’ll be one of my favorite memories for stuff I’ve done in orchestras,” Lin said. This fall, Lin will be pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Violin Performance at John Hopkins University, with a double major in the Pre-Med field. She’s hoping this will eventually lead her to the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra in Sweden, as the group has had an open violinist position for a few years now. To aspiring artists at MSJ, Lin stresses the importance of sticking to one’s passion. “If you really don’t feel like practicing, sight read something you’ve never played before, or draw a character you’ve never drawn before, because even if you’re just doodling spirals on your math notes, it doesn’t let you go without one day of practice,” Lin said.

SERENA CAI — DESIGN, CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY

After establishing a firm artistic foundation in a cozy art studio in Saratoga, Senior Serena Cai began exploring design in L2. As a publicity head, Cai is responsible for creating flyers for school events, and her work fills the MSJ Warriors social media pages. In addition to the flyers, Cai has drawn the backdrops for Homecoming and Spring Fling, as well as the infographics for Multicultural Week and class fundraisers. Reflecting on her artistic process, Cai attributes her inspiration to bits of daily life. “If I see something I like, I’ll remember what I like about it … if I’m reading something or watching a video and I find the topic interesting, I’ll keep note of it,” Cai said. In one of her recent pieces, Cai adorned a jacket with cutouts from past Homecoming backdrops, a response to the portfolio prompt of “self-portrait.” Later this year, Cai will be attending Carnegie Mellon University to major in Design, with a possible minor in human-computer interfaces. In college, she hopes her work will branch out from a fine-art style to a more design-oriented approach. “In 10 years, it’d be nice to do something related to UX. But I know CMU specifically is very strong in product design, so I’m not completely set on UX … if I want to go into product design, I’ll do that instead,” Cai said.

SIYONA VINAIK — ARCHITECTURE, SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY

Throughout her childhood, Senior Siyona Vinaik fiddled with building blocks and video games, pastimes that struck a chord within her. This fall, she’ll be entering Syracuse University to pursue a degree in Architecture. Along with the work of her architectural idols like Frank Gehry, Vinaik finds most of her inspiration through the buildings she sees. Whenever inspiration strikes, she always has a sketchbook handy to record her thoughts for later. However, she sometimes finds motivation difficult to sustain. “I find myself stuck in art block a lot. To motivate myself to keep going, I think about how … if I don’t do this now, I will never do it. So, I have to keep on practicing to stay good and get better,” Vinaik said. One of Vinaik’s biggest accomplishments in her architectural journey thus far is completing her architecture portfolio of thirteen well-developed pieces for her college applications. After completing her degree, Vinaik hopes to complete her architectural licensing exam and open up her own architectural firm, where she creates designs. She is also interested in working for a company like Disney as an Imagineer, someone who brainstorms the designs behind amusement parks. For like-minded young artists, Vinaik urges dedication to their passion. “Keep going and don’t let someone’s opinion of what your major is influence what you want to do. Just do something that you are really passionate about, and eventually it will pay off,” Vinaik said.

CATHERINE LIU — ILLUSTRATION, ARTCENTER COLLEGE OF DESIGN

Growing up, Senior Catherine Liu has always loved to draw. She dedicated every moment of free time to honing her passion, keeping a sketchbook handy whenever inspiration struck. Now, she is committed to the ArtCenter College of Design to major in Illustration. In her artistic process, Liu takes inspiration from whatever ideas she has floating around her head, especially her Dungeons & Dragons campaign. These ideas keep Liu motivated on a day-to-day basis: as she improves, she gains access to a wider range of mediums and opportunities, allowing her to pursue the ideas she’s generated. When she reflects on her old work, Liu’s the proudest of her clear difference in skill level over the years. Because of the pressure to excel in STEM subjects at MSJ, Liu was initially scared of pursuing her art journey. “STEM is important … It’s just, there is not enough of an emphasis on art. There is only one year of required art, but at least three years of required STEM subjects,” Liu said. Despite the obstacles she faced, Liu received unending support from her private art teacher to reach her current level of artistic skill. In her coming years, Liu hopes to graduate from college and work in the entertainment industry as a concept artist. Liu leaves with an uplifting message to aspiring artists: “If you keep sticking with it, it will work eventually.”

PHOTOS BY STAFF WRITERS JIYUN GUO, KEERTI KOYA, PRIYANKA SHAH & ANUSHKA VASUDEV, COURTESY SIYONA VINAIK

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 rockets to the top of marvel

By Jason Tang Staf Writer

James Gunn does it again — Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is a return to form for the recently struggling Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). e conclusion to the 9-year-long trilogy is the emotional last ride of the Guardians, a ragtag collection of outcasts from across the galaxy who ght to save the life of a close friend. First premiering on May 5, it generated $118.4 million domestically in the rst weekend, the most successful opening weekend for Marvel since Avengers: Endgame in 2019, which grossed a record $357 million domestically. e music in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise has always been something that set it apart from other superhero movies. e soundtrack, aptly named Awesome Mix Vol. 3, features songs from exclusively before 1988, the year in which Peter “Star-Lord” Quill (Chris Pratt) was abducted from Earth. is bouncy and grungy soundtrack features hit songs from 80s icons Beastie Boys, Radiohead, Bruce Springsteen, and many more. e upbeat tunes perfectly encapsulate the overall vibe of the movie and t the theme of self-discovery and ful llment in life. In addition to the soundtrack, the score, composed by John Murphy, was also excellently done. e rock and roll undertones t seamlessly into the soundtrack

GAMEBYTES

By Daphne Senecal Staf Writer

Honkai: Star Rail is a space fantasy role-playing game developed by miHoYo following the adventures of the Trailblazer and their new friends Dan Heng and March 7th as they travel across the galaxy onboard the Astral Express helping planets in need.

The game begins with the characters Kafka and Silver Wolf who infltrate the Herta Space Station in search of a mysterious object called a Stellaron that spreads destruction across the universe destroying people and worlds. After locating it, the two place it in the main protagonist, the Trailblazer, awakening them. Seeing that their plan succeeded, Kafka puts the Trailblazer back to sleep telling them that they must reach the end of their story on their own terms. The second time the Trailblazer wakes up they meet Dan Heng and March 7th, members of the Astral Express who travel the galaxy exploring diferent planets, and encourage the main character to join them. The three main characters then embark on a journey traveling the universe helping planets in need.

The gameplay is similar to that of past miHoYo games such as Genshin Impact and Honkai Impact 3rd which both feature open-world concepts that allow the player to roam freely. This allows exploration in diferent locations where players can complete puzzles and collect notes and books that the player can read to learn more about the universe. Honkai: Star Rail also features turn-based combat, making the fghting aspect signifcantly easier than its predecessors. With its detailed world-building and glowing animation, it is easy to become immersed in its story and characters, going from planet to planet.

Released on April 26, the game is available for free on the ofcial Honkai: Star Rail website for personal computer and mobile gaming, and a Playstation version is set to release in the near future, with the promise of in-game rewards.

SMOKIE PLAYLIST:

and felt like a natural extension of the action in the lm.

But an appealing beat and nostalgic melodies aren’t all that make a movie. e dialogue in MCU movies has long been criticized for being cheesy, and while the dialogue in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 isn’t exactly realistic, it lands closer to fun than cheesy. Each of the characters distinct personalities shine through their words: Star-Lord’s insecure charisma, Rocket’s (Bradley Cooper) crass but loving language, Gamora’s (Zoe Saldaña) softening deadliness, Drax’s (Dave Bautista) moral idiocy, Nebula’s (Karen Gillan) maternal fed-up-ness, Mantis’ (Pom Klementie ) exible empathy, and even Groot’s (Vin Diesel) adolescent humor were evident through their interactions together.

As a conclusion to the trilogy, James Gunn did an incredible job tying up loose ends in the plot. All the character arcs that began

O R N E R

SUbtract is Ed Sheeran’s greatest musical addition

By Ruhani Chhabra Staf Writer

developing in the rst movie reach a satisfying end, the growth of the characters, both physically and mentally, is clear through the decisions and sacri ces they make throughout the lm.

In true MCU fashion, the biggest aw with the movie was the villain. Chukwudi Iwuji as e High Evolutionary was satisfactory, but the evil scientist character never felt truly intimidating. His story and motivations just weren’t compelling enough, and every one of his scenes just felt like something that had to move the plot along.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is a worthy addition to the widely loved Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. Viewers can rejoice as they can experience what made them fall in love with marvel in the rst place: heroics, action, wit, and a good time in the galaxy.

Grade: B

May 2023 MSJ Faves

MOVIE: Spirited Away — Jocelyn Wang, 10

TV SHOW: Monk — Advaith Mopuri, 9

ALBUM: Ultraviolence by Lana Del Rey — Wenlu She, 11

BOOK: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo — Megha Rajanikanth, 11

GAME: Mario Kart — Ziya Faizel Chirammal, 12

For more than a decade, singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran has been a household name in the music industry, with anthems like “ inking out Loud” and “Shape of You” — one can hear his songs practically everywhere, from weddings to department stores. ough Sheeran has been criticized for his mainstream pop songs, he undoubtedly also releases musical gems — and in his newest album, Subtract (stylized as -), there are plenty. e record is the fth and most potent installment of his mathematical-themed bodies of work, following Plus, Multiply, Divide, and Equals. Sheeran does an incredible job with his emotional voice and profound lyrics.

According to Sheeran, the inspiration for this album stemmed from a di cult time in his life. His best friend, Jamal Edwards, committed suicide last year. Shortly after, doctors discovered a tumor in his pregnant wife’s stomach. In “Sycamore,” Sheeran softly sings about the unfortunate diagnosis in the lines “But in our story, love in, love out / And we are glorious / ... / Waiting on professionals to tell you how it is / ... / Brace yourself, something’s about to hit.” Listeners can de nitely sympathize with Sheeran’s situation and applaud his courage to share the story. Subtract clearly displays Sheeran’s mental state following the tragedies. In “End Of Youth,” he belts about grieving his friend, with powerful voice cracks that are goosebump-inducing. e production of “Salt Water” feels like it should be played during a melancholic scene in a movie, where Sheeran pleads to “Embrace the deep and leave everything.”

As Sheeran himself said in an interview with Entertainment Tonight, the album reveals his “deep, dark thoughts,” which depicts his growth as a musician, as his previous records were not as hard-hitting and honest as this one.

Not only can Sheeran’s audience feel his pain, but they also witness his healing journey. “Life Goes On” once again re ects on the death of his best friend, articulating the inconsistencies of grief and learning how to live without someone. “Curtains” has faster-paced melodies, and uses the sun coming out as a metaphor for recovering from misfortunes. roughout the record, Sheeran implements isolated vocals to emphasize particularly beautiful lyrics, especially in the closing track, “ e Hills of Aberfeldy.” He re ects on his life’s slow and peaceful reconstruction, an appropriate closing to a candid album about hitting rock bottom.

In Subtract, Sheeran displays his masterful musicality through rugged acoustic melodies and versatile vocals, and he embeds so much moving vulnerability. With his unique and honest approach, Subtract is, without a doubt, his strongest album.

Grade: A

Polite society is hilariously unserious

By Goonja Basu Staf Writer

Released on April 28, an absolute hallucination of a lm, Polite Society, follows British-Pakistani high schooler and stuntwoman-to-be Ria Khan (Priya Kansara) as she tries to derail her older sister’s wedding, sensing something devious afoot about her ancé’s family, which is quickly is blown out of proportion with an absurd twist. e lm serves as a tribute to the Bollywood lms that director Nida Manzoor grew up with, while also incorporating Jackie Chan-style martial in uences in its ght scenes.

From sharp comedic timing and well-executed technical action scenes to tender and poignant moments, Polite Society shows a wide range of emotions contained within a ridiculous premise, coming together as a highly enjoyable movie if not taken seriously. Ria, when partnered with her two friends Clara (Seraphina Beh) and Alba (Ella Bruccoleri) during their wedding hijinks, never fails to induce laughs from the au-

dience, such as the moment when they hide Lena (Ritu Arya) in a cart to sneak her out of the venue.

e lm’s tributes to Bollywood don’t go unnoticed either: at the climax of the lm, Kansara emulates a breathtaking performance from the 2002 Hindi lm, Devdas, set to “Song: Maar Dala” by Kavita Krishnamurthy and KK. Other than the beautiful dance scene, one particular action sequence between Ria and Lena was both bizarre and well-done, set to video game-style ght scene music but choreographed perfectly. However, the true highlight of that scene came with a poignant moment from Ria’s sister, Lena. e sharp ght scene music drops immediately as Lena, for the rst time in the lm, truly lashes out at her sister, the person who she cares about most in the world. It’s the rst time the audience understands the helplessness Lena is feeling, and Arya portrays it perfectly.

Arya’s acting exhibits talent and experience, a clear highlight of the lm. ough more popularly known for her work in Net ix’s e Umbrel-

la Academy, Arya delivers a memorable performance in Polite Society by portraying Lena’s confusion as the 20-something college dropout family disappointment with sophistication and empathy. Even when the lm loses control of its seriousness, Arya continues to ground the lm with her portrayal of Lena’s bond with Ria and getting caught between picking passion or stability.

Despite the lm’s highly enjoyable aspects, there are a few glaringly obvious aws. With the almost twohour runtime, the pacing is messy. e rst half of the movie presents itself as a typical action-comedy, packed with jokes and overemphasized spinning air kicks. However, the following acts take a turn towards horror and science ction that are not presented in the synopsis or promotional trailers. ere is no lead-up to the shift — just an abrupt change from a typical Bollywood-style comedy to an evil plan so dystopian that it rivals the plot of any young adult book from 2012.

In addition to the lm’s pacing problems, its social commentary

gets lost in its satirical plot. e title, Polite Society, refers to how Ria and Lena are expected to conform to their South Asian culture, to be polite, good girls. roughout the lm, Ria stays staunchly attached to her nonconforming dream of becoming a stuntwoman, while Lena shifts to what the rest of their society wants her to be, falling for a man she is being set up with by their mothers. eir diverging paths could have represented so much more for an audience who, like Ria and Lena, do not want to follow a traditional path their parents set for them, but it was overshadowed by overly-comical ght scenes and unserious evil plots.

Ultimately, while Polite Society is not the best or most groundbreaking lm for its genre, it undoubtedly has its audience shaking in their seats, at rst with laughter, then with disbelief and fear in its third act genre twist. Despite its shortcomings, it is an enticing watch for its hallucinatory convolutions.

Grade: B+

ANGELA: “Starlight” by Taylor Swift | ANNIKA: “HEAVEN TO ME” by Tyler, e Creator | BRYAN: “Twilight” by Anderson .Paak | CHRISTY: “Right now” by Gracie Abrams | ELTON: “ e Lazy Song” by Bruno Mars | ESTHER: “Feels Like” by Gracie Abrams | HANNAH: “Carpe Diem” by Joker Out | HELEN: “Empire State Of Mind” by Jay-Z, Alicia Keys | JENNIE: “Feather” by Sabrina Carpenter | JERRY: “Likey” by TWICE | JOANNE: “Homemade Dynamite” by Lorde | JULIA: “light” by wave to earth | KAITLYN: “Animal” by Neon Trees | KARINA: “Sunkissed” by khai dreams | ROHAN: “Galway Girl” by Ed Sheeran | SANAH: “Afraid To Feel” by LF SYSTEM SARINA: “Feel Good” by SHINee | SHELLEY: “Bubbly” by Colbie Caillat | MRS. COHEN: e Girl Is Mine (with Paul McCartney)” by Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney

Editors’ Summer media Roundup

By Sanah Bhardwaj & Joanne Park Arts & Entertainment Editors

To commemerate the end of the school year, the Arts & Entertainment Editors ( lm experts) Sanah Bhardwaj and Joanne Park have rounded up their most highly anticipated movies, music, and TV show releases. Enjoy their hot takes.

Movies Music TV Shows

April 21 - Beau Is Afraid

“New Ari Aster? More like Sanah Is Afraid” –Sanah

May 26 - The Little Mermaid

June 2 - Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

“Taking a leap of faith for this long-awaited sequel” Joanne

June 16 - Asteroid City

July 21 - Barbie

“Still mad about Ryan Gosling as Ken but it’s still movie of the year” – Sanah

July 21 - Oppenheimer

May 19 - KAYTRAMINÉ by KAYTRAMINÉ, Aminé, and KAYTRANADA

“The perfect summer album. Windows down, volume up” -– Sanah

June 9 - The Age of Pleasure by Janelle Monáe

June 9 - The Show by Niall Horan

“I can feel my Directioner defrosting” -– Sanah

June 23 - Feed The Beast by Kim Petras

July 7 - Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) by Taylor Swift

“Long live those of us who want to never grow up” -– Joanne

July 28 - AUSTIN by Post Malone

August 18 - Unreal

Unearth by Hozier

May 28 - Succession

Season 4 Finale

“The OG nally took that L” -– Sanah and Joanne

May 28 - Barry Season 4 Finale

“This used to be a show about a hitman who wanted to become an actor...” -– Joanne

June 4 - The Idol Premiere

June 8 - Never Have I Ever Season 4

“Praying that Devi will make better decisions this season (no she won’t)” -– Sanah

June 23 - The Bear Season 2 Premiere

July 28 - Good Omens Season 2 Premiere

August 3 - Heartstopper Season 2

The battle for writers’ rights: WGA strikes against AI

By Angelina Chen, Abha Kulkarni & Vidyuth Sridhar Staf Writers

At 12:01 a.m. on May 2, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on strike after failing to secure a deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), a group that includes blockbuster studios such as Disney and NBCUniversal. Campaigning for causes such as better compensation and protections against using arti cial intelligence (AI) to replace writers’ work, the con ict has halted most scripted productions across Hollywood, from NBC’s Saturday Night Live to Net ix’s Stranger ings

“I think the biggest obstacle for dancers is comparing ourselves to other people. I try to take a step back and spend some time alone to improve myself.”

— MSJ Alumnus and Film Director Stanley Luo

e WGA continually sought to expand the foundational rights granted to them under the Minimum Basic Agreement (MBA), e ective from May 2, 2020 through May 1, 2023, a basic agreement detailing the working and creative rights all WGA members possess. is would include protections against and creative control over the use of technological advancements, such as AI language models and usage of their work to train AI. However, this proposition was denied by the AMPTP. Beyond protections against AI usage, the Guild also wants the expansion of residuals for writers – which are portions of pro t given to them for the reuse of their work. Currently, residuals do not currently apply to the reuse of works aired on streaming sites. Furthermore, the guild is striking to remove the usage of “mini rooms”, in which

writers outline the pilot and the plot of the show but then are red in a few months, resulting in showrunners taking over. In light of these egregious examples of writer exploitation, we must support the WGA’s ght to ensure basic rights and creative control.

Writers deserve protection against exploitation and subpar working conditions, for both moral and practical reasons. Without these legal protections, lackluster media and a lowered standard of living is an inevitable consequence. As the standard of living and in ation continue to rise across Southern California and the US, pay raises and compensation agreed to in the previous WGA contract in 2020 have not been keeping pace with our post-pandemic economic and social climate. According to a WGA report conducted in March, “Median weekly writer-producer pay has declined 4% over the last decade. Adjusting for in ation, the

decline is 23%.”

However, with AMPTP’s refusal to grant basic protections and compensation to writers, the backbone of the lm and TV industry, it’s no surprise that the WGA have now organized to take further action. “ ey have closed the door on their labor force and opened the door to writing as an entirely freelance profession. No such deal could ever be contemplated by this membership,” the WGA stated in a press release.

For the sake of the entertainment industry as a whole, it is imperative that issues surrounding the compensation and protection of writers are quickly resolved. e current WGA strike is the eighth such occurrence since the 1950s — and their rst in 15 years. However, the previous 2007-08 strike, which lasted 100 days, resulted in sharp drops in employment and income across the industry, costing the California economy an

estimated $2 billion. e entertainment industry pays $21 billion per year to more than 260,000 businesses in cities and small towns across the country. A long strike could deliver a major blow to the economy as well as the workers and writers.

Ultimately, writers deserve fair compensation as Hollywood continues to rapidly change post-pandemic; large studios should not be able to exploit these new changes, such as the rise of streaming platforms, for pure pro t without honoring the needs and rights of the writers that make those productions the hits they are.

“It’s really important that the people who worked on the production get the money that they deserve. When it comes to streaming, there’s no way you can tell how much the show is getting streamed … in general, if a show is going to be on a streaming service, the percentage that writers get should be higher than if it’s exclusively aired on live television.”

— Universal Performers President Faye Widjaja, 12

Students can participate in relevant MSJ clubs, such as Writer’s Block and the Phoenix Art and Literary Magazine, to get more involved with writing in their local communities. ey can also join the WGA through their social media action kits, which provides an outlet to advocate for this issue online. We should continue to support the writers and recognize the importance of screenwriting in shaping the entertainment we know and love today.

Members of the Writers Guild of America strike outside of the Warner Bros. Studios. APNEWS COM

GRAPHICS BY STAFF WRITER NESSA TONG

College Athletes

By Sarah Hu, Ayushi Kashyap, Waylon Li & Praamesh Siva Staf Writers

Shrish Choudhary

Senior Shrish Choudhary grew up playing competitive tennis, adapting to the competitive nature of the sport quickly. Hours of practice on the court with other players and coaches led to early success in sectional tournaments, which quickly transformed into qualifications for national-level tournaments. “I hope to keep the lessons I've learned through the thousands of matches I have continue to keep myself healthy shape,” Choudhary said. Apart from competitive tennis in the United States Tennis Association (USTA) league, Choudhary has played an important role in the MSJ Varsity Boys Tennis team , winning two NCS Team Championships and qualifying for the CIF State Championships. He plans to continue his tennis career through Division III tennis at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). “I'm most excited about the team environment and energy on the court,” Choudhary said.

Tara Ushiro

Senior Tara Ushiro first started playing basketball in first grade for a recreational church league and fell in love with the game and social atmosphere. Ushiro decided to continue playing basketball in college, due to the number of memories she has made with the game over the years. However, her jour ney has had obstacles. At the end of her junior year, before recruiting season, Ushiro completely tore up her ACL and needed surgery. This injury required a nine month recovery and ended Ushiro’s high school career because she was unable to play in her senior year. Although it was a huge setback, Ushiro stayed positive as she continued phys cal therapy and strength training. and saw the experience as an opportunity to grow and persevere through adversity. “I learned a lot from watching from the sidelines because it gave me a new perspective and I saw many things that I didn’t see before,” Ushiro said. She looks for ward to meeting all her new teammates and starting a new chapter of her life with basketball in the fall at George Fox University.

Selena Tang

golf

many

Tang had been determined to play collegiate golf in order to achieve her dream of playing professionally. One of her major accomplishments outside of high school golf was when she was selected to represent Danielle Kang, a Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) professional golfer, in the Major Champions Invitational, which gave her a look into the life of professional golfers. Despite her experiences and persistent goal to reach the top in competitions, she unfortunately injured her knee and wrist prior to one of the largest invitational tournaments in the country, causing her to withdraw. From this, Tang says that she has learned “to work smarter and listen to my body. Although working hard is incred ibly important, spinning your wheels without direction is draining and has devastating consequences.” After making a full recovery, she is excited to continue her academic and athletic career at Yale University, where she can make memories on and off the course.

Audrey Wang

well father. However, it soon developed into something much bigger, as she has competed in over 100 events to date. From achieving personal goals on the course with her father to anxiously waiting with her team to hear their NCS title announced, Wang has had multiple eventful experiences over the years that has grown her love for the sport. During the pandemic, she started practicing on her simulator which only caused her to lose consistency. However, after opting for a healthier routine, she understood that she could not let golf consume her entirely. Wang recalled a jarring moment when she sustained a left shoulder injury prior to MVAL, “it was definitely a scary experience since I had never been in a position where I doubted whether or not I could play.” Thankfully, she was able to finish the season with her team at NCS. She looks forward to continuing golf at Wellesley College and meeting her teammates and competitors from other schools.

Senior Marco Yang sparked his tennis career by picking up a racquet after watching his friends play at a young age. In addition to leading the MSJ Boys Tennis team to consecutive NCS Championships, Yang won the MVAL Doubles Championships Title twice and the NCS Doubles Championship this year. “[Tennis] has shaped my character in so many ways for the better, whether it’s resilience or work ethic,” Yang said. After committing to the California Instiof Technology (Caltech) for Division III Yang looks forward to a new level of team tennis. “The energy in college tennis is higher than high school tennis. I look forward to being a part of a tight knit community,” Yang said. After college, Yang plans to continue playing tennis recreationally and keep the connections that he has developed throughout his career.

Julie sports and eventually fell in love with volleyball. Wu continued to grow her talents in volleyball until she was playing in the 17s age division as a 14-year-old fresh man. When she started sophomore year, Wu began jump setting, an advanced technique used by players of the setter position. This brought her playing level to new heights, but Wu also questioned her plans for volleyball in the future. With ac ademics as her priority on her shoulders, either stop playing altogether, or to put in double the effort to duce satisfactory results

Her choice to keep playing play into her senior year, ending off her last season by playing at nationals and committing to play Division III volleyball at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). As Wu heads into collegiate volleyball at CMU, she looks forward to exploring new environments and meeting new people from across the country, but she will miss the friends and memories from high school volleyball. “It’s one of those things that you look back and you think, wow,” Wu said.

Julie Wu

Marco Yang

SPRING SPORTS RECAP

by Tanvi Deshmukh,

BOYS VOLLEYBALL

Although Boys Volleyball did not qualify for NCS this year with their 1-9 league record, the team was able to experiment with different rotations and feature new players on the court. With strong team chemistry throughout the season, many players were able to work well with experienced upperclassmen players and learn unique strategies. The team’s main strategy was running a 6-2 rotation, in which the taller setter would go all around the court while the shorter setter subs in the back row, which keeps a setter in the back row throughout. “It allowed us to have three attackers in the front row at all times which gave us more flexibility with our offense and contributed to our success throughout the season,” Boys Volleyball Co-Captain Senior Ryan Liu said. Despite recurring challenges with injuries and sickness, the team remained resilient and adapted to fill in for their teammates. “It really meant that everyone had to be ready to play, not just our starting lineup, but I think that it also gave our team a lot of opportunities to work with different rotations and players,” Liu said. In future seasons, the player’s hope to continue developing as a team and utilize the strengths of the incoming class.

BADMINTON

Badminton ended the season with a perfect 14-0 record, maintaining their undefeated streak and garnering yet another NCS Championship title after domination at the MVAL championships. Showing mutual support during matches played a bigger role in the team’s performance than previous years. “In every single meet, everyone would always cheer for each other, and that really helped us get to that perfect record,” Badminton Co-Captain Senior Ryan Ma said. This year, despite there being many new faces in the team, outside club experience helped improve team chemistry and allow for more effective team training. And despite tough competition from Irvington High School and American High School, Badminton prevailed and was able to advance 19 of their athletes to NCS through MVALs. Following a successful season as NCS Division 1 winners with two individual golds and 15 athletes moving to CIF, Badminton Coach Brandon Lee said, “The team overall performed very well in my opinion. We went undefeated as a school, and hopefully this success boosts our confidence for future seasons.” 10 players ended up placing in CIF, with Ma and Senior Samuel Li earning gold in Boys Doubles.

SOFTBALL

Ending their season with a league record of 6-8, Softball greatly improved their offensive and defensive skills this year. With a diverse Varsity team of nine retiring seniors and four new freshmen, the team aimed to incorporate the individual strengths of players. Throughout the season, many of the games were canceled and delayed due to the heavy rain. “We [had] a lot of games towards the end of the season, all very [tightly scheduled], and had a hard time being able to rest our shoulders and any injuries,” Softball Co-Captain Sophomore Anjali Singh said. Despite the challenges and stress in these three-game weeks, the team was able to score an impressive 15-2 against Washington High School in their last home game, ending their season on a positive note. “In our coach’s whole career at Mission, this was the first time we won [our] Senior Night. It was very memorable, and we worked hard to win ... in front of our home crowd,” Singh said. While Softball Head Coach Joe Iwamiya could not reach his goal of eight league wins this season, the team hopes to continue refining their skills and playing their best in given circumstances in the future.

BOYS GOLF

BASEBALL

Finishing their season with a league record of 3-11, Baseball greatly improved their underclassmen talent as they focused on rebuilding the teams foundations this year. Due to the loss of many of the team’s core players last year due to graduation, this year, Baseball hoped to start fresh and bring many new faces to the team. Despite a worse record than last year, Baseball was still able to improve facets of their game, such as swinging, pitching, and endurance via hard work during practices throughout the season. Hoping to improve their league record as well as overall performance in matches, the team plans on working on its teamwork and synergy. “I want the team to hone in on their chemistry on the field and their overall game intelligence,” Baseball Co-Captain Senior Joseph Du said. With their eyes set on next season, the team has set a personal goal of qualifying for the NCS championship as well as defeating their record from this year.

BOYS TENNIS

Boys Tennis had yet another phenomenal season this year, going entirely undefeated with a record of 14-0, and winning NCS Championships for the fifth year in a row. Despite losing three seniors from the last season, this year’s junior-dominated team pushed through obstacles with determination, leadership, and strong team chemistry. “Having a team that has competed together or against each other before made our bond much closer. Most importantly, having such good coaches really made our team environment so fun and made the season a blast,” Boys Tennis Co-Captain Senior Shrish Choudhary said. One of the team’s biggest challenges this year was beating their most competitive rival, Washington High School. However, the team pushed through the season, beating Washington during regular games and the NCS Championships Finals to secure a win. As for the rest of this season, the team was excited to be advancing to CIF two years in a row, placing third after losing to Menlo School in the semi-finals. “Making CIF was a huge milestone and as a team, we are incredibly proud of our achievements,” Choudhary said.

TRACK & FIELD SWIM

Boys and Girls Track & Field had an impressive showing this year, with 17 athletes moving on to NCS Championships for a variety of sprints, field, and long-distance events. Though the majority of the team was made up of new faces this year, this was not a challenge for the dedicated freshmen and experienced members and captains. “We had a good group of athletes come in, and I think our veterans did a great job in fostering an environment in which they could compete,” Short Distance Track & Field Coach Brian Singleton said. In fact, this was notably one of the team’s greatest qualities, as it played a key role in developing a healthy but competitive team culture. However, throughout the season, many of the athletes faced challenges when it came to injuries. “It’s safe to say at least 95% of the team had shin splints or some other injury that prevented them from practicing or racing,” Track & Field Co-Captain Junior Phoenix Hin said. Despite this, athletes took it upon themselves to stay healthy, heal, and continue to train hard. The team, captains, and coaches are extremely proud of the team’s success this year, and those who qualified and placed for NCS Championships plan to do their best at the meet.

Finishing their season with a flawless 12-0 league record, Boys Golf advanced to the NCS championship. The team was able to accomplish its primary goal of increasing its efficiency with each swing this season. With skilled talents such as Boys Golf Co-Captain Junior Arnold He on the team, Boys Golf has been able to grow and improve practice after practice. “I think that one of the strongest points of this team is how quickly they are able to learn techniques and adapt to situations,” Boys Golf Co-Captain Matthew Almajano said. Going into this season with a roster dominated primarily by underclassmen after losing upperclassmen last year, the team has worked towards honing its players to become future CIF competitors. “I think that we have a lot of promising underclassmen so that after [the upperclassmen] graduate, the team will be in good hands for the future,” Almajano said. Going forward, the team hopes to continue dominating the MVAL as well as place highly at the NCS Championship matches.

MSJ Boys & Girls Swim ended the season with multiple personal records at the MVAL championship and 17 swimmers qualifying for NCS. And notably at NCS, Junior Meghan Ly broke a 21-year-old meet record in the Girls’ 100 Yard Breaststroke, placing first and qualifying for CIF.

Throughout the season, Boys & Girls Swim were introduced to meets that focused less on score and more on team bonding. “It was our first time competing at Encinal High School and in the East Bay swim relays and we enjoyed those a lot as a team,” Boys Swim Co-Captain Senior Jasper Zhang said. Beyond competitions, Boys & Girls Swim also ran into roadblocks with extreme weather events such as lightning, resulting in practice cancellations. Despite challenges with timely practices, this season saw a lot of individual growth and improvement. “During MVALs, almost everyone made it into the top 8 fastest seeds in the league for their individual events and dropped time, which was gratifying for me as their coach and for themselves as well,” Boys & Girls Swim Coach Felice Tran said.

Shuhan Jin, Ashley Pang & Aaryan Suri Staff Writers

Track & Field Performs Strong at NCS Bayshore Championships

By Katie Tang & Aaron Zhou Staf Writers

On May 13, MSJ Track & Field competed in the NCS Bayshore Championships at Hayward High School. Out of 23 participating schools, the team performed strong, securing 8th overall for Girls Varsity, 18th overall for Boys Varsity, as well as nine NCS Meet of Champions (CIF) qualifcations.

The feld events kicked off at 8 a.m., with Senior Ilan Raj placing 9th overall and securing a personal record (PR) of 34.77m in the Varsity Boys Discus Throw. Sophomore Natalie Tran and Junior Pradyum Chitlu also placed 17th overall in the Varsity Girls and Varsity Boys Long Jump events with respective distances of 4.40m and 5.62m.

Notably, Juniors Sophie Menon and Tiana Saha acquired 2nd and 3rd place overall in the Varsity Girls Pole Vault. Menon and Saha, who consistently performed well throughout the season, successfully completed 3.20m high vaults to contribute 14 points towards the Girls overall team score.

Despite lacking point-earning fnishes in the track events, several MSJ athletes performed outstandingly, shattering PRs while scoring top three within their given heat. In particular, Senior Kyle Bazzone clocked an impressive PR of 51.64s in the Varsity Boys 400m Dash Heat 2, fnishing in 2nd place out of eight runners. Moving on to longer distances, Junior Evan

Junior Arushi Iyer embarked on her fencing journey more than four years ago. Fencing is a unique combat sport that requires high commitment and signi cant physical and mental agility, with strategies emphasizing power, balance, and technique. Iyer exhibits this dedication, training four to ve times every week and attending numerous regional and national competitions in preparation for the Junior Olympics, all while balancing academic responsibilities.

Iyer was rst introduced to fencing when her brother’s friend from Wales, where fencing is more popular, piqued both Iyer and her brother’s interest in the sport. “I had explored a lot of di erent types of sports before that, so I thought I would give fencing a try, and it just stuck,” Iyer said. Before moving to California, Iyer lived in Austin, Texas, and trained at the Texas Sabre Academy. She then trained in a club in San Jose for a few months before switching to Halberstadt Fencers’ Club, a more established institution in San Francisco. rough fencing lessons, Iyer built her

Bazzone dominated the Varsity Boys 800m Run Heat 1 with a frst place victory and PR of 2:01.04. Similarly, Junior Estee Teo also completed the Varsity Girls 800m Run with a PR of 2:25.50. The team witnessed corresponding success in the Varsity Boys 1600m Run, with Co-Captain Junior Walter Chang securing a PR of 4:39.41. Junior Ania Won also contributed two points towards the Varsity Girls overall team score in the Varsity Girls 1600m Run, fnishing in 5th place out of 23 runners and obtaining a PR of 5:21.91.

One of the team’s most impressive event fnishes came from Senior Chinmay Naveen, who secured third place in the Varsity Boys 3200m Run with a time of 9:50.04. As a threeyear Varsity MVP and two-time MVAL AllLeague qualifer, Naveen’s fnish earned six points for the Boys overall team score. “Chinmay has been an inspiration to all of us on the feld,” Chang said. “He’s guided me on runs and helped our team set the standard we strive for.”

By demonstrating their excellent camaraderie, the Warriors also qualifed for CIF through the Varsity Girls 4x100m Relay and the Varsity Boys 4x400m Relay, fnishing in 6th overall for both events with respective times of 51.82s and 3:37.53. “Our notable performances came from our relay teams this year,” Short Distance Track & Field Coach Brian Singleton said. “It’s been a long time since we made CIF for team events, and our Girls 4x100m and Boys 4x400m teams both accomplished this.”

Moving forward, the team hopes to continue establishing a competitive athletic environment while performing the best in the upcoming CIF meet. “We expect more athletes to stay on track towards qualifying for NCS so that we keep developing a constantly thriving program,” Singleton said.

Athlete Spotlight: Arushi Iyer

By Maryam Naseer & Kaylee Liu Staf Writers

agement skills to maintain a balance. She uses an organizer to keep a track of assignments and works on her schoolwork during her free time, such as studying during the commute time to Halberstadt Fencers’ Club, to reduce the workload during practice and competition periods. “I would say the most important thing is focusing on what you’re doing,” Iyer said. “When I’m at practice, I’m only thinking about practice and not schoolwork, and when I’m in the car, I’m doing my work.”

While she is passionate about the sport, Iyer is unsure about her involvement in competitive fencing in the future. Being a college athlete in fencing comes with additional pressures because the sport becomes more of a professional career. ▪

“I defnitely hope to carry on [fencing] for the rest of my life,” Iyer said. “I’m not sure if I’m going to fence in college, but if I do, I know it’ll be a lot of fun.”

strength, worked on technique, and improved her balance and agility. Because intuition, concentration, and con dence are important factors in duels, Iyer also learned how to work through uncertainties and improve her mental fortitude. “When you’re up against your opponent, it’s just you and them. You really have to be con dent in yourself and think for yourself,” she said. “When I rst started … I felt unsure about my strategy, and [this] held me back a lot. But I worked harder, was consistent with going to training, and saw my mental strength grow a lot.”

As her skills improved, Iyer competed in

numerous regional and national competitions. Some of her notable accomplishments include earning Silver at the United States Fencing Association Y-14 and placing 6th in the 2023 Fortune Fencing RJCC in the Div II Women’s Saber event. By earning points in competitions throughout the year, Iyer quali ed for both the USA National Fencing Competition and the Junior Olympics Championships in 2022 and 2023.

Iyer’s commitment to fencing comes with challenges, including the di culty of balancing sports with academics. Despite the hurdles, she understands the need for strong time man-

PHOTO BY STAFF WRITER AARON ZHOU

GETTING READY FOR PRIDE MONTH

By Anushka Vasudev & Amelie Wu Staff Writers

As this June marks the beginning of Pride Month 2023, the Smoke Signal put together some major events and milestones to commemorate the history of the LBGTQ+ movement and cover some ways we can celebrate in our community.

BEGINNING OF MOVEMENT

In the early 1900s, organizations and laws advocating for LGBTQ+ rights were scarce throughout the US. Considered as unorthodox as per tradition and custom, homosexuality and other differences in accepted gender roles were often subject to public condemnations, imprisonment, and discrimination among the public. Modern day LGBTQ+ movements materialized in response to many such cases of bias. One notable organization that was formed during the early years of the LGBTQ+ movement was the Society for Human Rights, founded in 1924, and known as the first human rights group that also advocated for gay rights. Sex reassignment procedures for transgender people came much later, with the first wide- ly known person to undergo sex reassignment surgery being Amer- ican actress Christine Jorgensen in 1952.

STONEWALL UPRISING

Even amidst these progressive beginnings, discrimination still ran rampant. In 1969, a police raid on Stonewall Inn, a gay club in New York City, sparked suppressed anger among LGBTQ+ communities for being ostracized and receiving targeted harassment by police and society. This anger led to violent protests and riots during an event that is now known as the Stonewall Uprising. Following the Stonewall riots, there was a drastic increase in support for LGBTQ+ communities, both in the political and social sphere. Other LGBTQ+ organizations such as the Gay Liberation Front and the Human Rights Campaign were founded in response to the Stonewall Riots. This event gave way to the modern day LGBTQ+ community and Pride movement. Notably, in 1974 Kathy Kozachenko became the first openly LGBTQ+ American to be elected to any form of public office.

AIDS PANDEMIC

However, this acceptance didn’t last long as AIDS was first recognized in a report by the CDC in 1981, which later sparked a stigma of disease and impurity against LGBTQ+ communities, specifically gay men. Homophobia peaked due to fear and these falsehoods. In 1987, ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) was founded to raise awareness about AIDS and work towards finding a cure. ACT UP emphasized educating the public that AIDS could affect anyone, not just gay men, and reminded the public to treat them with compassion.

In the 21st century, individuals and organizations continue to strive for a better future for LGBTQ+ individuals and their rights. In 2009, March 31 was first recognized as Transgender Day of Visibility in the US. The Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015 made it a requirement for all states to license and recognize same-sex marriages. More recently, the 2020 US Supreme Court ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County now protects LGBTQ+ employees across all 50 states from discrimination based on a persons’ sexual orientation.

THE FIGHT CONTINUES

Unfortunately, despite significant progress, anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and movements are at an all time high today. Since the start of the year, over 400 bills targeting LGBTQ+ communities have been introduced in the legislature, from bans on gender-affirming health care

to preventing the discussion of sexual orientation in schools. Moreover, states such as Florida, Texas, and Arizona, among several others, have introduced at least 10 bills respectively that could adversely affect LGBTQ+ groups if they pass. Clearly, while the pride movement has roots dating decades back in history, it is still just as significant today. Whether it is lobbying political groups to prevent such legislation from being enacted, attending protests, or simply getting involved in community and school organizations, such as MSJ GSA, students can continue the fight for LGBTQ+ rights.

HOW PRIDE IS CELEBR ATED

From festivals and parades, concerts, and even memorials for those lost to hate crimes or AIDS, celebrations during Pride Month welcome every member of the LGBTQ+ community and supporters to celebrate their identity. The most popular celebrations are Pride Festivals, which first originated from the first Pride march in New York City held on June 28, 1970. Recognized as a one-year anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, these marches were meant to honor those who died in the Stonewall Uprising as LGBTQ+ people fought back against years of abuse from society and government.

LOCAL EVENTS

From June 14 - 24 at the Castro Theatre, the Frameline will host their annual San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival. Highlighting queer films and diverse artists from around the world, this is one of the most well known artistic events supporting the LGBTQ+ community. On June 17th, the annual Pink Triangle installation will occur at Twin Peaks in San Francisco. House Speaker Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, San Francisco Mayor London Breed, Pink Triangle Co-Founder Patrick Carney, and Illuminate CEO Ben Davis will all take part in the ceremony, highlighting advances in the Pride Movement and commenting on the work that still needs to be done. Later on in the month, the SF Pride Celebration, running from June 24 to 25, will host a parade down Market Street from Embarcadero to the Celebration at Civic Center. The celebration will include various marchers from diverse backgrounds, as well as people from the local San Francisco community who would like to show their support. There are also performances, food, and music for attendees to enjoy.