The Union - Milpitas High School - November 2018

UNION

OP: PSAT CHEATING IS FRUITLESS (2)

STUDENTS AND THEIR JOBS (5)

TIPS FOR BLACK FRIDAY (6)

NEW ASSISTANT ATHLETIC DIRECTOR (12)

T HE

NOVEMBER 2018 VOLUME XXX ISSUE II

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STUDENT VOICE OF MILPITAS HIGH SCHOOL

First MHS-hosted SAT ‘disorganized’

By Ginnie Lo Neval Mulaomerovic

Hosting the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) for the first time in October was chaotic for the MHS administration, SAT Supervisor Jonathan Mach said. Students faced issues with poor proctoring and confusion on campus, he said.

The unfamiliarity of the site opened up problems for proctors, Mach said. Some proctors performed well while others needed assistance, he added.

“Some of [the proctors] were brand new in the area,” Mach said. “For those [proctors] that need some help, we’re going to pair them up with someone that can help them for next time. It’s just that at a new site with lots of new proctors, you’re going to run into lots of problems.”

Proctors did not collect phones and students were allowed to put their phones away in their bags, Junior Vanessa Cho said. At other sites, proctors required students to shut off phones and phones were collected, she continued.

“I feel like it was kind of disorganized,” Cho said. “[The proctor] actually did not collect phones.

He just told us to turn it off.”

Several students, who chose to

remain anonymous, described how easy it was to cheat during their test. The desks were placed so close that students could look at their friend’s answer, and everyone in the room cheated when the proctor was not paying attention, the student added.

Another student took their test in the L building and stated that their room was handled poorly.

The desks were left in groups of four, allowing students to face each other and exchange answers during the test.

Proctors decided whether it was necessary to collect phones, Mach said. It is not a College Board requirement to collect phones, he said.

“Phones will be collected before the test, and returned before dismissal,” College Board’s Student Registration Booklet stated.

“Using phones and certain other electronic devices is prohibited in SAT test centers.”

Most proctors were young adults or recent high school graduates, Junior Ashley Peng said.

Proctors did not provide adequate assistance while administering the test, she added.

“The proctor didn’t really read the script so a lot of people were confused,” Peng said. “He said to just fill out the first page. This

proctor seemed kind of confused as to what he was doing.”

Many rooms began their test after the scheduled start time of 8:00 AM, Cho said. Students waited in line in front of their classrooms for 40 minutes before their proctors arrived, she continued.

“I saw proctors outside of classrooms after the time we were supposed to be in the classroom,” she said. “One kid came at 8:30 AM. [The proctor] was still reading the test procedures, and he just let him in.”

Test centers are supposed to open at 7:45 AM and rooms must close at 8:00 AM, according to the College Board website. Those who arrive after 8:00 AM will not be granted access to the testing area, the College Board site stated.

“That doesn’t mean we have to start proctoring at 8:00 AM,” Mach said. “It means that all the students that are waiting to get in need to be in before 8:00 AM. The door opening policy is anywhere from 8:00 AM to 8:30 AM.” Few complaints were received overall, Rojas said. They mostly came from students from other schools who were turned away for not bringing proper identification, Rojas said.

PE fails to achieve state requisites

By Luke Ren

A student from San Mateo Valley drowned on May 8, 2018 in the school’s swimming pool during PE, according to an article from The Mercury News. The principal responded by suspending all swimming physical education classes from being taught at San Mateo Valley’s swimming pool, the article added.

A student nearly drowned in the MHS swimming pool on Oct. 12, 2007 during PE, according to an article from the 2007 edition of The Union. After multiple attempts to bring the student out of the water, the student was successfully rescued from the bottom of the pool, the article added.

MHS, in response to the incident, does not offer aquatics as a physical education course, Principal Francis Rojas said. The administration was aware that aquatics was a requirement by the California Department of Education (CDE) and decided that it was not a priority, Rojas added.

The majority of the CDE physical education requirements were being met, which should be sufficient, Rojas said. The accreditation team, Western Association of Schools and Colleges, looked

at the curriculum last year and determined that it was fine, Rojas added.

“We also have to understand that when you look at education code, there’s actually no police.

There are random audits,” Rojas said. “The reality of it is not every school has these [required courses].”

High school physical education courses must include aquatics as an area of instruction, as well as seven other content areas, according to the CDE website. Not every requirement needs to be met in one year, but each course must be touched on in every student’s high school career, the CDE website stated.

“The course of study must include the eight required content areas and substantially meet the objectives and criteria of [the education code],” according to the CDE website.

MHS does not offer aquatics, gymnastics, or combatives, which are three of the requirements listed on the CDE website, PE Department Head Corinne Osborne said. The main reason that these courses are not offered is there are not enough PE facilities, and there is a safety concern when

teaching swimming, Osborne added.

“It’s really the lack of facilities that’s holding us back,” Osborne said. “The class size is [also] a big problem because the students outnumber us 45 to one.”

Although the pool is not built for teaching swimming in a PE class, the safety concern is not the main issue when introducing aquatics, Rojas said. The more important concern is the lack of experienced teachers, Rojas said.

“PE class sizes normally sit around 45 statewide, that’s how we build them,” Rojas said. “I think the biggest restriction is the experience of the staff. If I have a group of PE teachers that doesn’t have experience in aquatics, I wouldn’t particularly want them to teach aquatics.”

The CDE mandates that schools offer aquatics even in the absence of a pool, according to the CDE website. Teachers must also be certified with adequate qualification in order to teach aquatics, the CDE website added.

“If the school site does not have a pool or access to a pool, aquatics can still be taught,” according SEE PE ON PAGE 16

KIRK TRAN THE UNION

A student drinks water from a school drinking fountain, but an important question remains: is that water below state-mandated lead thresholds?

MUSD water tested for lead

By Kirk Tran

Does MUSD provide safe, leadfree fountain water? The truth is that nobody knows yet. MUSD has yet to provide water testing results according to the government owned website waterboards.ca.gov.

MUSD is currently awaiting results on lead results from water samples taken through March and July, MUSD Director of Maintenance, Operations, and Transportation Brian Shreve said. The samples have been submitted to the City of Milpitas for testing and MUSD will better understand whether action is necessary based on those tests, with the purpose of MUSD to sample all its drinking fountains, Shreve also said. “[The water tests] have been taken throughout, probably, I want to say, through March to July.” Shreve said. “We’re testing our drinking fountains throughout the district. The intent is for us to sample every drinking foun-

tain.”

The results of the water tests have yet to be uploaded because of the volume of other California schools attempting to test their water as well, Shreve said. Those results will be released in earlyto-mid November, Shreve said on Oct. 4.

“It takes time. We’re one of many school districts, so the sampling lab, the testing labs, are taking longer with results to get back, than it would normally be because of the thousands that are getting done, but we’re in line to get the final results.” Shreve said. “We’re as hopeful as anybody else. We would hope in the next month to six weeks, [that the sample results will come back] but that’s not guaranteed. But we should, hopefully around that time frame.”

Schools constructed without water systems built after Jan. 1, 2010 must test their drinking water for lead by Jan. 1, 2019, according to California Assembly Bill 746.

Eye on Campus:

Clubs at Trunk-or-Treat

JONATHAN TRAN THE UNION

From left to right, NHS officers Mansi Agrawal, Aavani Tamhankar, Britney Weng, and Aditi Hariharan volunteer to give out candy on Halloween.

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THE UNION

ASB ‘Humans of Milpitas’ ineffective; students’ humanity not emphasized “Humans of New York,” started dent. The result is recognition that in 2010, has been a fresh take on is impersonal and uninteresting, the “man on the street” interview, and an antithesis to how “Humans combining photographic portraits of New York” works. of ordinary persons with accounts Instead of subjects communiof their experiences. Reaching becating what is important to them, yond New York into countries such the posters only highlight their as Vietnam and Jerusalem, the achievements in extracurriculars ongoing project is an interesting, and in the community, perpetuatinclusive look into the life of the ing the idea that one must be a high common man, and it is a work that achieving student and paragon of I would definitely recommend takvirtue to be a “Human of Milpitas.” ing a look at online.

This is a sentiment that I believe is The Associated Student Body off-base from the ideals of MHS. (ASB) has decided to pay homage The final nail in the coffin, or to the project with their “Humans rather the first, is that the reporters of Milpitas High,” which has been of The Union have been conductgoing on since at least November of ing our own “Humans of Milpitas last year.

High” since at least 2014.

It is disappointing, In contrast to ASB and then, to see that ASB had keeping with the original apparently ignored the “Humans of New York,” premise of a “Humans we have been taking porof” project. Getting to trait photos of students know students and their and interviewing them personal ideas through as to their own experiinterview is discarded ences and views, creating in favor of highlighting a much more personal their achievements in glimpse at the students of the community, a niche MHS. ERIC that is filled to the brim In any case, ASB has DE GUZMAN in countless other ways co-opted the name of The at this school, Senior Union’s project as well as Awards Night and the Student of that of “Humans of New York,” the Month award among them. paying little respect to both; the Previous subjects of ASB’s “Hunew “Humans of Milpitas High” is mans of Milpitas High” were reca problem that ASB must resolve. ognized for their service in comMy recommended solution is munity service clubs and for their twofold. First, ASB should name virtues, such as selflessness and their achievement program somecooperation. And while I believe thing more fitting and less contrary these persons certainly deserve all to its purposes. Second, “Humans the praise they get, they should reof Milpitas High” should be left to ceive it in the proper format, such be conducted by students of The as through the aforementioned Union.

Student of the Month.

Visit the official “Humans of MilInstead of conducting an interpitas High” web page on Facebook view and taking a portrait photo and get to know the students of akin to a “Humans of New York” MHS, through their own voice and piece, ASB uses a previous picture their own experiences: of the student and a blurb that https://www.facebook.com/Husomeone else wrote about the stumansOfMilpitasHigh/

Naviance a hassle but worthwhile College application season is Naviance is “Roadtrip Nation.” here and in full swing for many It starts with yet another assessseniors at MHS. For freshmen, ment, though a short one, about sophomores, and juniors, there’s your interests. The end result is an an ample amount of time to brainarchive of profiles of people who storm post-high school plans. The are successful in the careers relatMHS administration has provided to your interests. Each profile ed students with a new college contains a biography and videos and career readiness tool called that give a quick insight into each Naviance to assist students in their person’s personal background and future plans. However, is this tool career. There is a wide collection as helpful as it is advertised to be? of profiles in careers ranging from Upon the first log-in, Actor/Comedian Craig the website appears very Robinson to Governor of barren because students Hawaii David Ige. I permust spend time personsonally think that this alizing their Naviance is a unique and valuable account through various feature since you can insightful assessments. preview different careers There seems to be a and how others reached never ending amount those careers. of assessments across All the features menthe website, and most tioned so far are fairly assessments take about helpful to students who MAIRA seven to ten minutes. are unsure of their postRAMOS This may be a good thing high school plans, but for those with free time, what about those who albut inconvenient for those who are ready have it all planned out? The busy with schoolwork, community “National Scholarship Search” service, and other activities. provides a specific list of scholarWhen Naviance was first introships that a student qualifies for duced, the “College SuperMatch” based on their test scores, interfeature was suggested for students est, career goals, and personal into try out. This feature allows stuformation. The scholarships may dents to narrow down their college range from $500 to $50,000 and choices based on their preferences have different requirements and in different criteria such as locadeadlines. This feature is definitetion, academics, admission rates, ly useful to students of all kinds of athletics, and several others. It’s financial situations. basically a replica of the “College The usefulness of Naviance deSearch” feature on the College pends on each student and how Board’s Big Future website. The far along they are in their postonly difference is that Naviance high school plans. It should also has a record of your GPA, SAT, and be taken into consideration that it ACT scores, which is used to comis still a new program that MHS is pare to each college’s average GPA, adjusting to. But overall, I would SAT, and ACT scores. It’s not much say that once you take some extra of a difference, but it is convenient time to personalize your account, information when guessing your Naviance could be a useful tool for chances of being admitted. navigating your future plans.

An interesting feature of

OPINIONS

NOVEMBER 2018

Senior Opens advantageous but badly abused To Senior Open, or to not Senior Open, that is the question. Balancing whether or not colleges would approve of one taking a slot out of their academic schedule and getting extra sleep is a difficult task for many seniors that have already completed the majority of their credits. Although I am biased in saying this (I am currently taking a Senior Open), I say they are completely fine and dandy.

Before I jump straight into the benefits, let me go over why you might veer away from taking a Senior Open. Do colleges see you denying to take an extra academic course to sleep in as a bad thing?

Yes, of course.

Colleges want to see rigor, perseverance, and curiosity in their students. Some students would rather scroll through Buzzfeed articles and watch Fortnite streamers than do academic work, and colleges will note that during their selection process.

Many students pick a Senior Open because they do not want to be overwhelmed by school work senior year, and colleges note that too. What some may consider “taking a break” could come off as “I’m not prepared for my freshman year of college.”

Skipping a period of class also myself through the same academic shows that students are not cu- grind, if not more, as having a regurious. Not taking the extra class lar six periods schedule. means that they don’t want to learn The more important thing to note an extra subject. Without curiosity, is that in taking a Senior Open, I why are you even learnmay focus and further ing in the first place? my knowledge on a perI’m not advocating that sonal passion. I made the Senior Opens are what decision that pursuing is at fault. The mistake this field of interest was is not in taking the Semore important than nior Open itself; it is in taking an extraneous not using the extra time course in another subproperly. If that time is ject. In doing so, I build a spent wisely, it may even stronger portfolio by embe beneficial to one’s colphasizing strength and lege application. curiosity in the field that LUKE Why are Senior Opens I am applying for.

REN good for students? The Senior Opens do not extra time given to stunecessarily have to be for dents enables them to pursue com- this purpose. Taking on a part time munity college courses in subjects job and spending more time in the not offered at school, apply for a workforce shows commitment to job to help their family financially, supporting family and readiness spend extra time on extracurricu- for real-world situations. Spending lar activities, and much more. extra time on specific or multiple These are all valid activities that extracurriculars exemplifies dedI believe justify taking a Senior ication towards one’s community Open. Using myself as an example, and personal goals.

I am able to utilize my Senior Open Senior Opens are only bad if you to spend extra time focusing on the use them to slack off. If used corhigher level mathematics course rectly, they can expand and subthat I am taking outside of high stantiate one’s portfolio. The most school. This cannot be considered important lesson is that you use a “break” because I am still putting your four measly years wisely.

To inform MHS, nutrition facts should be required Most restaurants, fast food plac- could be improved by having them es, and packaged foods provide posted in the cafeteria. For exameasily accessible nutrition informa- ple, if a certain food option on the tion, so why should it be any differ- menu contains nuts, a sign could be ent at our school? posted in that particular In case you aren’t sure line. what I’m talking about, While the information nutrition information is not posted this way at is the little chart on the MHS, there are ways to back of almost all store access it online on the bought food that lists the nutrition department’s ingredients, carbohywebsite. However, few drates, and calories that people know about this are in every serving. All website and how to find restaurants and fast food the information they chains in California are need.

MELISSA required by the Food and If students eat both NUNES Drug Administration breakfast and lunch at (FDA) to provide this nuschool, they meet about trition information on their drive fifty percent of their daily recthrough menus or on an additional ommended dietary needs. There hand out. are many options offered for both Nutrition information is provid- breakfast and lunch; however, few ed mainly for people with allergies students know the ingredients or and other illnesses, such as diabe- amount of calories and carbs. tes, that may require them to know According to Director of Student the calorie or carb intake of their Nutrition Services Sandy Huynh, food. Normally this information steps are being taken to try to make is easy to access, however, at our it so parents and students are more school it is not so simple. Princi- aware of where to find this inforpal Francis Rojas, agreed that the mation. The nutrition website is availability of these nutrition facts nutrition.musd.org, with allergen

reports and other information located under the menu tab. The meals are designed to have five different components that some people may remember having on the elementary school lunch menus: whole grain, lean protein, fresh fruit and vegetables, and dairy. The nutrition department is trying to make the website easily accessible and easy to use; however it would be pointless if people did not know about it.

I believe this information is vital, as it could greatly affect someone’s life. Without the proper nutrition information, students can not make the correct nutrition decisions, such as, what to eat, when to eat it, and how healthy their food is.

According to Rojas, students with diabetes already have special arrangements made to suit there needs. However, students with severe allergies could potentially consume something to trigger an allergic reaction without knowing the substance they are allergic to was in their food. Making this information more easily accessible could avoid a life endangering situation.

Cheating on PSAT offers no tangible benefit People cheat. News flash, right? choose candidates for National Every year, gossip circulates about Merit Scholarship. To cheat on this duplicity on the PSAT/NMSQT and test is to disregard the first and SAT. What usually plays out is in the more important reason. This form days following the test, a handful of of SAT prep is given, free of charge, students gossip about accounts of and optional. Don’t want it, don’t cheaters: minor offenses (trading take it, don’t lose anything. Want tests and calculators, leaking or it, take it, gain experience. taking advantage of answer keys) Most students turn to cheating or more heinous offenses because of a fixation on such as paying other stugrades and test scores, dents to take the exam in a deep-rooted facet of their stead. modern public educaThe extent to which tion. It is difficult to see cheaters will go in order the bigger picture when to secure a stunning test the expectation from score is absurd. Last year parents and society is was no exception. Afto exceed expectations. ter the Fall 2017 PSAT/ However, a student’s priNMSQT, a mixture of mary occupation should truth and gossip affected be studying. High marks NATHAN MHS. That there were should be the byproduct, THAI incidents at all is mysnot the be-all and endtifying. Cheating on the all.

PSAT is a waste of time and effort.

A majority of students do not It is misplaced endeavor for an have to work full-time jobs. As a ungraded test, and high costs out- result, there really is no excuse weigh nebulous benefits. not to make time, study, and legitiThe P in PSAT actually stands mately perform well, because most for “preliminary,” but many stu- people have the time—they simply dents consider it a “practice” SAT. fail to use it efficiently. Time that Note—practice, not “perfect.” Its goes into socializing, hobbies, or purpose is binary: to let students entertainment can be reallocated assess their SAT readiness and to to study time.

Some students will have to pour a disproportionate amount of their time into studying, but life was never a balanced game. Conquering these benchmark tests is not always easy, but it will never be true that one absolutely must cheat in order to succeed.

The aforementioned risks of cheating on the PSAT are plenty, and I can’t see how the rewards are remotely worth breaking the rules.

While one cannot get into legal trouble by cheating on the PSAT, the company which handles the test, College Board, also handles the SAT. Getting caught will result in score cancellation and, potentially, your name on the blacklist.

You won’t be able to take the actual SAT if College Board decrees it so, and then you’ll wish you had just studied.

I suppose many students cheat because the PSAT/NMSQT offers scholarships for college. Yes, one could earn $2500 toward tuition.

But remember, only 50,000 of 1,600,000 test-takers will qualify— only 7,500 actually receive scholarships. No matter how you slice it, cheating on the PSAT/NMSQT is cheating for a lottery ticket.

NOVEMBER 2018

EDITOR I A L : The Opinion of The Union

MHS fails to address environmental problems; students and administration can make an impact We’ve all seen it: trash cans overflowing with half-eaten school lunches, cheeseburgers disposed of in bathroom sinks, seagulls flocking to haphazardly discarded food like vultures to carrion. Those trash cans filled with school lunches are also filled with otherwise easily recyclable cardboard lunch trays, and plastic water bottles never seem to end up anywhere but the trash, a ticket straight to the landfill.

It’s no secret that we’re in the midst of an environmental crisis created by our own hands, and the prodigious amount of waste we create does naught but exacerbate the problem.

All the waste--the food and the plastic--eventually ends up in a landfill and decomposes into methane gas, a greenhouse gas. That methane hits the atmosphere like a dump truck, contributing 30 times more to global warming than carbon dioxide.

It’s not as if we don’t feel the effects of our carelessness.

We’ve all felt it. Every year we set a white-hot new temperature record in California. Of course, we see it even when we don’t feel it: the appalling amount of waste strewn about the campus is repugnant in and of itself, as are the creative methods students find to dispose of their food--it’s thrown in the sinks, the water fountain, and on the ground,

all places waste has no right no be.

The current environmental crisis is a crisis best addressed not just on high from Washington D.C. or Sacramento but also from a local level: we, as citizens of Milpitas and students of MHS, should be making a concerted effort to combat it.

The primary issue is that we aren’t making that concerted effort. There are precious few recycling bins for our paper and plastic distributed throughout the campus, and there are even fewer compost bins for our unwanted food-that is, we have no compost bins.

Schools are not merely and purely instruments of instruction--they’re socializing forces, too. One would expect the MHS administration to at least attempt to instill a sense of environmental conscientiousness or green duty. Little action has been taken.

Other than bands of volunteers, like the club Environmental Society, few seem to act in the environment’s behalf.

Despite valiant efforts, those volunteers can not change MHS’ apathy alone; we, as a community, must band together to address the environmental crisis.

How should we address the issue? For a start, the MHS administration should erect

several compost and recycling bins about the campus. Students are only human and like most humans are opportunistic in their goodwill: many might not actively seek to better their surroundings, but if presented with the opportunity, might.

What would be the benefit of those compost and recycling bins? A compost bin would produce mostly carbon dioxide, rather than methane--a greenhouse gas still, to be clear, but certainly a much less potent greenhouse gas, with a thirtieth of the effect of methane. That compost could be used to jumpstart MHS’ currently defunct gardening program, or even just donated to others. Plastic that would otherwise contribute to landfill size and oceanic pollution could instead be recycled and reused, replacing the production of extra plastic. Perhaps the administration could eventually even cut the middle man out by purchasing fewer products.

Considering the benefits of simply erecting recycling and compost bins and the utter lack of downsides, it is eminently reasonable that the administration supply them. We hope that these options will be considered in order to improve the fair school and city we live in.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor, “Men need to shut up and stand up,” says Senator Mazie Hirono commenting on the Kavanaugh hearing. This is increasingly becoming the motto of the #MeToo movement, making its way into the angry tweets of amateur Twitter politicians to the mouths of our elected representatives. It doesn’t take more than a quick Google search to find headlines like “It’s #MeToo, not #MenToo.” I find it rather cute how leftists proclaim to be “progressives” that pride themselves on breaking away from the oppressive trends of the past and have the nerve to criticize double standards. They see themselves as the enlightened among sheep, claiming to recognize the “muh rise of fascism,” in the Trump administration yet dare carry in the mindset of “guilty until proven innocent” into the Kavanaugh hearing, eerily reminiscent of trials under the same Nazi regime that they have the audacity to criticize. Alas, this hypocrisy is not surprising and is actually a defining characteristic of the contemporary progressive Left.

We read dystopian novels in English and about the injustices of history, criticizing how the flaws of our human nature have and could lead to human suffering, yet we consciously commit doublethink and we force people to wear a scarlet A, standing for “accused, but not proved.” The recent MeToo trials have actually been comparable to the Salem Witch Trials, where a manipulative few used the witch hysteria of the New England colony to their advantage, suspiciously convicting those of high social status with absolutely no evidence.

Yet, the people ate it all up with no hesitation, not considering the possibility that those convicted under the “he said, she said” evidence might actually be innocent. It was injustices like these that influenced the creation of our modern justice system that is gradually regressing thanks to the “progressive” Left.

Actually, I might be giving the Left more credit than they deserve.

In an interview on Ellen, Chelsea Handler (yeah, I don’t know who that is either) passionately ranted about the Kavanaugh hearing, saying “First I saw testify and I was like ‘Oh well that’s it. It’s over.’ And then he testified, and I’m like why is he testifying? This is a single account of what happened to this woman.”

Right, because it’s not like this “single account” only involved her. But in the era of MeToo, the other side doesn’t matter. Like the leftists say, “men need to shut up.”

Honestly, if I was forced to choose between being falsely accused of being a witch during the Salem Witch Trials or falsely accused of sexual assault in a dystopian world where leftists got everything they want, I’d pick the former; at least I’d have the opportunity to defend my dignity and my life in a court. The Left is now saying that you don’t even have a right to defend yourself in a trial if you’re accused with no evidence whatsoever. The fabric of our country was founded based on breaking away from such principles; the idea of “innocent until proven guilty” was considered liberal during its epoch and now conservatives seek to “conserve” this principle and many others that our country was based on.

She then followed with a rant about how there are a bunch of

CORRECTION

THE UNION

EDITORIAL

“older white turtles and men 85+ telling women that they don’t have a voice.” Leftists have the nerve to call conservatives “muh conspiracy theorists,”—and to some extent, there are a radical few (*cough* *cough* Alex Jones) that happen to affiliate themselves with the Right—yet they believe there is a small group of white men intentionally suppressing women. I’m honestly not surprised, as this is coming from the same people that believe that Taylor Swift is spreading white supremacist propaganda in her songs and that the U.S government is controlled by a small group of Russian oligarchs.

The left doesn’t hesitate to generalize the Right as the ideology of “bigots, racists and sexists” and to criticize society as a whole with the same words because of small, isolated incidents. But, when Antifa members outright assault conservatives or when BLM casually riots and destroys private property, the Left looks in the opposite direction, dismissing the incidents as “not representative” their base. The Left constantly condones, and dare I say supports, violent protests calling for due process in trials involving police shootings and corrupt cronies yet they conveniently skip the whole process when it comes to rape accusations. Skipping due process is characteristic of the totalitarian regimes of the Nazis, Soviets, and the current North Korean state, and it is a characteristic the the Left displays time and time again...

Kevin BaoEaster Egg Union Class of 2020

Union Easter Egg

Edited for length. See the whole letter at mhstheunion.com.

In the previous issue of The Union, it was incorrectly stated that plus and minus signs were removed from transcripts. While transcripts will continue to have plus and minus signs, the weighting that differentiated a minus sign from a plus sign is gone. Thus, both an A- and A are both weighted as 4.0. We apologize for any inconveniece this error may have caused.

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FEATURES

NOVEMBER 2018

Student writes psychological crime novel

By Alana Penn

LOAN-ANH PHAM | THE UNION

Members of LGBTQ+ awareness club True Colors participate in National Coming Out Day, stamping their handprints on a celebratory poster.

Let your True Colors shine

By Maansi Maskai

MHS hosts a wide array of unique clubs and organizations that cater to the diversity on campus. Recently, True Colors was chartered at MHS. True Colors aims to promote awareness and foster an acceptance of all sexualities and genders through annual shows and community service. Meetings are on Mondays in Room E04.

“We wanted to make this an inclusive club as much as possible, so we welcome anyone who is within the LGBTQ community and allies,” Secretary Xander Rico said. “We just wanted True Colors to be a space where people were able to show their true colors and their individuality.”

“I saw the need for an inclusive, accepting space with many of my students,” Club Advisor Brett Webber said. “They needed a safe space in a place that reaffirmed and recognized their value,” he added.

On National Coming Out Day, True Colors and ASB collaborated to present activities that promoted acceptance. True Colors distributed stickers to members of the MHS community, which allowed them to identify themselves with words such as “supporter,” “bisexual,” “gay,” and so

forth.

“The major activity was to bring awareness of how difficult it is for many people to come out as gay, lesbian, trans, whatever they choose, whatever it is that they are,” Webber said. “It is a difficult process ... and so to suddenly be identified, not only is it an internal process, but it’s also visible. The stickers are a visible sign.”

The stickers were not only for the LGBTQ community, Webber said. They were also for straight people that want to show that they were supporters , he added.

“I think we probably distributed almost 2,000 stickers,” Webber said. “That’s a tremendous success. We had teachers participate who helped us distribute; we had our members walking around with stickers.”

Sometime in the remaining school year, True Color plans to host a movie night at MHS, Rico said. They are also securing t-shirts for club members and others that may want one, he added.

“True Colors is a space for everyone and we don’t only want to educate people about the LGBT community,” Rico stated.

“We want to learn about everyone’s truth. Everyone is welcome to show their true colors.”

Fictional stories are portals to faraway worlds, transporting readers to lands filled with action, thrills, drama, and more.

Many aspiring novelists dream of writing and publishing novels in hopes that they can share their art with the world.

However, it must be noted that writing novels is a difficult task.

Few young writers understand the struggles of being a novelist like Senior Michelle Omari.

Her current work in progress, “‘Society’s Trial,’ is a psychological crime thriller,” Omari said.

“I’ve been writing for a while, and mostly what I write is just a bunch of short stories,” Omari said. “So I wanted to start on an actual novel.”

“Society’s Trial” has been in the making for three years now, according to Omari. Looking up to authors such as Stephen King, she enjoys reading psychological thriller, horror, crime, and mys-

tery stories, Omari said. “[The novel is] about 16-yearold Jace Woods, who loses his sanity due to an accident which damaged certain areas of his brain,” Omari said. “He ends up becoming a serial killer known as Jace the Slicer and meets another killer named Keith Rockwell, sparking a friendship between them. Team Foxtrot, a group of four detectives led by Detective Blaise Riley, tries to solve the case.”

Omari is aware of the struggles writers face, such as not having the motivation to revise and edit her work, Omari said. Writing itself is fun, but revising and editing takes a long time, according to Omari. On top of this, she is a busy high school student, balancing her responsibilities at school while also dedicating time to work on her novel.

“I usually try to make time so at any chance I get, I’ll write,” Omari said. “I’ll write a few minutes before bed, and I’ll write as soon

as I wake up.”

Finding a publisher is a big issue for many writers. Omari has reached out to publishing agencies in hopes of finding the right one, Omari said. However, it has not been an easy task, according to Omari.

“I just found a list of publishers that accept my genre, and I emailed them,” Omari said. “And then, yeah, I got a lot of rejections.”

Omari’s long term goal is to get “Society’s Trial” published before she can try to work on more novels, Omari said. The novel will be completely polished and finished in a few months, according to Omari.

Regardless of the obstacles Omari has faced, she has learned a lot about the process of writing a novel and has grown tremendously as a writer. She has learned to deal with setbacks and improve from them in order to bring her story to life. Be sure to look out for “Society’s Trial” in the future.

Applying for financial aid made simple

By Whitney Tran Chris Ha

Are you a senior who is currently applying to colleges and worrying about how you’re going to pay for tuition after you get accepted?

Thankfully, the government has created FAFSA for students who are in need of financial aid.

Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly known as FAFSA, is the application students fill out in order to determine their financial aid eligibilities. Most U.S. citizen students are eligible for financial aid, and can start applying now on their website at fafsa.gov.

The process for applying for FAFSA is simple. If you don’t already have a FAFSA account, sign

up as soon as possible because it could take a couple days for your account to be verified. Once you receive an email confirmation saying your account has been verified, have your parents or guardians start the application with you. FAFSA asks a lot of personal questions that may need an adult to help answer. Before you start, make sure you are applying for the right year, which in this case is for 2019-2020.

The application could take a while depending on how much information you want to provide. We recommend providing as much information as you can to make your application more eligible for financial aid, but keep in mind that inaccurate information can make your application

invalid.

For the financial section, we recommend linking your parents’ IRS information rather than plugging in their tax information manually to save time. Also, make sure you are filling out the right information for the right person because FAFSA tends to ask information from both the student and the adult. Luckily, you are also able to revise your application before the due date if you catch a mistake on your application.

If you have not started applying for financial aid yet, we recommend starting now. Although it is not due until June 30, 2019, a solid start on it will leave you with less stress and more time to focus on your college applications.

AP GoPo conducts experiment, promotes financial mindfulness

By Paul Chon

America is a terrible example for personal finance, having over $21 trillion dollars in national debt, making it the country with the most debt. Japan is in second with $12 trillion dollars in national debt, which is still a $9 trillion dollars difference in national debt between America and Japan.

So, how can anyone learn how to use money wisely in a country with so much debt?

For students in Teacher Michael Cummins’s AP Government class, they learn about personal finance through a groundbreaking 10% theory.

This 10% theory is that people can live off of only 90% of their money and still be satisfied, Cummins said. People will then be able to not worry about money later in life, Cummins added.

“So, the first step in this is to put 10% of all your money somewhere [and] the rest of the 90% you can do whatever as long as that 10% gets saved,” Cummins said. “The theory behind this is [that] no one’s life is made worse by living at a 90% level. If people in the whole country would live by this, they would be saving so much more.”

Cummins encouraged his class

to live off of 90% of their money for a month. After a month, Cummins gave his students the choice to put money in a fund, he said.

“So, [students] hand over an amount of money, and 30 days later they can get it back. I think 85% of the class handed over at least a dollar,” Cummins said. “[After 30 days], I show [them] data that tells over the lifetime of the stock market what usually happens such as [the stock market] increasing over 8% per year, and the chances that the stock market could go down. Then, they fill out deposits slips and everything. It looks relatively official,” he explained.

Now, these students don’t have to worry about money later in life because Cummins’s theory taught them personal finance, and the importance of saving.

However, this stock project is just a little solution to a huge problem in America, Cummins said. “[My students] could save money for 10 years and never have to think about [money] again,” Cummins said. Later he said, “I wish we had a stronger educational personal finance in any part of America, and I’m doing my small part here with real money that these kids really got.”

RYANNA LUI | THE UNION

The Milpitas Misfits meet every Tuesday to practice hip-hop choreographies made by its members. The turnout of attendees filled the L-circle on MHS campus, allowing them to thrive as an unchartered club.

Unchartered CLOGs have benefits and downsides

By Ryanna Lui

MHS offers a wide variety of CLOGs, the campus term for clubs and organizations, to its diverse student body. Those who do not register are called unchartered CLOGs. Some currently unchartered CLOGs include the Milpitas Misfits, Science Olympiad, and the Pilipino United Student Organization, or PUSO. Although the Milpitas Misfits, a hip-hop club, has previously chartered, the benefits granted by the school did not outweigh the heavy paperwork that preceded it, Milpitas Misfits Co-President Emily Yap said. The paperwork for funds was a huge hassle, Yap continued.

“Work for chartering is kind of excessive because we have to do a lot of documents and [write] a

Constitution,” Yap said. “There’s a lot of writing. We always have to ask to do certain things. We can just do them on our own if we are unchartered.”

Officer training is another obstacle of the chartering process, Science Olympiad Captain Lisa Yan said. This holds especially true for seasoned cabinet members, Yan said. “[Officer training] is a lot of the same information we get every year, and for returning officers, it’s mostly very boring,” Yan said.

“Chartering information could be sent out more reliably.”

The PUSO cabinet members encountered a different predicament - they turned in their paperwork for rechartering, but found out they were unchartered a few weeks into the school year, PUSO Treasurer Paul Soriano said.

They were not warned about their new status, even though they had been chartered the previous year, Soriano continued.

“We turned in our paperwork for recharting last May, and [ASB] never got back to us or emailed us,” Soriano stated. “Congress came, the first one, and we weren’t chartered. I’m assuming that they lost our papers.”

This was a major setback for PUSO, which had big plans for fundraising during first semester, Soriano said.

“The biggest thing is that we can’t hold meetings because we want to start developing our bond with our members” Soriano said.

“I’m upset, personally. This club was restarted three years ago, so we didn’t have as much funds as we did back when it was running.”

NOVEMBER 2018

THE UNION

FEATURES

5

Seniors join the work force

By Charlene Yang

COURTESY OF ALEXANDRA NGUYEN

Math Teacher Alexandra Nguyen and her family pose with Family Feud host Steve Harvey. The Nguyen family competed on four episodes of Family Feud and won three games, earning around $40,600, minus taxes.

Family Feud ends in a Nguyen-win situation

By Loan-Anh Pham

WELCOME TO FAMILY FEUD! I’m your man Steve Harvey. We’ve got a good one for you today: from Silicon Valley, it’s the Nguyen family!

Top 10 questions on the board.

We asked Math Teacher Alexandra Nguyen: Q: When was your Family Feud recording and how many episodes were you on?

A: May at Universal Studios, 4 [episodes].

Q: Who did you attend with?

A: I went with my dad (Tim Nguyen) and three of my cousins (Josh Du, Andy Ho, and Lydia Nguyen).

Q: What inspired your family to go on the show?

A: [My dad] watches it every night at 7pm for the past couple of years, and he just loves it. He laughs, he screams out the an-

swers... we saw a commercial that said they were coming to the Bay Area for auditions so we thought, ‘Why not? Let’s just try it.’

Q: Were there many cues or rules you had to remember?

A: “At the buzzer, it was very strict. We had to have one hand behind our back and then our other hand flat.”

Q: What was Steve Harvey like?

A: We actually only interacted with Steve Harvey on camera.

He’s really funny, quick on his feet with comebacks, and definitely works really hard!

Q: What were some memorable responses that were given?

A: That would be my dad’s answer in the 4th episode. The question was, ‘We surveyed 100 married men. I wished my wife’s bottom looked like who’s?’ and my dad answered, ‘MYSELF.’ Q: What was the most sus-

penseful moment ?

A: Probably the sudden death rounds. Josh was amazing!

Q: What was your favorite part of the show?

A: I would say just spending time with family. It’s a very unique experience. We definitely had fun!

Q: Here’s the big question: how much did you win in total?

Any plans for the money?

A: We won all three games, and we won Fast Money twice, around $40,600 but minus taxes. I’m planning on doing the following: pay off some bills, tithe, invest, and put it into my small business. I have a calligraphy and stationery design business that I am slowly trying to start up.

Q: Any plans to try Jeopardy or another game show?

A: No, I don’t have any other plans to try another game show.

We’re sticking with Family Feud!

Let’s say you’re looking for a job. You don’t need me to tell you that most kids nowadays probably have a job in retail or at a fastfood place.

Those jobs are the most common thing I’ve heard of, and going off that, they’re probably the most common jobs amongst the MHS students. However, there are a few students on campus that have jobs unlike that of the norm.

Take, for instance, Seniors Charles Young and Mealaud Mokhtarzad who work as math instructors at Mathnasium. The two teach students from grades two to twelve in any topics that the tutees are currently working on in school, Mokhtarzad said.

“One of my friends went to college, and then he worked there before, and then he recommended me,” Mokhtarzad said.

Mokhtarzad has been working for about a month now, one week more than Young, Mokhtarzad added.

While Young and Mokhtarzad have the same job, they have their own reasons for liking the work they do. “I feel like the best part of it is the multitasking,” Young said.

As for Mokhtarzad, having his tutees understanding the material he explained to them is the best part of his job, he said. “It’s just incredibly satisfying because then you see, like, their eyes light up,” Mokhtarzad said.

Suppose you don’t want to teach math. Senior Leon Huynh has been teaching kids as a swim instructor at Star Aquatics, working for about a year and a half and

currently taking a break until this December, Huynh said.

Huynh said that his favorite part of his job is seeing the kids he’s teaching enjoy their time with him.

“When little kids actually start to swim, it’s actually pretty fun to see because they’re really happy,” Huynh said.

Of course, there are always parts that people don’t like about their jobs, and for Huynh, it’s when the children he’s teaching are not behaving.

Maybe teaching isn’t your forte.

Senior Jonathan Van worked as a construction worker at a corporate construction company before being promoted to an office position as a blueprint estimator, Van said. However, Van quit his job at the company, and currently works for the City of Milpitas, he added.

In his job, Van receives blueprints from architects and estimates prices for building projects, Van said.

Van also talked about his enjoyment of the view from the top of the scaffolding on buildings at work.

“One time, I was at a jobsite in Saratoga Hills, and then the site was this big mansion,” Van said.

“The house was already at the top of the hill. I could see everything.

The whole Bay Area is really nice,” he added.

“I learned how to work hard and have a good work ethic. It taught me a sense of responsibility and made me have some pride in the work I did because it’s not easy work,” Van added.

So why not head out there and search for an uncommon job?

MHS welcomes Naviance this year as a college tool

BY Ashley Chen

Naviance is a college and career planning tool that assesses students’ interests and strengths with potential careers and helps students make informed decisions about choosing careers, according to Principal Francis Rojas. Naviance was introduced this school year after being in discussion in MUSD for about two years, Rojas said. “[We want] to make sure that we prepare you with the skills to survive and succeed in college,” Rojas said. “We get a lot of that information and it helps us understand how we should create our

educational program here, not only at the high school, but also the district.”

The school held Naviance College Night on Oct. 10 to answer questions about Naviance, Naviance Coordinator Jonathan Mach said. They wanted to show students and parents statistics about why there is a failure in people to apply to schools they should be applying to, Mach said.

If Naviance had been introduced earlier, he would have used it, Senior Anthony Ngo said. He is not particularly interested in additional information about colleges since he is predetermined about where he wants to go, Ngo

said.

Naviance sounds useful, Junior Melanie Lin said over Facebook Messenger. However, the school has not told juniors about Naviance, she continued.

The school plans on having another Naviance meeting at the end of October or November, Mach said. “If you have ideas on how to get seniors or their parents [to attend please let me know,]” Mach requested. “You don’t even have to be there. Just your parents have to be there because they can help you out with the financial aid part. So just get them to go.”

Calaveras Hills offers flexible environment

By Whitney Tran

You have probably heard of Cal Hills before and wondered what the school is for. Calaveras Hills High School, also known as “Cal Hills” by students, is located off East Calaveras and is one of the two high schools in Milpitas.

Senior Alexis Torres has been there since the start of junior year, Torres said.

Cal Hills offers students who are falling behind in credits a chance to make up those credits in order to graduate, Torres said.

Students are able to earn up to ten credits per semester based on productivity and participation in extracurricular activities, she continued.

“My classes at Cal Hills are re-

ally good. They explain it to us in away that we can understand,” Torres said. “[Classes] are much easier than at MHS.” Students get more assistance from their teachers since Cal Hills is a small school. Each class has twenty or fewer students, she continued.

There is a program in Cal Hills called Independent Study, where students are able to take classes online, Torres said. This program allows students to focus on school work while they are not on campus.

Cal Hills students can transfer back to MHS if they have enough credits to graduate before the next semester, Torres said. She is on track to graduate in June of 2019, Torres concluded.

Junior Noah Wright is also enrolled at Cal Hills. He transferred from MHS to Cal Hills at the end of sophomore year, he said. His grades have been better also, he added.

“My experience [at Cal Hills] has been really great,” Wright said. “I like the teachers and the environment here.”

According to the Cal Hills website, every student at Cal Hills is assigned an advisor who is responsible for tracking their progress towards graduation. Advisors are also there to inform the students of upcoming events.

Enrollment at Cal Hills is voluntary; students who choose to go there will need to talk to their counselor at MHS about transferring.

VIVIAN TSANG | THE UNION

Music teacher Moises Fagundes conducts the string orchestra for the first time in the orchestra, jazz band, and choir concert in the theater.

Note-able changes in music department

By Vivian Tsang

The biggest change to the MHS Music Department is the addition of two new music directors, according to Music Director Emily Moore. The logistics of reorganizing the Music Department at the start of the school year was time consuming, but encountered no major complications, Moore added.

There are goals to expand the department, including the addition of enough winds and percussions to have a Symphony Orchestra by December, Moore said.

It is possible to have a Symphony Orchestra this year because the department has more help, Moore continued.

“We have two new directors.

We have Mr. Lowe who teaches Jazz Band, Symphonic Band, Wind Symphony, and Percussion, and Mr. Fagundes who does the Symphonic Winds and the String Orchestra,” Moore said. “[Organizing a symphony orchestra] is just a lot of work. It is going to require after school rehearsals for the winds and percussion.”

The directors have been more strict on the band, Sophomore Justin Tran said. “[The directors] have been

pushing us harder,” Tran said.

“Every time we make a mistake, we have to do ten push-ups or something like that. It’s really helped us out individually and as a marching band.”

While the marching band is on a good upward trend, progress depends on the work done by the participants, Junior Jarvis Nguyen said. Individual effort and student engagement has gone down from last year, Jarvis Nguyen said.

“Adding in a new teacher doesn’t change everything,” Jarvis Nguyen said. “I think the student engagement had gone down significantly and so things aren’t going as well as they could be. It’s just [each student’s] personality.”

The addition of two new teachers is helping the music program grow, Senior Tommy Nguyen said. He does not believe that former Music Director Christopher Kaldy’s absence caused any changes in the music program’s morale, Tommy Nguyen added.

“It’s surreal to think that only happened about a year ago,” Tommy Nguyen said. “It’s a bit odd that no one’s talking about or addressing it at all. Maybe that’s for the better.”

6

THE UNION

LIFESTYLE

NOVEMBER 2018

Prepare for your Black Friday shopping spree

By Kirk Tran

By Genelle Gogue

Why is the Friday following Thanksgiving called Black Friday? It is because our Lord, Jesus of Nazareth, would not have wanted his flock to flock to spend their money on trivialities. It is because the sumptuous spending of that forsaken day, that worldly blight, that materialistic pit of evil, taints the souls of shoppers black with sin.

That being said, if people are going to do wrong, they’d better do it right. It is for the best to best the devil and his temptations by getting the best deals out of Black Friday. Without further ado, here are my tips to get the most of Black Friday.

Figure Out the Garbage You’d Like to Buy Beforehand It’s only logical to maximize efficiency. Whether it be by scouting the store out in person or Googling the prices of the goods wanted, smart shoppers should definitely figure out what arbitrary material desires they’d like to fulfill and formulate a shopping list of backup goods in case their first picks are taken

by the swarm of competing dealseekers. Figuring out the optimal shopping route wouldn’t hurt either.

Stop Drooling at Your Phone Having a portable internet connection is like having a morphine IV hooked up to the brain. It’s numbing, pacifying, mildly pleasant, and distracting.

Unless consulting a shopping plan or calling loved ones to speak post-trampling last words, masters of the art of seeking deals should really keep that magic box of light and sound in their respective pockets.

Don’t Bring Friends (Even if You Trust Them) As Snoop Dogg so eloquently put, we live in a “Doggy Dogg World,” a “crazy, mixed up world” where friends can’t always be trusted to be honest or even competent. Will they slow savvy spenders down by peering at their phones or staring at things they have no intention of buying?

Will they literally stab others in the back for the goods they’re planning to buy or figuratively stab others in the back by taking the goods they want to buy non-

violently? One can never know.

The point is that successful lords and ladies of buying buy things alone.

Be a Hawk Some people think Black Friday starts in early morning and ends by noon. Those people are wrong. Some stores start cutting prices even more as Black Friday’s midnight approaches, so intelligent money-spenders will do themselves a favor and shop later, too.

Don’t Shop on Black Friday (in Person) Let’s preclude any reason not to shop on Black Friday that does not involve buying things people don’t need; that means no family time or vacation or whatever.

Even so, there are pecuniary reasons not to shop on Black Friday. Some stores start making deals equivalent to or better than their Black Friday deals a few days before and also after the actual Black Friday sale. Why not shop online? Prime Day and Cyber Monday both offer deals that will allow computer-capable shoppers to indulge their need for things they don’t need.

Boost productivity by staying organized

By Ryanna Lui

It’s midnight. You haven’t touched your homework yet because you’ve been bingewatching your favorite Netflix series. In despair, you get up from your seat and grab a bowl of chips to munch your stress away. You reluctantly crack open the math textbook and begin working.

Sound familiar?

It’s only halfway through the first semester of school. If you feel like a hot mess, why not tidy yourself up a bit? Drawing up a plan or two will definitely strengthen the grip you never knew you had on life.

List out your planned activities These are things that you do on the daily, or any activities that you expect to occur every day, week, or month. Afterwards, write down a realistic estimate of time alongside each activity.

Plan your weekly schedule Make a spreadsheet. Leave the box in the first column and first row empty. In the first row, list out the seven days of the week.

In the first column, list out the twenty-four hours of the day in half-hour increments.

Start plugging in your planned activities into the spreadsheet.

Once you’re finished, you’ll realize how much free time you have, or lack thereof. Of course, life always gets in the way, so you actually have less time than what your schedule predicts.

Take a moment to absorb this information.

Keep this schedule on your desk, so you can look at it everyday and remind yourself about how much time you really have.

Keep a planner Take out that nice journal your Auntie Betty gave you for Christmas because you’re about to put it to good use and start a bullet journal. This particular format is really useful because you can customize it to fit your own preferences. Don’t feel pressured to spend hours decorating your journal to make it look like it came from Pinterest. The point is to keep your activities organized in a portable medium. The basics of a bullet journal typically include monthly, weekly, and daily spreads. You can also use it to keep track of other miscellaneous things, such as how much sleep you get or how you feel each day,

by using various graphs, charts, and other forms of visual aid to do so. Bullet journaling videos on Youtube serve as great sources of guidance and inspiration.

Break down big projects Now that you’re on a roll with the planning shenanigans, it’s time to tackle the big projects that will inevitably bombard your life. These include the English essay worth half of your grade, your important physics project, or even college applications.

Break your project down into manageable chunks with minideadlines to ensure that you work on it consistently. Implement these deadlines into your planner to give yourself an insightful visual. By avoiding the lastminute rush, you will produce quality content.

Use a whiteboard Whiteboards are reusable and great for everyday use. They are great for brainstorming ideas and displaying reminders that are too important for your bullet journal.

The best location for your whiteboard would be on your desk, making the board portable and convenient. However, the wall is also a viable option if you prefer having it hung up.

Maximizing your dollar at vending machines

By Devyn Nguyen

Several dozens of students flock to the vending machines throughout the entirety of the school day. Many students may have a hard time choosing between the prices when their favorites are out. Here are some snacks that I think are the best from the variety of choices given.

1. Munchies Unsurprisingly, Munchies takes first place. The plethora of snacks available gives the mix an irresistible allure for many. With so much variety, each consumer is accounted for. Those wanting pretzels or Hot Cheetos will be happy with Munchies. The spicy flavor and the crunchiness adds an addictive aftertaste that leaves consumers wanting more. With so much jam packed in this small bag of bliss, Munchies takes its much deserved first place on this list.

2. Hawaiian Sweet Maui Onion Potato Chips It was hard to rank this over its orange counterpart but

ultimately I decided that this was a better snack overall. The sweet onion taste from these chips are truly a delight. Along with the crunchy texture that hooks consumers, there is little that goes wrong in this bag. The only qualm I had with this was that some chips did not have enough flavor and were slightly bland, resulting in its second place spot.

3. Hawaiian Crispy & Crunchy Luau BBQ Potato Chips These chips are a blast of flavor that leaves a great aftertaste, tempting consumers to buy more. The savory taste and the incredible crunch complement each other perfectly in this amazing snack. The slight spicy taste brings more to this already great snack. Unlike its purple counterpart, the problem with this bag is actually the excessive flavoring that overwhelms the consumer. In some cases, the chips in this snack have too much flavoring that ends up bringing down the overall taste, resulting in this snack being third place.

4. Rice Krispies Treats With the many selections available in the vending machines, Rice Krispies unexpectedly takes fourth place in the rankings. The addictive marshmallow flavor accompanied by the crunchy Rice Krispies combine to create an incredible treat. Along with the amazing taste and texture, the treat itself is more filling than others, leaving you fulfilled after eating this tasty snack.

5. Black Forest Triple Layer Fruit Snacks Although fruit snacks may not be the most popular option in the vending machines, I believe that these particular fruit snacks deserve a spot on this list. The Triple Layer Fruit Snacks contain a blast of flavor that has just the right amount of sweetness. No flavor overwhelms the other, allowing the different fruit flavors to combine together in harmony. Although there are no disadvantages to choosing the fruit snacks, the advantages are not enough to give it a better ranking.

NOVEMBER 2018

LIFESTYLE

7

THE UNION

Pumpkin spice cookies for autumn nights

By Eric de Guzman

Fall has cometh yet again, and as the days get colder, one may long for a warm treat to caress the mouth. One such snack is the chocolate chip cookie, but with the advent of autumn, it would be fitting to spice up the conventional recipe with seasonal flavors. Thus we have the pumpkin chocolate chip cookie, which combines the homeliness of both a pumpkin pie and a chocolate chip cookie.

Among the changes made to the original recipe was the addition of browned butter, which appends a nutty complement to the dough, and the omission of cloves.

Ingredients: (makes 18 cookies) - 1/4 cup (1 stick or 115g) unsalted butter, melted & slightly cooled - 1/4 cup browned butter - 1/4 cup (50g) packed light or dark brown sugar - 1/2 cup (100g) granulated

sugar - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract - 6 Tablespoons (86g) pumpkin puree -1 and 1/2 cups (190g) allpurpose flour - 1/4 teaspoon salt - 1/4 teaspoon baking powder - 1/4 teaspoon baking soda - 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice - 1/2 cup (90g) semi-sweet chocolate chips Directions: 1. To brown the butter, cook it down in a saucepan until a nutty aroma exudes. Pour into bowl and cool.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk the melted and browned butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until no brown sugar lumps remain. Whisk in the vanilla and pumpkin until smooth.

3. In a large bowl, toss together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. Mix the wet and dry ingredients and mix together with a large spoon or rubber spatula. Fold in 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Cover the dough and chill for 30 minutes, or up to 3 days.

4. Take the dough out of the refrigerator. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

5. Roll the dough into balls, about 1.5 Tablespoons of dough each. Slightly flatten the dough balls because the cookies will only slightly spread in the oven.

Bake the cookies for 10 minutes.

The cookies will look very soft and undercooked. Remove from the oven.

6. Allow the cookies to cool for at least 10 minutes on the cookie sheets before transferring to a wire rack.

Melissa Nunes | The Union

Lucinda Pham (11), on the left, rocks a half-up, half-down hairstyle with a scalloped hairline. Willem Labucay (12) sports an undercut.

Hairstyles add on unique flair

By Melissa Nunes

If you’re someone who is never too sure what to do with your hair, then here are a few tips and tricks from a of a couple of your fellow classmates. Senior Willem Labucay usually gets his haircut from Legends Barber Shop on South Main Street in Milpitas. He usually asks for a low skin fade, faded up to a four, disconnected on the sides, and keeps the top long. Some different hairstyles he uses from day to day are side part, pompadour (pomp), and slick back, which usually takes him about ten minutes to complete in the morning with both a brush and his fingers. He uses products from the brand Blumaan, and another brand of sea salt spray.

Labucay uses Blumaan Original Styling Meraki ($19.50) as a pre styler. He also uses Blumaan cavalier clay ($19.50) as a post styler. Finally, he uses a Pete and Pedro sea salt spray (about $20.00) as another prestyler.

“They’re a little pricey,” Labucay said. “But I would

definitely recommend them to others.”

Junior Lucinda Pham usually cuts her hair at home either with the assistance of her mother or on her own. Various ways she styles her hair include curling it, pulling it into a bun, tying it half up half down, or leaving it straight. She detangles her hair with a brush daily, and washes her hair every two days using purple shampoo for blonde hair ($20.00).

When going for a curly look, she uses a curling wand, or puts her hair up in braids at night and takes them out in the morning.

The process of braiding takes her about ten minutes. On nights she does not braid, prepping her hair only takes her about five to seven minutes. When she wants her hair straight, she uses a Revlon Hair straightener. She enjoys doing new things with her hair and often dyes it at home using Paul Mitchell Hair Dye on her own.

“I enjoy doing my hair,” Pham said. “It’s a cheap and fun way to do something new.”

DIY projects for cozy season ANDREW DINH | THE UNION

Umai House Fries ($3.95), pictured on the bottom, are served with a spicy chili sauce and roasted seaweed flakes. The Tokyo Signature Hot Dog ($6.95), pictured on the top, is dressed with seaweed and sesame.

Umai offers new Asian takes on savory snacks

By Andrew Dinh

Umai Savory Hot Dogs, a casual restaurant serving gourmet hot dogs and “speciality snacks,” recently opened in San Jose at 1158 North Capitol Avenue, right next to boba hotspot Tastea.

Umai offers premium sausages and hot dogs served with a variety of Asian-inspired sauces and toppings, like bonito flakes and roasted seaweed.

The restaurant was decorated wit h grey and red walls, complemented by dark lighting. I ordered the Tokyo Signature Hot Dog and Umai House Fries. I did not have to wait very long for the

food to come out hot. The Tokyo Signature Hot Dog consisted of an all beef hot dog, topped with caramelized onions, roasted seaweed, teriyaki mayonnaise, and white sesame flakes. The Umai House Fries were regular french fries drizzled with an orange sauce reminiscent of spicy In-N-Out spread.

I thoroughly enjoyed my meal at Umai. The hot dog was remarkably juicy, nestled between a well-toasted bun.

Surprisingly, the roasted seaweed on top worked, adding a layer of salty depth to the savory beef.

Luckily, the teriyaki sauce did not overpower the rest of the flavors.

I also particularly enjoyed the sweet caramelized onions, which perfectly complemented the rest of the hot dog. The fries were solid, but left something to be desired.

The spicy orange sauce elevated the basket of otherwise normal fries. Umai offers a variety of hot dog combos which I look forward to trying in the future.

Even if one does not enjoy hot dogs, Umai also offers hamburgers, chicken wings, noodles, and waffles.

I recommend this shop for anyone looking for a quick bite. The location is especially convenient if one also craves milk tea, since Tastea is located beside it.

WeHouse Gyoza expensive, yet palatable

By Ishrak Ramzan

WeHouse Gyoza, a pan-Asian restaurant that specializes in dumplings, is a new addition to Milpitas. Walking inside, I was greeted with winsome artwork along the main wall and aesthetic minimalist furniture. If you truly enjoy dumplings and want to experience a new twist on the classic dish, and don’t mind spending a pretty penny in the process, then you should head over to this cute establishment.

The first item I tried was the popcorn chicken, a staple item at the smaller, more snack-oriented restaurants that are located everywhere throughout the Bay Area. The chicken was served quickly, and upon its arrival I found it to be both hot and pleasantly crispy. The coating was made well, being thin and

fluffy, but still provided a decent amount of crunch to the item.

However, there were a couple of unfavorable parts of this side.

Several of the chicken pieces felt too large, and there were no condiments available to change the flavor of the item.Typically, at small establishments like this, condiments like chili powder or a variety of sauces are present.

As I was at a gyoza venue, I decided to order a combination platter, of six chicken dumplings and six beef ones. For the sake of experimentation, I also bought the self-explanatory cheesetop topping for my dumplings. Both types of dumplings contained a variety of vegetables, in addition to their respective meats. The platter of gyoza was cooked very well, having a golden sear on the bottom but still being soft and moist all around. The cheese

topping formed a nice melted layer on top of the dumplings, and the dish was garnished with saffron strands. The saffron, together with the melted cheese, served to elevate and modernize a classical dish in an interesting way.

While the taste and preparation of the dumplings was great, the price was not so ideal. Each dumpling was almost a dollar, and the portion size was quite small. This wasn’t limited to the dumplings themselves, most of the items on the menu felt quite pricey. That being said, if you take great delight in getting dumplings and aren’t afraid of spending a little extra money, you will undoubtedly enjoy WeHouse Gyoza.

The new take on traditional Japanese dumplings was very enjoyable.

By Kelly Nguyen

October, November, and December are the coziest months of the year, making it the perfect time to DIY autumnal decor. Here are two simple, yet creative DIY projects that can instantly make a room feel warmer, transitioning it into the colder months.

Mason Jar Bouquet Materials needed: - Mason jars - Chalkboard paint or acrylic paint in warm tone shades (oranges, browns, deep reds) - Twine - Fake or real fall flowers and branches - Sand paper - Paint brushes Steps: 1. Paint each mason jar with chalkboard or acrylic paint. Let it dry.

2. If necessary, paint a second coat and let it dry.

3. Using sand paper, rough different parts of the mason jars for a more rustic and worn-out look.

4. Arrange the flowers in the mason jars.

5. Using the twine, tie a bow around the top of the mason jar for an added touch.

Pom-pom Wreath Materials needed: - Yarn in three different colors (preferably whites, greys, and light browns) - Scissors - Wreath shaped styrofoam - Twine - Hot glue gun and glue sticks Steps: 1. Undo the yarn and wrap it around two fingers multiple times until a ball is formed.

2. Gently pull off the yarn “ball” when there is enough thickness.

3. Cut out a smaller piece of yarn and tie that around the center of the ball.

4. Cut the sides of the wrapped yarn ball.

5. Trim the sides of the pompom ball.

6. Repeat this steps 1-5 with the other colors of yarn, making sure to have enough pom-poms to fill the wreath.

6. Using hot glue, attach all the pom-poms to the wreath.

7. Arrange the pom-poms in groups of similar colors to create an ombre effect or mix them around.

8. Use the twine to make a bow and glue that to the bottom center of the wreath.

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Music streaming should be fully embraced

Nowadays, almost everyone listens to probably pile up in the corner once you’ve music on electronic devices, whether it be changed your taste in music. phones, music players, or computers. Ev- Online streaming also makes music availerywhere you look, you’ll see people with able to almost everyone. Since most online their earbuds jammed in their ears. But of streaming is free besides the occasional adcourse, it’s only been recently that online vertising pop-up, there’s no barrier for peostreaming platforms have become a popular ple who can’t afford to spend money buying way to access songs on devices. music. All people need is access to the inter If you’re oblivious to all the technical net, and they are good on songs until they terms like me, let me explain. Online music have to get offline. streaming services, like Spotify or Pandora, Online streaming also provides a place for are online platforms, free or paid, that allow fledgeling and hobbyist musicians to share people to listen to music without needing their music. There’s no cost to making a to download it. Now that that’s out of the start in someone’s music career by publishway, let’s begin. Why should you use online ing online. streaming?

These services also allow com One of the biggest argumunities to be built around the ments for online streaming is music that is streamed. Comment the fact that it’s convenient. sections provide a space where Most people are lazy, and listeners can bond over a shared downloading songs can get interest in an artist’s music or tedious. So instead of laboring voice their opinions about a ceraway at downloading every tain song. song or album, people turn Streaming platforms also bento online streaming where efit artists. One big competitor they can simply type a song in the online streaming business, title in the search bar to find Spotify, provides artists statistics it. All these songs are in one on where their listeners are locatdatabase and there’s no hassle ed in the world, allowing artists to CHARLENE in searching through a sea of plan concerts where their fans are YANG files for a song you downloadmost active. ed a month back.

With online streaming, piracy The fact that these streamalso becomes less of a problem. ing services have all their music on online Fewer people would pirate music if they databases also means that fewer resources could just access it on a free streaming platneed to be dedicated to creating physical form. Piracy can be avoided with streaming copies like vinyl records or compact discs. services. Artists with music on streaming Instead of being limited to having only the services get royalties based on the number songs of a single disc, online streaming pro- of replays their songs get, so they can still vides you with bazillions of songs without make money off their music being free. the need of buying multiple CDs that will

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Streaming is convenient but problematic

The shape of music has changed over the artists are unlikely to find success. past 50 years, from the now vintage vinyl Furthermore, if the music industry becomes record to the once ubiquitous compact disc, something that is not profitable for the artwhich has so far seen no need for a physi- ists involved, artists might stop making as cal successor—because the newest form of much music. Fewer people will want to make transmitting sound is completely digital: on- music for a living as well. line streaming.

Being able to stream whenever and wher From its advent, online streamever encourages more streaming has been massively promising ing, and overexposure to music but with equally massive downturns it into a brainless habit. sides. Being able to stream your With so many songs and playmusic online is convenient; it lists at your fingertips, it’s alclears up storage on your phone ways tempting to put on a playand your shelf. It can be accessed list to help you focus. However, anywhere for free, which means this leads to one of two things: fewer people will resort to piracy your productivity wasting away since every screen becomes a legal or your music turning into music player. background noise. Try listen Yet, though online streaming ing to song lyrics and reading is a blessing for the consumer, it a textbook at the same time; generates more drawbacks than most people can only focus on NATHAN profit for many if not all music one. For those same people, THAI artists. After doing some research, listening to music can be very I unearthed the serious bones of distracting. It dampens their contention that artists and industhoughts, and even though this try professionals have with music streaming can be helpful when dealing with life’s chalservices: low royalties and a consequently lenges, insight is unlikely to come from a high entry barrier, overexposure, and deper- preoccupied brain. sonalization.

Furthermore, online streaming can lead to Royalties are low. Real low. Don’t be fooled depersonalization. With so many unlimited by the revenue these companies bring in— songs, it becomes easy to move from artist to market shareholders like Spotify hardly pay artist without truly appreciating each’s indiartists enough to scrape by. According to vdual talent. Because most streaming sites “Digital Music News,” Spotify paid artists give people access to music free of charge, $0.0038 per stream in 2017. To put it into many of those people are less likely to purperspective, that’s 263,158 streams to make chase albums. This not only hurts artists’ $1,000. A quarter million streams for only a incomes but undermines consumer loyalty thousand dollars means the average musi- and fan culture. Why spend money on somecian isn’t going to be making bank, let alone thing that could be free? Rather than build a living. Because it requires such a large fol- their own personal library, people will defer lowing to make just a thousand dollars, many to use a library someone else built.

JONATHAN TRAN | THE UNION

Op: The use of autotune requires careful restraint Autotune, the practice of artificially cor- performance, the quality is often diminished recting a singer’s vocal performance, has compared to a studio. increasingly drawn controversy in recent When used properly, autotune enhances years. Some listeners have decried its use as an artist’s musical performance and stylizes a mere crutch for “untalented” artists while it without becoming tacky. Frank Ocean is an others say that it is a way to enhance music artist that uses autotune in many of his songs for both musicians and audito add to the overall washed out, ences. Both justifications have dull tone of his music. His songs some merit to them. evoke a sad, depressing tone de When used improperly, aupicting someone who has lived his totune definitely shows an artlife trying to be someone he’s not. ist’s absolute lack of musical His vocal range is legitimately imtalent. It’s used because artists pressive as well. He can hit many try straining their voices to hit of the high notes that he autonotes out of their vocal range. tunes, but he autotunes them for Think of any time you’ve heard the sake of his art. Some songs use someone’s voice break when autotune to convey a more speciftrying to speak in an especialic, ironic message. An example is ly high-pitched tone that isn’t BROCKHAMPTON’s “Fake” that theirs naturally. Autotune is almost entirely autotuned. It JONATHAN tries to fill in that gap. Done in enhances the song’s message by TRAN overly large quantities (such as showing just how contrived and over half of a song’s duration) fabricated each of the singers’ and autotune becomes gaudy, voices are. even tasteless. A great example of an artist Autotune is just a tool. Its impact, posithat leans on autotune is Jason Derulo. Even tive or negative, is determined by the artist. when he ostentatiously says his own name The next time you listen to a song and notice at the beginning of a song, his voice is auto- some autotune, try question its placement tuned. His live performances are a far cry and use. Does it enhance the experience of from his songs, because although it is possi- the song, or does it ruin the whole thing? ble to autotune an artist’s voice during a live ALEXANDER PHAN | THE UNION

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ISHRAK RAMZAN | THE UNION

Op: Mumble rap is different but not in poor taste Music trends reflect the nature of the times. Traditionalists argue that the mumble In today’s digital age where humans are bom- rap trend has yielded songs with little to no barded by constant bursts of information meaning, like Lil Pump’s obnoxious “Gucwhile scrolling through their cell phones, it ci Gang,” which repeats the words “Gucci only makes sense that mumble rap has be- Gang” just one too many times. While this come the new wave of hip hop music. Perfect is indeed a fair criticism, music at its roots for teenagers with little to no attention span, does not necessitate profound lyricism for it mumble rap artists have been to be appreciated. Whereas tradidethroning traditional rappers tional rappers capture moments on the music charts for the past through painfully honest lyrics, several years, but this does not mumble rappers immortalize come without criticism from emotions through an amalgaold-school hip hop fans. mation of ad-libs. Mumble rap Mumble rappers utilize recreates earworm songs, like petitive ad-libs, slurred bars Playboi Carti’s “Magnolia” and on top of flowing, lackadaisical Lil Uzi Vert’s “XO Tour Llif3,” production, whereas conventhat are hard to forget and easy tional rappers pride themto dance to. These artists utilize selves on strong lyrical content their voice as an instrument of backed by minimalist beats. its own, warping it over various Mainstream radio often feapitches through creative usage of tures these new age artists, who AutoTune. The mumble rap hype ANDREW oftentimes rap about pill poptrain shows no signs of stopping DINH ping and parties, romanticizing any time soon. drug culture. It is difficult to go As prevalent as Soundcloud rapone whole day without hearing pers may be, though, truly lyrical someone reference some lyric from Lil Uzi rap is not dead. Quality content continues to Vert, Lil Pump, or Playboi Carti, to name a sell better than quantities of half-baked mixfew. Their jarringly simple music with easily tapes. There are only so many unique variaquotable lines makes for easy hits among the tions of mumble rap that artists can put out. youth.

GINNIE LO | THE UNION

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RATING KEY Let’s Get this bread Ciabatta English Muffins wonderbread dough COURTESY OF 20TH CENTURY FOX

Queen members Roger Taylor, Brian May, John Deacon, and Freddie Mercury (played by Ben Hardy, Gwilym Lee, Joseph Mazzello, and Rami Malek respectively) record hit single “Bohemian Rhapsody,” for their album.

Music Reviews

‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ fit for champions for all to see on the big screen.

Fans of the band surely won’t be disappointed, and the casting of the characters closely resemBy Maliyah Fick bled the musicians themselves.

The actors put great effort into “Bohemian Rhapsody” is a portraying their roles as the difdrama and biography film di- ferent members of Queen. “Boherected by Bryan Singer about the mian Rhapsody” includes many rock band Queen. They formed of Queen’s greatest hits, and it in 1970, and one of their most reveals to the viewers how the famous songs is called “Bohemi- band wrote their songs and rean Rhapsody,” released in 1975. corded them. It also shows that The film made its United States Queen was as much a family as debut on Nov. 2. The movie’s it was a rock band.

Freddie Mercury has a screenplay was written by very rebellious nature, and Anthony McCarten, and lives his life in such a way it was produced by many that makes people stare. He individuals and groups inMOVIE does this through his bold cluding Bryan Singer, Jim Beach, 20th Century Fox, REVIEW and exotic taste in fashion and continues it with his and Initial Entertainment eccentric energy on stage. He Group.

The film stars Rami Malek as wears bold garments and has Queen lead singer Freddie Mer- an even bolder body language cury, Gwilym Lee as lead gui- while he performs.

Queen makes their way tarist Brian May, Ben Hardy as drummer Roger Taylor, and through the music industry, alJoseph Mazzello as bass guitar- lowing audiences to get a glimpse ist John Deacon. Through it, the at what the band’s early years personal and performer lives of were like before they were a the musical sensations come out hit. They went from playing RATING: 5 out of 5

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gigs to trying to put out their first album. They use very outof-the-box techniques to create the rhythms and beats. They do outrageous and crazy things to ensure that their track sounds exactly as they want it to­, and along the way, they meet Elton John. They become managed by John Reid.

On their way to stardom, Freddie also deals with struggles about his identity, tensions with his father, and his sexuality.

The band shows their passion for their songs and their work, seeing the potential in pieces that others criticize. They work together through hardships and the stress of creating songs for everyone to like.

Queen is referred to as a family. Though they go through a rough patch and drift away to live their lives separately, they come together in the end. They are a family once more to perform for a charity event, and we see the honor Freddie gets after his death in 1991.

COURTESY OF SONY PICTURES

Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) is bonded with the Venom symbiote. Their combined entity, Venom, grabs the shoulder of a thrift store burglar as the store clerk, Mrs. Chen, looks on in amazement in the background.

‘Venom’ an entertaining, bizzare mess simple and filled to the brim with clichés. There are no shocking twists or unforeseen outcomes.

Subplots and explanations are

By Luke Ren cheaply explained in the blink Edward Nguyen of an eye, and the audience is expected to accept these flaws in “Venom,” a superhero action order to enjoy the movie.

However, despite these film about a man who bonds with an alien symbiote, was a simple problems, the movie is actually quite entertaining. The and fun yet unmemorable movie pushes these silly flick released in the United tropes to the maximum States on Oct. 5. The film while not taking itself follows Eddie Brock (Tom allowing you to Hardy), as he connects with MOVIE seriously, disassociate from critical the symbiote “Venom” and REVIEW cinematic judgement and fights to take down a corrupt corporation and its crazed CEO, take it as it is. The humor is simple and at times absurd, giving Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed).

The movie’s story appears to be you no choice but to chuckle at straight out of the 2000s: a simple, the silliness. Eddie is blunt and good-hearted protagonist gets delivers plenty of quick zingers. thrusted into an easily-digestible His tough guy demeanor is not adventure against evil. The plot is overdone, as he has a “loveable RATING: 3.5 out of 5

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oaf” quality to him that makes him likeable.

A truly surprising aspect of the movie is the personality of Venom himself. While his character is just as violent and deranged as you would expect, there is a heavy comedic edge to him. The juxtaposition between a gruesome alien monster and its ridiculous human-like thoughts is fresh and entertaining. His relationship with Eddie is also very unique, with their interactions being some of the best scenes in the movie.

Overall, “Venom” is a cheesy throwaway action flick that is best viewed with your brain turned off. Though some of the writing leaves much to be desired, the charismatic main characters, action, and humor makes the film an entertaining watch.

TRENCH

by Twenty One Pilots Genre: Alternative Rock RATING: 5 out of 5

YSIV

by Logic Genre: Rap RATING: 4 out of 5

By Alana Penn

By Luke Ren

Twenty One Pilots, an alternative rock duo originating from Columbus, Ohio, released their fifth studio album “Trench” on Oct. 5. to widespread acclaim from critics. The music duo is well known for their versatility, smoothly incorporating a variety of genres into their music.

Their release of “Trench” is not here to disappoint listeners. It pairs thoughtful, introspective lyrics with a unique arrangement of tunes in every song. Frontman Tyler Joseph and Drummer Josh Dun use elements of rock, hip hop, reggae, alternative, pop, and more to tell a heartfelt, honest story about mental health, doubt, losing faith in oneself , and dealing with fame.

“Trench” is Twenty One Pilots’ most ambitious album up to date, proving that they can experiment with new sounds in their music while still staying true to their iconic image. The album is a continuation of its 2015 predecessor “Blurryface,” following the band’s recurring theme of insecurity.

The story behind “Trench” is set in the fictional dystopian city of Dema, and the barren valley surrounding it known as Trench. The brainchild of Joseph, these details showcase the incredible amount of detail and thought put into creating the album. “Trench” is a demonstration of Joseph’s talent as both a singer and songwriter.

Arguably, the best track on “Trench” is “My Blood,” an infectiously catchy song that blends groovy synth pop with rock sounds. Joseph sings about remaining loyal to friends who have no one else to turn to.

“Chlorine” has a more alternative rock sound, with Joseph singing about his use of songwriting as a means of purging himself of intrusive thoughts.

Lastly, “Morph” takes on an indie pop vibe as Joseph raps about the struggles of living with mental illnesses and changing his identity as a coping method.

Overall, the genuine raw emotion and lyrical genius of “Trench” definitely make it an album worth listening to, as it is a reminder from Twenty One Pilots to “Stay Alive.”

To some, music is a form of art and expression. To Sir Robert Bryson Hall II, known as Logic, music is more than an art; it is a message. Logic’s last installment of his Young Sinatra series sends home messages on the pervading greedy, money-hungry mindset and the importance of living life to the fullest with the use of mesmerizing soundtracks.

Logic is known for his rapping ability and sincere themes in his songs, and this album exemplifies these aspects to their fullest. Logic’s rapping ability is tested to its fullest in this album, especially in his track “100 Miles and Running” when he delivers over 90 syllables in six lines with a single breath.

In the bluntly titled “Everybody Dies”, Logic emphasizes and encourages compromise in the face of disputes and healthy money-spending in the face of greed. “Legacy” draws an image of a man who puts more time in his work than his own family and challenges listeners to ask whether or not they should live and die this way.

Logic takes advantage of the power and beauty of the human voice in this album, especially in the tracks “Legacy” and “Thank You”. Logic uses the human voice as a genuine instrument cleanly and soothingly in parallel to his raps.

In the track “Last Call”, Logic reminisces and describes his journey of becoming a big player in the rapper scene in the most plain speech, yet it is still so mesmerizing. Whether Logic is dropping bars or simply talking, he tells a story, conveys a message, and grabs the attention of any listener to the fullest extent. This is truly music.

This album is the culmination of Logic’s experiences and success, and it is evident that he has accomplished a lot. The Young Sinatra series dates back to the beginning of Logic’s career, and his music has been growing and evolving ever since.

“YSIV” reminds listeners that music is more than art; it’s a genuine, raw connection between artist and listener. I definitely recommend it to anyone that wants to experience something beyond just the beats.

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ALEXANDER PHAN | THE UNION

At the end of their San Francisco show, the members of 88Rising hug.

This stop marks the end of the national 88 Degrees and Rising tour.

88Rising arrives in the Bay; East meets West in concert RATING: 4.5 out of 5 WHITNEY TR AN | THE UNION

‘Mario Party’ installment an improvement; a necessity for all Nintendo Switch owners RATING: 3.5 out of 5

By Devyn Nguyen Edward Nguyen

Super Mario Party, the eleventh installment in the Mario Party franchise, is a delightful romp, serving as a fun, polished party game for the Nintendo Switch.

While the Switch has no shortage of couch co-op titles, Super Mario Party is a must-have.

Nintendo has always produced games to a high standard, and with Mario literally being their poster child, you already know that this game is a safe choice.

There are two main game modes available: Party Mode and Partner Party. In both modes, players are pitted against each other in a large virtual board filled with coins, hazards, and stars. The goal of the game is to collect the most stars in a certain amount of turns. Players are required to roll dice to move spaces, running amok across the field and often clashing with others to get ahead.

Super Mario Party comes after a long and somewhat disappointing era of Mario Party games, with

the last few being particularly and is just as frustrating as it criticized for random and unfair has been in its predecessor’s mechanics. While it’s not perfect, gameplay. Luck plays a huge it is still an improvement over factor in earning stars, which is the last two, removing certain likewise frustrating, considering annoying elements, such as earning stars is the entire method empty gimmicks, as well as the of winning. infamous group travel mechanic.

Super Mario Party features a Players are able to enjoy plethora of minigames in addition the game online or in person to the main party mode. After alongside friends with up to four each round is completed, every players in a single game. Each player will be set into a minigame player is able to select a character playing with or against each that comes with a unique die that other in hopes of gaining greater only that character has. rewards, adding a team factor Whomp’s Domino Ruins, to an already hectic board.

King Bob-omb’s Powderkeg These minigames add a Mine, Megafruit Paradise, nice variability to the party and Kamek’s Tantalizing mode, keeping the game GAME interesting. The minigames Tower are the four maps available for players, with REVIEW are of higher quality as Kamek’s Tantalizing Tower compared to previous Mario requiring players to unlock it Party games. through completion of the other Super Mario Party is a maps. Hopefully, more maps will satisfactory addition to the be added in the future. franchise, filling the role of a One problematic factor of this competitive, well-designed party game are the controllers. While game for the Switch. While it this is admittedly more due to is not without its flaws, such as the system itself, it is still a little limited map selection and the uncomfortable and awkward hindrance in playability due to using these tiny controllers, the Switch’s joy-cons, it is still especially as the game binds an improvement over the last every player to a single joy-con. few installments, and overall In addition, the overall random serves as a staple to any Nintendo nature of the game is still present, Switch owners.

Ä

‘Sierra Burgess Is A Loser’ literally a loser; rom-com Netflix original catfishes audience RATING: 3 out of 5

By Maliyah Fick

“Sierra Burgess Is a Loser” was released on Sept. 8 by Netflix.

The movie is a rom-com film that stars Shannon Purser as Sierra Burgess, Noah Centineo as Jamey, and Kristine Froseth as Veronica. It was directed by Ian Samuels and produced by Thad Luckinbill. Since its release, the Netflix original has created many controversial opinions.

While viewers had greatly anticipated the arrival of the movie because of the trailer, the movie itself was disappointing.

With a poor plot and a very unlikeable main character, what was meant to be an entertaining film did not come across that way to many.

Sierra Burgess, the main character, is a band student who struggles with her selfimage. Jamey is a rival school’s quarterback, who meets the mean girl and cheerleader from Sierra’s school, Veronica.

When Jamey attempts to get exposing a secret of hers to their her number, Veronica gives him school during a football game.

Sierra’s number instead as a joke. This exposure then leads to When Sierra receives the text, she the revelation that Sierra has doesn’t reveal her true identity. been catfishing Jamey. Veronica She just leads him to believe he is proceeds to tell Sierra that she talking with Veronica. has become the mean girl.

Through a deal to tutor Veronica Yet, in the end, Sierra still in exchange for catfishing Jamey, gets the boy and gets to keep her the pair become friends. Putting friendship with Veronica. their previous differences The movie itself is and social statuses behind, entertaining to watch. It they start to actually enjoy also portrays relatable one another’s company, and themes like the struggle eventually begin hanging TV-SERIES for self-acceptance, trying out outside of their tutor REVIEW to fit in, and exploring the sessions. world outside of your social During a date with Jamey, bubble. However, the way Veronica covers his eyes when the story unfolds on screen leaves he attempts to kiss her. Sierra a negative tone. runs over to kiss him. This ends With a main character who in a very unconsensual kiss, one went about catfishing a boy and of the main problems within the also betraying a friend, she still film. Then Sierra meets Jamey at got her happy ending. Her list of the park, she pretends to be deaf. negative traits continues with her Jamey, who has a deaf brother, ignoring her previous best friend knows sign language. He attempts Dan to live her new and fake life, to talk to her, and she pretends to as well as yelling at her mother for understand how to sign. her own appearance. This shows Despite their newfound to the viewers that you can go friendship, tensions build for about a situation the wrong way, Sierra and Veronica when Sierra but still get what you wanted out becomes jealous of Veronica, of it.

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BY Alexander Phan

The flashing lights, loud music, and energy of the building, were just a few of the wonderful things I can remember from the 88Rising concert in San Francisco this Halloween. I’ve never felt such ecstatic energy before as each song played had me bouncing up and down with the beat. The colored lights and pounding bass offered a vibe so electric, my phone could’ve started charging itself.

There was even a Chinese dragon dance in the middle of the audience with confetti pouring into the crowd.

88Rising gave each member of the audience something to fall in love with; its entire cast was full of amazing artists. The most popular artists, Joji and Rich Brian, put forth some of their most popular and iconic songs, hyping up the crowd and allowing them to sing every word while getting turned up with the music. Even lesser known artists like August 08 and KOHH got me excited to hear every single song they played until the very end.

Each artist had wonderful fan interactions while performing, often talking to the crowd and responding to comments from the audience such as “I love you!”

It sometimes felt as if they were talking directly to each individual within the audience.

The four-hour experience never had a boring moment.

Each artist filled up an act with high-energy songs, dances and wild performances. The DJs also made sure that each interlude was entertaining, filling the time between each acts with popular songs. This gave the audience a short amount of time to take in all of their feelings about the previous act and post anything on social media.

The music itself was something I’ll always remember, with iconic songs from all artists played with such energy. Almost every song was played with such intense bass that I could feel my bones and entire body shaking. Even the slower paced songs from Joji and August 08 had me feeling hyped and emotional simultaneously.

The venue itself wasn’t too crowded. I got into the auditorium relatively quickly and was able to find a spot near the front of the stage. Even an hour into the concert, I felt as if there was still lots of room to move around in the audience.

The only problem I had with the concert was that at some points, it felt like a waiting game for the more popular artists such as Joji to appear, since 88Rising put their most popular artists last in the lineup of performances.

Overall, the concert was one of the greatest experiences I have ever had, offering such high energy performances that had me euphoric for nearly four hours.

‘Fallout 76’ will take you home decently. The game doesn’t offer a combat system I can call great, but at the very least, it is functional. Melee attacks feel

By Alexander Phan near useless due to slow attack speeds, and guns don’t have reAs someone who preordered liable bullet patterns.

The multiplayer mode feels Fallout 76, I got a chance to play the beta tests of Bethes- natural, quite surprising since da’s latest project. I’d have to Fallout 76 is the first game in say playing the game is quite a its series to offer multiplayer. blast, pun intended. As an avid Combat between other players Fallout fan, I was pleasantly is very balanced since higher level players deal reduced surprised with how well damage to lower leveled the game ran, despite the players. The party system game being multiplayer. feels quite nice; I got to The game genuinely felt GAME play with up to three othas if it were just a regular REVIEW er players as we explored Fallout game that allowed the vast wasteland, killed you to play with a bunch of other people. The game offers a disgusting monstrosities, and wide variety of things to do in played country music with each the beautiful, post-apocalyptic other.

A big problem I have with the version of West Virginia. It feels almost impossible to run out of game would be the bugs that ridthings to do, giving the players dle the game. Models not rendera chance to pick up side quests ing correctly or bullets whizzing in every new area they explore. through creatures, the bugs are Even when I’m just wandering nearly everywhere.

Overall, Fallout 76 offers an around the wasteland, I always seem to somehow stumble into incredible experience, allowing some randomized world event. you to explore an expansiveFollowing the main quest took wasteland with your buddies, me all around the map, and I shooting at the most hideous ran into new enemies and quests creatures a post-apocalyptic world can offer. along the way.

The game handles combat RATING: 4 out of 5

Ä

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SPORTS

THE UNION

NOVEMBER 2018

Butcher becomes assistant athletics director; Lamb aims to pass on knowledge and expertise

By Loan-Anh Pham Charlene Yang

COURTESY OF ISAIAH DWELLE

Varsity Football Wide Receiver Isaiah Dwelle prepares for a play. The Milpitas Trojans played against Dublin High School and lost 21-22.

The Athlete of the Month: Wide Receiver Isaiah Dwelle

By Genelle Gogue

Junior Isaiah Dwelle is new to the MHS football team this year and is the starting wide receiver. He is a transfer from Valley Christian High School in San Jose. Dwelle keeps a positive attitude on and off the football field and has become a leader within the football team this year. Dwelle shares his experiences and advice regarding football.

Q: How long have you been playing football?

A: I’ve been playing football since I was nine years old, like my fourth grade year of elementary is when I started.

Q: How do you believe you contribute to the MHS football team?

A: I think I contribute in various ways. I think, you know, bringing that tenaciousness to the team; I think that’s pretty common. Always being hungry and wanting to learn more and helping people by leading by example as well.

Q: What inspires or motivates you to play?

A: What inspires me the most is my mom and dad. They always

brought me up, so I think just paying tribute to them and just play the sport I love and showing how much passion I have for the game.

Q: How do you deal with the negativity surrounding football?

A: I don’t really let it get to me and my team as much. I think we kinda just let it go in one ear and out the other. I think just keep moving forward and focus on ourselves. That’s the best thing for us.

Q:What do you believe is the key to success in sports?

A: Always having that mindset to get better. I think no matter what, if you have all these accolades or if you’re a top tier guy, wwhatever. Just having that mindset, just keep pushing and keep wanting to be the best.

That’s the mindset you got to have when it comes to sports.

Q: If you could give a piece of advice to a student looking to play football, what would you say?

A: Make sure you’re always on time and you’re working hard, no matter what.

Activities Director Joanna Butcher was selected to be Assistant Athletics Director because of her coaching background and experience as activities director, Principal Francis Rojas said.

The position, offered in April last school year, will serve as a way to smoothly transition from Athletics Director Jeff Lamb’s upcoming retirement, Rojas added.

Having an assistant athletics director ensures that Lamb’s knowledge and contributions will not go to waste, Rojas continued.

The title is accompanied by a stipend, Rojas confirmed.

“When you apply for an assistant position, that’s typically where you prove yourself,” Rojas noted. “For Ms. Butcher, it’s also where she will learn, ‘Okay, am I up for this?’”

Her background in athletics is extensive, ranging from being a softball player to coaching in multiple sports, including basketball, tennis, softball, and golf, Butcher said. Preparations for Homecoming Week slowed down training for the position somewhat, she explained.

“I started looking at and learn-

ing the [California Interscholastic Federation], [Central Coast Section] website for how the online paperwork is submitted and going through how we are marking, filing physicals… just the basics of paperwork,” Butcher added. “I think the goal is that I learn a little bit for winter, and so as we get closer to spring sports, then I’m the one that is actually doing more and saying, ‘Okay, this is…’ and trying to actually lead some different things.”

Despite her plans to engross herself more in the athletics process, Butcher is unsure about her status in regards to being at Milpitas High next year, she noted.

However, she is still planning to glean as much knowledge as she can, perhaps creating documents for the new athletics director if she leaves, Butcher added.

The extensive responsibilities of an athletics director is what originally encouraged the idea of two assistant athletics directors, yet Butcher was the only applicant that accepted the offer for the position, Lamb stated. He aims to train Butcher as much as possible despite the chance that she might leave MHS, Lamb added.

“In fact, there’s no way I can

train somebody in that certain period of time,” Lamb said. “I’m probably going to have to be here to help (I don’t want to say a significant amount of time). Otherwise, it’ll be really hard to do the job.”

The duties of an assistant athletics director are still vague, with the position entailing numerous responsibilities, among them transportations, awards, and the Murphy program, Lamb commented. Butcher’s training has included attendance at two conferences, both of which have encouraged transformational coaching in lieu of transitional coaching, Lamb commented.

“Winning becomes the most important thing, and the reality of it is in high school athletics, that’s not what it should be about,” Lamb said. “‘Transitional’ just means you’re working to win. Are you a transformational coach? Are you working on the whole person?”

Butcher is still hoping to become the Athletics Director next year, she said.

“That’s been a passion of mine,” Butcher commented. “I have a passion for activities, but in reality, I’ve always had a stronger passion for athletics.”

Graduate athletes return to coach

By Chris Ha

Did you know that there are currently 29 alumni coaches at MHS? Many of the different sports at MHS have coaches that used to be on the team themselves. Some of these coaches graduated a while ago, while some have graduated as recently as last year.

Three of these coaches who agreed to answer some questions about their experience coaching at MHS are Football Coach Johnny Washington, Volleyball Coach Marisa Canez, and Track and Cross Country Coach Andrew Bennett.

Washington graduated in 1994.

He has been coaching since 2008.

Q: What led to you working at MHS? A: I was coaching Pop Warner Football since 2003 and Head Coach Kelly King approached me in 2008 and asked me to coach Frosh/Soph football.

Q: How has your experience been coaching here?

A: The experience has been great. While coaching F/S there were some up and down years but all in all a good experience...

I enjoy teaching these young men more than just football I love to teach them life lessons as well.

Canez graduated in 2006. She has been an assistant to Varsity

and JV volleyball for four years total nonconsecutively, and this is her 1st year as head coach for JV Volleyball.

Q: What led to you working at MHS? A: I knew I wanted to give back to the place where everything started for me, the place that supported me. It felt like home; and the connections I have here helped bring me back. I love my now colleagues whom I respected as my teachers and counselors when I was in high school.

Q: How has your experience been coaching here?

A: It’s been a great experience, especially with this being my first time as a head coach. I’ve definitely taken it as a learning experience and would love to continue coaching as a head coach again!

Bennett graduated in 2007. He has been coaching since 2008.

Q: What led to you working at MHS? A: I was inspired to coach because MHS has a culture of alumni coaches, and I wanted to give back.

Q: How has your experience been coaching here?

A: Coaching at MHS has been an awesome experience, it is nice to be able to work with high school athletes, and help out in the Milpitas Community.

COURTESY OF ALEEMA GARFINKEL

Junior Aleema Garfinkel practices her riding at Whispering Hills Horse Ranch in Milpitas with her horse Tytus. She recently competed and placed first in her jumping class. Garfinkel hopes to make it to zone.

Garfinkel overcomes obstacles on horseback

By Ashley Chen

According to the World Sports Encyclopedia, there are 8,000 indigenous sports and sporting games. However, there is no other sport quite like equestrian, or horseback riding.

Junior Aleema Garfinkel has been horseback riding since she was 12, and she currently rides as a part of the Interscholastic Equestrian Association, an organization that introduces students to equestrian sports. She practices two to three times a week at barns in San Jose and Los Altos Hills, Garfinkel said.

The main discipline she practices is jumping, Garfinkel stated.

“Last year I made it to regionals and to get to zone you have to place third or higher, and I got fourth,” Garfinkel said. “This year I’m trying to get to zone.”

Garfinkel competed in Watsonville on Oct. 21 and placed first in her jumping class and third in her flat class. She also competed in equitation, which judges the rider’s ability to ride in a proper position, she added.

Her favorite part about horseback riding is the bonds she made with the horses and friends, Garfinkel said. She cherishes the memory of when she got her horse, named Emerald Zahita, or Emma for short, she said. “[Emma is a bit] old; she’s 20 now,” Garfinkel said. “I got her about three years ago as a rescue from a fire because her owner’s house burned down. We took her in, and right now she’s mainly retired, but it’s been fun owning her.”

Horseback riding has had a positive impact on her, Garfinkel reflected. It has given her a sense

of confidence that is necessary to succeed in competition, she continued.

“To work with horses you need to be a more confident person,” Garfinkel said. “[It is like] the dominant horse in a field. I’m not a very confident person, and I really have to learn how to do that.”

There are risks to horseback riding, she acknowledged. However, she takes precautions to stay safe, she continued.

“More horseback riders get concussions a year than football players,” Garfinkel said. “But you do what you can to stay safe. [An example would be that] we wear helmets.”

In the future, she hopes to compete on a team in college, she said.

To learn more about Garfinkel and her equestrian journey, follow her Instagram @equestrialeema.

NOVEMBER 2018

SPORTS

THE UNION

13

Teachers go the extra mile to stay in shape

By Chris Ha

Have you ever run a marathon?

The typical marathon is 26.2 miles long, and a lot of runners need to train for weeks just to be able to reach the finish line.

Although many of us may never exercise again after high school, there are plenty of teachers on this campus who run long distances on a regular basis.

Math Teacher Elijah Liao has run about 50 marathons, four of which were 100 miles long, Liao said. He started running a long time ago, but stopped running coincidentally around the time he became a teacher, he added.

“When I started I would do one or two a year,” Liao said. “And then after a while, [I] lost motivation and part of it was because to qualify for the Boston Marathon, you had to run a three hour and ten minute marathon and I could never get my time down that low without training really hard.”

Instead of running faster, Liao tried running longer, which led to

participating in ultra marathons, he said. Eventually, he started to run 10 to 15 ultra marathons a year, something that he just did on some weekends, he said.

Social Studies Teacher Michael Cummins also runs marathons and decided to become a runner so he could stay in shape, he said.

He is an introvert and enjoys running because it is a sport that does not require you to interact with others, he added.

Cummins runs marathons with fellow Social Studies Teacher Paul Harrison, Cummins said.

They run six days a week after school, sometimes for as long as two hours, he said.

Cummins explained that running is great stress relief for all of the problems he deals with throughout the day, he said. It is important for his mental health, and without running he is much less happy, he added.

“You just, after a certain number of steps, you’ve solved all of your problems and then you come back rejuvenated and ready

to face the next day’s teaching,” Cummins said.

PE and AVID Teacher Kristina Edwards has only run one full marathon, but she has run many different half-marathons, she said. It was not too difficult to manage running with teaching because she could run while she waited for her son to finish soccer practice, and she could do her long runs on weekends, she added.

Edwards loves running and the community around it and encourages others to try to start running as well, she said. The people that Edwards has met at her runs have been very supportive, and she has always had positive experiences, she added.

“I’ve seen super overweight people, I’ve seen a double amputee; you see everybody out there doing the race, and everybody is so nice, and so it’s refreshing to do that when a lot of times in society we’re not so nice to each other,” Edwards said.

Ngo aspires to compete in Olympic Badminton Team

By Ginnie Lo

Competing in the 2024 Olympic Games for badminton has always been a dream for Junior Katelin Ngo. She hopes to pursue a future playing badminton competitively, Ngo added.

Ngo trains six days a week and at least two hours a day, she said.

She practices at Bay Badminton Center in Milpitas and goes to their other location in South San Francisco every weekend, she continued. “[I practice in South San Francisco] every Friday evening, and then I stay there until Sunday,” Ngo stated. “I stay over at my

friend’s place who trains [there] too. Then, I train at Milpitas for the rest of the weekdays.”

Her mother introduced her to badminton when she was eight years old, Ngo said. It has been six years since she first played in junior tournaments, she added.

“I think [badminton’s] the thing that truly makes me happy,” Ngo stated. “There are times where I feel really disappointed because you know you’re so passionate about it that you’re going to have low points. But then I think when I just continue to play I still feel like I love [badminton] a lot.”

Ngo sometimes skips school to

attend tournaments that are out of state. Her competitions take place all over the country, she continued. “[I skip school] only for tournaments because my parents are really picky about that,” Ngo said.

“Even then, they want me to limit how many [games] I play out of state that I need to skip school.”

Currently, she is training for the World Junior Championships that will happen in Canada in November, Ngo stated. Junior tournaments are held for players under 19 years old, Ngo continued. “[Badminton’s] basically my life,” Ngo said. “It controls everything I do. It made me who I am.”

COURTESY OF MINA POPOVIC

Sophomore Mina Popovic finishes her floor gymnastics routine with a flip off of the balance beam at the 2018 Junior Olympic Nationals.

Gymnast Popovic aims for 2020 Olympics

By Genelle Gogue

Competing in the Olympics for gymnastics is the goal for Sophomore Mina Popovic. She has participated in gymnastics for almost all her life and plans to compete in the 2020 Olympics, Popovic said.

Popovic has been in gymnastics for 11 years and is part of the gym San Mateo Gymnastics. She started gymnastics at a young age, Popovic said.

“I think when I started competing [in] competitive gymnastics I realized that it’s something I really wanted to do,” Popovic said.

“I liked being in front of a crowd.”

With 30 hours of training a week, Popovic finds it a bit challenging to balance everything.

Her competition season starts in January and ends in May, but even in her offseason she still trains hard. All the practices and competitions add to her busy schedule, she said.

Despite being that dedicated to a sport, there are gonna be times when you wanna quit, Popovic said.

“It is really hard because I train so much and I train so far away, so it’s hard to balance especially with homework,” she said.

Popovic is taking all her man-

datory classes just like any other student, but gymnastics really adds to her schedule. When asked if she differs from other student athletes, Popovic said no.

Popovic looks up to 2008 Olympian Shawn Johnson who inspired her at a young age. But even with the inspiration and love Popovic has towards gymnastics, it is still challenging at times, Popovic said.

“It happens very often; you’d be surprised,” said Popovic. “You just have to push through. Just the thought of I’ve been here for so long and it will all be worth it in the end.”

Popovic is only 15 years old, and the 2020 Olympics are only two years away. Popovic is pushing and working hard to earn her spot. Among the three main events, bars, beam, and floor; Popovic is currently best at the bars, she said.

“It is a little early to tell with it being in two years, but I get closer everyday,” Popovic said when asked how likely she is to compete in the Olympics.

When asked if she had any advice for anyone wanting to pursue gymnastics, Popovic said, “I think no matter how hard it is and if you think you can do it, you just have to keep pushing.”

Duong expresses herself through skating

By Theodore Do

Because of its Olympic popularity, figure skating is widely recognized around the world. However, its counterpart, artistic roller skating, is not as well known. Junior Katie Duong is among one of the few high school students who still participate in this sport.

Artistic skaters are rare in Milpitas. With the closing of local skating rinks, skaters no longer have the convenience of practicing nearby. As a child, Duong used to skate at the Milpitas and Redwood City rinks. With both centers now closed, she practices at the Roller King skating rink located in Roseville, California, a two-hour drive from Milpitas.

“In the mornings, I would wake up at 5 AM, and my mom would drive me and my brother to the rink,” Duong said. “We would practice for two and a half to six hours.”

Duong has been skating for nine years and competing for eight. She starting using skating rinks in elementary school, as her school encouraged students to skate by offering free-dress passes, Duong said.

“Sometime during elementary school, my mom had my brother’s birthday party at the rink; she saw how much I liked skating for fun, so she decided to enroll me

into classes,” Duong said. “Once I got to a high enough level, my mom reached out to a coach that was teaching at the rink and asked him if he could coach me and my brother.”

Learning new dances and tricks Duong encourages her to work harder to improve. Scoring well during competition is what pushes her to continue skating, Duong explained.

“I really enjoy performing,” Duong said. “When I don’t think about the pressure [of competition], I love to perform. I love skating to the music, especially when I have a little flair in my dance or routine.”

Her most memorable experience with skating was the year that she made it onto the national podium, Duong said. In that year, she had more time to practice and work with her coach, improving her overall performance with her dances and her routine.

During her regional competition, she was on the podium next to a world-class skater in her event, Duong added.That encounter made the year even more unforgettable, she commented.

“To be standing next to someone that amazing meant that I had to be pretty good myself,” Duong said. “It just brought a little more confidence in me than I would usually have.”

14

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NOVEMBER 2018

16

THE UNION

NEWS

NOVEMBER 2018

School bond voted on by Milpitas

By Loan-Anh Pham

Measure AA is a facilities bond that will work to relieve MHS’s overcrowding, improve safety and security throughout MUSD schools, and provide overdue repairs, School Board Member Robert Jung said. The bond, at $284 million dollars, was passed on Tuesday, Nov. 6, exceeding the required 55% “Yes” vote, Jung commented via a later email.

The second high school is a project that will receive $60 million dollars from the bond, Jung stated. The campus, set to be at Calaveras Hills High, will not be a comprehensive high school, and will relieve overcrowding if 400 to 500 students attend, Jung added.

“We think [the school] is going to be focused on science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM),” Jung said. “So you’re not going to have, for example, fields to support a new football team. You're not going to have

a gym to support PE. Think of a magnet high school.”

State regulations require fifty acres for a comprehensive high school, rendering one in Milpitas impossible due to a lack of land, School Board Member Amin Fazal said. Discussion on the apportionment of students to the new school will be done in collaboration with MHS administration, Fazal continued.

An additional $90 million dollars would go towards updating MHS, including the construction of additional portables, Fazal said. Recalling the crowds at the MHS production of “Hairspray” last school year, Fazal expressed the need for a larger theater.

“We didn’t have enough space to accommodate everybody,” Fazal said. “That’s one of the things we want to do--redo the theater.”

The $30 million dollar gap between money for MHS renovations and money for the second high school is likely due to timing,

Bond Committee Co-Chair Silvia Dias explained. Because MHS is an active school, construction would take much longer since the district would need to work around students’ schedules, Dias noted.

“You can’t just come in,” Dias said “With a new school, you don’t have that. You can kind of be done in one or two months.”

Safety and security improvements would vary depending on the school, Fazal commented. Improvements could range from fencing for the elementary schools to additional security cameras at MHS, Fazal explained.

“There's an audit going on at every single facility right now, and they’ll provide recommendations,” Jung said. “Overall, in my opinion, I haven't seen a high issue with security. But certainly, we want to double check that the assumptions are correct, and if we need to improve, we will.”

Chotai diagnoses a lack of therapists

By Adarsh Burela

Student Board Member Vivek Chotai along with Counseling and Support Services for Youth (CASSY) counselors are now advocating more therapists at MHS, Chotai said. On Nov. 16, Chotai will meet with Assistant Superintendent Norma Rodriguez to the School Board to support such a change, Chotai said.

Chotai has distributed a schoolwide survey of which 75% of in which the 378 students that answered reported they either know someone or are self-diagnosed with some sort of mental ailment, Chotai said. With this statistic, Chotai decided it was time to create an environment in which students could talk over their problems and get the help they needed, Chotai said.

“It was pretty depressing actu-

ally, three fourths of the school said they suffer from a mental illness,” Chotai said. “I wanted to create an environment to relieve stress and talk to students.”

Plans to resolve student anxiety are already underway, Rojas said.

Freshmen now take the Life Management class and have access to the school counselors and CASSY counselors, Rojas said. The problem is that neither group of counselors is advertised as much as it should be, Rojas said. Students try to go directly to professional help, but are unwilling to use the options the school provides, Rojas said.

“We’re self-diagnosing ourselves and often when we think about things like depression, you know one solution to depression is talking to someone about it,” Rojas said. “You don’t need an appointment. So a lot of [options]

exist, but how many people know?

They say, oh, there’s CASSY but that’s not for me. Well, it might be for you, you just don’t know.” Rojas said.

Because his team of students is so small and lacking in resources, Chotai primarily proposes ideas, and nearly all paperwork and finances are done by the administration, Chotai said. So far, the plan is to apply for a five hundred thousand dollar grant, Chotai said.

“I am working with many mental health specialists and counselors, teachers, and administrators to now form a plan on how to accomplish my vision,” Chotai said in an email. “They thought it was a good idea and support it, but we have to ‘take it slow to go fast’ to make sure we do not mess up anywhere.

PE: MHS lacks resources to meet state standards FROM PAGE 1 to the CDE website. “Instruction can be provided on water safety rescue techniques, dry-land strokes, kick practice, and buoyancy principles.”

The biggest issue in teaching all of the required courses is still the lack of facilities and qualified teachers, Athletics Director Jeffrey Lamb said. Other schools share the same problem and, likewise, are not meeting all of the requirements, Lamb added.

“We really do not have gymnastics,” Lamb said. “Most high schools don’t have gymnastics anymore per say because [the] equipment is very expensive [and] we don’t have qualified people to teach them.”

Piedmont Hills High School (PHHS) is a high school that also does not follow all of the requirements, PHHS Junior Victor Xie said. PHHS teaches all of the required courses except gymnastics and dance, Xie added.

“Piedmont Hills requires swim-

ming,” Xie said. “I’ve never heard of anyone doing gymnastics, only stretching.”

The other major issue is the conservative approach to physical education, Rojas said. There has been no strive to teach aquatics because the issue was never brought up, Rojas added.

“Our PE department does what it’s been doing. I haven’t put any priority in reviewing that,” Rojas said. “We can definitely have that discussion. I just don’t think it’s been discussed.”

American Red Cross (ARC) believes that safety and certification should be taken seriously, according to the ARC website. ARC wants to ensure that instructors are prepared for any water emergency, the website added.

“Many jobs require up to date lifesaving skills because they address health emergencies everyday – people such as health care providers, first responders, and lifeguards,” according to the ARC

website. “Others, including teachers and babysitters, are entrusted with precious young lives that could require aid on a moment’s notice.

The Mercury News article mentioned was titled “Danville school district apologizes for drowning death of Ben Curry, announces safety changes” and was published online on their website on Nov. 2, 2018. Their website can be found at the following link: www. mercurynews.com The Union article mentioned was titled “Freshman nearly drowns in pool” and was published in the November 2007 edition of The Union.

The CDE guidelines for high school physical education can be found at: www.cde.ca.gov/pd/ca/ pe/physeducfaqs.asp ARC provides certification for lifeguard and water safety training. To find out more information, visit their website: www.redcross. org/take-a-class/lifeguarding

MAIRA RAMOS THE UNION

Representative Ro Khanna hosted a town hall meeting in the large gym and addressed the concerns of voters, citizens of California District 17.

Congressman visits MHS; students attend town hall

By Maira Ramos

U.S. Representative Ro Khanna hosted a town hall meeting in the MHS gym on Oct. 24. Khanna answered his constituents’ questions concerning issues on global warming, taxes, war, and more.

Khanna schedules town halls about once a month across his district so that he can hear from the people he represents, Social Studies Teacher Michael Cummins said. A majority of those present at this town hall were AP Government and Politics students, and some people with specific issues to ask Khanna about, he said.

“I thought it was a valuable thing to see because you can see what he is concerned about, like the pipe bombs [that] happened that morning,” Cummins said. “It was a new learning experience for me too.”

Because there were many high school students present, the discussion swayed more towards issues that young people are concerned about, Cummins said. Issues that students asked Khanna about included tuition, affirmative action, and taxes, he said.

“It was a really good experi-

ence,” Senior Anna Kaenjak said.

“It was interesting to see the community come together and meet our district’s Representative.”

Khanna was well presented and passionate about issues he believes are important, according to Senior Ashley Noory. There were several issues brought up that she learned about for the first time, Noory said.

“I definitely learned a lot of things,” Noory said. “I guess [it] is kind of reflective of how the youth are uninformed about a lot of things because the youth are not really involved in politics.”

Town halls are a great opportunity for people to speak their voices and build partnerships with people out in the community, Principal Francis Rojas said. It gives people a direct connection to those making decisions about the community, he said.

“I welcome our representatives to be in our campus,” Rojas said.

“The more opportunity that our students and staff get to voice their opinions or their concerns with our representatives, the better we will be represented in the decision-making around policies and laws in our state and country.”

Eye on Campus: Stanford Blood Drive

GINNIE LO THE UNION

Junior Justin Nguyen donates a pint of blood to the Stanford Blood Drive, hosted by the Stanford Blood Center, in the MHS library on Oct. 15.