The Epitaph, Volume 59, Issue 2, 2021-2022

The Epitaph

Free menstrual products installed

Graffiti, dismantling property among damages

By Ritaja Subrahmanya Administrators are also worried about the potential dangers of the trend, Trejo said. On Oct. 9, a light post collapsed in the middle of the quad as a result of someone unscrewing the bolts.

“We have to think of the worst case scenario, such as, ‘what if

Devious licks, the TikTok trend, which has been accredited to encouraging the destruction of school property, has made its way onto the HHS campus, facilities manager Toby Mockler said.

Toilet seats, paper towel rolls and soap dispensers are just a few of the supplies stolen from schools nationwide, according to The Washington Post.

At HHS, the challenge has primarily consisted of graffiti and various damages to the school bathrooms, Mockler said. In the C building girls’ bathroom, a sink was tipped over, Dean Maria Trejo said.

Throughout the district, damage has occurred in bathrooms with paper towel dispensers being taken off walls and bathroom partitions being broken, FUHSD director of facilities Erik Walukiewicz said. He said that in all his years with FUHSD, he has never seen a trend as destructive as “devious licks.”

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‘DEVIOUS LICKS’ STRIKES HHS

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DISABILITY AWARENESS

Homestead High School 21370 Homestead Rd, Cupertino, CA 95014

Vol. 59, Issue 2

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TIKTOK TREND TAKEOVER: Recent vandalism can be attributed to the challenge, facilities director Toby Mockler said.

the post had collapsed during brunch or lunch?’” Trejo said.

“That’s definitely vandalism and we’re lucky that when it did collapse, it was after hours, so no one was hurt.”

The light post destruction cost $8,000 to repair, Walukiewicz said. With the increase in supply breakage, schools are experiencing financial and efficiency setbacks, Mockler said.

“By the time you pull the broken paper towel dispenser off, drill for a new one, set and anchor it, it’s been an hour,” Mockler said. “The time it takes to clean and monetary costs adds up, especially districtwide.”

Additionally, the school’s initiative to implement menstrual product dispensaries into student restrooms was postponed due to an uptick in vandalism, Mockler said.

He said he did not want to invest time installing the dispensers in case of defacement. Principal Greg Giglio said administrators are being extra careful by deciding to install the dispensaries in just two bathrooms to observe student reactions before expanding to all bathrooms.

As a result of vandalism, the facilities team faces obstacles on top of daily tasks, Giglio said.

“We try really hard to keep our school clean and serviceable,” Mockler said. “Our motto is that we are here to support students. When vandalism hap-

pens, it’s like nobody sees us and students don’t see the impact [of their actions].”

Because of the pandemic, the custodial staff already has extra responsibilities to maintain a safe environment, Giglio said.

“My custodial staff is still trying to fix the HVAC filters and make sure they are replaced to keep us safe from COVID-19,” Giglio said. “I would rather have them doing that than cleaning up after a stupid prank.”

Currently, administrators have identified one student who has participated in the challenge, Trejo said. Due to the property damages being minor, the student was not suspended.

Consequences for other students found participating in the challenge will depend on the severity of the vandalism, Trejo said. Community service, suspension, expulsion, restitution and monetary compensation for the damages are all potential options.

Police reports can also be filed for more dangerous actions.

The trend is extremely disrespectful to the school site and staff, Trejo said. Additionally, Walukiewicz said he hopes students will make wise choices that do not lead to the destruction of school property.

“School is where you should feel safe to go into a restroom,” Walukiewicz said. “You hope all the restrooms are in working order. For students to be damaging their own school sites is really something we’re not proud of.”

Petition calls for more unisex facilities

Students meet with administration to request changes

By Bobby Gorelick Freshman Robin Ruan, a nonbinary student, created a petition to call for the implementation of more unisex restrooms placed in more convenient locations across campus.

Ruan began the petition with other transgender, gender noncomforming, LGBTQ and allied students and staff on Sept. 23.

It has received 194 signatures in support.

Gender nonconforming students may feel uncomfortable using gendered bath-

rooms as it is “invalidating to who we are and implies that the school doesn’t acknowledge our existence,” the petition states.

Currently, there are two unisex restrooms, one located in the I-HUB and the other in the GSS. However, their inaccessibility has caused issues, Ruan said.

Ruan said they began using the unisex restroom in the I-HUB, but it was crowded, had only one stall and they had to walk across campus to use it. As a result, they said they were often late to class or were forced to make the

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decision to use a gendered restroom, turning the matter into an equity issue.

In order to use the GSS restroom, the petition states students must notify someone at the front office to unlock the restroom, which makes accessibility difficult, especially for closeted students.

“I didn’t even know [the unisex bathroom] existed until someone told me, which sucks,” Ruan said. “I started to realize not many people knew they existed.”

News Opinion Lifestyles

Photo by Bobby Gorelick

ADVOCATES CREATE PETITION:

Students led by Robin Ruan (right) push for more unisex restrooms.

See UNISEX FACILITIES, Page 3

INSIDE

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Arts & Culture Sports Spotlight

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By Naomi Baron As the first school within FUHSD to install free menstrual products in girls restrooms, HHS is now acting as a pilot before the remaining schools in the district provide the products.

Principal Greg Giglio said the discussion regarding providing free menstrual products in restrooms has been going on for a while. However, now that the district has ended its distance learning program and was contacted by Flow — a company that makes menstrual products — the district felt it was the right time to implement the change, Giglio said.

“We said, ‘This is kind of silly.’ It’s like toilet paper.

We’re not telling boys they can’t have toilet paper and saying, ‘Bring your own,’” Giglio said. “We thought it was unfair to those who were on their cycle and thought, ‘Why make it harder?’”

See MENSTRUAL PRODUCTS, Page 3

New crosswalk opens

By Joss Broward, Macy Li and Erin Loh The pedestrian scramble opened at the intersection of Homestead Road and Mary Avenue Oct. 28. It will operate weekdays from 7–9:15 a.m. and 3:30–4:30 p.m. to improve efficiency and student safety, according to the Oct. 22 weekly blast. During each crossing phase, all vehicles are given a red light and pedestrians may cross the intersection in all directions, including diagonally.

Rain delays prevented the crosswalk from opening on the intended date Oct. 27, dean and HHS Safe Routes to School coordinator Anthony Nguyen said. Shortly after, Sunnyvale city workers rewired the stoplights and added pedestrian signals to complete the project.

See PEDESTRIAN SCRAMBLE, Page 2

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News

Friday, November 5, 2021

Pedestrian NEWS IN A MINUTE Scramble

By Madhavi Karthik

tion by S hre ya Pa r

Principal Greg Giglio said multiple groups, including the PTSA, the Safe Routes to School program and the cities of Sunnyvale, Cupertino and Los Altos helped develop the pedestrian scramble in a process that has lasted approximately four years. With so many groups as well as the community involved in the process, Giglio said addressing all concerns was difficult.

“Whenever you have input from the community, you always have varying inputs that come in,” Giglio said. “We really have to take a lot of things into consideration and work with a lot of groups to make this happen.”

Community input and data were in part gathered through surveys facilitated by Safe Routes to School, Nguyen said. He said the crosswalk’s safety benefits are especially important since the intersection often has high traffic.

“I’m hoping that we see an alleviation of traffic and increased student safety,” Nguyen said. “I’ve heard situations where some drivers can go really quickly in this area.”

Nguyen said that potential safety issues at the intersection arise from anxious drivers who are trying to run the stoplight to enter the horseshoe or drivers not seeing cyclists when turning into the staff parking lot.

“This project was put way in place in advance [before I came on staff],” Nguyen said.

“I just get to enjoy seeing that our school and our students are benefiting this year.”

Junior Ava Maghsoodlou said using the new crosswalk was both an exciting and unfamiliar experience, especially since she has been crossing the same crosswalk for most of her life.

“Being able to just go directly across the street was very liberating, but I also felt kind of scared,” Maghsoodlou said. “The crosswalk cuts down on a lot of time spent waiting to cross both sides of the intersection, so I am appreciative of the diagonal.”

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Local:

Santa Clara County creates program to assist homeless families: Santa Clara County instituted a new program to reduce the homeless population through partnership with the city of San

Jose as well as nonprofit housing organizations, according to NBC. Created Oct. 4, the program called “HEADING HOME” will help house families by covering rent fees over the next decade through federal stipends.

The county currently has 600 families in need of homes, with 600 more expected to be homeless in the next year, NBC reported. Additionally, increasing housing costs pose obstacles for homeless families who are fully employed. As the homeless population continues to grow, “HEADING HOME” seeks to provide housing opportunities for 1,200 families within the next year.

In order to eliminate homelessness long term, the program hopes to fund affordable housing and expand rapid rehousing.

Initiating an eco-friendly campus

By Karuna Chandran and Leila Salam To combat environmental issues, FUHSD is implementing more sustainable initiatives ranging from refillable water stations to construction projects.

The majority of sustainable construction initiatives are prompted by California codes, district procedures and safety regulations, HHS facilities manager Toby Mockler said in a Zoom interview.

“A big part of environmental sustainability is making buildings a lot more energy-efficient,” Mockler said. “[This is accomplished through] various types of insulation that will go into those classrooms, upgraded heating ventilation and air conditioning units.”

For older buildings, such as the A building, which has been at HHS for decades, a lot of work needs to be done during the remodeling process to make it run more efficiently and sustainably, principal Greg Giglio said in a Zoom interview.

“Right now we are pretty much modernizing the entire A building,” FUHSD facilities manager Erik Walukiewicz said.

“We are going to upgrade all the lighting and HVAC to make them more efficient. If you look all around our campuses, the exterior lighting is LED, which is much more energy-efficient and has lowered carbon emissions.”

Increased cost efficiency is another benefit of integrating sustainability into construction, Walukiewicz said.

“There’s a financial incentive to be green,” Walukiewicz said.

“More sustainable practices put

in might have a little bit more of an upfront cost, but your building will be more efficient and you’re going to save energy in the long run.”

According to the district’s 2021-2022 resolutions, they recognized their accomplishments in creating more environmentally friendly campuses, which is continued through the electrical vehicle charging stations.

“I think in every decision we make, we try to be mindful of what is best for kids, look at the budget and then see if we’re able to implement sustainable ideas,” Walukiewicz said. “In fact, we got a grant through the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and that grant is helping us fund some of these electric vehicle charging stations.”

The charging stations were recently installed and will go through testing to be approved for use around mid-November, Walukiewicz said.

“We did a pilot at Lynbrook, which was one of the first schools in our county to have an electric vehicle charging station,”Walukiewicz said. “Now we’re slowly getting those at all the school sites.”

Through efforts on a larger and smaller scale, the district is actively trying to combat the climate crisis by taking a more sustainable approach wherever it is possible, Walukiewicz said.

“It is good district philosophy to want to do right by the places we live in,” Mockler said. “If we can reduce our impact on the Earth, it’s only going to be better for other people down the line.”

Photos by Erin Loh

CROSSING DIAGONALLY:

During operation, the crosswalks at Homestead and Mary function as all-direction crosswalks.

Photo by Karuna Chandran

WORKING TOWARD SUSTAINABILITY: Both California and FUHSD regulations lean toward more eco-friendly schools.

National:

Students battle book ban in classrooms: Teachers in York County, Pa. were banned from using several books, documentaries and articles in their classrooms, according to The New York Times.

Following the murder of George Floyd, the Central York School District’s diversity committee created a list of classroom resources to diversify the curriculum. However, after a district-wide vote last November, the list of materials was banned.

In protest, students wrote letters to the editors of local publications. After the Sept. 20 revote, the board froze the ban and students said they will be involved in the board’s decisions regarding the curriculum, The New York Times reported.

International:

Cities implement eco-friendly transportation methods: Around the world, major cities are taking action to implement new means of transportation to decrease carbon emissions, according to The New York Times.

After most of the tram lines were omitted when the Berlin Wall was constructed, the city is now working to restore trams by hoping to reach their goal of assembling 50 miles of tram lines by 2035.

In Bergen, Norway, electric ferries, trams and buses are becoming more common as part of the nation’s goal to electrify public transportation, The New York Times reported. Currently, Norway has set out to cut their 1990 carbon emissions in half by 2035.

Unisex facilities

Continued from page1 Recently, four lockers were added to the I-HUB restroom.

Students are permitted to store items in them as well as change in the restroom. However, Ruan said it is still inconvenient to use these in place of the gendered facilities.

“I usually use the boy’s one because it’s easier,” Ruan said.

“I used to go to the unisex one a lot, but you have to walk back Photo by Erin Loh and forth [to the I-HUB] and I NEW UNISEX BATHROOMS: would keep getting to class late.” Giglio said the district will assess the Superintendent Polly Bove need for more unisex bathrooms. said in a Zoom interview the terested in expanding gender district began ensuring every neutral. The administration are campus had at least one unisex interested in helping out and restroom a number of years ago. they plan on having future meet“Now we have a standard that ings, he said. in every new “We’re trybuilding we ing to do it in create, we add a thoughtful “Implementing more a unisex bathway that’s not unisex restrooms room,” Bove gonna hurt or would be really nice said. “There’s out kids that for every transgentwo on every aren’t out,” Gider and nonbinary campus, and glio said. “We kid on campus.” if we find that want to protect - Robin Ruan (9) there’s more them and give need on a parthem a safe ticular campus, space.” administration [can transition] Sophomore Hayden Kaplasingle use bathrooms into uni- nov, a nonbinary student, said sex ones.” they got involved in the petition Principal Greg Giglio said after seeing the advocacy efforts while the I-HUB was being built, around campus. a law was about to be passed that “I saw the flyer and I was like, would require public schools to ‘Okay, somebody else also cares have gender neutral bathrooms. about this,” Kaplanov said. “I However, administration were thought it’d be cool to get inshocked when the law was de- volved.” feated. Even without the passage Kaplanov said they met with of the law, the I-HUB design Giglio along with Ruan to discontinued to include a gender cuss the petition and they are neutral bathroom. grateful the administration took Giglio said the restroom was the time to listen to their conturned into a staff bathroom due cerns. to damages and inappropriate “I’m glad we have the one at use during hybrid learning, but least,” Kaplanov said. “If someadministration decided to re- thing actually happens and we open it as a unisex student re- get more unisex restrooms, I stroom this year. would be super happy.”

“It’s probably not enough Ruan said expanding unisex at this point, but we’re trying restrooms would strengthen to figure out what the needs inclusivity for gender nonconreally are,” Giglio said. “In the forming students. long-range planning, there is “Implementing more unisex some thought about looking at restrooms would be really nice our locker rooms and seeing if for every transgender and nonwe can create a gender neutral binary kid on campus,” Ruan space. ” said. “People would get used to it Giglio said he met with the and be like ‘oh yeah there’s girl’s, group of students who were in- boy’s and unisex.’”

PAGE DESIGN BY RITAJA SUBRAHMANYA

News

Junior named ‘Student of the Year’

Recognized for climate change, mental health efforts

By Aiko Charon and Madhavi Karthik Junior Radhika Agarwal was awarded the High School Student of the Year by the city of Sunnyvale on Oct. 9 for her contributions to climate change activism and amplifying mental health efforts in the community.

“I was already proud of accomplishing the things [in my application],” Agarwal said. “I know by getting this award, more people would be getting to know about what I'd done, so I was glad about that happening more than the award itself.”

Since the summer of 2020, Agarwal has been an active member of Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action, a climate advocacy organization, and is the co-lead of the Sunnyvale division. This year, Agarwal’s mentors nominated her to apply for the Student of the Year recognition for her contribution to the organization.

“My mentors gave me support

and encouragement,” Agarwal said. “There are no words to express what they've done.”

Senior Peri Plantenberg, who introduced Agarwal to SVYCA, said Agarwal’s enthusiasm for climate advocacy is inspiring.

“She really deserves this recognition for all of the hard work she has put into mitigating the worst effects of climate change,” Plantenberg said.

“She has had such a positive contribution on SVYCA’s people and significantly furthered its goals.”

Agarwal said she and Plantenberg assembled a team of 30 students to implement climate change advisories across the district. Team members from different schools emailed their respective principals to support the advisories, with two of them administered at HHS last year.

“We organized sub teams and each team was working on Photo courtesy of Radhika Agarwal

GIVING BACK: Radhika Agarwal (middle, pictured with Mayor Larry

Klein and Peri Plantenberg) said she is grateful to raise awareness.

a different part of the video,” Agarwal said. “We created scripts and we got professional mentors to fact check them. Not only did kids write the script, but they were also part of the video.”

Currently, the team is working to establish a more permanent climate change curriculum using the FUHSD initiative as the basis, Agarwal said.

“We're talking to the FUHSD superintendent and the Santa Clara County Board of Education trying to get climate education to be a requirement in schools here and hopefully statewide,” Agarwal said. “Recently, we talked to Sen. Cortese about climate literacy and how important it is.”

Agarwal is also a co-founder of Mustang Peer Support, a program that hosts anonymous venting sessions for students, Agarwal said.

Now that in person learning has resumed, the officers transitioned the program into a club with the same goal of helping the HHS community.

During her journey of helping the community, Agarwal said she has grown and learned a lot about herself.

“The more I've done, I feel like there's so much more I could do,” Agarwal said. “There’s no stopping now. I hope to continue with all of this and I hope to do so much more.”

Menstrual products

Continued from page 1 Due to an ongoing TikTok trend promoting school vandalism, Giglio said the school decided to install the dispensaries in two restrooms –– the K building

and iHub––to observe student response. The school plans to install the dispensaries in all the girls’ restrooms, gender neutral bathrooms and in some of the administrator bathrooms.

Photo by Naomi Baron While the formal decision to install the free menstrual products was made by Giglio and facilities manager Toby Mockler, Giglio said it was FUHSD coordinator of data and assessment Denae Nurnberg who led the initiative.

“I grew up in an era where menstruation and other typical female anatomy things were not something you talked about as a kid, and I just got really frustrated with that,” Nurnberg said. “I started to navigate that in my own adulthood and having daughters and realizing this is not how I want my daughNORMALIZING WOMENS’ BODters to be raised.”

IES: Dispensaries installed in two Senior Rachel Fletcher bathrooms before expanded.

said she is happyt the school is now not only helping students who may not be able to afford menstrual products, but it is also promoting gender equality, she said.

“I have always brought my own menstrual products to school and I never thought about it,” Fletcher said. “But when the school put in these dispensaries I realized how unfair it was that I needed to do that.”

When the office was permitted to carry these items, the products were not being used by students due to embarassment and a lack of knowledge that they were there, Giglio said.

“This is one small step we needed to take toward not only normalizing the human body, but having females feel like they don’t have to be ashamed about what their body is naturally intended to do,” Nurnberg said. “This is a positive step forward for women in general.”

Editors & Reporters Editor-in-Chief Naomi Baron Editor-in-Chief Shreya Partha Leila Salam Managing Editor Madhavi Karthik Senior News Erin Loh Junior News Senior Opinion Macy Li Ritaja Subrahmanya Senior Opinion Senior Lifestyles Karuna Chandran Junior Lifestyles Lia Klebanov Amber Birrell Senior Arts & Culture Christine Kim Junior Arts & Culture Josh Cantwell-Nahrung Senior Sports Hope Saena Junior Sports Seoyoung Hwang Senior Design Ashley Orozco Plata Junior Design Mae Richardson Senior Multimedia

Senior Social Media Junior Social Media Junior Social Media Business Manager Junior Business Manager Web Master Copy Editor Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter

Bobby Gorelick Saira Ahmed Niyatee Jain Yukari E. Hernandez Ariana Juliette Tejeda Moreno Jack Xu Bobby Gorelick Vihan Basnayake Joss Broward Aiko Charon Gaby Cristancho Nicole Kim Keshav Kumar Anushruti Nagarajan Dan Penalosa

Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter

Nicole Pimenta Innecco Raymond Ranbhise Zeinab Rakhshandehroo Brevin Reed Olivia Shen Lindsey Steel Nina Vasquez Cruz Rajiv Venkatesh Harshitha Vijayakumar Esmeralda Villalobos Soriano Chloe Wong

Adviser Natalie Owsley

Friday, November 5, 2021

3

Homecoming rewind

By Madhavi Karthik and Zeinab Rakhshandehroo Photo by Seoyoung Hwang

To kick off the last day of homecoming week, ASB hosted the yearly rally in the football stadium as a final hurrah to showcase school spirit. Concluding the event, Bobby Gorelick and Nikki Liu were announced as homecoming royalty.

ASB public relations commissioner Kelsey Shan said this year’s homecoming rally had increased participation from students compared to previous years.

“This rally is the spirit of homecoming because there’s so much community,” Shan said. “Introducing the cheer off to all the freshmen made it so unique.”

Photo by Dan Penalosa

THREE WORD DESCRIPTION: TKTKTKTKKTK

Starting immediately after school, the annual homecoming parade took place on Oct. 15. Students joined in a procession down Mary avenue and through the streets around campus with class officers showcasing their floats.

English teacher Eileen Jones said the parade was vital to bringing the HHS community together.

“Events like this really promote students to get connected with the school community,” Jones said. “It brings people around the central idea of school, which is a lot more than just academics.”

Photo by Dan Penalosa

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the traditional homecoming dance was replaced with a celebration in the quad, ASB rally commissioner Minnie Karki said.

The quad celebration was an opportunity to unite students in a non-academic setting, ASB President Nikki Liu said.

“Since incoming freshmen and sophomores haven’t had that in-person school experience,” Liu said, “this event will really shape the way students see the Homestead community.”

Mission Statement

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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.

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Corrections In the article titled “PTSA focuses on creating diverse involvement” in volume 59, issue 1, it was incorrectly stated that a Korean parent joined the PTSA. An Asian board member helped connect with Asian families including the Korean community. We regret this error.

PAGE DESIGN BY ANUSHRUTI NAGARAJAN AND HARSHITHA VIJAYAKUMAR

4

Opinion

Friday, November 5, 2021

We are tired of being afraid Women cannot be safe in our society as it stands today

By Ritaja Subrahmanya

By Ritaja Subrahmanya

Faced with a smallpox outbreak, Massachusetts required all adults to receive smallTS\ ZEGGMRIW MR ÿćþÿ Opponents said “compulsion to introduce disease into a healthy system was a violation of liberty,” according to the National Constitution Center. Pastor Henning Jakobson argued that required vaccinations violated the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment which gives one the right “to live and work where he will,” according to the National Constitution Center.

However, in a landmark decision which set the precedent for future vaccine mandates, the Supreme Court decided that Jakobson’s rights had not been violated, according to Oyez.

Ultimately, Massachusetts’ law was constitutional as it is in a state’s power to ensure the well-being of its citizens. Since diseases like smallpox were easily transmittable, these vacGMREXMSRW FIRIÁXIH ERH ensured the safety of the entire community.

Refusal to get vaccinated without a valid medical or religious VIEWSR MW WMQTP] WIPÁWL Those who refuse vaccines are choosing to endanger everyone they interact with because they neglect the safety of people around them, including themselves.

Now, thanks to the Supreme Court’s ruling in Jakobson v. Massachusetts, states are able to impose such requirements to protect and ensure the safety of all XLIMV GMXM^IRW ÁRMRK those who refuse to cooperate.

In fact, California will become the ÁVWX WXEXI XS VIUYMVI '3:-( ÿć ZEGGMRIW JSV EPP / ÿĀ WXYHIRXW EGcording to AP News.

California law currently VIUYMVIW ÿþ MQQYRM^Etions for all children regardless of whether they attend public or private schools, according to AP News. I can only hope other states choose to follow California’s lead in making schools safer for students and staff alike.

Illustration by Ritaja Subrahmanya

THE COURT DECIDES

The leering catcalls when ment and abuse so many women crossing the street, the unwant- face daily. ed advances and sickening stares.

For example, Sabina Nessa This is just part of the harass harass- was wa murdered while walking a mere me few blocks to a local pub, acc according to The New York Times. ÿć ]IEV SPH 1M]E 1EVGERS [EW ÿć kil killed for rejecting a maintenance wo worker at her apartment complex, acc according to The Guardian. These wo women were murdered for simply exi existing.

All these stories share a sim similar tone: women are not safe fro the harassment of men no from ma matter the simplicity of their actio tions.

This lack of safety is built into the very fabric of our society. One LIVING IN FEAR: Women are in every six American women has unable to live freely due to safety been a victim of rape or attempted concerns.

rape in their lifetime, according to RAINN. On social media, I see posts about how women can protect themselves from becoming victims of sexual assault. Items like pepper spray and safety alarms are advertised to protect women.

The fact that women are forced to buy protective items highlights the issue: our society is perpetuating a world of fear for women.

Women deserve protection in our world, and they deserve equal rights as human beings. It is simply unacceptable that women are unable to walk outside at night without taking these precautions to ensure their safety.

We must do better.

We can help men understand the issues women face; a seemingly harmless smile can instill such fear in a woman who might read it as something worse, so much so that they may cross the road to protect themselves.

We can protect women who endure harassment through better laws and policies that reduce sexual harassment in schools or the workplace. We can teach women that the harassment they face should not be normal — they deserve so much better. We can ensure future generations do not share our experiences, but to do so requires the bravery and strength to transform our society completely.

Prioritizing tutorial is essential HHS must stop scheduling events during tutorial

By Macy Li and Ritaja Subrahmanya With their rigorous courses and challenging workloads, many students value tutorial. It is an essential opportunity for them to seek academic support, work closely with their teachers and prepare for upcoming exams.

Yet, since the start of the school year, students have lost Āþ SJ XYXSVMEP XS ZEVMSYW SXLIV events, such as rallies, drills and advisories. This must change.

While certain events or presentations are meaningful, they should be hosted during a separate time. Ultimately, students FIRIÁX JVSQ XYXSVMEP MR E ZEVMIX] of ways, and it must be prioritized.

Tutorial is the sole opportunity for students to receive one-on-one feedback and support from their teachers. During class, teachers focus on instructing all of their students, rather than working individually with those who may be struggling.

As a result, in-depth interactions between students and teachers are limited. Tutorial offers students the time to cultivate better relationships with their teachers, while receiving individualized help to achieve a better understanding of the topics covered in class.

Tutorial is also arguably one of the best opportunities for students to prepare for tests. When it is taken away from them, students lose the opportunity to prepare for tests with their peers and teachers. This undoubtedly leads to higher levels of stress, which negatively affects students mentally.

Additionally, tutorial allows students to make up missed assignments or instructional materials after absences. Missing classes can be extremely overwhelming, due to the amount of work that must be completed in a short period of time.

Tutorial offers students the

perfect opportunity to catch up overlap with tutorial.

Tutorials are integral to stueasily.

Ultimately, tutorial must be dent success, with many stuprioritized over rallies, which dents relying on tutorials for can easily be hosted during a academic support.

It is time for HHS to prioriseparate time, such as lunch, brunch or after school. Replac- tize this crucial opportunity for ing tutorial with a rally places students and stop scheduling activities over academics, which other events or activities during tutorial. This decision will greatsends the wrong message.

While advisory is meaningful P] FIRIÁX XLI WXYHIRX FSH] ERH to the community and should be aid them in achieving their acakept, it should be hosted during demic goals. a separate time, as well, or asyn- Illustration by Ritaja Subrahmanya chronously.

If students have further questions or reUYMVI GPEVMÁGEtion on advisory topics, HHS can provide them with the option to speak with designated staff during a time TUTORIAL IS VITAL: Students rely on tutothat does not rial to succeed in their classes.

Critical race theory must be discussed Theory will provide students with a fundamental understanding of race

By Gaby Cristancho As seen throughout history, QMRSVMXMIW ´ WTIGMÁGEPP] TISTPI of darker color — are treated as lesser beings. Critical race theory is a theory that racism has been embedded into our social and political systems, according to Education Week.

By incorporating critical race theory into our curriculum, students will be able to identify the privileges or problems they might experience due to racism.

People are being misjudged and because of that there has been a lot of violence, such as shooting of Black people by cops, according to NPR. Even though the intensity has dialed down in recent years, it is still seen in society today, which is Illustration ation by Isabella Segovia a why youth must be exposed PULLING FOR EQUALITY: Toto critical race theory early gether we need to remove social during their high school and perspectives that hurt certain races.

Life is full of obstacles. For some people these obstacles arrive on the basis of skin color. Society is built in a way where people of a certain race have an advantage over the people of a different race. g to Learning g for According Justice, there is favoritism toward lighter skin colors in the U.S.

middle school educations.

Critical race theory is not taught in schools and, as a result, there are no mentions of how racism has been integrated in our society. If youth are taught how to identify these oppressive systems, we can end the racism some people experience, improving our society as a whole.

Some critics say critical race theory is portraying all white people as racist. This cannot be true since critical race theory is based on outcomes and how whole groups have been affected, not individual beliefs.

While learning about critical race theory might make some white children feel guilty for the actions of their ancestors, we need to make things right by acknowledging the past and making amends.

Additionally, critical race theo-

ry can unveil the hidden aspects of racism. Although racial bias is often not clearly visible, many instances where it can be unintentionally done, such as holding students to different standards based on their race, exist. For example, the stereotype Asian people are intelligent or that Hispanic people have limited resources perpetuates this growing bias.

Acknowledging some people are born with privilege is a step we must take. The next step is eliminating these privileges created by social constructs. By eliminating privileges granted to certain races, we are able to level the playing ÁIPH JSV EPP TISTPI It is essential for HHS to include critical race theory in it’s current curriculum to ensure equality and respect for all students regardless of their culture, ethnicity or race.

PAGE DESIGN BY AIKO CHARON AND BREVIN REED

Opinion STAFF EDITORIAL

Friday, November 5, 2021

5

Nonbinary, transgender students require more resources All over campus, one can find colorful printed sheets encouraging students to sign a new petition for more gender neutral bathrooms at HHS. This petition has brought the importance of supporting nonbinary and transgender students to light.

Implementing more gender neutral bathrooms would be a beneficial step for HHS to take in promoting inclusivity for one of the most vulnerable communities of students at

school. Beyond constructing additional bathrooms, there are changes that must be enacted to ensure all students can succeed in school, starting with offering resources to learn in a safe environment.

Currently, HHS has two gender neutral bathrooms: one located in the I-Hub and one located in the GSS, Principal Greg Giglio said. While Illustration by Ritaja Subrahmanya the inclusion of these gender neutral bathrooms is commendable, HHS must provide

Illustration by Ritaja Subrahmanya

BEYOND THE BINARY: HHS must take action to foster a safe and

inclusive environment for all students.

more to create an inclusive environment for everybody, regardless of how they identify.

Two gender neutral bathrooms are simply not adequate, as a significant portion of the HHS community relies on these resources to feel safe. In a survey with 165 responses, over 18% of students reported identifying as nonbinary or transgender. Furthermore, 87.9% of all students surveyed said they want more gender neutral bathrooms on campus, emphasizing the importance of this matter to the student body.

Given the limited number of bathrooms, nonbinary students lack sufficient time to use the restroom during the school day. The long lines they must wait in and the distance they must travel to reach the restroom serve as additional obstacles. The presence of a single gender-neutral bathroom on a campus with 2,325 students is highly inconvenient.

Equitable access also

means equal resources, particularly related to menstrual hygiene products.

While all female restrooms contain places to dispose menstrual hygiene products, male restrooms do not have the same facilities. Many transgender and nonbinary students who use the male restrooms need a safe way to dispose of their hygiene products.

Without disposal receptacles inside the stalls, students are forced to walk out of the stall with their used products or resort to flushing them. By including disposal receptacles inside male restrooms, these students will feel safe, heard and accepted.

All students deserve the ability to throw away menstrual products without feeling discomfort or embarrassment.

HHS can further foster a more comfortable environment by helping to prevent deadnaming.

Deadnaming occurs when one refers to a transgender person by their birth name, which they no

longer utilize, according to Healthline. When students are deadnamed, they can feel invalidated, or as if their identities are being diminished.

To prevent deadnaming within the community, HHS should encourage teachers and administrators to ask students for their name or preferred name, rather than their “nickname.”

Additionally, they should clarify which names and pronouns to use in front of others on campus or when contacting families, as some students may not be out yet.

These small changes to daily behavior will help nonbinary and transgender students feel respected within the school community.

As a school, we must do better to support our nonbinary student population. If we focus on offering the resources they need to feel the respect every human being deserves, we can successfully play our part in transforming our school into a safer atmosphere for everyone.

Intersectionality unit must change to bring change

By Dan Penalosa and Rajiv Venkatesh

Li

​​Walk into any world literature class at titled “The Asian Model Minority Myth the beginning of the year, and you will see and Whiteness” from the Asian American sophomores engrossed in reading “The antiracism advisory. It simply establishes House on Mango Street.” This book centers the basics of these subjects: the bare around class, gender, race and how they minimum knowledge to understand and connect to form a person’s identity. However, start to recognize privilege, as well as the accompanying intersectionality unit implicit biases. falls short of what students need to effect The website’s “Race, Ethnicity and change around them.

Culture” page defines the concepts of racism As students read the book, the unit helps and colorism, as well as the dangers of both, students explore the ways their identities yet, the section on how to “confront racism impact their lives. They gain insight into the and be an ally” only instructs students how experiences of others, which teaches them to recognize oppressed peoples’ struggles to feel greater empathy. The focus on race, and not be racist. gender and class is appropriate, since many To put it plainly, there is a difference current issues revolve around privilege and between not being racist and being an antidiscrimination in relation to these identities. racist — the latter takes effort and active The unit also effectively exposes students intervention to undo and reverse harm, to contemporary issues. To cast light on while the former involves stopping yourself these topics, the world literature teachers from inflicting harm in the first place. created a website to educate students about By not explicitly encouraging action modern-day problems across the world. or providing students with the resources In particular, the website focuses on the to do so, the unit does not encourage history and long-term effects of colorism, students to “become agents of change,” sexism, racism and income inequality. as it is meant to do. Neutrally stating facts The discourse on these issues provides does the exact opposite. It allows tion by M ac students with some preparation to form Illustra students to see this as just a y their own views without falling prey to part of the curriculum to hateful ideologies. get through, rather than In a letter from principal Greg an opportunity to truly Giglio, he said the unit’s goal was impact the world we live to help students develop the ability in. to think, not to teach them what to When students are think. By offering students the tools to presented with systemic perceive the world with deeper empathy, issues but do not receive the intersectionality unit serves proper guidance on how to its purpose. create change, they feel helpless.

Despite this, the website Ultimately, they cannot move primarily covers subjects the world forward when they feel that have been discussed in like their efforts will not make a greater depth during the difference. advisories last year, with Overall, the intersectionality the exception of class unit addresses systemic issues and and socioeconomic oppression, which is a good start. discrimination.

However, it must do more to provide For instance, it A WORLD AWAY: Additional students with ways to influence restates information content is needed to meet the their communities and take displayed in the page unit's lofty goals. action.

Infographic by Madhavi Karthik Illustrations by Ritaja Subrahmanya

PAGE DESIGN BY VIHAN BASNAYAKE AND CHRISTINE KIM

6

Friday, November 5, 2021

Capitalism is nation’s biggest problem

Defaulting on debt spells disaster for Democrats

planet. The Carbon Majors Report from 2017 attributes most pollution to companies and found a mere 25 corporations — including oil giants like Exxon, Mobil and BP — are responsible for half of all global emissions.

For example, Exxon was revealed to have known about the devastating effects of climate change since 1981, according to The Guardian.

Rather than change course, they continue to fund climate denial think tanks through shell companies, according to HuffPost.

Ultimately, capitalism has destroyed our country and other capitalist nations including Russia, South Korea and France.

It sells our survival for shortterm profit, leaving the people fighting for basic needs while the rich have more than they need.

Proven alternatives to capitalism have shown promising results.

We can treat necessities as rights rather than commodities.

We can prioritize people over profits following the lead of nations like Vietnam and Bolivia.

In fact, we can afford this.

The U.S. has the largest economy in the world.

However, our federal government is unwilling to spend $3.5 trillion over a decade on infrastructure, while spending more than double that on the military.

There is a better way with a system that protects the Illustration by Ritaja Subrahmanya people. It’s up to us to stop the THE GREAT SCAM: The false promise of social mobility and havoc capitalism is wreaking on riches keeps people compliant. our planet and its inhabitants.

Since its founding, the U.S. ment and regain control. has been deeply in debt. ConWhile not explicitly stating sistently, the Senate has been so, McConnell’s plan appears to forced to raise the debt ceiling, be to force the U.S. to default on the maximum amount of money its debt and blame it on the parit can borrow, in order to accom- ty in power. modate the billions of dollars This became evident after he spent each week, according to revealed Republicans have no The Wall Street Journal. definitive policies coming into On Sept. 28, Secretary of these negotiations and will not Treasury Janet Yellen warned compromise regardless of any lawmakers that the federal gov- deals brokered by Democrats, ernment would likely run out of according to The New York cash and emphasized the risk of Times. the United States defaulting on This political stunt by the its debt in a matter of weeks if GOP is abhorrent. By delaying Congress failed to act, according the raising of the debt ceiling, to NPR. A default would be cat- they are directly harming the astrophic, tanking markets and economy and could put mildelaying necessary payments to lions of government workers out millions of Americans. of a job. All these risky actions On Oct. 7, after a bitter de- are just for the chance to gain a bate, the Senate agreed to raise majority in either body of Conthe debt ceiling, delaying debt gress. The GOP needs to underdefault until Dec. 3. stand it is time to put country According to the Washing- over party and work towards a ton Post, this came after heated bipartisan solution. pressure on Senate Minority Illustration by Ritaja Subrahmanya Leader Mitch McConnell to reach a compromise with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

The Senate has never had so much trouble reaching a consensus on raising the debt ceiling.

So what has changed?

Power.

Since the 2020 election, Democrats have controlled all three branches of government. With the 2022 elections approaching, Republicans are eager to pin America’s problems on TIME RUNNING OUT: U.S. heads toward the current govern- economic disaster.

By Dan Penalosa

FEMINIST’S DISCLOSURE

By Leila Salam

Capitalism is vital to the American identity. The “American Dream” of rising in social class is echoed across the nation through media and pop culture.

The nation’s obsession with this ideology has obvious consequences.

As long as capitalism exists, so will inequality and poverty; the very basis of capitalism is that there must be inequality.

Under capitalism, billionaires hoard unreasonable amounts of money.

With a job that pays $100 in a 50 hour work week, it would take you 3,835 years to “earn” a billion dollars.

The only way to accumulate that much wealth is by exploiting others.

As billionaires rake in absurd profits, millions of Americans are burdened with poverty and debt.

Aside from exploiting workers, capitalism also exploits our

By Brevin Reed

New Texas bill is unconstitutional, discriminatory Restrictions on abortion are an attack on reproductive rights

By Niyatee Jain

Biden’s border blunder

ry a reminder of her trauma for with her for the rest of her life.

What freedom does a womnine months and then raise the child for a lifetime is evil. Lim- an really have if she fears the iting abortion rights is an attack government will subject her to on women, because cisgender such inhumane treatment?

The bill acts as a grim foremen will never have to fear being shadowing of the future of our pregnant.

Men will never have to take country. Women should never precautions to prevent getting be forced against their will to pregnant or make the difficult bring another human life into decision to have an abortion. the world.

Legislation like the Texas Forcing a woman to give birth to a child is inhumane and demeans bill must be overturned so eva woman’s role in society, as they ery woman’s right to choose is are reduced to nothing more protected. than humans who birth children.

To further fuel the fire, many abortion laws are developed by men, according to BBC. Although diversity is needed in government, men should never decide laws that regulate a woman’s access to basic human rights, as they lack the understanding of issues women face.

The Texas abortion ban is not new. Many conservative states have attempted to introduce similar legislation, according to NPR. In the end, this law is not about anti-abortion versus pro-abortion rights.

It is about forcing a woman to carry a child that lives in her IT’S HER CHOICE: Lack of reprobody, takes up resources and is ductive rights unjustly affects women.

PAGE DESIGN BY RAYMOND RANBHISE

Jain

decide whether or not they want an abortion. In fact, most women do not even find out they are pregnant until after six weeks, according to Matern Child Health.

This bill cruelly takes away their choice before they even know they have one.

The bill is even more heartless in cases of rape and incest, since it would be illegal to obtain an abortion regardless of the circumstances. In response to these criticisms, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he would aim to “eliminate all rape from the streets of Texas,” according to NPR. This is an inpossible situation to solve, as Gov. Abbot cannot control everyone in Texas. His statement is irrational, as many sexual assault cases go unfiled.

Moreover, even if they are filed, the American justice system makes it difficult to convict rapists. It is impossible to eliminate rape in a society that enDespite promising reform, Biden has only ables the rapist. worsened the humanitarian crisis at the Furtherborder since taking office. Read more on more, forcing a our website by scanning the QR code. woman to car-

As Americans, we cherish freedom. However, in a shocking attack on female reproductive rights, Texas has shown a complete disregard for a woman’s right to autonomy over their own bodies.

In September, a bill banning abortions after six weeks was enacted in Texas, according to NPR. This measure is unconstitutional and unethical for a variety of reasons, but ultimately reveals Texas’ desire to restrict basic rights for women and other people who have the capability to give birth.

Texas’ restriction is the harshest measure to come into effect, following attempts in Georgia, which were known as the “heartbeat bills,” according to AP News.

Six weeks is an extremely small window of time for women to

atee

by Niy ation Illustr

​​While our society is ever-changing, one constant is its sexual double standard. Examples of this are often seen in suppression of women embracing their sexuality.

This was easily noticed in the “WAP” fiasco where Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion angered thousands with their bold lyrics, according to Rolling Stone. Yet, the same people turn a blind eye when male rappers objectify women in their music.

Ultimately, it boils down to power dynamics. It is socially acceptable to objectify women, to use their sexuality as a weapon against them. However, women who sexualize themselves and own the power in their sexuality are shamed and stereotyped.

This subjugation of female sexuality grants men greater sexual freedom because they get to control the power dynamic. In our society, women are expected to be sexually reactive rather than sexually active, according to the National Library of Medicine.

As a result, men get to choose when they sexualize women, increasing their sexual freedom and in turn, restricting women’s.

Additionally, there is a disparity in how society reacts to the number of sexual partners men and women have. According to a study by the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, greater numbers of sexual partners are positively correlated with boys’ peer acceptance, but negatively correlated with girls’ peer acceptance. This is a clear example of men’s sexuality being accepted and encouraged while female sexuality is shamed.

In order to achieve any kind of gender equality, these sexual double standards need to be eliminated. It is up to us to demand a change to these harmful social behaviors.

Opinion

Lifestyles

Friday, November 5, 2021

Imposter syndrome and its effects on campus

7

As pressure to be successful increases, so does self-doubt

By Anushruti Nagarajan

As students move farther into the school year, there is more and more competition. This pressure can translate into self-doubt, a feeling sophomore Elizabeth Floyd said she can attest to. %PP SJ XLMW GSQFMRIH MW ORS[R as imposter syndrome. Imposter W]RHVSQI MW PSSWIP] HIÁRIH EW the feeling of being in someone else’s shadow or not believing one’s success is well deserved, Floyd said.

“Sometimes I feel we’re running this endless marathon; this

race where everyone’s just trying to see what others are doing and it’s so hard to [just] catch a breath,” Floyd said.

8LMW WIRXMQIRX MW PMOIP] GEYWIH by the environment created by societal expectations, which Floyd said plays a huge role in how she feels.

“We live in an environment with a lot of access to resources, but it comes with lots of competition,” Floyd said.

Given the Bay Area is a very dynamic place to live in, teenagPhoto by Anushruti Nagarajan

Image courtesy of Anushruti Nagarajan

WORKING AMIDST PRESSURE: Although sopohomores Anna Savage ImageAnika courtesyIyer of Ofri Karni well, they still feel the need to compare answers and scored

ers tend to get overwhelmed with the amount of things others are doing, Floyd said.

Freshman Mansi Patwardhan said this feeling even carries over to extracurriculars and sports, such as softball. µ;LEX QEOIW QI TYX Q]WIPJ down sometimes is [the fear of [LEXA SXLIV TISTPI [MPP XLMRO SJ [me] when I mess up,” Patwardhan said.

Imposter syndrome can cause destressors to become just as stressful as academics, Patwardhan said.

Imposter syndrome can also cause anxiety, as people feel they are not doing enough in comparison to others, Patwardhan said.

8LMW GER GEYWI SRI XS XEOI SR more than they can handle.

8S HIEP [MXL E LIEZ] [SVOPSEH NYRMSV 7EVE 8EXOI WEMH MX MW especially important to prioritize [SVOPSEH ERH XEOI FEF] WXITW XS achieve goals.

“When you have a lot of things on your plate, compartmentalizing and doing one thing at a time is helpful so you don’t get over[LIPQIH ¶ 8EXOI WEMH Being able to recognize accomplishments and achievements is

RSX µIKSXMWXMG ¶ 8EXOI WEMH She said when one is able to realize their own worth and gains GSRÁHIRGI XLI] GER XVYP] GSRtribute to their community and school environment.

The HHS community is extremely warm and welcoming, [LMGL QEOIW MX PIWW SZIV[LIPQing, Patwardhan said.

There are a variety of different clubs on campus that students are able to get involved in. The teachers and staff members are also extremely supportive, she said.

0MOI[MWI *PS]H WEMH WLI JIIPW the club community has made LIV JIIP PMOI XLIVI MW E WEJI WTEGI on campus for her.

“My teachers are always reminding me that at the end of the day, it’s not the grade that determines your success, it’s how you YWI XLEX ORS[PIHKI ¶ *PS]H WEMH Although there is a lot of competition in our school, it is important to recognize one’s own EGGSQTPMWLQIRXW 8EXOI WEMH “I congratulate myself [even] for tiny achievements by saying ?TLVEWIW PMOIA ·PSSO ]SY WXYHMIH really hard and [were rewarded],” 8EXOI WEMH

Twins start business specializing in beaded pieces Juniors launched new jewelry brand over summer

By Niyatee Jain After the end of a stressful school year, twins Ofri and Carmel Karni launched their business, Happy Beadz, this summer.

Happy Beadz started off as a hobby, but after seeing the positive response they received from friends, the twins decided to start a business to share their creations with the community.

“I wanted to create jewelry that had personality and a big variety of jewelry pieces,” Ofri WEMH µ7IIMRK WS QER] TISTPI PMOI the jewelry pieces we wore made both of us so happy and [motiZEXIH YWA XS QEOI QSVI 8S WLEVI that positivity with jewelry pieces is something we both enjoy doing and promote.”

The twins said even though they loved to create new pieces, sharing those pieces with the world in the form of a business

was not an opportunity they immediately jumped at. µ- JIIP EX ÁVWX [I [IVI OMRH SJ hesitant about [starting a business],” Carmel said. “I was more hesitant than [Ofri] because I wasn’t sure if people would be interested. We just decided to try it because we thought ‘what’s the worst that can happen?’”

All of their handmade pieces involve a myriad of colorful beads or uniquely shaped pendants as the main focus.

They said they create a variety SJ NI[IPV] X]TIW MRGPYHMRK RIGOlaces, bracelets and rings.

Both of them said their business is based on “positive vibes” and the jewelry they create is meant to perpetuate that spirit.

They said they try to create “hapT] IRIVK]¶ F] QEOMRK NI[IPV] that enhances the features of the wearer.

“The whole goal of our business is to create positive vibes,” Carmel said. “For me personally, I did not enjoy jewelry before. Then I started wearing the stuff we made and it helped [me] KEMR GSRÁHIRGI MR ?Q]self].”

The response the two got from friends motivated them to continue growing their business. Though, Carmel and Ofri said it was not all easy.

“Not getting that love from your friends SV TISTPI ]SY ORS[ XSward the small business [in the way of] them PMOMRK XLI TSWX SV RSX UNIQUE, POSITIVE VIBES: The business specializes in necklaces, bracelets and anklets. even following us was Photo courtesy of Ofri Carni

hard,” Ofri said. “[A challenge wear our jewelry pieces is really was] overcoming that feeling of nice and fun to see,” Ofri said. ‘not everyone cares about it,’ [es- “It’s a happy feeling when somepecially] from our friends.”

XLMRK [I QEHI MW PMOIH WS XLI] 0MOI QER] FYWMRIWWIW 3JVM GSQI FEGO ERH TYVGLEWI ERSXLIV and Carmel rely on social media piece.” to advertise their brand.

However, a downside with soGMEP QIHME MW MX GER FI HMJÁGYPX XS build a following. This is due to the abundance of creators in the QEVOIX JSV WQEPP FYWMRIWW QEHI jewelry, the twins said.

Therefore, they said they do not focus on the number of memFIVW MR XLI NI[IPV] QEOMRK FYWMRIWW ERH MRWXIEH XV] XS ÁRH XLI community within. µ;I HSR¸X VIEPP] PSSO EX MX EW a competition,” Ofri said. “I feel more of a community with other small businesses because you HOBBY TURNED BUSINESS: Support from friends assists Happy feel a connection. You’re deal- Beadz in launch. ing with similar XLMRKW PMOI WIPPMRK [similar] pieces that [are made by hand].”

Despite all the challenges, they said, seeing other people enjoy their crafts MW [LEX QEOIW Scan this QR code for a behind the scenes the business all PSSO EX XLI TPE] µ8LI &SEVHMRK ,SYWI ¶ ERH worth it. a glimpse inside the play’s opening night.

The twins said they thought XLIMV QEVOIX would initially be only women, but after creating connections through their brother, they saw an increase Scan this QR code for a video recap on in men wearing LSQIGSQMRK [IIO ERH E GPSWIV PSSO SJ XLI their items. behind the scenes of the quad celebration.

“Seeing guys Photo courtesy of Ofri Carni

%(<21' 7+( 35,17 Drama club fall play

Homecoming hurrah

REAL TALK

By Lia Klebanov

“Where are you from?” is an easy question to answer when you actually ORS[ [LEX XS WE] FEGO ,EZMRK E HMZIVWI FEGOKVSYRH GER QEOI WSQISRI ponder their approach to an accurate answer. Am I from the country where I live? Where my parents were born? Where I was born?

My parents moved from Russia to Israel, where I was born, when they were FSXL ]SYRK OMHW ;LIR [I relocated to the United States, it was a challenge to come up with ways I could identify myself since I wasn’t exactly sure [LEX HIÁRIH QI Everyone assumed one thing when I wanted for them to say another thing completely. I’ve always hoped someone would say, “Oh, you’re from Israel,” without me having to tell them, but it’s never happened. Instead, it’s usually been “Your family is not originally from Israel, so you’re not Israeli.”

People try to put me into categories without truly EWOMRK JSV Q] WE] MR XLI matter.

In elementary school, my mom helped out with the Israel booth during international Night. Once the event started, my classmate’s mom came YT XS QI ERH EWOIH LIV why she was in the Israeli booth since she thought we weren’t from there.

When my mom told me about this, I was angered at the thought, but then VIEPM^IH - HIÁRI Q]WIPJ not others. Being put into a category with a group of people I have no connection with was frustrating.

It’s a weird sensation to RSX FI EFPI XS ÁX MR [MXL a cultural group since I do not feel as if I truly relate to their experiences. I thought being a part of a society meant we needed XS IWWIRXMEPP] XLMRO ERH act a certain way, but it is more about our shared histories that translate into actions.

Our shared experiences during the summer, for example, going to the same beach in Israel may WIIQ MRWMKRMÁGERX FYX MX shows how we can somehow connect on the other side of the world.

I realized there is not one label that represents me and that’s perfectly acceptable. I have a number of cultures in me that have shaped the person I am today and I am grateful to share all of them.

PAGE DESIGN BY JOSH CANTWELL-NAHRUNG AND NICOLE KIM

8

In-Depth

Friday, November 5, 2021

Friday, November 5, 2021

9

STUDENTS OVERCOME ADVERSITIES IN LEARNING A view into the experiences of students with learning disabilities and those who gather around them

Penny for your thoughts

Different types of learning disabilities and how they impact people’s everyday lives

AUTISM

DYSLEXIA

Dyslexia is a learning disability characterized by difficulties recognizing spoken sounds and understanding how they connect to letters and words.

Autism is defined as a developmental disability that causes people to face challenges with communicating, behaving and socializing. The autism spectrum can range from mild to severe, affecting one’s.

Breaking stigma surrounding learning disabilities Resource teachers speak on imbalances in education system

By Nicole Kim and Nina Vasquez Cruz

Students with learning differences are all around our campus and more common than one might think, resource specialist teacher Eileen Jones said.

According to The Yale “The stigma surrounding learning disabilities is

By Ashley Orozco Plata, Hope Saena and Nina Vasquez Cruz Center According to Mayo profound, because it hinders self esteem and confidence, and sometimes students will give up before Clinic they even start, even if they can do something,” Jones said. “The resource department works to support students to create individualized education plans.”

Students with learning disabilities tend to face more adversity than mainstream students, Jones said.

“It’s challenging, especially for students who have Dyscalculia refers to a variety of been identified at an early age as having some form of Dysgraphia is a neurological arithmetic issues, including difficulADHD is a chronic disorder, characa learning disability or even developmental disabilicondition that affects the ability ties comprehending the meaning of terized by a number of chronic issues, ty,” Jones said. “At the end of their formal education to write and fine motor abilities. numbers and using mathematical including difficulties maintaining focus, from Kindergarten to 12th grade, school has been a concepts to solve problems. constant struggle and when students reach high hyperactivity and impulsive conduct. school, they’re just exhausted.”

According to the According to the Child Mind HHS has different classes to support According to the American International Dyslexia Institute student success, including both inPsychiatric Association Association clusion and mainstream classes, resource and mainstream education teacher Jessica Kirby said in an email.

“Inclusion classes have two teachers in them – a general education [teacher] and a resource teacher. The Individualized Educational Plan accommodations are

By Ashley Orozco Plata and Hope Saena provided to help students keep “A place known to hearten spirits by enhancing the lives of kids with disabiliagement by someone with a disability. up in all ties” is Animal Assisted Happiness’ mission and what they do for the community.

Even after years of volunteering, Yu said she conBy Hope Saena c l a s s e s,” For junior Alice Yu, volunteering at nonprofit AAH educated her on working tinues to experience many emotionally impactful moJones with children with disabilities along with broadening her own perspective on peoments.

To many of her peers, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is the condition of not s a i d ple with disabilities.

“There was a girl with disabilities I talked to being able to focus, freshman Kathryn McBride said in an email. To her, however, the conin an “I was interested in interacting with children in need and a friend of mine just that made me very emotional during an event,” dition is much more complex than described in a simple sentence. email. so happened to be a volunteer at AAH,” Yu said. “I took a look at their website and Yu said. “She told me to not be afraid of her and “ADHD goes beyond just not being able to focus or not being able to sit still,” McBride Fe a r instantly fell in love with their mission as a nonprofit as most of their animals are apologized if she scared me. I got really emotionsaid. ‘’People with ADHD can be very sensitive to certain sounds, smells, temperatures and of being rescues and AAH is now their forever home.” al because she was the sweetest girl I had met clothing textures.” w r o n g AAH is an organization dedicated to providing a home for rescued animals as and I didn’t know why she apologized for simply McBride, who was diagnosed with hyperactive-impulsive ADHD at eight years old, said havabout the well as providing services to people with disabilities by giving them a chance to being herself.” ing ADHD has affected all aspects of her life. challenges interact with the animals With AAH, Yu said she has been able to gain a “It impacts everything like focusing, working, learning, sleeping,” McBride said. “I have a some students on the farm, according to deeper understanding of the lives of people with hard time learning things because many things are happening in my head at once.”

Photo by Ashley Orozco Plata face leads to a the AAH website. disabilities.

Additionally, Mcbride said she has felt judged in her classes for taking a longer time lack of knowlBefore volunteering, “People with disabilities are just the same as period to finish her work. edge regarding Yu said her view of people anyone else and are very eager to learn about every “When I work, sometimes people will ask if I’m even trying. Most people don’t disabilities, which with disabilities was very animal at the farm,” Yu said. “They’re independent know I have ADHD, and I think that leads them to assume that I am neuroadds to the stigma withdifferent. thinkers who know what they want in life.” typical, because in class everybody works at the same pace and everyin the community, Kirby “I originally thought In fact, Yu said her experiences volunteering with body seems to understand what’s going on,” McBride said. “Then said. people with disabilities AAH inspired her to find new interests related to disabilites. there is me, who is always a little behind the rest of the “When people do not unwould need a lot of help “By working with people with disabilities, I was able to disclass and it takes me longer to understand.” derstand what a learning disabiland are fragile,” Yu said. cover my new passion in communication,” Yu said. “I find myself Freshman Jordan Marklein, who has ity is, they often avoid the topic or “But I found that they are paying more attention to volunteering opportunities related to helping hyperactive-impulsive and person, rather than getting curious,” Kirby actually very independent people with disabilities.” inattensaid. “Special education has a long history and love to think outside Dedicating her time to working with people with disabilities has allowed Yu tive ADHD, said despite being of negative stereotypes because of how society of the box.” to discover more about herself and the world, she said. able to have accommodations such perceives people with any learning differences.”

Yu said her first time “It taught me how to be patient and gave me many opportunities to learn more as Individual Educational Programs The negative stereotypes about learning disvolunteering with AAH about their lives,” Yu said. “Working with them also taught me so much about carMEMORIES TO CHERISH: Yu said she is (IEPs), which ensure students who abilities affects the comfort level students have was memorable, as she was ing for children with disabilities and created many memories that I will cherish fortunate to have had an experience workreceive special education get spein taking advantage of resources provided and taught about farm manfor the rest of my life.” ing with children with disabilities. cialized instructions and services opening up about their struggles due to fear like 504 plans, teachers should do Photos courtesy of Animal Assisted Happiness more to help students.

“Accommodations can really help some people and saying bad things adds to the stigma and makes it hard to get help and get diagnosed,” Marklein said in an email.

“However, I think it could be helpful if teachers already had options in their classrooms more easily accessible for fidgeting and stimming like small fidgets, wobble stools and frequent breaks.”

DYSGRAPHIA

ADHD

DYSCALCULIA

Experiences encourage personal learning

How volunteering influenced Alice Yu’s view on people with disabilities

ADHD: More than four words

Students discuss the impact of ADHD

of judgement, Kirby said.

Understanding all students learn differently and are not meant to have the same work capabilities as each other, is crucial in establishing a teaching environment suitable for everyone, inclusion and mainstream English teacher James Ratti said.

According to the FUHSD website, schools are required by Section 504 to accommodate students with learning differences by providing inclusion classes, which allow resource students to be in a mainstream course with additional assistance.

gles, HHS provides opportunities for students with learning challenges to participate in general education classes at a more accessible level, Jones said.

“Some schools do not address the need for students to be included in general education settings,” Jones said. “The fact HHS is offering three different levels to meet the needs of these students based upon the severity of their disability means they’re really heading in the right direction.”

HHS offers three levels of individualized education including general education for students with a 504 plan or who are higher functioning, general Photo by Nina Vasquez education inclusion, which is a class in which a resource teacher teaches with a general education teacher, and an SAI class, which stands for specialized academic instruction and is formatted as a small group with a resource teacher, Jones said.

Understanding learning disabilities is a difficult topic on which to educate students, but Jones said it is achievable and is a challenge that should not be shied away from.

“The current movement that the administration has launched into advisory periods could help in understanding people’s differences,” Jones said.

“It’s challenging for students who have learning disabilities because it’s not outwardly obvious they have something going on. It’s different from having a physical handicap.”

Since learning disabilities can be difficult to identify, being aware of how we treat one another, learning disability or not, will allow for everyone RATTI’S TEACHING PRINCIPLES: Ratti to feel comfortable on campus, Bersaglia said. works to actively engage with students.

“Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses,” Bersaglia said. “It’s important to think com“It’s about seeing that not every kid is learning plexly about our peers when we’re frustrated or think the same way, working the same way, organizing their somebody’s acting differently. I also think it’s really work the same way, and so one-size-fits-all does not important to be patient with peers who may not be quite as fast or as awesome at writing, because you apply to education,” Ratti said.

However, the greater issue resides in the current never know what they’re dealing with.” education system that has shaped students early Photo courtesy of Jessica Kirby on in their academic careers, Ratti said.

“We come at the end of your education. There’s a whole elementary school and middle school experience that comes before us,” Ratti said. “We’re clipping the tree tips whereas there are roots that have been growing for a long time, so it’s tough for us to think of ourselves as the solution when the whole system needs work.”

Many fail to recognize how the education system works against students and turns a blind eye to the struggles students go through due to a few successes from other students, Ratti said.

“As long as we have five students getting into Stanford every year, everybody thinks the education system is working and it’s truly not,” Ratti said.

Despite a controversial education system and continuous stigma surrounding learning differences, the resource department is working hard to support students in all aspects, school psychol- KIRBY BREAKS STIGMAS: Kirby challenges her students to overcome the negative stereoogist Emily Bersaglia said.

To support the wide range of learning strug- types they face.

McBride said she feels the media’s negative perception of people with ADHD has encouraged stereotypes.

“The media exaggerates ADHD symptoms as characters in TV shows or movies with ADHD are often portrayed as loud,

MAKING MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS: is dedicated to connecting people

with disabilities to nature by giving them opportunities to actively interact with the rescue animals on the farm.

irresponsible, careless and stupid,” Mcbride said. “It’s insensitive to the people who have ADHD and it gives a false view of what it really is.”

The best way for neurotypical peers to support those with a disability and combat negative stereotypes is to learn rather than judge, Marklein said.

“I think that when someone talks about their experiences, people should listen more and give advice if asked but should not deny the person’s experiences,” Marklein said. “Our brains work differently and it’s important to know that ADHD looks different from person to person.”

184 students have IEPs 157students have 504s total students in a 388 learning skills class

Courtesy of Data Technician Heidi Parrish PAGE DESIGN BY ASHLEY OROZCO PLATA, HOPE SAENA AND NINA VASQUEZ CRUZ ILLUSTRATIONS BY LIA KLEBANOV

8

In-Depth

Friday, November 5, 2021

Friday, November 5, 2021

9

STUDENTS OVERCOME ADVERSITIES IN LEARNING A view into the experiences of students with learning disabilities and those who gather around them

Penny for your thoughts

Different types of learning disabilities and how they impact people’s everyday lives

AUTISM

DYSLEXIA

Dyslexia is a learning disability characterized by difficulties recognizing spoken sounds and understanding how they connect to letters and words.

Autism is defined as a developmental disability that causes people to face challenges with communicating, behaving and socializing. The autism spectrum can range from mild to severe, affecting one’s.

Breaking stigma surrounding learning disabilities Resource teachers speak on imbalances in education system

By Nicole Kim and Nina Vasquez Cruz

Students with learning differences are all around our campus and more common than one might think, resource specialist teacher Eileen Jones said.

According to The Yale “The stigma surrounding learning disabilities is

By Ashley Orozco Plata, Hope Saena and Nina Vasquez Cruz Center According to Mayo profound, because it hinders self esteem and confidence, and sometimes students will give up before Clinic they even start, even if they can do something,” Jones said. “The resource department works to support students to create individualized education plans.”

Students with learning disabilities tend to face more adversity than mainstream students, Jones said.

“It’s challenging, especially for students who have Dyscalculia refers to a variety of been identified at an early age as having some form of Dysgraphia is a neurological arithmetic issues, including difficulADHD is a chronic disorder, characa learning disability or even developmental disabilicondition that affects the ability ties comprehending the meaning of terized by a number of chronic issues, ty,” Jones said. “At the end of their formal education to write and fine motor abilities. numbers and using mathematical including difficulties maintaining focus, from Kindergarten to 12th grade, school has been a concepts to solve problems. constant struggle and when students reach high hyperactivity and impulsive conduct. school, they’re just exhausted.”

According to the According to the Child Mind HHS has different classes to support According to the American International Dyslexia Institute student success, including both inPsychiatric Association Association clusion and mainstream classes, resource and mainstream education teacher Jessica Kirby said in an email.

“Inclusion classes have two teachers in them – a general education [teacher] and a resource teacher. The Individualized Educational Plan accommodations are

By Ashley Orozco Plata and Hope Saena provided to help students keep “A place known to hearten spirits by enhancing the lives of kids with disabiliagement by someone with a disability. up in all ties” is Animal Assisted Happiness’ mission and what they do for the community.

Even after years of volunteering, Yu said she conBy Hope Saena c l a s s e s,” For junior Alice Yu, volunteering at nonprofit AAH educated her on working tinues to experience many emotionally impactful moJones with children with disabilities along with broadening her own perspective on peoments.

To many of her peers, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is the condition of not s a i d ple with disabilities.

“There was a girl with disabilities I talked to being able to focus, freshman Kathryn McBride said in an email. To her, however, the conin an “I was interested in interacting with children in need and a friend of mine just that made me very emotional during an event,” dition is much more complex than described in a simple sentence. email. so happened to be a volunteer at AAH,” Yu said. “I took a look at their website and Yu said. “She told me to not be afraid of her and “ADHD goes beyond just not being able to focus or not being able to sit still,” McBride Fe a r instantly fell in love with their mission as a nonprofit as most of their animals are apologized if she scared me. I got really emotionsaid. ‘’People with ADHD can be very sensitive to certain sounds, smells, temperatures and of being rescues and AAH is now their forever home.” al because she was the sweetest girl I had met clothing textures.” w r o n g AAH is an organization dedicated to providing a home for rescued animals as and I didn’t know why she apologized for simply McBride, who was diagnosed with hyperactive-impulsive ADHD at eight years old, said havabout the well as providing services to people with disabilities by giving them a chance to being herself.” ing ADHD has affected all aspects of her life. challenges interact with the animals With AAH, Yu said she has been able to gain a “It impacts everything like focusing, working, learning, sleeping,” McBride said. “I have a some students on the farm, according to deeper understanding of the lives of people with hard time learning things because many things are happening in my head at once.”

Photo by Ashley Orozco Plata face leads to a the AAH website. disabilities.

Additionally, Mcbride said she has felt judged in her classes for taking a longer time lack of knowlBefore volunteering, “People with disabilities are just the same as period to finish her work. edge regarding Yu said her view of people anyone else and are very eager to learn about every “When I work, sometimes people will ask if I’m even trying. Most people don’t disabilities, which with disabilities was very animal at the farm,” Yu said. “They’re independent know I have ADHD, and I think that leads them to assume that I am neuroadds to the stigma withdifferent. thinkers who know what they want in life.” typical, because in class everybody works at the same pace and everyin the community, Kirby “I originally thought In fact, Yu said her experiences volunteering with body seems to understand what’s going on,” McBride said. “Then said. people with disabilities AAH inspired her to find new interests related to disabilites. there is me, who is always a little behind the rest of the “When people do not unwould need a lot of help “By working with people with disabilities, I was able to disclass and it takes me longer to understand.” derstand what a learning disabiland are fragile,” Yu said. cover my new passion in communication,” Yu said. “I find myself Freshman Jordan Marklein, who has ity is, they often avoid the topic or “But I found that they are paying more attention to volunteering opportunities related to helping hyperactive-impulsive and person, rather than getting curious,” Kirby actually very independent people with disabilities.” inattensaid. “Special education has a long history and love to think outside Dedicating her time to working with people with disabilities has allowed Yu tive ADHD, said despite being of negative stereotypes because of how society of the box.” to discover more about herself and the world, she said. able to have accommodations such perceives people with any learning differences.”

Yu said her first time “It taught me how to be patient and gave me many opportunities to learn more as Individual Educational Programs The negative stereotypes about learning disvolunteering with AAH about their lives,” Yu said. “Working with them also taught me so much about carMEMORIES TO CHERISH: Yu said she is (IEPs), which ensure students who abilities affects the comfort level students have was memorable, as she was ing for children with disabilities and created many memories that I will cherish fortunate to have had an experience workreceive special education get spein taking advantage of resources provided and taught about farm manfor the rest of my life.” ing with children with disabilities. cialized instructions and services opening up about their struggles due to fear like 504 plans, teachers should do Photos courtesy of Animal Assisted Happiness more to help students.

“Accommodations can really help some people and saying bad things adds to the stigma and makes it hard to get help and get diagnosed,” Marklein said in an email.

“However, I think it could be helpful if teachers already had options in their classrooms more easily accessible for fidgeting and stimming like small fidgets, wobble stools and frequent breaks.”

DYSGRAPHIA

ADHD

DYSCALCULIA

Experiences encourage personal learning

How volunteering influenced Alice Yu’s view on people with disabilities

ADHD: More than four words

Students discuss the impact of ADHD

of judgement, Kirby said.

Understanding all students learn differently and are not meant to have the same work capabilities as each other, is crucial in establishing a teaching environment suitable for everyone, inclusion and mainstream English teacher James Ratti said.

According to the FUHSD website, schools are required by Section 504 to accommodate students with learning differences by providing inclusion classes, which allow resource students to be in a mainstream course with additional assistance.

gles, HHS provides opportunities for students with learning challenges to participate in general education classes at a more accessible level, Jones said.

“Some schools do not address the need for students to be included in general education settings,” Jones said. “The fact HHS is offering three different levels to meet the needs of these students based upon the severity of their disability means they’re really heading in the right direction.”

HHS offers three levels of individualized education including general education for students with a 504 plan or who are higher functioning, general Photo by Nina Vasquez education inclusion, which is a class in which a resource teacher teaches with a general education teacher, and an SAI class, which stands for specialized academic instruction and is formatted as a small group with a resource teacher, Jones said.

Understanding learning disabilities is a difficult topic on which to educate students, but Jones said it is achievable and is a challenge that should not be shied away from.

“The current movement that the administration has launched into advisory periods could help in understanding people’s differences,” Jones said.

“It’s challenging for students who have learning disabilities because it’s not outwardly obvious they have something going on. It’s different from having a physical handicap.”

Since learning disabilities can be difficult to identify, being aware of how we treat one another, learning disability or not, will allow for everyone RATTI’S TEACHING PRINCIPLES: Ratti to feel comfortable on campus, Bersaglia said. works to actively engage with students.

“Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses,” Bersaglia said. “It’s important to think com“It’s about seeing that not every kid is learning plexly about our peers when we’re frustrated or think the same way, working the same way, organizing their somebody’s acting differently. I also think it’s really work the same way, and so one-size-fits-all does not important to be patient with peers who may not be quite as fast or as awesome at writing, because you apply to education,” Ratti said.

However, the greater issue resides in the current never know what they’re dealing with.” education system that has shaped students early Photo courtesy of Jessica Kirby on in their academic careers, Ratti said.

“We come at the end of your education. There’s a whole elementary school and middle school experience that comes before us,” Ratti said. “We’re clipping the tree tips whereas there are roots that have been growing for a long time, so it’s tough for us to think of ourselves as the solution when the whole system needs work.”

Many fail to recognize how the education system works against students and turns a blind eye to the struggles students go through due to a few successes from other students, Ratti said.

“As long as we have five students getting into Stanford every year, everybody thinks the education system is working and it’s truly not,” Ratti said.

Despite a controversial education system and continuous stigma surrounding learning differences, the resource department is working hard to support students in all aspects, school psychol- KIRBY BREAKS STIGMAS: Kirby challenges her students to overcome the negative stereoogist Emily Bersaglia said.

To support the wide range of learning strug- types they face.

McBride said she feels the media’s negative perception of people with ADHD has encouraged stereotypes.

“The media exaggerates ADHD symptoms as characters in TV shows or movies with ADHD are often portrayed as loud,

MAKING MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS: is dedicated to connecting people

with disabilities to nature by giving them opportunities to actively interact with the rescue animals on the farm.

irresponsible, careless and stupid,” Mcbride said. “It’s insensitive to the people who have ADHD and it gives a false view of what it really is.”

The best way for neurotypical peers to support those with a disability and combat negative stereotypes is to learn rather than judge, Marklein said.

“I think that when someone talks about their experiences, people should listen more and give advice if asked but should not deny the person’s experiences,” Marklein said. “Our brains work differently and it’s important to know that ADHD looks different from person to person.”

184 students have IEPs 157students have 504s total students in a 388 learning skills class

Courtesy of Data Technician Heidi Parrish PAGE DESIGN BY ASHLEY OROZCO PLATA, HOPE SAENA AND NINA VASQUEZ CRUZ ILLUSTRATIONS BY LIA KLEBANOV

10

Lifestyles

Friday, November 5, 2021

ASB’s new twist on homecoming The planning behind school spirit week

By Christine Kim and Lia Klebanov Walking onto campus during homecoming week is like stepping into an alternate reality. All of the decorations hanging up, like the seniors’ ‘60s orange van and the decade-inspired posters suspended in every possible area help set the mood for the week.

However, it took a lot of planning to create such an elaborate event. ASB holds annual week-long celebrations in order to invoke school spirit in the student body, ASB social manager, senior Megan Ventura said.

“Planning homecoming this year was super different than any previous years,” Ventura said. “[ASB social manager senior Minnie Karki] and I first started off the process by getting together to brainstorm, seeing what we need, what people are expecting and what are some things we want to see that are new this year.”

Photo by Olivia Shen

HARD AT WORK: Kailash Menon and

Varun Saraf assembled decorations for the quad and parade.

The two ASB social managers, along with the rest of the leadership team, tried to think outside of the box when it came to this year’s celebrations, due to it being the first in-person event of its caliber in two years.

Karki said incorporating the student body and trying to get a wide variety of opinions was the goal in making the process more inclusive and collaborative amongst all students.

“Something we really wanted to do was incorporate more of the student body into our decision making, so that’s why we created a homecoming committee students could join,” Karki said. “Megan and I also talked a lot with the leadership class about past traditions and things we wanted to change and keep.”

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, ASB president, senior Nikki Liu said homecoming’s usual traditions had to be altered to ensure student safety. Liu said it was a challenge at first to work with limitations since defining events, such as the homecoming dance, were not allowed, leading to the creation of creative alternatives to maintain the week’s spirit.

“We couldn’t do cheer offs because of COVID-19, so we tried to add other activities that would bring class competition and make it a healthier, more friendly way of bringing people together,” Karki said.

“That is why we had class officers leading activities during brunch. We also really tried to deviate from some of the more

Model UN starts strong

Photo by Olivia Shen basic spirit days that we’ve had in the past, as well as lunchtime activities.”

Another new thing this year was the charity partnership with the California Fire Foundation, ASB secretary, junior Nicole Lee said. The foundation is a non-prof- BUILDING HOMECOMING TOGETHER: Noga Belson, Kailash it organization that Menon, Varun Saraf and Parker Sun work on Homecoming decor. provides assistance to families who have ing to homecoming is a super great experilost firefighter family members, according ence especially if it’s your first time. For the to CFF. freshmen, it is their first time competing as “The main goal behind this was to a class and it’s a really unifying experience find a way to rebuild the community after because you get to meet so many people COVID-19,” Lee said. “That’s still going on inside and outside of your grade.” but we also have other issues in the world Through this homecoming experience, that we wanted to create an impact on as a Lee said she anticipates the student body community. Some of the proceeds we get had fun participating in the various activfrom the spirit store will go towards this ities each day and opportunities to dress charity, and it’s a super great way for HHS up. to get involved with the community outAdditionally, Lee, a junior said ASB enside of school, as well.” joyed putting the event together and hopes Lee said participation in homecoming their dedication was shown through the is important, as it signifies the kickoff to elaborate week. the year, but especially this time around “That’s the reasoning behind everysince many students on campus have not thing the leadership class does and all the gotten acquainted with each other. effort we put in,” Lee said. “We hope peo“This sets the precedent for how much ple are able to see the effort we put in to spirit we’re going to have,” Lee said. “Go- increase class morale and spirit.”

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By Rajiv Venkatesh Model United Nations club kicked off the year in spectacular fashion with a conference held at Gunn high school on Oct. 9. Members were well prepared for the conference, and their hard work paid off as they won awards across multiple committees, activities director, junior Katelyn Yap said.

Model UN is a club in which members are assigned a country to represent in a debate-style committee.

They then research the debate topic, middle school outreach director, sophomore Pranav Gunhal said.

Gunhal said it was rewarding to give advice to new members and see them succeed at the conference, applying what they had learned from extensive practice. Before the conference, public relations officer, senior Webber Tatsukawa said the club held a variety of events to help members prepare.

“We held a mock conference to give members an idea of how Model UN operates,” Tatsukawa said. “We also had a social where we helped delegates write their position papers since a lot of them were doing it for the first time.”

Sophomore Harshdeep Singh, a new member of the club who participated in the conference, said he found these activities helpful.

“The mock conference and the officers’ advice on what to do at certain points in the real conference really helped me,” Singh said.

“Model UN is a fun club, and I plan to do it for the rest of my time at Homestead.”

After preparing and attending conferences such as this one, members walk away with important experiences,

club vice president, senior Amna Asad said.

“In Model UN, you can visit college campuses and meet new people,” Asad said. “You learn so much in the club, and all the conference topics are interesting. It’s all about putting your ideas out there and trying to find a solution.”

Photo courtesy of Katelyn Yap

NEW MEMBERS SUCCEED: An-

thony MacDonald, Kimia Hekmatnejad, Clara Noujeim and Kristin Lee participated in the competition.

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PAGE DESIGN BY YUKARI E. HERNANDEZ

Lifestyles

Mysteries of the heart

Road to representation

By Nina Vasquez Cruz

By Macy Li

FPA holds first dissection of year From incision after incision and holding giant red organs to fright and eagerness filling the room of S8, the future physicians of America club introduced its first interactive opportunity for club members — dissecting pig hearts. Through this hands-on activity, members had the chance to expand their knowledge of the anatomy of animal hearts, co-president, senior Shamoli Ghosh said.

FPA gives members insight into the medical field by preparing them through various lessons and activities, secretary, senior Andrew Lopez said. Junior Henna Chawla said she is determined to go into the medical field after high school and this dissection further expanded her interest in learning about the human body.

“This club would give me some experience beforehand and I’ve now done things hands-on through the dissection,” Chawla said. “Even at the general meetings, they teach a lot and I like being around people who have similar interests. Before college, I’ll have some background and exposure, instead of going in fresh because that can be intimidating.”

The first dissection of the year brought excitement to many of the club members and officers, Ghosh said. Instead of teaching the cardiology unit through generic slide presentations, the club officers hoped to change the regular learning experience into an interactive team building activity.

“It was hectic preparing the activity but once we actually got to do it, it was really exciting to see all the members interacting with the hearts in ways that you probably wouldn’t be able to do online, even if you had a really good model, ” Ghosh said. “It was an incredible feeling just being back in person and having events like this again.”

This activity was a new experience for many of the participants and allowed students to apply what they learned in prior meetings to the dissection, freshman

Mika Cohen said.

“It was a new and exciting experience because I’ve never dissected anything before,” Cohen said. “I’ve never cut into anything that was from an animal. It was eye opening to see how all of the different parts of the heart work together and to see all the chambers including the valves.”

Members were guided through the dissection by watching a YouTube video. Every step made by the instructor was followed by the club members, with the help of the club officers, going from table to table to assist members and teach them the different areas of the heart they were dissecting, Lopez said.

“We wanted to educate them on the structures of the heart and get them more interested in learning about anatomy and medicine,” Ghosh said. “If you like cardiothoracic surgery, this is a huge part of it. This is a glimpse into what you might do, maybe as a surgeon or as a med student.

It was a good look into what you can expect if you want to get into medicine.”

Dissecting the hearts was full of surprises which made it memorable, vice president, junior Roshni Parulekar-Martins said.

“It was enlightening to actually see how many blood clots there were in some of the hearts and how much they fatten up those pigs.”

The different perspectives created memorable learning experiences for students. Having the opportunity to share your well-known understanding of the animal heart to future doctors during the cardiology unit is one of Ghosh’s favorite experiences from the club so far this year, he said.

“I enjoyed getting to hold hearts and explain things to members because I remember my freshman year when I did this,” Ghosh said. “I was blown away by how much the officers knew and getting to confer that to other members this year was a big moment for me. It’s crazy to see how much has changed in four years and that now I’m in the place of some people I really looked up to.”

Photos by Nina Vasquez

COLLABORATIVE GROUP EFFORT: Members such as Matthew

Pang(left), Shivani Mahapatra(middle) and Ishita Srivatsan(right) work together to discuss how they want to approach the incisions on the pig heart.

11

Friday, November 5, 2021

Celebrating Hispanic heritage empowers students both identify as Mexican American. Their parents are Mexican immigrants, and both have grown up in Mexican American households.

Living in the U.S., LSU treasurer Lopez said she is constantly searching for ways to belong, while still preserving her culture. Nuno also said she has faced challenges when trying to fit in with her peers. She said these obstacles often materialize in different facets of her everyday life.

“Certain standardized tests often force us to identify as either Latino or Hispanic, but in reality, Mexicans don’t fall into any of those categories,” Nuno said.

Beyond the school campus, both Lopez and Nuno said they have witnessed the perpetuation of harmful stereotypes against their cultures, and they have been subjected to offensive slurs in public.

“Sometimes, Photo courtesy of Maritza Lopez people think I’m an immigrant, and they say things like, ‘Go back to your country,’” Nuno said. “Un fortunately, it becomes something we have to get used to.”

Lopez said ACHIEVING THEIR GOALS: Nuno (left) and one specific Lopez are determined to surmount challenges.

Hispanic Heritage Month, which is celebrated from Sept.

15 - Oct. 15, marks an annual celebration dedicated to the far-reaching achievements, diverse cultures and noteworthy narratives of Latinx communities.

For many students at HHS, Hispanic Heritage Month provides them with vital recognition and allows others to gain insight into their cultures, identities and heritages, juniors Maritza Lopez and Stephanie Nuno said.

Nuno, the activities director of Latinx Student Union, said the club hosted a celebration in light of Hispanic Heritage Month this year.

“I just felt a need to celebrate,” Nuno said. “I want to show people that we’re still here, especially at HHS, because you don’t see much of us at all.”

Lopez and Nuno said they

memory involving a non-Mexican woman making a hurtful statement towards her mom has always lingered with her to this day.

“My mom didn’t understand what she said, but I felt hurt, because I did understand,” Lopez said. “My mom would have been hurt, as well, if she knew.”

In this country, where racial minorities are underrepresented and dehumanized, Nuno said celebrating her culture through Hispanic Heritage Month is incredibly important.

“I feel kind of proud that we are slowly being accepted in this country,” Nuno said. “The fact that I’m being recognized and appreciated is an amazing feeling. Hispanic Heritage Month highlights the history and the benefits we’ve given to this country.”

Freshman Alex Illescas said he feels a sense of pride knowing his cultural background is gaining recognition around campus.

In the future, Lopez said LSU hopes to continue pursuing its goals of helping Latinx students feel seen on campus and in their communities.

He said celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month was a great first step to reaching their goal.

“We want all the Latinx people here to feel like they’re being represented, heard and cared for,” Nuno said.

The full circle moment

New student teacher returns to teach music

By Chloe Wong After taking time to explore what the world has to offer, student teacher Mark Lee said he has continuously found his way back to music and has now discovered teaching.

Following a strict career path immediately after college was not an urgent desire for Lee. He said he wanted to look at the world through different lenses, instead of staying confined to his hometown.

“I needed a small break from music so I worked in tech for a bit,” Lee said. “Then I went to Los Angeles, worked in events and did some operation management, so I tried many things to see the world. Once the pandemic hit, I finally came to my senses and realized music is where my heart truly belongs.”

The continuous scouting of unmarked territory was futile for Lee, he said. He felt as if the universe was adamant in getting him back into music. He eventually returned to his roots, and found a job as a student teacher at HHS, his old high school.

“I tried new jobs and met new people, and they were good people, but it wasn’t anything that was fulfilling,” Lee said.

“Being able to come back, work with a music program and see everyone improve together has been really rewarding.”

Lee graduated from HHS in 2010, and the inkling of what he

wanted to pursue gradually so- ing ‘Let’s focus in on this’ is lidified once he felt music call- helpful. For example, at the reing him back. He said he is for- hearsal today he gave me notes ever grateful for his foundation that let me focus in on what I in music, from first being edu- can do.” cated to now educating at HHS. After all the career experi“I felt like when I graduated ences Lee has had, he said it was from high school, I had an idea difficult to regain his confidence that I wanted to have a place in teaching. However, teaching where I could help establish music has helped him find his a good experience for a music identity once again. Lee said he program, just like Mr. Burn and finds fulfillment in rewarding the staff had done to me,” Lee moments. said. “I traveled different paths “HHS as a whole is an amazand then linked back, so now ing place to student teach,” Lee I’m here.” said. “I think what’s really reUnder the guidance of music warding about being here is seedirector John Burn, Lee said he ing how all the students focus was able to uncover his individ- on getting things done. When ual teaching style.

I’m at rehearsals, I can see that Navigating the demanding there are constant improveroad of teaching music would ments. Seeing everyone work be difficult on his own, Lee said, their hardest to make something so he is incredibly grateful for together is really great.”

Burn’s guidance.

Photo courtesy of Mark Lee “There are all these little things I can say or do, and it’s hard figuring out what I have to do,” Lee said. “But having Mr. Burn STUDENT TEACHER CONDUCTING: Lee teaches there say- a music ensemble class to gain teaching experience.

PAGE DESIGN BY ARIANA TEJEDA MORENO AND RAJIV VENKATESH

12

Arts & Culture

Friday, November 5, 2021

Women are more than a good camera shot Movies, shows perpetuate harmful tropes

By Karuna Chandran and Madhavi Karthik A woman walks into a building. This simple action, when described, is extremely harmless, yet the entertainment industry has found ways to turn this into a horrifying example of how women are repeatedly sexualized. This scene occurs in Cameron Diaz’s entry in “The Mask,” as the camera pans up her body in slow motion. In response, the men at the office stare in disbelief as Diaz walks into the building.

The provocative camera angles hypersexualize Diaz’s body merely to stimulate approval from the audience through focusing on the actress’s body versus her personality. It is appalling that the film industry has gone as far as to develop camera techniques, like camera movements and body pans, to sexualize women and

portray them in a demeaning light, according to The Menkes List.

According to Deseret News, over 40% of young women in the highest-rated Hollywood films were forced to wear revealing clothing, a number that far outweighs that of men. When we are shown time and time again that a woman’s worth is correlated with their appearance, it becomes all that people perceive. As a result, society develops internalized misogyny as they only see women in a particular light.

The popular 90's sitcom “Friends” is a key example of the entertainment industry objectifying women. In a scene when the group plays a game of touch football, the teams are divided into men and women. As the women

are portrayed with a lack of football knowledge, they are forced to resort to dire methods to secure the win. To distract lead Chandler from scoring a touchdown, fellow lead Phoebe flashes her breasts.

Through perpetuating the trope that women have to use their sexuality to accomplish their goals, the show fuels the constant sexualization of women instilled in society. Viewers believe they have to look a certain way to be “appealing.”

Even the world of superheroes does not escape portraying women in an unflattering light.

Right before the new "Black Widow" movie came out, lead actress Scarlett Johansson talked about the hypersexualization she experienced in her role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: “Iron Man

2,” according to The Guardian. In this film, the characters objectify her, with lead Tony Stark saying, “I want one,” at one point in reference to her character.

In action movies where superheroes are supposed to uphold the morals and sense of justice others are inspired by, hearing this kind of dialogue proves how deeply rooted this culture is in society. Even if this was meant as some sort of “joke,” it is only as funny as the audience finds it.

And we can tell you, we are not laughing.

Many refute this well established truth, saying it is a woman’s choice how they dress or what roles they take. Indeed, women are entirely free to pursue whatever jobs they like or express themselves however makes them

feel comfortable. Unfortunately, the problem lies with the industry that repeatedly shoehorns women into a singular, harmful narrative.

Photo courtesy of People

EXPOSING CAMERA ANGLES: Cameron Diaz wore

scant clothing in "The Mask."

'No Time to Die' is a worthy sendoff for Daniel Craig Action-packed film will entertain fans of all ages

By Rajiv Venkatesh The latest James Bond movie, “No Time to Die,” marks the end of Daniel Craig’s time with the franchise. The movie, released on Oct. 18, features great performances from Craig and the entire cast.

The film’s thrilling special effects make the action scenes

exciting, and the stellar camera work enhances every place Bond visits, especially the opening shots of the Italian coast’s jagged cliffs and sparkling waters.

After these initial scenes, Billie Eilish’s title theme did not disappoint me. Although the Grammy-winning song was first released over a year Photo courtesy of Universal ago, the song is even more impactful when put in the context it was written for. Later on in the movie, snippets of the song play in critical moments. The lyrics flashed through my mind, adding extra meaning to the scenes.

One of the most notable casting decisions was a new agent with PACKED WITH ACTION : "No Time to Die" has familiar Bond movie thrills. the iconic ‘007’ number

to work alongside Bond. Played by Lashana Lynch, the agent was assigned that storied number after Bond retired. In one of my favorite moments, she tells Bond, “You get in my way, I will put a bullet in your knee,” adding snidely, “The one that works.” The world seems to have left Bond behind in this movie, no longer revering him as it once did.

Lynch is not the only supporting character who delivered a standout performance. After first seeing Ana de Armas in “Knives Out,” I was excited to see more of her. However, I was disappointed de Armas had very little screen time, appearing only during Bond’s brief time in Cuba. Nevertheless, she made the most of her short appearance.

While the characters on Bond’s side are all well writ-

ten, I did not like the movie’s villain, ‘No Time to Die’ played by Rami Malek, who did not Genre: Action/Adventure add anything to the role, mainly relying Release date: Oct. 23 on his terrifying mask and accent.

In general, I do not think sequels should attempt to alter plot details from previous movies, and this I did not like that after having movie was a great example of beaten death too many times to why. It was extremely jarring to count, Bond simply accepts his witness his casual destruction fate.

Overall, this was a great movof Spectre, the evil organization ie that sent Craig off with all the from the last movie.

At the very end of the film, I Bond magic expected. It kept found myself feeling like one of me on the edge of my seat, and Bond’s martinis — that is, “shak- I would highly recommend that en, not stirred.” 007’s death was people go watch “No Time to shocking, to be sure, but I felt it Die” in theaters while they still could have been more profound. can.

Netflix makes money moves as new Korean films added The increasing popularity of Korean cinema is long overdue

By Christine Kim I​​ remember when 10-year-old me would scour platforms like Netflix for the perfect movie, sifting through endless options yet somehow always coming up empty. I can distinctly recollect the feeling of wanting a movie with people I could relate to.

But now when I turn on the TV, I love seeing the countless Korean films pop up. From films like “Parasite” to shows like “Squid Game,” it is no wonder Korean cinema is gaining popularity as the concepts are new and thrilling yet also include heartwarming moments.

I love being able to understand what actors are saying without subtitles, hearing traditional names and understanding cultural nuances. When I was younger, all I wanted was to blend in and I learned how through the media.

It influenced the way I dressed and spoke, but seeing my culture represented on screen encour-

aged me to embrace my heritage, something I did not initially do.

There is something special about seeing actors you can relate to on screen. Representation is a welcome start to incorporating different cultures in society.

The ever-so-popular TV show “Squid Game,” which dominated the top ten list on Netflix, is a great example of how international films can be and are relevant to the current, young audience. It is crazy how all of the sudden people are quoting references from the show and remaking aspects of it, such as eating dalgona or dressing up as the characters. I feel strangely proud, because I never would have thought something beyond American media could be trending for so long.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Netflix is investing $500 million in South Korean cinema this year, highlighting the impact it has had around the globe. This

Photo courtesy of Allmovie

is a huge commitment to the in- the screen, I hope this Photo courtesy of Allmovie dustry and I am eager to see what becomes the new norm they are going to roll out next. so people will not have Netflix is taking the next step to struggle to find the many other platforms should be cutural connection I taking, as diversity and represen- lacked as a child. tation throughout all cultures Photo courtesy of TV Guide are becoming more popular.

I hope somewhere there is a little kid Photo courtesy of IMDb pleasantly surprised when the opening scene of the movie they picked features people who look and talk like them.

As the media industry increases in diversity, both LIGHTS CAMERA ACTION: Successul movies and shows have paved the way for behind and on more foreign features in the film industry.

PAGE DESIGN BY KARUNA CHANDRAN AND CHLOE WONG

Arts & Culture

Friday, November 5, 2021

Pierce through stigma surrounding body art

‘The Boarding House’ breaks a leg

Whether we like it or not, first impressions are important, and how we choose to make these first impressions depends on our appearance.

The growing popularity of expression pieces such as jewelry, piercings and tattoos allows people to decorate themselves as they please.

However, these forms of expression also enable instant assumptions to be made at first glance. They are often negative, made in a split second and completely false.

Just like clothes, tattoos and piercings allow people to convey personality and beliefs. They are permanent, often symbolic changes and speak volumes about personal experiences.

Despite this, most employers still stigmatize tattoos and piercings.

This causes job candidates with these pieces to be seen as less employable than their unpierced or uninked counterparts, according to the Association for Psychological Science.

Employers should not be evaluating the appearance of their employees before considering their moral character or skill.

After all, piercings and tattoos are nothing more than decorative pieces.

They hold no bearing on job performance, intelligence or capability.

The false notion that people with rings in their noses or ink on their arms

The drama department took to the stage with their fall play, “The Boarding House,” on Oct. 22. The play takes place in the Victorian era, displayed through timely costumes and stage designs.

Lead actress Trina Ranabhat said this is her first time acting in front of a proper audience and she has been interested in acting since she was ten. She said the most stressful part about preparing for the fall play is memorizing her parts.

“Having other classes and tests regularly as well as memorizing 166 lines is not fun,” Ranabhat said. “It helps to read my lines with someone else. It helps set the scene in my mind.”

Actor Shahar Ankonina said in previous years, cast members had an extra week to prepare for the fall play. This year they had to work harder to memorize their parts to accommodate for the week they lost.

“We have to go after school every day and rehearse for two hours, then go home and practice for another hour by ourselves to make sure we know the blocking,” Ankonina said. “There is a lot of moving around and you have to know exactly where you have to be at a certain time.”

Unlike Ranabhat and Ankonina, backstage manager Julia Dupin works behind the curtains, but her work does not go unnoticed by the cast members or audience. She said her stagecraft class worked extra hard to perfect the set of this play.

“This year we put a lot more work into the set. In pre-

Illustration by Seoyoung Hwang

By Lindsey Steel

By Saira Ahmed

are “unfit” or “incapable” are not effective measures in determining the skill of employees.

This causes people with useful abilities and experience to be brushed off simply based on how they choose to express themselves.

Given the frequency of tattoos and piercings in society, their presence should not deter employers from hiring anyone.

Employers frowning upon piercings or tattoos also adds on to the idea that professionalism can only be credited to one specific appearance.

Similar to the discriminatory notion that the natural hair of people of color – specifically Black people – is considered improper in the workplace, employers disapproving of piercings and tattoos forces people to cover up vital forms of self-expression.

Piercings and tattoos can be apart of one’s culture, and workers having to conceal any aspect of their identity — whether it be their hair, piercings or tattoos — for the sake of appearing professional is restrictive and superficial.

If employers consider body art “unprofessional,” they must reevaluate their own professionalism first before judging someone’s abilities in the workplace solely based on how they look.

UNIQUE WORKPLACE EXPRESSION: Piercings and tattoos should

not be a determining factor in employment.

vious years we had a skeleton of what was going to be there,” Dupin said. “We are making sure everything looks as good as possible because we finally get to do this after one year of online learning, where we didn’t get to do any real presenting.”

Dupin said she has a deep appreciation for drama because she came from a private middle school so she had to start fresh in high school.

Drama gave her the opportunity to find new friends with similar interests.

“It’s easy to become a part of drama and make friends,” Dupin said. “It’s a really cool community that I don’t think you can find anywhere else on campus. It’s like a family.”

The positive attitude combined with the dedication the drama department has is prominent in all aspects of the play, so Dupin said she was excited to see the final outcome.

“A lot of effort was put into the show by the actors and by the people who were controlling and directing the actual play,” Dupin said. “It will be really cool to see how it all comes together.”

Photo by Saira Ahmed

TAKING THE STAGE: Dra-

ma’s tight-knit community performed their fall play after weeks of preparation.

Tasteful apple treats

By Mae Richardson and Ritaja Subrahmanya

Apple pie

Apple pancakes

Candy apple

Honeycrisp apple

Known for its flaky and buttery crust, the American apple pie is a classic. The tart apples contrast the subtle sweetness of the crust. Apple pie is primarily made with Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples.

The “healthy” version of a lollipop, candy apples consist of a tart, crunchy apple coated in a sticky candy. They are perfect for autumn events as they are easily transportable.

Granny Smith apples are sour, making them best for this treat.

13

This underrated breakfast combines the flavors of fall into a single recipe. Whether paired with steaming apple cider or a cup of hot chocolate, apple pancakes are the best way to start your morning.

The Honeycrisp apple is both sweet and crunchy. With a pink tinged inside, its juiciness is unmatched. Each bite creates an explosion of flavors for the perfect balance of sweet and sour, unlike any other apple.

Apple cider

Made from raw apple juice, apple cider is thicker and tangier than traditional apple juice and is perfect for rainy autumn afternoons when paired with spices such as cinnamon and cardamom. Fuji apples make for a sweeter cider while Pink Lady apples create a tart flavor.

Illustrations by Ritaja Subrahmanya

FASHION POLICE

By Amber Birrell

Sweater vests are slowly taking over my Pinterest feed and I am not happy about it.

As hot summer weather is coming to an end, dresses and skirts are fading away as people shift from bright clothes to cozy autumn outfits, in alignment with the cold days ahead.

The most popular emerging fall trends I have noticed are wide legged pants, leather blazers and sweater vests.

However, as I begin to see more and more people dressing for the fall weather, it is clear sweater vests are not the move.

Sweater vests commonly feature an argyle pattern, and while this pattern can be interesting, it looks painfully outdated when sewn into sweater vests, and out of place especially when they are paired with more modern styles of clothing, which are designed to look clean and sleek.

Arguably the worst aspect of sweater vests is that they heavily remind me of Bernie Sanders — and not in a good way.

With their slightly muted colors and subtly messy appearance, sweater vests are the epitome of the “grandpa” style, which is far from anything I would like to wear.

Sweater vests are a great example of why this “grandpa” style is not my favorite, as the execution falls short of the purpose because people are trying to combine two very different styles — a modern clean look and a rugged grandpa style.

In theory, sweater vests are meant to create a “wow” factor in outfits; however, they lack the depth and color of modern day clothing, thus causing them to lose their original appeal.

I can understand wearing a sweater vest occasionally for a nice event, but they are definitely not suited for everyday use.

There are only so many plain button up shirts that can be styled with a sweater vest before it gets too repetitive and boring.

Ultimately, their clunky appearance and tacky designs are not for me and I cannot wait until they get replaced with the next hot new fall trend.

PAGE DESIGN BY NIYATEE JAIN AND LIA KLEBANOV

14

Sports

Friday, November 5, 2021

Swinging for success

Larkin credits golf community for personal growth

By Karuna Chandran

PEOPLE’S CHAMP

By Josh Cantwell-Nahrung In the last decade, the Bay Area has had phenomenal professional sports teams. From the 2010 to 2014 San Francisco Giants, the reign of the Golden State Warriors and Super Bowl appearances by the San Francisco 49ers, Northern California has been an athletic powerhouse.

The dominance of Bay Area sports was at its peak early last decade, but in recent years it has become increasingly obvious that it was nearing the end of an era.

That was, however, until the 2021 San Francisco Giants baseball season. Before the beginning of the season, the team was projected to have a record of 74-88, FiveThirtyEight reported. That prediction landed them a 1.2% chance of making the playoffs and ranking them as the eighth worst team in the MLB. Somehow, the Giants had their best season in franchise history. They ÁRMWLIH XLI VIKYPEV WIEson with a record of 10755, the best in baseball record. The Giants were XLI ÁVWX XIEQ XS LEZI wins, 60 wins, 70 wins, 80 wins, 90 wins and 100 wins in the entire league during the season.

The Giants do not have starpower. Instead they carry veteran players past their prime and a plethora of new faces from both new players and lesser known players within and outside their league.

Miraculously, everything aligned to form the makings of a great team. Every veteran on the team outperformed expectations, with players Brandon Crawford and Buster Posey having the best years of their career.

The chemistry of the team was remarkable. The group of lesser known players and thought-to-be washed up veterans came together and played resiliently the entire year.

Nobody knows if this makeup is sustainable for the following year.

However, nothing can take away from the extraordinary season Giants fans got to experience in 2021.

Ever since Ashlynne Larkin can remember, the junior has asked her father if she could join him at the golf range. However, her request never ended up happening until COVID-19 hit. Finally, Larkin was able to try her hand at the sport with her dad.

“I always wanted to try golf with him, but I never thought I would take it seriously,” Larkin said. “And then COVID-19 hit and he asked us if we wanted to go and I just started hitting balls and I kind of fell in love.”

The golf player said she has always been intrigued by each player’s unique style and the patience that goes into playing such a lengthy sport.

“It’s kind of funny because it was actually Santa Clara’s golf coach that asked me [at the Sunken Gardens Range when he was playing in the nearby stall], ‘are you going to join the golf team for your school?’” Larkin said. “I said I wanted to get better before I joined, but then he was like, ‘oh, the scores don’t really count this year because of COVID.”’ Larkin said a lot of her initial reluctance was due to the fact that she was not very familiar with the rules, such as there being penalties for losing the ball. However, after playing throughout the pan-

demic, Larkin said she decided to join the school golf team last year and continues to participate in the sport this year, as well.

Playing golf for the past two years has helped Larkin break out of her shell and discover a side of herself that she had not realized existed, she said.

“Last year I was a lot more shy,” she said. “I knew one girl on the team and that was it. Since most of the girls came back, I’m way closer with them.”

Larkin said she credits the WTSVX JSV LIPTMRK LIV ÁRH E GSQmunity she feels safe and accepted in, as well as for increasing her GSRÁHIRGI “It’s a great place to meet people,” Larkin said. “We got close together as a team, and also you meet girls from other schools during the match. You talk to them, you ask them what they like and have a conversation [with them].”

However, Larkin said the WTSVX [EW HIÁRMXIP] RSX [LEX WLI I\TIGXIH MX XS FI [LIR WLI ÁVWX started out.

“It’s a lot harder than it looks,” she said. “Technique wise, I thought it was just go up, hit the ball and do your best. But then I started doing lessons and it was like, you have to do this, hook

your arms, rotate your Photo Courtesy of Karuna Chandran body and more.”

One way Larkin tries to track her improvement is by comparing statistics over time and identifying improvement in certain areas, she said.

The slow pace of the game also took Larkin by surprise, she said. For example, every single player on the team had some sort of routine that they practiced every time before they hit the ball.

“I would say I was WYVTVMWIH EX ÁVWX F] how long it takes and the patience you need for it,” Larkin said. “I thought I was patient PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT: Junior Ashlynne before, and then I Larkin decided to join the team her sophomore played golf and I was year to sharpen her skills. like I’m not patient at calming.” she said. “However, all.”

In addition to playing golf, both sports are really fun.”

Larkin said she enjoys the the junior is a double threat and plays basketball for HHS, an ex- time she spends playing golf and perience she said is very different highly encourages others to join, as well. from golf.

“I would say don’t be afraid, “Basketball is more running and jumping, whereas in golf just join,” Larkin said. “We’ll get you take your time, go through to know you and I would really the motions and it’s a lot more recommend joining the team.”

Cultivating essential life skills through sports

Athletes discuss influence of sports on personal development

By Macy Li It is no secret that physical strength and endurance play integral roles in sports, helping athletes achieve their maximum potential.

Athletes spend years practicing to enhance their performances — but in the midst of all their training, many athletes have also developed a myriad of soft skills, which have transformed their lives SR ERH SJJ XLI ÁIPH Senior Defne Clarke has been an athlete on the cross country team for the entirety of her high school career.

She said she enjoys multiple facets of the experience, especially the traveling opportunities.

“I love the traveling aspect and the traditions that our team has,” Clarke said. “I love the competition, as well.

Ultimately, it’s a great way to destress from school.”

Cross country has left a variety of far-reaching impacts on her everyday life, Clarke said.

In particular, she said she has been able to enhance her social skills through building close friendships with her teammates.

“The people who are on the cross country team become your second family,” Clarke said. “We basically spend two to three hours together each day.”

Additionally, participating in cross country has equipped Clarke with multiple life skills, which she has been able to integrate into her academic life, she said.

Over time, she has been able to develop a strong sense of discipline, a skill that has proven to FI KVIEXP] FIRIÁGMEP “Even when times are tough,

Photo Courtesy of Ri-Chee Chou

OFF THE FIELD:Senior Defne Clarke applies the empathy she has gained as a leader on cross country to sympathize with others in her personal life.

you have to work through whatever pain you’re in,” Clarke said.

“In cross country, you push XLVSYKL MR SVHIV XS ÁRMWL XLI workout, reach the end goal and become better in the long run.”

Beyond discipline, Clarke said she has also seen an improvement in her levels of responsibility and empathy.

“When you do cross country, you have to stay on time and manage a lot of other factors, so I need to take control of my life to a greater degree,” Clarke said. “I also look out for my teammates.”

In her personal life, Clarke said the empathy cross country helped her develop has shaped her into a better person, a better friend and a better family member.

Whenever the people around her seem to be facing challenges, she said she is able to understand their emotions on a deeper level and offer support.

HHS varsity, club volleyball player Bree Widmeyer said she has also grown immensely through playing a sport.

She said she loves the dynamic of her current teams, as well as the competition she is able to face as an athlete.

“Being able to play with my team is very exciting, and spending a lot of time with them or bonding with them is my favorite thing to do,” sophomore Widmeyer said.

Playing volleyball has taught Widmeyer the importance of working in a group, rather than as individuals, she said.

“Working together brings out

the best in all of us,” she said.

“It isn’t just one person doing everything. Everyone uses their skills together.”

Strong teamwork skills have proved to be useful at school for Widmeyer, who said she has been able to translate her abilities initially developed in volleyball to school group projects.

Junior Sohum Phadke plays both school and club tennis.

Aside from being able to engage in a positive team environment, Phadke said he enjoys the mechanical and technical sides of the sport.

He said tennis has helped him experience and develop many character-building life lessons, which he has been able to apply to his day-to-day life.

“This sport has taught me many soft skills, including collaboration and communication,” Phadke said. “It has also XEYKLX QI XLI WMKRMÁGERGI SJ staying active on a daily basis.”

Above all, tennis has equipped him with the ability to persevere, especially during HMJÁGYPX XMQIW LI WEMH 4LEHke said he has often witnessed the positive effects of perseverance throughout his academic journey.

“It takes perseverance to ignore a bad test score, to learn from your past mistakes and build on your experiences,” he said. “I don’t give up whenever obstacles appear. Instead, I work to surpass them.”

PAGE DESIGN BY NICOLE PIMENTA INNECCO AND JACK XU

Sports

Friday, November 5, 2021

Senior Football Players: Jomar Abalos Gabriel Anderson Christian Arias Tal Barzvi Soroosh Bevalian Evan Blandini Derek Devera Nathan Fletcher Kaden Gamble Jonathan Hacker

Will Hook Andrew Lau Ryan Markley Angel Murillo Dillon Pan Derek Sheerer Jerome Spence Kelvin Snell Brian Sun Trevor Woo Yusuf Yanik

15

Senior athletes say goodbye “Senior night will be special because it’s the last time we play in front of a home crowd.”

Photo

by A

riana

—Derek Devera (12) Tejed a

More

no

“My favorite part of senior night was playing the game.

Everyone cheered loudly and the pool was decorated.” ­

Photo

mber

Birre

ll

Senior girls water polo players: Asha Agarwal Ella Berman Annabelle Bussey Rachel Fletcher Emiline Labbe

—Ella Berman (12)

“I’ve had so many good memories with my running family, and you can’t find that anywhere else.”

—Raj Penmetcha (12)

by A

Photo courtesy of Ri-Chee Chou

Senior girls volleyball players: Lily Collins Amelie Moya Dalia Querenet Anika Walch

Photo by Erin Loh Photo courtesy of Ri-Chee Chou

Senior cross country runners: Amna Asad Defne Clarke Melanie Contreras Maheda Schuyler Park Raj Penmetcha Jillian Rosset Varun Saraf Mia Tarkington Vicram Vijayakumar Collin Yoshida

“I am going to miss the feeling of playing because I absolutely love playing with my teammates and a community I can count on.”

—Amelie Moya (12) Photo by Amber Birrell

Supporting from the sidelines: athletes discuss impact of injuries

By Amber Birrell, Mae Richardson and Ritaja Subrahmanya For senior Collin Fan, one step was all it took. While playing soccer, Fan’s leg locked up and the impact of the misstep resulted in a bone bruise and a seat on the sidelines during the soccer season.

“Over the summer I was on crutches, which affected me because I like to go outside all the time,” Fan said. “I tend to live a pretty active lifestyle, so not being able to play sports and do things I like to do was difficult.”

When athletes get injured they often experience feelings of isolation from their teammates and the sport itself, athletic trainer Dan Yusim said.

“Athletes have that competitive edge,” Yusim said. “They want to be out there, they want to be with their teammates and to

be successful on and off the field.

Once they do have that injury, it takes away an aspect of their life, and they feel like they’re not living up to their biggest potential.”

Athletes sometimes overwork their bodies, which can result in overuse injuries, Yusim said.

“A lot of our athletes here play in clubs [in addition to sports at HHS],” Yusim said. “So sometimes it’s about pulling back those reins a little bit.”

Being unable to participate in a sport due to an injury for an extended period of time can also prompt athletes to question their future in the sport, junior Hannah Riggins said.

Riggins tore her ACL after a collision with another soccer player. Riggins said she is now unable to play contact sports like

soccer for nine months.

“Finding out I did tear my ACL and that it would put me out of sports for almost a year stressed me out, as there were a lot of things to take into consideration, such as the question of continuing the sport once I am recovered,” Riggins said. “Eventually, I came up with solutions to occupy my free time while getting as active as I can.”

Fan said he misses playing soccer on the field with his teammates, a sentiment echoed by junior varsity volleyball player Anya Agrawal.

“I miss the thrill of the game,” Agrawal said. “Getting a good point is so exhilarating, and I haven’t felt like that in almost seven months.”

Agrawal also tore her ACL in

March. After the tear, Agrawal said she had to undergo a surgery in which doctors removed two of her hamstrings and replaced her torn ACL. “The first few months were brutal,” Agrawal said. “I could barely go up the stairs and I got tired easily, but I think it took a huge mental toll because of the fact that I couldn’t do basic things like run.”

Agrawal said she feels as though she is not contributing to her team due to her injury. However, she said she still attends all the home games in order to support her team.

“Volleyball was my favorite thing to do,” Agrawal said. “Having it taken away from me and not being able to do anything about it took a toll on me. How-

ever, I think of this injury more as a setback rather than the end, and I can’t wait to get back.”

Photo courtesy of Collin Fan

HEALING FROM INJURIES:

Fan has been doing physical therapy to recover.

PAGE DESIGN BY AMBER BIRRELL AND OLIVIA SHEN

Spotlight

Friday, November 5, 2021

Illustration by Anya Agrawal

16

P A S S I O N fo r f a s h i o n

Fashion is always evolving and serves as an outlet for students to express themselves.

Expressing identity through fashion

Hot or not?

Students express their opinions on current fashion trends. Some are wildly popular — others, not so much.

By Macy Li

Platform shoes 71% 29% Yes No

Chunky rings 71% 29% Yes No

Colored sunglasses 42%

58%

Yes No

Collared shirts 83%

17% Yes No Based on a survey of 269 students Illustrations by Macy Li

Caleb Leung (10)

Lin said. “Currently, the fashion community has been [addressing important] issues related to the environment.”

For instance, Lin said recyclable clothing and concerns about environmental injustices associated with fashion have become increasingly popularized. As a result, many people have begun thrifting their outfits and placing a greater focus on sustainable fashion.

“These days, everyone is expressing their opinions through fashion,” Lin said. “Fashion can [reflect] what is currently [being discussed] in society.”

Throughout the years, Lin said his style has evolved. When he was younger, he said he limited his clothing choices to the confines of what he believed was considered “normal” in society.

Now, his clothes express the aspects of himself that he hopes to convey to others.

“Other people’s clothing tells me a lot about them, and I want my fashion to tell other people about me, as well,” Lin said.

By Keshav Kumar and Lindsey Steel What is fast fashion?

The term refers to cheap clothing that is manufactured, bought and thrown away in a short period of time. Stores such as Zara, H&M and Forever 21 contribute to this.

According to Vox

What are the effects?

Fast fashion brands often rely on underpaid workers in developing countries to produce their clothes.

These workers are subject to poor working conditions.

According to Forbes

What can you do?

Avoid major brands known to participate in fast fashion and purchase from sustainable brands, such as Patagonia and Omnes.

According to The New York Times

Photo courtesy of David Lin

PLAYING WITH COLORS:

David Lin experiments with colors to reflect his personality.

Illustration by Macy Li

Exploring fashion styles

Photo courtesy of Abby Berwick

Clean, original, stylish

Fashion has long been considered an artistic outlet for the younger generation: a means of self-expression. The identities of many students at HHS are reflected in their clothing choices, showcasing their authentic personalities.

In particular, junior David Lin said he has always been interested in fashion — specifically, the way clothing and accessories can offer the world insight into one’s character.

“When I’m trying to learn about someone, I often look at how they dress to pinpoint their personality and who they are as a person,” Lin said. “I’ve always been into that part of fashion — how we dress and the psychology behind our decisions.”

Lin said he explores an assortment of different styles, which vary based on his dayto-day moods. Still, the junior said he aims to express fragments of his personality in every outfit.

“There are many sides to me,” Lin said. “I play with bright colors, like neon colors, yellows or whites when I’m feeling happy. When I’m feeling down, I wear gray or [neutral] colors.”

Lin said he has a special approach to incorporating modern day fashion trends into his own clothing. Although he generally takes current trends into account, he said he always places his own twist on them, revamping multiple components to suit his taste.

“My take on trends is that it’s good to follow them at times, because they convey a lot about society in general,”

Delving into fast fashion

“I like jeans, hoodies and flannels. My outfits depend on the weather and what I feel comfortable wearing.”

Tiffany Yu (11)

Photo courtesy of Abby Berwick

Elegant, classy, edgy

“Business casual and academia inspire my fashion. I like to wear plaid patterns and collared shirts.”

Jayden Legeard (12) Photo by Macy Li

Preppy, indie, emo

“I like to try to stand out the best that I can.

For example, I like wearing chunky jewelry and statements in my outfits.”

PAGE DESIGN BY KESHAV KUMAR, MACY LI AND LINDSEY STEEL