The Union - Milpitas High School - December 2014 by MHS The Union

E D I TO R I A L S 3

O PI N I O N S 4

F E AT U R E S 6

S PR E A D 8

LI F E S T Y L E 11

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

SPORTS 14

T HE

DECEMBER 2014 Volume XXVI Issue III

UN I O N

MHSTHEUNION.COM For the latest updates

STUDENT VOICE OF MILPITAS HIGH SCHOOL

New swimming pool opens; adaptation period ongoing BY RISHIKA DUGYALA

Swimming will be implemented into the P.E. curriculum next semester, according to Assistant Principal Cheryl Rivera. The P.E. teachers are in the process of adjusting the old curriculum from seven years ago to fit the new pool’s requirements, Rivera said. The curriculum next semester will accommodate the students who are already familiar with being in a pool, Rivera continued. ‘Beginning Swim’ will not be put into place right away. The teachers will build up to having a required swim unit for ninth graders once the initial curriculum gets off the ground, Rivera said. “[The curriculum] is going to be a number of things: some recreation, some more or less exercising, different kinds of things they can do in a pool,” Rivera said. Nothing concrete has been decided about the curriculum, as the staff is still fine-tuning the details, Physical Education Teacher Deirdre Wyness said via email. Second semester is when everything will be worked out and put into place, Wyness continued. “[The PE teachers] actually sent out a questionnaire to students that were in P.E., asking them to respond if they were interested in taking swim because it’s not a mandatory class,” Rivera said. “We’re trying to gauge how many students want to take swim in January.” The P.E. teachers went on a tour of the pool and made some decisions

as to what they would be able to do based on its dimensions and how the pool is situated, Rivera said. In the old pool, they could have a whole class in the water at the same time, but the new one descends to thirteen feet. “They have to buy all the equipment for whatever they’re going to do,” Rivera said. “Probably 80 percent of the equipment given the fact that we haven’t done swim in such a long time. It’s almost like starting all over again.” Presently, the teachers are going through training to refresh certain skills that they haven’t had to use for a while, Principal Cheryl Lawton said. The district is also hiring lifeguards from the same agency that is doing the water certification for teachers, Rivera said. “The Santa Clara Swim Club is providing MHS with lifeguards for swim classes offered by the Phys. Ed. department,” Anthony Frascone, MUSD’s Coordinator of Human Resources, said in an email interview. “Ken Mailto with the American Red Cross and American Heart Association will be providing staff with water safety, First Aid, adult and infant CPR, and AED training.” The certification the teachers are receiving is called Safety Training for Swim Coaches (STSC), Frascone said. Some skills taught in the STSC course are how to maintain a comfortable and safe environment for swimmers, prevent accidents and emergencies, SEE POOL ON PAGE 16

Courtesy of SportsWurlz

Junior John Macaulay (27) gets tackled by an Oak Grove player in the CCS Open Consolation Semifinal game between the two schools. Milpitas won the game 33-15, after suffering an upset loss to Bellarmine on Fri. Nov. 21.

Football wins Open Consolation Championship BY IVAN HUANG

The MHS football team won the CCS Open Consolation Championship after suffering an upset loss to Bellarmine Preparatory High, Head Coach Kelly King said. The team then rebounded to win against Oak Grove High School and won the Consolation Championship by default off of Serra High’s forfeit, King said. King said the team stuck to its roots despite a tough loss and was able to keep playing in unity. “We lost one, and then we got after the other team ,” King said.”We’re still playing together as a team.”

King said the upset loss to seventh-seeded Bellarmine 6-9 did not come as a result of a frustrated offense. King said making mistakes hurt the team. “We had a lot of yards. We probably outgained them three to one,” King said. “We just didn’t put points on the scoreboard. We made mistakes and it hurt us.” King said the team did what it has been doing all season after the tough loss. The approach led to a 33-15 win over Oak Grove and gave the team another chance, King said. “We were just doing the same stuff,” King said. “We had an opportunity to

play [Oak Grove].” Milpitas won the CCS Open Consolation Championship by default when Serra forfeited due to player safety concerns, according to the San Jose Mercury News. Starting quarterback John Keller said the team grew closer throughout the season, and played for each other. The team consisted of standout performers on the field and he enjoyed playing with them, Keller said. “[The best part] would have to be how close and how hard we fought for each other,” Keller said.“It’s been a great group of guys. We just played as a team and came closer as brothers .”

N EWS IN BR IEF

CSF, NHS participate in blood drive

Cocoa and Cram Link Crew will be offering warm cocoa to all freshmen in the cafeteria on Wednesday Dec. 10, Monday Dec. 15, and Tuesday Dec. 16. Tutors will also be available to help study for finals. You must bring your ID card.

BY KRUPA PATEL

Finals Week Finals begin on Wednesday Dec. 17, and end on Friday Dec. 19. 1st and 2nd period finals will be on Dec. 17, 3rd and 4th period finals will be on Dec. 18, and 5th and 6th period finals will be on Dec. 19. Upcoming CLOG events and competitions Science Olympiad will have a competition at Mira Loma High on Jan. 10. Glee Club will perform on Jan. 17. Interact will distribute care packages to the homeless in downtown San Jose on Dec. 20. Upcoming SAT and ACT testing dates ACT Testing will be occurring on Feb. 7, and the last day to register without paying a late fee is Jan. 9. SAT Testing will occur on Jan. 24, and the last day to register without paying a late fee is Dec. 29. School not in session School will not be in session from Dec. 22 to Jan. 2 due to Winter Break. School will resume on Monday, Jan. 5. School will be closed on Monday, Jan. 19 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Grading period ending The six week grading period ends on Friday Dec. 19.

Akshat Das | THE UNION

This security camera overlooks the Satellite Kitchen area. Plans are in place to install roughly 75 additional cameras in order to increase student safety.

Security cameras being installed BY SIMEON ALOJIPAN

Plans to install security cameras on campus are underway, according to Principal Cheryl Lawton. The cameras, which are to be installed in the summer of 2015, are part of a goal to prevent school vandalism and crime and to save money by reducing future damages that would otherwise result in heavy costs that could instead fund other initiatives, Lawton said. An estimated 75 cameras will cover both parking lots, outside lockers, bathroom entrances, and other hotspots for crime, according to Lawton. Security camera footage will be held for 14 days, and will not be watched unless an event requires the retrieval of specific footage, Lawton said. The cameras will also be wireless and infrared, which would allow them to

function in the dark, according to Lawton Lawton cited the effectiveness of security cameras in preventing crime at Hillsdale High School, where she was co-principal from 2006 to 2014. “I definitely want to put something out there,” Lawton said. “The goal is to cut down on theft, drugs, and vandalism.” Lawton said she has surveyed potential camera locations with representatives from a number of bidders. The bidders currently offer three options: cameras alone, cameras with installation cables, and cameras with installation cables with the additional installation service, Lawton said. Administration is in the process of choosing an installation option, according to Lawton. There are currently six security cameras on campus, Lawton said.

Blood drives hosted by Stanford have become a tradition for MHS, National Honor Society (NHS) Media Coordinator Farhana Haque said. The Stanford Blood Drive was held at the MHS Theater on November 24th. Approximately 140 students donated blood with 30 walk-ins, Haque said. “The benefits of donating blood are that each individual student is saving four lives and they get cookies and ice cream after they donate,” California Scholarship Federation (CSF) Co-President Tiffany Alcantara said. Stanford Blood Drive, NHS, and CSF organize the event, Alcantara said. A representative working for Stanford comes and instructs the students on how to properly fill out the forms needed to donate, Alcantara continued. “The process of donating blood is they first check in with the NHS and CSF officers, then they will go through a process of checking if they qualify or not to donate,” Alcantara said. Also, students give a sample of blood on the day of the blood drive to see if they are eligible to donate blood, and if cleared can then donate, Alcantara continued. Some changes made this year include that the theater rather than the library was used, since the library is currently closed for construction, Alcantara said. Additional changes were made in the weight requirements to donate blood, Alcantara continued. “The reason why we had less people is that the requirements for donating

blood changed, so now girls that were 5 feet 6 inches had to be 110 pounds, but if you were less than 5 feet 6 inches you had to weigh about 120 or 130 pounds, so that deterred a lot of people,” Haque said. “For boys, if you are 5 feet or above, you just have to be 110 pounds.” Donors under 16 needed a parent consent form signed by their parents, Haque said. “The amount of donors actually increased from those who actually signed up to be part of the blood drive, but compared to previous years, the donors decreased because we did not advertise as much,” Alcantara said. There were more walk-ins the day of the event that helped raise the donation level, Alcantara continued. Volunteers from CSF and NHS helped out at the event with 12 volunteers from each club, Alcantara said. Some of the activities volunteers do are recruit donors or act as escorts after the donor has finished donating blood, Alcantara continued. “I thought donating was an awesome experience! I had a great time talking to the registered nurses while supporting a good cause,” Junior Brandon Nguyen said. Many people who were expecting to donate were unable to do so, since they did not meet the requirements, Haque said. “Though I was apprehensive of the process, I was looking forward to donating,” Senior Alefia Kothambawala said. “I was really disappointment when I wasn’t able to do so.” The next Stanford Blood Drive on campus will be held in May 2015, CSF Co-President Germain Louie said.

NEWS

T HE U NION

DECEMBER 2014

FEATURE: Teachers’ alma maters, degrees received, and classes taught Arts (Fine and Performing) Department

Name of Staff Member

University Attended

Degree Received

Classes Taught

Albrecht, Jeff

SJSU

Art-General Studio Practice

Ceramics

Boyer, Janet

No response

Cottengim, Mandalynn

SJSU

Dance

Dance, Intermediate Dance, P.E.

Danielson, Ian

Humboldt State University

Art - Studio Practices

Photography

Hentschke, Irene

University of British Columbia, BC Canada (Bachelor’s)

Art Education

AP Studio Drawing, Painting

Kaldy, Chris

No response

Schlein, Marianne

SJSU

Art with Emphasis on Teaching

Art Exploration

Schwartz, Kaila

Syracuse University (Bachelor’s) John Carroll University (Master’s)

Acting and Directing

English IIA, Intro to Theatre, Theatre Arts, and Theatre Workshop

SJSU (Bachelor’s)

Studio Art, Pictorial, Preparation for Teaching Liberal Arts, Administration of Justice

Walker, Fiona

Secondary Education

Drawing, Drawing Studio, Yearbook

Name of Staff Member Hutchison, Andrea

No response

Mathematics Department

Name of Staff Member

University Attended

Degree Received

University Attended

Degree Received

Classes Taught

Lamar University (Bachelor’s) SJSU (Master’s) National Board Certification

Business Administration, minor in Education Instructional Technology Career and Technology Education

Mitchell, William

Lindenwood University, St. Charles Missouri (Master’s)

School Administration

Intro to Hospitality, Hospitality & Tourism, Hosp Op & Admin

Terr, Elliott

No response

Computer Programming DBA Tech I DBA Tech II

CSU Chico

Mathematics

Math II, AP Calculus AB

Cosgrove, Denise

SJSU

Mathematics

Math I, Algebra II, AP Statistics

Cincotta, Michael

No response

Eidelman, Olga

Technion-Israeli Institute of Technology

Mathematics and Physics Secondary Education

Math I, Algebra II, PreCalculus

Hodges, John

UC Berkeley (Bachelor’s) San Francisco State University (Teaching Credential) Foothill College, SJSU (Credentials)

Political Science Social Studies

Pre-Calculus, Integrated CC Math II

King, Kelly

No response

Lamborn, Un-Young

CSU Chico

Mathematics

AP Calculus AB, Math II

Butcher, Joanna

Bogovich, Lillian

Carson, Deborah

UC Davis (Bachelor’s) Sierra Nevada College (Teaching Certification) SJSU (Master’s)

Political Science Secondary Ed Social Studies

McCready, Leigh Anne

UC Davis (Bachelor’s) CSU Chico - Teaching Credential SJSU (Master’s)

History Math and History

Rodarte, Annette

No response

University Attended

Degree Received

Mathematics Mathematics Education

Pre-Calculus, Integrated CC Math II

Leggin, Mary

SJSU

Mathematics

Pre-Calculus, Algebra II, Math II

Liao, Elijah

Declined to Respond

McIntosh, Thadarine

No response

Nguyen, Alexandra

Westmont College

Liberal Studies

Algebra II, Math II, Math II Connections

Nguyen, Annie

Santa Clara University

Mathematics and Psychology

Math I, AP Calculus BC

Sherbakov, Elena

No response

Tam, Carlen

UC Davis

Mathematics

Consumers Math, Algebra II, Pre-Calculus

Tseng, Mei-Hsiang

Alcorn State University (Master’s)

Mathematics

Algebra II/Trigonometry, Honors Pre-Calculus

Wang, Jenn

No response

School Administration

Degree Received

No response

Edinboro University of Pennsylvania (Bachelor’s) The Catholic University of America (Master’s)

Secondary English Education

English III, English III SDAIE, Honors English, and English IV

Speech and Drama

Read 180, Eng I, Eng IA, Eng II

Name of Staff Member

University Attended

Degree Received

UC Riverside (Bachelor’s)

Biochemistry

Chemistry, Honors Chemistry

Barrett, Glen

UC Santa Cruz

Marine Biology

Biology, Ecology, Earth Science

Downum, Kathleen

Hentschke, Eric

Hong, April

Lewis, Kenneth

CSU Long Beach (Bachelor’s) CSU Long Beach (Teaching Credential)

Physical Education, minor in Biology

Biology, AP Biology

Cornell University (Bachelor’s) Stanford University (Master’s)

Physics

University of Mars (Bachelor’s) Univeristy of Mars (California Teaching Credential -- Secondary)

Biology

Humboldt State University Humboldt State University (Teaching Credential)

Biology

SJSU (Bachelor’s)

Kinesiology: Teaching and Kinesiology: Exercise Science, minors in Biology and General Science

Biology

Single Subject: Physical Education, Single Subject Supplement: Life Science

Anderson, Toby

No response

Bellotti, Caitlin

Santa Clara University

History

World History, U.S. History SDAIE

Byler, Lauren

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (Bachelor’s) CSU Long Beach (Teaching Credential)

History, minor in Women’s Studies

AP Psychology, Sociology, U.S. History

Chenoweth, Paula

No response

Colburn, Jeff

UC Berkeley

English

English I, English IA, AP English, Journalism

Cao, Paul

No response

Conradson, Kathy

No response

Carter, David

No response

Draeger, Michelle

University of Colorado at Boulder (Bachelor’s) SJSU (Master’s)

English Literature

English I, Read 180, Honors English, Facing History and Ourselves

United States Government, SDAIE U.S. Government, Economics, SDAIE Economics

George, Nirmala (Pearl)

Anna University, Chennai, India (Master’s) SJSU (Master’s)

English

CSU Hayward (Bachelor’s) CSU Hayward (Multiple Subject Teaching Credential Waiver) National University, San Jose (Secondary Subject Credentials) National University, San Jose (Master’s)

Liberal Studies- music option

Douglas, Brook

Gutierrez, Lindsey

Santa Clara University

English, minor in Urban Education

English IA, ELD C, and ELD D

Castro, Frank

SJSU

Business - Marketing, Social Studies

Economics, Geography, AVID

Hanley, Matt

SFSU (Bachelor’s) UC Berkeley (Single Subject Teaching Credential) SJSU (Master’s)

English

English III, Western Philosophy, ELD B

Cummins, Michael

UC Irvine (Bachelor’s) Santa Clara University (Single Subject Teaching Credential)

Psychology

Introduction to Psychology, AP U.S. Government, Politics

Ducote, Greg

University of San Francisco (Bachelor’s) SJSU (Master’s)

Theology

U.S. History, AP U.S. History

Escobar, Dan

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (Bachelor’s) SJSU (Bachelor’s)

Business Administration, minors in Economics Social Sciences

AP World History, American Government

Master of Science/Information & Library Studies

English Literature

English II, English IV

Social Studies

English, Social Studies Education

Administration

English

Kung, Diane

University of Illinois (Bachelor’s) UC Santa Cruz (Master’s)

Comparative Literature

Maples, William

SJSU (Bachelor’s) SJSU (Master’s)

English Education

English II, English III, Oral Composition

Marozeck, Lynn

SJSU

English

English I, English III, English IV

Marple, Annie

UC Berkeley

English, minor in Education

English IA, English II SDAIE, and LTEL Connections

Gable-Ferguson, Liza

SUNY Stony Brook

Psychology

AP Psychology, AVID

Harrison, Paul

No response

McQuigg, Dan

Ohio Wesleyan University (Bachelor’s)

Music (Vocal Performance)

English, Choir

Knitter, Brian

Mitchell, Kent

SJSU (Bachelor’s) CSU Hayward (Bachelor’s) SJSU (Teaching Credential)

Probability/Statistics English

English I, English III

Foothill College (Associates) Science National Hispanic University (Teaching Credential) SJSU (Bachelor’s) Industrial Technology SJSU (Master’s) Art History

World History, U.S. History, American Government, Economics

Ngo, Thu

Lewis & Clark College

English

English I, English II

Loomis, Jennifer

No response

Ribovich, John

University of Colorado (Bachelor’s) University of California, Berkeley (Teaching Credential) Boston University (Master’s)

English Literature

AP English, English IV

Lowe, Jennifer

No response

Walsh, Bridget

Santa Clara University

History and Studio Art

World History, U.S. History

Parada, Casandra

Santa Clara University

Political Science

World History, U.S. History, AVID

English IIA (DBA), English III (DBA), ELD-E

Pardo, Ana

Georgetown University (Master’s) Santa Clara University (Teaching Credential) SUNY Buffalo (MBA) Universidad Católica Andrés Bello

Law in Common Law Studies

World History, U.S. History, Economics, American Government (DBA)

Auburn University (Bachelor’s) SJSU (Master’s)

Mass Communication and Education

Education & Teaching

Roche, Renee

UC Berkeley

English Literature

English II PBL, English III, AVID III

Roth, Sharon

No response

Roy, Ginger

Lamar University (Bachelor’s) SJSU (Master’s)

English, minors in History and Spanish

English I, Honors English, English IV

The University of Texas at Austin (Bachelor’s) SJSU (Master’s)

English

Samy, Lisa

SJSU (Bachelor’s) SJSU (Master’s)

Humanities/American Studies emphasis in English Education, Literacy Across the Curriculum for an Equitable Society

English I, English III

Schwartz, Kaila

Syracuse University (Bachelor’s) John Carroll University (Master’s)

Acting and Directing

English IIA, Intro to Theatre, Theatre Arts, Theatre Workshop

Roy, Sanjit Chemistry, Physics

Comparative Literature English IV, Honors English, Creative Writing

Comparative Literature

Anatomy/ Physiology, Biology

Biology, Life Science

Shannahan, Heidi

SJSU

Biological Sciences, minors in Chemistry and Psychology

Biology, Chemistry

Maneja, Jerell

UC Davis

Biotechnology (emphasis in Bioinformatics) and Psychology (emphasis in Biology)

Biology, Integrated Science

Meyer, Letta

Brigham Young University Provo

Chemistry

Chemistry, AP Chemistry

O’Connor, Chris

UC Davis

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Biology, Integrated Science

Sanford, Gordon

Eastern Connecticut State University (Bachelor’s) National University in San Diego (Master’s)

Biology

Biology, Forensic Sciences

Schletzbaum, Charles

Worcester State College

Physics

Physics, AP Physics

Seals, Todd

No response

Truesdell, Karen

Humboldt State University

Speech Communication and Biology

Biology, AP Biology

History

Secondary Education

UC Santa Barbara

English

English IIA, English II, Honors English

Foreign Languages Department

Name of Staff Member Feige, Carol

University Attended

Degree Received

UC Santa Barbara (Bachelor’s)/ University of Madrid (Junior year) Stanford University (Master’s)

Spanish

Kang, Martha

West Virginia University (Master’s)

Education

Chinese I, Chinese II, Chinese III

Marion, Kimberly

Ohio University (Bachelor’s) SJSU (Master’s)

Spanish, with minor in Music, Voice Administration and Supervision

Spanish I, Spanish III

Mollot, Joanne

No response

Rivero, Monica

SJSU (Bachelor’s) SJSU (Master’s)

Social Science and Spanish Spanish

Spanish II, AP Spanish

Stanford University (Master’s) Santa Clara University (Bachelor’s) SJSU (Master’s)

Education Spanish

Spanish II, Spanish III

Selitser, Natalya

No response

Topping, Lisa

SJSU (Master’s)

Teacher Leadership and Administration French, with minor in Math

French II

University of San Francisco (Bachelor’s) National Hispanic University (Teaching Credentials)

Computer Science

Spanish I, Spanish III

Université of Paris IX-Dauphine

Business Administration

Romero, Teresita

Chen, M. Anthony (Mac)

University Attended

Degree Received

Classes Taught

CSU East Bay (Bachelor’s) CSU East Bay (Master’s)

Kinesiology Technology Leadership

Physical Education

Long Beach State (Master’s)

Kinesiology with a double focus on Adapted Physical Education and Motor Development

Physical Education

Cottengim, Mandalynn

SJSU

Dance

Dance, Intermediate Dance, P.E.

Edwards, Krissy

SJSU (Bachelor’s) SJSU (Master’s)

Kinesiology Education - Urban Leadership

P.E.

Lamb, Jeff

SJSU

Physical Education

Athletic Director

Osborne, Corrine

No response

Reyes, Celina

CSU Hayward (Bachelor’s)

Kinesiology

Physical Education

Wyness, Deirdre

SJSU (Bachelor’s) SJSU (Teaching Credential) SJSU (Master’s)

Kinesiology with an emphasis in Pedagogy

Physical Education

UC Davis (Bachelor’s) Vargas, Lupe

Vargas, Maria

Instructional Technology

CSU Stanislaus (Bachelor’s) SJSU (Master’s)

Spanish I and Spanish Heritage Speaker I, Spanish Heritage Speaker II

PFEL Department

Physical Education and Spanish Administration Education

Physical Education

Name of Staff Member Chavez, Dena

University Attended SJSU

Name of Staff Member

University Attended

Degree Received

Classes Taught

No response

Conley, William

No response

Dahlman, Shabnam

University of Toronto (Bachelor’s) CSU East Bay (Master’s) CSU East Bay (Teaching Credentials)

Philosophy of Law and Psychology

Basic Algebra and Study Skills

Moffett, Suzanne

SJSU (Bachelor’s) SJSU (Master’s)

Liberal Arts Education Specialist

Basic Algebra and Study Skills

Morgan, Tomina

No response

Mullins, Mark

University of South Florida (Bachelor’s) University of Florida (Master’s)

Psychology

Practical American Government, Practical Economics, Practical Integrated Science, Practical Life Science, Social Skills

Nurnberg, Dieterich

SJSU (Bachelor’s) UC Berkeley (Master’s)

History Kinesiology

World History, English, Geography

Rawson, Michelle

No response

Tico, Edward

San Diego State University (Bachelor’s) San Diego State University (Master’s)

Business Administration

Study Skills, English

Wilson, Herman

CSU Hayward

Criminal Justice (with emphasis on Juvenile probation)

Basic English, Study Skills

Waugh, Jeffrey

Penn State University (Bachelor’s) Azusa Pacific University (Master’s) Santa Clara University (Master’s) University of Massachusetts Amherst (PhD)

Advertising/Business Management

Special Education, Community Based Instruction

Special Education Education Specialist and Multiple Subject

Special Education

Education

College Student Affairs and Leadership Studies Educational Leadership Social Justice Education

Spanish

Kinesiology with an emphasis in Sports Management Zamudio, Jesus

U.S. History

Economics, Psychology, American Government, Video Production

Chang, Wilene

Classes Taught Spanish II

Education with Spanish emphasis

Organization Development

Law

Special Education

Physical Education Department

Burns, Brett

Wrencher, Champ

Physics

Lind, Kimberly

Name of Staff Member

Classes Taught

Alvelais, Roberto

Cacao, Darra

Teacher Librarian, Algebra II

Library & Information Science

English Literature University Attended

Leadership

English

Science Department

Name of Staff Member

Classes Taught

Philosophy

UC Berkeley (Bachelor’s) Stanford University (Master’s)

Degree Received

CSU San Bernardino (Bachelor’s) Florida State University (Master’s)

Math Credential, Clear Credential

Le, Lam

University Attended

Social Studies Department Name of Staff Member

Classes Taught

Brady, Jennifer

Name of Staff Member

English Department

West Valley College (Associates) Yanoska, Mitch

Non Departmental

Business Department

Degree Received English, minor in Spanish

Classes Taught Coordinator for ELD Program

Industrial Tech Department

Name of Staff Member

University Attended

Degree Received

Classes Taught

Keller, Scott

No response

Smith, Robert

Kellogg Community College (Associates) Western Michigan University (Bachelor’s) Western Michigan University (Master’s)

Drafting and Design

Computer Aided Design (CAD) 1, CAD 2, CAD 3, Introduction to Engineering, Architecture

Industrial Education Industrial Education

The Union was interested in the following question: do MHS staff members have degrees in the subjects they teach? We compiled the following information: the colleges teachers graduated from, the subjects they received degrees in, and what classes they currently teach. Some teachers did not give out or declined to give out their information. The information presented in this chart is almost exactly what was given to The Union by the teachers. The list of teachers and departments was given to The Union by Principal’s Secretary Jackie Roy. Note: several staff members mentioned they graduated from CSU Hayward, now known as CSU East Bay.

DECEMBER 2014

EDITORIAL

EDITOR I A L : The Opinion of The Union

Current tenure policy ineffective but beneficial, requires reforms to create better environment The public schooling system in the United States has one primary goal: to educate the citizens of tomorrow. The way this education is achieved is through the use of teachers, knowledgeable adults who do their utmost to pass their knowledge to us. Given the structure of the public educational system in California, and therefore Milpitas, one of the main benefits to teachers is tenure, a method in which teachers are essentially given permanent jobs after they have proved themselves in the classroom setting for a certain period of time. It is common knowledge that the amount of funds available to the government are steadily declining. Budgets and funds are being slashed across the board, and unfortunately these slashes have trickled down to the education system. One of the main parties severely affected by the cuts have been teachers. Along with jobs being eliminated and teachers being handed pink slips, the wages and benefits provided to teachers have been declining. Tenure is perhaps the biggest incentive for people entering the teaching industry, as it essentially ensures job security. However, we, The Union, believe that the tenure procedure needs to be reformed. Although tenure ensures that teachers arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t unfairly removed from their positions and also ensures that there is a steady stream of teachers entering the industry, there are a plethora of unintended problems that arise from

this. Students will agree that there are great teachers, and there are not-so-great teachers. Under the current tenure policy, teachers who teach well for two years receive tenure. Basically, if someone can prove that they are capable to teach for two years, they can become tenured by the district. This system allows teachers to perform above their usual capabilities for two years in order to receive a lifetime job. Once the guarantee for a permanent, stable career is achieved, human laziness can kick in and allow teachers to begin slacking off. The people most affected by this are, of course, students. We believe that the policy should be modified to increase the probationary period to longer than two years, in order to ensure that a teacher is maintaining his performance level rather than simply feigning his way through the two years currently mandated in the status quo. Implementation of this adaptation would in all actuality guarantee an increase in the quality of the educational system, as the ineffective teachers would be weeded out of the system. At the end of the day, all anyone wants is a quality educational experience for students and a fun and rewarding teaching experience for teachers. So why do we not implement policies that ensure that the educational environment is the best it can be for both students and teachers?

Abigail ecal | THE UNION

EDITOR I A L : The Opinion of The Union

New scheduling plans a positive initiative, block design with four period day a possibility We, The Union, commend administration for looking to implement a new schedule for future years. We believe that the best scheduling option for students is a block schedule with an advisory or tutorial period on day A and an optional extra class period on every other day, day B. The days would be four periods each, A day being periods one, two, advisory/tutorial, and three, and B day being periods four, five, six and an optional seventh. Mondays and Wednesdays would be A days, and Tuesdays and Thursdays would be B days, with Fridays alternating. We believe that a block schedule as previously stated would aid students in covering more material. By extending the classes to at least one and a half hours each, students would have more time to begin homework during the period and also get immediate help on it from their teachers. Longer periods also would be beneficial to the arts and lab science classes. Instead of being on a time crunch to set up materials, begin work, and rush to put away the equipment, students could truly spend time on their experiments, write-ups, and artwork. They wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to come in during break or lunch to finish their work in order to get credit. The block schedule should also start at a later time, between 8:40 and 9:00 a.m. Not only would a later start give students more time to get ready for school, potentially reducing tardiness, it would also help minimize the traffic issue created by having three schools in the same area. As the traffic for the elementary school and middle school on Escuela Parkway would clear out by 8:30 a.m., high school students would not have to worry about being late to class for something like traffic that is not in their control. Starting later doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t necessarily mean ending much later. School is required to be in session for

a certain number of minutes each year and as long as the minutes are distributed accordingly, students would still be allowed to get out at between three to three fifteen. Given that there are only four classes each day, the fourth being optional on B days, ending around three is definitely manageable. This way students could keep their prior commitments such as work, sports, or volunteer service. A benefit that ties into the busy schedule students have after school ends is in the mandatory advisory/ tutorial period we are proposing on A days. This period would be block of time scheduled into the day when students could go to any teacher on campus to get help in a particular subject, work on homework, or visit the counselor without worrying about missing class time. This block could also be used for various other announcements or time for students in organizations to do necessary work. The B day opens up classes that are in high demand and create an extra period for classes that are required for graduation, students would be able to expand their skills base by taking classes not required for graduation. For students not interested in adding another class onto their workloads, they are free to leave school early on B days to use their extra time for after school activities and homework. Another possibility with the block schedule we propose is extending the lunchtime to forty minutes every day. This would give the students more time to obtain and eat lunch especially if they are involved with noontime activities and clubs on campus. We believe that by adopting a block schedule, several concerns such as start times as well as extra classes and time constraints affecting MHS will be addressed. With all these options in mind, the possibilities to create a flexible and effective schedule are on the table for the students of MHS to decide for themselves what best fits their needs.

T HE U NION

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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Journalism Advisor

L E T T E R S TO T H E E DI TOR Issues being addressed by MHS There are many different issues in the current high schools young adults attend today. Among most issues the common ones tend be racism, bullying, inefficiency of education, etc. Fortunately, for the most part, Milpitas High has done a great job in preventing these problems or spreading awareness. The other day P.E. was cancelled to show students an educational video regarding a man and his troubles with his sexual preferences and bullying at his former high school. Milpitas High has been overall an exceptional high school experience for me. However, like other schools, there are issues. At the campus there is a bit of a sewage problem. Not to be distressed, but rather large puddles have filled up in many areas around the campus as it rained hard the past week. There was one place where the drainage simply clogged up, leading to a small leg deep lake. Most large and small puddles were created because most of the pavement

around the school was simply uneven and made ditches. For the most part, I also do not think this is a major problem. It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t rain too much in Milpitas, and I would think some students would rather enjoy it. Additionally, I have little hope in the district or school to have enough funds to do anything of the sort. There was already a new swimming facility and girlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bathroom rebuilt as well as the school library renovated. There also havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been too much trouble either academically or in club activities. I have experienced last year that the football team had received a great amount of funds while most other established clubs or sports like swimming or speech and debate club receive a pittance. However, I could hardly argue since this year the football team had reached CCS and won most of their games in this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s season. I would expect that compared to other schools throughout California, Milpitas High is quite fine.

David ngo

Class of 2017

T HE U NION

OPINIONS

DECEMBER 2014

PRO

Installation of cameras justified, security cameras prevent crime In light of recent events across take on campus. There isn’t going to the country, many schools have in- be a faculty member behind a plethstalled security cameras on campus ora of monitors just waiting to catch in hopes of making their campuses you in the act of sticking gum under safer. MHS’s administration is also the desk or rebuking your teacher. installing security camerLooking towards the big picture, the security camas around campus in the eras are not used to catch near future. insignificant crimes, but The most obvious adrather major crimes like vantage of cameras is devandalism and theft. creased crime. The camEven if you believe that eras help identify suspects cameras cannot stop of crimes and also help authorities determine crimes, the chance of someone committing a how, when, and where the felony in front of a camera crimes were committed. is extremely low. Even if These cameras inherently DIVYESH a crime is committed in make people cognizant of CHOTAI front of the camera, there the fact that they are being will be a decreased chance filmed, thus, significantly preventing crimes before they even of the crime happening there again. In order to make the most out of happen. Many schools can save large the cameras when they are installed, amounts of funding if they can pre- our administration ought to explicitvent the expenses of vandalism, ly tell MHS students about how they theft, and any violence that takes intend to use the cameras, where the place on campus. Seeing as MHS is devices will be installed, how much already short of funding, the saved data the cameras can hold, and any money can be redirected into im- other essential information pupils proving the quality of education for need to know about the cameras. If administration wants to secure students. Any issues of privacy are irrele- MHS, they must be open with their vant. If you have nothing to hide, students and explain the reasoning why should you be so worried about behind their actions. Mutual underyour privacy? The main purpose of standing between administration security camera usage is not to stalk and students is a key factor in making you individually; it serves as a public MHS a safer place. Overall, security cameras won’t good to make the campus safer. Contrary to popular beliefs, se- really disrupt regular life on camcurity cameras will not create “Big pus, other than the fact that less peoBrother” atmospheres in schools. ple will be committing crimes. With The cameras don’t pick up every the main intention of using security single word that comes out of your cameras to make MHS a safer place, mouth and every single action you the costs do outweigh the benefits.

CON

Security cameras are intrusive, cameras invade student privacy More and more, the use of securigetting caught on camera. ty cameras is considered by schools. Another issue with the installation Proponents argue that cameras monof security cameras is the topic of itor and deter crime in schools. Howprivacy. It is common knowledge that ever, the use of security cameras in bathrooms and locker rooms tend to schools is, in reality, problematic and be seedier areas of schools where conproves to be unnecessary. It is costly traband is smuggled into and trouble and does not solve anything. tends to take place. However, the Currently, the administration is placement of cameras in these areas planning on installing approximately is an unnecessary invasion of priva75 new cameras in outdoor areas that cy, especially to those not participatare deemed “hot spots” for crime. ing in said activities. While schools That means that there is one camera are indeed public places and have the for approximately every 35 students right to conduct surveillance, the inat MHS. vasion of privacy by the installation While there has been no of cameras has too large a budget provided for the negative effect to be ratioplan, the average closed nalized by the hypothetcircuit television (CCTV) ical benefits the system camera costs around $900 would bring. each, bringing the cost of A final issue with the the cameras alone to be installation of outdoor around $67500. Coupled security cameras is that it with the cost of the system’s can be a stepping stone to maintenance, the idea of the further implementainstalling these cameras is tion of security cameras financially unappealing as in schools. Many schools IVAN the supposed benefits of around the world have HUANG the system do not justify installed cameras in classthe costs of it. rooms to monitor teacher Speaking of benefits, security camperformance after installing cameras do not solve any problems. Secueras in corridors. By allowing security cameras in malls and stores do rity cameras to become ubiquitous not deter people from burglarizing throughout our campus outdoors, we these areas. Even if security cameras are one step closer to seeing them in were placed in areas of schools laour classrooms one day. beled “hot spots” for crimes, they do Essentially, the use of security camnot eliminate the threats of vandaleras in schools proves itself to be too ism, drugs, or theft. The school should inconvenient and costly to justify the instead modify existing security perbenefits, as well as unnecessary. The sonnel to have an increased security problems it plans to monitor and presence in the areas they perceive to record can be prevented by current be criminal hot spots , discouraging resources, and even if new cameras crime instead of merely recording were brought in, they would generate crimes. A fear of getting caught in the too much disruptions in the learning act deters crime more than the fear of atmosphere in the school.

Amanda nguyen | THE UNION

Ineffective, unfair tardy policy is in need of reform The United States is predominantly based on the idea of equality. Naturally, it isn’t completely incorrect to assume that this ideology should extend into the school setting. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the tardy policy at MHS varies based on the period you are late to class for. Like most seniors, I’m trying to figure out how to keep the dreaded senioritis at bay. Although I’ve done a good job holistically, I have had struggles getting up early in the morning, which may or may not have resulted in me being tardy to 1st period. A lot. Based on my knowledge of the tardy policy, I had assumed that I would only receive a punishment if I was tardy to 1st period 10 times. However, my calculations proved incorrect. When I got home from school one day and opened my laptop to begin working on college applications, I saw an e-mail from my dad, relaying the message the school had just delivered to him. “Your son has been tardy to 1st period three times. Excessive 1st period tardies will result in your son’s grade being lowered, or an attendance contract.” Huh? Since when has the school been allowed to drop a student’s grade based on an attendance issue? Although I’m personally tardy due to my laziness, I’m sure that there are students out there who are tardy simply because they can’t find a ride in the morning, they have to commute a long way, or other various legitimate reasons. Is it fair to essentially push the helpless students even

further down the hole? In an era in Additionally, even if a student which college admissions are becom- comes to 1st period a bit late, he is still ing tougher and tougher, and the need in class for the remainder of the day, for stellar grades increases, everyone so there is no reason for the student should be doing their utto be punished so heavily. most to help a student on If anything, the student’s his or her path to success. grades should only be in The current policy is jeopthe hands of the teacher, ardizing students’ chances and not administration. of success. It is common knowledge Sure, the policy may be that Milpitas’ population at the discretion of the is steadily rising each year. teachers, but the fact that This directly leads to an inadministration is sending crease in the population of e-mails to teachers regardstudents at MHS, which is ing grade drops relating to in itself, a problem. AKSHAT the attendance policy is Escuela Parkway is esDAS highly problematic. sentially the road used by Even if you throw that most to get to school. As it argument out the window, is a single car lane, traffic consider this: Why does 1st period tends to be rather slow in the mornhave the strictest tardy punishments? ings. Naturally, as the population inDuring the school day, if you’re tar- creases, the amount of cars packing dy to 3rd or 5th period, it’s probably into Escuela in the mornings will also because you decided to take a longer most likely increase. break/lunch than usual. Tardiness to As such, common sense would 2nd, 4th, or 6th period is most likely dictate that the school should be caused by extensively long chats with modifying the tardy policy to deal your friends between periods. with the status quo. As the number Essentially, the point I’m getting at of people driving to school increases, is that tardies during the school day the amount of time it takes to get to are completely avoidable, if students school will also increase. Punishing simply don’t waste time between people for something that is not in classes. 1st period tardies, however, their hands at all is a serious problem . may or may not be in the student’s At the end of the day, I believe that hands. Why don’t we punish the kids the tardy policy should either be who choose not to go to class on time, more fundamentally equal, or should rather than unfairly punishing the be modified to deal with the severity students who have legitimate reasons of the incident. In any case, grades for not getting to 1st period on time should not be brought into the ques(myself excluded). tion.

Teachers are underpaid and underappreciated When we think of teachers, we don’t always conjure the most positive image. Teaching is hardly viewed as a desirable job and is portrayed as a last resort or a tiring endeavor instead. The sad truth is that teachers often put in a lot of work but are still vastly underappreciated. To begin with, teaching can be a very challenging career, whether it be teaching young, hyper children or pubescent teenagers. There are troublesome students that purposely disrupt the class and do not listen to instructions. Then, there are students who place all the blame on the teachers when they are failing a class. Parents may not recognize that their children are not truly making an effort, causing them to write angry letters to the teacher instead. Many criticize teachers without thinking, yet we hardly ever thank our teachers for their efforts. Furthermore, teachers also have to spend a lot of time working outside of the classroom. People may think that teaching is only a seven hour job. However, teachers have to prepare laboratory experiments, correct tests and homework, or come up with lesson plans on their own time. This time they spend and contribute toward teaching is not factored into their payroll or even recognized by many students. Additionally, teachers are not paid a very high salary. The average start-

ing salary for a teacher is much less pays the fees for these programs and compared to other notable profes- a stipend for the students in training. sions, like computer programmers Teachers in the United States or nurses. This issue is exacerbated simply are not as respected as they by the fact that the disparity between would be in other countries. Many salaries is even wider as time goes on. countries, especially those in Asia, The annual pay for teachers has only view teaching as on par with being fallen as the years have passed. On the a doctor or social worker. However, other hand, demand and salaries for teaching is hardly on the same level nurses and computer programmers in the United States. This lower stahas only increased with time. Along tus level that teachers are grouped with a low salary, budin deters current students get cuts are all too much from wanting to become of a problem. Teachers teachers. When students sometimes have to pay consider that teachers are for classroom necessities not paid a very high salary and supplies out of their nor respected enough, they own pocket, a pocket that aim for different careers. is already shallow. It is Parents also rarely encourregrettable that teachers age their children to bedo not receive a higher come teachers; they want salary when they are the them to be lawyers or enones actively building the gineers instead. Thus, we ANTHONY foundation for our counare missing out on many TSENG try’s future; the children potential teachers because they teach now will be the our brightest students are leaders of tomorrow. seeking more lucrative caIn particular, the United States reer paths. pays teachers a lower salary comAll in all, most teachers work expared to countries like South Korea, tremely hard to provide a valuable edGermany, and Japan. Frankly, the ucation for students, sacrificing their United States has not placed a high own time, money, and energy. We emphasis on teaching as a profession. often fail to appreciate our teachers’ For example, South Korea and Singa- hard work and contributions. They pore actively seek to recruit the best are the ones enriching our minds and possible teachers and hold teacher helping us succeed in life. Therefore, training programs. These programs you should thank your teachers and are highly selective, and the country let them know you appreciate them!

OPINIONS

DECEMBER 2014

Hand sanitizer in bathrooms, the healthier alternative Don’t you hate it when you go to them with soap for 20 seconds (inwash your hands at the sink, but the cluding the back of your hands, in besoap pump and faucet handle are tween fingers, and underneath your all wet from previous people? How nails), rinse your hands, and dry with about those situations when you are a clean paper towel. finished washing your hands, but But who actually has time to do all then you go to pick up some paper of that at school? If you say that you towels and you realize that wash your hands for at touching the handle will least 30 seconds, you are only recontaminate your probably lying to yourself. hands? Furthermore, you are My point is that school more likely to accumubathrooms should have late more microbes while hand sanitizers as an alterusing soap and water native when disinfecting because of all the other hands rather than using surfaces you touch while soap and water. doing so. I find it disgusting when Think about it: You press people just “wash” their on the sink handle, which ABIGAIL hands by only wetting simply adds more germs ECAL them with water. Although on your hands. Then after washing your hands with washing them, you may eisoap and water is the norm, many ther dry them by using paper towels don’t even follow the protocol. or by air drying with the blow dryer. According to the Control Disease If you choose to use paper towels, Center (CDC), hand-washing with you have to pull the lever with your soap and water is only effective when wet hands, only to recontaminate doing so effectively. First, you are them. supposed to wet your hands, lather If you use air-blown dryers, it will

spread up to 45 times more germs than conventional paper towels, according to research by the University of Leeds in Britain. Using hand sanitizer, however, achieves the same result of killing bacteria like soap and water, but requires less time and effort. You apply the product onto your hands, let it dry for ten seconds, and then you’re good to go. Having hand sanitizer as an alternative in school bathrooms will also decrease the amount of water students and teachers use to wash their hands. In my perspective, the water just goes to waste anyways when people wet their lather their hands with soap for three seconds and rinses them in brief. It is a great idea to have hand sanitizers as an alternative when it comes to bathroom cleanliness. Students believe that they do not have time to care about the protocols when washing their hands. If you’re going to use up soap and water, it might as well be effective, right?

Newby Island dump expansion to aggravate stench “What’s that awful smell?” Whenever I meet opponents on the tennis courts at MHS, they always ask that question within the first five minutes of meeting me. As everyday victims of this unpleasant odor, the citizens of Milpitas all know the source of the unpleasant smell: the Newby Island garbage dump by McCarthy Ranch. The odor is such a disturbance to the citizens of Milpitas. We have wonderful weather, but going out for a morning jog or a shopping trip in the afternoon can be ruined by the stinky smells that come from the landfill. It is also an embarrassment when people who are not from the Bay Area ask you what the smell is coming from. Some people regard Milpitas as “The Dump.” I do not like being associated with trash, especially if that trash is coming from multiple cities and not just Milpitas. Recently, the waste facility has been looking to expand from a height of 150 feet to 245 feet and extend the operating time from 2020 to 2045. The

expansion is a horrible idea since the landfill is already such a nuisance to those who work and live in the South Bay Area. Milpitas residents, especially, receive the heaviest burdens of the landfill, as it is next to a Milpitas shopping area and other buildings. On windy days the odor can travel deep into the city of Milpitas and many can AMY smell it. NGUYEN Depending on the direction of the wind, the stench can reach parts of San Jose and Fremont as well. Why do we need to expand something that people are complaining about and make matters even worse? When the Newby Island was first created, Milpitas’ population was around 800. Now it is close to 70,000. With the increased population,there has also been an increase in the num-

ber of schools, houses, and companies. Within half a mile of the dump, there are condos, Cisco buildings, and Dixon Landing Park. According to the California Environmental Quality Act, if the distance between a public nuisance and existing residential, recreational,commercial, or industrial developments is less than one mile, the nuisance is considered a significant impact. And it is. Every time I drive to McCarthy Ranch to grab a burger or go to Michaels, I can smell the landfill with the windows rolled up and the air conditioning turned off. If everything is approved, the expansion may take place in January of 2016. Making the dump even bigger will just aggravate the citizens of Milpitas even more. Do we really want to smell garbage whenever we are outside? Isn’t it already bad as it is? Do we want to be called “The Bigger Dump”?

CLOG meetings should not cut into class time Many would agree that CLOGs are are an integral part of the experience of high school, and we are no exception. A wide range of clubs and organizations exists at almost every end of the spectrum: from just gathering to eat and socialize to working alongside others to better the community. It is no secret that running a club is not a simple task. Leaders have to ensure that the majority of people are content and that there is a consistent meeting place with people who come regularly. On top of this, they have had to jump through hoops that ASB has set so that their clubs can continue to be a school sanctioned meeting place, whether it be attending Congress and Unity or even providing ASB with every last piece of paperwork.

This year, Congress and Unity were combined into one period. Last year, Unity was introduced as a concept to bring the school closer together through the use of clubs, which is efficient when seen on paper. In practice, it proved to be a nuisance for club leaders since at least one NEAL of them had to skip BANSAL their third period to attend meetings. Due to library renovation, meetings are held in the theater, which upon request, can be used by clubs that are too large to fit

inside of a classroom. This clashes with the theater’s availability during times when people can afford to be interrupted, without affecting class time. ASB decided they would just try and force everyone to leave class. This goes against the concept of school, since the entire purpose is to teach students. How can students learn if they aren’t in class? It would be more beneficial to everyone for such meetings to take place after school if required, or be removed from a requirement. We need CLOGs on campus, and as such, we should make it easier on everyone to balance school and running a club. We should not promote unity by cutting class time.

T HE U NION

TOP TEN WORST GIFTS! 10

An Old Navy sweater sewn by child slaves in China.

The thought. It counts! *ba dum tss*

A blood-stained porcelain doll from Savers.

Your first born.

Mein Kampf.

Gas station hot dogs.

Weight Watchers subscription.

Snappy G’s 8-track Mixtape.

Used pregnancy test.

A Mervyn’s gift card.

Cultural fashion trends degrading Pop culture is rapidly changing, or disregard, but goes beyond by crewith new fads springing up every ating a false, superficial perception of moment. Of these fads, an increasthe custom. Celebrity participation ing number “borrow” from various in cultural appropriation further agcultures, deeming certain customs itates the situation, as they strongly “chic” and “trendy.” If cultural apinfluence the masses, especially the propriation is becoming a normality youth, who usually succumb to the in our lives, is it justified? latest fashions regardless of the conCultural appropriation, the act of text. adopting traditions or customs for This recent awakening of the conpurely aesthetic reasons, may seem troversial topic of cultural appropribenign. However, these acts of “apation could also be attributed to the preciation,” prove to have detrimenrelease of popstar Avril Lavigne’s tal effects: trivializing the value of latest music video, “Hello Kitty.” In and respect for a traditional symbol. Lavigne’s video, she struts around One of the most recent with an entourage of unreand widely discussed cases sponsive, robot-like, Asian of cultural appropriation girls as her “props.” is the “Bindi Trend.” This Lavigne’s use of Asian trend was popularized afgirls as props in her vidter celebrities such as the eo is not a new concept. It Jenners and Selena Goparallels another incident mez sported bindis during in 2006, when another live performances, and popstar, Gwen Stefani, casually, spurring fellow promoted her Harajuku fashionistas to join in. As Lovers Tour. She was fola result, bindis have been lowed on stage, and at JULIA reduced to feckless accesother public events, by a NGUYEN sories, casually slapped on group of Japanese women at music festivals in an atshe referred to collectively tempt to fit in with the crowd. as “Harajuku.” This disdainful treatment of a saHistory seems to have repeated: cred Hindu custom is not only insultas if society hasn’t learned that cusing to Hindus, who stress the true toms and cultural identities should purpose of the bindi as an “auspinot be degraded and used as props cious religious and spiritual symbol,” for mere amusement or aesthetics. according to Hindu statesman Rajan But we can put an end to this cycle. Zed, but also generates ignorance, By simply educating ourselves about rubbing out the cultural significance various cultures through our readily of the bindi in favor of a simpler exavailable resources, specifically the planation: that bindis are just fun Internet, we can avoid blindly foland cute decorations. lowing trends and prevent the gradTherefore cultural appropriation ual deterioration of our diverse and is not just a single act of insensitivity valuable customs.

QUESTION OF THE MONTH: HOW WILL YOU SPEND THE HOLIDAYS? “Over the holiday season I’m going to be spending time with family and catching up on sleep.” Freshman Jessica Lontoc

“I will probably binge watch an insane amount of TV shows on Netflix and cry about finals.” Sophomore An To

“‘I am spending time with my beloved sister who’s coming home from college for the winter break.” Junior Maggie Wu

“I’m going to visit my cousin in Sacramento. I might also go to Nevada and do whatever a 2ND SEMESTER SENIOR DOES!” Senior Vera Wong

“I will be spending time in Los Angeles with my nephews and nieces and hopefully going to Disneyland.” Counselor Beth Harke

FEATURES

THE UNION

DECEMBER 2014

Glee Club expands to include JV division BY CRYSTAL TRAN

Glee Club has announced that it now has a Junior Varsity (JV) division this year, according to Glee Club Advisor Dan McQuigg. Since much interest has been expressed in Glee Club, McQuigg has decided to form a JV Glee Club called “Showtime!”. Usually 10 to 12 seniors graduate and leave Glee Club, opening up spots for new members to join the following year, according to McQuigg. But last year, only three seniors graduated and McQuigg was forced to turn away a lot of students. Because there were so many talented students who could not be in Glee Club, McQuigg decided to expand the club to accomodate more members. “The idea of the JV Glee Club is to give vocal training to people that

didn’t make the cut for Glee Club but that maybe in the future will become part of Glee Club,” McQuigg said. JV Glee Club rehearsals are held from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. every Wednesday. It is a training ground where members focus on vocal production, singing in tune, singing with more confidence, and learning more about rhythm, McQuigg said. “We begin rehearsals with vocal warm-ups to ensure that we do not damage our vocal chords,” JV Glee Club Member Christine Padua said. “Then, we begin working on the current song by learning how to harmonize, blend, and sight read.” The difference between JV Glee Club and Glee Club is that JV works on a smaller level but with more intensity, according to McQuigg. Glee Club has risen to the level of mastery

since most of its members have been in Glee Club for two or three years, McQuigg said. “[JV Glee Club and Glee Club] are on a little bit of different levels, but [they are] working towards the same goal,” McQuigg said. JV Glee Club members hope to make it into Glee Club the following year, according to McQuigg. “In JV Glee, mistakes are encouraged and no one laughs at you,” JV Glee Club Member Christine Pauda said. “By recognizing the mistake you’ve made, it prevents you from doing it again. ” Other than the addition of JV Glee Club, an advanced choir class will also be added to the school curriculum next year. Advanced choir will help build and increase the vocal music program at MHS, McQuigg said.

Librarian reflects on the new Learning Center BY PATRICK LY

School book check-out numbers have drastically dropped this year in comparison to last year. According to the school database, in Oct. 2013, there were 510 book check-outs, and in Oct. 2014, there were 159 checkouts. Don’t worry; it’s not because of student laziness or book robbers. The decline was actually expected, according to MHS Librarian LeighAnn McCready. One of the new modernization projects that will be coming in full effect next semester is the Learning Center, previously the school library. McCready underwent several tasks and projects to accommodate for the change. For one, she ran a temporary library in the F5 building. “I had to make decisions last spring

about what I would keep in a temporary collection for the first semester,” McCready said. “80 percent of the collection went to storage, 20 percent stayed out, simply because of the size of the F5 room,” according to McCready. “I have undertaken a major book filter project, which is something librarians need to do on a regular basis,” McCready said. “They need to get rid of books that are out of date, not being used, things like that.” The new layout of the library will help ignite student curiosity in books, according to McCready. “The way things were configured before, people had to make an effort to go down little aisles that were dead end spaces in order to find books,” McCready said. “Now the way the aisles are, people will have to pass through them to get

over into the seating area,” McCready continued. McCready hopes to utilize some of the extra space to capture people’s interests, McCready said. McCready also has ideas on how to use the library to reach out to the other schools in MUSD. In light of Common Core State Standards, there is a huge emphasis on research and credibility of sources, according to McCready. “Our elementary and middle school students will come at a disadvantage in high school because they haven’t had consistent instruction in research skills,” McCready said. “I’m trying to work with some others in the district about possibly expanding the E-book and data base type of offerings down in the kindergarten through eighth grade classes,” McCready continued.

Amanda Nguyen | THE UNION

Math Teacher Alexandra Nguyen poses for a photo for her blog. Nguyen’s cousin, Caitlyn Dangvu, takes a close-up picture of Nguyen’s earrings.

Math teacher runs fashion blog BY AMANDA NGUYEN

A common misconception about teachers is that they teach… and that’s about it. Math Teacher Alexandra Nguyen dispelled this popular notion after her students discovered her blog. “I think it started with [students] trying to find me on Instagram, and that led to them finding my blog,” Nguyen said. “Most of them were surprised after they found it.” Her blog, titled “Snippets with Alex,” includes a variety of posts regarding fashion, lifestyle, and faith. Nguyen describes her personal style as “modern with a feminine touch,” Nguyen said. “At first I wanted to do DIY (Do It Yourself ) posts but that didn’t really work out so it became centered around fashion,” Nguyen said. Nguyen started this blog around October of last year and has racked up a little over 1,000 followers on Instagram, where she also posts photos of her outfits. “My favorite part of blogging is connecting with people,” Nguyen said. “This is my outlet for creativity, and it’s separate from teaching.” “I get inspiration from the people around me and other bloggers,” Nguyen said. With all the work that comes with

teaching, Nguyen manages to maintain her blog and regularly update it by prioritizing, Nguyen said. “I tell myself that teaching comes first,” Nguyen said. “I limit myself to one post each week and I really just have to plan ahead.” Junior Caitlyn Dangvu, Nguyen’s cousin, serves as the photographer for many of Nguyen’s blog posts; the photos are often taken on campus. Dangvu started taking photos for her cousin’s blog around October of last year, according to Dangvu. “When I take pictures of her, I’ll try to make her laugh to get a good photo,” Dangvu said. “We take photos whenever we can. We know each other well so it all works out.” Finding out about their teacher’s blog allowed Nguyen’s students to identify with her outside of the confines of just being their teacher, according to Dangvu. “I think when she came to this school there were different expectations for her,” Dangvu said. “People were interested in her because she is younger so they were able to relate to her more,” according to Dangvu. “It’s fun to be able to share a part of my life with my students.” Nguyen said, “The main point of my blog is that people should be confident and experiment with their own style.”

Second semester coding class BY TERRA WALLS

Christina Luo and Crystal Tran | THE UNION

A mockingbird is painted on Art Teacher Irene Hentschke’s door (left); the picture captured the attention of other teachers on campus. A mountain and ocean scenery (middle and right) were painted by Junior Matthew Huss.

Art students paint classroom doors, electrical boxes BY CRYSTAL TRAN

Art Teacher Irene Hentschke came up with a new creative outlet for her students. When her Painting class needed a larger canvas, she decided to use her door as a display for their artistic ability. “Once I painted my door, other teachers wanted their doors painted,” Hentschke said. Each door painting costs a 50 dollar donation to the Painting class, according to Hentschke. The funds are used to buy the painting materials. Three MHS Seniors: Erin Bui, Trish Ann Ramirez, and Quynh Pham, and Junior Matthew Huss are in charge of painting the doors this year, Hentschke said.

Huss painted the computer lab, J12, and J13 doors. Bui painted the L19 door. Ramirez and Pham painted the principal’s door, according to Hentschke. The students paint the doors during class time, according to Hentschke. “We were finishing assignments really quickly, so then [Mrs.Hentschke] gave us bigger assignments,” Huss said. Because of these art doors, the Painting class students were recognized by MUSD School Board Member Bill Foulk, who is also part of the Milpitas City Arts Commission, according to Hentschke. Ceramics Teacher Jefferey Albrecht recommended the Painting students to Foulk, who wanted the

PG&E electrical boxes around town to have artwork on them. Twelve students were chosen to be a part of the project. “We put together a portfolio for them,” Bui said. “We have to go in and pick [the artwork] that we want to be on the box and [the city council] has to clear it sometime next year.” The city is paying 300 dollars per PG&E box or offering community service to the students, Hentschke said. “[Painting the art doors] is an actual application of the way [the students] would do it in the real world,” Hentschke said. “They get to practice on a real life project.” Painting the PG&E boxes is a good learning experience, Huss said.

A zero period coding class is available to students on campus next semester, according to Digital Business Academy (DBA) Teacher Andrea Hutchison. The course focuses on computer science and teaches coding to students that are interested in learning more, Hutchison said. The class is already available for students that are in DBA, according to Hutchinson. This is a one semester class that is geared towards students with no previous computer programming experience, Hutchison said. Students in the class will work with a drag and drop programming language called ‘SNAP!’ The curriculum will be the same as CS10, the computer applications class taught at UC Berkeley, according to Hutchison. In 2016, the zero period computer science course will be offered as an AP class called APCS Principles, according to Hutchinson. “Living in Silicon Valley, [computer programming] is a valuable skill to include in your high school experience because it opens up new career paths,” Computer Class Teacher Scott Keller said.

Lessons that include abstraction, logic, and algorithmic thinking will be taught in the class. Also fundamental project management will allow students to experience what it would be like to work in the real world, Keller said. Many students have already signed up for the second semester course, Keller said. Recruitment for the 2015 fall zero period class begins in February, according to Keller. “We hope to keep it evolving because computer science is never stagnant,” Keller said. Coding really exercises the logical part of the mind, DBA Student Luke Mcleod said. DBA offers a computer science course that follows the same guidelines as the zero period, according to Mcleod. Coding in schools is really helpful; it keeps students on track, Mcleod continued. It is recommended that people take the zero period if they are not in DBA already, Mcleod said. “It’s interesting; you get multiple challenges. It’s a fun class and you learn something new,” Junior Thomas Ungstad said. “The teachers are nice and they seem to know what they’re doing. I think it’d be better if more people joined,” Ungstad said.

DECEMBER 2014

FEATURES

THE UNION

Potential schedule options BY WEE JIN KOH

Proposals have been discussed regarding the changing of the school schedule. Here are some options that have been considered in addition to the ones mentioned in the editorial of this issue. Regular Schedules with Seven Periods The school day would last from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Since students are only required to have six classes, most students would leave school after sixth period at 3 p.m. Students who wish to attend another class can attend a seventh period of their choice and leave school at 4 p.m. A schedule like this will allow students to explore their interests in different subjects without being limited by a six period schedule. This change will not affect those who are accustomed to the current schedule. Staggered Start Times The school day would contain seven periods, starting at 8 a.m. and ending around 4 p.m. However, students will only be required to attend six periods. Students would either go to school from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. for periods one through six, or 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for periods two through seven. This allows students to customize their schedules. The amount of instructional time for both groups of students remains the same. Students who wish to attend seven classes will have the option to do so; these students will have periods one through seven. The use of staggered start times will reduce the flow of traffic around the three schools. With staggered start times leading to less traffic, many MHS students will report to school at a later time, while others arrive

earlier. Block Schedules In block scheduling, students will attend fewer classes each day, but each class is held for a longer period of time. In a block scheduling scenario, there are alternate “A” days and “B” days. Each day students go to school from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. as usual, but only attend three periods of classes. Each class is extended to at least one and a half hours in order to ensure students get the same amount of instructional time as they do now. After each class, there will be a break or lunch, so students can unwind and refresh themselves before reporting to the next class.. The weekly schedule also alternates between “ABABA” and “BABAB.” Block scheduling will enable students to complete tasks that they might not be able to finish in a regular period. This format will be especially beneficial for science and art classes that require longer periods. Mix of wBlock Scheduling and Regular Six Period Days Wednesdays and Thursdays use block schedules (“A” days and a “B” days) while the other three days have regular, six period schedules. A mix of block scheduling and regular six period days will allow teachers to schedule time consuming events for the days of the week with block scheduling. According to Irvington High School students, such a schedule allows students to focus more on certain subjects during block schedule days. For example, if teachers assign homework on a Tuesday, students can concentrate more on homework that is due for the three classes of the following day instead of rushing six periods of homework.

Courtesy of Eric Luong

Senior Eric Luong took this photo depicting the Grand Palace during Spring Break in 2013 in Bangkok, Thailand. The picture is one of Luong’s favorites; Luong hopes to return to Bangkok, Thailand one day to take more photos.

Luong develops passion for photography BY AYSHA REHMAN

MHS is home to many talented students in fields ranging from the arts to the sciences. One such field is photography, a passion for Senior Eric Luong. “I’ve always had an interest in photography,” Luong said. “My older sister used to have [Photography Teacher Ian] Danielson for photo and that inspired to me to take the class to learn more about it.” In Danielson’s photography class, students have worked with the studio lights he provided, according to Luong. They have used medium format cameras and printed pictures on fiber glass photo paper. “I also had the chance to edit my own digital photos on Photoshop. It

is mind blowing how you can make an already great photo you took and enhance it to look even better,” Luong said. “Photography is a hobby that I would like to keep. I enjoy having the ability to take pictures of places and people. Sort of like capturing the moment,” Luong said. “I never really was photogenic, but ever since I started having an interest in photography, I often take pictures wherever I go,” Luong said. Luong favors taking pictures of things such as architecture, cars, nature, and streets, Luong said. He also does photography outside of school, Luong continued. “I enjoy taking pictures with my Nikon DSLR and iPhone. I enjoy taking pictures for friends and my-

self,” Luong said. “I would rarely take photos with film because I would not have any other access to develop everything without the dark room at school.” He also found that he improved by taking more and more pictures, according to Luong. He takes pictures on his own time and shares them with friends and on social media, Luong said. He posts his pictures on his Instagram account at “ERCLNG,” according to Luong. “I think one of my best pieces is a digital photo of the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand when I visited for spring break vacation [in] 2013,” Luong said. “I hope to return one day to take more photos,” Luong continued.

THE UNION

SPREAD

DECEMBER 2014

Black Friday degrades our Thanksgiving Remember when just two years ago Walmart, Target, Best Buy and other large retailers actually gave good deals for Black Friday? Yeah, so do I, and as the years go on, deals get progressively worse, yet more people continue to line up for what are claimed to be the cheapest prices of the year. As more wealth is injected into society, along with our affinity to purchase items during sales, retailers no longer have an incentive to provide the lowest possible prices on Black Friday. NEAL Due to its assumed BANSAL nature of always having the lowest prices, and the illusion that almost every retailer participates, Black Friday has become more of a tradition than an actual time to save money. This started with the conception of Black Friday, which was a tactic to sell off excess stock while making as much money as possible on items that otherwise would not make any

money. Since it historically has been a time to buy everything you could possibly need for the year; shoes, clothes, electronics, fine china; Black Friday has been engrained into our everyday lives. When did it become a common saying to “just wait for Black Friday”? I sadly do not have an answer to that, but there is no reason why we should continue to line up in the cold night to save an entire $2 on a spatula. In fact, Black Friday is slowly taking over Thanksgiving. A holiday based on giving thanks for what we already own is immediately followed by an unofficial holiday where we fight each other for the best possible deals. In fact, I cannot count how many times people answered “What are you doing on Thanksgiving?” with nothing, because their entire family intended to go shopping. I observed families traveling to a mall as a group, only to immediately split up to cover as much ground as possible. Even though the concept itself is to go shopping for what you need as a family, we cannot even stand

each other to shop with one another. As the deals continue to decrease in quality with more people coming out in force, it only supports the notion that it itself is a holiday. It has gotten to the point where state governments, including that of California, give their employees the day off under the name “the day after Thanksgiving.” When governments themselves support the degradation of Thanksgiving in lieu of Black Friday, there is a clear shift in the attitudes of the public. It was not until 2011 that stores began opening at midnight. Approximately 50 years ago, it was clear that Thanksgiving held a spot dearer to people’s hearts than Black Friday, but now we have gotten to the point where people are leaving family dinners to stand in line. From personal experience, my sisters and their friends left on Thanksgiving day to go shopping, when we were supposed to be spending time together. As long as the current trend holds true, Black Friday shopping will be more of a tradition than an actual time to get good deals.

Abigail Ecal | THE UNION

Out of 1000 total surveys sent out, 576 were received. Students overall were aske

The above information about the comparision of Black Friday sale was taken from Target.com and Walmart.com.

It’s the thought, not the gift, that counts Ah, the holidays. A time for gift-giv- friends, regardless of their intimacy. ing and making merry, a time to catch This also emphasizes the actual gift, up with loved ones and enjoy the and not the thought that went into it. break from school and work. One of Many years ago, this was not the the biggest hurdles we encounter is case. The circles were smaller and the what to get friends and family... and thought really counted in presenting whether they will like the gift. them or not. With the recent surge At school we often see in consumerism, this new gift-giving as an obligagift-giving culture is ramtion, manifested in the pant. Friends no longer limculture we have created it themselves to their close for ourselves. circles. The overall quality Looking around camof the present has been pus just before the holaltered, while the quantiidays, we often see stuty has steadily increased. dents carrying around Gift-giving culture has been presents they will hand changed for the worst. AYSHA out to others. The gifts Consumerism has taught REHMAN range from various handthe new generation of made or store-bought Americans that they must goodies to more elaboengross themselves in prodrate gifts. ucts that fuel the capitalist market. Some students revel in the fact With the surplus of goods to offer, that they have received presents and we are in turn expected to feed other others did not, causing quite a bit consumers as well. of drama in many circles of friends. With this in mind, the gift-giving This forces one to provide for many culture has seen a steady penetra-

tion of consumerist ideals. Receiving presents has become somewhat of an expectation. Giving out presents is perceived as a growing obligation to acknowledge one’s friends, family and acquaintances, to name a few. While we have established a trend of giving small but giving a lot, we have pressured ourselves to take it as an unhealthy obligation upon ourselves. In reality, this entire culture does not need to be seen as a commitment. What we need to bring our focus back to is that you, as an autonomous person, should not have to feel obligated to give these gifts either. Gift-giving should be a choice and a privilage. Next time you give a gift to someone, really put some thought into who you give it to and why. Giving a present to everyone you know isn’t a liability to be fulfilled, it’s about giving the people you care about something memorable. It’s about time we stop fueling this culture and focus on prioritizing our relationships this holiday season.

Out of 1000 total surveys sent out, 576 were received. Students noted down their

SPREAD

DECEMBER 2014

THE UNION

The reality behind holiday consumerism Blind consumerism and shopping worldwide. One of these children is deaths in the holiday season may be Zanga Traore, a 15-year-old boy who upsetting, but the truth is that, as a managed to escape his enslavement culture, we are blind to the worse in the Ivory Coast, where 40% of the events that happen underneath the world’s cocoa beans are made, later surface. International exploitation to be sold as the chocolate we see at and suffering fuel our grubby needs checkout. “If you work slow or refor material goods each fuse to work, they will beat holiday season, and it’s you,” he said in an investime we do something tigation by the BBC. The about it. scars and tears of these A Truth-Out headline children and workers reads: “Sweatshops Don’t may be invisible, yet they Just Happen - They’re a remain on the clothes we Policy.” The article dewear and the goods we buy tails a factory collapse in each holiday. In a BBC investigative Bangladesh that killed more than 1,100 workers report titled “Chocolate: The Bitter Truth,” rea year ago. At the princiSIMEON ple of profit, companies porter Paul Kenyon docuALOJIPAN outsource their labor to ments a 12-year-old slave countries with minimal named Fatao Kwakou labor protections, where from Ghana, who was only workers can go underpaid in horrid able to reunite with his mother due conditions. As a result, the bargain to the BBC exposé. toys, clothes, and goods we purchase Traffickers and companies tear for our kids are made by enslaved families apart and subject them to abusive, overwork, and malnourchildren abroad. For example, The Guardian reports ishment that hasn’t been seen here that GAP was “unaware” that clothsince the 20th century. Western ing for the Christmas market was exploitation has left people abroad sourced on child labor in a sweatshop with no options at all. Under our sysin New Delhi, India. Popular compatem, their only option is to work or nies like GAP ofen resort to denial starve. And so they work, checking in their involvement in human slavoff the boxes on our Christmas wish ery in order to keep up their image. lists. But these are no accidents: In heavy, But why don’t businesses just top-down structured companies, evchange this model? In a profit-drivery detail is settled, every statement en system, the human life is second to money. This principle leads to reviewed. Their denial, combined with our ignorance, peretuates this practices that rely on exploitation of system. the powerless and ignorance. There are currently 27 million In fact, not only are humans exploited, but our environment is as slaves in the world, more than there have been at any time in history, acwell. The Guardian reports that 90 cording to Free the Slaves, an orgacompanies cause a full two-thirds nization dedicated to ending slavery of man-made global warming emis-

sions. Why is it, then, that the individual person is told to live a “green” lifestyle, when the majority of pollution is caused by businesses that exploit the environment and humans? As citizens in a global world, we must connect the dots. We have a duty to minimize our involvement in this immorality. This Christmas, we need to realize that we are in a position of privilege, and we must do our best to learn and spread knowledge of what takes place, as well as to work toward alternative systems that don’t thrive on ignorance and inequality. The more aware we are, the more we are likely to change things. We can only do what minimal things we do now, to learn and spread knowledge, and then organize together to challenge. So opt-out. Support community-based worker cooperatives, where workers themselves manage the conditions for their own work: what they make, who it goes to. Refuse to support companies notoriously fueled on child labor and suffering, such as H&M, Nike, and Walmart. Instead of buying wasteful goods, recycle, buy used, or make. There are countless worker- and cruelty-free brands to buy clothes from. Ethicalconsumer.org and a simple search for ethical fair-trade companies present a wide range of cheaper and cruelty-free options. We must begin to adopt the awareness to first make a difference. That begins with a change of habits. We are part of the world, and we must recognize the plights of people abroad. The consumer is one with the slave. Both are trapped, and both need to be set free.

Abigail Ecal | THE UNION

ed about their preferences on their personal customs when shopping for presents. Aysha Rehman | THE UNION

MHS students work during Black Friday BY DENNY BAO

Abigail Ecal | THE UNION

r number one item on their wishlist. The five items above were the most popular.

Thanksgiving is supposed to be the holiday dedicated to spending time with our families and giving thanks for what we have. In recent years, however, people have started to look forward to the day after: Black Friday, an unofficial holiday known for great deals on store merchandise, long lines, and chaos. Stores have started to open as early as Thanksgiving evening. This trend has prompted students employed by these stores to work during their Thanksgiving breaks. Students, considering their homework, test preparation, and other duties, are busy. After countless days of fulfilling their obligations, they don’t have enough time to spend valuable time with their families. Senior David Nguyen, who works at American Eagle Outfitters in the Great Mall, had to work during Thanksgiving. He worked from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Nguyen said.

Overall, Nguyen considers Black Friday a bad idea. “I mean, Thanksgiving is supposed to be a time for eating with your family,” he said. “Black Friday is a horrible mess because some relatives don’t show up at the table [anymore on Thanksgiving].” Additionally, stores require their workers to work demanding shifts.. Some workers did not get to leave work until the morning. American Eagle Outfitters opened at 5:00 a.m. on Thanksgiving, Nguyen said. However, Nguyen was lucky; he didn’t have to stay up late to work. “I didn’t have to stay up the whole night,” Nguyen said. “However, some people over the age of 18 didn’t get off work until really late. My cousin had to work from 5:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. Senior Kevin Pica, who works at the Great Mall location of GAP, also worked during Thanksgiving. He admitted that his boss didn’t give him a choice. “I don’t like [Black Friday] because it reduces family time,” Pica said.

Since Black Friday started so early, you have less time to spend with your family because you line up early. Some people even line up a week before.” The good deals that stores offer often attract rude customers, Pica said. An alternative to waiting in the long lines, being shoved, and dealing with rampant shoppers is Cyber Monday, which takes place the immediate Monday after Black Friday. This “holiday” attracts buyers who want to get sweet deals online, in the comfort of their homes. “It’s good to go to the store, but you can shop online. You don’t have to worry about the items running out of stock,” Nguyen said. Shoppers who go Black Friday shopping are meaninglessly giving themselves more stress, Pica admitted. The sales at GAP occurred a few days before and after Black Friday, he said. Big sales aren’t only limited to Black Friday, since they are prevalent throughout the entire holiday season.

THE UNION

DECEMBER 2014

LIFESTYLE

College application process made simple BY ANTHONY TSENG

For seniors, college applications are feared and dreaded. You may be done with the University of California and California State University applications, but private school application deadlines are quickly approaching. Here are some tips for applying to colleges, so you can be less stressed out. 1. Research beforehand Start researching different schools and majors so you can start formulating ideas of what you are passionate about and want to pursue. Having clear goals and definite interests will motivate you to work hard on your applications. 2. Don’t procrastinate Seniors should ideally start their applications in August and no later than September, according to Counselor Jenna Evarkiou. A well-written personal statement is not written in a single day; it can take a lot of time to revise each draft to fully flush out your ideas. Procrastina-

tion is deadly and can lead to a weak application. 3. Focus on the present in your essays Students should definitely address the essay prompts. While discussing hardships from your childhood or past is fine, you want to ultimately relate it back to the person you are now and how you have grown, Evarkiou said. Often, students can get sidetracked and focus too much on the past instead of the present. 3. Be organized Have your transcript, test scores, and all your information collected together for easy access. Putting all your extracurricular activities, community service, work experiences, and test scores on a resume allows you to clearly view your own accomplishments. Writing deadlines in a planner or calendar can also be useful. 4. Apply for scholarships & financial aid Whether you are going to a private

or public school, it can definitely be expensive. Applying for scholarships and financial aid can help reduce this financial burden. 5. Proofread and triple check This may seem obvious, but many often fail to check everything on their college applications. Leaving out key information in sections of your college application may lead to the application not being accepted. Ask teachers, family, and counselors to help proofread your essays, because they may be able to spot errors you missed. 6. Talk to your counselor At the end of the day, students only know so much. The Internet and other resources may help you, but they can also make you even more confused. The counselors are experienced and know what they are doing. If you have any questions or need help, make an appointment with your counselor. They are more than willing to help you out and go over your application and essays with you.

THE UNION

FASHION SPOTLIGHT BY JULIA NGUYEN

Fashion is often associated with wearing the latest trends and buying the most “stylish” clothes. However, I believe fashion is about transcending these superficial standards by not conforming but experimenting.

Jennifer Ramirez Junior

Her Fashion Inspir ation: “I get my inspiration from Johnny Rotten and 80s culture.”

Sunglasses from Forever 21 Necklace gifted Long Sleeve gifted Vest from Flea Market

Opinion: Transparent texting eliminates privacy BY AMY NGUYEN

Remember when Facebook first edited its chat settings so that you could see when your friends were typing? Remember how we all freaked out about it? Now there is a new application available for Android users called “Beam Messenger” that allows you to see what your friends are typing as they type it. Creepy. The application allows you to “experience the nuances of having a conversation in real time.” By seeing what your friends are typing as they type them, you can cut them off mid-sentence or comment on

something that you already know about. You see every letter typed, every letter deleted, and every stop-tothink-about-what-to-say-next moment in real time. Though there are upsides to this application such as knowing exactly what someone is thinking when you send them a message given they respond, many are weary about this new method of texting. Apple’s iMessage currently has the ellipses icon that tells you when your friends are typing;. What happens if all texting turns into what Beam is? Transparent texting will allow for

ease in waiting for what someone will say. The application will help your parents see right through your lies about going to “a friend’s house,” and your significant other will see that you are having trouble thinking about what to say next. Beam decreases the privacy of your thoughts while composing a text and will allow the other person to see every mistake you make. What might have seemed like a good idea is kind of scary to think about. Is this the future of texting? If it is, real life conversations are eventually going to dwindle down to thumbs moving at super fast speeds on a miniature computer screen.

Br acelets gifted Bullet Belt gifted

Jeans from Old Navy Slip Ons from Vans

Winter essentials provide style and warmth As we approach the dreaded months of slippery L-building staircases and metal overhangs that still manage to get you wet, known as Winter, it becomes clear that our wardrobes need to be restocked with weather-appropriate pieces.

Christian bui

BY JULIA NGUYEN

Junior

His Fashion Inspir ation: “I would say my style is preppy. I get inspiration from Ezra Koenig who’s lead singer of Vampire Weekend.”

Dress Shirt from J. Crew Julia Nguyen | THE UNION

Julia Nguyen | THE UNION

Chunky Knits: What’s winter without cozy knitted sweaters, socks, or beanies? Knits not only keep you warm but also add texture to your outfit; mix and match chunky knits with different fabrics make your outfits more interesting. Staying comfy and casual is always a must during the colder months.

Platform shoes: Tired of soggy feet after taking a shortcut across the relentless pits of mud, also referred to as The Green? Look no further for the perfect solution: platform shoes. Shoes with even an inch of rubber platform will keep your feet elevated: away from puddles and other rainy day nuisances.

Raincoat: Sporadic, pouring rain epitomizes Californian winter making hooded raincoats a necessity. Although raincoats at most retail stores can be expensive, they are worth the investment; however thrift stores offer some great options that are “broke teenager budget” friendly.

Sweater from Banana Republic Coat from Banana Republic

Messenger Bag from Fjallraven

Quick and easy holiday gifts for the lazy and broke BY TERRA WALLS

The holiday season is around the corner, and with that comes the thought of stressful last-minute shopping and empty wallets. However, not every gift has to break the bank or cause a migraine. Here are some heart warming gifts ideas that cost little to nothing. Give the gift of sound What better way to express your affection than in song? If you can’t find the right words to say, have an artist say it for you. 8Tracks is a great website for digitally creating a playlist full of your favorite tunes. When you’re done, simply email the

link to the playlist to anyone you choose. If you’d like to go a more traditional route, burn them a CD using your iTunes library or Spotify account. When you’re done, pair the CD with a tracklist and present your gift to the lucky person. Give the gift of a full stomach The holiday season is often associated with full stomachs and flavorful desserts. Nothing says “I love you” like warm homemade cookies or pie. Websites like Yummly and HowSweetEats are perfect for scrounging up new and delicious recipes. The holidays also mean time with family, so it’s easy to pull out age-old recipes handed down through gen-

erations. Food is comforting, and it brings memories and feelings reminiscent of home. Give the gift of remembrance For close friends and family members, make a scrapbook. Collect old photos and memorabilia, and compile them into an album full of memories. Old movie stubs, concert tickets, and handwritten notes will come in handy for this gift. This is a great way to bring up happy memories, and it’s timeless. The holidays should be centered around the spirit of giving and togetherness. Putting in time, dedication, and attention shows how much you really care.

Khakis from Globe

Boat Shoes from Steve Madden

ENTERTAINMENT

THe UNION

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FEATURED ARTIST Taylor Phan Senior Ballet

When and why did you start dancing? When I was around 6, my mom thought that I needed a hobby, so she just signed me up at the dance studio that’s down the street from my house.

december 2014

Former MHS student featured on TV show BY AMANDA NGUYEN

Former Milpitas High School student James Beard was featured on a recent episode of the crowd funding show “The Next Big Thing.” Crowd funding utilizes the internet to raise money for projects and start ups through pledges. Beard’s company, “Cruz Ctrl,” specializes in designing an “intelligent” electronic long board. After being featured on the first episode of “The Next Big Thing,” companies like Cruz Ctrl will try to raise $20,000 by using crowd funding and pledges. The show focuses on featuring startups in order to give the public a glance at budding technological innovations. In several videos posted on The Next Big Thing’s YouTube channel, Beard discussed that being an alum-

nus of Milpitas High School shaped him in many ways. “In high school they had an academy and it was either graphical design or engineering. So I went with the academy for engineering,” Beard said. “They did a lot of electrical engineering.” The technology that allowed Beard to fully experiment with design and printing was also made available to him during his time at MHS. “They got a 3D printer,” Beard said. “I got really good at 2D designing and that’s when I stepped up to 3D [designing].” Beard also mentioned that having a group of high school friends that introduced him to long boarding allowed him to develop a sense of his own preferences for boarding. “What I don’t enjoy is walking up

those hills,” Beard said. This idea sparked the development of Beard’s product, which has motorized wheels that are controlled by a glove. “You actually control it by bending your finger,” Beard said. “Going up a hill, you can get up to 20 miles per hour. Going down, you can get about 30 miles per hour.” Cruz Ctrl is targeted towards commuters who use public transportation. It implements features that are designed to lessen the time and physical strain of these commuters on their way to their final destination. “The device features built-in fast charging, regenerative braking, a proximity sensor, front and rear lights, and a phone charger. With a lithium ion battery, it is able to retain charge for up to 90 minutes,” according to Cruz Ctrl’s press releases.

How often do you practice? Along with my two hour dance classes during the week, I have 3 hour rehearsals on Sundays. What do you like about it? I like that when you’re dancing your mind is completely engaged. You are constantly thinking about the next step or two steps ahead of what you’re currently doing. If I ever have a lot of stress in my life, I can go to dance and forget about all of that. How long have you been dancing? I’ve been dancing for a total of 11 years now. I started with tap, jazz, hip hop and lyrical. When I was 11 my mom suddenly signed me up for ballet. I was really unhappy about that, but I eventually came to love it and started to only take ballet classes. What is your most memorable moment?

Courtesy of Taylor Phan

Senior Taylor Phan (front) dances in her studio’s production of “Cinderella.”

My most memorable moment is my first solo en pointe freshman year. When I first learned that solo I would keep falling down, but eventually I could dance the solo all the way through without messing up. On the day of the recital I was so nervous that I felt nauseous the whole day. During the performance I make quite a few mistakes, but I was really proud of all the progress I had made that so far. Without that solo, I really don’t think I would be the dancer that I am today.

Courtesy of Thehungergamesexplorer.com

Pictured above is Katniss Everdeen, played by Actress Jennifer Lawrence (right), and Gale Hawthorne, played by Actor Liam Hemsworth. Panem is engaged in a civil war. In this scene, the Capitol bombs District 8’s hospital.

'Mockingjay – Part 1' generates suspense

RATING (out of five) BY MICHELLE HUANG

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“Mockingjay – Part 1” introduces a different side of the trilogy not found in previous installments. Instead of teenagers battling each other for victory within a small enclosed arena, the story now expands to encompass all of Panem. A significant portion of the movie is spent in the underground covers of District 13. Between the training and political scenes are brief intercessions of war that display the horrors of battle. From dying soldiers to rotting carcasses, the movie works hard to bring home the reality of the situation. I was pleasantly surprised by the political aspect of the film. The movie really emphasizes Katniss' role as a symbol of hope to the people of Panem.

Given the excellent showcase of "realistic" and impactful experience. acting talent in the first two films, it One of the few plot deviations was no surprise that “Mockingjay from the book was the addition of – Part 1” carried on with the legacy. Effie Trinket to the plot of the movie. Actress Jennifer Lawrence takes Previously Katniss' escort for the the original Katniss character and games, she makes a statement by elevates it. Her strong emotions and converting to the rebel side. Her independent nature are further presence provides a bubble of developed in this installment. comedic relief in an otherwise The movie also does a good serious and somber film. job highlighting the role of My greatest gripe is that th MOVIE movie was split into two films Plutarch Heavensbee, played REVIEW when it would have fared better by late actor Philip Seymour Hoffman. The film doubles as one. The reason for this was as a tribute to his acting skills and of course financial benefit, and it is a features Hoffman at his best. fate that has befallen many popular In comparison to the first two films, novel-made-movie-series. this movie was more emotionally Due to the split, Part 1 felt more binding than the others. Although it like a preparation for the second half lacks in the romantic sector, a huge than a movie on its own. The movie portion of the plot focuses on the also lacked the satisfying conclusion drama and angst of the war and the that many audience members were sacrifices behind it. The film ties expecting. For now, all we can do is together elements of media, tyranny, live in suspense until the release of and public influence to create a more Part 2 next year.

Last season of ‘White Collar’ mesmerizing RATING (out of five) BY AKSHAT DAS

“White Collar” has consistently been one of the most watched television shows on the USA network. At the conclusion of season 5, USA made an announcement that shocked “White Collar” fans across the globe: season 6 would be the last season of the series, and would only last six episodes. Why would a network willingly end one of its’ strongest performing shows with a shortened season? At the end of season 5, we were left in somewhat of a quandary as Neal Caffrey, portrayed by Matt Bomer, had his tracking anklet cut and was

kidnapped. With such a massive sonal interactions which attracted us cliffhanger looming over our heads, to the show in the first place, but was USA’s announcement became even also able to develop the plot so meticulously and quickly, without it more confusing, as there would seeming forced. simply be no way that six episodes could explain the kidnapAt the halfway point of the ping and sufficiently develop season, the thought of only beTV-SERIES ing able to see Matt Bomer in the plot. REVIEW three more episodes has begun When I sat down to watch the sinking in. Regardless, the qualfirst episode of season 6, I didn’t have high expectations, as it would ity with which the show is setting itsimply be impossible to cram all the self up for its conclusion is truly mesnecessary details into six episodes. At merizing. At the end of the day, rather than the conclusion of the first episode, all I could think of was how brilliantly see “White Collar” die a slow death, the chemistry between Mozzie, Neal, I’m glad the show is going to go out and Peter Burke was highlighted. Jeff with a bang and preserve its legacy. Eastin, to my utter amazement, was However, I will seriously miss seeing not only able to portray the interper- Matt Bomer on a weekly basis.

dEcEmbEr 2014

ENTERTAINMENT

THE UNION

‘Smash’ a smashing success acters have four special abilities that each have two other variants that a player can unlock and use. PlayBY ANDREW LUU ers also have the ability to customThe release of the new Super ize stats of characters by unlocking Smash Bros. for Wii U has been long items. The new feature brings an interesting dynamic, creating flavorful anticipated by many Super Smash matches and many more skill-intenBrawl and Super Smash Melee players since it was announced in 2011 at sive decisions. the Electronic Entertainment Expo. Speaking of competitiveness, the Nintendo has really outdone itself Wii U supports online matches with with this game, surpassing many exother Wii U players, and this system pectations that have been leading up constantly changes according to certain problems/issues creating a to the Wii U release. balanced environment for hardThe game was released on Nov core gamers. Nintendo opened 21., a big weekend for Nintendo its ear to public input in an effort fans. On Black Friday, the deal GAME to prevent abusive mechanics on Wii U bundles sold out withREVIEW from thriving at both competiin hours. tive and casual play. Super Smash Bros. for Wii A new mode called Smash Tour U features many new additions to puts two to four players on a board to game play and the overall experience duke it out in Smash fights as well as of “smash.” Up to eight people can rolling dice to move toward objective play at once in a game mode called goals such as collecting fighters and “8 Player Smash.” Cramming eight stat boosts. players into one fight map creates a Super Smash Bros. for Wii U has beautiful mixture of colors, explosions, and Kos, and more imporexceeded my expectations. Ultimately, not having a storyline for the game tantly, no one can really see what is was a letdown and left the game lackgoing with all the simultaneous maying a real connection between charhem happening. acters. The many modes of this game A new addition to the Super Smash will leave you playing for hours with series is the ability to customize new mechanics to explore. fighters to a player’s taste. All charRATING (out of five)

Aysha Rehman | The UNION

Senior Tina Nguyen as Olympian Muse Clio (left) and Senior Alex Driggers as Sonny Malone in the MHS fall musical “XANADU.” Pictured above is the scene in which Sonny wishes to procure the run-down, dusty XANADU theater.

‘XANADU’ a worthwhile experience, fun to watch ‘Jay’ Vinluan and Sophomore Ca-Zao Bui were also suited for their roles as Clio’s jealous sisters Melpomene and BY AYSHA REHMAN Calliope ,who try to foil Clio and Son“XANADU,” a mix of mytholny’s plans. ogy, roller disco, leg warmers, The random moments of humor interwoven with the plot of and a whole lot of 80s throwbacks, appealed to the audience play gave the audience some PLAY the with its humorous dialogue and comic relief from the drama at REVIEW hand. Drigger’s and Nguyen’s flashy colors. Sonny Malone (played by Senior Alex Driggers) chemistry on stage was also on is an artist who dreams of opening his point, giving off the feeling of a genown roller disco. Clio, an Olympian uine connection between the two Muse, is in search of the mysterious characters. In my opinion, some of the best XANADU revealed to her by Zeus, pieces that were performed were king of the gods. Senior Tina Nguyen, who played “Whenever You’re Away From Me,” Clio, fits perfectly as the lead female and “Magic.” In the case of “Whenrole with her strong vocals. Alex ever You’re Away From Me”, the Driggers cast as the male lead fit well band playing stage right played well, as Sonny, especially with his genu- and along with Nguyen’s and Senior ine love for art, however his vocals Simeon Alojipan’s (who played Danwent a bit deeper than Sonny’s voice ny McGuire) killer duet, provided a should have been. Junior Jeronica classy, jazzy piece. RATING (out of five)

Despite the fact that there were some amazing performances, I felt that a couple of pieces in the beginning such as “I’m Alive” lacked the energy of later performances. Also, on opening night, it was difficult for people sitting near the back to properly hear the cast members at times due to technical issues involving the sound. Furthermore, the beginning of the second act started abruptly, posing as an issue because of the lack of flow and the out of sync playing of the band. After the first song in act two, the musical regained it’s poppy 80s overtone and the cast finished up the play with a respectable finale. Despite its technical flaws, “XANADU” was fun to watch with its energy and humor. If you can handle a blast from the past and romance, “XANADU” is sure to provide a worthwhile viewing experience.

Courtesy of Huffingtonpost.com

Stephen Hawking, a postgraduate student at Cambridge, played by Eddie Redmayne (right), and Jane Wilde, played by Felicity Jones meet at a New Year’s party. They bond over their passions for time travel and soon fall in love.

‘The Theory of Everything’ entertaining

which would take over his movement and lead to his paralysis. He is given no more than two years to live, BY AMY NGUYEN but Hawking perseveres in his stud“The Theory of Everything,” ies about time and black holes. Though Wilde’s religious which was released in theaters views greatly oppose Hawking’s Nov. 7, 2014, tells the story of scientific interests, Wilde stays Stephen Hawking, played by MOVIE by his side. Hawking and Wilde Eddie Redmayne, and his first REVIEW go on to have three children wife Jane Wilde, played by Felicity Jones. Half biopic, half and Hawking is recognized as love story, “The Theory of Everya genius. Their relationship goes thing” is both entertaining and in- through a bump in the road when sightful. Wilde grows fond of church choir Based on Jane Wilde’s non-fiction director Jonathan Hellyer Jones, book, “Traveling to Infinity: My played by Charlie Cox, and Hawking Life with Stephen,” the movie dives bonds with his nurse Elaine Mason, straight into Hawking’s postgrad- played by Maxine Peake. uate life at Cambridge University, Redmayne does a wonderful job where he meets Wilde at a party and portraying Hawking both physically soon falls in love. Hawking, however, and emotionally. Viewers get a sense suffers from a motor neuron disease, of aloofness, stubbornness, and RATING (out of five)

lots of wit from Redmayne’s acting. Jones does an equally good job as she expresses Wilde’s strong character as well as her inner struggles. Performances by supporting characters also added to the film. David Thewlis, who played one of Hawking’s professors, and Emma Watson, who played Wilde’s mother, both did very well although they had little screen time. The work by Cox and Peake added personality and helped advance the plot. The 123-minute movie was interesting to say the least and definitely tied Hawking’s illness to his successes. It is quite the movie to catch with someone of interest, as it is a love story that includes universal relationship issues rather than placing a magnifying glass on the details of Hawking and Wilde.

MUSIC REVIEWS

TALKING IS HARD by Walk the Moon Alternative RATING (out of five)

NO REASON EP by Girrafage Electronic RATING (out of five)

BY ASHLEY RICKS

BY JULIA NGUYEN

Walk the Moon upholds their history of energizing guitar riffs and catchy song lyrics that exude the band’s trademark verve in their third album, “Talking Is Hard.” Echoes of their familiar organic tones are woven throughout the album, along with 80’s pop influences. “Different Colors” is an anthem for youth empowerment, which is an overarching theme in the album, also reflected in “We Are the Kids” and “Down In the Dumps.” The tracklist is packed with vibrant tunes that cater to the band’s enthusiastic live performances. If you were hoping to see more of the band’s soft side, you’re out of luck. The most subdued songs on the album are “Aquaman” and “Come Under the Covers,” which are, arguably, not gentle or moderate at all. The nostalgia of summer will wash over you as you progress through this lighthearted album. Those who enjoy other bands that dominate the indie rock/pop scene, such as Magic Man and The Colourist, will find this album gratifying.

The electronic dance music genre is growing exponentially in the Bay Area, with a multitude of young, selftaught artists becoming popular from their bedroom studios. However, before you dismiss Giraffage as another artist who deems twenty minutes filled with cliché beat drops and rapid clapping as an EP, listen to his latest release, “No Reason.” This 5-track mini album begins with the most upbeat song, “Hello.” In this aptly titled track, Giraffage samples sounds relating to phone calls, incorporating these cacophonies into a melodic, catchy loop. Like every anthology, this EP has it’s low points as well. The track “Anxiety” begins with a rather generic and indifferentiable introduction. Overall, the track serves as a disruption of the more danceable, upbeat tracks. Thankfully, this EP ends on a high note with the track “Be With You.” The song blends smoothly with the rest of the album, and with its various paces and pitches, it serves as a satisfying ending to a diverse collection of tracks.

THE UNION

SPORTS

DECEMBER 2014

Tain, Buchanan compete at CCS;

first time for Tennis in three years BY AMANDA NGUYEN

courtesy of Neil Laxamana

The MHS Varsity and JV Cheerleaders pose during Senior Night. The game was against Los Gatos High School and resulted in a 27-21 victory. They will continue to cheer throughout the basketball season at home games.

Cheerleading intense; fosters camaraderie BY KRUPA PATEL

You might have seen them around campus in their uniforms or yelling and performing intense physical activity during football and basketball games. That’s right, they are our very own MHS cheerleaders. Just like other sports on campus, cheerleaders spend a great amount of time practicing stunts, according to Varsity Captain Lynette Berger. Their goal is to engage the audience and encourage their school’s teams., Berger said. MHS cheerleaders cheer at all football games and home basketball games. At MHS, cheerleading is considered a club; however, Berger thinks otherwise. Cheerleaders are expected to at-

tend all practices, maintain their grades, and participate in other activities that athletes do, according to Berger. Coach Caseara Martinez, Coach Jennifer Garcia, and Advisor Annette Rodarte teach, supervise, and schedule practices for the team. There are currently 27 girls on the cheer leading team with 16 on Varsity and 11 on Junior Varsity (JV), Berger said. Among these cheerleaders, there are three captains, two for Varsity and one for JV, Berger continued. The positions on the cheer leading team include flyers, backspots, and bases, Berger said. Flyers are the ones in the air; bases lift on the sides and hold the feet. Backspots support and mostly life in the back. At the end of the season, the team

puts on a showcase. Last year, this event was held in the large gym, Berger said. The event is open to everyone. Berger hopes that the event will grow to include other schools, since the showcase is a new idea that they just recently started. “I’ve cheered since I was five and I fell in love with it, so I guess I’ve always wanted to do cheer in high school,” Berger said. Junior Crystal Senados joined the team for the first time this year. She has already left many memories in her high school experience, Senados said. “One memory that I’ll never forget is at cheer camp,” Senados said. “That is the day that we really became a team and bonded to one another.”

The Girls Varsity Tennis Team qualified for the Central Coast Section tournament this year, according to Senior Cheryl Tain. The team had not qualified for the past three years, Tain said. Tain and her partner, Senior Kristen Buchanan, participated in the CCS tournament. Their victory at the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League tournament led to their qualification. Tain and Buchanan were able to accomplish this through a different coaching method which helped them hone their skills and versatility. “Our coach had us play with different members of our team more than other years,” Buchanan said. “It really helped improve our games individually.” Tain also noted that this helped her develop a more advantageous approach when playing games. “We were able to focus on improving our weaknesses as well as develop a better strategy to target the weakness of our opponents,” Tain said. After playing with several other teammates, Tain, who played Doubles One, and Buchanan who played

Singles One, were paired up to play doubles together. “We had never played together before so it was kind of like a trial experience,” Buchanan said. The two made a good team, according to Buchanan. “Cheryl is normally a doubles player,” Buchanan said. “She’s had more experience playing up at the net so she’s great at covering that position whereas I’m usually comfortable at the baseline.” “Kristen has amazing ground strokes ,” Tain said. “It gives me a nice setup to end the point with a volley.” “We played our first round against Salinas and we won,” said Tain, “Then we played our second round against the number one seeded Saint Francis and lost.” Nonetheless, the season was memorable, according to Buchanan. “I learned that by overcoming the difficulties that challenged me I could become a better player and teammate,” Buchanan said. “I learned from the mistakes made in the past and fixed them for the future.” “My favorite memory of this season was being so close to every player on the team,” Buchanan said.

courtesy of Kimberly Dinh

Junior Kimberly Dinh practices a sidekick for Tae Kwon Do. She has a second degree black belt in the sport and has been involved for seven years.

Martial Arts common among students; requires time, focus BY IVY NGUYEN

A surprising number of MHS students have been participating in Martial Arts, according to Junior Kimberly Dinh. The sport serves as a great way to release high school induced stress, Dinh said. Dinh started her training and lifelong involvement with martial arts at a young age and at her parent’s request. She trains at the Hung Vuong Institute as a second degree black belt and has worked tirelessly to earn it, Dinh said. “I was nine and my parents forced me into it, but I later developed a passion for Tae Kwon Do,” Dinh said. “It’s a really big hobby that I invest tons of time into, and I’ll most likely end up doing it in college too.” Junior Tayler Fay has a third degree black belt and sees her passion as more than a hobby. She hopes to pursue a career in the field by opening a studio and teaching there, Fay said. “I train at the West Coast World Martial Arts Association where we focus on a variety of martial arts including: kick boxing, judo, karate etc.,” Fay said. “To me martial arts is more than just a passion; it’s a huge

part of my life.” Fay’s fellow student, Junior Nick Cuyugan attests to the vigorous training and time invested in their passion, and is aiming for his first degree black belt , Cuyugan said. “As far as practice times, classes are pretty much everyday, so I’m there pretty much all the time,” Cuyugan said. Martial arts can teach you a lot about yourself since it becomes a big part of your life, according to Junior Ricky Hua, a black belt studying at Blue Dragon Tae Kwon Do Academy. Much of what he learns is reflected by the younger children he teaches at his school, Hua continued. “Martial arts is not only kicking and punching; it shows you how you need to really focus and concentrate,” Hua said. “There’s a lot of mental preparation and maturity needed.” According to Sophomore Jeannette Mai, the bonds she has formed with others are enjoyable aspects of the demanding pastime. “I love how all of us are having fun, working out and actually learning something useful at the same time,” Mai said.

DECEMBER 2014

THE UNION

NEWS

T HE U NION

DECEMBER 2014

Awards rally facing revisions BY CHRISTINA LUO

Apollo Awards and Trojan Access Cards will not return in the same capacity as previous years, according to Principal Cheryl Lawton. One reason is the change from STAR Testing to Common Core, Lawton said. Apollo Awards and Trojan Access cards were based on the state testing scores, Assistant Principal Cheryl Rivera said. However, the new Smarter Balance test was introduced last year and did not have specific scores as the CSTs did, according to Rivera. “The purpose of Apollo Awards was to recognize students for their academic achievement,” Rivera said. “But the same students kept receiving the awards because they were just good at testing.” Student recognition should go beyond the highest Grade Point Averages, according to Lawton. The school should also commend students that are just great people, Lawton said. “We don’t want to stop the awards,” Lawton said. “We just wanna figure out a different way to do it.” The subjects tested on the CSTs were Social Science, Math, Science, and English, according to Rivera. The underrepresented group such as EL, African American, Latino students were also not acknowledged, Rivera added.

“Some kids are never recognized for anything,” Rivera said. “They graduate from high school and because they weren’t the top student or the student that shined as an athlete. They are just there. We thought that was wrong.” Administration is working with ASB on planning the new awards system for students, according to Lawton. The administration is open to suggestions on how to run it, Lawton added. “I’d rather get direction from the students,” Lawton said. “I don’t think it’s administration’s place to decide what people want.” It took three years for students to buy into the idea of Trojan Access cards, according to Activities Director Joanna Butcher. It takes a couple of years to implement anything, Butcher added. Apollo Awards is a good idea, however, the execution can be improved, according to Social Studies Teacher Lauren Byler. Making the awards ceremony into a rally resides negatively with a lot of people, Byler said. “Maybe it should be an actual award ceremony that we have in the evening like Senior Awards,” Byler said. “Nothing has been specifically set,” Lawton said. “Probably when we come back from Winter Break is when we will set something up.”

College courses to be added BY WEE JIN KOH

A campus for Evergreen Valley College will be built across the street from MHS, according to Principal Cheryl Lawton. The campus is predicted to be completed between 2017 and 2018, Lawton said. Different parties related to this project will meet in January, Lawton said. Initial plans and designs will be discussed at the meeting, Lawton continued. “We will have people from the district and Evergreen Valley, as well as architects there [at the meeting],” Lawton said. “It will probably be a six month process before we actually determine a plan.” The campus will be built on grounds that are part of Thomas Russell Middle School, Lawton said. The open space next to the soccer fields will be used, according to Lawton. “Once they open the college campus across the street, we will be able to send a couple hundred students there for classes, Lawton said. “They are looking at 10 to 12 classrooms [being built] there, so 300 to 400 students will be able to be off campus at any given point during the day.”

There are several issues with the campus that the parties will discuss at the meetings, Lawton said. Safety of students is one of the concerns, Lawton continued. “Technically, they are college classes, so they have to be open to the general populace,” Lawton said. “It’s a security issue to basically have adults on a middle school campus.” While it is open to the public, Lawton said that the school will probably fill these classes with MHS students first. “A lot of high schools have Middle College Programs with community colleges where they will send students to the college campus for 11th and 12th grade,” Lawton said. “They take all their classes at the college campus, including their English and history classes.” “[These programs are] taught by teachers that work for the school district,” Lawton continued. “Students get high school credit for their humanities classes and high school and college credit for the other classes.” “The campus will not be a middle college,” Lawton said. “It’s going to be open to everybody that wants to take classes there.”

Akshat Das | THE UNION

New diving blocks were installed for use in all swim events. The rails are used to start backstroke events and the platforms are used to start other swim events. The P.E. curriculum will also integrate the usage of diving blocks.

Swimming incorporated into PE curriculum FROM PAGE 1

and respond to ill or injured swimmers in water or on land. “This is is a required certification for all USA swimming, CCS, and YMCA coaches,” Frascone said. “Participants must take a written test online prior to the skills session in the pool which covers water rescue skills for spinal and non-spinal injury victims.” The teachers will not be certified as lifeguards, but they will have extensive training with regard to supervision and safety of students in the pool, Frascone said. “We will have two lifeguards on duty at all times with the teacher,” Rivera said. “There will be three adults or four if there are two classes out there at a time.” “Lifeguards are the eyes and the ears of all activity,” Rivera said. “[The P.E. teachers] are not specifically there to be lifeguards, they are there to teach the water skills.” The only people that are going to be using the pool for now are the classes and the swim team, Rivera said. The conversation as to who can use the pool and when is not closed, Rivera added. The teachers and administration just haven’t come to that road yet. If other agencies want to use the pool, they’ll have to rent it, according to Lawton. “Right now, it’s just a school district pool,” Lawton said. “The city did not actually participate in any of the funding. I think the initial plan was to try to get them to pay for part of it so it could be used for the general public.” “There are gates around the pool and not everyone has a key to get in

Neal Bansal | THE UNION

The Senior Glen became waterlogged on Dec. 1. Several tiny ponds were scattered around campus between Dec. 1 and Dec. 4, due to heavy rain.

New lockers were built along with the pool. “There are some things missing like hair dryers, things that we as females kind of need,” Rivera said. “And so we’re working on getting that. They’re also looking at getting a swimsuit wringer. That’s something that we didn’t have before.” There seems to be some concern about the fact that people can see right into the pool since there is no netting to distract them, according to Rivera. “It’ll be great to have our swim team practice and compete in a state of the art pool,” Rivera said. “And it adds another element to what we can offer as an elective, swimming.” “I think there’s talk of a Water Polo team and I guess they had that way before I was here, and they already have the equipment for that,” Rivera said. There are no developments on Water Polo at this time, Athletic Director Jeffrey Lamb said. However, the plan is to have Water Polo at MHS next year, Lamb added.

Akshat Das | THE UNION

The close proximity of the pool provides a scenic view of MHS’s campus. The infinity design allows the water’s surface to be level with the concrete.

Winter Ball off campus; ‘spreads out dances’ BY RUTH PARK

EYE ON CAMPUS

and out,” Rivera said. “I know we are putting up a number of cameras around the school in areas that we need them, so the pool is part of that whole process.” Right now the only staff members that will have keys will be the person who does the pool’s maintenance, P.E. staff, and administration, Rivera said. Currently, there are people coming in from the outside doing the maintenance, but there will be a custodian trained on campus to to keep the levels of the pool accurate, according to Rivera. “The swimmers don’t have to worry about the heater being broken, our school gets to hold meets, and the water is cleaner than the old pool,” Varsity Swimmer Tiffany Tran said. “I guess a disadvantage with the new pool is that we have to clean up after other teams since we’re holding meets this year.” There is also a warm-up pool this year that is used by swimmers to cool down after their sets and practices, Tran added.

Winter Ball will be off campus in February, according to Sophomore Class President Alec Li. It is usually held in the MHS gymnasium in December, Li said. The timing of Winter Ball switched with Sadie Hawkins this school year, according to Li. Several factors contributed to the change, Li continued. “It was decided that this year, Winter Ball was to be held off-campus, at the Corinthian Center in Downtown San Jose,” Li said via an online interview. “As the demands increased for the venue use by other people and companies around this holiday season, the price would go up for us to rent the venue.” Sadie Hawkins moved because of time conflicts, according to Junior Class Vice President Ada Lee. The Junior Class Officers plan Sadie Hawkins, Junior-Senior Prom, and a portion of Trojan Olympics (TO), Lee said. “Sadie’s was in February, and TO was in March. At the same time, we have to plan for prom starting in January,” Lee said. “We moved Sadie’s so

that we didn’t have to plan everything at once.” Having Winter Ball in February allows underclassmen to attend a final formal dance, according to Lee. It also is cheaper to find an off campus venue away from the Christmas season, when many companies have holiday parties, Lee said. “Sadies is more of a casual dance, so it’s nice for underclassmen to dress up one last time towards the end of the year,” Lee said. “It spreads out our formal dances better because then underclassmen wouldn’t get to go to a formal dance during second semester.” Winter Ball ticket prices will be more expensive than before, according to Li. The ticket money mostly covers the venue cost, Li said. “The starting price should be around $25 to $30 during the blowout sale,” Li said. “The increased cost also covers a sundae bar, chocolate fountain, and unlimited soft drinks for each attendee.” The blowout sale is expected to be on Jan. 14, according to Li. The theme will be “A Whole New World,” Li said. Off-campus dances require addi-

tional paperwork that on campus dances do not have, according to Principal Cheryl Lawton. It is similar to filling out a field-trip form, Lawton said. “I sign off an activity request form for the off-campus dances,” Lawton said. “If the dance is more than 50 miles away, then it has to go through the school board.” Having dances away from school allows students to experience the environment outside of school, Lawton said. Security will not be much different from on campus dances, Lawton continued. “Students are expected to stay the whole time, and if they want to leave, we need parent verification,” Lawton said. Administration and faculty members chaperone all dances, according to Lawton. The chaperones will be stationed at the exits to ensure that nobody tries to sneak off, Lawton said. “Teachers must fulfill a certain number of supervision hours each year,” Lawton said. “[Shifts] are assigned at the beginning of the year to certain events.”