The Union - Milpitas High School - September 2019 by MHS The Union

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS (2)

SEPTEMBER 2019 VOLUME XXXI ISSUE I

U NION STUDENTS MAKE THE MOST OF SUMMER INTERNSHIPS (6)

IT CHAPTER TWO IS FRIGHTENINGLY MEDIOCRE (4)

BACK TO SCHOOL: HOW TO STAY ORGANIZED (5)

THE

BUTCHER TAKES OVER AS ATHLETICS DIRECTOR (7)

MHSTHEUNION.COM FOR THE LATEST UPDATES

STUDENT VOICE OF MILPITAS HIGH SCHOOL

Teacher shortage, resignations affect new hires and students By Alexander Phan

MHS has seen the unexpected departure of four teachers this school year, Principal Francis Rojas said. This was because the teachers took administration roles or left for personal reasons, he said. Former Teachers Alexandra Nguyen, Paul Cao, Bridget Hall, and Lindsay Guttierez resigned from their teaching positions at MHS, Rojas said. The resignation of these teachers have caused administration to recruit teachers using a new system called the New Teacher Academy, he said. “What I’ve noticed over the last two years is that with all of our teachers retiring or moving on, we’re bringing in a lot of new teachers,” Rojas said. “With a school this size, it’s easy for teachers to become just like students and fall through the cracks. Some say that they don’t know where to ask questions. So one thing that I’ve established through our school site council and our School Improvement Plan for Student Achievement (SIPSA) was our plan to provide a New Teacher Academy for all new teachers,” Rojas said. The New Teacher Academy will allow the school to be able to recruit experienced teachers for the school as well as provide weekly communication to help newer teachers, Rojas said. “There’s quite a large range of teachers. I wanted to find a way to provide that support for new teachers because we hired some really good teachers this year. I don’t want to lose them,” Rojas said, “Our school plan was to provide a New Teacher Academy for all new teachers with monthly meetings. Collaboration days once a month that they’ll come and learn about relevant topics to that month,” Rojas said. The resignation and shortage of

teachers has not had a huge effect on scheduling classes, Counselor Beth Harke said. “This year’s scheduling has been as difficult as it’s always been,” Harke said. With the resignation of some specialized teachers such as Hall, who taught fashion design, some classes had to be dissolved, Rojas said. “I discussed this with Miss Hall. Fashion design was one of those classes that had very low enrollment. The logical thing you would do is to just collapse those classes and dissolve them. We did a similar thing with creative writing,” Rojas said. “The credentials for teachers to teach things like fashion design and foods are called credentials for family consumer science. They’re very rare. You will almost never find a teacher with that credential.” Students such as Senior Justin Nguyen are disappointed by the resignation of teachers. The dissolvement of some classes such as fashion design have been a let down for students, Nguyen said. “I’m kind of disappointed that fashion design closed. I always thought it was an interesting class to have instead of the typical academic electives our school has,” Nguyen said. “I’m hoping that it comes back sometime in the future. Even though I wasn’t planning on taking it, I think it would be good for the atmosphere of the school.” The school has been lucky enough to replace some of the teachers who resigned, such as Cao and Guttierez, Rojas said. “Miss Guitteriez’s position was already filled. We’re really lucky to get a very experienced teacher that has experience with English language development. That is Miss Kim,” Rojas said. “We were able to have her and Gutierrez overlap for a week so they could transition off and train.”

Eye on Campus: Seniors attend Picnic

neval mulaomerovic | THE UNION

At Saratoga Springs, students participated in activities such as table tennis, swimming, hiking, temporary tattoos, bocce, and volleyball.

ginnie lo | THE UNION

Students in AVID Teacher Bridget Hall’s class form small groups to solve a math problem together. One student presents the question on the board while group members and an assigned tutor assist them.

AVID program to be expanded school wide By Neval Mulaomerovic

Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) curricula and strategies are to be expanded to more classes with the goal of making the program schoolwide over the next few years, Principal Francis Rojas said. Teachers have been and will continue to be trained in ways to implement AVID concepts in core courses, he said. Throughout the 25 years it has been offered at MHS, AVID has remained an elective period in which students practice note-taking and discussion strategies with the help of tutors and student-led groups, Rojas said. Within the AVID class, students focus on college and career readiness skills, study skills, and mentorships, he said. “There are certain ways that

the students in the AVID elective learn that should be spread schoolwide,” Rojas said. “There are classrooms where you are just talked to, and there are classrooms where a teacher poses a question and you discuss to create your own idea around it. In this latter type of instruction, which we call student-centered learning, students learn a lot more because they’re the ones engaging with the knowledge.” AVID employs Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration, Organization, and Reading (WICOR) strategies to help students organize thoughts, research, and notes, AVID Lead Liza Gable-Ferguson said. Applying these concepts in core classes could increase course rigor, student engagement, and student understanding of the significance of their material, she said. “When we talk to the business

world and workplaces, they want us to create inventive and creative thinkers who know how to collaborate with others, read, write, and be organized,” Gable-Ferguson said. “I think we are meeting career needs, and that’s exactly what you need to do to be successful in college. We can’t train students for jobs anymore because the job of tomorrow is not invented yet, but we can train you on how to learn.” Over the past two summers, more than 30 teachers attended the official AVID Summer Institute to be trained in AVID strategies, Rojas said. Those teachers then lead groups within their departments to train other MHS teachers on ways to integrate AVID concepts in class, he said. “There’s a wealth of knowlSEE “AVID” ON PAGE 8

Senior quotes no longer offered in yearbook By Alexander Phan

Senior quotes will not be included in this year’s school yearbook, Yearbook Advisor Fiona Walker said. This decision was made because of frustrations from inappropriate quotes from previous years, she said. On top of the inappropiate quotes, senior quotes will also be removed due to the extra amount of work it exerts on the yearbook staff, Walker said. “First of all, adding senior quotes takes a considerable amount of extra time, and we just don’t have the staff to do it. Yearbook enrollment numbers are drastically down,” Walker said. “Second, every year, despite multiple warnings not to, we have a huge amount of students who submit inappropriate quotes.” The decision to remove senior quotes was not impulsive, as the idea was considered for prior editions of the yearbook, Walker said. Previous years have given the yearbook staff many grievances, Walker said. “I’ve considered cutting them

every year because of this problem,” Walker said. “The year before last I caught an insanely dirty quote that had slipped by us. The book had already been completely submitted. In order to get that page back to fix it, I had to pay a huge fine and it made me furious. Last year, there was an uproar about the inappropriate quotes being changed, even after students were warned repeatedly. It made it clear that it was no longer in our best interest to provide the service.” This decision was considered by many people in yearbook, rather than being a single impulse choice, Yearbook Editor in Chief Arianne Mayo said. “The decision was made by Ms. Walker and my three editors-in-chief, who already graduated last year.” Mayo said. It is a possibility that the only students who will receive senior quotes will be the staff members who worked on the yearbook, Walker said. “I’m playing with the idea of just letting the yearbook kids have senior quotes as a perk for

taking the class.” Walker said, “Like I said, our enrollment numbers have been down. I’m not sure yet, though.” Students such as Senior Nicolas Agleham have stated their disappointment at the removal of seniors quotes from the yearbook. While the decision is disappointing, it is understandable why the yearbook staff took them out, Agleham said. “I feel like it could’ve been handled a little bit differently instead of taking [quotes] away entirely,” Agleham said. “It’s not that everybody is trying to do inappropriate jokes or quotes. A lot of us just want to have something memorable that other people can remember us by.” Senior Freddy Chi believes that the removal of senior quotes is unjustified as it prohibits students from expressing themselves. “Taking away the ability for about 800 people to express themselves for the sake of stopping ten to twenty people is completely stupid,” Chi said.

THE UNION

PRO

SAT requirement a waste of valuable time and money The Scholastic Aptitude Test to take a test that gauges us only (SAT) is a mandatory pain dison those subjects. If a student was guised as a test we must all go having trouble with math or writthrough to further our education ing, almost all colleges have some into college. For decades now, form of math and English support. standardized test results have All the SAT tests for is how well a been crucial to the colstudent can operate unlege application process. der limited time. The It is in no way a good idea SAT’s unique way of testto measure a student’s ing means that any stupotential through a test dent who can not adapt consisting of only two and has a unique learning subjects. These tests are style is completely out of a terrible way to mealuck. sure how someone will With everything we perform at a university. know from the college Imagine a student’s admissions scandal, it’s skills lies outside of traobvious that those who ALEXANDER ditional mathematics. are born into a wealthy PHAN Imagine a student suited family has a drastically for a particular college, increased chance of getbut they’re a non English speakting a better score on standardized er. Math and English are the only tests. Even without having to bribe subjects that The College Board SAT officials, students from well off deems worthwhile, so unfortunate families have the money to afford students who are lacking in those advantages such as SAT tutoring subjects are doomed to fail before and SAT prep classes. This potenthey begin. Students who feel their tially causes students from low instrongest subject is in a non-tradicome families to earn lower scores, tional area of intelligence won’t be harming their chances to get into able to get a chance to display their the colleges they want. skills on the SAT exam. Simply Forcing the SAT on students to put, the SAT does not make room apply for college is too much of a for students with multiple inteltime commitment for them, espeligences, just students who know cially on Juniors and Seniors who traditional math, reading, and have to worry about much more. writing. Universities who have a On top of the excessive amount of strong emphasis on SAT scores time students spend studying for may reject capable and innovathe SAT, they also have to take the tive students simply because they four to five hour test on a weekend are not able to compete with other each time they take the SAT. This students on the SAT. level of time commitment can draw Of course, understanding math a student’s focus away from other and English proficiently is a necesmore important things that actusity for all college students, but it ally matter in college applications, doesn’t mean we have to be forced like extracurriculars.

CON

SAT should stay mandatory for college admissions process For many students, the SAT ery sector of life, the modern SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) is the offers new ways to balance out opworst part of college preparation portunities for students of differa four hour long nightmare, not to ent backgrounds. For starters, the mention the weeks of preparation test is designed to be an aptitude and money that go into it. Recently, instead of achievement test, meanschools such as Universiing that it measures natty of Chicago and Wesural ability in English leyan University have and Math instead of a joined the larger trend of student’s ability to cram making the SAT optional as much as possible. The instead of required on SAT is about thinking the college application. strategy, not memoriThough it may make it zation. Expensive prep classes can only do so easier for some prospective applicants who were much for a test taker. Addreading the exam, this ditionally, resources for trend creates problems the SAT are widely availNEVAL for the overall student MULAOMEROVIC able now more than ever. population. Aside from the several The SAT is one of the practice tests that Colfew objectively comparable parts lege Board releases for free every of the application. Extracurric- year, students often use the SAT ulars are largely the result of the subreddit and other online forums school you attend and your family for free access to surprisingly usebackground. As a result, a student ful practice problems and test-takmay have extremely impressive ing strategies. activities purely because of their Above all, the SAT is just one facparents’ connections, or they tor that college admissions officers may underperform because their evaluate. Recent trends show that school lacks well-established clubs more personal parts of the applicaand organizations. Even GPA can tion, such as supplemental essays, be affected by the particulars of are prioritized over standardized your administration’s policies and testing. Students should not be led your teachers’ level of rigor. The to believe a single sub-par exam SAT, on the other hand, is the most grade will ruin their chances at objective statistic a college can use getting accepted to a good college. to assess a student’s capabilities in This variety of factors that colleges the application process. take into account is necessary to Those who doubt the SAT’s va- make the admissions process as lidity as a measure of a student’s fair and diverse as possible. Makacademic abilities often argue that ing the SAT optional will only open exam is biased towards upper class up more ambiguity and inequity in students who can afford to pay for college applications by taking out tutoring and prep books. While yet another way for students to money is inevitably power in ev- demonstrate their abilities.

OPINIONS

SEPTEMBER 2019

Scholarships valuable resource for students With the cost of higher educa- ganizations provide thousands tion on an upward trend and some of dollars in scholarship money schools even charging $50,000 for for simply completing a survey or tuition per year, it is no wonder why writing a 250 word essay. It’s extra one of the biggest concerns for high work, but the payoff can be worth school seniors is how to it, especially seeing as pay for college. Though thousands of scholFA FSA applications arships go unclaimed and part-time jobs are each year due to a lack common options when of applicants. Everyone trying to lower out-oflooks at an opportunity pocket costs, there is no and thinks ‘there is no way to pay for college chance I’ll win,’ but if up front without issue you just try, you might unless you are seriously luck out. For unclaimed financially well-off. Stuscholarships, being the dents, now more than only applicant can earn NEVAL ever, must take matters MULAOMEROVIC you thousands of dollars into their own hands by through minimal effort. making the most out of It’s cheating the system their scholarship opportunities. by simply following the rules. Most of our exposure to scholIf you’re worried about whetharships comes from spam in our er or not a scholarship is a scam, inboxes that go unread or deleted. check with dependable sources. While some scholarship ads may The opportunities recommended be less than reliable, there are by counselors in your school email plenty that are legitimate and offer are useful to check out, since their serious money for minimal work. judgement is reliable. There are Many smaller companies and or- other more well-known scholar-

ships that are worth it, even if they likely receive a wide range of applicants. Questbridge is one example of an amazing opportunity which provides entirely free tuition to low-income students willing to go through essays and letters of recommendation. Though the extra work seems daunting, it is largely similar to the college application process which you are likely completing simultaneously. In the end, you get what you put into the process. More effort through scholarships that require lengthy essays will yield better results and more money. Even applying to multiple easy, smaller scholarships can rack up a considerable amount of money over time. The most important thing to remember is that even a single $500 reward from a low-level scholarship is a $500 burden lifted off of your shoulders. That money could now be spent on equally expensive college textbooks, invested into the stock market, or used on 100 milk teas.

Early AP test registration a poor move The College Board changed its peers ask each other if they were new Advanced Placement (AP) going to take the AP exam back exam ordering deadline to Oc- in late February. The uncertainty tober, according to the College of taking or not taking the exam Board’s website. Exams will con- occurs when students get more of tinue to cost $95 with a $40 late a feel for their class in the second fee for missing the deadline, and a semester. $40 cancellation fee for those who The College Board should be register but do not take the exam. more considerate of students. PayOne of the issues with ing $95 is no joke, esthe College Board’s new pecially if students feel change is that it requires as if they might fail the more commitment from exam once the course students. Some students becomes more vigorous. tend to drop out at the However, people may beginning of second sesay that students taking mester, either because AP classes should know they did not enjoy the what to expect and be course or were strugprepared for exams. gling. Other students However, all people are find that the first semesdifferent. The purpose GINNIE ter’s curriculum was enof AP classes is to let LO tirely different from secstudents have a feel for ond semester’s. In many what college courses are classes, first semester consists of like, allowing them to build their going over the basics or review- critical thinking skills. ing. Second semester is an entirely What happened to serving the new situation in terms of rigor and school and students? There are workload. more disadvantages to this change We are paying $95 for an exam. made by the College Board. The The College Board is using this only advantage is making students change to get money quickly. Peo- more “engaged,” which may have ple are more likely to feel pres- the opposite effect. It is just a simsured to pay for their exams and ple, quick, and easy way for the Colevaluate how they feel about their lege Board to earn more money. It AP classes early on. How will peo- is clear that the College Board does ple be able to ensure that they can not care about the financial burden earn a passing score so early on in they are placing on families and the curriculum? I have heard many students.

The effect on students can be detrimental. Students will be harder on themselves and risk their health to ensure that they can pass the exam. Paying $95 so early in the school year will cause students to feel a sense of pressure that they cannot let the money go to waste. With the old option of paying in second semester, students can decide confidently if they want to take the exam or not. In addition, seniors are already overwhelmed with college applications. Feeling conflicted about whether they should take an exam adds on to the stress. This change will cause most people to make rash, regrettable decisions to avoid paying the extra $40 late fee. AP coordinators who have to organize the exam, along with writing college recommendation letters in November will also feel the stress placed by this change. It is normal for students to follow the trend of their peers. As a result, most people will end up paying for their exams in October and go along with the College Board’s ploy for money, likely at their own detriment. I encourage you think carefully about whether or not you want to take the AP exam. If you are against this change, you can let College Board know by signing a petition found at https://tinyurl. com/CollegeBoardFallAPExams.

ASB efforts on their way to improvement For as long as any student on this to allow students to vote for next campus can remember, ASB has week’s events in advance. Or perperpetually put out efforts to make haps ask for student suggestions the school more spirited. And, for once in a while, as a way to spice the most part, they’re relatively things up. successful; spirit weeks are amazASB has also had some procliving ideas to rally together ity for plastic wrap, as students. Their work is odd as it is. With all the all over the school in the ecological efforts being form of posters, hosting put in to protect the Jack Emery, and hosting environment and renoon time events, Howduce waste proposed by ever, in the past few years, the school, yellow and they’ve changed things blue plastic wrap finds up. It feels as though ASB its place almost everyhas been becoming more where. Why add all of it and more distant from the to campus? What does student body as a whole. it do to help the school? ADARSH Noon-time events with What’s the point to it BURELA all of its pizazz, comradall? To promote spirit, ery, and a general positive of course! It feels more environment offer stulike an annoyance than dents a place to gather around and anything else, and I’ve never seen just have a good time. In the past anyone actually excited to see year though, the events hosted by them. That, and it gets in the way ASB have felt stale and unoriginal. of bustling traffic during passing More often than not, the events for period. Regardless, I won’t be the noontimes are simply the events first to say that the plastic wrap is from a few weeks ago being reused. lousy idea, but I definitely will not There seems to be a pretty easy be the last. solution to this: send out a poll ASB has made great strives to cre-

ating a better environment for the school this year under Activities Director Jerell Maneja, but I attribute this year’s activities mainly to ASB itself. They’ve demonstrated creativity when it comes to school events, but it is definitely something to work upon. ASB has even shown initiative when it comes to school wide events such as “Start with Hello” week starting on Sept. 23. Their idealogy of “embraced as individuals, together as Trojans” is something that I appreciate, giving a chance for all students to find where they belong here. This year’s ASB has the chance to redeem themselves from prior years mistakes and to learn from them. As of now, they have done a good job on noontimes and school events, and I hope they continue to push spirit into the school for the rest of the year. This year’s class has also proved to have incredible artistic capabilities which I expect to be used well. More interaction with the student body is all that ASB really needs to work on, and it all starts with this year.

SEPTEMBER 2019

EDITOR I A L : The Opinion of The Union

MHS mental health efforts admirable Mental health is an increasingly large concern for modern students, with the greatest causes of stress for young adults being anxiety and depression. Society’s attitude toward mental health is making progress in the right direction, however, with more conversations and resources being directed towards improving the well-being of vulnerable students. MHS is on the right side of this fight, making commendable efforts at the start of the school year towards addressing this issue. One development noted by many, even before the first day of school, is the addition of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline phone number on the back of every student I.D. card. Some disregarded it, calling it a strange attempt at being “politically correct,” but others acknowledged its rightful importance. While depression is by no means an impulsive situation, suicide has statistically proven to be a spontaneous decision. As a result, studies show that even a temporary distraction or postponement from acting on suicidal thoughts can decrease the risk of suicide. If you do not understand the significance of a hotline on the back of an I.D., it still has the potential of being useful for someone else. Seeing as many students even discussed how they were not aware that a suicide prevention hotline existed, increasing accessibil-

ity and awareness for mental health resources for students in this way is noteworthy. Mental health has long been an issue for students, regardless of school. Students are pressured to do well in both academics and in their extracurriculars. The competitive school environment drives students towards depression. Students are burdened with managing school-work and activities with their mental health. Prioritizing school over one’s health has become a normal standard in society, ultimately leading to students sleeping as little as four hours per night, disregarding breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and other basic needs to function. The addition of Counseling and Support Service for Youth (CASSY) counselors and a school psychologist over the last year is another great example of expanding resources for MHS students. Professionals are the best resources for students, and MHS students are lucky enough to have them available just one appointment away. Having schools finally address mental health and provide qualified resources and reminders greatly helps students feel as if they are not alone. MHS also dedicated page 33 of the 2019-2020 student handbook to informing students and staff on how to be safe when dealing with harassment, abuse, and relation-

ships. For example, the page emphasizes that sexual harassment will not be tolerated. The text also states that students will not “be required to resolve the complaint directly with the offending person.” This provides a sense of safety for students. Overall, the school’s stance discourages students from harassing others and encourages students who choose to speak up, which is of utmost important in society. The page also provides facts about teen violence, such as females being more prone to intimate partner violence and the rates of being abused in a relationship. MHS notes that they offer counseling and can possibly set up “a restraining order and, or other schoolbased interventions.” Having classes read aloud this page together serves as a reminder to everyone what a healthy relationship should look like, as well as dealing with unhealthy ones. Improved awareness toward “an environment free of sexual harassment” is beneficial and impactful to everyone on campus. This information may help students recognize a toxic relationship and keep this information in mind in the future. The new changes finally bring awareness to the mental health of students, a long-standing issue. Having a constant reminder that there is help on campus is a step toward improvement.

EDITOR I A L : The Opinion of The Union

College process begins too late in MHS The college process is a long and confusing one. Students in most high schools, especially in over-achieving Bay Area communities, have the luxury of receiving help from their counselors and teachers throughout junior year to perfect their college lists and resumes ahead of application season. For MHS, that isn’t always the case. College presentations can be useful resources, but those are only available weeks into the first semester of senior year. By then, students have largely decided where they would like to apply and what is required of their applications. The real preparation should begin earlier on. The end of junior year is a crucial time to plan for college by formulating your college list and contacting teachers for letters of recommendation. That would leave plenty of time for students to get started on sup-

plemental essays over the summer. Instead, many are left to begin planning during the start of senior year. As a result, students are forced to cram their standardized testing and applications close to the last minute amid other school-time obligations. This also makes early action and early decision application requirements much more difficult to meet. Though some students are strategic enough to meet with their counselors before the start of summer, those who could use the most help often lack this foresight. Required meetings between students and counselors before the end of junior year could prove helpful to offer an opportunity for applicants to plan and avoid procrastination. Informational meetings between counselors and parents would also be most useful during junior year so that families have

more time to strategize, instead of being overwhelmed with information regarding FAFSA and score reporting during the fall of senior year. Some counselors do a good job in helping students through the process of college applications, but it is not always enough. Some students can go their whole 4 years of high school without even talking to their counselor. This lack of interaction creates problems when counselors are left to write recommendation letters for students they barely know. At the end of the day, college preparation is a mutual effort. Students must take charge of their own futures and can not expect counselors to do the work for them. Counselors and students ought to work together, as some students do not even know when or where to begin.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor, Sleeping is of great importance to students! Sleeping is arguably one of the most important biological functions of the human body. Sleep helps us regulate body temperature, brain activity, metabolism. Moreover, sleep also helps restore energy levels and immune system strength. In sleep, we prepare for the next day and recover from the stresses of the day. In the morning, we wake up refreshed and alert. Interestingly, teenagers need more sleep than the average person due to rapid growth and changes in the body in order to stay healthy. Unfortunately, far too many students do not get enough sleep per day, whether it be because of sports, clubs, homework, or other activities, such as chores or family life. In addition, since the school day

starts at 8:00 AM, many students are forced to wake up before 6 AM just to get to school. Furthermore, many students have activities in the early morning and at night, which further reduces their sleeping hours. This lack of sleep leads to students being inattentive and drowsy in classes, and inevitably leads to sleeping in class, causing students to fall behind in class. All of these factors lead to falling grades in students’ classes, and then forces students to work harder to bring their grades back up. This, in turn, leads to more sleepless nights, and repeats the cycle. This creates a feedback loop that is challenging to escape. Thankfully, this self-reinforcing cycle can be fixed. Students should prioritize their sleep, take naps

THE UNION

EDITORIAL

whenever possible, and cut down on caffeine to get the best amount of sleep possible. Milpitas High should also consider beginning at a later time, allowing students to sleep during SSR in every fifth period class, and reducing course workload so that students can get adequate amounts of sleep daily. These measures will help students break free from the toxic cycle of lack of sleep. Sleep and rest are the best way to recover from anything, be it illness, fatigue, a break-up, or a tiring day at school. Sleep is priceless and intrinsically linked to health; every student should strive to get as much sleep as possible to stay happy and healthy! Sincerely, Nikita Bilaskar Class of 2020

U NION The

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

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

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Yearly subscriptions to The Union are available for $25. Contact the Business Manager for more information.

ADVERTISEMENTS

Those who would like to advertise in The Union can contact the Ad Manager at (408) 429-9867. Ads are available in full page, half page, quarter page, and business card sizes. Inserts are also accepted. Upon request, The Union staff will customize and design your advertisement. C O N TAC T U S 1285 Escuela Pkwy, Room E-17 Milpitas, CA 95035 General Info: (408) 635-2800 Business Manager: (408) 891-2419 Ad Manager: (408) 429-9867 Fax: (408) 635-2848 Email: mhstheunion20@gmail.com

S TA F F Neval Mulaomerovic Editor -In -Chief Alexander Phan News Editor Sarah khan A sst. News Editor Rachel Wu Op -Ed Editor Vibha Sastry A sst. Op -Ed Editor Ginnie Lo Features Editor Kathleen Huynh A sst. Features Editor Devika Kumar Sports Editor Evelyn Fu A sst. Sports Editor Maliyah Fick Lifestyle Editor Allison Choe A sst. Lifestyle Editor Genelle Gogue Entertainment Editor Faria Moiz A sst. Entertainment Editor Kyle Nguyen Spread Editor Joshanne Chiang Copy Editor Rajvee Patel A sst. Copy Editor Sean Nguyen Web Editor Tosha Sambhus A sst. Web Editor Max Jones Photo Editor Kate Ngo A sst. Photo Editor Adarsh Burela Business M anager Celine Ngheim A d M anager

Jeff Colburn A dvisor

H AVE A N OPINION? HAVE A GRIPE WITH THE SCHOOL? WANT TO PRAISE THE SCHOOL? WANT YOUR VOICE TO BE HEARD? THE UNION PUBLISHES LETTERS TO THE EDITOR EVERY ISSUE SUBMIT ALL LETTERS TO E17 DO NOT FORGET TO WRITE DOWN YOUR NAME AND GRADE

FOR MORE STORIES, VISIT US AT MHSTHEUNION.COM

THE UNION

SEPTEMBER 2019

ENTERTAINMENT

RATING KEY peppa Pig daddy pig mummy pig Susie sheep george pig

Reasons why ‘13 Reasons Why’ fails to live up to expectations during the aftermath of the turmoil from the previous seasons. We follow the show knowing that Bryce Walker is now dead, watchBy Maliyah Fick ing as everyone connected to him becomes a suspect. While Bryce The third season to the Netflix burned bridges with a lot of peooriginal series, “13 Reasons Why” ple, the show emphasizes: while came out on Aug. 23, a series that many had the motive, who actuwas originally based off of the ally had it in them to kill? Season three also gives Bryce book under the same title by Jay Asher, which came out in 2007. a sob story, and it’s infuriating to see a serial rapist be porThe season takes place in trayed as anything but the 2018, switching between bad guy. While he had ruined two timelines, one being so many lives and hurt so the “present” and one being “eight months before.” TV-SERIES many people, season three The show is meant to raise REVIEW shows a “vulnerable and broken Bryce,” as if we are supawareness for a wide variety posed to feel for him since he of issues, including mental health issues, sexual assault and had it hard. However, this does harassment, bullying, and sui- touch base with how everyone’s cide. The first season followed the human, even if we don’t necessarplot of its source material quite ily like said human. As for the camera work of the closely. However, season three has no connection to the book show, they used a brighter filter other than the characters being to display the flashback scenes, and a gray-brown tone to disused. In season three, we get a new play the present. While this was narrator, a girl named Amoro- confusing since it’s normal for wat Anysia “Ani” Achola, a new flashbacks to be gloomy, the constudent to Liberty High who be- trast between the bright and the friends the group of teens the dark can help to show how eight show follows. She has a different months ago, life was a little betperspective on the problems at ter than the mess the characters Liberty than Clay Jenson, the found themselves in. The tranprevious narrator, had. This sitions, however, made it hard to gives the show a different tone. decipher the change in timelines, Unlike before, we see an insight and left a bit of confusion. Zach Dempsey is still a cinnaon Bryce Walker, the show’s antagonist, and how his life is going mon roll, and deserves the world. RATING: 2 out of 5

COURTESY OF NEW LINE CINEMA

Pennywise, played by Bill Skarsgård, makes his terrifying appearance in “It Chapter Two.” His performance, lauded by critics and viewers alike, was a standout amongst otherwise mediocre writing and directing.

‘IT Chapter Two’ a shadow of its predecessor; misses the mark in both horror and comedy they made to each other when they had defeated Pennywise: if he ever comes back, they’d return. Once they all return to Derry, By Adarsh Burela they remember the comradery they had once shared there with “It Chapter Two,” a horror mov- all the memories flowing back. ie adapted from Stephen King’s One by one, they realize that “It,” hit theatres on Sept. 6. While they’ve forgotten their past, as if a the first movie covered the first part of their childhood was taken and second chapters of King’s from them. Mike tells the group novel, ‘It Chapter Two’ covers the how to defeat Pennywise using an third and fourth chapters. The ancient tribal ritual by collecting film takes place 27 years aftokens of fear over the course ter the first film as the kids of their stay in Derry, and by from the last movie band togoing back to the place where gether once more to stop the it all began - The Well. This MOVIE plot, while true to the book, infamous Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård), once and for all. REVIEW was so underwhelming compared to the first movie, and After the kids defeat Pennywise in the previous movie, played out like a comedy more so they all do their best to forget than a horror movie. As a whole, the movie was mediabout the horrors they witnessed. Most of them grow to become ocre at best. One of the biggest issuccessful, almost forgetting sues it had was pacing - most of the about the trauma they’ve faced. movie acted as a recap of the first Over the years, they leave Derry, movie, almost as if the producers Maine, leaving a lone Mike (Isa- expected the audience to have not iah) on his own. Richie (Bill Had- seen the first movie. Jump-scares er), Stanley (Andy Bean), Ben (Jay were long, drawn-out, and espeRyan), Bill (James McAvoy), Ed- cially easy to predict. There was die (James Ransone), and Bever- one scene where one of the charley (Jessica Chastain) all split up, acters met with one of Pennynot seeing each other for almost wise’s machinations who was disthree decades. Together, while guised as an older woman. Over a most of them may be successful, long, drawn-out twenty minutes, they feel something is missing the monster finally reveals itself from their past that they can no in a way that the audience could longer recall. It is Mike, the last absolutely predict. That, in addione to stay in Derry, that brings tion to poor special effects for the them back to fulfill the promise budget leaves viewers disappointRATING: 2 out of 5



ed. Scenes including Pennywise were phenomenal in their execution and effects, but were seldom in between. Anything other than these scenes were sparse in quality. The scares in the movie all followed the same formula: small reveal, building music, very little dialogue, music stopping, and a jump scare. The movie also feels repetitive in the types of horror shown. There is even a scene where Pennywise coerces a young child in the same manner as the first movie, which feels like a lack of creativity. One of the film’s only selling points is the quality of its actors. All of the actors, especially Bill Skarsgård, played their parts extremely well. While not as good as the first movie in terms of terror, Pennywise is still frightening. While the film itself was deficient in hoeeoe, it was oddly gratifying in its comedy. There were odd choices in music for a horror movie that seemed placed for the sole purpose of making the audience laugh, along with dialogue with more quips than expected. While appreciated by those who are too sensitive to horror, this movie felt like a PG-13 movie with a few extra curse words to give it an R rating. Overall, it fails to live up to the expectations set by the original film, leaving more to be desired.

‘Euphoria’ leaves viwers feeling euphoric; offers quality acting with superb visuals RATING: 5 out of 5

By Genelle Gogue

“Euphoria” came out on Jun. 16 with eight episodes for the first season. The show stars Zendaya, as main character Rue and newto-screen actors and actresses including Angus Cloud, Barbie Ferreira, and Hunter Schafer. The show premiered on the channel HBO. The show focuses on 17-year old Rue as she just gets out of rehab and is struggling to stay clean. In the beginning of the show, you see how hard it is for her to attempt to stay away from drugs and alcohol. Rue makes some poor choices, but towards the end she starts to realize she could possibly die and makes some life-altering decisions. In the pilot, viewers also get to see her previous life and how she first became a drug addict. What makes this show even

more interesting is that it focuses praise. on different characters every epiCreator of the show, Sam sode, but still includes everyone. Levinson, also struggled with Episode one starts with Rue, then substance abuse in his years. At the following episodes are about 16, Levinson was a heavy drug Jules (Hunter Schafer), Kat (Bar- user and by the age of 19, he had bie Ferreira), Nate (Jacob Elordi), checked himself into rehab. He Maddy (Alexa Demie), McKtook his personal experiencay (Algee Smith), and Cassie es and turned it into ‘Euphoria.’ The show’s executive (Sydney Sweeney). Watchers get to see the character’s producer is Aubrey Graham, MOVIE also known as Drake. Grapast and why exactly they ended up the way they did. REVIEW ham got his start on the Canadian show, “Degrassi.” Viewers can see their development in an hour-long episode. “Euphoria” has received much “Euphoria” focuses on many praise from viewers not only beimportant topics as well. It fea- cause of its unique humor and tures substance abuse, abusive camera work, but also because of relationships, peer pressure, how much people are able to restruggling with sexuality, as well late to characters. The show not as body image. Up and coming only focuses on the fun teenagactress, Hunter Schafer, plays ers could have, but highlights the Jules on the show. She is a trans- real struggles they face. It sheds gender both in real life and the light on important issues in toshow. Creators made sure to show day’s world that need to be talkher struggle in her story. View- ed about. I recommend setting ers get to see her going through aside eight hours of your weekend hardships and her development to binge-watch this astounding through her transition. Many find show. it relatable, giving her role high



Music Reviews

FEEL SPECIAL by Twice

MOTIVATION by Normani

INDIGO by NIKI

Twice gives beautiful vocals, but at the cost of any real choreography. While a decent listen, not the best song Twice has made. -Adarsh Burela

Normani offers a dynamic single with a catchy blend of pop and R&B elements, amounting to the perfect summer song. -Neval Mulaomerovic

NIKI’s smooth voice gives this song a chaming vibe that anyone can relax to. The mix of genres allows the song to blend with all tastes. -Alexander Phan

DON’T CALL ME ANGEL by Ariana Grande

FEELINGS by Lauv

LALALAY by Sunmi

This highly anticipated release felt like a strange mashup of three incompatible vocal styles, falling flat.

Lauv offers an upbeat, catchy and relatable pop song, matching the vibe of most of his previous releases.

“LALALAY” is very refreshing and artfully combines Latin Pop and Korean music.

-Neval Mulaomerovic

-Maliyah Fick

-Ginnie Lo



SEPTEMBER 2019

LIFESTYLE

Tips for straying away from bad organizational habits By Neval Mulaomerovic

lists to hour-by-hour scheduling.

To many, the start of a new school year is a time to reinvent yourself or to fall back into old habits. “This is the year I’ll finally get my act together” is what we all say because we trust that it will be true for once, though we know the cycle of procrastination and clutter all too well. There is still hope, however, as there are more options now than ever before on how to stay on top of your work. Here are some ways to take charge of the year by staying organized:

2. The Bullet Journal. This is essentially an artsy planner where your pile of Mildliners and Muji pens finally come in handy. Perfect for the artsy student, a bullet journal allows your creativity to take charge as the structure and style is entirely up to you. This is especially helpful because different days have different needs, so you can design your bullet journal accordingly instead of being forced to follow the preset structure of a purchased planner.

1. The Planner. This is the most basic item that students purchase while back-toschool shopping, use twice, and throw away. If this is going to be your go-to notebook on planning your life, you have to think deeper than whether you like the color on the front cover. Lined or blank slots? Spiral or bound? I recommend the Day Designer because it fits any student need, from to-do

3. Notion. For those who like the aesthetic but not the time-consuming nature of the bullet journal, Notion is the perfect option. This application, available on iOS and Android, allows you to create your own pages for different areas of your life. You can create individual sections for homework, college applications, and extracurriculars using templates with to-do lists, calendars, and goal trackers. This

way, you get the customization and personal design all from the convenience of a computer. 4. Getplan.co. If you feel that planners and virtual bullet journals are too much work, this website is the easiest option, but can do so much for your organization. Ever seen the “mental breakdown from 3:00 to 5:00” meme? That’s essentially how this site works. Create different color coded tabs with different labels (school work, internship, clubs) and arrange your tasks on an hourly schedule. It’s easy to lose track of time and allow a 30 minute task to become a 2 hour problem, but this site allows you to effectively visualize your day. The most important thing to remember is that different people have different needs, and there is the perfect organizational strategy out there for all of us. If writing reminders on the back of your hand works best for you, then more power to you.

COURTESY OF CHRISTINE MA

Pictured above are three Kokonut drinks tested out. From left to right is the Mint Foam Green Tea with tapioca pearls, a refreshing Koko Paradise drink with fruity toppings, and Matcha Milk tea with matcha pearls.

Go nuts for a quali-tea tea and dessert place By Ginnie Lo

Kokonut is a new dessert place that offers drinks made with coconut milk or juice, coffee, and teas. It recently opened on 2090 N Capitol Ave #C, San Jose. Their menu consists of seven drinks made with coconut, three different types of coffee, and eight fruit or milk teas. They have a variety of toppings with unique and exotic fruits, such as jackfruit and longan. I ordered three drinks: Matcha Milk Tea with matcha pearls, Koko Paradise, and Mint Foam Green Tea with tapioca pearls. The Matcha Milk Tea tasted the way anyone would expect. The matcha was no different from regular matcha, though a bit plain. The matcha pearls had a crunchy

texture, similar to crystal pearls. The matcha pearls did not add any flavor, which was disappointing. However, I would say the drink was good for the price of four dollars. Although the drink did not impress me, I would rate it 3.5 out of 5 stars. The Koko Paradise contained lychee, longan, jackfruit, palm seeds, red tapioca, coconut slices, pandan jelly, basil seeds, and coconut milk. The drink was very refreshing. The coconut slices were sweet and soft, and the jackfruit added a unique touch to the drink. There was a lot going on in the drink, making it confusing for the tastebuds. The variety within the drink made the coconut milk taste similar to banana milk, neither too sweet or too plain. The toppings

were fun to chew on, but it is not something I would order again. Regardless, paying six dollars for a large variety of exotic toppings was worth it. Overall, I would rate it a 4 out of 5 stars. The Mint Foam Green Tea was creamy and had a strong tea flavor, with a more milk-like foam flavor than mint. The tapioca pearls were lightly sweetened, but did not taste like anything. Even though the drink sounds unique, it was underwhelming. It was not worth the price of four dollars. I would rate this 2 out of 5 stars. Kokonut is a great place if you are looking for something refreshing. I would recommend this place to anyone who is looking for a peaceful place to meet up with friends and family on a hot day.

You won’t be pressed going to The Pizza Press By Alexander Phan

Branching away from Los Angeles, The Pizza Press opened up on Aug. 24 near the Eastridge Mall. While skeptical at first of a pizza place at the mall, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of one of The Pizza Press’s takes on favorite comfort foods. Following the trend of newer pizza places, The Pizza Press is a ‘make your own pizza’ location. After choosing what bread, cheese, and toppings you want on your pizza, they bake the pizza in a modern pizza oven. The pizza is made right in front of you with a mix of extremely fresh ingredients. I got the chance to talk to the manager of the restaurant and she told me that

they switch out their ingredients every three hours to maintain its freshness. While there is a noticeable lack in variety of toppings, they maintain all of the basics of any other pizza parlor. With fresh ingredients laid out right in front of you, it’s hard to limit yourself to a few toppings. The taste of the pizza was delectable. The freshness of the ingredients is extremely potent, as the quality of the pizza is much higher than other larger pizza chains. The taste of the mozzarella cheese is delicious, but not weak enough to be trampled by the toppings. It reaches the perfect mix of moderation, as is a necessity of all pizzas. The toppings supply just the right amount of extra taste that any

pizza needs. Meats like pepperoni were cooked perfectly, providing a nice crispy and smoked taste to the pizza. I even threw on some spinach and onion to see how well it blended in on my pizza, and I must say that I’m quite impressed. The taste of the onions was quite distinct, but mixed well with the taste of the pepperoni. The spinach was hardly noticeable, making my pizza slightly more healthy with no consequences. Overall, I’d say that The Pizza Press is one of the better pizza parlors I’ve been to with a reasonable price to boot, with whole pizzas being sold for less than ten dollars. If you are in the area and feeling hungry, I highly recommend trying out this place.

THE UNION

SEPTEMBER 2019

FEATURES

Maneja takes over as ASB Advisor By Adarsh Burela

Activities Director Jerell Maneja from the Biology department is the new activities director for MHS starting this year. The previous Activities Director, Joanna Butcher, was promoted to sports director. Maneja hopes to increase existing school spirit with new and innovative ideas. His background as a Biology teacher gave him a connection to the student body that he felt could translate to leadership, Maneja said. Over the years, Maneja has provided a large amount of help for the Biology department by keeping them up to date with current standards and giving students the ability to explore the field of science, Maneja said. It is this same attitude that he wants to share with leadership in his new position, Maneja said. “Last year’s biology class was all about how people can make a difference in their own community.” Maneja said. “I think that’s what I want to accomplish here at leadership too. I don’t want [the student body] to depend on me, they all have their own bodies of knowledge, their own cultures, and experiences, and I want to tap into that.” Maneja has given plenty of time

to promote school spirit even before becoming the activities director by being an advisor and volunteering his time at school events, Maneja said. He enjoyed helping MHS, giving him the chance to plan his vision for the school and to demonstrate his school spirit. “This is my first year being activities director. Before that, I have been teaching here for six years,” Maneja said. “During that time, I was a badminton coach, a Professional Learning Community (PLC) lead for the Biology and lifestyle classes, the class advisor for the current class of 2020, a referee for intramurals, and a supervisor for many different events. Part of the qualifications that I have is being so indirectly involved with Associated Student Body (ASB) since I started teaching here.” The goal of leadership this year is to create a positive environment encompassing the whole student population so that no one is left out, Maneja said. While he is a resource to leadership, the student body has so much to offer the rest to the school, Maneja said. “With this [year of leadership], every day is successful because we’re taking the passion of all the

student government and leadership students, and influencing a positive culture here on campus,” Maneja said. “We’ve had a bunch of new events such as greeting students on campus or making small changes to events to be more inclusive for everyone so they feel comfortable and enjoy being part of our organization. We strive to be embraced as individuals, together as Trojans.” Maneja has done an excellent job leading leadership, Student Site Council Member Sarah Cao said. His goal is to give all the students an opportunity to show who they really are and to promote student bonding, Cao continued. “Leadership is lucky to have Maneja, and we all appreciate the freedom he gives us,” Cao said. “We are very grateful to have Maneja, who is so passionate about our school. He has a lot of good and new ideas, and he is very focused about changing the culture of the school. We want to encourage all MHS students to help change the school’s culture through participating in events, voicing their opinions, and initiating change because everybody’s actions matter and can have an impact.”

GENELLE GOGUE | THE UNION

True Colors makes itself known at the Pride Parade By Ginnie Lo

COURTESY OF YONGTAO GUAN

Intern Yongtao Guan passes documents to coworker Aman Gupta at his City Hall internship. Guan was responsible for clerical work and sorting through a variety of documents at the Human Resources Department.

Students gain skills through internships By Ginnie Lo Alexander Phan

Summer is a time for students to explore possible career opportunities with an internship. Students are able to build their understanding of a specific job and the difficulties and benefits that come with it. Internships help students gain experience in fields such as technology, Senior Mansi Agrawal said. She interned for seven weeks at Girls Who Code, a program meant to empower women to take on computer science and work to lower the gender gap in the technology industry, she continued. “The program definitely helped me make the decision of pursing computer science because I was able to see real employees making an impact by developing new technology and implementing software that would help users around the world,” Agrawal said. “My favorite project was when we coded a chatbot on Python. It gave me the motivation to code other games and websites.” Online internships can also build communication skills, such as in the political field, Junior Aditi Hariharan said. She worked as an advocate for The Borgen

Project, an organization that strives to change the U.S. foreign policy to help give more aid to poverty ridden nations, she added. “I had to call and email Congress weekly, talk with senators face-to-face through bird-dogging, which is going to town hall meetings or any public forum to ask them questions, write handwritten mails to Congress, call the White House, write letters to the editor, raise over 500 dollars, and advertise on social media platforms,” Hariharan said. “I learned a lot about my own senators, and it occurred at the right time as the 2020 election is nearing.” Internships in an office setting can help a student get a view of different employment options, Senior Yongtao Guan said. Guan chose to take an internship at the Milpitas City Hall to get a foot in the door within the world of office work and politics. Guan said that his work at the City Hall was extremely rewarding. “It gave me a new perspective into what I wanted to do” Guan said. “Working for a city gave me a view of different employment opportunities. A little engineering, management, and other things like that.”

As an intern in the Human Resources Department at City Hall, he had to undergo lots of clerical work, Guan said. “We opened mail and would sort through them,” Guan said. “We sorted personnel files. We mainly just did a variety of clerical tasks.” One of Guan’s favorite moments from working at City Hall was seeing how the city worked behind the scenes, he said. “There’s a lot of things that you don’t think about.” Guan said, “For example, you don’t think about where the sewer pipes carry stuff away and how road construction works. All this kind of stuff goes in the background without you knowing. It’s kind of crazy thinking about it.” Internships are great for forming new bonds, Agrawal said. There is a sense of support and teamwork when working with other people, she added. “I would advise people to join any internship even if it seems challenging or long because these programs expose you to many different fields,” Agrawal stated. “Being in a work environment allows you to see how professionals work and how companies function, which would not be possible at home.”

True Colors attended the Silicon Valley Pride Parade on Aug. 25 in Downtown San Jose, True Colors Co-Vice President Alexander Rico said. The purpose of the event was to celebrate and recognize the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) community, Rico continued. Five members walked in the parade, Rico said. Unlike other events, attending the Pride Parade provided an intimate bonding experience between the officers and the members, he continued. “We had always wanted to do something pride related throughout our first years as a club,” Rico said. “[The parade] is related to True Colors because pride and representation is essential for the LGBTQ+ community. It’s a kind of solidarity for people who can’t come out in the pride parade. It’s standing up for Trojans and people in True Colors alike by being able to walk in that event and be yourself.” Marching in the parade was a different experience from just standing on the side, True Colors Co-Vice President Arvin Inanoria said. Walking alongside other organizations, businesses, and people made the members feel empowered and confident, he added. “The Pride Parade is a great event to experience at least once

in your life,” Inanoria said. “There was also an after-party at the end where you could eat, hang out, and learn from other people. There are a ton of resources at your disposal at the event. We hope that our underclassmen officers can continue this tradition for our club.” The Pride Parade represented a growth in the LGBTQ+ community, True Colors Advisor Bret Webber said. This event served as a reminder and lesson of the past 55 years of LGBTQ+ history for the club, he continued. “It is important for [club members] as students to learn that those rights exist and express their pride,” Webber said. “They’re learning. They’re seeing that there’s a community out there, that they’re not alone, and they’re not in isolation. There are LGBTQ+ people in San Jose who are marching, and they need to be able to see that.” Many members want to attend the next parade in the future, True Colors Member Lariah Helm said. The parade was a great learning experience for everyone involved in the event, she continued. “It was such a fun experience and I think a lot of people should attend no matter what sexuality they are,” Helm said. “Hopefullynext year the club could get a few more people to walk the parade, and maybe other clubs could help.”

SEPTEMBER 2019

SPORTS

THE UNION

COURTESY OF BRIAN MCGARRY

Varsity Slot Receiver Jenson Quiro, running pass and dodging players of Amador Valley in Pleasonton. The Milpitas Trojans started off the season by taking their first loss, ending with a final score of 42-21.

Student Athlete of the Month: Jenson Quiro

BY Genelle Gogue

GENELLE GOGUE THE UNION

Senior Jenson Quiro is now on his third and final year of playing for the MHS football team. Quiro is number 18 and plays starting slot receiver. He has played football for almost 9 years and originally played for the Milpitas Knights before coming to MHS. Quiro shares his advice and looks back on his final year of playing football for MHS. Q: How long have you been playing football? A: “I’ve been playing football for about 9 years”

Q: How do you believe you contribute to the MHS football team? A: “I believe I contribute to the MHS football team through my hard work and my dedication to the team” Q: What inspires or motivates you to play? A: “What motivates me and inspires me to play is playing with my teammates and trying to win a state title. It motivates me because we’ve been working hard all season.” Q: What makes football different from other sports? A: “Football is different from

other sports not only from the physicality, but the mentality as well” Q: What is your favorite part about playing football? A:“My favorite part about playing football is that I get to have fun. I also try to do my absolute best out there” Q: What are you going to miss about playing for the MHS football team? A: “I am going to miss playing football with my friends and playing under the lights on Friday’s. I am also going to miss the brotherhood we have”

Water Polo dribbling towards a ‘great’ season BY Neval Mulamerovic

ALEXANDER PHAN THE UNION

The MHS cheerleaders cheer on the football team at this season’s home game opener against Castlemont High School where Trojans won, 35-0.

Cheer team jumps into the year with two new coaches BY Maliyah Fick

Cheerleading Coach Kathy Willinsky took on the role when the cheerleading squad didn’t have an advisor, Willinsky said. She has since seen how the cheerleaders have brought a lovable atmosphere to MHS, and how they all have amazing school spirit, she added. Willinsky took on the role of coach right before basketball season because she knew she would be at all of the games since she is also the Freshmen Boys’ Basketball Coach, she said. She believed that it would be an easy transition since she was already around them so often. She loves that she gets to build such great relationships with the cheer squad, and believes they help her to be a better coach, Willinsky said. “The best part of this role is getting to know all the girls,” Willinsky said. “[The team] is a contagious group. They have so much spirit and such a hard work ethic that I just want to do more and more to help them.” Willinsky is a lot more involved with the cheerleading team than she had originally thought she would be, and believes that her role allows for the cheer captains to focus more on the cheer aspect of the team and not the background planning, she said. She loves being around them, and sees so much potential in them as a group, she said, and she supports them fully. “I am so excited to see where

they will go, and how big cheer can become at MHS,” Willinsky said. “I also saw how much success they were able to have on their own. I could only imagine what they could do with some adult support.” Cheerleading Coach Stacey Ryan took on the role of being the second coach about a month ago, she said. The best part of the role for her was seeing the girls improve and getting to know their personalities, Ryan said. “With my background in cheer, I feel like I give support and brings the girls together,” Ryan said. “I enjoy working with the kids. I’ve been around cheerleading my whole life and thought I could add a lot to the team.” It’s been nice to have adult figures that can help the cheerleading team, Cheerleading Co-Captain Elizabeth Heydon said. Willinsky and Ryan helped to open up new opportunities like fundraising and organization. It’s been easier for the captains to communicate and make their ideas a reality as a result, she said. “During the summer, we were able to use the small gym instead of being outside in the heat,” Heydon said. “And Willinsky is already involved in the school, so it’s a perfect match for us because we want to be more involved. Ms. Stacey is a former cheerleader so she can help critique and point out things a cheerleader would notice so we can perform to the best of our ability.”

Varsity Boys Water Polo is expecting a successful season this year, with a good start in terms of performance and participation, Captain Thomas Chen said. The team started off the season with two wins in scrimmages against Evergreen Valley High School and Mission San Jose High School, being the first team to accomplish this feat since the MHS water polo program opened, he said. The team has yet to win a league game, but has the potential to carry out a winning season, Chen said. This year is unique for the team as Juniors make up the entire starting lineup, allowing players to build a solid foundation on the varsity team for two years to accomplish more in the future, he said. “This year differs from prior years for the water polo team because we have a much higher level of potential and talent,” Chen

said. “Some of our players also have trained more in the offseason, and our coach has us very well conditioned. We also have a strong core of scorers led by players who have [played on varsity before].” Most of the team has been playing together every game since their freshman year, Player Jason Do said. Working together over the years has allowed them to improve on defense, pressure passing, and scoring as a team, he said. “This year will be different from past years,” Do said. “Every person is a well rounded player, and we are definitely going to win some games this year rather than losing in our past years. We also got some wins already.” Swimming competitively with his friends was his first introduction to water polo, Chen said. After joining together as friends during freshman year, he stayed because he loved the sport, team, and attitude towards improve-

ment that comes with playing, he said. “My main accomplishment was being named First Team All League last year in Frosh-Soph,” Chen said. “I was also captain for the Frosh-Soph team last year, and that was really rewarding.” After being introduced to the sport from his sister and friends who were a part of the water polo team, he stayed because of the environment and excitement behind playing, Do said. “Most people don’t really know about water polo because it’s not known like basketball or football,” Do said. “In my opinion, water polo is underrated. Everyone thinks we are standing in the pool but we actually are using our legs the entire game by staying up on our legs and treading fast so we can get our body out to throw the ball. It actually uses every muscle in our bodies to move in a way so you can get up higher and shoot stronger.”

Sports on Campus: Friday Night Lights

ALEXANDER PHAN THE UNION

Milpitas High School’s Marching Band successfully starts off their season with their first performance, their new 2019 show, “The New World”. The game was played against Oakland’s Castlemont High School Knights.

NEWS

THE UNION

SEPTEMBER 2019

A DVA NCED PL ACEM EN T SCOR E S Subject

Total

Biology

Calculus AB

109

171

Calculus BC

Chemistry

Chinese Language and Culture

Computer Science Principles A

English Language and Composition

English Literature and Composition

Macreconomics

Microeconomics

Music Theory

Physics 1

Physics 2

Psychology

212

Spanish Language and Culture

Statistics

125

Studio Art: Drawing Portfolio

United States Government and Politics

129

United States History

World History

184

Total

150

313

401

454

1358

Percent of Total Exams

100

alexander phan | THE UNION

Members of the new Asian American Association promote their club at CLOG Rush, which took place from Sept. 10 to Sept. 12. Over 80 clubs and organizations participated over the course of this three day event.

CLOG Rush sees growth of new clubs By Neval Mulaomerovic

neval mulaomerovic | THE UNION

In May, 1358 students took Advanced Placement (AP) Exams in various subjects. Data was provided by Assistant Principal Jennifer Hutchinson.

Advanced Placement teachers prepare for curricula changes By Genelle Gogue

Advanced Placement (AP) class curriculum is changing this year, Principal Francis Rojas said. College Board provides updates every year on how they are changing, he said. In order for teachers to teach AP classes, they must be AP trained, Rojas said. They go through training over the summer or during the school year, and MHS covers the process, he said. MHS makes it easier for teachers by helping out with registration and getting them substitutes if they are trained during the school year. The updates are built into the training that AP teachers need to get, and all department and AP leads have to work together to see what teachers are instructing the advanced classes, he said. “Teachers are certified to teach AP classes by going through the AP training, which is an update,” Rojas said. “It’s kind of almost automatically built in. Teachers who want to teach AP or are assigned to teach AP, need to make sure they’re AP trained,” he added. All teachers who teach AP classes need to go through a certification process, Rojas said. MHS then needs to inform College Board when the teacher was trained for when they sign up with College Board, he said. “When we sign up with College Board to notify them that we are offering these AP courses at our school, we actually have to write who the teacher is, when they were trained, and they have to go through a certification. It’s actually a process that is built in by they AP system so what I do is just provide funding for the training,” Rojas said. The new changes will be more focused, AP United States History Teacher Gregory Ducote said. One way the AP classes have changed is that there are more online tools provided which can really benefit students, Ducote said. The school has also provided his AP US History classes with Princeton Re-

view books to in class to help with exam preparation, he added. “They also have introduced an online AP classroom where you can have your students sign in and can do multiple choice questions and answer essays,” Ducote said. “That’s actually something new that’s a very useful tool.” Students may find that the new curriculum changes may actually benefit them as well. All the work that gets assigned will be more doable, AP World History Teacher Danilo Escobar said. The new guidelines focus on newer material instead of older materials, Escobar said. The content includes the same skills you would be using in previous years, just with different concepts, he added. “The easier aspect of this new curriculum is that we can get away with less reading so that’s going to be beneficial, especially for sophomores, because it would be incedible difficult for previous years to keep up with the intense amount of reading. Now, with the changes, we can assign less reading. I think it is much more manageable than before, especially for those at sophomore level,” Escobar said. The way that the new AP curriculum has changed is that they have new units as well as new guidelines, Ducote said. Teachers need to adapt to the new curriculum and from there it will benefit students, Ducote said. There are more components and more areas to grade than before, but it is a lot more like a college prep class than before, he said. “The new curriculum framework has new units and new guidelines,” Ducote said. “Teachers have to adapt to the changes and get used to it because the rubrics for the writing section are definitely much harder than in years prior. There are more components and there are more things to look at and grade. If a teacher gets that down, it’s very similar to college preparation standards” he added.

Over 80 clubs participated in this year’s Clubs and Organization (CLOG) Rush - nearly double the number of clubs from last year, Activities Director Jerell Maneja said. Due to last-minute logistical changes, the format was changed to three individual days of unique clubs instead of the traditional two day format with one day for all clubs at the same time, he said. Such a large growth in the number of clubs became a concern, but is ultimately a net positive, Maneja said. Clubs play an important role in MHS culture by providing students with a place to cultivate common interests, he said. “If students have a comfortable place they can turn to, it does not matter how many clubs we have,” Maneja said. “If that means that we need a hundred clubs, then so be it. It’d be a different story if we didn’t have enough clubs and no one knew where to go.” CLOG Rush was coordinated slightly differently this year with more interactive elements, such

as the Anime Club fashion show, CLOG Commissioner Brandyn Huynh said. New additions also include a 12-member minimum for clubs to recharter, he said. “During our chartering process, we try to find unique clubs and charter clubs that are different from others,” Huynh said. “The [12-member minimum] is a new policy that ensures it is an actual club and not just for personal gain or college applications.” As one of the newly chartered clubs this year, Anime Club’s goal is to form friendships and memories among anime fans, Anime Club President Elijah Shankar said. The growth in the number of clubs is largely beneficial in allowing students to get more involved on campus, he said. “It has been a little crowded, but it is nice to see how lively it can get,” Shankar said. “Compared to previous years, CLOG Rush seemed to have a lot of character because there was a lot of variety and it all fed into the culture of exchange. I don’t think that there are too many clubs, but I think it can cause problems if clubs over-

lap.” Grey Matters is another new club, whose mission is to increase awareness around mental health and provide support, Grey Matters Vice President Swetha Nair said. A reason behind the rise in the number of clubs may be that teachers can now advise more than two clubs, she said. “I think [the abundance of clubs] is already affecting membership because there are only five days a week, and you can’t have meetings so often,” Nair said. “[Though], I think it’s a good thing we have more clubs because when in a smaller club, you can have your opinion easily voiced.” Efforts are being made to give clubs the chance to participate more in school festivities, Maneja said. The primary goal of each club should be to help the school, and clubs are being given more opportunities to do so, he said. “We are looking to have CLOGs more involved in homecoming with the parade and decorations,” Maneja said. “If we give them these opportunities to contribute, naturally they are going to do it.”

National Merit Semifinalists Announced By Genelle Gogue

Seven MHS students qualified to be semifinalists for the National Merit Scholarship, Counselor Valerie Lamb said. The seven students are Vanessa Cho, Dania Kirmani, Alden Lau, Tran Le, Melanie Lin, Ayushi Malhotra, Neval Mulamerovic, and Charles Snead. The National Merit is a scholarship provided through College Board, she said. The National Merit is an exclusive scholarship that students take through the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) their junior year, Lamb said. After students take their test, College Board evaluates all the scores

and picks students in the top one percent, she said. Students will then be notified if they are chosen for the National Merit Semifinalist status, Lamb said. In the following application process, applicants need a letter of recommendation from their counselor, as well as a personal essay, she said. “Finalists are notified by the principal that they qualified,” Lamb said. “Then we have them fill out a packet to help guide us on our letter of recommendation for when they apply for college.” Even if students become semifinalists, they have the option not to apply to be a finalist, Senior Dania Kirmani said. Students

were able to have a gathering with the other semifinalists, Kirmani added “Most of the questions are pretty similar to the questions we’re already answering for college applications,” Kirmani said. “I feel like it’d be kind of a loss for me to not apply,” she added. Practice helps for the PSAT, Senior Melanie Lin said. There are practice tests and prep classes to study for the PSAT, she said. “Pretty much the only thing about [preparing] was just repeating the same process and taking the same test over and over again, and getting that practice done,” Lin said. “It’s all about mastering the specific type of test.”

AVID: Core classes to adopt student centered learning approaches FROM PAGE 1 edge to share,” Rojas said. “These strategies would benefit all students, not just the students in the classroom where the teacher attended the training. We’re doing it as a trainer-of-trainers model where the teachers who went to the training run lessons. One day we talked about how to increase rigor, or rote memorization versus actual synthesis.” During training meetings, teachers practice making posters and engaging in AVID strategies, such as inquiry, to experience the content from the student’s

perspective, Math Teacher John Hodges said. Math classes can benefit from using AVID note-taking strategies, he said. “As teachers, we are always trying to come up with better ways of teaching students more efficiently,” Hodges said. “We’ve been doing things like Cornell Notes for years, and AVID strategies are basically a collection of good ideas that people come up with over the years. It’s an ongoing process.” AVID concepts, such as Cornell notes and WICOR strategies, are helpful because they allow stu-

dents to form an in-depth understanding, AVID Junior Naidelyn Vasquez said. Concepts such as Cornell notes are beneficial for allowing students to revise and look back on their work, she said. “Learning in an AVID classroom is different because our ‘subject’ is to become a better student,” Vasquez said. “AVID give strategies that work in all classes and provide a support system to help you. I would benefit from having AVID strategies in other classes because WICOR applies to all subjects.”