The Union - Milpitas High School - October 2016

O PI N I O N S 2 , 4

UN I N

E D I TO R I A L 3

OCTOBER 2016

Volume XXVIII Issue II

FE AT U R E S 5 -7

S PR E A D 8 - 9

T HE

L I F E S T Y L E 10 -11

E N T E R TA I N M E N T 12 -13

SPORTS 14

MHSTHEUNION.COM For the latest updates

STUDENT VOICE OF MILPITAS HIGH SCHOOL

Fights an issue at start of the year, leads to police presence on campus

BY NICHOLAS WAN

Hope Do | THE UNION

Seniors Sophia Orlando (left) and Olivia Liev (right) dress up and walk with the Class of 2017 Cruella de Vil homecoming float while varsity football players warm up for their game against Palo Alto High School in the background.

Homecoming Week evokes Trojan camaraderie

BY DEREK VO NICHOLAS WAN

Homecoming Spirit Week was held during the week of Oct. 3 and was met with great success, according to ASB President Natalie Trinh. A poll was sent out Oct. 21 to all MHS students to get the students’ perspectives on the activities.

Homecoming Rally, Spirit Week, Homecoming Movie Night, and the football game were all held to raise MHS spirit, according to Trinh. The overall theme of the Homecoming festivities was House of Villains.

Spirit days were Class Color Day, Safari Tourist Day, Nautical Day, Card Deck Dress-Up Day, and Blue and Gold Day. Activities and events were

N EWS IN BR IEF Jack Emery Food Drive The Jack Emery Food Drive begins Nov. 16

Upcoming standardized test dates The next dates to take the SAT are Nov. 5 and Dec. 3. The upcoming ACT date is Dec. 10.

Fall Play premieres The fall play, “The Election,” will premiere on Thursday, Nov. 17 and will also be shown on Nov. 18 and 19.

Tickets will be sold in advance for $8 or $10 at the door.

Stanford Blood Drive California Scholarship Federation (CSF) and National Honor Society (NHS) are hosting the Stanford Blood Drive on Nov. 28 in the MHS Library.

Sign up with an NHS or CSF officer to donate!

CSU and UC application deadlines College applications for CSUs and UCs are both due Nov. 30. The deadline is quickly approaching, so start submitting your applications soon!

Sadie Hawkins Dance Sadies will be held on Dec. 3 in the MHS gymnasium.

Thanksgiving Break Thanksgiving Break will start on Nov. 23 and will continue through Nov. 28.

Days of Observance School will not be in session on Nov. 1 for teacher in-service or on Nov. 11 for Veteran’s Day.

planned by both ASB and leadership, Trinh said.

“Everyone was respectful of decorations; I would like to thank the school for not ruining them this year,” Trinh said. “Officers spend hours to make the decorations early in the year for promoting Homecoming.”

According to the spirit count, the seniors won three of the four spirit days, losing Nautical Day to the juniors. Friday, Blue and Gold Day, was not counted because of the rally.

“The spirit week was neato,” Senior Jaden Labra said. “I thought the seniors really came together well to win Spirit Week.”

The Homecoming Rally on Oct. 7 presented the Homecoming court,

honored select students, held performances by MHS students, and served as an introduction to the school year, Activities Director Joanna Butcher said. Games were also played for spirit points.

The Homecoming football game was also held on Friday. with the MHS Varsity Football team shutting out the Palo Alto Vikings 42-0. The Homecoming court winners were coronated during halftime, with Adriel Bautista and Trizha Aquino winning. The Homecoming Dance was then held on Oct. 8 in the large gym at 7:30 p.m., according to Butcher.

“The dance was generally unexciting and nobody danced,”Senior Kevin Nguyen said.

Fights were a frequent problem at MHS at the start of the school year, with some involving more than two people at once, according to Principal Philip Morales. Nineteen separate fights had taken place on the MHS campus as of Oct. 7, Morales said.

Of the 19 fights, three students were arrested and the expulsion of two students was recommended to the school board, Morales said. Administration will not be taking fighting on campus lightly, Morales added.

“I am taking a zero tolerance stance,” Morales said. “We will continue to make sure that we take a hard stance on fighting and not tolerate it anymore.”

The administration plans to increase severity of consequences, Morales said. The first incident of fighting currently results in suspension, but if the fight is severe enough, arrest will be considered, Morales explained.

“Now we are increasing it to suspension and arrest,” Morales said.

“Students that are swearing at teachers will also be suspended; we are passing the previous detention and Saturday School punishment.”

Also in response to the fighting on campus, a new initiative to have police officers patrolling on the MHS campus is being implemented, according to Morales. The officers will be there to hopefully act in a more preventative manner rather than respond to fights, Morales explained.

“The police officers patrolling on campus would dissuade potential fighters and make them think twice,” Morales said. “They will also be using the least possible force necessary should a fight happen.”

Reactions to the news that police officers will be on campus are mixed, with some approving of the decision, while others are skeptical. Senior Armaan Ghedia expressed disapproval towards police on campus.

“The police should only be there for really serious situations, not for stupid fights,” Ghedia said. “The situation is not that serious, and there is literally nothing to worry about; our parents experienced worse during high school.”

Senior Jonathan Trinh approved of the initiative to bring police on campus because of all the attention the fights are gathering, he said. Something had to be done to address the SEE FIGHTS ON BACK PAGE

New Academic Integrity Policy made, plagiarized from Fremont’s policy?

BY CA-ZAO BUI HOPE DO

The new Academic Integrity Policy implemented at the start of the 201617 school year outlines and defines instances of academic dishonesty and consequences for these violations, according to the MHS website. The policy was adapted from Fremont Union High School District with a 90% similarity rating, found using a text-comparing website, raising questions on whether or not this is policy is in violation of its own guidelines.

The MHS Academic Integrity Policy was adapted from Fremont Union High School District’s Academic Integrity Policy, according to Chemistry Teacher Letta Meyer. There were many policies that were looked at in the Bay Area, and when making the MHS policy, these were considered in order to pick out the characteristics of each that would be best for the school, Meyer said.

“There were lots of policies that were looked at in the Bay Area,” Meyer said. “The committee that was working on that actually kind of created a hybrid of a lot of them. Ours is based primarily off of the Fremont one with additions and subtractions and edits.”

When using a text-comparing website, it was found that the MHS Academic Integrity Policy is 90% similar to the Fremont Academic Integrity Policy. Although MHS did

not get permission from Fremont to take their policy according to the Fremont High School Dean of Students Jay Lin, English Teacher Sanjit Roy believes that it was not technically plagiarized since there is a citation, he said. However, there are not enough adaptations to rightfully say it hasn’t just more or less been copied, he continued.

“In the new Trumpian Country, this is what we do now. We just get what we want.”

SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER MICHAEL CUMMINS

“I don’t think, technically, you can call it plagiarism because it has ‘adapted from’ at the top,” Roy said.

“As far as the actually definition of plagiarism, whoever did it did give credit to the original source, but the problem is that it wasn’t really adapted. I mean it’s pretty much word for word just taken, so it’s kind of a gray area.”

Roy states that MHS should take the time to come up with its own policy, he said. If it remains adapted from Fremont’s, there should at least be more changes, he continued.

“I think our school should come up with a policy. I don’t think we should rush through that,” Roy said. “If we SEE PLAGIARISM? ON BACK PAGE

Brooke Tran| THE UNION

Counselor Beth Harke (right) speaks with Senior Gurshaan Bariana (left) about his plans for the future and assists him with the college application process.

Harke named as a Teacher of the Year

BY NOEMI CRISANTO

More than 30 teachers were recently recognized for their hard work in the 47th Annual Teacher Recognition Celebration, according to a statement from the Santa Clara County Office of Education. Among them stood MHS Counselor Beth Harke who represented the Milpitas Unified School District in the ceremony, the statement said.

Harke was named a Santa Clara County Teacher of the Year as a result of all the hard work that she puts in with her students every day according to the Santa Clara County Office of Education statement. She has also been a loyal worker, working for the district all of her career, the statement continued.

“Beth oversees the counseling department and, due to her amazing organizational skills, she single-handedly impacts every student on this campus,” a statement from MUSD said. “She always has someone in her office. Whether it is a student or a staff member, people are always seeking her help and advice.”

Harke stated that she found herself a bit nervous because of the fact that

it was a teacher recognition ceremony, and she was a counselor and not a teacher. She also mentioned that she got over her queasiness once she found a couple of familiar faces in the crowd.

“It was nice; my family went with me. Ms. Cler, Ms. Draeger, Ms. Hutchison, the superintendent, and a couple of board members also attended,” Harke said. “The MHS Chorus was also there for their first gig, and they did a really good job.”

The Santa Clara County Office of Education put together a video of every teacher and showed it in the background of the awards ceremony, according to Harke. That was one of her favorite parts of the ceremony, second to the MHS performance, she said.

“One of the things I enjoy most about my job is that no two days are ever the same,” Harke explained.

“Working with a variety of grade levels allows me to connect with my students as they work their way through the ups and downs of high school. It is rewarding to watch student come in as ‘kids’ and walk across the graduation stage four years later as young adults.”

2

THE UNION

OPINIONS

Unjustified bag searching is a violation of privacy If you’re going to search my bag, whispering automatically made me you better have good reason to do so. the primary suspect when a test went What is not a justifiable reason to go missing… a fortnight later. through my stuff is that you heard me The teacher went on to explain that whisper during SSR two weeks prior she thought my friend and I were to a test going missing. Does whisper- suspicious because we had gone in ing suddenly mean I’m a delinquent during lunch to do test corrections who steals tests? Apparently, it does. but had not gotten any test correcMy friend and I had our bags tions done while we were there. I searched by our former teacher gently reminded her that CLOG rush back in September; I say “former” was that day, and because of that, my because we have since switched out friend and I were only in her classof her class, pushed to do room during the last ten so by the disrespectful minutes of lunch. She saw and ridiculous searching us come into the room of our backpacks. It was since we had to give her SSR, and our class was in our cell phones. Did she the library. My friend and just forget that we came I were minding our own in with so little time? Not business when our teachonly that, but the test had er approached us and been reported missing beasked us to take our things fore we’d even entered the and follow her into one of classroom: rather than exthe private rooms in the amine the people already CA-ZAO library. We did, and inside in the class, she searches BUI we found an assistant prinus? And did she forget that cipal sitting at a table with I spent eight of the ten an all too serious look on her face. minutes we were in there talking with My friend was asked to wait outside her about a question? When could we after setting his backpack down on have stolen any tests? the table, and I was the first one quesAccording to the Education Code tioned and searched by the teacher of Search and Seizure, “School offiand the assistant principal. They cials may search individual students… explained why they were searching when there is a reasonable suspicion our bags: a test was missing, and I that the search will uncover evidence was a suspect because my teacher that the student is violating the law, had heard me whisper during SSR Board policy, administrative regutwo weeks ago. I wasn’t aware that lation, or other rules of the district

or school.” If a credible source says I have a gun in my bag, then by all means, go through it for the safety of other students. Reasonable suspicion should not be exploited to violate a student’s privacy; as students, we should feel like we’re in an environment where we’re respected and protected. Whispering during SSR is not reasonable suspicion. Coming in at lunch with ten minutes left to do test corrections but not getting any corrections done because I was talking to the teacher is not reasonable suspicion. Anyone who has common sense could see that searching our bags in this scenario is not only ridiculous but also possibly illegal.

The closest thing we got to an apology from the teacher was, “I hope you understand why we had to do this.” I didn’t, and I still don’t. Perhaps the worst part of the scenario is that I was robbed of a comfortable learning environment by the teacher, while her action goes unpunished and unnoticed. It was insulting to be told that she had been watching me and keeping me on her “radar” because of something as stupid as whispering during SSR. Everyone whispers during SSR; in what world does that make me a criminal? I am a good student, and I have been a good student.

I follow rules, and I don’t steal tests. If teachers want respect, they should offer that same respect to the students they’re entrusted with.

It’s time to start caring about what happens in politics It’s almost election time! In the coming weeks, you can expect to see an onslaught of advertisements from candidates hoping to garner votes and secure their desired places in government. You are probably aware of presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton, but you probably don’t know how each candidate intends to tackle issues such as gun control or unemployment. You’re also probably aware that Mike Honda and Ro Khanna are running to be the representative for California District 17, North San Jose and Milpitas, but you might not know what powers they have and effects they can have on our everyday lifestyle. Maybe it’s because you are drowning in college apps and just have not had the time to evaluate the candidates. Maybe it’s because you think politics is just dull and don’t want to spend time researching. Maybe you just think there is no point in learning about politics because you do not care.

We’re growing up in a time when we can access vast amounts of informa-

tion on the internet, yet, as evidenced New York Times” on Facebook is an by the youth voter turnout, most of us incredibly easy way to inform yourare ignorant and lazy when it comes self about what is happening. Addito learning and understanding what tionally, shows such as “Last Week is happening in the current politi- Tonight” and “The Daily Show” do a cal world. The common excuse for great job summarizing what’s going this ignorance used to be saying that on in the political world while emmost of these political isploying humor to do so. sues have no major effect Even if you’re not old on everyday life, but they enough to vote, you can most certainly do. In fact, still have an effect on polyou probably have strong itics by informing your opinions on the smell of parents and letting them Milpitas, legalization of know who they can and marijuana, and how high should vote for. For examcollege tuition is, which is ple, if you notice some aswhy it is important to find pects of your school, which someone who represents seems to be falling apart you. Your vote is what lets due to lack of funding, you BRANDON politicians know what could urge your parents to WETTENSTEIN issues you’re facing and vote for a candidate whose moves them higher on the viewpoints coincide with policy agenda. your own. For those on the verge of Being informed about politics graduating high school, your right to sounds much more difficult than it vote will always be there as you get actually is; you don’t even have to older and you can use the right to put down your phone to do so. Doing elect officials and let them know what something as simple as liking “The should be on the policy agenda.

Unequal quality of education limits student potential The idea that students are in conobviously is a contributing factor to trol of their education is nonexisthe decreased quality of education tent now with district rules stating in poorer communities, a dilemma students must go to the school in that they are forced to accept bethe immediate area they live in. This cause of district rules, leaving the limits options for the pursuit of alpoor generally less educated and ternate educational interthereby decreasing chancests. Unequal educational es of community success. opportunities have driven The Title I program is destudents and parents to signed to provide low-inattempt to find other opcome communities with tions, but those attempts more resources and funds are usually unsuccessful to additionally support because of the location in their educational system; which these students live. however, Title I has failed Let’s face it: the privito provide these commuleged stay privileged and nities with the resources the poor stay poor because necessary for students to HELEN of this system. Not every excel. High-income comPHAM student has the access to munities receive more better education that other funding than low income students do. This wouldn’t schools. be a problem for those who don’t care, Not only does this go in the oppobut the parents who want to give their site direction of the ultimate goal of children the best education possiequal education, but it also disproves ble shouldn’t be denied a request to one of the biggest arguments against switch schools. preferential schooling: the supposed According to the U.S. Department lack of resources and classroom space of Education, more than 40% of low in high-income schools. income schools are receiving less Arguments against freedom to than their fair share of funds. This choose whichever school some stu-

dents prefer include the hassle that parents face when driving a student out of their neighborhood and the disorder that goes along with everybody switching. Some might argue that better education may be an equivalent exchange for an extra few gallons of gas for those eager to switch.

In response to the second argument, I do agree with the fact that if students were allowed to go to whichever school they preferred, there would be chaos and no more “good” schools, but quality of education needs to be equal throughout all communities, regardless of socioeconomic background. Solving this issue would also require greater effort in providing low-income communities with equal resources as high-income communities, if not more.

The early stages of a student’s life are the most impactful in a person’s education. The fundamentals of education are extremely important in molding the future contributors to society. Instead of providing solid opportunities for higher education, we should be focused on providing equal and high quality education in all elementary and high schools.

OCTOBER 2016

THE UNION ON VOTING DAY

Vote yes on CA Proposition 51; grant necessary student funds

On Nov. 8, California voters will cause particular courses to be full, and be allowed to vote on the California as a result, some students may not Public Schools Facility Bonds Initiahave the chance to take the class. The tive, also known as Proposition 51, endorsement of Proposition 51 will in the statewide ballot. Approval of provide the opportunity to diminish the proposition will allow California student debt because the policy plans schools to receive $9 billion in bonds to expand community colleges, which from the state to fund improvement will make community colleges more of school facilities for K-12 schools accessible to California residents. and community colleges. Some Proposition 51 plans to provide oppose this policy, but opportunity for success to shouldn’t schools be given schools with a large range more money to provide stuof classes for its students, dents with a better learning which raises the question, environment? does our school provide As a student, I care about enough room to hold its receiving a quality educastudents? This high school tion and an affordable colcurrently consists of over lege education. Like most 3,000 students. I am sure seniors at this time of the that at least one of your year, I am busy with finanfriends knows students cial aid and college appliwho were not able to take HARRIET cations for universities the class they desired beDO throughout the country. A cause of the lack of space number of students may in a classroom. decide to go to local community colThe proposition offers to not only leges in order to lower their chances construct new facilities for schools, of risking student loans or debt, and but also plans to improve classroom others may opt for community colequipment. For example, between leges because they cannot afford to beakers, chemicals, scales, and migo to a UC or private university. croscopes, the science department Regardless of whether students desuffers from lack of adequate funding. cide to enroll in a community college Undersupplied classes may prevent or apply for financial aid, there are students from receiving a proper edstill those who suffer from student ucation. With the funding of Proposidebt. For some, community colleges tion 51, schools will be provided with are the more affordable stepping essential materials that they may not stones to a UC or private university. have been able to afford.

Other students, like me, may take As we grow older, present-day stucommunity college classes during dents will become the leaders of socithe summer to get general education ety, and what most prepares them for or high school class requirements out life is school. If students are brought of the way. With all these students, up and supported with the best eduwouldn’t community colleges be well cational environment Proposition 51 populated? can afford to provide, then we are alThe combination of students who lowing them to lead us into the future yearn to receive a good education can to the best of their abilities.

Proposition 63 protects lives; Gun control necessary for all The nation still faces many issues still allow other people the freedom on the eve of the presidential and to arm themselves. Yes, the downstatewide elections. One such probside is a longer buying process and lem that remains today is the gun more bureaucratic tape to go through law loopholes that allow criminals for that extra bang, but Prop. 63 is and unlicensed individuals to buy worth the effort to decrease the gun ammunition freely. But lo and beviolence that stems from our current hold, California has the oppurtunigun loopholes. ty to improve the system Proponents against gun through Proposition 63. control have also stated Prop. 63 is among 17 that some states expemeasures released on rienced an increase in Nov. 8 to Californians. It crime whenever a gun law would enact the removal had been passed. Despite of firearms from felons the violence still present and prohibited persons, today, there has been a and it would also require remarkable decrease in background checks for the gun violence since the purchasing and selling of 1990s. The Law Center ammunition. The propoto Prevent Gun Violence DAVID sition would also require found that after a series of NGO the reporting of missing gun restrictions made in and stolen firearms to the California, the years 1993 authorities. This would essentially to 2010 saw a decrease of 56% in prevent criminals, domestic abusgun-related deaths. The Department ers, and the mentally ill access to of Justice has also reported a 39% firearms and ammunition. decrease from 1993 to 2011 in the But is it too much to ask for? nation. It’s more difficult to quantify Groups such as the National Rifle the violence prevented through gun Association have said that this allaws, but increasing gun restrictions most infringes upon our rights and does correlate with a decrease in gun creates a hassle for gun owners. They violence. also argue that current gun restricBut let’s, for a second, disregard the tions haven’t led to any decrease in statistics. Does anyone remember gun violence. the gunshots fired on Dixon Road?

Let’s break it down. First, Prop.

On September 29, a transient man 63 still preserves the right for every was shot to death, and the culprit is Californian to own a gun, but it also still at large. The fact is that gun viprotects those who choose not to. olence is still relevant in California, In 2014, the Department of Justice even as near as MHS. I won’t masidentified over 17,000 felons in Caliquerade Prop. 63 as the final solution fornia who still owned firearms. It is to the prevalence of criminal activity, the state’s responsibility to protect but whether you agree or disagree, all citizens, and to do that, people whether it’s through Prop. 63 or who have been convicted of domesthrough another decade of gun viotic abuse and other violent crimes lence, we need to continue improving should be held accountable for their our state policies and make America actions. It’s reasonable to do that and great again.

OCTOBER 2016

EDITOR I A L : The Opinion of The Union

Before calling anthem protests disrespectful, think about the message behind the medium By now, we’ve all heard about the debate that Colin Kaepernick started when he refused to stand for the national anthem. It’s an action that has trickled all the way down from the NFL to our own high school football games. Offensive to many and necessary for others, Kaepernick’s action has done nothing if not bring about a discussion about race and privilege in America, and we, The Union, choose to add our voice to it: we believe that the national anthem protests that have now been taken up by MHS students are a valid way to express an opinion that shouldn’t be silenced. At the same time, blinding yourself to the complexities of an issue and rejecting other opinions outright is something that’s not only foolish, but also dangerous.

Kaepernick’s action, much like this recent election, has brought out the ugly side of America. Both Kaepernick’s backers and detractors have hurled insults at the other side, and their arguments are often far from logical. People look at the root of the protest, a professional football player adopted by white parents, and are quick to scoff that he isn’t black enough, that he shouldn’t speak out against the country that has given him his opportunity. But much like the reaction to his protest, those arguments are blind to the truth that Kaepernick is trying to convey: that the killing of innocents needs to stop, and action must be taken.

The protest, at its core, is one that focuses on incidents of police brutality in America, events that have been heavily covered in recent years. In its message alone, there shouldn’t be any doubt: police should not shoot and kill innocent people, as videos of unwarranted force against African Americans continue to appear. If they do, they should have to face the legal consequences of taking the life of another human being, as any of us should. No, this is not saying that all police are bad, as so many have said; the protest simply attacks those police who have done something wrong and the culture that allowed them to get away with it. As in every group of people, there are “bad apples,” but that’s just the thing: when you’re trusting the care of your society and your life to the judgment of these men and women, “bad apples” shouldn’t be something that you just have to live with—not when the actions of these few end some

THE UNION

EDITORIAL

people’s lives altogether.

The real controversy over this protest is undoubtedly its use of “The Star Spangled Banner,” and the offense that many have taken over Kaepernick’s action is understandable. For many in America, our national anthem has meaning to it: pride in our country and our history, and the sense that you are playing a part in something powerful. For many, it means the sacrifices that were made by those serving our nation, past and present. It’s foolish for people who back the protest to call Kaepernick’s critics racist and ignorant: he can’t attack a symbol that so many American citizens have been taught to love and not expect outrage. Regardless of your own opinion of the anthem, it should be acknowledged that this isn’t a mindless action—that by not standing, you are choosing to make a statement on the national anthem’s meaning to American citizens, even if that’s not your primary message. Yes, Kaepernick protests an ugly part of America, but he doesn’t get to dictate what part of the anthem to attack. The protester doesn’t dictate what a symbol means—the people who love that symbol do. Kaepernick’s action is undoubtedly disrespectful, but it’s sacrificing respect to make a much needed statement.

But for those who stand in outrage and refuse to look at Kaepernick as someone with a valid opinion, it’s dangerous to let that love of a symbol blind you to the meaning of the message. The national anthem is an imperfect medium for an imperfect country. The point of the protest is to make that much clear—that America, although it’s the home that we love, has problems—and ultimately, the message that America is imperfect should not be rejected without actual thought. You may disagree with his method, but don’t allow it to prevent you from rationally thinking about what’s actually being said. As long as you consider this point, and as long as this discussion happens, the protest is doing its job. This protest wasn’t about Kaepernick becoming some sort of universal hero, or about presenting what’s most convenient to our current mindset: it was meant to drive a discussion that causes change for the better. It may not be what’s easy, but it’s what we as a society need; the inconvenience of taking a stand should not make this battle any less of a cause to fight for.

THE

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

The Union is published by the Journalism class of Milpitas High School.

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

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S TA F F Ca-Zao Bui Kevin Zhang Editors-in-Chief Brooke Tran • News Editor Katherine Hubeny • Asst. News Editor Justin Tso • Op-Ed Editor Harriet Do • Asst. Op-Ed Editor Sherry Lam • Features Editor Shreeya Aranake • Asst. Features Editor Brandon Wettenstein • Lifestyle Editor Darrion Nguyen • Asst. Lifestyle Editor Helen Huynh • Spread Editor Kelly Lue • Asst. Spread Editor Justin Nguyen • Entertainment Editor Emmy Yu • Asst. Entertainment Editor Mihir Hansalia • Sports Editor Gurshaan Bariana • Asst. Sports Editor

L ETTER TO TH E EDITOR

Hope Do • Co-Copy Editor Helen Pham • Co-Copy Editor Tuong-Vi Nguyen • Asst. Copy Editor

Student finds urination practices deplorable

Grace Chang • Photo Editor Jerald Mendoza • Asst. Photo Editor

Dear Editor, On September 9th, 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton referred to half of all Trump supporters as a “basket of deplorables.” She was wrong. It’s not the KKK, the neo-Nazis, or the white supremacists that are ruining this nation, nor is it the alt-right, the xenophobes, the sexists, or the homophobes… Secretary Clinton didn’t and doesn’t know it, but the true basket of deplorables is filled with citizens of Milpitas. More specifically, in our high school. If one really wanted to pinpoint the blight, the burgeoning tumor, they’d look at the scum who urinate on toilet seats.

It is simply impossible to understand the workings of such cretinous minds. If one desired expediency, why not use a urinal? Why not take an instant to lift up the toilet seat? Why not sit on it? Why not do anything but spread one’s filthy urine on it? Murder is a more understandable crime; a man’s patience can be pushed to intolerable degrees, but this sin against humanity is inexcusable. There is literally no excuse, no logical reason that one might choose to spray such a disgusting fluid all over a seat. I am not quite sure if the perpetrators do it out of malice or laziness; neither am I sure which is more despicable.

It’s horrifying. You run into a restroom, needing to evacuate your bowels. All of the stalls are open, yet yellow, pungent liquid covers every seat and taunts you; there is no time to waste. One paper seat liner is added, then another, then a third, until one feels that the urine is incapable of soaking through, yet it does. It is only once one has sat down does he or she realize the cold, moist feeling of dread and poor decision-making. It is the humiliating, violated feeling one gets when another’s bodily fluid is involuntarily slathered on his or her backside and legs.

The United States has the highest prison population in the world. Perhaps the prisoners also leave puddles on porcelain seats. I doubt it; I am sure even death sentenced inmates have higher standards than we Milpitans.

Our new principal wants us to believe that our community is a respectable one, but anyone who puts stock into such a ludicrous thought is laughable. Should our school be proud of our lack of hygiene? It is not going to be the preponderance of fighting and proliferation of violence that other schools will judge us on; the inexcusable, dis-

graceful lack of cleanliness and consideration is what will really draw their ire.

The true heroes of this school are not the valedictorians or the overachievers, forgoing sleep so they can achieve the fabled 5.0 GPA; they are not the teachers, no matter how competent they may be; the true heroes are not the pompous athletes, either, ever so convinced of their own importance. No, the real heroes, our saviors who toil tirelessly in pursuit of uncontaminated toilets, are the janitors. They are the silent bunch who fight against our putrid foe. They are the working-class heroes who protect our society; anyone who joins their ranks should not be looked down on but instead be lauded for their sacrifice. The injustice of our society and its values is appalling.

It is disappointing to realize that there are very few real solutions to our predicament; we cannot find or remove the cause, only relieve the symptoms. Perhaps cameras should be relocated from around the campus to the restrooms; after all, I cannot remember a single incident in which they caught a crime. That way, one can easily detect the dirty, little apes who commit this heinous crime against the common people. It is my opinion that, just as naughty children do not deserve toys and fun, unhygienic pieces of human garbage do not deserve privacy. In fact, I doubt they would mind anyway.

Please, editor, print this letter. The school, the state, and the nation—perhaps even the world—need to see this.

With luck, we can convince the student body to use a urinal or at least aim; we can salvage a vestige of civility from a nest of savages.

“Perhaps the prisoners also leave puddles on porcelain seats. I doubt it; I am sure even death sentenced inmates have higher standards than we Milpitans.”

Kirk Tran Class of 2019

David Ngo • Web Editor Suhas Shekar • Asst. Web Editor Eric Yu • Business Manager Arvind Kumar • Asst. Business Manager Noemi Crisanto • Ad Manager Saba Khorasani • Asst. Ad Manager Ananya Donapati • Reporter Wafa Malik • Reporter Elakya Thirumoorthy • Reporter Derek Vo • Reporter Nicholas Wan • Reporter Henry Xiong • Reporter Jeff Colburn Advisor

HAVE AN 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 Room e-17 Do not forget to write down your name and grade

4

THE UNION

PRO

Let people make their choices; Vote yes to legalize marijuana

On November 8, citizens will vote ful. However, the state government on 18 statewide ballot propositions, would be able to regulate the usage of one of which will be about the deci- marijuana to ensure the safety of all sion of whether or not to legalize mar- of its users. The state would still have ijuana. If passed, Proposition 64 will the power to pass further regulations allow California residents over the in the future as more information age of 21 to possess and use about the effects of marimarijuana for recreational juana is obtained. and medical purposes. AfThose who oppose the ter looking at the results of proposition have argued other states that already there would be an increase legalized marijuana, the in car collisions and crime decriminalization of marrates. Colorado has proven ijuana would allow for regotherwise. After one year, ulations on marijuana as in fact, the number of car well as various benefits in collisions was below aversociety. age compared to the past From an economic perdecade. Crime was also GURSHAAN spective, a “Yes on 64” proven to decrease in DenBARIANA seems to be the best posver and the areas around it, sible option. If the meacontrary to what most lesure is passed, it would increase tax galization opponents believe. Studies revenues. There would be two excise have also proven that driving under taxes, including a 15 percent tax on the influence of marijuana is noticethe price of marijuana. The money ably less dangerous than being under accumulated would be specifical- the influence of alcohol, even though ly allocated towards drug research, it is legal to purchase and consume youth programs, and drug treatment. alcohol.

The decriminalization of marijuana The effects of marijuana are defiwould also decrease the number of nitely something that should not inmates in jail on charges of posses- preclude you from voting in favor of sion of marijuana, which is currently legalizing marijuana. Despite it being considered illegal. The state would be illegal, marijuana is still accessible to estimated to receive hundreds of mil- a majority of the population through lions of dollars in tax revenues and re- various means. If the state were to duce the cost of housing prisoners in legalize the drug, it would be able to jail for marijuana offenses. moderate and educate others about The legalization of marijuana the usage of marijuana. At the end of would allow for regulations of the the day, legalizing marijuana is the substance that were nonexistent lesser of two evils. In the world we live prior to the introduction of the prop- in, people should be allowed to have osition. It is common sense that too the choice of whether marijuana is much of something can be harm- best for them or not.

CON

Marijuana a danger to society; Vote no to reject Proposition 64 Ballots to vote for the legalization Recreational distribution of marof recreational marijuana in Cal- ijuana will also make California’s ifornia will open on November 8. economy unstable. California is so California has been chosen as a lab- large that it has its own economy, oratory state for the legalization of and the legalization of marijuana will marijuana, meaning that the right likely affect the stability. The pricing to use recreational marijuana will of marijuana will fluctuate back and be tested in the state to see its effects forth and affect other products that and decide if it can be legal every- are sold in competition with mariwhere else. Marijuana cannot be le- juana. New companies will be made galized in California because it will for the distribution of marijuana, clash with other state laws and be and it will cause great unrest in the detrimental to citizens.

Californian economy.

The legalization of recreational Second-hand smoking will also marijuana in California will increase greatly increase in suburban and drug smuggling across state borders urban environments in California if to surrounding states such as Nevada marijuana is legalized. Studies have and Arizona, which do not also shown that it takes have marijuana legalized. rats three times as long for This will increase rates their blood vessels to reof crime in surrounding cover from marijuana secstates as well as amounts ond-hand smoking than it of illegal marijuana. takes to recover from cigThe legalization will inarette second hand smoke. crease accident rates. One Marijuana is infamous of the symptoms of marfor being a “gateway drug,” ijuana is a distortion in meaning that people are perception that impacts likely to use marijuana driving ability. Accordfirst before moving onto HENRY ing to “The Washington more serious drugs. The XIONG Post,” marijuana-related legalization will increase car accidents rose after the risk of marijuana the legalization of the drug in the being a gateway drug that leads to state of Washington. If marijuana is worse drugs. legalized in California, car accidents People who support the legalizawill most likely increase, resulting in tion of marijuana argue that the usmore fatalities. age of marijuana is the user’s own The legalization of marijuana will freedom and at his or her own risk. greatly hinder California’s progress However, it is not victimless because in technology. Some of the most im- marijuana still causes second-hand pactful marijuana symptoms include smoking that affects people who do lethargy, sleepiness, and decrease in not use marijuana at all. coordination skills. If employees are The most logical path is that maroccupied with recreational mari- ijuana should not be legalized bejuana, workforce effort will severely cause of the negative impacts on the decrease, resulting in the loss of com- health, the economy, and the wellbepany wealth and efficiency. ing of the workforce.

OPINIONS

OCTOBER 2016

Great America needs to respect the mentally ill ful of parents whose children have lost their lives as a result of their mental illness, which only goes to show the gravity of mental health issues. The imagery that these tropes evoke don’t allow us to have effective conversations about mental health when it’s most necessary, especially when considering people with mental illness are at much greater COURTESY OF THE LA TIMES risk of committing suicide and being Halloween Haunt’s FearVR 5150 (promotion above) was closed amidst outrage victims of police brutality. Reducing over the portrayal of the mentally ill and the institutions that treat them. the experiences of people with mental illness to a cheap thrill is a slap in In spirit of the Halloween season, displayed by FearVR. By exaggerating the face to people who do have to deal California’s Great America hosted its tired stereotypes of menwith their illnesses every tally ill people for thrill day, not to mention that annual Halloween Haunt event. The theme park’s attraction features a vafactor and making mental using existing stereotypes riety of mazes each based on different illness into an object of of marginalized groups is horror tropes, some of which have ingross fascination, we perlazy and crass. cited much controversy. petuate the stigmas that For a large portion of society, it’s much easier to The now closed FearVR 5150 inare already attached to volved participants getting strapped mental illness that often maintain status quo and to wheelchairs while immersed in a result in violence, and in ridicule those who actively virtual reality horror experience set many cases, death. challenge prevailing social in a mental hospital; a panic button Considering the lack of norms. Rather than turn a blind eye, as members of was provided for those who found the discussion on the gravity experience to be too overwhelming. of mental health in society, society, we are responsible JUSTIN The attraction garnered the attenportraying mental illness for engaging in dialogues NGUYEN tion of protesters who criticized the alongside horrific imagthat concern different blatant ableism in the attraction. ery comes at the expense marginalized groups. We Mental health advocates present in of the mentally ill themselves. This need to increase our sensitivity to both the Bay Area and Southern Caloccurs through constant stigmatiza- topics of mental health in order to ifornia (FearVR 5150 also debuted at tion of mental illness, exacerbating provide support to our friends who Knott’s Berry Farm) pointed to the already existing issues surrounding are in need of it and augment the insensitivity and dehumanization of mental health. voices of those who are brave enough people with mental illness that were Among the protesters were a hand- to dismantle these harmful images.

Dangerous MHS environment turns away cyclists For many students, biking to school has led to more accidents and an unis a method of transportation sent safe environment to bike. Last year, a from God himself. It’s relastudent was hit by a car in tively quick (sometimes it’s the front of the school beeven faster than driving), cause of a reckless driver. and doesn’t require parAccidents are called accients to waste their precious dents for a reason—they time sitting on the congestare unpredictable in every ed roads that surround the way. And a situation like school. However, biking this is one that shouldn’t over the last couple years be left to chance. has been become unsafe Fixing this issue before and potentially dangerous. it blows out of proporAs someone who has been tion is a task easier said MIHIR biking to school for the last than done. After all, peoHANSALIA eight years, I have definiteple can’t just not drive ly noticed some changes to school. Solving this for the worse. These days, problem is contingent on biking, in the morning specifically, a mutual respect between the bikers has turned into a nightmare. On Es- and drivers. Bikers should know that cuela there are at least five to six cars they have been gifted with their own that feel the need to abruptly stop in lane that is meant for BIKES, and not the bike lane. I think they expect me to make their way into the driving to have superhuman reflexes, and lanes that are meant for VEHICLES. they need to understand I’m riding a Every year, I see bikers who decide to contraption made in the 19th century merge onto a packed road, and then that has had little to no improvement swerve wildly, narrowly avoiding over the past couple hundred years. kissing a bumper, as the car in front of The increase in cars in the bike lane them makes a jolting stop (I might be

speaking from experience). This also applies to drivers who stop in the bike lanes that have large signs which read “No parking at any time.” In the first week of school alone, I was rear-ended and a hairsbreadth away from getting hit by drivers in the bike lane.

Another measure that could be added to create a more safe and secure environment is having police patrol the area before and after school.

In the beginning of the school year there were police on Escuela and the surrounding streets, and during those days the bike lanes were clear because drivers were incentivized to stay out of them. Having police camp out on the streets even once a week is a great way to keep people on their toes, and as a result, they will be far less likely to break the law.

Also, can we get actual bike racks instead of a fence that is conveniently placed in the front of the school?

After having two bikes stolen while locked to the fence, I can confirm that it is not an effective place to lock a bicycle. Having bike racks closer to the inside of the school will prevent theft.

Black Lives Matter makes the case for social change Black Lives Matter (BLM) is one of the country’s most debated movements in recent memory. Opinions of the Black Lives Matter movement divide much of the nation, especially along racial and political lines.

One of the biggest problems BLM is trying to address is the belief that African Americans suffer from systemic racism. According to the NAACP, African Americans are sent to prison for drug offenses at 10 times the rate of that of whites, despite drug use being similar among different races. In 2014, of the 1.6 million people imprisoned in the U.S., about 35% of the population was African American, despite African Americans being only 12.3% of the population, while minorities imprisoned combined to make up two-thirds of the national prison population. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, a lower percentage of white drivers stopped by police in 2011 was searched than that of black or Hispanic drivers. Furthermore, a 2014 study by the New York County District Attorney’s Office and the Vera Institute of Justice

found that black people were less must be remembered that lootings likely to receive a lesser charge offer are not isolated to BLM protests. and that black people and Latinos Some forms of protest are said to are more likely to receive prison be disrespectful, like kneeling for sentences. the anthem. However, when people Despite the evidence of mistreathave a platform to advocate for a ment of black people and other micause they believe in, they have all norities, many people still disagree the rights to use that platform to exwith the legitimacy of press their thoughts. The BLM’s grievances. The importance of the protest, common reply to anyone however, shouldn’t be saying that black lives about the how or who, but matter is to say that all about whether it started a lives matter. To say all productive dialogue. lives matter while people All being said, the most remain oppressed is important problem BLM hugely unproductive in aims to fix is the inequality ensuring that all lives that plagues minorities. If matter and are treated the U.S. can more spend equally. money on lower-income JERALD Many people dislike neighborhoods and MENDOZA both the methods of schools, minorities would protest that have been be able to escape the used and the general vicious cycle of inherited demeanor of BLM. Many protests, poverty. As crime rates go down, such as those in Ferguson and Milthe number of areas in which the waukee, ended with vandalism and police are highly concentrated will looting. However looting comes with decrease. Despite how one may feel any protest as emotions run high. about BLM’s methods or beliefs, it is This is no excuse for looting, but it necessary that changes are made.

october 2016

features

THE UNION

5

Substitute teacher system proves disorganized by helen pham

Courtesy of Laiani Favor-Deguzman

Senior Trizha Aquino (left) and Senior Adriel Bautista (right) are crowned Homecoming Queen and King at the Homecoming football game on Oct. 7.

Bautista, Aquino are crowned Homecoming King and Queen by noemi crisanto

Homecoming is a heartwarming American high school tradition that captivates the attention of students every fall. The week is filled with exciting activities which lead up to the Homecoming football game on Friday night and the Homecoming Dance on Saturday.

It was revealed during the Homecoming Football Game that the new Homecoming King and Queen are Seniors Adriel Bautista and Trizha Aquino. According to Aquino, they both feel very honored and excited to have won even though the week leading up to that night was quite hectic.

“Homecoming week was very hectic, especially on Friday,” Aquino said.

“There were a lot of responsibilities that came with being a member of the Homecoming Court, so it was that on top of my school work and sports.”

Throughout the week, the nominees were expected to participate in various activities like the Homecoming Rally, which was difficult for Bautista to do because he was receiving cancer treatment that week.

“When I was nominated, I was just

excited,” Bautista said. “I didn’t care to win. I just saw my chance to come back to school after battling cancer for two years and seeing my friends again.”

Homecoming night also provided Bautista and Aquino with memories that will last a lifetime.

“When they announced Adriel as king I was shocked,” Aquino said, “but at the same time I was the happiest person ever. And then when they announced that I had won, I was genuinely shook. I didn’t expect to win.”

Just being nominated was enough for both Bautista and Aquino, but actually winning made them feel immensely happy considering the personal challenges they had to face this past year. To Bautista, winning meant that his peers hadn’t forgotten him and that he had their full support.

“Being Homecoming King to me means I wasn’t forgotten,” Bautista said. “I was out of school for two years, motivated to beat cancer and come back to school stronger and better than ever. Homecoming King showed me that a lot of people remember me, wanted to meet me, and most importantly, support me.”

Most students usually react in excitement and relief whenever the teacher notifies the kids that he or she will be absent, but why is that?

Teachers usually plan either movies and free study days or strict lesson plans that are sometimes not even followed through with. So are these days simply wasted?

When substitutes aren’t available, teachers who have a prep period are asked to teach other individual classes. The applicant pool for substitutes is small so there aren’ t many subs to choose from, Social Studies Teacher Michael Cummins said.

“Every couple of days, there’s an email sent out that says, ‘For god’s sakes, someone help us. We’re out of subs.’ We can’ t seem to attract any,” Cummins said.

Multiple teachers substituting for different periods result in every period doing something slightly, if not completely, different from the other class periods. Teachers with classroom expertise usually don’t want to substitute because they have their own classes, so lesson plans often don’ t get executed, Cummins said.

“Have we decided as a school that we’re going to just blow off every day that we have a sub? Why do we not have a better population of subs to choose from?” Cummins said. “Are we paying enough? Are we training enough?”

According to Transparent California, it seems that the average salary for Milpitas Unified is approximately $10,000 to $20,000 a year for substitute teachers, depending on years of experience. The substitutes of surrounding districts of Santa Clara

Unified and San Jose Unified have average salaries of around $25,000 to $35,000. Fremont Unified has an average substitute teacher pay at $40,000 to $50,000.

Substitutes don’t need credentials in the subject they’re subbing for, Principal Philip Morales said. Some just follow the given lesson plan.

“I would suggest that teachers should record lessons and show these lessons so these students can take notes, so they aren’t missing out on class time,” Morales said. “That is a possible solution.”

Some students also agree with Cummins’ opinion on substitute teachers. A day with a sub is usually just laid back, Senior Andy Ho said.

“It’ s usually just random bell work,” Ho said. “Obviously, we need better subs that will do what the teacher had in plan.”

The bell’s ring signals the start of new battles

by Kelly Lue

Let’s face it: for most students, the moment they walk onto campus in the morning, they are accompanied by the instant desire to return back to the comfort of their own homes.

The rest of the day is spent wondering when the period will end, when break and lunch will begin, and ultimately, when the liberating final bell will ring.

Some students, however, willingly stay on campus long after the last bell rings, devoting time and effort to an abundance of activities that take place after most students have left the school. Ranging from video game tournaments to swordfights, MHS offers a plethora of events that can only be experienced by staying after classes end.

Junior Khai Nguyen is one such student who stays after school to participate in activities. Nguyen is a member of Gamma Club, a group of friends that gather to play video

games, Nguyen said.

“We started out as friends just having fun playing [video games] competitively, and [our president] decided to start holding tournaments,” Nguyen explained.

Junior Brian Flores, a member of ROTC, stays after school to participate in ROTC practices, he said. The purpose of ROTC is to instill the values of citizenship, responsibility, and discipline, among other characteristics, Flores said.

“Practices lasts an hour and thirty minutes,” Flores said. “[We practice] rifle movements, spinning, and regulation movements.”

Junior Jose Mendoza, also a member of ROTC, participates in these practices as well, he said.

“I do exhibition movements,” Mendoza said. “The difference is that [Flores] is armed, and I’m unarmed.”

The campus also has something a little more unconventional to offer: swordfighting. After school on Wednesdays, Senior Duylam Nguyen

and other participants practice martial arts and self-defense, Nguyen said.

“Freshman year, we had a martial arts club,” Nguyen explained. “This is an offshoot of that. We’re an unofficial club, kind of like IRIS and BEAT.” In addition to after school practices, their group participates in shows as well, Nguyen said.

“We perform in the Lunar Show and VSA Show,” Nguyen said. “Right now, we’re prepping for a Lunar Show audition.”

Another activity that occurs after school is Toastmasters, a CLOG that helps improve public speaking. Practices occur on Thursdays, according to Toastmasters President Samik Shrotriya.

These activities only the scratch the surface when it comes to the abundance of things to do on campus after class ends. When the last bell rings, maybe we can think of it as a wake-up call for things more exciting than sitting in class.

THE UNION

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october 2016

features

Huynh speaks at her first TEDx

by Sherry Lam

Sherry Lam | THE UNION

Students take the new Korean class at MHS

by Derek Vo

Taking a Spanish, French, or Chinese class here at MHS has been the norm for students looking to learn foreign languages and thus expand their knowledge of a different culture. Another language class, Korean, was introduced towards the end of the last school year and officially began this year.

Some students learn another language to travel to another country or watch foreign films without the subtitles on.

Senior Kelly Nguyen falls into this category, she said.

“I want to travel to Korea and learn the language, so I can understand what they [Koreans] are saying.”

Another student chose to take Korean because she didn’t like the other options MHS had for foreign languages. Junior Emily Hardy said, “Out of all the other

language courses, I didn’t like taking Spanish, so there might be a chance the Korean teacher is good.”

The Korean classroom is located in room H-03 and is being taught by Kinser Jeong. The Korean class is also being shared with French Teacher Lisa Topping. Korean is taught in the classroom for one half of the day, and French is taught during the other half.

In response to what an average day looked like, Nguyen said, “Usually, the teacher shows powerpoints to explain the grammar and vocabulary. We then review our workbooks and answer questions in Korean.” The curriculum of each foreign language class is based on teaching students something new about the language every day. Hardy and Nguyen both had similar perspectives on what an average day in the class looked like.

Students base their decisions regard-

ing which foreign language classes they should take on their peers’ reviews of the teachers. Current reviews of Kinser are positive, with comments stating that she is nice, lenient, and dresses nicely.

“She is very nice, but she sometimes forgets that we have SSR,” Hardy said, “Other than that, she is great.”

Korean is a still a new class to MHS, and some students may be hesitant and on the fence about taking the class next school year. Some pros to taking the class include being able to understand K-pop songs and K-dramas, according to Nguyen. The class would also be ideal for students looking to travel to Korea, Nguyen added.

Another reason students may be unsure of wanting to take the class is that writing Korean seems difficult. “It’s not as hard as you think. The written part of Korean is easier than English, to be honest, “ Hardy said. “Don’t be stressed to write Korean if that’s why you are on the fence.”

Nguyen blows bubble gum to beat world record I saw a bag of bubble gum,” Nguyen said. “After that, I was like, I want to Around this time of year, many se- blow the biggest bubble in the world.” niors focus solely on school, submit- According to Nguyen, he is the only ting college applications or stressing one participating in this attempt to out about school in general. beat the world record, blowing For Senior Darrion Nguya bubble 22 inches in diamen, however, he has his eter. He never had the attention directed intention of breaking the world record until elsewhere: bubble gum. last summer, he said.

“Right now, I’m at “I think the whole senior college appliseventeen to eighcation thing is way teen inches [in dioverblown,” Nguyameter],” Nguyen en explained. “And I stated. “With praclike bubble gum. Bubtice, I think I’ll get ble gum is fun.” there.” r te g sy Nguyen began his Practice is not the only N n of S e nio r D ar r io bubble-blowing enthing Nguyen does in ordeavor as a middle der to achieve his goal, schooler, he said. His first encounter he said. He also tries out different with bubble gum was during a sum- brands of bubble gum to see which mer trip to Los Angeles. ones work best.

“We stopped at a gas station and “I’ve been experimenting with u

uy

Co

en

by kelly lue

different types [of bubble gum], like Hubba Bubba and Bazooka,”Nguyen explained.

In addition to breaking the world record, Nguyen has other reasons for blowing bubbles as well, he said.

“I’d like to add onto my pool of useless talents,” Nguyen said. “I can play tetris very well and clap very fast. I’ll be really good at party tricks. I’m preparing for college life.”

Some people have even asked Nguyen to teach them how to blow bubbles, he said. According to Nguyen, to blow a bubble, the gum’s flavor has to be chewed out.

“It’s really tiring, in terms of jaw exercise,” Nguyen said. Nevertheless, it is something he has gotten used to with plenty of practice.

So, seniors, if you’re feeling stressed, chill out and chew some gum. Calm down, take a deep breath, and exhale all that carbon dioxide into a bubble.

We’ve all watched at least one TED talk on YouTube before. The speakers’ insight and ideas are so beautifully woven together that at the end of their talks, there’s no feeling other than that of inspiration that can fill your heart. It’s truly an amazing opportunity to be able to attend a TEDx conference, let alone to be able to have your own talk at one. On Sept. 24, the TEDxMilpitasHighSchool club hosted a TEDx conference where six individuals spoke at the event. One of those individuals was Senior Victoria Huynh.

Conference Director Curators Wafa Malik and Sonia Tripathy brought this event to the campus to bring new ideas to the Milpitas community about reevaluating fields of study and traditional career fields through the discussion of societal norms.

Relating her talk back to the event title, “Back to the Drawing Board,” Huynh named her talk, “How to Save the World with Crayons.” Huynh talked about a commonality we all hold—fear. She spoke about why this is and provided a solution.

“I touched up on the kind of attitude students today have generated as a result of such an uptight education system, upraising, loss of human connection, and imaginative stimulation,” Huynh said.

“All we do anything for is college apps or grades.”

According to Huynh, we’ve become too afraid of failure. This same kind of fear has reached adults and people of all ages too, Huynh continued.

“Everyone’s a little bit too afraid nowadays because people have become so paranoid and wary of things they don’t understand. People resort to prejudice and other types of discrimination, hatred, violence as a result of all of this fear.”

Despite all the fear that has plagued our society, there’s still a solution.

“I take a trip down memory lane and attempt to remind the audience about what it was like when we were younger—the innocence and purity of complete fearlessness of the unknown, of imagination, and also of this pure love that is construed by societal expectations, stereotypes, or whatnot.”

Huynh goes on to speak of Club 6 and Project 6. Club 6 is a sixth grade club that Huynh’s very own sixth grade teacher founded for the class to lead its own student-created service projects. Project 6 is the expansion of this ideal to high schoolers.

“It’s a new way of educating the future.

New education techniques—I guess you could say—where you produce your

own projects not for the sake of a grade or some type of reward that school generically trains us to want, but for the sake of pure good, and ultimately, if we can adapt this kind of thinking and make it a part of our own lives today, imagine the possibilities!”

Huynh found inspiration for her talk through the people she’s met throughout her life. All of these ideas and thoughts were always at the back of her mind, according to Huynh.

“A lot of [my inspiration came from] listening and observing the stories of kids of all ages. For high school kids, having worked with Area 6 and at the district level [in the Interact club], I learned a lot about many different perspectives from all types of people: people who grew up with very little, people who grew up with many resources, people who grew up in more isolated and dangerous neighborhoods, and others [in] very safe places.”

Huynh has been able to interact with many different people of different locations and areas. She found fear of failure a common factor for a lot of the students, regardless of their backgrounds or circumstances. Ms. Saiten from Pomeroy has also been a huge influence in Club 6 and Project 6 and challenging those fearless ideals when facing the world, Huynh said. “[From] being able to interact with all of these different types of people, you find that struggle is of course inevitable, but resilience and what people do in response is what is important, and the cool thing about service or acting purely out of the heart is [that] really, anyone can do [good]. You don’t have to be super smart or have many resources to care about something.”

Huynh is very honored that she was able to have had the opportunity to give her own TED talk. She is very thankful for Wafa Malik and Sonia Tripathy for inviting her to speak at this event.

“It showed me the power of words, but also of words said with conviction and purpose. I was humbled to even be able to listen to such amazing people speak and for being a part of such an awesome concept.”

The experience of organizing such an event was stressful because of the rules and regulations that TED laid out, Tripathy said. There were more behindthe-scenes aspects to organizing the conference.

“At the end of the day, we were relieved that everything ran according to planned and proud of our effort,” Tripathy said. “I feel like we have taken a step towards exposing the Milpitas community to new opportunities and viewpoints.”

Student helps plan Blue Ocean Competition

by Shreeya Aranake

A new business competition is coming to town! The Blue Ocean Competition, which was held earlier in Maryland, will be coming to the Silicon Valley in April 2017.

This is the first year that there will be a virtual platform for the competition. This means that it will be open to children nationwide. One of the biggest differences from other business competitions, such as DECA and FBLA, is that the Blue Ocean Competition is free and therefore accessible to more students, according to Sophomore and Blue Ocean Committee Member Andrew Dinh.

The Blue Ocean Competition was

initiated by Stanford Student Nicholas Benavides, who was originally from Maryland, according to Dinh.

Because Benavides now attends Stanford, he has decided to bring the competition to the Bay Area, Dinh said.

The competition is a high-schoolstudent-run competition that is similar to the television show Shark Tank, according to Dinh, where ordinary people who have business ideas pitch them to successful businessmen. The businessmen then rate the ideas and decide if the ideas will run or not.

The competition uses the Blue Ocean strategy which was written by Professors W. Chan Kim and Renee Maugborne. The Blue Ocean Strategy, according to Dinh, encourages

young businessmen and women to come up with fresh, new business ideas that are from the students rather than from the competition. Dinh says that the competition is based on the premise that “you should create ideas that haven’t been done before.”

Dinh says that he heard about the competition at the end of last year and thought it would be a good learning opportunity. Although Dinh is a committee member, and consequently not permitted to compete, he says that being on the committee “give[s] you a rewarding business experience.” He also added that it gives you marketing skills, as the committee must market the competition to high schoolers in the Silicon Valley.

Courtesy of Hung Truong

Senior Victoria Huynh delivers her first TEDx talk “How to Save the World with Crayons” to the audience at the TEDxMilpitasHighSchool conference on Sept. 24.

october 2016

THE UNION

features

7

Albrecht paints for famous clients in free time by gurshaan bariana

Courtesy of Jeffrey albrecht

Ceramics Teacher Jeffrey Albrecht poses with his colorful and intricate painting piece of koi fish and lotus that he painted in Maui in May of this year.

Most teachers have to separate their school and home lives to keep their sanity, but Ceramics Teacher Jeffrey Albrecht does just the opposite. Albrecht’s work ethic continues both inside and outside the classroom, as he can often be found in his studio at home. He is also a wellknown artist for his beautiful paintings and detailed murals.

At a young age, Albrecht designed logos for businesses and decorated t-shirts for his peers in high school.

When he realized how much he enjoyed sharing art with others, Albrecht decided to pursue a career as an artist.

Originally hired to teach a painting and drawing course over a decade ago at MHS, Albrecht discovered a week after being hired that he would instead be in charge of drawing and ceramics. After two years of teaching drawing for first period, Albrecht re-

alized how much he enjoyed teaching ceramics since he did so much drawing outside of school. Albrecht preferred the mellow atmosphere that came along with the ceramics class more than he preferred teaching students who felt like they already knew how to draw. Additionally, he felt ceramics students were sponges and more open to soak up information.

The opportunity to form relationships with people has always motivated Albrecht to continue to teach and pursue his artistic career, whether it be with students or private collectors.

“It’s always been about relationships with people,” Albrecht said.

“It’s never been about the money. It’s always about people being reached somehow through the art process: people either expressing themselves, relating to the artwork, or relating to each other.”

Considered an extreme colorist, Albrecht combines abstract styles and realism to create paintings for fa-

mous clients, including the owners of the San Francisco 49ers and San Jose Sharks. Regardless of the subject or theme, Albrecht enjoys putting his own twist on a variety of pieces.

Albrecht has family ties and connections in Hawaii, so he spends most of his time outside of school on the islands. He is currently working on a mural roughly 60 feet long to donate to a school. Albrecht’s flights to and from Hawaii to work on the murals are covered since he is bettering the community. In an effort to encourage students to explore art, Albrecht asked Hurley International to donate art supplies for students to use.

Albrecht hopes his artwork, which incorporates the cultural and surfing aspects of the community, will inspire the students attending the school.

“I want to do a mural to promote arts and education,” Albrecht said, “[and] also show them that school isn’t a horrible place. It’s something that really does identify with them.”

Students work part-time jobs

by Helen Huynh

Courtesy of Ian Danielson

Phototography Teacher Ian Danielson gets close and personal with the subject of his art and carefully adjusts the camera lens to focus on the plants and tree bark to capture a still and stunning photo of nature in his free time.

Danielson develops passion for photography

by Saba Khorasani

white because he enjoys the “old school” look. He also likes how black and white pictures allow you to focus more on the image itself. Danielson is currently going to start shooting a series of portraits. “[I’m] ultimately achieving getting into a gallery,” Danielson said. He is very focused on trying to put out the best quality possible, and believes that “there’s nothing better than a high quality darkroom black and white picture.”

Danielson not only covers the art side of photography, but he also coversthe business aspect of it. He has shot many weddings and family portraits. “The business side is more about making people happy,” Danielson said.

Danielson’s work has been featured in a couple of books as well as maga-

From teaching to capturing the art of the world, Photography Teacher Ian Danielson has done it all. To some he may just be a teacher, but outside of the teaching world, he focuses on his true passion: photography. Originally deciding to major in oceanography, Danielson became fascinated with the darkroom process in a college photo class and eventually switched to a photography major.

Outside of school, Danielson enjoys shooting subjects such as plants and landscapes. “Whenever I’m out and about or traveling is when I shoot a lot of the art side of stuff,” Danielson said. His favorite photo that he’s shot is of his grandparents in an American Gothic rendition.

Most of his work is in black and

zines, including Photographer’s Forum, and Black and White Magazine.

A few of his photos hang at Forno Vecchio restaurant in Pleasanton.

He likes to enter different photography contests in the US and the world. He has won several honorable mentions and has also participated in art fairs and displayed a show at Wente Vineyard in Livermore.

“I love that I’ve found something that I love to do, and I’ve been able to turn it into a career.” Danielson said.

Photography means everything to him, and you can truly see how much he enjoys doing what he does, whether it be in school or outside of school.

Be sure to check out Danielson’s page on Facenook, Ian Danielson Photography.

Fighting breast cancer brings new perspectives by grace chang henry xiong

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a month of understanding the burden, treatment, and hardships behind breast cancer. We took this opportunity to ask some MHS staff members how they’re powering through to fight the disease.

When asked about her first reactions toward discovering she had breast cancer, Psychology Teacher Liza Gable said, “Initially, [I was] frightened and scared about what that meant in my life, and then, I probably went through all the phases that one goes through with that: anger, angry, frightened, not understanding why me. You know, all of those questions. And then I felt that I was going to fight it and win and do my best to make that happen.”

Gable described how supportive her family was. Her friends helped out when she wasn’t present to han-

dle regular tasks such as taking care of her dog.

“My students supported me through the process. They were always there for me,” Gable said.

When Gable had breast cancer, she said would get tired very easily and would take naps after returning home from work. Gable also said that her chemotherapy treatment made her very depressed, and when the chemotherapy treatment ended, she felt better.

“It makes me appreciate life,” Gable said, “and I’ve always been appreciative of life, but I now know that I just wanna really do the things I want to do. You know, I want to travel and this summer I had a wonderful trip and did it.”

Librarian LeighAnn McCready first discovered she had cancer in 1999, had a recurrence of breast cancer in 2010, and is now diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. Her cancer has spread to her liver and bones and has no cure, McCready

stated.

McCready said that she is currently in active treatment and will be for the rest of her life. McCready stated that during her initial battle with breast cancer, she went through chemotherapy, radiation and five years of oral medication. McCready has been fighting the relapse of breast cancer for the last six years, she explained.

McCready stated that she had been much sicker the last time she had cancer than this time because now the drugs she’s been given are not as aggressive as the drugs in the initial treatment, McCready said.

“I choose not to dwell on my disease,” she said. “That doesn’t serve any purpose, and I believe it gives the cancer power that it doesn’t deserve.”

According to McCready, having breast cancer has given her a different perspective on life. It’s important to appreciate friends and family who are there to support her. She said that problems thatseemed to be important aren’t as important anymore.

Some Milpitas High School students pick up part-time jobs either to earn a little extra money, for job experience, or just because it is what high school students do. However, some students work to contribute to family finances to help pay the bills.

Senior Leona Lee works two jobs, takes high-level Advanced Placement classes at school, and cheers on the Varsity Cheerleading Team. Lee works with the purpose of helping out her family by paying some of the bills. Before she worked, Lee spent her free time volunteering at an educational center to tutor young children and babysitting at her neighbor’s house.

“I help pay for the phone bill and for the house mortgage,” Lee said.

“My first job [is as] a stock associate at Hollister in the Great Mall, and my second job [is as] a style advisor for Justicein the Great Mall. For one job, the maximum hours I can work is four a day, so it does give me some time to go to cheerleading practice and go ice skating and do what I love to do.”

Students who decide to work and do extracurricular activities usually learn to manage their time wisely.

When students have a fully packed schedule. there is usually no time to procrastinate. “[Working students] are really taking a step into adulthood and challenging themselves with balancing school life and balancing a work life and also having extracurriculars by their side,” Lee said. “I don’t really get home until like maybe 10:30 sometimes if I work and have practice, so then I only get a few hours to do homework, a few hours to go to sleep, and then I have to wake up at 5 a.m. again and start my whole day.”

Senior Josh Palis works part time as a software engineer and student Intern at Santa Clara County’s Main Information Technology Center. He enjoys working because his passion is computer science, and he wanted to gain experience in the field.

“I do help out my family by working,” Palis said. “Since I have my own salary, I can live independently and pay for all of my needs, which is important, since I don’t want to have to rely on my parents anymore. It’s just another step in growing up.”

Working students who work many hours a week can be sleep deprived and may end up falling asleep in class. Senior Izzy Rouillard began to work because she wanted to pay her parents back for the car they bought her. Rouillard’s job keeps her busy to make sure she doesn’t have too much free time, Rouillard said.

“I work at Noah’s Bagels, and so I work very early mornings,” Rouillard said. “Having a job is a great, but since I’ve had this job since sophomore year, I have had no time for [many] extracurricular activities.”

Another student, Senior Frida Camacho, had to give up extracurricular activities this year in order to work. Camacho was a three-sport athlete last year.

“I am not in any extracurricular activities, [as working affected extracurriculars] my junior year,” Camacho said. “ [Work] is the reason I don’t do any extracurriculars [now].”

Afterschool athletics at MHS is a privilege, and students must maintain at least a 2.0 GPA to participate in sports, according to Athletic Director Jeff Lamb. Playing a sport is a commitment, and it requires a lot of time spent in daily practices and scheduled games.

“I played every sport in every season, so it was difficult to have practice and games and actually go to work,” Camacho said. “I managed my hours, and I got my homework done first, and then I went to go work.”

Camacho wants to work to help out her mother and her sister with the money she earns. She started her job working for her father in the summer of her sophomore year.

“I give [support] to my mother so she can buy my sister things that they need,” Camacho said. “I work ten hours a week, two hours everyday.”

8

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SPREAD

OCTOBER 2016

HELEN HUYNH|THE UNION

Opinion: Should we Americans party with the third parties?

“Cheeto Jesus.” “Crooked Hillary.” These are merely two examples of... endearing nicknames for the current presidential candidates, Republican Donald J. Trump and Democrat Hillary R. Clinton.

While some Americans may have a steadfast allegiance to one of the two main contenders, others may be wondering what else exists, beside the elephant and donkey in the room.The answer can be found in not one party, but two: the Libertarian Party and the Green Party.

Libertarian Candidate Gary Johnson is an author, businessman, and the previous governor of New Mexico. Before switching to the Libertarian Party, Johnson was a Republican who pushed a right wing agenda, and minimized government by issuing a whopping 739 full vetoes on bills. Currently, Johnson and running mate Bill Weld are campaigning on slogans such as “A Credible Alternative to ClinTrump,” indicating Johnson’s doubt in Clinton’s and Trump’s political credibility. But is Johnson himself a credible candidate, worthy of America’ s trust? Below are his stances on some popular policy issues today: immigration, climate change, and foreign affairs.

On immigration, Johnson count-

ers Trump’ s proposal to build a wall inquired, “What is ‘a leppo?’” between the U.S. and Mexico, assertGreen Party Candidate Jill Stein ing that its construction would only has also had previous experience in “increase the size of the ladders.” politics, holding the current record Johnson instead advocates improv- for most votes received by a woming the efficiency of distributing an running for U.S. President. As a work visas and conducting back- Harvard Medical alum and environground checks on non-citmental activist, Stein izens, which he predicts spent the decades will increase domestic following her graduasecurity by allowing law tion combatting envienforcement to “focus on ronmental injustice, [threats], not those who and helping to protect want to be a part of [the marginalized groups U.S.].”Regarding climate such as Native Americans from toxic lead change and global warming, Johnson has a more and mercury pollution. non-traditional approach In the early 2000s, she in mind.Although his offiembraced politics to TUONG-VI cial campaign policies proeffect more change in NGUYEN mote government regulathe community, most tions as a remedy, on the notably running for talk show “This Week,” his Secretary of State in response to environmental issues 2006. was quite different: “We do have to This year, she has once again inhabit other planets,” he said. Last- shown dedication to politics by atly, Johnson claims that knowledge tempting to include herself in the of world leaders and geography is first two-party presidential debate detrimental because it allows for through (1) an interrupted breakthe deployment of troops abroad, in, and (2) a personal upload of her and admits he does not follow for- responses to the policy issues preeign affairs. He holds true to this sented. Similar to Johnson, Stein statement – when a reporter from believes in easing the citizenship MSNBC asked for his opinion on process for immigrants, referring to the chaos in Aleppo, Syria, Johnson them as “the backbone of the diver-

sity that makes this country great.”

Her plans include redirecting money from Wall Street to the DREAM Act, which supports legalizing the residency of those who are undocumented. As a member of the Green Party, Stein also has lofty goals to improve the environment. By 2030, she aims to have the country running on renewable energy sources, and wants to lead a “global treaty to halt climate change.” Finally, Stein has shown a greater mastery of foreign affairs than Johnson, voicing her opinions on issues involving Cuba, and Syria.She supports Syrian immigration to the U.S. and lifting the U.S.-Cuba trade embargo, but does display some isolationist values. When international conflicts “do not directly threaten us,” she calls for the withdrawal of US involvement.

Ultimately, the 2016 presidential candidates all have strengths and weaknesses, and this concludes a brief look into the policies of the third party candidates. To those who continue to believe in American politics: may your faith endure the upcoming election. And to those who have already given up: perhaps it is time to consider Johnson’ s eloquent suggestion to “inhabit other planets.”

Opinion: Bernie supporters should board the Hillary train The Bernie or Bust movement be- movement needs to transform its gan with fervent supporters of Senator passion for Sanders into a passion for Bernie Sanders. These supporters are Clinton. The main reason for Clinton’s ready to defend their lack of support from Berpreferred presidential nie supporters is that they candidate in sickness believe the Democratic and in health, regardless Party is full of established, of the political norm of power-hungry politicians. supporting your party’s This lack of trust was magnominee after the primanified when leaked emails ries are over. Although showed that the DemoSanders himself has encratic National Committee dorsed Hillary Clinton rigged the primaries in orfollowing her nominader to help Clinton win the tion, many of his supnomination over Sanders.

SHREEYA porters aren’t quite ready Specifically, Bernie’s supARANAKE to back the Democratic porters believe that the two Presidential Candidate. front-running presidential Instead, they wish to candidates, given their vote for a third-party candidate, which current reliance on super PACS, will could be a problem. not help reduce the amount of monAt this point, the Bernie or Bust ey poured into politics. Lowering the

amount of money in politics was a big focus for the Sanders’ campaign, and it still is for his supporters.

However, people who support the Bernie or Bust movement have to take a look at the issues. For the most part, the issues that they are interested in furthering line up with Secretary Clinton’s agenda. She and Sanders agree on issues such as college debt, gun control, LGBTQ rights, abortion, and equality for women in the workplace. In fact, according to “The Washington Post,” when both Sanders and Clinton were in the Senate, they voted similarly on issues 93.1 percent of the time.

Finally, one of the strongest arguments against the Bernie or Bust movement is the fact that voting for anyone other than the two front-running presidential candidates would be considered throwing away one’s vote.

In fact, the third-party candidates were not allowed to join Clinton and Trump during the presidential debates because they were polling at less than 15 percent, according to NPR. When people vote for a third-party candidate, they take votes away from the main candidates, who have higher chances of actually gaining the presidency. By doing so, they may unintentionally allow the election of a candidate whose views do not align with theirs. In essence, the evidence shows that Clinton and Sanders agree on most issues, despite some minor differences. The similarities in both the Sanders and Clinton agendas show that the Bernie or Bust movement should definitely support Hillary Clinton.

So, Bernie supporters, it’s probably time to let go of your old movement, and board the Hillary train!

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OCTOBER 2016

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9

Opinion: Pro Conda, who are you fond o’?

The 2016 presidential election between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump has certainly been entertaining to spectate, but let’s not forget about another election that is more local and relative to us: Ro Khanna versus Mike Honda, the Congressional candidates that will represent California’s 17th district.

It is perfectly fine if you do not know who to support yet; here’s Pro Conda, some pros and cons for each candidate.

Pros for Ro: Many of Ro Khanna’s policies revolve around a subject of mutual interest among students—education. Ro Khanna has plans for more reasonable college admission as well as more practical and affordable education.

He will provide federal grants for schools to make education more affordable and prioritize California students in University of California (UC) admission processes—tax dollars of Californians are invested in these institutions. Don’t feel left out, teachers! Ro Khanna believes that teachers should receive higher salaries and deserve more respect.

Have you ever been bothered by the noxious odor of burning garbage?

That is one thing Ro Khanna plans on improving. Recently, the landfill has requested to expand its area, a request which Ro Khanna opposed,

KELLY LUE|THE UNION

as Milpitas, Fremont, and Santa Clara residents often complain that the stench is detrimental to their health and lives. Vote for Ro, make the odors go!

Cons for Khan: Toward the end of September, Mike Honda, Ro Khanna’s opponent for office, sued him for accessing numerous confidential documents.

Soon after the lawsuit was filed, Brian Parvizshahi, Ro Khanna’s campaign manag er, resigned; KEVIN this has ZHANG m a d e many suspicious of Ro Khanna’s political ethics. Another primary concern for Ro Khanna is his lack of experience compared to Mike Honda, who has held office for much longer.

Pros for Makoto: Michael (Mike) Makoto Honda is extremely experienced in dealing with political issues we find common today, including income inequality, education inequality, gun violence, social

security, and many more. Like Ro Khanna, Mike Honda also has an education plan that relates to students: provide equal opportunities and access to educational materials for students of all backgrounds and academic levels. Honda has created the Equity and Excellence Commission during his office, which focuses on how federal policies can improve financial systems of education. He has been an educator for 30 years so he probably knows what he is doing. Throughout his office, he has worked to reduce traffic congestion in the Bay Area, a known, prevalent problem. In addition, Mike Honda is known to emphasize and advance science and technology. He has authorized nanotechnology research and development, authored the STEM act, and received a Congressional technology leadership award in 2013. Honda has also worked with President Obama to help the underserved communities.

Cons for Hon: One extremely significant negative aspect to supporting Mike Honda is that he lacks the endorsement of President Obama and Hillary Clinton. In September of 2015, Honda and his staff were accused of violating federal law by offering special access to his primary donors and using his authority for personal benefits.

Opinion: Say bye-bye to Bernie, hello to Hillary It is no secret that Senator Bernie Sanders, who formerly campaigned to be the Democratic candidate, was overwhelmingly supported by millennials. People under 30 just seemed to rally behind his cries for a socialist political revolution. Strongly leftwinged, his political stance was more in tune with the younger generation’s general tendency to identify as Democrats. The Iowa Caucuses have shown that Sanders beat Former Secretary of State EMMY Hillary ClinYU ton 84 percent to 14 percent in the 17-29 age group, according to the Edison Research Iowa Entrance Polls.

Now that Clinton has been nominated by the Democratic party, how do her policies compare to that of Sanders? To start, one of the most relevant topics for the under-30 age group would be those directed at student debt and education. Faced with

grim reality of exorbitant student debt, many students who are currently applying or plan to apply for college should have education policies high on their political agenda. On these issues, Clinton would be more conservative than Sanders. While Sanders supports that all public colleges and universities be tuition-free, Clinton promotes debtfree tuition at public colleges and universities, based on a student’s family income.

Despite these aforementioned discrepancies, HARRIET Clinton and DO Sanders have more common ground in terms of policy than Trump and Sanders do. Although Sanders and Clinton do clash over issues such as financial regulation, many of their opinions on race, crime, and women’s rights are, more or less, the same. Much of my hesitancy in supporting Clinton stems from my lack of trust, given the FBI investigation over her private email use

as Secretary of State. However, while I am not absolving her of any fault nor am I ignoring the issue, I recognize her strong work ethic and experience in government. More significantly, the negative sentiments concerning Clinton seem almost trivial compared to those for the alternative­—Republican candidate Donald Trump.

Although Sanders’ stance was well -supported by young people, he will no longer be on the ballot this November.

It is understandable that people regard Hillary to be undeserving of trust because of her decisions as Secretary of State and connections to Wall Street.

Nonetheless, a number of people believe that they cannot simply nitpick from a variety of events and focus on one or two of her worst traits. At this point, we should just choose the person who has the most experience in foreign policy and political affairs.

In this upcoming November ballot, the front-runners will be Clinton and Trump. Sanders’ supporters will have to decide whether or not they will continue to support the Democratic Party.

However, if both the Democratic and Republican candidates seem unappealing to you, you can always throw your vote to the third-parties. Gary Johnson or Jill Stein, anyone?

Opinion: The election is the best joke on TV

ed Politicians

GRACE CHANG SABA KHORASANI JERALD MENDOZA HOPE DO|THE UNION

Since the 2016 election cycle British man talking about very began, late night television may American politics, but John Oliver’s not be the most bipartisan source scathing wit and impassioned of political news, but is sure is delivery, combined with the likeable entertaining. Nightly comedy shows ability to make fun of himself at the have fluorished with their new found same time, make him one of late political targets, especially night’s best. Oliver has the a certain orange bigot in unique quality of making particular. In light of the you laugh while pumping craziness of this recent your fist for social change election, with nasty insults at the same time--you’ll flying across the aisle, it’s realize you’ll want more refreshing to get away of both. from all the vitriol and get 2. The Daily Show with a laugh out of it. Here’s a Trevor Noah roundup of some of the Many bemoan the fall of best late night commenThe Daily Show ever since taries of the election you’ll legendary host Jon StewJUSTIN see. Just be aware though, art left, but Trevor Noah, TSO that the late night scene is who hails from South Afheavily liberal--if you’re rica, rises to his best when a Trump supporter (my he attacks Trump. Noah condolences, first of all), you might got off to something of a rocky start, not like what you see. but the election has given him quite the boost. Noah brings a youthful 1. Last Week Tonight with John wit that is not quite as outrageous as Oliver Oliver’s, but is definitely still worth It’s kind of odd seeing a very the watch.

3. The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon The surprise of the bunch, Jimmy Fallon’s, show isn’t geared toward political events, although it certainly takes advantage of the political ammunition that’s offered. In fact, many have accused Fallon of being soft and not grilling political candidates that appear on his show. In my opinion though, Fallon brings a fun, less harsh sense of humor to the spectrum of political entertainment that’s very refreshing in a less than pleasant election, and is more bipartisan than his competition.

The bottom line? There’s no better sign for your country when comedians have an endless series of jokes for your future president, right? If you’re like me, and you find the downfall of America hilarious, you’ll love this opportunity. Enjoy these shows while you can though. Before you know it, political entertainment like this will be banned by King Trump.

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LIFESTYLE

THE UNION

FASHION SPOTLIGHT

BY ANANYA DONAPATI

Jasmine Kim Junior

Necklace from Forever 21 Top from Forever 21

Pants from American Eagle

boots from Forever 21

Her Fashion Inspir ation: “My fashion is inspired by the YouTuber Jenn Im (clothesencounters).”

Taye thornton Freshman

Pokémon GO popularity is on the decline

BY EMMY YU

Pokémon GO, the location-based, augmented-reality game developed by Niantic, Inc. became an instant global phenomenon after its release in July of 2016. As of September, statistics from Niantic reveal that Pokémon GO has seen over 500 million downloads and never-ending traffic that has been known to crash their servers.

The cult-like popularity of the new AR-mobile app has been trending on social media and has flooded countless feeds with the latest news, memes, and the best locations to catch Pokemon.

But despite the initial monumental success of the game, is Pokémon GO fading out?

At its peak, Niantic was pulling in $16 million a day, but Newzoo reports that Pokémon Go has been earning a steady $2 million daily revenue for the past few weeks. Although not a small sum to many game

Tea Vila

cardigan thrifted from Goodwill

as nice as it was displayed in pictures. The overall taste was

BY GRACE CHANG a bit confusing as the different flavors didn’t combine as well together as I had hoped they Tea Villa is a milk tea place would. The chocolate taste of with unique drinks that are sure the reos and the sweetness of to intrigue milk tea enthusiasts. the Honeydew Milk Tea with I tried three of the drinks that the texture of the pearls didn’t are found at Tea Villa. The first come together well; the sea salt one I tried, the Tea Villa Special, in the drink was also overpowis an Earl Gray Milk Tea. It has ering. Individual flavors the staple milk tea taste stood out on their own, that classic milk tea but they didn’t work lovers will enjoy, well together. Perwith a flowery kick sonally, I wouldn’t that is complemenorder this particutary to the staple lar drink again. I earl gray taste. would, however, Another drink consider trying I tried was more a different Potted unique: the Potted Plant drink.

Plant which is made Gr ON For those who may ac with your choice of NI e Ch EU H a T n | g not be so fond of milk milk tea with sea tea, Tea Villa offers a variety of salt, topped with crushed Oreos other types of drinks, such as and a mint sprig. I ordered the fruit tea. The Strawberry Fruit Honeydew Potted Plant Milk Tea consists of strawberry and Tea with pearls by recommendaapple fruit chunks. This tea tion from a worker at Tea Villa. was not aesthetically pleasing; Visually, it was unique but not

BY SABA KHORASANI

windbreaker thrifted jeans from Levi’s

Shoes from Vans

His Fashion Inspir ation: “I get it from Jay Versace and A$AP Rocky.”

developers, the Pokémon GO hype may very well be dying and leaving only the most devoted core player base. With a decrease in interest only three months into the game, many are already looking to Niantic for possible new features and content.

The recent Pokémon Buddy System update allows trainers to walk their Pokémon while collecting candies that can be used to power up or evolve their buddy. This update was much anticipated as users could journey in the Pokemon universe with a traveling companion much like Ash Ketchum and his Pikachu.

Niantic has also recently come out with a Pokémon GO Plus accessory that links mobile accounts via Bluetooth and allows trainers to catch Pokémon and collect items from PokéStops with a simple touch of a button.

Niantic hopes to encourage more real-life interactions and increase safety by allowing players less of a need to stare at their phone screens.

According to a blog post by Niantic, an upcoming version of Pokémon Go will feature Pokémon in friendly gyms with temporarily adjusted combat powers to generally match that of the trainer’s own Pokémon.

Players will also be able to train six Pokémon on their team instead of just one. For trainers just starting out, nothing could be more frustrating than attempting to battle a CP3000 Dragonite with a CP50 Pidgey. This new enhancement means that players can train more Pokémon with others of about the same combat capabilities when battling gyms controlled by their own team.

John Hanke, CEO of Pokémon GO developer Niantic Labs has confirmed new features such as Pokémon trading, new rare Pokémon, and the possibility of more easter eggs that are currently in the works. With all the new and exciting additions to the game, have you given up on Pokémon GO too early?

Restaurant Reviews

Slice Poké Bar

Glasses thrifted

OCTOBER 2016

Poke is a raw fish salad originating from Hawaii, and it has recently become quite a popular dish, with its pictures taking over social media. Many poke restaurants have been popping up throughout San Jose, including Slice Poké Bar, which has been open for a few months.

At Slice Poké Bar, you have the option of choosing a bowl from the menu or creating your own.

You can also choose a salad or a wrap, which is essentially a big sushi roll. I decided to get the Build Your Own Bowl, for which I chose from a base of brown or white rice or chips.

You then get to add three scoops of protein for a regular size or four scoops of protein for a large size. For the protein, you can choose from several types of fish, including salmon, tuna (regular or spicy), and hamachi.

You also have the option to add crab salad, octopus mix, or plain tofu to your bowl.

After choosing your protein, you add your sauce. You can choose from a spicy traditional, traditional, sweet soy, or citrus soy sauce.

You then add the toppings.

There are several different toppings, including edamame, cucumbers, nori, seaweed salad,

and pickled onions. Finally, you can add Slice sauce, sesame aioli, spicy mayo, or wasabi aioli to top it all off.

The restaurant itself is very simple, with just a few tables and two window tables. There is also some cute graphic wall art that say “Hawaii” and “poke” on it. The other wall has some cool, colorful graffiti-type art on it. It was quite empty, since it was after lunch, so there was no wait. Another bonus is that they have happy hour every day from 3-6 P.M., during which a regular bowl is $7 instead of $10.

I was quite nervous about trying a poke bowl, even though I

however, the taste is what won me over. Overall, the Strawberry Fruit Tea had a fair amount of sweetness that balanced nicely with the bitterness of the tea.

Overall, Tea Villa provided a good experience. I would go there again for its Earl Gray Milk Tea and would love to try some of its other drinks, as well.

Grace Chang | THE UNION

have eaten raw fish before. Going into Slice Poké Bar, I had pretty high hopes, but in the end, I was not impressed.The fish, as well as the other ingredients, tasted fresh, but it was not something I greatly enjoyed. For me, it was a bit bland, and all I tasted was the fish. The spicy tuna was not spicy at all, which was disappointing.

The spicy sauce did not have that strong of a taste either.

Poke is a very interesting dish, and creating my own bowl was the best part of the experience.

I wouldn’t mind trying a Poke bowl again to sample all the different options available.

Saba Khorasani | THE UNION

LIFESTYLE

OCTOBER 2016

DIYs for Hall Create your own fun Halloween costumes

ween Make your own pretzel snacks

BY HELEN HUYNH

BY TUONG-VI NGUYEN WAFA MALIK

Snapchat Dog Filter

Materials - Cardboard - Pink, brown construction paper - Knife - Marker - Headband - Scissors - Tape - Dog filter template

Wa fa m

N a lik | THE U NIO

1. Replicate dog filter template (magnified to desired size) on a sheet of pink/brown construction paper.

2. Cut out pieces using scissors.

3. Tape pieces (except nose) to cardboard.

4. Cut out pieces from cardboard using knife.

5. Tape the earpieces to the headband and tongue to marker 6. Put the headband on head, tape dog nose to human nose, and hold tongue to face.

Google Maps A+B Materials - 2 Pieces of poster board - Red construction paper - Tape/glue - 2 Pieces of yellow construction paper - 2 Plain shirts - Scissors - Sharpie Wa fa m

N a lik | THE U N IO

1. Cut teardrop outline from each board (1.5 feet in height).

2. Cut a head sized circle in the middle of each teardrop.

3. Cover both teardrop shapes with red construction paper, tape/glue in place.

4. On one teardrop, write the letter A in sharpie, and the other, B. 5. Cut both yellow construction papers into 4 strips each.

6. Write street names on yellow strips and arrange on shirt in “#” shape.

7. Put on shirt and hold teardrop to head.

Life Alert and Granny Materials - Poster board (28 x 22 inches) - String (4 feet) - Sharpie - 2 Pieces of red construction paper - Glue - Knife - “Granny” Gear (Dress, Slippers, Glasses, Cane

Wa fa

m a lik | TH E U N

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Life Alert 1. Write “Life Alert” on poster board using a Sharpie.

2. Glue 2 pieces of red paper together.

3. Draw and cut out a circle (you can use a plate).

4. Glue circle on board below “Life Alert.”

5. Cut 2 small holes above “Life Alert.”

6. Fold string in half and thread through holes.

7. Tape/Tie any excess string to back of board Granny 1. Put on “Granny” gear

Craft homemade Halloween decorations

BY HARRIET DO

With Halloween coming soon, you’re probably looking for creative and easy ways to make eye-catching decorations.

Glue Ghosts 1. Take the Elmer’s school glue and squeeze out the shape of a ghost on the plastic platform.

2. Draw the eyes and mouth after the glue dries.

3. You have the option to decorate the ghost as much as you’d like!

4. Take a needle and poke a hole on the top of the ghost’s head.

Then, loop thread through the hole and tie a knot.

Harriet Do | THE UNION

Paper Mache Eyeballs 1. Make the papier mâché paste with ¾ cup Elmer’s glue and ¼ cup water.

2. Inflate your balloon to your desired size.

3. Shred newspapers into long strips and dip them in the mixture.

4. Place them on the balloon the balloon is no longer Harriet Do | THE UNION visible.

5. Paint the eyeball, iris, and Materials: Balloons, set of markers , pupil. ¾ cup of Elmer’s school glue, ¼ cup of water, newspapers, and paint.

Hanging Bats

1. Cut the carton into four equal parts.

2. Paint the egg cartons black. They will be the bats.

3. Place two googly eyes on the face of the middle bump.

4. Cut out eight ribbons, each one-foot long.

5. Glue the middle of the ribbon onto the top of the bat’s head.

Harriet Do | THE UNION

Materials: Egg cartons, black paint, brushes, googly eyes, ribbons, glue

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Tired of being the friend who shows up with just a bag of chips to every single party? Incredibly easy DIY snacks are a great way to spice up your snack game by making you look like a creative party-snack master. A simple four-ingredient DIY with pretzels will be the perfect solution this Halloween when you feel like putting in a little effort for a sweet and salty snack. These pretzel DIY is as easy as a Dip, Twist, and Serve.

Materials

Milk chocolate and white chocolate chips Mini marshmallows Mini pretzels 4-pack of food dye

Pumpkin Pretzel 1. Melt white chocolate chips in the microwave (take the chocolate out to stir every 15 seconds).

2. Once the chocolate is melted, mix in a few drops of pink and yellow food dye until you reach your desired color.

3. Dip a mini pretzel into the orange chocolate.

4. Lift the pretzel out of the chocolate and make sure you cover all the holes with chocolate..

5. Make the green stems by cutting a marshmallow in half and mixing it with green food dye.

He

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Hu y n h | THE U N

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Frankenstein Pretzel 1. Melt white chocolate chips in the microwave (take the chocolate out to stir every 15 seconds).

2. Once the chocolate is melted, put in a few drops of green food dye until you reach your desired color.

3. Dip a mini pretzel in the white chocolate.

4. Lift the pretzel out of the chocolate and make sure you leave a hole for the mouth.

5. Repeat the first step using regular milk chocolate chips.

6. When the chocolate is melted, dip the top of the pretzel in the melted milk chocolate for the hair.

7. Make the marshmallow eyeball by cutting a marshmallow in half and dotting the center with the milk chocolate.

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Hu y n h | THE U N

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Cyclops Pretzel 1. Melt white chocolate chips in the microwave and stir every 15 seconds.

2. Dip a mini pretzel in the white chocolate.

3. Lift the pretzel out of the chocolate and make sure you leave a hole for the mouth.

4. Repeat the first step.

5. When the chocolate is melted, mix in green food dye until the desired color is reached and drizzle it onto the pretzel.

6. Make the marshmallow eyeball by cutting a marshmallow in half and dotting the center with the chocolate.

He

len

Hu y n h | THE U N ION

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OCTOBER 2016

ENTERTAINMENT

‘Luke Cage’ premieres with marvelous first season RATING (Out of 5 Gourds):

haunt him and must fight a battle to protect his city.

From the opening theme, it’s

BY BRANDON WETTENSTEIN clear that the show’s unique The highly anticipated Netflix soundtrack is evident. The show’s and Marvel superhero show, “Luke unique blend of hip-hop and rap is Cage,” is an enthralling piece that perfectly used not only in intense successfully introduces its action scenes, but also in relatively unknown comic lighthearted scenes. It was a book protagonist to the public pleasant surprise to hear the while also remaining unique show employ this because in a time when superheroes most superhero shows and MOVIE dominate television and movmovies do not.

REVIEW ies. While Luke Cage is similar The show’s setting is also to Marvel’s previous Netflix fantastic since “Luke Cage” shows, the show stands on its own treats his setting like it’s a characbecause of unique characters, use ter. Most of the spotlight is given of setting, and soundtrack. to the ordinary citizens of Harlem, Luke Cage possesses super who are either trying to hang onto strength and impenetrable skin what little they have left or trying due to his involvement in a saboto rise in society. The show makes taged science experiment. When a point of dedicating a couple minthe series begins, Cage is a fugitive utes per episode to show off Harworking in modern-day Harlem lem, which helps the viewer untrying to rebuild his life. However, derstand why the antagonists are Cage is eventually forced to convying for control of the city and front a past that has come back to why Luke wants to protect it.

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The character of Luke Cage is also praise-worthy as the show focuses on him as a person. Though Luke is practically invulnerable and immune to pain, the show manages to ground him and make the audience care for him.

However, the show does have some flaws, most notably with one of its antagonists, Shades. The character of Shades doesn’t do anything other than brood, smirk, and, unsurprisingly, wear expensive sunglasses. Though Theo Rossi gave a great performance, his character was mostly useless and not as intimidating as the show’s other antagonists.

Yet again, Marvel and Netflix have managed to craft another good superhero show with Luke Cage. The show has humor, a great soundtrack, amazing characters, and a fantastic setting. It is highly recommended to those who are looking for a unique and modern telling of a superhero’s story.

mariah carey’s pitchfork butternut pumpkin spice dead glenn street clown

GRACE CHANG | THE UNION

From left to right: Stage Manager Emily Pappas, Actor Jaden Labra, Actor Henry Tran, Director Kaila Schwartz, and Actor Leonardo Vazquez conduct a meeting.

Courtesy of foxmovies.com

From left to right: Emma (Ella Purnell), the twins (Joseph and Thomas Odwell), Bronwyn (Pixie Davies), Millard (Cameron King), and Olive (Lauren McCrostie) officially meet Jake outside of a magical portal with solemn looks on their faces.

‘Peregrine’s’ captivates but confuses audience

RATING (Out of 5 Gourds):

by trauma, stories, and a mysterious present, Jake embarks on a journey

BY TUONG-VI NGUYEN to an island to uncover the truth.

This introduction to the film is A girl who can start fires at will, nicely aligned with the book, and a boy who can make inanimate obthe pertinent elements are included: jects come alive, a girl who can conmagical tales, and travel. Although trol air, and a boy who can see monthere are some discrepancies, and sters—what do they all have in different interpretations of varcommon? Each is a character ious scenes unfolding, minute in Ransom Riggs’ “Miss Perecinematic details give the story grine’s Home for Peculiar Chilan authentic feel - when young dren,” a popular fantasy novel begs Grandpa for bedtime MOVIE Jake that has been cinematically stories, Burton tugs at the audiREVIEW ence’s heartstrings. These enadapted by famous director Tim Burton. dearing moments, followed by Both the novel and film follow the intriguing intensity of the murthe life of Jacob “Jake” Portman, a der and adventure, create an exciting Floridian boy who finds his Grandstart to the film. pa Portman brutally murdered in a In terms of setting and scenery, the dark forest; convinced that he had island is beautifully depicted, with seen a monster lurking in the shadovercast skies and an ancient, damp ows at the crime scene, Jake refuses town that are true to the novel. The to accept the general dismissal of his dark and foreboding aura of the fordeath as an animal mauling. Driven eign land combined with the rela-



tively fast pace of Jake’s exploration will draw you in very well. However, this quick plot development makes it arguably difficult to follow.

Deep into the story, we are launched into a confusing world of time travel and magic. Thrown into the year 1943, Jake meets a mass of characters - “peculiar” children with special powers such as invisibility and super strength. Suddenly, Jake falls in love with a girl, discovers his superpower, and battles evil forces to gain the acceptance of the other children. Although the second half of the film is admittedly gripping and a nail-biter, the logic and comprehensibility of the story becomes muddled.

Ultimately, this is a fun film to catch with your friends, but be prepared to leave the theater slightly confused if you haven’t read the book. If you aren’t too fazed by cursory explanations, then this is a good choice!

‘Pitch’ steps up to plate, hits it out of the ballpark RATING (Out of 5 Gourds):

more tickets, Ginny stays steadfast in her dream to play for the Major

BY EMMY YU Leagues. Ginny is fierce, hardworking, and quickly shows that she in“Pitch,” Fox’s new baseball dratends to be treated as a full member ma follows the fictional story of of the team. As the world’s eyes are Ginny Baker (Kylie Bunbury) as on her during her starting game, the first woman to play in Major Ginny must face the pressure of League Baseball. Hailed by Fox as high expectations. As remarked by “on the verge of happening,” the Oscar Arguella (Mark Consuelos), role of Ginny Baker in “Pitch” has the general manager of the Padres, received overwhelmingly positive “It’s one thing to be the team that responses since the release of called up the first woman. It’s the trailer. Could a woman in another thing to be the team the Major Leagues be a possiwho picked the wrong woman bility in the near future? and turned this into a disasThe pilot episode starts as TV-SERIES ter.”

REVIEW Ginny prepares for her first At its core, “Pitch” is a basegame as the starting pitcher ball drama, and the directors of this show were able to capture for the San Diego Padres. In the midst of the media maelstrom, the world of the sport with all its frenetic media coverage and the Ginny is met with both skepticism and hearty support from the genertestosterone-filled locker-room drama. In collaboration with Fox, al public. While the reaction from her Padres teammates and managMLB provides the show with special access that gives viewers a reers is largely negative, calling her alistic glimpse into the sport. Along a publicity stunt in order to sell



with highly detailed film sets and permission to use the San Diego Padres logo on the uniforms, the fictional story of Ginny Baker seems to fit right in with the real sports world. Well-edited and thoughtfully narrated, much of Ginny’s story is told not through her own internal monologues but through recreated broadcast commentary. Already chock-full of cliches, the news-like narration gives a sense of realism in the fictional story.

The main takeaway from this show is the image of Ginny standing confidently on the mound. As she winds up for her first pitch, you can’t help but anxiously root for her. There’s a certain charm to Bunbury’s character that keeps you wanting to witness what she can accomplish next. Although still in its early stages, “Pitch” has already gotten off to a strong start. As the commentors say in the first episode, “Welcome to the big leagues, Ginny. We’ve been waiting for you.”

‘The Election’ offers comedic twist on current election season

BY KATHERINE HUBENY GRACE CHANG

The annual fall play, “The Election,” is coming up and will show from Nov. 17 to the 19, according to the lead of the play, Senior Henry Tran. The play is about two high school students, Mark Davenport and Christy Martin, who run for president, Tran added.

Although the overarching plot involves a high school election, the play mainly focuses on the corruption of the political system, Director Kaila Schwartz explained. The play is really about super PACs, smear campaigns, and media manipulation when it comes to the electoral process, Schwartz continued.

“The play is about an election for student body president,” Schwartz explained. “It is a replacement election, because at the beginning of the play the current president has to resign because of a scandal and they have an election to replace him.”

The play is a satire of the current political situation, according to Junior Ariana Khateeb. “I hope once [the audience] finish[es] watching it, they understand how similar the satire and the actual election is, and they understand how easily one can be manipulated,” Khateeb said.

The animated debates and interactions in the play reflect the debates of today’s politics, according to Tran. The play shows remarkable similarity to the 2016 presidential election, Tran added.

“If you pay attention to the play closely when you watch it, you can see how much it relates to the candidates right now which are Hillary and Trump,” Tran said. “Our job is to make everybody see how real the issues are in today’s politics.”

The seriousness of politics can become a background because the play is a fast-moving comedy, according to Junior Mekdelawit “River” Awoke.

The play has quick transitions that still need to be polished before open-

ing night, Awoke continued.

“The technical aspects [stand out] because they’re very fast moving and there’s usually only one stand alone character,” Awoke explained. “Everything else is rotating and moving around him and so getting that running smoothly will be hard.”

There is also still some preparation that needs to be done involving character choices and delivery, Schwartz explained. Although the cast still needs some preparation, the play is a lot of fun and everyone in the play has been doing a really great job so far, according to Schwartz.

“It really is a lot of fun,” Schwartz said. “It’s satire at its best, it really is, and although the two candidates will truly resemble our current presidential candidates, it’s shockingly not who the play was written for because the play was written in 2012, so for the previous election.”

Schwartz hopes that the play will make people question today’s politics. She wants people to think about those who are behind the slanderous advertisements and that not everything is always straightforward.

“I’m hoping that this play makes people think about the presidential election that will have just ended and I’m hoping that people come to the decision that [the candidates’ behaviors are] not acceptable behaviors and things have to change,” Schwartz said.

The cast is also introducing new theatrical elements to this play that have not been put into use at MHS before, according to Schwartz. They will be using multimedia during the production, Schwartz added.

“We have pre-recorded eight political commercials,” Schwartz explained. “We’re working on recording the last one, the last two today, and it’s been a fun process. You know it’s fun directing for the camera and directing for the stage in the same production.”

Tickets for the play will go on sale a a week before opening night, according to Schwartz. The tickets will be eight dollars during the presale and ten dollars at the door, Schwartz added.

OCTOBER 2016

REVOLUTION RADIO

by Green Day Genre: Punk-Rock RATING (Out of 5 Gourds):

A SEAT AT THE TABLE

by Solange Genre: Neo-Soul RATING (Out of 5 Gourds):

BY DAVID NGO

BY ANANYA DONAPATI

Green Day has returned with its twelfth studio album, “Revolution Radio.” Released on Oct. 7, the album features a joyride of 12 songs and a message about the band’s frustration with themselves and the world.

The album picture features a stereo set on fire, analogous to the overall pace and meaning of “Revolution Radio.” The first song, “Somewhere Now,” establishes the firm sense of Green Day’s defiance towards society. They also sing about their discontent with American society in songs like “Bang Bang” and “Say Goodbye,” referencing police brutality in places such as Ferguson. Green Day creates a sense of unease in their songs, as if they have realized that their performance will end. The last song of the album, “Ordinary World,” is unexpectedly acoustic, expressing Green Day’s uncertainty for the future.

However, Green Day’s music style is not a journey for everyone.

The album has a louder and more “angstier” style. Some songs were too loud for the vocals to be clearly understood while others were too repetitive to be unique. The overall music style of “Revolution Radio” seems very similar to Green Day’s past albums.

Nevertheless, my favorite songs were “Troubled Times” and “Ordinary World.” Even after decades of performing, Green Day can still present a thrilling narrative through songs that rock my mind.

Singer-songwriter Solange just released her third album, “A Seat at the Table,” a neo-soul genre of music that delivers powerful messages incorporated with enchanting beats and singing. Beyonce’s younger sister is back with this purposeful album that responds to racism, segregation, and how these issues still affect African Americans today.

Released on Sept. 30 for her 30th birthday, Solange’s album displays dreamy vibes alongside her feathery voice. The album consists of 21 tracks, eight of which were interludes- in which each presented a short speech or song describing the experiences of black men and women.

One of the most impactful tracks, “Rise,” was inspired by the Baltimore and Ferguson police killings. “Rise” was my favorite song in this album, because of its simple beat and raw feel that’s centered around Solange’s voice.

The track “Interlude: Dad was Mad” is the most eye-opening interlude in the album, and it went hand-in-hand with “Mad,” featuring Lil Wayne.

The songs I mentioned in the album create a nostalgic, coffee-house vibe. The first half of the album is definitely worth a listen for any type of music lover, but the rest resembles the first half so much that I found it quite repetitive. Although “A Seat at the Table” is not an album with many varied sounds, it is still a unique taste of neo-soul music.

BY JUSTIN NGUYEN

ENTERTAINMENT

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JERALD MENDOZA| THE UNION

PlayStation VR offers a unique gaming experience

BY SUHAS SHEKAR

The PlayStation VR (Virtual Reality), developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, is a virtual reality display that launched on Oct. 13, 2016. As the product is mounted on one’s head, it allows a gaming experience in an untraditional, yet interesting perspective.

Competing with the likes of Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive, Sony has made many promises on what the PlayStation VR offers.

The PlayStation VR is currently available in two packages: PlayStation VR core and PlayStation VR Launch Bundle, with the former being sold for $399.99 and the latter for $499.99. The PlayStation VR Launch Bundle includes the PlayStation VR, a stereo headset, the processing unit, the PlayStation VR demo disc (which includes a collection of eight game demos), the PlayStation Camera, and PlayStation VR Worlds. In comparison, the PlayStation core bundle only includes the PlayStation VR, the processing unit, the stereo head-

set, and the PlayStation VR demo disc.

The PlayStation VR requires the PlayStation Camera since there is no other method which can be used to track a player’s movement.

This means that if a PlayStation Camera is not already owned, it will have to be bought separately.

This also applies to the PlayStation Move controller since many games on the PlayStation VR require it.

One of the appeals of the PlayStation VR is its affordability with the standard model costing $399.99.

At the very most, the PlayStation VR will cost roughly $800 if the most expensive model (the Launch Bundle) and a PS4 are bought together, in comparison to the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift’s $799.99 and $599. Since a moderately powered PC is needed to use the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, their total costs range well over $1000.

Being part of the PlayStation brand, the PlayStation VR has full compatibility with the PlaySta-

tion 4 (PS4). Furthermore, it can be controlled with either a DualShock 4, a PlayStation Move, or a PlayStation Aim controller (intended for first person shooters).

The PlayStation VR also is “unofficially” compatible with the Xbox One and PC, but since the product was specifically designed for the PS4, there is no interaction between the player and the PlayStation VR. The only available feature is having the screen from one’s monitor or television displayed within the PlayStation VR. The PlayStation VR has a rather large selection of games to choose from, with the list including a total of 53 games which are either partially or fully compatible with the device. Some notable titles include Batman Arkham VR, Driveclub VR, and Tomb Raider: 20-Year Celebration.

Ultimately, while the PlayStation VR is not a complete necessity, the unique experience it offers is something worth noting. It is especially an enticing product given its price, selection of games, and of course, the fact that it is part of the PlayStation brand.

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Punter kicks stereotypes; only female on football team by kAtherine Hubeny Kelley Lue

Freshman Selena Berger, the JV Football Team’s starting kicker, is the only female player on both of MHS’ football teams, according to Berger.

Berger took interest in trying out for the team because she plays soccer, she explained.

As a soccer player, Berger has a lot of practice being a kicker, Berger stated. Soccer was one of the reasons she decided to try out for the team, Berger said.

“I play soccer right now, so I thought it’d be really cool to try out,” Berger explained. “I think it’d be really fun, and it is.”

Freshman Football Player Raiden Michailoff looked forward to being on the team with Berger. He also thought that Berger’s experience with soccer was an advantage for a football kicker, Michailoff said.

She's a really amazing soccer player,” Michailoff said, "so I knew she could kick field goals like it was nothing.”

According to a Sophomore Football Player Fritzjon Lucero, Berger is the first female football player he has seen at MHS. “I was actually like, cool, we have a girl on the team because it’s pretty rare,” Lucero said. “I’ve seen that a couple of teams have [girls], but I have never seen it in MHS.” The tryout process was fair despite her being the only girl, Berger said.

She had to do the same things the male players did, she continued.

“I had to do everything [the other football players] did,” Berger said.

“Summer was a lot of work because we ran a lot. Yeah, everything was pretty fair with us.”

In addition to participating in the same tryout activities, Berger explained that her practices are also similar to those of the male players.

She does conditioning with the male players but practices kicking separately.

“I practice with them, but then again, separately,” Berger said. “So I’ll practice, and then while they do their

own individual [activities], when they go into groups, I will start kicking.”

Berger quickly became accustomed to the rest of the team, she said.

Integrating herself into the football team was a smooth process, especially during summer football practices, Berger said.

“Football is just like after you spend so much time together, you really, like, bond with each other and you guys really become a little family,” Berger explained, “especially over the summer because we spend all of our time together. After practice, after we ran and stuff like that, most of us would go to go get lunch at like McDonald’s or Little Caesar’s or something, so it wasn’t really hard for me to fit in. They kind of took me in as their little sister."

Berger first had to grow to be comfortable with the team, said Sophomore Football Player Kyle Magro. Overtime, she became less shy and came to enjoy the team’s company.

“She’s fitting in pretty nicely,” Magro explained. “She’s getting used to everybody, and I think she enjoys being with a bunch of people. She didn’t really know us at first, and then once she started talking to us, I guess she started enjoying our company.”

Lucero also explained that the team does not discriminate against anyone based on gender or age. This allowed Berger to better integrate herself into the team.

“For our team, we don’t really [assign] gender roles,” Lucero stated.

“For us, we just bond; we don’t care about gender, or guy or girl, or like what age you are. We just play as a team.”

Players from other teams do not treat Berger differently from other male players either, according to Berger. She is just considered another player on the team, Berger stated.

“I don’t think they necessarily react; it’s just that I’m just another player on the team,” Berger explained. “Some of them are a little bit surprised that I’m a girl, but some of them are really cool about it.”

Cross Country ends season strong by arvind KUMAR

The MHS Cross Country Team is excelling through the season so far this year, with what Junior Joshua Alimpia described as the most entertaining team MHS has had yet.

The team has worked hard since the start of the season, and as a result, the team has been prospering, all the while managing to bond and have some fun on the way, he said.

On Oct. 15, the team members competed at the Mariner Invitational meet, running their way at Hayward High School, which the entire team has been dedicating practices to prepare for.

“I’m confident that we’re going to be doing pretty well at the invite since we don’t have any other meets this week [leading up to Oct. 15], and that allows us to fully focus on the invite so we can [work] our hardest,” Alimpia said. “Our team has been practicing really hard, and I am confident that we will succeed.” Alimpia added.

Senior Andy Buchanan said that his team did an impeccable job at the Mariner Meet held at Hayward High School. He said the varsity girls medaled, and although the varsity boys didn’t do as well as he would have hoped, everyone placed in the top 50s.

The members have been taking part in different types of trainings and workouts including drills, core, strength, and also some endurance practices.

Senior Richard Sung, who is returning to the team for the first time after freshman year, also felt confident in the team’s abilities to succeed at the invite.

“Coach Hall has been doing a really good job at preparing us for

the different kinds of hardships that could occur," Sung said. “We’ve been doing a lot of practice, like drills, workouts, and training.”

The team feels that they have definitely improved since the beginning of the season, Sung said.

The members believe that they can continue to get better with more practice, keeping in mind to take into consideration some of the coaches’ critique, he continued.

Buchanan added when asked about his performance for the season, “I personally believe I’ve been doing a pretty good job so far this season. I try my best to motivate everyone and get everyone to put in their best.” He also stated, “For example at the Mariner Meet, I ran with a fever, and I was still able to manage 15th, so I’m quite proud of my performance this year."

“Definitely. There has definitely been an improvement since the beginning of the season,” Sung said of the team's progress. “I believe that we can improve even more through more practice and taking suggestions and watching out for ourselves by eating healthy and watching our nutrition, but of course, just as the amount of hard work you put in, that’s our own initiative.”

Members of the team believe that Senior Andy Buchanan and Junior Kaito Hashimoto are a few of the many amazing runners on the team, Sung said. They both possess great qualities that help boost team morale, he continued.

“Andy Buchanan: he’s a leader. He has a loud voice and gets everyone riled up and motivated,” Sung said.

“Kaito Hashimoto as well: he’s an inspiration. He’s very fast and humble, which is an admirable quality.”

SPORTS

OCtober 2016

Courtesy of paulina le

Seniors An To (left) and Amy Nguyen (right) return forehand hits as they practice in preperation for their final games.

Tennis team creates strong bond, looks to improve its season by darrion nguyen

The MHS Girls Tennis Team continues to grow not only as individuals, but also as a family, according to Senior Tina Truong.

Looking past the victories and defeats of this year's season, the team has bonded very well, Truong said.

The season has been rough with extremely steep learning curves, according to Tennis Coach Harrison Tran. As the tennis season draws nearer to an end however, most of the players have grown and changed, Tran said.

“Everyone shows up for practice and comes every day fully prepared,” Tran said. “We mainly practice with our strokes and how to be better players in general.”

The practices are pretty fun, according to Junior Lisl Chew.

Sometimes the team members condition, and sometimes they rally balls, Chew mentioned.

For conditioning, the tennis team members sometimes run Summitpointe, which is a few miles uphill, Chew said.

“We do condition, but we conditioned a lot more at the beginning of the season,” Senior An

To said. “Most tennis teams are like that, according to my opponents.”

Whenever the team is not conditioning, the team members usually pair up and rally with each other, according to To. Then after that, the coach drills them on the fundamentals and game for the rest of practice, she explained.

"We rally for a bit before Coach Dong drills us for the rest of practice," To said.

Both inside and outside the court, the team members have socialized and grown to get along with one another, according to Truong.

Members of the team go out to eat together and have parties at each other’s houses, Truong said.

“The team environment is great,” Tran describes. “Mostly everyone gets along, and we generally have a good time. For the seniors, most of them have been playing with each other since they were freshmen and have built a sense of family within the team.”

Some of the bonding takes place on the bus, according to Tran. The team members often huddle around with each other and tell stories, he said.

The girls' team relationship has matured over the past few weeks,

according to Chew. In the beginning she did not know anyone, Chew mentions.

“The new people did not know anyone, and it was hard at first to mingle with the rest of the group because they have known each other from years before,” Chew said, “but after a while we got to know each other, and we are all friends.”

The tennis team is like a quirky, little family filled with many different types of personalities and interests, To said, but in the end, the team members bond really well with one another, she stated.

Those looking to join tennis should keep their heads held up high, Tran said.

"Do not be intimidated by the nature of the sport," he said.

The Varsity Girls Tennis Team won its game against Wilcox, 6-1, on Oct. 20, and currently holds an overall score of four wins and 14 losses. The Junior Varsity team has an overall score of three wins and 12 losses.

Both teams look forward to their last few games at the end of the month of October. The final game for Junior Varsity is Oct. 27 at Fremont, and the last game for Varsity is Nov. 2 at Mountain View.

Volleyball sets to ride out rough season

by Mihir hansalia

The volleyball season is approaching its end, with the team having only one tournament and three matches left, according to Coach Jeff Lamb. The season has been tough, with expectations not being met in the team’s performance, Lamb said.

“This season has been pretty rough,” Lamb said. “We have a record of 1-8 in league and 8-21 overall. With the number of returners that we had from last season, I thought that the team would be doing a lot better.”

The team has increased in size, with 15 players as opposed to last year’s 13, according to Lamb. Additionally, all the starters are returners, Lamb said.

“This year's team has many returners and experienced players, so we expected to go really well,” Lamb said. “However, that wasn’t the case.”

The main reason for the team’s difficult season, according to Lamb, are the players' inabilities to let go of mistakes. Volleyball as a sport is filled with mistakes, and you can not let them get to you, Lamb continued.

“Our biggest challenge this season has been learning to let go of mistakes and shake them off,” Lamb said.

“Nobody ever plays a perfect game of volleyball, and the players need to accept that mistakes will happen.

When we make one or two mistakes, we won't let them go, and as a result, it turns into five or six mistakes. It’s important to get past the mistakes and focus on how to improve.”

The team’s final match is Oct. 27 against Wilcox, according to Maxpreps.com. The season will be over after the game, as the team did not qualify for CCS playoffs, Lamb said.

“To qualify for CCS, a team

must have a .500 [win-loss ratio] during the regular season in league or tournaments,” Lamb said.

“Unfortunately, we did not meet either requirement."

Off the court, the team gets along really well and has great chemistry, Lamb said. It is on the court where the players have problems gelling together as a team, Lamb continued.

Another reason for the team’s low success rate is the lack of exposure before the high school level, according to Lamb. Because of the minimal exposure, schools from more affluent areas are more likely to have better teams, Lamb said.

“Volleyball is a hard sport to play because many girls don't play before high school, unless they play before high school on a club team,” Lamb said. “Most of the top teams are from higher socioeconomic areas, and it is hard to compete with those schools."

Players appear to be optimistic about their coming postseason performance. Wide Receiver Stephen Lamb thinks the team has a good chance at winning, Lamb said.

“I feel like we have a really good chance [at winning the CCS championship] and [getting] a chance to play for a state championship,” Lamb said, “if we play the way we’re supposed to.”

A major factor of the varsity team’s success is the consistently good performance of the defensive players.

Three of the ten players with the most interceptions in the De Anza League are from Milpitas, according to Maxpress.com “We have a solid defense,” Lamb

said, "and Coach King is a great coach.”

The defense is certainly solid, racking up 94.3 tackles per game and featuring Senior Alii Matau, who currently has the most total tackles in the De Anza League.

MHS was away at league opponent Wilcox on Oct 21, pitting a highpowered Wilcox running game, helmed by division rushing leader Richard Herrara and Quarterback David Hernandez, against a tough MHS defense led by tackle leaders Matau and Free Safety Noah Rodriguez. The Trojans were defeated by Wilcox in a 25-21 loss, with a controversial call in the final seconds going against Milpitas.

Trojan Football tackles its competition

by Jerald Mendoza

The MHS Varsity football team is putting on another impressive season together this year, currently boasting a 6-1 game record and a 2-1 league record. The team still has a difficult road ahead toward the postseason though, Head Coach Kelly King said.

As the regular season draws to a close, players and staff reflect on their performances over the season.

They’ve done a good job this season, Head Coach Kelly King said.

“They’re playing as a team and working hard,” Kelly praised. The varsity team‘s stellar season is seen by many as a product of hard work and perseverance.

OCTOBER 2016

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OCTOBER 2016

FIGHTS: Morales remains positive despite student conflicts FROM PAGE 1

Courtesy of German Robles

A “creepy clown” was spotted roaming late at night on the Curtner Elementary campus via students’ Snapchats. Whether the photo is authentic is unknown.

Admin warns against menacing clowns

BY JERALD MENDOZA KELLY LUE

A clown sighting within Milpitas prompted Interim Superintendent Cheryl Jordan to send an email to the district about a recent issue known as “clowning,” according to the email.

This issue arose earlier in the East Coast, but has recently spread to the Bay Area, the email said.

“Clowning” involves dressing up as scary clowns to frighten, and in some cases, even threaten others, the email explained. So far MHS has not received any “creepy clown” threats.

“Milpitas police investigated and found three youths with a clown costume,” Jordan wrote. “The ‘creepy clown’ or ‘clowning phenomenon’ has been an issue in other parts of the country and we’ re beginning to hear stories of concerns in other Bay Area locations,” she added.

The recent clowning incident at the MUSD elementary school has the district office worried that similar incidents might happen again, especially with Halloween coming up, Principal Philip Morales said.

“The district is taking more of the position of doing something,”Morales said. “We’ ll try to do the best we can to make sure [students] feel safe.”

Morales was unsure about what measures would be taken if a clown situation were to happen on campus, he said. He has plans to email the district office for appropriate ways to handle “clowning,” Morales stated.

“We have security officers, and we have law enforcement,” Morales stated. “If we spotted a clown during

operating school hours, we’ d notify security officers and law enforcement, and if we felt the clown posed a threat, then we’d probably lockdown the school.”

Many students acknowledged the clown threats but thought it was a joke, Junior Preeti Tamhankar said.

Then it actually became a big thing, she stated.

“I’m so done with high school. At this point, I don’ t really care [about the clowns],” she continued. “People kidnapping kids and acting like clowns need to get a life.”

A few students do not see the “clowning” issue as a threat. The clowns are people, and they can be dealt with, Junior Chris Bui said. “[It’s] mildly concerning,” Bui said. “But they’re people and people can be taken out.”

Despite the general lack of fear from the student body, MHS administration looks to prevent more clowning incidents, Morales said.

Students should be concious of their costume choices, he added.

“If you’re going to dress up as a happy clown, that’ s one thing,” Morales said. “But if you show up as an angry clown, that’s another.”

The email emphasized that social media shouldn’t be used to promote inappropriate behavior.

“Let’s work together to remind our Milpitas youth that making a social media post that threatens a school and/or any student is considered a serious offense,” the email said. “We appreciate our community for being vigilant and helping our district be informed.”

Hutchison takes Stocks’ position as New MHS Assistant Principal

BY KATHERINE HUBENY BROOKE TRAN

Assistant Principal Jennifer Hutchison has replaced Former Assistant Principal Ethan Stocks and will be performing his administrative duties, according to Principal Philip Morales. After a series of interviews, and evaluations, Hutchison was chosen for the assistant principal position, Morales said.

Hutchison, who has been working in the Milpitas Unified School District for almost 25 years, has a lot of experience teaching at the elementary and middle schools, counseling at Rancho, and administrating at Cal Hills, Morales stated. With all of her experience, she brings a lot of knowledge, and is generally a good fit for the MHS administrative team, Morales explained.

“I think [what she brings to the team is] her knowledge with working with at-risk students, because she was at Cal Hills, and that’s what we call at-risk students,” Morales said.

“Her knowledge and strategies that she could bring with working with that population we desperately need; that is one of the big things I would like her to start working on.”

Hutchison’s roles as an assistant principal at MHS include overseeing the social studies department, visual and performing arts, textbooks, financial aid information, college and career planning, discipline, Senior

Awards Night, safety, and she acts as the AP coordinator, according to the MHS Student Handbook. Along with these duties, she has the responsibility to create connections, Hutchison said.

“I have lots of roles, I think,” Hutchison explained. “To support students and staff, to be a support person for students, staff, and administrators, to help keep the school safe, to continue the good work of both great education, but also [to create a] good climate where everyone feels valued and has fun while we’re at it.”

Although Hutchison already plans to manage at-risk students, she said she is still trying to become accustomed before deciding on anything that she wants to implement, “Right now I’m just taking time to learn and see what’s already in place,” Hutchison said. “So for specific things I want to implement, it’s more figuring out what’s here first before I come up with new ideas.”

Hutchison’s widespread experience is a great addition to MHS, according to Assistant Principal Amanda Gross.

Moreover, Gross said that Hutchison truly works for the betterment of the students and the community.

“She’s a team player, she has the best interest of students at heart because she’s been in the district for quite a long time,” Gross continued.

“She knows a lot of our families and has a good working relationship with a lot of our parents.”

issue, Trinh said.

“Police help ensure safety on campus, and with the increase in fights, they will definitely help,” Trinh said.

“Although the fighting problem is not that serious, it has become a hot topic and serious enough for the school.”

Social Studies Teacher Paul Cao said that he is glad Milpitas police officers will be patrolling, as Milpitas officers have been historically good at de-escalating situations. However, Cao said he is unsure if officers are necessary to deal with the fighting on campus.

“I have worked in a school where there were officers on campus, and just because of sheer numbers, it was almost necessary to have officers on campus,” Cao said. “I feel it’s a far step to bring police on the MHS campus, but I understand where Morales is coming from.”

Improvements towards MHS staff and security are also being made to deal with fighting more effectively, Morales said. They include training regarding response to a fight and how to diffuse a fight quickly, Morales said.

“We need to learn to how to use the radios, to call over a fight, and calmly say there is a fight along with its location,” Morales explained. “I’ve told teachers they are a better witness

than a victim, and don’t try to be a hero and get in the middle of a fight where they might get hurt, and instead try to push students away.”

Other things can be done by administration to de-escalate the fighting problem, Cao suggested. A widespread conflict resolution program and having teachers support students who are having issues would be a step towards the right thing, Cao said.

“There are so many things administration could do to de-escalate these kinds of problems, ranging from lessons during SSR regarding conflict management to student driven conflict resolution,” Cao said. “You want to try to get to the root of the problem and directly deal with the reasons why students fight, not respond to a fight that already started. Ideally, there would be a multi-pronged approach to dealing with fighting where police could work in congruence with other measures.”

Despite the recent increase in fighting, Morales stated that he is undeterred and remains positive about MHS. Everything else about MHS is really good, and a small group of students have unfortunately cast a cloud over the school that needs to be cleared, Morales said.

“This is not uncommon, to have so

many fights occur in the beginning of the school year,” Morales said. “It just depends on what’s happening between students.”

There are also problems with fights being uploaded to social media and video-sharing websites, according to Morales. Fights on campus between MHS students, both recent and from years past, have been appearing on YouTube, Morales said.

“I was looking at YouTube the other day, and it was a fight that happened last year, but it is being viewed as something that happened recently,” Morales said. “I’m trying to work on identifying those fights and flagging them as youth violence and getting them off the Internet.”

The zero tolerance policy on fighting also applies to hitting back at the aggressor in self-defense and continuing the engagement, Morales explained. However, consequences would not be applied if a student attempted to gain distance and escape the engagement, something that has occurred before, Morales said.

“There is a difference between self-defense and mutual combat,” Morales said. “Self-defense is punch and get out; however, it is a hard thing to do, especially when your emotions get the best of you.”

GR ACE CHANG | THE UNION

Mayor Jose Esteves (right) gives a speech to the crowd at the ribbon cutting for the new community college extension campus. On stage are representatives from the MUSD school board, Milpitas, San Jose, and the community college.

Community college extension to open this year

BY ANANYA DONAPATI

The San Jose City College campus extension will be finished with construction this fall and will provide many opportunities for MHS students just across the street, according to San Jose City College Vice President of Administrative Services Jorge Escobar.

The new college is an extension of the Evergreen San Jose Community College campus and will have classes for college and high school students to take at the facility—located right next to Thomas Russell Middle School, Escobar said. With the construction nearing its end, it is anticipated that the first set of classes at the extension should be available by spring 2017, he added.

“I will be leading as the executive di-

rector of the site,” Escobar stated. “In addition to that, I am going to have a dean on the location. We will have an advisor, faculty, and a community service officer helping us with the traffic control in the afternoon and at night, monitoring the location.”

There are six to eight rooms that can be running actively at the same time, Escobar said. The facility has one computer lab, where the coding academy is and where computer information classes or robotics can be conducted. There is also a biology lab, three lecture rooms, and four classrooms, he explained.

“The site is going to be open between eight and eleven o’clock at night,” Escobar stated. “We will eventually offer college-level classes during the morning, afternoons, nights, and perhaps Saturdays.”

Everyone is working to figure out what classes the college could have for students to avoid paying for college, Principal Philip Morales said.

They can also take classes that would not be available at a high school, Morales explained.

“I want to bring a bridge class to freshmen so that eighth graders that would be starting with us would be required to take a summer class that would be a college level class on study skills,” Morales explained. “We would start doing work on college surveys right before they start as a freshman.

Those would be the skills that we would carry on throughout the year.”

This is a great opportunity for MHS students because it is another level of access for them, Morales stated. He looks forward to the opening of the campus in the following spring.

PLAGIARISM?: SLT plans to change controversial policy FROM PAGE 1 want to adapt ours based on that Fremont Union [policy], that would be fine, but there should be some reasoning, and it shouldn’t just be lifted off their website.”

Social Science Teacher Michael Cummins finds the situation slightly hypocritical, said. However, he appreciates the efficient means in which MHS made this their own policy, Cummins said.

“Yes, it’s funny. I like this school,” Cummins said. “I like that that happened. I don’t want to work at [Fremont] where they probably had to write this from scratch like on a Saturday or something. I’m in favor

of stealing. We took the bull by the horns, as they say, and we went out and we took somebody else’s Academic Integrity Policy; we took it as if it were our own. In the new Trumpian Country, this is what we do now. We just get what we want. Take that, Fremont Union.”

The policy seems to be more complicated than necessary, and it would be better to look back at the old MHS Honor Code and make edits to that, Principal Phil Morales said.

“I think every teacher and every student knows plagiarism, cheating is unacceptable. I don’t need to write that down for you to know that,” Mo-

rales said. “I feel that we have taken something and have made it so complex, you know, let’s get back to the spirit of why we’re saying it. Those are the things I think [we should focus more on] than ‘Let’s develop a policy that’s going to catch you,’ and I kind of have a sense that that’s where we’re going with something like this.”

The School Leadership Team (SLT) will be meeting in early November to finalize the policy and discuss whether more changes are necessary, Morales said. The team will look at the old Honor Code for reference because the new policy seems unnecessarily convoluted, he stated.