E D i to r i a l 3
UN I O N
Opi n i o n s 4
November 2013 Volume xxVI Issue II
F e at u r e s 6
T HE
Life s t y l e 8
E n t e r ta i n m e n t 11
sports 14
MHSTHEUNION.NET For the latest updates
STUDENT VOICE OF MILPITAS HIGH SCHOOL
Vandals blow-torch machines;
other schools also targeted by Zahra Surani
Two vending machines near the music room in MHS were blowtorched, and change from the machines was stolen the night of Oct. 14, Principal Kenneth Schlaff said. There were no security cameras in that area, so MHS administration has no leads in this case, Schlaff said. On the same night of the vandalism at MHS, one vending machine at Rancho Middle School was also blow-torched, Rancho Middle School Vice-Principal Sean Anglon said. Four vending machines at Russell
Middle School were also targeted in a similar manner the night of Oct. 17, Anglon added. The culprits did not know what they were doing because they were just hacking away at the machine, receiving only change from their efforts, Schlaff said. The glass part of the vending machine was taken apart, the inner surfaces were holed, and some sections were blow-torched. The culprits had stolen change but were unable to reach the bills, Schlaff added. “Our school is enclosed like a forsee theft on page 2
Mice found in L-building by Vikram Sastry
Mice have been found in the Lbuilding over the past few weeks, Principal Kenneth Schlaff said. The mice are currently being dealt with by Maintenance, Operations , and Transportation (MOT), Schlaff said. The field mice may be infesting the building to gain access to food or because the general environment is lacking something that disrupts their source of food, Schlaff said. The mice are about two to three inches long and may pose a health hazard. “They’re feral mice,” Schlaff said. “We’re not talking about rats, that’s a different situation.” Mice have been reported by various
teachers, including Science Teacher Charles Schletzbaum and Math Teacher Elijah Liao. Liao thought his printer was jammed, but after opening up the printer, he discovered a dead mouse caught inside, Liao said. Mice have also been seen in his classroom. “I yanked out all the paper, and I couldn’t put the paper back in.” Liao said.“I noticed a furball and touched it, took it out and realized it was a dead little mouse.” Sophomore Brandon Estergard, had heard similar stories about mice in some of his classes in the L-building. However, there doesn’t seem to see PESTS on page 16
Courtesy of Kenneth Schlaff
Pictured above is the architectural plan for the library which will be remodeled to give students a more comfortable area to work and do projects. It will have mobile furniture and technology. Construction begins next June.
Cafeteria, library to be modernized by Brenda Su
The cafeteria and library will be transformed it into a “Learning Commons” Center next June, Principal Kenneth Schlaff said. The modernization is designed to encourage a flexible learning environment equipped with mobile furniture and technology. The center will include a library space, conference rooms, and a video production room, Schlaff said. There will also be areas where students can meet and discuss work in a “comfortable setting.” “It is unutilized [sic] space, and you
can’t have space of that magnitude and keep it the state that it is,” Schlaff said. “I looked at the activities that we were doing around the school, such as the Academies, that require more space. The classroom is very limited.” During lunchtime, a soundproof barrier will drop from the ceiling to separate the cafeteria from the rest of the area, Schlaff said. There will be presentation areas in the cafeteria so it can be used during other times. “The outside will have a café-like thing. There will be a glass door that opens up for light,” Schlaff said. “There will be tables outside. An
n ews in br ief
by Pranay Patni
Trojan Access cards to be distributed Nov. 14 and 15 Students will be able to pick up their Trojan Access cards after school Nov. 14 and 15 in the satellite kitchens. Students will need to bring a current student ID card and a signed permission slip.
The next spirit week lead will be Dec. 2 to Dec. 6 The spirit week leading up to Winter Ball will begin on Monday, Dec. 2 with Sweats Day. Tuesday is Athletic Day, Wednesday is Monochrome Day, Thursday is College Sweatshirt Day, and Friday is Camo Day. Winter Ball to be held Dec. 7 Winter Ball will be held in the gym Saturday, Dec. 7. This year Winter Ball will be a masquerade, and its theme is “Unmasque the Night.” Tickets for Winter Ball will come with a free mask.
see learning on page 16
Rank removed
Jack Emery food drive begins Nov. 18 MHS will be collecting for the Jack Emery food drive from Nov. 18 to Dec. 11. The goal is 6000 cans and $4000. If that goal is reached, Associated Student Body (ASB) officers will be pied in the face and there will be an extended lunch period. ASB President Germain Louie will shave his head if the school collects 10,000 cans. ASB Secretary Natasha Gangal will shave her head if the school brings in 12,000 cans.
Musical “Avenue Q” will be performed Nov. 21 to Nov. 23 MHS students will perform the musical “Avenue Q,” based on Sesame Street in the MHS theatre at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 21-23. Tickets are $10 when bought in advance from a cast or crew member or $12 at the door.
overhang. The pieces almost replicate some of the things in colleges.” Construction is expected to finish in November 2014. The cafeteria will remain open, but the library will be closed, Schlaff said. Money for the construction came from the General Obligation (GO) bonds that were passed last year, Superintendent Cary Matsuoka said. The center was approved in spring 2012. Similar models have already been implemented in Rancho, Randall, Burnett, Spangler, and Weller
Amy Nguyen | THE UNION
Homecoming Court (left to right: Seniors Micah Bondoc, Tin Nguyen, Jalaena Bumagat, Jason Lu, Biancka Dela Cruz, Carlos Trejo, and Taylor Goldstein) walk down the track. Homecoming King David Kruscamp is not pictured.
Homecoming activities celebrate MHS spirit by Michelle Huang
Homecoming was celebrated from Oct. 7 to 11. This year the events were organized differently, Activities Director Joanna Butcher said. Homecoming Week Students participated in activities including Spirit Week, the Carnival, and Movie Night. It was the first time that three of the spirit days respectively had over a thousand people dress up, Butcher said. “The parade floats this year were outstanding,” Butcher said. The theme this year was “Cereal.” “They looked a little bit more like traditional floats, which was really neat. The campus decorations I thought were outstanding as well, and the student
body was generally more respectful.” Homecoming Rally The rally started off with a video to engage the students. In the past, rallies typically began with a speaker; however this year, a video was shown to capture the audience’s attention. The rally was engaging because everyone stayed until the very end, which was a good indicator “that [the rally] was successful,” Butcher said. The Homecoming Rally was Freshman Oscar Chung’s first time attending a school rally. Although he enjoyed it and said it was well-organized, he expressed concern about how the gym was overcrowded and overwhelming. Homecoming Court The Homecoming Court was
crowned at the Varsity Football game during halftime. Senior David Kruskamp was named the Homecoming King and Senior Micah Bondoc was named the Homecoming Queen. Homecoming Dance Attendance was lower than attendance at the previous Homecoming Dance, Dance Committee Chair Natasha Gangal said. This may have been because a marching band competition was held at the same time, she added. The energy at the dance compensated for the low attendance. Last school year, a different disc jockey (DJ) was hired rather than their usual one, but this year they hired the one they used previously; students seemed to enjoy this DJ more, Gangal said.
Class rank has been removed from student transcripts at MHS in an effort to prevent unnecessary stress and competition among students, according to Principal Kennith Schlaff. The change was made in order to avoid the unhealthy competition that goes along with ranks, Schlaff said. The change was noticed by several students over the past month. Class ranks do not need to be on transcripts because students are not required to self report them to colleges, Schlaff said. “There is no reason that people have to run around about class rank when it doesn’t have any effect upon what goes on out there and make each other nuts about what that is,” Schlaff said. Removing class rank from the transcript will not affect the status of valedictorians either, according to Schlaff. “The only thing that class rank was supposed to be for before was for us to determine valedictorians and salutatorians,” Schlaff said. “The schools that people apply to do not have to have class rank.” Counselors will still be able to report students’ class rank if it is needed by colleges, according to Schlaff. Students will not be affected by this change, and the rankings can be put back on with ease if needed, Schlaff added. “If it is applicable to your particular situation and it factors into your admission, it can very easily be put on and then be sent off,” Schlaff said. “Nothing is being taken away from you. No need to stress.”
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T he U nion
November 2013
NEWS
New Unity program connects CLOGs by Shubhangi Gulati
Associated Student Body (ASB) revamped Unity, a program for all MHS clubs and organizations (CLOG) this year, according to ASB Vice President Lauren Bond. This change was made in order to unify all the different clubs, organizations, and students in our school, Bond continued. At each unity meeting, discussions are held on the different ways the student body can improve the campus and ways ASB can improve. ASB gets input from students at these meetings and translates them into actions, Bond said. Unity was first introduced with the overnight Unity Retreat at City Beach last year and was later expanded to monthly meetings according to Bond. “A lot of people didn’t know about Unity last year, that’s why this year, we really worked hard making it more publicized,” said Bond.
ASB has enforced Unity this year making it a part of the point system that ASB uses to keep track of clubs and organizations, according to Bond. Those who attend the meeting will be given five points and those whom are not present will be docked two points. “We’re hoping that the points will incentivize people to go to meetings, because it’s really important that we get input from the students and the clubs,” Bond said She said she believes Unity, so far, taught all whom attended the retreat a lot about being leaders. During the Unity retreat this year, the students participated in different workshops on fundraising, team building, and different ways on how to run a meeting. Bond stated that she, as the head of Unity, has heard positive feedback from students that attended. Senior Tejal Patel concurred with Bond. The Unity meeting taught her
how to run her club, Patel said. “I learned about different ways to draw people into coming to the meetings,” Patel said. “Also, types of easy and interesting games to use to get the members to be more comfortable around each other.” The Unity meetings, along with the discussions on school problems, will also include discussions on a new service project, according to Bond. Unity is teaming up with Free the Children and collecting money to build schools in Ghana, she said. Unity meetings are during fourth period on Wednesdays once a month and open to anyone interested, Bond said. Unity will continue next year and the first unity retreat of the year is planned to occur before school starts in order to refrain from students missing class time, she added. Unity also collected cans during Halloween for the Jack Emery Food Drive.
Numerous thefts reported in boys locker room by Akshat Das
Increased numbers of thefts this year in the boys locker room have prompted a change in locker room policies, Physical Education (PE) Teacher Jesus Zamudio said. This year, nine thefts, ranging from stolen cell phones to wallets, were reported. Thefts have occurred in the past, but no action was taken then because the monetary value of the stolen items was not high, Zamudio said. Students are no longer allowed to leave the locker room to head to PE class immediately after changing; instead, they have to wait until everyone has finished changing, he said. “In the past, we had students losing a few dollars here and there,” Zamu-
dio said. “Now, we have students running into the office and telling us that they have lost their cell phone worth $600.” The new policy prevents theft because students are watching over their belongings and lockers while waiting to leave the locker room, Zamudio said. The policy also ensures that two teachers are constantly patrolling the locker room to look out for suspicious activity, he added. “Students should never be let outside the locker room while there are still students in the locker room,” Zamudio said. No students have been apprehended this year, although several emptied wallets have been returned to the office, Zamudio stated. The policy has been successful,
Zamudio added. “We have not yet recovered any of the stolen items,” Zamudio said. “This policy has been in place for over two weeks now. In the time it has been in place, we have not had a single theft.” Sophomore Ronald Borcelis approves of the new policy because the new policy ensures that items are secure and that people are no longer taking unnecessary risks with their belongings. “The new locker room policy is good, because it helps students keep their things more protected and helps students be confident that their possessions are secured inside the locker room,” Borcelis said. “I personally like the new policy.”
Staff room cleaned after Fire Department warning by Zahra Surani
Milpitas Fire Department advised a clean-up of the L-building, specifically the staff room in the biology wing on the upper L-building, because the room’s mess was a fire hazard, Life Science Lead Lisa Brizuela said. Some teachers in that area of the L-building received paid substitutes from Principal Kenneth Schlaff and spent their time cleaning on Oct. 8, Brizuela said. The Fire Department inspected and declared part of the L-building dangerous because of potential earthquake risks and fire hazards, Brizuela said. Other areas of concern includ-
ed a fridge that contained both test tubes and food. The stock room had no space for movement, according to Brizuela. Along with herself, Biology Teachers Gordon Sanford and April Hong cleaned the area; the next day the Fire Department returned for a surprise inspection, Brizuela said. Materials accumulated in the L-building as a result of overflowing material from class, and as more teachers transferred into the L-building, their materials came with them. The now clean space will enable inventory management and increased collaboration of labs, Sanford said. “As scientists, we always hold onto
something so we can use it again. So, there are a lot of things in the lab, a lot of things out there in the storage area that were of potential value,” Sanford said. Since the construction of the L-building, many items had been accumulating in the middle of the life science and biology department; some of the materials dated back to 1986, according to Sanford. “Once you live in filth, you don’t realize that it is filth anymore,” Brizuela said. Little by little, clutter started to form, and the mess was ignored. “It feels good to walk back there and see the clean room, Brizuela said. “It’s refreshing.”
eye on campus
Zahra Surani | THE UNION
Students line up to buy food from Waffle Amore. Six other food trucks, including 333 Burrito, Chutney Mary’s, House of Siam, Road Dogs, Shark Byte, and Porky’s SJ, came to MHS on Oct. 8 in celebration of being named as a California Distinguished School and the API increase from 825 to 830. Lunch was also extended to an hour.
Rachel Alvelais | THE UNION
Two vending machines next to the music room were blow-torched the night of Oct. 14. Change was stolen and there are no leads in the case.
THEFT: Culprits steal change from the front
tress, so they had to climb over to get in. It’s very difficult to get in and really difficult to get out, which is why it leads me to believe that the people that were here knew what they were doing,” Russell Middle Principal James Damon said. The scheme was also thought-out, because although the culprits only stole drinks and could not get to central area of the machines, they did not activate alarm systems, Damon said. For Rancho, as well, the culprits were not able to access the core of the vending machine and stay for long, according to Anglon. They may have been startled by a sound and could have only stolen off with change, Anglon added. The case has been given to the police to determine the culprit, Schlaff said. The vending machine company will be able to fix the damages done to the vending machine, but they have started their own investigation since this problem has occurred in multiple schools in Milpitas, he said. “The fact that they targeted schools, knew where the vending machines were may indicate that they are cur-
rent students or prior students, but it could be anyone,” Anglon said. Because Rancho is an open campus, anyone could be the culprit in this case, she added. The Russell administration is not planning to implement any changes, currently, said Damon. If it were to make any changes, the administration would have to consult the board, as well as the community, according to Damon. The custodian leaves the school at 10:30 pm, and the first person to arrive Russell arrives at 6:30 a.m.; thus, there could be a police patrol, checking on the school, to ensure its safety, Damon said. “It’s something that could be used as evidence in support for getting cameras. It’s an open campus. Anybody can walk on here,” Schlaff said. Twelve years ago, the district started to put cameras on the high school campus; the recession hit, though, and the work was left unfinished. This incident explained the necessity for security cameras, Schlaff said. The vandalized vending machines caused little impact in the high school, according to Schlaff. These machines are the vendor’s property, so the high school is not liable for replacing them.
Project Based Learning addresses Common Core by Ruth Park
Project-Based Learning (PBL), a new curriculum designed for the upcoming Common Core test, is being piloted by three teachers and a group of approximately 90 sophomores, according to Principal Kenneth Schlaff. PBL helps students apply their knowledge to real life situations, Schlaff said. As of this year, only sophomores taking general Chemistry, English II, and World History were randomly picked to be part of the PBL program, Schlaff said. Schlaff expressed hopes to expand the program in the future. PBL is different from the traditional classroom setting because PBL is based on group projects instead of simple lecture and notes, PBL English Teacher Renee Roche said. This enables students to discover information on their own. “They learn through research, projects, and experiments,” Roche said. “Rather than teachers giving information through lecture.” PBL enhances aspects of World History, Chemistry, and English, according to PBL Chemistry teacher Letta Meyer. The program integrates aspects of all three subjects and breaks down the mindset that “Chemistry and English can’t mix,” Meyer said. The PBL classes run through periods two to four, PBL World History Teacher Paul Cao said. The time al-
located to each period varies day to day; periods are not always divided equally, Cao said. “Some days the students may have 30-minute lectures and the rest as project time,” Cao said. “It depends on the need for the day.” PBL Student Crystal Senados said some students were also able to request the PBL program before the 2013-2014 school year. She asked her counselor to be placed in PBL, Senados said. “PBL is definitely a change. You’re more on top of things and you learn about real life stuff,” Senados said, “It’s a good experience. If they have it next year, you should try it out. It may or may not work for you, but it has its pros and cons.” PBL Student Rebecca Tan said the program allows students to keep up with schoolwork, especially if they have friends in the program because they have all the same teachers. The program also teaches students a lot about technology. However, she stated that it comes with disadvantages. “We seem really behind all the other ‘normal’ classes,” Tan said. “I feel like my other friends in regular English, Chem, and history classes are learning so much more and are on chapters way ahead of us. Moving from class to class and dedicating so much time into the projects that we do in PBL takes away from a lot of learning time.”
November 2013
T he u nion
Editorial
Editor i a l : The Opinion of The Union
Adoption of open campus lunch policy preferred; facilities limited, overcrowded during lunchtime We, The Union, believe that while a closed campus lunch policy can help avoid the chaos of over 3,000 students entering and exiting the campus at once, there are numerous reasons why an open campus lunch policy is preferable. A closed campus is unreasonable with a student body of more than 3,000 students, with lines for lunch that take most of lunch to disperse. An open campus would increase the likelihood that students would take advantage of going off campus during lunch, thus reducing the length of lines on campus. Additionally, an open campus gives students a much bigger variety of food, apart from the typical selection sold at the satellite kitchen or cafeteria. For example, students can walk to fast food restaurants in under 10 minutes during lunch. Off campus lunches also give students more comfort when eating. There are not enough benches or tables at MHS for everyone to be able to sit down while eating. An open campus solves this problem by allowing students to go where they want. Additionally, an open campus gives students who live close to home or have access to transportation the option of going home for lunch, allowing them to get hot food and save money. Furthermore, Section 44808.5 of the California Education Code permits all California public high schools to have an open campus lunch policy and relieves any liability on school officials during the time students are off campus. Thus, there are no legal barriers stopping MHS from having an open
campus lunch policy. In addition, the school has numerous entry and exit points. Security guards that are stationed at each point hole-punching Trojan Access Cards, as they do right now, will not be needed to guard the entrances. This will make leaving campus more time-efficient for students and security guards will have more time to keep other areas of the campus secure. Reassigning security guards and leaving the multiple entry points on campus open would drastically reduce potential chaos of many students trying to enter and exit the campus at the same time. Despite concerns that these areas would get quickly crowded, numerous students would have the ability to drive to their favorite places for lunch, which reduces the amount of traffic that would go through the entrances to the campus. Moreover, a ten year study of 460 California high schools by Stanford University Economic Researcher Shirlee Lichtman found that students in a campus with an open lunch policy were more likely to place a higher value on their individual autonomy. This increase in individual autonomy can be linked to numerous academic benefits, such as higher GPAs, better performance on the CST, and a lower dropout rate. Thus, we firmly believe that an open campus policy would be more beneficial to MHS than the current closed campus policy. Open campus policies can help make the campus more orderly and less crowded, while giving students access to numerous more food choices and options.
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Editor i a l : The Opinion of The Union
Removing class ranking beneficial to students, shifts focus from GPA to overall student success We, The Union, would like to commend the MHS administration for removing class rank from student transcripts. The ranking system benefits the individuals who place in the top percentile, however, a vast majority of students do not necessarily fall into this category. Class rank serves as a detriment to academic life by creating unnecessary stress for students. It has become an aggressive competition among students to surpass their peers. Even upon reaching the top percentiles, many students are still unsatisfied and continue their battle for a higher ranking. As a result, the class rank leads to a never-ending cycle of pressure and anxiety. Knowing one’s class rank is an obsession; especially if one is in the top percentile. The need to constantly confirm one’s rank after every grading period and the panic one feels when the number on the transcript is lower than expected are both completely unnecessary. Without class rank, the stress of maintaining top grades to be in the top percentile of the class is no longer as prominent. The numbers in class rank are misleading since the difference between one rank from the next is extremely trivial. It does not offer a meaningful or accurate comparison between students due to the enormous selection of courses and diversity of schedules. Because students are enrolled in different classes taught by different teachers, it is difficult to draw a parallel between the merits of a student with a certain rank and the merits of the student above or below them in rank. With our current grading system, the difference between an A+ and an A- affects one’s GPA, therefore affecting one’s class rank. To those placed in
the top percentile and competing to be number one, that could be the deciding factor between their spot as number one or number two. Although the distinction between a plus and a minus may not ultimately be of importance, the disparity is magnified when represented statistically in the form of class rank. With everyone focusing on their GPA, the value of learning for the sake of acquiring new information is compromised. Students choose classes that help raise their GPA, rather than ones that suit their personal interests. They are discouraged from taking unweighted classes such as an art or other electives that may potentially “harm” their rank. Class rank does not display or represent the academic potential of a student any more than it shows for the hard work and effort put forth by the student into each of his or her classes. Not only is it inaccurate, but it also implies that each student is less intelligent and important than those who rank above them. With the removal of class rank, students are no longer defined by their GPA and ranking. This creates a positive image that no student is inferior to another simply because of his rank. It allows for each student to be recognized on his individual successes, not only those students deemed by the system as the “best” students. The decision to remove class rank encourages students to focus on their overall success in high school instead of just on their GPAs. We believe the removal of ranking from student transcripts is beneficial to academic life and correctly emphasizes the importance of learning above the pursuit of class rank.
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S taff Rachel Alvelais Sidney Le Editors-in-Chief
Brenda Su • News Editor Jonathan Ngo • Op-Ed Editor Jennifer Duong • Features Editor Karen Chi • Lifestyle Editor Moshe Yang • Entertainment Editor Akshat Das • Sports Editor Jamie Lam • Copy Editor Rakshit Garg • Web Editor Shelly Hsu • Photo Editor Pranay Patni • Business Manager Rishika Dugyala • Ad Manager
Naomi McCracken • Asst. News Editor Zahra Surani • Asst. Op-Ed Editor Amy Nguyen • Asst. Features Editor Vikram Sastry • Asst. Lifestyle Editor Ruth Park • Asst. Entertainment Editor Neal Bansal • Asst. Sports Editor Shubhangi Gulati• Asst. Copy Editor Sumukh Shekar • Asst. Web Editor Sarah Tang • Asst. Photo Editor Karen Shyu • Asst. Business Manager Amy Bui • Asst. Ad Manager
Jasmin Drop • Reporter Stephen Hsu • Reporter Michelle Huang • Reporter Elliot Ng• Reporter Bryan Tran • Reporter Nhi Tran • Reporter Michelle Wu • Reporter
Jeff Colburn
Journalism Advisor
L ette r to the editor Random tardy sweep unfair to majority of tardy students Tardy sweeps. I’m sure everyone has heard of them. Some of you may have even have been randomly caught off guard by one of the annoying songs before first period, and therefore, had to rush to class. I myself am not a fan of the tardy sweep, as I’m sure most students aren’t. Not only are tardy sweeps completely unfair to many students, they almost act as an insult. A majority of students are on time to class everyday. If they happen to be late, it’s most likely because of a legitimate reason like they accidentally woke up late for the first time in weeks or the traffic just happened to be worse that day. Only a small percentage of the students at our school are actually late because they were purposely taking their time to get to class. As a result of the tardy sweep, a majority of tardy students are being unfairly punished for being tardy, even if they are usually not tardy. Why should I, or any other student, suffer as a result of the unfair tardy sweep policy just because I happened to be
late this one time? Of course, students who have made a habit of being late don’t deserve any sympathy, but considering most students aren’t usually late, the tardy sweep is clearly flawed. This whole system of randomly choosing days to enact the tardy sweep is also an insult to all students. The moment the tardy sweep song starts playing, you can see hoards of students running for their lives just to make it to class on time and avoid the consequences of being late. The tardy sweep might just be turning those late and frantic students into something the adults at this school can laugh about. Although I don’t have a solution for making sure students are on time, our school definitely cannot continue to enact an obviously flawed policy. This policy punishes good students that try their best to make it to school on time everyday. It also turns these students into a laughing stock. Neel Srejan Class of 2015
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T HE U NION
PRO
College education beneficial, helps guarantee success in life The first thing employers want to There are many ways to decrease see when you apply for a job is not the amount of money you need to how many clubs you were a part of in pay for college. For example, it is high school, how many hours of com- not unheard of for people to receive munity service you received, or even scholarships, or even full rides, to what your grade was in colleges such as Stanford, UC Berkeley, or NYU. You Calculus. Employers want can qualify for a scholarindividuals with a college ship through the PSAT degree. Why? Because or even from just being college degrees represent left-handed. initiative, perseverance, No one is saying you and dedication to betterhave to go to an Ivy League ing your intelligence and school and go bankrupt education. Employers looking to in the process because hire people for high-end you didn’t get a scholarship and ended up paying jobs want those who have RISHIKA your way through college. taken the extra step to go DUGYALA There are much cheaper to college. In most cases, colleges out there that vala college degree is what urges an employer to pick one can- ue learning just as much as the more didate over another. A degree says to expensive ones. In the end, going to an employer that you are much more the college of your choice only benequalified at your job than someone fits you in the long run. You will still fresh out of high school. In fact, peo- have a college degree and a better ple with higher degrees have lower understanding of what you want to unemployment rates and earn more do in life. College should not be disregarded money as well. It is incorrect to say that someone solely because of the costs. Yes, colcould go as far in life without a college lege is expensive, but think of all the degree than they could with one. The knowledge and guidance you will renumbers don’t lie. According to the ceive. The information you obtain is 2010 Census Report, employed col- priceless. College is an investment in lege graduates earned approximate- the future; it is a way to secure your ly 90 percent more than regular high life and prepare for the real world. In short, college is most definitely school graduates. The fact that some people even say “worth it” because it is where you college is “not worth it” due to the figure out who you are and what you costs is extremely sad. How can go- really want to do with your life. It ing to an institute that prides itself on is in college where you receive the helping people advance their knowl- best training and can advance your edge and become the best they can be knowledge. And lastly, it is in college at what they aspire to do in life, not be where you get a degree, which in turn worth it? provides a more secure future.
CON
College tuition too expensive; degree does not guarantee job Today, college education is seen as a even greater. For public colleges and gateway to success. Students are con- universities, graduate school costs tinuously reminded of the potential about $10,000 to $30,000 per year benefits of having a college educa- For private universities, graduate tion and degree. However, is getting school costs at least $40,000 per year a college education really worth it? I on average. say it’s extremely overrated, and does Many people argue that the exnot necessarily guarantee success in pensive cost for college is offset by the future. In most cases, the cost of the benefits that a college degree a college education doesn’t outweigh ultimately brings. Many high school the benefits. students are under the impression According to a statistical study that getting a college degree will land from Golden Gate University, rough- them a six figure job the moment ly 4 million Americans are admitted they graduate from college. It’s as to colleges in the United if they think life is just a States each year. Out of checklist of requirements these 4 million Americans, to be met. There are things only about 50 percent other than a college education that also contribute graduate after four years. Each year, roughly 1.4 milto success. Social skills, lion bachelor’s degrees, communication skills, and connections are far more 600,000 master’s degrees, important when it comes and 130,000 doctorate to succeeding in life. You degrees are awarded. Approximately 66 percent of don’t have to be smart if all degrees awarded in the you have good communiELLIOT cation skills and connecUnited States are bacheNG lor’s degrees. tions to successful people It is highly questionable who can help you land whether or not a bachelor’s degree high-paying jobs. You can get a college degree from is enough for someone to land a decent paying job. For careers in fields whatever top tier university you such as medicine, law, science, com- want, but if you cannot communicate puter science, math, or engineering, with others, your degree is worthless. a master’s degree or higher may be If you want a job, you have to go out required. and find one. If you don’t know anyFor many, the cost for an education one who can help you find a job, then this advanced is impossible. Accord- the college degree that you dedicated ing to a College Board report, it costs your entire life achieving is useless. anywhere between $3,000 to $10,000 Instead of wasting their time being per year to pay for tuition for public bookworms, students should focus colleges or universities without fi- on improving their social skills. It’s nancial aid. For private universities, almost as if people put the most emtuition can cost $30,000 per year or phasis on things that matter the least more. The cost for graduate school is in life.
OPINIONS
NOVEMBER 2013
Can drive focuses on rewards, not goodwill Our principal dressed up as a cheerleader cheering for our football team on the sidelines at an away game. Pizza and pancake breakfast parties. Those are some of the incentives for bringing in cans for the Jack Emery Canned Food Drive. With a goal to collect more cans than the year before and of help families who are in need of support from the Milpitas Food Pantry, Jack Emery is back. The Jack Emery Canned Food Drive is the major source of food for the Milpitas Food Pantry. As the school with the biggest population in the Milpitas Unified School District, we have donated the most cans from a single school to Jack Emery. In recent years, however, we’ve been lacking. Much smaller schools, elementary schools with a fourth of our population, have brought in more cans than we have. We can’t have that. So what do we do to encourage our students to bring in more cans? We set up goals. How do we attempt to reach those goals? We bribe our students. With public humiliation and food. It seems as if no one is willing to
donate something unless something heavy. It’s apparently a burden to carelse is given to them in return; a re- ry a bag full of cans from the parking ward of sorts. lot, the front of the school, the back of What ever happened to donating the school, or wherever we arrive to school, to our classrooms. just because there was The thought of our prinsome spare change at the cipal essentially embarbottom of your wallet or rassing himself in front extra cans in the pantry? of another school does Do we really need to see evoke a funny image in someone make a fool out of him or herself in order to one’s head but it shouldn’t be motivation to bring bring in cans? We’re donating food already, why do we in cans for a food drive. need to be given food too? Free pizza and pancakes It doesn’t make any sense. shouldn’t be motivation, The holidays are a time of either. We should donate KAREN giving. We celebrate what cans because we want to CHI donate cans. We shouldn’t we have and give to those who are less fortunate than donate cans because we us. We never really expect want to see someone of anything in return, either. Then why authority be humiliated or because is it that when we are so desperate in we want free food. reaching a goal, we have to resort to Donate to help out the Jack Emery bribery as an incentive? Canned Food Drive because there are A lot less students would bring in extra cans lying around the kitchen cans otherwise. that will probably never be opened. Most students simply do not care Donate the spare change sitting at enough to bring cans to school. They the bottom of your wallet so it won’t can’t be bothered with that extra be heavy and bulky anymore. Donate weight on top of textbooks and PE for the sake of donating. Not because clothes. Cans and packaged foods are there’s a “reward” at the end.
Too many students stress over college apps As the college application season that are up to par. sets in, seniors have disappeared into Of course, I have to feel sympathy a sea of prep books and counselor ap- for my classmates as well. We’ve been pointments. Lunchtime discussion told that little electronic forms that turns into heated debates over taking are created by Satan himself will dethe ACT or SAT. Important emails cide our futures. We’ve been told to from friends and clubs are lost in the get into “good” schools, and we’ve middle of an inbox teeming been told not to believe with such glorious missives that “good” schools are as “APPLY NOW to Univeractually good. sity of Nowheresville.” Some people have told There’s this collective us to stay close to home, madness that sweeps and others tell us to get across a quarter of the out. College isn’t worth MHS student population it anymore, they’ve said, every year come Novemand we’ve agreed; days ber, and it is characterized later, when a parent tells by drastic mood swings, a us that we can’t get a job lack of free time, and somewithout a degree, we’ll RACHEL times tears. agree with them too. ALVELAIS Maybe you’ve witArticles are published nessed one of us having a every day saying a degree isn’t worth the debt, and breakdown in class over not knowing what major to go into. for every such article there is another You’ve probably been forced to read saying that there are no viable alteressays about that one time I failed at native to a college education. life. Some of us have turned to underIt’s hard to keep it all straight after classmen friends and begged them to a while, no matter what your perkick us off our social networks. Oth- sonal belief regarding a college eduers have nearly vanished off of the cation actually is. As seniors, we’ve face of the planet, put under house been fed opposing viewpoints on our arrest until we’ve produced essays future for so long that I think we’ve
all gotten a little lost. Everything about this process is confusing, misleading, and tests our very limits. Even as we’re told that it doesn’t matter, that this stress will pass--we’ve also been told that one misstep will end hopes of a career or a financially stable life. All of us have heard this piece of advice before, but it’s true: wherever you end up, it’ll be the right place. Whether that’s De Anza or Cambridge or the Peace Corps or McDonald’s, you will find that that is where you were meant to be. I know it’s cheesy, but it’s true, I swear: you are not a test score, and you are not the name on your diploma—and speaking of which, you are not a diploma or the lack thereof. You are what you do on a daily basis and from moment to moment—and you have to realize that will prove to be enough. Your life does not end with your testing results or with your college, and neither does your life begin with them, either. For those underclassmen who are experiencing secondhand application stress, bear with us for just another month--then it will all be over. At least until decisions come out.
Art, languages, social sciences need more respect Oftentimes, art and music classes are only grudgingly taken to fulfill graduation requirements. Language credits are fulfilled merely to satisfy CSU or UC requirements. It’s unfortunate that many students don’t recognize the value of these electives go far beyond credits. Perhaps students choose not to take more of these elective classes because, with the exception of Advanced Placement (AP) Art, these classes may drop a student’s weighted grade point average (GPA). Some students even opt out of electives and have an open period rather than take an elective course because doing so will drop their GPAs. Maybe students think colleges will look unfavorably on a transcript filled with art and elective courses, rather than those packed with “challenging” math and science courses. What kind of message is this sending to students? That it’s better to not take a class at all than to take an elective? Many of my peers place emphasis and value on math and science, and I think many MHS students simply don’t respect other subjects, like social science, art, and languages.
Though it’s easy to see the practical young adults. Maybe like me, you applications of STEM subjects, these do not consider yourself talented in other classes should also be regarded visual arts, but it’s important to be highly and emphasized by our teach- exposed to different areas. Band, ers. painting, photography, choir, phiDuring the Renaissance, the Clas- losophy . . . our school offers a great sical Greek age, and other great pe- range of electives. It’s unfortunate riods of learning and advancement, that oftentimes they’re only taken to fill a quota. the great thinkers were Students are not the not only mathematicians only ones to blame. The and scientists, but they education system itwere also poets and painters, writers and composself does not stress a ers. They sought to further well-rounded education their intellect and knowlin areas outside of math, edge in all these areas. English, and science, nor Not to mention learndoes it reward students ing a foreign language is for delving deeper into these other areas. no longer just a hobby; This needs to change. it’s a necessity. “Finally BRENDA I’m not saying that studone with my two years of SU dents should be forced to Spanish!” I’ve heard students cheer. Maybe they take every single subject or that they need to absodon’t realize globalization makes it ever more important that lutely love every single class; it’s okay students know how to communicate to dislike some subjects. But it’s not with people from different cultures okay to scoff at something because and countries. it’s “liberal arts,” “soft,” or “useless.” So forget about your precious GPAs And the foreign language electives are not the only electives that are for a moment and try learning an art valuable. Music and art are equally or a new language. Maybe you’ll find valuable in producing well-rounded that you like it.
OPINIONS
NOVEMBER 2013
Too few sports for school of large population Parent-Athlete Meetings are com- plus students who are not MHS athing up, and you are excited because it letes? Is it even their fault they are not marks the beginning of a new sports MHS athletes? Perhaps the fault lies season. You look over the list of sports in the fact that our school is so large our school offers, and suddenly, your that competition to get into a sports excitement fades. You notice water team is tough. polo is not a sport that is offered. DisI have friends who did not make appointed, you continue an MHS sports team not to scan the list to find that because they were incapable athletes, but befield hockey, lacrosse, and cause only thirty percent boys’ volleyball are also of students were accepted missing. You cannot help on the team. I understand but wonder why MHS is that coaches cannot aclacking in its variety of sports. cept everyone, especially MHS has five male sports, for sports that have only five female sports, and six five people on the court, co-ed sports. At first glance, like basketball. However, this number seems large; to compensate the exRUTH treme competition MHS however, it is not enough PARK students must face to get to support a school with a into a team, there should population of about 3,100 students. The sports MHS offers in- be more sports at our school so that clude roughly 600 students, assum- students who do not make teams are ing there are no double or triple sport still able to try out for something else. athletes. That is less than 20% of the Schools smaller than MHS have entire student body. sports we do not have. For example, So, what happens to the other 2,500 Leland High School, located in San
Jose, has about 1,800 students, yet offers all the sports mentioned above in addition to the sports MHS already has. It is not fair that it has more options, though we have more students. Numerous students at MHS have expressed interest in joining sports like lacrosse, but do not have the chance to try the sport out because it is not offered on campus. Our students should never come across a case such as this because of the large student population. More students should equal more sports. Providing more sports to the students of MHS will be more beneficial than harmful. Many of our teams are ranked at the top of their leagues. This shows that the students of MHS are talented athletes. Why not expand our athleticism by increasing the variety of sports held on campus? I propose that MHS adds more sports to the small variety it has now. Our large school should have more opportunities for students to try out more sports than those presented to students at smaller schools.
SSR impractical; time should be reallocated Four out of five days every week, year after year, the same routine has endured. Students walk into their fifth period class, sit down, and are expected to pull out a book and read. But we all know what really happens. Half the class is busy texting under the tables, another portion has their head drooping off to the side as they sleep, and the remainder of the kids stare at the same page of a book for about twenty five minutes. I see absolutely no advantage to having this period of sustained silent reading, dubbed S.S.R., in our daily schedules. Yes, the idea of using S.S.R. as a means to encourage students to read for pleasure seems appealing in concept, but the reality is that it does not accomplish this. Rather, it takes away time from our school day that could be better reallocated. A big problem with S.S.R. is the way that teachers actually enforce it. Many teachers simply force students to read and penalize them for not
doing so. But even this doesn’t get ev- add the time onto lunch and passing eryone to read, as half the kids simply periods. This has already been done grab a book and hold it open on a ran- to some extent with lunches on Tuesdom page under their nose until the days, and students can feel the differperiod is over. Other teachers teach- ence. For example, the extra five miners use S.S.R. time as an utes allows for students to attend club meetings and extension of their instructional period. While it does still have time left over to seem like a good idea, stuenjoy lunch however they dents with the same class please. And even if nothing is in another period end up going to be done about the disadvantaged compared to those who have the class way the time is allocated, for their fifth period. I don’t think forcing students to read is the only There are many practical reallocations of the time option teachers have. used for S.S.R. One simple Rather, the time can simPRANAY ply be used as a period for fix would be to just take PATNI the time and split it evenly students to wind down afamong all 6 class periods. ter lunch and do whatever they please. I don’t stand This would add about four minutes of instructional time to each alone when I say this, but something of our classes. This extra time can be definitely needs to be changed with used for a variety of things that bene- the S.S.R. policy, because as it is right fit both the teacher and the students. now, it is a completely unfair and imAnother alternative would be to practical allocation of time.
Homecoming court creates class hierarchy Homecoming court may be one of the upperclassmen and underclassthe biggest social constructs of the men. Don’t get me wrong, the senior school year. Dance courts have been around for a long time, and I can un- class may very well be smarter, stronderstand why we hold these elections ger, and more socially adept than any at Homecoming and Prom. The norm of the other classes. But the school to have a dance court for should be the last one to advocate this statement by the larger scale dances slapping a clear hierarchy has been pervasive in our on the classes. On top of worlds, from banal High School Musicals to odious having the different classes battle for hollow “spirit Taylor Swift songs. However, this idea points,” the school unfortunately formally acknowlsubscribes to a school edges the elite nature of the of thought propping up senior class. seniors to a social level This especially contrahigher than that of the dicts the school’s Unity Reunderclassmen. I can’t VIKRAM treats. As the school tries to count how many times SASTRY I’ve heard the phrase “Seunite the school with these niors rule the school.” And retreats, it delineates the while this is a cute way of trying to grade levels with a vote over who of remind ourselves we are veterans of the senior class exclusively may bethis wasteland of school spirit, it also come King and Queen of the dance. hinders a proper interaction between School spirit is bad enough as it is, but
using it to differentiate the “royalty” class from the rest is just counterproductive and pointless. Lastly, it’s mind boggling that the election process is so rigid. If two Kings each received more votes than one of the Queens, then it would make sense that we have two Kings. However when we cast our vote, we may only vote for one King and one Queen, ensuring this never happens. I’m no gay rights activist, but if we don’t become progressive now, we may never progress. Freshman and Senior alike should be able to be “King” or “Queen”. High school dance courts could very well be the best way to ramp up school spirit but with the way they are run right now it creates unhealthy dichotomies and maintains old dividing traditions. Rather than allowing for distinction among the classes, the school should promote an egalitarian version of the dance courts.
5
T HE U NION
TOP TEN: REASONS TO BE THANKFUL ON THANKSGIVING
10 You didn’t have to kill a turkey 9
You aren’t a turkey
8
Turkey for every meal every day
7
Camping out for Black Friday
6
Laughing at people camping out for Black Friday
5
The new television you bought on Black Friday
4
Blasting Christmas music
3
More time to procrastinate
2
#noshavenovember
1
Snow
Students lack their own supplies I was sitting in one of my classes bringing their own supplies to when our teacher told us to take out school. Not only are they harming six pieces of binder paper and our their own education and by choosing to not be prepared, but they are favorite pen. Of course, I was fully prepared for this because our teachalso lowering themselves in the eyes er had told us we would be having of their peers, who may now regard a test the day before. I took out my them as people who rely on others for everything. six sheets of binder paper and set I’ve also noticed that the my binder down, ready people who continuousto take the test, when the ly ask for supplies from person next to me asked others tend to go to the for binder paper because they forgot to bring some! same people over and over I begrudgingly obliged again. Usually, these peoand handed him the paper, ple are the ones who are when lo and behold, the always prepared and have extra supplies in case their person right next to them own run out. It certainly says they forgot to bring isn’t fair to those of us who some paper too and asks to borrow some from me. choose to be prepared to JAMIE By now, I had to admit have people “borrow” our LAM supplies and take advanthat I was a bit upset and tage of our presence. Most flustered by my peers’ decisions to be unprepared. I wasn’t of the time we agree to let others even halfway through the school use our supplies, but we are silently day, and already my paper supply had judging your lack of responsibility been reduced to just two more sheets whenever you “borrow” supplies and of paper even though I had refilled never give them back. It’s a good rule my stock the night before! of thumb to always return what you All throughout the test, the issue borrow, in one form or another! I understand that accidents hapof my classmates being unprepared and reliant on others for their matepen and people occasionally forget, rials kept bothering me. I mean, the but if a teacher tells you ahead of teacher had given us notice about time or if you don’t feel like using the test way beforehand and yet they your own supplies, there is no excuse had chosen that very day to not bring for you not to be prepared. It doesn’t their materials. How could they exhurt to keep your own extra supplies pect to succeed as good students if with you, and if you do have to ask for they were not prepared for school? materials, please don’t ask the same This isn’t the first time that other person over and over again! The bottom line is, make sure to bring your students had asked me to borrow own materials to school because school supplies, but it didn’t hit me those of us who do don’t appreciate until now just how irresponsible your lack of responsibility when you these people are, especially those come to us for your supplies. who make it a regular habit of not
QUESTION OF THE MONTH: WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO MOST ABOUT COLLEGE?
“Not going to high school.” Senior Catherine Le
“Life. Being able to live independently and have freedom!” Freshman Michelle Nguyen
“I am looking forward to living in San Francisco.” Junior Reeva Sharma
“I am looking forward to making new friends.” Sophomore Jessica Kuo
“In college, I want to see how stupid and funny people are.” Senior Leroi Lam
6
THE UNION
NOVEMBER 2013
FEATURES
Software app development team competes at Princton University BY KAREN SHYU
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Senior Roberto Zeng prepares to smash against his opponents from India as his partner waits behind the service line in a mixed doubles game at the Badminton World Federation Junior Championship Tournament in Thailand.
Zeng competes for USA, travels to Thailand BY AMY BUI
Many students, like Senior Roberto Zeng, enjoy playing sports recreationally in their free time to relax after their usual schoolwork. However, Zeng has also been playing badminton competitively for the past seven years and has recently competed in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Junior Championship tournament in Bangkok, Thailand, which took place from Oct. 23 to Nov. 3. This was not the first junior world championship Zeng has competed in. For the past three years, he competed in the Pan American Junior Championships for two weeks during the
summer, according to Zeng. “I have been playing badminton tournaments for six years, but I became a member of Team USA this year,” Zeng said. “Because I was ranked in the top four, I was chosen to be a part of the team.” Zeng has been training at the United Badminton Club in Fremont since the sixth grade. He used to train five days a week for two to three hours but now trains three days a week. Before tournaments, he trains everyday, Zeng said. Junior world championship tournaments generally last two weeks, with the first week being a team tournament and the second being
an individual tournament, according to Zeng, who played doubles and mixed doubles for both tournaments in Thailand. “I like playing against world class athletes who train every day,” Zeng said. In Thailand, Zeng played against Indonesia for mixed doubles and against Spain for boys doubles in the team tournament. Zeng also played against India for mixed doubles and against Scotland for boys doubles. Zeng plans to compete in the Junior International Trials next month. He also plans to compete in the Junior National and Pan American tournaments this summer.
As freshmen, students begin to accustom themselves to a new environment and a larger population while also trying to fit in. Seniors Aarsh Vyas and Ahsan Zahid, along with ten other students, decided to get a jump start on their future careers by creating a software development team called Crayon Box Labs. The members of Crayon Box Labs met their freshmen year and were looking for a place to talk and eat during lunch. They met in a classroom and realized that all of them held their own potential skills, Zahid said. Crayon Box Labs now has its own website, as well as over 5,000 downloads collectively across app stores, Zahid added. “This is our future. We’re going to turn this into a company and hopefully make this something we can live off of,” Zahid said. “Hopefully we’ll be able to get licensing for platforms, launch a number of games on the casual market, and learn 3D game development.” Crayon Box Labs has decided to participate in the Princeton Hackathon, a competition in New Jersey geared towards university students around the world with over 500 teams competing, according to Zahid. The prizes are composed of sponsorships, and the competition currently has approximately $20,000 in cash prizes, Zahid continued. “The thing with the Hackathon is we basically put components together to make one final product, one final program that is done efficiently within the set of parameters,” said Vyas. “What we’re planning to do is have a special graphics person, a programmer, a person who can video edit. and someone who can [do] ad-
vance animation. Goals are given at the open 48 hour competition with no prior knowledge, Vyas said. Competitors will work in six hour blocks with two hour naps, Vyas continued. “The reason we want to go to the Princeton Hackathon is because we believe we have the talent to actually make it and win prizes there. We have the raw talent,” Vyas said. “We can get into the community and build connections, and they’ll hopefully be able to help us out in the future.” In order to enter the competition, members had to fill out several applications until the team was approved, Zahid said. Including hotel costs, equipment, and travel expenses, it would cost $4,000 to send nine of their members to the competition, according to Zahid. “Our estimated goal is $4,000,” Vyas said. “We’ve decided that instead of going to hotels we’d rather stay in dorms because we know a few people [at] Princeton who are willing to accommodate us, so we’re going to stay in dorms, because that probably cuts $1,500 from our expenses.” The team has set up a crowdfunding campaign on igg.ne/at/ hackprinceton in order to fundraise the $2,000 needed to go to Princeton University, according to Vyas, Their flight was at 6:15 a.m. on Nov. 7 in San Jose. Instead of sending the planned nine members, the team sent six because three of the members were unable to make it, Vyas said. “What we’re doing right now is more for experience. If we are going to make money, we will focus on that in the future once we have more of a marketing cause,” Zahid said. “In the past few years with app stores, all you need to do to produce something is to have innovation, ideas, and passion.”
NOVEMBER 2013
FEATURES
THE UNION
7
School of Music unites students in summer tour BY ZAHRA SURANI
Four people with one binding love: music. Each has a unique style, but for all, music touches their souls. Seniors Sean Bautista and Tiara Suguitan, and Juniors Zachary Barnes and Marhiel Laya united at the South Bay School of Music to play in “Get Ready,” a summer tour that featured soul music. They traveled throughout California and even got the opportunity to perform at Disneyland. “Music has been a huge part of my life,” Bautista said. He knows how to play the piano, saxophone, guitar, and bass. He picked up percussion and drums through his involvement at South Bay Music School. As a testimony to his musical abilities, he joined South Bay Music School’s wind ensemble and jazz fusion group, “New
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Senior Kirsten Harte, supported by three of her squad mates, smiles at the top of the pyramid during cheerleading practice at Gold Star Gymnastics.
Harte pursues instructing in cheerleading, gymnastics BY SHELLY HSU
A good majority of people play sports such as basketball, football, or baseball, but rarely do you come across a person whose passion lies in gymnastics and cheerleading. At Gold Star Gymnastics, Senior Kirsten Harte practices and teaches both. Harte first started gymnastics at the age of eight when she watched a friend practice at Gold Star Gymnastics. Inspired by her friend, she decided to try it out, according to Harte. “My friend took classes there, and I watched her once,” Harte said. “I thought it was cool, so I joined a class. Turn[ed] out, I was pretty good.” After two years of training, Harte began to participate in state competitions and went on to compete over the span of four years, according to Harte. She started out in level four gymnastics, which is the first level of competition. Harte earned first place in all-around scores, meaning she acquired the highest combined score on balance beam, vault, and floor, Harte continued. When Harte reached level five, an unfortunate accident left her with
broken toes, an event which made her incapable of competing. After recovering from her injury, she continued to train for level six before quitting for good, according to Harte. “After that, I took up teaching gymnastics,” Harte said. “Then I moved on to cheer for Gold Star.” Gold Star Gymnastics, a familyowned business located in Mountain View, started out with only gymnastics but then expanded to incorporate cheer and hip hop. When Harte started cheerleading, she had already mastered the basic skills. With this expertise, Harte made the senior co-ed level three diamond team, giving her the opportunity to participate in various competitions and performances throughout the year, Harte said. The Gold Star Gymnastics cheerleading team participated in the 2013 American Masterpiece Cheer and Dance from April 5 to April 7 and earned second place in the competition, Harte said. “It was pretty intimidating, but we got second place,” Harte said. “We lost to a team from Alaska, but it was still a good show.”
Albany.” Bautista is also involved in the MHS Marching, Concert, and Jazz bands. Barnes has also learned how to play multiple instruments. like the saxophone “The private, personal instruction makes the [South Bay Music School] an ideal place to get started and excited about music,” Barnes said. His music education grew, encompassing the piano, guitar, and trumpet. Like Bautista, he participates in “New Albany” and the MHS Marching and Jazz bands. Unlike Bautista and Barnes, Suguitan sings. She was recruited after her “Milpitas Got Talent” performance. Since then, she has been involved with “Variety Show,” a program at South Bay Music School in which she performs as both a soloist and group artist. Before her recruitment, she
did not take singing lessons but had a natural aptitude for singing, according to Sugultan. “[Music’s] my escape,” Suguitan said. “It’s my ‘me’ time whether I’m listening to it or singing. It motivates me and gives me hope.” Like Suguitan, Laya is a singer who performs in the Variety Show. This summer, she joined “Get Ready “with the South Bay Music School. Through this experience, she embraced her potential as a singer. “I’m glad I stayed with South Bay Music School. I wouldn’t have traded the experience for anything else,” Laya said. The musical journey for these individuals does not stop here. Their passion for music will allow them to go on adventures and grow as individuals and musical artists.
Internships provide insightful experiences BY AMY BUI
As summer approaches each year, many students are excited to finally have some free time. However, by July, many people find themselves at home with little to do and wish they take summer as an opportunity to do something new and interesting. This is certainly not the case for Seniors Himani Madnawat and Pauline Nguyen, who participated in medical internships this past summer at Stanford University. Madnawat and Nguyen both agreed that taking part in the internships was a beneficial aspect to their summers, despite the amount of work they put into their respective programs. Summer is an opportunity for people to step out and gain experience in areas they are interested in. “I worked at Lucile Packard’s Chil-
dren Hospital under Pediatric Radiology this past summer,” Madnawat said. Madnawat participated in a program that allowed her to shadow doctors and work with them on ongoing research studies of developing a new sequence of MRI. Madnawat worked on a project that helped show that MRI scanning is more effective in finding lymphoma in children than PET or CT scanning. Madnawat studied MRI images and helped doctors come up with procedures using the data. “I was always interested in the medical field and showed my interest, but this gave me the actual experience,” Madnawat said. “It was a life-changing opportunity, and I was able to meet so many new people with different goals.” Nguyen also participated in a medical program run by Stanford
University’s School of Medicine during the summer for five weeks. The program’s main focus was surgery, and the students studied the anatomy of the human body while also working on projects and conducting research on different types of diseases and disorders, Nguyen added. “We got the chance to work with surgeons and watch and perform dissections on cadavers,” Nguyen said. “We also got a chance to work with new technology, such as the x-ray table and the spin-space machine.” The program at Stanford Hospital is very competitive and requires an application, consisting of a few short essays, according to Nguyen. However, grades were not the only consideration; Stanford looked at students with many well-rounded students witht many extracurricular activities, Nguyen added.
Students’ requests granted through new ASB program BY JENNIFER DUONG
Thanksgiving and Christmas spark warm memories, such as feasts with family, midnight shopping trips, and coveted gifts under a decorated pine tree. With the holiday season nearing, the MHS fifth period Student Leadership class and Activities Director Joanna Butcher decided to make students feel special this winter by creating Winter Wishes, an event that allows students to have their wishes granted, according to Butcher. MHS students are able to have their wishes granted by filling out a form containing their name, grade, ID number and wish, according to Winter Wishes Chair Alexander Tran. Forms were distributed during orientation week and were due the week of Homecoming, Tran said. As the person in charge of granting wishes, Tran compiled all of the submitted wishes onto a Google form and assigned each wish to members of his committee, Tran said. Tran also recorded the moment of a granted wish on video or through photographs; these snapshots will then be made into a slideshow, Tran added. All Winter Wishes submitted will be granted and recorded in some way, according to Winter Wishes
Rally Chair Biancka Dela Cruz. These recordings will then be shown in a slideshow on Dec. 3, the day of the voluntary Winter Wishes lunch and S.S.R. rally, Dela Cruz said. “We throw the rally, which is on Dec. 3, during lunch. It’s a lunch and S.S.R. rally, and it’s voluntary, so it’s not mandatory,” Dela Cruz said. “It’s really up to people to go.” MHS had a Winter Rally in 2012, but it was not successful, according to Tran. For 2013, the Student Leadership Class and Mrs. Butcher wanted to incorporate Winter Wishes to make the rally more interesting, Tran said. “I believe Ms. Butcher came up with the idea of a Winter Wishes rally from other schools,” Tran said. “Winter Wishes is supposed to improve the 2013 Winter Rally .” Winter Wishes has a budget of $1,000 dollars, according to Dela Cruz. This money is from A.S.B.’s funds, Dela Cruz added. “A lot of [the $1,000] actually, is from the A.S.B. cards. So in the beginning of the year, we try to get as many people as we can to buy the cards, and that’s really where the majority of our A.S.B. funds come from,” Dela Cruz said. “And A.S.B. dances, like homecoming.”
C������� O� A���� G��
Senior Alina Guo performs in the MHS Color Guard and Marching Band performance, ‘Rise of the Minions,’ during the Cupertino Competition on October 19. The MHS team has previously competed at Del Oro and Folosom High.
Guo tours at national level with drum corps BY AMY NGUYEN
While many students prefer to spend their summer strolling along the beach or tanning by the pool, Senior Alina Guo decided to spend hers spinning flags and rifles. Guo spent the majority of her summer traveling and competing with the Santa Clara Vanguard Cadets. Guo has been in color guard since the beginning of her sophomore year but has only recently displayed her skills in the Cadets program in response to the suggestion of her instructor to join the Drum Corps, Guo said. Guo joined the nearby Vanguard Cadets to be in a program more suitable for her age, according to Guo. The Cadets competed three times a week leading up to the finals and
competed everyday during finals week, a grand total of 22 times in eight weeks, according to Guo. “Vanguard Cadets traveled through 13 states performing and rehearsing in between,” Guo said. “The farthest we’ve traveled [was] to Pennsylvania.” In Dec. 2012, Guo and 60 others auditioned for a spot in the corps. 44 color guards were chosen to be in the Vanguard Cadets, according to Guo. Each corps was composed of 44 guard members and 106 brass and percussion members, Guo added. The official season started in late May 2013. Members of the corps practiced for 12 to 13 hours with four one-hour meal breaks each day when they were not competing, according to Guo. “It
was really tiring,” Guo said. “Sleep was usually around eight hours. There was no personal time.” The Vanguard Cadets competed at the Open Class Finals in Michigan City, Indiana on Aug. 6, Guo said. The hectic competition day consisted of many rehearsals, small meal breaks, and one final warm-up before the performance, Guo continued. The Vanguard Cadets won at finals, earning the 2013 Open Class Champions title. Among the nineteen teams there, the Vanguard Cadets were the top team. The Vanguard Cadets continued their season in the World Class Finals, according to Guo. There, they competed at the Los Angeles Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Guo continued.
THE UNION
8
CIY: COOK IT YOURSELF Difficulty: (out of five stars)
••
BY RACHEL ALVELAIS
There is nothing as American as an apple pie, and with Thanksgiving coming just around the corner, your family dinner would be incomplete without this golden-brown delicacy. This double-crust apple pie is the quintessential Thanksgiving dessert and features a flaky crust and savory apple filling that is sure to please anyone at your table.
Feeds: 10 people Ingredients: • 2 tbsp flour • ¾ cup sugar • ½ tsp nutmeg • ½ tsp cinnamon • 6 apples • 1 tbsp lemon juice • 2 pie crusts
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Mix the flour, sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon thoroughly in a separate bowl. Core and slice the apples into thin crescents and place them in a large mixing bowl. Do not have to peel. Sprinkle a tablespoon of the sugar mixture on the apples and stir until thoroughly coated.
LIFESTYLE
NOVEMBER 2013
Milpitas milk tea compared in blind test BY SHELLY HSU AND BRENDA SU
Pearl milk tea, also known as bubble tea or boba milk tea, is a favorite drink among MHS students. Originating in Taiwan, pearl milk tea is a tea-based drink typically mixed with milk or creamer, syrup, and chewy tapioca balls. Our mission was to find the best pearl milk tea in Milpitas based on the following criteria: sweetness, amount of tea, texture of pearls, and overall taste. We conducted a blind taste test in which five participants rated each quality of each milk tea franchise on a scale of one to ten. The test concluded the greatest overall milk tea franchise was Ten Ren. The participants reported Ten Ren’s milk tea had the strongest tea flavor and the sugar level was just right. Verde, on the other hand, was the worst. Of the five participants, four gave Verde one out of five stars. One participant succinctly stated, “It makes me want to throw up.” Because of the eternally long lines at Fantasia, we had been expecting positive reviews. However, Fantasia received low ratings., and it was the most expensive out of all. The participants favored Q-Cup’s pearls the most. However, one participant stated that the pearls from all seven stores “tasted the same.” We unveiled the source of the milk teas after the participants finished their blind critiques. Most of the participants were surprised. There are a plethora of milk tea joints around Milpitas. Try them all out, and see for yourself!
Graphic Courtesy of Rosie Ou
Brandy Melville single-sized clothing brand
2
Grease a pie tin or dish liberally before lining it with one of the pie crusts. Pour the apple mixture in to the pie crust. Take the time to settle the apples and lay them flat. They will also settle while cooking.
3
Lay the second pie crust on top of the pie. Make four incisions on the top to ventilate during cooking. Trim the edges of the pie crust to fit the dish. Pinch the two layers of pie crust together to seal the pie.
4 Cover the edges of the pie crust with aluminum foil to prevent burning. Bake the pie for 25 minutes in a 375F oven. Remove the aluminum foil from the pie crust and bake for another 25 minutes or until crust is thoroughly golden brown and flaky.
BY MICHELLE WU
While shopping at the women’s clothing store, Brandy Melville, I found a pair of denim jeggings that I fell in love with. I grabbed them and went to try it on, but I could not squeeze into the 22-inch waist. When I went to look for a larger size, I was startled to discover that everything in the store was the same size, and I was left empty handed. Each item in the store is its own size, but not everything is the same measurements, Store Manager Simpson said. The clothing articles vary in sizes. While some articles of clothing are smaller, other articles of clothing are larger and are meant to fit everyone. “Not everything in the store is one sized,” Simpson said. “Just each of the particular items has its own size.” Women come in different body sizes and shapes, Senior Sheena
Catap said. Brandy Melville does not cater to larger women. Society should appreciate and praise all sorts of body sizes, but thick, curvy bodies are not encouraged as much as petite bodies. “We all know one size does not fit all,” Junior Audrey Nguyen said. It does not make sense for Brandy Melville to make their clothing one size because there is no such thing as one size, Nguyen commented. Brandy Melville bases its one size per clothing item to make it look best on the consumers they are targeting, Simpson commented. Each style is meant to fit a specific person, and that is why the sizes vary depending on the piece. The goal is to make the clothing as flattering as possible on the body type the designer has in mind. “Some stores like Torrid are for plus size women, so I do not see the problem with a store for petite women,” Senior Thu Hoang said.
“Since I’m smaller, the size actually fits me, compared to other clothing stores that don’t fit my body.” While Brandy Melville claims it has articles of clothing meant to fit everyone, the largest sized bottoms are 26 inches “stretch”. Although the tops’ bust sizes can be as large as 46 inches, the smallest sized top is 22 inches, compared to Forever 21’s extra small of 32.5 inches. “The sizing is unfair because some people want to wear Brandy Melville, but they are not given that opportunity because of the sizing,” Hoang said. Brandy Melville is great for basic items, as long as you are on the smaller side. Most of the articles of clothing are aimed towards very petite women and have a very select variety of larger sizes. “The sizing works for most people,” Simpson said. Nothing in the store is constant; styles change and then the sizes change, she said.
Holiday season promotes Starbucks drinks BY JENNIFER DUONG
Each season not only brings new friends, moments, and memories, but also a different variety of seasonal drinks. Seasonal drinks are sure to brighten every season and every day with its unique flavors and creative toppings. Seasonal drinks are those available only during a specific season, according to Starbucks Coffee Employee James Staten. Additionally, the ingredients needed for seasonal drinks are available for only a certain time of the year, Staten said. “We get a bulk order at the beginning or the end of the previous or current season,” Staten said. “And the next season approaches and we take those out. We have the stuff right now but we’re not allowed to make it yet because it’s not in season yet.” Seasonal drinks correspond and fit with the holidays, according to Staten. Fall and Thanksgiving equals to pumpkin-flavored drinks,
Staten said. “So it’s fall and [Starbucks] has drinks that go along with fall,” Staten said. “For example, Pumpkin [flavored drinks are] for October and [November].” Aside from the limited time seasonal drinks are available, different flavored syrups are used to make the drinks unique, Staten explained. Furthermore, seasonal drinks often have a specialty whip or topping. The process of making the drinks is typically the same, according to Staten. “Sometimes they’re made with a different method. For the Chocolate Chai [Latte] we have a specific thing for it so we don’t make it the same way we make the regular Chai Latte,” Staten said. “But mainly it’s based on the syrup and stuff that goes on top.” Seasonal drinks available at Starbucks during autumn include the Pumpkin Spice Latte, Chocolate Chai Tea Latte, and Salted Caramel Mocha Frappucino, Staten said.
Upcoming drinks for the winter include the Gingerbread Latte and Peppermint Mocha, Staten added. There are many reasons stores have seasonal drinks; one of which is to appeal to more people, according to Staten. Appealing to more people means more customers, thus more sales. “A lot of people do come to get seasonal drinks. They can’t wait for that type of season and I know they start coming a lot and when the season ends they don’t come as much,” Staten said. “It’s a second attraction, a limited time thing. It’s like comewhen-you-can while it’s still there.” Another reason why stores have seasonal drinks is to keep people in anticipation and test new drinks, according to Staten. If a drink is not popular for a season, then it usually will not be available after the season ends, Staten explained. “Seasonal drinks are all to try something new,” Staten said. If a drink isn’t popular, then it won’t be sold next year, according to Staten.
NOVEMBER 2013
THE UNION
LIFESTYLE
Parabens in cosmetics risk to health BY NAOMI MCCRACKEN
Some cosmetics advertise they are “paraben free,” but what exactly are parabens? They are preservatives commonly used in cosmetics to prevent the growth of microorganisms. Parabens may potentially cause breast cancer, and tests have shown parabens may be related to the formation of tumors in breast tissue, but scientists have not been able to find sufficient evidence to prove parabens harmful. Parabens are absorbed into the body when applied onto the skin. Parabens mimic estrogen hormones. Scientists have found that estrogen is linked to the formation of breast cancer. Some scientists
believe the increase in breast cancer in both men and women are caused by using cosmetics containing parabens. Nonetheless, scientists say they can not conclude that parabens cause or are even related to breast cancer. According to the Food and Drug Administration, higher concentrations of parabens in cosmetics would be required to pose a real threat to anyone. Parabens are weak estrogen mimickers, so higher concentrations would be necessary to demonstrate the same activity that a smaller concentration of estrogen would. Although parabens are no longer found in deoderants, they can still be found in cosmetics like makeup,
shaving cream, lotions, and haircare products like shampoo. You can easily figure out if your cosmetics have parabens by checking the ingredients. All parabens end in “paraben,” such as methylparaben, ethylparaben, butylparaben, and isopropylparaben. If there is a risk of breast cancer from parabens in cosmetics, the risk is not limited to only women. Though men rarely develop breast cancer, irregularly high estrogen levels will increase anyone’s chance of getting breast cancer. Therefore, if the estrogen-mimicking quality of parabens increases the risk of breast cancer like estrogen does, using paraben-containing products is dangerous for everyone, male or female.
New mobile video app rises in popularity BY VIKRAM SASTRY
We all know that it is every teenager’s dream to finally have a feature on “iFunny.” Well, now, instead of sweating over memes, today’s youth can obsess over the making of eye-catching six second videos. Vine, a mobile app that allows users to create and share video snippets, has become another building block in the foundation of social media. Vine has a simplistic theme featuring a grass green background and white font. It has a main dashboard the user can go to where they can watch popular videos, a lot like Instagram’s feed. It also has subcategories such as “Comedy,” and “Dogs” so that users can sift through videos that may appeal most to them at that moment. Vine, ingeniously, also has restricted videos to about six seconds
long. This helps reduce the amount of time the user needs to pay attention, and in a world where attention span is dwindling and everything has to be faster to catch our attention, six seconds works. The short-form comedy was originally pioneered on the Internet with production group 5SecondFilms. More importantly, even if you find a video to be too short, it’s on loop so you can watch it again and again until your brain finally registers what just happened. However, Vine has some flaws. The application has very few tools the user can use to edit their videos. Not only that but once in a while a video won’t load which can get quite annoying since it’s a speed-bump in the pace you were maintaining. If a mobile app is to be successful, it has to eliminate anything that disrupts information flow. Lastly, Vine
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FASHION SPOTLIGHT Ai l i m a s u da Sophomore
1. cropped button up from Urban Outfitters 2. jacket from Forever 21 3. shoes from Tuk Creepers 4. high waisted jeans (not pictured) from Urban Outfitters
3
doesn’t have a very sophisticated search system. If you wanted to find that really cute kitten video you saw from three weeks ago you can’t just look up “cute kitten videos” and search through the results by date until you find the specific video. You’d have to go through whichever stream you had seen it on (if you can remember which one it was, that is) and scroll down until you find it. Most users just give up, making Vine a very frustrating app. Although Vine has its problems, it’s still in its prime. Even as Instagram tries to compete with 11 second videos, Vine’s brand name has helped maintain its user base. Vine has pioneered a new idea into the social media world and even if it does get frustrating at times, watching “Tyler the Creator” tell his fans they’re not allowed on his tour bus never gets old.
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2 Her Fashion Inspir ation:
“I get my inspiration from everywhere, like people at school and on the internet. I don’t have a set style, it’s a little bit of everything.”
karen chi | THE UNION
Freshman Andy Nguyen (left) and Sophomore Aili Masuda (right) show off their casual fashions as the seasons shift from warmer weather to an autumn chill.
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A n dy n g u y e n Freshman
1. button up from Urban Outfitters 2. belt from Macy’s
2 3 His Fashion Inspir ation: “I like Tyler Oakley and his style. I like colors and patterns. I would describe my own style as kind of preppy.”
3. jeans from Macy’s 4. shoes from Toms 5. cardigan (not pictured) from YesStyle
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T he U nion
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November 2013
Play CommonWealth’s TrojansTrivia.
Win Cool Prizes. Learn About Credit Unions. Correctly answer this month’s trivia questions and you could win a $50 Visa® gift card!* Winning is simple–just visit the Milpitas High School website and click on the CommonWealth banner to see this month’s trivia questions. Then, find the answers on our website and submit the correct answers to be entered to win. Each month we’ll have new trivia questions and a new winner. Look for us in the paper, on the marque and on the website for more chances to win!
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NOVEMBER 2013
THE UNION
ENTERTAINMENT
11
‘House of Hades’ immersive RATING:
•••• BY AKSHAT DAS
Courtesy of Lionsgate
Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield) stands at the entrance of a zero-gravity capsule to train for space combat. Ender eventually becomes the commander of Earth’s space army and attacks an alien species known as the Formics.
‘Ender’s Game’ too short, aesthetics superb RATING:
•••
BY BRYAN TRAN
“Ender’s Game,” one of the most anticipated movie adaptations of this year, is based on Orson Scott’s classic novel with the same name. I had high expectations for this movie because the book is one of my favorites. The trailer was very exciting and had amazing visual effects. Immediately at the start, however, I was disappointed. I had not expected superb acting from young children, but the movie did not even try to work with any children and made a different compromise. In the novel, the story starts with Ender being of the age 6, but the movie adaption portrays Ender as a pubescent 15-year-
old. This gave out an out-of-place feeling that incredibly hinders the adaption, because following Ender’s growth from a child is mainly what the novel uses to develop his character. Any viewer would be unable to empathize with the character and it makes the movie feel empty. Next, Ender’s training to become the commander of Earth’s space army was a long, intense struggle. This time period was arguably the book’s strongest point as this was where all of the character development occurred. The movie falls short by compressing all of the character bonding into short dialogue that MOVIE fails to connect viewers REVIEW to the characters. Many of the obstacles Ender faced in the novel
are skipped. The movie at least captures the story’s essence to an extent due to Orson Scott’s involvement in the visuals and screen-writing. The battle scenes are exciting and the sceneries accurately resemble those detailed in the book. In total, the movie did more good than bad. Any newcomer who has not been exposed to the classic novel would probably enjoy the movie for the exciting battles and moral struggles. Had the movie been given another hour or so to develop characters and include more of the events, the movie could have been great. Given the time constraints, the movie did the best it could, but falls short The movie is a good time-killer, but is not something you should watch if you are looking for a moving story.
3DS ‘Pokémon’ games revamp, new visuals RATING:
••••• BY NAOMI MCCRACKEN
“Pokémon X and Pokémon Y” has added a whole new dimension to the Pokemon world. The most outstanding improvements made in the last Pokémon game are probably the visuals, though. The game has many other new features to explore. The visual quality of “Pokémon X and Pokémon Y” really sets it apart from the previous games. The graphics and detail in the towns, routes, caves, et cetera have improved drastically. One of my favorite changes is the way the battles look. Now the battles have an actual setting that represents the place you are having your fight, so you could have a forest, desert, or even a city in the background of your fight. In addition, the pokémon no longer look pixelated and actual-
ly move according to the battle. The attacks in the battles have also improved visually; they are bigger and brighter. Overall, the more attractive battles definitely make the newest “Pokémon X and Pokémon Y” much more fun to play. The completely new features to “Pokemon X and Pokémon Y” can be seen as anywhere from GAME extremely fun to exREVIEW tremely annoying. Personally, I love the way you now have the option of riding your pokémon. This is something I’ve always wanted to do. The game also allows for more customization of your character’s appearance beyond male. I was not so excited by the roller skates that have been introduced in “Pokémon X and Pokémon Y,” however, because they make it hard to get where you want to go in the game and
you can’t take them off. One new aspect of the game that could either be loved or hated is the new fairy-type pokémon. The new fairy type, given to both new and old pokémon, mixes things up in terms of battle strategy, which can good and bad. One benefit of the new fairy-type pokémon is that it is super effective against dragon type, so the types become more balanced overall without directly weakening dragon-type pokémon. The new idea of “Mega-evolution” is a big part of the “Pokémon X and Pokémon Y” storyline. The game sets you on a quest with the purpose of investigating mega-evolutions. For some of the pokémon, such as Charizard, the mega-evolution is a cool new pokémon. However, for some pokémon like Mewtwo, the Mega-evolution form is just insulting and disgraceful.
‘Blacklist’ leaves key questions unanswered RATING:
•••• BY MOSHE YANG
NBC’s new drama series, “The Blacklist,” stars Raymond Reddington (James Spader), a former government agent turned mastermind criminal as he turns himself into the FBI. Offering to help bring down the world’s biggest criminals in a blacklist he’s compiled, Reddington bargains with the FBI, saying he will communicate through Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone), a new FBI profiler, who does not know him. Created by Jon Bokenkamp, the main feature of “The Blacklist” is how it stands between procedural and serialized TV shows. The procedural side follows Reddington as he identifies a new criminal every week that the FBI and Keen must stop. On
the serialized side, there is the mysterious, dynamic relationship between Keen and Reddington. Audiences will enjoy seeing Spader play Reddington masterfully every week. Every move Spader makes while in character is calculated, from the way he pronounces his words to how he tilts his head. He uses every tool in his arsenal and brings Reddington to life. His acting keeps viewers entranced and confused about Reddington’s true TV-SERIES REVIEW goals for teaming with the FBI. Although the criminals introduced are interesting, the premise gets stale. The criminals are devious and planning something soon, forcing the FBI to listen to Reddington. The real intrigue is why Reddington needs Keen. The viewers constantly switch
between believing that Reddington is trying to transform Keen into a mastermind to thinking that he’s just her father. “The Blacklist” ultimately needs to introduce a real enemy because Reddington and Keen’s relationship can only interest viewers so long. Currently, the main interests are the mysteries: who is Elizabeth’s husband, Tom Keen; how are Reddington and Keen related; and who are the people that have bugged the Keen’s home? It’s actually ironic that a show that’s main feature is how it straddles the line between procedural and serialized TV shows when its serialized part has stagnated in its first nine episodes. There have been hints at an greater enemy that Reddington is facing, but like most of the show, no answers have been given.
“The House of Hades” is by far the most emotionally gripping story Rick Riordan has written regarding the world of Percy Jackson. The story picks up right where the “Mark of Athena” left off, with Percy and Annabeth falling into Tartarus while their friends are quite literally a world away. Percy and Annabeth’s journey parallels that of their friends, as Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus to reach the Doors of Death, and their friends must do the same in the mortal world. By accomplishing this Herculean task, not only will Percy and Annabeth’s lives be saved, but so will the lives of countless others; closBOOK ing the door between REVIEW Tartarus and Earth will prevent monsters from reaching the mortal world. By facing foes from their past and battling completely new enemies, Percy and his friends realize what it truly means to be Heroes of Olympus. Riordan throws in a bit of everything for his doting fans. Annabeth
&
and Percy, everyone’s favorite couple, are put through trials and tribulations that test the resolve of their relationship, thus proving to the world that it goes beyond love. For the thrill seekers, Riordan throws in the epic battles that have become characteristic of the series. Each book in the “Heroes of Olympus” series has been packed with unexpected plot twists and extensive character development. Unsurprisingly, “The House of Hades” doesn’t deviate from the norm. The “minor” characters undergo journeys of their own to determine who they really are, and emerge as powerful individuals in their own right. All of the reader’s previously held assumptions about characters will be completely destroyed, due to the magic of Riordan’s writing. In regard to the other books in the “Heroes of Olympus” series, “The House of Hades,” in my opinion, is the second best book in the series. Although strong, the plot does not reach the same level of excellence set by Riordan in “The Lost Hero.” Regardless, Riordan leaves us fans with the ultimate cliffhanger, which causes us to eagerly await the final book in the series, “The Blood of Olympus.”
Courtesy of Kodansha Comics USA
A panel from “Shingeki no Kyojin” showing the Colossus Titan as he surveys the city. The anime began April 6, 2013 and ended on Sep. 28 2013.
‘Attack on Titan’ flat, stodgy RATING:
••
BY SIDNEY LE
“Shingeki no Kyojin,” or to English-speaking audiences, “Attack on Titan,” is good in the same way that “Pacific Rim” was good, which is to say not at all. The show receives praise for its brutality and animation quality, which are both there, but a good show those do not make. A factor in much of the praise that one hears about the show is that the show is commercially successful, which is often misconstrued for actual merit. Compare a list of the highest grossing films TV-SERIES REVIEW and a list of the best films of all time and very few will be on both lists. Audiences do not make this distinction; at least subconsciously, the belief that commercial success and substance are one in the same exists. If the plot of “Attack on Titan” could be summed up in a phrase, that phrase would be “deus ex machina,” or perhaps, “deus ex machina” followed by
gibberish. The setup is comprehensible, if underdeveloped, but as the story drags on, events occur with little connection to one another. This could be fixed if the audience knew more about the rules of this universe which are left unexplained for no good reason. The characters understand the way their universe works, but to us it is all nonsensical. After all is said and done, one is left wondering why any of it happened. The characters chant as though reciting a mantra that all they are doing is to save humanity, but the most basic elements of how they intend on accomplishing that goal are left unexplained. Mikasa Ackerman and Eren Jaeger, the main protagonists, are the definition of one-dimensional. Although not all of the characters fit into stereotypes, every character, save for Jean and perhaps Armin, undergoes no change throughout the span of the show or dies. Eren is the vengeful and angry hero who makes rash decisions. Mikasa is dedicated to Eren and is good at killing. In two sentences, everything you will ever need to know about the two main characters is said.
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THE UNION
ENTERTAINMENT
NOVEMBER 2013
MUSIC REVIEWS
BANGERZ by Miley Cyrus Pop RATING:
LIGHTNING BOLT by Pearl Jam Rock RATING:
BY KAREN CHI
BY VIKRAM SASTRY
Miley Cyrus lets her music speak for herself in response to the harsh criticism received in the past months for her wardrobe choice (or lack thereof ), break up with Liam Hemsworth, extremely animated quotes and awkward twerking. “Adore You,” is the first track: a downbeat ballad about love. “Wrecking Ball,” “My Darlin’,” “Maybe You’re Right,” and “Somewhere Else” take on the same attitude; displaying a much more mature side of Cyrus--a rare but welcomed change. Cyrus hounds her gentle country vocal roots and grit. When she slows things down and plays her emotions, one can truly appreciate her as a respectable artist. But the album does a complete 180 flip beyond that. She combines sketchy hip hop, raunchy lyrics and rap to provide variety and a new sound in the songs “Do My Thang,” “Love, Money, Party” and “#Getitright.” It is like Disney Gone Wild. In collaboration with Pharrell, Britney Spears and Will.i.am, Cyrus shows that she has grown up and is past her Hannah Montana days. Cyrus proves herself worthy of remaining in the music scene with this new album, bringing diversity as well as a fresh new sound.
Pearl Jam has been one of the most prominent rock and roll bands and seems to have found its own little niche to work in. Having derived a lot of its low tones from grunge rock, Pearl Jam has created an effervescence that resonates with familiarity. It leads a genre of music that has not aged, kept vibrant by such bands. Pearl Jam opens up Lightning Bolt with an ordinary Transporter-like song that seems to be suited for a car chase. The band continues this wellworn sound into “Mind Your Manners” and “My Father’s Son”; this old, almost homely, rock plays out the golden years of 90’s rock. Pearl Jam allows for a little bit of sentimentality as well as it transitions into “Sirens” and “Sleeping By Myself.” The band concocts a mix of ethereal symphonic sounds, speckling it with rootsy, simple chords. Pearl Jam ends its album with a trite, yet endearing harmony that resounds with something you might have heard from Aerosmith in Armageddon. Pearl Jam paints a picture of hopefulness after its storyline of music it introduces the album with. While old and familiar it is just what the longtime Pearl Jam fan has fallen in love with and will never forget.
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‘Thor’ action-packed, decent RATING:
•••• BY KAREN SHYU
Alan Taylor replaces 2011’s Thor director, Kenneth Branagh in the new movie, “Thor: The Dark World.” Taylor manages to wow us with this next installment by bringing in new characters and adding a new side to the old characters. MOVIE Taylor presents a more REVIEW exciting, action-packed film in comparison to the first. The villain’s role follows the typical storyline, with few exciting plot twists, of any other superhero movie. The evil, all-powerful leader Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) desires the destruction of the universe, in this case all nine realms, by harnessing some sort of power or weapon. Loki (Tom Hiddleston) remains one of the most, if not the most, favorite character in “Thor” and “Thor: The Dark World”. He charms the au-
dience with his wit and menace and provides comedic relief during moments of tension. Also, Loki, originally depicted as solely selfish and perfidious, is revealed to have a humane side in the film. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), has a more active role in the sequel. Asgardians such as Lady Sif (Jaimie Alexander) also appear although they are not given as much screen time. Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings) has even more witty and entertaining moments along with her new intern, Ian Boothby (Jonathan Howard). The character portrayal of Malekith fails to provide enough information surrounding his purpose. Other than his desire for the destruction and revenge, he has no compelling feature that justify his motive, remaining a stagnant character the whole movie. The Loki, Thor, and Odin power struggle for king appears in the sequel with new developments. There are many more action-packed scenes, an exciting climax, and holes that set up the movie for a possible third.
Courtesy of Warner Bros.
One of the astronauts in Gravity is detached from the space shuttle and flies untethered and out of control into space. Gravity, which was released on October 4, has been heralded as one of the top outer space sci-fi thrillers.
‘Gravity’ a visual spectacle, nearly flawless RATING:
••••• BY JONATHAN NGO
“Gravity,” directed by Alfonso Cuaron, is one of the first jaw-dropping science fiction movies released in a while. I was immediately impressed from the first frame showing the Earth’s horizon in space, and remained so throughout the movie. In other words, nearly everything was done right. The movie has a fairly simple story. Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock), a mission specialist, and Lieutenant Matt Kowalski (George Clooney), the mission commander of the Explorer expedition, are out in space on a mission to make repairs to the Hubble Space Telescope. However, a Russian missile strike sends speeding debris toward the crew’s location. The debris soon strikes the Explorer and the astro-
nauts are detached from the shuttle. The action evolves as objects continue to smash into one another, creating more debris. From a visual standpoint, every moment in “Gravity” was stunning. It recreated a realistic space MOVIE scenery without the help REVIEW of NASA’s zero-gravity airplane. In terms of the story and interaction between Dr. Stone and Lieutenant Kowalski, the movie achieves a perfect balance between the emotions. Dr. Stone’s moments of panic and fear elevate every viewer’s heart rate, while Kowalski’s nonchalant attitude toward the events lighten up the otherwise tense moments. Considering Dr. Stone and Lieutenant Kowalski were really the only two characters that played a significant role in the movie, anything short of a near flawless performance would
spell disaster. Fortunately, “Gravity” achieved more than that. The acting was spectacular and believable, and everything from Kowalski’s calm attitude towards crisis was as realistic as the setting itself. In no moment did I wonder why certain things may have happened. “Gravity” successfully created a fully immersive experience. Despite the near perfection “Gravity” achieved, there are a few flaws. This includes incorrect hair movement in space to the satellites having incorrect orbits. However, if you are planning to see the movie, none of this will matter, assuming you are not an astronaut. These mistakes will be hardly noticed and will not detract from the overall experience. If you are a science fiction fan and don’t want to be disappointed, this movie is for you. “Gravity” offers a dazzling perspective of Earth from space and provides a glimpse into the next era of science fiction movies.
Courtesy of Riot Gaming
League of Legend’s World Championship Finals was held on Oct. 4 at the Staple Center in Los Angeles in front of 13,000 fans. The championship game was between Korea’s SK Telecom T1 and China’s Royal Club in a best of 5.
‘LoL’ grows, holds Worlds at Staple Center BY STEPHEN HSU
Online multi-player game, “League of Legends,” hosted its World Championship game on Oct. 4th, 2013. The Championship game attracted over 5 million viewers on its online stream and over 13,000 fans at the Staples Center in Los Angeles according to League of Legends employee Dustin Beck. In a bracket style competition, Korea’s SK Telecom T1 and China’s Royal Club defeated twelve other teams to compete in the League of Legends World Championship title and win a prize of 1 million dollars. In the end, it was Korea’s SK Telecom T1 that defeated China’s Royal Club three games to zero to take the title of the
League of Legends World Champion of Season 3. “SKT wrecked Royal, not even close to last year [championship] in terms of entertainment,” Senior Gordon Luu said. “League of Legends” has 32 million active players according to the League of Legends website. The popularity of “League of Legends” has allowed it to host its competitions at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, which has traditionally been used for concerts and sports games only. “Riot Games has done a great job hosting their world championships at the Staples Center ” Senior Tommy To said. The growing amount of “League of Legends” players has made substan-
tial changes to the face of sports. The United States government now recognizes “League of Legends” players as professional athletes according to Riot Games. “[League of Legends] validates e-sports as a sport. Now we have the same designation as the National Basketball Association or National Hockey League or other professional sports leagues,” e-Sports director Nick Allen said. The free, quick learning curve has attracted many gamers. “League of Legends’” massive popularity has reached over to Milpitas High School students as well. “Overall, I think ‘League of Legends’ is a great game that you can enjoy even on a casual level,” To said.
November 2013
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T he U nion
Foster World Peace Through lasting friendships One city, one person at a time
The Milpitas Sister Cities Commission invites Milpitas High School students, parents and teachers to get involved with an exciting program of cultural sharing and experiences… The City of Milpitas Sister Cities Program The opportunities are endless when you become a part of this program of innovative projects, cultural exchanges, hosting visiting students, exploring business and much more! Since 1996, the City of Milpitas has supported a long-standing and successful program of sister city relationships. The Sister Cities Commission actively encourages travel, supports “e-pals” for students, prepares cultural exchanges of people and photos, and hosts special events supporting our sister city relationships with four international cities: • Tsukuba City, Japan • City of Dagupan, Philippines • Huizhou Municipality, People’s Republic of China • Figline Valdarno, Italy You are welcome to participate! • As a student: Communicate with another student a world a way • As a parent: Send your student to a Milpitas sister city, or go as a chaperone; host visiting students in October each year; attend and support special events • As a teacher: Engage students in email “pen” pal relationships with focus on international events and cultural learning; chaperone student trips • As a business person: Profit from economic development partnerships As a member of Sister Cities International, our mission is to “promote peace through mutual respect, understanding, and cooperation – one individual, one community at a time.” As a participant with Milpitas Sister Cities Commission, opportunities abound for travel, creative learning, and problem solving through reciprocal cultural, educational and business exchanges. Contact Information Milpitas Sister Cities Commission 455 E. Calaveras Blvd. Milpitas, CA 95035 (408) 586-3352 www.ci.Milpitas.ca.gov/government/commissions/sister/asp Contact the commissions staff liaison for more information about meetings, latest developments and referral to a sister cities commissioner. Sister City Websites www.tsukubainfo.jp www.dagupan.gov.ph www.huizhou.gov.cn www.comune.figline-valdarno.fi.it
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THE UNION
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sports
november 2013
featured athlete What challenges you the most about ice skating? The biggest challenge for me is coming back from injuries since I’ve been off ice for so long, and it takes a while to get back to where I was before. What advice do you have for other ice skaters? My advice for other figure skaters is always practice and to never give up. It’s a sport that requires a lot of time and dedication. Sometimes jumps can take weeks to perfect so it can get a little frustrating but you shouldn’t let it stop you.
Nhi Tran | THE UNION
Pauline Nguyen Senior Ice-Skating
How long have you been skating? I’ve been skating for 9 years on and off. How did you get into the sport? My mom was watching “Ice Princess” and she thought it was pretty so she signed me up. How do you train for it? Training for ice skating consists of running, stretching, yoga and pilates.
Who is your favorite professional ice skater, and why? My favorite figure skater is Yu-Na Kim. She is so graceful and absolutely magnificent on ice. Her performances are phenomenal. How was your experience at competitions? Competitions are nerve wracking. There are so many great skaters out there, and when you walk in, you can tell everyone is tense and nervous. When you get on ice and the spotlight is on you, the pressure is on. It’s very scary but really fun at the same time.
Swimming pool construction by Amy bui
Construction of the new MHS swimming pool complex on Arizona Avenue is scheduled to begin in the next two months according to Director of Facilities and Modernization Joe Flatley. The Milpitas Unified School District (MUSD) finalized bids at the District Board meeting on Oct. 22, for the beginning of construction. The superintendent and the school board decided to move the pool complex from the middle of the school to Arizona Avenue last year, due to the additional benefits the new location would provide, Flatley said. Bids for the construction of the new pool and additional improvements were approved by the District at the board meeting. The alternative bids approved included the addition of another diving board, extension of parking from 16-24 spaces, and an upgrade to ornamental fencing and gates from black chain link fencing, according to
a recent pool report released by the District. “The fence will be built around the entire perimeter of the pool and will probably be around 7 feet tall,” Flatley said. “The upgrade to ornamental fencing will look nicer and will add more privacy for members of the swimming team,” Flatley continued. The additions of an electronic score board system, competitive lighting, and electronic touchpad equipment were proposed as upgrades to the swimming pool complex, according to Flatley. “We can self-install these upgrades and improvements after construction of the pool is completed to avoid paying the soft-costs,” Superintendent Cary Matsuoka said. “The cost of the entire swimming pool project and additional upgrades will be paid out of the bond program,” Matsuoka continued. Construction of the pool is estimated to be completed by June 2014.
rishika dugyala | THE UNION
Varsity Cross Country Runner Jonathan Donkers leads his competitors in a field of 133 boys at Crystal Springs, and placed 22nd individually. The Cross Country team as a whole placed 5th at the meet on Oct. 17.
Cross Country meet at Crystal Springs by Rishika dugyala
The MHS Cross-Country team had a center meet at Crystal Springs on October 17 according to Junior and Cross Country runner Mary Thi Le. Le said that some schools the team competed against were Oak Grove, King City, and Fremont High School. According to Coach Nastassia Hamor, the meet was small in attendance, but the freshman/sophomore girls took first and the freshman/ sophomore boys took second place. She also said that both varsity teams took fourth and fifth place at the Crystal Springs meet. “We had a lot of personal bests within our team and it’ll be really exciting for league because I think we have a lot of strong, not only varsity runners, but a lot of strong freshman and sophomore runners,” Hamor said. According to Coach Ronald Huynh, the team has really been working together and creating incredible bonds with the coaches. Huynh said that ev-
eryone is striving to get better. Some key athletes to watch in the future are: Freshman Andy Buchanan, Freshman Sarelis Vilalobos-Martinez, Freshman Anna Weis, Sophomore Jeremy Shaw, Junior Sierra Brenciaglia, and Senior Jessica Espinoza. According to Hamor, the coaches have been implementing a new kind of technique. “A lot of people don’t know this, but cross-country is a team sport and the top five runners place. So you want those top five runners to come in in the shortest amount of time apart from each other as possible,” Hamor said. “So we’ve been really emphasizing them running as a pack instead of them running as individuals, and that’s hard for a lot of them because running is usually seen as an individual sport.” Coach Bernie Ramos said that this year they’ve also implemented dynamic stretching, which has also increased athletic success. Ramos said that because of this new style of coaching, people with new exposure
to the sport are excelling more than people who have been doing sports for a while. This is why the frosh/ soph and JV divisions are excelling the most, according to Ramos. “For those athletes that have been doing sports for most of their lives, they’re so used to static stretching after they warm up,” Ramos said, “and that is very bad for the body in terms of performance wise. You’re not explosive. You’re not as quick. What I’ve learned through school is that static stretching actually tricks your muscle that the workout’s over.” According to Ramos, the goal this year is to build a foundation for the future, not coming in with the mindset of winning right away. Ramos said that on the first day of practice, one should talk about hard work and showing up to practices in order to compete. He also said that it’s hard for cross-country athletes because all they do is run, which is seen by most as a punishment.
School bans energy drinks by nhi tran
Energy drinks have been banned for all athletes before and during practices and games by Athletic Director Jeff Lamb. The drinks are dangerous for students, according to Lamb. The ban started at the beginning of this school year for fall sports and the drinks will be banned from now on, Lamb said. Athletes are no longer allowed to have drinks with high levels of caffeine like Monster or Rock Star, but Gatorade is still allowed, Lamb said. Other states have already banned them, Lamb said. The drinks can cause erratic heart beats by accelerating heart rates, Lamb said. “[Athletes] have died or gone to the hospital after athletic events,” Lamb said. Energy drinks are not healthy for athletes since they can cause liver and heart damage Lamb said. “If something is dangerous, I want to do something about it,” Lamb said. “I would rather be proactive then reactive,” Lamb continuued. “I want to educate people about this issue,” athletes can suffer from serious side effects after drinking energy drinks. Energy drinks have five times the amount of caffeine as a venti coffee and can contain 75 to 500 milligrams of caffeine Lamb said. “Other stimulants are in these drinks, and the FDA
does not regulate what goes in them,” Lamb said. This issue was brought to his attention at the California State Athletic Directors Association meeting, Lamb said. Executive Director of the Center for Drug-Free Communities Bill Beacham explained the health risks of drinking energy drinks while participating in sports at the meeting, Lamb said. Energy drinks have many stimulants in them, and many people do not know how harmful they can be to a person’s body, Lamb said. Athletes can overdose on caffeine if they consume energy drinks while practicing or playing a game, Lamb said. Many athletes are voicing their opinions on the energy drinks ban. Seniors Jason Lu and Patricia Sobcyzk side with the ban. “I agree with the ban, because by being in sports, you are already at risk of getting injuries,” Lu said. “If energy drinks affect our health while playing in sports, then they should be banned,” he continued. “I do agree with the ban,” Sobcyzk said. “If there have been records of health issues or sickness attributed to drinking energy drinks while doing sports then it shouldn’t be allowed for the safety of athletes,” Sobcyzk continued.
Courtesy of Erin Bui
The Mountain View Dragon Boat team competes at Treasure Island on Sept. 15th, 2013. The team placed 1st overall in Division A, a first in team history. The team placed first in all of the heats they competed in.
Dragon Boat begins new season on a high note by SHelly Hsu
Students from MHS participating in Mountain View Dragon Boat have won several races over the year. They have competed on Lake Merced, Lake Del Valle, Lake Merritt, and Treasure Island, in two different teams: Mountain View Black and Mountain View Gold. Mountain View Dragon Boat’s first race over the summer was the 10th Annual California Dragon Boat Association (CBDA) 250 meter sprint in Lake Del Valle, Livermore, California on July 14, 2013, according to Milpitas Dragon Boat Club CLOG Representative Jake Pham. In this race, Mountain View Black placed 4th in the highest division, also known as Division A, Pham said. “This was the first time that one of our teams has ever made it to Division
A finals in a sprint race,” Pham said, “This year, Mountain View Black was the only high school team in Division A, which is usually dominated by college and adult teams.” Mountain View Dragon Boat also participated in the Oakland Dragon Boat Festival in Lake Merritt, Oakland, California on Aug. 10, 2013, according to Milpitas Dragon Boat Club Co-President Pauline Cao. At Lake Merritt, Mountain View Black swept all of the high school regional races, according to Cao. “Since we won first place throughout the whole day, we were given the opportunity to race in Italy in 2014,” Cao said. “It’s a very rare and big opportunity for just a high school team.” Mountain View Dragon Boat’s last race over the summer was the San Francisco International Dragon Boat Festival at Treasure Island in San
Francisco, California, according to Milpitas Dragon Boat Club Co-President Joey Phan. At Treasure Island, Mountain View Dragon Boat achieved its very first, first place in Division A, Phan said. “For the first time, we achieved first place in A division in team history,” Phan said. “We placed first in all of our heats, and even placed first in Guys Genders, which is a race specifically for male competitors.” Mountain View Gold also participated in Lake Merced during the spring, according to Phan. Mountain View Gold placed third in C division. “The key to Dragon Boat is to stroke as one,” said Senior Christine Tran. “After we won, the feeling was indescribable. All the blood, sweat and tears we went through finally paid off,” Tran added.
November 2013
Sports
THE UNION
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Tennis courts in disarray, lacking funding by ruth park
amy nguyen | THE UNION
MHS Varsity Football lines up on defense against Saratoga on October 11. The Varsity team defeated Saratoga’s varsity team by a score of 54-14.
OPINION: Athletes deserve credits for participating on sports teams by stephen hsu
With students participating in sports activities in and outside of school, the question is whether extracurricular sports should count for Physical Education credits. MHS currently offers students competing at the state or national level to be excused from the physical education requirements. MHS graduation requirements currently include taking 20 units of physical education. MHS offers students exemptions from physical education courses for two years maximum during grades 10 through 12 if they are competing in state or national level sports outside of school, according to Director of Educational Services Mindy Bolar. This exemption excludes MHS athletes who spend hours training but do not compete at state or national level sports. “We practice on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 3:30 to 5:30 [pm]; on Wednesdays we practice from 2:30 to 5:00 [pm],” said Cross Country Runner David Nguyen. By excluding non-state or national level athletes, students are simultaneously taking physical education classes and extracurricular sports, essentially doubling up on exercises. Instead of physical education classes, students could instead take other academic courses required for MHS
graduation. “Fitness is very important to me but I believe that allowing students who spend hours after school in extracurricular sports to be exempt from physical education would allow more flexibility and easing of schedules,” MHS Wrestler Derrick Lien said. At the state level, the California Physical Education Code recommends that students be active during school and requires physical education in high school, according to California Education Code 51225.3. It also allows for exemptions but does not clearly state who exactly is exempted. “Students in grades one through six, inclusive, must be provided with physical education instruction with an emphasis upon the physical activities for the pupils that may be conducive to health and vigor of body and mind, for a total period of time of not less than 200 minutes each 10 school days, exclusive of recesses and the lunch period,” according to California Education Code Section 51210. MHS athlete practices often exceed the California Education Code requirement of 200 minutes each 10 days, according to athletes. Practices not only meet the requirements in terms of time but are also more rigorous than the Physical Education classes currently offered. Offering PE credits for extracurricular sports would result in increased benefits.
The Tennis team plays with old equipment because it does not receive enough funds according to Varsity Girls Tennis Coach Dong Pham. Outdated equipment threatens the tennis players’ performance and can cause injury Pham said. A major problem lies in the tennis courts Pham said. They have not been resurfaced for over fifteen years according to Pham. “Every other school in our league resurfaces their courts,” Pham said. “Ours is cracking and dirty and has not been resurfaced for way too long.” The cracks in the tennis court are a potential threat to the outcome of a tennis match according to JV Tennis Player Audrey Marzan. No replays are given if a ball hits a crack said Marzan. “When the ball hits a crack, it can go in different directions,” Marzan said.
“It can ruin some games.” The courts can also inflict injuries according to Varsity Tennis Player Cheryl Tain. People easily trip over the numerous cracks Tain said. “There are so many cracks that we trip and fall during matches,” Tain said. “The gutter is supposed to catch balls, but can end up twisting a player’s ankle.” Only one row of the tennis bleachers have been fixed according to Marzan. The others remain unfixed and give people splinters Marzan said. “The first bleacher was fixed because no one could sit on them,” Marzan said. “Even other teams get splinters from our bleachers.” Windscreens and nets also present a problem for the tennis players because they are ripped and affect the players’ performances according to Varsity Manager Jason Lu. Some nets are torn because of age, yet many are
ruined because students abuse them Lu said. “Windscreens should protect the ball from the wind. Ours are ripped so they don’t,” Lu said. “The nets are really bad. Skateboarders try to jump over them and ruin them.” MHS tennis players have not seen major changes in their courts according to Pham. The lack of funds also affects what equipment the school provides Pham said. “Every season, the tennis team gets a small amount of funding from the school. But it is not enough,” Pham said, “The school provides us game balls, but practice balls are donated by the players.” The game balls the tennis team receives are not in the best condition according to Tain. Players end up bringing their own balls Tain said.
MHS Football creates family atmosphere by michelle wu
The MHS football team offers a family atmosphere, according to Varsity Football Head Coach Kelly King. As a team, all of the coaches and players contribute to the game, whether MHS wins or lose, King said. Being on the football team is more than just playing football, according to King. The coaches strive to take care of the players and put them in the right direction, both in the classroom and on the field, King said. The team is very connected and the coaches and players care for one another, according to Varsity Linebacker Mone Foketi. The coaches are father figures, Foketi commented. “It’s not just about the game,” King said. “We’re there for them, but we
also expect them to do the right thing.” There are requirements the football players must meet on the field and off the field, King said. There is a weekly grade check, and the coaches check each player’s schoolloop to make sure that the player is not having problems in class, King said. “If [the players] go out of line, there are penalties,” King said. “If their GPA is below 2.0, they are not allowed to play on Friday, but they are still part of the team. They have to take care of everything, just like if they were injured.” Every Wednesday, the team has study hall, King said. Thursdays are team meal days, where the players make commitment speeches, King said.
The coaches try to offer the players opportunities beyond high school, according to King. The coaches call colleges and try to get the players scholarships, King said. “At my other school I wasn’t really getting looked at. But over here, Coach King has me getting looked at by a lot of schools for scholarships,” Offense and Varsity Defensive Lineman Christian Haangana said. Haangana previously played football at Newark Memorial High School, and transferred here because his cousin, who was previously on the team, recommended MHS for its football program, according to Haangana. The family atmosphere of the MHS football team played a part in his transfer, Haangana added.
Funding disparity in sports; students express discontent by naomi mccracken
Many athletes are dissatisfied about how much money their sports have, but the money that the sports department has is divided between the sports as fairly as is possible. The sports department covers what is necessary for each sport to function but does not have much left after for equipment and such, according to Sports Department Head Jeffrey Lamb. The way that the sports are funded is unfair because the school is biased as to how much money each sport receives, Cross-Country Runner Mary Le said. Sometimes only half of Milpitas cross-country runners can attend a meet because cross country cannot afford the buses. “We have a huge team this year and most of the time only one bus to take to meets, which means choosing who gets to go.” Cross-Country Runner Raisa Haque said. “It’s not fair because there are people that work really hard on the team but don’t even have the chance for competition.” Before the sports department can spend money on equipment for sports, the department has to pay for all the bare necessities to run every sport such as coach salaries, fees to the league or section, officials, transportation, and first aid. All of this already exceeds the amount of money that sports are given by the district,
Lamb said. “We’re going to cover your basic functional needs that you have to have,” Lamb explained. “If you want extra, that’s on you, but we’re going to cover what it costs to run that sport, so no, they don’t have a set budget.” MHS’ sports do not each get the same amount of money, but they do receive equal equipment, according to Lamb. Lamb continued to explain that the equipment for each sport costs a different amount, so the school has to spend more money on some sports because they need more money to run the sport. “So does every sport get the exact same amount of money?” Lamb said. “No, but we try to equally equip, equally fund, and equally do everything that we can for all the different sports, they just don’t all cost the same” MHS’ tennis courts are in bad condition, but the school just doesn’t have enough money to fix them, said Lamb. The school cannot afford new tennis courts with the money it has for sports after paying for everything necessary for athletes for the year. “Tennis doesn’t really get much funding.” said Tennis Player Gunjan Pasi. “Our coaches have been telling us that they’ve been trying to get new courts for the past 10, 20 years or something but our courts are absolutely horrible.”
Courtesy of San Jose Sharks Staff
San Jose Sharks Rookie Left-Wing Matthew Nieto answers questions posed by seven high school journalists after the Sharks game against the Buffalo Sabres. The Sharks lost the game 4-5 in overtime in the shootout.
Nguyen experiences reporting at Sharks game by amy nguyen
Journalism is no easy task, especially when you miss part of the event you were chosen to cover. After spending a night seeing and experiencing the life of a professional journalist, I can safely say that sports and writing prove to be quite the perfect duo. On Nov. 5 2013, I had the chance to attend the San Jose Sharks vs Buffalo Sabres game at the Shark Tank not as a fan but as a sports journalist. Arriving extremely late, I raced to the south entrance 10 minutes into the first period of the game, looking like a fish lost in a sea of black and teal. There, a journalist greeted me and led me up to the ceiling to cover the game with six other high school journalists. During our three-minute trek, he jokingly said, “You’re not afraid of heights are you?” and gave me a quick run down of what had happened to bring me up to speed. The first interview had been sched-
uled with Sports Journalist David Pollak, a noted reporter for the Mercury News and Bay Area News Group. “There is a lot of stress in the job, but there are also some fun parts,” Pollak said. He detailed every aspect of the job from beating late night deadlines, working loaded workweeks, and chasing the team around North America to exchanging deadline stress for travel, reconnecting with family and friends, and having work-free summers. After the insightful interview with Pollak came to an end, EVP and General Manager Doug Wilson gave information about his job and meaningful advice for being a successful writer. Wilson discussed the difficulties of writing with limited knowledge. “Reporters have to do your job. When you get the information after the fact, that’s a tough one. Your responsibility is to write to what you see,” he said. After great questions were asked
and wonderful answers were given, finally came the part I personally experienced: covering the game. As I walked across the ceiling, I really wanted to bring out my inner fangirl but remembered that as a journalist I had to remain calm and neutral. “It’s a long game, so you have to stay focused throughout the whole thing,” Sharks Left Wing Matthew Nieto said about the 60-minute game period. The Sharks kicked off the game when Sharks Left Wing Marty Havlat scored his first goal of the season, ending the first period 1-0 Sharks. Near the end of the third period, the Sabres went on to lead 4-3, but the Sharks pushed to tie the score, giving fans the bang for their buck as the game went into overtime and eventually to a shootout. We seven high school journalists bonded over our love for the game and writing, and the experience was definitely rewarding.
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T he U nion
November 2013
NEWS
PESTS: MOT uses traps; not yet ‘total infestation’ from the front
be any real need for concern, according to Estergard. “I heard a story about [the mice] in Geometry in fifth period about two to three weeks ago. Apparently there was a mouse there.” Estergard explained. “The mouse was probably in the printer because it was warm and it can get cold.” A couple of mice were spotted in the beginning of the school year, Chemistry Teacher Roberto Alvelais
said. The habitat of the mice near the L-building could have been disrupted by the new garden and construction, Alvelais said. “We were sitting here one morning on the first week of school and a mouse ran across the floor,” Alvelais said. “I got the custodian to come by with the glue traps. We caught a bunch; we might have wiped out a whole family.” Director of Maintenance and Operation Fernando Martinez, who has been directing the action taken in the
L-building, explained that it has not become a total infestation. By being proactive the MOT teams have kept the problem under control with combinations of spring-loaded traps and glue traps, according to Martinez. “We have been active and proactive. Because it’s not a huge problem we have not used any chemicals.” Martinez said. “It’s not a health hazard yet, because we are engaged in managing the situation. I recommend that staff help us out to resolve this issue by not allowing food in the classrooms.”
Band enjoys success in higher division Sarah Tang | THE UNION
Freshman Brooke Tran (right) talks with her partner, Freshman Sonia Tripathy, during a round of Policy debate at the MHS Tournament on Nov. 10.
Speech and Debate team emphasizes recruitment by Jamie Lam
The MHS Speech and Debate team has introduced new programs to encourage students to join, according to Speech and Debate Advisor Annie Marple. These programs have been implemented in hopes of building interest among underclassmen and middle schoolers, Marple said. Marple stated that several MHS speech and debate students have begun a program at Thomas Russell Middle School to train future MHS debaters. According to Marple, a new program was created that is specifically targeted towards freshmen partaking in the policy style of debate. “When you have seniors that graduate, you need to replenish. And it is the incoming class that usually provides most of those numbers,” Marple said. The core group Marple is currently working with consists of 16 freshmen, but others have expressed their interest for joining. The middle school students are
being trained early to see what they are into, Marple said. The students are being trained by members of the MHS Speech and Debate team and the team hopes to have them compete in some tournaments to give them experience, Marple added. According to Speech and Debate Advisor Charles Schletzbaum, the program at Russell is being led by Junior Akshat Das and Seniors Rakshit Garg, Jonathan Ngo, and Pranay Patni. The main goal of the program is to give future MHS debaters sufficient training so that they do not have to learn the basics during their freshmen year, Schletzbaum stated. Das agreed that freshmen who enter the team spend their entire first year as a transition year, since they have to learn all of the basics. “We want to make the MHS [Speech and Debate] team a better debate team, and through this program, future freshmen will be more ready to compete [in Speech and Debate competitions],” Das said.
Amy Nguyen | THE UNION
Color Guard performs during halftime at the Homecoming football game. Marching Band and Color Guard moved up to a higher division in the Northern California Band Association because of their increase in membership. by jazmin Drop
MHS Marching Band, after moving up from a lower division, has been prospering in the Northern California Band Association 4A division this fall due to an effective increase in members, Music Director Chris Kaldy said. The marching band won 3rd place in their first competition at Cupertino High School, and was less than one point away from being 1st place, Kaldy said. This year, the band and color
guard’s theme is ‘Rise of the Minions,’ based on the number of members in color guard this year, Kaldy said. The band increased to 95 marching band members and 32 color guard members, Kaldy added. Band has moved from the 3A division for band groups that have less than 100 members, to the 4A division for bands that have between 100 and 150 members, he said. “We went over 100 for the first time in several years,” Kaldy said. “I’ve capped it at 100 for the past few years
just because I didn’t want to go up a division. We had a large color guard interest this year, and that’s going to help push us over the top in the next division.” Band usually competes in five competitions during the season, which starts the second week of October and lasts until the weekend before Thanksgiving, Kaldy said. Marching band has permanently moved their practices to the softball field in order to make room for the new pool construction, Kaldy added.
Common App website glitches by Rachel Alvelais
Jazmin Drop| THE UNION
Senior David Nguyen looks over an actor in the workshop as they prepare to launch the Haunted Theater. Theater students attached latex material painted red to create flesh makeup in order to create scenes as pictured above.
Theater Workshop hosts Haunted Theater by Jazmin Drop
The fourth Haunted Theater was held Oct. 25 and 26 in the MHS theater by sixth period Theater Workshop, Theater Director Kaila Schwartz said. Profits went to the theater program and the Milpitas Food Pantry, Schwartz added. Last year, the theater had been broken into several unrelated rooms, Schwartz said. This was the first year the Haunted Theater had one overarching theme; visitors were to leave the theater as if they were being ad-
mitted to a psychiatric ward after seeing the horrors, Schwartz said. “[The rooms in the theater] were the different ways you land into an insane asylum,” Schwartz explained, “After you’ve seen all these things you get admitted.” Sixth period theater workshop began planning the second week of school, Schwartz said. They sketched the rooms and created props. The decorations, like the fake flesh, took around a month to make, Schwartz said. All props were either created from
scratch or borrowed from home, said Schwartz. The event raised $390, and 20 percent was donated to the Food Pantry, Schwartz said. 78 people attended this year and the event was very successful, Schwartz added. Although the theater workshop class last year was twice as big as the class this year, the process of planning this event went faster than usual, according to Junior Alex Driggers, a student in theater workshop. To create the flesh makeup on their skin they attached latex material to their face and painted it red, Driggers said.
Since the launch of its new website, the Common Application has received numerous reports of glitches and system failures, the Common Application said in an online statement. Many colleges have pushed back early application deadlines to accommodate students who are unable to submit forms and applications on time due to the technical difficulties, the Common Application said, but admissions decisions and regular decision deadlines are so far unaffected. Students have experienced difficulty accessing their accounts, submitting payments, and sending transcripts to the Common Application, an update on the Common Application’s support site said. Teachers and counselors writing letters of recommendation have also experienced slowness and difficulties with the site. Social Science Teacher Michael Cummins has heard his students talk about technical difficulties uploading
their applications. “It made an already stressful process extra stressful, with deadlines fast approaching,” Cummins said. “It was one more thing to be concerned about.” Many students have called the universities in search of alternative application options, Cornell said in an email to potential applicants. In response, many colleges are extending their early deadlines and offering online guides. Senior Lidia Kuo experienced a number of site failures as she filled out the Common Application. “There were a lot of formatting errors, and if you sent it in early, some colleges couldn’t even access the documents sent in,” Kuo said, “so a lot of the colleges pushed back the early deadlines a couple of days to a week.” Despite the difficulties applicants have faced, admissions officers country-wide have pledged on their websites to have admissions decisions, including those for early applicants, completed on time.
LEARNING: Construction starts June from the front
dall, Burnett, Spangler, and Weller Schools, he added. In 2015, construction will begin on school buildings, Schlaff said. Carpeting will be replaced and air conditioning, which many teachers have
reported as problematic or malfunctioning, will be fixed. During construction, students will not be able to use the library, Librarian LeighAnn McCready said. She is still planning how students will access materials during that time.