Issue #7 — The Prospector — 2012-13

F RI DAY, M A RC H 29, 2013

The ProsPecTorStudent Newspaper of Cupertino High School 10100 FINCH AVENUE, CUPERTINO, CA 95014VOLUME 54 NO. 7 CHSPROSPECTOR.ORG

FAMILYFRIENDSHEALTH

FAIR WAGESlife

CLEAN CONDITIONS

Alumnus Kurt Rambis interview

Protests againstmajor retailers

A lifein the

military

Keeping the United States out

of Syria

SPORTSpage 10

LIFESTYLESpage 9

FEATURESpages 6 & 7

OPINIONSpage 5

In the wake of Iran’s nu-clear progress, President Obama has been traveling across the Middle East, first stopping in Israel to de-liver a speech in which he encouraged Israeli youth to empathize with their Palestinian neighbors.

Former U.S. army officer Benjamin Bishop was ar-rested on Friday, March 15, after he was accused of leaking U.S. military and nuclear weapon secrets to China via his girlfriend.

Cardinal Jorge Mario Ber-golio of Argentina, now known as Pope Francis, was officially inaugurated on Tuesday, March 19, becoming the first Latin American and Jesuit Pope.

On Wednesday, March 20, a suspected cyber at-tack hit nine broadcasting companies and banks in South Korea.

Accused of genocide dur-ing the 1970s and 80s, former Guatemalan dicta-tor Efrain Rios Montt has gone on trial in Guatemala City. He is the first former president to face a nation-al court.

On Tuesday, March 19, two high school football players from Steubenville, Ohio were found guilty and sentenced to one and two years, respectively, of juvenile jail for their rape of a 16-year-old girl.

In Pakistan, 11 children ranging in age from 10 to 16 were accused of ter-rorism for attempting to make homemade explo-sives and were arrested on Wednesday, March 20.

An earthquake hit Hual-ien, Taiwan on Wednesday, March 27, shaking build-ings with a magnitude of 6.0 and severely injuring at least 20 people.

On Wednesday, March 27, U.S. Senator John Mc-Cain and three other sena-tors witnessed a woman illegally hop over the 18-foot fence along the bor-der of Nogalas, Arizona.

News briefs

COMPILED BY MICHELLE CHEUNG

How new health-care affects students

In West Side Story, the spring musical produc-tion by the drama department, three staff members, Gregg Buie, Sean Bui and Lynn Chen, were given the part of Glad Hand, a chaperone at a dance that the musical’s rival gangs, the Jets and the Sharks, attend. Although they had a small role compared to those of the majority of the student actors, they were still required to put in lots of effort in learn-ing their part and studying their roles. One teacher was required to come to every rehearsal, so the three teachers rotated turns to practice blocking,

In 2008, then-presidential candidate Barack Obama ran on a platform of sweeping health care reform, promising to accomplish what many past presidents had tried and failed to do. Though oppo-sition was harsh, the landmark Affordable Care Act — referred to by some as “Obamacare” — passed in

A recent increase in locker room thefts has led to the implementation of new restrictions for P.E. stu-dents on campus. Over the course of the last month, numerous students have reported items stolen from the girls’ locker room, including large sums of money, iPhones, gift cards, clothes and chewing gum. In an effort to stop the problem, the administration decid-ed to instate several locker room safety precautions and rules.

Said Assistant Principal Cathleen Farrell, “We’re making sure that the teachers double check to see that everyone is cleared out of the locker room and that the locker room is not opened early for any stu-dent to get into until a female P.E. teacher is actually in there to supervise.”

Other restrictions placed on students as a result of this new policy are the shorter changing release

times and closure the locker rooms during brunch and lunch. P.E. Total Fitness teacher James Gilmore disagrees with the fairness of the measures towards the students in his classes.

“I don’t think that this is the correct change,” Gilmore said. “The tardiness of students as well as other repercussions of these new policies make the students inconvenienced until the thief is caught.”

While these regulations are a valiant attempt to catch thieves and reduce the theft level, according to sophomore students Hannah Southerland and Lyn Bafour, students’ belongings are still being reported missing and P.E. students are becoming increasingly disgruntled at the length and extent of the changes.

“A couple days ago, my P.E. Total Fitness class was still outside, waiting for the locker rooms to be opened when the bell rang for lunch,” Southerland said. “It’s a major inconvenience. I understand the need for these measures, but honestly, it’s affecting everyone negatively and unfairly.”

More and more students are forced to arrive late to subsequent classes without tardy passes, causing a widespread feeling of dislike for the policies from students and teachers alike.

“We’re only given three minutes to change, and we’re freezing outside until the locker rooms are open, because we have to get out of the pool,” Bafour said. “Then we have to be late when we go into class, and when teachers ask for a late pass or an explana-tion, all we can say is ‘Some kid stole stuff, it’s a long story.’”

Although P.E. Total Fitness classes, comprised mostly of sophomore and junior girls, are affected most severely by the thefts and the new changes, even freshmen students like Stephanie Shi have noticed the changes.

“I’m really paranoid about keeping my [belong-ings] in my P.E. locker now,” Shi said. “I just feel that we have to be more careful about bringing stuff to school.”

JESSICA SHINflip side assistant

VINITRA SWAMYnews assistant

GREGG BUIE IN WEST SIDE STORY| Guidance Counselor Gregg Buie’s perfromance during opening night

VINITRA SWAMYlifestyles assistant

YOUSEPH PAVLOVIClifestyles assistant

Teachers perform in West Side Story

Teachers perform alongside students in play cont. page 2

Students express frustration at new locker room policy cont. page 2

Healthcare cont. page 2

Locker thefts lead to new P. E. policies

“Before, it wasn’t that bad. You only hear about it occasionally. Now, it could happen to anyone.”

- Freshman Stephanie Shi

JESSE ZHOU

JASON CHEN

2 The ProspectorNews March 29, 2013

Cupertino High SchoolEstablished 1958

Vol LIV, No. VII | 2013

editors-in-chiefazadeh rongere

jesse zhou

news editorchris yoon

opinions editornikhil kanthi

features editorlaura kao

lifestyles editornatasha sharma

sports editorabhishek zaveri

flip side editormichelle cheung

copy editorsalya omar

anand hemmadykatie martinvictoria duan

photo editorjason chen

business managerkevin chu

news assistants

opinionsassistants

featuresassistants

lifestyles assistants

sportsassistants

flip sideassistant

photo crew

diana kruzmanvinitra swamymichael li

trinia bhattaraichris cai

ashley liukeely zhangkevin chu

thu damyouseph pavlovic

nirmit shahtanay tandon

jessica shin

nirmit shahthu damjessica shin

adviserann peck

Editorial Policy“The Prospector” is an open fo-

rum of expression for student editors to inform and educate their readers. It will not be reviewed by or restrained by school officials prior to publication or distribution. Advisors may and should coach and discuss content during the writing process.

The staff of “The Prospector” seeks to recognize individuals, events and ideas and bring news to the Cu-pertino community in an accurate, pro-fessional and unbiased manner. “The Prospector” will not avoid publishing a story solely on the basis of possible dissent or controversy.

If you believe an error has been made or wish to have your opinion expressed in “The Prospector,” please contact us via mail or email. Letters sent become the sole property of “The Prospector” and can be edited for length, clarity or accuracy.

“The Prospector” editorial board reserves the right to accept or reject any ad in accordance with its advertis-ing policy.

Contact UsThe Prospector10100 Finch AvenueCupertino, CA [email protected]

The ProsPecTor

S TA F F2 0 1 2 - 2 0 1 3

March 2010. Many of the reforms in-cluded in the bill affect a young demo-graphic and are being put into effect in the coming months.

On Jan. 1, 2013, Medicaid, the government-funded healthcare pro-gram for low-income individuals and families, began the process of expand-ing coverage and benefits. The transi-tion, which will be completed in 2014, aims to cover more families and pro-vide more comprehensive healthcare benefits to members of the program.

While several students at this school have spent extended periods of time in the hospital, few have had as much experience with the nation’s healthcare system as osteosarcoma bone cancer survivor Sally Green (her real name has been retained for ano-nymity).

“It’s really hard to say exactly what you feel, because everyone deals with going to the hospital differently,” Green said. “Being a teenager [with cancer], no one really understood what I was going through. As a teen-ager, you’re obviously going through insecurities and you’re worried about school and college in the future ... I didn’t really think it was going to turn out so well.”

Effective Oct. 1, 2013, insurance companies will be mandated to com-ply with new transparency and open competition laws. The goal of these laws is to make the process of choosing between insurance plans simpler for consumers like Green and her family.

“I was fortunate enough that my parents could pay for all of my treat-ments, but there are some families out there whose children are going through diseases who need that sup-port and don’t have access to it,” Green said. “I would see little babies getting chemotherapy whose families couldn’t afford the full treatment, and that just broke my heart. If a program like Obamacare can help people like them, I completely support it.”

Perhaps most relevant to the student population is the provision allowing young adults to remain un-der their parents’ health care plans until they turn 26 — two years longer than the old law permitted. A govern-ment study published by the Com-monwealth Fund estimates that 6.6 million young adults will stay insured because of this new plan. For many, this means not having to worry about finding health coverage while in the midst of the transition from college to the workforce. For Green, insurance meant that her parents would not have to carry the heavy burden of almost a year in the hospital, as well as her vari-ous treatments.

“Insurance helped us cover all the medical bills, because I had surgeries, x-rays and CT scans which were all expensive and all cost a lot of money,” Green said. “Insurance really [helped] my parents afford all of my treatments.”

After almost a year of treatment, Green made a full recovery; her story, however, speaks to the state of health care in the country today. Green hopes that her story will lead other people to consider their blessings.

“I want everybody to realize they are so fortunate and lucky and I hope no one has to go through what I went through.”

California Governor Jerry Brown recently ap-proved legislation that will hold public schools ac-countable for illegally charging students for supplies and school-related activities. The bill, AB 1575, seeks to resolve a lawsuit against the state in which the plain-tiffs complained of humiliation by teachers when they and other students could not afford to pay material fees.

While the law remains largely the same, the heightened awareness of these regulations is “a good trigger for us to make sure we’re not violating the spirit of the law,” Principal Kami Tomberlain said.

Although it is common for schools to request student funds to cover goods ranging from graphing calculators to sports uniforms, Article IX, Sec. 5 of the State Constitution declares that one year after the inception of a public school, education must be free to students, with all costs financed by the school dis-trict. This clause, however, has long gone ignored by schools, many of which are suffering from the effects of budget cuts. The 2010 class action lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union names 35 school districts guilty of charging students for Advanced Placement exams, P.E. uniforms and elective courses such as art and music, according to the fees listed on the school websites. In the case of a student referred to as Jane Doe, her sophomore Spanish teacher embar-

Other students, like sophomore Rona Yeh, are also afraid of trusting the safety of the locker rooms, as the shirt and sweatpants she wore to school one morn-ing and locked up during her P.E. class were stolen as well. Gilmore fears the loss of time and privacy in the locker room along with the increased sense of unease that may result in low attendance.

“When the edict came down from the [adminis-tration] that I can no longer let [the students] into the locker rooms, the girls no longer have enough time to change and get to their next class,” Gilmore said. “In

the past, when we haven’t given them anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes after water aerobics, the amount of people that participates decreases.”

According to Farrell, the restrictions will last un-til further notice, but the majority of the P.E. students hope that the thief will be caught soon and the new regulations will be revoked. Until then, she warns stu-dents “to make sure anything valuable is put in a locker and locked” and to be careful about leaving their valu-ables in insecure places.

“I just want everything to return to normal,” Southerland said.

rassed students by writing the names of those who had yet to pay for their textbooks on the whiteboard.

The bill has sparked confusion among school of-ficials, as it disallows both charging fees and asking students to apply for financial assistance if they can-not pay. Purchasing supplies, uniforms and the like is a struggle for lower-income districts that are already strapped for cash, especially if families cannot afford to donate money to fund the classrooms.

While the law has been part of ongoing discus-sion among district administrators, Tomberlain does not anticipate any drastic changes at the school; class syllabuses, for example, will still include lists of recom-mended supplies, and P.E. uniforms will still be avail-able for purchase. The difference is that students now cannot be penalized for failing to provide these items, nor can extra credit be offered as an incentive to con-tribute items to a classroom.

“Grades should reflect what a student can do at a certain time in a certain class,” Tomberlain said. “And when [achievement] is clouded with tissue extra cred-it, paper towel extra credit … it’s not a true reflection of mastery, and puts kids who can’t afford those things at a disadvantage.”

To combat future violations, AB 1575 reinforces the educational fee provisions in the State Constitu-tion but clarifies that schools still have the right to so-licit donations to cover costs. The bill will also provide for the creation of a complaint system for students whose schools do not comply with these standards.

School fee ban brings changes to education

Students express frustration at new locker room policy

Teachers perform alongside student actors in play

John Zhao: U.S. Physics Olympiad

KATIE MARTINcopy editor

Healthcare

Junior John Zhao recently qual-ified for the semifinalist round of the U.S. Physics Olympiad by achieving a qualifying score on the prelimi-nary exam.

The exam tests mostly mechan-ical concepts and approximately 300 to 400 students throughout the United States are selected each year to advance to the semifinalist round. This year’s cutoff score was 12.25, with a total possible score of 25.

Said Zhao, an AP Physics C student, “[The topics] covered in AP Physics C overlap really well with those [on the exam]. I was ini-

or learning where to go on stage. When musical director Ar-

cadia Conrad first came up with the idea to cast teachers in the play, she did nothing more than “put out an open call” and wait for willing teachers to respond. Luckily, three teachers replied, which meant that one teacher would not have to perform in all the shows. Conrad allowed the teachers to join the play without an audition process and trusted them to learn their parts inde-pendently, a stark contrast to the lengthy audition and rehearsal process that students experi-enced.

“Unlike high school stu-dents, teachers have more life ex-periences ... so they might have a concept in their head about [how they want to play their role],” Conrad said. “But for high school students, I need to teach them everything they need to know about the show.”

Conrad’s trust in the teach-ers came from an experience from a couple years ago when teachers made a surprise appear-ance in the production of You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown. The teachers’ involvement in drama productions, however, has significantly decreased because of their increased workloads.

Said Conrad, “There used

to be a faculty play right when the school first opened and it’s something that I’ve actually been thinking about reinstating, but our teachers nowadays are super busy.”

Implementing teachers in school plays not only displayed a different side of teachers that students have not yet seen, but also allowed teachers interested in acting to have the opportunity to take part in a show. The cameo appearance also helped to at-tract students who usually do not watch drama performances but came to watch their teachers act. As Conrad said, “It’s a win-win situation.”

tially intimidated by the exam, but I practiced with the [past exams], and my scores were way above the cutoff scores for those exams, so I felt con-fident that I could make it.

“If you want to take this exam, practice and put your mind to the task. You should have a goal. You also need to figure out what you’re going up against. People who could have easily gotten in didn’t get in just because they didn’t prepare. I think that we were capable of getting at least two or three more people into the semifinalist round.”

COMPILED BY MICHAEL LI

Cont. page 1

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THU DAM

3The Prospector NewsMarch 29, 2013

FBLA’s Community Service Project (CSP) for the 2012-2013 school year, Project Tails, is dedicated to preventing animal abuse and improving conditions at animal shelters, with the goals of raising money for the Silicon Valley Animal Control Authority (SVACA), raising awareness and providing community service at the local animal shelter.

Thus far, the students have executed fun-draisers and obtained support in partnership with the SVACA throughout the past few months of this school year. The project, which officially ended on March 1, will be judged at the 2013 FBLA State Leadership Conference on April 18-21.

Throughout the school year, CSP sold items that included baked goods, Christmas cards and handmade teddy bears, both on and off campus. In addition, the project recognized Animal Day through the distribution of pam-phlets and informational fliers, and made pre-sentations promoting animal abuse awareness at local elementary schools and the city’s Com-munity Hall. Furthermore, the project helped

While rumors of DECA’s probation — or even dissolution — continue to circulate after several students were sent home for inappro-priate behavior during the 2013 State Career Development Conference (SCDC), the DECA club advisor, Leslie Robledo, has confirmed that DECA will resume all normal club func-tions in the next school year.

Meanwhile, all members are restricted from staying overnight at off-campus DECA events for the rest of this semester. This ban does not prevent them from staying off-campus with other clubs, nor does it include the two DECA students who qualified for the Inter-national Career Development Conference, as they will still be able to attend independently.

“Only students serious about the competi-tion will be allowed to attend conventions,” Ro-bledo said. “Next year, members need to prove that they are going to study... and do well in their competitions. I’m looking for ... a DECA that is stronger, more coherent and more com-petitive.”

DECA experienced a 207 percent increase in membership from the last school year, it had a record number of 60 conference attendees. Robledo and assistant principal John Rodri-guez placed especially protective measures on the SCDC attendees, including “taping in” doors after curfew, traveling from the hotel only with chaperone supervision and performing head counts each time. In addition, at the be-ginning of the conference, Robledo informed the DECA members that any misbehavior may result in punitive measures against the club, in-cluding club dissolution.

Several students, however, engaged in in-appropriate behavior despite the additional safety measures. For this reason, it was unclear if the club would be punished. Regardless, any consequences dealt will not affect the club’s continuity. Outside of club travel restrictions for the duration of the school year and individ-ual disciplinary measures, DECA activities will continue as per usual under the new leadership of next school year’s club officers.

the shelter directly by organizing a pet supplies drive and volunteering at the location.

Project members raised $850 by March 1, far exceeding their previous goal of $500. Simi-larly, CSP exceeded their prior expectations of acquiring signatures on an animal-treatment awareness pledge, garnering 300 signatures rather than 250.

“I was extremely impressed by the ability for the team to maintain interest,” FBLA advi-sor Mark St. John said. “I found that they were able to maintain momentum throughout the process.”

Even though the purpose of the project was ultimately to compete at the FBLA confer-ence, it did not detract from the experience of community service.

“I’m not sure if we made a really big im-pact — not like Ghandi, like ‘Oh my gosh, we changed the world’ — but I do feel like we re-ally did help ... [and] made a difference in our community,” sophomore Jaeyoung Hwang said.

Students assume teacher roles in class and in clubs

Project Tails helps abused animals DECA to continue as club on campus

Recently, some students have gone be-yond learning and are instead teaching. Senior Kshitij Grover is teaching Android program-ming as enrichment for the AP Computer Science class and Saul Fuhrmann is teaching Multivariable Calculus with math teacher Mark St. John in the Calculus D Club.

Students in AP Computer Science were given the chance to vote for their next project before AP test review, and a majority of stu-dents chose to have Grover teach Android programming for three weeks. The students have already been able to successfully develop

a working Android app that can connect to the Internet, download data and display the data in a user-accessible format.

Fuhrmann has been teaching Multivari-able Calculus in Calculus D Club since the school year began. Every Wednesday lunch he teaches a topic and hands out problem sets for students to work on and discuss together. Thanks in part to Fuhrmann’s teaching, the Calculus D Club has covered almost a quar-ter’s worth of college coursework for Multi-variable Calculus.

State Tests

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COMPILED BY MICHAEL LI

COMPILED BY ASHLEY LIU COMPILED BY CHRIS CAI

4 Opinions March 29, 2013

mate coupons.While many students are stuck in this rat race, there are facets of society that have grown

wary of the system, and it is about time the classes of 2018 and beyond took a leaf out of their book. In 1995, Reed College, an institution once ranked closely behind Stanford and Harvard, chose not to submit their data to US News due to criticisms of its ranking policy. Since then, its score in the system has fallen while the College argues their education standard hasn’t. Based on US

News’ stock ticker, their product is not so hot anymore, but in the end, academically its gradu-ates could give the Cardinals a run for their money. It is about time a col-lege’s brand stopped outweighing the actual education.

For example, there is a college whose brand is weak but whose educa-tion is solid. Its animation program rivals that of USC and UCLA, even though it does not have the benefit of being in the entertainment capital of the world. It has the best statewide transfer rate into California’s UC sys-tems, and boasts an exceptional math department. Even with these traits, De Anza College is the butt of many jokes because its brand name cannot hold a candle to the Bruin flame.

There is no wisdom in attending a college that will give you a lower paying job than its better-ranked competitors, but there is wisdom in judg-ing a college on quality over brand name. American consumers universally

fall into the brand versus quality pitfall, and while we’ve gotten wiser at picking shoes by con-sidering more than just the swoosh on the side, it’s about time the thrift shopping mentality extended to higher education.

I am the typical American teenage consumer. I buy Nike shoes, main-stream movies and am applying to college. My budget for the last item, though, dwarfs what I spend on the former two. My parents have already spent upward of a thousand dollars on this chase, because applying to college

does not stop at the application fee. It begins with the abominably expensive ACT and SAT tests, the prep classes for said tests, sending financial aid packets and, for the truly hardcore consumers, a college admissions guide to aid them in the process. Every dime that is spent goes toward one goal: a school with a good brand. Like Nike and Ray-Ban, colleges build their own brand, and the parents and students of the class of 2017 will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars chasing that brand.

T h e r e is an entire economy centered around higher education. There are ranking systems that take a college’s selectivity and tuition into the e q u a - t i o n . They serve almost as a

stock market ticker for dif-ferent colleges; the higher

they are on the list, the hotter their product is and the more likely they are to

have a good endowment. There are also student loans, packaged with a red ribbon and a crippling interest rate, payable to

the $40k-per-year university of your choice. Finally, let’s not forget scholarships, the ulti-JUST STUDY.

thecoll

egeboard

you can judge yourself. we can help.

Consumerism

College

NIKHIL KANTHIopinions editor

Sending financial aid

forms

College advisor SAT

classes

ACT classes

Application fees

Sendingtest reports

Costs

ACT and SAT test fees&

US NEWS INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE

There exists a law in the state of California requiring that high school clubs spend 75 percent of their total funds before the end of the school year. But this policy has not been formally enforced by the school’s ASB over the last couple years. So when clubs were suddenly told that they must adhere to the 75 percent policy this year, many questions arose regarding the matter.

The confusion is mainly centered around the legitimacy of the policy. The rule itself is missing from the official Club Con-stitution that each club signs at the beginning of the school year. It is also unclear what the 75 percent expenditure is referring to — the profits the club raises during the year or the amount of money the club has amassed by April — and what the conse-quences are. Why is it that there is so much confusion over this policy? Club commissioners have the responsibility to know the exact details of newly implemented policies so that they can re-lay exact information to students, yet are being held in the dark with the rest of the clubs. There is currently too much inconsis-tency and confusion between ASB and clubs.

The 75 percent rule’s purpose is to keep clubs from hoard-ing money that should be spent on its events, charity donations or current members. ASB reasons that club profits should be

spent on the current year’s activities and members — after all, they are they ones that earned the money. This is definitely a val-id argument, as competition between clubs to see who can pool the largest amount of savings is a problem on campus. But not

every club is a hoarder, and as a result not every club is satisfied by the 75 percent policy. Rather than enforcing this general rule on all clubs, ASB should focus on each organization’s individual needs. The ASB treasurer and club commissioners must work with each club to figure out what would be the best strategy for spending and saving that club’s profits.

All clubs are different, and each should be subject to a mon-etary policy that serves its purposes the best. Certain clubs need funds from previous years to serve as an emergency reserve for events that may or may not require an extra pocket of money while others may need an extra push to use their funds efficient-ly. ASB’s current method of relaying information to clubs is inef-fective, and the 75 percent rule that ASB is trying to enforce has many inconsistencies. Club commissioners and officers alike need to be well-informed about all policies regarding their re-spective organizations. Then clubs can work alongside ASB to avoid misinformation and effectively carry out monetary poli-cies.

STAFF EDITORIAL

A club has an idea for an activity they need funds for

The initial expensesare paid by the

students’own money

If the requiredamount is too great,

they can request a loanfrom ASB.

The club submitsa fundraiser request

form to the ASB office

$

Clubs depositany profits into theirASB bank account

If students initally paid,they submit a

reimbursement formto the ASB office.

If it is a fundraiser

THE CLUB FUNDSPROCESS

Competition between clubs to see who can pool the largest amount of savings is a problem

on campus. But not every club is a hoarder, and as a result not every club is satisfied by the 75 percent policy.

71# of clubson campus

$365Maximum profitmade in Clubs

Day

# of new clubsformed this year

9

One budget does not fit all

COMPILED BY NIKHIL KANTHI

youryou’rewhose

who’s

it’sits

whomever

whoever

predicate nominative

“Time to eat children!”Whoever wrote this probably meant, “time to eat,

children!” Clearly, a mere comma can be the difference between life and death.

A person’s command of language is often one of the most significant markers of intelligence. Grammar is needed in the professional world for writing resumés, cover letters and recommendations. In fact, a simple grammar mistake can potentially send one’s college ap-plication, not to mention job resumés and recommenda-tion letters, to the nearest garbage disposal.

Not only that, but first impressions are often based on the way people communicate and express themselves. People who know more about grammar will always correct those who make mechanical mistakes in their speech or writing. What’s more is that those who know their grammar are often given a significant advantage over their peers. Unfortunately, a growing emphasis on reading and analyzing literature in schools across Amer-ica has overshadowed strict grammar instruction, and in some cases eliminated it altogether.

One problem with grammar education in schools

is the heterogeneous environment of the classroom. English teachers are often forced to accommodate both students who can teach grammar to others and students who cannot even identify the subject of a sentence. This problem is even greater in ethnically diverse areas like Cupertino, where a majority of the students do not learn English as a first language.

Furthermore, students often disregard the sub-ject altogether because there is no formal assessment of grammar aside from the California STAR exam. The school should motivate students by instituting grammar tests that directly affect students’ GPAs.

Teachers of all grade levels should administer a ba-sic grammar exam in the beginning of the year to assess students’ command of the language. Then, throughout the school year, teachers can hold mandatory grammar lessons during tutorials for those who tested below pro-ficiency. Upon graduation, students will have developed a solid grammatical foundation after four years of testing and learning.

Additionally, school essays should be graded on mechanics as well as content to enforce students’ mas-tery of the language in context. One third of the overall essay grade should be based purely on students’ gram-mar and the other two thirds on their content.

There is no doubt that developing reasoning skills and creative thought processes is important, but what good is a brilliant idea if it cannot be communicated? It is never beneficial to limit oneself by focusing solely on grammar or, alternatively, disregarding it altogether. The English department should find a medium, a balance point between the two extremes: a point where students will be able to clearly articulate their evolving analytical thought processes.

5The Prospector OpinionsMarch 29, 2013

When World War I ended, America had a public holiday to celebrate the event. When World War II ended, a vet-eran kissed a stranger in Times Square.

When the war in Iraq ended, there was silence. A reinstitution of the draft system promises to be a viable

solution to the general apathy in America.The consequences of this indifference predicts to be

severe, particularly among the younger population, as the United States becomes more and more militarily entangled with foreign countries. For example, the United States participated in four major wars in the last 20 years, never mind the several minor involvements. The defense department has migrated from the word “defense” to “business”. In fact, U.S military spending has doubled since 1962 and trumps that of the next 13 power nations. In addition, eight out of 10 of U.S government’s contrac-tors are weapon industries.

Despite these shocking statistics, many young Americans now dismiss U.S wars because they are so removed from the con-

flicts. I personally can attest to this unfortunate reality as I hardly paid attention to the war in Iraq until last year, eight years after the war began.I was not aware of the precise reasons behind the inter-vention and I never took the time to find answers. Although I am ashamed of my prior ignorance, I know I am not the only with this experience.

Would we be more interested in foreign policies if our best friend aspiring to be a dentist is taking gunfire in the midst

of a war? Would we take the time to protest an unneces-sary 10-year-war if our own brother goes missing in action?

With a military draft, representatives in Congress will not jump the gun on

war, knowing that their constituents are the ones fighting in it. With a tem-porary draft, the nation will be woken

from its apathy towards war, and once that happens, the U.S’ policy

towards war will drastically changeTo what extend of this apathy will allow

for our democracy to persevere? It is pitiful that we live in a country in which, if we go to war, the

citizens do not know or simply do not care. The only way for America to find its moral compass again is through a military draft.

?

It is time for a military draft

As the crisis in Syria enters its third year, many are understandably alarmed at the tens of thousands of civilians who have been fleeing the conflict and the

millions trapped inside the country whose plight is becoming in-creasingly more desperate. While Britain and France attempt to arm Syria’s rebels, the United States should do everything short of mili-tary intervention to support the grassroots democracy movement in Syria. The aid should be focused on diplomacy aimed at motivat-ing other countries to exert their influence to stop the crisis.

Flexing military muscles in another Middle Eastern conflict should be the last thing on our minds. We need only recall the stra-tegic disaster that the Iraq War was for the United States, or the Rea-gan administration’s decision in 1982 to send forces to Lebanon — an engagement that resulted in the highest death toll in a single day for the U.S. military since the end of the Vietnam War.

Critical global security questions have primarily focused on one question: Should the United States employ its own military force to resolve a foreign embroilment? America’s underinvestment of diplomatic and economic tools of power, overinvestment in mili-tary power and the tempered expectations of other countries tak-ing responsibility for their own security affairs all contribute to this question. “Intervention,” however, must include diplomacy as well, not just the number of boots on the ground or fighter jets in the air.

Syria’s situation is unprecedented. None of Arab Spring’s modes of rebellion are applicable to this conflict: one, the Egyptian

model — military joins civilians in deposing the dictator; two, the Yemen model — United States facilitates Arab-backed diplomacy that ousts the strongman; three, the Libya model — unified military intervention. The first has yet to occur and the third is not a realistic possibility, given Russia and China’s rejection of a United Nations Se-curity Council resolution on the matter.

Door number two, although accompanied by its share of chal-lenges, is our most feasible option: to mobilize a contact group on Syria to orchestrate political and economic pressure. Meanwhile, the United States and other concerned nations may give nonlethal aid like food and medical supplies to rebels battling to oust President Bashar Assad.

On Syria, the Obama administration has sought the right bal-ance over the past year by offering support to Syrians seeking peaceful government change. President Obama signaled this new approach to foreign policy in his 2009 speech to the United Nations General As-sembly, putting greater emphasis on the notion that Syria’s neighbor-ing countries must play important roles in crafting the plan.

A “Made in America” military intervention would definitely in-flame the region’s sectarian divisions while recreating the Bush ad-ministration’s mistakes in Iraq. For now, the United States should continue its quiet work with key regional actors. A prime example would be Turkey, a NATO ally that could provide assistance and hu-manitarian corridors for Syrians fleeing the conflict zone. We could also use our leverage with the Iraqi government to garner support in isolating the Assad regime in Syria.

In this conflict, the United States should remain engaged and prepared to intervene, but looking to Washington to rise to the rescue in a military coup is unwise.

KEVIN CHUfeatures assistant

TRINA BHATTARAIopinions assistant

CHRIS S. YOONnews editor

KEELY ZHANGfeatures assistant

EDITORIAL CARTOON

Grammar.

There is no doubt that developing reasoning skills and creative thought pro-

cesses is important, but what good is a brilliant idea if it cannot be communi-cated?

You’re education needs it

Whose hands is Syria in?

JESSICA SHIN

NIRMIT SHAH

6 Features March 29, 2013

There’s a section in “All Quiet on the Western Front” that reminds substi-tute teacher Richard Klokow of one of his days on the battlefield during World War II. It is the part where the protagonist Paul kills a French soldier, then looks at a picture of the dying man’s wife and little girl.

“One day, another 17-year-old and myself took the day off and we went to the front lines, put on our rifles and bayonets, heard a little gunfire, then walked along a path and there were two dead Japanese soldiers,” Klokow said. “At first, I thought that this was good. This is what we were supposed to be doing.”

Klokow then took one of the deceased soldier’s wallets out as a souvenir, but he soon noticed something that completely changed his perspective on war-fare.

“I looked and there was a picture of a lady and two children. I thought, ‘Why is he here? Why am I? What are we doing here, thousands of miles from our homes?’”

To serve or not to serve?Such questions that bothered Klokow back then are ones, among others,

that keep many current students wary of a career in the military. The potential for danger or death is frightening to many students of this generation.

One of the biggest concerns that students consider is the value of educa-tion over a military career. As students enter their junior and senior years and begin to plan their lives after high school, most envision a standard, four-year college rather than becoming part of the military. Older generations have taught students that the key to success is education, and this lesson influences the deci-sions of many students who are not willing to sacrifice anything for the military. A poll taken by the Class of 2011 showed that less than one percent of the grad-uating class chose to enlist in the armed forces; this small amount is because of how, especially in areas as academically-focused as Cupertino, pursuing a higher education takes priority over anything else.

Most students these days who enlist join for financial reasons over any-thing else. Such was the case for 2011 graduate Noah Wu when he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps.

“I knew that my mother’s ‘American Dream’ was to one day own her own home, but being a single mother of three in the Cupertino area, that was a hard dream to accomplish,” said Wu, who is stationed in Hawaii until 2015. “I’ve got-ten asked why I wasn’t good enough to get into college, or have had parents

tell their daughters they couldn’t date me because I didn’t get into school. I did get into school. I just wanted to put myself through it and not be reliant on my mother.”

On the other hand, senior Patrick Facelo, whose father was in the Navy before he was born and whose brother presently works behind the front lines in the Air Force, says that although he has considered a career in the military, he now believes that such a path is not for him.

“You’re dedicating your life, your time, your everything to be part of the Air Force,” Facelo said. “In my opinion, I think it would be better to first pursue just an education myself.”

Other factors also influence students’ decisions to avoid a path in the armed forces that have nothing to do with education. Such factors include the volatile military lifestyle that requires many to constantly move around and start over.

Said Facelo, “I don’t want to build and rebuild over and over again.”

A Beneficial CareerCurrent alumni who work in various branches of the military, however,

shed a variety of perspectives when it comes to deciding whether or not to join. 2011 alumnus Jeannie Kim, who is currently a linguist for the Navy, claims that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks when joining any branch of the U.S. Mili-tary.

Said Kim, “So far, I’m proficient in a language, I’m getting paid extra to be proficient in the language, I got to go to China, I’m getting an A.A. Degree and I get to use Tuition Assistance. You get to meet people all over the nation, get to go all over the world and learn all kinds of things. The Navy has taught me the importance of health, the value of education and the need for discipline and order.”

Such benefits, according to Kim, extend to all branches of the U.S. military since they are defined as “servicewide.” Kim also notes the many opportunities she did not expect from being a Navy linguist, which include access to top secret information, traveling to foreign countries and more. However, she adds that a military career is certainly not suitable for everyone.

“There are many people in the military [who] discover they hate it and will be leaving after their first enlistment. You either get what it means to be a sailor, soldier, airman, Marine — or you don’t.”

Courage and characterMoral benefits are reflected in the opinions of older military veterans, who,

despite supporting education over service, praise the character and relation-ship-building that the armed forces offer soldiers. When asked about what he retained during his service in the Marine Corps during World War II, Klokow

DIANA KRUZMANnews assistant

JESSE ZHOUeditor-in-chief

THE

OF3SIDE

WARRD

JASON CHEN

Factions of the US Military

Army

Navy

Marine

Corps

Air Forc

e

Coastal

Guards

Created in 1790, this branch protects maritime law by enforcing federal order on domestic and international bodies of water.

43,251active personnel

Established during the American Revolution, the United States boasts the world’s largest navy, a military branch used for water-based operations.

325,123active personnel 16.4% F, 83.6% M

This military division formed as a separate branch on 1947 and used for air-based operations.


19.1% F, 80.9% M

The United States Army is primarily for land-based operations and is the oldest part of the United States Armed Forces, dating back to the Continental Army.


13.6% F, 86.4% M

This branch is used to carry out U.S. Navy opera-tions and was also established during the Ameri-can Revolution. Additionally, it offers help with transportation and logistics for naval forces.


6.8% F, 93.2% M

approx. 10,000 MENapprox. 10,000 WOMEN

15.7% F, 84.3% M

COMPILED BY ABHISHEK ZAVERI, AZADEH RONGERE AND LAURA KAO

INFORMATION COURTESY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

DATA REPORTED AS OF SEPT. 30, 2011

7The Prospector FeaturesMarch 29, 2013

tell their daughters they couldn’t date me because I didn’t get into school. I did get into school. I just wanted to put myself through it and not be reliant on my mother.”

On the other hand, senior Patrick Facelo, whose father was in the Navy before he was born and whose brother presently works behind the front lines in the Air Force, says that although he has considered a career in the military, he now believes that such a path is not for him.

“You’re dedicating your life, your time, your everything to be part of the Air Force,” Facelo said. “In my opinion, I think it would be better to first pursue just an education myself.”

Other factors also influence students’ decisions to avoid a path in the armed forces that have nothing to do with education. Such factors include the volatile military lifestyle that requires many to constantly move around and start over.

Said Facelo, “I don’t want to build and rebuild over and over again.”

A Beneficial CareerCurrent alumni who work in various branches of the military, however,

shed a variety of perspectives when it comes to deciding whether or not to join. 2011 alumnus Jeannie Kim, who is currently a linguist for the Navy, claims that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks when joining any branch of the U.S. Mili-tary.

Said Kim, “So far, I’m proficient in a language, I’m getting paid extra to be proficient in the language, I got to go to China, I’m getting an A.A. Degree and I get to use Tuition Assistance. You get to meet people all over the nation, get to go all over the world and learn all kinds of things. The Navy has taught me the importance of health, the value of education and the need for discipline and order.”

Such benefits, according to Kim, extend to all branches of the U.S. military since they are defined as “servicewide.” Kim also notes the many opportunities she did not expect from being a Navy linguist, which include access to top secret information, traveling to foreign countries and more. However, she adds that a military career is certainly not suitable for everyone.

“There are many people in the military [who] discover they hate it and will be leaving after their first enlistment. You either get what it means to be a sailor, soldier, airman, Marine — or you don’t.”

Courage and characterMoral benefits are reflected in the opinions of older military veterans, who,

despite supporting education over service, praise the character and relation-ship-building that the armed forces offer soldiers. When asked about what he retained during his service in the Marine Corps during World War II, Klokow

was quick to name numerous positive aspects.“I got the spirit of the Marine Corps, [where] everyone supports each

other and the model is honor, courage and commitment,” Klokow said. “[We] learned to treat each other with respect [and never] lie, cheat or steal.”

Math teacher Roy Timmreck, who served in the Air Force during the Viet-nam War, has similar sentiments.

“I went to a funeral for my father-in-law, who was in World War II, [but] before he even had any chance to be involved in combat the war ended,” Timmreck said. “Yet when he died, at his funeral all these military guys showed up in uniform.”

Such support for a fallen comrade, even one with which the connection was brief, showed Timmreck the strength of a military bond, one that appar-ently no one else would ever understand.

A Tough DecisionThe conflicting feelings many students have about war come from a lack

of knowledge of what service is actually like; furthermore, danger and fear of combat are prime concerns not only for those considering a life in the armed forces, but also for those who have already experienced it.

“When you go off to a war, you decide how you are going to react,” Timmreck said. “When faced with a dangerous situation or the threat of death, one is forced to think, ‘What am I going to do with it? How am I going to deal with that?’ And once you make that decision you’re already different for the rest of your life.”

Prolonged distance from home and pure independence are additional de-tractors from military life. Many who have already gone through such experi-ences have noted how difficult it was to get over the first few weeks of being in the military. The promise of a better future, however, helped many of them through it, especially for Wu.

“Every day I know that not only am I bettering my own life and opening doors so I can better provide for my future family, but also that I’m doing this so that my friends and family and those that I care about don’t need to do it,” Wu said. “That’s what helps get me through the long days.”

It is this positive aspect that keeps the military as a viable option for some, albeit one with both benefits and drawbacks. The positives of enlistment led Richard Klokow to keep walking even after seeing the dark side of war; the nega-tives keep Patrick Facelo from pursuing a military career even at the urging of his family. Education, patriotism, danger, opportunity and altruism all influence students’ views toward the military, but ultimately, the choice is up to the stu-dent: risk deployment and sacrifice the chance to serve one’s country, or walk ahead and never turn back.

WARPerspectives on war, enlistment and education from war veterans and alumni on active duty

COURTESY OFJEANNIE KIM

COURTESY OFROY TIMMRECK

Would you ever consider joining the military?

Tino students who entered the military

Costliest conflicts

67.3

%

WO

ULD

NíT

COMPILED BY TRINA BHATTARAIOUT OF 211 STUDENTS POLLED

COMPILED BY ABHISHEK ZAVERI

$715

$297

$296

$111

$61

billion

billion

billion

billion

billion

Iraq

Afghanistan

World War II

Vietnam War

Persian Gulf War

3Class of 2011

4Class of 2012

MIL

ITA

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%

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COMPILED BY TRINA BHATTARAI

8 Lifestyles March 29, 2013

With drinks ranging from teas to lattes to frap-puccinos, coffee giant Starbucks is widely known for its variety of drinks and the familiar green logo that can be spotted all across the world. Although people regularly stop by the famous coffee shop to grab a drink to start their day, few acknowledge the variety of delicious goods that Starbucks offers to accompany their drinks. Oatmeal, sandwiches and parfaits are among the numerous food items that are conveniently packaged to accommodate a busy schedule and a hot cup of coffee. In an attempt to draw more attention to its food, Starbucks has decided to add a new gourmet twist to its original products that changes it into much more than just a typical coffee shop.

Recently bought by Starbucks for $100 mil-lion, La Boulange — not to be confused with Le Boulanger — is a French bakery whose name is emerging on Starbucks’ menus and doors in San Francisco and the Bay Area. Serving artisan breads and pastries, the bakery takes pride in its fresh homemade specialties that bring French traditions to California. La Boulange is in hotels and high end restaurants in addition to its 19 cafe-style lo-cations in the Bay Area. By increasing the range of choices, Starbucks hopes to please customers with

BONJOUR STARBUCKS

THE ULTIMATE PMT GUIDE

“Le” Starbucks

purchase

of

La Boulange SOLD for $100 million

Bakery

originally

from

SAN FRAN

their new delicious pastries. The unity of Starbucks and La Boulange was

not a one-sided advantage for Starbucks. Origi-nally a single bakery in San Francisco, La Boulange is gradually becoming well-known among Bay Ar-eans as they notice the change in pastry and food items. Not only were the bread and cakes added to the coffee shop — a special Starbucks blend of coffee has also been added to the bakery, enhanc-ing both stores.

So how does the La Boulange and Starbucks duo compare to the old Starbucks? An immediate-ly noticeable difference is the greater assortment of food. Croissants, cakes, cookies and other pas-tries fill the display windows. The aroma of freshly baked bread fills the cafe, and the bakery presents customers with a taste of French culture to go with their Italian drinks. The bakery items are notably softer and more aromatic, and they match per-fectly with the familiar drinks, like the pairing of a warm French chocolate croissant and an iced mo-cha. The entire atmosphere invites customers to sit down and enjoy quality food before rushing back into their busy lives.

Although La Boulange’s baked goods are cur-rently only available in some corporate stores and stores that are not united with other companies like Bay Club or Safeway, Starbucks hopes to ex-pand the French bakery across the nation. But for now, exclusively, the Bay Area will be able to enjoy a little bit of France with their favorite coffee.

THU DAMlifestyles assistant

JESSICA SHINflip side assistant

5 5 4 2 6 3 1Quickly Verde Fantasia Ten Ren TapEx LaTTea Sipatea

Pearl Milk Tea. PMT. Bubble Tea. Boba. Zhen Zhu Nai Cha. Whatever you call it, this magical concoction milk-infused tea and gelatinous rice molded into “pearls” is a drink that permeates throughout the city of Cupertino. We have taken on the challenge of sampling pearl milk tea at various locations in Cupertino to bring to you the best, in our highly esteemed opinion, of them all.

Quickly, while being overall satisfying, seemed to taste like inexpensive milk with some oriental flavoring. While still delicious and better than most restaurants, the drinkalways felt like it was missing an important ingredient.

Tapioca Express was an instant, utter and complete yes, as the combination of thoroughly cooked pearls

and perfectly balanced tea-to-pearl ratio gave the tea an overall strong, yet not overpowering taste impression. Squishy and yummy all around.

Verde, one of the more popular pearl milk tea restau-rants for students, offered a standard pearl milk tea that seemed to pull away from the idea of tea and pushed more into the territory of sweet cream and condensed milk. In contrast to their sweet tea, the pearls them-selves were fairly bland. Cafe LaTTea offered a pearl milk tea that remained more true to its name and brought a drink that allowed one to taste actual tea rather than the fusion of what seemed like syrup and condensed milk that dominated

other places. However, the bitterness of the actual tea made us turn sour faces after too much exposure to our tongues.

On the other hand, the tea component of Fantasia was extremely milky but acceptable, while the pearls were mediocre at best, as the centers of the pearls were too tough but their outsides were too squishy.

Ten Ren and Sipatea, while generous with the quantity of tea given, nevertheless gave poor results in terms of flavor, boba to tea ratio and overall quality of the drink.

So what are you waiting for? It’s tea time in Cupertino; try out these cafes and prove us wrong.

COMPILED BY NIRMIT SHAH AND ASHLEY LIU

FAMILYFRIENDSHEALTH

FAIR WAGESlife

CLEAN CONDITIONS

9The Prospector LifestylesMarch 29, 2013

WHY CHOOSE T

HE IVY A

DVISOR?

1. The founder o

f the organiza

tion, Dr. W

illiam Jiang, has profound knowledge and extensive experience in

the college application and enrollment: S

enior Member o

f NACAC and C

ollege Board SAT Essay Reader

2. With 10+ ye

ars’ experience in research on SAT and ACT, D

r. Jiang has form

ulated a UNIQUE and MAGIC

way of im

proving students’ A

CT and SAT scores: (An average of 200-300 points ris

e for our S

AT students)

3. All o

f our students receive individ

ual attention . He has the re

putation of being the most passionate,

committed and re

sponsible teacher in the Bay a

rea.

4. Dr. J

iang has successfully guided many s

tudents into their dream colleges. H

is son went to Harvard and

his daughter to Cornell U

niversity.

Dr. Willi

am Jiang’s

Qualificatio

ns:

Four M

aster’s

Degre

es

M. P

hil. And Ph.D

. Columbia U

ni

SJSU Pro

fessor

30 Years in

U.S. H

igher Edu.

Education Seminar:

Dr. Jiang will p

resent overall edu-

cational guidance for grade level

6-12.

When: 4/27/13 & 5/25/13 :

Saturday, 10am-12pm

English

Classes:

To enhance skills

in English reading, w

riting, g

rammar, and vocabulary for an early sta

rt in college preparations.

Essential English

(Grade 6-7)

6/15 - 8/17

Saturday

1:30pm - 3:30pm

10 Sessions

Advanced English (G

rade 8-10)

6/15 - 8/17

Saturday

4pm - 6:30pm

10 Sessions

English Class f

or Non-Native Speakers: To im

prove English grammar, R

eading, writi

ng, speaking and lis

tening

English for ESL &

TOEFL

6/18 - 8/8

Friday & Sunday

6:30pm - 9pm

16 Sessions

SAT I Test P

rep Classes:

Dr. Jiang teaches st

udents his m

agic ways to increase SAT Criti

cal Reading and Writi

ng scores by 200-300 points.

SAT CR & Writi

ng - Weekend

6/15 - 7/14

Saturday & Sunday

9am - 12:30pm

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SAT CR & Writi

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7/20 - 8/25

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6/24 - 7/11

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In the world of fast fashion and high wardrobe turnover, where big name retail-ers need clothes to be produced en masse at the lowest possible price, the high cost is ironically borne by the factory workers. Workers at the Kingsland factory in Phnom Penh, Cambodia went on strike for two months after the management of the factory closed down all operations and suspended employment for over 200 people without proper and prior notification. One month before the factory shut down, wages were cut by 50 percent without any explanation. The abominably low wages were not ac-cepted by the workers, as they violated Cambodian Labor laws.

The manufacturing of women’s undergarments for multibillion-dollar com-panies H&M and Wal-Mart is one of the significant productions at Kingsland. For this, workers would earn a meager $60 USD per month; however, when the factory

closed down, they were left with next to no income and no means of supporting their families. With ire and angst directed at H&M and Wal-Mart, these factory workers pledged to begin a 24-hour vigil. For two months, laborers went on strike outside the factory, demanding reemployment as well as fair wages. Risking their own safety and lives, they slept on the sidewalks at night and later went on a hunger strike in the effort to have their voices heard.

After two months of unrelenting protests, H&M and Wal-Mart have sanctioned $200,000 as compensation for lost wages. While this sum is trifling for both compa-nies, it has had a meaningful political impact in the labor movement. Factory work-ers have been mistreated and oppressed in every corner of the world, from being paid unfair wages to being kept in inhumane working conditions. This group of 200 people had the conviction to stand up for their rights and the courage to face two very powerful corporations. It may be just a grassroots effort, but this could be the beginning of workers banding together against unethical practices and greed of mul-tinational corporations.

NATASHA SHARMAlifestyles editor

WHY CHOOSE THE IVY ADVISOR? 1. The founder of the organization, Dr. William Jiang, has profound knowledge and extensive experience in the college application and enrollment: Senior Member of NACAC and College Board SAT Essay Reader

2. With 10+ years’ experience in research on SAT and ACT, Dr. Jiang has formulated a UNIQUE and MAGIC way of improving students’ ACT and SAT scores: (An average of 200-300 points rise for our SAT students)

3. All of our students receive individual attention . He has the reputation of being the most passionate, committed and responsible teacher in the Bay area.

4. Dr. Jiang has successfully guided many students into their dream colleges. His son went to Harvard and his daughter to Cornell University.

Dr. William Jiang’s Qualifications:

Four Master’s Degrees

M. Phil. And Ph.D. Columbia Uni

SJSU Professor

30 Years in U.S. Higher Edu.

Education Seminar: Dr. Jiang will present overall edu-cational guidance for grade level 6-12. When: 4/27/13 & 5/25/13 : Saturday, 10am-12pm

English Classes: To enhance skills in English reading, writing, grammar, and vocabulary for an early start in college preparations.

Essential English (Grade 6-7) 6/15 - 8/17 Saturday 1:30pm - 3:30pm 10 Sessions

Advanced English (Grade 8-10) 6/15 - 8/17 Saturday 4pm - 6:30pm 10 Sessions

English Class for Non-Native Speakers: To improve English grammar, Reading, writing, speaking and listening

English for ESL & TOEFL 6/18 - 8/8 Friday & Sunday 6:30pm - 9pm 16 Sessions

SAT I Test Prep Classes: Dr. Jiang teaches students his magic ways to increase SAT Critical Reading and Writing scores by 200-300 points.

SAT CR & Writing - Weekend 6/15 - 7/14 Saturday & Sunday 9am - 12:30pm 10 Sessions SAT CR & Writing - Weekend 7/20 - 8/25 Saturday & Sunday 9am - 12:30pm 10 Sessions SAT CR & Writing - Weekday 6/24 - 7/11 Monday - Thursday 9:30am - 1:30pm 12 Sessions SAT CR & Writing - Weekday 7/22 - 8/8 Monday - Thursday 6:30pm - 9:30pm 12 Sessions SAT CR & Writing - Weekday 7/29 - 8/15 Monday - Thursday 9:30am - 1:30pm 12 Sessions

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4675 Stevens Creek Blvd., Suite 120, Santa Clara, CA 95051

10 Sports March 29, 2013

A legend speaks: NBA alumnus reflects on career

I have always been a basket-ball lover. I played as a child through-

out elementary school. Like many other children, I had dreams of making it big as a

superstar in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Those ambitions were shattered in middle

school, though, when I learned that there was some-thing called “defense,” and that other people would actually try to prevent me from scoring. Faced with the fact that I was not NBA material, I put away my basketball shoes and resigned myself to watching the sport on television, accepting my fate as a basketball junkie who would never hit the hardwood or get shoe sponsorships. Little did I know that only a few decades ago, less than two miles away from my house, lived an NBA legend: Kurt Rambis.

When I arrived at the school as a freshman and went into the gym for my first rally, my eyes scanned the rafters. I zoned in on a jersey that read “54 — Ram-bis.” I recognized that name as belonging to Lakers player from the 1980s. But I never realized that he had attended the school. Ever since then, I was fascinated by Rambis. I knew that before I left the school, inter-viewing Rambis was something I wanted to accom-plish. Two years, an ambitious tweet, dozens of emails and one kind agent later, I received my opportunity.

Rambis moved to the city as a child and attended local public schools. He grew up around basketball, al-beit an informal variety. Since there were no leagues for youth at the time, Rambis played with his neigh-bors and friends in outdoor courts.

“We would just go down to the local junior high

and shoot baskets outside,” Rambis said. “There was no league, no parental supervision, nothing like that.”

Rambis’ first exposure to organized basketball was in high school. Understandably, many of his great-est memories from high school are the victories that his team achieved.

“We had a really good freshman team,” Rambis said. “And then sophomore year, we ended up going to the quarterfinals of the area tournament. In my junior and senior years, we ended up winning CCS … and we ended up playing at Stanford. We all grew up together, that’s what was fun about it ... some of us went all the way back to elementary school.”

Rambis’ path to the NBA was not a smooth one. After graduating from the school, Rambis attended Santa Clara University. He was then drafted to the NBA by the New York Knicks but was cut and went overseas to play in Greece for one year. Upon return-ing, Rambis tried out for and was given a contract by the Los Angeles Lakers, who won the national champi-onship that very year. The Lakers team Rambis played for was known as the Showtime Lakers and is consid-ered to be one of the greatest teams of all time, boast-ing notable players such as Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul Jabbar.

“There were obstacles in my way, so I didn’t feel for sure that I was going to make it [to the NBA] until I actually did,” Rambis said. “It was a culmination of great joy; we ended up winning a championship, and I ended up starting my rookie year. It was pretty amaz-ing. We enjoyed each other as teammates ... it was just an incredible time.”

Rambis later played for the newly found-ed Charlotte Hornets. In one game, he made the game winning shot against a Chicago Bulls team led by the most famous basketball player of all time: Michael Jor-dan.

Upon retiring

ANAND HEMMADYcopy editor

Standing on the plate and waiting for the perfect pitch to arrive at the

mound is an aspect of baseball that fuels anxiety in the minds of many players who wish to hit the next home run for their team. Those who master it, and conquer this anxiousness lead the team to vic-tory and are able to showcase their true talents on a larger scale than they could have ever imagined. Starting from the time he was in elementary school, Junior Morgan Saenz has continuously attempted to achieve this goal of excellence in baseball, and has tremendously succeeded in doing so through consistent practice and perseverance. Despite the trepidation of competition and failure, Saenz has driven the team to triumphant wins by applying the skills he had learned as a Little League player to the big leagues.

At the very beginning, Saenz was directly in-spired by his father, a college baseball athlete, to pursue baseball as his primary sport at the age of four. His methods of practice, technique and form began to form around this age and became devel-oping as he moved up the ranks in his local Home-stead Little League, a competitive baseball league

that encourages kids to push their potential talents to the test through rigorous scrimmages and

games. Within this team, he was able to consistently earn the distinction of

“Home-Run King” every season and play on the All-Star team as well. Even though the season is year-round, Saenz remained persistent in his vi-sion and never withdrew from the league, which remains true to this day.

“It’s competitive, but my whole family sup-ports me on baseball,” Saenz said. “Even though, my dad is the only one that comes to the games, my grandmother and mother support me too.”

As for his career on the baseball team, Saenz is dominating his team’s batting roster as designated hitter, earn-

ing Most Valuable Player for Junior Varsity last year. Although he does not play a defensive position, Saenz has pitched a few times for the team against formidable teams. His greatest feat this season has been hitting two home runs for the team, which is a great improvement over the team’s total of zero last year. Because of these successes in the most recent season, Saenz has been considering placing baseball as one of his top priorities in the future.

“It’s hard to get into good colleges especial-ly when you’re going to Cupertino High School and trying to get baseball in college,” Saenz said. “It would be my dream to get a scholarship for baseball though.”

While it is his second to last year at bat for the team, Saenz’s desire to enter college baseball by performing well for college scouts at CCS and League Championship is strong. In order to attain his goal of playing for Arizona State Uni-versity as a starting batter, Saenz has to maintain the work ethic, admiration for the game and his ability to work well with his teammates, which he undoubtedly has acquired the determination for in the past season.

Batting against the odds

as a player, Rambis coached for the Lakers. He was the head coach for one season when Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, two legends infamous for their poor relationship, were on the team.

Said Rambis, “They were both young, they were both trying to establish dominance on the team, they both kind of had that alpha dog personality, so there was a lot going on in the locker room, we’ll put it that way.”

He later served as an assistant coach for the Lak-ers and later the head coach of the Minnesota Timber-wolves. Currently, Rambis is a broadcaster for the Lak-ers with Time Warner Cable.

Looking back, Rambis has only fond memories of his time in the school.

“I had a chemistry class that I enjoyed, [an] English class too. I had a great time in high sc hool. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the classroom and playing and the friends that I had there. I always look back on high school as one of the greatest times of my life. I hope that everyone else that’s gone to [the school] looks at going to school there ... that way.”

ABHISHEK ZAVERI sports editor

MICHELLE CHEUNG flipside editor

Game Summaries

Boys’ Volleyball:

March 5, James Lick, 3-0

March 6, Wilcox, 3-0

March 8, @ Santa Clara, 3-0

March 13, Santa Clara, 3-0

March 15, Eastside Prep, 3-2

March 20, Fremont, 3-2

March 22, Wilcox, 3-2

Boys’ Baseball:

March 2, Half Moon Bay, 3-1

March 5, Milpitas, 1-6

March 7, @ Milpitas, 8-12

March 12, Los Gatos, 3-0

March 14, @ Los Gatos, 4-5

March 16, Pinole Valley, 1-14

March 19, Lynbrook, 10-3

March 21, @ Lynbrook, 8-1


Girls’ Softball:

March 1, @ Harker, 7-4


March 8, Homestead, 1-12

March 11, Piedmont Hills, 1-10

March 13, @ Gunn, 5-6

March 15, Silver Creek, 10-9

March 20, Milpitas, 2-6

March 22, @ Fremont, 13-8

March 23, Independence, 8-7

March 22, Monterey, 1-13

Boys’ Track

March 7,Fremont, 78-45

March 14,@ Monta Vista, 84-43

March 21,@ Santa Clara, 71-56

Girls’ Track


March 14, @ Monta Vista, 73-54


March 30,@ De Anza,

Team Championship COURTESY OF BILL WALSTROM

Jersey: 15 Position: P, OF

Ht/Wt: 6’0”/185 Class: Junior

Overall: 6-7-0 League: 3-4-0

COURTESY OFKURT RAMBIS

11The Prospector SportsMarch 29, 2013

After coaching one of the most successful teams on campus for seven years, varsity field hockey coach Jill Borges, who is five months pregnant with a boy, will temporarily retire to take care of her three children.

The varsity field hockey team has been ranked in the top five of their league ever since Borges began coaching. Back in 2000, before Borges coached, the team won the C-league in the Blos-som Hill Valley League and advanced to the B-league. With Borg-es coaching, the team held steady top rankings and qualified for CCS five years in a row. This past season the team finally won the league title in the B-league after being co-champions with Leland HIgh School the year before.

Besides just coaching, Borges is also a P.E. teacher. Prior to coaching field hockey, Borges also coached varsity girls tennis and varsity girls soccer. While she enjoyed these experiences, coaching field hockey has been her favorite due to her longtime love for the game.

“I love coaching; it’s the best part of my job,” Borges said. “I

get to hang out with the team and get to know the players better than any other students. In my [P.E.] classes I have 40 to 45 kids, so I can’t get to know everyone on a personal level. And I love the competition.”

Borges, who attended Monta Vista High School, played as a goalie and was captain her senior year. She was eager to start coaching when she was first hired at the school, but since the position was filled she was unable to. Two years after she began coaching tennis, Borges started coaching JV field hockey and be-came the varsity coach in 2009.

Borges is proud of the players she groomed, all of whom try out with no prior experience, into skilled athletes. One of these athletes, senior Jackie Ballin, recently accepted an athletic schol-arship to Mercy College.

“The reason I coach is to make sure the girls have a good ex-perience and make sure they leave high school feeling like they accomplished something,” Borges said. “It’s very sad for me to leave because I love the team. And I am okay with making sacri-fices to coach, but not when my sacrifices are my kids. I feel like I would have been selfish to continue to coach.”

Borges considers the field hockey team an extension of her

own family, which made her decision to leave even more difficult.“I didn’t plan not to coach next year, but as I started thinking

about the logistics of how I could raise [my daughters] Brooklyn and Emry and the newborn while coaching seemed impossible. I mean the girls love coming to the games, but they have to be the first ones dropped off and the last ones picked up from daycare because I choose to coach. It came to a point where it just seemed unfair for my own kids.”

Even though Borges found her replacement, she did not disclose the name. Borges’ last day of school will be on April 23, while her caesarean section is scheduled on May 22.

Borges’ farewell bid is not permanent, but she still expressed her gratitude for the teams that made field hockey one of the most successful sports on campus.

When her children go to school, she wants to resume coach-ing and she even looks forward to coaching her daughter’s team in the future.

“Ultimately, I want to thank all of my players for being there and choosing to play, being enthusiastic about it, and putting forth the effort we needed to win,” Borges said. “I can’t take all the credit because we had a great and crazy team.”

AZADEH RONGEREeditor-in-chief

JASON CHEN

Leaving a mark Borges temporarily retires for new child

For juniors Mira Simmel and Hyewan Kim, kyūdō is not simply an after school sport, but a martial art that involves the mind, body and spirit.

The ancient art of kyūdō originated in Ja-pan and is known as “the way of the bow.” Un-like Western archery, practicing kyūdō is not merely nocking an arrow, aiming at the target and shooting. There is an entire concept and art form in which the archer’s spirit is heavily trained.

According to Simmel, the ideal archer is supposed to be able to “stand quietly without any interference from outside, not thinking about anything else except for the target or your shooting or your spirit. You don’t [con-sciously] let go of the string, [it is] supposed to naturally slip out of your hand.”

Requiring an entire textbook to explain its details, kyūdō is a complicated art form. There are different movements, postures and hand positions depending on the situation.

As seen from the basic greetings that demonstrate deference to one’s senior, speak-ing in honorifics and cleaning the practice area, kyūdō is built on a system of respect.

“I used to not be a very patient person ... but then because of the slow movements, [kyūdō] teaches you patience, inner peace, dis-cipline and manners,” Simmel said. “I am half

Japanese, but because I haven’t lived in Japan, I didn’t completely understand the manners or the ‘keigo’ – the proper way of talking to an upperclassman. Since I’ve started, I talk [in a] more proper way … [I now avoid] things that I shouldn’t do or things that would embarrass not myself, but my teachers instead.”

In addition to their weekly two and a half hour practices, Simmel and Kim’s kyūdō group rents out the Foothill College gym to have a full 28-meter range for practice.

“For me, learning about the Japanese cul-ture is really fun,” Kim said. “I can learn more about the Japanese people by learning about the rules that apply to kyūdō because this is a sport that requires etiquette and respect to-wards the teacher, or ‘sensei.’”

Despite kyūdō’s intense attention to de-tail and overall complexity, it develops a sense of community among those who practice the art form. There is a long lineage of senpai who pass along their knowledge and appreciation of kyūdō to their students. At the international seminars, students are able to meet students from other groups in countries from the Unit-ed States to Brazil to many others. Athletes able to come together during the week to shoot for fun and share what they know about kyūdō. As kyūdō is such and international sport, Sim-mel and Kim know that wherever they choose to go, they can continue practicing it, whether they remain in the United States or travel to Japan.

LAURA KAOfeatures editor

KyudoThe art of

COURTESY OFMIRA SIMMEL

Flip Side March 29, 2013 12

JASON CHENCOURTESY OF LUCY CHIAN

INTERNATIONAL WEEK | Two soccer players battle it out in a friendly, school-wide competition at lunch

WEST SIDE STORY | Senior Ariana Banks grieves the death of Tony, played by senior Martin Nguyen, in this classic musical production

WINTER SPORTS RALLY | Senior David Hong is dragged across the gym in a race against the sopho-mores and juniors

BOYS VOLLEYBALL | Senior Patrick Johnson spikes the ball over the op-ponent’s block in a game against Fremont High School

DANCE COMPETITION | Junior Ra-chel Bell performs the choreogra-phy to “Musicology” at the district-wide competition

NIRMIT SHAH NIRMIT SHAHTHU DAMJASON CHEN

MARCH IN PHOTOS

NIRMIT SHAH

w

The key to fasting is taking it slow.You have to slow down the normal routine of your

day, slow down your physical and mental processes and find peace in the hunger that you can’t take your mind off of. I fasted for 48 hours, from Monday night to Wednesday night. The day before I was set to start my fast, I read up about fasting in nervous preparation. I learned that while it is often done for religious or political reasons, many people choose to fast for health reasons too. I read about a 456-pound Scottish man who went over a year without anything but supplement pills. Afterwards, many of his health problems had been cured, and he lost 276 pounds. This comforted me. Two days? Child’s play. I would be able to breeze through it.

How wrong I was. Fasting challenges your mind as much as it chal-

lenges your body. I found that I went through cycles during the day, peaks and valleys. I don’t usually eat a lot in the morning, so going to school without breakfast (ever realize it’s really break-fast?) wasn’t a big deal. During the day, there were points when I felt energized, invigorated and focused. But then there were low points, when I was tired and lethargic and unable to focus at all. These were usually sparked by mentions of food, or the sight or smell of it.

The evening was brutal. I excused myself from dinner and stayed in my room. The smell and sight of a table filled with food was too much for my fraught nerves. It didn’t help much. I thought about food. I had visions of food. I listened to songs about food. I couldn’t get it off my mind. When I woke up the next morning, I had the dreadful realization that I had another twelve hours to go. No breakfast. The clumps of broccoli in the vegetable-basket looked like a stack of pancakes. The tomatoes looked like juicy apples. I forced myself away from the kitchen and its temptations.

But I made it through the second day with less speedbumps than the first. My brain seemed to realize that it’s pleas for food would not be satiated, and so it moved on to other things. I found peace in it, and I almost forgot that I was ending my fast that night.

You don’t realize how precious food is until you’re deprived of it. I sat down for my first post-fast meal with a deepened appreciation for the food before me. Fasting can feel like torture while you’re doing it. But afterwards, it is humbling to realize that people go hungry by no choice of their own. We’re fortunate to live in a part of the world where food is cheap and readily available. I never want to take this for granted again, so I plan on making fasting routine.

YOUSEPH PAVLOVIClifestyles assistant

Don’t talk to me about diets

WEB EXCLUSIVEwww.chsprospector.org

San Jose Sharks: Read about Kev-in’s experience at the HP Pavilion and his interview of the Sharks

April Fool’s Weekly Obsession: Mike Liao shows off his one-of-a-kind-style

Download the app: Download The Prospector App, available for free on the iTunes store

West Side Story: Relive this clas-sic musical in the online photo album

NEXT MONTH: APRIL

Blood DriveMonday, April 29

Spring BreakMonday, April 15 - Friday, April 19

Clubs DayFriday, April 12

Spring Band ConcertWednesday, April 10

April Fool’s DayMonday, April 1

Star Testing Tuesday, April 23 - Friday, April 26

CHRIS CAI

THU DAM

Senior Brian Shin, who traveled to South Korea in October to compete in the televised singing contest KPOP STAR, tells of his experiences in reality TV and sharing the spotlight with his boy band, the Raccoon Boys.

Q: Did you keep in contact with your friends in Cupertino?A: I tried my best to stay in contact with my friends, but it was really hard because of the time difference. I did webcam a lot of my friends every week, and they would send me emails and messages about how school was going.

Q: Did you ever feel lonely in the competition?A: Being by myself in Korea without my parents and friends made me very lonely at times, but I overcame it by talking to my friends and family whenever I could. When we entered the Top 10 stage, we weren’t allowed to use the internet or phone, so I was disconnected with my friends and family for more than three months and that was really hard for me too. Everybody in the competition felt lonely by then and the only thing we had was each other.

Q: What’s it like working with the other two boys?A: At first when we were put into the Raccoon Boys, it was really awkward because we barely knew each other and all three had different interests and musical backgrounds. But once we started practicing and rehearsing, we clicked and started to connect. We somehow found mutual interests and really bonded. By the time we were out of the show, we were closer than real brothers; they were like older brothers I never had. Minseok, who is the oldest and the rapper of the group, is very talented in writing. His Korean rap has always been praised during the competition. McKay, the second oldest, is in charge of the accoustics and vocals.

I am the youngest. I was in charge of the vocals and re-arranging the songs for us to perform (like Thriller, Like This, Run Devil Run). All three of us brought something special to the group.

Q: How has your schedule changed?A: When we made it to Top 10 we would start everyday at 7:30 a.m. and besides eating breaks, rehearse until 11:00 p.m. We would also often go to skin care, live band and singing rehearsals, get fitted for performance clothing,

dance rehearsals, interviews and VCR and studio recording.

Q: So what happens now?A: We aren’t allowed to use Twitter, Instagram or Facebook before the show officially ends on April 7th. I am still scheduled to appear on two more episodes for special performances. Once the show ends, the writers/producers will let us know which record labels are interested in us.

Q: What’s the scariest thing about being on television?A: Before the live shows, I was really scared about being on TV because the episodes before live shows are edited. However once we got into live shows, knowing that every little move, every little thing you say will be broadcasted live throughout the nation was even more freaky.

Q: Is there anything you learned about yourself?A: I learned a lot of things. One of the most important things I realized when I was out of the competition was that I was scared of myself, more than anything else in the world. During the show I went through a breakdown, because I thought I wasn’t good enough. Once I knew I was my own worst critic, I gained a lot of confidence on the stage.

Brian Shin and his journey to Korean stardom

COMPILED BY ALYA OMAR

COURTESY OFBRIAN SHIN

Issue #7 — The Prospector — 2012-13

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