Editors’ note: This is a special edition of the Falcon OPINION 9 SCHOOL SCOPE 17 that has been mailed to all SHS households as we try to support a small Bay Area business, our printer Reporter Seniors lose Folger Graphics in Hayward. The Falcon is largely examines moments due working online during shelter-in-place. We hope our rising farmer to school year work will help you feel connected to our community in these trying times. suicide rates. cut short. — Manasi Garg, Allison Hartley, Rohan Kumar, Kaitlyn Tsai THE saratogafalconAN INDEPENDENT HIGH SCHOOL PUBLICATION

Friday, May 29, 2020 Saratoga High School Saratoga, CA SPECIAL EDITION Vol. 60, No. 9

Choir director Drama and English teacher Sarah Thermond Spanish teacher Bret Yeilding will retire after 20 years at SHS. will teach drama full time at Palo Alto High. accused of sexual assault

BY ManasiGarg, AllisonHartley & KaitlynTsai

Choir director Andrew Ford was ar- rested on May 15 and charged with sexually assaulting a minor between 2004 and 2006, according to a published report in the East Bay Times. The 33-year-old teacher was charged with one count each of sexual pen- etration by force or duress, oral copulation by force or duress and oral copulation with a minor under 18. The district is currently investigating whether any inappropriate behavior oc- curred during Ford’s time at Saratoga High. Ford has been placed on a leave of absence LONGTIMELEAVING STAFF MEMBERS MAKE TRANSITIONS THE AT ENDNEST OF SCHOOL YEAR by the district since mid-April and is cur- rently being held at Elmwood men’s jail in English teacher Susanna Ryan Milpitas, where he is being held on $250,000 will move to Alabama. bail, the East Bay Times reported. Before Ford left, he told his students he had to attend to a family emergency and would return as soon as possible, said junior Francesca Fernandes, who is in choir. In the interim, band director Jason Shiuan has taken over the class and helped organize a virtual choir piece, for which a video editor strung together individual recordings from each choir member. Ford has worked as the choral director CHOIR DIRECTOR on pg. 6 Librarian Kevin Heyman will retire after 12 years at SHS. TEACHERS on pgs. 4 & 5 District faces budget cuts Seniors to pick up diplomas BY ManasiGarg school district is roughly $62 million. The & KaitlynTsai district is largely funded by local property in drive-through graduation taxes instead of receiving money from the The Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High state based on average daily attendance. BY NityaMarimuthu class office does not have more informa- School District has projected that spending Louie said the district will likely cut tion about the virtual graduation . needs to be cut by up to $1.6 million annu- spending per student. Pottage said they After receiving a green light from the Senior class representative Emma Hsu ally for the next three years to offset a deficit will reduce overtime and paid leave, which county, the diploma presentation cer- said that senior class officers and admin- of $4.1 million due to losses in funding from could save the district another $250,000. emony for the Class of 2020 will take place istration have been considering many the state and expected drops in local prop- Departing employees will increasingly on June 1 on the top of the stairs at the options, including holding a traditional erty tax revenue. This number is subject to not be replaced whenever possible. For in- McAfee Center. graduation in August, but eventually set- change as the pandemic progresses. stance, after librarian Kevin Heyman retires, According to principal Greg Louie, tled upon this model. She said that this Rosemarie Pottage, the district’s chief the district will not replace his job, and well- graduates will come to the center at a was not the ideal situation, but that she is business officer, said that leaders will try to ness coordinator Marina Barnes will return scheduled time with any immediate family optimistic that the virtual graduation will avoid layoffs and maintain classes and pro- to her position as school resource aide, members in one car and will commence in still be meaningful. grams. The specifics of spending cuts have essentially eliminating a position. Some an orderly manner that “Personally, I am quite not been spelled out. maintains social dis- bummed that we are having a The combined yearly budget for the two- BUDGET on pg. 2 tancing while efficiently drive-through diploma pick streamlining graduates. up and a virtual graduation The procession — this year, because I have been consisting of graduates looking forward to all senior in their cars — will start activities since my freshman near the parking lot year, and the effects of the CO- by the stadium and will VID-19 precautions changed so proceed toward the McAfee many plans in an instant,” Hsu said. Center. Graduates’ families will pull into a Senior Armina Mayya called the modi- designated spot one by one. fied graduation “pretty depressing,” but Upon stopping, the student will exit the she understands that administration and car and go up the ramp to the McAfee, and the senior class officers are trying to ac- after having their name announced will commodate as much as possible and that pick up the diploma cover. They will then the situation is unlucky.

exit the stage, return any borrowed gowns, “[The modified graduation is] a very PERMIT #3335 PERMIT

HAYWARD CA HAYWARD go back to their car and exit through the anticlimactic end to high school, but I un-

PAID lot by the stadium. derstand that it’s the best we can do [due

SARATOGA CA 95070 CA SARATOGA

US POSTAGE US The administration hopes to live- to] COVID-19,” Mayya said. “I am just

20300 HERRIMAN AVE AVE HERRIMAN 20300 NONPROFIT ORG NONPROFIT stream the ceremony in a virtual gradu- super grateful for the administration and ation on June 4 for those who cannot be class officers for organizing all of this for there in person. As of right now, the senior us.” u

ALL GRAPHICS BY NITYA MARIMUTHU AND ALEKHYA VADLAKONDA NEWS 1-6 OPINION 7-10 LIFESTYLES 11-13 ENTERTAINMENT 14-16 SCHOOL SCOPE 17-19 IN-DEPTH 20-21 SPORTS 22-23 BACKPAGE 24 The Saratoga Falcon The Saratoga Falcon 2 NEWS May 29, 2020 May 29, 2020 NEWS 3 picturethis Community organizations help newsbriefs locals under shelter-in-place BY MarisaKingsley profit community organizations $10,000 to WVCS. to help low-income families as SASCC runs an adult daycare Two juniors recognized at NHD state competition Before the COVID-19 crisis, el- unemployment rates skyrocketed. program helping older adults with The statewide National History Day Competition (NHD- derly residents could find a range According to Mercury News, 3.4 cognitive and physical disabilities CA) held a virtual awards ceremony on Wednesday, May 13 of activities and groups for senior million Californians have filed for in addition to the Saratoga Area that announced qualifications for nationals along with other citizens at the Saratoga Area Se- unemployment due to economic Senior Center. They are now ex- merits. Among the seven groups of student finalists from nior Center, including memoir- fallout amid COVID-19. panding efforts to provide services SHS, two students received awards. writing, Chinese Chamber music, As a result, many local orga- to aid those over the age of 65 dur- Junior Riya Jain won the Japanese American History line dancing and Tai-Chi. nizations are urgently asking the ing this challenging time. Award for her documentary, “Fighting on Two Fronts: The Now, the only local classes public for monetary donations in New resources include video Fight against Japanese Internment,” while junior Francesca offered to seniors are online as order to buy food and other sup- tutorials on how to use grocery Fernandes received an Honorable Mention for her perfor- 20-minute YouTube videos. These plies for low-income families, as and meal delivery services, and mance “Elizabeth Hamilton: How One Woman Revolution- are part of the ongoing effort well as asking for volunteers. ordering essential items online. ized the Role of Women in American Society and Its Poli- by Saratoga Area Coordinating One such organization is West Additionally, they offer online tics.” Council, which runs the center, to Valley Community Services, instructor-led classes such as yoga Although Jain and Fernandes won these awards, they did stay connected with its members which provides financial assis- and lipreading, and RYDE, SAS- not move forward to nationals. Five other groups of students during the state’s shelter-in-place tance and food to families living in CC’s senior transportation service, also did not advance but were finalists for the state compe- order. Cupertino, Los Gatos, Monte Sere- has been repurposed as a delivery tition. These juniors included Neeti Badve, Tabitha Hulme, FALCON // ANGELINA CHEN “Our remaining staff is working no, Saratoga and West San Jose. service. Nitya Marimuthu, Nikhil Nair, Hermione Bossolina, Ankita Graduate goodbyes | Principal Greg Louie hands senior Jackson Gress a lawn sign in the from home and trying our best to Cathy Thermond, mother of dra- The transition from in-person Chatterjee, Katie Chen, Urmila Vudali, Michelle Wu, Aliza drive-through cap and gown pickup on Thursday, May 21. Staff members traded seniors adapt to this situation while stay- ma teacher Sarah Thermond, is an care to remote assistance has not Zaman, Amanda Zhu, Rohan Kumar, Anthony Qin, Aaron ing positive and accessible to our active volunteer of WVCS through been easy for the organization. Wong and Karen Lei. their textbooks for the class photo, a lawn sign, a t-shirt and their cap and gown. seniors,” said Tylor Taylor, the ex- the Saratoga Rotary Club as well Taylor said that since their ma- After receiving the news that she had qualified as a final- ecutive director of SASCC. as the Saratoga Foothill Club, both jor operations are closed and they ist, Jain said that she was ecstatic. Also closed now are many of clubs dedicated to community ser- no longer have revenue coming in, “Obviously, I was really happy,” Jain said. “It’s a good feel- the establishments where Sara- vice. Thermond is now working SASCC must raise money through ing to be recognized for something that you really put a lot togans spend much of their free with both organizations remotely fundraising, grant-writing and aid of effort into.” Senior prom put on hold time, including the Saratoga Li- to help fundraise for the WVCS from their government partners. — Ethan Lin and Allen Luo brary, Saratoga Federated Church food pantries. These funds have not been enough and Sacred Heart Parish. Saratoga “The shelter-in-place order and the SASCC had to lay off a City Hall is to remain closed at happened right when our Rotary large portion of its staff, not only least through May 3, according Club was planning additional leaving many unemployed but also Keys recognized as District Teacher of the Year to the city’s website. While their hands-on activities with WVCS fewer resources to help seniors. doors may be closed to the public, and West Valley College,” Ther- “Our members are isolated English teacher Amy Keys, who restarted the Creative many of these institutions are do- mond said. “We decided to shelve now more than ever, and our tra- Writing class and led the school’s WASC effort this year, said ing their part to help out during our plans this year and concentrate ditional methods of providing so- she was deeply grateful and a bit embarrassed to discover this public health crisis. on helping fundraise for WVCS.” cial services have been interrupted that she had been named District Teacher of the Year. The Saratoga Federated Church The Pantry Project, the Foothill indefinitely,” Taylor said. “To be recognized by these giants among teachers is one held a blood drive on April 15, Club’s annual canned food drive, Even when SASCC will be able of the great honors of my life,” Keys said. “I have learned an which was operated by the Ameri- was originally scheduled for April to reopen once the shelter-in-place immeasurable amount from my colleagues, and I am con- can Red Cross, as blood donations and May but has been converted order is lifted, Taylor expects that tinually pushed to be a better teacher by my academically remain imperative to community into a fundraiser for WVCS. Al- they will not be able to go im- hungry, intellectually curious students and my thoughtful, health and the need is constant, though monetary donations are mediately back to serving the el- discerning, generous and caring colleagues.” according to American Red Cross. not the only way to support them, derly community since they will The District Teacher of the Year award alternates between Besides the increased disinfection Thermond said that they provide likely be in quarantine longer than teachers from Los Gatos High and Saratoga High. The vote of the equipment used for dona- WVCS the flexibility to buy the younger people. for Teacher of the Year was done by Keys’s fellow teachers, tions, participants had to adhere food they need to distribute to “Once most people start going who, along with several administrators, announced the hon- to social-distancing guidelines and families. Additionally, she said back to work, seniors will have less or to her via Zoom-bombing one of her classes earlier this were subjected to mini-physicals that because many of the Foothill help available to them from family, month. A dozen staff members also did a drive-by salute in Courtesy of SASCC to ensure they were healthy before club members are senior citizens, friends, and neighbors so we will front of Keys’s house in Santa Cruz and brought her lemons Renée Kazemipour Paquier, SASCC Board Member and WVCS Dean of donating. monetary donations are also a way need to be creative in how to pro- Professional Studies, and WVCS member Haoxue Che deliver meals for The shelter-in-place order has for them to help out remotely. As vide support during the transition to signify her ability to turn lemons into lemonade. u Keys said she believes the commendation extends to her the Live Oak Nutrition Center. also intensified the need for non- of now, the club has contributed back to normal life,” Taylor said. Courtesy of SIMRITA ADVANI, AASHNA BELENJE, ISHA JAGANATHAN, MADDIE MANZAGOL, JINSU YIM close colleagues and students, whom she constantly learns from. She strives to create an engaging learning environ- BY AndyChen ideally be limited to seniors in or- said that he and the current se- ment to enables students to develop active learning skills. & KaashaMinocha der to ensure senior class funds are nior class office are talking about Many of her English 11 Honors students, including ju- not used for a multi-grade event. buying all seniors a tile and then nior Isaac Sun, were excited to hear that Keys won the award. As all events for the current Extra details are still being worked having them decorate it based on District redesigns education goals “She’s an amazing teacher — very caring and always wants school year have been canceled, out, such as if a senior could invite their experience at the school or the best for her students,” Sun said. “Just from how meticu- ASB director Matt Torrens and the a junior or somebody else. Torrens the college they are attending. Af- BY AariaThomas project, a plan for what a student representatives. lously she plans every class, whether that was in person or senior class office are looking into added that they would need to terwards, they would put them all in the district should know at the So far the Design Team has online, you can really see that she wants you each to succeed. different avenues to hold prom for have some control on who’s going together on a wall somewhere on Junior Danielle Moon, class end of their education, at the be- held two of four meetings, the first She gives you nuggets of information to digest and lets you the graduating Class of 2020 in into the on-campus prom. campus. representative, walked into a meet- ginning of the school year and has on Jan. 22 and the second on Feb. think and ponder about everything that you’re doing.” December. Despite the delay in prom, Even if prom is held months ing on Jan. 22 in Saratoga High been instrumental in pushing this 26. Due to the shelter-in-place or- “Seniors have been pulled away some seniors like this proposal. later or a year later, the senior School’s library and sat down at a vision forward. der and school closure, the team — Preston Fu from each other at a critical mo- Although many will have moved class officers and Torrens are -de table with Los Gatos and Saratoga Participants on the commit- has halted their meetings for now ment of their school career; at the onto college, a prom still provides termined to hold the event. Tor- faculty, student representatives, tee hope the profile will add more and plans to resume its meetings climax,” Torrens said. “This is a a lost high school experience. rens said that although the seniors parents, business representatives structure to what students at Los online, holding the last two on chance to bring everybody back “In concept, a later prom are at the end of high school and and members from the district. Gatos and Saratoga High School April 29 and May 27. They still together, have some laughs and sounds fun, and I would definitely soon they will start a new stage of They were there to begin dis- learn. It will replace the district’s plan to finish and begin using the enjoy each other’s company.” go,” senior Chris Feng said. “On their life, the prom aims to bring cussing what a student in the Strategic Plan, which guides the graduate profile for the 2020-2021 Noteworthy Updates The details of the event are the other hand, I think it’d prob- the class back together to “cel- district should know and be schools and district and school year. • Finals week now only two days; school finishes June 2 currently unknown, but the idea ably be pretty awkward as well, ebrate the challenges they’ve gone able to do at the end helps determine what In addition to Moon and Moh- is that after students come home seeing as how everybody would through together.” nike, juniors Manasi Garg and • Yearbook distribution canceled; yearbook staff finished of their education, they spend resources from college for winter break, the have been separated for so long — “Not only is it a substitute for the beginning of a on and will expire Nora Sherman and English teach- publication remotely so books will be mailed to students’ doors current senior class office and Tor- everybody would be different.” prom, but it’s also an effort for ev- process that will in three to five er Suzanne Herzman have attend- • 9th, 10th and 11th grade students to return textbooks and other rens could organize an event on There is currently $25,000 in the eryone, even when they are in col- result in a Grad- years. ed meetings. campus. senior class account, which would lege, to come back together and be Although the project is in its belongings between June 2 and June 4 uate Profile. “Instead of Torrens said that holding the go to pay for the food trucks, the able to reunite again,” Torrens said. Each of the being taught early stages, many of the members • Saratoga’s Got Talent to be held virtually on May 29 event in August is unlikely due DJ and the class gift which is typi- “These seniors have that unique participants un- based on older have an opinion or an idea of what • The seniors of the Falcon staff will publish the 2019-2020 senior to shelter-in-place regulations, so cally a gift or improvement to the opportunity to have an event like derstood the rap- assumptions of they want to see in the Graduate their next step is to look later on. If school, such as new murals. COVID-19 that has united them what skills and Profile. While Mohnike thinks magazine via a website launching in early June. id pace at which December is not possible, they will Since prom usually involves a in a way we’ve never seen anoth- society was chang- knowledge are technical skills in subjects like GR • The Falcon now sends weekly newsletters; to subscribe, visit this AP HU consider moving prom to spring- senior service project, some mon- er class unite, and ironically, the ing with technology HIC UT needed for the mod- math and English are important, BY NITYA MARIM website: http://eepurl.com/gYSX55 time or early summer of 2021. ey in the class account will also uniting factor has been being sep- and with it the expecta- ern world, the education she said she believes the district Torrens said that the prom will be spent on this activity. Torrens arated from one another.” u tions for people living in the soci- will be more targeted to the needs should also focus on expanding ety. They also understood that stu- of students in the future,” Moh- students’ soft skills. dents’ education must be adjusted nike said. “I think the power of collabora- BUDGET turn to the classroom and will no 2007-2009. However, the situa- to better prepare them for it. To achieve this goal, the district tive work and the essential skills of falcononline www.saratogafalcon.org longer be instructional coaches. tion looks worse because of the The atmosphere was respectful created a committee known as working on a team are important,” Fewer sections of classes will be high levels of unemployment and calm as each person voiced the Design Team with around 50 Mohnike said. “The other thing continued from pg. 1 offered next year, probably driv- spreading across the country. their opinion on what students members, consisting of teachers, that is becoming very apparent @saratogafalcon @saratogafalcon temporary employees, includ- ing average class sizes into the 30s. “These aren’t the Great Reces- should learn once they walk away administrators and students from is the value of the arts — creat- ing teachers, may also not return The district is modeling its sion numbers,” Pottage said at a with their diploma. both schools as well as business ing and appreciating visual and next year while two teachers on response on cuts made dur- board meeting on May 19. “These Superintendent Mike Grove professionals from the commu- performing arts makes the rest of special assignment will likely re- ing the Great Recession of are Great Depression numbers.” u introduced the Graduate Profile nity, board members and college what we do meaningful.” u The Saratoga Falcon The Saratoga Falcon 4 NEWS May 29, 2020 May 29, 2020 NEWS 5 English teacher Susanna Ryan says goodbye to SHS Thermond to teach at Palo Alto after eight years at SHS

BY ShamaGupta factor in her decision to switch to take on the same welcoming at- BY MarisaKingsley undergraduate program at the College of I find one I love half as much as this school.” all ways,” Mohnike said. “That doesn’t just & ChristineZhang schools. Next year there will be titude toward her students. William and Mary in Virginia. Despite the distance, Ryan is grateful for mean teaching them English language skills, only one drama class, and the fate “I’ve tried to give students a At first glance, Room 003 may seem She transitioned fresh out of college to the time she spent with her students face-to- but in sharing her belief and compassion for Starting in August, English 10 of the productions is uncertain be- platform to run events that they like the characteristic English classroom teaching English 10 Honors, English 11, face, noting how vivacious class discussions the equality of all.” and drama teacher Sarah Ther- cause of COVID-19. want to try and to hold really im- — grammar posters and student projects Creative Writing and AP English Literature and group projects are a constant source of Ryan’s empathy is not the only thing that mond will become a full-time Thermond is a class of 2007 portant leadership positions with decorating the walls, stray copies of “Cyrano at Falls Church High School in West Falls entertainment. She described teaching high students and teachers knew her for. For her drama director at Palo Alto High Saratoga alum. While attending their peers,” she said. “I feel like de Bergerac” lying on desks — but current Church, Va., for nine years, and she taught school students as an “honor” and “source students, Ryan will be remembered as a pas- School, an opportunity that small- high school, she was a dedicated this is a community that is com- and former students know that English and a composition course at Northern Virginia of neverending laughs.” sionate teacher who valued personal con- er Saratoga High cannot match. drama student and religiously par- mitted to doing good work and World Geography teacher Susanna Ryan’s Community College for one year after- Ryan also cherishes the connections she nections, even if it was just saying hello to Due to its large school size of ticipated in fall plays and spring that tries to empower people to go classroom is a warm, welcoming space for wards. In 2014, Ryan moved to San Jose for made with her colleagues and cites their en- them in the hallway or inviting them to her almost 2,100 students, Palo Alto musicals. after what they want to do.” all who enter. her husband’s career and began thusiasm, collaboration and dedi- classroom during tutorial to catch up. is one of the few high schools in Thermond graduated from the Junior Francesca Fernandes, But come next school year, Room 003 teaching at SHS. cation as continued sources of in- “Even though I did not have Mrs. Ryan Northern California that offers a University of Southern California who is not currently in the drama will be occupied by a different teacher. Af- After the move, Ryan plans on spiration. in my sophomore or junior year, I still full-time theater job. When Kath- School of Dramatic Arts in 2011, class at SHS but has participated Ryan’s colleagues share the same stopped by her classroom about once every ter teaching at SHS for six years, Ryan will taking a year off to be at home leen Woods, a former SHS drama and her first job out of USC was as in the school’s plays since her Courtesy of TALISMAN move to Huntsville, Ala., for her husband’s with her infant son and help her sentiment. two weeks to talk with her,” said junior Ja- teacher who made the same tran- an English and drama teacher at freshman year, said that Ther- Drama and English 10 teacher Sarah Thermond and her students are job as an operations manager in the defense two daughters, both early elemen- Assistant principal Kerry Moh- son Chin, who had Ryan for English 9. “She sition to Palo Alto, retired from Saratoga. mond is not only dedicated to her carefully observing a student’s performance in a drama class. industry. tary age, get adjusted to their new nike, who worked closely with Ryan always has things to say about her children, her position, Thermond knew she Throughout her teaching ca- work but also very kind towards While the decision to move was difficult, schools. on the Social Emotional Learning and she always shows us photos of them.” wanted to apply for the post. She reer, Thermond has also taken her students. school, and she has also partici- Thermond said she will miss Ryan said that the more affordable living Ryan has already started scop- team on events such as Breaking Ryan looks forward to coming back to said teaching both English and up acting and directing gigs for “She really puts her all into ev- pated in all of the main stage plays the school and its people, and will costs and proximity to her children’s grand- ing out high school teaching po- Ryan Down The Walls, described Ryan visit after the COVID-19 pandemic, noting drama at the same time at SHS has productions around the Bay Area ery single show she’s directed and and musicals that Thermond has find it difficult to root against Sara- parents and her brother’s family in Georgia sitions in Alabama but acknowl- as an ardent advocate for fostering that she will remember the SHS community been difficult. such as the musical “Annie,” “Edu- uses every cast member thought- directed. toga High during football games will be worth it. edged that it will be challenging to meaningful connections among fondly. “I have really enjoyed teaching cating Rita” and an all-female cast fully,” Fernandes said. “Even if In fact, Tjahjadi said that Ther- and other competitions. Despite these benefits, Ryan said saying adjust to a new school. staff, students and their cohorts alike. “I’ve had so many models here of the kind in both of the departments I have of “Hamlet.” you’re not a lead, she still finds mond was the one who initially She wants to thank the students farewell to SHS will not be easy. “I never thought I could love another Mohnike also said she admires how Ryan of person I want to be, not just as a teacher worked in at SHS,” Thermond said. Even though she thinks she ways to really feature you and your inspired her to try acting and that and staff at Saratoga for “bringing “If it weren’t for our family being so far school more [than Falls Church], and then brought her love of language to her students but more generally as a human,” Ryan said. “But I’ll admit that trying to teach will have an easier time being a strengths so that the show is as she has loved working with Ther- open-mindedness, enthusiasm away, I would gladly stay at SHS my entire I came to Saratoga,” Ryan said. “I’m now every day. “I am forever changed by the compassion, so many different courses — four full-time theater director at Palo great as possible and you’re a valu- mond for the past four years. and expertise into each class, event career,” Ryan said. convinced that high schools are all pretty “Certainly I will miss her utter com- work ethic and community embodied here u different drama classes, English Alto, Thermond said she will miss able member of the show, no mat- “Her class was really fun and and activity.” Ryan started her teaching career at the incredible in their own right, and I just hope mitment to doing right by her students in at SHS.” and all of the after-school plays Saratoga High’s culture of students ter what your role is.” chill and was a great way to escape In particular, Thermond hopes and musicals as preps — has been placing trust in their teachers, who Senior Natalie Tjahjadi’s fa- the pressures and stress of high for the best for the students she has a pretty big challenge.” empower them to take initiative vorite memories from drama are school,” she said. “Ms. Thermond met through the drama program. Due to decreasing enrollment and achieve great things. also from the shows, particularly created an environment for every- “To my soon-to-be-former stu- numbers in drama, Thermond She appreciates her former “Mary Poppins” and “The Sound one that was super welcoming and dents: I won’t be able to wave at knew it was likely she would have teachers for accepting and respect- of Music.” friendly, which helped form a re- you in the hallway, but I still am in to teach even more English courses ing her as a colleague right when She has been in Thermond’s ally strong bond between theater your corner and wishing you only in future years, which was a large she started teaching; she has tried drama class all four years of high kids in all different grade levels.” the best!” Thermond said. u Students cope with changes in On the frontlines, students’ long-awaited summer plans parents tackle COVID-19 BY AnoukYeh Convention that her folklore dance team TALISMAN // KIRAN CHANDRASEKHER COURTESY OF FREDRICK KIM had been long awaiting. BY AnjaliNuggehalli dures that her parents have implemented to In May 2019, when the music program “Our dance group and another group & AnoukYeh shield Lam and her younger brother from announced that it would open sign ups for from Sonoma have been practicing to the possibility of contracting the virus. Yeilding retires after 20 Longtime librarian retires its 2020 summer Europe trip, sophomore showcase two main sets in the convention As the entire world battles the COV- “We do not eat dinner together any- Lance Wong was ecstatic. in front of thousands of people,” Mendoza ID-19 pandemic, health-care workers stand more,” Lam said. “My brother and I eat in “The itinerary about the gorgeous sights, said. “But sadly, due to what’s going on, all on the front lines. our rooms, and my parents eat at the family years of teaching Spanish after 12 rewarding years historically relevant destinations and abso- our hard work and traveling were halted.” Whether it’s waking up at the crack of ro om .” lutely stunning food all really drew me in,” Mendoza said that her dance team dawn or working throughout the night — In contrast, sophomore Maha Qureshi, Wong said. is still unsure of what to do now that the or both — doctors and nurses are making whose father works as a radiologist, said BY AnoukYeh so much.” BY NicoleLu man was in teaching research methods Aside from being involved in the realm himself. That excitement built through the year convention, which was supposed to be the enormous sacrifices to put a halt to this that her family dynamic has changed little “Hola, gringos!” of academics, Yeilding also plays an active Librarian Kevin Heyman is retiring af- Through his presentations given to stu- but ended March 29. highlight of their season, has been pushed global frenzy. since the pandemic. The loud exclamation traveled through role in the school’s sports program. ter 12 years as a central figure at SHS and dents, Heyman has been extremely ben- That was the day when Michael Boitz, back to October. Sophomore Isabel Lee’s mother, Dr. Sar- “We’ve all been spending more time to- the 500s wing, immediately followed by the For 10 years, Yeilding was the head 30 years as an educator. eficial when carrying out research projects performing arts department chair, sent She said that, as of April 8, her team is ah Lee, is one of the millions of health-care gether,” Qureshi said. “It’s just that my dad blare from a rubber horn. Although this se- coach of the girls’ varsity basketball team, Because of budget issues, the district with her students. out an email informing students and par- settling with online reviews of the dances workers putting her health at risk for the has been out of the house a little more than ries of sounds might have sounded annoy- leading the teams to numerous wins and has chosen not to replace him. Heyman worked extensively over his ents that the Europe trip was postponed to through video conferencing platforms “to sake of others. usual because of work.” ing to random hallway passerbys, for many league championships. In 2013, he became During his first 10 years, Heyman years as a librarian with teachers and pro- the summer of 2021 due to the COVID-19 stay active and practice over lockdown.” Lee works as a maternal fetal medicine Her father’s job requires him to “have past and current students in Bret Yeilding’s the football team’s defensive coordinator. taught history, economics and government vided resources for classes such as MAP pandemic. For his part, Wong isn’t sure what he specialist at the Good Samaritan Hospital the least amount of contact with COV- Spanish classes, this lively greeting was a fa- Yeilding said that engaging in the ath- and special education at Mt. Pleasant High 10 with English teacher Suzanne Herzman In his email, Boitz stated that the deci- will do with his summer in light of the can- as a medical director in obstetrics. ID-19 patients as possible.” miliar and welcome indicator of the begin- letic sphere of SHS has helped him see a School in San Jose. and AP Literature, English 12, English 11 sion was “woeful, yet obviously the most cellation. Her primary job before the As a radiologist, her father pri- ning of class. valuable and rare side of students that most His love for research and reading mo- and Creative Writing with Keys. pragmatic.” Despite understanding the rea- Although the impending mass summer pandemic was taking care of marily reviews medical imaging to Following a long career in education, teachers wouldn’t be able to see. tivated him to earn a master’s degree in Heyman led research in the History sons behind the cancellation, Wong said it programs cancellation is already devas- women with complicated preg- diagnose injuries and diseases. Yeilding will retire at the end of the school “A few years ago, we played Palo Alto Library and Information Science and a Li- Bowl and Science Bowl events by ensuring still came as a blow. tating for nancies. Now, Lee prepares the Still, Qureshi is grateful to her year to move to Connecticut, where he will in the playoff game. We won a really close brary Media teaching credential from San that students had access to science data- “After hyping freshmen obstetric unit for patients who father for working on the frontlines be near his significant other and her family. game and it was really exciting,” Yeilding Jose State University in 1998. base subscriptions and an outstanding col- it up with friends and sopho- are possibly positive for COV- to save lives. Prior to his time at SHS, Yeilding taught said. “At the end, the Saratoga students just Heyman continued teaching at Mt. lection of books by prominent scientists. many months mores, for ID-19. “I’m really proud of him for not for 15 years at different high schools around rushed the field. I’ve never been around Pleasant High School and subsequently In addition he also attended the com- prior, I was devas- many ju- Lee also faces the challenge of getting broken down by the death California. anything like that.” enrolled in evening classes. petitions with assistant principal Matthew tated,” Wong said. niors, the handling pregnant patients with tolls,” she said. “I’m also proud of His first teaching job, which he tackled Junior Nathan Murthy, a student in He was later hired as the librarian at In- Torrens. “I intended for this situation is the virus, which is especially dif- the amount of effort he’s putting into fresh out of college in 1983, was at Bullard Yeilding’s Spanish 3 class and a football dependence High School in 2000. When After his long career, Heyman and his to be the big part of worse. ficult with the nation’s contin- Lee his work and how he’s managed to High School in Fresno. player, said that having Yeilding as both a the East Side Union High School wife both made the decision to retire this my summer before GRAPHIC BY CICI XU Junior ued lack of personal protective go to work with the same attitude as After 13 years at Bullard, he moved back teacher and a coach has been a fun and en- District decided to cut librarians in year to spend more time with their family. I’m completely engulfed in the shadow of Isaiah Chung originally planned on tak- equipment (PPE). u s u a l .” to the Bay Area and taught at Leigh High riching experience. 2008, Heyman applied and became the li- His wife taught for 32 years at Indepen- junior year.” ing the SAT Molecular Biology subject test, She is still responsible for taking care of Despite the pride for their parents’ work, School for three years before coming to “With him being a teacher and a coach, brarian at SHS. dence High School. Wong is one of hundreds of students the SAT II U.S. History subject test and the patients and newborn babies, so she tries to the students said it is easy to become dis- SHS. it is definitely a different experience as op- Beyond his duties as a librarian, Hey- “We are both ready for a new adventure now trying to adapt to a change in his sum- SAT in June; those exams are now canceled, ensure that she and the staff protect them- couraged when others disregard the state- Here, Yeilding became popular among posed to other students’,” Murthy said. “I man has long advocated for the integration in life,” Heyman said. “We have always en- mer plans. scaled down AP testing will occur in May. selves as much as possible. mandated lockdown and social distancing students for his charismatic and engaging feel as if I am more able to talk to him, and of technology in schools and runs the li- joyed visiting national parks, camping and In light of the pandemic, the Centers for “Honestly, I don’t know what to think,” For her part, Isabel said her family dy- procedures. teaching style. I also understand that he just wants you to brary media program. hiking; my wife and I plan on visiting as Disease Control and Prevention recently Chung said. “I studied hard for all the tests, namic has not changed significantly during Lee said that it’s difficult to see the igno- Sophomore Bella Lin, who is currently succeed.” When Heyman came to SHS, he grew many parks as we can.” called for social distancing and banned so it’s pretty interesting to see them get the crisis, but she admits that having a fam- rance on social media, whether it’s posting a student in Yeilding’s Spanish 3 class, said Yeilding said that being a coach helped concerned seeing the school’s limited digi- They are moving to Sandy, Utah, to be group gatherings, resulting in school clo- canceled.” ily member in the heat of the pandemic is coronavirus memes or hanging out with that he is one of her favorite foreign lan- him develop stronger relationships with tal resources and attended countless dis- close to Heyman’s family. sures across the U.S. With the cancellation of all of these frightening. friends, especially with her mother on the guage teachers because of the way he inter- students. trict meetings. His wife is from Hawaii, so they plan to Much uncertainty surrounds a date for standardized tests, many colleges and uni- “We are concerned for my mom, but frontlines. acts with his students. Murthy said he is going to miss Yeilding During these meetings throughout his spend around eight weeks a year visiting when the virus can be contained with some versities, including Boston University and I feel so blessed to have a family member “This virus is not a joke, and these peo- “Sr. Yeilding always made class really fun a lot. tenure, arguing for more investment in her family and enjoying activities in Ha- reports citing as early as the beginning all the UCs, have revoked mandatory test who is a leader to others,” Isabel said. “I ple need to get a grip,” she said. “It’s civil and comfortable, and he always made us “I will miss his enthusiasm and come- technology-based materials. waii such as hiking and swimming. of summer and others pointing to 2021 scores for 2021 college applications. hope patients will be cooperative with her responsibility to protect everyone around laugh,” Lin said. “Overall, Sr. Yeilding runs dic relief in class and on the football field,” Besides database and library manage- As Heyman closes off his 30th year in or even later. As a result, many summer Chung believes that the altered appli- and protocols will be followed within the us, especially the elderly and compromised. his class in a fun way, encouraging all of us Murthy said. “I will also miss having him ment, Heyman has helped history teachers education, he said he especially values the camps have been canceled or have gone to cation requirements will turn admissions hospital so she can stay healthy.” To not take that into serious account is ar- to speak loudly and confidently.” around because he always wanted to make and students with the annual National His- time he spent at SHS and the connections an online format. decisions into “even more of a random lot- Meanwhile, senior Katie Lam has no- rogant.” This type of student response is a result the people around him feel better and be tory Day competition. he made along the way. For instance, the School of the New t e r y.” ticed a shift in her family dynamic at home. Lam stressed the continued importance of Yeilding’s teaching philosophy of teach- better.” “Mr. Heyman is an active and accessible He emphasized for students to “never York Times nixed its Gap Summer pro- Even as they process these disappoint- With her mother working as an internal of flattening the infection curve. ing how he would want to be taught as a When asked if he had any parting words teacher, leading classes and supporting stu- stop reading books.” gram for rising seniors, and the Yale Young ments, students are trying to find consola- medicine doctor and her father as a vas- “Social distancing is important to pre- student. for the Saratoga community, Yeilding had dents to conduct original research in ways “The first two decades of the 21st centu- Global Scholars program has so far can- tion in knowing that life will one day re- cular surgeon at Kaiser, her family has be- vent overcrowding in hospitals so that phy- “I had a great teacher at De Anza, who an immediate answer full of his typical hu- that not only help them learn more about ry have been an exciting time to be a librar- celed its first session. Meanwhile, LaunchX turn to normal. come more distant as both her parents now sicians have enough time and supplies to was super funny. People would come and mor. their world now, but also prepare them to ian,” Heyman said. “I couldn’t be happier has transitioned into a virtual summer pro- “It messed up a lot of summer plan- work for extended periods during the day effectively care for patients,” she said. “We watch his class even if they weren’t en- “I can’t believe that Mr. Ellis and Mr. hit the ground running in college,” English to have spent the last 20 years working in gram. ning,” Wong said. “But at this point, I’m and even throughout the night. can’t let it get to the point where physicians rolled,” Yeilding said. “All the stuff he said Torrens won the Teacher of the Year and I teacher Amy Keys said. a library. I truly believe that I had the best Freshman Magdalena Mendoza has happy knowing the trip will happen next In the brief moments when her parents choose who lives and who dies because we really stuck with us because he enjoyed it never did,” he joked. u Keys noted how knowledgeable Hey- job in education.” u seen the postponement of a Fresno Dance y e ar.” u are home, Lam’s family practices proce- run out of resources.” u The Saratoga Falcon 6 NEWS May 29, 2020 The Saratoga Falcon 7 May 29, 2020 opinion CHOIR DIRECTOR continued from pg. 1 Online AP tests have pros and cons STAFFPOLICY since 2014, and also helps lead the school’s BY CiciXu that the schedule on AP testing puts them by hand on the APCS test in prior years. orchestras and band. Ford’s students reacted at a major disadvantage. The College Board But this year, Fang said that typing out re- The Saratoga Falcon is published 12 times largely with a sense of disbelief at the alle- As he began to upload his responses scheduled all the exams to happen at the sponses aided in the process because the per year by the Advanced Journalism classes of Saratoga High School, 20300 Pandemic provides students with gations. Senior Ritika Kuppam, who is in with five minutes left in his AP Computer exact same time around the world, so some program he coded in pointed out mistakes Herriman Ave., Saratoga, CA 95070. choir, said she was shocked. Science A exam, which started at 1 a.m. on students living overseas have to take them he made. Views expressed in The Saratoga Falcon “I’ve known Mr. Ford since I was in sixth May 15, junior Omkar Kulkarni watched as early in the morning or late at night. The College Board also created a You- are those of the writers and do not nec- grade as he would sub for my choir teacher Junior Audrey Tang left Saratoga for Tube channel called Advanced Placement, essarily represent the opinions of the his Chrome browser froze. Frantically, he administration, faculty or school district. when she couldn’t make it,” Kuppam said. abandoned his first choice of submission — Taiwan in April, meaning she had to take which reviews the major concepts and a necessary reprieve from school “I remember loving his charisma and pas- copy and paste — and hastily screenshotted her AP exams at 2 a.m. units and provides two mock tests for ev- MISSIONSTATEMENT sion for music, and that’s continued through his response typed on a Google Doc, hop- “When I made the decision to go to Tai- ery AP course. With the global death toll of coronavirus high school as I’ve worked with him on ing the picture would upload successfully. wan, I already knew that I had to take my “I am self-studying AP Psychology this The staff of The Saratoga Falcon is com- over 340,000 and the number of confirmed musicals. It’s really hard for me to connect AP tests at 2 a.m. and that was just a com- year, and I watched every single video that mitted to objectively and accurately rep- With only a minute left, his screen un- resenting the diverse talents, cultures and cases in the U.S. growing rapidly, states these allegations with Mr. Ford as a person froze, and he was able to upload his re- promise I had to make, but hearing that my the College Board put up for that exam,” viewpoints of the Saratoga High School around the country have taken further pre- because it’s all so surreal.” sponses. As the word “Congratulations” friends in international schools also had to sophomore Peixuan He said “The teach- community. cautions to mitigate damage. In California, Many students recalled Ford as someone appeared on the screen, he sighed in relief. wake up at 2 a.m. kind of pissed me off,” ers explained the topics really well and it TO Governor Gavin Newsom issued a state- they could rely on for guidance in their aca- Kulkarni is one among 3 million stu- Tang said. “The College Board is pretty in- is definitely a treat for self-studying AP test LETTERSTHE EDITOR wide shelter-in-place order until May 3, re- demic and personal lives. dents who took part in the newly cre- flexible and inconsiderate toward their in- takers.” sulting in the cancellation or modification “He really does care about each and ev- ated AP system this year as all the College ternational students.” Fang realized after taking the AP Chem- The Saratoga Falcon welcomes all signed letters of opinion, which are subject to of almost all major events. ery one of his students,” Fernandes said. Board switched AP testing online due to To cope with the schedule, Tang istry exam that the two mock tests that the editing for length, accuracy and grammar. These cancellations slowed the pace of “He’s always there to talk or to help you if the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. changed her sleeping and eating routine to channel offered are “basically the same as Please send them to neeti.badve@ life significantly for many students, who you need anything.” Students were emailed an E-ticket to the real test questions.” saratogafalcon.org. For ad information, phone (408) 867-3411, ext. 222. no longer have events to attend or prepare Junior Isaac Sun, one of the drum majors log on to their exams, where they submit- All students interviewed said they feel for during the last few months of the school for marching band, described Ford as “the ted handwritten or typed responses to one that this year’s AP exams did not accurately year. Although school continues through its All students interviewed Editors-in-Chief person students would always go to when or two free-response questions. Each test reflect the difficulty of the actual curricu- new online incarnation, the pace at which they feel down or sad.” said they feel that this year’s lum with the open-notes policy, and that Manasi Garg lasted 50 minutes. Allison Hartley classes run has also changed dramatically. Sun said he worked with Ford this past Technological issues seemed to be the AP exams did not accurately having only one or two free-response ques- Rohan Kumar With the cutting down of the AP curricu- marching band season and became close to biggest obstacle. Some students found im- reflect the difficulty of the tions limits students’ opportunities to get a Kaitlyn Tsai lum, classes like AP Statistics, Calculus BC him as Ford helped Sun improve his drum age submission particularly problematic, score they deserve. and US History have all transitioned to re- major skills. while others dealt with inconsistent home “For AP Physics, there are only two Associate Editors actual curriculum. Shama Gupta viewing previous lessons rather than delv- “I just feel a bit overwhelmed,” Sun said. Wi-Fi or an outdated Chrome Browser. questions and each is followed by many Nitya Marimuthu ing into new material. “I’m guessing most people in the music de- Kulkarni’s Chrome browser crashed small questions,” Kulkarni said. “If you As I write this, at least 97,000 Amerians partment are taking it the same way I am.” when he was submitting his last AP US match with the Pacific Time, but it brought don’t know the concept for one big ques- News Editors have lost their lives to COVID-19 (and the Ford majored in music education at San History question’s response. He requested “an obvious” impact to her health since she tion, it will be really unfortunate.” Alekhya Vadlakonda Christine Zhang numbers have been growing by the thou- Jose State University and periodically works a retake immediately after the incident by was eating too few meals every day. Despite the flaws in designing the exam, sands every day). The economy is on the as a vocal director for Children’s Musical filling out a makeup form sent to his email. “They should’ve just let us take it ac- Fang appreciated the efforts that the Col- Opinion Editors verge of the worst slump since the 1930s. Theater in San Jose. He began as a choir Neeti Badve Despite such problems, the College cording to time zones. I know it’s supposed lege Board put into minimizing the im- Unemployment is skyrocketing and some ROHAN KUMAR and orchestra teacher at Saratoga High after Board said more than 99 percent of the to ‘prevent cheating’ but there were differ- pacts of COVID-19 on students’ academic Michael Wong Oliver Ye food items are becoming scarce. So is there being recommended to music director Mi- students successfully submitted their re- ent sets of tests anyways,” Tang said. progress. Alan Zu anything positive occurring for teens like person. various optional assignments for students chael Boitz through a mutual connection. sponses. Even so, students could request Despite these issues, some students say “Every bit of information, emails and us? The life stoppage of the quarantine al- to explore poetry in their free time. Similar Ford has no criminal history, and these a retake if they encountered technological that the changes to AP testing this year videos the College Board published for Sports Editors Arguably, a silver lining to this horror lows students to think about what they truly assignments involving trying new hobbies allegations are unrelated to any person at difficulties during the tests. Students with provided many unexpected advantages. preparing students for the APs shows their Andy Chen story is that we get to step back from our want to do, not what they can do or should could help encourage students to take up SHS. The investigation began in December. Sophomore Joshua Fang, who took the thoughtfulness,” said Fang. “They even Nicole Lu valid reasons will be allowed to take the Viraaj Reddi usual pressure-cooker lives and reflect on do because of colleges, parents, or peer pres- something new. He turned himself in to the San Jose police makeup exams scheduled between June 1 AP Computer Science A exam, felt that the linked a survey on the last page. After all, Bill Yuan what matters most. sure. Students who still want to participate Students can do projects with their on May 14 when he learned the agency had and June 5. questions were easier than previous year’s. this year’s online exams are worth remem- Especially in a place like Saratoga, aca- in these events can continue preparing for friends, or keep each other accountable for issued an arrest warrant for him. u Students outside of the United States felt In addition, students typically wrote code bering.” u Lifestyles Editors Angelina Chen demic competitiveness can lead to a keep- next year, while others can finally take the their goals. Keep daily logs of workouts, Tiffany Wang swimming-or-drown environment: Stu- time to see the other options available to chores, or skills learned with your friends Samantha Yee dents taking heavy workloads have to study them. to stay motivated. Most important of all, tell Amanda Zhu for test after test with little reprieve, and Now is also the perfect opportunity for your friends what you’ve been doing: May- Entertainment Editors those participating in many extracurricu- students to try new hobbies or work on new be they will be interested as well, or maybe Former SHS interim principal Esther Luan lars have to juggle sports practices with club skills. Instruments that were gathering dust they’ll expose you to something new that Kaasha Minocha events and homework. Taken up in an end- can be re-tuned and re-played, unfinished you enjoy. Kavita Sundaram less stream of commitments, students have to-dos can finally be crossed off. Students Although many have regrettably become passes away from COVID-19 Harshini Velchamy little to no time for self-reflection. can even learn how to code or even start a accustomed to a keep-swimming-or-drown In-Depth Editors The coronavirus has undoubtedly ru- blog to organize their thoughts. environment, we have a rare chance to BY NityaMarimuthu Marisa Kingsley ined many students’ routines and left oth- We should all be responsible for get- take a breather. The seas of life have finally Anjali Nuggehalli ers completely confused, but it is exactly ting each other to use the time we have to calmed down. We should take the opportu- Former SHS interim principal Harry Bet- Anouk Yeh this disruption of routine that is a hidden improve ourselves. Teachers can make lists nity to dive and delve further into the trea- tencourt passed away on April 1 at the age of Jeanette Zhou blessing. Plodding along one foot after the of hobbies that students can pursue or life sures hidden below the stormy surface. u 72 due to complications from COVID-19. School Scope Editors other, many students monotonously grind skills that students Bettencourt grew up in Belmont and Apurva Chakravarthy through an endless cycle of homework and should learn, or graduated from Carlmont High School in Preston Fu tests, and never take the time to wonder encourage try- Lihi Shoshani Opinion of the Falcon Editorial Board 1965. He received his teaching credential Aaria Thomas about the meaning of what they’re doing or ing new things. from San Jose State University and further any other of life’s big questions. For example, AP degrees from Stanford and Santa Clara uni- Multimedia/Social Media Editors Everything that mattered before COV- Chemistry teacher Editors-in-chief Opinion Editor Writer versities before entering the field of educa- Edwin Chen ID-19 is canceled, modified or postponed: Janny Cahatol Manasi Garg Neeti Badve Rohan Kumar Isaac Le Allison Hartley Michael Wong tion. CCS playoffs, speech and debate tourna- made a 10-point Rohan Kumar Oliver Ye Bettencourt lived in Cupertino and Backpage Editors ments, and many STEM Olympiads, the assignment asking Kaitlyn Tsai Alan Zu served as a teacher and administrator at the Eileen Bui music department’s summer trip to Europe, her students to do Justin Guo Fremont Union High School District before proms, graduation ceremonies and, for se- chores and English The Saratoga Falcon staff voted 30-0 in support of this article. retiring in 2002. niors, perhaps even the simple pleasure of 11H teacher Na- Head Copy Editors Afterward, he returned to education in Vicky Bai saying goodbye to friends and teachers in tasha Ritchie gave countless leadership roles and joined many Andrew Li organizations, such as California Associa- Benjamin Li tion of Directors of Activities (CADA) and Jonathan Li Ethan Lin National Student Council, that aimed to de- Allen Luo velop student leadership. Courtesy of CADA LEADERS Quarantining requires a positive outlook Bettencourt served as an interim prin- Former SHS interim principal Harry Betten- Graphic Team Leaders cipal in 2005 following the surprise sum- Sina Salehi court, pictured with his wife Paula, passed Joann Zhang mer departure of former principal Kevin away at age 72 on April 1. YES, YOU CAN SURVIVE. START WITH FOCUSING ON HOW YOU CAN IMPROVE YOURSELF Skelly to the San Diego area for an associ- Web Editor ate superintendent role. As principal, Bet- confident and honest decisions. Jun Lee BY JustinGuo easy to complain about the situation, the fact the luxury of extra time. tencourt oversaw the transition into a new “He was not afraid of being fired, so he Serena Li is that you’re already getting used to — or have Here are just a few ideas. Sign up for some rolling block schedule, said district director could say and do things that his years of ex- Cici Xu So this is what school is going to be like the already gotten used to — this new and bizarre online courses and read some books. Work on of human resources Brian Safine (before perience and wisdom had taught him would Business/Ad Manager rest of the year . . . not great, and not very fun norm. some project with a friend or two (remotely, then, each day had seven periods). Assistant be good for students without the fear of po- Marisa Kingsley either. Instead of complaining about the duration of course). Go exercise. Fix your sleep sched- principal Kerry Mohnike also said that Bet- litical fallout,” Mohnike said. “Loud voices Already, a lot of students have been feeling of the quarantine and how your vision is slow- ules. Embrace the time that you can now tencourt placed much of his emphasis on didn’t sway him; his ethics and knowledge Adviser an overwhelming sense of boredom due to ly deteriorating from excessive screen time, it’s spend with your family if you normally make Mike Tyler reducing student stress. about doing the right thing were his moral the lack of physical school as well as extracur- better to focus on what you can do to improve the excuse that you don’t have time during the “Harry Bettencourt was a kind-hearted compass.” Printed by Folger Graphics ricular activities in quarantine. Social media, yourself. school year. yet effective school administrator,” Safine Mohnike remembers Bettencourt walk- in Hayward, Calif. television and video games are getting boring, There are always positives in any situation, The possibilities are endless; it’s just a mat- said. “His ever-present smile was the most ing through the hallways and the joy he had and most students are finding that they’re not no matter how grim they may seem, and this ter of overcoming that mental barrier of resist- recognizable indicator that he loved the interacting with staff and students. Safine sure what to do with all this excess time. quarantine is no different; for one, this quar- ing the current conditions and then going out work of running a school.” and Mohnike both said that although his Understandably, there is also a lot of anxi- antine has shown us the importance of pre- and doing something instead of drowning in Bettencourt is fondly remembered by time was short, he greatly impacted the ety, fear, uncertainty and stress going around dictability and planning our day to make sure the isolating boredom. many veteran teachers. Mohnike described school. in these unprecedented circumstances. For we stay on track with the things we need to Yes, I get it: You miss your friends, your him as a calm, pleasant, happy and welcom- “Those of the staff that were here and some, it feels like it’s only a matter of time do. Furthermore, it’s given us the unique op- teachers, fast food and strangely enough, ing presence on campus, and “almost every- worked with Harry thought very fondly and before they become deranged from social dis- portunity to take a long, hard and non-sleep- school itself. But this is the reality we live one, if not everyone” liked him. highly of him,” Mohnike said. “His loss is a tancing. deprived look in the mirror and ask ourselves in now. Complaining about it is just putting According to Mohnike, Bettencourt’s ex- loss to the world of education, but he left an I’m here to tell you that you’re not going to what we really want to be doing with our lives, yourself a step behind in the process of better- perience in education allowed him to make indelible mark on SHS.” u go insane; you’re going to be fine. While it’s and then act on those potential interests with ing your own life. u The Saratoga Falcon The Saratoga Falcon 8 OPINION May 29, 2020 May 29, 2020 OPINION 9 Junior learning more Classroom learning gives Youngsters: Stay inside! Suicides growing BY HarshiniVelchamy of supplies and with people not listening higher quality education to shelter-in-place rules, they’re making in online environment With a little more than 340,000 deaths the burden on our health infrastructure BY AndyChen and over 5 million confirmed cases world- even worse. Current estimates of the num- BY EdwinChen Another way online school has im- the face-to-face interaction that normal among stressed proved my life is the ability to learn at my schooling thrives on, many teachers are wide due to COVID-19, as of May 22, one ber of ventilators in the U.S. range from would expect that people would recognize 60,000 to 160,000 and there is still a lack of As COVID-19 ravaged the country, own pace. For example, in Precalculus, les- We’ve had a grand total of two months actually unable to hold these meetings be- the gravity of the coronavirus pandemic. adequate personal protective equipment Santa Clara County shut down all schools sons have been condensed to around 30 of online learning following the closure cause they need to care for their children But despite the overwhelming number for frontline health-care workers. and mandated a shelter-in-place in mid- minutes instead of the entire class period. of schools on March 16. With that mea- or handle personal responsibilities that American farmers of deaths and cases, it seems that many Furthermore, the disease emerged only March. The state soon followed with its Sometimes, if it’s a video recording, I ger sample size, I’ve heard some of my have become more demanding in face of young adults still refuse to quarantine or in the past few months. We still don’t fully BY ShamaGupta own shelter in place mandate. don’t need to listen to all of it anyway; I just peers say they prefer the online learn- the Covid-19 pandemic; thus, online edu- follow various government-mandated know the long-term effects of the ill- With the school closure came a new need to listen to the explanations of each ing to in-person learning. What they fail cation hinders both students and teachers. shelter-in-place orders, which have ness and still can’t fully comprehend Since 2018, farmer suicide rates in the challenge: how to give students the best ed- new concept and example problems. Then to grasp, however, is the negative impact The adoption of online schooling also been issued in states across the its impact on contaminated United States have risen as high as they ucation possible under the circumstances. I can be done. this new mode will have on their over- diminishes the academic integrity of the United States and in vari- people. Of course, while stay- were during the economic downturn Like most other schools and universities, Other times, if a concept is hard, I can all learning if it becomes the new norm. school’s learning environment — which is ing home with our fami- dubbed the “1980’s farm crisis” that start- SHS chose an online education model. rewind and listen to the explanation again To start with, students can no longer already a major problem due to the school’s ous countries around the lies may not be the ed with a lack of public help networks such For me, online learning has been teach- or access other online resources all in the interact face-to-face with classmates and competitive nature. In order to mitigate world. definition of fun, we as financial assistance and a drop in crop ers sending out emails of the daily agenda same block of time. If I had a question dur- teachers, resulting in a loss of transparency this problem, teachers can either monitor In late March, must keep in mind prices. Today, in addition to the fallen crop and the homework. The daily agenda typi- ing class, a teacher would have to either and engagement. Under normal circum- students’ screens using a secure lockdown about 70 students that our sheltering in prices, farmers face the negative effects of cally consists of a slide show or a video les- stop the entire class to answer my question stances, students can easily ask their peers browser or assign them major projects that from the University place is helping to end climate change. son by the teacher. The homework would or I would have to find the teacher dur- or instructors for help, and teachers are check for understanding, essentially replac- of Texas went on a trip the pandemic earlier In 2019 alone, weather fluctuations either have to be turned in as a ing tutorial the next day. This would push available during class, tutorial and at other ing tests. For example, instead of admin- to Mexico for spring and indirectly saving prevented farmers from planting on 20 Google Doc or a PDF, and back my schedule and cause more times. For example, math teach- istering tests, chemistry teacher Kathryn break despite the pan- the lives of millions of million acres of land. Additionally, since it is typically the same ers of- Nakamatsu requires students to record and demic. After ignoring vulnerable elderly citi- 2012, key commodity prices have fallen by amount of work we upload a video of themselves complet- social-distancing guide- zens. around 50 percent. These setbacks affect would get during reg- ing a performance lines, 44 of them have Disobeying safety farmers disproportionately. While these ular school. assessment. Since now tested positive. measures isn’t the only factors do affect large-scale agra-business Few of my class- students must The most prominent way we are putting the farms in the US, it’s the generational fam- es actually arranged submit their own reason a lot of the young- elderly at risk. One popular coping mech- ily farms that have the most trouble and meetings before the video and record er generation won’t remain at home is the anism has been purchasing items in bulk that are growing increasingly rare. implementation of their own data, this false impression that they are not at risk to stay “prepared” so people won’t need With family farms facing unprecedent- a new schedule on assessment will ac- for catching the deadly disease. The mor- to venture out of their houses during the ed challenges, it’d be expected that the April 20. This sched- curately reflect stu- tality rate for people 80 years and older quarantine, but bulk buying has depleted federal government would implement leg- ule requires all classes dents’ own work. is 14.8%, which is significantly higher than those under 50 who have less than a necessities, such as groceries, and a criti- islation to help farmers’ mental health and to meet for at least 15 min- Of course, crop Dykshorn had were drastically driv- 0.4% death rate. But this statistic does not cal supply of medical-grade masks, leaving bolster their financial situation. But with utes twice a week, prompting teachers can — and en down. China refused to buy crops from account for the fact that while younger less for the people who most need it: the both of these lacking, the isolated farm- all teachers to hold more meetings. should — implement any American farmers, leaving Dykshorn people are more likely to recover from the elderly. ers are left unhappy, and the agriculture During the first week in late March, these policies to dimin- and hundreds of farmers with significantly illness, they will still suffer if they get the The elderly are more vulnerable to the industry is falling apart. online learning was a complete mess for ish the problems with on- less money in crop sales, and unable to pay virus, sometimes severely coronavirus because they are likely to have Although the government tried to help me. With the daily barrage of emails from line schooling. However, off loans or debt. Younger adults are also vectors for previous medical conditions that would with the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance all of my teachers, organizing my school even with these changes, These issues were not addressed by the spreading the disease itself: If they catch likely worsen the symptoms of the virus Network Act in 2008, the programs didn’t work became harder since I had to careful- online schooling will still fail government, and their seriousness is only the disease and come into contact with if they catch it. They are also more likely receive funding until almost a decade later. ly read through each email and figure out to live up to normal school- increasing in light of recent shutdowns older family members such as their par- to have isolation and mobility challenges, While it’s blatantly clear there is a problem what I had to do for the day. Sometimes, stress since I ing’s efficiency and reliability. After due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Farms ents or grandparents, they put their loved rendering them unable to get food that tearing lives apart in the agricultural in- I would miss school work and turn in my couldn’t complete the homework. ten call on students to demonstrate and all, these solutions bring with them their in Florida, for example, are producing ones at risk. they need before stores are out of stock. dustry, the federal government has been assignments late because I misread one of If a question really cannot be answered explain problems on the board, which own plethora of problems: online video acres of fruits and vegetables that are be- In addition, when they disobey shelter- At the end of the day, this pandemic is slow to act and has put aside far too little my teacher’s long emails. by using internet resources, the teacher is gives others a chance to learn from a stu- calls carry many flaws, including instruc- ing plowed over or left to rot because they in-place laws, they burden our health-care one of the most severe outbreaks many of money to actually make a difference. However, as I grew more accustomed still available during office hours. Online dent’s mistakes and successes — a process tors’ lack of ability to monitor their stu- aren’t able to sell to restaurants, schools workers and risk the lives of other hospital us have seen. It’s all of our jobs to make to online school, I realized that it’s better learning allows each individual to truly that is vastly harder in an online setting. dents, and students will undoubtedly still and theme parks nationwide. Similar- patients, doctors and nurses. They don’t sure that we stay safe and make this easier than normal school. The schedule appears learn at their own pace while giving them Without in-person communication, find ways to cheat on most assessments. ly, pounds of milk produced in states consider the other lives that they are put- for everyone by maintaining distance with to be getting more relaxed as the weeks go enough structure so that they don’t slack it’s much harder to achieve the same en- Other problems don’t have any con- The longer they go without like Vermont and Wisconsin are being ting in danger and end up using up pre- other people. It’s our duty to flatten the in- by. As part of the school’s Phase 2 of online off. thusiasm contained in a regular class- ceivable solutions. For example, online dumped, and vegetables from California cious medical resources. fection curve and stay mindful of the im- offering help, the more the learning, the schedule has been modified Online school has not only helped me room, inhibiting students’ attentiveness schooling provides no substitute for face the same catastrophic effects. Hospitals all around the country are al- pacts of our actions on the more vulner- to Monday and Thursday being odd-pe- learn better, it has also taught me to be more and willingness to learn. Moreover, the hands-on education. Students no lon- farmer’s hurt will affect the In any crisis, the farming industry gets ready shutting down because of a shortage able people around us. u riod Red Days, Tuesday and Friday being organized.I started using more to-do lists lack of a structured classroom environ- ger have the opportunity to participate country. hit especially hard, and farmers do not even-period Blue Days, with no school on to keep track of work, due dates and syn- ment leads to a general lack of motiva- in science labs, P.E. workout routines receive adequate help in these situations. Wednesdays. Each class period is one hour chronous online classes. I have been more tion among students, resulting in a loss of and in-class projects — all of which are Their lack of control in these times leads to and occurs at the same times on the same on top of my work during this quarantine learning and increase in procrastination. vital to students’ learning experiences. helplessness, anxiety and depression; the days, greatly simplifying everyone’s lives. than any other moment in the school year. To help alleviate this, teachers could im- Ultimately, students and teachers don’t Giving every student an Now, the median income in a farm suicide rate will only increase if real action Since it ensures that we actually have Even though I hope this quarantine ends plement regular tutorial-esque video calls have much control over the current online household in 2020 is projected by the U.S. isn’t taken soon. class meetings, this change is more or- soon to maintain my sanity, online school in which students ask them for help, and learning situation, but when the school Department of Agriculture to be negative But, geographically and emotionally, ganized than the chaotic alternating Red actually isn’t all that bad. I honestly prefer they could use features like Zoom’s break- year does return to normal, students A is not a viable solution $1,840. Working second and third jobs is these farmers are difficult to reach. If we Day, Blue Day schedule during the normal it to normal school because it is a much out room tool to split students into groups should be excited that their education will not uncommon among farmers, but quit- want to help the people behind the in- school year, and it gives us a needed break freer environment compared to the strictly to discuss and collaborate on problems. continue in an environment that will allow BY NeetiBadve problem: students in the SFUSD have an ting is simply not an option. valuable agricultural industry, we have to u in the middle of the week. structured environment of school. u However, while these methods mimic an overall better quality of education. unfair advantage over students in other Because the land is usually handed start with the basics and work our way up. With the current pandemic forcing California districts. down generation after generation, there There has to be a National Suicide Hotline schools closure across the country, school In order to make sure students who are is pressure to uphold familial tradition. In specific to farmers like there is for veter- districts have been attempting to find fair not well-off are not left at a disadvantage, a family of farmers, agriculture is written ans, and there has to be more required ed- ways to compensate for the lack of class- a system with credit/no-credit or grade into their legacy, finances, and even their ucation for both farmers and their families Online AP exams do not reduce overall difficulty room education. Many schools switched flooring would account for the lack of housing and schooling. on signs of declining mental health. from the regular GPA system to a credit/ technology in households. Unable to find ways to achieve finan- But more than anything, there needs no-credit system while others created ad- For students who have technological cial security, farmers are now 3.5 times to be substantial change in the way any BY AndrewLi have worked on the entire year, Because the test is open- selves severely punished for tion software and send students’ helplines are marketed. For Midwest farm- or it will be so easy with notes notes, the College Board will our commitment to honesty. solutions to their own AP teach- justments like grade flooring, saying no resources, though guaranteeing every stu- more likely to take their own life than the ers, the stigma of calling a crisis line often On April 2, the College Board that a small error will have mas- want to prevent a score distribu- What will likely be the cheat- ers to see if students answered student can receive a lower grade than dent an A in their classes would decrease general population — while problems are affects their choosing to call. While des- changed how the 2020 AP ex- sive consequences on students’ tion where everyone scores very ing methods? It would be hard differently from normal. These when they were in in-person classes. their stress, the action fails to fulfill the intensifying, there are no results from the tigmatizing the idea that it’s weak to call ams will be held in response scores because of a brutal curve. well. They will probably either for Facebook and other com- security protocols won’t work The San Francisco Union School Dis- main goal of schools: quality education. government showing any source of relief. about mental health is important, waiting to the coronavirus pandemic. Since before the corona- grade harder or just select the panies to monitor their chats since test-takers could eas- trict (SFUSD) has offered its own possible Unfortunately, a guarantee of a high And the longer they go without offering for this mindset that is ingrained in these The usual tests are lengthy 2-3 virus outbreak, students have hardest problems from their orig- during testing times, as ily modify their answers solution: giving every middle and high grade would cause most students to not help, the more the farmer’s hurt will affect farmers to change is simply unreasonable. hour affairs; this year’s AP ex- been working on past AP prob- inal planned exams for this year. that would bring up to not exactly mir- school student an A in the classes they are care about the learning, with only those the country. To accommodate, mental health lines ams will be 45 minute open- lems, which are formatted dif- The length of the tests is another various privacy is- ror someone else’s. currently taking. District officials have jus- who are self-motivated making the effort If the government can’t jump to help can be changed to lines that offer advice note free response exams that ferently: many past problems barrier to the success of students. sues. Worse still, And while the tified this idea by citing the stress of the to continue learning. This diminishes the farmers because they are suffering, they and help in regards to stress. Along with are to be taken online at home. are multiple-choice questions or There are many units for each students can get College Board sudden switch to online schooling. quality of education because students will should at least help because there will be this, programs that offer tactical, financial Attempting to accomodate just require regurgitating facts. AP course, and cramming all others to take is not to blame This logic is wrong. lack the motivation to take advantage of disastrous consequences across the nation. If every student receives an A, second- the resources. One South Dakota farmer, for exam- and logistical advice when farmers lose for any difficulties online learn- of them into one or two prob- the test for them. for this unavoid- semester grades would be rendered inac- If SFUSD does decide to give every stu- ple, provides a glimpse of the devastation clients or get flooded out should be both ing may pose, the College Board lems seems close to impossible. What are able situation, curate and useless. Even a system such dent an A, the gesture would be a symbolic brought about by the deep-rooted prob- available and easily accessible. These pro- cut out units that they felt schools The extremely short length the chances this new format Many of the as credit/no-credit would offer a slightly one, showing students that their school lems they face. Chris Dykshorn and his grams can also include therapists or psy- would be unable to cover be- also means that one mistake of being caught of testing will not more accurate representation of students’ understands their stress during these cir- family were $300,000 in debt and had no chologists with specific backgrounds that fore the shut down of schools. traditional problem could be equivalent to making with this meth- serve as an effective abilities. cumstances. While this is a encouraging options to work their way out of it due to allow them to understand the struggles At first glance, the AP tests over two of the same type of mis- od? Slim to none. way to differentiate how types have gone out of The California Department of Educa- message, the district could show its sup- multiple uncontrollable factors. that farmers face, considering how narrow may seem easier than previous take on the past AP exams, po- Because of their likely well students mastered the ma- tion and University of California system port for its students in other ways, from Fighting for his three young children they are. years, with an average of only the window. tentially increasing steep curves inability to monitor chat ser- terial, especially given that there also advised the San Francisco Education changing the grading system in another and wife, he grew his corn on the few fields There may be countless factors that are two free-response problems for and causing many students to vices, the College Board will are only a few questions for each Board against such a decision, suggesting way to instituting support programs. that weren’t flooded after the Midwest’s re- inflexible when it comes to the hardships each test. But don’t be fooled. receive significantly lower scores. have trouble detecting cheat- exam. The main problem is that a credit/no-credit system because falsified With the final decision on the matter cord-breaking precipitation last winter. He that farmers face and that lead to their The current test presents As a result of this year’s tests Not only is the curve heav- ing, especially for tests which there is no better alternative. grades would disrupt their entry system. occurring in mid-May, the San Francisco transported them as much as he could us- high suicide rate. But for a problem so nu- two scenarios: Either it will be becoming open-note, many of ily affected by the shortened generally only have one cor- Let’s just hope the results This form of grade inflation is useless be- school board has to realize that though ing whatever roads and railways that were anced and in need of legislation that will so hard that most students en- the traditional problem types exam, cheating will no doubt rect solution for each problem. mirror — rather than distort cause colleges will not take the grades seri- there are many ways of evaluating student open. realistically take too long to implement, counter problems much more students have been practicing be rampant, and those of us College Board officials said — what the results of the ac- ously. performance, the idea of giving every stu- Due to President Trump’s trade war these programs are our best chance at difficult than the problems they for have gone out of the window. who are ethical may find our- that they have plagiarism detec- tual tests would have been. u If colleges do take these grades seri- dent an A should be given the grade it de- with China, however, the prices of the curbing suicide rates. u ALL GRAPHICS BY NEETI BADVE ously, that causes an entirely different serves: a big, fat red-letter F. u

ALL GRAPHICS BY SERENA LI The Saratoga Falcon 10 OPINION May 29, 2020 The Saratoga Falcon May 29, 2020 11 Stimulus plan has right idea but wrong execution lifestyles BY NityaMarimuthu for the health-care industry is being used funds are granted to any small business who Rather than having an 880-page bill try- A pop-up art scene in Los Gatos provides awe to navigate a complex network of private has fewer than 500 employees. This does not ing to cover such a wide range of benefi- On March 27, an unprecedented $2 tril- providers — of the $100 billion devoted, take into account the size of the franchise ciaries, the Senate (and many of those ad- lion COVID-19 relief bill was signed by $26 billion is going to administrative over- requesting these loans, only of each indi- dressed by the bill) would have done better President Trump. The bill was aimed to ad- sight rather than to medical workers in dire vidual business. to craft a much smaller bill that focused on and entertainment during shelter-in-place dress the economic concerns of four major need of personal protective equipment and In this case, it means hotels like Marri- health-care and stimulus checks for daily- groups: daily-wage workers, the health-care life-saving equipment, according to Time ott and Hilton would not qualify as corpo- wage families and individuals to begin with. the slight change is from one slice of subur- hopes to brighten peoples’ days with his cu- industry, small business and big businesses. magazine. rations but would as individual hotels; this This bill could have done much more, bia to another — I was. rated collection of works from his favorite Ironically, while the federal government Few small businesses have received the also then includes other small businesses, operating through pre-existing unemploy- As we looped around the park, a 10-foot- artists. has refused to set up country-wide shelter- money promised to them — a survey con- such as Trump and Kushner’s hotels. ment infrastructure such as Social Security, tall orange balloon dog caught my eye on a The park and display had already cured in-place orders and has weakly enforced rec- ducted April 6 by the National Federation Furthermore, Kushner is able to apply to food stamps and other services and granted hart-throb front lawn across the street from Jack Fisch- my quarantine blues, but the Emergency Art ommended CDC action against COVID-19, of Independent Businesses concluded that get these funds for Trump’s business. money to each family based on their area’s er Park. Museum also has a museum shop that offers the bill aimed to provide blanket economic only 4 percent of small businesses had their While Democrats aimed to limit this rates of outbreak, layoffs and average living Allison Hartley In addition to the inflatable dog, which free souvenir pins, spray art, pressed pen- help to a nation that varies extremely from loan applica- by banning costs. is a recreation of Jeff Koons’s 1995 “Balloon nies and art-themed blind boxes. As a pin one state to another in terms of policy. tion approved, “the spouse, For big businesses, the government In the middle of what must have been Dog,” this particular lawn contained some enthusiast, I was happy to collect a “Balloon Although the bill contained some for- 1 percent de- child, son- should follow a path similar to how billion- my 30th SkipBo card game in over six weeks 50 digital art and photography recreations Dog” pin from the shop. ward-thinking ideas, it failed to set up the nied and the in-law or aire Warren Buffett saved Bank of America of quarantine, I threw down my cards and displayed on posts as well as two other in- The pop-up museum is free to the public, necessary infrastructure and allocate money rest got no re- daughter-in- from going bankrupt: Buffett gave Bank of wailed in despair. I cracked. flatable sculptures, Andy Warhol’s “Camp- but the museum website encourages those for those with more immediate needs; in- sponse at all, law” of of- America $5 billion in exchange for warrants The signs were there: Between my new bell’s Soup Can” and a work of Keith Har- who enjoyed the display to donate to foun- stead, it gave billions of dollars to businesses said the Wash- ficials from and stocks, said an article by Business Insid- habit of wearing hats indoors and somewhat ing. A red sign on the fence outside the lawn dations including the COVID-19 Response and real estate investors in the top 1 percent. ington Post. applying for er. This allowed Buffett to earn money from neglecting the imperative to study for fast- read “Stay safe, stay inspired, and stay 6 feet Fund, the CDC Foundation, United States The first major portion of this act was to There has funds, this his investment, ultimately benefiting him approaching AP exams, I knew the crack apart.” Artists and Feeding America. give $1,200 stimulus checks to Americans also not been provision and the company. was inevitable. Johnny DePalma, an author of children’s As an only child and someone well- who are unemployed or have a salary that enough money only holds If the government takes a similar path, Ever the savvy parent, my mom knew books, started the pop-up display in re- trained in the art of entertaining herself, I qualifies. approved for the true if the loaning money to big corporations like Boe- what to do. She took me back to my roots: sponse to the COVID-19 shutdown. didn’t expect to crack under the weight of According to an article written by Small Business family-mem- ing in exchange for warrants, both sides will Jack Fischer Park. Dubbed the Emergency Art Museum, the quarantine. Forbes, if the head of the household receives loan program. ber owns 20 gain in the long run once the virus is dealt The park is located on the border of Los the outdoor exhibit features weatherproofed After six weeks, however, the monotony this check, their salary has to be less than According to percent or with and the economy kicks into gear. The Gatos and Campbell and contains a walking prints of works by Frida Kahlo, René Mag- of playing games and studying made me $112,500. However, this number does not Politico, Sena- more of the money that the government makes off of path that encircles a large grassy field and ritte, Pablo Picasso and Cindy Sherman, snap. Luckily, my mom, well-trained in the take into account the wide range of sala- tor Ben Cardin business. Since this loan will allow it to provide better funds a (currently closed) playground with a wa- among many other artists from around the art of entertaining me, had her wits about ries across the country that accompany the said the loan pro- Kushner owns for small businesses and gives it a stake in ter feature. According to my mom, it was a world. her and brought me to the park, where we swinging costs of living. For example, in the gram could only less than 20 per- the company. staple of my youth. Some of the works, such as “The Last happened upon the Emergency Art Mu- Bay Area, a salary of less than $117,000 is provide $15,000 at cent of Trump’s Granted, this package has positively im- If you’re tired of pacing the same few Roll,” a still life painting of a toilet paper roll, seum. considered low-income according to an most to businesses businesses, their pacted many and provided help for many blocks around your own house, I recom- clearly allude to the shelter-in-place experi- There comes a point in the shelter-in- article by SFGate. This means that families that applied, al- business could fly who desperately need it. But it is not enough mend driving yourself to a different space, ence. place experience when snacks and Netflix Courtesy of Mercury News who are equally in need of this check may though most requested under the radar and — the failed actions of this legislation to such as Jack Fischer, before commencing According to the Emergency Art Mu- comedy specials no longer cheer you up, but The Emergency Art Museum displays an not receive it. for $200,000. On about allow them to gain provide help to those who need it most a park and a 10-foot-tall balloon dog sculp- inflatable replica of Keith Haring’s “Figure GRAPHIC BY NITYA MARIMUTHU your stroll. seum’s website, DePalma is not an artist On top of this, the stimulus check is April 16, the Small Business extra, additional federal speak louder than its promising words. u You would be shocked at how refreshing himself but loves visiting museums, and he ture might just do the trick. u Holding Heart.” based on tax filings from recent years, rather administration ran out of the al- funds. than the person’s current employment situa- located loan money of $349 billion accord- Billions of dollars in the bill were un- tion. This means that an employee who had ing to CNBC. In a following bill, $321 billion necessarily spent and benefited people who bigidea a salary higher than $112,500 in the past more was allocated, which small business were not in immediate danger. For example, THE year but then lost their job still cannot re- owners could apply to starting April 27. a New York Times article said that $25 mil- Places where the bill is lacking Tricks are Trying to glow up while ceive their stimulus check until they file Other parties have unnecessarily gained lion had been endowed to the John F. Ken- tax breaks and loans. Most saliently, the bill nedy Center for the Performing Arts in new taxes. If a person filed their taxes for The stimulus check is based on tax filings this year already, they might be completely involved tax breaks for real estate investors, Washington and $75 million each for the from recent years, rather than the person’s for dogs, under quarantine ineligible for the check, regardless of their which will benefit many wealthy investors National Endowment for the Arts and the current employment status new job situation. in the top 1 percent, including President National Endowment for the Humanities. nothing with Codey is ever half-hearted. The stimulus check also does not take Trump and his son-in-law and senior ad- This was evidently bribery money meant The stimulus plan does not take into ac- As soon as we left the house, Codey, viser, Jared Kushner. to win over those people who supported but not cats started charging at any squirrel that dared into account college students. Those who count college students are over the age of 17 and are claimed as This provision lifts the restriction on these groups. heck yeh! to cross our path. dependents on their parents are not eligible the amount of money investors can claim In addition, big corporations should not The loan program did not allocate enough On the way to the park, his erratic charg- for getting a check, meaning that they will in losses from real estate, allowing them to have received the largest amount of bailout money to small businesses fast enough and ing seemed funny and endearing, but on the not receive the $1,200, and their parents will pay lower taxes on their profits from invest- money. Five hundred billion dollars went ran out of money in the initial stages kav-ity Anouk Yeh way back, it was another story. A third of not receive an extra $500 on their check (as ments and other businesses. This rule ap- to airlines, cruises and other large corpora- the way back from the park, Codey, forget- they would if the dependent was younger plies retroactively to the last five years, and tions, with the only federal oversight being Private parties have unnecessarily gained As it turns out, trying to make big self- ting that his short leg-to-body proportion than 17). could result in $170 billion of tax breaks for from the recently fired inspector general — tax breaks and loans, and the lack of proper Kavita Sundaram improvements — otherwise known as a was not built for intense activity, suddenly The stimulus promised to hospitals and big-time real estate investors, according to meaning company executives could easily supervision means many people were able glow-up plan — might not be the best idea decided that he was too worn out from his health-care providers comes with its own Vanity Fair. have a field day with this sudden cash inflow to take advantage of the system I was once told by National Geographic during a quarantine. continuous running, planted himself on the problems. Much of the money allocated According to a New York Times article, and leave their employees in the dust. that felines are extremely smart animals that When Santa Clara County announced ground and refused to walk any farther. As can learn quickly and understand almost that all schools would be closing on March a result, I ended up having to carry him the anything. After becoming a cat mom, I’m 13, I decided to treat myself to a weekend- rest of the way home. convinced that they were lying. long grace period of relaxation and mourn- After I returned from my 2-mile walk Being forced to quarantine with my fam- ing. Naturally, the weekend break quickly (and intense dog weightlifting), I felt hun- Businesses need to stay closed to protect the public ily gave me plenty of time to bond with my unraveled into a week of moping around the gry and decided to put together a salad from cat, Luca, so I decided I would teach him house. a pre-made ingredient kit and spent the rest some tricks. After a full week of unproductive Netflix of my afternoon working on homework and BY AariaThomas rants by limiting the number of people in- About five months ago, my father taught binging, I decided that I would try to execute replying to emails, being more productive in side or having people pick items up outside, Luca how to sit, so I thought I would try a glow-up plan, consisting of a regimented one day than I had in the past week. On March 19, California governor Gavin reopening still poses risks to the commu- something a little more advanced: lying sleep and exercise schedule, a carb-free diet Soon enough, it was dinner time. Since Newsom issued a shelter-in-place order due nity. People who go out more often for non- down. and an extensive hair and skin care routine. the rest of my family was having takeout, I to the COVID-19 pandemic. essential activities will create more opportu- Given that my cat spends 22 hours a day On the first day of the glow-up plan, I decided to amp up my cooking game and The shelter-in-place order mandates that nities to contract or spread the virus. sleeping, I was under the impression that ly- was immediately faced with opposition — threw together everything I could find in people stay at home and go out only for es- In fact, by staying home and following ing down would not be too hard for him, the struggle of getting out of bed before our near-barren fridge. I ended up making sential needs such as groceries and supplies. the guidelines of the shelter-in-place, Cali- but apparently I was completely wrong. noon. During my week-long grace period, a spinach-onion-cauliflower-cashew om- As a result, many businesses deemed non- fornia is already seeing some improvement Seeing my father’s successful endeavor, I my sleep schedule aligned with a completely elet, which tasted a lot better than it sounds. essential like dine-in restaurants, gyms and in the situation. According to Market Watch, decided to go about teaching Luca the same different time zone, making me wake up at After dinner, I decided to embark on the salons have closed. Their employees have the spread of the virus has been slowing af- way. I showed him a treat, pushed him to around 2 in the afternoon and go to sleep at beauty care portion of the glow-up plan. I no means to make a living, and the cost of ter the state’s weeks of social distancing. The the ground so that he was lying down, and 4 in the morning. ended up replicating a hair mask recipe us- living in the Bay Area has not significantly Mercury News reported that the number of rewarded him with the treat. However, after So when my alarm rang at 9 a.m., it took ing the remaining half of the avocado I had decreased either. Tens of thousands of em- deaths from the virus dropped 19% from several attempts at this, he still did not seem an intense 15-minute internal pep talk to for breakfast and later layering my face with ployees have been laid off. April to May. to understand what was going on. peel my eyes open. my mom’s prized Korean moisturizers. Worries about the decline of the econo- If California sticks to the quarantine, The next day, I tried again. However, he Then came breakfast. Most days, pre It was around 11 p.m. when I finally fin- my, however, should be secondary to fears and citizens continue to stay home, the turned his attention to a fly in the room glow-up, I wouldn’t even eat breakfast (since ished my entire self-care regimen. One of about the pandemic. The virus can be easily outbreaks and number of cases would con- GRAPHIC BY MANASI GARG and chose to spend the next hour chasing I’d still be snoozing), so I decided to go light my main goals for my glow up challenge was transmitted through direct contact or even tinue to decrease. Staying on our current it around my house instead of learning the and have half an avocado. to mold my sleeping pattern into something through the air, and opening the economy path would allow the state to become safer In a recent New York Times article, re- stores open for essential needs and restau- trick. I decided my next goal was time to em- reasonable, so I decided to charge my phone increases the risk of spreading it further as sooner, which would allow the economy porter Donald G. MacNeil reports on how rants focusing on take-out and delivery, is The next few days passed in a similar bark on my long put-off exercise plan. Since and go straight to sleep. This was easier said more people will be out in public. and businesses to open sooner. scientists fear opening too early could be the best way to keep the public safe. People manner, either with Luca getting distracted I’m not the most athletic person in the than done since my quarantine “jet lag” kept On April 28, Newsom outlined a plan to States like Georgia and Florida have detrimental to public health. If the virus are able to get the supplies and food they by dead bugs and shoelaces or with him be- world, I decided to opt for a light walk to the me up until 2 in the morning. start re-opening the state, beginning with come out of quarantine already, and while comes back and cases start rising again, the need, while limiting their interactions and ing hopelessly confused. park with my equally unathletic dog, Codey. I ended up cycling through variations of retail jobs and construction work. it may help their economy now it will have state would go into another shelter in place, possibility for a further spread of the virus. After two days, it became apparent that Codey is our family’s corgi-labrador mix this same routine for the next six days. This second phase that Newsom pro- long term consequences. Those states will which would mean businesses and stores Instead of reopening the state and allow- my less-than-intelligent cat would never rescue that inherited a corgi’s stature from Although the glow-up plan didn’t run for posed encourages people to go out more, most likely see a resurgence of the outbreak, would have to be closed longer, causing ing people to go out normally, the govern- master the art of lying down, so I gave up his dad and a labrador’s heart and ambition long enough to create any significant physi- which could increase the number of cases and since there’s no ban on domestic trav- even more damage to the economy. It would ment should focus on helping businesses trying to teach him. from his mom. As a result, he’s a living em- cal changes, I was able to feel myself become the state sees per day and steepen the curve, el, it could add to another outbreak in the be a better idea to first gain control of the adapt to the new situation. They could help The silver lining: My house is now rid of bodiment of the phrase “eyes bigger than the less stressed and more content in quarantine undoing all the progress done so far in stop- country. pandemic and reduce the risk it poses to the them set up websites and ways for people to all insects and bugs, as my cat has decided stomach,” in this case, meaning his athletics as a result of the schedule. Despite the plan’s ping the spread of the virus. A second shelter-in-place would also community significantly and then focus on order merchandise remotely and either have to spend the last couple of weeks relentlessly are always halted midway by his stubby legs lack of physical results, it was still able to While the newly opened stores will most cause people to lose jobs again and hurt the re-opening or creating new jobs. it delivered or pick it up like they would hunting them instead of learning the trick I and long body. Now, although dog walking teach me the importance of self-care during likely run like the grocery stores or restau- economy. The system already in place, which has with take out food. u was trying to teach him. u GRAPHIC BY TIFFANY WANG is normally perceived as a low-level activity, stressful times. u The Saratoga Falcon 12 LIFESTYLES May 29, 2020 LIFESTYLES 13 Baking bread: a hard and crumbly process

out of the oven like a stale, pathetic cracker. tally to fold it to strengthen the gluten strands. Still, my bruised pride had no idea what struggles I, believing that I had somehow attained bread- were to come in making sourdough bread. making wisdom from my North Dakotan ancestors, To make sourdough, you must have a sourdough forgot to do this step until the last hour. kingsle-yeast starter, a combination of water and flours that, when This was probably another reason my dough fermented, creates yeast. seemed to resemble a pancake rather than a beautiful Marisa Kingsley It can virtually last forever, as long as you “feed” it dough ball when trying to shape it. regularly, which consists of emptying the jar of most of When baking it the next morning, I was expecting As I massaged my fingers through a sticky sour- the mature starter (the one that’s been fermenting) and divine intervention. Maybe the oven would miracu- dough mixture of three different flours, water and adding more flour and water. lously rise my misshapen dough-oval-pancake into a homemade yeast recently, I pondered many things: Is The sourdough tutorial video I watched claimed golden, round loaf. my mixture too wet? Is this even a dough? Is my family that feeding would only take five minutes per day. Alas, it didn’t happen, but the dough, once baked, silently judging me as I audibly swear? But most im- For me, it somehow turned into a 20-minute ordeal did indeed resemble bread, so I considered it a partial- REPORTERS ESCRIE WHAT ACTIVITIES HELP THEM portantly, how did I even get to this point? of emptying the jar of most of the previous day’s start- win. The shelter-in-place has left millions with too much er, adding the flours, tempering the water and cleaning Learning from my previous failures, the rest of my time on their hands. So as a country, we’re turning to up the mess. breads — which were not sourdough — turned out FIGHT OREOM WHILE STILL REMAINING AT HOME baking. Maintaining a starter also brought up the ethical considerably more edible. Although I am not known for great coping mecha- dilemma of flour usage, since one typically feeds their While bread-making can be stressful and some- nisms, one that has almost always succeeded is baking. starter daily to keep it healthy. times ego-crushing, it’s worth trying out if you have During a month in quarantine, I baked a total of However, there is hardly any flour at grocery stores the resources to do so (but please do not hoard flour.) six different types of bread, including bagels, focaccia, to be found. Bread also is a terrific food to share with family and naan and sourdough, only a few of which I can con- I compromised by reducing the feeding schedule to can be repurposed for other dishes, such as croutons, sider successful. once a week, and now kept the starter in my refrigera- bread-crumbs or French toast. My first attempt was making New York-style bagels tor for the rest of the week. If not, perhaps consider giving your loaf to an es- since my older sister, who was coming home from col- When it came time to make the bread, I cut the rec- sential worker to show your appreciation. u lege due to COVID-19, had recently expressed a love ipe in half, already feeling guilty about my flour for everything bagels. They turned out surprisingly usage. Apparently, that’s not how baking works. well for a first attempt and were not too difficult to As a result of reducing the amount of flour make. it needed, when combining sourdough Riding the wave of initial success, I tried my hand starter with my dough mixture, my at baking focaccia, an Italian flat-bread similar to pizza (washed) hands were covered in dough, which, in theory, was much easier than bagels a layer of sticky dough that in since it mostly just requires lots of waiting to let the no way resembled the one in the yeast rise. YouTube tutorial. And yet, I thwarted the hard work of the yeast — The video also instructed that as likely by my aggressive divet-making when the dough the dough rises for about four to five Leathercraft: boredom leads to was spread onto a baking sheet — and the bread came hours, one should take it out incremen- creating sellable wallets from scratch

around $30. a tool with a few diamond-shaped prongs in a I started from the YouTube video itself for line that allows stitching lines to be punched resources. Included in the video description with a consistent distance between stitches in a Streetwear fashion: dressing up at home was a template for the wallet so that viewers perfectly straight line. Using one thread and a bill of rights could replicate the wallet themselves. needle at each end, I sewed a pattern called a I printed it out, but I wasn’t satisfied with the “straddle stitch.” Bill Yuan design. I really liked the pockets of the Louis Then, after stitching it together, it came time provides normalcy and motivation Vuitton Multiple wallet, which has chevron to finish the edges. Coming home from school on a Friday, style pockets on one side. As an ambitious be- A well-finished edge can make even a simple the boxy fit of the hoodie and the muted colors. So far dressing up during the quarantine has I was excited to see if my package had finally ginner, I attempted to do my best to replicate piece look professional. Finishing an edge con- Tuesday: Rhude Vintage Hoodie with mnml.la helped me find some normalcy. Not only did I en- arrived. I was greeted at the front door by the this design and draw my own pattern. sists of leveling the edge, rounding the sharp accident(le) olive cargos. The main aspect of this outfit was the joy picking out new and fresh outfits every day, but I small, about a half-square foot, navy blue roll of For the color scheme of my wallet, I thought corners and applying an agent to flatten down oversized vintage hoodie with the synthetic faded also found myself more productive because it simu- leather that cost me nearly $15 and would soon about it day after day until I settled on a navy the fibers to achieve a smooth and flexing black wash, which extended to the middle of my lated a school setting. turn into a sexy bifold wallet. blue back and white stitching and edge paint. shiny edge. thigh, adding a different dimension to the outfit. At the same time, I discovered that I spend way During my time in quarantine, I threw my- The day all my supplies came, I got to work. I This last step is es- Isaac Le The olive cargos paired with the outfit well with the too much money on hoodies that look exactly the self into a new passion: leathercraft, the art of first printed and cut the pattern on cardstock, pecially tedious, outfit, keeping the Earth tone trend going. same. Unfortunate. u turning pieces of leather into something inter- then traced it on leather and cut them out. because the wal- With in-person school officially over until at Wednesday: Canada Goose jacket with the esting or usable. Because I bought the leather at a local store, let is basically least August and a shelter-in-place order in effect Uniqlo ankle pants. The subdued look with only My inspiration? YouTube. Prior to any news they didn’t have the exact thickness I wanted done, but you in Santa Clara County, I have only left the house black and grey tones lead to a very classy look, defy- of the pandemic and shelter-in-place proto- and I had to settle for something a little thicker. have to do this once in the last few weeks to pick up Starbucks and ing all stereotypes that Canada Goose is only for the col, I watched a video from the channel Cor- This thicker leather would make a wallet too detailed work groceries for my parents. These circumstances have rich with no sense in fashion. However, this quickly ter Leather, which shows how a $5,000 Hermes thick, so I decided to try my hand at another in order to fully prevented me from flexing what I have spent the turned out to be a terrible idea because of the beam- wallet was recreated using materials that only skill, skiving. complete it. majority of my money on: clothes. ing sun outside. cost $75. Skiving is the act of thinning the material at I sanded However, this has not stopped me from creating Thursday: Vintage Black “Wish You Were Here” As recommended by members of the sub- the edges to reduce bulk in the final product. the edges con- a mini Rodeo Drive showcase at home. Every day Travis Scott tour hoodie with the mnml.la M4 Vin- reddit r/leathercraft, I convinced my mom This is traditionally done with a skiving knife, tinuously, until during the first two weeks of quarantine, I wore dif- tage Denim. Even though this Travis Scott hoodie to drive me to a local leather supplier, Tandy but I did not have one at the time. they were silky ferent streetwear outfits, consisting of brands that looks plain and just black from the front, the back Leather, and I bought a single shoulder of natu- The closest thing I had was a normal utility smooth. I would usually wear to school, including Fear of depicts an astronomical explosion, featuring all of ral veg tan leather. knife, which was much harder to skive with. After ap- God, Bape, Rhude and Kenzo. his tour dates. Thank goodness I got this hoodie My first wallet was an attempt at several I had to carefully make a cut on the surface plying water to Weirdly enough, not only did these outfits make back once my ex-girlfriend and I broke up . The vin- techniques, so I was able to learn a lot; how- of the leather, near the edge, and cut slowly and the edge, I bur- me feel less bored at home, they motivated me to tage wash denim paired very well with the hoodie ever, the end product was lacking: The edges precisely down and toward the edge, but being nished the edge study and do work rather than just sleep. because both pieces offered a washed look. were smooth, but had poorly applied paint. The careful not to puncture the other side. until it was glassy Trust me: If you’ve never tried sleeping in Friday: Bape Shark Hoodie with mnml.la M4 pockets were thinned out, but the cuts were This task took quite a while, and required me smooth, which streetwear outfits, it’s extremely uncomfortable. Black Denim. This was the flashiest outfit of the wavy. The pockets are also a touch too small, to be in deep concentration so as to not screw took a period of Here are the outfits that I have worn in the last week because of the full camo Bape Jacket, but I which made sliding cards in and out difficult. up my piece. time that seemed like week. paired it with simple black jeans to make the outfit I was eager to improve on these aspects in my The result was an acceptable cut that was a forever. Monday: Grey Fear of God 6th Collection hood- more subtle. The bright camo along with the boy next wallet. bit wavy at the edge, which caused some defor- However, after all of this, it is super sat- ie with mnml.la M4 Denim. The grey hoodie with scout-type patches on the side, however, made me At first, I didn’t know if I wanted anyone mity in the final product, but nothing too noti- isfying to be able to open up your newly made the black branding in the middle was a subtle flex, feel as if I was one of those wannabe middle school to know about this hobby because I thought it cable. wallet, reach inside the pockets, and put your making it my favorite outfit of the week because of hypebeasts. might seem strange. However, when my mom After gluing up the main pieces of the wallet, own cards and cash inside. posted my work on WeChat and someone it was time to stitch the whole thing together, What have I learned through all this? wanted to buy one of my handmade wallets, I by hand. Leathercraft is a hobby that requires lots of time knew that I couldn’t keep it to myself. A hand-stitch is more elegant and more and money. My friends turned out to be very supportive durable than the machine-stitch, but tediously People have told me that I can start a brand togatalks (thanks Andy) and currently, I’ve sold two bi- weaving the needle in and out pushed me to the to sell leather goods under, but I don’t think it’s fold wallets for $75 each. limits of my patience. worth the energy to invest in it. What are some “I have been trying “I want to learn to “I started a vegeta- Making a wallet is simpler than most might Before I started, I glued the panels of leather I probably won’t go to great lengths with this hobbies or to learn Korean, but cook, so I have tried ble garden with an think. Each wallet only takes around four to five together to keep them aligned, then punched hobby because in the end, I just really enjoy I didn’t have that different ways to unnecessarily large u hours of labor, and the raw materials are worth the holes for the stitch using a stitching chisel, gratifying others with my work. things you like much time because make instant ramen amount of tomato to do during of AP testing.” taste better.” plants.” quarantine? junior Jessie Zhou sophomore Lily Yang junior Charlotte Shewchuk

All GRAPHICS BY TIFFANY WANG AND SAMANTHA YEE The Saratoga Falcon The Saratoga Falcon May 29, 2020 ENTERTAINMENT 15 14 entertainment May 29, 2020 Amidst crisis, Krasinski brings ‘Some Good News’ Rihanna’s feature leaves fans hanging, but

BY ApurvaChakravarthy got the entire original cast of “Hamilton” & JeanetteZhou to perform “My Shot” to a 9-year-old girl I’m just happy to hear her amazing voice named Aubrey, who missed out on watch- “Good evening, everybody, even though ing the hit musical in person because of it is very clearly the afternoon, and welcome COVID-19. This episode was particularly BY AlexWang Despite Rihanna’s feature on “BELIEVE me listening to R9 by myself and refusing to at-home order, including to SGN,” actor John Krasinski said. “For special to watch because we saw how much IT” being short and repetitive, I’m all for her release it.” $4.2 million in a part- years now I have been wondering: Why isn’t this meant to her. Rihanna fans everywhere were teased of new music. Staying at home during the shel- Recently, Rihanna responded to fans who nership with Twitter there a new show dedicated entirely to good Our favorite part of the entire show hap- her return to music on March 27 when she ter-in-place has been tough, and if she wants kept asking her about the release of her al- CEO Jack Dorsey and news?” pened on April 17, when Krasinski held an appeared as a feature on “BELIEVE IT,” a to drop any music at all, I’ll gladly listen. bum on an Instagram Live video saying, “If $2 million in a partner- Krasinski, an actor well-known for play- online prom for seniors around the coun- song on artist PARTYNEXTDOOR’s latest I can understand fans getting angry at her one of y’all motherf------ask me about the ship with Jay-Z’s Shawn ing Jim in “The Office” and for directing try whose proms had been canceled. In the album. It had been three years since she had for delaying the album, but it’s not anything album one more time when I’m trying to Carter Foundation. and starring in the critically acclaimed film prom, Krasinski was joined by celebrities last released music and fans were desperate new. Playboi Carti still has not dropped his save the world, unlike y’all president.” To her credit, Rihanna “The Quiet Place,” aired the first episode of Chance the Rapper, Billie Eilish, and the for anything. third album since his most recent album This sentiment comes after is more focused on big- “Some Good News” on March 29. Jonas Brothers. It was special to see how When “BELIEVE IT” came out, they “Die Lit” came out in 2018 and Kanye West Rihanna’s support for the ef- ger issues than releasing went wild over finally hearing her voice on has been delaying albums for the longest fort against COVID-19. albums. Interested in the unique premise of the celebrities came together to celebrate the GRAPHIC BY KAVITA SUNDARAM show, we watched through the four epi- graduating class, even if they couldn’t physi- a new song, but some were disappointed. In time (even though he did end up releasing Her nonprofit, Clara Lio- She wants to do something sodes. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves cally have their proms. the song, Rihanna basically repeats the line “Jesus is King” in 2019). nel Foundation, which good with her time and fans should because it focused entirely on finding and The show was extremely comforting to “Best make me believe it” along with a few “R9,” the supposed successor to Ri- she founded in 2012, has accept that and stop pestering her so bringing to light optimistic news in a time GRAPHIC BY JEANETTE ZHOU watch for us, as it helped us regain faith in more lines but sings little else. Fans who hanna’s 2016 album “Anti,” was rumored to donated millions of dol- much. For now, we will just have to when all we hear about is the deadly pan- and all the Tiger King, somehow the human We were also excited to see a guest ap- our communities and humanity as a whole were dying to hear “R9” felt that this was not drop in 2019, but the year came and went lars to support those keep waiting for “R9” to drop, and in the in a time where news is more often than not a satisfactory substitute for an entire album without any music from Rihanna. She even most affected by the meantime, I’ll be listening to “BELIEVE demic. spirit found a way to break through and pearance by Steve Carell, who co-starred u It was an instant success, with over 15 blow us all away,” Krasinski said. with Krasinski as Michael Scott in “The Of- morbid and tragic. and voiced their opinions on social media. teased fans with a tweet that said, “update: disease and the stay- IT” on repeat. million views in the first episode and cur- In his first episode, Krasinski shared fice,” as they commemorated the 15th anni- It is heartwarming to see ordinary people rently about more than 14,000 posts on Ins- reports of people around the world thank- versary of the popular show. do their part in helping others and thanking tagram under the hashtag #somegoodnews. ing health-care workers for their hard work The first episode was a great starter to the those working tirelessly to fight this pan- The show’s popularity can be attributed during the pandemic. In one instance, po- show because it got straight to important demic. to its down-to-earth tone, according to lice officers in Spain stood outside of a hos- information regarding the recent crisis and With this show, viewers can take 15 min- TikTok content is subpar, but I still watch it The Verge. Krasinski speaks with no mi- pital and shined their lights as their way of showed heart-warming stories of people utes of their lives to listen to good news and crophone and films with low-grade camera thanking workers. At sea, NATO sailors and around the globe. escape from constant reminders of the ter- BY Patel Plus, I like to learn the dances! elite, and it’s the reason I remain on this app equipment. The background of the show staff applauded health-care workers. Kra- We also liked that it moved away from rible current situation. Anishi Just because I’m watching Charli (an app that may or may not be stealing my even features a logo drawn by Krasinski’s sinski also shared heart-warming videos of the coronavirus and featured Carell. The As Krasinski says at the end of each The summer of 2019, a three-month pe- D’Amelio be savage, classy, bougie and data and handing it over to the Chinese gov- daughters. an elderly man singing to his wife through show allowed us to mentally separate our- episode, “I’m John Kransinski; this is SGN riod of peak comedy and original content, ratchet over and over doesn’t mean I want ernment, according to concerned lawmak- “We are all going through an incredibly a window in a nursing home, and home- selves from the current situation. asking you to remember that no matter has long been hailed as the golden era of to see 15 videos of other people doing the ers). trying time, but, through all the anxiety, owners leaving necessary goods for delivery The second episode in particular gar- how dark it gets, there is always good in the TikTok, according to the jaded, forlorn cre- dance too. There are definitely small creators who through all the confusion, all the isolation, workers. nered a lot of attention when Kransinski world.” u ators whose throwback videos occasionally go viral for the right reasons and POVs make their way across my For You Page. from people who are amazing actors. Along Unfortunately, I downloaded the app last with a hand full of talented dancers (hello fall. Why do I have to keep Conrad Rocha and Sophia Connolly) and The TikTok I know consists of girls us- creators like Charli who never fail to give ing the bling effect on uncoordinated dance scrolling past videos of credit where credit is due. videos or teenage boys making thirst traps 12-year-olds throwing it There are doctors on TikTok who are that have the middle schoolers commenting finding creative ways to communicate coro- things they do not want their parents seeing. back so hard they’re going navirus information to preteens who might And that’s just the tip of the unoriginal, to give themselves severe not be informed otherwise. cringeworthy iceberg that has become Tik- scoliosis? As well as accounts dedicated to people’s GRAPHIC BY SINA SALEHI Tok. unique hobbies, like marine biology, upcy- Where’s the comedy? cling clothing or even finding and sharing What happened to actual dancers? discount codes. Why do I have to keep scrolling past Also, TikTok has managed to figure out videos of 12-year-olds throwing it back so And, Madison Beer seems like a wonder- that I am an Indian American, and I’m start- ‘All American’ is about ‘The Magnus Archives’ hard they’re going to give themselves severe ful person, but can we chill with the “I would ing to see a lot of really relatable Subtle Cur- scoliosis? die if Madison Beer replied” comments? ry Traits-type videos. Granted, the algorithm might be show- And stop tagging popular creators in Somehow, we are being fed the right more than just football ing me different videos if I stopped watching your “crying in my prom dress” videos be- amount of quality content to keep us from is authentically creepy Courtesy of HAILEY BIEBER via TikTok subpar content … but if subpar content is all cause they will not be taking you to prom, deleting the app, and that, more than any- Hailey and Justin Bieber dance to “Savage” that comes across my FYP, what am I sup- and you will likely not have a prom. thing else, is what keeps TikTok’s popularity BY BY Yee IsaacLe ing plot of a hard-working high school Samantha un-hear the description of a woman full of by Megan Thee Stallion in a TikTok. posed to do? That said, some TikTok content remains soaring. u & JunLee football team winning state champion- worms with “deep, black holes just honey- ships, but the show also exposes the flaws Stuck at home day in and day out with combing every bit of flesh.” (By the way, I In the era of shelter-in-place America, and shortcomings of each character and little contact with the outside world, we can would recommend not eating while listen- we have a lot of free time on our hands. how these imperfections impact their easily see our emotions begin to dull and ing to the podcast). So that has led to seeking more entertain- lives. Each character faces their own prob- generally fall into a boring rut of hollow But what ultimately makes “The Magnus ment options. As we scrolled through lems; for example, Layla, Oliva Baker’s feelings. Archives” such good quarantine entertain- Streaming services end era of theater, cable Netflix, we came upon a show called “All best friend, suffers from mental health is- A simple remedy to the tedious boredom ment is how close to home it can hit. It cre- American,” which was based on the life of sues and doesn’t know where to find help. of quarantine is quality fear-inducing enter- atively pulls its creepiness out of the niche BY MeganChen TV releases and instead be nominated for Spencer Paysinger and his journey to the Even though the show is mainly about tainment. It is the perfect time to binge- fears and phobias you probably never knew the Emmys. NFL. football, it teaches valuable lessons — listen “The Magnus Archives,” an ongoing you had: the sky, being alone in a room, “Want to go see ‘Endgame’ this week- Directors like Spielberg are worried that “All American” premiered on CW Net- the central one being that in our society, fictional horror podcast produced by Rusty having to talk to your neighbor, the smell of end?” the industry will suffer similar consequenc- work in 2018 and has two seasonas, each money plays a huge role in determining a Quill and created by Jonathan Sims, the mold, hot weather and people with generic- “I’m just going to wait until it’s on Net- es as video stores, and the theatrical experi- consisting of 16 episodes. We binged- person’s social status but at the end of the writer and voice of the character Archivist sounding names. flix.” ence will become extinct. watched both seasons within two days. day doesn’t equate to happiness or suc- Jonathan Sims, and Alexander J. Newall, the For example, MAG47, “The New Door,” As streaming services become more and Traditional studios are unable to keep up The main character of the show is cess, seen through Spencer’s two contrast- director and voice of the character Martin recounts the story of a real estate agent more popular, situations like this occur with the speed at which services like Netflix Spencer James — a character inspired by ing lives. Blackwood. who went through a door that mysteri- more often. With their convenience and va- produce new films. Access to Netflix mov- former NFL player Spencer Paysinger, “All-American” is an ambitious project The podcast, which began in 2016, is an ously appeared in a house she was selling. riety of movies and shows, streaming servic- ies is only available to those who have the who played as a football linebacker for the with strong themes, but it carries them anthology of unsettling paranormal stories She walked into a hallway full of mirrors es have begun to dominate the film industry. privilege of spending about $8 a month per New York Giants beginning in 2011 and well — watchers are reminded of the im- recorded and organized in the archives of that “dragged on and on, bending almost Streaming services were originally plat- streaming service, and if the demand for has since retired. The plot begins by intro- portance of these stories, and as the cast the fictional Magnus Institute, an academic imperceptibly to the left.” The episode taps forms that made movies and shows acces- theaters decreases due to the increase of ducing the “hood” life that Spencer came of “All American” tackles these familiar institute dedicated to researching the “eso- into the innate creepiness of walking down sible after being dropped from theaters and Netflix movies, watching movies will be- from in Crenshaw, Calif., a largely African struggles on-screen, perhaps we learn teric and paranormal.” a long corridor without even needing to cable networks, much like old-school video come a luxury. American area of Los Angeles. Because more about ourselves and these problems There are four complete seasons, each show imagery. rental services like Blockbuster. Streaming Similarly, cable television has suffered of his football skills, Spencer ends up in in our own lives, too. with 40 episodes. Each episode is around After hearing the full story, I’ve thought services have since expanded to create their from the rise of streaming services; in the a quite different environment at Beverly The third season of “All American” is 24 minutes, and an overarching plot reveals twice about every door I’ve decided to open own films, making them a major threat to U.S., over 33 million people cut off cable Hills High School, under the direction of expected to release on Oct. 4, and will fi- itself over multiple episodes of seemingly and wondered whether it had existed previ- the traditional movie industry. subscriptions in 2018, and over 22 million Coach Baker. nally end the long wait to find out what unrelated stories. ously or not. A recent complaint from Steven Spiel- people in 2017. This adventurous story of Spencer ad- happens to Spencer as he continues to ad- The story-telling of “The Magnus -Ar Essentially, listening to “The Magnus berg stating that Netflix films shouldn’t With the lack of commercials and wait u justing to his new life in a new community vance in his football career. chives” is similar to the horror of manga Archives” can help you forget your real be allowed to win Oscars sparked debates between episodes of a show, streaming and school grabbed our interest immedi- artist Junji Ito or filmmaker Ari Aster — no worries by blocking them out with appre- about the consequences of streaming ser- services seem to be more compelling than ately. terrifying jumpscares, just a steady buildup hensions about fictional events that feel like vices. The award-winning director thought their counterparts. The price of streaming As soon as he starts his first day at Bev- of nightmare fuel. they could happen to you. You can spice up it was unfair for Netflix films to be nomi- services is also significantly less than cable; erly High School, Spencer gets to know After a few episodes, it’s hard to make your boring routines with the feeling that nated for the Oscars because of their very $8 a month vs. costs that can run into the Olivia, the daughter of Coach Baker, who yourself look out your window at night for you’re being watched and feel impending limited theater releases. hundreds. sticks by Spencer’s side throughout the fear of what you might see or hear. Even so, doom whenever you smell something a Currently, movies are eligible for the Os- While cable offers more exposure to duration of the first two seasons. He is you’ll just keep craving the deep, sublime little bit off or read a typo in your textbook. cars only if they are in theaters for at least news and live sports than streaming ser- Courtesy of TIVO faced with the dilemma of balancing his dread that the podcast invokes. “The Magnus Archives” recently one week, so Netflix releases its movies vices, streaming services are also combined Streaming services like Netflix have risen to popularity for their convenience and variety. rich Beverly Hills life with his hardscrab- One of the most notable things about launched its fifth and last season, which you both online and in a couple small theaters in packages with other platforms to make ble life in South Crenshaw, ultimately cre- “The Magnus Archives” is how effective can listen to on YouTube, Spotify or iTunes. to qualify. Because of the limited theater them more appealing to many consumers. Video. and cable TV, and if the film industry con- ating rivalries on and off the field. its imagery and descriptions are, despite Give it a listen to add a macabre edge to releases of the Netflix movies, Spielberg be- Hulu has recently paired with Spotify pre- The growth of streaming services are tinues to ignore the rise of streaming ser- Not only does the story have the touch- it having no visuals. I will never be able to your quarantine. u lieves that Netflix films should be treated as mium, and Amazon Prime offers Amazon leading to the downfall of video rental stores vices, it will be next. u Courtesy of NEWSWEEK The Saratoga Falcon 16 ENTERTAINMENT May 29, 2020 The Saratoga Falcon May 29, 2020 school scope 17 Riot Games broaden their e-sports horizon BY BillYuan I was lucky enough to receive the drop as the traditional 64 tick server that most dorse the game and further expand its fan- on the first day they began releasing them, games use. base. The final chapter: Senior year closes unfinished Riot Games, developer of the well-known on April 7. Upon experiencing actual gameplay, I Fortnite was also a game that imple- League of Legends, has begun to roll out None of my other friends had received noticed that the game plays much more mented this strategy, featuring real-world closed beta for their all-new tactical-shooter the drop at that point, and most of them similarly to Counter-Strike than it does to weapons like M4A1s, P90s and AK-47s, but BY AnjaliNuggehalli Parr attributed the significance three sports, but softball season game, Valorant, allowing a restricted group didn’t get their drop until later that week. Overwatch. calling them different names less associ- of these events to being the last is my favorite, which makes it so of individuals to test out the game. In Valorant, teams of five compete One key difference, however, is that the ated with violence such as “Assault Rifle,” or For her first three years of high chances for the seniors to unite to- much harder,” Parr said. “I was Riot is yet to announce an exact release against each other in order to where each maps are much more compact in Valorant, “Compact SMG.” school, Aashna Belenje looked up gether as a class. really looking forward to senior date. team is trying to win 13 rounds. making long-range weapons less powerful. Fortnite also discouraged players refer- to the seniors with awe. She saw MAP 12 students are also miss- night because that’s such an ac- The exact date is said to depend on the Each round begins with a buying phase, The developers evidently explored differ- ring to guns with their real-life name, as them having the time of their lives ing their senior capstone field trip complishing moment.” feedback received from the closed beta, but where players can buy guns and abilities us- ent elements in their map designs. they do not want these weapons names to with their best friends before mov- to Asilomar as well as the annual Despite missing out on several the current situation with the pan- ing currency accumulated throughout the Currently, Valorant only has three maps, be associated with a game for children. ing on to colleges they were excit- SMASH’n event in May. school events she was anticipat- demic will likely push it back. match from kills and winning/losing but one has three bomb sites (compared to This branding approach has allowed the ed to attend. Belenje, a member of the Me- ing and not being able to hang out For now, the release is projected rounds. the standard two that all Counter-Strike game creators to seal brand deals that have As Belenje finally finished the dia Arts Program, is most disap- with her friends, both Belenje and to happen this summer. A round can end in maps have) and another has a teleporter. grown their player-base drastically. rigorous period of college applica- pointed about missing out on Parr have made the most of the Since Riot Games three ways: These elements vary gameplay quite a It seems that Valorant is heading down tions in December, she was more these events. difficult situation by staying in ac- showcased the new Attackers bit, by changing up attacking and defending the same path. than ready to embrace the carefree “I was really looking forward tive touch with friends and family. shooter back in Oc- can win a strategies, and, in my opinion, make it dif- Despite Valorant’s growing potential, second-semester senior lifestyle. to seeing our MAP senior class Belenje has movie and game tober, sources have round by ferent enough from Counter-Strike to strike it’s up to the developers to maintain a ro- Belenje’s dream of the perfect show off all our final projects,” nights with her family almost ev- speculated that the success- players as a unique and fun game. bust game. Many games in the past have end to high school was crushed in Belenje said. “We’ve worked so ery night and enjoys painting with game would be a fully plant- In contrast to Counter-Strike, characters seen similar successful launches just to roll an instant, however, when she was hard on them all year, but we can’t her mom. She also FaceTimes her combination of two ing and in Valorant have abilities, just like in Over- downhill because of the less-than-timely told that her senior year was over even finish them anymore.” friends every day to watch movies well-established detonating watch. updates and a poor developer team. in late March. She immediately or play online games together. first-person shooter the spike Utilities such as smokes, grenades, and When it was released, Apex Legends was teared up, realizing that her high While being in lockdown games, Overwatch (the game’s flashbangs in Counter-Strike are now avail- subject to this sort of decline. The game had school experience was not going has disappointed most seniors in and Counter-Strike: term for a able as different agents’ abilities in Valorant. millions of players at launch. However, de- to conclude in the way she had “Prom was going to be terms of second-semester expec- Global Offensive . bomb), de- Because of the Twitch drop beta system, velopers did not touch the game for several imagined. one of the final times tations, both Belenje and Parr do Having played quite fenders can the game has already gained immense view- months, and now the game hardly has any As the Class of 2020 finishes not consider quarantine to have a bit of Overwatch and win a round by ership and popularity. players at all. the semester in quarantine, they the seniors came taken away from their overall high a more limited amount of successfully defusing the On April 7, the first day with drops en- I don’t expect Riot Games to make this are missing out on events that together.” school experience. Counter-Strike, I found the planted spike, or all players abled, Valorant peaked at 1.7 million con- mistake. After all, it has been able to keep were intended to highlight the end SENIOR Throughout their four years in concept of this game to be very from one team can be elimi- current viewers, breaking the record for League of Legends popular for over a de- of their high school experience. Ella Parr high school the class of 2020 had interesting, and I really wanted nated. “single-day hours watched” in a single game cade. Some of the canceled events already enjoyed countless amazing to try it out. Attackers and defend- category. Valorant is only in closed beta testing, include Senior Ditch Day, Senior events together, from Homecom- Riot rolled out the closed ers switch sides after 12 Valorant’s branding as a more kid-friend- but has already gained a massive playerbase. Servant Day, the notorious senior Fortunately for many seniors, a ing to their last winter formal. beta via drops through Twitch rounds. ly game is contributing to its growing popu- Many pros from Overwatch and Counter- pranks and powderpuff football. graduation ceremony will be held “We are a really tight-knit class streams. On the positive side, larity. Instead of the terrorists, bombs, AK- Strike have spent hours on the game. Some Another significant event se- in which seniors will drive through and have already formed great Anyone hoping to join the the game runs smoothly. 47s and M4A1s of Counter-Strike, Valorant have even said they would switch to Val- niors looked forward to was senior the parking lot and exit their cars memories with each other,” Belen- closed beta linked their Riot ac- The lower end graphics features alternatives like spikes and weapons orant. prom, their final school dance be- at the McAfee Center to receive je said. “It’s sad that we already count to their Twitch account, GRAPHIC BY HARSHINI VELCHAMY allow most computers, like Vandals, Ghosts, and Phantoms, in or- With experienced Riot developers, I have fore graduating. their diplomas individually. had our last day of school without tuned in to a stream with drops mine included, to run the der to avoid affiliation with gun violence or no doubt in my mind that this game will be “These moments were go- As an avid athlete who played realizing it, but I’ve had an amaz- Courtesy of AASHNA BELENJE enabled and prayed to be lucky enough to game at a high frame-rate, and the 128 tick other violence. successful and it is more than likely that I ing to be the key moments where field hockey, basketball and soft- ing four years with the best friends Although unable to participate in traditional senior events, senior receive one. servers make movement twice as smooth This makes it easier for companies to en- will continue playing the game.u we would be able to just have fun ball, Parr was disappointed that possible.” Aashna Belenje hikes with her family to watch the sunset on May 8. together,” senior Ella Parr said. she would not have the opportu- Regardless of what it means “I was really looking forward to nity to complete her final season for the Class of 2020, seniors ac- trol by ensuring that their every- hard, but I know that it’s the right prom because it was going to be of softball. knowledge that currently, the most one, especially loved ones, remain thing to do,” Parr said. “I just have one of the final times the seniors “There is some closure because important priority is getting the healthy. to remember that so many people Calvin and Hobbes: Where imagination flourishes came together.” I was able to play two out of my public health situation under con- “This whole experience is so have it much worse.” u BY AnjaliNuggehalli Each page is its own mini comic strip and has no correlation to the next, although Pre-lockdown, the only reading I man- they all involve Calvin getting himself into aged was cramming four chapters of “All trouble and blaming it on Hobbes. While I Humanities teachers work to restructure classes Quiet on the Western Front” into my brain wish that the plot was more consistent, it’s the night before the test. entertaining to see what each page will have It’s not that I don’t like reading. In fact, in store, as each comic strip was originally BY AlekhyaVadlakonda community. “Because students are submitting things shorter so I can finish history faster.” before the stress of high school kicked in, run individually in newspapers. & AmandaZhu Even though her students cannot com- separately on the internet,” Thermond Similarly, English teacher Susanna Ryan reading was my favorite pastime. But as my One of my favorite panels is one where plete their regular in-person performances said, “I am able to standardize how much is using a combination of synchronous and days became consumed with homework, tu- Calvin and Hobbes ambush Susie, a know- Pacing back and forth and reading their and discussions, Thermond is trying to be feedback I can give to each student, which asynchronous teaching, keeping in mind toring and sports, my time for recreational it-all in their class, with snowballs. They lines aloud to themselves in the quiet of positive and emphasize the new skill sets doesn’t always happen in class as the student that freshman and sophomore classes may reading slowly dissipated. hurl the snowballs at Susie, who becomes their rooms earlier this month, Sarah Ther- they are building. As such, drama students performing right before the bell sometimes struggle with WiFi and other issues that Now that I have endless time, I’ve found hilariously infuriated and proceeds to snitch mond’s Drama 1 students practiced their have gotten the opportunity to undertake does not get quite as much feedback.” they can’t control. myself picking up countless books in my on the boys to any adult in earshot. Shakespearean monologues to perform in new assignments that are more individual History teacher Jerry Sheehy has been In addition to holding regular class calls, house, from “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” by Jeff Throughout the series, Calvin, who is front of their class. But rather than the usual or technology-based; the Advanced Drama following a similar teaching method. For she has made assignments simpler, only Kinney, to Steven Hawking’s “Theory of Ev- extremely intelligent for a 6-year-old, asks in-person performance, this was a presenta- class learned how to create voiceover reels the first three weeks, he conducted all his keeping the necessary and straightforward erything.” probing questions to his teacher, ranging tion done via FlipGrid, a virtual discussion that could be used to audition for produc- classes asynchronously and only assigned questions in worksheets and posting vid- Recently, I came across a comic book the from his beliefs on secularism to the moral platform that allows students to upload vid- tions outside of school. work on Canvas rather than holding class eos of herself walking through instructional size of three books put together titled “Cal- dilemma behind subtraction problems. He eos to a class assignment. video calls. slideshows to minimize any confu- vin and Hobbes: The Days are Just Packed.” asks his teacher, “One of them is going to get In the wake of the school This gave his stu- sion that may occur. Flipping it open, I saw the first page had subtracted, but why? How? What will be left closure brought on by the dents freedom and In substitution for in-class dis- a note addressed to my dad from his child- of him?” These questions often land him in COVID-19 pandemic, stu- flexibility on when cussions and group discussions like hood family friend. The loopy handwriting the principal’s office. dents are adapting to a vastly they complete their Socratic seminars, many teachers was practically illegible, but I deduced that Laughing over the ways Calvin finds different learning environ- work; however, after are also using the breakout rooms it was a birthday present to my dad for his himself in trouble, I finished the book in just ment compared to in-person learning that remote feature in Zoom because it allows 8th birthday. an hour. This was not only because it was school. Teachers like Ther- learning will con- students to work with their groups I was excited to be holding a book that easy to read and illustration-heavy, but also mond are working to keep tinue until the end rather than with the entire class at my dad enjoyed in his childhood and want- because I truly enjoyed looking at life from students’ learning experienc- of the year, he has Ryan once. ed a look into what his life was like when Calvin and Hobbes’ perspective, where any- es rich and fresh. begun holding Zoom Even with a college-level learn- he was younger. Eagerly, I began reading in thing seems possible and everything should For discussion- and per- meetings so that students can ing management like Canvas and video hope that I would find it interesting as well, be questioned. formance-heavy classes such ask him questions. conferencing tools like Zoom and Google even in my teenage years. It’s refreshing to have an opportunity to as drama, English and his- “Remote teaching and Meet, the new learning environment has Once I got into the book, I quickly fig- step away from the classic literature that tory, the shift has been chal- remote learning are chal- led to necessary concessions on the part of ured out that it depicted the stories of a we are required to analyze in school. When lenging. lenging,” Sheehy said. “I am teachers. young boy named Calvin and his imaginary I read a timeless comic like “Calvin and For instance, the shelter- learning to do something that “It’s just too hard for students to follow tiger friend, Hobbes. The pair go on crazy Hobbes,” I found myself wanting to con- in-place order has drastically is completely new. Generally, along with all the nuanced work,” Ryan said. adventures, fueled by Calvin’s imagination tinue reading and discover what adventure changed Thermond’s usual everything takes longer, from “We have had to really streamline the ma- and mischievous tendencies. lay in store. u methods. my planning and conveying terials to be both digitally meaningful and Courtesy of MEDIUM “All levels of drama are instructions to students com- properly organized for a student to navigate normally very collaborative pleting assigned work.” with only so much direct instruction from togatalks classes,” Thermond said. “My drama For his AP European History m e .” classes usually culminate in spring se- GRAPHIC BY ALEKHYA VADLAKONDA class, Sheehy is focusing on preparing In the midst of the stress and worry What shows “I just started this “I’m rewatching my “I’ve been watching mester by putting on productions in the students for the May 13 AP exam. Because brought on by these uncertain times, Ryan Drama Center, in which all students have an “We learned about the different resonat- of the recent changes in the exam structure, said she wants to make sure that her students have you new show called favorite shows like Crash Landing on acting role and a tech job.” ing spaces and articulators in Drama 1, so Sheehy spent much of spring break trying to understand that mental health and personal Never Have I Ever. I Brooklyn 99, Shark You. I 1000000/10 Now she has changed all of the spring voiceover reels are a great way to show mas- familiarize himself and his students with the well-being should be their first priority. watched during also started rewatch- Tank, and How I would recommend productions from a traditional in-theater tery of that,” said junior Helena Lee, one of new format. “I want to remember that we aren’t just shelter in place? ing Gilmore Girls.” Met Your Mother.” it. It’s amazing.” performance to a virtual, prerecorded one. Thermond’s Advanced Drama students. “We usually watch documentaries and ‘distance learning’ or ‘remote learning’ — Students will perform scenes and songs in a Additionally, Thermond has found that do video guides and we still do that,” said we are ‘crisis learning,’ meaning we are all in freshman Stuti Agrawal sophomore Nandini Desai junior Wilson Fung recorded Zoom meeting and Thermond will she is now able to ensure that all students sophomore Catherine Kan. “Mr. Sheehy the midst of a crisis and must put our social edit the clips into a video to share with the receive more equal amounts of feedback. now does video notes, so it’s like class but and emotional wellness first,” she said. u The Saratoga Falcon The Saratoga Falcon 18 SCHOOL SCOPE May 29, 2020 May 29, 2020 SCHOOL SCOPE 19 Remote learning compels teachers to adapt Clubs severely impacted by school shutdown

BY EthanLin many teachers who adopted the typical ing individual appointments with teachers “Any time I’m not doing synchronous BY SerenaLi cult placement test for college. Qin of the meetings,” Zhang said. & CiciXu asynchronous style of online courses. challenges students to overcome the fear of teaching, I’m being a parent,” Granoff said he continuously contacts club The speech and debate club She uses Canvas to upload videos and reaching out and be more proactive. said. “I hon- Sophomore officers Josephine members to check in on tutoring also stopped its weekly practices. Editor’s note: this story was written during the worksheets and Flipgrid, a platform that Knowing estly love it; I Chou, Madelyn Jin, Marcus Kuo progress. Tournaments such as Tourna- first phase of remote learning and appeared allows teachers to facilitate asynchronous that com- would totally and Lily Yang of the Tri-M club “Since the teaching is mostly ment of Champions (TOC) and on the Saratoga Falcon website on April 30. video discussions with students and carry municat- be a stay-at- held a virtual meeting over Zoom paced according to the student the National Speech & Debate As- out interactive projects. ing with home-dad a week after school ended to dis- tutors’ schedule, the quarantine sociation (NSDA) Nationals were It is 8:15 a.m. Few cars navigate Herri- In the second week of online learning, his students if I didn’t cuss future plans. The club’s mis- actually helped ACE by making moved online and will continue in man Avenue, where cars would be lined up Lenz assigned a project for her chemistry through sion is to better the community more time for our members to tu- the form of Zoom meetings. Other in ordinary times. But around the neighbor- students to record themselves doing a chore Canvas an- by bringing music to locations tor their students in Yunnan,” Qin tournaments, such as National hood, and even as far as Santa Cruz, stu- while explaining the chemistry in it. nouncements such as nursing homes and retire- said. “We now have more time to Catholic Forensics League (NCFL) dents and teachers are up and preparing for “It’s a very valuable experience because would be dif- ment centers. Since the cancella- develop the club and attract new Grand Nationals and State Quals a new day of school. we get to do some research on the topic we ficult, English tion of school on March 16, they, members.” were canceled. Some students anxiously refresh last are passionate about and also because we teacher Matt like other clubs on campus, have While some clubs are able to Although practices are tem- night’s homework submission page and pull don’t need to sit in front of a computer,” said shifted their activities online and continue club activity, others have porarily paused and the format of out their binders while their teachers make sophomore Katherine Chen, one of Lenz’s are determining how to achieve put a hold on their meetings and tournaments is affected, some stu- last-minute changes on their calendars; oth- Chemistry Honors students. “I really want their goals. canceled pre-planned events. dents continue prepping and com- Courtesy of MARCUS KUO ers put on their headphones and log onto her to give us more assignments like these.” The club commission has also The Red Cross, a service club on peting in tournaments individu- Zoom as they wait for their online lessons Aside from trying out new projects with ended the club year early, and campus, has put a pause on their ally. On the weekend of April 17, to start. Students and teachers are gradually her students, Lenz is finding a way to rep- clubs are no longer expected to weekly meetings, but they plan to six students competed in the TOC. adapting to the mode of online learning. licate her usual class structure with Canvas. hold two meetings per month. hold one to two virtual meetings Sophomore Selina Chen took first Because the school will remain closed Rather than giving out a long test at the As a result, the club exit form this to wrap up unfinished discussions place in Informative Speaking; se- through early June due to the COVID-19 end of each unit, she creates weekly “mini year will be due earlier, on May and goals for the next school year. niors Adhit Sankaran and Ronak crisis, teachers continuously plan their assessments” to assess how well her students 1. Although clubs can no longer The club had events planned Pai broke octafinals in Public Fo- courses to provide the best learning plat- are digesting the concepts. The mini assess- meet in-person, many have ad- for the spring semester, such as the rum Gold. form possible for their students. ments are shorter than her usual quizzes, justed their goals and are working Stanford Blood Drive, assembling “We all join a Zoom room and Teachers choose between asynchronous which usually consists of five to six fill-in- around the shelter-in-place. of first aid kits and a guest speaker have our debate over video,” San- learning (a menu of tasks to do) or syn- the-blank questions. presentation about disaster aware- karan said. “The process worked chronous learning (an in-person teaching Since Lenz cannot control how her stu- Service clubs continue to con- ness, but they are now unable to quite well at the TOC last week- session), but with a new simplified sched- dents are taking the assessments, she said tribute to community carry these out. e n d .” ule that began April 20, all teachers will she assumes that they are open-note and In order to contribute to the “Events and presentations we be required to meet for at least 15 minutes open-computer. fight against COVID-19, the Tri- did not get to host this semester Educational clubs shift online The Women in STEM club, per class period. In asynchronous learn- “It is a little difficult to try to find some- M club has donated 150 face masks will be postponed to next semes- Courtesy of ANTHONY QIN ing, most teachers leave videos and notes thing that adequately assesses the student,” since March 16 to the Sunnyview ter,” said junior Allison Ha, presi- which aimed to close the gender on Canvas for students to complete in their she said. Retirement Community in Cuper- dent of Red Cross club. “It will gap in STEM, has also decided own time. With synchro- Lenz started to prepare her students Granoff chose to use synchronous learning. actually enjoy teaching so much, but it is ex- tino. On April 4, they held a virtual make the fall 2020 semester much to cancel meetings for the rest of nous learning, teach- for online classes a week before the school “I stuck with synchronous classes be- hausting.” concert for the same retirement more hectic.” the year. The club also planned on ers use live video calls closure as she predicted the likelihood cause it’s the closest replication of the valu- The real-time, interactive meetings that home by having the club members hosting a hands-on STEM day for for lectures or of going online, but creating online able aspects of live classroom learning,” synchronous learning provides and the free- send in recordings of the musical Competition based clubs find middle school girls on March 21, discussions. courses is still overwhelming as many Granoff said. “I’ve used [student discussion dom that asynchronous learning gives both pieces and compiling them into a new ways to achieve but was forced to cancel the event. Science teachers feel like they are spending groups], so students have the chance to try cater to different curricula and students, 40-minute YouTube video. Clubs such as California’s Fu- To accommodate the sudden teacher valuable time figuring out how to out ideas, learn from each other and collec- which give the previous experience of class- The club is planning another ture Business Leaders of America change, WiSTEM club officers cre- Cher yl implement the curriculum. tively build to a deeper or more complete es and school. virtual concert for the same retire- (FBLA) and Speech and Debate ated an Instagram page on April Lenz is “For me, I feel like I’m spending understanding.” ment home, set to take place on focus primarily on competing in 23, @shswistem, to share STEM o n e a lot more time prepping for school Granoff uses Discord — a gam- April 26. Instead of a recorded ver- regional, state-wide, and nation- activities for younger students to o f with the online classes, learning soft- ing software — for group discussions “I stuck with synchronous sion, the club will play live music wide tournaments. The pandemic try at home. ware and just trying to make sure and daily updates. He usually starts his through a Zoom call. has resulted in the cancelation of Senior club president Kiran I have the same materials as when I classes with a 15-minute Zoom meeting, classes because it’s the The Aspiring to Create Eng- many of these events, or their tran- Chandresekher also noted that the was teaching live,” Lenz said. where he greets everyone and explains closest replication of the valu- lish Club, or ACE, still occasion- sition to online conferences. sudden change has a long-term Discussion boards on Canvas for the discussion topics. Then he divides his ally holds officer meetings over The FBLA State Conference, impact on the club. Current of- Courtesy of ADHIT SANKARAN students to ask questions on home- students into a four-person discussion in able aspects of live classes,” WeChat, a Chinese social media originally scheduled for April 23- ficers had planned to use the last work and worksheets. She also Discord, where they use the “voice chan- TEACHER Matt Granoff app. The club is made up of Sara- 25, was canceled, and State compe- few months of school as a transi- Top: Tri-M club members junior Josephine and freshman Caleb Chou schedules two optional Google nel” to talk to each other. He closes the last toga High students such as presi- tition qualifiers will automatically tion period to train incoming of- play “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri, arranged by the Piano Guys, Meet tutorials for students to ask 15 minutes of class in Zoom to explain the dent junior Anthony Qin and vice advance to Nationals. Secretary ficers. for a virtual concert for Sunnyview Retirement Community on April 4. her questions one-on-one. Even homework. Grading essays became a chal- president junior Amy Zhang. Stu- junior Cynthia Zhang said that it “Without a transition period, it though students generally feel lenge for Granoff as his wife works full-time “All teachers teach differently, and these dents from Saratoga High tutor will not have a big effect on the might be harder for the incoming Middle: Sophomore Cici Xu, an ACE club member, tutors a student in that online classes are at Stanford Hospital, and he has a 3-year- tough times have hit us all in unimaginable Chinese students from Yunan in club as a whole. officers at the beginning of next English over the social media app WeChat to prepare her for the Gaokao. less stressful than usual old daughter to care for. ways,” Granoff said. “The best we can hope English, providing free help that “Our meetings usually consist- school year,” said Chandrasekher. school days, schedul- Synchronous classes allow him to have a is for all of this to end soon, and return back enables them to prepare for the ed of supplemental lesson plans. “But I’m sure they’ll catch on Bottom: Senior Adhit Sankaran, a Speech and Debate member, debates more structured schedule for his days, but to the normal classroom setting — some- Gaokao, China’s notoriously diffi- Most of the work is done outside quickly.” u with students in Nevada over Zoom to promote Delta Debate Academy. he has no choice but to delay grading. thing that I miss very much.” u

SYNCHRONOUS ASYNCHRONOUS Coronavirus restructures academic tournaments Happens in real time, with students Instructor provides the materials and BY AndrewLi preparation for the competition went to on April 26. Due to difficulties proctoring group with juniors Rohan Kumar and Aar- & AlanZu waste this year. and administering a local exam, the Sili- on Wong through their performance project and the instructor present assignments, and students complete them “Learning and enjoying math is some- con Valley section, consisting of 34 schools, titled “How Jazz Broke Down Racial Barri- on their own time For weeks in advance of the March 28 Ju- thing that is my passion, regardless of asked teachers to nominate students relying ers.” Promotes active discussions and nior Science Olympiad, club president Isaac whether a tournament occurs or doesn’t, on prior knowledge of students’ abilities. To allow participants to modify their per- Students have flexibility with their busy Sun worked on his scientific procedure- or whether or not I meet my expectations,” One student was taken from each of the formance without having to meet in person immediate feedback writing skills in preparation for the “Write Mishra said. “The single most important 15 schools that historically performed the to record themselves, judges will be grading schedules It Do It” event in the Santa Clara Regional. thing to me before a competition is know- best on the olympiad. History Bowl Nation- performances purely off of their scripts and Allows for questions leading to a But like so many others, the competition ing that I have put in the required effort and als, though canceled for April, have been research. Allows students to learn the curriculum at was canceled due to concerns over the CO- preparation, and things out of my control, rescheduled for December. Quiz Bowl has For some, the change presents an oppor- deeper exploration of topics their own pace VID-19 outbreak, leaving Sun sorely disap- while still a bummer, do not make my time been holding tournaments on Discord, an tunity to develop their script, but for others pointed. spent cultivating my passion a waste.” takes away the opportunity for creativity “COVID-19 has decimated an entire Other major competitions, such as the with visuals and sounds. year’s worth of work, and I was devastated to USA Biology Olympiad (USABO) Semifi- “I don’t mind states being changed, but “It keeps me on “I feel more hear that we would not be able to compete nals, the USA Physics Olympiad (USAPO) “COVID-19 has I hope nationals is live if we make it past a schedule and I productive when this year, especially in a year that we were Semifinals and the competitions that fol- decimated an states,” Qin said. “Live music is a big part expected to do well,” Sun said. lowed them, were also canceled. of our performance and it adds a lot to the will not I’m given a list of The Mathematical Association of Amer- By contrast, the USA Computing Olym- entire year’s worth quality and message of our presentation. I procrastinate” things to do.” ica indefinitely postponed four of the tests, piad (USACO) proceeded as usual for its of work.” don’t think our performance project is being specifically the American Invitational Math- annual online competitions in February judged at its best if they are simply judging JUNIOR Shauna Zahabi SOPH. Sanjana Somayajula ematics Examination II (AIME), the USA and March despite the postponement of the JUNIOR Isaac Sun us off our script.” Junior Mathematical Olympiad (USAJMO), in-person International Olympiad in Infor- Not all competitions are well suited to the USA Mathematical Olympiad (USA- matics. being hosted online like the IMO being held MO) and the International Mathematical The top performers in USACO through- online chat service, although the in-person over Zoom, as entire countries’ reputations Olympiad (IMO). out the year were chosen as finalists, who national tournaments have been canceled. are at stake if students cheat. Students are Freshman Nilay Mishra, who had quali- then have to perform well enough in the Competitions have also utilized online forced to adapt to the new changes in sci- fied for the USAMO, a competition for stu- summer training camp in order to be one of software such as Zoom. Juniors participated ence competitions, which were made to pri- dents who passed AIME and AMC 12, said, the US’s four representatives in IOI. The US in the National History Day competition oritize the safety of the competitors. “I’m sure that everyone who qualified to National Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO) online, using Zoom to explain their projects “I think that if there was a competition we that level of competition has put in count- decided to hold digital exams. to the judges. would really be running the risk of spread- less hours of effort. We all feel slightly dis- Individual regional coordinators were re- Junior Anthony Qin participated in the ing COVID-19 which, especially since we gruntled.” sponsible for nominating 15 students to take National History Day competition and are participating in a science competition, Even so, Mishra does not feel that his the digital national exam, which took place qualified for the state competition in a we should be aware of,” Sun said. u

ALL GRAPHICS BY AARIA THOMAS The Saratoga Falcon The Saratoga Falcon May 29, 2020 IN-DEPTH 21 20 in-depth May 29, 2020

Xenophobic acts increase as COVID-19 fears escalate BY OliverYe school or the cost of professional develop- ment for teachers, according to Pronovost. As of May 1, over 124,000 U.S. public “I think the underlying issue amongst all GRAPHIC BY SINA SALEHI and private schools have been closed be- THE DIGITAL DIVIDE this is, certainly, all of these problems exist- cause of the COVID-19 pandemic, affect- ACROSS THE U.S. ed before COVID-19, and what this really BY NicoleLu 16 that the U.S. will support “industries, and bungled handling of the pandemic. ing at least 55.1 million students, according does is highlight the disparity between the like Airlines and others, that are par- Fang thinks the president’s to an article published by Education Week. experiences of our families living here and During the early phase of the coronavi- ticularly affected by the Chinese Virus.” words will have a lasting effect. Over 17 states have ordered a school shut- the rest of the country,” Provonost said. COVID-19 rus, Debbie Lin, the mother of junior Ai- Within minutes, he faced backlash “[The media and the president] have down until the end of the school year, an The homework gap, exemplified by -Ra leen Liao, went to the hospital for a health for his racially charged renaming of the taught people for two months that the virus unprecedented move aimed at slowing the 25% of Black households venswood, disproportionately affects racial RACISMSTATISTICS issue unrelated to the coronavirus. As she coronavirus, but Trump defended his is China’s fault, so I don’t think anything spread of the virus. and 23% of Hispanic house- minorities. Ravenswood is 83 percent His- waited, a Caucasian woman with a leg cast views, stating that it wasn’t racist be- can erase that from people’s minds now,” he While health experts believe that clos- panic. entered and immediately turned around cause of the virus’s origin in China. See- said. “Some will instinctively look for some- ing schools is a necessary move to curb the holds with school-age chil- Internet access has now been made a ne- and left upon seeing Lin. She overheard the ing into the future and paying the price one to blame in this troubled time, and in spread of the virus, the transition from in- cessity for students across the world, but for woman tell her friend that she did not want Early in the crisis, few were as clear this case, it’s China and the Asian people.” person to online lessons has been difficult, dren do not have access to many students in Ravenswood, the lack of to be in the same room as an Asian woman. seeing as sophomore Joshua Fang. In late Coronavirus fears have also led to dis- especially for low-income districts. high speed internet internet access was a significant setback in Such experiences for Asian Americans January, he began campaigning for aware- criminatory acts against Asian family busi- completing homework. The Chan Zucker- have become more common dur- ness about coronavirus on social nesses in places including San Diego and Technology troubles berg Initiative, a nonprofit funded by Face- ing the COVID-19 pandemic. Ac- media. Though he said he has San Francisco. An Asian American busi- For affluent suburban communities, book CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, cording to the online reporting fo- not experienced severe corona- ness was vandalized with xenophobic graf- such as Saratoga or Los Gatos, where Priscilla Chan, has stepped in to provide 1500 rum Stop AAPI (Asian American virus-induced racism or micro- fiti in New Mexico and restaurants such as most students already had personal digital 500 hotspots to families in need throughout Pacific Islander) Hate, Asian Amer- aggressions, his early warnings New York City’s Jing Fong lost $1.5 million devices like laptops and phones, as well as The digital ‘homework the district. incident icans made over 1,100 reports — and wearing of a face mask as people became hesitant to interact wih a Wi-Fi connection, the transition to this gap’ affects 8.5 to 12 Ultimately, the coronavirus situation has reports as of of discrimination in the second at that point — drew skepti- Asian franchises before the government is- new mode of learning has been challenging highlighted the discrepancies in technology half of March. While the country cism from several classmates. sued the closing of nonessential businesses. but possible. Education has continued. million K-12 students between districts of different economic sta- April continues to reel from staggering “I have experienced But in low-income communities, the tus. numbers of cases and deaths (close people looking at me strangely challenges have been steep and learning Some SHS students have tried to be to 1 million documented cases Liao or asking me why I was wearing has mostly stalled further. The pandemic positive contributors to bridge these gaps. and more than 50,000 deaths), a mask,” Fang said. “Sometimes, “I would feel slight hints of has revealed what experts are dubbing the Among them is senior Alex Wang, who has been teaching for the past two years at the Asian Americans must guard themselves I would feel slight hints of mocking in mocking in their words, like “homework gap,” or existing problems in Based on a 2019 survey, 13% against the possibility of racist attacks their words, like they think that I am stu- they think that I am stupid the educational infrastructure where a ma- nonprofit organization Silicon Valley Youth and microaggressions in public places. pid or overreacting. Other times, people jority of resources and assignments are on- of students in grades 6-12 in order to raise money to support under- On March 14, a hate crime garnered would also intentionally fake cough next or overreacting.” line, but are inaccessible to students without funded districts like East Palo Alto and national attention after teenager Jose L. Go- to me and look for a reaction.” Fang said a stable internet connection. sometimes cannot complete South San Jose. mez stabbed three Burmese family mem- he did not think much of those acts, say- According to 2018 data from the Na- 6.3% SOPHOMORE Joshua Fang bers in Midland, Texas. According to ABC ing, “Time would tell who is right.” But the tional Telecommunications and Informa- homework due lack of inter- News, the suspect said he stabbed the family crisis has gotten so bad that Fang’s family, tion Administration (NTIA), 3.1 U.S. mil- net access outside of school percent of because he thought the family was Chinese who immigrated six years ago from Beijing, lion households with school-aged children cases involving and infecting people with the coronavirus. is considering temporarily moving back For freshman Emerald Suzuki, whose have no wired broadband connection at Statistics from SPEAKUP.ORG & NEATODAY.ORG Although the [Ravenswood] Perhaps because Asian Americans to China. They think they might be safer parents run the restaurant Hachi Ju Ha- home. And while the Federal Communica- district advised students children make up the largest populations in Santa there because China has the virus more chi in downtown Saratoga, the busi- tions Commission (FCC) issued the Keep since most children living in East Palo Alto home. Clara and Alameda County (38.3 and under control and they would be more pro- ness has not seen outward acts of racism. Americans Connected Pledge on March do not have extracurriculars or at-home ac- So far, the district has distributed 75 and teachers to transition to 31.8 percent, respectively) the Bay Area tected from potential riots or aggression. Still, Suzuki’s father, Jin Suzuki, 13, which asks internet service providers tivities, there was little to no learning going Chromebooks and 10 hotspots to students online platforms like Google has witnessed few extreme acts of hate Many attribute racist acts and micro- said he has been the target of dis- to waive late fees and continue to provide on for the first three weeks of shelter in place and staff who lack the appropriate digital during the time of coronavirus. In gen- aggressions to a scapegoat mentality. In a criminatory remarks while shopping. Wi-Fi for free for the next 60 days, this does as the district was still distributing devices. resources to continue online learning. Dis- Classroom and Seesaw to eral, the prejudice they see on display magazine article from Psychology Today, On one occasion, while he shopped at little to help those who had no internet ac- In contrast, the Los Gatos Saratoga trict personnel are continuing to lend de- continue educational is more subtle — eyes filled with hatred medical sociologist and journalist Robert Sprouts with a mask on, multiple people told cess begin with. Union High School District was able to vices on a weekly basis. and fear, comments muttered under their Bartholomew explained that “foreigners Jin to go home because he “had the virus.” According to Jenna Watchel Pronovost, transition smoothly to online learning; the “Our biggest challenge remains meet- activities, this approach was breath, feelings of paranoia and exclusion. and outsiders” in the U.S. have “Fortunately we don’t experience executive director of the Ravenswood Edu- district used only one week for teachers ing the needs of students that are up in the impractical for the many NY&CA Liao, whose family is Taiwanese- long been blamed for infections. any racism through the business; we cation Foundation, is facing significant diffi- and students to get used to digital technol- Santa Cruz mountains and have no reliable students who lacked access to Chinese American, noted how a variety This all-too-common think- only feel racism in public,” said Emer- culties in transitioning to an online curricu- ogy and to hand out digital devices to those Internet option,” Bonde said. “Though we of ethnicities have been lumped under ing of “us vs. them” has applied ald’s mother Juno Suzuki. “Customers lum after schools were closed on March 13. who needed it. Then school began again on have partnered with a variety of internet Wi-Fi or electronic devices. states with the one generalization in part of the U.S.. to international crises in gener- come to our restaurant because they like The Ravenswood School District consists of March 23. services, we still have families that are not highest number “I know people have ex- al. The internment of Japanese us, so there’s no racism at the restaurant.” 3,632 students and has one middle school According to Traci Bonde, director of in- in range of any kind of reasonable internet.” perienced much worse Americans during WWII Similarly, freshman Panisa Kachin- and five elementary schools in East Palo structional technology in LGSUHSD, since of reports nowadays with Asian and hate crimes against thorn’s parents, who run Bai Tong Thai Bis- Alto and Menlo Park. the district already had pre-existing carts Existing disparities exacerbated parents being shunned Arab Americans and Mus- tro, have not experienced discrimination In Ravenswood, over 90 percent of stu- of Chromebooks, it wasn’t difficult While LGSUHSD already had access to Silicon Valley Youth, which was founded out of predominantly lims following 9/11 are within the restaurant, but Kachinthorn’s dents are part of low-income families and 60 to hand Chrome- books many devices to distribute in 2015, is led by a group of Bay Area stu- white supermarkets only several examples of mother, Chulalak Jittaveesab, said that she percent of the students are legally homeless, out to students to students that needed dents and has donated its proceeds from in our area,” Liao the dark side of conflicts. knows of some restaurants that have dis- according to Pronovost. Although the dis- who needed them, Ravenswood had student-taught classes to fund educational said. “This rac- In 2015, to criminated against Asians during the crisis. trict advised students and teachers to transi- them at few available before the projects in low-income districts, such as the ism was grow- combat such stigma- “It’s horrible because some places aren’t tion to online platforms like Google Class- pandemic struck. purchasing of a kiln. violins, and iPads for REPORT ing long before tization, the World accepting or offering service for Asian room and Seesaw to continue educational To combat the lack the Ravenswood arts, music and education- coronavirus Health Organiza- people,” Jittaveesab said. “We’re all hu- activities, this approach was impractical for of resources, the Raven- al programs. INCIDENTS AT came to the tion (WHO) passed man, and we’re the same as everyone else.” the many students who lack access to swood Education Foun- “I think Silicon Valley Youth’s organiza- U.S. In many a set of guidelines Despite the challenges of scapegoating Wi-Fi or electronic devices. dation has purchased 400 tional structure is really great because my “Over half of our students iPads and STEM home impact is twofold, both on the students I Asian Paci c instances, all GRAPHIC BY SINA SALEHI intended to dis- that is egged on at the highest levels, Liao Asians are gener- courage references said she is confident that the internation- do not have access to the learning kits for teach and on the students who receive the Policy and alized as Chinese. The virus was a last trig- to a group when naming diseases, such al community can prevail against acts of internet at home, beyond its transitional money raised,” Wang said. “What brings me Planning ger for people as irrationality rose with fear.” as the case of Lyme disease, which re- racism and microaggression. their parents’ phone,” kindergar- back year after year is being able to share my Council Some people’s fears stem from trans- fers to residents of Lyme, Connecticut. “I understand that people are scared,” Pronovost said. “So ten, kin- knowledge with my students and knowing mission concerns, but others take it to the Not naming a disease after its place Liao said. “So am I, and so are all the in a family of four or dergarten that I can make a difference in underprivi- point where they attack Asian Americans of origin is one of many recommended Asians and non-Asians in the U.S,” she five, they only have and firstleged districts.” for unfounded reasons. Such instances in- guidelines. But Trump’s continued us- said. “However, you can use that fear to access to one device, graders, as Wang recognizes that for many students Infomation from A3PCON’S STOP clude a stranger calling a Filipino nurse a age of the “Chinese Virus” flies in the protect yourselves and your commu- and it’s really difficult well as other living in privileged districts, there may be AAPI HATE REPORTING CENTER racial slur and people telling Asians neigh- face of such advice, and many critics nity without harming innocent people. [to learn].” Chromebooks a disconnect in the understanding of oth- bors to “go back to China” in San Francisco. say he is doing it deliberately to pull at- It’s important for us and other Asian and digital de- ers’ educational struggles since they don’t President Trump tweeted on March tention from his administration’s slow Americans to support each other.” u District responses differ 3.1 million U.S. vices for older stu- see them in their own classrooms. But that GRAPHIC BY ANOUK YEH Schools in Ravenswood dents. To fund the doesn’t mean students should exempt them- were shut down for the first households with $200,000 purchase, selves from the issues. three weeks of shelter in the foundation “I think the main ways to solve this edu- togatalks place, as the district scram- school-age launched an emer- cation gap between different districts are bled to patch together digital children have no gency fund, a move volunteering our time and volunteering What are your “I find it pretty “I feel like people “Asian Americans learning resources. The dis- that protected them our money,” Wang said. “While it may be disgusting that Asian are just scared, so are also victims of trict-wide school shutdown wired broadband from pulling money difficult to physically help underprivileged thoughts on started March 21, but Ra- students, we can offer to tutor struggling Americans have to they just need that this pandemic and from the 2020-2021 the influx of venswood was only able to connection school year budget. students and help them navigate new tech- go through trying illusion of control.” should be given the officially start teaching again Had the district nology.” u COVID-19 not to be a target.” basic respect.” on April 13. The school will pulled from next continue remote learning year’s budget, they If you would like to support the Raven- xenophobia? sophomore Ashley Ko sophomore Paula Nguyen junior Eva Ji until June 10. would have lost swood school district, please donate at the According to Pronovost, funding for summer Ravenswood Education Foundation . GRAPHICS BY JEANETTE ZHOU AND MARISA KINGSLEY The Saratoga Falcon The Saratoga Falcon May 29, 2020 SPORTS 23 22 sports May 29, 2020 Recent spring sports cancellations bring bittersweet feelings

GRAPHIC BY VIRAAJ REDDI BY AngelinaChen these circumstances, however, he not only loses his last year of On the day of senior Eng Kwa’s swimming with his friends, but he league championships last year, also misses the thrill of competing Finding new ways to stay fit Exercise tips to stay healthy he had already changed out of his in the pool. swimsuit when he was notified “I’ll miss the feeling of over- BY JustinGuo letes sticking to a strict workout regimen or yourself into high-intensity workouts when by varsity swim coach Christian coming the challenges swim- diet. On March 30, the coaches for the var- you’re just beginning an exercise routine, Bonner about the 400-meter free- ming constantly presents,” Kwa As students have begun to settle in sity boys’ basketball team issued a weekly Anjali I recommend starting slowly and building style relay. Kwa rushed back into said. “Swimming has always been with this new and oftentimes monotonous workout competition between the incom- up toward an end goal. the Palo Alto High School lock- something I looked forward to be- quarantine lifestyle, the state of exercise ing seniors, juniors and sophomores, with Nuggehalli For instance, when I first started run- er room and ran to the starting cause I was able to do something I has come into question. For both athletes varying monetary prizes awarded to the ning back in 2019, I did only 1 or 2 miles at blocks without time to warm up. was good at with my friends.” and non-athletes alike, this unprecedented winning grade level. A requirement of at a time, and over the course of a few months, After his part in the relay, Kwa col- Kwa said he will also miss Bon- stretch has provided the unique chance to least 120 pushups, 15 minutes of ball han- Whether you’re an athlete who trains I now run up to 5 miles regularly. lapsed, panting, on the pool deck ner and the assistant coaches, Yay- Courtesy of ALICE LIN reinvent and sometimes recharge their ex- dling and a total calorie intake is all includ- every day or someone who hasn’t played Along with staying vigilant with a daily as his teammates surrounded him, la Sezginer and Kristen Thomson, Senior Ranna Zahabi, an outfielder, throws the ball back into the field during a softball game. Zahabi ercise routines. ed in a daily report to the team’s group chat. sports since sixth grade P.E., quarantine is workout routine, maintaining a healthy laughing and cheering for the rest as he said they would always help is one of many seniors who will miss out on final celebrations with her team due to the pandemic. An increasing number of students are “Adding your own exercises is recom- adept at draining any remaining motiva- diet is also important to maintaining a well- of the race. the swimmers achieve their full finding that it’s tiring and mind-numbing mended because at the end of the day, it’s tion you previously had to stay fit. rounded lifestyle. While the shelter-in-place or- potential with painful but neces- season was even more of a tragedy. the recognition they deserve. all four years to get to where they to sit and stare at screens all day. So many a competition between the classes,” said Even as a competitive athlete, I can’t say It’s hard to find nutritious options when der may be disappointing to some, sary sets. The runners could not even com- They post a photo of each are,” Tarbox said. have turned to the junior guard Ty- I’ve been completely immune to the appeal grocery stores are practically cleared out the situation is especially tragic for Senior Alice Lin, who runs on pete in a single meet this season. player and explain in the caption The plan is to continue these simplest of all ex- ler Chu. “Overall, of watching TikToks in my room all day, and all that’s remaining in your fridge are senior athletes — they have lost the girls’ varsity track-and-field The seniors will also miss their a memorable moment they had in posts until the end of the school ercises: jogging I think it’s a good but I’ve found staying healthy during quar- 10 frozen pizzas. However, many grocery their last opportunities to make team, feels the same way. She said senior days, the last home meets their sport. year. Even with the cancellation of or running. Some “Working out is very challenge because antine entirely depends on your mindset. stores contain food items that can last for their season memorable, includ- she will especially miss compet- commemorating the athletes’ high Tarbox said that the commis- spring sports, Kwa is thankful for have access to a important because it motivates us to I guarantee that you will be more in- long periods of time and are easy to store. ing final meets and senior nights. ing at meets since she has come to school sports careers. sion thought of the idea when they all the experiences swimming has home gym, weights you want to keep work out and ex- clined to exercise if you form a list of what For example, as a vegetarian, I always Many will also miss the people love the nervous energy that they However, the Instagram ac- realized that without senior day, given him and he looks to the fu- or other equip- ercise more during you want to accomplish in a day. By setting keep cans of beans in my pantry for protein; they have met and the bonds they bring. count @togaspirit, run by the social media could be the only way ture with a positive view. ment. Still others your body strong.” this quarantine.” aside time to do schoolwork, pursue hob- these are delicious both alone and prepared have formed through their sports. “There’s something about com- spirit commission, seniors Natalie to celebrate senior athletes. “I’m looking forward to go- have found work- On a similar bies and work out, you have a concrete time in a wheat tortilla for more sustenance. To Kwa, swimming was always peting that makes the team spirit Tarbox, Nakul Nagaraj, Kaitlyn “We wanted to do something ing to college, so I can make new out, boxing or yoga SOPHOMORE Michelle Jiang note, most in- slot for when you plan on getting active. Similarly, I’ve found that baking my a social activity during which he come even more alive,” Lin said. Thomson and junior Emily Choi, small for the seniors because they friends and experience a new en- videos online and season athletes, By making a schedule for yourself, own desserts is not only enjoyable, but also could bond with friends. Due to Lin’s love for meets is why this is seeking to give senior athletes have worked hard all season and vironment,” Kwa said. u follow them with such as junior dis- you’re also increasing your productivity a step-up from store-bought junk food. I friends through vid- tance runner Jessie in everything you do, from homework to made carrot cake cupcakes using ingredi- eo calls or at home with their family. Zhou, are still trying to stay in shape de- extracurriculars. With a set routine, you’ll ents that most people have in their kitchens Sophomore Michelle Jiang, who nor- spite their sports season being canceled. have a stronger incentive to put down your — flour, cinnamon, sugar and some car- mally exercises through marching band, “Even though I don’t have any races to phone and start grinding. rots. I was surprised to see my creation turn is doing yoga and other indoor workouts. train for at the moment, I still try to get Creating a workout routine is also ex- out delicious and much healthier than any School sports emphasize more on team chemistry She’s been exercising more during quaran- out and run, since it improves my overall tremely helpful. By writing down specific boxed cupcakes I’d ever eaten before. tine than she would have during school. mental health,” Zhou said. “I don’t do speed body areas you want to target every day, the In my daily life, I’m by no means a health “When we had regular school I never workouts anymore because I’m not com- thought of working out suddenly becomes guru who tries new exercise videos every compared to individual player skills in club sports had the time to exercise on my own,” Jiang peting anytime soon, so I generally run five a lot less daunting. day and makes homemade food. However, said. “But now I’ve been exercising two to to seven miles a day at a moderate pace.” If you’re looking for great places to because of the shelter-in-place order, I’ve BY LihiShoshani mistakes because our team record matters and get to know new players. direct them to their positions on the field. three times a week, and I’m finding it to ac- In general, it seems most students are start, one of my favorite resources is a You- been forced out of my comfort zone of find- m ore .” “I particularly enjoy the social aspect of Club sports usually have a much higher tually be very enjoyable and relaxing.” finding some way to move around and Tube channel called Fitness Blender. They ing exercise in sports and nutrition in the Sophomore Ishaan Bhandari stayed up JV girl soccer coach Joe O’Heir has been school sports,” Ruemmler said. “Because a level of intensity that’s evident during prac- Junior Allison Ha, who has been jogging avoid falling into a completely sedentary have hundreds of videos focusing on spe- lettuce at Chipotle. late April 13 to edit together a video of the coaching at Saratoga for six years, along new team is formed every year, I find it en- tices. Ruemmler finds that there is much and doing workouts with her sisters, also lifestyle, whether it be a short walk or a de- cific muscle groups, from five-minute quad While it’s hard to adjust to an alternate sophomore boys on the JV basketball team with club, and has seen the benefits of joyable to meet new people who have the more running in her club practices rather noted that, relative to the amount of exer- manding workout. In times like these, it’s workouts to 50-minute upper body strength version of a “healthy lifestyle,” it’s com- exercising to background music. His school school sports. same interests as me.” than technicalities with specific drills. cise she would have been getting during the probably for the best. training. Their videos vary in intensity — if pletely worth it. Not only will you maintain coaches wanted to bring the players togeth- “I believe deeply in support- She found a large difference from She also feels she individually improved field hockey season, she has been exercising “I don’t want to sound trite,” Jiang said. you’re looking for an ab workout, they have your strength during a time where staying er as well as make sure they were working ing high school athletics and I club sports as she could play in a more on her club team than she ever did for more during the mandated quarantine. “But working out is very important at this both shorter, modified videos as well as in- healthy is critical, but you’ll walk out of out during the quarantine. want to give the athletes at Sara- more fun environment with players school. Other off-season teams and athletes are time because you want to keep your body tense six-pack sculpting routines. quarantine feeling like the best version of u u School sports place a much heavier em- toga High the opportunity to be she’s never met before. “I have been playing with my [club team- getting a bit more creative, with some ath- s t ron g .” While it may be tempting to throw yourself. phasis on team building compared to club professionally coached and sup- “It was a good experience for me mates] for longer, so I feel I know how they sports, primarily due to the shorter season ported,” O’Heir said. “Competing to play with new players and learn play better than I do with the people who consisting of fewer games, which allows less in high school sports was one of their styles of play,” Ruemmler said. play school soccer,” Ruemmler said. “It’s eas- time for giving each player individual atten- my best life experiences and it is “I like to socialize with new people ier for me to connect passes because I feel tion. important to me personally to Ruemmler and I definitely enjoy the more com- more confident when playing club.” Dad, a three-hour marathoner, is my marathon pacer During the fall and spring, Bhandari give it back to the student athletes petitive spirit. O’Heir said most of this is because of the plays basketball on an Amateur Athletic at Saratoga.” Also, club sports have much dif- difference in the number of players trying when he shaved his head and boarded a Union (AAU) travel team, Top Flight Elite, He focuses on creating team cohesion in ferent methods than school sports when out. plane to the desert in Gansu, a province in but during the winter, he plays JV basketball order to allow the team to be as competitive coaching and pushing players to be the best. “On the club side, the structure of the Cici China, but I came to realize that running and connects with his friends more. as possible during the short school season. Ruemmler noticed that her club coach, tiered system allows you to work with play- brings him joy. Running is the only thing “I love the competitive nature of sports Freshman Eva Ruemmler, who plays on KP Mchombo, prioritizes individual play- ers of similar ability levels and you do not Xu that allows him to escape his anxiety and and fighting to be the best,” he said. “School the Saratoga Spurs soccer team, said that ers’ techniques and offers mini sessions out- have limitations on the player pool as the experience true happiness. sports help more with building team chem- when she joined the JV soccer team, she had side of regular practice while school coaches players can come in from anywhere,” O’Heir So far, he’s run 16 full-length marathons, istry. I also play a lot smarter and make less to quickly adjust to a new team and position rarely focus on individual players except to said. u Our heart beats rose to 150 bpm with just and for years, I have been watching in ad- one kilometer left. After an hour of running miration. My dad promised me I would also with no rest, we were finally prepared to feel the same overwhelming joy. My goal is race through the finish line of the San Jose to be like him and cultivate the same love for Rock ‘n’ Roll 10K, my first race ever. running that has propelled him all this time. Multi-sport athletes change focus to single sport There were stars in my eyes, but I was When I was in the eighth grade, we used too concentrated to feel any exhaustion from the running. I saw flashlights from the BY PrestonFu tween school and the practice to relax and But reaching such a high level hasn’t Having such a rigorous weekly fencing camera crew. I heard the distant storming For my dad and me, time isn’t do his homework. come easily. routine led Chin to drop soccer and swim- crowd. I was so used to cheerleading for my Each day, immediately after a two-hour In addition, he said, “Being able to fo- ming, both sports that he enjoyed but were dad that this feeling of accomplishment was important as long as we JV tennis practice last spring, sophomore cus more attention on swimming has really unable to juggle along with school work. overwhelming. persevere and have fun Howard Huang made his way over to the helped me improve my technique and speed “All of these decisions Although he misses competing in these My dad and I both got our medals that swimming pool for a 6:30-8 De Anza Cu- more than before.” are mine, and my sports, Chin felt the benefits of focusing his day two years ago. We were both excited, but together. Courtesy of CICI XU pertino Aquatics (DACA) club practice. Af- While he had stepped away from tennis attention on just one sport. my dad was especially proud, since he saw ter a while, the difficulty of juggling school for now, he doesn’t rule out taking it up ju- parents have been “I’m starting to reach the levels of others Sophomore Cici Xu and her father compete in the Rock ‘n’ Roll 10K series marathon in San work, two sports and other extracurricular nior or senior year. who started much earlier,” Chin said. “My me persist to the finish line alongside him. Jose on their journey to finish the half-marathon series by the end of the year. very supportive.” My family and I moved from Beijing, to run about three miles to downtown and activities began to take a toll on him. Junior Jason Chin used to participate in improvement rate has accelerated over the China to Saratoga about three years ago, and through the neighborhood once every three hope for the future. The future can be near, is so far only one thing my dad taught me And so after roughly six years of compet- a mind-bending number of sports. Before last two years, and my passion for the sport that is when dad started to train with me. days. The next year, my dad would wake me like racing through a finish line, but can also about running: It is fun, so if I am not enjoy- ing in both sports, Huang decided to quit high school, he simultaneously competed in JUNIOR Jason Chin is still growing.” Of course, receiving a medal wasn’t as up early in the morning before school, and be distant, like what I want to achieve in the ing it, then I have not trained enough. playing competitive tennis while continu- tennis, soccer, swimming and fencing. Chin plans on continuing competitive big of a breakthrough for my dad as for me. we ran on the Saratoga High track for 40 next few years as a runner and a student. I have participated in three local races ing to swim for DACA. When he was in elementary school, he fencing in college while continuing to en- He is an experienced runner whose best minutes. As schoolwork began taking up my My dad will always lecture me if I do not over the last two years: the Santa Rosa 5K Huang’s decision to participate in swim- also played baseball and ran track. In high “The commitment levels are pretty cra- joy tennis, swimming and soccer at a recre- marathon time is three hours and eight min- time, our training moved to the afternoons. go run with him, and there are days that I race, which I ran in eighth grade, and two ming over tennis was primarily a result of school, Chin narrowed his focus to just zy,” Chin said. “I have national tournaments ational level. utes. He started his running career 10 years Balancing school work and hobbies is want to give up. But he pesters me to an ex- Rock ‘n’ Roll 10K series in San Jose. scheduling conflicts with speech and debate, fencing. every month and regionals every two or “I wish to continue fencing beyond col- ago and went on long runs into the desert. often difficult, but what running has taught tent that I would no longer bear his com- For my dad and me, time is not impor- among other activities, rather than a prefer- Although Chin began fencing when he three weeks. I have practice six days a week lege, but that depends on what career path At his peak, he would run 112km in four me has made my experiences worth it by far. plaints, so I get up and run. This is how we tant as long as we persevere and have fun ence of one sport over another. was 11, a relatively late start for most com- and I go to the gym three times a week for I choose,” Chin said. “All of these decisions days. I was 6, and I thought he was crazy. My attitude toward life changed as I learned have persevered, but it has also allowed me together. Our happiness begins whenever Swim practice is slightly later in the day, petitive athletes, he is now ranked 34th na- strength and conditioning. Occasionally, I’ll are mine, and my parents have been very I remember almost crying my heart out to never look back but always have immense to realize the importance of running. There we are on the road together. u which allows him to have a bit of time be- tionally in the U17 division. also go for international tournaments.” supportive.” u The Saratoga Falcon 24 BACKPAGE May 29, 2020

GRAPHIC BY NITYA MARIMUTHU We need to end TikTok’s heinous reign once and for all TikTok has quickly risen to become one end up spend countless hours on those apps. ministration (TSA) on employee phones. of the most popular social media apps of I believe that TikTok is addicting because TikTok has also faced child privacy fines Ed will get 2020. of its less than a minute videos that satisfy by the Federal Trade Commision (FTC), This app has taken over many teenage teenagers’ short attention spans. Many cre- something that could be a threat to many to it soon minds, including the ones at our school. ators find unique ways of packing their con- teenagers. When school was in session, people in- tent into such a small time limit, making it Despite all these obvious red flags, addic- Edwin Chen dulged in unfunny TikTok humor, such as different from traditional YouTube videos tion seems to be only worsening as people skits with dry jokes or TikTok “dances” that or Instagram content. get increasingly bored throughout quaran- Everyone keeps talking about the COV- don’t even require moving their feet. This leads to users being able to scroll tine. ID-19 pandemic that is affecting the whole The other day, I was scrolling through through mounds of content within a short The best way to stop the spread of TikTok world and how we need to flatten the curve. my discovery page on Instagram, and I was amount of time, drawing them more and is to discourage the production of TikToks. But no one has been talking about the pan- bombarded by an obscene number of Tik- more into the app. Staring at someone while they’re making demic that has been infecting the entire Toks. As I kept scrolling down, all I could This addiction is not only time consum- a TikTok makes them uncomfortable and teenage population since the beginning of see were these unfunny TikToks. I have yet ing but dangerous. may prevent them from finishing it. This has the school year: TikTok. to see a TikTok that actually entertains me. According to Vox, TikTok is under inves- worked numerous times for me. Unless you went into quarantine in July TikTok is not only annoying, but it can tigation by the U.S. government for its ties Another way of slowing the spread is to of 2019, you probably know that TikTok, also become an addiction. to the Chinese government and the national replace TikTok with healthier hobbies, such formerly known as musical.ly, is a social My classmates have told me how they security threat it could potentially pose. Ac- as playing video games with friends, taking media platform where people make short spend hours on TikTok watching goofy skits cording to leaked documents, TikTok has walks or reading. videos and share them with each other. instead of doing their homework or hang- been instructed by the Chinese government TikTok can be stopped one person at a People dance, perform skits and lip sync ing out with their friends. I have never seen to remove content against the Communist time. Let’s not only flatten the TikTok curve; to popular songs, just to name a few of the Snapchat, Instagram or Facebook impact party. The app is currently banned by the let’s destroy it before our souls and minds app’s functions. the teenage mind to the point where people U.S. Army and Transportation Security Ad- rot away. u

topten Sleep connoisseur rates the best WAYS TO SPEND QUARANTINE Work on your dating profile. ways to fall asleep on a 1-13 scale What’s going to stop you, a pandemic? Learn how to play an instrument. asleep easily. Despite this, my spine felt ways to sleep. Then you can play “Happy Birthday” like a corkscrew when I woke up, which I first tested sleeping with the lights at your friend’s Zoom party. and...y’s was surprising given how quickly I fell on, which made me pretty groggy in the asleep. morning and made falling asleep take Try out cooking or baking. asleep Over the course of the following two longer than usual, but I honestly thought Also try getting your parents to eat your Adobe brick muffins. Andy Chen days, I alternated sleeping on my right it would be worse; even so, unless you’ve and left side to see if my spine aching just watched a horror movie, I wouldn’t was just an outlier, but what I found recommend it: 4/13. Read a book. I’ve been working as a professional only reaffirmed my experience and back I then tested sleeping with my door No, not SparkNotes. sleeper for the past 16 years, and as pain — ultimately, I would give sideways open, but as it turns out, closing your a sleep connoisseur, I feel that it’s my sleeping a 7/13. door while you sleep is a must. Like ev- Meditate. Meditation benefits active minds… duty to test different resting positions At that point, I was tired of my spine ery other normal teenager, I need to use Oh wait, that’s not applicable here. in search of the ultimate way to sleep. I hurting whenever I got out of bed, so I my phone for at least an hour before I fall know — exhausting work — but hey, I’m decided to take a break and sleep on my asleep. Take a walk. just doing my part to better your sleeping back. When I tried to sleep with my door ...to the kitchen, and back, that is. experience. As someone who normally sleeps on open, my veil of protection disappeared My first trial was trying to sleep up- my back, I might be biased when I say — my mom wasn’t pleased when she Learn to speak a new language. right by standing — which I attempted that basic is better, especially when it found me “sleeping.” Don’t worry; she Ulitumia mtafsiri kusoma hii, sivyo? for a few seconds before remembering comes to sleeping: 13/13. can’t ground me because the coronavi- that I’m not a horse. I eventually man- For me, the real shock was sleeping rus already has, but it still wasn’t worth Become a Soundcloud rapper. aged to fall asleep upright in a chair, but on my stomach. It took me awhile to it: 1/13. You can finally put your English 11 after waking up in about 30 minutes be- position my face so that I could actually Lastly, I’m personally not a fan of PJs Honors poetry skills to use. cause of the discomfort, I called it a night breathe, but when I did manage to over- because I don’t enjoy the hassle of chang- and went to sleep normally. come this obstacle, I have to say that I ing before sleeping and after waking up, Bond with your webcam’s FBI agent. The overall experience was uncom- was pleasantly surprised. so unless you have really cute PJs, wear- Why not make friends while staring fortable and took way too much effort, so I slept so soundly that I actually ing them isn’t worth it: 6/13 aimlessly at your computer? unless you’re sleeping at school or on an slept through my alarm and woke up at Ultimately, the way you sleep is up to Spend time with your grandfather. airplane, I wouldn’t recommend sleeping around 1 p.m. — slightly later than my you, but if you’re not sleeping on your Help him pick up 60-dozen jars worth vertically: 1/13. usual waking time: 12/13. back, with the door closed, lights off and of quartz and 12 black pans worth of The following night, I switched to Having established the best resting cute PJs on, you should definitely recon- valuable onyx jewels. sleeping on my side, and I was able to fall positions, I moved on to testing various sider. u - Andy Chen and Justin Guo