The Epitaph Volume 60, Issue 8, 2022-23

Gun violence instills fear around campus

Students, administration share thoughts, responses to fears of school shootings

By Zeinab Rakhshandehroo and Hope Saena

The number of school shootings per year reached an unprecedented high in 2022, with more than 300 instances of gun violence occurring on school campuses, according to the K-12 School Shooting Database. This increase in campus violence has reached HHS in an incident where administration believed a student was in possession of a weapon, which turned out to be false, according to an email from Principal Giglio.

These events have spread fear around HHS: 63.5% of students said they felt scared, unsafe or both due to the threat of school shootings, according to a survey of 233 students by The Epitaph.

“[I’ve noticed] there are fears that it can

might say to us, ‘this person seems to be really upset after this news,’ and we try to support them.”

In addition to these resources, schools implement many safety measures to prepare for an active shooter situation, Giglio said. Once a year, HHS performs a runhide-defend drill and provides updates throughout the school year.

In addition, teachers receive extensive training for the emergency situation each year from school resource officers (SROs), SRO deputy Aalok Patel said. The training is updated each year to reflect new data the police department gains regarding school shootings, Patel said.

However, Murray said mental health resources are not enough to support students. Educating students on safety protocols in the event of a school shooting is essential to protecting the school community, Murray said.

“School shootings are an important issue but we have not talked about them at HHS,” Murray said. “It should have been a very important first month of school thing to go over gun safety at the school, especially knowing that it was happening in a lot of other states.”

Murray said HHS must be more transparent regarding the safety precautions surrounding the potential for gun violence on campus, as it’s important students know what’s going on in their school.

“Being at HHS for four years, we [haven’t had many run-hide-defend drills],” Murray said. “It is really important to know protocols and understand what to do.”

On the other hand, Giglio said holding more drills can have negative effects on students’ preparedness.

“In some ways, [training is] pretty simple, right? It’s run, hide or defend,” Giglio said. “But in other ways, it’s a highly chaot-

ic and stressful situation and to be honest, no matter how many times you practice for it, something’s going to be different. So we don’t want to get too routine in our practices.”

Freshman Adam Orrin said he believes in-depth instruction is necessary for students to remain safe during an active shooter situation.

“We need to educate people on what situations are good to run, hide or defend, and why and how,” Orrin said. “Advisory is a great way for HHS to implement education about these issues. It is also important for teachers to talk to students about their plans, if anything does happen, andhow they can try and get to safety.”

This sentiment is echoed throughout HHS, as 72.7% of students said they feel HHS should do more to protect and prepare students for school shootings and gun violence on campus, according to an Epitaph survey.

Despite this, Giglio said there is a fine line on what HHS can do to be more vocal regarding on-campus violence.

“School shootings are not an easy topic to talk about, and if you do too many drills, kids get desensitized,” Giglio said. “[Similar to] fire alarms, because fire alarms go off so often, people are asking ‘do I really have to go outside?’ It’s not something we want people to get comfortable with.”

When a school shooting occurs, the first to respond are the SROs, Giglio said. In addition to responding to incidents that occur on campus, SRO deputy Jarvis Bui said SROs educate students and staff on safety procedures.

Although training may feel unnecessary at times, Bui said it is essential to establishing guidelines for student safety.

“When there’s an earthquake, students know to drop down

and go under the table because of the training you’ve done since you were kids,” Bui said. “Even though you have [training] once or twice a year, you should know exactly what to do if something happens.”

While the rise of reported school shootings may inspire fear on campus, Bui said people shouldn’t allow this sense of helplessness to completely conquer their daily lives.

“Don’t live in fear. It doesn’t do you any good,” Bui said. “Though it can be frightening, don’t let it stop you from doing what you want to do or from being happy.”

Ultimately, Murray said school shootings are a reality that students must learn to live with.

“Obviously, there are these great tragedies that do happen, but understand that school shootings are very rare, and that they are mostly targeted events,” Murray said. “So just moving on with your life and continuing even though it is a scary thing to think about is all we can do.”

IllustrationbyFaithWatters

Former mayor of Cupertino to serve on Board of Trustees as provisional appointee

By Evelyn Wang and Veronica Zhao

After the passing of former board member Roy Rocklin, former mayor of Cupertino Rod Sinks was appointed to the FUHSD Board of Trustees on May 16 to fill the vacant position and will serve until November 2024, board president Rosa Kim said.

Through his work at the city council, Sinks said he gained an interest in becoming more connected with high school students, which encouraged him to join the board, where he hopes to make a difference at FUHSD.

“Having had experience helping organizations listen to the needs of different kids, I’ve had some real interest in youth,” Sinks

said. “I thought I could make a difference at the high school district and there are a couple of topics of interest to me.”

FUHSD superintendent Graham Clark said the board was looking for someone who could step in right away without a lot of training, as the board needed to appoint a new member in just eight weeks.

“Mr. Sinks was the mayor of Cupertino and was on the Bay Area Air Quality Management and Valley Transit Authority Boards, so he had a lot of experience on what it was like to be a board member of different agencies,” Clark said.

Similarly, Kim said Sinks’ experience of working with finance, housing, transportation and the environment stood out to her.

“Knowledge in these fields can be applied to education,” Kim said.

“Sinks has experience in fields that are really important for us and for our students,” Kim said. “He put emphasis on communication and collaboration, which is my priority too, so I think we can work together to improve those.”

The appointment process for a new board member consists of a series of steps, where board members discuss interview questions and the criteria for a new board member, Kim said.

After the board members discussed, eight applicants were interviewed for the position and were then narrowed down to three finalists.

The Epitaph

Volume 60 · Issue 8 · June 2, 2023

Editors-in-Chief

Nicole Kim

Rajiv Venkatesh

Managing Editor

Saira Ahmed

News Editors

Brian Ling

Evelyn Wang

Opinion Editors

Anushruti Nagarajan

Lindsey Steel

Lifestyles Editors

Ella Chan

Zeinab Rakhshandehroo

A&C Editors

Parth Dhaulakhandi

Veronica Zhao

Sports Editors

Nathan Gu

Helen Tam

Design Editor

Mackie Vu

Multimedia Editor

Veronica Zhao

Social Media Editor

Annabelle Yip

Art Editor

Faith Watters

PR Officer

Harshitha Vijayakumar

Reporters

Manya Girivasan

Patrick Hao

Nicole Pimenta Innecco

Anderson Picone

Graduating Seniors

Amber Birrell

Joss Broward

Karuna Chandran

Seoyoung Hwang

Niyatee Jain

Madhavi Karthik

Christine Kim

Lia Klebanov

Keshav Kumar

Macy Li

David Lin

Erin Loh

Brevin Reed

Hope Saena

Gabriela Salazar

Emma Yu

Adviser

Natalie Owsley

Mission Statement

The Epitaph is a non-profit publication at Homestead High School, 21370 Homestead Rd., Cupertino, CA 95014.

The Epitaph is a forum for student expression and not subject to prior review, in accordance to Education Code 48907. The staff is comprised of HHS Journalism students. Views expressed do not necessarily represent views of the school, its staff or the district.

Editorials are opinions of the editorial board.

The Epitaph welcomes letters to the editor but reserves the right to edit submissions. Letters should be limited to 300 words. Include contact information. Unsigned letters cannot be published, but names will be withheld upon request. Send via homestead. epitaph@gmail.com, or drop letters in the newsroom or the office mailbox.

If The Epitaph has made an error, please send corrections to homestead.epitaph@gmail.com. The corrections will be published in the corrections box for the next issue.

To reach the Epitaph staff in C102 call (408) 5222572 or fax (408) 738-8531.

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Return our heritage

flaunt stolen art and objects, celebrating their shameful history of imperialism.

By Lindsey Steel

The British coronation ceremony is one of pomp and tradition, with a history stretching back hundreds of years. But at King Charles’ coronation on May 6, one critical piece of tradition was missing — the hugely controversial Kohinoor diamond. Mined in India and passed through numerous dynasties in the region, the jewel has been at the center of every British queen consort’s crown since 1849, according to NPR. While the Kohinoor is one of the most celebrated diamonds in the world, the true owner of the jewel is fiercely disputed. Having been taken from an Indian prince and gifted to Queen Victoria, the Kohinoor is a symbol of British imperialism, according to the New York Times.

However, this issue extends beyond just the U.K. In fact, the practice of displaying plundered artifacts is common in the United States and many European countries as well, which continue to uphold a legacy of colonial larceny. In countless Western countries, museums

AP precalculus: a money grab

The Rosetta Stone, for instance, was discovered in Egypt by Napoleon Bonaparte. The Rosetta Stone has played a crucial role in allowing researchers to understand the language and culture of ancient Egypt. Despite being such a critical part of Egyptian history, the Rosetta Stone has not resided in Egypt since 1802.

For instance, the Parthenon Marbles were carved out of the Parthenon in Greece in 1801 and shipped to England. Since then, the Greek government has called for its return, where it would be displayed and appreciated in its full historical context. However, the British government has made no attempt to repatriate the Parthenon Marbles, according to The New York Times.

Similarly, over 200 artifacts stolen from the bodies of murdered Lakota men, women and children were exhibited in a museum in Boston, according to the New York Times. By scattering remnants of native peoples’ history across the country, it is apparent Western countries are willing to strip others of their heritage to enshrine their imperialist past.

New class provides few benefits

By Nathan Gu

As high school juniors across the country explore their options for advanced courses, one questionable option stands out — the newly created AP precalculus course. The course, which will launch in some schools this fall, prepares students for complex mathematics by including content and skills from college precalculus, according to the College Board.

The College Board lists AP precalculus as a course that caters particularly to seniors seeking credit for precalculus in college.

The course contains a mere four units, only three of which the College Board will include in the AP test. By contrast, other AP math courses cover at least eight.

Given the lack of content and depth present within the course, the scope of the class falls short of the precalculus courses at our school, since both precalculus and precalculus honors cover all of the tested content in AP precalculus at a relatively quick pace compared to the slower timeline recommended by the College Board.

Furthermore, AP tests are not cheap, at $95 per exam, an unnecessary cost for many high school students when precalculus is already a course offered in college. For seniors, for whom the class was designed, AP precalculus provides few advantages, as many colleges and universities do not provide credit for completing AP precalculus, according to Mathematical Association of America. Due to the exam’s excessive cost, implementation of the course in schools serving low-income communities ultimately harms those it aims to benefit.

Instead, a more effective and affordable option for many students across the United States, is dual enrollment. This program provides students with a cost-flexible option to earn college credit, and is growing increasingly popular, with 63,000 enrolled in precalculus six years ago, and the numbers increasing over the years, according to the Mathematical Association of America.

injustices.(IllustrationbyEllaChan)

Ultimately, the display of these artifacts is rooted in oppression and taken at the expense of indigenous people. To ensure all cultures can be kept alive and vibrant, stolen artifacts must be removed from distant collections and returned to their rightful communities.

A one-sided story

By Faith Watters

Throughout my three years at HHS, I have found it to be a very liberal school, with its advisories and lessons aiming to educate students about topics such as microaggressions and feminism. While there is no issue with this on its own — I myself am liberal — the environment excludes those who do not wholeheartedly agree with its left-leaning stances.

Advisories typically include a video or task on that month’s topic, with no room for discussion at the end. On the occasion that there was a discussion, I felt the questions provided pressured students to give predetermined answers, preventing open conversation and pushing a one-sided narrative.

For example, during last year’s advisory on microaggressions, we read three anonymous pieces before discussing them as a class. The main

reading involved a Black student who felt uncomfortable when a teacher pulled him aside prior to a lesson on slavery after noticing he was having a bad day. While the student’s perspective was valid, I interpreted it as a teacher checking in on a struggling student, not prejudice. However, the questions only asked what the teacher did wrong, restricting the discussion to a predetermined answer. I felt excluded, as the close-minded discussion questions shunned all alternative perspectives.

This problem is not limited to advisories, however. In one class discussion, the subject of gender-based wage gaps came up, and everyone agreed it was a problem. However, when I brought up how the issue has improved in recent years and argued that there are many more facets to pay than just gender, several people said my points were sexist for suggesting men also face pay-gap challenges.

The concept of echo chambers — a phenomenon where people surround themselves with exclusively similar viewpoints, creating a lack of understanding for the other side — is not limited to conservatism. By not allowing

Having taken precalculus honors at HHS, I felt the course of fered new material for me to learn and helped me understand more complex as pects of previous concepts. How ever, the lack of depth in certain areas of con tent essen tial to cal culus, like derivatives, makes the course un fit to be an AP course.

Thus, the implementation of AP precalculus at our school and across the country would make no sense, as the course offers few tangible benefits to students. Students are better off with the current array of choices rather than feeding College Board $95 for virtually nothing

APprecalculusisnotworthspendingyourmoney on.(IllustrationbyAnushrutiNagarajan)

for open discussion, students will inevitably turn back to the stance they had prior to the lesson. In my experience, authentic learning is impossible when I’m only being talked at — or yelled at. If I’m not given the opportunity to learn from experience and discussion, topics don’t stick, and I will go back to my old viewpoints.

HHS’s insistence on a single correct approach to complex issues teaches students to disregard opposing points, neglecting the reality of di verse perspectives in the real world. Disagreeing with some one’s political or moral beliefs is natural, as we each possess unique backgrounds and ex periences that shape our outlooks. Part of growing up is understanding and respecting these different views even if you don’t agree with them, and HHS is not doing an adequate job of fostering that environment.

To enhance the current ap proach to teaching students about contentious topics, encouraging open-mindedness is crucial. This can be accomplished through

non-judgmental discussions following controversial lessons, with open-ended questions that do not pressure students into specific responses. Rather than shaming those with differing opinions, we should strive to cultivate an environment that encourages mutual learning and respect.

Approach to controversial topics needs to change

Repatriation protects indigenous cultures

Staying connected in community

Service clubs should host events over summer

By Anderson Picone

From August to June, high schoolers work tirelessly at school. Projects, tests, quizzes and club meetings run our lives, so when summer comes around, many students inevitably crave the much needed break. However, some school-related activities, such as community service clubs, should continue year-round.

to take classes outside of school and join summer programs when school ends. However, many students make a commitment to serve the community by joining a volunteering club, and this commitment should not be pushed aside during summer.

Unlike summer classes, engaging in community service work over summer may not boost students’ GPAs. However, rather than providing materialistic rewards, volunteering benefits society as a whole.

If community service clubs were to implement summer meet-

an adviser or a classroom, rather officers can host meetings in a public vicinity or someone’s home, as long as there is an adult present, according to principal Greg Giglio. There is more freedom in these longer, off-campus meetings, allowing for deeper topics to be covered and the creation of more concrete change because the club will develop a closer bond.

Additionally, summer events will not only benefit previous members, but also students interested in joining during the school year. Incoming freshmen often feel overwhelmed at the begin-

Poster students must represent student body

By Manya Girivasan

Clubs, sports, a seemingly impossible load of AP classes and plans to attend a four-year college in the fall. The pristine image of success is plastered on the wall, the first thing I see when I enter the office. Sometimes I look at my friends, trying to predict which faces will be framed in two years, wishing it wasn’t so obvious.

The process of selecting these poster students mainly involves admin, principal Greg Giglio said. They choose two outstanding students by looking at grades, awards and scholarships. However, the main criteria is their impact on the student body—meaning straight A’s are not required as long as they work hard to give back to the community, Giglio said.

While it seems like this selectioin process would yield a diverse group of students, it is hard to ignore similarities between the chosen students of recent years. For example, three of the last four of them have been ASB officers. While they are no doubt worthy of receiving this distinction, and there will never be a perfect pair of people to represent an entire graduating class of 595 students, admin must make diversity a priority in its selec tion process. This allows them to better fulfill their purpose of serving as good role models.

Admin also chooses a foun dation student who has over come adversity and made a positive impact, a category based even less on grades and accomplishments. However,

this student is not showcased on the website or in the office, demonstrating how our school places a higher emphasis on achievement than character.

For a school at the center of STEM-driven Silicon Valley, I have always admired the varied skills of our student body. There is a club for every interest, from juggling to neuroscience, yet the process of selecting these poster students fails to reflect the variety of ways students contribute to our school. In a community that is already so competitive in college applications, it is damaging for the school to push the same image year after year. Admin should take input from teachers or students, as they typically do not interact with students enough to personally understand their strengths. Adding more criteria for choosing poster students would highlight more individuals who deserve recognition. At the very least, celebrating the foundation students at the same level would create role models who best represent what the future can hold for students of any background.

The United States has long been known as a cultural melting pot, being one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse nations in the world, according to the Brookings Institution. A significant portion of this diversity comes from the many asylum seekers who enter the country each year.

In 2022, there were more than 756,00o asylum cases presented to the United States, according to Syracuse University. Most of these asylum seekers come from Latin American countries, especially Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, which have high rates of poverty, violence and corruption.

Refugees from these coun tries apply for asylum in the United States to escape serious threats to their safety, accord ing to the Council on Foreign Relations. Yet, despite their need for asylum, these seekers are being met with unwelcome and cruel conditions.

One such unjust policy refugees face is Title 42. Im plemented by the Trump ad ministration during the pan demic, this act allowed the United States to turn away asy lum seekers on the basis that they posed a threat to public health. Under this policy, ref ugees were denied their right to seek asylum and were left stranded in Mexico, exposing them to unsafe conditions such as high risks of violence, kidnapping and rape, according

than 13,000 incidents of kidnapping, torture, rape or other violent attacks on migrants who were blocked in or expelled to Mexico under Title 42 since Biden took office, according to Human Rights First. The terrible conditions experienced by asylum seekers turned away by Title 42 are no better than the crises they were fleeing in the first place, meaning the United States is harming refugees rather than helping them.

Fortunately, this unjust act recently expired on May 11. However, in its place came a new series of immoral and inequitable policies from the Biden administration. These new laws crack down on il-

gees from receiving the help they need.

The United States promises to be a safe haven for those who are struggling and in need, and claims it is committed to assisting vulnerable refugees, according to the White House. Yet, when asylum seekers appeal to the United States for safety and shelter, the country continues to cruelly turn them away.

The United States has a responsibility to help asylum seekers in need, and we must hold our government accountable to ensure those responsibilities are being fulfilled. By donating to refugee

Successhasmanydefinitions. (IllustrationbyManyaGirivasan)

Taking a holistic view

By Anushruti Nagarajan

Sometimes, I feel like everything that can go wrong has gone wrong and there is no way out. These moments cause me stress and frustration, and I often experience waves of negative feelings. Yet, however hard it might be, after taking some time to myself, I am able to take a step back and look at the bigger picture.

Putting things into perspective involves recognizing that a bad grade or missed opportunity is not the end of the world. It also means ac knowledging that failure and disappointment are a natural part of life that can lead to personal growth.

Whether it is on social media or in our personal and professional lives, comparing ourselves to others can breed jealousy and discontent — especially in the Bay Area, according to NBC News. When surrounded by many high-achieving individuals, it is easy to feel inadequate.

TheUnitedStates’cruelasylumpoliciesleaverefugeesvulnerable andunsafe.(IllustrationbyZeinabRakhshandehroo)

However, by putting things into perspective, we realize that life is more than a race against other people. Shifting our outlook reminds us that our worth is not determined by superficial measures, rather our own growth and personal fulfillment.

Additionally, viewing obstacles

in a broader context helps build resilience. It allows us to recognize that setbacks and difficulties are often temporary and part of a larger journey. When we recognize that we have successfully overcome challenges, it fosters the development of a more optimistic and adaptable mindset.

There have been moments when I felt overwhelmed, anxious or stuck, but taking a step back and taking in a broader view of the situation allowed me to see beyond the immediate difficulties. By considering the larger context, I realized that setbacks and obstacles were just temporary hurdles on my journey. It helped me recognize that I had faced and conquered challenges in the past, which gave me the confidence and reassurance that I could do it again. With each experience of putting things into perspective, I have become more adapted and better equipped to handle whatever comes my way.

It is easy to get caught up in the pressure to succeed, but it is important to remember that success is a journey and not a destination. If you do not perform as well as you hoped, take the opportunity to reflect on what you can do differently next time and never give up on your goals.

Beyond the page

Check out additional articles at hhsepitaph.com

the

‘The best job in the world’

Hacking into the future

POV: From the eyes of a theater student

Students discuss experiences at hackathons

By David Lin and Rajiv Venkatesh

From the classroom to the workforce, interest in software development is on the rise. In fact, the number of jobs in the field is projected to grow 25% in the next decade, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Leading the charge are students like junior Jerry Yang, who participate in coding competitions known as hackathons to develop the skills they will need in the software industry.

Biking toward a sustainable future

In a hackathon, competitors attempt to quickly create a project under tremendous pressure,

having just hours to put together a complex project. Competitors often resort to extreme measures to complete their creations on time, especially during competitions that span multiple days, Yang said.

“If it’s an overnight competition, it’s OK to go 24 hours straight and code nonstop,” Yang said. “During the hackathon, adrenaline fuels you so you’re able to stay awake. But once it’s done, everything kicks in and you’re suddenly dizzy and tired.”

Yang said he overcomes these challenges by leaning on his teammates for support. After winning his first hackathon in eighth grade, Yang said he gained confidence and began to compete in more hackathons, confronting new challenges along the way.

Programming club president, senior Katia Bravo said another major challenge of hackathons is the time constraints involved. These limits often make it impossible to come away with a flawless program, Bravo said.

“You have to know when to cut your losses, because you could go in [planning to] make a perfect project, but that’s never gonna happen,” Bravo said. “You have to pick what you think is the most valuable and continue.”

Sharing culture through cuisine

Students share how food has helped them connect to their cultures

471

“Since [most of my family] is on the other side of the world, [eating our cultural foods] makes me feel closer to them, knowing that [what I’m eating] is what they’re probably also eating right now.”

ProgrammingcluboncehostedHomestead Hacks,ahackathonformiddleschoolers,Bravo said.(PhotocourtesyofKatiaBravo)

“Sometimes [software] companies present their products at hackathons, and you’re really excited to use them, but the code just doesn’t work,” Yang said. “You spend a lot of time debugging, and you keep putting in more and more time, but you’re just going down the wrong track.”

To provide HHS students with this opportunity, programming club workshops director, junior Ishwar Suriyaprakash said the club once hosted an annual hackathon called Homestead Hacks. At these events, which were primarily geared toward middle schoolers, the club taught programming skills, held competitions and gave out prizes. While the club has not held one since the pandemic, Suriyaprakash said they plan to revive the event in future years.

Bravo said she encourages everyone to try a hackathon, regardless of their current programming experience.

“There are [hackathons] that have a lot of workshops where you can learn some of whatever [programming] language is being used during the hackathon,” Bravo said. “Bringing some friends with you makes it so much easier, but you can totally find someone random to work with. I would say to go for it.”

Journeys to social justice

Clubs reflect on past, look to future

By Mackie Vu

Animal welfare club, The Differences Among Us and Green Ops are all advocates for their specific causes. As the year ends, officers in these clubs look back at what they have accomplished and what the future has in store.

Animal welfare club

At animal welfare club, it is the animals whose struggles are voiced to students, treasurer, senior Bo Treesh said.

In general, Treesh said she was happy with the club’s accomplishments this year in their monthly meetings.

“[During each meeting], we give students a way [to take action], like giving our [members] a petition to sign or [a way to] donate to charities,” Treesh said.

“I feel lucky to have two different cultural backgrounds because I get yummy foods from both sides and the recipes that my parents grew up with get to be shared with me.”

- Alexa Ochoa (11)

In addition to monthly meetings, Treesh said the club hosts events such as toy-making for animals.

“The events are my favorite moments because you get to socialize with people [and make something for a cause],” Treesh said. “My favorite [event] might be [when] we used toilet paper tubes and filled them with treats for bunnies and guinea pigs.”

“I think eating foods from my culture is important because they are my comfort foods; I’m familiar with their taste. [It doesn’t matter if] I’m in Taiwan or America, I still eat the same [dishes].”

Yenting Lin (12)

Though she hopes the club will grow in members, Treesh said she leaves those concerns in good hands.

“When we choose new officers, ensuring that they have the goal [of increasing new members] in mind [is an important determining factor],” Treesh said.

The Differences Among Us TDAU is a club that raises

awareness on the various differences among students on campus, activities director, sophomore Zoe Lin said.

Lin said organizing Buddy Ball, TDAU’s annual intradistrict dance, gave her a great sense of pride, with over 80 attendees.

Though Buddy Ball had a dramatic improvement from last year, where there was less turnout and fewer activities, Lin said she still hopes TDAU continues to expand its horizons.

Lin said she is proud of TDAU’s impact on HHS. A memorable experience for her was when a student from MVHS approached her during Buddy Ball, she said.

“[They] told me how they really enjoyed the experience [and that] this is one of the most fun events they’ve ever been to,” Lin said. “And I thought [it] was really cool that we could provide that for students.”

Green Ops Green Ops educates members on environment issues, treasurer, junior Jacob Chen said.

Looking to make campus changes, Chen said Green Ops planned to grow a new garden near the boy’s locker rooms,

which ultimately fell through because of issues with faculty.

Despite the failed plan, Chen said new plans for HHS’ campus are currently being developed and will be initiated next year.

Chen said he hopes Green Ops continues to gain members.

“I know people like food, so maybe we could have food at our general meetings,” Chen said. “We’re [also] planning on collaborating with other clubs such as Climate Crew.”

Chen said being in Green Ops feels impactful because of the change that comes with it.

“[I enjoyed] the [San Jose clean event where] we picked up trash,” Chen said. “The workers were really nice about us volunteering. I felt like ‘yeah, we’re doing some change in the world.’”

"Making dumplings with my mom [lets me] spend time talking and connecting with her through [speaking] Chinese, which helps me learn more about my culture."

- Jennifer Ren (11)

- Julia Bouron (9)

-

Ren

Photo courtesyof Alexa Ochoa

Photo courtesy

Photo courtesy ofJulia Bouron

Infographic by Helen Tam and Annabelle Yip

Behind

scenes of Indopak’s dance showcase

Brian Ling and Evelyn Wang write about the planning process for Sapnay, Indopak’s annual dance showcase.

Gabriela Salazar writes about her meaningful journey with drama and the lessons she has learned along the way.

Manya Girivasan and Veronica Zhao write about the associate band director’s discovery of his love for music education.

Ella Chan and Annabelle Yip write about students’ experiences biking to school and its environmental benefits.

‘-’ has few positives

By Saira Ahmed

Ed Sheeran has been in the news for everything but his new album, and maybe that is for the best. “-,” released on May 5, has 14 tracks and four bonus songs, but includes no standout hits or individuality. Though inspired by emotional events in Sheeran’s life, the songs lack listenable qualities.

“-,” pronounced “Subtract,” is the final part of Sheeran’s mathematically titled album series, according to Genius. “x” was my favorite of this series, with hits like “Don’t” and “Sing” featuring interesting tunes and lyrics. Although I did not like “÷,” there were a couple of good tracks like “What Do I Know?” However, the series did not finish off strong, as “-” is the least musically interesting.

Sheeran uses this album to express his grief after a year filled with personal tragedies, including his wife’s cancer diagnosis and the death of his close friend, according to his album announcement. I am glad this album helped him get to a better place mentally, but that does not make it sound any better from a musical standpoint.

Many of the songs contain

Preserving the magic of Disney

heartfelt lyrics about his life. “Sycamore” has joyful lines about Sheeran’s aspirations for his family, but also sadder ones which tell the story of his wife’s medical condition. Though these lyrics were beautifully written, they fell victim to the album’s bland theme.

Acoustics absolutely have the ability to sound good along with a catchy chorus and melodic instrumental, but Sheeran was unable to make his sound unique. The first track, “Boat,” had a cute message of resilience after a difficult time, but it sounded very monotonous. Unfortunately, this track set the tone for the rest of the album.

“Eyes Closed” was released prior to the album, which helped make it the album’s most streamed song, but I cannot see why. His vocals on this track are nothing special, and the instrumental is repetitive and uninteresting. The chorus sounds like it belongs in a Disney Channel show that no one watches, in a scene where two boring lead characters share their first kiss.

Even the better songs on “-” are mediocre at best. I like parts of “End of Youth,” but the chorus is so short that I feel there i so much lost potential. Sheeran’s vocals are more impressive on this track, which makes me upset he did not use the larger range he showcased here on the other tracks. Sheeran has the potential to create good music, but he does not use it effectively on this album.

I do not hate Ed Sheeran, and I do not understand why people ruthlessly attack him for everything but his music. This album proves that it is his music that should be scrutinized, not his face or hair. “-” may have been written with good intentions to begin with, but it is hard to ignore how excruciatingly boring it sounds in the end.

Live adaptations lack creativity

By Nicole Pimenta Innecco

Disney animations are timeless classics that have entranced audiences for generations. However, the recent trend of adapting these beloved movies into live-action form raises pressing questions concerning the future of film.

With live-action remakes, Disney runs the risk of losing the magic that animated films inherently possess. The process of adapting for an entirely different medium makes it difficult

to avoid diluting the whimsical charm and distinctive visual aesthetics that made these films so captivating in the first place.

When Disney teased pictures of the characters from the live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid,” I was particularly astounded to see Flounder. Frankly, the live-action Flounder’s eyes look as lifeless as a high school junior, and he looks just as horrified at his appearance as I am.

Later, when I watched the trailer for the remake, I was admittedly pleased to see that Ariel was being played by a Black actress. However, the more I thought about it, the more cynical Disney’s decision to promote diversity seemed. A simple casting choice cannot add the representation that the studio’s stories are lacking. They can’t go back in time and undo mistakes that were already

made. Instead, it is more important for them to look towards the future for opportunities to create those diverse stories.

Disney’s recently announced plans to remake “Moana” are indicative of their blatant attempt to capitalize on nostalgia. Disney claims live-action movies introduce the stories to a new generation, but how is this true for “Moana,” which was released in 2016, less than a decade ago? Additionally, the studio revealed that Dwayne Johnson, the original voice actor for Maui, will also play the live-action version. This makes it clear that a live-action remake of Moana would not even breathe new life into its characters.

Rather than rehashing their old stories in hopes of drawing views, Disney should realize there are many more stories to tell. With the company’s reputation and sizable budget, they have no need to prioritize their commercial gain by relying on nostalgia and overdone formulas. Instead, they should continue to see what they can achieve through artistic exploration and creation of new worlds.

By Parth Dhaulakhandi

COLUMN — Choose your path, battle your way to the truth and save the universe from the Stellaron. “Honkai Star Rail” is a new mobile game developed by Hoyoverse, the same company that has developed famed action role-playing games like “Genshin Impact.” This new game focuses on a character known as the Trailblazer, who helps uncover secrets about the Stellaron, a disruptive cosmic entity.

Playing “Honkai Star Rail” was a unique experience for me, since it was my first time trying an openworld role-playing game. I like that the game is turn based, which allows all characters to receive playing time, including enemies. Even smaller foes can sometimes deal decent damage. The addition

Appreciate art, not the artist

By Helen Tam

The legacy of a work of art should not be tainted by that of the artist. While controversy may surround an artist’s personal actions, it is important to evaluate their work independently to appreciate its artistic value and impact.

Bestselling series “Harry Potter” by author J. K. Rowling has become a billion-dollar franchise of books, films, games and merchandise, making it one of the biggest book franchises in history, according to the Guardian.

Despite her literary success, Rowling’s public statements have not received the same acclaim. In 2019, she expressed various views on Twitter that were seen by some as transphobic and ex-

clusionary. She argued against certain aspects of gender identity and defended the importance of biological sex. Her statements sparked widespread backlash from the LGBTQ+ community, activists and many fans of the “Harry Potter” series. However, her work should not be treated as a reflection of her personality. I read the “Harry Potter” series when I was only in elementary school, and it is clear that the series has transcended both language and age, inspiring generations of readers, includ ing myself, with its timeless themes and characters.

Similarly, Lindsay Lohan is an actress with a darker, more controversial history, despite her movies such as “Mean Girls,” “The Parent Trap” and “Freaky Friday” still being considered iconic by many viewers. Although these movies were released near ly 20 years ago, they have stood the test of time, with people dis cussing them to this day.

However, in Lohan’s early years, she experienced many issues with drugs and the law, according to CNN. She entered rehab a number of times for substance abuse, encountered multiple legal troubles and her behavior was highly publicized

of various types of attacks, including awe-inspiring ultimate attacks, contributes to the magnificent battle scenes.

I admire its new concept of a character’s philosophy impacting their skill set. This means the path you choose ultimately determines what your characters can do. This is a neat way to tie a person’s gameplay decisions into the plot so their actions influence the story itself.

Additionally, the main character in “Honkai Star Rail” has more of a personality than the one in “Genshin.” While the main character in “Genshin” rarely speaks, this character

involves themself in conversations. Despite this, Hoyoverse can do a better job of making the main character central to the story.

“Honkai Star Rail” surprised me with its smooth gameplay and interesting structure. Before “Honkai,” most of the mobile games I played had relatively simple graphics and no storyline, such as “Pokemon Go” and “Angry Birds,” making this game a unique experience for me. From fascinating combat to innovative scenarios, “Honkai Star Rail” has left an impression on me, and it will be the reason I plan to try similar anime role-playing games in the future.

mance rather than judging the actress for her past actions. Even though I may not support Lohan’s previous actions, I believe an artist’s personal life should be critiqued separately from their creations.

Unless an artist’s work direct-

preciating their creations does not equate to endorsing them as individuals. Enjoying and valuing an artist’s creations does not necessarily imply support for their personal actions or beliefs.

It is up to each individual to make a conscious decision about whether to finanically support an artist based on their own principles and values. If their art holds significance and brings enjoyment, it should still be valued independently.

Art has the power to connect with people on a deeply personal and emotional level, and that should not be affected by a few bad decisions made by an artist. Separating art from the artist allows us to appreciate and the beauty, creativity and messages conveyed by the artwork itself.

The spectacular star rail

“Honkai Star Rail” is an exciting journey

Aside-by-sidecomparisonof theanimatedand live-actionFlounder.(PhotofromDisney)

Art must sometimes be separated from its creator to enjoy it

Ed Sheeran’s album fails to impress

ThefinalpartofEdSheeran’salbumserieslacks personality.(PhotofromAtlanticRecords)

Album: “-” Grade: C.

Sophomore shatters frosh-soph track records

By Saira Ahmed, Ella Chan and Annabelle Yip

Track and field runner, sophomore Evan Gardner broke the school’s frosh-soph 400-meter record with a time of 49.95 seconds and the 800-meter record with a time of 1 minute, 55.33 seconds at Gunn and Mt. San Antonio College respectively.

“It felt really good, and I felt accomplished because I never thought I’d break multiple school records,” Gardner said. “My coach was really happy, and I was really happy. It was all around a great experience.”

Gardner said the records were the product of months of training with his coach, Kenrick Sealy. Sealy said Gardner started playing soccer, then came to cross country last year.

To help balance the program, Sealy said he had Gardner run the 400m event. In his first race, he finished in 56 seconds, a time that continued to drop as he ran more. Sealy said Gardner had talent, but needed to work on applying himself in his training.

At the end of the season, Sealy said he put him on the 4x400 relay team where he excelled. Sealy said this was an indication Gardner was going to be good for cross country.

“He has a perfect combination of strength and speed,” Sealy said. “I had a good idea he would be a good athlete, but his maturation came faster than we had predicted. Once that started occurring, he was at a level that I haven’t seen in a while. He has the speed and the endurance.”

Freshman Joshua Lin, Gardner’s team-

Athlete of the Month

By Faith Watters

mate, said Gardner has always been a good runner, but did not anticipate him to be that fast. Running the same event as Gardner has made Lin look up to him as a role model, Lin said.

As a coach, Sealy said his goal is to continue Gardner’s trajectory of progress.

“We sat down and had a little invisible sheet drawn up and I told him, ‘this is what you can do, this is where you can go, but you have to listen to what I tell you and you got to buy into what I’m selling,’” Sealy said. “And so far, he has done that. At this point, the ceiling is endless for him.”

To stand out in a group of talented players, athletes must possess many traits, for instance the drive to constantly improve, which varsity volleyball player, sophomore Leon Meng has demonstrated. Although an injury early in the season hindered his success, Meng, one of the team’s libero, bounced back upon his recovery and played an instrumental role on the team, varsity coach Danny Chan said.

“Leon started off strong, but suffered an ankle injury chasing down a ball and was unable to play for nearly three weeks,” Chan said. “He was very diligent working with the athletic trainer to recover as soon as possible, coming back in time to help our team finish first in league.”

Even when Meng was injured, he continued to support his team while recovering, middle blocker Shahar Dagan said.

“Leon never missed a practice or game, even though he couldn’t participate,” Dagan, a junior, said. “On the bench, he was very vocal and gave advice and motivation to the team.”

Meng’s drive to constantly improve his athletic abilities influences his teammates, Chan said.

“Leon is always reflecting on his performances and is always asking to get additional reps even when the team has days off,” Chan said. “He is very competitive yet supportive and encourages others to do their best. The guys know that they can rely on him to cover a lot of court on defense.”

While Meng’s season had lots of ups and downs, Meng said he is grateful for his teammates who supported him when he was at his lowest.

“The hardest thing for me is the feeling of plateauing or playing without being focused mentally,” Meng said. “[But] my teammates have continually supported me even after bad passes, sets and games — even small gestures help.”

Season Snapshots

Super cool title tktktk

Players reflect on past season, look to the future

“Overall the season went fine, I loved my team. it was a great experience and having a team was amazing. It was like having a family.”

“The past season was fun. Everyone was so motivated and dedicated. My favorite memory was winning my last game.”

“The end of the season’s been pretty cool. Unfortunately I didn’t go onwards to CCS finals, but just running together with the team has been really fun and enjoyable.”

— Aaron Lin (11)

PhotobyFaithWatters

“The season didn’t end the way we wanted it to. It started off well, but towards the end we lost our spark. We didn’t play as well as we should have.”

“We got to know each other well. With club gymnastics, I’ve trained with the same people forever, but I got to meet new people and we got along well.”

Gardnersaidhehopestocontinue breakingrecords.(PhotobyAnnabelleYip)

Mengsaidhehopestocontinueimprovinghisvolleyballskillsintothenext season.(PhotobyNathanGu)

— Nate Enders (11)

— Luna Cheng (9)

— Zoe Del Vecchio (11)

PhotobyNathanGu PhotobyNicole

Photo by Zeinab Rakhshandehroo

Photo by Annabelle Yip

PhotobyJossBroward

— Rosemary Gutierrez (9)

Summer Schemes

Students, staff share their summer adventures

Thien-Mai Vu (10) | Shoreline, CA

Exploring students’ favorite summer activities

Shiri Shukrun (11)

“The Garden of Eden is in Santa Cruz, and it’s a little lake. I went there with my friends, and the wa- ter is so fresh. On a hot day, you go [in the water], and it’s refreshing.”

Humza Dalal (10)

“I recommend the PG&E trail because it is [at] pretty high elevations [so it is a] really good workout. I know some people might not like cardio, but there are some wildflowers [that] look pretty good.”

Thea Gomard (11)

“I love going to Poplar Beach at Half Moon Bay. It’s less crowded than Santa Cruz, and [it’s good] for a secluded picnic at sundown. You can put your ankles in the water and look for sand dollars.”

Grant

Mitton (11) | Anywhere, USA

“I’m getting my pilots license for a single engine airplane. I’ve [been interested in aviation] since I can remember, and I want to be a fighter or cargo pilot.”

Narayanan (9) | Atlanta, GA

“Our [FBLA] team is going to the National Leadership Conference in June. We’ve put in a lot of work, and we really hope it pays off.”

A European whirlwind

By Lindsey Steel

Monaco, France, Italy and Spain: the adventure of a lifetime. This summer, HHS students will take on the continent of Europe, touring various cities, literature teacher Megan Rupe said.

Rupe chaperoned last year’s overseas trip and accompanied 30 HHS students to seven European countries. Rupe said traveling across the continent in such a short period allowed students to experience the vibrant cultures of each country.

“We call it the ‘tapas’ of traveling because you get to sample so many things,” Rupe said. “It’s not a thorough exploration of any country, but it gives you an idea of where you’d like to go next.”

This year’s trip, advised by Japanese and PE teacher Lisa Nakamatsu, will consist of destinations in Monaco, Spain, France and Italy and will occur over nine days. Nakamatsu said she specifically selected countries where students could improve the foreign language skills they had developed at HHS.

“I chose the four [destinations] because kids learning in the language departments here can practice,” Nakamatsu said. “[Students who] took French can speak it for part of the trip, and those who took Spanish can speak it for other parts.”

Due to the small size of the group, attendee, junior Arina Shpin said she hopes the trip will foster strong bonds between the students attending.

“We have five people on the trip, and they’re not people I know,” Shpin said. “I’m interested in getting to know them.”

This trip will be the first time Shpin has traveled overseas since sixth grade, she said. Ultimately, Shpin said the long-awaited trip will help herself and other students broaden their horizons.

“It’ll be nice to have an outside perspective and not be trapped in a social network, only knowing American customs,” Shpin said. “Getting to know other cultures and mannerisms will [help us] have a wider worldview.”

ChaperoneMeganRupesaidlastyear’striphelpedstudentsgain insightintodifferentwaysoflife. (PhotocourtesyofMeganRupe)

Photo by Lindsey Steel

Photo by Brian Ling

Photo by Lindsey Steel

Photo courtesy of Kevin Miao

Photo courtesy of Thien-Mai Vu

Photo courtesy of Grant Mitton

Photo courtesy of Varun Narayanan

The Epitaph presents

Highway to new horizons

Tunneling through barriers

Working in healthcare was always Katherine Alvarez’s goal, but the senior said she decided against veterinary sciences because she could not stand to see animals in pain. Instead, Alvarez said she is pursuing nursing at California State University, Chico and is excited about the myriad of hands-on learning opportunities and case-by-case studies the major offers.

“You always want to do the best for your family and have this sense of pride and let your parents feel the success through you,” Alvarez said. “[They] didn’t get the opportunity [to go to college], so it just feels like there’s a

Coline Gingembre

lot more pressure to succeed.”

Being a part of the AVID program was instrumental to her success as a student, Alvarez said.

AVID was a steady program she could rely on to guide her through the college process alongside with peers who had similar experiences.

“Definitely ask people for help,” Alvarez said. “There are so many opportunities and resources that you can reach out to, especially teachers [and] the school-based therapists — they’re just there if you need to talk to [them]. Friends are a great source to rely on, since they’re also going through the same thing as you, like [during] college applications.”

Roxanna Sagrero

As a first-generation student, Tejeda Moreno said she has encountered obstacles throughout her high school journey due to limited resources and less knowledge surrounding the higher education system compared to her peers.

“It’s really scary [being first-generation],” Tejeda Moreno said. “Not knowing anything, you go in blind and figure things out on your own. It’s definitely like an adventure because you make mistakes, and you learn a lot from them.”

Because Tejeda Moreno’s parents have not experienced the college admissions process, she said she had to advocate for herself when applying to universities.

“A lot of students [participated in] extracurriculars outside of school that I never really had the chance to discover,” Tejeda Moreno said. “My parents do support me a lot, but it’s hard for them to find those opportunities for me. I have to go and find them myself.”

With the help of her AVID community, Tejeda Moreno said she felt confident when submitting her applications, which was initially daunting for her. She was able to confide in fellow first-generation students and gained a deeper understanding of the application process.

“Having friends with the same mentality is the most important thing because you figure it out together,” Tejeda Moreno said.

“It may be more difficult because you don’t have your parents telling you what to do, but there are actually a lot of resources, especially [for those who are] first-generation students, I found out at community college, at four-years, at CSUs, everywhere. They really want you to succeed.”

Senior Coline Gingembre’s college application process was different from most. Because of her family’s immigration status at the time, Gingembre was not sure whether she should start writing supplementals or plan her future in her home country, France.

Gingembre moved to the United States from France six years ago and attended a French private school from 6th8th grade. Because HHS was the first American school Gingembre attended, she said she initially struggled with English.

“I took drama and a lot of English classes to build confidence and practice speaking,” Gingembre said. “And then eventually, I picked up English language very quickly.

lary for writing essays, so when [I wrote essays], I did need

Gingembre’s said her parents reached out to an admissions counselor for clarity on financial and immigration specifics,

tage of school resources was crucial

Senior Roxanna Sagrero’s mother used to joke that she would make a fine businesswoman because of her love for money, a comment that stuck with Sagrero as she tried to choose her major for college.

The senior is now committed to California State University, Monterey Bay for business management, a school she visited as part of an AVID trip. Sagrero said she really liked the campus and it met all of her criteria for the perfect school.

Sagrero said she is grateful for the AVID program for emphasizing the importance of postsecondary education, along with her parents.

“I’m the first one in my family who [has] gotten past high school, so no one in my family knows what we’re doing, [and] I can’t go to my parents for help, so it’s a little bit of a struggle,” Sagrero said. “[This] is another thing about AVID: they’ve helped me [with] the parts my family couldn’t.”

Although high school was not what she expected, Sagrero said the college application process allowed her to reflect on all of her friendships, academic achievements and lasting memories during her time

“[Through AVID], I’ve learned study skills [and] organization,” Sagrero said.

example, I went to Ms. Bellamy when I wasn’t -

ships. She did research to help me out to make sure

“They’ve also encouraged us to [have] relationships with our teachers, so that we know what the teacher wants instead of going at it blindly. AVID has made it easier to get comfortable with your teacher, so [the material is] easier to understand.”

Tunnels are a way to cross terrain that normally cannot be traversed. Despite the obstacles many first-generation students face, they made it to the other side.

Ethan Chang

Noa Ovadia

Luke Yang

Elizabeth Truong

Mackenzie Davidson

Ami Sagara

Eliana Randazzo

Antonio Solorio

Jacob Pineda

Jorge Lara

Aika Yoshida

Coline Gingembre

Juan Sanchez

Katherine Alvarez

Cesar Chamerry

Hannah Riggins

Camilla Rocha

Nicole Nunez Alice Yu

Fatemeh Arefi

Camilla Rocha

Mingkun Li

Ariana Tejeda Moreno

Katherine Alvarez

Alicia Sanchez

Oybek Kasimov

Ai Sugimoto

Based on The Epitaph’s post graduation survey question regarding first-generation students

Redefining success

Finish Life is a race ^ not

Earnmoney.Getmarried.Buildapicture-perfectlife.We are constantly exposed to society’s standards of success, often letting go of our own goals and dreams along the way. Here, seniors discuss their personal values and compare society’s definition of success to their own.

I don’t think you should be defined by how much you make. Not worrying about money and knowing that my ability will get me where I want to go [help me break away from society’s standards of success].

Celebrating OUr Milestones

It is no question that getting into college, earning a degree and landing your dream job are accomplishments worthy of celebration. However, it is important to realize that smaller, personal triumphs are equally deserving of recognition. Here, seniors share their proudest milestones over the past four years.

Stepping out of your comfort zone

[When] picking a major, [people tend] to look for a [field] that guarantees financial stability instead of what [they’re] truly interested in. If I’m going to spend so long studying something that I won’t use in the future, then it’s kind of a waste of money.

I think success is more about whether you’re happy, and I think a lot of people think that money will buy them that happiness. [As long as you’re] doing what you enjoy doing, [that’s what I would consider a success].

Tackling a challenging class

Out of all the English courses, American Studies was Mason Carter’s top choice last year — after all, he already knew one of the teachers, history teacher Greg Russo. However, due to a scheduling conflict with another class, he said he was enrolled in American Literature Honors, instead.

“My writing was not the best, and challenging myself in that class helped me so much,” Carter said. “I addressed my writing with [English teacher Kirk Hinton], and throughout the course of the year, he helped me tremendously.”

Taking 134 people to Sacramento on a school trip is no small feat, something Aaditya Patel is well aware of. Among other tasks, Patel said he organized rooming lists, transportation and registration for a recent FBLA conference.

“Obviously, planning a conference for a lot of people is very challenging, because there are always things to do, and there are always different issues that you have to solve very quickly,” Patel said. “It definitely made me step outside my comfort zone, because coming into this school, I wasn’t super confident in myself, but I feel like FBLA has really changed that. If you step out of your comfort zone more, you’re more likely to do better things in your life and find your true potential.”

Connecting To your culture

As an Asian American student, Alan Jian said he strives to stay in touch with his Chinese heritage. Recently, Jian took the initiative to reconnect with his culture through literature.

“I haven’t read a Chinese book in a really long time, and recently, I just picked one up,” Jian said. “I’m really proud of myself for reading in Chinese after a while and that I’m taking the effort to actually reinforce my knowledge of my language, because to be honest, over the past few years, my ability to read and write in Chinese has been decreasing. So by reading this book, I hope to really regain some of those skills and just appreciate Chinese writing.”

Carter said he attributes his growth to reading a wide variety of literature, as well as exercising his writing skills in almost every class. At the end of the year, Carter said he used his newfound skills to complete the final, culminating research project for the course.

“This [class] taught me to stick with what you’re doing and ask for as much help as you can get, because asking for help was never really [something I had to do in the past],” Carter said. “Now that I’m in Brit Lit, it’s not as difficult to go ask for help.”

Carving your own path

Breaking away from society’s perceptions can be a daunting task — but throughout high school, Deni Eways said she has found the courage to carve her own path.

“I think that society [places] a lot of pressure on people to fit in, and I would say that I never really fit in,” Eways said. “[My] biggest accomplishment was learning that I’d rather be the odd one out than be like everyone else.”

For Eways, adopting this mindset took time. In her freshman year, Eways said she was eager to be accepted by her peers and gain their approval. However, over time, the senior said she was able to find her people and form fulfilling friendships.

“When [others] don’t accept you, you get sad and feel rejected, but then at some point, you grow up and see that those people wouldn’t have lifted [you] up,” Eways said. “I learned that the people I do have lift me up, and they make me happy.”

AAdityA PAtel

MAson CArter

AlAn JiAn

deni ewAys

Ashley

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Ashley Freitas

ilai FriedMan

Melody hUAng

Melody

Arizona

Arizona State University

Aidan Studulski

Connor Studulski

FrancescaThompson

Embry Riddle Aeronautical

University Prescott

RaymondRanbhise

Northern Arizona University

ThomasRuggles

California

California College of the Arts

Hyein Kim

California Institute of Technology

AryaKhokhar

Cal Poly, Humboldt

Aiden Thakur

Cal Poly, Pomona

Alice Yu

Cal Poly, SLO

Tamar Boimann

YujiunChen

ChloeDupin

Christine Kim

Julian Labbe

Megan Lucas

Maya Nemani

SageRussell

Kensho Takahashi

Anika Ummukulsum

Matthew Wai

CSU, Chico

Katherine Alvarez

BenjaminFejes

Gabriela Salazar

Mason Wadsworth

CSU, East Bay

Jenny Huang

CSU, Fresno

Parth Tare

CSU, Fullerton

Lauren Gaela

Thalia Soria

CSU, Monterey Bay

Carmen Looney

Roxanna Sagrero

Chapman University

AaliyahBustamante

Lance Nguyen

De Anza College

Katia Bravo

Chris Camacho

CesarChamerry

Michael Diffenderfer

BenjaminDougherty

KimberlyGuerrero

IanHlady

Alex Jacob

Brie Javier

Eric Jaramillo

Jorge Lara

MelanieLechuga

Josh Lee

MingkunLi

Olivia Mitchell

Neve Murray

Ningning O’Brien

Ryan Orozco

De Anza College

Ann Penalosa

MaayanPendler

Jacob Pineda

Kamaleen Sahni

Juan Sanchez

Alicia Sanchez

Antonio Solorio

Ariana TejedaMoreno

NinaVasquez

ElginVillaflor

Aika Yoshida

Foothill College

Fatemeh Arefi

AndrewEldredge

Leo Janson

Tomer Levran

Gabe Medeiros

XochitlNeely

Mana Qalambor

Loyola Marymount University

Kai Kumagai

Victor Tsai

Pomona College

KyleHuang

San Diego State University

KendallAlicaya

Gilad Bitton

Jason Burgess

Julie Cohen

Tamar Hazon

JadynKo

ChristopherNg

Noa Ovadia

San Francisco State

ColineGingembre

Nicole Nunez

San Jose State University

Noosheen Bevalian

Gregory Brown

Wanyan Feng

Daniel Im

Sofia Liste

Michelle Meehan

PeytonSalvador

SukhmaniSehgal

Orion Sun

Hetav Vyas

Alan Xu

Santa Barbara City College

Eliana Randazzo

Santa Clara University

Clement Boulon

Deni Eways

AshaLaManque

AshleyOrozco-Plata

Camilla Rocha

HopeSaena

AudreyShitamoto

Lucas Woodman

Sonoma State University

AmeliaMcElheny

Stanford University

Kumar Chandra

Lela Hanson

ItaiReingold-Nutman

UC Berkeley

RadhikaAgarwal

Karuna Chandran

UC Berkeley

Josie Cho

Amelia Craciun

Kiran Dias

TaylorElich

AarushiGupta

Jiwoo Kim

Lia Klebanov

Keshav Kumar

Hemal Kurani

Hetal Kurani

SkylaMa

JeremyMills

Andrew Park

WesleyPerronne

Sohum Phadke

Natalie Phan

PreethiRayaprolu

Mae Richardson

EliseVambenepe

ZhaozhongWang

Vanessa Wu

Andria Xu

Tiffany Yu

Jasmine Yuan

UC Davis

UrmikaBalaji

Brandon Choi

Tarini Maram

Rhea Mishara

Brevin Reed

ManyaRohloff

Avantika Varma

UC Irvine

Antonio Cuan

ElizabethTruong

UC Los Angeles

CaitlynCox

Katy Hasser

Mikaela Kwan

Claire Oh

LindsayQin

KelseyShan

Ishita Srivatsan

Sara Tatke

Nathaniel Thomas

UC Merced

KrittikaIyengar

OybekKasimov

Adrienne Lum

GregorySirovsky

Nathan Tanlimco

UC Riverside

Jack Carter

Yenting Lin

UC San Diego

EricChang

Kevin Choi

AnuvaGajjar

Jim Ji

Evan Ouyang

UC Santa Barbara

RoxyFaridjoo

AmeyaGandhi

MelodyHuang

UC Santa Barbara

EugenieLanilis

William Le

Ryan Lee

AryanManglm

Edward Min

MelodyShane

RitajaSubrahmanya

Rachel Zhu

UC Santa Cruz

Henna Chawla

Theo de Swiet

Rishi Jani

Simran Mundkur

SaloniNadarajan

Shira Rom

Shubhanshi Sharma

Ido Tal

Alex Tefera

Esmeralda Villalobos

University of the Pacific

Riko Hirata

University of Southern California

Elizabeth Kunz

AbbyMoll

Colorado

Colorado School of Mines

Nicholas Guidi

Colorado State University

MackenzieClapp

Mackenzie Davidson

AshlynneLarkin

University of Colorado at Boulder

Emerson Zufelt

Georgia

Emory University

MatthewPang

Georgia Institute of Technology

EmilyChoi

Justin Hwang

Hawaii

University of Hawaii at Manoa

Ami Sagara

Idaho

Brigham Young University Idaho

Emma Nelson

Northwest Nazarene University

JordynOrtiz

Illinois

Illinois Institute of Technology

HannahRiggins

Loyola University Chicago

Zach Acton

Northwestern University

Joss Broward

Jonny Kong

Harry Guan

University of Chicago

Emma Yu

Clara Hinds

University of Illinois

Urbana-Champaign

EthanChang

Kevin Peercy

Dhruv Sharma

Suyoung Son

Anirudh Venkatraman

ShriyaWagholikar

Indiana

Butler University

AshleyFreitas

Indiana University

AndrewBorjigin

PeterFraleigh

AnayaPatel

Tarun Prasad

Purdue University

Ethan Bar

Vihaan Chinthakindi

Graham Cooks

WilliamHyun

Dhruv Masurekar

RyanOhara

Animan Patil

Sofia Ruhf

EmilyTumacder

Valparaiso University

ChloeWong

Maryland

Johns Hopkins University

Josh Choi

SpencerYe

University of Maryland

KinjalGovil

Joanna Huang

AdityaPanikkar

AlexZheng

Massachusetts

Amherst College

Macy Li

Berklee School of Music

Ritsu Azriel

Boston University

Seoyoung Hwang

AadityaPatel

Alex Yue

Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering

Audrey Ip

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Roshni Parulekar-Martins

Northeastern University

FahriyeAnlauff

LinetteChang

Jasmine Duong

KenjiroKanagy

Karina Lim

Katherine O’Dell

Natalie Uren

Wellesley College

SophieLin

Williams College

TatumLeuenberger

Michigan

University of Michigan

Niyatee Jain

Katherine Xu

Missouri

Washington University in St. Louis

Rishi Zamvar

New Jersey

Rutgers University

KyleAshe

Ilai Friedman

New York

Columbia University

Brianna Wang

Columbia University Dual Degree Program with Tel Aviv University

NogaAloni

Cornell University

Andria Cao

Hamilton College

GabyGuerra

New York University

SejalBandil

Parsons School of Design

Isabella Tedesco

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

NicoleSpaulding

Jianxiang Fei

University of Rochester

KatherineHegblom

Ohio

Case Western Reserve University

Kaleb Kim

Kazutada Nakao

Lauren Soh

Ohio State University

Nicholas Ashe

Oregon

Oregon State University

Ella Netzel

Eda Ozen

University of Oregon

Anirban Bhaduri

AbigailIsbell

Anna Leacock

ShreyaSriram

Pennsylvania

Carnegie Mellon

ClarenceChoy

Grace Huang

Arindam Kulkarni

BenedictSong

Arielle Turullols

FeliciaZhang

Drexel University

Jason Lee

Pennsylvania State University

Jonathan Seo

University of Pittsburgh

ChristinaPugh

Rhode Island

Brown University

AbbyBerwick

Daniel Lee

David Lin

AviralVaidya

Bryant University

KenjiCohen

Rhode Island School of Design

AvaMaghsoodlou

Texas A&M

LukeYang

Utah State University

RyanBond

Vermont

Champlain College

Itai Kolin

Virginia

Virginia Tech

AnyaAgrawal

Washington

Gonzaga University

Francesca Pastizzo

Seattle University

SophiaGamble

University of Puget Sound

Samuel Olesek

University of Washington

Kate Jelfs

Madhavi Karthik

Annabelle Kim

Rittika Saha

TarynTakegami

Washington State Univeristy

AudreyColen

Washington, D.C.

American University

OlegMedvedev

George Washington University

GeorgeHeller

Nicole Lee

Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin–Madison

LeslieGray

International

IE University (Spain)

Amber Birrell

University of Technology Sydney (Australia)

Charlie Castaneda

University of Toronto (Canada)

MelodyHuang

University of Victoria (Canada)

Simon Ward Other

Gap Year

Anna Drenan

Vittoria Drugman

Tal Gold

Sofia Jimenez

Sean Kang

Ansel Liu

Karni Piekarz

Laura Robleto

Mika Shinmoto

Texas

Texas Christian University

Megan Moyer

University of Texas at Austin

Alan Jian

Utah

University of Utah

Aiden Leone

Yarden Sternfeld

Emma Tuszik

Israeli Defense Forces

Gaia Bornstein

Keren Senderovitz

Military TylerTamura

AngadSingh

Trade School Max Smith

Rising and Setting

Leading the way

By Lia Klebanov and Brevin Reed

A large part of the high school experience is the sense of community students developwiththeirpeers.Thepossibilities are endless, but for these students, the leadership class has provided them with an unforgettable 4-year opportunity like no other.

Daniel Lee

Prior to his time at HHS, ASB president, Daniel Lee said he had never been in student government. Participating in leadership was a way for him to come out of his shell and involve himself in school, he said.

“I never would have thought I would be in leadership, to be honest,” Lee said. “Especially the campaigning. That’s something I never wanted to do, but I wanted to take a risk.”

Lee said his freshman year in leader-

ship class was all about acclimating to the new environment. The friends he made during that time are one of the reasons he decided to stick with ASB.

“The ASB president my freshman year, Lior Kishnevsky, was super welcoming and nice,” Lee said. “I looked up to him, and he’s someone I tried to emulate a lot this year. My job as president is to not only manage the class, but also to make the incoming freshmen feel at home in the leadership classroom.”

Nicole Lee

Senior class cabinet member Nicole Lee said her drive to join leadership came from her experience in middle school as ASB President. The community and friendships she built, especially with the previous president Nikki Liu, motivated her to continue her journey all through

high school and work towards making a difference, Lee said.

“I was the only freshman in the student council surrounded by all these upperclassmen,” Lee said. “Nikki pulled up a chair and sat right next to me to make me feel comfortable. That moment really stuck with me because that’s the person I want to be.”

Leadership has not been without its struggles, Lee said. Students have high expectations for events such as prom and homecoming, and if those expectations are not met, Lee said ASB faces a lot of backlash.

“You just kind of get used to it,” Lee said. “We do a lot of work to plan each event, and even when things don’t turn out perfect, we still feel a huge sense of accomplishment after putting in so much effort.

Josephine Cho

ASB vice president, senior Josephine Cho said her experience in leadership has changed throughout high school as her responsibilities have evolved. Since she was chosen as class treasurer her freshman year, Cho said ASB has become so much more meaningful to her.

“I made a lot of really good memories and met people from different grades,” Cho said. “That was honestly my favorite part of leadership, being mentored and helping underclassmen.”

Cho said she thought leadership would be a way for her to get more involved at school and play to her strengths.

“I have a lot of leadership qualities and I wanted to use those,” Cho said. “I thought ASB would be a good place for me. I love planning things and I’m organized, so leadership was a perfect fit.”

Hanging with Anaya Patel, Karni Piekarz

The Epitaph sat down with best friends Anaya Patel and Karni Piekarz to hear their advice about how to survive high school.

The Epitaph: What is your biggest piece of advice?

Karni Piekarz: Building relationships with teachers goes a long way. I have certain teachers that literally served as mentors throughout my high school career and I would open up to them if I was anxious in school. It’s nice to confide in someone who is away from the scene of teenagers. [Also,] do what you’re genuinely interested in. Colleges like it when you have actual interest. They don’t want to just see a bunch of titles.

Anaya Patel: Time management is really important, especially if you’re doing a sport because that’s going to take a lot of time. In junior year, you have so much work so be sure to like organize it all and know what you need to get done. I was up probably until three in the morning until I learned to just balance it. Also, don’t be the group printer every single time because you will run out of printing credit which is annoying.

TE: How would you summarize your high school experience?

KP: A roller coaster of emotions. I’ve experienced the worst experiences of my life, but also the best ones. It also goes by so fast.

AP: A lot of people don’t talk about the amount of self growth and how much [you experience in high school]. Freshman year me and me now are two different people. I learned a lot about myself, about how I act and my behaviors. You mature a lot [so be open to everything].

TE: What has been your favorite part of high school?

KP: Football games and cheering with friends. Also, hanging out at In and Out afterwards [was always fun].

AP: Junior Prom and dressing up for all the football games with friends. [was definitely a highlight].

Nicole Lee

Josie Cho

10: Class President

11: ASB Secretary

12: Class Cabinet

Daniel Lee

The Road Less Traveled...

By Niyatee Jain and Keshav Kumar

When we think of the prototypical Bay Area student’s post-graduation plans, we often envision them going to a four-year university to study a subject like computer science or business, and forget that many students with diverse and unique interests take other routes. Whether they are not going to a four-year university at all, choosing a less common major to pursue in college or taking a gap year, these students are proof that there is not just a single path to success.

GAIA BORNSTEIN: ISRAELI DEFENSE FORCES

Some students recognize college may not be the best choice for them right after high school. One of those students, senior Gaia Bornstein, enlisted in the Israeli Defense Forces instead of going straight into college because she said she was still undecided on what she wanted to pursue.

“I feel like my life just wouldn’t be fulfilled without serving in the army,” Bornstein said. “Personally, I don’t really know what I would want to do in college, so I feel it’s best to go into the army first to learn about

myself, find my strengths and then study something that I’m passionate about in college after my two years of service.”

Because Bornstein is an American and needs Israeli citizenship to serve, she is part of Tzofim Garin Tzabar, a program where people who live outside of Israel do the enlistment process together, Bornstein said.

“[Enlisting has] always been the obvious path for me,” Bornstein said. “Both my parents and my sister served in the army and I’ve always looked up to them. And I think I would just fit really well and get to learn so much about myself through it.”

When Bornstein’s sister finished her service, Bornstein said she came out feeling fulfilled and

developed a stronger sense of identity, something she hopes to achieve as well.

However, there are normalities Bornstein said she will miss like her independence, driving her car and her friends and family. Though, Bornstein said she will not be alone in this new experience, as she is moving to a small town with others in a similar situation.

To anyone who plans on joining the military, Bornstein said they should be passionate about serving.

“I think the biggest reason why I wanted to be in the Army is to be able to tell my future children that I was pretty cool and in the army,” she said. “Also, to give back to my community, and being able to say that I gave back everything that I’ve gotten in return.”

RIKO HIRATA: MUSIC THERAPY AND Music INDUSTRY

Students’ unique passions have led them to pursue less common majors, from sports business to French. Senior Riko Hirata’s love for music inspired her to continue her education by dual majoring in music therapy and music industry at the University of the Pacific.

Music therapy involves the use of music in therapeutic treatment, while music industry involves sound engineering and the backstage aspect of concerts and recordings, Hirata said.

“For me, playing the flute is really fun,” Hirata said. “My mom actually gradu-

ated as a piano major in Japan, so she knows how entertaining it was to [study music in college]. [So] I was more accustomed to being in music than other people.”

Hirata, who is in Wind Ensemble I and in the marching band, said the strength and passion of the school’s musical community also influenced her decision to pur sue a music-related career path.

“Many people in band are going into performance, [because] they’re so talented,” Hirata said. “I’m not [as] talented, but I was involved with music organizations, like the Tri-M National [Music] Honor So ciety, and backstage for concerts, where I would help set up the stage or sometimes record [the performance].”

Hirata said she chose the University of the Pacific be cause it was one of the two schools in California that had

a music therapy major, along with CSU Northridge. She committed to the University of the Pacific because she wanted to stay nearby.

“I didn’t really want to go to [Northridge in] L.A. That’s probably the only reason I chose to go to the University of the Pacific.”

ering less common majors should thoroughly research them in order to gain a deeper perspective on the resources offered, Hirata said.

“Contacting the professor is a good idea,” Hirata said. “I did that, and I learned a lot of things. It was really helpful.”

LAURA ROBLETO: GAP YEAR IN SOUTH AMERICA

To further explore her passions before college, senior Laura Robleto will be taking a gap year. During this time, she will aid in local conservation efforts and spend a few months in South America with the foreign immersion program, Where There Be Dragons. Robleto will then be studying mechanical engineering and sustainability at Columbia University.

Robleto took a gap year for two reasons: Robleto is 17, which puts her on the younger side of her classmates, and she felt no rush to head straight into college, the senior said.

From September to December, Robleto will travel to Bolivia and Peru to learn more about South American culture and hike new terrain. Robleto said she chose South America because she wanted to improve her Spanish and spend time with the diverse wildlife.

“[The program] is less about trying to ‘go change the world over there,’” Robleto said. “It’s more to learn from a different culture, to learn from people who aren’t the same as you and to go experience a new place, as well.”

During her gap year, Robleto will also live in Sacramento to volunteer for American Conservation Experience, which organizes trail crews to protect natural habitats.

“I have been volunteering with [the local nonprofit] Grassroots

Ecology for the past four years,” Robleto said “They help restore native ecosystems in local open spaces like Redwood Grove in Los Altos. I really appreciated that work, and in general, being able to help the environment and interact with nature. The program I’m participating in is [near] some national parks, like Yosemite.”

Robleto said that she is hoping her gap year will enhance the transition to university as she immerses herself in projects she enjoys.

“I already have my spot secured, so I don’t need to worry about applications,” Robleto said. “I have a year to do things I wasn’t able to do or won’t be able to do [again], connect more with things I’m passionate about and get more excited for going off to school.”

Biggest Personality David Lin

Worst Driver Josie Cho

Future Nobel Prize winner Lela Hanson The above superlatives