The Union - Milpitas High School - April 2022

REMOVE SMELLY FLOWERS (3)

SKATEBOARDING CULTURE (4)

ASTROLOGY VS. ASTRONOMY SPREAD (8-9)

NG BADMINTON FAMILY (10)

WHAT IS LCAP? (16)

THE

APRIL 2022 VOLUME XXXIIII ISSUE V

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STUDENT VOICE OF MILPITAS HIGH SCHOOL

Admin uses restorative justice for discipline issues

By David Rendon

Restorative justice is an approach to school discipline that seeks non-punitive methods to discipline students, Principal Francis Rojas said in an interview.

Rather than looking at traditional punishments, like suspensions or expulsions, restorative justice aims to have parties understand the wrong they did and reconcile, Rojas said.

“We don’t like to use the word ‘punishment,’” Rojas said. “Usually, we call it addressing behaviors or school discipline, so it’s handled pretty much on a caseby-case basis, depending on what the incident is … Consequences could be as simple as a conversation, like an administrator conference, all the way to the most serious one is what we call an expulsion, meaning we are looking at an alternative placement outside of the school district.”

The ultimate goal of restorative justice is to address the root cause of a behavior and see how the school can support a student, Director of Secondary Education Maurissa Koide said in an interview.

“We are making contact and starting that process of [finding out] what’s caused this behavior and how can we support the student [and] the family so that they can come back and re-enter,” Koide said. “To me, that’s the restorative justice approach. So if you have to dish out consequences, and especially if it’s a punitive one, we have to make sure those

other pieces are in place, so we’re not setting up students to fall on that school to prison pipeline.”

Rojas said that California passed an education code bill, specifically 48900(K)(1), that barred expulsions due to willful defiance because of its harmful history of targeting minority students. This change led to MHS looking at alternative methods of discipline that focused on mending relationships rather than just suspension, Rojas said.

“We’re [not] just looking at a student and saying, ‘You’re bad, right? We give up on you. We’re suspending you,’” Koide said. “Instead, it’s the behavior … trying to communicate something. And so from that, we really try and get at the root cause, which would then lead to, hopefully, interventions and support that would … ensure that the student is getting the services that ... they need … And then the other thing is the ability to come back … right your wrong, and then be able to still move forward and be successful.”

Koide elaborated on this idea, saying that when deciding on the disciplinary action that will be taken three factors are considered. Students’ academics, social-emotional learning, and behavior are looked at and the school tries to respond based on where the student is struggling, Koide said.

“I would say, 20% [of students] need additional support that they may not get just generally in their classroom and with the programs that are offered, and then you would have some tiered respons-

es based on whatever their behaviors are or their academic needs or their social and emotional needs,” Koide said.

Rojas addressed the way restorative justice would work in practice and what steps would be taken to address discipline issues at MHS. “Instead of giving students the full suspension, could we do a restorative practice in lieu of suspension?” Rojas said. “So say, there was a fight that happened.

It was a big fight, five days suspension, right? That’s the max we can give by state law, five days at a time. If the family and the parties agree to mediation, follow up counseling… doing a harm circle to understand how each group hurt each other, and how they can fix this, we could reduce that suspension from five down to maybe one or two so they can go back to school.”

Social studies teacher Liza Gable-Ferguson said that while she supports restorative justice, it needs to be done properly, and MHS is not doing it right.

“I don’t believe that there is a community component to it,” Gable-Ferguson said. “Right now, what I understand is there are admin involved and parents involved, which is the larger community, but there also needs to be a student panel. I think we don’t know enough about it in terms of how it actually works and to be trained in it. Because I believe teachers need to be involved.

There are multiple layers of this.

SEE PAGE 16

DECA club restarts after officers removed

By Vania Castro

Most of the officers of the DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) club were removed from both the MHS club and the national DECA organization, DECA club advisor Victoria Lin said in an email sent to all DECA club members on Feb. 1, 2022.

Due to the lack of officers, all DECA activities are suspended until a new cabinet is approved by the advisors, Lin added.

The former officers were dropped from the club “due to gross misconduct,” according to Lin’s email.

Currently, the club has new officers and is no longer under probationary status, Activities Director Jerell Maneja said in an interview. The club is back to conducting club business normally, he added.

Regarding the incident, Principal Francis Rojas said in an interview, “I know sometimes with technology, either on chat or whatever, things are said. But when they’re said in groups, and it makes someone uncomfortable, that someone decides to be an upstander because some of the things that were said … those things could be considered sexual harassment … without going into more detail.”

Administration members dealt with the incident through thorough investigation and student interviews, Rojas said. In addition to student interviews, administration also contacted parents, he said. The assistant principals also interviewed the club advisor and other witnesses, Rojas added.

“From [the interviews], we could then figure out what actions need to be taken, … and I think there were actions taken at all levels, from the teacher level, the club level, the individual member level, ASB level,” Rojas said. “I can’t go into the details [as to] what actions were taken, because they are personnel issues, … but they were addressed at all of those levels.”

To deal with this situation, administration referred to California Education Code, Rojas said.

Consequences for members involved range from having student conferences to suspensions and expulsions, Rojas added.

“But another layer to this, because [DECA is] an ASB organization, … [is that] we as the ASB advisors, whether it be the principal, or Mr. Maneja or the club advisor, actually [are] responsible for the actions of that club,” Rojas said.

In addition to education code, a group called Fiscal Crisis and

Management Assistance Team (FCMAT) provides information on how to manage and organize clubs, Rojas said.

“So [the outcome is] all within the rules and guidelines of [education] code and FCMAT, and then, what we as a school or the advisors responsible for ASB also deem would be the appropriate action,” Rojas added.

Furthermore, the MHS DECA club was put on probationary status because the club did not have a stable officer team due to the officer roles being evaluated, Maneja said. However, when DECA established an officer team based on their constitution, their probationary status was removed, Maneja added.

“It was a joint agreement with the club advisor for the probation status to be removed once they have re-established their executive officer cabinet,” Maneja clarified in an email.

In terms of MHS DECA’s officer removal policy, their constitution states, “Officers may be removed for displaying irresponsible behavior or infringing school rules.

Reasons for removal must be stated clearly and presented to all club members. A vote will be held; a ⅔ vote by all active members in SEE PAGE 16

Arsh Ali| THE UNION

The seniors use their confetti cannons after their finishing their dance.

TO returns: Seniors win

By Sharon Talaia

The Class of 2022 won Trojan Olympics at the MHS football field on April 1, 2022. The juniors, sophomores, and freshmen earned second, third, and fourth places, respectively.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the class competition, also known as TO, has not been held for the last two years, making the senior class the only class at MHS that experienced the school tradition before, master of ceremonies Deana Querubin said during the event.

“We definitely put in a lot of effort into preparing for Trojan Olympics,” senior team member Jacky Thai said in an email interview. “We had roughly five weeks

to paint posters, create decorations, and learn choreography before the event. Since we started having workdays and practices later than usual compared to our past TOs, each week was packed with hours of work to try and get everything done. During the last week, we had evening practices every single day, some up until 11 p.m., and we even had to learn new choreography within two days before TO.” The hardest part of competing was learning and choreographing the dance, Thai said. During the event, she was both nervous and ecstatic, especially since the seniors only won by fifteen points, but she never regretted her deciSEE PAGE 16

WASC gives school positive review

By Riya Vyas

The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) Visiting Committee finished their visit to MHS and validation of MHS’s Full Self-Study Report on March 23, Principal Francis Rojas said in an email sent on March 30, 2022.

The California Department of Education works with WASC to determine the quality of schools, so every six years, each high school has to do a self-study to submit to the committee, Rojas said in an interview. “[The WASC committee] will come in and they’ll validate [the self-study] to see if those programs do what they say they’re going to do because funding goes into those programs,” Assistant Principal Jonathan Mach said in an interview.

The first area WASC observes is the administration and organization of schools, such as relationships between the school, parents, and the district, Rojas said. The other areas are curriculum, teaching and learning, assessments and accountability, and school culture and student

support systems.

“The part that was given to me was part E, which is about the culture of the school,” member of the visiting committee and Half Moon Bay English teacher Jim Toner said. “What is the culture among the teachers? What is the relationship of the teachers to the board and the superintendent?”

Toner was struck by the diversity in the student and teacher bodies, as well as in the curriculum, he said. Project Inclusion, in which the English department adopts more books with different ethnic viewpoints, inspired Toner to give the chairman of his English department a list of the books taught at MHS to incorporate more diverse voices into their English curriculum, Toner said.

“Your [MHS’s] test scores are off the chart,” Toner said. “[A third of your classes] are being taught at an elite level. The teachers are artists … besides knowing their material, they know how to engage students … There’s a lot of discussions, a lot of group work, a lot of pleasurable interaction goSEE PAGE 16

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THE UNION

PRO Valedictorian system equitable, fair, objective Each year, one student is cho- es, giving all students the opporsen out of the high school senior tunity to take classes that give a class to be named valedictorian. GPA boost. Additionally, critics According to College and Ca- of this system believe that the reer Counselor Marissa Canez, top student in a school should the “valedictorian is selected not only excel in school but outbased on their weighted aca- side of school. While using GPA demic GPA for 7 semesters. That may not take into consideration student must also have attend- a student’s extracurricular aced MHS [all four years].” I be- tivity, according to Sera Rivers, lieve that MHS should continue a writer for Classroom, students to use this system who participate in freto choose the valequent extracurricular dictorian because activities tend to have it is objective and higher grades, better its alternatives are test scores, and more inequitable. positive educationa l Using GPA to seexperiences in general. lect valediction is Thus, the current sysobjective in numertem is a fair evaluation, ical terms because rewarding students for it measures how merit instead of money. well a student does La st ly, a lter native MUSKAAN in their classes and methods of choosing a MAHAJAN ma nages cou rse valedictorian are inrigor. The valedicequitable because they torian has always been some- make it harder for students to one who was the best student excel. One alternative is considin the school academically, not ering student extracurricular the most well-rounded. There- activities. However, those who fore, using GPA as a measure are more aff luent have more of a student’s academic ability opportunities for extracurricugives an impartial view of stu- lar activities due to factors like dent performance. Moreover, family connections and money for ever y honors/Advanced to pay for expensive opportuniPlacement/community college ties. This privilege is the same class a student takes, they re- concern when considering an ceive a one-point GPA boost. By application process that reusing a student’s weighted GPA quires essays, as people who are for the calculation of class rank, wealthy have the ability to afMHS ensures that students who ford essay-writing counselors to have taken the most higher-lev- help them with their application el classes are in the running for process. Thus, other options to the title of valedictorian. choose a valedictorian disproSecondly, everyone has an portionately favor the rich. equal chance of becoming valeDue to these reasons, I believe dictorian. There is no prerequi- MHS should continue using the site requirement to take most current process for choosing community college or AP class- valedictorians.

CON Valedictorian system reductive, deceptive Currently, the valedictorian Students may feel more inclined is chosen solely on their grades to get an easy A or a 4.0 GPA befrom the first seven semesters cause they know they will be reat MHS. It is a simple process: warded for it, rather than taking take the grades, plug them in challenging classes that expand the calculator, and the greatest their knowledge and have more number gets the crown. long-term benefits.

The valedictorian is supposed Several qualifications should to be given to the “best student” be used to select the valedictoon campus, the one who receives rian instead of a single number the best grades, works the hard- due to its success in the college est, and shows the most resil- admissions process. Although ience. So for such a the student with the title, I feel this sebest grades may have lection process for worked hard for their choosing such a stuaccomplishments, how dent at MHS may be they achieve such a GPA f lawed. It has long should be taken into acbeen known that count. An application grades do not define system consisting of one’s academic sucgrades, essays, and access, let alone reptivities should also be resent an individuconsidered. To promote al. There’s a reason many students to apply FARDIN colleges do not fofor valedictorian, the HAQUE cus solely on grades, application can be kept instead utilizing relatively short and only applications with distinctive include a few short essays for questions and requirements to students to express creativity. gauge student capabilities.

Many high schools, such as our So if colleges have to take own, do not release class ranks more into account than just anymore because they realize a student’s GPA, why doesn’t ranking individuals by GPA is MHS do the same? After all, this ineffective and dehumanizing. award is supposed to represent UCs even recalculate a student’s the hard work and dedication GPA to take open and TA perithat a student puts in through- ods into account. out their high school career.

All these different factors Instead, students find ways to should be taken into considerinf late their GPAs by taking ation for a valedictorian applimultiple Teacher’s Assistant cation, to ensure the student (TA) periods and open periods chosen truly reflects the qualin convenient ways. Not only ities the position is supposed does this inflation diminish the to represent. The prestige that efficacy of choosing the valedic- comes with this award is far too torian, it strays students away exaggerated for an inaccurate from the right path of education. GPA to determine.

OPINIONS

APRIL 2022

School needs stronger restrictions on weekend classes With Advanced Placement er class that counts for a credit (AP) exams coming up in May, do the same thing? For example, students need to prepare for what would stop a P.E. teacher their tests to do their best. from having students attend Teachers are trying to help their class on Saturdays and Sundays students through in-class activ- for an hour at 9 a.m. and threatities and lessons, but I disagree ening to dock their grades by fifwith one method of preparation: ty percent if they do not attend? mandatory finals on weekends. If AP classes can already threatAlthough teachers have good en students’ academic standing intentions for having by i mplement i ng these Saturday finals, exams on weekends, there are some glarthen any elective ing issues with forcing can manipulate and students either to give break apart the time up their time commitstudents should alments on a weekend or ready have if there is face the threat of a bad a teacher motivated grade. enough. In addition, According to MUSD how would schedBoard of Education uling work if there policy, teachers can were multiple teachBRIAN hold weekend classes ers mandating SaturDINH for “supplemental inday classes? It would struction for students just be a jumble of who need additional commitments that assistance to meet academic would agonize students more standards or requirements.” than benefit.

Even though the graded finals Speaking of free time, the for these AP classes fulfill this weekends must remain a pillar requirement, it is questionable for a student’s time away from to justify having a graded as- school. Students already have to signment during a period that commit at least 35 hours a week should instead be used mainly to school, not to mention exfor supplemental instruction. tracurricular activities, work, Furthermore, if a class can familial responsibilities, and create a weekend session just homework, so weekends should based on students having “to be a valued time to get away meet academic standards or re- from all these stressors. Weekquirements,” why can’t any oth- end classes, especially ones that

constitute a major grade change, can easily lead to students being overstressed and unable to escape academic pressures, which may just do the exact opposite of what weekend classes are meant to do: help students.

Instead of banning weekend classes outright, because there are valid reasons to hold them for struggling students, MHS should enforce stricter rules to make sure these classes are being used for the right reasons.

One proposal would be to have supplementary classes be required for those with a failing grade in the class while those with higher grades have an option to attend. Similar to the AP class drop policy counselors have, failing grades would be a proper indicator of someone being in need of supplementary classes and would be meaningful to these students. In addition, remove graded assignments or tests from weekend classes, because solely having these assignments in a supplementary weekend class is not conducive towards meaningful learning; rather, it only works as application. If the student is already confused out of their mind as to what is happening in the class, they will only go on a downward spiral of failure when it comes to grading and when they are not taught properly.

Pungent f lowers emit putrid odor on campus Spring: a time of renewal, at Cornell University showed growth, and a symbol of new that the odor released from the beginnings. It’s a time to relish Callery Pear shares chemical blooming buds with compounds, such color f ul blossoms, as trimethylamine rolling hills of green, a nd dimet hyland the fresh scent amine, with amof nature. Unfortumonia and semen. nately, this pleasant The stench emitted imagery is absent at from these trees MHS, for while the also resembles the stresses of classes odor of decaying and impending exams flesh or rotten fish weigh on students, we among many other are annually assaultunpleasant odors.

ARCHANAA ed with the stench Not only do the RAMAKRISHNAN of cherry blossoms. trees spread a The small, stenchdisg usting scent filled petals envelop t h r oug hout t he the school grounds, clinging to campus, but they disrupt the buildings, carpets, and even the lives of students and faculty, students in passing classes, not as the wind carries these small only creating an uncomfortable white petals into hair, bodies, atmosphere on campus, but an and clothing, acting as an irunpleasant smell. ritant in more ways than one.

This grotesque species of These petals inconvenience f lowers, the Callery Pear, has the people on campus by the been called many derogato- sheer amount of them spreadry terms at MHS such as “se- ing through wind like a virus, men tree,” an opinion shared carrying pungent odors along by professors at the University with them. These seasonalof California, Santa Barbara ly grown f lowers bloom every and Cornell University who re- spring, bringing discomfort and searched the source of this pun- anguish all in one. Not to mengent smell. Research conducted tion the gross feeling shared by

the campus population when it rains and the damp petals clump in every corner of the school, or when the stifling heat carries the smell.

In addition, the placement and quantity of these cherry blossom trees across campus adversely affect students and faculty with allergies that act up during the springtime. For such students and faculty, spring at MHS is a battle as they are inconvenienced by the widely-hated blossom trees on campus. This creates an uncomfortable, and possibly deadly atmosphere for students and faculty with such allergies, ruining an entire period of time at MHS during the spring. Now, this is not a plea to eradicate all flowers on campus.

Studies have shown that flowers boost a study atmosphere by reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the air and purifying it with the varying pleasant scents. However, the Callery Pear trees on campus provide neither a good smell nor do they clean the air on campus. Rather, the trees inconvenience the student population and make for an uncomfortable learning atmosphere.

NFTs prioritize profit at artists’ expense Non-fungible tokens, also one else will buy your NFT off known as NFTs, have recently you for a greater price. The buyexploded in popularier is basically hoping ty in both the art field for the same as the and the business world. original owner was: NFTs are being touted someone else might as the “future of art,” buy it for more monand millions of dollars ey. It creates a giant have been invested in pyramid scheme in these digital images. which the item actuHowever, as more masally being sold and sive corporations and resold doesn’t actucelebrities jump on ally have much value, the NFT bandwagon all things considered, SHARON in hopes of raking in and artistic value is TALAIA more money, a key fact an afterthought. The becomes clear about big NFT sales that the reality of NFTs: it’s often make the news, more about the money than the where pieces are being bought art. at astonishing prices, are typNFTs are all about buying into ically bought in part to sway the market in hopes that some- more consumers into investing

in NFTs and crypto, a 2021 The Washington Post article stated.

A great majority of NFTs lack visual aesthetics and are often originally stolen from actual artists.

Unlike a great deal of digital art, the original NFTs often completely lack artistic value.

As NFTs became more mainstream, mainstream artists began being commissioned to actually draw these NFTs, but even more artists, typically smaller up-and-coming artists, see their artwork getting stolen to make NFTs. These artists see tons of their artwork getting sold without their permission and get no share of the profit coming from their own works.

According to The Guardian, DeCONTINUED ON PAGE 3

APRIL 2022 FROM PAGE 2

viantArt, a popular digital art website, has sent out 90,000 alerts of possible art fraud as of Jan. 29 since they started monitoring blockchains after a famous DeviantArt user had their art stolen to make NFTs. The amount of art theft going on in the world of NFTs is something that NFT enthusiasts try to keep out of the limelight, but the sheer number of frustrated artists against these digital tokens show the damage this money-making scheme is having on their livelihood.

Another issue surrounding NFTs is the fact that they are a very vulnerable market to money laundering, according to a study by The U.S. Treasury. Because all these NFTs are online and lack regulations, black mar-

ket gangs can easily put up NFTs for millions without needing a lick of artistic talent and have their different branches across the globe buy that NFT. These easy online transactions allow them to launder money to basically anywhere on Earth that has internet, and since these NFTs can’t really be questioned on the basis of actual artistic value, there isn’t much people can do regarding such transactions.

Finally, another issue that many people are becoming increasingly aware of is the environmental impact of NFTs. NFTs, just like cryptocurrency, rely on blockchains, which is a digital record of all the people who bought and sold the item, which consumes a lot of energy to maintain. According to a 2021 University of Cambridge

EDITORIAL analysis, Bitcoin uses up more energy than the entire country of Argentina. Due to the fact the vast majority of NFTs are geared towards making as much money as possible, much of that energy is taken from the cheapest sources out there: fossil fuels. Overall, just like cryptocurrencies, NFTs have a substantial carbon footprint and continue to drive up the costs of certain computer parts necessary to produce and manage those blockchains.

Ultimately, the various cons far outweigh the pros of the non-fungible tokens, and the few profiting off these seemingly lucrative trades do so at the expense of many. As much of the art community rebels against the NFT wave, everyone should also think twice before investing in the world of NFTs.

EDITOR I A L : The Opinion of The Union

Campus expansion invites student expression The Milpitas Unified School District (MUSD) and administration have been working on building a second high school campus to tailor to the growing needs of the students and faculty at MHS (a wellness center, performing arts theater, and more). As the student population of our campus is growing, community leaders have worked together to jumpstart a new campus to fit more students and beneficial programs, effective

by Aug. 2023. For these efforts, The Union applauds their hard work and diligence in bringing the wants and needs of the future students of MHS. MHS will have a new performing arts theater and a wellness center. As a school within Silicon Valley, a STEM-oriented community, it is refreshing to see MHS providing creative outlets for students interested in the humanities and the arts, starting with this new theater. This move to strengthen our creative community pulls like-minded students together to find their passions through mediums such as art, dance,

music, and more. Not only does it usher in a new sense of creative spirit within the students, it also promotes diverse mindsets when tackling new ideas and concepts inside as well as outside of school. As for the wellness center being built on the grounds of the previous theater, the school has taken action amid the troubling times of the pandemic and global uncertainty to address the anxiety and toll it has taken on the student body, which is a wonderful pivot into teaching self-awareness and care.

The proposed second campus to MHS, or the “Innovation Campus,” is planned to enter its first occupancy phase in August 2023. This second campus is meant to attend to the growing population of MHS and offer brand new tools, facilities, and programs to future students.

One of these new programs works to provide more internship opportunities for the students to learn about and explore many different career paths.

These internship opportunities will be given to students who

desire them in the new campus, and will help integrate them into such an environment to get ready for a certain profession or the workforce in general. Along with internship programs, the proposal for the second campus is meant to promote “‘global’ members of the larger school community,” according to a presentation to the district on the design and development of the campus. The students attending the second campus will gain a feel for what it means to be “global members” since the campus is oriented towards raising awareness for the world, career opportunities, and selfgrowth as students enter society after four years of high school.

These plans for expansion promote many values that resonate with students, such as self-awareness, growth, passion, creativity, and opportunity. By building a second campus, a performing arts theater, and a wellness center, the district is catering to the needs of its students in times of uncertainty and fostering the true potential of the student body.

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EDITOR I A L : The Opinion of The Union

Thea Seeberger • Photo Editor

Lax enforcement encourages vaping in bathrooms

Priya Thoren • Business Manager

This year there have been many issues with the bathrooms at MHS, including poor sanitation, damaged equipment, and closures. After the vandalism started in the fall with the “devious licks” trend, administration closed bathrooms in order to prevent more theft and destruction of school property.

But months later, there is still confusion about which bathrooms are open on a day-to-day basis.

In addition, many students have noted the frequent smell of marijuana and the constant vaping that occurs in the bathrooms. Students can often be seen leaving class and meeting up with friends in order to smoke in the stalls, especially in the lower L building bathrooms.

Throughout the school day, it is a common occurrence to see groups of people in the stalls, with smoke coming out of those stalls. Some vapers even bang on the doors, forcing those using the restroom to vacate stalls so that they can smoke.

These problems have been allowed to progress so far that many students often are unable to use the restroom during school hours or feel uncomfortable due to the secondhand smoke or unsanitary conditions

they might face.

A contributing problem is that so many students are out of class and are seemingly allowed to roam the campus without any restrictions. Some teachers do not care when students leave their class, when they come back, or how long they are out of class. This contributes to the rising problem of smoking on campus, as students find ways to coordinate with each other and meet in restrooms to smoke.

Recently, more teachers have been using bathroom passes, but many teachers simply hand them out as students ask and do not record when students leave and come back. This way, students take advantage of the lack of school policies and rule enforcement and find ways to cut class and smoke in the restrooms.

In addition, because there are many students on campus during class time, security is likely unable to differentiate between the students with valid reasons to be outside of class and those who choose to cut.

This situation raises the question of the school’s safety and basic facilities. The school’s lax policies are making it so students may not feel comfortable attending a place where they

should be learning because they cannot do something as simple as using the restroom. In addition, such problems arise only because of the same students who continue to break the school rules. Such circumstances create an inconvenience for the vast majority of the students and staff in the school. If policies like tracking the students who leave and handing out bathroom passes do not help the situation, then the few will create a disturbance for the majority.

These problems disrupt an otherwise positive school structure and environment and create a sense of estrangement in the rest of the students.

With so many smokers on our campus, MHS is starting to feel less like a school and more like a free-for-all, where students are allowed to come and do whatever they please. MHS needs to take action by issuing prevention policies, such as placing smoke detectors in the restrooms and having more staff present to monitor the campus, as well as enacting stricter discipline and behavior policies by authorizing consequences against those smoking, cutting class, or doing both. MHS needs to act before things spiral further out of control.

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OPINIONS

APRIL 2022

Park names may fail to reflect Milpitas values Masks should not lower with While researching a story for city council deliberately raised our last edition, my fellow jour- the sewer connection fees, effecnalist David Rendon and I came tively postponing the integrated across some interesting infor- development. On Feb. 8, 1955, mation about the Milpitas may- a Sanitation District ordinance or during the time the racially set the sewer connection fee at integrated Sunnyhills $100 an acre, which neighborhood was crewas incorporated ated here: he may have into plans for Agua been opposed to the Caliente to become interracial housing deSunnyhills. Howevvelopment. er, a new ordinance Thomas P. Evatt was that was introduced elected the first mayor on April 12 would of Milpitas by the city require the developcouncil in 1954, and er to reimburse the he presided over the original developer integrated Sunnyhills for the trunk line, RIYA development in the which is the “main VYAS 1950s. Agua Caliente sewer” that receives was the intended name waste from many of the interracial dedifferent places (the velopment until it fell through original fees only included the and was combined with another “tie-in” which is the part of the development to become Sunny- sewer that would go from the dehills. One obstacle to creating the velopment to the trunk line). This interracial neighborhood was that new change raised the total price the city council raised the sewer for the development from $5,500 connection fee, according to “The to $30,600.

Color of Law” by Richard Roth“This new ordinance may have stein. been fair, but the way it was inJournalist Sam Hanson, in a troduced gave reason to suspect Los Gatos Daily Times – Saratoga that the intention was to block the Observer news article published development of Agua Caliente,” on May 19, 1955, “Off the Beat: according to “Trade Union SponInter-Racial Issue Rears Its Ugly sorship of Interracial Housing: A Head In Milpitas Housing,” inter- Case Study.” The ordinance was viewed Ed Levin, the chairman of not mentioned before it was inthe Milpitas Sanitation District, troduced, giving developers no who said directors Tom Evatt and time to prepare.

Tom Cardoza were attempting The Ford Company’s United to block the interracial develop- Auto Workers (UAW), who were ment. sponsoring the development, “Levin put the finger on his fel- asked for an exemption from the low directors for attempting to city’s new ordinance because they block the inter-racial project,” the had not been notified and would article stated. be unable to add it to the house One of those members was Tom prices without making houses unEvatt, who “did not think it would affordable for the intended buybe a great loss if the subdivision ers. never got developed, because …

The meeting minutes indicate the Ford workers’ tract would de- that Cardoza believed the ordipress property values in Milpitas,” nance was fair because “it was an Rothstein wrote. amount that would be eventualMilpitas City Council meeting ly refunded to the subdivider,” minutes from April 12, April 20, and “it would be outrageous for a and May 3, 1955 detail how the subdivider to get the refund after

charging it to the buyers,” even though it was clear the buyers could not be charged. Evatt seconded the motion.

Arnold Callan, sub-regional director of the UAW, said that without the exemption, “his people would be legislated out of business,” according to the meeting minutes. Evatt responded that nobody would be out of business and the fees required a payment that was “a very small fraction of the total investment.” After three city council meetings debating the issue, the May 3 meeting minutes detail that “on the motion of Director Evatt, seconded by Director Cardoza, the Agua Caliente request was denied.”

The union asked California’s Attorney General to investigate charges that racial discrimination led to the sewer line controversy, and “the assignment of a deputy attorney general to investigate was effective in ‘obtaining more cooperation from local government officials,’” according to a 1961 report by the Commission on Civil Rights.

Evatt denied that his motion was racially discriminatory, but according to Rothstein, “The mayor claimed that Negroes inquiring about housing had told him that they did not want to go where they weren’t wanted.”

Both Evatt and Cardoza currently have parks named after them in Milpitas. While these two council members were present during the birth of Milpitas, do they deserve to be honored by local parks? If it is true that they actively worked against the interracial housing development in Milpitas, the citizens of Milpitas should consider renaming the parks that currently commemorate these two men.

Some may claim that the 1950s were a different era. However, as our morals progress, our society should reflect that change; this begins with looking critically at who we are choosing to honor and why.

Star athlete Norwood tackles college recruitment

By Muskaan Mahajan

Senior John Norwood is the captain of the MHS varsity football team, and has been playing the sport since sixth grade. Before joining the high school team, he played for the Milpitas Knights, Norwood said. His family has supported his football career by providing him with resources and tools that will help him become successful, Norwood added.

“I actually flew out to Texas this past summer to go train with some NFL trainers, and I tried to block some players that are in the league now,” Norwood said. “I had a contact with this coach out there, and he told me that he runs this training here [for NFL guys] in Texas during the NFL off-season. And so I sent him my film and I was like, ‘Would you accept me to come train with you guys just so I can get some of that next level training?’ and they [accepted] me.”

Currently, Norwood plays the defensive end and tight end positions; in the past, he played the wide receiver, running back, and quarterback positions, he said.

Throughout his football career he has had major injuries such as a broken hand, concussions, and a strained back, Norwood added.

“With Coach King there really is no off-season, because once the season ends we have about a week or two and then we’re back at practice,” Norwood said. “During the season, practices are from four to seven, and in the off-season, normally about the same length, but we’ll have weights which will make it a little longer, so about three to four hours.”

Norwood has received an offer to play at Bethany College, and is in the process of talking with the University of Hawai’i, New Mexico, and UC Davis, he said. He recently visited UC Davis where he received information about the

school and was offered tickets to watch a football game, he added.

“I knew that I wanted to play at the next level pretty early on, maybe sophomore or junior year, and junior year football season was short. It was only five games because of COVID, and we didn’t get that much opportunity to play, and I didn’t get much opportunity to showcase what I can do,” Norwood said. “So senior year I... got to work hard. And so I did and I got some pretty good films. And I just edited it together to make it in one place for coaches to see.

And I’ve posted it on every single coach email I can find, and just sent it out to a bunch of different coaches and hope that they reply.”

Outside of football, Norwood is interested in investing in stocks, he said. The main reason he became interested in stocks is because it allows him to make mon-

lifted mandate in California

The mask mandate has lift- not jump from going completeed at MHS as of March 11, 2022. ly off campus to letting go of the Though many people are excited mask mandate within the span of and in a rush to get back to “nor- only a few months. COVID-19 has mal life” as it was before masking shown itself to be very unpredictrules and social distancing, it may able, with new variants coming to be too soon to rip off our masks the light just as we think the pandemic is over for everyone. This just yet. unpredictable nature On June 15, 2021, can have a big effect California lifted its on us as a communimask mandate for the ty, creating fear and first time, but it was reanxiety, and safety instated shortly after precautions should a significant increase be kept in place to in cases. During June maintain the health 2021, cases were deand safety of stucreasing, but people dents and faculty. got too comfortable I do not believe with the idea that, that masks should since policies were beTHEA be mandated forevcoming more relaxed, SEEBERGER er, but despite the they could be less steady decline of considerate regarding cases the past weeks, the ongoing pandemic. Research from the California it would be better to hold off a litDepartment of Health shows that tle longer until cases are as low as of June 7, 2021, a week before as possible. John Swartzberg, the first lifting of the mask man- an infectious disease expert in date, COVID-19 cases occurred UC Berkeley’s School of Public in 2.6 out of every 100,000 people Health, suggested in an article in in the Bay Area. Meanwhile, as of the San Francisco Chronicle that Feb. 7, 2022, 60.8 people out of this decision was “premature”every 100,000 people have tested maybe about two or three weeks positive for COVID. Compared to too soon. “It’s been so wonderful before, the number of cases has to see the dramatic drop in the multiplied tremendously, and yet number of cases from the horrible some people are so desperate to surge that we’ve been through, but go back to normal that they disre- there’s no written law in nature gard these facts and the possible that says this is going to continconsequences. Considering the ue,” Swartzberg said in an interprevious effects of lifting the man- view with Margie Shafer on KCBS date while the cases were lower, Radio. Once again, the future of the probability of this action be- the pandemic is unforeseeable, so ing successful and continuing to until we know for sure the cases keep the pandemic at bay is even are low and staying low it would be better to maintain masking. lower than before.

It is still strongly recommended Not long ago, the Omicron variant had a colossal impact on our by the district that we keep our school, with an average of 450 masks on despite the mandate absences a day and over 200 pos- being lifted, and doing so may be itive cases urgently leading to an for the best for our community. At optional distance learning period the end of the day, we have been during the week of Jan. 10. Even wearing masks for two years and though the cases have greatly are used to it by now. So, what’s a decreased since then, we should bit longer?

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APRIL 2022

VOL. 4

From the District Office & Board of Education

5

THE UNION MARCH 2022

"Covid-19 doesn't care

"There are many

how rich or poor you are

challenges we face in

or the color of your skin. It

COVID, caring for one

doesn't discriminate. Be

another is essential."

inclusive and spread

Superintendent Cheryl Jordan

CLERK MINH NGO

pRESIDENT kELLY yIP-cHUAN

kindness to one another!"

VICE PRESIDENT CHRIS NORWOOD

"What could you do

"Be

to make the world a

respectful

better place? Lead by allowing people to be themselves.

Make your purpose about them, not

to those who do and don’t wear masks."

about yourself.

Value kindness over appearance. Be safe, be kind, and be courteous."

TRUSTEE MICHAEL TSAI "I recommend everyone wear a mask, and wear

TRUSTEE HON LIEN “Coronavirus does not care about party and politics.

It succumbs to kindness, respect and scientific knowledge. Let’s together stay safe.”

one myself. But if your classmate isn't wearing one, please don't shame or ostracize them for it. Respect the choices of others."

6

FEATURES

THE UNION

APRIL 2022

Thespian Troupe combines talents with Arras Periodical

By Riya Vyas

Muskaan Mahajan | THE UNION

Kathleen Downum stands in front of her whiteboard in her classroom.

Downum dives into teaching physics

By Muskaan Mahajan

You may know Kathleen Downum as the AP physics 1 and 2 teacher at MHS. At a very early age, she was exposed to the physical sciences which inspired her to major in physics at Cornell University.

“When I went to high school, I had a … teacher, who, when he came into class, was bouncing with excitement because the admin had told him he had enough sections to teach physics. He was good at explaining physics,” Downum said. “And so that’s how I ended up in specifically physics out of all of the various STEM fields.”

Downum was also influenced by her family, especially her dad, she said. He had a Ph.D. in nuclear physics and worked in telecommunications, writing the standards that allow equipment from different vendors to do the same thing and therefore work together, she added.

“I tend to actually like the basic stuff more than the fancy stuff,” Downum said. “I just like the everyday mechanics, the waves, the electricity, and circuits. So I can’t really pick a favorite out of those, but it’s definitely the basic level, which is also part of why teaching at the high school level works so well with that.”

After finishing her bachelor’s degree in physics, Downum attended Stanford University for her Ph.D. program. She did her

Ph.D. research n particle physics in neutrinos.

“I spent a lot of years there, [but] I ultimately ended up walking away from the Ph.D. program and not completing it,” Downum said. “But I kept my master’s.

There were lots of factors, but one of the main ones was that I liked the basic stuff and that I liked being the TA and teaching the students, and I realized I hated doing the research.” “[Becoming a teacher] made it feel like the last few years of that degree were useless. I just have to remind myself that you learn as you go, and you can’t do everything perfectly,” Downum said.

“Changing over to teaching the content is very straightforward for me,” Downum said. “I’m not a social butterfly. I tend to be more task-driven than people-driven so making that adjustment to students and being like, ‘Okay, this is what I need you to do.’ And sometimes I need to communicate that.”

Downum recommends students interested in the teaching profession to “look for opportunities to practice explaining things to other people, and see if that’s fun for you,” Downum said. “If you get frustrated when the person does not understand it the third time, [then going into this profession] is probably not a good idea. But if that’s something that interests you when they get [it] after you say it five times … then that’s a good sign.”

The MHS Thespian Troupe and The Arras Periodical are collaborating on a production with scenes written by Arras members and acted out by members of the Thespian Troupe.

President of the Thespian Society and member of Arras, senior Vyoma Bhanap said the idea for the collaboration struck her because she realized that both organizations had members with a passion for creative expression and social awareness.

“I don’t think we usually associate theater with literary activities or photography or digital art,” Bhanap said. “They’re considered to be extrovert and introvert activities. But after having been in these clubs, I’ve seen that there are plenty of introverts in theater and plenty of extroverts in the Arras periodical. … The same creativity can be applied everywhere.”

Bhanap said she served as a bridge between the two organizations because she was in both.

She encouraged the Thespians to make introduction videos so Arras members could get a sense of their theatricality and humor.

The theme given to the writers was “mirrors,” sophomore Kim Vu said in an email inter-

view. “For my story, I wanted to reflect and ‘mirror’ how people have changed and responded to lonely and isolating times of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Writing scripts required her to reconsider what sounded realistic, how to establish pacing, and how to build multidimensional scripts through speech alone, Vu said.

“One thing that seeing the writing process and being able to interact with all these incredible writers has taught me is that every single word that they put into a script is incredibly intentional,” Bhanap said. “So when you look at that as a performer … you really have to start thinking, ‘Why is it there? What is the audience learning about my character through this little piece of dialogue or this description?’”

Since the collaboration is being headed by students, it gives them a sense of purpose and responsibility, as they have to book theaters, set up meeting dates, and work around schedules, Bhanap said.

“There’s a lot more freedom when it comes to expression,” Ianna Carreon said. “A lot of the writers and a lot of the actors are able to speak out their mind because we’re all just peers.”

The Thespian Society is put-

ting together a showcase of the screenplays created with Arras, Bhanap said. Arras writers, who usually have to submit monthly pieces, have been given January through March to focus solely on writing pieces for the collaboration, she added.

“A lot of the people that joined Thespian Society hoped that they could perform in some way, and now people are really getting involved with this collaboration because it’s a chance for them to be able to be on stage and perform and try out acting,” Carreon said.

Thespian Society advisor Kaila Schwartz was very supportive of the collaboration, Bhanap said.

Bhanap added that she is excited to see the community’s reactions to the screenplays, as many of them are incredibly personal and societally impactful.

“I feel like the MHS community will really really resonate with some of these things. [The writers] are talking about things like being compared to your siblings, having to deal with loss and grief, having to deal with … societal beauty standards, learning about decriminalization,” she said.

The students are planning to put on a large showcase for the school and then later do smaller versions at community and senior centers, Carreon said.

Students start new businesses

By Angelina Barnes

Students have so many options for extracurricular activities, such as community service and sports. However, some students have begun using their interests to their advantage by creating their own businesses.

Junior Margarett Nguyen began her cosmetic business online in 2019 before expanding to a physical store.

“We gained many followers [online] due to quarantine [and] ended up opening a kiosk in the middle of the [Great] Mall,” Nguyen said.

The store sells cosmetics, jewelry, accessories, nail supplies, and other types of products online, Nguyen said.

“Online, I learned Instagram algorithms, which was how I was able to gain an audience,” Nguyen said.

After opening her business in the Great Mall and moving from a smaller kiosk to a full scale store, she began to learn other customer service skills, Nguyen added.

“I learned how to communicate with customers in person, accommodate my store to fit needs, and restock items,” Nguyen said.

When asked about any tips for students looking to start businesses, Nguyen stated that she believes that self-confidence is a key aspect of any successful business.

“My best advice is to believe in yourself; if you put your mind to it, you will succeed,” Nguyen said.

Sophomore Aldrin Galindez recently started his own shoe reselling business online, which involves buying popular sneakers

or shoes to sell them to others for an affordable price.

“I’ve gained a lot of experience with customer service and customer interaction, [and] I’ve learned how to manage my money better,” Galindez said.

Galindez also mentioned that time management is key when running a business, and it is important to not get too wrapped up in the idea of making money.

“I [ended up] distancing myself from a lot of my friends because I [was] out hustling and they were [enjoying] their free time. Learning how to take care of yourself while also taking care of your business is a very important thing,” Galindez said.

However, many students can learn to properly manage their business while simultaneously enjoying their personal hobbies, Galindez said.

“I would [see] if you have any friends that are already into it, [because] they can help you out with a lot of terms and conditions that you might waste your time on,” Galindez said.

Sophomore Angel Coleman also began running her own business around May of last year by creating jewelry to sell to students at MHS. “I [use] wire to make jewelry with crystals, as well as handmade earrings and bracelets,” Coleman said.

According to Coleman, she has also learned to manage her time and her profits, as well as gain social skills.

“Don’t give up easily, customers don’t always come in right away, [but] it’s worth it in the end,” Coleman said.

Photo Courtesy of Carol Hamilton

Prathana Prasad poses in front of her painting “Eighth Grade” at the Dove Art Gallery in Milpitas, California.

Student spotlight: sophomore artist featured in art gallery

By Vania Castro

Inside the local Dove Art Gallery in Milpitas, different artworks of various sizes, mediums, and art styles capture each viewer’s attention. Among the pieces on the gallery walls are paintings created by an MHS student: sophomore Prarthana Prasad.

Taking art classes since the age of 7, Prasad paints her pieces in between the worlds of abstract art and realism. Her art style does not look fully like one form or another, Prasad said in a Zoom interview. Sometimes she likes to go for a realistic approach, which is what she went with for her piece “Eighth Grade,” one of her paintings in the gallery, she said.

“It was actually a stock photo that I copied off of,” Prasad said.

“The reason I named it ‘Eighth Grade’ is ‘cause I actually made it in eighth grade. I had critiques and feedback from all my friends that helped me … and it was my last core memory of life before COVID.” The artwork depicts a peaceful scene of a snow-capped mountain overlooking a still lake, with red leaves on the top border. At the foot of the mountain are trees in varying shades of yellow and

brown. With the stock photo as a reference, Prasad enhanced the picture and chose to paint this scene because it spoke to her, she said.

“I felt a surreal sense from the photo,” Prasad said in a text message clarifying her inspiration for the piece. “I wanted to depict that tranquility through painting.”

Another piece Prasad submitted to the gallery was a painting she titled “Simply Purple.” Contrary to the title she gave it, the artwork is not a simple painting, Prasad said.

“Maybe because it doesn’t look like a simple painting, it was kind of abstract,” she said. “I feel like it’s the total opposite of what I intended it to be, because I let my mind go loose. I created something I felt was more true to me [more] than it was real.”

Prasad painted both pieces with acrylic paint, which is easy to use because she can fix her mistakes using white paint, she said. She has tried other mediums such as oil pastels, oil paint, and watercolor, but acrylic paint remains her favorite, Prasad said.

“I think drying doesn’t take that much time with acrylic,” she said. “I can estimate how long it takes me to [make] an acrylic

piece – maybe three to five days.

[With] a big canvas, it takes more than five days sometimes.”

In addition to art galleries, Prasad has also participated in art competitions. She plans to submit more pieces to art galleries in the future, she said. When asked about who inspires her to create art, she mentioned her first art teacher.

“She taught me how to use your imagination to make art because when I started out, I would always look for reference, which is good; you should always use references,” Prasad said. “But she taught me how to use imagination, manipulate colors, and create themes. I learned to start blending different colors to form new colors.”

When you start making art, it can be easy to compare yourself to artists with amazing progress, Prasad said. However, their progress could be the product of years, Prasad said. On that note, Prasad advises beginner artists to keep creating art because the situation they find themselves in today will not be the same a year later.

“Practice doesn’t make perfect, but it makes you, and it makes your art so always keep trying,” she said.

APRIL 2022

FEATURES

THE UNION

7

Students, staff define importance of Trojan mascot

By Archanaa Ramakrishnan

The Trojan, Milpitas High School’s beloved mascot, is shared across the country as a symbol of a fighting spirit and strength against adversity. From T-shirts and sweatshirts to paintings across the sides of buildings, MHS takes pride in the Trojan spirit, pushing students and faculty to keep a brave face in times of trials and uncertainty.

The Trojan mascot is meant to signify the strength of the Trojan warriors in the Trojan War of 12th century B.C. MHS has utilized this warrior symbol to excite the student body, especially athletes who feel pride in their own team and the school they represent.

Sophomore Satvika Iyer shared her own experiences as a softball player and her Trojan pride.

“I realized that the mascot’s job is to unite all the Milpitas High students in one basket so we are united as the Trojans,” Iyer said.

“My softball coach affirms that we are the Trojans, and it is what defines us as a community.”

Teacher Michael Cummins

said he personally does not connect with the Trojan mascot but understands that it is a popular mascot to have in schools because of its history of strength and fighting spirit.

“Toughness rising above setbacks” is the phrase Cummins used to express the Trojan spirit and how it correlates with MHS. Teacher Frank Castro also expressed the same opinion of the school mascot as Cummins, saying it was not representative of the high school due to its name.

By deriving a mascot from the meaning of the name “Milpitas,” which in Spanish means “place of the little cornfields,” Castro said a more fitting name would be the Huskers, similar to the University of Nebraska’s mascot.

“We’re a tight-knit community, a one-school town,” Castro said about Milpitas as a whole and explained how that should be taken into consideration when creating the mascot for the school.

Castro explained that the Trojan mascot belonged to the second high school in Milpitas, Ayer High School. The school shut

down in 1980 and MHS, originally the Patriots, took ownership of the Trojan mascot and has kept it now for more than forty years, according to Castro.

Senior Aiden Carbonell said the Trojan mascot can have both positive and negative meanings.

“I’ve met dozens of students who, I would argue, embody the fighting spirit through their hard work ethic and endurance,” Carbonell said. “Regarding the negative connotation, I feel that the fighting spirit of the Trojan could represent the increasing amount of rebellion at our school; many staff members and security guards, who are responsible for dealing with these students, can likely say the same.”

Senior Jeff Nguyen shares this opinion, who says the spear Tony the Trojan holds somehow correlates in representation to the school fights in the past school year.

However, while the symbolism of the mascot is subjective, the MHS student body is better represented through the academic, athletic, and social culture.

Seniors explore college, career options

By Brian Dinh

With only two months left in the academic school calendar, many seniors are looking towards what to do after high school. Seniors throughout MHS shared their experiences over the past four years and what they plan on doing after graduation.

Evelyn Tran said in an interview that she is looking to study psychology in college after leaving MHS. She has been accepted into San Jose State University, University of California Merced, and California State University Channel Islands as a psychology major and is waiting for more responses, Tran said.

“I’m interested in psychology because I feel like this particular generation has been very aware about mental health, and with my own issues with mental health, I feel like I want to create a more positive environment that can help people,” Tran said. “My family’s Asian and very strict, and when it comes to mental health, they’re all like, ‘Oh, that’s not real [or] that’s not valid,’ and I want to make it so that the next genera-

tion doesn’t feel the same type of way.”

Tran is excited to leave MHS as she wishes to be more independent, she said. She thinks that in the future, she will have more free time for herself that she previously did not have, Tran said.

“Students should join as many clubs as they can and keep trying new things,” Tran said. “When I was a sophomore, I thought, ‘You know what? I have two years ahead of me and I have time to do it,’ and then COVID hit, and so I had no time to have an opportunity to do it. So if you do have an opportunity, just try something new or do something that interests you.”

Virginia Flores said in an interview that she is still trying to figure out what she wants to do after high school and is considering her options. She has been accepted to San Jose State University as a photography major, but she is considering switching to other fields like environmental science or data science, Flores said.

“I think maybe in a couple months I’ll be able to figure out what I want to do,” Flores said.

“It’s probably because I feel overwhelmed right now. There’s so many options.”

Flores said she is looking forward to her independence and wants to learn more about the real world. Turning 18 comes with added freedoms and the ability to take control of your own life, Flores said.

“It’s okay to be stressed,” Flores said. “For the freshmen and sophomores, I would tell them to have fun in high school. For juniors, I would tell them to find out what they want to do.”

Gavin Zamora said in an interview that he is looking to study fire protection technology at Mission College after MHS. He plans on getting his EMT credits and joining South Bay Fire Academy before becoming a firefighter, Zamora said.

“There was the SVCTE class,” Zamora said. “I joined that and learned a lot more about it. It’s all hands-on learning.”

Zamora said he was inspired to become a firefighter because of his visits to fire stations as a kid to see his father, who is a firefighter, he said.

Photo Courtesy of team ecoway

Team Ecoway plans on renovating the school gardens on campus.

EcoWay looks towards school garden for making campus greener

By Sharon Talaia

Team EcoWay has turned their eyes on the school garden near the L building in hopes of gaining permission to use the school facilities to promote a greener school, EcoWay President Dakshata Raghavendra said in an interview. The club has worked on similar projects in the past and is looking to make a more direct impact within the MHS community, Raghavendra added.

Another club currently has access to space as well, so Ecoway has been working out an agreement with school administration about also being able to use the school gardens, Raghavendra said. “[The gardens] always looked very dried out,” Raghavendra said. “Our goal has always been to make more people do gardening.

We started off by telling people to make gardens at their homes and doing home gardens. However, we thought of including that kind of gardening theme at our school.”

The school garden would be very accessible to their members, which is especially helpful to the club due to the changing nature of COVID-19 restrictions and guidelines, EcoWay Vice President Vaibhavi Kulkarni said. It would also open up a lot more possibilities for their members to get directly involved in helping make and maintain a garden, Kulkarni said.

“We are planning to plant

drought tolerant plants, not only usable plants that are actually like usable products,” Kulkarni said. “But more than that, we wanted to spread awareness about the drought by planting plants that are drought-tolerant … so they [members] can apply this at their houses.”

The club is mainly thinking of growing various succulents like cacti, Kulkarni stated. EcoWay had a plant drive last year in which they gave out free succulent plants along with a workshop on how to care for them, Kulkarni said.

“We do still have to plan out what exactly we want to work on in the garden and how the timeline will look,” Raghavendra said.

“We are planning to apply for a grant. I’m a commissioner at the Valley Water Center, and they offer a lot of grants for these kinds of purposes. So there was a grant, especially for this kind of a project, like for a school garden. So we thought that would be a great option for us to use, because definitely there is going to be some money necessary; finance is a big part of this.”

In the meantime, the club is also concentrating on building home gardens and doing their vegetation propagation series until they receive approval to work on the school garden, Raghavendra said. They are also working on an upcoming event regarding water purification, Raghavendra added.

‘He was a skater boy:’ skateboarders on campus share their experiences

By Vyomi Seth

You see them in hordes around campus: baggy pants, graphic tees, beanies, and a board propped up nearby. Invented in California in the 1950s, skateboarding was a pastime for surfers during the off-season. Since then, skateboarding has gained great popularity and a large subculture, even debuting in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Senior Jeremy Berjes has been skateboarding for over three years. His first exposure to skateboarding was through the “Tony Hawk” video games as a child. He thought it would be easy, but after a few falls, decided to wait until he was older.

During his freshman year of high school, Berjes accumulated tips and tricks from other skateboarders, until “eventually [he] just got them all down,” he said.

Berjes added that skateboarding is difficult. “It takes a lot of time and a lot of practice and a lot of commitment,” he said.

The first trick he learned was an ollie, Berjes said. After that, he learned kickflips, frontside 180s, and pop shoves. He said the most

difficult trick he’s done is a tre flip. His personal favorite trick to do is called a late shove, which is when you make the board spin as you’re still in the air, he said.

“My favorite thing about skateboarding is that it’s a way to get away, and it’s like therapy for me,” Berjes said. “The feeling of landing tricks, learning stuff, the motivation, and when you succeed, it just feels so so relieving. It really does pay off.”

However, he said he also endured his fair share of injuries.

During his junior year, after he tried jumping down a ramp, he broke his right ankle. He warns that skating is a lot more dangerous than most sports.

Berjes encourages new skaters not to underestimate the importance of protective gear.

“I actually do respect the people who wear protective gear because they’re actually really smart, because I’ve had moments where I almost hit my head really bad and that actually pushed me to want to get gear,” Berjes said. “And if I’m trying something pretty extreme, I usually wear protective gear, but if I’m doing simple stuff, then I ride without it.”

Berjes also talked about the diversity in different groups of skateboarders and ‘posers,’ those accused of skateboarding just to impress others. He said there are the trendy ones, those who like punk rock, and some indie skaters. Some think that skateboarding is a fashion statement, but he perceives it more as a sport.

While music taste is connected to certain groups, he added everyone has their own unique style in skateboarding.

“There’s a big difference between posers and beginners, and as a beginner, I was called a poser and that I would never get good,” Berjes said. “Some advice is just don’t listen to them. Don’t give up. If you put all your time and all your effort into skateboarding, you will get good and it will pay off.”

Skaters on campus cited different skateboarders as their inspiration, from professionals to family members and friends.

“My cousin is my favorite skateboarder because he was the one that introduced skateboarding to me when I was little,” junior Gavin Martinez said in an email interview. “My favorite profes-

sional skateboarder is Nyjah Huston because I used to always watch his old highlights and videos and learn from him.”

Berjes also considers Nyjah Huston to be inspirational to his skateboarding, along with Sean Malto and Paul Rodriguez. Some of junior Thi Nguyen’s favorite skaters are Sunny Suljik and Aori Nishimura.

Nguyen, an on-and-off skateboarder for the past four years, was taught by her cousin. She said it can be hard to learn tricks, but when you first get into skating, it’s not too difficult to learn how to get on a board and ride it. She learned how to ride on a board in three days, but to actually take boards out on a ride in the street took her around one and a half weeks to really feel comfortable, she said in an email interview.

“I think that the skating subculture is very full of rich history that I really respect, but the whole old idea of ‘girls can’t skate’ is outdated, and some people have to learn to move on,” Nguyen said.

“Skating is a highly man-dominated field, but recently I’ve been seeing a lot more girls skating, so it’s becoming a lot more open.

Also, I think that, to a certain extent, poser culture is funny and can be good to scope out which people you actually want to take advice from, but it can be toxic.

An example is how mall-grabbing, [holding a skateboard by the truck (the part that attaches wheels)], is seen as a way to point out posers, but I think your skill speaks for itself rather than the way you carry your board.”

Nguyen is a fan of customary skateboarder clothing: comfortable, loose, and very easy to skate in. She likes that she doesn’t have to worry about what she’s wearing either because “we all look like bums,” she added.

Nguyen’s advice for beginner skaters is as follows: “Falling is inevitable and injuries will happen, that’s how you learn, so don’t get discouraged if you fall a lot. Also, please go to skateparks when you feel comfortable on your board to do tricks or go down ramps and bowls. I know that it will be really scary, so go with a friend; but people at parks most likely will help you out if you ask them. A lot of skaters are really nice, so they aren’t going to judge you if you fall or mess up.”

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SPREAD

Astrological systems across cultures

By Riya Vyas

We’ve all probably been asked our sign at some point, only to have the asker shake their head in disappointment or nod in confirmation at our response.

However, the modern Western zodiac is not the only astrological tradition.

Chinese Zodiac The Chinese zodiac springs from a legend in which either the Jade Emperor or the Buddha (depending on the storyteller) summoned animals for a race, and the animals’ order of arrival determined the order of the signs, according to Lisa Chiu, author of “The Origin of the Chinese Zodiac.” The zodiac could have been brought via the Silk Road, originated in early Chinese astronomy that centered around the planet Jupiter, or been created by Nomadic tribes based on the animals they hunted, the article added.

The zodiac has 12 animals, and thus there are 12 years between each year with animal classifications. Each animal has a role to play, which fits well with the Confucian hierarchy in which fulfilling one’s role is vital to the system, Chiu wrote.

Indian Zodiac The Indian zodiac, or Jyotisha, was created 5,000 years ago based on the Mesopotamian zodiac from the Hellenistic period (the modern Western zodiac), according to “Hindu Astrology.”

However, Jyotisha is a Sideral (stellar) zodiac in which the stars are fixed, as opposed to the Tropical (seasonal) zodiac where the sun is fixed, the article explains. The system is based on an imag-

inary belt surrounding the solar system which is divided into 12 areas, each of which is a zodiac sign. A sign is called a “Rashi,” meaning a heap of stars.

Jyotisha is very important to many Hindus, as it’s used to determine baby names, calendar organization, marriage, and other big life decisions. Despite using the same symbols as the Western zodiac, Jyotisha has different names and dates for signs.

Celtic Zodiac The Celtic zodiac is based on a lunar cycle of 13 months and is composed of trees sacred to Druids. Instead of constellations, the Celtics used trees to symbolize signs, as trees were considered vessels of infinite wisdom, according to “The Celtic Zodiac: What is Your Sign?” Each symbol represents qualities of the Oghma tree, which symbolizes the god of poetry, Ogma; it also corresponds to a letter in the Ogham alphabet and a guardian animal.

Egyptian Zodiac The Egyptian zodiac, or Dendera, contains 12 signs each representing an Egyptian god, according to Hayley White, author of “The History and Importance of Egyptian Astrology.” These gods were believed to show themselves at a point of maximum power called “At.” Each god was associated with a planet or a star, and Egyptian astrology was very influential in medicine and philosophy.

“Anything in the human body, including individual organs and body parts, was assigned a God… if a particular body part became ill, it was assumed that the assigned God was causing issues,” White wrote.

APRIL 2022

What does your zodiac sign say about you?

By Mia Liu

Most people have heard of zodiac signs. Whether we believe in them or not, they can still be fun to read just to see how accurate they really are. Horoscope readings change daily, but there are some generalized personality-related ideas that can apply to you all year round. The following is information about each horoscope from the website “Astrology Zodiac Signs.”

Aries - Fire - (March 21 - April 19) Typically full of energy, they tend to be quite competitive, active, and impulsive. Although they are strong, determined, natural-born leaders, they are also impatient. However, they are great multitaskers. They are most compatible with Libra and Leo. Taurus - Earth - (April 20 - May 20) Those born under Taurus are reliable, devoted, loyal, and grounded.

However, they can be stubborn and unlikely to change their minds once they’ve decided on something. On the other hand, they are very committed to their causes. They are most compatible with Scorpio and Cancer.

Gemini - Air - (May 21 - June 20) Geminis are gentle, free spirits who find comfort in music, art, and writing, but they can get easily nervous and

become indecisive. They have an open mind and can truly be twoin-one, with different personalities emerging at different times. They are never boring and always have new ideas. They are most compatible with Sagittarius and Aquarius.

Cancer - Water - (June 21 - July 22) Cancers are emotional and sentimental, allowing them to deeply care for their loved ones. It’s easy for them to find empathy for others who are suffering. However, they can also be insecure and prone to mood swings and tend to follow their hearts rather than their minds. They are most compatible with Capricorn and Taurus.

Leo - Fire - (July 23 - Aug. 22) Leos are intelligent and brave natural-born leaders who have creative minds and warm hearts. Filled with positivity and self-confidence, they find it easy to work with others. However, with self-confidence comes arrogance.

The attention needs to be on them at all times, and they can easily neglect others. They keep their heads high and carry on, as they are generous and passionate. They are most compatible with Aquarius and Gemini.

Virgo - Earth - (Aug. 23 - Sept. 22) Virgos are very detail-oriented. Their

Student poll: do you believe in astrology?

By Tolay-Jha Flowers

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE VICTORIAN WEB

The beautifully carved sandstone slab of Dendera contains a map of the sky featuring the signs of the zodiac and symbols representing the days of the ancient Egyptian calendar.

Psychology of world of astrology

By Archanaa Ramakrishnan

Some people read horoscopes and believe astrological signs influence their behavior in their daily lives. Whether you’re a hot-headed Leo or a two-faced Gemini, many choose to adhere to these labels as a form of identification, believing it is a tell-all into their lives and personalities. But what if astrological signs and horoscopes were not meant to be so one-dimensional in terms of meaning?

What if they serve a greater purpose, delving into the world of self-awareness and consciousness?

The first thing to note with star signs and horoscopes is that they were never meant to be read as plain fact or truth, but rather a blueprint into the psyche of one’s mind and behavioral style. Star signs are based on the alignment of the planets, the stars, the moon, and the sun, which, in a spiritual sense, all impact us starting from the day we were born. The Babylonians conceived this idea in the first millennium BCE, according to an article from the Yale Daily News. They wanted to put meaning to people’s tendencies and personalities based on a predetermined set of ideas according to the day they were born.

But this raises the question of how a wide array of personality traits are covered by twelve zodiac signs and still resonate with horoscope readers.

The answer lies in the Barnum Effect, a psychological phenomenon named after P.T Barnum, who once famously phrased the quote, “a little something for everyone.” The Barnum Effect sug-

gests that while many traits among the twelve zodiac signs are vague, the belief that each sign is specific to one’s personality makes many relate strongly to such statements and crave an identity from them. This effect creates believers of fortune tellers and horoscopes since each statement is so vague that it can fit into any life experience.

While this effect explains why many people adhere to star sign labels, it’s perhaps harmless and even beneficial for today’s younger generations. Firstly, it’s widely understood that Millennials and Gen Z are the least religious generations in society. While previous generations had culture and religion to depend on for identity, these generations don’t, so they may rely on astrological signs.

Astrology as a whole is a very spiritual concept, putting power into a person’s hands. The phrase “it’s written in the stars” is largely used in the astrological world; it has become misconceptualized that people’s fates are not within their realm of wielding, when really, astrology promotes the exact opposite. Star signs and horoscopes were not meant to determine a certain fate. This spiritual manner promotes self-awareness and a belief system that pushes control onto oneself, and the idea is attractive to the youth today. Many individuals today crave the idea of controlling their own destiny based on vague characteristics since it makes it easier to formulate an identity and take power over their own lives in this fast-paced and uncertain world.

Although astrology is talked about a lot on social media platforms, it turns out that it’s not as hyped as it seems. In an informal survey conducted by The Union, out of 128 students, 69.3% said they did not believe in astrology while 30.7% said they did.

Junior Aari Vaidya said she believes in astrology. She has been into astrology since she was young, she said.

“A lot of people seem or they say that astrology is utter nonsense solely based on the fact that it isn’t scientifically accurate or open,” Vaidya said in an interview. “But I think, at least for me, it gives the sense of meaning or definition to where I am and why despite believing it or not, I think it’s quite interesting.”

Meanwhile, sophomore Duong Khuu believes in astrology but has a different point of view. He said he has been reading about astrology for about one to two years.

“I think there’s a connection between us and the universe. And I think that the stars are one of the ways you can tell more

about us as [people]. So I do believe in it,” Khuu said.

The majority of poll respondents said that they don’t wholeheartedly believe in astrology and that it is just for fun.

“I’m not that much of a believer in astrology because I don’t think it makes a big impact on us, my own fate, or whatever, so I guess someone telling me I’m a Taurus because I’m quiet or shy is not believable enough,” sophomore Anna Huynh said in an interview.

Additionally, freshman Hanah Edwin said that she doesn’t believe in astrology because she doesn’t understand the concept. “That’s because I just don’t really understand how you can actually predict the future with patterns in the stars. And that just doesn’t really make sense to me,” Edwin said in an interview.

Everyone I interviewed agreed that they would correct someone if they heard them say something incorrect or inaccurate about astrology but felt like people should be allowed to believe in what they want, as long as they have a clear background on what it is.

APRIL 2022

SPREAD

Constellations: stories behind stars

By Tiffany Lieu

ANANNYA BHUSKAT | THE UNION

plans are usually well-thought-out because they don’t like leaving anything up to chance. However, this trait leads to them constantly nitpick, worried that they missed some detail. However, they are loyal, kind, hard-working, and practical, finding the best method to complete their tasks. They are most compatible with Pisces and Cancer.

Libra - Air (Sept. 23 - Oct. 22) Libras are gentle, kind, peaceful people who dislike any type of violence or injustice.

They greatly value peace and will go out of their way in order to avoid conflict.

However, they can be indecisive and tend to avoid confrontation.

They are always looking for balance and harmony, willing to fight for justice and equality. They are most compatible with Aries and Sagittarius.

Scorpio - Water (Oct. 23 - Nov. 21) Scorpios are extremely diligent and determined people who hate dishonesty. They are also brave and strong-willed, making them excellent leaders. They greatly value truth, but this can lead to distrust. They are most compatible with Taurus and Cancer.

Sagittarius - Fire (Nov. 22 - Dec. 21) People born under Sagittarius are openminded and love new things, thus greatly enjoying traveling the world. Because they are usually extroverts, they are full of life and bring good energy to any conversation, but they can be impatient

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and sometimes come across as blunt.

Yet, they stay optimistic. They are most compatible with Gemini and Aries.

Capricorn - Earth (Dec. 22 - Jan. 19) Capricorns are independent, responsible, and great at managing their lives. They have a lot of selfcontrol and value the utmost quality.

However, they can be stubborn at times and make rigid plans. They learn from their mistakes and correct themselves whenever possible. They are most compatible with Taurus and Cancer.

Aquarius - Air (Jan. 20 - Feb. 18) People born under Aquarius are unique, driven and independent individuals, and they value important and idealistic causes. They are unprejudiced when it comes to others, however, they can be temperamental and dislike being lonely. Although they seem aloof at times, they view the world as having endless possibilities. They are most compatible with Gemini and Libra.

Pisces - Water (Feb. 19 - March 20) Pisces are selfless and always willing to help others, even if they get nothing in return. They are also very creative, artistic, gentle and tranquil, and they always seem to have their heads in the clouds. However, they can be overly trusting and easily victimized. Despite this, they are compassionate people. They are most compatible with Virgo and Taurus.

Despite what many coming-of-age movies and rom-coms will have you believe, the night sky in the city isn’t exactly an astronomical marvel. Unless it’s a clear night and you’re equipped with a telescope, the lights of the streets and buildings will block out most of the stars. But if you ever get a chance to get away from the bustle of civilization, look out for these notable constellations to get a taste of what our boundless universe looks like.

Ursa Major According to the website Nine Planets, in the second century A.D., Greek astronomer and mathematician Claudius Ptolemy mentioned this constellation in his book, the “Almagest.” Nine Planets further stated that Ursa Major means “great bear” in Latin, and is home to the Big Dipper (which is not classified as a constellation, but as a distinctive group of stars called an asterism). Nine Planets also stated that the nymph Castillo is a notable Greek myth associated with Ursa Major: the god Zeus fell in love with Castillo and together they had a son, Arcas. Angry at Zeus’ infidelity, his wife Hera turned Castillo into a bear.

Years later, while Castillo was wandering the woods, she encountered her son Arcas who did not recognize his mother. Before Arcas had a chance to hurt her, Zeus intervened and turned them both into constellations: Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.

According to the Encyclopedia of Korean Folk Culture, in South Korean mythology, the constellation is known as the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper. In the myth, a widow blessed the unknown builder of a bridge she used to cross a stream, which turned out to be her seven sons, and when they died, they became the Seven Stars.

Orion According to the BBC, one of the earliest known depictions of Orion is theorized to be on a mammoth tusk carving found in Germany, estimated to be between 32,000-38,000 years old. According to the website Nine Planets, it contains the famous asterism, Orion’s Belt. According to the Michigan State University website, The constellation gets its name from a hunter in Greek mythology; supernaturally strong, Orion boasted that he could kill every animal on earth. Gaia, goddess of the earth, was offended by his bragging and sent a scorpion to kill him. The scorpion succeeded and both Orion and Scorpius can be seen as constellations on opposite ends of the sky—forever enemies. According to Nine Planets, stories about this constellation are also present in South Asia, where, in Indian legend, this constellation is known as Nataraja, the Dancing Shiva.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ISTOCK

An image of the constellation Orion.

Cassiopeia Like Ursa Major, according to Nine Planets, this constellation was mentioned in Ptolemy’s second-century book. According to the Michigan State University website, it’s connected to a Greek myth, in which its namesake, the queen Cassiopeia, frequently boasted about her unrivaled beauty. Once, after saying that she was more beautiful than the Nereids, the sea nymphs, Poseidon punished Cassiopeia by placing her in the sky. It is sometimes said that she was chained to her throne in the heavens, and she sometimes appears upside down. According to Nine Planets, the people of the Marshall Islands did not see a human figure and interpreted the constellation as part of a giant porpoise.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ISTOCK

An image of the constellation Ursa Major.

ANANNYA BHUSKAT | THE UNION

Ursa Minor According to Nine Planets, Ursa Minor was listed in star catalogs as far back as Babylonian times. The website stated that, like Ursa Major, this constellation also depicts a bear, as evidenced by its name, which means “little bear” in Latin.

According to the University of Wisconsin-Madison website, it contains Polaris, the North Star, and its own distinctive asterism: the Little Dipper. Additionally, Ursa Minor also has ties to the same Greek myth as Ursa Major. In the legend, it represents Castillo’s son, Arcas, after Zeus turns him and his mother into stars.

The website also states that, in Inuit astronomy, the three brightest stars of the constellation are known as Nuutuittut, which is commonly used to describe Polaris alone.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ISTOCK

An image of the contellation Cassiopeia.

What did NASA see on April 1, 1995?

ANANNYA BHUSKAT | THE UNION

PHOTO COURTESY OF NASA

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope captured this image of the Eagle Nebula Pillars.

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SPORTS

APRIL 2022

Anannya Bhuskat| THE UNION

The Ng family poses together in badminton apparel.

Ng family creates badminton legacy

By Anannya Bhuskat

Photo Courtesy of Sarina Bolden

Sarina Bolden, an alumna of MHS, proudly holds up the Philippine flag at a soccer field.

Bolden gets kick out of sharing post-high school success

By Thea Seeberger

After graduating from MHS in 2015, Sarina Bolden took on her passion of playing soccer professionally, and now plays for the Philippines’ women’s national team.

Bolden grew up playing sports, starting soccer when she was about 6 years old and eventually turning it into a lifestyle. During her time at MHS, she played for the varsity softball and varsity soccer teams, and now, she is in Japan fulfilling her first professional soccer contract.

“I always dreamed about it,” Bolden said in a Google Meet interview. “That was my dream and I didn’t know how realistic it was going to be because for women, it is challenging to be a professional athlete in general, especially as a professional soccer player.”

MHS helped her face these challenges and encouraged her to stick with the process and not get discouraged, Bolden said. Bolden pointed out MHS staff, including her photography teacher Ian Danielson, her psychology teacher Michael Cummins, and her soccer coach Mike Tomlin for their encouragement and influence during her high school years.

“When it came to sports, there was a lot of talent, a lot of people in all types of sports like track, basketball, volleyball, football team,” Bolden said. “A lot of the kids that I was growing up with were really good, and a lot of them went

far to go play in college. So being surrounded with an environment where people are naturally gifted was cool to be a part of, and that motivated me.”

Bolden said that seeing classmates and peers doing well in their respective sports motivated her to keep improving herself and make MHS proud, showing people that although we’re not a private school, we have talent and are ready for competition. She expressed the idea of having an underdog mentality as a way to rise up and break stereotypes and stressed the importance of trying to put forth your best efforts.

“There’s a lot of challenges that go into the sport, and especially the longer that you stay in it you’re going to continue to face challenges,” Bolden said. “Just because I’m playing professionally now doesn’t mean that, ‘Okay, the challenges are gone. I made it.’

No, you’re faced with even more and a different set of challenges.”

Throughout Bolden’s soccer career, she has faced many challenges and obstacles, she said. In 2020, she had taken a break from soccer and started to pursue a career outside of soccer and had to face the fact that it might be the end of her soccer career. This break was a challenge for her, but, after spending so many years focusing on just soccer, she was able to step back and learn more about herself and what she likes apart from soccer, Bolden said.

Despite this obstacle, when she

came back, she learned to value her sport even more because she missed the sense of community that soccer had brought her. She said she believed her break may have even been a blessing in disguise.

“I would say it isn’t even really about soccer,” Bolden said. “It’s about the people that you meet and the team community bonding. I really appreciate that because you don’t really get something like that outside of a team sport. I did take a break away from soccer, and when I revisited … I really realized, oh, community is everything and … growing and meeting new people is really important and special to me.”

At MHS, her biggest achievement was qualifying for the Central Coast Section (CCS). More recently, Bolden and her team won their World Cup qualifying match against Chinese Taipei.

Bolden said no matter the result of that game, she wouldn’t give up and her team would’ve been on a new route. Regardless, the journey isn’t over for them. Bolden attributed her successes to not getting discouraged and continuing to try at every step of the way.

“If you want it, why not try it?

Don’t just be like, ‘I wish I would have done that.’ Give it a try. And if you consider you put everything into it,” Boldensaid. “Enjoy the present. Take breaks when it’s necessary. And try new things, and you never know where that can lead you.”

As one of the most competitive and intense high school sports at MHS, the badminton team has seen great success over the past few years. Playing an important role in the success and victories are the members of the Ng family: varsity players sophomore Ehong Ng, senior Esien Ng, and Coach Jonny Ng. Jonny, who started playing over 40 years ago and has won over hundreds of awards and tournaments, joined the team as the junior varsity coach in 2020 and has worked alongside the head and varsity coach, Jerell Maneja, ever since, Jonny said.

“At the beginning, I was scared that somebody would say as a coach I would favor my daughters in the games and line-ups,” Jonny said in an interview. “But I did talk with the other coaches, and because I was coaching JV, they said it would be okay.”

It is quite a different experience playing with her dad as one of the coaches, Esien, who has been playing the sport since middle school, said. As one of the managers this year, she has had to learn how to treat her father differently and act professionally during games and practices.

“Sometimes, I feel like I don’t want to do some of the things he makes us do, like the cardio and conditioning,” Ehong said. “But then again, I have to remember that if it was some other coach, and he wasn’t my dad, I would do it. I treat him the same way I would treat any other coach,” said Ehong, who has been playing since she was in elementary school.

While coaching the high school team Jonny, who once believed that badminton was an individual sport, said that he learned that it is important to support each other and work together as one team, rather than focusing on one’s own game. He said he enjoys working with the team, and has learned the importance of coming togeth-

er and working with each other to bring success. “[Esien and Ehong] are equal to me, just as much as the rest of the team is,” Jonny said. “When we are a team, we cannot have any personal conflicts, as it would hurt everyone else. I set them as equals, and say something when they do not do something the right way or the way I have asked them to.”

Because badminton is such a big part of their daily lives, practice and coaching doesn’t just end on the courts, Ehong said. “When we get home, my dad will be more intense on [Esien and I], and even at the dinner table, he’ll talk to us about our games, and what we can … do better for next time,” she added.

Overall, Ehong added, she is extremely grateful that her father is able to have such a big influence on her and her sister. Without him, she would not have the skills and talents she now does, she said.

“Sometimes, conflicts do arise though between my dad and me, especially in regards to game lineups,” Esien said. “When this happens, I do try to get everyone else’s input, like the two other captains … At that point, it usually tends to resolve itself, and we brush it off.

Ultimately, I know that the coaches have a final say.”

“The entirety of the team is really carefree and loving,” Ehong said. “Everyone is super nice and the upperclassmen and varsity players have always been very open and accepting of everyone, and I think that is what helps us work as a team. I think it’s fun and everyone really enjoys their time there.”

Playing with his daughters is a fun experience, especially in a team environment, Jonny said.

It is interesting to see how they are different from how they are at home. Jonny would also like to thank them, and his wife, for being so supportive and encouraging of his role and helping him work harder and be more passionate about coaching, he said.

Vu rallies with successful tennis play

By Arsh Ali

Junior Winston Vu is a standout tennis player who has been playing at the varsity level for three years straight.

Vu began playing tennis in elementary school after his dad introduced the sport to him. He started to play more when he learned that all the adults in his family played tennis and wanted him to learn how to play, Vu said in an interview. “It was more of a traditional thing because my cousins also played tennis,” he said.

According to Vu, he practices on the weekends with his father.

“I leave my house and head to the tennis courts with my dad,” Vu said. “When we get there, we do some stretches and begin to warm up by just rallying with each other.

Once I am fully warmed up, I do practice drills, primarily focusing on my forehand and backhand.

Afterward, we just do anything like playing a singles match or

continue to rally with each other.”

The hardest part about playing tennis is the amount of dedication and practice you have put in to hit the ball the right way, Vu said.

“Sometimes, on certain days, you could forget how to swing strokes. Dedication and practice are important when it comes to that,” Vu said.

In preparation for every game, Vu said he focuses a lot on mentality.

“Before a game, it usually stresses you out and you’re nervous. So when you actually play in the real game, you mess up all your shots,” Vu said. “But I think if you can overcome that with confidence, it’s much easier for you to actually play as you would regularly.”

Vu said that it was very fulfilling to make the varsity team as a freshman.

“I expected to be playing JV. But on the first day of tryouts, the coach put me in varsity because he saw the way I played, and I think he saw something there,”

Vu said.

Playing for MHS has helped him become a better player by building stronger bonds with his teammates, Vu said.

“With a common goal of winning, we just try our best playing in our games while just trying to have fun,” Vu said.

Vu has faced obstacles while playing tennis, the most prominent one being the audience watching him play, he said.

“There are people out there watching you. And when you think about that, it gets into your head because you try to do your best, but at the same time, you can’t exceed those expectations they have,” Vu said.

For anyone who wants to start playing tennis, Vu said that it is all about focus.

“If you’re out there just to play, I don’t think that’s going to work,” Vu said. “You have to put [work] into actually trying to hit your balls correctly and hitting the shots you want to get.”

Photo Courtesy of Joanna Butcher

Vu prepares to hit back a shot with a forehand shot on the court.

APRIL 2022

SPORTS

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Phan chips away at popular misbeliefs about golf

By Ryan Teoh

Chloe Phan, the unofficial captain of the varsity golf team, dispeled popular misconceptions about golf and spoke about her and the team’s future.

“I think it’s the stereotype that’s been put on; many people think golf is generally a sport that’s made for rich people,” Phan said in an interview. “Obviously, people think golf isn’t even a sport to begin with. They’re like, ‘Oh, where’s the conditioning? Like, you guys are just swinging balls in one place.’ I think that’s why people look down on us a lot.”

Golf is much tougher than people realize, and there is a lot of mental and physical work that goes into it, Phan said. A golfer needs to stand in the sun for hours, hit one shot, walk a few miles, hit another shot, and walk another few miles, Phan said. And while a player is doing that during each shot, they also need to analyze and take their time, Phan added.

“If you were to look at chess, it’s really only looking at your mind,” Phan said. “If you look at volleyball or tennis, you really have to play each shot right then and there. But in golf you take your time, you really have to think. It’s a lot of thinking if I’m being hon-

est. In just one shot a pro could think, ‘Oh, I could do this. I could do that.’ But what’s the one shot I could really go for that’s going to bring my score lower?”

According to Phan, the best way to truly understand what golf is actually like is to try it out yourself, by going to places like Topgolf.

“I have a few teammates that literally just got started with golf, not even less than a month ago,” Phan said. “And they’ve said ‘This is a lot of work. How are you staying in the sun for six, seven hours a day, just hitting a ball and just walking miles on end?’”

The golf team also has a very inclusive and friendly environment, Phan said. They are generally really open about sharing ideas and thoughts with each other, whether it be about school or just life in general, Phan said. Teammates aren’t afraid to be vulnerable at times and share not just their metaphorical wins but also losses, Phan added.

There are also some big plans for the MHS golf team, starting with the possibility of a separate girls and boys golf team. They’re currently talking to Athletic Director Joanna Butcher, discussing funds, players, and schedules for a new girls only team. Currently, the golf team is co-ed, but

the team only goes against boys teams, since the majority are boys, Phan said.

“I spoke to a few coaches [at other schools], and they told us that Milpitas is probably one of the largest high schools, but we don’t even have a girls golf team just like every other school does,” Phan said.

As for her own future, Phan looks to play golf for a college team and is currently hoping to either go to UC Santa Cruz to try out for the team as a walk-on, or play for Redlands University in Los Angeles, which is currently in the process of recruiting Phan.

“If I’m doing business, I’ll use golf as a way to bond with the coworkers or bond with someone to make a deal,” Phan said. “I have a lot of family and friends who still play golf, and obviously that’s going to be a way for me to bond with them and still play okay at golf later on.”

To be successful in golf and sports in general, it’s all about mentality, Phan said.

“I would say, work your butt off,” Phan said. “But that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t take a rest. I make sure to listen to my body, make sure I’m resting enough. Always play consistently. Make sure that you’re staying motivated, making practice count.”

Photo Courtesy of Anderson Lin

Anderson Lin (right) prepares to wrestle in a bout against his opponent at the MHS large gym.

Jack of all trades: Lin wrestles, jumps, swims

By Fardin Haque

MHS is home to many athletes, one of them being senior Anderson Lin, who has played a wide variety of sports ranging from cross country to wrestling. In his journey from sport to sport, Lin has grown as an individual and has found ways to balance schoolwork and athletics while still being successful.

Lin’s exposure to sports began early; in second or third grade, when he says he started practicing taekwondo and playing soccer in Taiwan. After moving to the United States, between fifth and sixth grade, he began playing for the Milpitas PAL recreational league, and then joined the school team, Lin said. Moving into high school, Lin had a wider range of sports that he decided to participate in.

He made sure he was playing at least one sport every year of high school.

“I did cross country in ninth grade and tenth grade, track in ninth, tenth, and eleventh grade, and then this year I did water polo, wrestling, and track,” Lin said. He decided to try new sports this year because “it is senior year and I just wanted to try out new stuff, and then over the summer, I worked as a lifeguard and a lot of people there were doing water polo,” Lin explained. “So I was like, I’m gonna try this out because in junior year, I didn’t turn in my paperwork, so I was not able

to participate in cross [country] and I was like, let’s try something else this time.”

However, taking part in so many sports senior year also had its drawbacks, Lin said. He had to overcome certain obstacles that he had not faced in previous years.

“This is my senior year, so like, I go on the team and I’m on varsity, and then it kind of sucks,” Lin said. “Because everyone’s been doing it for at least two years, and I’m out here trying to start from the beginning. I kind of just listened to the other guys, like the seniors, and just followed them.”

For students who also want to dive into the world of sports, Lin shared some of his advice for what he thinks would be a good mindset for trying different sports like himself.

“Just don’t be afraid to walk up to the team. Don’t be afraid to be bad; it’s your first year; don’t be too hard on yourself. But still try your best to get better. I If you are trying out for a no-cut sport, then you kind of don’t get the opportunity to grow,” Lin said.

Although he only took part in wrestling and water polo for one year, he has still been able to thrive and reach success in these sports either through achievements or general personal growth.

“I did get one medal at a wrestling tournament. I think it’s also really good that I got in really good shape from it as well, with all the running and constant ex-

ercise,” Lin said “And for water polo, it was my first year, so I was really satisfied when I got one goal throughout the whole season,” Lin added.

As for his future plans, Lin has been debating whether to continue to pursue sports in college.

“I have gotten a few offers, but I’m not really going to commit to any of them yet. And so depending on where I go, I might try out for college sports, since it also takes a lot to do a sport, like two hours every day after school. Also, I’m afraid that in college, I might not be able to meet the standards depending on where I go. So it kind of just depends on where I am going. If I can actually do kind of well, then I’m gonna try it” Lin said.

Lin has also been an avid student in the classroom, taking challenging coursework all throughout high school, including AP Calculus BC and AP Physics 2. Lin described how keeping up with his studies has just been natural for him and he has just gone with his flow and managing sports and school never felt forced.

“It’s interesting learning how everything works for me. Because you know how physics and sports and how it is all related. Sports have a lot of physics involved…

I also knew I was going into the STEM field, and then it was just kind of exploring throughout high school on what I wanted to do,” Lin said.

Photo Courtesy of Jason Lu

Lu is an alumni of the MHS tennis team and currently coaches tennis.

Coach Lu sets up tennis program for more success

By Matthew Nguyen

Jason Lu is an MHS alumni and former boys’ tennis player who now coaches both the girls’ and boys’ tennis teams.

According to Lu, his time as a tennis player at MHS is what inspired him to become a tennis coach. He wanted to give back to the community that made a positive impact on him, he added.

“Part of the reason why I decided to be a tennis coach was that I had a really good time being an athlete on the tennis team,” Lu said in an interview. “When I first started playing tennis, my JV coach at the time, who is now the current varsity coach, really helped me out a lot. So down the road, I actually started helping him coach whenever I could. I always liked helping out the girls’ team even when I was an athlete here, and I just kind of kept that going.”

One of Lu’s main goals is to unite all the players and create a supportive community in the tennis program, he said.

“Even when I was a tennis player here, I noticed that there was so much division between the varsity and JV teams and the girls’ and the boys’ teams,” Lu said. “I want to improve tennis at MHS by bringing everyone together and being able to have everyone be a

part of a tennis program versus everyone just being a part of their individual teams.”

To unite the tennis teams Lu held a tennis tournament last year that included both girls’ and boys’ tennis players, he said. According to Lu, holding the tennis tournament was very important because it gave players a chance to have fun and bond with each other during a time when COVID made social interaction harder.

“For me, the tennis team is sort of like another family,” Lu said.

“Even when I was a student here, the tennis players were so close that we would do a lot of other stuff on campus together like ASB. Tennis is a good way to meet friends and just compete against other schools.”

Since becoming a coach, Lu said he has done several things to improve the tennis program and the MHS community as a whole.

“I started to do small acts of recognition that bring players together,” Lu said. “I’m doing small awards and things like that every week, not only to show players the potential they have, but to also just recognize all the great things that are happening on a weekly basis with both JV and varsity. I also started doing offseason practices like summer practices where both teams come together to hone their skills and teamwork.”

Swimming team makes splash

By Muskaan Mahajan

Senior Mia Pham started swimming at 7 years old. She has continued her swimming journey by swimming for the MHS Swim and Dive team. Her main inspiration to start swimming was her family’s many trips to the beaches of Hawaii when she was young.

“I chose swimming because it’s something I actually believe that I’m good at,” Pham said in an interview. “I like it since I’m proud of my skill and progress through the years. My favorite stroke is freestyle. It’s easy to swim, one of my best strokes, and not as tiring as the others.”

She has competed in almost all events, Pham said. However, the usual events she has participated in have been the 100 and 200 free.

“Since I don’t attend club swimming, and I’m busy with school and extracurriculars, my stamina is really lame, and I’m not in overall good shape at the beginning of the season,” Pham said. “It gets better after a week. I’ve improved since freshman year. My technique and times are consistently better than how I started out, although this year was a little hard to get back into since I skipped swimming in junior year.” “[One piece of advice is to not] stress about cramming everything into your schedule if you’re unsure of sticking to a sport,” Pham said. “You’ll probably be able to manage it somehow. Just don’t procrastinate too much.”

Senior Colin Tran swam for the Santa Clara Swim Club before joining the MHS swim team. He was inspired to continue his sport by his older sister who was also part of the swim team.

He likes swimming because “it doesn’t have balls,” Tran said.

“I suck at sports with balls and there’s no ball so it’s a lot easier.

I used to play tennis when I was nine…, and then I used to play basketball when I was seven, but I sucked and then did karate for a little bit.”

He usually competes in the 200 free, the 200 free relay, and the 400 free relay, he said. An issue with the MHS relays is that they do not have good transition dives because they have never swum together in the past, Tran added.

He used to participate in club swimming during the offseason to ensure he was in shape for the season, Tran said. He said that the practice times for both club and school swimming are two and a half hours, but school swimming can be longer if they have a meet.

“I sleep like eight hours a day,” Tran said. “If I can’t do my homework, I’ll just deal with it the next day. I want to go to sleep. [My advice to other athletes] is to get eight hours of sleep [as well].”

Tran believes that one way the swim team can improve is to heat up the pool for the students, Tran said. Additionally, they should purchase swim equipment and gain access to the weight room, Tran added.

12

THE UNION

ENTERTAINMENT

APRIL 2022

‘Moonfall’ needs to blow itself up; falls short in every important aspect RATING: 1 out of 5

killed all biological life. When the movie takes place, the artificial intelligence that killed all previBy Matthew Nguyen ous biological life has awoken and is causing the moon to crash into “Moonfall,” a movie depicting Earth. the disaster that would happen if The entire plot sounds like it the moon were to fall out of orbit came from the imagination of a and slowly crash into Earth, may 13-year-old boy who just learned be this year’s biggest disaster in about conspiracy theories. The the disaster film genre. fact that the idea for this disaster There are a million places where film was greenlit by Hollywood “Moonfall” falls short. However, and received $150 million in fundnothing quite gets worse than its ing is a disaster in its own right. cheesy plot. In the film the moon In addition to the laughable slowly falls closer and closer to plot, the acting in the movie is Earth and impending doom is subpar at best. Everyone seems approaching. No one knows dull and tired, and the backwhy this is happening until stories of the characters in the three main characters of the film are uninteresting the film venture into space and boring. Although there MOVIE are some notable actors like and discover that the moon REVIEW Halle Berry and Patrick Wilis actually a hollow structure designed by our distant son, the actors in the film ancestors billions of years ago. could not overcome the uninterIt turns out that at some point esting script. The film practically in history, our distant ancestors forgets that it’s dealing with an became too technologically ad- apocalypse—that all of humanity vanced, and artificial intelligence is at stake. A film about the im-



pending doom of mankind should not feel so lifeless and boring.

To make matters worse, nothing makes sense in this film. While I can ignore some of the uninteresting parts of the film, I cannot disregard aspects of the film that go against common sense. For example, in one of the scenes, two characters are on the third or fourth story of an apartment building when the gravitational pull of the moon forms a tsunami wave that destroys the entire surrounding area. Instead of fleeing to safety, the two characters in the apartment building both decide that the best idea at that moment was to go to sleep, completely ignoring the fact that they were standing in the middle of a tsunami.

Generally, I like disaster films.

However, “Moonfall” is a great example of how the disaster film genre just seems to be getting worse and worse. The film felt like blurry digital vomit being spewed into my face to mask the terrible plot and uninteresting characters.

PHOTO COURTESY OF DISNEY

Meilin (Rosalie Chiang), Abby (Hyein Park), Miriam (Ava Morse), and Priya (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) embrace one another for a group hug to help comfort Meilin’s tensions about transforming into a large red panda.

‘Turning Red’ ultimately feels shallow; needs more room to flesh out its themes RATING: 3 out of 5

interactions with her overbearing mother. A recurring point throughout the film was Mei’s

By Tiffany Lieu need to make her mother proud.

But, in her attempts to do so, she “Turning Red,” an animated became more of what was expectPixar film directed by Domee Shi, ed of her rather than what she was officially released in March actually wanted to be. As the film 2022, and was stunningly accu- progressed, this became a point rate in its depictions of growing of friction, and the generationup. It followed Meilin “Mei’’ Lee al disconnect that often occurs as she navigated her mother’s ex- between immigrant parents and pectations and her own desires. their children became apparent.

While the film focused on a Chi- What appeals to many viewers, nese teenager (who can also turn particularly the children of Asian into a giant red panda) living in immigrants, is likely the ability to Toronto, the awkwardness of see their experiences reflected in her experience with puberty still the film. While characterizafelt universal: she harbored tions and reactions are often newfound crushes, rebelled cartoonishly exaggerated, against her parents, and, “Turning Red” still managed most of all, struggled with maintain a feeling of auMOVIE to her identity. Yet, despite the thenticity.

REVIEW film’s attention to detail, repAnother contributor to resentation, and heartfelt the film’s realism was its diversity. message, “Turning Red” fell short It was a delightful surprise to see of being extraordinary. that Mei’s family spoke CantonThe film’s realism was striking, ese, as Mandarin is the more comdespite its heavy incorporation mon dialect. This deviation from of magical elements. Visual- the norm added another layer of ly, the film’s version of Toronto depth to their characterization. felt remarkably real. Details in Beyond Mei’s family, many other Mei’s home, like her stuffed ani- characters in the film were people mals or the dishes on her dining of color, which was executed in a room table, elevated the loca- way that did not feel forced. The tion from a generic movie set to multicultural characters of the a place that felt genuinely lived film came together naturally, and in. The writing also felt accurate created a vision of a real-life meltto the experience of the children ing pot. of immigrants, particularly Mei’s While Mei’s experiences were



portrayed accurately, and the film’s message of self-acceptance was important, “Turning Red” still felt overwhelmingly safe.

The story of a character coming to terms with themselves is tried and true, and it was not spun in a particularly creative way here.

The message of accepting oneself was sweet, but somewhat boring in its depiction. And while the theme of conflict between generations was touched upon, the movie did not attempt to make any insightful commentary about it.

Rather, the relationship between the film’s mothers and daughters was mended in a single night. The women were able to traverse decades of unrealistic expectation and disappointment by helping each other in the wake of a major conflict. While this was a plausible way for them to bond, this plot point may not resonate with audience members that cannot turn into giant red pandas. The movie was sweet, but it lacked a “wow factor” that would propel it to greatness.

Of course, this was a film intended for children, and it is unrealistic to expect some kind of jaw-dropping breakthrough; it is enough for the film to teach young viewers life lessons in a fun way. However, in a movie produced with so much obvious care and talent, it would have been nice to see something a little more insightful.

Song Reviews

FAIR

by Normani

“Normani’s vocals on this track are good, but a bit breathy.

Overall though, Normani makes a vulnerable yet memorable pop hit.”

-Vania Castro

SKIRTING ON THE SURFACE by The Smile

“Thom Yorke sounds off-key when singing, but the guitar sounds nice. It is a bit too long for me.”

-Arsh Ali

THE GARDEN OF EDEN by Weezer

“The theme of spring feels gimmicky and uninspiring, and the chorus and vocal melodies are the only saving grace.

Very dorky.”

-Vyomi Seth

FOR MY FRIENDS

by King Princess

TROUBLES

by Denzel Curry ft.

T-Pain

CANDY

by Rosalia

“The beat sporadically changes a little too much without any change of inflection with the vocals.”

“Denzel’s solid bars and T-pain’s fun autotuned vocals mix to make a nice track to enjoy.”

“Rosalia has smooth vocals throughout the song, but the autotune at the end ruins it for me.”

-Sharon Talaia

-Brian Dinh

-Vania Castro

CONCORDE by Black Country, New Road

NO EFFORT

by Princess Nokia

TALK by beabadoobee

“The multi-instrumental buildups and the explosion of sounds near the end make this song a post-rock masterpiece.”

-Vyomi Seth

“I am not a fan of the repetitive lyrics, and the song title really matches how much effort Princess Nokia put into this track.”

“All the instrumentals, from the electric guitar to the drum, in addition to beabadoobee's clean vocals make it a fun listen.”

- Vania Castro

FEAST OF SNAKES

by Wednesday

THE LIGHTNING I

by Arcade Fire

“The vocals are more like a wailing, drawn-out moan, and the the instrumentals sound more country than sensual, making it an awkward listen.”

“The beginning feels like a movie soundtrack, and the vocals are quite unique, but I do not exactly vibe with them to be honest.”

-Brian Dinh

-Vania Castro

-Arsh Ali

FAKE HITTAS

by Money Boy ft. Hell Rell

“Maybe German rap is not my thing, but the track is just vulgar and is not worth anyone's time except for those who want to suffer.”

-Brian Dinh

RATING KEY drive my car belfast dune licorice pizza don’t look up

APRIL 2022

ENTERTAINMENT

THE UNION

13

‘The Batman’ battles off boring reboots RATING: 4 out of 5

disguised as an unquenchable rage. Pattinson’s Batman is able to make every character in

By David Rendon a scene uneasy and makes sure everyone’s eyes are on him.

“The Batman,” directed by The film makes the deciMatt Reeves and released in sion to lean into the detective March 2022 is another in a aspect of Batman, which is a long line of Batman adapta- brilliant choice. Batman has tions. “The Batman,” tells the always been one of the best destory of Bruce Wayne as he fig- tectives in comics but has not ures out his role as Batman and been able to prove that claim in fights an enemy unlike any he’s movies in a very long time. We seen before. see a Batman who has to rely Even though his story has on his wits and puzzle-solving been told so many times be- abilities to fight against the fore, “The Batman” disRiddler. tinguishes itself from its The Riddler is a perfect predecessors at the very villain for this movie. His start. The opening is not character is one of the of Thomas and Martha popular names in MOVIE more Wayne dying as an audiBatman’s gallery of rogues, REVIEW but hasn’t been the lead ence has seen so many times before. Instead, it is an antagonist in a Batman movie odd and mildly uncomfortable since 1996. Initially, I was not scene, which perfectly sets up entirely convinced with this the rest of the movie. version of the Riddler, prefer“The Batman” offers anoth- ring the more whimsical porer iteration of the edgy and trayal of the Riddler rather brooding Dark Knight, star- than this more serious take. ring Robert Pattinson as the But in the end, I knew the movmasked vigilante. While the ie had struck gold. Every scene characterization of Batman he is in, he steals the show. The is not too different from that movie takes its time to show of what has been seen in the you the similarities between past 20 years, Pattinson’s per- the Riddler and Batman, someformance provides thorough times having the character’s insight into the mentally un- actions parallel one another, well mind of Bruce Wayne. leaving you wondering just He demonstrates a clear un- how similar they are. The Ridderstanding of Batman that is dler was by far one of the best rarely shown. He understands characters in the movie and did that Batman doesn’t kill, a phe- not get nearly enough screen nomenon seldom seen in me- time. However, I wasn’t a fan of dia despite it being integral to his costume and do prefer the his being. Pattinson’s perfor- original. mance depicts a Batman acting The movie does sport a hefty from a place of pain and grief run time of 176 minutes, but it



takes advantage of that time to flaunt its skills and have you relish in its beautifully shot scenes. The movie has some of the best action set pieces I have ever seen and features very impressive, detailed fight choreography.

I do have complaints about the movie and have certain things I was disappointed by because I’m a fan of the character. I didn’t like the dynamic between Alfred and Bruce in this movie. Bruce was too often mistreating Alfred, who is essentially a father to Bruce. The character of Alfred was not given enough time on screen. And, I was disappointed to see Robin, Batman’s adopted son and sidekick, had not been adapted for this movie but I think this may be the franchise to do it in a sequel.

“The Batman” ends by showing that the writers really do understand the character of Batman. Batman has long been depicted as an angry billionaire brutalizing criminals for fun. “The Batman,” at the beginning, presents Bruce as having never processed his trauma and grief. By the end of the movie, he realizes he needs to process all his issues and become more than the anger he feels. He becomes a symbol of hope. We see him go from lurking in the shadows to being a source of light; he truly becomes a hero. I hope we can see how Pattinson’s character grows and develops, and I rest easy knowing that the caped crusader is in such masterful hands.

Game Time Elite Gymnastics is now hiring recreational coaches!

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14

THE UNION

LIFESTYLE

APRIL 2022

Overnight oats orchestrate delightful breakfasts Earl gray cake recipe lacks tea flavor

By Vyomi Seth

Oats are a highly underrated food that is consumed in an astounding number of forms and recipes. They are among the healthiest and tastiest grains to eat. While hot oatmeal is tasty, it can be a little too time-consuming and burnable for high school students. Enter overnight oats, a foolproof, chewy, and refreshing breakfast. The recipe for overnight oats is insanely simple and infinitely customizable for your tastes.

All you need is a small mason jar (but any container can work), milk of your choice (whole, skim, 2%, coconut, almond, or even oat), and old-fashioned rolled oats. I usually add half a cup of oats and slightly more milk until the oats are covered, but the exact measurements don’t matter as long as you’re following that general rule of thumb. Add in your various nuts, syrups, fruits, seeds, spices, and other ingredients, then shake the jar until everything is combined. Leave the jar in the fridge for over six hours. Usually, this means making it in the evening and leaving it overnight, hence the name.

Since there are so many possible combinations of ingredients, I decided on five recipes you can enjoy for each day of the school week. The best part is that if you have enough jars, you can put all five in the fridge on Sunday night and they will be fresh until Friday morning.

Monday: Cinnamon brown sug-

ar and walnut.

The night before, add more cinnamon than brown sugar since the oats are naturally a little sweet, about half of a teaspoon of each. In the morning, crush a couple of walnuts and sprinkle on top for a satisfying crunch. This mix is my favorite combination to eat.

When I’m feeling fancy, adding a dash of vanilla extract and nutmeg goes a long way. A simple start for what is sure to be a delicious week ahead.

Tuesday: Chocolate Peanut Butter Jelly Add about one tablespoon of peanut butter and 20 chocolate chips and mix well. In the morning, add a dollop of grape jam on top for a nostalgic flavor palette.

You can also add some cocoa powder for additional chocolatey goodness. The creamy peanut butter and thick oatmeal form a velvety texture for this take on an age-old combination.

Wednesday: Ube and coconut flakes Ube, a sweet purple yam, is a Filipino delicacy. Add a tablespoon of Ube Halaya, a mashed paste you can find at your local Asian grocery store. If you have Ube extract or purple food coloring, add ¼ teaspoon of that. Mix in a onefourth cup of sweetened coconut flakes for a chewy addition. Coconut milk goes very well with these ingredients. While I wouldn’t eat this every day, it is a decadent treat and slightly resembles Lean, which is always fun.

Thursday: Chia seed, banana, and granola This is a healthier and more filling option. Crush half of a banana and add one teaspoon of chia seeds. If you’re not familiar with chia seeds, they are crunchy when dry, but when left overnight, chia seeds absorb moisture and develop a gooey exterior texture comparable to boba pearls. Many people also add a teaspoon or two of yogurt for additional nutrients and a hint of tartness. Add two tablespoons of your favorite granola in the morning so it doesn’t get soggy, and dig in.

Friday: Pecan, maple syrup, and apples Fresh fruit is always delicious in overnight oats. At night, I like to put in half of a diced apple with one teaspoon of maple syrup so it soaks in the flavor. Then, chop up some pecans and mix them in. The maple syrup provides a caramel-like flavor and the apples are still juicy in the morning, while the pecans provide a buttery crunch. A dusting of cinnamon is optional but encouraged.

This fall-inspired breakfast is the perfect way to start your Friday morning.

If sweet breakfast isn’t your thing, overnight oats can be prepared savory as well. Just sprinkle some salt, herbs, cheese, bacon, or any combination of ingredients.

Another favorite addition of mine is berries, which provide a tart contrast against the creamy oatmeal. Overnight oats are the perfect high school breakfast.

By Sharon Talaia

As an avid tea lover, I decided to give The New York Times’s Earl Grey tea cake with dark chocolate and orange zest recipe a try. The following ingredients are needed: Frosting: ¾ cup heavy cream 2 teaspoons loose Earl Gray tea ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar ½ cup mascarpone or softened cream cheese Cake: ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature, plus a little more for greasing the pan 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon loose Earl Gray tea 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon kosher salt 1 cup granulated sugar 2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest (grated orange peel) 2 large eggs, at room temperature ½ cup whole milk, at room temperature ¼ cup chopped dark chocolate or dark chocolate chips Step 1: Bring ½ cup of the cream to simmer in a small saucepan. Stir in the tea and take the pan off the stove. Let the mixture sit for 45 minutes. Then, strain the cream to get rid of the tea leaves and chill the remaining cream in the fridge for an hour. This process may seem like a long time, but the timing works out because our cake needs time to bake and cool.

Step 2: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Get an 8-inch round cake pan, butter it, and line it with parchment paper.

Step 3: Get a medium-sized bowl, and combine the tea, baking powder, and salt all together.

Step 4: In a separate large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium strength until the mixture is light and fluffy, which is about 2-3 minutes depending on your mixer.

Beat in the orange zest, and then beat in the eggs, one at a time.

Step 5: Once everything is com-

bined, beat in the mixture from the medium bowl on low, until just combined, then beat in the milk.

Try not to overmix the batter, and add the chocolate last. I ended up using chocolate chips, though I would recommend people use chopped pieces instead because all the chips just ended up on the bottom of my cake.

Step 6: Pour batter into the pan, and smooth out the top to try and get an even rise. You may still get a domed top, but the frosting covers that fact a little bit. Bake for around 30-35 minutes. A good way to check if the cake is actually ready is to stick a toothpick inside it and see that the toothpick comes out with only some cake crumbs attached. Transfer the cake pan to a rack to cool for about 15 minutes.

Then tip the cake out onto the rack to cool completely. Make sure to remove the parchment paper from the cake.

Step 7: Take the chilled frosting out of the fridge, and add the confectioners’ sugar and the rest of the cream. Using an electric mixer on medium strength, beat the mixture until medium-stiff peaks form (around 2 to 3 minutes). Then, add the mascarpone/ cream cheese and beat just until stiff. Make sure you don’t overmix it and cause it to lose that stiffness.

Lastly, top your finished cake with your frosting! You will probably have leftovers that you can just chill. I used cream cheese in my frosting, so I found the taste to be a little strong.

Overall, the cake has a strong orange taste with a little kick of Earl Grey. The small chocolate chips also gave the cake a sweet taste.

I couldn’t taste any of the tea in the frosting due to the overpowering taste of cream cheese, so I was a little disappointed. I would recommend avid tea lovers to add more tea than listed in the recipe and not use cream cheese. The whole process took more than an hour and a half, and I would advise more novice bakers to ask for assistance with this recipe.

Wordle spawns weird clones

By Brian Dinh

PHOTO COURTESY OF LOCAL KITCHENS

Local Kitchens (Lafayette location pictured above) lets customers order foods from many restaurants easily.

Local Kitchens live up to Bay Area hype

By David Rendon

Local Kitchens are popping up all over the Bay Area, so the obvious question to ask is what exactly are they? Local Kitchens are essentially reimagined food courts.

Rather than being filled with mass chains like a mall’s food court, they are supporting Bay Area restaurants. They do not have a specialized team for each restaurant, but rather, one staff for all the restaurants who cook all the food fresh on site. It’s the perfect solution for people who want to go to just one place but get a wide selection of food. Local Kitchens currently have five locations, from San Jose to Palo Alto. Each location has its own schedule, but almost all of them are open until midnight. Some of their locations provide seating but all allow for pick up or delivery. Local Kitchens includes the menus of six to nine different restaurants

to order from, and they even sell ice cream. They have restaurants like Curry Up Now, The Melt, and Humphry Slocombe.

I went to the Local Kitchens in San Jose and ordered using their app. My family decided to each order from a different menu and share so that everyone could try the food. Because I ordered through the app, I was able to easily track my order on my phone with a rough estimation of when it would be ready. When I arrived, there was a convenient monitor that tracked all the orders and about how long each one would take. I thought this system was a good idea and helped avoid any confusion about when food was ready and who it was for. My order was ready in less than 12 minutes, despite only three people being active on staff. However, I went around 8 p.m. and dishes started selling out, so make sure you

go early. You can check what is available on the app before you go.

I ordered a Sisig Burrito from Señor Sisig, which you could normally only get from their food trucks in San Francisco. I had never heard of this restaurant before I had gone to Local Kitchens, and I thought it was great.

The seasonings and sauces they used were perfect and the tocino was heavenly. The portion was perfect for eating in a single sitting. It was unanimous among my family that it was the best thing we ordered. My parents ordered a bowl from Curry Up Now and a bowl from Oren’s Hummus. Everyone got to try a bit of everything, and in the end, everyone was really happy with what they ordered. The prices were fair for the amount of food we got. I would definitely recommend checking out a Local Kitchens, and I know I’ll be going back to one soon.

If you’ve been anywhere near Twitter you’ve probably heard of Wordle, a simple puzzle game where the player must guess a five-letter word in six attempts.

Although it is fun to solve each daily puzzle, there will be a point where it is just not as fun as it initially was. If you are experiencing burnout with Wordle, you should try some of the Wordle clones out there. These clones take the same concept as Wordle but add a partial spin to it, ranging from guessing sports trivia to identifying what country is being shown.

Here are some favorites that may just click with you.

1. POELTL POELTL is based on identifying a specific National Basketball Association (NBA) player in eight tries. Each guess gives information about the player, like their number, the team they play on, age, height, position, and even their silhouette. Although, it can be difficult to solve when the person is a bench warmer. For example, who even is Goga Bitadze or Quinndary Weatherspoon? Nonetheless, it is still fun to try out POELTL and flex your NBA knowledge.

2. ABSURDLE Absurdle is an adjusted version of Wordle that tries its hardest to make sure the player does not get the answer until there is only one possible solution left. The word that the player is supposed to identify shifts after every guess, making it harder and harder for the player to figure out the word.

The game has an unlimited num-

ber of tries, so you can probably brute force your way through, but it is quite a fun endeavor for those that find Wordle to be too easy.

3. WORDLECUP and SQUABBLE If you find the social experience of WORDLE important, WORDLECUP may be for you, as it lets you host private or public sessions for you to play against your friends in solving for a word. You can see how long it takes your friends to solve for a word as well as how many attempts they needed, which adds to the competitive aspect. If you find a deep interest in seeing how fast you can complete a Wordle compared to others, try out SQUABBLE, a battle-royale version of Wordle where you compete with up to 100 other players in solving Wordle puzzles. It is a bit tense at times, and seeing yourself in 94th place is not always too motivating, but it can help players figure out how good they actually are at Wordle in a timed setting.

4. HEARDLE For the musically oriented and those proud of their knowledge of pop hits, try out Heardle, a version of Wordle that has players guess the song based on short-length snippets of it. The shorter the snippet, the better the score for the player. The library for Heardle consists of pop songs, so it lets anyone who listens to the radio have a chance at figuring out the puzzle.

All in all, Wordle has birthed a whole wave of clones and copies, some of which have merit to them.

So go ahead and figure out which type of Wordle is right for you.

APRIL 2022

NEWS

THE UNION

15

ASB plans senior night event at Santa Cruz boardwalk SBAC testing resumes in-person

By Ryan Teoh

ASB senior class officers are planning a graduation night event for all MHS seniors at the Santa Cruz boardwalk on May 14.

Santa Cruz was chosen as the location as it seemed like a good way to maximize the amount of time students would have to spend at their destination, as opposed to other places like Magic Mountain or Disneyland, according to Senior Class advisor Lori Anderson-Day. Because of COVID-19, Disneyland was not available, Senior Class President Kyler Becite said.

“Because [the boardwalk] is private, it’s a lot nicer because when you go to a lot of these other locations, you are sharing it with other schools,” Anderson-Day said. “So it can be really crowded, there can be long waits on rides, long lines at the food vendors.

This gives our students a better opportunity to really have fun.”

ASB expects to have around 350

students attend the event, which will be from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Students will receive wristbands to ride unlimited rides and a food voucher, which they can use at various food vendors throughout the boardwalk, Anderson-Day said.

The reason why the event is so late is because the boardwalk still wants to serve its regular customers until 9 p.m., Anderson-Day added.

There will also be other attractions, such as miniature golf, laser tag, pool tables, video games, and other related activities for students to do if they aren’t interested in rides, Becite said.

“We won’t be able to go walking on excursions through downtown Santa Cruz, but the beach will be available as well,” Anderson-Day said.

There will be tight security, with both regular boardwalk security and the Santa Cruz police on standby, and no one will be permitted to leave the boardwalk

once they’ve entered, similar to a school dance, according to Anderson-Day. “We count students off the bus, we count them off the bus, and if they’re not accounted for, we don’t leave—we have to find that person,” Anderson-Day said.

“Usually, we have a student advisor, like one of the leadership students, and staff advisors working together to make sure we account for everyone. No one’s left behind, especially on a trip like that.”

The senior class officers received approval from both Principal Francis Rojas and Activities Director Jerell Maneja for the trip. Rojas has also said that he will look to find money to help subsidize the cost for charter buses, Becite said.

“I contacted Santa Cruz, and then we got a pamphlet of the event,” Becite said. “It was very cool. They gave us an already set price. They told us about the food, activities there, all available for about 150 dollars [per student].”

“Say Something” program adds reporting system

By Thea Seeberger

The “Say Something’’ program has expanded at MHS by introducing an anonymous reporting system for students after the first launch of the program about two years ago, Activities Director Jerrell Maneja said in an interview.

The program focuses on avoiding tragedy by paying attention to significant warning signs and speaking up to a trusted adult, according to the Sandy Hook Promise website.

During the week of Nov. 29, 2021, the first Say Something Week of the school year took place in order to teach students and teachers to recognize signs when students need help and encourage them to ‘Say Something’, Maneja said. Following Say Something Week, the anonymous reporting system was formally launched on Dec. 1, 2022, and announced by Maneja via email.

“The organization behind Say Something week is the Sandy Hook Promise, which was started by a group of parents who banded together after the Sandy Hook tragedy, recognizing that a lot of

the incidences of school violence and suicide is largely because students are not being supported through a lot of trauma that they may be experiencing,” Maneja said in an interview. “Say Something Week’s encouraging students to be the first responders, recognize if they or their peers are experiencing any case of trauma, and encourage them to take it seriously, recognize the signs, and talk to a trusted adult.”

Maneja said the program was launched at MHS after seeing stress within students following a school shooting that happened during 2018 in Florida. In order to encourage students and staff to support one another, MHS gained an objective to create a more positive relationship on campus, Maneja said.

“The system is conducted with this organization who has crisis counselors on the other end,” Maneja said. “They will receive the tip first, get with the student, get their fellowship, and from there work with the students directly. Or, in incidents where it has impacts on federal or state laws or the student’s in danger,

they will refer to either a school official and/or law enforcement so that they could put their emphasis on keeping it anonymous.”

Within the first month of the introduction of the anonymous reporting app, according to the district, a total of five reports were made, Maneja said, which, on average, is the number of reports that a typical school can receive in an entire year.

“If you as a student or a teacher or parent saw something on campus, you should have the right to just say something and then how will we know sometimes in a world of doing everything else that something isn’t right, until it’s not right?” Assistant Principal Jonathan Mach said in an interview. “What’s right to you might not look right to me. So then, I just need somebody to explore that. And it gives the people the freedom to be able to say something so that even if we can’t do anything about it, at least we have a perspective of what we can do.”

Mach said the anonymity provides an avenue for people to connect.

ASB plans first prom in two years at Tech Interactive

By Stephen Huang

The 2021-2022 MHS prom is all set, according to Class of 2023 Vice President, junior Pauline Nguyen. It will take place at The Tech Interactive in downtown San Jose on April 30, 2022, from 7-11 p.m.

Based on The Tech Interactive health and safety guidelines, masks are optional but highly recommended for entry. No proof of vaccination is required to enter the museum, according to the guidelines. However, masks and vaccines may be mandated by the Milpitas Unified School District, Nguyen said.

“The Tech will adhere to the client’s safety and health policies within the event space. If the event exceeds 1,000 guests, we will follow state guidelines for large events,” according to The Tech Interactive health and safety guidelines.

Only current juniors and seniors are allowed to attend prom, according to Class of 2023 Secretary Annalise Ho. However, each person is allowed to bring one guest, as long as they are in high school, she said.

“Prom is traditionally only supposed to be for seniors and juniors,” Ho said. “A venue that

could hold 3,200 students would be like Levi Stadium, which is way out of our budget.”

This year’s prom has three ticket sales, according to Ho. As of the time this story was written, Ho said tickets were sold for $90 at the cafeteria during the blowout sale on April 4. Tickets sold at the student bank during the early bird sale from April 5 to April 6 are $95, and regular ticket pricing is $100 from April 7 to April 20, she said. All ASB cardholders are given a $5 discount to ticket prices, she said. Invited guests are not subject to these sales and must pay $100 regardless, she said. Milpitas Middle College and Cal Hills students will also be able to purchase tickets for the MHS prom.

The theme of this year’s prom is a masquerade, according to Nguyen. A formal dress code is required, she said. Students will receive a letter of invitation upon purchasing a ticket, but it is not required to bring the letter on the day of the ball, she said. Students are encouraged to bring their own masquerade masks, since none will be provided by the school, she said. The title of the dance is “A Moonlit Mystery”, she said.

The entire museum will be opened during prom, according

to Nguyen. The structure of the prom will be separated into three levels. The dance itself will be on the first floor, and a DJ taking song requests will be there. On the second floor, appetizers, desserts, and drinks will be served in a buffet style, she said. When a break is needed, students can roam freely and explore the museum and all of its attractions themselves on the third floor, Nguyen said.

“We couldn’t really do a sitdown dinner because of covid,” Nguyen said. “We’ve always done light appetizers compared to big dinners.”

If dancing is not your thing, the magnificent IMAX Dome theater will be playing a movie starting at 9 p.m., according to Ho. Seating will be first come first served, and a maximum of 180 people is allowed to enter at a time, she said.

Photo booths will also be available for students, she said.

The Tech Museum was chosen to hold this year’s dance because a deposit made for the 2019-2020 prom was still unused, according to Ho. Next year’s prom is planned to be in San Francisco, she said. MHS switches locations for its annual prom between San Jose and San Francisco every year, she said.

By Mia Liu

The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) will take place April 19-21, according to the MHS school calendar.

This year, the tests will be in-person, Assistant Principal Amanda Gross said in an interview.

“This test is supposed to look at how is the student progressing based on what our teachers should be teaching based on the state standards,” Gross said.

Last year, students took the test at home using their Chromebooks, and their teachers would monitor them from school through the Chromebooks, Gross said. “[This year] all the students will be in their homeroom, in person, and the teacher will be monitoring in person through the classroom,” Gross added.

The test is administered to juniors only, with the exception of a few seniors who did not take the test last year, Gross added.

“I truly have to say I have high hopes for our students and for our teachers because everybody did really well making the transition to distance learning last year,” Gross said.

Benefits to taking the SBAC include access to the Early Assessment Program, which is a program used by the California State University and California Community Colleges systems to place students in appropriate level English and math classes that match your skill level, Gross said. However, the scores have no bearing on college applications, Gross added.

There are other benefits to taking the SBAC as well. “This test would be a portion of the deciding factors in things like the State Seal of Biliteracy and the Golden State Merit Diploma,” Gross said.

However, if one is truly against taking the SBAC, there is a way to opt out. A form will be sent out through email with instructions for parents who want to exempt their child from SBAC testing, Gross said.

“I would say typically in a school year, [there would be] anywhere between 25 and 40 opt-out letters,” Gross said.

According to Gross, last year, due to the pandemic, there were about 200 opt-out letters. She added that this influx of opt-out letters was likely because parents did not want to subject their children to any more stress during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The state… has what they call a 95% participation rate. Every year with the exception of last year, we have hit 95%,” Gross said.

Although MHS did not reach 95% participation, the state noticed and understood the difficulty for students and parents during the pandemic and decided to waive the percentage rule last year, Gross added.

When asked about how the SBAC is funded, Gross responded, “It’s a state-run test, and CAASPP, the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress, is the overarching umbrella.”

Because students have not been in a classroom for over a year, there is the potential risk of learning loss, Gross said.

SAT guidelines change for 2024

By Angelina Barnes

New Scholastic Aptitude Test guidelines, including plans to make the test digital, will be implemented in schools in the United States as of spring 2024, according to a Newsroom announcement made by the College Board.

According to the College Board, students will be able to receive their scores within days as a result of the switch to online testing. Other changes include shortening the test from three to two hours, as well as removing longer passages of the reading section in order to adjust for the shorter amount of time. Calculators will also be allowed throughout the entire math section.

“We’re not simply putting the current SAT on a digital platform—we’re taking full advantage of what delivering an assessment digitally makes possible,” said Priscilla Rodriguez, vice president of College Readiness Assessments at College Board.

According to Rodriguez, the SAT is willing to adapt and evolve to meet the needs of students, which involves making the test more relevant for college admissions.

“Currently, all UC colleges no longer require standardized testing for admissions into their universities,” Principal Francis Rojas said in an interview. “Usually, when decisions are made at that level, the CSU colleges follow, and then the community colleges follow.”

According to Rojas, the creation and management of standardized tests is a large business, and many companies are willing to adjust their tests if they feel as though they’re losing credibility over time.

“Over the years, research [has] said that these tests are actually biased against people of color, and they [have had to] adjust

their tests to make them more palatable,” Rojas said.

According to counselor Beth Harke, the College Board is trying to look past COVID in order to determine what types of changes they are going to make to the next versions of the SAT. “It’s been interesting during the pandemic because new announcements have continuously rolled out, [and] guidelines have changed so quickly,” Harke said.

Although many are fond of the idea of it being digital, everyone will have a different test, and no one is exactly sure how they will be calibrated in the future, Harke said.

“Regardless, I do like the fact that it will be digital. I think that will make access to the test so much easier,” Harke added.

English teacher Heidi Shannahan stated that she believes many teachers are also welcoming the upcoming changes that will be made to the SAT, as they believe these changes will benefit many students.

“The longer the test, the more stressed out they [will] be, and I don’t think kids can perform as well at the end of the test, said Shannahan.

Students will also be able to represent themselves better through tests that do not require long reading sections, said Shannahan.

“There will always be a concern regarding testing kids and how they’re going to be fairly assessed,” Shannahan said.

However, teachers are turning away from standardized tests, and are instead using methods of testing that allow their students to express themselves, Shannahan said.

“I think that if there is any way we can assess kids without using a long comprehensive test, it could [give colleges] a very well-rounded, more diverse group,” Shannahan said.

APRIL 2022

NEWS

THE UNION

16

MUSD discusses annual updates to LCAP spending for 2023-2024 school year

By Tiffany Lieu

Milpitas Unified School District (MUSD) is currently updating its Local Control Accountability LCAP Plan (LCAP) that is set to conclude after the 2023-24 school year, MUSD Executive Director of Learning and Innovation Priti Johari said in an interview. The LCAP is a three-year district strategy and budget updated annually, Johari added.

According to the California Department of Education’s website, the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) was a law passed in 2013 that significantly changed how local educational agencies (LEAs) were funded, and, specifically, it required all LEAs in the state of California to prepare an LCAP. An LEA, according to the Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute, is a public board of education or other public authority in a state that has control over public elementary or secondary schools. Therefore, MUSD would be considered an LEA, while MHS, a singular school, would not.

“The LCAP plan is everything

the district is trying to do. So what we are trying to do is ultimately make sure that all students are receiving the best education possible, and what we firmly believe is that means serving the whole child,” Johari said. “So you have to have strong academics, but you also have to have strong social-emotional support and mental health.”

Funding among the MUSD schools is reliant on multiple factors, Johari said. Although all funding is part of a single district-wide budget, K-3 classes—which are required to have a lower student-teacher ratio—and high schools—which provide multiple classes such as electives—receive more per-pupil funding.

Some other districts will also receive concentration funding, although MUSD is not currently eligible for it.

“Certain districts that have a concentration of students who are low income, English language learners, or foster youth that exceeds 55% get additional funding,” Johari said.

The LCAP budget is not the same as the district’s entire bud-

get, MUSD Director of Business Services Shanny Yam said. The LCAP does not include all of the money spent in the district, Yam added.

“What is not included is the other spending that is not part of the LCAP,” Yam said. “One example is our fiscal support staff salary and benefits. It wouldn’t be part of the LCAP because we’re not directly related to the instruction of the student, but we support the team; we support the overall school district.”

MUSD gathered feedback from the community about the LCAP through a ThoughtExchange survey, which was sent out during existing meetings—such as school site committee meetings—and by emailing site leaders and student site representatives on the MUSD Board of Education, Johari said.

According to the MUSD website, there is also a District LCAP Advisory Committee composed of various community members that meets to provide feedback on the LCAP. Members of the community can also get involved with the LCAP by getting more involved with MUSD’s regular

Admin supports implementation of restorative justice FROM PAGE 1 And those are not being done, particularly the peer-to-peer.“ Gable-Ferguson also said that teachers are feeling unsupported by this new system because they are generally uninformed about what is going on. English teacher Brett Webber also said that teachers are not generally being informed.

“I’m also not sure that restorative justice works on everybody,” Webber said. “While being very fair and good on the right person, it does not work on the wrong person.”

Gable-Ferguson said that she does not believe a return to punitive consequences would solve

the problems MHS is facing, saying that, rather, the solution is connectivity.

Webber, on the other hand, said that there needs to be a return to consequences.

“So detention has gone away, work after school has gone away,” Webber said. “We do need to have some consequences. But I will also say that 98-99% of our campus are wonderful students … I don’t think the problem is widespread enough that we need to suddenly start yelling for punitive consequences.”

There are still punishments, but they are not publicly shared due to students’ right to confidentiality, Koide said.

“It may appear oftentimes that

nothing’s being done, but in fact, lots of different steps have been taken,” Koide said. “But we don’t have the right to share that information … and it wouldn’t be right for us to disclose that information.”

In the end, all the district, the administration, parents, and teachers want is what is best for students, Koide said.

“I think ultimately, any educator’s goal is for us to provide a really safe and healthy learning environment for our students and to really meet the needs of our students because if they don’t have their basic needs met or they don’t feel safe, they’re not healthy; they’re not going to learn and be successful,” Koide said.

structures—for example, monthly school site council meetings.

“Those are places where we’re making decisions about programming, funding, and gathering input,” Johari said. “[When talking about the budget] whether you call it LCAP or not—because the LCAP is really very comprehensive, and it is an umbrella for all of the things that we are doing as a district—those are all opportunities for people to be involved and influence the direction of the district.”

Over 600 people participated in the Thought Exchange survey, Johari said.

“The most important theme that came out of the feedback from those 600 people is around thinking about social-emotional development for us,” Johari said.

“So social-emotional, ongoing mental health support for students.”

According to the MUSD website, each LCAP plan should include annual goals in eight priority areas laid out by the state of California. The website added that these priority areas were organized into three goals by

MUSD. “Goal number one is that all MUSD students will receive standards-based instruction, curriculum, and assessments by highly qualified teachers in a safe environment to be fully prepared for college and career,’” Johari said.

MUSD’s second goal is that all students are fully invested to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally in a safe, nurturing, and culturally responsive school environment, Johari said.

This goal is tied to mental health priorities and helps fund social-emotional learning curriculum across different grade levels, she added.

“Goal number three is that every school is a community of educators and families working together as partners, sharing responsibility, leadership, and advocacy for the success of all students,” Johari said. “A lot of the additional initiatives that we have that extend outside of the school day—particularly parent education, parent university, meetings with parents—gets funded in collaboration with goal number three.”

WASC gives strong evaluation FROM PAGE 1 ing on.”

WASC identified school-wide strengths including ample resources for professional development, increased advanced placement enrollment and scores, and diversity in Career Technical Education programs, according to Rojas’s email..

“This was the most positive and best outcome for WASC I’ve ever experienced in my 12 years in high school administration and 20 years in education,” Rojas wrote in the email. “Out of 19 accreditation status factors, … we received 8 highly effective ratings, 9 effective, only 2 somewhat effective, and 0 ineffective.”

One recommendation given by the committee was to have more AVID training and awareness, Toner said. Another recommendation was to create more of a sense of unity within the school, he added.

“All the classrooms are their own individual countries,” Toner said. “Maybe more of a sense of, what is your school? What are the values and the vision of your school? And if you put that in every classroom … that can unify

them.”

There was also a recommendation to do more in the area of social-emotional learning, Toner added. Giving mindfulness exercises to students to help them relax and destress, or soliciting and taking action on student feedback given to the school could help, he said.

“It was really, really supportive.

Just some reminders of … if you want this, as you say, in your selfstudy, we’ll just remind you that it is a good thing,” Toner said.

The school should receive its official accreditation from the WASC commission in June, Rojas said in the email.

“There’s different levels of accreditation,” Mach said. “You get a one-year probation, two-year probation, six-year with two days [visit], six-year with one day [visit], or six-year with zero … Milpitas has always had a six-year … which is great … six years is the maximum number of years that we can go without a visit.”

A one- or two-year accreditation means that something was really wrong, like students weren’t being served or there was something wrong with money allocation, Mach said.

DECA resumes operations FROM PAGE 1

Arsh Ali| THE UNION

The seniors rejoice and celebrate as they lift up the trophy for winning Trojan Olympics in triumph.

Seniors take over Trojan Olympics with win FROM PAGE 1 sion to join the team, Thai added.

“I honestly didn’t know what I was getting into as circumstances were way different this year,” Thai said. “Since our only experience of TO was freshman year, we started off clueless and frantic in the beginning. On the day of TO though, I was ready to go wild and cheer on all of the other classes.”

Junior team member Maia Vil-

lo said that a great deal of stress came with preparing for Trojan Olympics. Most of the junior Trojan Olympics team was satisfied with second place, Villo added.

“All of the people organizing this event are scrambling everywhere to properly organize TO and make it a memorable event for everyone,” Villo said. “There is so much effort and dedication that the class officers, advisors, and everyone else participating are putting in.”

Communicating with your fellow team members is an important part of being part of the team, from sorting schedules to making sure people are coming to the scheduled practices, Villo said.

“I was pretty tense before TO started,” Villo said. “But once I got out there, the adrenaline sort of washed all my nervousness away. I was genuinely enjoying my time there, plus being part of the team made my experience at TO way more fun.”

favor of removal will result in removal.”

“ASB does not enforce specific procedures for filling officers,” Maneja said in regards to how new club officers are appointed. “[DECA has] their own procedures that they outline in their own constitution.”

The MHS DECA constitution states that in the event an officer leaves in the middle of their term, “another quick election will be held.”

“When they charter for a club, they’re required to submit a constitution which includes provisions about the expected behaviors and procedure for disciplinary action,” Maneja said.

“Our goal is to support the advisor and the officers so that they are able to develop their own leadership capacity in leading the students.”

Maneja added that ASB’s role is to oversee clubs to ensure they are following school and district policies, but ultimately, clubs are

allowed to self-manage while following the rules in their constitution.

“We’re just [going to] continue to look at our program and how we can continue strengthening and training officers of the club so that they know how to be strong leaders for their club and for this campus, so that others feel welcomed to join their club,” Maneja said.

Students should learn nothing online is private, because once something is posted on the internet, it cannot be deleted, Rojas said.

“Same thing with text message[s],” Rojas added. “Even if you delete it on yours, and it was a group text, it’s on someone else’s, and if that person suddenly feels like this wasn’t right, something could be shared. And I think that’s the case of this.”

The Union reached out to various administration members, DECA members and advisors, and current and former DECA officers, but they offered no comment or declined an interview.