Issue 4, 2017

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY SHIVATEJA VEMIREDDY

BY JUSTINE CHEN AND DIVYA NELAKONDA

C

oke and Pepsi, the Yankees and the Red Sox, Batman and the Joker. Each are one of an endless number of rivalries. Rivalries are everywhere, from business to sports to pop culture. Individuals constantly compete with one another for higher scores, better positions on sports teams and more reputable resumes. While the sparks of competitive spirit may begin in high school, competition can become a prominent factor later in life as students graduate and begin to build their career. Rivalries, direct challenges between opponents for a similar objective or position, are an escalation of competition.

There are several factors that contribute to the formation of rivalries. The nature of the relationship between the parties involved in a certain situation can determine whether or not a competitive energy will turn into a rivalry.

Rivalries also develop when opposing teams or individuals in the team have been at odds before. Upon encountering past opponents at later competitions, the previously “friendly competition” may develop into a rivalry. Such an experience can leave participants with antagonistic feelings that may affect relationships in future competitions.

“I still had to practice and play water polo [a rival] but we didn’t talk as much,” said senior Joshua Soong, describing a rivalry he had with a teammate. “There was de�initely strain and tension in our conversations.”

The outcomes and natures of previous competitions can also form or strengthen rivalries. For example, if a team were to lose by a small margin, the defeat may elicit aggressive thoughts, increasing the need to do better than that speci�ic opponent in the future.

Rivalry can allow participants to set goals and incentives for future contests based on

Lynbrook prepares for future with Shadow Day

BY MEHEK KAPUR

O

n Jan. 13 and Jan. 20, two Shadow Days were held to give prospective eighth grade students from the McAuliffe School and Hyde and Miller middle schools a chance to look at a typical Lynbrook school day. The event was created after the FUHSD Board of Trustees passed a plan that proposed to give eighth graders currently attending Hyde Middle School or McAuliffe School, in addition to those at Miller Middle School who do not reside in Lynbrook’s boundaries, an option to attend Lynbrook given that they live within the FUHSD boundaries. This is the latest action in the �ight against declining enrollment at Lynbrook.

The Shadow Days were headed by Assistant Principal Eric Wong, and a group of Link Crew leaders who hosted the eighth graders.

Two eighth graders shadowed each leader, following them around and spending third, fourth and �ifth period going to different classrooms to get an idea of what classes and everyday life at Lynbrook are like. Teachers placed a green card outside their rooms to indicate an open class, and a red card to indicate a closed classroom.

“One of the best things I’ve seen at Lynbrook is the great teachers, their emotions and the way they’re giving a good in�luence

to all the students in the class,” said Hyde Middle School eighth grader Aaron Jew. In total, 88 eighth graders from Hyde Middle School, the McAuliffe School and various other private schools signed up to attend the Shadow Days. All interested students will be placed in a lottery by Jan. 26 and be informed of their acceptance in early February.

“It’s kinda like visiting colleges—coming, touring the campus, just like you would for college.” said senior Ahana Narang, one of the Link Crew leaders being shadowed. “In my opinion, it’s a similar jump from high school to college as it is from middle to high school

so it’s a very good opportunity for them to be able to choose the school that they want to go to.”

The administration is hopeful that these Shadow Days will peak the interest of prospective eighth graders and that Lynbrook’s steadily declining enrollment will soon improve and stabilize.

“We’ll take it year by year and �igure out if we have a need for Shadow Days,” said Wong.

“We had a need for it this year, and depending on what the situation is next year, if we have to open up the campus for students to make a choice, we’ll do it.”

NEW FRIENDS| Link crew leader Anika Singh bonds with prospective Lynbrook students.

LUNCH BUDDIES| Link crew leaders eat pizza with middle schoolers in the quad.

WILLIAM GUO—EPIC

WILLIAM GUO—EPIC

the outcome of the competition, and they are usually more willing to put forth more effort in order to achieve their goal. When a team plays an opponent they have lost to before, their motivation to beat them will increase.

People also have a tendency to evaluate their success by comparing themselves with those who perform similarly.

While similarities between individuals may promote friendship and cooperation, they can also cause a heightened sense of rivalry. For example, rivalries can develop quickly when competitors are from the same area. On a larger scale, if an industry is geographically dependent,

see RIVALRY page 11

CROSS COUNTRY // pg. 14

Teach Seniors Technology holds annual celebration

BY CATHERINE HUANG

O

n Jan. 14, Teach Seniors Technology (TST), a nonpro�it organization founded by MIT student and Presentation High School alumna Stuti Vishwabhan in 2013, held its annual celebration at the Quinlan Community Center in Cupertino. Lynbrook junior and president of TST Michelle Zhang as well as FUHSD Board President Jeff Moe and other CUSD faculty were all present to celebrate the success of the student run organization. All chapter heads, current volunteers and potential new volunteers were also invited to the event.

TST branches exist worldwide, with teams located in the U.S., India, China and Singapore. As the name of the organization suggests, TST strives to provide the elderly who are unfamiliar with newer electronics with a proper education in technology to close the generation gap between them and the millennial generation while improving their overall lifestyles. The organization is divided into nearly 20 chapters in the United States with one chapter head per chapter. Each

head decides when and how often teaching sessions take place and are assisted by other TST volunteers as they help seniors understand technology.

“We’re a pretty independent group,” said junior William Chen, head of the Life’s Garden senior retirement community chapter in Sunnyvale. “[Because] we get to manage our own chapters, seniors [are able to] get close to the volunteers. The seniors love the volunteers that come help them. It’s partially because they are thankful that we take so much time to teach them, but I also think that they just like the company. The lesson allows them to hang out together and socialize.”

With 15 chapters in the Bay Area located in various community centers, libraries and churches, each of the chapter heads have their own share of experiences during their volunteer work that were shared at the annual celebration. Chen, junior Udita Saha, head of the Campbell Senior Center chapter, and sophomore Jessica Li, head of the House of Christ chapter, accompanied the other chapter heads and volunteers of TST as they gathered together to share their memorable experiences with one another.

“When I was just starting to work as a

chapter head, there was a senior who had a different phone from what was covered in the lesson,” said Chen. “So I had to help her on my own without the material. After I helped her out, she was really grateful and offered me cookies. It just made me really happy that I could bring change into these people’s lives.”

Thus far, the organization has received several accolades and awards in addition to media attention from multiple high schools and news outlets for their contribution to various communities. In 2015, TST received the University of Rochester’s Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony Award for demonstrating commitment and leadership while addressing social issues. In 2016, TST received the Bay Area Jefferson Awards for Public Service and the 2016 San Jose City Council Community Honoree Award. Zhang was also a recipient of the President’s Volunteer Service Award in bronze in 2015. Seniors Yuan-De Li, Er-Bo Wang, Wen-Ju Hsu, Jian Yang, Jennifer Ting, De-Lin Li, and ZhaoChun Wang from the Life’s Garden senior retirement community who have bene�itted from TST’s weekly sessions spoke about how TST has made a difference in their lives.

“When lessons just started, we did not

PHOTOS USED WITH PERMISSION OF MICHELLE ZHANG

know how to use the iPad at all; however, our teacher is very hard working and teaches us useful material that we can apply in our everyday lives,” said the group.

“For example, we learned how to use maps, check the time, and take pictures.

We tend to forget things pretty easily, so we constantly ask the same questions.

Our instructor, however, is very patient with us and continues to teach us about technology, which is something we never got to use when we were younger.”

As for future plans, Zhang hopes that TST will continue to spread across the nation. Among her major goals are plans to establish more chapters in different areas in the U.S. and to get more volunteers in the organization to help support her cause.

“TST has given me the chance to work with people who aren’t my age, and [has allowed me to] get a different perspective of the world,” said Zhang. “I hope to spread TST across the entire U.S., since it’d be really great to expand the organization [beyond Chicago and the Bay Area] in the U.S. and get more people involved [in making a difference].”

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY DIVYA NELAKONDA

Thespian Society takes the stage at Improv Night

Happy reading, Jessica Luo and Shreyas Iyer

GENRES| Freshmen Mia McCormack and Steven Tao act out Batman and the Wet Bandits.

NEW CHOICE| Sophomores Greg Gontier and Selena Jeong follow the emcee’s directions.

other because we might be performing on stage but no one really knows what’s going on, so you really need to trust that you can depend on the people you’ll perform with.”

Emcee Rebecca Wendler, a Lynbrook alumna, presided over Improv Night and explained the intricacies of each game to the audience while also ensuring that the show ran smoothly.

“Both teams de�initely exceeded my expectations,” said Wendler. “I participated in Improv Night myself at Lynbrook and it gets better each year that I come back and see it.”

The show, which ended in a 3-3 tie between the teams was decided in a tiebreaker in which each captain faced off in “What Are You Doing?”, where one captain tells the other what to do until a captain fails to come up with a new idea. Gilboa went on longer, securing the victory for the Blue Team.

“The points and whoever wins isn’t the point,” said Gilboa. “No one will remember who won or lost, especially not the audience.

We just wanted people to have a nice time.”

ALEX XU—EPIC

Dear readers, Welcome back from break! We hope that you had a wonderful time off.

Check out the news section for stories about local events such as drama’s improv night (pg. 2) and new laws being implemented in California (pg. 3).

Be sure to read opinionated stories on controversies surrounding the use of Amazon’s Alexa to solve a murder case (pg. 4) and fake news created for monetary gain (pg. 6).

Flip to the features sections to �ind out who won the Epic social media raf�le! (pg.

9).

In the in-depth section, read about the signi�icance of astrology (pg. 10) or the science behind binaural beats (pg. 11) Keep up with Lynbrook athletics in the sports section with a recap of the wrestling team (pg. 14) and a feature of students who went to states for cross country (pg. 14).

This issue spans a multitude of interests, so you’re sure to �ind something you like, whether it be student features or stories on different aspects of our school.

ALEX XU—EPIC

Letter from the Editors

O

n Jan. 20, the Thespian Society hosted its annual fundraiser, Improv Night, in Studio 74, showcasing the Thespians’ impressive improvisation abilities.

The Thespian Society is a drama club af�iliated with the International Thespian Society and is open to all students. The Thespians work on drama-related skills like improvisation and technical theater during club meetings in addition to planning Improv Night, which helps pay for �ield trips and script royalties.

“It’s a really cool opportunity to be creative and perform in a way that’s more comfortable for some people because you don’t have to be somebody else,” said senior and Thespian Society president Talya Gilboa.

“You’re just being yourself and being funny.”

Improv Night is a comedy show that focuses on audience participation and spontaneous acting. The Thespians, divided into the Green and Blue Teams, compete to see who

can best win over the crowd in various improvisational games like “Freeze” and “I Can Do It Better.” These games rely on team cooperation and being able to continue or transition a scene.

“Improv Night is lots of work. Many people don’t recognize there’s lots of technique in improv,” said Blue Team member Diana Magnusson. “How you say things and wrap up a scene, what you can and can’t say and counting on your team all matter on stage.”

Each team’s success is then judged by the audience, who vote by holding up colored �lags. In preparation for Improv Night, senior Evan McCormack, the green team captain, and Gilboa, the blue team captain, coordinated practices to make sure their respective teams were ready for the big night.

“We spend a good amount of time, teaching everyone and making sure everyone is on par with the improv skills that they’d need to actually perform in front of an audience,” said McCormack. “Something fundamental to improv is that we learn to depend on each

ALEX XU—EPIC

BY ALEX XU

GOOD COP, BAD COP| Senior Tayla Gilboa is interrogated by two of her team members.

News in Brief

New laws to be implemented in California

BY MICHYLA LIN

ASB Coffeehouse Talent Show Check out the ASB Coffeehouse Talent Show on Feb. 3 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the library!

William Luo Congratulations to junior William Luo for placing �ifth in the national Who Wants To Be a Mathematician contest!

CAC Speaker Series On Feb. 15, the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) will be holding the last event in its speaker series at the FUHSD Professional Learning Center from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. David Grady, the Manager for the State Council on Developmental Disabilities, will be speaking about person centered planning.

AMC 10 and 12 If you’ve signed up, be sure to come out to take the AMC 10 and 12 on Feb. 7 or Feb. 15 from 3p.m. to 5p.m. in the cafeteria!

Electives Preview Night If you’re curious about Lynbrook’s various electives, be sure to attend Lynbrook’s Electives Preview Night on Feb. 15 from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in the auditorium.

By Mehek Kapur

O

n Jan. 1, California introduced 898 new laws covering topics from minimum wage to bathroom rights. These laws, signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown in 2016, support California’s burgeoning environmental protection policies and strict gun control policy, among other hot button issues that de�ined the national elections this past year. Here are a few of the new laws which will most pertinently affect students.

Use of wireless devices while driving As an extension of the ban on texting while driving, Californians will not be permitted to use handheld wireless devices unless they are mounted on the dashboard or windshield of the vehicle in a way which does not obstruct their view of the road. Speci�ically, drivers may only activate or deactivate their phones using a single tap or swipe of their �inger and cannot be holding a cell phone in their hand.

This law was created in an attempt to circumvent issues surrounding the de�inition of hands-free driving. More often than not, people who claim to be calling someone on speaker while holding the phone are not charged with using their phone while driving. It is very dif�icult to prove that a driver did break the law with the existence of bluetooth functions or Arti�icial Intelligence programs such as Siri, because they still require the driver to touch the phone in some way.

Thus, it is very dif�icult for police of�icers to determine who is being reckless or genuinely following the law.

Minimum Wage Beginning in 2017, minimum wage in the state of California will be $10.50 for employers with over 26 employees. This law was passed by Governor Jerry Brown who promises to gradually increase minimum wage to $15.00 by the year 2022.

This law was put into place before the ballot propositions last November, and, following the failure of $15.00 minimum wage activ-

ists to get their proposal on the ballot, is the boldest minimum wage legislation in years.

Aside from increasing the wage, the law also stipulates that more areas of the public sector will now fall under the law’s jurisdiction including state and local municipalities.

LGBTQ+ Bathrooms On Mar. 1, all single-user bathrooms shall be declared gender-neutral or all-gender fa-

cilities. This change was made in response to movements pushing for gender neutral bathrooms to eliminate the binary divide regarding public facilities. Activists for this movement argue that the passage of this law re�lects “a new course for equality” and relieves the “burden” that LGBTQ+ communities face, according to San Francisco Assemblyman Phil Ting. Further passage of the bill was based on the ideal of gender being de�ined on a spectrum, taking into consideration that those who do not identify as either gender may feel uncomfortable when using a single sex bathroom.

The issue of gender neutral bathrooms has been widely discussed over the past few years; this bill was passed as other states such as North Carolina passed controversial “bathroom bills” which forced all transgender persons to use the restroom of the gender they were born with.

School Mascots In response to a petition for the removal of the use of “redskins” as the mascot for multiple sports teams on the grounds that it is disrespectful toward Native Americans, the term will be banned from use as a public school mascot. Proponents of the law claimed that the term “redskins” is both racially derogatory and discriminatory toward Native Americans.

Some schools who previously had a redskin mascot have already changed their nickname to re�lect the bill’s passage; Chowchilla High School in Chowchilla, Calif., altered it’s nickname to “The Tribe” and Calaveras High School in San Andreas, Calif. chose not to have a nickname.

Analyzing the Amazon Alexa murder case Amazon justifiably protects customer privacy in murder investigation

BY JUSTINE CHEN

I

n Dec. 2016, Amazon fought against the demands of Arkansas authorities for sealed audio from a murder suspect’s Amazon Alexa smart speaker. Although the information secured by the company could have potentially aided in the authorities’ investigation, Amazon refused to breach its customers’ privacy even in a federal investigation and should be praised for its choice to protect its customers’ security.

On Nov. 22, 2015, Arkansas authorities found former Georgia police of�icer Victor Collins’ body �loating lifelessly in the backyard hot tub of co-worker James A. Bates’ Arkansas home. Bates told police he had allowed Collins and another friend to stay the night and discovered Collins’ dead body shortly after he awoke.

Upon further investigation, however, authorities found signs of a possible struggle and ruled the case as a homicide. Additionally, detectives discovered several “smart home” devices in the home, including an Amazon Alexa hands-free speaker, that could potentially provide information regarding the incident.

Amazon Alexa, an internet-connected virtual assistant speaker equipped with voice-activated microphones, listens for a user’s voice to follow commands ranging from streaming music to operating smart homes. Alexa responds to commands only after hearing “wake

words,” such as “Alexa” or “Echo.”

Hence, the police-issued allegation that Alexa is recording at all times is incorrect; the device is constantly listening but nothing is recorded, streamed or stored without the wake word being detected. Unless Alexa recorded the words “Alexa” or “Echo” by one of the three men in the residence at the time of death, the possibility of obtaining useful data was slim to none.

While the police had hoped to obtain data helpful to the investigation from Alexa, the probability that the data would not be there was almost entirely certain.

In addition, the police did not specify how the potential data would be relevant or help their case, simply stating their request for all “audio recordings, transcribed records, text records and other data.” Amazon resisted the prosecutor’s multiple demands, stating that it would “not release customer information without a valid and binding legal demand properly served on [Amazon].”

Although the case was closed without Amazon releasing the information, the request has raised concerns among privacy-conscious activists. Asking Amazon to breach its customers’ privacy would lead to a breach of individual rights such as liberty and free will. While giving law enforcement access to data when needed is important, it is wholly different from requiring companies to force their consumers into giving up their rights by violating their con�identiality.

Bates’ defense attorney, Kimberly Weber, was shocked by the police request, claiming the request to

be an infringement on his rights given by the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which states that “the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures” shall not be infringed.

“You have an expectation of privacy in your home, and I have a big problem that law enforcement can use the technology that advances our quality of life against us,” said Weber, in an interview with The Information, a technology-based online magazine.

The Amazon case and the concerns it raises are reminiscent of one that occurred earlier in Feb. 2016, when the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Apple tussled over access to the iPhone that was used by a mass shooter in the 2016 San Bernardino terrorist attack. Both cases have resulted in the U.S. government publicly opposing strong encryption, complaining that it hampers its ability to investigate terrorist activity.

“There is nothing that makes a citizen or a customer’s right of privacy less important than any other right that we have,” said sophomore Aditya Venkatesh. “If they release information this one time, we’ll get to a point where this type of order from the court to release private information will become the norm

and nobody’s information will be private anymore.”

Technology companies and the government must unite to provide for the security of citizens without infringing on their civil rights. While the Amazon case has been solved, the larger debate between technology �irms and law enforcement authorities over data privacy and access remains.

Without clear-cut legislation and enforced guidelines, the ageold question of liberty versus privacy will continue to cause controversy, and more legal cases like this will only continue to surface.

Ultimately, Amazon should be applauded in defending its right to con�identiality and protecting its customers’ privacy and security, setting an example for other companies who may �ind themselves in similar circumstances.

MICHYLA LIN -- EPIC GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY JESSICA LI

Letter to the Editor: Addressing the Legislation Representation

BY ASB LEADERSHIP Dear Epic Staff,

We read and appreciated the Epic’s piece on the Legislative Council in the December issue—it helped shed light on many important student concerns. As members of ASB, we feel inclined to respond to those concerns and issue a statement about how we plan to address them this next semester.

We’d like to start off by correcting some statements made in the article, for the sake of providing factual information to the student body.

There were 43 representatives this past semester, not “around 25.”

Last school year, six clubs, not two, were passed. Overall, roughly one in four clubs was approved.

We hosted a “training session” for all representatives at our �irst meeting of the year, though the article did raise valid concerns about ensuring that new members fully understand their roles and responsibilities.

We do send out agendas to representa-

tives before meetings, although, admittedly, those agendas could be more detailed.

Next, we would like to share some changes that we are considering to implement second semester, in part as a response to the Epic’s December article. To be clear: these proposals are not yet �inal, though we are actively discussing them in hopes that we can respond to student concerns.

In order to make the club approval process more fair and inclusive of student opinions, the �irst major change that ASB is considering is to offer a “provisionary” status to all clubs that demonstrate suf�icient student interest but don’t receive the 2/3rds vote majority at a Legislative Council meeting required to become an of�icial club. For example, provisionary status may be granted to clubs that receive at least ½ of the vote but fall short of 2/3rds.

All provisionary clubs would have the privileges of approved clubs, such as hosting meetings on campus and putting up promotional materials around campus, with the exception of fundraising. These privileges would last for a limited amount of time, such

as 2 months, at the end of which the Legislative Council would reconvene to hear about the club’s activities and vote on whether or not to grant that club permanent status.

This would, in essence, be a “test run” for clubs, during which all students will have the chance to observe the proposed club’s activities and provide their personal input to legislative representatives before they vote on whether to grant permanent status to this provisionary club.

Additionally, we may increase the time allotted for each club presentation so that legislative representatives can receive more information before casting a vote, as well as permanently adopt secret ballots to reduce potential biases.

We hope to provide further means for students to participate in the club approval process and voice their opinions by maintaining a list and description of all proposed clubs on lynbrookasb.com and dedicating one of the campus bulletin boards speci�ically for proposed clubs to use.

Students will be able to view these at all times to learn more about proposed clubs

and accordingly share their thoughts with their legislative representatives.

To all potential club founders, we would like to clarify that you are are welcome to share information about your organizations in the Lynbrook Facebook group, which can be found at bit.ly/lhsfacebookgroup.

There are other potential changes in store for this second semester, such as more thorough training procedures, a system to keep legislative representatives more accountable to their homerooms, and more frequent meetings. All of the above changes, when �inalized, will be fully communicated to the student body.

Once more, we greatly appreciate the Epic’s role in distilling student opinions and invite all students, especially those affected

by Lynbrook’s Legislative Council or the club approval process, to share their input with us at lynbrookvikingasb@gmail.com or on lynbrookasb.com.

William Shan (ASB President) and Adhiv Dhar (ASB Vice President), on behalf of ASB Leadership

iPads burden parents and distract students

BY SRINIDHI SESHADRI

T

he Cupertino Union School District (CUSD) Board of Education set new policies during the 2013-2014 school year, mandating the use of iPads in all CUSD middle schools. These policies have already taken effect at Lawson Middle School and Hyde Middle School and are currently being implemented at Miller Middle School. Although the iPads may be useful by providing access to instant information, they can be distracting and can affect academic performance. Since CUSD is a part of a high-income area, a majority of students in the district already have instant access to technology, making the school-regulated iPads excessive.

The district began thinking about including technology-based learning in their curriculum in 2009 and researched various options until they decided on the iPad policies, known as the 1:1 iPad program. Prior to the current Common Core Standards, the California State Standards did not have a technological component.

After the Common Core Standards were set, the CUSD Board began the �inal push to implement the iPad program.

“Before we even thought of this [program], we had computer labs in every school. We realized it wasn’t very bene�icial because if you want the kids to be using [the devices] they need to have the device when it’s needed,” said Anjali Kausar, president of the CUSD Board.

The Board’s goal is to give all students an increased number of opportunities for engagement in the classroom for more collaborative group work, differentiated learning, multimedia options and greater access to information.

The idea behind the 1:1 iPad program

WILLIAM GUO--EPIC

is that students are expected to take the iPad choose what they want for their kids home to help them �inish their homework and what they want to do with their and do their schoolwork both at school and money,” said senior Aditya Garg. at home on the same device. So far, the usage Although the student-to-device ratio of the Google accounts has been successful, provides students with increased acshowing no need for the iPads. cess to technology, many parents do not According to a census conducted by the agree with the measures taken by the U.S. Department of Commerce in 2013, 92.2 CUSD board and have started a petition. percent of children Currently, the pebetween the ages of tition has around zero and 17 live in a 700 signatures house with a workand requires 1000 ing computer. Intersignatures in ornet use and ownerder to petition it to ship of computers the school board. were reportedly Additionally, by higher in households encouraging the with higher incomes, iPad use, the CUSD a characteristic of district is unintenmany households exposing MEENA ANBUCHELVAN tionally within the CUSD children to higher PARENT risks of a lack of boundaries.

Many students have also social skills and a access to the interweakening of cognet from technological devices at home, and nitive muscles. The screen material is if not, live within close access to nearby li- generally attention grabbing but slows braries, rendering the school-mandated iPad down processing speed. Muscles that policy unnecessary. control executive functions like organizCurrently, parents are given the option to ing, planning and prioritizing are most allow their students to rent an iPad for the affected by excessive screen time. The school year, or buy one from the school, or school district is esentially promoting bring their own. Parents will not be, however, increased usage of technology which given any alternatives to the new program. may in time be hurtful to students.

“The iPad is a tool and a new age textUltimately, mandating that every stubook. That being said, parents should be dent should have an iPad yields more given a say in how to procure it,” said Meena consequences than bene�its. Giving Anbuchelvan, mother of a student at Miller. students iPads may not be as fruitful as This forces a �inancial commitment on every expected and while using them for edparent, even those who do not wish to join ucational purposes in schools may be the program. They must also face the conse- helpful and may strengthen learning, quences if the iPad is damaged. they are not necessary due to the in“I think it’s bad that parents are being creasing technological options that are forced by the school because they should already available.

“THE IPAD IS A TOOL AND A NEW AGE TEXTBOOK. THAT BEING SAID, PARENTS SHOULD BE GIVEN A SAY IN HOW TO PROCURE IT.”

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY OPINION SECTION

MICHELLE LUM//IN MY OPINION

Cultural identity crisis

W

hen I think of what it means to be an Asian-American, I’m immediately reminded of some typical snapshots of life as an Asian-American teenager. Rice for every meal. Long Friday nights spent in a Chinese school classroom.

Summer trips back to Asia.

Even though I’m an American with Cantonese and Taiwanese family backgrounds, I’ve never felt extremely Chinese in any way. My family rarely celebrates Chinese holidays, except for the occasional red envelope on Chinese New Year. Likewise, I quit Chinese school long ago and can only speak Mandarin Chinese. It’s ironic that although I also have a Taiwanese passport along with my American citizenship, I can’t speak a word of Taiwanese.

My lack of cultural awareness renders me completely clueless about Chinese culture. I’ve always wondered if I should try to better appreciate my culture, but this thought gets pushed to the back of my mind here in America. There’s always something more important to do.

Last summer, I visited Taiwan for the �irst time in eight years and China for the �irst time in my life. Although I had always felt a disconnect between the American me and the Asian me, my trip to Asia was an experience that led me to realize how much of my culture I had lost from being complacent in my ignorance.

It was as if there was a great divide between my relatives in Asia and me, despite our shared cultural backgrounds. My relatives from my dad’s village in rural China led drastically different lives from mine.

Similarly, I was clueless about the lives of my mom’s family in Taiwan. I was also deeply embarrassed when I couldn’t read simple street signs or hold my chopsticks the correct way at family meals. The trip came as a jarring wake-up call to how much of my cultural identity I was losing by staying ignorant about Chinese culture.

On the other hand, I’ve often observed many Lynbrook students scof�ing at the idea of learning about their family’s culture. For example, taking Mandarin to meet the world language requirement is often considered as taking the “easy route,” since so many students are already �luent in Mandarin. But why should there be a negative connotation associated with learning more about your culture?

I myself sometimes second-guess my decision to take French instead of Mandarin. Don’t get me wrong; I love French and all of the crêpes that come with it, but I wonder how much French I’m actually going to speak in my life compared to the amount of Mandarin I use every day. Isn’t it important to learn my own language? After all, culture isn’t just a part of family history that you have no choice but to accept. It also contains a piece of you. That’s why cultural identity exists. Culture isn’t just about the food you eat, the holidays you celebrate, the stories you tell or the traditions you hold.

It’s also about yourself.

You may call me a hypocrite for writing about the importance of retaining cultural identity when I know so little about my own. But even someone as ignorant as I am understands that it is important to learn about your own culture. So, the next time you get frustrated with Chinese homework, treat it as an opportunity to learn more about your culture. As for me, I’ll take it in baby steps. A Chinese movie with my mom, a lesson on how to cook Cantonese steamed eggs with my dad and maybe a phone call with my sister about how she misses the Chinese food from home. I’ll try not to lose my culture, and with it, myself.

Fake news misinforms online viewers

BY KELSEY LU

I

n recent months, social media platforms such as Youtube, Facebook and Twitter have become popular sites where illegitimate news spreads. In the past few months, many news sources have published false claims and stories that are immediately believed and acted upon by the general public.

Fake news stories are often created to in�luence the belief of viewers and gain momentary viral attention for their producers, yet have the consequence of creating an extremely misinformed public. These incidents draw away from the real purpose of news: to show others the unbiased truth.

When fake news gets of out hand, people begin to doubt the legitimacy of all news sources, even the reputably authentic ones—thus destroying the credibility of journalism.

The internet may be a convenient platform to access information but has its own shortcomings due to the illegitimacy of many news sources. Stories with unveri�ied facts or completely made-up content are often concealed in a seemingly real context. For example, in December 2016, rumors dubbed “Pizzagate” were spread online and alleged that Democratic presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton, and her former campaign chair, John Podesta, had orchestrated a child sex ring in the basement of a pizzeria in Washington D.C. These rumors caught the attention of many. The story got so far to the point where one man traveled to Washington, D.C. just to �ire a few shots in the pizzeria. Al-

though no one was hurt, many residents of the town experienced negative psychological effects; pizzeria owner James Alefantis faced multiple death threats on social media.

Clearly, responses to fake social media have ranged from the benign to the incredulous.

“At �irst I would feel tricked but then I would feel that it’s kind of lame because [those writers] spent all their time writing something that’s not legitimate at all,” said senior Amy Huang.

The true victims of such a situation, however, are ultimately the American people.

By tying the heinous act of a child sex crime to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, this particular fabricaAMY HUANG tion painted ClinSENIOR ton and her followers as purveyors of atrocities, but through illegitimate means. During the election, votes may have been fueled for either candidate by knowledge of falsi�ied claims, including but not limited to this situation.

Conductors of social experiments tend to misinterpret or skew their results in order to in�luence people’s perspectives. Many socalled “legitimate” experiments manipulate the audience’s minds by showing them false facts that make logical sense. The audience may then act upon this newfound information by spreading it on other social media platforms or by taking action against the issue, such as the gunman in the “Pizzagate” scandal. Such actions cause more mayhem on the internet and in the world, which often leads to more money, fame and attention

“THESE DAYS SOCIAL MEDIA IS ALL ABOUT PUBLICITY, BUT THE TRUTH IS PEOPLE ARE SO DESPERATE THAT THEY DON’T USE IT IN THE RIGHT WAY. ”

for the producers of the information. For example, Joey Salads, a Youtuber who designs social experiment pranks, was exposed after making a fake social experiment titled “Trump Car Destroyed in Black Neighborhood.” The video showed African-American men coming up to a car �illed with Trump signs and beating it with rocks and metal bars. After the video, Salads explained how his experiment showed how black people are excessively violent toward Donald Trump.

His video was later revealed to be fake and was taken down; however, many viewers who saw the video took to Twitter to call out Salads for promoting such a misleading message, especially about a sensitive political issue.

“These days social media is all about publicity, but the truth is people are so desperate to get it that they don’t use it in the right way,” said Huang.

Furthermore, fake stories can cause attention to be diverted away from real social problems and movements related to them.

In January 2017, a misleading hashtag spread across the internet titled #BLMKidnapping, in reference to the activist group Black Lives Matter (BLM). This hashtag resulted during the aftermath of a police arrest of four black people who were accused of torturing a white man who had a mental disability. #BLMKid-

napping spread across Twitter claiming that the �ive black people were a part of the BLM movement These men, however, were in no way connected to BLM and were not attempting to make a political statement with their actions. Fake stories delegitimize BLM as a group that �ights for equality yet does something as inhumane as torturing others, however untrue these claims are. Writing false reports not only spreads false information but also harms groups that are working for the better good of society.

“I feel kind of cheated in a way because I bought into this idea that [some social experiments] promote this positive message and this was actually what was happening when it really wasn’t,” said sophomore Anjani Patibandla. “Also, when I see that it’s actually something totally different and completely fake, it makes me second guess on many of the things online.”

It is nearly impossible to prevent fake news and social experiments from gathering widespread attention, but actions can be taken to ensure that these false statements do not get out of hand. The public must be careful about what they read online for information given may not be true, and society should keep that in mind. In order to obtain trustworthy information, interested audiences should go to legitimate and reputable news sources such as CNN, Time, Business Week and The Wall Street Journal. As journalistic integrity is impugned throughout the nation by fake news reports, it is up to citizens to weed out and report fabricated stories. If not, journalism will continue to be maligned, fake news will propagate, and Americans will suffer from an uninformed populace.

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY MICHYLA LIN

Publish class averages to help students judge their performance

A

s a competitive school that strives to foster a healthy environment, Lynbrook has provided many opportunities for its students to shine, whether it is in the over 70 clubs that exist on campus, within competitions in various subjects or simply in the classroom itself.

Trying to gauge success in academics, however, proves to be problematic: there is no way to judge one’s grade in comparison to a class average.

Thus, it is dif�icult for a student to get an accurate measure of how he or she is performing within different classes. This can cause unnecessary strain for students trying to gauge whether or not they are performing at the level that they wish to achieve.

Many times students aren’t aware of how they are truly doing in a class because they have nothing to compare their grades to. While a student may be receiving a solid grade of a B in a class of lower dif�iculty, the majority of students in said class could be receiving a A; as such, although the student may have con�idence in his B, in reality his or her performance may not match up to the rest of the class.

On the other hand, students who may be receiving a B in a class that has a C average

Staff Editorial The Voice of the Epic may worry that they are not performing to the standard of their peers when in fact they have a higher grade than the average for that speci�ic class.

Additionally, this issue impacts other institutions, such as colleges, summer programs, internships and jobs.

Students in either scenario may have grades that do not accurately re�lect their academic performance, but other programs cannot precisely assess students if they are not given another metric in order to better judge the grades received by individuals.

In order to more accurately judge student performance, the Lynbrook administration should con�identially publish both a stu-

dent’s individual grade and the class average of each class he or she was enrolled in on In�inite Campus.

Not only do averages give accurate assessments of how a student stands in regards to his or her peers, it also provides insight into the dif�iculty in each class, information that a letter grade cannot accurately convey.

This proposal, though, may receive considerable backlash from people in the Lynbrook community.

“It would be interesting but not necessarily helpful or productive because the competition at Lynbrook is already so intense that adding another way for students to compare themselves and their progress in classes to each other would not result in any-

thing positive,” said senior Teresa Yang.

While competition between students may increase, giving a student an accurate measure of their class performance may help combat these pressures; students can use these averages to spot areas for improvement, thus helping them �igure out a plan to attack academic worries.

“I completely understand the notion of a student of ‘I’m a student, I want to know how I’m doing relative to the class’,” said Lynbrook counselor Nikki Dang. “I think that it’s a great idea in that you’re trying to get feedback on where you lie and how you are compared to your peers. Some teachers may be more comfortable with [publishing averages], but each one has their own teaching style, so it’s up to them. However, I think that this is an interesting thought for teachers to think about possibly doing.”

By making class averages available to students, administration would allow students to receive a marker of their academic performance in regard to the school as a whole, thereby enabling students to further take charge of noticing and counteracting their grade-related distress. *the Epic staff voted 27-2 in favor of this stance

Patricia Wei and Nick Lui I’m going to be telling my kids one day, “Mama’s �irst date was a blind date for her high school newspaper.” I was down to completely embarrass myself and have fun, so that’s what I did! I usually have punctuality issues, but thankfully I arrived with a few minutes to spare, with two �lowers in my hand.

My date, senior Nick Lui, arrived right on time and we lined up to rent bowling shoes and a bowling lane. It was so busy at Bowlmor that we were put on the waitlist. While we waited, Nick and I sat down and talked, then played ping-pong and air hockey. We were then tired of waiting, so we left. Never went bowling like we were supposed to!

Instead, we had ice cream right across the street. While we had ice cream, he answered the questions that I was supposed to ask him, and we both related to how we are usually the “�loaters” in a friend group. We both bumped into people we haven’t seen in years, I wondered if they thought we were on an actual date.

Afterward, my brother came to pick me up, and he gave Nick a ride home as well. I had a really awesome time hanging out with Nick, and I’m glad that I signed up to do this challenge!

Shivateja Vemireddy and Mohini Adkar To preface this experience, I sort of forgot about the actual challenge aspect of this… challenge. I did �ind out some of the information I was supposed to throughout the course of my conversation with sophomore Mohini Adkar, though: she played basketball, she currently watches the Net�lix series, “The Magicians,” and she has been to various countries from Jamaica to Europe. On the other hand, the extent of my travels have been India, Mexico and India.

Excluding the challenge portion, the date was pretty fun. We met at the Sunnyvale Gol�land to begin our night of hitting balls into holes in the ground with sticks. We quickly found out, however, that we both suck at this (no offense Mohini). Our running joke throughout the night came from a family ahead of us in the golf course when one of the kids was audibly excited about getting a hole in one (even though he actually didn’t) and a lady, who I presume to be his mother, responded with, “Shut up.” After some time, we heard the same kid again: “Hey mom!

Roberto got a two!” Once again, it was followed by a “shut up.” For some reason, we found this extremely hilarious and Roberto became our idol that we would pray to before every shot: “ROBERTO!” We didn’t keep score, but I’m pretty sure I won even though we both sucked.

Harsh Jain and Emily Leung Overall, I felt that my blind date went pretty smoothly. My date, sophomore Emily Leung, and I went ice skating at the Vallco (RIP) Ice Skating Rink. I was slightly nervous because I hadn’t ice skated in a few years, and I wasn’t interested in falling on my butt. But as soon as I began to feel con�ident in my skating abilities, I fell �lat forward and skid. From there, however it only went better. I learned a lot about Emily in the two hours that we spent together. She’s a cheerleader and had a lot of pets. She doesn’t really watch too much television or movies, but travels with her family a bunch, even going to Las Vegas recently.

We got pretty tired after an hour and half or so and decided to stop ice skating. I don’t know how people can skate in circles for so long, let alone do twirls and jumps. While waiting for our rides home, we decided to explore the abandoned part of Vallco, and ended up going on a mini adventure. We saw a door that we thought would enter into the mall, but took us into this dark alleyway instead. Walking deeper and deeper into the alleyway we became more apprehensive about what was going to happen. The door at the end of the hallway brought us out to the desolate closed off part of Vallco. We explored around for a bit, and ended up going back out. What we did may have been lowkey illegal, but hey, we were just “lost.”

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY KELSEY LU AND JUSTINE CHEN

How to appreciate being single on Valentine’s Day

BY CHLOE LAI

I

t’s that time of the season again, when Valentine’s Day rolls around and a number of unhappy souls complain about remaining single year after year. Not many, however, realize the burden of actually being in a relationship, especially on the day you kiss your hard-earned money goodbye and dump it all on some chump for a tacky date and a lessthan-stellar dinner. Don’t be ashamed and hide in the corner on Valentine’s Day -- instead, celebrate your independence proudly!

Here are a few ways to enjoy being single for twenty-four hours on Feb. 14.

1. Buy a gift. Or two.

But for yourself, of course! It’s like the extended version of Christmas. Why bother getting a gift for your signi�icant other when you can save money and buy MORE for yourself? No one else is going to know how to correctly order your Grande Vanilla Bean with part skim milk, extra pump of vanilla, extra

whip and extra caramel with no foam! Besides, it’s so much work to wrap a present, color coordinate everything and write a cute card when you could be productive and �inish your APLAC essay instead.

2. Stay home.

Priority should go to the one consistent thing in your life—food. Remember, there is no “us” in “pizza,” only “i.” Ask yourself, “Would I rather be buried under a fort of comfy pillows watching Friends with pizza delivered to to my place or spend hours trying to please a human being!” You could be eating a whole pizza instead of awkwardly facing your inconsiderate date who keeps stealing your food. Because as Friends’ Joey says, “Joey doesn’t share food!”

3. Go out with your friends.

If you’re look for a more lively time with photo opportunities and catching up with food, call up your friends for a great night out. Whether it be watching a movie and

laughing at all the couples, hanging out at the beach, taking a road trip with no destination, or perhaps just hitting the nearest boba place, life is so much more colorful when you have close friends to laugh with! Valentine’s Day is a day to appreciate all those whom you love, and who better to spend your day with than the people you love most?

4. Be thankful.

Because guess who de�initely won’t be humiliated by getting dumped this year?

YOU! After all, break ups open the dark void of judgement complete with multiple trips to Safeway, most likely occurring in the bakery and ice cream aisle. How about just not getting involved with someone in the �irst place? Count your blessings by perhaps buying yourself yet another gift.

When you look past the big picture and into the little details, the future really doesn’t look as bleak as you try make it. Go out (with yourself) and enjoy Single Awareness Day!

ALEX XU—EPIC

Roses on Roses store blooms

BY NOELA BAE

Cash n’ Carry

Y

ou stroll up to this bright, technologically-advanced building with both hands on a squeaky clean grocery cart. The automatic doors gracefully slide open as if they were �loating on the magical River Ganga. The scent of free samples caresses the inside of your nose and the perfectly uniform aisles of produce are blinding in their sheer aesthetic pleasure.

Try to imagine this building, then think of the exact opposite. Welcome to the Indian grocery store.

Walking into an Indian grocery store has a sort of surreal quality to it. Passing through the front doors, you instantly feel like you have been transported to India (which is either good or bad depending on your tastes). Upon entry, you are usually serenaded by a low-quality, old-school Bollywood song and as you begin to take it all in, you trip on a pile of rice bags. That’s probably the �irst thing that most people notice: the clutter. Imagine taking all the produce of a regular grocery store and squeezing them into a space half its original size, making the shelves as overpopulated as India itself. This, plus the narrow aisles, makes �inding some naan a life-or-death situation. To combat this problem, the store tries to hire a janitor who ends up contributing to the clutter. The janitor doesn’t really clean up the messes but mostly sits at a corner and yells at you or sleeps and blocks the path.

While the janitor sits at one corner, the most interesting part of the store rests at another corner. This stand is interesting because it boasts a collection of the most recent movies and songs; it is so impressive that it even claims to sell movies that haven’t even been released yet. Upon closer inspection, you will notice that most of the DVD cases have already been opened and the covers of these cases were merely just printed on and the DVD itself was just a burned disk. If you happened to be a poor soul who accidentally bought one, you would go home and excitedly watch your new movie, only to realize that this new movie is a blank screen or a camcorder recording of the movie from inside the theater.

The �inal aspect of this adventure through the Indian grocery store emphasizes a vital part of the Indian culture: bargaining. In a store full of Indians, there is no doubt that a few people would argue and try to bring their total bill down to a minimum. This is when the most outrageous reasons come up to try and defend one’s wallet. “My Frutti mango juice is leaking,” “this radish has more hair than I do,” and “pls” are all common phrases heard at the cashier line. Normal grocery stores have a policy that goes somewhat along the lines of “the customer is always right.” If you believe that the management in Indian grocery stores believe the same policy, you are sadly mistaken my friend. While the customer is trying to bring down their prices, the managers are trying to raise their prices like, “Look! This radish has more hair than you!”

Even though they have their fair share of problems, Indian grocery stores have their own unique charm and are actually pretty fun to go to. I always get the nostalgic feelings of being a kid and meeting my relatives in India. And plus, without these grocery stores, my mom would not be able to make her bomb food.

Cashing out for the �irst time, Shiva Vemireddy

D

espite the progress that has been made in today’s society regarding the acceptance of different identities and sexual orientations, it is inevitable that feelings of displacement and insecurity remain. In an effort to eliminate these ideas and underscore the importance of individuality, junior Adhiraj Hangal founded a clothing company called Roses on Roses during summer 2016 and has since been working with junior Avaneesh Samudrala and sophomore Ryo Hatanaka.

As the name implies, Roses on Roses revolves around the idea of roses. Hatanaka, Hangal and Samudrala chose roses to symbolize their company because roses represent beauty and growth, both of which are traits they believe everyone should

strive for. They decided to incorporate the beauty element of roses in their apparel and the growth element of roses in their JustKeep-Growing collection.

“We know that at one point or another, everyone has been bullied or has bullied someone,” said Samudrala. “The main reasons we make fun of each other is because we feel like we don’t �it in, and we believe that we need to wear a mask and hide our true identity and our true self. The truth is that everybody is doing the same thing. We are all masking ourselves and are afraid of what others think.

Roses on Roses believes that you shouldn’t be restricted to society like that.”

Of�icially released on Jan. 21, Roses on Roses sells shirts, hats, hoodies and crewnecks on their website, rosesonroses.com.

All their apparel incorporates a rose as a message for their customers to spread positivity and to grow mentally, physically and spiritually. The company will soon sell windbreakers and letterman jackets as well in or-

der to provide a larger variety of items for customers to choose from.

“As we have been working on Roses on Roses, our clothing company has become more than a business to us; it has become a way to cope with the negativity around us,” said Samudrala.

“We wanted a brand to have a message about individuality, beauty within oneself, and happiness.”

Hangal hopes that Roses on Roses will not only help those who struggle with insecurities and individuality but also become a top competitor in the industry. So far, their social media platforms such as Instagram have been rapidly gaining followers, and their sales have been rising progressively.

“We hope that our brand will be competitive in the clothing industry,” said Hangal. “We want to be seen alongside brands like Adidas, Nike, and Puma.”

SHIVATEJA VEMIREDDY—EPIC

Hidden Figures rockets up the charts

BY JESSICA LI n Jan. 6, the critically acclaimed movie Hidden Figures was released in theaters, unearthing the remarkably true story of three African American women whose work as mathematicians greatly contributed to some of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) major milestones in space.

Set in the early 1960s, a time when racial segregation laws still applied throughout America and the Civil Rights Movement was emerging, Hidden Figures follows the lives of these three women as they encounter society’s biases and injustices. In their persistence and determination, the women ultimately break barriers of gender, race and space, and their work becomes instrumental in America’s Space Race win against the Soviet Union.

Taraji P. Henson shines as Katherine Johnson, a mathematical genius who works as a “computer” for the Space Task Group at the NASA facility in Langley, Va.,

O

making crucial calculations for the early space missions of astronauts like Alan Shepard and John Glenn in 1961.

She faces blatant racism and discrimination, however, from her Caucasian and male colleagues, notably the head engineer Paul Stafford, played by Jim Parsons, who continually tries to undermine her effort to succeed.

Johnson’s friends and colleagues, Dorothy Vaughn and Mary Jackson, portrayed by Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae respectively, are also a part of NASA’s group of “colored computers.” Vaughn aspires to become the �irst African American female supervisor of her group in spite of her racist boss, while Jackson petitions to attend classes held in an all-white school in order to pursue her dream of becoming an engineer. While the plot is primarily focused on the three women’s professional achievements, it also offers a glimpse into their personal lives to portray a complete depiction of their lives to help the audience connect to the characters on a personal level instead of viewing them as inaccessible geniuses.

Even though it gives off a modern impression at �irst, the �ilm ensures that viewers are completely engrossed in the 1960s time period. From black-and-white news reports and grainy colored footage of space missions to the jazz to the R&B-styled soundtrack written and recorded by Pharrell Williams that

gives a modern feel to classic 60s music, the �ilm perfectly encompasses the feel of the decade. Furthermore, the extremely talented cast contribute their charm, humor and wit in order to bring their characters to life and portray them as lovable, relatable people that the audience is eager to learn more about by the end of the movie.

Despite its rather predictable plot and ending, since the �ilm parallels historical events, the story of these extraordinary women is captivating and heartening. Hidden Figures is inspirational and motivational for all. The women stand as fascinating role models for millions of people--from social outcasts to those working in the sciences to the ordinary American. The story of these women should be known to all, especially with controversial topics such as women and African American rights prevalent today. Hidden Figures is de�initely a �ilm that everyone, regardless of gender and age, can appreciate and learn from.

GRAPHIC BY FEATURES SECTION

The Okay Group creates artwork for charity

ALTRUISTIC ARTISTS| From left to right, sophomores Michelle Chen, Jojo Chen, Charlotte Zhang, and Christine Cheng started The Okay Group, which sells artwork to benefit the nonprofit organizatin, Room to Read.

BY AURELIA YANG

S PAINTED BY SOPHOMORE CHARLOTTE ZHANG

DRAWN BY SOPHOMORE JOJO CHEN

temming from a genuine passion to support children’s education and literacy, The Okay Group is an art association at Lynbrook composed of four sophomore girls who sell art projects and services to bene�it the nonpro�it organization, Room to Read.

The “Okay” in the group’s name serves to remind students that it is important to have an open mindset and to say “okay” to new opportunities. The members of the team include sophomores Jojo Chen, Michelle Chen, Charlotte Zhang and Christine Cheng, a group of passionate artists who use their ardor for art to help promote better education.

The team was motivated to work with Room to Read out of an ambition to help more unprivileged students in developing countries become more literate. The team donates 100 percent of their pro�its to the organization and contributed over $200 in the past year to Room to Read’s efforts to build schools and promote literacy and gender equality in education.

“Education can provide people with so many new opportunities and we are truly lucky to have these opportunities handed to us,” said Jojo, the founder of the Okay Group.

“We wanted to use our privileges to do what we can to help other children who are not as fortunate as us.”

Another signi�icant reason behind Jojo’s desire to start the group centers on her interest in giving her artwork a meaningful twist.

She sees the organization as an opportunity to expand her passion for art, while simul-

taneously encouraging artistic peers to use their talents for a greater cause.

“I started the Okay Group because I wanted to be a part of something that allows me to do what I love while supporting a cause I cared about,” said Jojo. “A lot of my friends enjoy different forms of art as well, and we were all looking for a way to add a deeper meaning behind our pieces. I want the freedom to explore different projects that will perhaps give me insight into an art career.”

The group works around the theme “education for all” and also views their services and donations as a way to portray their gratitude for having the opportunity to receive a well-rounded education.

“Room to Read �its perfectly with our mission to help those who are underprivileged but are still determined to improve their lifestyle,” said Michelle. “In this community, education is highly valued, but is also something that we often take for granted. As the Okay Group, we want to donate money to provide children who aren’t very different from ourselves with the opportunity to learn and grow.”

The Okay Group’s main method of fundraising is through selling art prints and doing audience-based commissions. The prices of all their paintings and drawings are only $5 and are displayed for sale on their website (http://tinyurl.com/theokaygroup).

“Right now, our organization is pretty small, so we are hoping to increase sales and commissions,” said Michelle. “We plan to have more promotional events soon and we hope to be able to donate more.”

PAINTED BY SOPHOMORE CHARLOTTE ZHANG

PAINTED BY SOPHOMORE CHRISTINE CHENG

Discovering the impact of astrology An investigation of horoscopes and their meaning

BY CHLOE LAI AND MEERA BALAJI

H

oroscopes, or forecasts of the future, date back to around 410 B.C. in Babylon, which is present day Iraq. At the time, stars were regarded as celestial beings who were the source of all good and evil in the world. The Babylonians created different types of personalities for people based on constellations, highlighting strengths as well as weaknesses. This concept is known as astrology, a study based on spiritual fortune-telling in accordance to one’s zodiac sign, each named after one of the 12 constellations.

While horoscopes can be an interesting way to explore one’s personality, they are also inaccurate at times and are not rationally based upon any form of proven science, only myth and tradition.

“There’s no way that the location of the planets are going to affect the kind of person I am,” said physics teacher David Taylor. “[Horoscopes say that] everyone born on the same day would have the same personality, and that is de�initely not the case.”

Those who believe in horoscopes, on the other hand, believe that they can see similarities between themselves and their predicted horoscopes, especially when coincidences occur and a few common traits between the two are found.

Each sign represents roughly four weeks of the zodiac calendar, beginning with the constellation Aries on Mar. 21 and ending with Pisces on Mar. 20. Each of these signs represent different outlooks on love, life and wellbeing, with each respective outlook being based on an individual’s date of birth.

Astrologists divide the signs into four categories: water, �ire, air and earth. Each sign interprets each ele-

ment’s physical features as personality traits. For example, water signs Cancer, Pisces, and Scorpio are labeled as highly sensitive and mysterious because of the natural �luidity of water and the unexplored ocean.

“I think that cancers get a bad reputation for being emotional but we’re really just in touch with our feelings. In the same way the ocean changes tides rapidly it’s the same way with our personalities,” said junior Diana Magnusson,

signs, such as Aries, Sagittarius and Leo, are characterized by having very passionate and temperamental personalities, often letting their emotions control their choices.

On the other hand, the element air seeks liberation and is known for stepping outside the norm. Therefore, many Gemini, Libra and Aquarius tend to be free thinkers and embrace their creativity to help them express their emotions.

The last c a t e g o r y, earth, is an ele-

w h o is a Cancer.

The sign Cancer is knows for close and committed relationships, and commonly show loyal qualities.

Although a notable trait of a Cancer is de�ined as the ability to develop close friendships, they are also notorious for being mercurial.

Those whose horoscopes are �ire

ment wellknown for its practicality and determination. Since the physical earth represents the basis for all elements and desire to reach one’s goals, it comes as no surprise that its signs Virgo, Taurus and Capricorn are associated with routine and can sometimes be wary of instability and unfamiliar or unfavor-

able experiences.

Astrology is not popularly considered to be a form of reason basedscience, but many people are often amused at the parallels that they are able to draw between their horoscope-predicted personality and the personalities that they see themselves manifest on a daily basis.

“I don’t think there’s any amount of truth to horoscopes. The only thing I can think of is that if people believe that something is going to happen, they might have an attitude that might allow a similar thing to happen, but other than that, probably not,” said Taylor.

Regardless of their actual beliefs, many enjoy reading their horoscopes, occasionally �inding a supposed connection between their life and the prediction that they see. These coincidences, however minor, often af�irm several people’s belief with their respective horoscope.

“Once, [my horoscope] said that I’d do well on my test, and that happened,” said sophomore Kendra Chao. “It also said that I was going to have some hardships on a Wednesday, and that also happened. It was quite the coincidence.”

Despite the supposed accuracy of her horoscope, Chao continues to doubt its validity, willing to trust her own intuition more.

“I would probably not depend on horoscopes for the future, because if I were in a situation where anyone’s life could be in danger, I would rather trust my own instincts and decisions,” said Chao.

Whether people believe that horoscopes are real or read them for nothing more than entertainment and amusement, horoscopes have been used by humankind for centuries and can continue to be a part of our lives, despite any of our inhibitions.

GRAPHIC ILLLUSTRATION BY IN-DEPTH SECTION

Enhancing moods with binaural beats Achieving higher focus and relaxation through sounds

BY JOCY HE AND PATRICIA WEI

A

fter a long day at school, students often go home and continue doing homework, only to �ind themselves too tired to focus. One way to cope is to put on headphones, hit play and listen as a humming sound �ills the ears. After a few minutes, they begin to feel more awake and energized.

This is the power of binaural beats.

Also known as digital drugs, binaural beats are mood enhancing sound frequencies. They have several reported bene�its, including stress reduction, mind energization and sleep improvement, according to various companies such as Be Brain Fit and Ennora.

Humans have used sounds and rhythm to enhance their mental states since ancient times. Stanford Ph.D Melinda Max�ield conducted research on drumbeats used in the rituals of different cultures and discovered that a theta frequency produced a trance-like effect.

In 1839, Heinrich Wilhem Dove discovered the science of sound frequencies and de�ined them as “binaural beats.” Gerald Oster assembled Dove’s research and wrote Auditory Beats in the Brain in 1973.

Oster realized the potential of binaural beats in diagnosing medical problems.

“Binaural beats, and any other music therapy is really a wonderful and natural way to relax our minds,” said Samir Raut, the cofounder of iBand+, a company that is developing a wearable device to en-

hance sleep and dreams through brainwave audio and visual cues.

To have maximum effect, binaural beats are listened to through headphones. A different sine wave, or sound frequency, plays through each ear. The frequencies have a difference of 10 to 20 Hertz (Hz), which create an audio illusion in the brain that then generates its own wave based on the frequencies it hears. The frequency of the brain’s waves determines its mental state.

“Brain activity can be in�luenced by electrically stimulating speci�ic nerves on your head and neck. Those nerves connect to a part of your midbrain that controls your stress response,” said Isy Goldwasser, chief executive of�icer (CEO) of Bay Area startup Thync, which is seeking to energize the mind and lower stress using neurostimulation.

Goldwasser’s Thync device uses low energy electrical pulses to stimulate nerves that signal the brain to either relax the body or give it an energy boost. It slows down the mind’s thoughts and lifts its mood.

Frequencies common in binaural beats are delta, theta, alpha, beta and gamma waves. Delta waves, one of the lowest wave frequencies, occur during dreamless sleep, when the brain loses consciousness. Theta waves, which are slightly faster than delta waves, are produced when the brain is dreaming in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and are often used for meditation and improving memory. Alpha waves are used for an increase in relaxation and creativity.

Beta and gamma waves have the highest frequencies, and are used to increase focus and

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY PATRICIA WEI

concentration. They are strongest when the brain is fully conscious and alert. The type of binaural track that energizes listeners, colloquially known as “virtual coffees,” include beta and gamma frequencies.

The use of binaural beats can lead to better concentration, focus, and a calmer state of mind. Some binaural beats may help induce lucid dreams or the release of hormones.

“Everybody wants to stay awake longer and be energetic, so if binaural beats were effective, then they would use them because they don’t seem to have any harmful effects,” said Myra Cheng, co-president of the Neuroscience club.

The placebo effect may play a part in determining the effectivity of binaural beats.

Not everyone will �ind binaural beats likable.

Cheng, for example, found binaural beats ineffective and unenjoyable.

“I felt the track itself to be uncomfortable,” said Cheng. “The nicest part was that the binaural track had music in the background.”

Binaural beats allow people to alter their mental clarity in place of physical drugs, such as caffeine or pain-relievers. The future may see a rise of brainwave technology, as people seek to cope with problems related to concentration, stress and sleep through the physics of neuroscience instead of drugs.

“We are the generation that will create innovative technology that will directly come to us to improve both our emotional and mental wellbeing,” said Goldwasser.

iBand+, also a startup, focuses on sleep and lucid dreaming. iBand+ uses electroencephalogram (EEG) nodes to detect the frequency of brainwaves during sleep. Based on the frequencies detected, the device plays a sound. Samir Raut and his wife, Purva Raut, co-founded iBand+ as a response to Purva’s problems with sleeping.

“We looked for solutions that could solve the problem of lack of sleep, and we realized music and sounds are the best way to calm and induce sleep,” said Samir Raut. “We want to explore the possibilities of helping people who are medically in need of such a device, like those with post-traumatic stress disorder.”

Just as humans have used sounds to boost mental states in the past, the present is �illed with many ways to become more energized, and the future will allow for a combination of technology and sounds to in�luence our brain waves and improve our mental states.

MICHYLA LIN—EPIC

RIVALRY| Taking a deeper look into competition continued from RIVALRY page 1 companies within the industry may �ind themselves competing against each other to prove their superiority. Competing for the title of a top school between two closely located universities, for instance, places higher stakes on reputation and thus fosters greater rivalry.

“When you �irst start out, it’s similar people helping similar people,” said Soong. “If you’re both applying to the same college, you would help each other get in. One issue is that you have to compete for a select number of spots [at the same university] and that’s when the rivalry really forms.”

The desire to win when competing against a rival may in�luence an individual to become willing to win at any cost.

The development of rivalries can have negative effects such as promoting unethical behavior. In an effort to win, one may participate in unsportsmanlike conduct, such as cheating.

Deteriorating relationships are another consequence of rivalry—competitors who were once friends can become focused solely on winning and may lose their friendship as a result.

“In a rivalry, when both are trying to beat out each other, they can be led to cheat,” said freshman Aditi Rao. “For example, if you know that you might not be able to perform as well as your rival, there is an urge

to cheat or participate in other unethical behaviors.” en to drive success, increase motivation and improve overall A strong rivalry can often lead to more stress as well. quality of performance. Consider the situation in which two The idea that one’s success is wholly dependent on the out- rival businesses compete for the same target consumers. In order to have higher consumption rates, come of a competition can be damaging businesses are compelled to produce highto mental health and self con�idence. Falling into the trap of constantly compar- “RIVALRIES CAN CREATE er quality products than their competitors.

When groups compete against rival ing oneself to others leads to devaluing SPIRIT, ENERGY AND AN groups, teamwork within each group also one’s own success, often decreasing selfsatisfaction and con�idence. Persistently INCREASE OF MOTIVATION. improves. Working together toward a focusing on every detail of someone who A TEAM CAN FEEL MORE common goal allows members to cooperis superior can limit the view of one’s ALIGNED WITH THEIR OWN ate better together and creates more moown successes, assets and self-worth. GROUP IN COMPARISON TO tivation to succeed, which can ultimately result in higher quality performance.

“Rivalries are likely to be correlated THE RIVAL GROUP.” “Rivalries can create spirit, energy with stress because competition corand an increase of motivation,” said relates with stress,” said school psyBRITTANY STEVENS school psychologist Brittany Stevens. chologist Dr. Brittany Stevens, “if the SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST “People in a team can feel more constress grows to excess, then it could renected and aligned with their own group sult in adverse effects on functioning.” in comparison to the rival group and There is a �ine line between healthy competition and rivalry. If the ultimate goal is to succeed that prompts positive group behavior and group thinking.”

A rivalry can bring out both the best and the worst in over an opponent, it is likely that the motivation to win will stem purely from the desire to overshadow someone else. people; because competition is inevitable in the classroom, While rivalries tend to be seen in a negative light, they can it may be useful to analyze one’s rivaling relationships to unalso produce some positive effects. Rivalries have been prov- derstand them on a deeper level and consider their impacts.

Looking at different styles of parenting

BY HSIN YEN HUANG AND JESSICA LI

A

wide variety of personality traits can be ascribed to individuals in any given community due to factors such as household environments and cultural backgrounds. These different styles of raising a child can directly in�luence the behavior of children as they begin school and make a place for themselves in society.

Authoritarian parenting is characterized by high expectations, strict rules and punishments. Often considered the most controlling style of child-rearing, authoritarian parents tend to be less affectionate and more restrictive. The children of authoritarian parents generally follow rules well, but tend to associate conformity and success with love.

“A child who is given very strict rules or guidelines could potentially lose a lot of con�idence,” said counselor Nikki Dang.

“If students are given too much of a tightrope, when given some freedom, they may not understand how to exercise it.”

Another method similar to authoritarian parenting is the authoritative variant, which involves setting rules and standards for children to follow but giving children more freedom than the former style. This technique stresses the importance of children understanding the consequences of negative actions rather than focusing on punishments for failures. Authoritative parents are open to questions, encourage independence and tend to be more forgiving when their children fail to obey rules.

The authoritative parenting style is

SHIVAJETA VEMIREDDY—EPIC

used by sophomore Nikita Rangwala’s mom, who allows Rangwala to make her own life choices along with her guidance.

“Previously I was a very dependent child, and kind of still am, but my mom’s leniency to let me learn on my own has let me become more independent,” said Rangwala. “Her mentoring and guiding has de�initely helped a lot as well.”

Permissive parenting, on the other hand, is characterized by few demands, guidelines and rules. Permissive parents express love more openly, have lower expectations and may use rewards to ensure good behavior.

This method of parenting can be bene�icial for children who are generally well-behaved, increasing their self-esteem and causing them to potentially become even more ambitious and successful than their peers.

When it comes to punishments, freshman Calista Kerba’s parents tend to lean more toward the permissive parenting style.

“I don’t get punished at all, even if I do something bad. If I do something bad academically, they will just give me a pep talk and won’t ground me or take my phone away. I don’t do any other bad things, but if I do well, they will give me what I want,” said Kerba.

An extremely lax form of parenting, uninvolved parenting, is characterized by little communication, little to no supervision and nearly no behavioral expectations. Uninvolved parenting is a relatively broad category of parenting; parents can range from being extremely lenient to being outright neglectful of their children. Children raised by uninvolved parents may have dif�iculty showing emotions, feel stress about the lack of family support, fear becoming reliant on others and eventually may be forced to learn to provide for themselves.

Cultural and social backgrounds also play an important role in determining one’s upbringing since different parenting styles may be deemed more effective by different cultures. For example, in European American or Canadian families, the authoritative method is widely regarded as the most adequate parenting style due to the stress Caucasian parents place on individual autonomy. On the other hand, traditional Chinese and South Asian cultures teach parents to resort to the authoritarian approach. This is rooted in the well-respected Confucian principles, which place great value on work ethic and the pursuit of knowledge. Parents from these cul-

tural backgrounds are generally very involved in their children’s lives and tend to focus greatly on academics. The emphasis that these cultures place on one’s obligations to family and society also causes parents to appear to show less warmth and have a more controlling mindset.

Dr. Stephen T. Russell, director of the Frances McClelland Institute for Children, Youth and Families, presents this in his book Asian American Parenting and Parent-Adolescent Relationships.

“Most people in the United States believe good parenting comes from emulating middle-class European child-rearing practices, which focus on warmth and balanced control and monitoring of children,” said Russell. “In our increasingly diverse multicultural society, however, there is a lot that can be learned from studying the relationships between parents and children in families where there may be less warmth displayed, or where there is more stringent control of children’s behavior.”

As a result of these contrasting upbringings and home environments, students develop a variety of different behaviors and beliefs. Nevertheless, these early parental and cultural in�luences all contribute differently to a person’s identity, making up one’s behavior, beliefs and opinions. While the parenting styles of each individual parent usually differ in families, and a child’s behavior may not always correlate to the expected outcome of one’s parenting methods, these diverse approaches to child-rearing can help shine light on the unique personalities that people from seemingly similar backgrounds can have.

Enjoyable exercises for the new year Simple and lively activities to keep your body in shape

A

BY NOELA BAE

classic winter sport, ice skating is another activity that can be recreational and bene�icial, as it is a great mix between socializing and exercising. On the rink, you can twirl and spin—or slip, fall and get bruises—with friends and family, all while toning and strengthening those thigh muscles.

Though you may not be able to glide gracefully around the rink at �irst, after a few laps, you will soon get the hang of it and be able to enjoy the activity. One can race with friends, have conversations, play some games on the ice such as hockey, skate along while listening to music or simply witness others falling here and there onto the ice.

Ice skates are easily rentable at respective ice skating locations, eliminating the need to buy skates beforehand, and overall prices with these skates will most likely not exceed $20. You may want to stop by a rink soon, get yourself on the ice and soak in the last of the winter vibes before the season is over. Nearby ice skating locations include the indoor rink at Vallco Shopping Mall and outdoor rinks in Downtown San Jose.

I

nvolving no competition, themed 5K (�ive kilometers) races are running events in which friends and family jam out to their favorite songs and run through �inish lines plastered with color or with glowing accessories. Apparel and accessories for each run vary depending on the different types of gear and packaged deals one decides to purchase. Each of the 5K races is untimed and hosted to promote a healthy lifestyle, all while enjoying a new, lively experience.

Popular 5K runs in the Bay Area include The Color Run, The Night Nation Run, and the Bubble Run. In The Color Run, participants start off the race with white clothing but are plastered in different color powders at every kilometer; in The Night Nation Run, participants have the opportunity to listen to EDM music and to meet DJ’s and special guest celebrity performers while receiving their own Night Nation t-shirt and glow necklaces; and in the Bubble Run, participants walk, skip, jog or dance through clouds of color foam and bubbles. These runs usually take place in San Jose, convenient for nearby residents to participate in.

ART ILLUSTR

ATION BY CH

ELSEA LI

ALL GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATIONS BY THE SPORTS SECTION

PATRICIA WEI//IN MY OPINION

Lessons from tennis

W

hen I was in sixth grade, I walked onto the Memorial Park tennis court with a small water bottle and a shabby racket for the �irst time. I was awkward and insecure; with my terrible hitting form, I didn’t consider myself awkward at all.

Three years later, I made Lynbrook’s varsity tennis team as a freshman.

I credit a lot of my success to my work ethic, as well as my outlook on life to tennis.

Over the years, I’ve learned many invaluable lessons through the sport. My tennis strokes and athletic ability have improved, but more

importantly, I’ve learned valuable lessons that stick with me even when I am off the courts.

My �irst coach, Shoggy Park, always told me, “practice is the best coach.” During my middle school years, he motivated me to come to the courts to practice for hours every day. If he felt that we were getting tired, he would ask us if we tired, and if we said yes, he said, “Well, I’ve got some natural medicine for you. Ten push-ups.”

I used to think that there was no way I could get through his dif�icult drills, but I did, and eventually I grew stronger as a result. My coach pushed us to our limits, but he also raised our limits, making me realize that I was more resilient than I thought I was. I still struggle through hard workouts today, but instead of focusing on how tired I am, I’ve learned to just focus on the task at hand, knowing that my hard work will pay off.

Gradually, I noticed that I was improving, and I could win matches against those I usually lost to. Tennis allowed me to really feel tangible improvements as a result of practice.

I �ind that improvement can be a little harder to see in the academic realm, but

ART ILLUSTRATION BY JOCY HE

ART ILLUSTRATION BY SRINIDHI SESHADRI

B

logilates, run by �itness instructor Cassie Ho, is a famous Youtube channel whose name is derived from the combination of the words “blog” and”pilates,” a type of strength and �itness training for people of all �itness levels. Ho has numerous workout videos split up into different series that work out speci�ic areas of your body, that which range from exercising your calf muscles to working out your triceps. Her website, blogilates.com, suggests healthy food recipes, meal plans, lifestyle changes, exercise challenges and workout calendars for her viewers.

For those who do not enjoy going to public gyms, Blogilates may be a good alternative: Ho motivates and entertains her subscribers through the peppy conversations, and she performs the exercises alongside them throughout the entire workout video. Moreover, her workouts usually do not last more than �ive to ten minutes and require no exercise equipment except a simple yoga mat or any relatively soft surface, making them easy to do at home.

Some of her most popular workout series are the song challenge, during which viewers work out with Ho for the duration of only one song, and the 5 minute series, during which viewers intensively work out a speci�ic area of their body for �ive minutes. You may want to try one of her workouts while taking a study break or simply while refreshing yourself in the morning or during the evening.

when I was struggling with a chapter in math last semester, I told myself that I would keep practicing, just like I had done with tennis.

One week later, I noticed that I could solve problems that I couldn’t solve just a few days ago. It was the same sense of amazement and accomplishment as that which I had felt when my tennis skills improved.

This game has taught me to be a �ighter, to seize every opportunity and to bounce back after mistakes. In doubles, when my partner and I are losing, we tell each other that if we don’t make the same mistakes and be more aggressive, we can still win. We know that missed opportunities from before don’t mean that we can’t still make a comeback.

My current coach tells me to forget the point that happened before and not to worry about the shot that my opponent might hit.

The only shot that matters is the one I will hit. I know that I can change nothing about the past, but I can focus on the present.

Through tennis, I’ve learned how to support and encourage myself, but also to be a supportive teammate. After every point, no matter win or lose, I will high-�ive my partner to prepare for the next point. It may be a

small gesture, but it pumps us up for the next point and encourages us to look forward. Being a doubles partner and a tennis teammate has taught me to be a better teammate by communicating and trusting my partner.

Tennis made me care about the small details. When I �irst joined the varsity team, I also struggled with my volleys, the shots that were hit near the net. I decided to practice them every day to get better. My coach would point out every detail, from the way my head was positioned to the angle of my wrist to which foot I stepped with �irst. At �irst, it was discouraging because even after practicing every day, I would still mistakes. at the end of the season, when I realized that I could win a point by attacking the opponent with a strong volley, I realized how far I had come.

Participating and committing myself to a sport has shown me the satisfaction of the rewards that can come when we work hard.

Tennis has taught me to trust my teammates, my coaches, my work ethic and myself. I’m grateful that four years ago, a small sixth grader picked up a tennis racket and listened to her coach. I’m grateful that tennis has helped shape who I am.

Completing their seasons at Championships

Three cross country athletes share their journeys to CCS and beyond

BY WILLIAM GUO

J

USED WITH PERMISSION OF SAMMY NGUYEN

unior Kevin Chacko �irst joined the cross country team in sixth grade, encouraged by his physical education teacher at the time. Though he faced several challenges in the beginning, soccer was what ultimately helped him to transition into running..

“I remember that in the �irst meet I ever went to I didn’t do very well,” said Chacko. “As the season progressed, I just ran more, and I got much better. Soccer was the thing that actually helped me improve the most.”

Along with two other members of the team, Chacko participated in the 2016 CIF State Cross Country Championships last October, placing117th in his division with a time of 16:34. He believes there is still room for improvement.

“I really enjoyed spending time with my friends, but I wasn’t satis�ied with my performance this season,” said Chacko.

He plans to run for Lynbrook track, looking forward to a successful season.

PH WILLIAM GUO — EPIC

OT OC OU

RT

ESY

OF

AN

GE

LA

LIU

J

unior Angela Liu began running cross country in seventh grade and enjoys not only the physical aspect of cross country but the social aspect as well.

“I began to really get into the sport because I started to meet a lot more people,” said Liu. “It was kind of therapeutic because you can talk while you run, and it serves as a way to socialize.”

While she struggled initially after coming back from summer break this year, Liu was able to make a successful rebound.

“I missed training over the summer, and I gained six pounds,” said Liu. “Luckily I managed to work it off during the season but this season has been very important to me because it’s been a trying one.”

Although the season has been challenging, Liu admits that there’s nothing like it.

“Even if I was the worst runner, I would still do cross country because of the atmosphere.” said Liu. “It’s like a family, and we have bonded a lot.”

S

enior Maryam Jawid set a school record this year as the �irst female athlete from Lynbrook to win the Central Coast Section (CCS) championships in cross country. Her work to become the league champion, however, was not without its trials and tribulations.

“I joined cross country in middle school, and in the beginning I was pretty slow. It’s important to work hard for what you want,” said Jawid. “I experienced that �irsthand as I started running more frequently and for longer distances. After a while, I realized that I could go a lot faster for a lot longer.”

Jawid was out for most of the past cross country season due to injury but she continued to exercise through swimming and pilates.

“I was still very determined to run,” said Jawid. “Over the summer I trained an hour and a half in the pool in the morning and an hour in the night, and I also did 45 minutes of upper body strength and 45 minutes of pilates everyday.”

Jawid’s passion for the sport continues outside the team; she enjoys running for her own pleasure as well.

ALL GRAPHICS BY THE SPORTS SECTION

Wrestling team pins down a tough season

BY ESHANI MEHTA

“In previous years, there used to be a lot more seniors, but this year a lot more freshmen are coming in,” said Hunterhe varsity wrestling team has been performing well this Washer. “I’m the only senior this year, so it’s kind of hard to season, and their hard work has culminated in tourna- get good work partners. But since there’s so many freshmen ments where many individual athletes have placed and and sophomores, we’re going to have a really strong season won medals. The varsity girls participated in the Ed Ferrell going into the next few years.”

The team, however, has been able to overcome this chalInvitational on Dec. 12, with all four team members winning medals. The boys wrestlers showed off their skills at the 50th lenge by focusing on building muscle, as their lack of muscle Peninsula Invitational on Dec. 13, where varsity boys captain power was one of their main weaknesses at the start of the season. and senior Tyler Hunter-Washer and ju“My favorite part of being a coach is seeniors Lucas Hong and Hayden Ito placed ing growth throughout the years, not only in in the top 10.

“In the beginning of the year, we were “MY FAVORITE PART ABOUT wrestling, but also in maturity,” said coach a little rocky, but as the season went on, BEING A COACH IS SEEING Alan Vinciguerra, who has coached wrestling for 20 years. “Seeing them come in we got stronger and we’re wrestling GROWTH THROUGHOUT from freshmen to seniors becoming young more,” said Hunter-Washer. “We’re not THE YEARS, NOT ONLY IN adults and really have focus on the future, slacking off and we’re doing more intense WRESTLING, BUT ALSO IN that’s really important.” wrestling.”

MATURITY.” Despite having team members in all four The team has structured practices grades, the athletes have built close friendevery day after school except Thursdays, during which they learn new moves, build ALAN VINCIGUERRA ships and support each other in and out of muscle and improve their technical skills.

COACH practice, as well as during meets.

“I think our family aspect is really strong.

Practice starts with a 15 minute run folEveryone’s friends with each other and we lowed by some pushups, situps and aball hang out outside of school and and supdominal routines. The teams then run port each other,” said Miedema. “We also through wrestling drills for around 45 minutes and practice technique for an hour before spending watch each other’s matches and give tips. When we support the last 30 minutes of practice live wrestling, where the team each other like that, it encourages all the people on the team.”

Although wrestling is an individual sport and different pairs off for practice matches timed by the coach.

“The tournaments and the live wrestling in the meets are athletes have different aspirations, many share a common my favorite parts,” said varsity girls captain and junior Kenne- goal of qualifying for states, the annual statewide high school dy Miedema. “Everything you’ve done and everything you’ve wrestling tournament.

“I want to go to states this year. That’s the same goal for a put into the mat room, it’s all there and you get to choose how lot of other people as well,” said Hunter-Washer. that’s going to end and what the outcome’s going to be.”

The wrestling team aims to �inish the season strong in While their overall performance is improving, one major challenge the team faced this year was the lack of more expe- their �inal two matches on Jan. 31 and Feb. 9 against Los Altos and Harker High Schools, respectively. rienced and older wrestlers on the team.

T

USED WITH PERMISSION FROM SARAH NELL ISOLA

PINNING DOWN A VICTORY| Sophomore Elijah Caffery tackles an opponent during a match against Palo Alto High School.

CHELSEA LI — EPIC

TEACHING THROUGH ACTION| Junior varsity Coach Boyd Fowler practices wrist control with freshman Timothy Liu.

Dancing the night away at Blue Pearl

BY MICHYLA LIN

B

lue Pearl was truly a night to remember, from the shimmering lights and lively atmosphere to the handmade drinks made at the student-run bar. Students entered the dance through the Cove which was converted to a photo studio with a skyline background and a coat check, where students could drop off their belongings. The area between the gym and the Cove housed a tent, which was adorned with hanging fairy lights.

Right across the gym was the bar, where students could order various drinks made right before their eyes, such as pina coladas and Shirley Temples. The gym �loor was �illed with students of all grades dancing to the music of a the Lyratones, a professional jazz band which includes Lynbrook teacher David Pugh on the drums. A picturesque arch �illed with golden lights made for an elegant backdrop for photos, along with the numerous tables on the side containing �lowers and twinking lights within glass jars. The lure of such an exciting dance was not limited to only Lynbrook students, as the dance was open to students from other schools in the area. A decent amount of Lynbrook alumni also were present at the dance, able to reminisce about their great memories at Lynbrook and their own Blue Pearl experiences.

Top left: Junior Nicolas Rios and senior Shefali Vijay warm up with the basic swing dance step demonstrated to the students by members of the Stanford Swingtime Dance Troupe.

Photo by Shivateja Vemireddy

Top right: Students danced the night away to music provided by the Lyratones, the professional jazz band which includes Lynbrook social studies teacher David Pugh on the drums.

Center: Attendees of the dance not only included Lynbrook students, but also students from other schools in the Fremont Union School District.

Photos by Shivateja Vemireddy.

Above: As volunteers from the Lynbrook Band, junior Eileen Tzng and senior Shawn Liu serve a variety of food to Blue Pearl attendees.

Photo by William Guo

Left: Blue Pearl featured a bar that served non alcoholic drinks, such as Italian sodas and �loats. It was constantly tended by student bartenders such as senior Ivan Wu. Photo by Meera Balaji and Sadhana Sarma