The Union - Milpitas High School - May 2013 by MHS The Union

UN I O N

E Di to ri a l 3 O pin i o n s 4 Fe at u re s 6 will s 10 m o s t s 12 c o lleg e s 14 LIFE ST Y LE 16 E n t e r ta in m e n t 18 s p o r t s 22

T HE

May 2013

Volume xxV Issue VI

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STUDENT VOICE OF MILPITAS HIGH SCHOOL

n ews in br ief Minnis Scholarship winners announced Five MHS seniors were selected to receive scholarships sponsored by Rita Minnis. Maecy Williams received the most at $20,000. Cheverlyn Casta and Crystal Han won $10,000. Jeff Nguyen and Solomon Wong won $5,000. First Kindness Week held from May 20-25 Monday was Smile Day, Tuesday was High-Five Day, Wednesday was Random Acts of Kindness Day, Thursday was MHS Bakes Goods, and Friday was a day of appreciating others. Teachers were also appreciated throughout the week, as Associated Student Body (A.S.B.) students taped thank-you posters to their doors for students to write on. ———————————————— Leo B. Murphy Awards to be held 6:00 p.m. on May 30 MHS athletes will be honored for the achievements. The ceremony will take place in the large gym. Seniors Estifanos, Kenney, Banzon receive sports scholarships Yohaness Estifanos received a full-ride scholarship to University of California (UC), Berkeley via the Cal Grant and Athletic Scholarship. Kennedy Kenney received a $20,000 Athletic Scholarship for volleyball, as well as a $10,000 Academic Scholarship to Hampton University. Angelo Banzon received $500 for his athletic efforts and is attending San Jose State University. Graduation scheduled to take place at football field Seniors will graduate on the football field on Saturday, June 8 at 9:30 a.m. School year to conclude on June 6 Enjoy your summer! Good luck to the graduating senior Class of 2013 in its future endeavors. School will resume on Monday, Aug. 19.

Mac computers stolen from J-09 by Caryn Tran

Fourteen new Apple iMacs were stolen from J-09 during a late night burglary at MHS on April 25, according to Assistant Principal Linda Rodriguez. The value of the stolen property is approximately $16,000, according to Rodriguez. School officials were alerted of the crime at approximately 7:15 a.m. on April 26, when Librarian Leighann McCready passed by the Digital Arts classroom and saw a broken window, Rodriguez said. She was the only administrator on campus at the time and promptly called the police to survey the crime scene, according to Rodriguez. “The door was never broken into; it was just everything through the window. So we think someone broke the window, got in, and then opened the door,” Rodriguez said. “But when we came, the door was closed [and] locked. So other than the window ... we didn’t see anything else different— from the outside.” The J-building alarm had gone off the night of the break-in at 11:40 p.m. when District Employee Brian Shreve had come to inspect the premises. However, nothing was seen or reported at that time, Rodriguez said. “[Shreve said] it looked fine because ... there are some bushes, and the window that was broken is behind the bushes. So really, at nighttime, it was really difficult to see,” Rodriguez recounted. “So he didn’t report it. We get a lot of alarms off all the time so he thought it was just alarms going off.” The iMacs were of the latest model and had been purchased in Oct. 2012, Digital Arts Teacher Mitch Yanoska said. The computers had just been installed three weeks prior to the theft see Macs on page 24

Brenda Su | THE UNION

Senior Pilar Ferguson hugs Principal Ken Schlaff when she walks up to accept her awards on Wednesday, May 22. Ferguson and 315 others were honored on Senior Awards Night this year, a record high, according to Schlaff.

Seniors celebrate four years of work by Brenda Su

Over 300 graduating seniors were honored at the Senior Awards Ceremony on May 22. The purpose of the ceremony was to recognize students for their academic excellence, achievements in community service, and scholarships, according to Assistant Principal Cheryl Rivera. The senior awards also allowed students and parents, many of whom have attended the same school district for years, to gather together, Rivera said. Everyone also discovered what university or trade school students plan on attending, she added. “There were students going on football scholarships, track schol-

arships, and military scholarships,” Rivera said. “Community service was also big. It can be something anybody can achieve.” The Maroon Cord is awarded to student who served 150 hours of community service over the course of their four years at MHS, according to Community Service Director John Ribovich. One hundred-twenty students earned the cord this year, Ribovich added. “It’s the most ever,” Ribovich said. “It’s definitely become an important accessory for graduation.” Gold Cords were awarded to students who maintained grade point averages (G.P.A.) of 3.25 or higher. Scholarships were offered to students

by organizations, teachers, businesses, and for athletics, Rivera said. One student who received various scholarships was Senior Kennedy Kenney. Kennedy received an academic and full athletic scholarship to Hampton University, an Alpha Kappa Alpha scholarship, Scholastic Award, African American Achievement Award, Certificate of Achievement for Leadership and Civic Involvement, and a Gold Cord. “I entered high school with a goal of maintaining a high G.P.A. but also dedicating myself to volleyball,” Kenney said. “It is a blessing for all my hard work to be recognized not only by my peers and teachers, but also by my top school of choice.”

Senior prank causes custodian more strain by Sheldon Hentschke

Several tables were piled and trash cans were overturned on the staircase leading to the upper L-Building before school on the morning of Monday, April 15. Senior Marquel Nelson said that he and some others put the tables and trash bins there, though he would prefer to not disclose their names. The overturned tables and trash cans were meant as a senior prank, according to Nelson. Describing the prank, Nelson said, “We picked up tables and turned

them upside down on the upper L-Building stairs.” He added that they filled in the empty spaces with trash cans. When the trash cans were turned over, garbage spilled out over the staircase. Nelson and the others did not intend for trash to spill out all over the stairway, he affirmed. “We didn’t plan to trash the area,” Nelson said. Since the school had been on Spring Break for the whole previous week, Nelson and the others thought that the trash cans would be empty, according to Nelson.

Rachel Alvelais | THE UNION

Custodian Victor Martinez clears away upturned tables and trash cans at the L-building. This year’s senior prank was on the morning of April 15.

Custodian Victor Martinez had to clear away the tables, put the trash cans back, and clean up the trash by himself since nobody else was around, he listed. To get the tables down from the top of the stairwell, Martinez had to push them and let the tables slide down. He said that for those who do not know what they are doing, the task of sliding the tables down the stairway may have been a bit dangerous. According to Martinez, the entire clean-up process took about half an hour. Regarding the prank and pranks similar to the tables on the stairs, Martinez said, “When you’re a teenager, you think it’s funny, but it’s not.” He commented that he knows what it is like being a teenager and enjoying these things, but when a person grows up, he realizes that the humor is gone from pranks like piling tables up a flight of stairs. Martinez said that he has dealt with senior pranks similar to this. For example. several years ago some seniors made a tower of tables that was three tables high. Martinez said that he was not able to clean it up alone and had to get help from other custodians and bring in a forklift. Martinez also said that he and the other custodians do what they can to keep the school clean. He said, “We are here to keep the school clean; we do our best.”

Arthur Tran | THE UNION

Senior Solomon Wong surveys artworks during his third period. Teachers are annually invited to bring classes to view the artwork of MHS students.

Show displays students’ art by Cindy Wang

The annual art show showcases artists’ work and help raise funds for the department. It was open from May 21 to 22 at the small gym throughout the school day and allowed students to see the drawings, paintings, and sculptures made by their peers. Art Department Lead Irene Hentschke emphasized the diversity of the artwork this year. Artists’ grade levels, artistic ability, and medium varied more from previous years. “We got sophisticated technical art-

work from first level art exploration classes ... drawing classes ... and AP [Advanced Placement] and painting classes,” Hentschke said. “We have mediums from sculptures, paintings, to ceramics and digital art.” Students seemed to enjoy the show. Sophomore Alen Nguyen thought the artwork was interesting and a step up from previous years. “The art was in detail and the artists up a lot of work into it.” Nguyen said. He hoped that the artists would not be looked down upon for their stylistic expression .

T he U nion

May 2013

NEWS

Science Olympiad places fifth at States by Cindy Wu

Sidney Le | THE UNION

Sophomore Peter Rafe is crowned Mr. Trojan on May 24 on stage in the MHS theater. Rafe, the youngest candidate, had the highest combined score in five different categories. The pageant was hosted by Link Crew.

The MHS Science Olympiad (S.O.) team placed fifth overall out of 24 teams at the Northern California States Competition in Tulare, CA, on Apr. 13 after advancing from the regional competition, according to S.O. Coach Letta Meyer. This is the third time the team has advanced to States since the organization was established at MHS, Meyer said. S.O. is a national science competition that involves teams of 15 students competing in 23 science-related events, according to S.O. Co-Captain Casey Lee. The events range from different disciplines of science and involve applications of mastery over the topics through testing and handson building, Lee said. “[The team] did very well,” Meyer said. “Everybody besides two people medaled in at least one of their events and the two that didn’t medal was one spot away from medaling.” Though last year, the team that

competed at States placed fourth, the competition this year was tougher and stiffer across the board, S.O. Coach Roberto Alvelais said. In addition, the coaches spread out the knowledgeable students among the four teams, according to Alvelais. “We try to make each team fairly strong and have some experienced people be leaders in the various teams,” Alvelais said. “Had we consolidated, we probably would have done a little better, maybe much better.” MHS S.O. will be graduating 15 seniors this year, according to Meyer. Since there can be no more than seven seniors on each team, the coaches try to diversify the teams by grade levels so the team will not be greatly affected by the graduating seniors, Meyer said. “One of the coolest things is this is the second time we’ve actually had seniors who’ve participated since freshman year,” Meyer said. “[S.O.’s] become a big part of their high school experience; it’s neat to see them be-

come more like a family.” Senior Jason Kuo is part of the team that advanced to States. Kuo said his favorite part of S.O. is having the opportunity to learn about science topics not covered in school curriculum and getting to know other team members. “I kind of regret not joining freshman year,” Kuo said. “I’m going to miss Science Olympiad in college, miss the feeling and suspense at the competitions.” As for next year, Alvelais anticipates that MHS will have better performance at competitions than this year due to a new competition rule that limits two teams at Regionals. The team will be more consolidated since only two teams instead of four can be sent to compete. “The universal thing about science Olympiad is that yeah, it’s some work, it’s some study, but it is one heck of a lot of fun,” Alvelais said. “[S.O.] fosters a camaraderie that is really awesome.”

Boys compete to be Mr. Trojan by Brenda Su

Link Crew hosted the first Mr. Trojan Pageant on May 24 in the MHS theatre. Six male students competed in five different categories, and proceeds from the pageant went to Link Crew, according to Stage Manager Lauryn Navarette. The contestants competed in categories of casual wear, swimwear, talent, formal wear, and a final question and answer session, Navarette explained. Participation was open to all male MHS students, and Sophomore Peter Rafe, Junior Troy Ojeda, Seniors Thavisack Dorlybountou, Anthony Garay, Aaron Frailing, and Alexander Nguyen entered; MHS Teachers Paul Cao and Martha Kang Chen were judges, she said. “There was a lot of planning,” Navarette said. “We had to come up with categories, find guys and judges, we had to come up with a dance, and find tuxedos for all of them and so much more. It was really stressful to plan it,

but it was so worth it in the end.” Sophomore Peter Rafe, winner of the pageant, joined because he thought the pageant would be fun and entertaining. To prepare for the pageant, he shopped for apparel and practiced his talent. “And [the show] was really funny,” Rafe added. “I sang a song and I played a little bit of violin, and a guitar accompanied me.” Rafe suggested that Link Crew to improve on publicity for next year’s Mr. Trojan Pageant because only six students entered. Some male students might have been intimidated about joining, Rafe said. “I was surprised [when I won] and I felt really happy but bad for everybody else,” Rafe said. “I got to know them and I liked them. Knowing that they lost felt bad.” Nevertheless, Rafe said he found the pageant experience very worthwhile. He also encourages other students to participate next year because “it’s a lot of fun.”

Rachel Alvelais | THE UNION

Science Olympiad’s competing Team 1 and contributing members pose for a group photo after the awards ceremony on Saturday, April 13. The team travelled to Visalia, California, during that weekend to compete against other 22 teams from schools throughout Northern California. MHS’s team medalled in a total of events.

Taplin, Rodriguez to leave high in the fall of 2011,” Jean said. “Through the credential program at Yearbook Advisor Marie BernaSan Jose State, I was assigned to Ms. dette Taplin and Assistant PrinciTaplin’s class as her student teacher.” pal Linda Rodriguez are set to leave Jean currently teachers Art One MHS this year. The district at Irvington High School has chosen Irvington High in Fremont after she was School Teacher Fiona Jean offered a teaching position as Taplin’s replacement for in the summer, Jean connext year’s yearbook advisor, firmed. She was, however, Taplin said. only hired on a part-time Taplin has taught for a tobasis and as a temporary tal of 15 years, all of which replacement for another teacher, Jean established. were at MHS, Taplin said. As for plans for the next Currently, she teaches m. b. Taplin Drawing and is the Yearbook Yearbook class, Jean said that she is really excited to be the next Advisor, Taplin said. Family circumstances had forced advisor. Many students already know her to retire, according to Taplin. her, Jean said. “I am familiar with the way they are When asked about her retirement used to things,” Jean said. “I realize plans, Taplin said that she bought a that Ms. Taplin is a hard act to follow, small ranch in West Valley and that and I might want to do some things she would probably teach somewhere part time if she could. differently, but ultimately, “I’m heartbroken, of I’m sure that the energy of course,” Taplin said when the class will remain the same.” asked about how she feels about leaving MHS. “I don’t Rodriguez is also slated want to leave my kids.” to leave MHS this year, Ro“I have complete confidriguez confirmed. She was dence,” Taplin said when originally only an interim Assistant Principal, and had asked about what will happen with Jean replacing L. Rodriguez to apply to be Assistant Principal specifically for MHS her. “She’s a very intelligent in order to take that position once woman and an excellent educator. She understands kids.” more, Rodriguez said. “When I applied, there were 98 Jean has been a student teacher for other candidates,” Rodriguez said. Taplin for the 2011-2012 school year, Taplin confirmed. Jean has taught a “Since this was a temporary position, I will be a teacher. They don’t have a Drawing class and Art Exploration for Jenna Boyer, Taplin said. position at this high school, I will be “I was first introduced to Milpitas teaching science at Curtner.” by Andrew Hoang

Courtesy of Jeff Waugh

Students from the Community Based Instruction class attend a Superhero themed dance held in the cafeteria. The dance, held on April 26, offered the developmentally disabled students a chance to practice their social skills.

Developmentally disabled students dance by Marisa Louie

MHS held its first dance for community based instruction classes across Santa Clara County, according to Community Based Instruction Teacher Jeff Waugh. The dance was held on April 26 during school in the MHS cafeteria, according to Waugh. Multiple dances for the community based instruction classes are held at different high schools throughout each year, Waugh said. Waugh chose a superheroes theme for the MHS dance, he added. “I chose the [superheroes] theme because my students tend to relate to that,” Waugh said. “I was also looking for a theme that was positive and

optimistic and I thought these guys were superheroes in my eyes, so why not have a party that way.” All students who attended were on the moderate to severe range of developmental disability, Waugh said. The dance provided an opportunity for them to socialize, Waugh added. “At least 160 students came,” Waugh said. “[The dance] was a really good place for my students to meet others like themselves and to practice their social skills, such as how to act around strangers.” To prepare for the event, Activities Director Joanna Butcher along with her Associated Student Body (A.S.B.) class created murals of superheroes and helped Waugh’s class to set up

and clean up, Waugh said. The community based learning class inflated and arranged balloons in the cafeteria, Waugh added. “With everything that I do, I try to look for teachable moments—opportunities to practice social skills ... and also to learn what it means to give back to the community,” Waugh said. “They go to other dances, so this is a chance to repay the favor by hosting one.” During the dance, the students watched clips from superhero movies, according to Sophomore Kevin Tran. There were also cardboard cutouts of superheroes, Tran said. “I had a lot of fun,” Tran said. “The music was my favorite part.”

MAY 2013

T HE U NION

EDITORIAL

EDITOR I A L : The Opinion of The Union

Closed graduation ceremony needs changes; students abuse outdated, unfair ticket system We, The Union, feel that closed graduation is an unfair system in its current state. There are family members and friends who are unable to attend their child’s or friend’s graduation because of ticket allotments, there are kids who are unable to have all of their family and friends cheer them on, there are people who sell graduation tickets for ridiculously inflated prices, and there are people who are desperate enough to buy these tickets at ridiculously inflated prices. Taking the administration’s perspective, having an open graduation is virtually impossible. The MHS field is incapable of holding everyone who wants to attend; there would be chaos and fire hazard regulations violated. We cannot blame administration for a flawed system if there is a legitimate reason behind these flaws. However, we can suggest a solution. Instead of holding graduation on the MHS field, it is possible to rent another venue with a greater capacity. Other schools that have done this include Mission San Jose High School and Evergreen Valley High School. Independence High School, which has a significantly larger population than MHS, still manages to host an open graduation. It is understandable that some people may want to graduate on the very soil that they have spent the past four years on. However, when deciding which is more important, the location or the people who have supported us throughout the past four years, our friends and family definitely come first. Mission San Jose and Evergreen Valley’s graduation went by smoothly, without any problems or complaints. When it comes

down to it, would you rather have your family and friends watching your moment of glory at another location, or have them watching you from the outskirts of the field? Eradicating the ticket system would also eliminate some unfortunate realities on campus. There are people who attain more graduation tickets than they were allotted just to sell them at a higher price and make a quick buck. It is simple economics – supply and demand. These people abuse the system, knowing that there is a large demand but very little supply. The methods of attaining these tickets are not always the best, either. Some people buy and resell at a higher price, and others resort to stealing. People also take advantage of the additional ticket give aways via the raffle system held by the administration. The system creates problems that our school clearly does not promote. People who are not usually greedy or selfish suddenly decide that it is acceptable to make a quick buck by selling their extra graduation tickets to some friends. As graduation becomes nearer, the prices of graduation tickets soar to an unreasonable amount, reaching prices in the hundreds. The raffle system in which a few people are allotted a couple extra tickets is now filled with people who do not actually need the tickets, and instead just want more money. Closed graduation causes several problems that have yet to be addressed by the administration. We hope that in the future, all who want to attend the graduation ceremony are able to come and go freely.

PATRONS

he Union is a student-run publication that is partially funded by local businesses and private citizens. The patrons listed below have demonstrated their generosity by extending both moral and financial support to our newspaper for the 2012-2013 school year. The Union staff would like to thank them for their patronage and encourage others to contribute. If you are interested in becoming a patron ($25 donation), please contact our Business Manager. Republic Services Jerry Glass D.D.S. and Staff Calaveras Montessori School Inc. Crescent Montesorri Mayor José and Susan Esteves Denny and Marianne Weisgerber Alan L. Grimm, D.D.S. Giorgio’s Italian Food & Pizzeria Thrive Milpitas - Dr. Kauffman Milpitas Rotary Club Luis Descanzo

UNION THE

S T U D E N T V O I C E O F M I L P I TA S H I G H

The Union is published by the Journalism class of Milpitas High School. The views in The Union are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect those of the school, students, administration, or Milpitas Unified School District.

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EDITOR I A L : The Opinion of The Union

School lacks sufficient amount of counselors; staff overwhelmed by large student population We, The Union, believe that there are currently not enough counselors available to sufficiently assist the needs of students on campus. While the counselors are doing an excellent job, the amount of responsibilities that they have is clearly overwhelming due to the sheer size of our student body. At the moment, MHS has only four counselors for approximately 3000 students, which translates into a 1:750 ratio. Given these numbers, it is simply not possible for the counselors to give each student an appropriate amount of attention. The communication between students and counselors is especially important when it comes time for counselors to write recommendation letters for college applicants. With the current ratio of counselors to students, it is ridiculous to assume that all students will have the same opportunity to get to know their counselor. As a result, counselors will find themselves writing letters of recommendation about students that they hardly know, with only a packet of generic answers to personal questions for reference. Since the competition for college acceptances is becoming tougher and tougher each year, it is important for the counselors to genuinely know the students whom they are recommending for college. To exacerbate the situation, at least half of the counselors have to leave their offices from time to time so as to fulfill other, more pressing responsibilities they have, such as supervising Advanced Placement (AP) testing and distributing scheduling cards. Regarding the students’ needs for appointments: though there are definite lulls during the year, there are times, such as during scheduling and during college application season, that there seems to be a perpetually long line outside of the counseling office that makes it difficult to even reach the window itself.

By the time one finally reaches the front of the line, there are frequently only a few time slots open on each counselor’s sign-up sheet. Put simply, a shortage of counselors in the office translates into significantly fewer appointments available for students seeking help, which means less time for each student to get to know his counselor. We would like to acknowledge that, this past school year, our four counselors have done an outstanding job when it came to addressing student needs despite the staggering number of people they must devote their time to. At the end of the day, letters of recommendation and financial aid papers for colleges were turned in on time, AP testing ran smoothly, and most questions and needs were answered. The counselors have been and still are doing an amazing job, but this does not change the fact that more people are needed in the counseling office. Additional counselors would distribute their workload more evenly, giving them an easier time when it comes to focusing on individual students. We understand that to hire more counselors would mean more money spent for staff salaries, but this addition would benefit students of all grades, especially those looking to enter college. Even for those who do not plan on going to college after high school, the counselors can provide career advice. High school serves as a stepping stone to greater prospects in life, and counselors are essential in guiding the students through these four years and advising them on what their next step beyond high school will be. Ensuring that students receive as much attention and help as necessary for their futures should be a top priority of our school, so it is imperative that this issue be addressed as soon as possible.

C O N TAC T U S 1285 Escuela Pkwy, Room E-17 Milpitas, CA 95035 General Info: (408) 635-2800 Business Manager: (408) 635-2800 Ad Manager: (408) 649-8779 Fax: (408) 635-2848 Email: mhstheunion12@gmail.com

STA FF LeAnn Woo Cindy Wu

Editors-in-Chief

Ying Luo • News Editor Brenda Su • Asst. News Editor Arthur Tran • Op-Ed Editor Sheldon Hentschke • Asst. Op-Ed Editor Marisa Louie • Features Editor Martin Yao • Asst. Features Editor Giang Ha • Sports Editor Alanna Tran • Asst. Sports Editor Lillian Kao • Entertainment Editor Kimberly Vo • Lifestyle Editor Vivian Dinh• Asst. Lifestyle Editor Catherine Frey • Copy Editor Jamie Lam • Asst. Copy Editor Alicia Nguyen • Asst. Copy Editor Dan Luo • Web Editor Jimmy Nguyen • Asst. Web Editor Rachel Alvelais • Photo Editor Nicklaus Wu • Asst. Photo Editor Andrea Wang • Business Manager Andrew Hoang • Asst. Business Manager Karen Chi • Ad Manager Jonathan Ngo • Asst. Ad Manager Ruiting qin • Reporter Caryn Tran• Reporter Cindy Wang • Reporter Moshe Yang • Reporter Vanessa Yeh • Reporter

Jeff Colburn

Journalism Advisor

L ETTER TO TH E EDITOR

Tardy sweeps counterproductive, waste time I was tardy swept. I arrived maybe a minute or two late, and went to the tardy window to use my TAC to avoid the detention. However, this process turned into a 15 minute shenanigan because of “traffic” at the tardy window. I don’t have a problem with tardy sweeps at; in fact, when music plays, it’s entertaining to see some students run so fast. It’s a shame they don’t represent MHS in the 100 meter dash, but it irritates me that the process took so long. The problem lies with children who lack motivation for learning. Punishing them with detentions will only make them associate yet another negative thing with school. Here’s your solution to tardiness: computers. You mean those magical machines that connect to the Internet and with the click of button can mark someone present, tardy, or absent? Have a sign in log for late students and have teachers mark them tardy during passing periods. Classes aren’t interrupted, children aren’t delayed to class because they have to get a stupid tardy pass, and everyone can get back to what they’re here for in the first place: teaching and learning! There is no punctuality requirement for graduation, so why are you enforcing it? People will learn on

their own one way. During my government class, the teacher was taking attendance in pencil. A couple kids walked in late and she sent them back for a tardy pass. Why not erase the mark made in the absent column, mark them present, and get on with teaching? You’re a teacher! Teach! Your goals and satisfaction should do with teaching course material as effectively as possible, to as many students as possible, having a great majority of students pass your class with a good grade. It’s kind of hard when you have a kid come back five minutes later lost because he literally isn’t on the same page with everyone else. Maybe that’s why our API score isn’t 900-something. There’s a huge flaw in the way tardiness is currently being dealt with. The ideal solution would be to have a machine that requires students to scan their ID card as they walk into their classroom and the computer can mark them present if they are on time. Late students would be marked tardy, and those that never scan in would be marked absent. An efficient solution will make this rough system smooth.

Sajay Shah

Class of 2013

T HE U NION

PRO

Taking finals early aids seniors; grades known before graduation You are a senior, and it is the last finals seriously. Even so, this horriweek of school; what does that signi- ble situation can be amended if not fy? Finals, of course! Almost every- prevented, if just one simple thing is thing for next year is set by now: you fixed: have seniors take their finals a know what college you are going to, week earlier. Why must seniors take what workforce you are finals during the last week going to join, or what milof school if they can take itary force you are comthem earlier? mitting to. Summer plans If seniors are able to have already been made, take all of their finals in and all that is left are just advance, they will also six measly finals you have know their final grades to pass in order to gradbeforehand, and be able to uate—easy right? It may find out whether they met seem so, however mistakes minimum GPA requireoccur, accidents happen, ment for graduation ahead and just when you thought of time. If they passed all RUITING high school was over forof their finals, then great! QIN ever, you find out the bad They do not have to wornews: you flunked one or ry about not being able more of the finals, dropping your GPA to graduate. If they did not pass all below the required 2.5 minimum for of their finals, seniors may still have graduation. more time to do make-up work or At this point, the definite future you complete retakes if available. At the created for yourself is shattered: your very least, seniors would know to hold college will most probably rescind on to their graduation tickets to preyour acceptance letter, and you will vent extreme embarrassment from not be able to even walk for gradu- happening. ation—what will you do when your In fact, moving the final tests forrelatives and friends fly over, only to ward one week does not only benehear the news that you have to retake fit the students, but the teachers as senior year? Aside from suffering well. Teachers will be able to take from humiliation, everything is com- advantage of this extra time slot to plicated, since taking extra summer grade essays and tests in advance. courses may not serve to remedy your They may be less likely to make missituation. You are resigned to your takes without the last minute rush fate—that is, resigned to spending to get grades in. It is much less of a another year in high school. hassle for both the teachers and the The above scenario may seem im- students if finals were given earlier. probable now, but it has happened Seniors can enjoy their last week of before, and may happen again this being in high school, and look foryear, especially for those who are suf- ward to the future without any more fering from senioritis and do not take worries.

CON

Early finals problem for teachers, impractical despite initial appeal As a senior, the idea of having finals scheduling the finals in advance. A a week early is quite appealing to me. separate schedule for seniors would Although it may initially sound like need to be made. It sounds simple to a great idea for most of the student just set another schedule for seniors, body, since you’re essentially done but how would the final exams be with school a week early, it provides proctored? Most teachers teach a vaa variety of problems that need to be riety of grade levels with many classovercome to make it happen. es being a mix of seniors and underFirst of all, if finals are a week early, classmen. Therefore, many teachers the administration would have to de- can’t be there to proctor their exams cide what to do with the senior class for seniors and also teach their other for the last week of school. One option students in other classes. One could would be to allow the seniors to get off simply argue for hiring proctors for a week early along with having finals a when the seniors take their finals in week early, but it seems highly unlike- advance, but what if students have ly the school administraquestions about the test? tion would allow this. The Addressing another more likely option would problem from above, what be that seniors would still would the school do with have to attend school for classes that are mixed? the following week. At Teachers cannot expect this point though, the fiseniors to work quietly nal grades are in. There for two hours while their is nothing to keep most classmates take the final of the seniors in line or to that they took a week ago. even keep them in school Also, since the seniors take for that last week. the final exam a week earALANNA What would teachers do ly, teachers cannot expect TRAN with seniors in their classstudents to not leak ines, especially on the finals formation about the final days for the rest of the school? It is to their underclassmen peers. This likely most teachers would give their means that most teachers with mixed students a free period or try to find an classes would need to make two veramusing activity to occupy students, sions of their final if they want honest but this gives seniors a greater incen- results on the final exam. This would tive to skip school. To most students, further inconvenience teachers, estheir time could be utilized better pecially when they have to deal with outside of school. a strange schedule. Of course, there could be conseAlthough I would love to take finals quences implemented for misbehav- a week early and be done with high ior or cuts during the last week, such school a week in advance, there are as not being able to walk at gradua- a variety of obstacles the administration. Yet, if there were consequences, tion would need to overcome to make the senior class could suddenly come this happen. Due to the enormous difdown with “illnesses” or have multi- ficulty of overcoming these obstacles, ple “appointments” for the last four I do not think having finals early for days. seniors is the best option. A major problem also arises in

OPINIONS

MAY 2013

Recent ‘senior pranks’ resemble vandalism It is safe to say that in my four years of high school, I have not seen anything worthy of being called a senior prank. Let’s be honest, folks: moving tables and garbage cans doesn’t take more than an iota of a brain cell to execute. Great senior pranks should be amusing for the entire school, students and administration included. While the administration admonishes those who engage in senior pranks, let’s face it. The administration is still human and still has a sense of humor. The only palpable reason that the senior pledge was invented is that recent pranks, or really, acts of vandalism, have cost the school a great deal of money and a lot of unnecessary work. Vandalism that may not necessarily have been senior pranks only encourages others to engage in similar activities, sparking ideas for “senior pranks.” A good senior prank was when a vehicle was disassembled and reassembled around a tree on campus. No damage was done to school property; the car was donated to the auto shop class at the time, so nothing was lost. This prank was ages ago, eons before

the standard stacking of tables and much cleaning up after us like we’re moving of garbage cans. It was cre- still in preschool. While attempting ative, original, and just plain funny. organize the mess on the stairs, a taStaff members were as amused as the ble started to slide and almost hit him. students. The prank did not So congratulations to cost the school anything, class of 2013 for being unand everyone got a good able to prove Mr. Harrison laugh. wrong. In my sophomore This year, we should give year of AP World History, it up for the class of 2013, he said, “No one at this since this has been the high school can pull off a first time in years a senior senior prank because you prank has even garnered all lack good communicaany attention. In past tion.” Don’t worry though; years, we have all walked there was some history past the stacked tables and context behind that conLEANN garbage cans, groaning to versation. WOO ourselves about how lame I guess it’s not really fair of a “prank” it was. This to blame my senior class year, there were many peofor a lack of coordination ple who were outraged and ashamed when I myself have not attempted to to be part of class of 2013 simply be- plan a great senior prank; my class’s cause the “prank” wasn’t a prank; it lack of action only resonates with the was a Neanderthal attempt at being teachers’ agreement that the majority funny. The so-called prank included of class of 2013 is strangely apathetic. flipped tables on the L-building stairs I hope that in the future other classwith garbage strewn about every- es take the initiative to plan a great where. I would just like to take the senior prank that doesn’t involve detime to apologize to and thank the facing school property, and if it does, I custodian who cleaned up that mess, hope that they will have a backup plan because the custodians already do so on how to fix it themselves.

STAR test ‘bribes’ offer lackluster rewards Every year in the month of April, If the school gains more recognistudents from second to eleventh tion, there is a good chance that the grade are required to take the STAR school will receive more funding to tests, which are standardized tests improve itself. With all of the spendthat help measure students’ progress ing cuts and general loss of funds towards meeting California’s educa- from the school and the school distional standards in English, math, trict, money is needed to improve facilities, buy new rescience, and history. With the scores from these tests sources, and hire more teachers. All aspects of impartial to our grades, MHS have been affectmany students often ask why we are even required ed by the spending cuts implemented recently, to take these tests. The school makes a great effort so the extra money that to keep students motivatcould be provided by high API scores would make a ed to do well on the STAR tests, but what is the point huge difference. To achieve high API behind it all? scores and high STAR One of the main reasons JAMIE why the school encouragresults, MHS encourages LAM students to do well with es us to do our best on the what many call “bribes.” STAR test is because the school receives more recAmong one of them is ognition with higher STAR scores. the Trojan Access Card, which gives When a school maintains a high an individual a variety of awards, STAR score, the houses and neigh- ranging from off-campus lunches to borhoods surrounding the school excused tardies, for doing well on the usually go up in monetary value, STAR tests. Students can get highmaking the area a more desirable er ranking Trojan Access Cards by place to live because parents feel as- scoring high on the STAR tests, and sured that their kids will be able to with higher ranking cards comes more rewards. have a good education at that school.

One thing that MHS has overlooked is that those who receive higher ranked Trojan Access Cards barely put them to use. This may just be a habit that I have noticed, but the people who I know have Ultra or Platinum Trojan Access Cards seldom use their cards at all. Those with higher cards tend to be those who receive good grades in school, and many feel like the rewards that come with the card are not very useful. So why pass out these cards in the first place? Sure, it makes some feel good for doing well on the STAR tests, but does it really live up to its expectations as an incentive everyone should be trying to get? I do agree that it is important to do well on the STAR tests, for the sake of the school receiving more funds and recognition. However, is it really necessary to bribe students into trying their best on these tests when many feel like the results of the test don’t affect them? Instead of giving us cards with rewards on them, the school should encourage students to do well on the STAR tests by letting us know how these scores could help our school with funding and esteem.

Students patronizing about others’ college plans It’s just right around the corner, seniors. You know what I’m talking about—the end of the year, graduation, and the end of your high school career forever. You’re pretty much your own person now. Everyone respects you, it’s great! Well, this only applies to you if you’re going to Berkeley. No one ever really says it, but the general idea going around is that if you’re not going to a famous or reputable university after high school, you’re categorized as either an underachiever or a stupid person. It gets even worse when you get to people who choose to go to community college (“lazy” or “stupid”) or if you choose to work right after high school (“uneducated”). Despite the fact that it’s become a lot harder these days to pay for college or that the competition has become harsher in our time, people, especially those lucky enough to get accepted into one of the more prestigious colleges give those “lower” than them a disdainful eye and a side comment to their friends about how “I knew they wouldn’t go to college—they’re not smart, anyway.” More often than not, people believe the idea that not going to an amazing university is some-

thing that is looked down on and a lot you who are condescending towards of people beat themselves up about it people who don’t want to go to colall the time. lege, it’s really none of your business However, there are a couple things what other people’s life choices are. that people are forgetting when it Secondly, it’s time for you to get out comes to judging someone’s post- of the notion that having a college high school decisions. First of all, degree automatically gives you a for college-bound seniors, it’s really one-way ticket to success. The fact of important to keep in mind the matter is that in five or that it has become a LOT six years, a lot of us will be harder to get accepted into in the same place—living any colleges at all considat home with parents in ering how competitive a minimum wage job, restudents are becoming in gardless of the degree of the rush to get a college education. degree—something that All in all, the moral of used to guarantee people a the story is really simmiddle-class life. If you get ple. If you’re one of those accepted into a university people who are fortunate at all, that’s already a realenough to get into a uniALICIA ly incredible achievement versity at all, you should NGUYEN in itself. Even if you decide really think twice before to attend a community colyou criticize others. It’s lege, the great part about not your life, and you that is how incredibly cheaper its probably don’t realize that everyone tuition is compared that of a univer- has different circumstances and colsity’s, which makes it a great choice. lege isn’t for everyone. If you’re still Now to address another miscon- gloating for some reason, take a moception—“people who don’t pursue a ment to get off your high horse and higher education are stupid and lazy.” realize that just because you’re going This is probably the most ridiculous, to a well-known university, doesn’t yet widespread, assumption that re- mean you’re smarter or better than ally needs to be fixed. For those of anyone else.

MAY 2013

Internet voting encourages student laziness With a population of almost 3,000 to skip rallies and such by going to a students and a growing use of elec- teacher’s classroom and staying there tronics, it’s no surprise that MHS has until the event is over. Some students turned to online voting. I agree that even choose to sneak off campus. online voting does make it easier to Without an authority telling students manage elections as it saves hours to go to rallies or get to class, student counting ballots and tallying names. apathy will only continue to grow. It also saves time for stuThis type of student apdents and teachers in that athy applies to online votthey don’t have to take class ing as well. When teachers time to fill out surveys and pass ballots out during ballots when they could use class, most students can’t the time for teaching and do much except vote on learning. Moreover, stuthe spot. By voting right dents can simply vote from away, students will have their computers or smart to write down names or phones. vote for people that apHowever, instead of enpeal to them or for those couraging students, online that come to mind first. VIVIAN voting leads to increasing However, by just sending DINH student apathy. It’s very apan email including a votparent that a lot of students ing link, most students are at MHS are apathetic to spirit weeks likely to pass up on it because they’re and school social events. If they don’t too busy or simply do not care enough have to do a certain activity or go to about electing students and teachers a certain event, chances are these for various titles. If it’s the former, students won’t do so at all. There most students will forget and end up are quite a few students who choose not voting at all unless reminded con-

stantly. Voting online also leads to cheating. By holding elections or prom court ballots online, students are required to sign in with their ID number and their birthday as their password. With this easy log-in, it becomes easier for some students to go around to their friends and other students on campus and ask for their information in order to put themselves on the ballots. By putting voting online, a handful of students will go to such pathetic lengths to ensure they win a title that isn’t worth anything in the first place. Online voting is inevitable, but with convenience comes problems such as student apathy and cheating. The current voting method diminishes the fairness that came with voting in class. Moreover, most teachers and students don’t actually do anything during SSR anyway so it is still possible to continue on with the previous voting process with little interference. With everything laid out above, is this method really worth it? Because I beg to differ.

High school misrepresented in modern media Graduating high school seemed like a herculean task in 2009 when I when a fresh-faced fourteen year old. Being the media consumer junkie I was, I was fed expectations of high school that in majority, honestly never happened. Now, four years later, as a senior, I can safely say, high school is definitely nothing like what you see in a movie or on television. First and foremost, all of you underclassmen will probably not be finding your one true love in high school. Some of you may never even find a boyfriend or girlfriend, and that’s okay. I distinctly remember writing in my diary, as one of my new year’s resolutions, that I had to find a boyfriend. I never did, and I think I came out fine. Second, there really is no “in crowd.” If you spend your high school career enviably looking into the direction of a certain table and making gods out of kids your age, you’ll be missing out. Looking back, I realize now that the

kids I thought were “oh so cool” actu- Never forget that. I looked down on ally were just normal people. the kids who tried too hard in their Because I thought they were spe- classes. For me, being blasé about cial, I segregated them in my head, learning yet getting good grades was thinking it would be odd for them to so much cooler. ever want to be friends with Reality check—not eva nerd like me. I was uttereryone has the brain of the ly wrong. In my stereotypvaledictorian. I could have ing, I also missed out on done a lot more if I hadn’t being better friends with been trying to make it look the people around me, the like I couldn’t care less. not as cool people, whom Passion for school is nothoddly enough, know me a ing to be ashamed about. lot more than the strangers Take a pointer from Sam across the campus. in ‘A Cinderella Story’ and Third, cliques are sadaim high in school. ly an integral part of high High school is honestCARYN school culture. Most of us ly one of the places in life TRAN arrive as eager friend makthat you can be whatever ers, yet we end up stuck in you want to be. Take the an awkward social dance opportunity to try new where neither side will take the first things and jump head first into areas step. You have a lost potential friend you want to explore. Don’t be tied up in every person that you look down by the superficial high school norms. upon or pass by with no word. Find your own ways to excel. Smart people are not “uncool.”

Campus security cameras mostly useless; more frequent use, updates recommended With all the recent vandalisms such I understand that school financas graffiti on the walls and break-ins es are low, but the school and its in our school, it should be a no-brain- students’ safety should be the first er that MHS should have security and foremost priority. I feel that the cameras. The good news is school has been spending that we do. The bad news most of its budget on many is that we never use them. other minor things such Our campus has security as Wi-Fi and interactive cameras located nearby desks rather than using almost every building, but the money to improve our apparently none of them security. work. Since the camera’s Recently, there was a installation, our security burglary on campus in cameras have not helped which the thief broke the administrators ideninto a classroom and stole tify the suspects of the laptops. Based on the evCINDY crime. Staff members have idence, the suspect must WANG said that these cameras have known that securiare rarely put into use. So ty cameras were around again, if our school wants the premises and also had to identify those who damaged school knowledge that the security cameras property, why not get cameras that were not functioning. Teachers have will actually be useful? told me that whenever the camer-

as are on, they haven’t caught any crimes on campus. If the cameras can be turned on, then it should remain on in case of any accidents or crimes. Furthermore, in this big campus not every security guard is able to catch what happens on campus. So if the school turns on the cameras, it can maximize security all over the campus and save the guards a few rounds around the school. The use of the cameras can only be beneficial to our school and should be fixed or turned back on. Another reason to turn the security cameras back on is to monitor the Senior Pranks. A majority of the senior pranks done by this school causes damage to the schools property and should be disciplined. Having security cameras to be on surveillance could drastically reduce the amount of vandalisms of the property.

T HE U NION

OPINIONS

TOP TEN: TOP TEN HIGH SCHOOL REGRETS

10 Bad grades 9

Being unspirited and apathetic

Buying and eating school food

Ridiculous relationships

Asking out that one person who tore your heart out

Not going to prom

Going to prom

Staying up until 3 a.m. watching cat videos

Saying stupid things online

High school

Sober graduation ineffective This year, instead of placing signifObviously, we wouldn’t be able icant emphasis and effort in an activto relate to the story presented in ity of its own to deliver the message the video, being that we don’t know of drunk driving, the senior class these people and have zero personal instead had its form of “sober gradattachments. Where does that leave uation” in the theater. Instead of us? Apparently, laughing throughout creating a simulation to try to relate the video. students directly to the situation, our To be honest, it’s one thing to show school displayed a video us a video of a drunk drivcreated by another school ing scenario. It’s another to the seniors. thing to show us a poorly I’m certain it was cost made video of a drunk effective to not have to driving scenario. I cannot recreate a scenario for the condone my peers’ behavsenior class, but what reaiors for laughing throughsons surmount the safety out the video, but I cannot of the students? Perhaps lie and say I didn’t crack a our safety isn’t worth too smile here and there. much. It certainly makes me Of course, I’ve never wonder how this video KIMBERLY been to a different sober was decided upon to be VO graduation myself, though shown to our class. The I can account on past uppoor acting makes it even perclassmen who have mentioned more difficult to connect to the emobeing affected by the presentation, tions and story being told. The audieven to the extent of crying. Maybe ence erupted into laughter when the going all out is indeed a waste of reparents in the video were being told sources and time, but considering their children had died. The mesthe video alternative, a simulation sage was certainly delivered here, would seem to be worth it if it could as I am now convinced not to drink actually move typically apathetic and drive, if only to spare my parents and defiant teenagers. from the emotional turmoil of nodShowing a video of another school’s ding their heads calmly and saying version of sober graduation seems “ok.” lazy and irresponsible on our part. I The nail to the coffin in that video know our administration is probably certainly was the use of “Apologize” working hard on a lot of other things, by OneRepublic as the teenage girl but by using video that was not procharged for vehicular manslaughter duced by our school but instead by was being arrested. Sure, that was a nearby school, it seems as if the appropriate. administration doesn’t really care Encouraging the prevention of about us or our safety. They seem to driving under the influence is defisay, “Here’s a video that we’ll toss in nitely an important action to take. at the end after we have tired you all If the school doesn’t care to do this about senior pledges.” properly, who will?

QUESTION OF THE MONTH: WHAT ARE YOU DOING OVER THE SUMMER NOW THAT HIGH SCHOOL IS COMING TO AN END? “I’m going to work more hours over the summer and spend time with my sisters who are coming home from college.” Senior Duc Hoang

“I’m going to a summer camp for percussionists in Chicago.” Senior May Lee

“I’m going to hang out with my friends at Great America and take summer classes.” Senior Camille Vu

“I’m going on a tour with my band.” Senior Gary Le

“I’m going on a road trip with my best friends to SoCal.” Senior Katherine Lien

THE UNION

MAY 2013

FEATURES

Seniors partake in 5k Rave Run BY CINDY WU

Brenda Su | THE UNION

Senior Maecy Williams accepts the $20,000 Minnis Scholarship from Selection Chairperson Jenifer Lind. Each year, five seniors are chosen for the scholarship based on financial need and an essay written on career goals.

Minnis scholarship awarded to seniors BY KIMBERLY VO

College decisions have been finalized, and the realities of the price of college have set in. With these pricey tuitions, seniors have flocked towards opportunities to receive aid through scholarships—including the coveted Minnis scholarship, rewarded only to MHS students, taking financial need into strong consideration. Seniors were able to apply for the Minnis scholarship by turning in an application and an essay, Senior Cheverlyn Casta said. There was one $20,000 award, two $10,000 awards, and two $5,000, according to Casta, who received one of the $10,000 awards. Other winners were Senior Maecy Williams, who won the grand $20,000 award; Senior Crystal Han, who won the other $10,000 award;

and Seniors Solomon Wong and Jeff Nguyen, who won the $5,000 awards. “The Minnis scholarship is a scholarship from the Minnis family—they own this multi-million dollar company in Milpitas,” Casta said. “[Rita Minnis’] husband used to give back to our school, and when he died, she just wanted to continue his legacy, so that’s why she gives the scholarship.” Essays written by applicants were weighed heavily in the decision-making process, according to Casta. The applicants were to write an essay about their career goals and college plans, which was solely looked at before anything else, Casta noted. “I wrote about how I wanted to be a child psychologist because I like working with kids and I like the area of psychology, so I just put them together,” Casta said. “I talked about

how programs I’m involved in like Best Buddies and this tutoring program kind of lead to this decision.” The Minnis scholarship will help Casta’s family with paying for the expensive college tuitions. “I’m going to UCI, and I’m study psychology and social behavior,” according to Casta. This scholarship has relieved a lot of stress for Williams, who is grateful. She plans to go to San Jose State University and have a job while she is in school, Williams said. “I feel like I was selected because I have a plan and future goals,” according to Williams. “I know what I am going to do and how I am going to do it for the next four years.” Williams advises future applicants to work hard and have a goal. “Stay involved in school and try hard in everything you do,” Williams stated.

Cadorin travels abroad for exchange program BY MARTIN YAO

While most seniors are now college-bound and have gone through the March Sadness and April Acceptance periods, one senior has other plans. Senior Susanna Cadorin plans on studying abroad in Spain as part of an exchange program. Cadorin applied to the Rotary Youth Exchange program due to her lifelong interest in traveling and meeting new people. After traveling to England last summer, she decided to study abroad and came across the program through Milpitas Interact, Cadorin said. “[Rotary] is sponsoring me to go abroad for a year, but it is actually eight to nine months, like a school year,” Cadorin said. “I will go live with two to three different host families in a town called Bic, and I will go to high school there and just learn the language and the culture,” Cadorin said.

Cadorin’s parents definitely support this decision. Cadorin’s mother and father support traveling and experiencing different cultures due to their backgrounds, Cadorin said. “My mom did American Field Service, which is the same sort of thing, so she did a year abroad in Italy when she was my age,” Cadorin said. “And my dad is Italian so he of course approves of me going back to Europe and learning European stuff,” Cadorin added. Cadorin said she will definitely miss her friends and family while studying abroad. However, this factor will not affect her decision. “Of course I am going to be miss home; we have had orientation and preparation, lots of preparation, so I know that I am going to feel homesick and all that,” Cadorin said. “But they said it was going to be the best year of my life, so homesickness does not

really factor in when you have a best year of your life in store,” Cadorin added. Cadorin plans on applying to colleges here while in Spain. Though Cadorin is interested in traveling and learning about different cultures, she is still unsure about what career path to take. “I will go to where I am accepted,” Cadorin said. “I do not really know what I want to do, so I do not really have a plan other than that,” Cadorin added, “I never knew what I wanted to do, so college never really interested me.” Cadorin is one of five other teenagers participating in the Rotary Youth Exchange program. The five other teenagers will study abroad in Belgium, Germany, Italy, and France. A foreign student from one of these countries will also attend MHS as part of the program, Cadorin added.

Students, language teachers plan trip to Europe BY JONATHAN NGO

Students and teachers from MHS will be traveling to France, Spain, and Morocco in June 2014. The trip begins on June 12 and ends on June 24, lasting a total of thirteen days. France, Spain, and Morocco were the chosen destinations primarily because students would be given a chance to experience the language they learned in class, according to French Teacher Lisa Topping. The students also have a chance to experience the culture, she added. “The Spanish teacher and myself wanted students to have a chance to speak the language they’re learning and be in the culture,” Topping said. “They also speak French in Morocco.

They’re Muslim so they have beautiful mosques and medinas to go see.” Topping has taken eight groups on trips in the past. She has traveled to France, Spain, and Morocco, but has yet to visit all the destinations on their itinerary. “I’ve been to France, Spain, and Morocco, but not to some of these cities in the south of Spain,” Topping said. “We’re just excited about it. This is the longest trip we’ve taken.” The group will travel with EF Educational Tours, according to Topping. The cost per person is approximately $3800 and includes everything from transportation to museum entrances to meals, Topping explained. “EF is the biggest tour company in the world. They guarantee the

lowest price for students,” Topping said. “They’re in charge of us. They will provide a guide that will leads us from the day we get there to the day we leave.” The group will start their trip in Paris, France and visit all the monuments including the Eiffel Tower the Louvre, Topping said. They will then travel on an overnight train to Barcelona and Madrid in Spain, and finish the trip in the southern region of Spain and nearby Morocco, Topping continued. “We need more people to come on the trip. You can sign up to three months before we leave,” Topping said. The price goes up slowly every few months. The sooner you sign up the better.”

What better way to finish off senior year healthily than with a group of your closest friends? That’s exactly what Seniors Nathan Han, Keziah Lyu, Wing Ly, Ana Peccin, Eric Tao, and Maurissa Thomas did. These buddies, part of a group of friends who call themselves The Krew, participated in the Rave Run at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds on May 11. This noncompetitive run takes place at night, and participants dress in glow-in-the-dark outfits and run on a five-kilometer course that winds through city streets. The event concludes with an after-party consisting of music provided by disc jockeys. Many MHS students participated in this run, but for this particular group of seniors, this event was another opportunity to bond with each other before they graduate. “It seemed like a really good bonding experience with my Krew and it did turn out very memorable,” Ly said. For most of them, this was a new experience, and the group trained individually as well as together. Lyu trained by running half an hour to an hour three or four times a week, but

there was no regular training schedule for the group. “It’s just whoever had spare time and wanted to go for a jog,” Ly said. Speaking about the course and the Rave Run event itself, the “set up was pretty shabby,” Tao said. “The [Santa Clara County] Fairgrounds terrain wasn’t exactly great for running, especially in the dark.” “The course was really rough and kind of unorganized,” Ly added. However, since the run was not timed, the seniors just “enjoyed ourselves by going at whichever pace we wanted,” Ly said. After the run, the group spent two hours at the after-party that “was pretty much a rave,” Tao said. “It was basically just like a concert with a DJ and a full-blown band playing house music.” Overall, this group of friends agrees that participating in this run together has strengthened their friendship. Lyu reflects that “this experience definitely brought our group together, because we ran through all the dust, people, lights, and music,” Lyu said. “I’m really proud of us, because we ran nonstop and we did it together.”

Courtesy of Keziah Lyu

Seniors Eric Tao, Wing Ly, Ana Peccin, Keziah Lyu, Nathan Han, and Maurissa Thomas (left to right) smile before running five kilometers in the Rave Run on May 11. The run was held at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds.

Multitude of factors affect SIR; geographic location trumps all BY RACHEL ALVELAIS

May is a month packed with stress. For seniors, May 1 is a date that has been on their calendars since the beginning of the year: on that day, seniors make their final decision on where they will go to college. When a college accepts a student, it sends out a Statement of Intent to Register (SIR). A SIR generally consists of checking a box and paying a fee. The SIR indicates to the college that the student will attend next year. In the case of a student being unable or not wanting to attend college immediately, a student can cancel an SIR or in some cases can defer his admission until the following year. For the most part, a SIR is a final decision, and students must consider many factors before making it. 28 percent of 300 MHS seniors said in a survey that the geographic location of a college shaped their decision

of where to attend school. The second greatest factor they considered was whether a certain major was offered at the college, 13 percent reported. 10 percent cited that how much financial aid they received played an important part in their decisions; eight percent took the prestige of a college into consideration. Other seniors took into account whether they had friends attending their college. Six percent of the seniors surveyed cited enjoyment of the social environment on certain campuses and the ability to travel away from home as important factors in their decision making processes. Websites such as College Board offer services that help students find colleges based on factors similar to The Union’s survey. However, each and every such website tells students that the “perfect college” should be a place they are comfortable living in for four or more years.

MAY 2013

THE UNION

MAY 2013

may 2013

TOP TEN GRADE POINT AVERAGES CASEY LEE — 4.69 GIANG HA — 4.63 JACQUELINE VUONG — 4.52 JASON KUO — 4.49 ALANNA TRAN — 4.48 SUSAN WANG — 4.48 ARTHUR TRAN — 4.48 VANHA PHAM — 4.47 CINDY WU — 4.44 RUITING QIN — 4.43

features

The union

Donkers to attend World Youth Day in Brazil by Giang Ha

The World Youth Day will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 15 to July 31. Happening every other year, this event brings together youths of many different backgrounds from all over the world. The first part of the youth day consists of doing missionary work, which includes construction for the impoverished areas of Brazil. In addition, a few days will be set aside so that youths can explore the city of Rio as well as visit the Christ statue. The second week consists of a five-day pilgrimage, culminated with a visit from the Pope, who attends every World Youth Day. Junior Jonathan Donkers will be attending World Youth Day for the first time, and more people from his parish are going this year than usu-

al. “Usually, only one or two people go each year,” Donkers said. “They would usually have to travel on their own, which is much more inconvenient. We will be traveling with another parish from Los Altos.” This year’s event is expected to have the most youths out of all youth days before, according to Donkers. Approximately 4 million people are expected to attend, Donkers said. People from different countries also trade hats, pins, and flags with each other, and Donkers hopes to do the same. Despite it being a Catholic event, only 70 percent of the people that attend are actually Catholic. “People from many other denominations go as well, creating a more diverse community,” Donkers said. Although the trip seems very fun, the trip is also expensive, costing over

$4000. The parish has done fundraising to help pay for the trip, according to Donkers. “We fundraised by selling jewelry at the end of masses and we made a lot profit from that,” Donkers said. “We did a couple of car washes as well. I’m planning on sending out emails to friends and families to ask for help to pay for the trip.” The World Youth Day happens every two years, according to Donkers. Two years ago, it was in Spain, but Donkers was unable to attend. This year was the only year that Donkers is able to go. Donkers is interested in the opportunity to explore Brazil. “Experiencing Brazil is what I’m looking forward to the most,” Donkers said. “Brazil is the first place in South America that I’ve been to.”

Dhaliwal to study in Poland, enrolled in medical program by Vanessa Yeh

Most seniors stay in the state to attend college, or at least the country. However, this is not the case with Senior Jasmine Dhaliwal. The Medical University of Silesia, located in Poland, has a special program that will allow Dhaliwal to study in the medical field for six years and go straight into medical school after. In the United States, it takes four years attending a university to receive an undergraduate degree, successfully test into medical school and study there for four more years, and serve as an intern in a hospital before one can legitimately become a doctor. The program in Poland will save Dhaliwal plenty of time, Dhaliwal stated. She hopes to become a physician specializing in Radiology. The program is extremely helpful because not only will it save her a few years, she will also not have to take general education courses unrelated to her career path, Dhaliwal added. Dhaliwal first heard about this program and school from her cousin, who attends the University. “It will be difficult at first, but I am excited for the opportunity to study abroad,” Dhaliwal said. “I’m very anxious and nervous, but my family is completely supportive of me and my

decision.” Being so close to her family, studying abroad will be hard, because she won’t be able to see them as often, Dhaliwal mentioned. At most, Dhaliwal will be able to come back to the United States twice annually: once in the summer and once in the winter. While being nervous about being in a new environment, Dhaliwal is also excited for this new experience. “I have my cousin to guide me, so I know I will be okay,” Dhaliwal stated. Despite going to have received her medical degree in Poland, Dhaliwal will still be able to do residency, or practice medicine under the supervision of fully licensed physicians in hospitals, in the United States. When asked how Dhaliwal first became interested in medicine, she answered, “As a child, it was something I was always interested in,” Dhaliwal said. “When my mom got sick, I knew I wanted to be there for her and it inspired me to get into medicine.” Taking the Anatomy and Physiology class offered at MHS last year further pushed Dhaliwal’s interest in science and medicine, and made her interested in bones, specifically. For this reason, Dhaliwal decided to pursue an emphasis in Radiology, Dhaliwal concluded.

NY trip arranged by theater by Lillian Kao

With summer right around the corner, many students are looking forward to taking a break from school and enacting their summer plans. Among these plans is one that will take 19 individuals to the city of New York on the week of June 17. Theater Teacher Kaila Schwartz, along with a group of 15 current and former students and three parents, will be going to New York for a week this summer. The purpose of the trip is for students with a serious interest in theater to learn about the heart of the business, according to Schwartz. “The primary focus of the trip is on theater, although we will do some touristy things,” Schwartz said. “I hope students will gain more of an appreciation for everything that goes into the business, maybe some insights into the rewards, challenges, and sacrifices that Broadway artists make or face.” The trip is the second big one Schwartz has planned, the other being a trip to London several years ago, Schwartz said. She started planning the trip around a year ago, after discovering the large amount of student interest when she brought up the idea, according to Schwartz. “We are going to a costume shop, Radio City Music Hall, NBC Studios, and Rockefeller Center, as well as

five Broadway shows, one off-Broadway show and three workshops with professionals,” Schwartz stated. “The shows we plan to see are ‘Once,’ ‘Matilda,’ ‘Peter and the Starcatcher,’ ‘Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike,’ and ‘Newsies.’” Senior Alvin Chow stated that he found out about the trip when Schwartz talked to her class about it last year. As a first time visitor to New York, he looks forward to the food and watching the productions the most, according to Chow. “The trip will also help me decide which career path to go on,” Chow stated. “Recently, I have been unsure of whether I should become an actor on Broadway or a voice actor in Hollywood. If I find myself really interested in all of these Broadway shows in New York, more interested than what I am already expecting them to be, I might decide to go to Broadway.” Another person who is attending is Senior Danielle Williams, who has also never been to New York. The things she looks forward to the most include the workshops and exploring New York, according to Williams. “I really like musical theater, and this trip is a theater-based trip with my friends,” Williams stated. “This trip is kind of like my senior trip. This will be the climax of my theater and high school career.”

Andrew Hoang | THE UNION

Cosplayers dressed up as characters Peabody (left) and Atlas (right) from the popular video game ‘Portal 2’ produced by Valve, stop to pose for photos.. The annual Fanime convention was held over Memorial Day weekend.

Fanime attracts fans of anime, manga, games by andrea wang

FanimeCon, also known simply as Fanime, is one of the top ten largest anime conventions in North America, with an attendance of over 20,000 people. Fanime was held recently during Memorial Day weekend, according to Head of FanimeCon Registration Elizabeth Shin. FanimeCon was held at the San Jose Convention Center. It is annually held by the Anime Resource Group (ARG), according to fanime.com. “[It] is a culmination of people from all around the country and the world who share an interest in the themes of

Japanese anime, manga, and games,” said Rover Staff Neal Salud. At FanimeCon, there are different activities to participate in. The events include panels talking about various topics, the annual Music Fest, video rooms showing different Japanese anime, movies, or dramas, and even an entire hall dedicated to arcade, handheld, PC, console, board, and card gaming. “The ideal of Fanime is a convention ‘Run by fans, for fans,’” said Salud. That being said, those that run FanimeCon are staff and volunteers. Salud has attended FanimeCon for seven years, four years as an attendee

and the last three years as staff. Salud comes back each year for the community amongst the staff. Incentives for volunteers to help out at FanimeCon include a full reimbursement for membership, according to FanimeCon Volunteer Head Peter Kurniadi. Many staff members begin staffing for a free badge, but then return each year because they enjoy staffing, like Shin. Shin has staffed for FanimeCon for seven years so far. Shin continues to staff for Fanime because, “It’s exciting—the prospect of being able to be a part of something larger is amazing,” said Shin.

For-profit colleges offer options after high school by ying Luo

An alternative to public and private institutions is for-profit colleges. For-profit education, run by private, profit-seeking companies, is a growing industry that provides another option for high-school graduates. Well-established for-profit institutions include Academy of Art University, DeVry University, Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM), Heald College, University of Phoenix, Unitek College, and Kaplan University. The closest such school to MHS is Heald College, located six minutes away by the entrance to Great Mall. What For-Profit Schools Provide That Other Schools Cannot For-profit schools are educational institutions that are also corporations and often have shareholders. They operate as a business; the product they sell is education. For-profit universities provide a means of obtaining bachelor’s and master’s degrees as all colleges do,

but they also provide educational training in technical fields. These fields—including, but not limited to nursing, dental assistance, or even air conditioning repair—are often considered to be vocational schools. Bottom line is, for-profit universities offer a more technical, hands-on approach to learning. Other perks include no entrance requirements, flexible schedules, and a real-world focus. These schools are an especially viable option for those who have children and families, but want to obtain a collegiate degree. Many even offer online degree programs! For-Profit Education by the Numbers Despite practically guaranteed admissions, the for-profit education industry has long been a target of skepticism. Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa, a longtime critic, spearheaded a two-year study that revealed the forprofit industry’s “high rates of loan default, aggressive recruiting, higher than average tuition, low retention rates, and little job placement

assistance.” His research showed that despite the industry’s statistical success, it is not considered a legitimate avenue for high education by government and other educational institutions. Harkin only represents one of the thousands of opponents against the for-profit education sector. The study compared the average costs of attendance: a two-year degree at a for-profit college is worth $35,000 and a four-year degree $63,000, whereas a two-year degree at a community college is $8300 and $52,500 at a state university. And yet, the average amount these for-profit colleges spend on each student is roughly only $2,000 annually. Especially considering the current financial crisis and unemployment rates, prospective college students should be aware of their potential piling debts from tuition fees and student loans. The median debt of its graduates is $32,700, compared with the median debt of $24,600 of private non-profit college graduates and $20,000 for public universities.

THE UNION

SENIOR WILLS

MAY 2013

‘Wisdom’s a gift, but you’d trade it for youth’ DISCLAIMER The views and opinions expressed in the following messages are not the views and opinions held by The Union, unless otherwise stated.

I, Vanha Pham, do hereby leave senior priority in the swim team to Amy, Vivian, and Tianna. Tianna, you have been welltrained; take the role of photographer! I, Dustin Lien, do hereby leave my burning agony and torture.

I, William Yap, do hereby leave stuff and things

I, Arturo Gutierrez, do hereby leave my dance moves to anyone who wants them.

I, Lord Alex Lee, do hereby leave forever.

I, Ebony Young, do hereby leave the sweetness memory of me! #SORRYNOTSORRY

I, Karl Chadler Suria Cubalbay Jr., do hereby leave behind my misery of this school.

I, Luzely Franco, do hereby leave want to leave already.

I, John Serena, do hereby leave my table to Zach, Cortney, Zander, and not CJ.

I, Sho Suzuki, do hereby leave Milpitas High School with tons of good memories. Then, in college, I’m going to get BURNT!

I, Alicia Nguyen, do hereby leave my position as Queen of Butts to whoever is brave enough to take on this humongous responsibility.

I, Vivian Dinh, do hereby leave egg sandwich mornings and afternoon Costco snacks to my brothers, Brian and Jonathan! Enjoy waking up early for school without me! <3

I, Lynza Williams Ivy, do hereby leave my wisdom, love, and all the above.

I, Alex Nguyen, do hereby leave my personality and legacy of the great yellow unicorn. I also leave my thirst for all of you basics. Ya’ll my SOULMATES!!!!! PEACE!!!!!

I, Jonathan Riding, do hereby leave my sarcastic comments during class to anyone who can handle it.

I, Michele Grillo, do hereby leave my position in the Jazz band and concert band to Justin Lau. as long as he wears short-shorts to school every day. I, Giang Ha, do hereby leave band shenanigans to Michelle, Himani, Stephanie, and Jacky, my physics quirkiness to Rakshit and Vincent, stuff to Jamie Lam, and Jade Ribbon to Tan Nguyen and his slaves. I, Victoria Frances Sanchez, do hereby leave this school physically, but my spirit still lives on in the memories of those close to me. I wish them well. I, Traka Tran, do hereby leave a dollar, but you’ll have to find it first. I left the dollar I own, in One Piece. I, Kelly Lai, do hereby leave the best of luck to next year’s upper classmen and look forward to enjoy the best four years of my life. I, Ying Luo, do hereby leave and I am never coming back. I, Dheyon Lee, do hereby leave my speedo to the person who doesn’t want to wear it.

I, Christina Nguyen, do hereby leave my P.E. shirt behind.

I, Vicky Lien, do hereby leave nothing to this school. I, Alex Pham, do hereby leave ASB Vice President to Germain Louie, ASB to my 2014 Senior Officers, and CSF to my little officers Amy and Vivian. I, Eduardo Rodriguez, do hereby leave my lunch table to the Freshmen girl. I, Brent Ko, do hereby leave behind my aesthetic legacy for Elliot Ng to continue. I, Jeymour Ubas, do hereby leave my swagger. I, Michael Cardenas, do hereby leave this school behind in the dust \m/ I, Jocelyn Diaz, do hereby leave my laughs, sense of adventure, smiles to those who will need it. Don’t forget to make the most of every choice you make and make choices that you will benefit from! My little baby Jenni, be good and you’ll enjoy your last two years! Mr. Cummins, Mr. Escobar, and Ms. Rivero, I love you guys. Thank you for everything! I, David Chen, do hereby leave leave all the miseries of high school to the class of 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017.

I, Christophe Nam Te, do hereby leave Harvey Dent, because we can’t trust him.

I, Elizer Pakoy, do hereby leave my love for my cross country runners, wrestlers, and last but not least, my HURDLERS!!!

I, Angelo Banzon, do hereby leave my jumper family in track. Good luck to all of you next year. Also, good luck to Paolo Banzon.

I, Jason Zamorano, do hereby leave my money, my name, my hair, my books and my looks to the Milpitas High USA.

I, Stephanie Hong, do hereby leave volley skills to Ivy, CCS to Darryl, and solo brass section to awesome Stanley. I, Claudia Nguyen, do hereby leave VSA and FFC in the hands of the next amazing officers! I, Long Vu, do hereby leave my senioritis to all future senior generations to come. I, Krizhelle Berena, do hereby leave my sister to become the most annoying in DBA. And all the BS high school gave me.

I, Danny Cervantes, do hereby leave MHS with the memories with my friends and peers. Leave the school with my sexyness. Good times! #THEEDANNYCERVANTES I, Sajay Shah, do hereby leave these encouraging words to all who want to succeed in life: You won’t. I, Anmol Bains, do hereby leave Milpitas High School still trying to bring back the hyphy movement. THIZZ OR DIE. RIP MAC DRE.

I, Kiana Aguilar, do hereby leave with no regrets! I received a great education here at MHS. I plan to further my education and become a Dentist. I, May Lee, do hereby leave my sword to Scott and Madison, and the ship to pit. Guard it well, sailors. I, Justin Nguyen, do hereby leave nothing but phallic symbols in your books.

I, Geary Cao, do hereby leave the future of the tennis team to Harrison Tran and Dillon Lam.

I, Bryant Phung, do hereby leave my name as the greatest student to step onto Milpitas High’s campus.

I, Angelito Buison, do hereby leave this high school with the young and new generations minds of knowledge and secrets.

I, Byron Nguyen, do hereby leave my famous cartwheel to all those lucky enough to see it.

I, Raymond Leung, do hereby leave nothing but this: <(“<)

I, Jason Kuo, do hereby leave my memories and experiences here for other students.

I, Manisha Singh, do hereby leave all my belongings to Maria Mancera.

I, Glenn Gameng, do hereby leave Milpitas High School in future hopes to provide stability and happiness to me and others as I look to my future with accomplishments and goals. I, Thavisack “Jai” Dorlybounxou, do hereby leave Patricia Ta to lead the Devious Angels legacy. I, Karen Ruiz, do hereby leave this black hole, forevaaa. Chyea! Pow! Bam! Gone... Muahahaaha. I, Steve Dao, do hereby leave all the good memories I had at this school and I want to leave my immaturity here, it is finally time to grow up! I, Victor Echon, do hereby leave thangs that....nuh!...zzzz!? I, Samip Mehta, do hereby leave my club, my rep, and will to no one. I, Shawdip Shergill, do hereby leave Milpitas High School and great memories I had at school. I, Eric Hua, do hereby leave my Swag Daddy title to anyone who believes to anyone. To anyone if they are to take my title, do not abuse its power. Only use it for good. With great power comes great Swag Daddy as my sensei says. I, Reena Tangco, do hereby leave Patricia Ta to continue the Devious Angels legacy. I, Margaret Nguyen, do hereby leave all my responsibilities, motivations, and passions to Marhiel Laya, Stanley Cheah, and Wesley Lin. I am so proud of you all and I know you’ll all do great.

I, Alanna Tran, do hereby leave MHS forever and my brother Brian H. for two more years.

I, Michael Galinato, do hereby leave all the high school b.s. behind to all the freshmen, sophomores, and juniors.

I, Mahdi Osman, do hereby leave Milpitas High School as a water bottle throwing legend. I will also hope to leave as the biggest troll alongside Justin Crick.

I, Joshua Lin, do hereby leave Experimental design to Lordique Fok and the Cleric Quartet to Gordon Luu, who has to quartet again next year.

I, Alina Jantunen, do hereby leave my years of being a minority to my sister, Olivia Jantunen, who will be one of the rare tall blonds at Milpitas High.

I, Fairy Bui, do hereby leave the most consistently soggy French fries to ever grace my tastebuds. Journey to Latvia, where no potato now soggy fry is make me tears of happy.

I, Sarang Jogi, do hereby leave all my fellow teachers who have opened my mind into knowledgeable insights in the world we live in today.

I, Danny Nguyen, do hereby leave all my embarrassments and trollness in high school.

I, Rainier Nguyen-Phuoc, do hereby leave nothing. Ain’t nobody got time for that.

I, Gwen Adao, do hereby leave my awkwardness and love for the DBA and the people I got really close to!

I, Jimmy C Ngo, do hereby leave my ghost.

I, Jessimin Villanueva, do hereby leave my name written on one of the tables and high school love and drama.

I, Brandon Casiano, do hereby leave my fame and fortune to MHS.

I, Bok Choy, do hereby leave my restless nights of hopeless studying to the underclassmen other than that, you all get NOTHING! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAA!

I, Vilan Le, do hereby leave Milpitas High School to become a zombie extra in the Walking Dead.

I, Kristian Buenconsejo, do hereby leave MHS, with a great high school experience. I’ve learned a lot about myself and other people. Thanks.

I, Katy Luu, do hereby leave NOTHING!! You get nothing!!

I, Calvin Huo, do hereby leave high school, forever, and childhood timidity.

I, Abigail, do hereby leave The stress and frustration this year has brought.

I, Kristy Saechao, do hereby leave MHS knowing that we finally made it! Oh and can’t wait to finally leave!

I, Ariel Ongoco, do hereby leave everything to my sweetest. Someday, I hope we meet again, and you’ll tell me what a happy life you’ve had without me.

I, AJ/Aaron, do hereby leave memories of high school, all the amazing friendships I have made, and being involved in so many events that I will never ever forget.

I, Derek “Big D” Lee, do hereby leave my name and legacy for whoever is worthy. Are YOU big enough?

I, Carli Aiona, do hereby leave all of my wonderful track memories to my hurdle babies! I know you all will make me proud! Don’t forget about knee stretches! #WADA

I, DeMarco Leonard, do hereby leave This land of Asian queens to pursue a life of greatness with another breed of beautiful Intelligent and desirable creatures.

I, Jimmy “Basegod” Mendoza, do hereby leave all the money I have left in locker E-456. Lock number 24-6-28.

I, Trea Ferguson, do hereby leave this school as a distant memory in the review mirror. I, Kristen Hipolito, do hereby leave my cousins Bella and Jonah to spend the next two years of their high school life to the fullest. I, Gary Le, do hereby leave years of opportunity, my urge to procrastinate, great memories and terrible tests to the underclassmen and babies roaming MHS. Good luck, and good riddance! I, Cianne Anthony, do hereby leave lots of laughs and smiles for everyone to have. A cleaner, happier. more respectful school. I, Wendy Huynh, do hereby leave MakeA-Wish to Misbah Surani <3 I, Soloman, do hereby leave MHS, miss friends and teachers here. I hope to graduate as soon as possible and retire. I, Kimberly Vo, do hereby leave behind my social anxiety and tendency to hide in the L-building bathrooms. I, Melissa Story, do hereby leave behind Milpitas High School but take with me all of my memories and experiences. I, Nayely, do hereby leave all of my belongs to my friends and family. I, Ryan McKenzie, do hereby leave I leave my fame as a sexy black man to: Jordan King. I leave my locker to Jordan King. I, Gian Paneda, do hereby leave my friends, my jumper family, whom I’ll miss very much, and the future of Milpitas NJROTC to the cadets. Goodbye! I, Joshua Tomas Tejada, do hereby leave my trollness to the hands of the people of the United States in order for them to control my cat army in the vast emptiness of the Doy Universe. I, Marie Torres, do hereby leave all my essays & homework packets back to the custody of Wikipedia, Google, and Sparknotes. I, Kennedy Kenney, do hereby leave our blue/gold table on the green to Feyton Carswell and her friends.

I, Tatiana Almogela, do hereby leave everything and anything to my sisters in Cummins! I wanted to put you in my will haha I, Arlynn Navales, do hereby leave this school to the newer generation, that they will do great things. I, Cynthia Tu, do hereby leave my awesomeness. I, James Nguyen, do hereby leave the league of James Nguyen in the trustworthy hands of Eileen Nguyen. To everyone else, I leave my feelings of no. Good luck, losers! I, Arthur Tran, do hereby leave Interact, my Op-Ed page, and everything else to capable hands. Don’t fail me, and I’ll notice you. I, Eric Ngo, do hereby leave Milpitas High School with great pleasure, knowing that no one will remember me. I, Susan Wang, do hereby leave Red Cross and Jade Ribbon in good hands, my kalimba to Forrest, and the ability to make good life decisions to everyone I care about. I, Nancy Nguyen, do hereby leave all my high school memories back for my baby sister Jenny. FSU & kill it out on the courts baby! I, Vishek Sharma, do hereby leave Milpitas High School to attend CSU San Jose State University. MHS is the best. I, Brendan Thinathin, do hereby leave my vibrations and influences among the next generation. Let them grow stronger, and strive in everything they choose to do. I, Dustin Nelson, do hereby leave my procrastination, because I have no need for it. I, Jagdev Jhutty , do hereby leave my sister on campus to continue taking trash about the SF sports teams. Let’s go Oakland! I, Melissa Berena, do hereby leave MHS to the next generation in hope to make memorable memories. I, Sean Darilay, do hereby leave this school in satisfaction.

I, Kevin Chau, do hereby leave nothing for anyone <3

I, William Shankle, do hereby leave orange peels to the tree at the L building.

I, Riley Leggin, do hereby leave ghosts.

I, Kim Nguyen, do hereby leave Nicholas Cage in a Sailormoon outfit while holding a unicorn hybrid cat.

I, Ollie, do hereby leave my pet cat Amelia at Costco, wandering around for free samples.

I, Lan Nguyen, do hereby leave everything to be donated towards the charity programs helping children.

I, Jasmine Lamas, do hereby leave some advice for the upcoming seniors. High school is a place to experience pretty much everything but do this while doing good in school. Don’t slack off.

I, Jonathan Nguyen, do hereby leave my mad jawnz to Sidney Le.

MAY 2013

SENIOR WILLS

THE UNION

‘Age is an honor, it’s still not the truth’ I, Aaron Louie, do hereby leave hip-hop club in the capable hands of Brian Lien and Patrick Ly.

I, Christine Huynh, do hereby leave the future classes of MHS with one advice: make the best of your high school years.

I, Adrianne Causing, do hereby leave admiring the slow security guards that can’t catch anyone even with the golf cart.

I, Jimmy Nguyen, do hereby leave MHS with glorious and fond memories here.

I, Smit Vachhani, do hereby leave by saying that I wish the best of luck to the upcoming seniors. Make sure you guys have your fun because it may be the last with all of your friends together. I, Nganha Nghiem, do hereby leave my flags to my colorguard babies, my meow-singing legacy to Cindy Thach, and my heart to my bagel. I, Jelyna Lugtu, do hereby leave high school peacefully. I, LeAnn Woo, do hereby leave the very few things I actually cared about in high school in capable hands. I don’t intend to leave important people behind, though. I, The Champ, do hereby leave the school in the name of Dubeak! F*@d $PN S/O to FAMZ + My little homies in Splash Mob. I, Joseph Gebre, do hereby leave the gnarly tables man. I, Leighann, do hereby leave nothing to anyone because I don’t like Milpitas. :) #SORRYNOTSORRY I, Jazmyn-Erinel Domingo, do hereby leave absolutely nothing. Sorry. I, Tina Chung, do hereby leave Milpitas High School by wishing all seniors to have a great summer and enjoy college. :) I, Sherilyn Thach, do hereby leave all the plasticity that comes with high school behind... And nothing for my sister, Cindy. EVERYTHING IS MINE, BWAHAHA! I, Maria Daradal, do hereby leave our lunch table in the cafeteria to all the Vietnamese group of students who would always scream on the top of their lungs during lunch and tackle each other when they’re having too much fun. I, Steven Ngo, do hereby leave to the Milpitas NJROTC air and dust where the Platoon Cup once stood. I, Brendan Lin, do hereby leave a funny taste. I, Emy Louie, do hereby leave Le box and the red ruler to Rachael and Ruth, and to all my other club people, I leave an aura of my wonderfulness. I, Brianna Parilla, do hereby leave this campus to my baby brother Byron Parilla and to my favorite twins Alyssa and Kalynn Doctolero. Stay focused and have fun! Love, Bree. I, Joel Pardenilla, do hereby leave The place where I sat for lunch these 4 years, my stress, both good and bad teachers, projects left behind, and senioritis! Bye MHS :) I, Cornelius Dagoth, do hereby leave here awesomely. I, Shaelene Sager, do hereby leave Michelle Sager and Isaac Asuncion to continue to grow in the DBA and CFC-Youth Club as I have these past few years. I, Crystal Yu, do hereby leave my cheer spirit. I, Kimberly Beem, do hereby leave the ridiculous girl security guard angel, who thinks she has the power to mom girls and teachers telling them what they can’t wear. I, Jasmine Riyat, do hereby leave this school great importance and interest. Thank you, goodbye. I, Anthony Garay, do hereby leave 1/25 of my sexy. (;

I, Jessica Peregrino, do hereby leave my clothes to my sister until I go shopping.

I, Samantha Kuang, do hereby leave far to catch ‘em all. I, Cheverlyn Casta, do hereby leave all the fun of 5th to Biancka, Jason, Caitlin, Germain, Vyhan, Bonny, & everyone else. GOOD LUCK HAHA

I, @pillarfergie, do hereby leave the ASB kiddies to salute the pledge properly, the volleyball girls to spaz out & TFC to scream. Make mama proud. I, Jeremy Bernardo, do hereby leave jumperfam to the care of our wonderful coach and our to-be Seniors of 2014. May my magical braid give you power.

I, Bryan Tang, do hereby leave memories.

I, Andy Lu, do hereby leave my textbook in the bookroom, and whoever picks them up should feel honored. Everything else I’m keeping ok...

I, Edward Tomista, do hereby leave that everyone will have a good future and live happy lives. YOLOSWAG

I, Alex Chau, do hereby leave my organs to my girlfriend and my Christophe to my Kim.

I, Brian Nguyen, do hereby leave my love and support for my juniors Biancka D. and Jakey P.

I, Daniel Truong, do hereby leave all my class and homework work to teachers to grade!!! >:) HAHA....

I, Ruben Jones Rubin, do hereby leave the snapbacks that I do not own to all the swagged out kids at this school.

I, Itzel Martinez, do hereby leave my entire collection of gamecube games and One Piece manga and anime to my dear sister Jocelyn Martinez who is an actual closet weeaboo.

I, Deanna Espitia, do hereby leave my fellow thespians in the loving hands of mama Schwartz. I’ll also leave behind some of my flexibility for you guys.

I, Eligio Ladringon, do hereby leave my best wishes to the class 2014, 2015, 2016 in their future graduation

I, Biviana “Oompaa” Villa, do hereby leave and will never come back! I, Hugo Miranda, do hereby leave metal. It shall be spread amongst the hypebeasts. I, Andrew Hoang, do hereby leave my brother, Jonathan Hoang. He’s your problem now. I, Michalla Johnson, do hereby leave Kevin Johnson my earphones, Derrick Rose my 2nd husband to Danielle Briggs, Eric Nguyen gets nothing, and none for you too Glen Coco.

I, Edwin Sevilla, do hereby leave My MHS legacy behind I, Trysty Lopez, do hereby leave all the great memories to Lourdina Fantone. You’ve got three more years, buddy. Make them worth it! I, Rory Pang, do hereby leave the band to the loving care of its members. I, Pei-Lin Lee, do hereby leave high school, far enough of credit. And get out of high school. I, Danny Phan, do hereby leave my innocence and conflicts behind.

I, Eric Palomo, do hereby leave everything to be equally split to my lovely wife and and family. P.S. I’ll always love you Babe. 103111. Forever

I, Alondra Borroel, do hereby leave Milpitas high school looking for a better life and progress throughout my life and therefore may going into acting.

I, Adam Luo, do hereby leave all the gold I have collected and put it somewhere unreachable and call it “One Piece.”

I, Alvin Chow, do hereby leave spaghetti, sausages, large candy canes, goldfish water, crown, sword, and mudkips. And yes, I do like them.

I, Anthony Ng, do hereby leave my friendship to the people that go here. I, Brianne Godwin, do hereby leave this school and all its occupants. I, Guangshun, do hereby leave this school as it was filled with all that makes it human. I, Sharai Stanberry, do hereby leave nothing! You guys think you need anymore from me!? I already left my charm, charisma, and realness! Bye pelica! -Love Sharizzle I, Ruiting Christine Qin, do hereby leave the wonderful experiences and memories of club activities, the relaxing and comfortable atmosphere of art classes, and the everlasting unique humor from both Mr. Ribovich and Mr. Colburn. I, Mazie Edusada, do hereby leave my beautiferous babies in track: April Son, Michelle Wu, and Annie Nguyen <3 Jump far girls! High school was actually awesomes :D I, Justin “JST333ZY” Corpuz, do hereby leave My legacy as a founding father of $PN to the aspiring young individuals who dream to be a member of the sour patch...------:) I, April Lateer, do hereby leave my locker and our disappearing senior table. Enjoy the rest of high school--it is too short-make it count. God bless you all. I, Anthony Pham, do hereby leave my tutoring positions to my underclassmen friends. I, Marquel Nelson, do hereby leave my legacy. DEUCES!!!

I, Lisa Lee, do hereby leave this nickname my friends have given me to be awkward and strange at my new home. VUSC C/O 2017! I, Anthony Chu, do hereby leave Milpitas High School to play FOOTBALL! The Turn Up will be real @ my twitter name: anthony2720 I, Hayley McLeod, do hereby leave my cousin, Lake McLeod, at Milpitas High School as the last McLeod to go there. I, Christon Oribello, do hereby leave the misfits and unpopular kids to help make a difference in people’s lives. And all of you good kids do something bad and live a little. I, Regina, do hereby leave this school with many memories that will be kept! :) I, Airon Alvarez, do hereby leave my homework unattended. I, CJ Yanogacio, do hereby leave swag swag!! I, Regina Maniquis, do hereby leave nothing of any worth in my name. Just do not ruin the ASB door when I leave. It took forever to paint. I, Tiffany Kyu, do hereby leave and I’m probably not coming back... I, Keziah Lyu, do hereby leave CSF to Vivian and Amy and the best of luck to next year’s senior class! I, John Scrempos, do hereby leave my drum line reputation to next year’s drum line.

I, Diana Walker, do hereby leave nothing behind. Goodbye, Milpitas High. It’s been real.

I, Gabriel Padilla, do hereby leave nothing. Why would I leave any valuables here? That’s loony. I will probably need the things.

I, Calvin Duong, do hereby leave nothing, NOTHING! EVERYTHING IS MINE!! MINE I TELL YOU!! MINE!

I, Joto Jokscen, do hereby leave Twenty Dollars hidden in the L Building. Good Luck!

I, Derek Martinez, do hereby leave metal and brutality for the coming seniors... stay krieg \m/ I, Ashley Nguyen, do hereby leave nothing. :)

I, Bella Chen, do hereby leave all my procrastinating ways to my sister Ariel and my musical legacy to my fellow orchestrians. I, Parth Barbhaiya, do hereby leave MHS awesomely. I, Alyssa Casilla, do hereby leave this school with no regrets and hope that the future kids will be respectful to their classmates, teachers, and our school. I, Stephanie Van, do hereby leave all the massive pollen for allergy sufferers. I, Kathleen Damian, do hereby leave the Glee Club, Operation Smile, the memories of the Fantastic Five (I love you guys!), and all the amazing experiences and moments I’ve had here. I, Sonya Nava, do hereby leave Milpitas High School’s fun activities, the fun football games, hanging & watching the game with friends. The school dances, I & dance recital, a lot of memories I have spent making friend & learning new thing, getting a good education. I, Yliza Yngayo, do hereby leave nothing but a padlock on one of the senior tables. I, Michelle Chu, do hereby leave All my childish possessions, like anime :’( I, Valerie Boyer, do hereby leave the liners, suicides, heck drills, and basketball conditioning to Jalaena, Bri, Casey, Janelle, and Fender. I, Danielle Williams, do hereby leave all of my fellow homy skillet biscuits. I, Anany Calderon, do hereby leave Milpitas High School with a great future ahead of me. I, Tyler Cano, do hereby leave Milpitas High School with a bittersweet thought. Even though I’m moving on in life, High School will always be in my memory. I, Chelsea Jaculina, do hereby leave my basketball ladies and Jenny Nguyen. I, Cristian Sullivan, do hereby leave that Milpitas High School will always be remembered in my mind. I, Jubilee Hardwick, do hereby leave the Cleric Quartet to Gordon, my orchestra locker to a future violist, and my beautiful color guardians to the future color guard captain(s). <3 I, Kayla Lindstrom, do hereby leave all my lockers from high school to short people because tall people deserve the higher lockers. I, CJ Velasco, do hereby leave my awesome ceramic skills and secrets to getting out of class to all of the underclassmen. I, Cheeks, do hereby leave James Staten, Isaac Asuncion, and Michelle Sager my twerking abilities. I, Cathy Frey, do hereby leave. I guess I’ll miss Milpitas.

I, Jessica Nguyen, do hereby leave 12/07/2044 I, Alleen Tu, do hereby leave the incompetent high school boys for quality college men. I, Caryn Tran, do hereby leave Milpitas High School to my little sister, Bryan Tran. Have fun. I, Jewel Jedd C. Lazo, do hereby leave NJROTC to my little monsters, stay motivated and dedicated. Or I will rip all your heads off. I, Jiawei Long, do hereby leave long to Catch ‘em all! I, Winnie Yu, do hereby leave the leaky silver euphonium to my successor, helicopters and gravity vehicle to Jessica and Abigail, and my creepiness to Wesley, Spencer, Shannon, Amy N., and my brother. I, Wesley Luu, do hereby leave the dragon boat team to Joey, Pauline, April and Jake. I know you guys will be the best. I’ll miss y’all! I, Janellah Zamora, do hereby leave Milpitas High School with bittersweet happiness. Good luck and behave, Camille, James, and my little brother Jaryle. DO WERK! I, Mark Tam, do hereby leave all the little doodles I drew in all of my textbooks. To the future holders of my textbooks: “Good luck trying to use them.” I, Tiffany Do, do hereby leave Milpitas High School and all its wonderful teachers to the classes of 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017. Appreciate them! I, Valentina Vertemara, do hereby leave my spot at MHS to my younger brother Claudio. I, Linus Chan, do hereby leave intolerant, misogynistic comments for all females on campus and in existence. I suck rotten eggs. I, Quan Van , do hereby leave my dignity behind. I, Brian Patterson, do hereby leave all my trash to you people! I, Sean Tseui, do hereby leave absolutely nothing because I’m broke. I, Cindy Wu, do hereby leave The Union to the 2014 underlings and entrust CSF to the lovely Amy and Vivian. Take care of the campus everyone, and to my dear sister Maggie: study hard and don’t stay up too late! I, Lonnie Gillespie, do hereby leave Milpitas High School!!! I, Julie-Ann Pascua, do hereby leave all the memories I have made over the past few years. I, Nicholas Doan, do hereby leave this place to fulfill my destiny of becoming the next King of Narnia. I, Vanessa Yeh, do hereby leave the flute section to Timothy Hsu, Vincent Wang, and Christine Tran, Chinese Club to Michael and Stacey, and Key Club to Amy Zhao! I, Ruffy Ordanza, do hereby leave my promise to some day dominate the entire planet. I, Jerry Sun, do hereby leave Milpitas on a HIGH note. I have nothing to bequeath; I hope it’s SCHOOL with you. I, Isamar Palos, do hereby leave MHS to all the 2014 Juniors! Your turn to rule! Btw, Ms. Bogovich is the best English teacher! We, The Union seniors, do hereby leave Mr. Colburn for the underclassmen to love and cherish. We hope senpai notices you.

SENIOR

THE UNION

Senior M

MOST LIKELY TO OVERTHROW THE GOVERNMENT Alex Lee, Quan “Katy” Luu

MOST LIKELY TO BE A “ONE HIT WONDER” Michael “Snappy G” Gomez, Lauren Alvear

MOST LIKELY TO WIN AN OSCAR Danielle Williams, William Yap

MOST LIKELY TO WIN AN OLYMPIC MEDAL Yohaness Estifanos, Tatiana Almogela

MOST LIKELY TO BECOME THE FASHION POLICE Kennedy Kenney, Justin Corpuz

MOSTS

MAY 2013

Mosts 2013

MOST LIKELY TO BE A NOBEL LAUREATE Casey Lee, Cindy Wu

MOST LIKELY TO BE A KARDASHIAN Alexander Nguyen, Nancy Nguyen

MOST LIKELY TO BE IN A CAR CHASE Valaree Cech, Sho Suzuki

MOST LIKELY TO ACCIDENTLY CAUSE AN APOCALYPSE Camille Vu, Steven Dao

MOST LIKELY TO BECOME A MEME LeAnn Woo, Franz Barreto

THE UNION

COLLEGESâ&#x20AC;&#x201A;

May 2013

Class of 2013 part ways in autumn disclaimer This list was compiled using student responses to a survey and consequently may not be fully accurate or complete.

CALIFORNIA Academy of Art University San Francisco, CA Vincent Tran Academy for Salon Professionals Santa Clara, CA Jonathan Jenkins Azusa Pacific University Azusa, CA Alina Jantunen California Polytechnic State University at Pomona Pomona, CA Casey Kackman Nicholas Woo California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA Christi Tain Laurence Hou Quan Luu Sean Tsuei Valentina Vertemara Valerie Boyer California State University, Chico Chico, CA Danny Cervantes California State University, East Bay Hayward, CA Alexis Pommier Ariel Ongoco Jubilee Hardwick Kenny Nguyen Melissa Berena California State University, Fullerton Fullerton, CA Chelsea Laxa Nathan Han California State University, Humboldt Arcata, CA Melissa Story California State University, Long Beach Long Beach, CA Brittni Finley Christopher Velasco Jonathan Nguyen Karen Ruiz Corona Margaret Nguyen Nathan Phan Olivia Hsieh California State University, Northridge Northridge, CA Mikayla Handy California State University, Sacramento Sacramento, CA Gwen Adao Lan Nguyen Mary Nguyen Taylor Hallera California State University, San Diego San Diego, CA Benjamin Leung Gian Paneda Kathleen Damian Margaret Brown Ramandeep Tumber Carrington College San Jose, CA Jane Galinato Randall Gayo Regina Calamug

Chabot College Union City, CA James Pizarro Nicholas Kaldy Chapman University Orange, CA Carli Aiona Danielle Williams De Anza College Cupertino, CA Aaron Frailing Adam Simmons Alexander Chau Alexis Hernandez An Nguyen Anahy Calderon Anai Garcia Anthony Garay Anthony Trinh April Garcia Arlynn Navales Arshdeep Kaur Ashley Tran Asalina Smiley Bonny Lieu Brandon Casiano Brandon Hernandez Brian Dang Brianna Parilla Bryan Reyes Calvin Duong Camille Vu Catherine Blackburn Cesar Yanogacio Chenell Acio Christopher Cruz Christine Atrero Connor Prior Cristian Sullivan Cyrus Sepehri Daniel Nhan Danny Phan Danny Tran Demarco Leonard Duc Hoang Dustin Lien Ebony Young Edgardo Bilog Eilbra Morad Elizer Pakoy Emerald Pantaleon Eric Hua Eric Palomo Eshandeep Dhami Frankie Gutierrez Gabriel Stenton Guneet Kaur Inderhit Bassi Jagdev Jhutty Jan Gutierrez Janellah Zamora Jasmine Reiyat Jason Zamorano Jeremy Bernardo Jessica Lau Jewel Lazo Jeymour Ubas Jiajun Gao Jialan Tan Jocelyn Pacheco Jonathan Riding Karl Soria Katherine Lien Kenya Panting Kevin Nguyen Khanh Nguyen Kimberly Beem Kim-Yen Descamps Kristen Hipolito Kristine Earl Kristy Saechao Lareeza Oribello Lilianna Lopez Lonnie Gillespie Lucy Khuu Marcello Mendiola Mazie Edusada Matt Wielviora Matthew Vazquez Mengru Yu Michael Galinato Michael Tran Mikaela Castro Minh Hoang Minh Trinh Nancy Nguyen Nathan Eugenio

Nicholas Doan Oanh Le Patricia Agraz Quan Van Raniel Garcia Reena Tangco Reyna Salazar Rudy Olayo Sandra Olivera Senh Tang Sean Nguyen Shawndip Shergill Tai Nguyen Tania Dimitrova Therese De Gula Ting He Trea Ferguson Trinh Dang Trisha Te Truc Vo Trysty Lopez Tylor Cano Valerie Monteros Val Gamboa William Shankle Evergreen Valley College San Jose, CA Atham Ali Athorn Ali Cedric Reyes Joanne Mangosing Kayla Lindstrom Rainier Nguyen-Phuoc Foothill College Los Altos, CA Eligio Ladringan Leslie Tiongco Marlon Embisan Michael Nguyen Smit Vachhani Thao Le Fresno City College Fresno, CA Melanie Campos Glendale Community College Glendale, CA Zhen Mu Heald College San Jose, CA Danica Bascos Janelle Balmonte Shanil Prasad Victoria Sanchez Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA Erin Yu Vanessa Bui Mission College Santa Clara, CA Abel Martinez Abigail Reyes Adam Hampel Adriano Erceg Albert Somera Alexander Toanlong Pham Alfred Appiah Alejandra Rodriguez Allyson Chavez Alyza Nonog Amrita Singh Analiese Orlando Andy Lu Anmol Bains Anna Gonzalez Annmariz Buenconsejo Ardy Calida Brandon Franco Brendon Singlulmy Brianne Godwin Brittany Raffanti Carlo Harrington Chelsea Jaculina Chelsi Rushing Christon Oribello Clarence Devera Danilo Sipat Daniel Plascenia Diyang He Elijah Reyes Emmanuel Carpio Franz Barreto Froilan Dacasin Glenn Gameng

Guoyao Jiang Hayley McLead Heather Alvarez Nam Phan Nathan Eugenio I Leng Ng Jade Managbanag Jade Soliz Jasmine Macias Jasmine Rayford Jessica Pereya Jialan Tan Johan Roberto John Halsey John Serena John Serennos Jordan Catura Joshua Tejada Justin Nool Karl Subalbay Kathleen Uberita Kevin Kcomt Kevin Luong Kevin Moyoli Kim Nguyen Kristian Buenconsejo Lauren Alvear Mahdi Osman Manuel Ramirez Marquel Nelson Mayra Alvarez Michael Montes Milagros Mancera Oscar Perdomo Quoc Tran Nguyen Raffy Odanza Regina Maniquis Ricardo Cabrera Ricardo Reynaga Richard Mier Ruben Ruben Sarang Jogi Sidrah Munir Sonya Nava Tony Shiu Traka Tran Trinh Hua Tyler Van Zoell Lei National Hispanic University San Jose, CA Alondra Borroel Ohlone College Fremont, CA Alexander Huang Alexander Nguyen Alyssa Valle Andrew Huang Ashley Nguyen Aubriana Tillman Biviana Villa Brandon Lacuzong Breanna Canciamilla Chi Ian Lao ChuAn Wang Edwin Sevilla Emily Ortiz Gurpreet Singh Gim Le Hannah Richardson Hung Nguyen Jeffrey Prachick Jelyna Lugtu Jennifer Alkakos Jennifer Thai Jessica Peregrino Jessmin Villanueva JiaHao Sun Julie Ann Pascua Kaelin Atanes Kelvin Dao Key Chung Lianqing Liang Linh Doan Linh Quan Luzely Franco Manuela Ramirez Maria Darodal Maritere Tovar Mark Tam Mary Cook May Lyn Lee Mery Rose Ramos Michael Cardenas Mitchell Martinez Muhammad Qureshi Ngan Le Nhung Tran

Parth Barbhaiya Pei-lin Lee Rhonamae Calderon Ruben Gonzales Salvador Hernandez Samantha Reyes Sek Hou Ng Stephanie Dao Steve Dao Taylor Davis Thanh Trinh Truc Nguyen Valaree Cech Van Doan Venus Shih Victor Echon William Yap Yliza Yngayo Pacific Union College Napa, CA Tiffany Pham San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA Aaron Louie Alexis Zamora Arturo Gomez Cynthia Tu Danny Nguyen Dante Mendez Diana Nguyen Esfil Escobillo Hung Do Jan Llorico Jasmine Nguyen Jammil Watan Jazmyn-Eriael Dimingo Justin Ramos Kaitlin Le Leighann Quismorio Mary Vu Maurissa Thomas Melissa Gutierrez Michele Grillo Nida Ali Ramon Gabriel Rebecca Ceuppens Sherilyn Thach Sho Suzuki Tri Le Tsai Liu Vicky Lien Vivian Au Wesley Luu San Jose City College San Jose, CA Brandon Sualua Brian Patterson Gustavi Jimenez Imelda Beltran Isamar Palos Jayla Marsden Jennifer Nichols Kiana Aguilar Lydia Williams Miguel Guzman Natalie Resngit Raeana Antonio San Jose State University San Jose, CA Aaron Linn Adrianne Causing Alcinia Lee Alejandro Jimenez Alyssa Casilla Amandeep Kaur Amy Hoang Angelo Banzon Anna Candari Anthony De Guzman Anthony Ng Anthony Nguyen April Lateer Austin Dang Brent Simon Calvin Huo ChiehAn Chu Christine Huynh Christophe Te Christopher Nguyen Clarence Fangonilo Dalena Ho Dustin Nelson Edward Lee Gina Ha Hing Chi Wong Itzel Martinez

May 2013

THE UNION

COLLEGES

Class of 2013 part ways in autumn Jacqueline Huynh Jan Doria Jennilyn Tran Jerico Santos Jessica Do Jimmy Mendoza Joel Pardenilla Johsan Jarquin Joksan Medina Jose Ulloa Jospeh Gebre Joshua Coria Justin Crick Justin Sigmon Kathie Luo Lavanya Kumar Luc Nguyen Long Vu Maecy Williams Marie Trias Michelle Espinoza Monique Sico Natalie Dang Ngan-Ha Ngiem Nicholas Mangoba Prisha Sheth Rachael San Filippo Rahul Lally Raymond Leung Riley Leggin Sajay Shah Sally Nguyen Samuel Vu Shaelene Sager Sheldon Hentschke Solis Sisneros Sonny Banh Steven Monreal Tatiana Almogela Tenny Tran Tina Nguyen Victoria Cerda Vishek Sharma Yaqian Chen Vinh Le Yung Hui Chen San Mateo College San Mateo, CA Mickalla Johnson Santa Barbara City College Santa Barbara, CA Megan Esquer Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA Byron Nguyen Stephanie Van Santa Rosa Junior College Santa Rosa, CA Nayely Jimenez Sierra College Rocklin, CA Ryan McKenzie St. Mary’s College of California Moraga, CA Annie Dao Solano Community College Solano County, CA Manisha Singh

University of California, Davis Davis, CA Alexander Lee Alicia Nguyen Alleen Tu Amy Nguyen

University of California, Irvine Irvine, CA Brenda Chen Brian Nguyen Bryant Phung Cheverlyn Casta David Tran Diane Ho Henry Tran Jennifer Mai Jessica Pham Nguyen Jimmy Ngo Jimmy Nguyen Kimberly Vo Kulvir Jandir Melody Foley Rachana Patel Ryan Tan Jieying Kuang Solomon Wong Timothy Wan University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Alexander Pham Crystal Han LeAnn Woo Tiffany Kyu Ruiting Qin University of California, Merced Merced, CA Jansen Lin Justin Nguyen University of California, Riverside Riverside, CA Adam Luo Alex Mah Alvin Chow Brent Ko Edward Liang Jasmine Tumber Justin Tang Rory Pang Steven Ngo University of California, San Diego La Jolla, CA Amelia Vu Bryan Tang Catherine Frey Daniel Shak David Chen Derek Lee Fairy Bui Gary Le James Nguyen Jiawei Long Kevin Chau Shawn Nguyen Tiffany Han Vilan Le Vivian Dinh Wing Ly University of California, Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA Dan Luo Kelly Lai Ryan Bui University of California, Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA Andrew Hoang Bryan Tran Eduardo Rodriguez Howard Ting

Jasmine Lamas Jason Pugatch Kevin Salladay Mae Krisel Famatid Patrick O’Brien Vanessa Yeh Y Huynh University of the Pacific Stockton, CA Dhe-Yon Lee Huan Le Joshua Lin Justin Le Noelle Cheung Wendy Huynh Stephanie Hong University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA Ana Peccin Pilar Ferguson Vanguard University of Southern California Costa Mesa, CA Lisa Lee West Valley College Saratoga, CA Jessica Burnett Marcus Rita

COLORADO Colorado State University Fort Collins, CO Graham Cross

CONNECTICUT Yale University New Haven, CT Casey Lee

IDAHO Boise State University Boise, ID Maxwell Bennett

ILLINOIS Northwestern University Evanston, IL May Lee University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign Urbana-Champaign, IL Corly Leung

MASSACHUSETTS Boston University Boston, MA Jacqueline Vuong Nichols College Dudley, MA Anthony Chu Wellesley University Wellesley, MA Shuyang Ye

MINNESOTA University of Minnesota at Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN Linus Chan

NEW YORK Cornell University Ithaca, NY Cindy Wu Vanha Pham United States Military Academy at West Point West Point, NY Eric Tao

OHIO

OTHER

The Ohio State University Columbus, OH Brendan Lin

Central County Occupational Centers for EMT Program San Jose, CA Jeanelle Garcia

OREGON

Traveling Abroad Europe Alfonso Sanchez Susanna Cadorin Hector Cruz

Oregon State University Corvallis, OR Tevita Vea

UTAH

United States Air Force Airon Lunasco Nikkoprince Limpin Jeffrey Knitter Joshua Finuliar Sharai Stanberry

Salt Lake Community College Salt Lake City, UT Diana Walker

VIRGINIA

United States Army Jonathan Alkakos

Hampton University Hampton, VA Kennedy Kenney

United States Marine Corps. Edward Tomista Efrain Moreno Julius Manera Brendan Thinathin

INTERNATIONAL Medical School of Silesia Katowice, Poland Jasmine Dhaliwal

United States Navy Anshereena Arines Darwin Tolentino Patrick Yumang

Tarlac State University Tarlac, Philippines Raziah Fuertes

Workforce Alexis Pommier Daniel Gomez Guangshun Wong Jomel Vinluan Steven Padaong Steven Rodriguez

Vocational School (YG Entertainment) Seoul, South Korea Thavisack Dorlybounxou

College decisions based on multiple factors College bound MHS seniors from the Class of 2013 reveal what factors affected their college decisions. Below are the top three factors that influenced students’ decisions.

chose based on

52%

l location

geographic

L µ ^ G 24% h i majors §@ ª offered chose based on

University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, CA Alanna Tran Anthony Pham Arthur Tran Caryn Tran Catherine Zhou Claudia Nguyen Giang Ha Jason Kuo Jerry Sun Keziah Lyu Lillian Kao Susan Wang Ying Luo Yohaness Estifanos

Geary Cao Irina Adao Jenn De Leon Jesus Edquilang Jin Luong Julie Nelson Khanh Tran Leslie Do Marisa Louie Martin Yao Nicklaus Wu Tina Chung Tri Hoang Vivian Doan William Quan Winnie Yu

$ $ $ financial

chose based on

aid given

Data collected in a May 2013 survey of 336 MHS seniors

THE UNION

MAY 2013

LIFESTYLE

Boys and girls comment on opposite gender’s clothing choices BY CARYN TRAN

SAGGING

HIGH-WAISTED SHORTS

SKINNY JEANS

LEGGINGS

ÅYÇ

Dating apps address teens BY ARTHUR TRAN

C�� T�� | THE UNION

Senior Thao Le dons leggings. This look is controversial among guys.

“I don’t understand why girls [have their underwear outline showing]. Most girls are like, “don’t look at me.” Well why are you wearing that then? You’re showing off your underwear. You’re expecting us not to look. Really?” Junior Sean Ly

S. LY

“[Not having the butt covered when wearing leggings] is okay. I’m not really going to get distracted. It’s more like I can control myself.” Sophomore John Rafanan “I’m fine with [leggings]. I’ve seen the underwear line a few times. They should try to hide that up. I guess it’s kind of embarrassL. KIM ing for them too.” Sophomore Lance Kim

C�� T�� | THE UNION

Junior Karen Chi wears highwaisted shorts. Some guys �nd the trend unappealing and odd.

Senior Vita Vea shows an extreme case of sagging pants. Sagging is found unattractive to many girls.

Junior Sidney Le models skinny jeans. Girls differ on what they think of skinny jeans on males.

“It just looks weird to cover your belly button. I don’t want to be mean, but I just think it looks really unattractive. It just makes them look like they have a small beer belly.” S. DAO Senior Steve Dao

“That’s ugly. I think it’s really direspectful. I can’t respect a dude that sags his pants. It just shows that I can’t take you seriously. Especially for business-wise or in a relationshipwise, those are the guys you avoid.” Senior Kennedy Kenney

“I think they’re nice, just not too tight. It depends on what type of person you are. If you have a big booty, then skinny jeans don’t match. If guys are big and and wear skinny jeans, that does not look nice at all.” Sophomore Talita T. REGIS Regis

“I don’t know, I just don’t like it compared to regular short shorts.” Sophomore Jacob Bautista. “I don’t mind as long as it’s not too revealing. I don’t like cameltoe.” Senior Brian Nguyen

B. NGUYEN

“If it’s above the belly button, it’s kind of weird. It just makes them top heavy. They look unbalanced somehow.” Freshman Tony Zhao

“If it’s underneath your butt then it looks disgusting. If you prefer it, I don’t mind it, but I prefer them not to sag.” Senior Cheverlyn Casta

C. CASTA

“No. There’s no point. Why wear jeans if you’re not going to cover everything. You might as well wear shorts.” Junior Christel Catli C. CATLI

“If it’s too tight, don’t wear them. Too tight is when you’re walking like a penguin. I see that a lot on guys and it looks really stupid.” Junior Syboney Caballero “Skinny jeans aren’t good for guys because it’s scientifically proven that skinny jeans aren’t good for their reproducK. LIEN tive system.” Senior Katherine Lien

You have to admit, there seems to be an underlying pressure that’s part of high school to get into a relationship, whether or not you’re actually ready for one. If you’re the type that’s looking for a relationship, you could download a dating application onto your phone and find yourself a potential An extremely popular dating app that has been used lately is Tinder, which uses GPS to track people that are using the app around you. The app displays pictures of these users, and you can choose to “like” or say “nope” with just a swipe of your finger. You can only message people who “like” you back, so you’ll know for sure that whoever you talk to has at least some mild interest in you (or at least how you look). The best part about this app is that you only know about people who like you; you will never receive notifications about how many people have rejected you, making this a great ego booster . Another dating application that could be downloaded is Skout that again looks for singles in your area, but can connect you with them. People who are complete strangers could keep trying to contact you because they’ll know that you’re using the app and are online. However, it is completely up to you whether or not you want to make contact with them. This app has two separate communities for teens and adults.

Phone applications diverse, serve useful daily functions BY JONATHAN NGO

As applications stores continue to offer an increasing number of diverse apps, standard apps that come with your phone are becoming obsolete. Here are some applicationss that will serve as great additions to your phone. Any.DO To-Do list (Any.DO) Andy.DO is perfect for anyone who needs a simple and free to-do list. The app is broken down into four main sections: Today, Tomorrow, Upcoming, and Someday. Creating a task is extremely easy and intuitive. You can either type out your task or use the integrated voice button. The app is able to predict your task while you type, something not commonly seen on other apps. Users can also easily move uncompleted tasks to another section. Any.DO is a very functional app that just works. Its minimalistic user interface is something many users will enjoy. Flipboard (Flipboard, Inc.) Flipboard is a free app that combines content from the Web and you social networking sites into an absolutely stunning digital magazine. The app, available for both phone and tablet, has a natural and stylish design that takes full advantage of swiping gestures. The app upholds its elegance and fluidity regardless of whether you are on a small phone screen or a large tablet screen. Flipboard’s options for magazines, newspapers, and blogs expands widely and is all displayed on a stunning and attractive grid. If you have never tried Flipboard, do not hesitate to download it immediately. Google Maps (Google, Inc.) Google Map’s interface, Street View, turn-by-turn directions, location search, as well as points-of-in-

terest are all brilliant and extensive. This is the best navigation app available on any device. Although it might not be completely obvious how to use the app the first time, it is generally clean and easy to navigate. Google Maps takes full advantage of all your phone’s multitouch features and should be enjoyable to operate. There really is not much more to say about Google Maps except if you are still using Apple Maps or some other map service, dump them right away and download Google Maps. Solar: Weather (Hollr, Inc.) Most of the weather apps you have tried have most likely been underwhelming in design. Solar completely changes that. The app offers a slick and clean design with animated backgrounds and a fast-forwarding forecast that will definitely draw you in. You can quickly skim through twenty-four hours of weather with a simple slide of your finger up the screen. Few apps have been able to achieve such a beautiful, unique, and polished design as Solar has. Even if you don’t need this app, I recommend at least giving it a try for the amazing experience. Vine (Vine Labs, Inc.) Vine is a new social networking app that lets the user make short six second videos that loop. The app makes it easy to make short videos that can be shared with your friends on social networks. Vine’s home feed lets you view the latest videos from whoever you are following and “like” the video and make comments. The most interesting feature is while you scroll down you feed, the previous video stops and the next automatically starts playing. Overall, Vine offers a seamless and new social networking experience that, although still needing some work, you should give a try.

MAY 2013

THE UNION

LIFESTYLE

Summer heat brings new clothing trends

FASHION SPOTLIGHT

BY VIVIAN DINH

Shaelene Sager

The weather’s been warming up and it’s time to unleash that summer wardrobe! Now would be a great time to start putting together some stylish looks by incorporating some of the season’s hottest trends! Splash of color: Bold neon colors have been trending for quite a while now but not everyone feels comfortable pulling off those hues. It’s time to welcome those bright shades of lemon yellow, fuchsia pink, emerald green, and cobalt blue that are perfect for this summer. These hues are not as bold as neon nor are they as soft as pastels, but bright enough to add character to your entire look! Stripes: Be it classical nautical stripes or bold colorful ones, stripes of all sizes and orientation are one of this summer’s biggest trends. From dresses to shoes, stripes in all shapes, forms, and colors are available in numerous clothing stores. Pick a stripe pattern that complements your body type and highlights your assets, and you’re good to go! Monochrome: Designers from all over are taking a break from pairing bold colors together and returning to the basic monochrome combination

Senior 1. Shirt Dad’s closet

3. Sweater Goodwill $6

2 3

4. Belt Mom’s closet 5. Shorts Mom’s closet

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Junior Thu Hoang and Senior Erin Yu wear striped and �oral patterns on their tops. Stripes and �oral pieces tie together the summer wardrobe.

for this summer. Not into bold and bright colors? Opt for the classic pairing of black and white instead for summer outings. Neon accessories: Instead of wearing full-on neon, opt for a pop of neon in the form of accessories, whether it is shoes, bags, or jewelry. Moreover, with monochrome as a trend, neon accessories are a great way to add hints of color to your black and white apparel. This way you get to combine two summer trends into one fashionable look.

Floral: Go for printed floral pieces this season—be it oversized or ditzy, a floral print is a trendy must-have for your wardrobe. You can go floral with romantic skirts, dresses, and even pants! Wear matching floral from head to toe, pair complementary prints together, or simply add a floral accessory to your outfit this season.

BY KAREN CHI

The trends mentioned above are just a few of several statementmaking trends for this summer. With so many to choose from, which one will you be wearing this summer?

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Junior Annie Nguyen dons a chiffon blouse with a statement necklace.

such as scarves and while it is still being used for such matters, the use of chiffon has been updated to blouses,

skirts, pants and summer dresses. “I think it’s an easy fabric to dress up or down,” said Junior Thu Hoang. “It reminds me so much of spring and summer.” Chiffon blouses are hugely popular right now and can be dressed up or down accordingly. Here on the MHS campus, however, it is more common to see chiffon blouses being dressed down. Although see-through, chiffon is easy to pair. It’s lightweight and airy, making it the perfect fabric to wear as the temperature increases. The simple fabric makes for a classy and almost effortless look with its silk-like resemblance. “I feel like the fabric epitomizes spring and summer,” said Hoang. “I think the lightness of the fabric and its versatility makes it so popular.

Fashion Inspiration: “The internetz.”

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Alex Lee Senior

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With senior year coming to an end, many of us are looking forward to college life. We will be moving out of the house and into dorms with hundreds of other kids just like us. However, before we step foot onto campus on move-in day, there is a long list of items that we must remember to bring with us so that we can be prepared to survive away from the amenities of our homes for the school year. The following are just a few of the essentials that every college student should have: Dorm room Extra long sheets: The beds in college dorms are built to accommodate even the tallest students, so be sure not to bring average-length sheets, which probably won’t reach the end of your bed. Coat hangers: You probably don’t want your jackets or dresses lying in a heap on the floor of your closet next to your shoes. Lamp: This is not entirely necessary, but keep in mind that all the lights in the room are attached to one switch, so if you want to study late and your roommate wants to sleep, a personal lamp would be helpful. Mini-fridge/microwave: Some colleges don’t allow these in the

dorms, but if your college does, then it would be smart to arrange for your roommate to bring one, and you bring the other. Also, before you leave home, learn how to make ramen in the microwave. Utensil set/ microwave safe bowl: Though you’ll probably eat in the dining hall most of the time, utensils and dishes come in handy when you buy food from the grocery store. Storage containers: Get plastic or cloth containers that fit under your bed to maximize the space in your dorm room. Bathroom Plastic caddy: This plastic bucket with different compartments is great for holding shampoo, soap, your toothbrush, and most other small things bathroom related. Store it somewhere in your dorm room, and when you need to take a shower, just grab the caddy and a towel, and you’ll have everything that you need. Waterproof flip-flops: Sometimes it is not very fun to wander in the communal bathrooms barefoot. You can even wear flip-flops in the shower, if you don’t trust the foot hygiene of the other people in your dorm. Personal Items Formal clothes: For club functions, banquets, and other special events,

you’ll regret not bringing a nice dress or a suit, along with a fancy pair of shoes. Leave the tuxedoes and prom dresses at home, though. Other Bicycle: Cruisers are cute, but road bikes are more practical when you have to get from one class to the next. Get a light for riding at night, fenders to avoid getting the “freshman stripe” on the first rainy day, and a U-lock to keep thieves away. Backpack: If you plan on bringing your laptop to class to take notes, get a backpack with a padded compartment to protect your laptop. Also, a backpack is more practical than a bag if you’re riding a bike. Laptop: For the sake of portability, stay away from any laptop larger than 15.6 inches. If you want a light laptop that’s easy to carry around, consider getting an Ultrabook or a laptop without a CD drive—just get an external optical disc drive to use when you need to download a program or watch a movie. Also, don’t forget to get a lock! Printer/ paper: Bring these two items, and you’ll be the most popular person in your dorm building. Straightener: Not only useful for hair, but also for last-minute ironing! Stapler/ Tape/ Scissors: Most students forget these useful supplies.

1. Fedora Macy’s $15 2. Sunglasses Ariel’s 3. Blazer Custom-made $20

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4. Vest Online Boutique $20 5. Pants Target $14

Impending college transitions challenging; necessary items allow for easy adaptability BY MARISA LOUIE

6. Socks Dad’s closet 7. Shoes Target $18

Sheer fashion, chiffon, allows ‘effortless look’ Sheer fashion remains a staple this spring and summer. Hitting the runways during fashion week all over the world, sheer clothing has gained popularity in the streets and even here on the campus of MHS. Still perceived as an off-limit trend by some, this seethrough fabric delicately crosses the line of provocative and inappropriate for school. But if worn correctly, sheer clothing can be deemed cute and school appropriate. One of the most popular sheer fabrics is chiffon, which is extremely lightweight and can be made from silk, cotton or synthetics. Traditionally, chiffon was used for gowns, skirts, or as layers for wedding dresses. It has also been used for lingerie and even

2. Necklace Swatch $30

6. Boots Amazon $30

Fashion Inspiration: “Anything that catches my eye, really. I tend to go for the clean school look.”

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THE UNION

MAY 2013

entertainment

BFD show resonates ‘strongly’ RATING: (out of five stars)

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by Nicklaus Wu

Courtesy of thestar.com

Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan) glances toward Jay Gatsby’s (Leonardo DiCaprio) direction while dancing with her husband Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton). They attend one of Gatsby’s lavish and notoriously decadent parties.

‘Gatsby’ not as great as anticipated by fans RATING: (out of five stars)

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by Ying Luo

Jay-Z and Jay-Gatz in a movie together, who would have expected? But whether the timelessness of Jay Gatsby’s tale had truly been captured, I was overall disappointed by the film’s promotion of hedonism and materialism. F. Scott’s Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel highlights the irony of excessive wealth; it is a deep novel about shallow people. Director Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation is nothing more than a shallow movie about shallow people. It distracts with party aesthetics and lavish décor, all the while failing to delve deeper to reveal the decadence and social mayhem of the Jazz Age. Although the latest movie adaptation follows most of the novel’s plot

lines, sometimes even quoting Fitzgerald word for word, it fails to capture the nuances that makes “The Great Gatsby” arguably the greatest American novel. It is turned solely into an unrequited love story, rather than a critique of the American dream that the novel is. By leaving out her cheating in golf tournaments, for instance, the movie misconstrues Jordan Baker’s entire character. She becomes nothing more than a secondary movie tool in helping reunite review Gatsby and Daisy, when in fact she had been the quintessence of the corruption found in America’s elite. The few creative plot liberties that Luhrmann does take are questionable. It seems that he had hoped to extend the plot in directions that the

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novel does not, one way by sending Nick Carraway to the sanitarium after Gatsby’s death. It is obvious that Luhrmann wanted to show Nick’s descent into insanity after having witnessed the cruelty of the city, but it was also obvious that the change did not yield this intended effect; the film never effectively conveys the city’s toxic effect on Nick. Daisy and Tom were depicted as fickle and shallow, yes, but they were hardly seen as representative of the depravity of the entire East Egg. “The Great Gatsby” is set more to be a 3-D blockbuster than a literary adaptation, and in this sense, Luhrmann succeeded in his endeavors. Complete with fireworks, castle-like homes, and even a trademark logo for Gatsby, Luhrmann’s adaptation is sure to win the heart of the casual moviegoer.

LIVE105’s annual BFD concert was held this year on Sunday May 19th, 2013. BFD’s artist lineup typically caters toward Bay Area rock fans and takes place at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California. An all-day event that started at 11 a.m. and ended at 11 p.m., this year’s festival included 4 stages and featured artists such as Thirty Seconds To Mars, Jimmy Eat World, and Diplo. The morning started off at the Bud Light Festival Stage right before lunch. A parking lot transformed venue, this area had two stages where bands alternated playing on. Despite the concert review sweltering atmosphere, the bands brought a positive energy that resonated strongly with the attendees and the heat quickly became a non-factor. Some notable performances from the Bud Light Festival Stage included Capital Cities and Fitz and the Tantrums. Capital Cities is an indie rock duo from Los Angeles, California formed by Ryan Merchant and Sebu Simonian back in 2009. Capital Cities performed their singles “Center Stage” and “Safe and Sound.” During “Center Stage,” they taught everyone in the crowd how to do the “Capital Cities shuffle,” a relatively simple dance that included a few claps and a twirl. Fitz and the Tantrums, an indie pop band from Los Angeles, performed near the end. Despite this, they had the strongest crowd interactions with their soul-influenced tunes “Out Of My League” and “MoneyGrabber.”

As the sun descended, attendees started to make their way toward the Main Stage, the actual amphitheater. Of Monsters and Men traveled all the way from Iceland to play at 5:35pm. The band, dressed in colorful attire, worked the stage with their quirky charm and moving vocals. They played their singles “Little Talks” and “Mountain Sound” while everyone in the audience hummed along. Thirty Seconds To Mars performed at 8:30 p.m. Masked men on drums, giant inflatable snowmen, sharks, and turtles, inviting the audience up on stage to dance, and confetti cannons. Thirty Seconds To Mars went all out to promote their new album “Love Lust Faith + Dreams.” Aesthetics aside, their music was relatively good. Sure, some songs from their new album didn’t garner as much audience response as their old singles “This Is War” and “Kings and Queens” did, but their performance as a whole was admirable. Passion Pit, an American indie rock band, ended BFD with a strong finish at 9:40pm. They bursted out on stage with their first song “Little Secrets.” Lead Singer Michael Angelakos sang with confidence, pizazz, and a razor sharp focus. Listening to their studio record, one would immediately notice the strong electronic presence in their tracks. Pleasantly surprised, I noticed Angelakos was able to hit those astonishingly high notes in their tracks without any electronic enhancers. There were no dull or lull moments between the start and finish of Passion Pit’s performance. Not only did they start strong, they also finished strong with their single “Take A Walk.” With this year’s performances, it is no surprise to me that BFD tickets are being sold out quicker with every passing year.

MAY 2013

THE UNION

entertainment

THE UNION

MAY 2013

‘Development’ back in action

MUSIC reviews

RATING: (out of five stars)

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by Kimberly Vo

Demi by Demi Lovato Pop RATING:

random Access Memories by Daft Punk Electronic RATING:

Modern Vampires of the City by Vampire Weekend Indie Rock RATING:

by Karen Chi

by Sidney LE

by Catherine Frey

Fresh from her time on X Factor, Demi Lovato is back with “Demi,” her fourth album. Ranging from powerful ballads to poppy break up songs, “Demi” is a rollercoaster of emotions. As the title suggests, “Demi” is Lovato’s most personal album yet. No longer a Disney girl or a troubled teen, Lovato has matured along with her music, but nothing on this new album is as raw with anguish as “Skyscraper” from her previous album “Unbroken,” although “Warrior” is quite comparable. The first single, “Heart Attack,” touches on Lovato’s signature style of bubblegum pop while “Nightingale” latches onto showcasing her compelling vocal abilities. Lovato takes risks with electro beats like in “Neon Lights,” which is more impressive musically rather than vocally. Overall, Lovato proves she has a strong grip on her vocals. “Demi” is the perfect mixture of feel-good, bubblegum pop and faux-dubstep experiments, making it a wonderful album for the summer.

“Random Access Memories” hails the return of Daft Punk. The album does lacks the confidence of an album like “Discovery” or the novelty of “Homework.” This is not for the listener; it is for Daft Punk, as revolutionaries of the music industry. Few subtle albums exist in the electronic genre; fewer artists challenge their listeners. However, this album is thoughtful unlike any of its contemporaries. Contributing to this is the roster of collaborators. This is not “Daft Punk,” nor can it be defined by any genre. This album is an outlier, almost an anachronism. Daft Punk has successfully created an album out of pure nostalgia by recruiting prolific artists in electronica; Daft Punk has turned an eye towards its own roots for a work which is more self-discovery than “Discovery.” This album is a love letter to bygone era. The Robots speak in an esoteric language of disco and synthesizers; their heartfelt dedications are spelled out to us, but something is lost in translation.

Vampire Weekend’s third album, ‘Modern Vampires of the City’ shifts from the upbeat nonsensical lyrics that characterized its two previous albums. The song ‘Diane Young’ not-sosubtly asks listeners to replace the name with “dying young,” turning the lyrics into a morbid reminder of death juxtaposed with an upbeat, catchy tune. The song is cheerily pounding out the message that you better shape up and stop torching Saabs “like a pile leaves,” because you will die young. Despite the emphasis on our inescapable mortality, the album manages fleeting moments of hope. In ‘Don’t Lie,’ Ezra sings, “there’s a lifetime in front of you and everyone I know.” ‘Modern Vampires of the City’ has been the band’s most difficult album to write, according to band member Rostam Batmanglij. Vampire Weekend challenged themselves to write songs that draw influence from music ranging from baroque to electro-pop .

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After many long years of waiting, “Arrested Development” came back in full force on May 26, being the first of its kind to return to the smaller screen after years of cancellation. The show’s fourth season, comprised of 15 episodes, premiered on Netflix in its entirety a minute after midnight. With big shoes to fill, this season of the cult favorite did not disappoint. Bringing back all of our favorite characters from series past, the show did not miss a beat in culminating the events that tv-series review have come about over the lost years. Season four followed a different course of storytelling, focusing on one character and his journey of keeping himself together, with appearances from other family members. With the extended period of time between seasons, it was expected that season four would not fall exactly into line with the other three seasons. That being said, show runner Mitch Hurwitz brought something else to the table, proving that the show could still retain its witty humor and close attention to detail in consistently high-quality episodes of a new form; think of it as a new start, even. The season was not perfect, having lost the great chemistry between the cast in ensemble scenes. However, this loss was necessary to develop all the back story of the characters and what had happened with their lives since viewers had last seen them. Additionally, I wavered between whether I supported the casting and whether I thought it was rather needless stunt casting. As pleasant as it was to see Dan Harmon or Alan

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Tudyk, it went a little overboard; four guys from Workaholics in one scene, while amusing, was a little much. The first episode of the season opened with Michael trying to keep his life together, having been unsuccessful in his business and trying to detach himself from his family. The first episode established a darker, more mature tone that continued throughout the rest of the season. Also, because of the lack of constraints in time, many episodes felt long and sluggish, less fast-paced in jokes. Focusing on one character each episode was also a little tiresome. I mean, I love all my Bluths equally, but I don’t care for George Sr. Watching the first few episodes, originally, I wasn’t too impressed. The captions were on, and the jokes seemed obvious, although there were fun in-jokes for the fans. One key mention would be the tease of George Michael’s chicken dance, the dance of which was largely missed this season. Just as there’s always money in the banana stand, there’s always more to “Arrested Development.” As the season progressed, the story unfolded, and the show reestablished itself. The episodes of the seasons were all linked, as many went on concurrently, making use of foreshadowing and great attention to detail. Having watched the entire season made every episode better, including the weaker first episodes, as the clues were all filled in, completing many jokes that had not been told. There were many jokes that flew by, which will make for an exciting re-watch. This season of Arrested Development told so much story, also leaving so much purposely unresolved by the end, making way for the movie, which I hope they have the rights to. Although, I don’t see it as a movie. Maybe a TV show.

MAY 2013

THE UNION

entertainment

‘Ragnarok’ produces sequel; result less than satisfactory RATING: (out of five stars)

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by arthur tran

Courtesy of Clay Lindvall

In this still from an animated scene in “Spiddrelli,” the eponymous Richard Spiddrelli uses a clockbind to freeze time in the Swill Times Bar. An enigmatic bartender named Robin watches on, unaffected by the frozen time.

‘Spiddrelli’ offers unique animation and plot RATING: (out of five stars)

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by Rachel Alvelais

Animation student Clay Lindvall’s comic “Spiddrelli,” is set in a post-war science fiction world, though its plot draws its style from noir films. This is most evident in its monochromatic prologue where a cop muses over the cold case of a kidnapped girl. The cop finds a single piece of evidence: a folder labeled “Spiddrelli.” After this discovery, the plot quickly descends into the secrets hidden in the town of Midvale Mesa. Updating every Wednesday, the current incarnation of “Spiddrelli” follows Richard Spiddrelli as he arrives at Midvale and becomes entangled in the network of intrigue that involves the entire island. Upon a visit to Midvale’s bar, the readers are introduced to the enigmatic bar-

tender Robin as well as a number of Midvale’s residents who are more than slightly insane. Spiddrelli stops a brawl from breaking out by stopping time, giving “Spiddrelli” readers their first taste of the mysterious forces at play in the comic. It is revealed that Midvale Mesa is an asylum where patients roam free at night, interacting with the Midvale residents who do happen to be sane. No one is who they seem to be at first glance; when it feels as if the readers are finally getting a grasp on what exactly is going on, a new piece of information is revealed that throws whatever hypotheses readers had out the window. The process is exciting, and Lindvall’s command of cinematic composition, timing, and comedic relief keeps readers coming back every week for updates. Despite the complex enigma that is the introductory arc of “Spiddrelli,”

Lindvall’s employment of a unique artistic style and lengthy flash animations in the place of static comic panels gives “Spiddrelli” a vibe that can be described more like that of a serial animated television series than the atmosphere of a webcomic. Many of the comic’s updates are interactive, allowing the readers to click through a character’s dialogue themselves and often interact with scenery to further the plot as well. Unlike many webcomics, the “Spiddrelli” archive is not split into pages within chapters, but rather it is organized by scene and time. This gives readers a chance to orient themselves in a plotline that can be easy to become lost in. Lindvall’s skills as a writer and an animator are put to good use in “Spiddrelli,” and his fan following has started to grow as a result.

Concert venues notable, worth checking out by Sidney Le

Fox Theater (Oakland) How a theater looks is not a top priority. However, that being said, go to the Fox Theater. The interior of the Fox Theater is stunning, but not distracting; it adds to the enjoyment. The Fox gets the audience up-close and personal, within a foot or two of the performance area. This is true of the general admission floor; though those in the balcony still enjoy a great acoustic performance, they lose a huge part of the atmosphere.

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‘Star Trek’ stirs with character RATING: (out of five stars)

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by Martin Yao

Courtesy of saveoaklandsports.org

The Fox Theater lights up every night, revealing the theater in all of its grandiosity. The interior is fantastic, and it is not an experience to miss.

Courtesy of sffillmore.wordpress.com

The Fillmore is situated in the center of San Francisco. The theater is especially notable for its long history and cultural importance and heritage.

Hearst Greek Theatre (aka The Greek Theatre) (Berkeley) This open-air amphitheater in Berkeley is, to put it simply, the best outdoor venue in the Bay Area. Its architecture is specifically meant for enormous outings, such as concerts, and the location is magnificently beautiful. The benefits of being at an outdoor venue also apply here; it is generally less stuffy and obnoxiously hot. The theater’s proximity to most of Berkeley’s other centers of population means that dinner and a show is entirely within reason as well. If you absolutely must go to an outdoor concert, go here. Forget all of the other amphitheaters, go here.

“Ragnarok Online II: Legend of the Second,” the sequel to the extremely popular and successful massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) “Ragnarok Online,” was released to North America and Europe on May 1st. “Ragnarok Online II” was surprising in that it used a 3-D engine instead of continuing the 2-D isometric engine from “Ragnarok Online,” making it almost unrecognizable with its predecessor. The visuals have gone through a massive overhaul, but the mechanics from the first game are still apparent. There are five game classes that players may review choose from: acolyte, archer, magician, swordsman, and thief. Each class has two possible advancements that one may choose from after he or she reaches level 25, such as the monk branch for acolytes and assassin branch for thieves. The Kafra Shop, the cash shop in the game where players can use real money to buy exclusive items, also makes a comeback. Speaking of real money, “Ragnarok Online II” is actually free to play, unlike the pay to play “Ragnarok Online.” There is the new profession system, where players can choose from one of four different jobs during character creation: chef, artisan, alchemist, and blacksmith. Chefs can create various foods to buff characters, artisans can create light armor and runes to make other items stronger, alchemists can create a multitude of potions for health or mana (called SP in game), and blacksmiths can smelt

The Fillmore (San Francisco) The Fillmore is an intimate concert venue; if there was ever a time where you absolutely needed to be close to your favorite musicians and artists, this would be the place to go. Besides that, the atmosphere is almost invigoratingly youthful and contemporary; artifacts of great performances past are strewn about, and it certainly feels like a place where greatness has been. The intense closeness of the venue also contributes greatly to the acoustics of the various performances, which lends itself to the more soulful performances.

Courtesy of Wikimedia Foundation

UC Berkeley uses the Greek every year for its graduation, and for good reason. The amphitheater set-up is brilliant in both design and architecture.

ores and create weapons. The Khara system is also another addition and acts as the achievement system in the game. When players complete specific accomplishments, they are awarded with either Khara points or titles, which can be displayed for additional stats. Khara points can then be used to make even more accomplishments available to be completed. “Ragnarok Online II” is fairly predictable as a stereotypical MMORPG, which is a bit disappointing. The storyline is linear, and players have to follow the main quest line if they want to gain any experience. Grinding is not an option if one wishes to level up quickly. After my first few hours of game play, I could only get to about level 12. Keep in mind that this was with an acolyte, who has an agility skill to travel around the massive map faster and multiple healing skills so there is not any time wasted buying potions. Monsters simply take way too long to kill, and quests get so repetitive and boring that I found it difficult to keep playing. The game isn’t too hard; it just gets monotonous. The maps are large, extensive, and beautifully designed, but they just make traveling that more troublesome. Overall, “Ragnarok Online II” doesn’t really bring anything new to the table. Battles are tedious and annoying, traveling around the map is a nuisance, and leveling takes especially long at early levels for a MMORPG. Yet, it’s not bad as a typical online role-playing game, with nice graphics, a decent soundtrack, all wrapped up with a solid class and profession system. This is definitely a game that’s not made for everyone, especially those with little patience, but a good one for those who can stand the slow progress.

“Star Trek Into Darkness” marks the second installment in the rebooted film series that began with the hit 2009 release of “Star Trek”. The first film made it clear that producer J. J. Abrams and his team are rebooting the franchise as a reimagination in the modern sense, filling it with advanced computer generated images (CGI) and special effects that can dazzle audiences in ways the original series could not. For Trekkies, “Into Darkness” can only deliver so much geeky sci-fi jargon and allusions to the original, but for mainstream audiences, the film stands alone as a satisfying presummer flick. “Into Darkness” reprises its cast members from the first film, the movie main stars being the review impulsive Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), piloting the adventure, and the by-the-books First Officer Spock (Zachary Quinto) to admonish Kirk constantly. Kirk, Spock, and other fellow Enterprise crew members such as Uhura (Zoe Saldana), Sulu (John Cho), and Scotty (Simon Pegg) work together to capture rogue agent John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch). Of course, things are not what they seem and the film proceeds with alliances being made and backs being stabbed. The film ultimately works largely due to the script’s originality. The dialogue is engaging and actually highlights each character’s personality, resulting in natural, unforced banter throughout the film. Another strength of the film is character growth, an element many films nowadays lack. The relationship between Spock and Kirk is further explored in “Into Darkness”

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as part of the film’s overarching theme of camaraderie. Kirk’s bold recklessness yet again saves the day, and Spock comes quickly to his aid at times of trouble. Perhaps a pattern can be drawn here for future reference, but at the end of the film, viewers will at least be able to better reflect on the film’s passage due to its characters’ shared experiences and development. Abrams again shows his flair in "Into Darkness" by keeping his direction tight and enthralling. The film moves from plot points to action sequences swimmingly while keeping audiences intrigued. However, close-ups are overused during the "emotional" scenes, giving viewers a sense of intrusion. Consider the scene when Kirk blubbers over the death of a fellow Starfleet Admiral. Though the score and acting lend power, one cannot help but only notice Kirk's sweaty forehead throughout the scene. Given the success of the first film, it is no surprise that “Into Darkness” is still able to provide thrills along with its story. The opening sequence sets the pace as it involves an erupting volcano on a foreign planet teeming with blood red shrubbery inhabited by what seems to be a primitive race of toothpaste-encrusted barbarians chasing Kirk and McCoy. If that is not enough, the film has a foot chase in downtown San Francisco, a high speed asteroid obstacle course, two tumbling starships heading toward Earth and more, all in store for viewers. “Star Trek Into Darkness” may let down true Trekkies just as the first film did. After all, a reboot is merely a modern interpretation of the original, so it comes as no surprise that the film series abandons the style and touch of the original. However, we are still given genuine entertainment in the end, all thanks to an original script and fresh visual effects.

THE UNION

SPORTS

THREE-TIME CCS CHAMPION

Lamb receives awards for service, leadership BY CINDY WU

It is always a proud moment for the school when a teacher or staff member is acknowledged for his achievements. This year, Athletic Director Jeff Lamb received two awards in a short two-month span. On April 18, Lamb received the Sue Kamiyama Leadership Award from the California State Athletic Directors Association (CSADA). This award recognizes Lamb’s leadership both locally and in athletic organizations in California. Lamb was a past president of CSADA and is currently one of its board members, serving since 1998. He is currently the chairman for the CCS Athletic Directors Advisory Com-

Courtesy Of Alexa Cacao

Junior Alexa Cacao participates in the CCS meet for diving at the George Haines International Center. Cacao successfully defended her title as CCS champion for the third consecutive year. She has been diving for eight years now, and Cacao practices six times a week.

Hsu, Ting pursue umpiring BY JAMIE LAM

Juniors Timothy Hsu and Jason Ting have strengthened their love of badminton by not only playing as varsity badminton players, but also serving as umpires at badminton matches. According to Hsu, the pair started umpiring around January. Hsu said he was first introduced to umpiring after he attended USA Badminton (USAB) sanctioned tournaments. He was invited by officials to become an umpire, so Hsu attended a few umpiring clinics to learn the basics. On the other hand, Ting said he was asked to be an umpire by Tri Tran, another badminton umpire who plays badminton with Ting. “I decided to become an umpire because it can help my college applications and it is pretty fun at times,” Ting said. Ting said he enjoyed umpiring good matches and being able to travel. When asked his thoughts about being an umpire, Ting said, “You feel more pressure [as an umpire] because you can’t mess up.” Alternatively, Hsu said that he felt the greatest aspect of umpiring is getting involved in the badminton community. Hsu said he gets to meet many new people, which he said is a wonderful experience for him. Ting also said he went through an

on-court evaluation and a written test to become a certified badminton umpire. Both Ting and Hsu have umpired at tournaments like the Affinity Badminton Club Jr. ranking tournament, the UBC Jr. ranking tournament, and the National Collegiates at University of California (UC), Berkeley, according to Hsu. In addition, Hsu also served as an umpire at the Wilson Boston Open. “I was actually invited as one of the youngest umpires because most people start after college,” Hsu said. “My trip to the Wilson Boston Open was eye opening. I was introduced to so many new things that never came across to me as important at the junior level tournaments.” Hsu said he spent three nights in Boston on an all-expenses paid trip, and made connections with both national and international level ranked umpires. “Being the umpire of a court definitely makes me feel superior to the players on the court, and it gives me a sense of importance,” Hsu said. “I understand that I am to enforce fair and just play, and to see to any issues.” Hsu went on to encourage people interested in becoming umpires to contact him as the next USAB sanctioned tournament will take place in July at Bintang, a badminton facility located in San Francisco.

Dixon takes hiatus from golf BY GIANG HA

Coach Nathan Dixon will be leaving next year as coach of the MHS golf team. This will culminate his five years of coaching golf. Coaching takes up a lot of time, and with a transition to Common Core, Dixon wants to focus more on his teaching, according to Dixon. He also wants to spend more time with family, Dixon said. “I have a 2-year old, and a 4-month old,” Dixon said. “I want to spend more time with my kids.” Dixon has enjoyed getting to work with players, especially outside of school and the stresses of classes. He also likes seeing players improve and handle the pressure of matches. When asked about what he learned most from coaching, Dixon replied that golf involves a lot of integrity. “[You] can learn a lot about a person’s character on the golf course,” Dixon said. “Golf can actually mature young high school students because of the mentality and the integrity to call out yourself. It teaches you a lot about life and about what to do under

pressure.” The MHS Golf team finished the 2013 season with an overall record of 9-9 and a season record of 6-6, according to Dixon. This was good enough for fourth place in their division, Dixon said. The golf team was only one win away from league finals as a team despite losing their top two golfers from last season, Senior Daniel Shak said. However, the team gained some experienced and good players, according to Shak. When asked to pick out which player has improved the most, Shak pointed out Sophomore Harrison Cross. “He has been able to score better and be more consistent,” Shak said. Two students made it to league finals: Justin Parayno, and Shak, but both did not make CCS. Shak said. In order to move on to CCS, one had to qualify in the top six for individuals, according to Shak. Dixon will miss the camaraderie of the players. “I know I’m going to miss it, but I can’t wait to spend that time with my family and my sons,” Dixon said.

MAY 2013

mittee as well as the president and founder of the local Athletic Directors Association, part of the CCS Athletic Directors Association (CCS-ADA). Lamb’s second award this year, received on May 1, is from the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), the governing body of high school sports in California. This Distinguished Service Award is awarded intermittently to a CIF member in each of the ten different sections in California. “This one is a nice award because it is voted on by peers,” Lamb said. It’s always nice to be recognized by the people you work with.” After being nominated by the Central Coast Section, Lamb received this award for his service to the CIF, which includes many years of participation

in its advisory committees for athletic directors. Specifically, Lamb is on the CIF Athletic Directors Advisory Committee and the CIF Volleyball Advisory Committee. These advisory committees put forth policies relating to high school athletics. When asked if there are any benefits entailed with these awards, Lamb said for the leadership award, he “got a really nice plaque and people say congratulations.” As for the service award, Lamb is guaranteed “a lifetime pass to all high school sporting events in the state of California.” “It’s nice to get a lot of acknowledgement from people in the school district,” Lamb said. “I’ve gotten awards in the past that people didn’t even know.”

Track team concludes with ‘successful season’; Lien first girl jumper to make CCS in ten years BY ALANNA TRAN

The MHS track team this year is having a pretty successful season this year, according to Track Head Coach Bridget Hall. The four teams ended with a fairly successful record, Hall said. The record is 3-3 for Varsity Boys, 2-4 for Varsity Girls, 5-1 for Frosh/Soph Boys, and 4-2 for Junior Varsity Girls, according to Hall. About 90% of the athletes have improved this season, according to Hall. This is one of the major goals of the coaches, which is for their athletes to improve, Hall said. “[Next year] I hope to see continued success for the track team,” Hall said. “I hope to see people continue their interest in track and field, and again to continue to improve for them-

selves as well as for the school.” Many of the athletes felt that they had improved this season, including Senior Katherine Lien. Lien qualified for CCS in long jump, the first girl from MHS to do so in ten years, Lien said. Lien has worked hard throughout the season, and ended up improving a lot more than she expected. “I feel like I achieved a lot more than I thought I could’ve,” Lien said. “I started off from the bottom; I couldn’t even make it to league in my first year, and then being the first girl in so long to make it [to CCS] – I was surprised.” As a senior, Lien feels it is bittersweet to leave after four years. Her best memories of high school come from track and she has learned a lot about herself from doing track, Lien

said. She describes track as the light at the end of the tunnel for her. “I would sum up my high school track career as one of the most fulfilling periods of my life,” Senior Byron Nguyen said. “Now that it’s all ending, all I can say is that I’ll never forget the pain, heartache, determination, and most importantly the happiness that track has brought me. I’m grateful.” Like the seniors, Hall will not be returning next year, Hall said. She will no longer be head coach, but will still remain as a volunteer coach, according to Hall. “It’s time for a break,” Hall said. “I’ve been dedicating my entire life for the last eight years to cross country and track. It’s just time for me, personally, to take a year off and see what happens.”

MAY 2013

SPORTS

THE UNION

Class of 2013: Graduating Athletes to Remember

Courtesy Of Milpitas Athletic Boosters

Margaret Brown

Basketball, Volleyball, Softball, Track What sports did you play and for how long? I’ve played basketball since kindergarten. I played little league baseball for like 3 years. And then softball for two. And I started volleyball in middle school. And then in high school I played volleyball, basketball and softball freshman, sophomore and junior year. And then this year I did track instead of softball. What positions did you play on the volleyball and basketball teams? I was an outside hitter for volleyball and a forward for basketball. What are some of your biggest accomplishments in sports? Just going to CCS for volleyball and basketball I guess. I won the Bill Bebout Award last year.

If you could only play one sport for the rest of your life what would you choose? Basketball for sure. What do you like about basketball? It’s just always been my sport and I love everything about it. It’s something I can always turn to, to get my mind off of things. Do you plan on continuing in college? Yeah. I’m planning on playing in intramurals. What advice do you have for other MHS athletes? Enjoy it and not to give up or let anything hold you back, because it really does go by so quickly and it’s over before you know it.

Courtesy Of Yohaness Estifanos

Yohaness Estifanos Cross-Country, Track and Field

What sports have you played and for how long? I have done cross country and track and have done them for all four years. What events did you compete in? In cross country, everyone runs the same event, of course, but in track, I compete in 800m, 1600m, and 3200m. I also do 4x400m sometimes. What do you like about it? Simply, running is just the easiest and safest sport that anyone can do no matter what gender. For me, it is one of my favorite sports and I like training and competing in it.

Tevita ‘Vita’ Vea Football

What sports have you played and for how long? Football for four years. I’ve played tennis all my life along with rugby and I used to play basketball What position did you play on the football team? Not trying to show off, but I played a lot of positions. What’s your favorite memory from football? The friends I made and the fun and trouble we all got in together. What are your proudest accomplishments? Making it to the championship with all my brothers.

What advice do you have for other students? I suggest students to get involved in after-school sport activities because sports are fun and good for health. and more.

Do you plan on continuing in college? Yes, I plan on continuing in college.

Courtesy of Tevita Vea

What are some of your biggest accomplishments? What are some of your favorite memories from being on the team? My biggest accomplishments are breaking course records in cross country, meet records in track, and winning the Central Coast Section (CCS) cross country championships both junior and senior years. My favorite memories from being on the team are the trainings that we do together, doing well in competitions, and qualifying to CCS as a team.

Christi Tain Tennis

How long did you play tennis? I played tennis for all four years. What positions did you play? My freshman year I was Varsity Singles 3, my sophomore year I was VS 2 and my last two years I was VS 1. What were your biggest accomplishments in tennis? I won CCS doubles my sophomore year. Do you play tennis outside of school? Yes, I used to play competitively when I was younger but now I just play for fun. What advice do you have for other tennis players? My advice would be to practice a lot to get better and to enjoy the game.

Courtesy Of Tatiana Almogela

Tatiana Almogela Volleyball, Wrestling, Track

How many times did the team make CCS? My freshman year and this year but every year we’ve made it to the semi finals in the playoffs.

What sports did you participate in and for how long? I participated in volleyball, wrestling and track for all 4 years of high school.

What’s your favorite memory from these sports? My favorite memory was getting close to people I haven’t met until these sports.

Do you plan on continuing in college? Yes, I’m planning on playing with the Oregon Ducks.

Do you plan on continuing playing these sports in college? I am not sure at the moment. I’m still deciding if I’m capable of balancing college life and college sports.

What position did you play on the volleyball team and what event did you do for track? Defensive specialist and this year I threw. But my first two years I sprinted, and last year I ran distance.

What advice do you have for MHS athletes? That if you have a dream, chase it, because you only have one chance to do it. Yolo.

Courtesy Of Christi Tain

What are some of your biggest accomplishments from being a MHS athlete? Some of my biggest accomplishments are receiving athlete of the year three years in a row, becoming CCS champion for girls wrestling this year and making top 12 in state for girls wrestling.

How would you encourage other people to participate in athletic teams? By sharing my experiences. It’s because of these athletic teams I made more friends and learned more about myself. Sports teams teach you confidence and humility.

Do you plan on continuing in college? I don’t plan on playing for the team but I might play for fun. What do you like about tennis? I like that I can meet more people than I would have and that it’s a great way for me to exercise. Do you prefer playing singles or doubles? I prefer doubles because I can partner with other people and it makes the game more enjoyable when more people are playing. What are your favorite memories from being on the team? My favorite are the bus rides when we went to other schools because everyone just gathered together and talked.

Courtesy Of Daniel Shak

Daniel Shak Soccer, Golf

What sports have you played in high school and for how long? Freshmen, soccer and baseball. Sophomore- soccer and golf. Junior - soccer and golf. Senior - soccer and golf. What are your biggest accomplishments in soccer? My sophomore year for soccer, we won our league and got to play in the CCS playoffs. What about golf? I would have to say that I am happy that I was able to improve every year and that I made it to playoffs this year. What position do you play on the soccer team? I was a defender.

What’s your favorite memory from participating in MHS sports? Being with friends every day after school and competing with them. I also really enjoyed meeting other people. What advice do you have for other students? For other students I would say that they should always have an open mind and be flexible to new situations and ideas. Do you plan on playing in college? No, maybe for fun like in intramural sports or something.

T he U nion

Speech, debate competes in national tournaments

A.S.B. fundraises as part of grade by Jonathan Ngo

Fundraising has been reportedly attached to student grades in Associated Student Body (A.S.B.), according to A.S.B. Public Relations Director Toral Suthar. If a student is unable to sell a required fundraising item, he or she loses points and does not receive any credit, Suthar said. Students are currently required to sell a specified number of graduation leis in order to receive points for their grade, Suthar confirmed. Mandatory fundraising has occurred in the past when A.S.B. students were expected to sell cookie dough and See’s Candy, Suthar added. “A lot of times you can hear [A.S.B. students] complaining,” Suthar said. “But I think of it as a way to get more money so we can do more things.” However, according to Activities Director Joanna Butcher, grades in A.S.B. are not tied to fundraising. Fundraising is not allowed to be tied to a grade nor is it for this class, Butcher said. Students cannot receive grades from fundraising, Assistant Principal Cheryl Rivera confirmed. Extra credit can be given only if every student has an equal opportunity to get points, but a student should not be required to buy or sell anything, Rivera continued. “You cannot attach grades to sales,” Rivera said. “It would be unethical. Forcing students to sell something for points is not right.” It would be unfair if some students were weaker at selling, for example, Rivera said. A leadership class is supposed to teach leadership, Rivera explained. “This is a leadership class. The goal is to teach students to be leaders,” Rivera said. “There is a curriculum set by codes and laws in California.” If students are unable to fundraise, they occasionally have the opportunity to make up points, A.S.B. Secretary Lauren Bond explained. In cases in which fundraising is not the only option, participating in community service may serve as a substitute, Bond continued. “We are given an option to do community service sometimes,” Bond said. “But I can’t always show up to the community service. If you don’t, you lose the points.” There are pros and cons to mandatory fundraising, Bond added. Students are encouraged to raise more money when doing so is required, but those who cannot fundraise are left with zeros that impact grades significantly, Bond stated. “I don’t mind [fundraising], but if I can’t, I don’t want to lose points,” Bond said. “Some people just don’t want to buy things. If people can’t buy things from me, it’s really not my fault.” Mandatory fundraising can be seen as a way to make more students involved, Suthar added. More money means A.S.B. can do more for students, Suthar stated.

May 2013

NEWS

by Marisa Louie

Couresty of Amy Zhao

Freshman Misbah Surani is awarded a second place trophy for the Principles of Business Administration and Management event at the 67th annual International Career Development Conference held in Anaheim.

MHS places internationally; Surani takes second at DECA by Alanna Tran

Four members of MHS DECA attended the International Career Development Conference (ICDC) from April 25 to April 28 in Anaheim, according to DECA President Caryn Tran. Juniors Brenda Su and Amy Zhao and Freshman Misbah Surani competed at ICDC, Tran said. Senior Lillian Kao attended the Senior Management Institute, according to Tran. Surani placed second, internationally, for Principles of Business Management and Administration, according to Tran. Su received a medal for a top ten test score on the Marketing Cluster Exam for the Apparel and Accessories Marketing event. “[DECA] has regionals and that’s in the Silicon Valley,” Zhao said. “After regionals, we don’t actually require people to place to also go to state, so anyone who wants to go can go. The people who place in the top four at states can go to ICDC. If people want to drop out, because you can only represent one event at a time, to represent a different event, then people get bumped up.” Surani qualified for ICDC and prepared with the help of MHS DECA, Surani said. She studied material she

received from the officers and studied using an online course called Competition University, specifically for her event, Surani said. She also used practice tests, role plays and study guides that MHS DECA provided to help prepare their members. “I’m really proud of myself,” Surani said. “I’ve put in a lot of time and effort, and I know I couldn’t have done it without the support of Milpitas DECA. They were the ones who inspired us to join firstly and inspired me to choose the event I did and then gave me the materials to prepare. They were a big help.” Surani has to choose a different event to compete in next year, according to Surani. As this is her first year, she has been able to gain a lot of experience and learn about the different categories, so next year she can choose one that she will enjoy doing for the next three years, Surani said. “Just like at states, you know that you’re up against tougher competition than regionals,” said Zhao. “But at ICDC, there’s an even bigger gap as you’re competing amongst the elite across states, across nations, and then it’s a different feeling where you have to focus really hard there.”

Milpitas Speech and Debate sent six of its members to the National Catholic Forensics League Grand National Tournament in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, according to Speech and Debate Advisor Charles Schletzbaum. The tournament took L. Bond place from May 25 through May 26, Schletzbaum said Juniors Lauren Bond, Miranda Le, Pranay Patni, Rakshit Garg, Sumukh Shekar, and Vikram Sastry were chosen by Schletzbaum to represent Milpitas Speech and Debate at the tournament, according to Schletzbaum. Patni and Garg participated in Lincoln Douglas debates, while Bond partnered with Le and Shekar partnered with Sastry for Public Forum debates, Schletzbaum added. “We were V. Sastry assigned spots by our diocese that we could fill,” Schletzbaum said. “I went from topdown to choose the teams [for the competition].” If one of the teams makes it to the top eight teams, it automatically qualifies for the Tournament of Champions, a major Speech and Debate event, according to Schletzbaum. After clearing the top 32 out of over 250 other debaters, Garg was finally ranked 14th in the nation for Lincoln Douglas debating, Schletzbaum R. Garg said. “That’s the best we’ve ever done at a nationals tournament,” Schletzbaum said. “[Garg] did even better than we originally thought he would. It’s only uphill from here.” This tournament was Garg’s first

Two suspended for posting CST

Eye on campus

by Ying Luo

MACS: Search ensues from the front

and contained two to three projects that were lost for most students, he continued. “We put the older computers back in,” Yanoska said. “In terms of time, I would say six to eight hours of solid work to get the computers replaced and hooked up and running again.” Those hours do not include the time that it would take the students to get all of the programs running properly and the accessories connected, Yanoska added. The investigation is ongoing, according to the Milpitas Police. MHS hopes to find the missing computers and put them back where they belong, Principal Kenneth Schlaff said.

time at nationals, according to Garg. The topic for the Lincoln Douglas debates—just societies should never deliberately initiate war—was released prior to the tournament, Garg said. “[Lincoln Douglas] is my favorite event because it’s philosophical and ethical,” Garg said. “It gets to the core of issues because it looks at M. Le the philosophy behind actions.” Lincoln Douglas debating is not Patni’s main event, but he has been participating in more Lincoln Douglas debates this year, Patni said. Preparation for the competition consisted of holding practice rounds with Garg and researching the topic, according to Patni. “[In Lincoln Douglas] you debate morals and moral issues,” Patni said. “It’s a one-on-one debate where you argue morals more than S. Shekar you argue evidence.” Sastry competed in Public Forum debating at last year’s national tournament, and competed in the debate for a second time this year, according to Sastry. Though he and Shekar did not get to this year’ elimination rounds, they won three out of the five rounds that they debated in, Sastry said. “I probably won’t go to nationals next year,” Sastry said. “I want [next year’s] juniors to be able to win instead.” Le and Bond won two out of P. Patni the five rounds that they debated in, according to Le. For this year’s public forum debate, participants had to argue whether or not the main goal of U.S. public education should be to eliminate racial and economic achievement gaps, Le said.

Andrew Hoang | THE UNION

Seniors Yung Hui Chen (left) and Jan Llorico (right) play and tune their cellos on stage. The MHS Music Department held its final Jazz Band, Concert Band, and Orchestra concert on April 30 and May 1 at the MHS Theater. The concert raises money and assesses student performance, according to Music Director Christopher Kaldy.

Two students were caught posting photos of this year’s Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) tests on Instagram, according to Principal Kenneth Schlaff. They both received suspensions and have since taken down the photos, he continued. Schlaff, Testing Coordinator Linda Rodriguez, and District Office all received emails from the STAR testing administrative team shortly after the photos were posted. The email contained a spreadsheet that highlighted the level of “testing impropriety” and repercussions, Schlaff stated. “[The state] probably Googled and [looked up] whatever popped up under ‘STAR test,’” Schlaff said, as he explained how the photos were found on Instagram. “[The photo that the MHS student posted] was just a picture of the top of the test booklet.” Fortunately, MHS does not face the possibility of retaking the STAR test since the level of violation was low, Schlaff said. The photo of the booklet cover was harmless, but “little things become big things,” according to Schlaff; what might begin as a photo of a test book cover could just as well become photos of the test itself.