San Jose Youth Advisory Council of District 1 Newsletter

Fall 2012 Volume 4, Issue 1

1 Voice

Hey everyone! I hope

you all have been enjoying the first

few months back in school. I know

that stress is probably mounting,

but with Thanksgiving just around

the corner, I encourage everyone to

keep up their hard work for just a

few more days.

The Youth Advisory

Council of District 1 (YAC) has

been particularly busy this season as

well. From starting our Overture

Literary Magazine once again to

securing representation in our YAC

from Prospect and Westmont High

School for the first time, YAC is

committed to continuing to serve

the youth in District 1 to the best

of our ability. This is my first year

on the San Jose Youth Commission

as well, and I am incredibly humbled

to be given the honor to represent

so many diverse students and inter-

ests. This newsletter is compilation

of some of these students' best

work. I hope you enjoy!

Message from Youth Commissioner: Kimberly Tan

Recap Event: Community Policing Forum

By: Aishwarya Nene

On September 13th of 2012,

YAC District 1 of San Jose was able

to participate in facilitating discus-

sions on community policing at the

Teen Police Forum. We were able

to meet with other YAC members

from other districts who also

helped facilitate discussions, as well

as students and members from a

wide array of communities with

different backgrounds.

The event was held by the

Community Advisory Board with

some main goals including:

1) Developing a mutually

respectful relationship between the

department and the community; and

2) Establishing clear, viable,

and ongoing communication ave-

nues that serve to educate, pro-

mote, critique, and evaluate our ef-

forts. The CAB wanted to get input-

tension between the youth and the

police department. We had to go

through training prior to the event,

where we were able to gain insight

on the goals of the program and

better learn how to facilitate the

smaller group discussions.

The event began with an intro-

duction of CAB members and the

purpose of the forum.

Inside this issue:

Message from the Youth

Commissioner 1

Recap Event: Community

Policing Forum 2

Legislation: Social Host

Ordinance 3

Facebook: Not Just for

Instagram and Network-

ing

4

Teenage Vaccinations: Are

the Needles Worth the

pain?

5

EBook: Convenient or a

Con? 6

2012 Election: Mudslinging 7

Featured Youth 8

Art and Poetry 9

Upcoming Events 10

EXECUTIVE BOARD

Kimberly Tan

Clarence Tan

Sachin Peddada

MEMBERS

Aishwarya Nene

Aneesh Chona

Angela Kong

Claire Liang

Connie Li

Dana Lin

Hana Kim

Henry Shangguan

Hima Rajana

Jacob Antony

Katie Gu

Michelle Su

Nathan Dalal

Nihar Wahal

Rishabh Jain

Scott Raine-King

Somya Khare

Sonia Raghuram

Tara Pichumani

Tiffany Chao

Valerie Tan

Zareen Choudhury

from the students on what the

police department could do to

better relations with the youth and

so that the youth would be more

willing to approach the police offic-

ers. Our main goal was to com-

municate with the youth in smaller

groups during the course of the

event and get their feedback on

some of the issues regarding

Student

Facilitators

from District

1 YAC

Page 2 1 Voice

It was clear that the main goal of the

night was to help improve the community and

police relations and we had to do so by inter-

acting with people from various parts of San

Jose. We then were able to participate in an

icebreaker event where we were able to

connect with the students at our table and

see the differences and similarities we shared

through a couple basic questions. It was amaz-

ing to see the diversity in the backgrounds of

students even though everyone came from

within the same city.

The icebreaker also served to see what

activities the youth were participating in and

what form of media they used, so that the

police department could relate or better

understand the youth. We then broke up into

small group discussions which was probably

the most rewarding part of the evening where

we brought up questions to the other stu-

dents such as:

a. Is your neighborhood safe? How

welcomed do you feel in your school or

neighborhood?

b. Do you feel comfortable approaching

or talking to an officer? Why not? How cans

that change?

We were able to take notes on what

the students said and were able to then relate

this information back to the CAB members

who would then use it as constructive criti-

cism to improve the police department rela-

tions.

This portion of the evening was insight-

ful because we were able to recognize how

differently some thought about the police

department or see that some people felt the

same way on certain issues. It was eye-

opening and we were able to get a lot of

feedback from the people that had come.

We all then convened to share what we

came up with in the discussion and conclude

the evening with a reflection on what we all

had learned. After this, it was revealed that

there were some police officers within the

different smaller groups, which came to a

surprise to most people.

They were able to communicate with

the police just as with any other person. It

was enjoyable to see the different reactions

to this and diverse backgrounds of the police

officers.

Students were then given surveys re-

garding the forum and flyers on any questions

they may have had on the forum so they

would always have resources available to

them. Many students left with a smile on their

faces as they knew that they have learnt a lot

from this forum and gained a better under-

standing of the police through their peers and

police officers themselves.

The event concluded successfully with a

lot of advice from the youth to better im-

prove the community and police relations.

Recap Event: Community Policing Forum (cont.)

Members of the San Jose

Police Department with

Lord Mayor Emer Costello

Page 3 Volume 4, Issue 1

group discussion and helps questions get

answered faster.

W h i l e

most students are

part of student-run

class Facebook

groups, some teach-

ers are taking it to

the next level by

starting their own.

“I use the Facebook

group because I feel

like… it’s just an

easier way to com-

municate,” said Lynbrook High School litera-

By: Hima Rajana

The average high school student’s

after-school routine doesn’t vary much. After

we get home, we dump our backpacks and

books on our desks, grab something to eat,

and settle down at the computer to check

Facebook, Tumblr, Gmail, and whatever

other social networks keep us connected.

After twenty to thirty minutes of aimless

surfing, we finally crack our textbooks open.

But what if Facebook’s role was

different? What if Facebook wasn’t just about

posting pictures and sharing, but also part of

school? Social media can be utilized in school

as a supplement to class, as it enables large

ture teacher Nicole Gordon. “It’s a good

opportunity to

extend material

from class. “

Since students

already spend so

much time on

Facebook, add-

ing an element

of schoolwork

can be beneficial

because it makes

for an easy tran-

sition from the

fun, time-wasting side of Facebook to getting

By Michelle Su

On May 15, 2012, the City Council

of San José engaged in a 45-minute discussion,

after which the Councilmembers voted unani-

mously to pass the Social Host Ordinance,

which will be a big deal for the youth of San

José.

The Social Host Ordinance,

an initiative started by Voices United (a

non-profit group that focuses on sub-

stance use and addiction), is an ordi-

nance that will help to prevent the

illegal consumption of alcohol by mi-

nors. This new law declares that, in the

case of drinking in a gathering of four

or more underage people, the owner

of the property will have to pay the

fine.

The ordinance is a big step

forward to prevent youth misconduct.

The goal of Voices United is to start

discussions between teens and adults

regarding alcoholic consumption, and

to show minors that drinking is very

hazardous to them, especially to their

brains.

With this ordinance, adults

will be able to not only know when their

children are consuming alcohol, but also be

able to talk about this consumption, helping

solve the problem of underage drinking. And,

underage drinking, in addition to being very

hazardous to the health of the teenagers who

do the drinking, has caused several deaths,

such as in car crashes, in the city of San José

over the past couple of years. Additionally,

this Ordinance also benefits the community

as a whole.

Tighter monitoring of teenage

behavior will decrease the amount of under-

age drinking, promoting more public safety

for those who live in properties near those

gatherings, as well as protecting potential

victims of drunk driving accidents.

Moreover, the law will reduce the

cost of emergency services that would origi-

nally have to stop these gatherings by impos-

ing a penalty fee on the adult who owns the

property on which a minor had consumed

alcohol.

With the ordinance in place, legal-

ly responsible adults will now be charged for

minors’ consumption of alcohol; this will

provide an initiative for the adults

of San José to make sure they

supervise the activities of their

local teens. No parent, for exam-

ple, would want to allow his or her

child to be

drinking,

nor would

he or she

want to

pay fines

for said

drinking. Consumers of alcohol

under age 21 are simply too sus-

ceptible to alcohol addiction, so

this ordinance will effectively re-

duce the number of cases of un-

derage drinking. Additionally, it is

only logical that parents should be

responsible for what goes on in

their households.

The Social Host Ordinance will

now send clear signals prohibiting underage

drinking, greatly benefiting the youth of San

José.

Legislation: Social Host Ordinance

Facebook: Not Just for Instagram and Networking

Parents will be

fined if underage

drinking occurs in

their household.

Page 4 1 Voice

the real world by mandating that they write

professionally and contribute to the group

environment in a positive manner.

On the other hand, some say

adding Facebook to the mix may not neces-

sarily be beneficial. “The amount of research,

planning, thinking, organizing that a teacher

has to do is extremely difficult,” said Maggie

homework done.

Students can also post links to

relevant videos to extend learning and to

further discuss issues

brought up in class. Reading

and commenting about seri-

ous material in a Facebook

group not only entertains,

but also provides us with

experience on acting in a

professional environment. In

a world where employers

routinely communicate with

overseas employees online.

learning early can be benefi-

cial.

Most online com-

munication in high school is

casual so students cannot be

expected to conduct them-

selves formally when online if they enter the

real world without practice.

Teachers who have Facebook

groups for classes are preparing students for

Welsh, Lynbrook literature teacher. “Then,

you have to worry about… something like a

social media site. It seems daunting, and I

don’t see the necessity.”

No doubt, teachers are some of

the hardest workers out there.

However, while maintaining a

Facebook page can take a fair bit

of time, it is definitely more

efficient than responding to

several e-mails on the same

topic. “One person’s answered

question is probably five peo-

ple’s unanswered question,” said

Lynbrook history teacher Esther

Lee. “It just makes it a lot faster

to get information out to stu-

dents.”

Clearly, Facebook is an effective

supplementary tool for both students and

teachers, and should be implemented in the

future as a forum for students to discuss,

clarify and extend issues brought up in class.

Facebook: Not Just for Instagram and Networking (cont.)

educational curriculum, they are not being

exposed to some of the key topics the world

revolves around.

By not properly exposing these

children to the arts and sciences, we are

jeopardizing their talent and abilities and in

some cases, preventing them from doing what

they want. We are only putting our country

in risk in the future, which will only lead to

downfall. The U.S. will loose its post as one

of the few key countries in the world. Instead

of other countries looking at America as a

role model, we will be looking at others, in

order to figure out how we can be like them.

All this from limiting students’ education.

Education is something very noble,

which should be independent of politics and

government decisions. Children have a right

to a proper education, thus it is not fair to

deprive them of that right. Instead of cutting

school funds, there must be some alternative

to save money.

By implementing these budget

cuts, we are only preparing our country for

its downfall. Ultimately the students who are

suffering from the budget cuts are the ones

who are going to be leading the country in

the future. If we limit and, in some cases,

hinder their education, we are taking the

wrong decision. Instead of taking a step for-

ward, we are taking multiple steps back.

A possible improvement to the law

would be to add important moments in the

Gay Rights Movement such as the Lavender

Revolution and Stonewall, and key propo-

nents to the LGBT community such as the

Bay Area’s very own Harvey Milk, to whom

students currently get little to no exposure.

Though we may be a long way from achieving

equality for all in this country, the Fair Educa-

tion Act is certainly a step in the right direc-

tion.

By: Vedant Thyagaraj

Budget cuts is one thing that is

severely hurting the future of America. For

quite a while now (a couple years or so),

budget cuts have been prominent. They have

been issues all over the country, particularly

in the Bay Area. Public schools here barely

have any funding. Thus, they are required to

discontinue some courses, layoff teachers,

and prevent students from getting the educa-

tion they should be able to have.

Children should have the oppor-

tunity of a great education, as they are the

future of America. They are the ones who

are going to carry the country forward and

they are the bright minds of the future. By

cutting them off from the education they

could benefit from, we are limiting their abil-

ity to learn. By limiting their ability to learn,

we are not advancing our country, we are

only hindering its progress. If things such as

science and arts are cut off from students’

Problems of Budget Cuts

Page 5 Volume 4, Issue 1

By: Aneesh Chona

A rising concern in today's society

is that over the past couple of years, many

studies have shown that not enough teenag-

ers are getting vaccines. Due to the result of

some studies that have linked certain vaccina-

tions with autism -- although later shown to

unfounded -- many teenagers have opted out

of vaccines in fear of contracting autism.

Although the decision to not vac-

cinate may seem like a personal choice, on

net it has many individual and societal harms.

For example, an empirical analysis by the

University of Washington found that opting

to receive vaccinations is “one thousand

times safer than running the chance of con-

tracting the disease itself.” Thus, teenagers

need to start making better decisions by

choosing to vaccinate in order to protect

themselves.

In addition to individual protec-

tion, choosing to vaccinate benefits the entire

community. This phenomenon is known as

herd immunity, of which if enough people in a

community vaccinate, the disease the vaccine

is preventing will no longer be able to thrive

in the community. In other words, as enough

people are immunized, those who do not

vaccinate or those who are not able to vac-

cinate because of complications such as aller-

gic reactions will be protected. Therefore,

teens should choose to vaccinate themselves

in order to create herd im-

munity and protect the subset

of the population that cannot

protect themselves.

Unfortunately, the

theory of herd immunity

opens up the door to the free

rider problem, which explains

that because many teenagers

assume others are vaccinating,

they themselves do not both-

er vaccinating as they think the community is

at the herd immunity threshold. In order to

prevent this issue, more awareness needs to

be spread about the individual benefits of

vaccines, so that increasingly great amounts

of people will choose to vaccinate, therefore

guaranteeing the herd immunity threshold

will be reached.

Finally, the economic benefits of

vaccines is an important factor to take into

consideration. The Center for Disease Con-

trol conducted a cost-benefit analysis and

found that after taking into account direct

and indirect costs saved by vaccines, the

economic multiplier of

vaccinations is 18.4.

Thus, “every dollar spent

on immunization saves

$18.40,” amounting to a

“societal aggregate sav-

ings of $42 billion.”

Ultimately, because of

the individual, societal,

and economic benefits,

more and more teenagers should vaccinate.

As for those teenagers who make the choice

to not vaccinate, all society requires is a

legitimate reason that is based on proven fact.

I am not saying everybody should run to the

hospital this instant and vaccinate themselves

in every limb of their respective bodies.

Teenage Vaccinations: Are the Needles Worth the Pain

By: Zareen Choudhury

An inconspicuous video is posted

on March 5, 2012. As the first few viewers

watch the heart-wrenching half-hour film on

the plight of children in Africa, they share the

link on Facebook. Within a day, millions of

people across the world have seen the same

video, changed their profile pictures, or up-

dated their status to mention it. But a few

days later, the tides reverse as hate mail,

polarized debates, and infuriated Tumblr

posts deluge the Internet. By April 20, 2012,

barely a soul remembers the event originally

publicized by the film.

Sound familiar? KONY 2012 is a

classic example of rash decision-making on

the Internet. Millions of people used social

media to advertise a cause they hardly under-

stood. A few days later, when critics found

inconsistencies and exaggerations within the

KONY video, people accepted the criticism

as truth and yet again switched their opinion

without digging into the facts. This phenome-

non, however, was not an isolated situation,

for similar incidents occur frequently. Nearly

every day, youth across the world make

hasty, impulsive actions on the Internet.

With the advent of social media, a

plethora of ideas, opinions, and criticism zip

around the globe faster

than ever. While this influx

of information is a valuable

tool to make us mindful and

global citizens, it also fos-

ters rash decision-making.

Features such as status

updates, “likes,” and shares

facilitate the expression of

one’s ideas through social

media. However, this ease

of accessibility also allows the spread of false

information. Most youth would concur that

not everything on the web can be accepted as

true, yet their actions do not reflect this

notion. The blind sharing of the KONY video

and other extreme articles, statistics, and

pictures are evidence of the often impulsive

approach youth display towards social media.

How can you prevent yourself

from falling into the trap of thoughtless deci-

sion making on the Internet? The first step is

to be conscious of implications of social me-

dia. Be aware that peo-

ple’s actions on Face-

book, although seeming-

ly harmless, reflect on

them more than they

may think. Carefully

consider the posts that

you see. Do your re-

search and investigate

the facts before liking or

sharing them. More importantly, resist the

influence of popular appeal. Even if all five

hundred of your Facebook “friends” are

posting a certain status, that does not verify

its validity or veracity. Remember, the inter-

net is not a carrier of truth.

The Internet: Half True or Half False?

Page 6 1 Voice

By: Katie Gu and Connie Li

Imagine if, instead of back-

packs full of books, today’s students

simply carried around lightweight devic-

es with any book they could possibly

need. Imagine students poring over

laptops and iPads in libraries, instead of

heavy textbooks. Imagine these situa-

tions becoming today’s realities. Re-

cently they have, as seen in the changes

in the curricula of several local high

schools. Are these changes for the best,

and are eBooks really as useful a learn-

ing tool as they are made out to be?

Already, many schools in the

Bay Area have implemented school-

wide policies that make use of iPads,

Kindles, and other electronic reading

devices. In particular, Harker Lower

School and Archbishop Mitty High

School, both located in San Jose, have

initiated programs that provide students

with iPads to use for classroom purposes. For

Mitty, these iPads are used by the students

throughout their high school careers, including

the summer, but are returned to the school by

the time the students graduate.

The convenience of eBooks and

iPads seems to a benefit that many students

find particularly useful. With just a touch of the

finger, any unknown word can be instantly

defined; compared to old-school indexes and

tables of content. The new search functions

also make finding specific excerpts incredibly

easy.

Mitty sophomore Claire Wang finds

it “convenient to read any textbook when

you’re on the way back from [sports] practice,

when it’s dark,” as the backlighting built into e-

readers eliminates the problem of sufficient

lighting.

Most importantly, e-readers and

laptops are many times lighter than textbooks.

For instance, Presentation High School junior

Phoebe Coffin “prefer[s] [computers] over

carrying textbooks everywhere.”

However, while some students may

appreciate the convenience of being able to

carry nearly weightless files instead of several-

pound-heavy books around, other students

express dissatisfaction with the inability to high-

light quickly, take notes, and switch between

pages.

So is using iPads or other e-readers,

in school, actually cheaper to the alternative,

traditional textbooks? Some ebooks are still

expensive–for instance, Mitty sophomore Claire

Wang said that the most expensive eBook she

bought cost around $120, and the new iPad

program cost Mitty students an additional $700

in tuition.

Another item to consider is that

traditional books are also far more durable than

and more appropriate for clumsy students than e

-readers are, in that dropping or spilling water

on an iPad or Kindle can potentially destroy it.

Furthermore, as many teachers like

to say, “Technology is nice, when it works.”

Any technical difficulty with e-readers, like

low battery power or glitches, could definitely

present a major obstacle to teachers trying to

use class time efficiently. Some students pre-

fer traditional books over e-readers, like

Harker junior Jerry Shen who just “enjoy[s]

the feel of normal, physical pages.”

Nothing has been quite so revolu-

tionary in the methodology of passing infor-

mation since the likes of Gutenberg’s printing

press, but do the benefits of eBooks really

outweigh the costs?

Although on the surface, e-readers

are a shiny and attractive way to help students

learn, the benefits, comforts, and reliability of

traditional textbooks far outweigh those of e-

readers.

EBooks: Convenient or a Con?

Page 7 Volume 4, Issue 1

should have other qualities and skills that

appeal to the public,” said Saha. Lynbrook

ASB President senior Stephanie Hahm

agreed: “They should be higher than that.

If they want to lead, they should show

leadership qualities. A lot of people are

looking up to them.”

Nonetheless, our politicians are

not the only citizens at fault. Negative

campaigns thrive on ignorance and ac-

ceptance. To frame ourselves as helpless

to these candidates’ indoctrination or

powerless to compel our candidates to

speak candidly about the issues, would be

inexcusable. Our negligence of finding out

the truth and questioning the politicians’

statements has been our own doing.

As constituents, it is our civic

responsibility to take a stand against this

By: Henry Shangguan

Romney Hood? Obamaloney?

The presidential election is less than 40

days away, yet the back-and-forth be-

tween President Obama and Republican

Presidential Nominee Mitt Romney re-

sembles more of a childish playground

dispute than a respectful debate between

two mature men vying to head a country.

High school students and their

fellow constituents deserve a higher level

of dialogue between their two presiden-

tial candidates: more time and focus on

the issues, like how to revamp our strug-

gling economy, and less time Tweeting

snide remarks about each other.

Both Obama and Romney have

sunken to new lows of “mudslinging,”

utilizing insults and lies, each in an at-

tempt to get a leg up on his opponent.

The 2012 Presidential Race has become

less about showcasing policies and more

about sullying the opponent’s reputation.

For example, the Romney Cam-

paign’s claim that Obama’s new welfare

plan would allow recipients to collect

checks without working is a wild distor-

tion of a plan which aims to do the oppo-

site. A pro-Obama ad implying that Rom-

ney holds responsibility for a woman’s

death from cancer after his company

shuttered her husband’s factory is equally

unreliable.

Familiar with the realm of high

school politics and campaigning, Lynbrook

ASB Secretary junior Divya Saha believes

mudslinging has no place in any election

effort. “Mudslinging should not be your

way of getting the upper hand. You

national deterioration of campaign politics.

The easiest solution is to take a few

minutes to check facts and question the

media. Free fact-checking websites such as

Politifact.com are great for verifying our

candidates’ claims.

Secondly, take a few minutes to

make your voices heard and write a letter,

tweet your district representative; start a

group, start a movement. Lastly, for those

who have come of age, get to the polls.

“Young people have the biggest

opportunity for change,” said Lynbrook

Senior Harish Rajaram. “Young people can

go to the booth and vote and stop mud-

slinging from continuing.”

It’s time to take action. After all,

if we don’t take a stand, who will?

2012 Election: Mudslinging

Page 8 1 Voice

Featured Youth: Yaoyao Pei

By: Sonia Raghuram

In a society where art comes second

after almost everything else, it is rare to see a

young person who truly follows his or her

passions. Yaoyao Pei, a photographer and styl-

ist, is one of these people. She and a few other

Lynbrook sophomores manage a blog where

they post photos and experiences, mostly fo-

cusing on fashion.

She doesn’t design clothes, but she

enjoys “the art of putting pieces of clothing

together to form something really unique and

beautiful.” Her interest in photography is evi-

dent throughout her work. She sets up photo

shoots at magnificent locations and spends time

perfecting the makeup and the often intricate

hairstyles of her models. Yaoyao specializes in

styling for her models, choosing clothes which

represent her innate sense of style, as well as

taking pictures, displaying an aptitude for pho-

tography. The best angles, the best poses, and

amazing artistic talent create beautiful images,

their own unique style of art.

Inspiration can come from many

places: celebrities, other artists, and even

friends. It is different for everyone, so how did

Yaoyao discover her interest in art in the first

place? “A few years ago, my family went on a

road trip to a bunch of national parks around

the Utah area. My dad had just bought a new

camera, a dSLR, and I just started playing

around with it. I found it to be really fun, like

looking at different angles and experimenting,

and through this, I could really see the beauty

of nature. As for styling, well, a lot of the influ-

ence came from Tumblr and a website called

lookbok.nu where there are some really stylish

people,” Yaoyao reminisces. “I was also really

inspired by Audrey Hepburn. She was an old

actress, and I guess almost everything about her

movies, like the costumes, is really inspiring to

me. Art is a form of self-expression for me. I

mean, inside, I have a lot of ideas that I would

like to put to good use.”

Yaoyao also hopes to take her art

into her career. “I like the field of advertising,

and even graphic design. And maybe I could

also incorporate photography in it, as well as

my passion for fashion. Whatever it is, I defi-

nitely hope to continue into the future.”

Yaoyao is a great inspiration to those youth

who are too afraid to follow their passions.

Despite the abundance of other

commitments, she still dedicates sufficient

time to her first love of fashion and photog-

raphy.

Featured Youth: Brian Tuan and Christophe Pellissier

By: Kacey Fang modified by Connie Li

While Katniss Everdeen of The

Hunger Games displays her finesse with a bow

and arrow on the big screen, students at the

Harker Upper School participate in archery in

the real world, both for recreation and compe-

tition.

Brian Tuan (10) and Christophe

Pellissier (12) are each experienced with a bow

and arrow. They believe that archery has a

unique appeal, different from any other sport.

“It’s not only just a physical sport, but there’s

also a lot of mental game to it. The more you

actually learn about the mental game, the more

interesting the sport is,” Brian said.

Brian has been doing archery com-

petitively for nearly two years. As a dedicated

archer, he competes in state and national tour-

naments and plans to start participating in inter-

national competitions. In the 2012 Indoor Na-

tionals and JOAD Nationals, Brian placed 15th

among the “Male Cadet Recurve” division.

Currently, Brian has reached what he calls a

“performance plateau.”

“It’s really just a frustrating moment

where you don’t see any marked improvement

no matter how much you do,” he said. “I think

one of the biggest challenges [in archery] is

actually breaking through that plateau.”

Unlike Brian, Christophe became

familiar with the sport when he attended the

Harker Lower School’s summer camp in third

or fourth grade. Later, he also discovered that

his father used to be a semi-professional archer,

and has remained interested since.

Christophe also disagrees with the

notion that archery may require less exercise

than other sports. “There’s a repetitive motion

that is completely exercise in archery,” he said.

“Small variations in your form can change the

entire shot, so it really does bring attention to

detail in your entire body.”

Like Christophe, Brian also finds it

difficult to weigh his other activities with his

interest in archery. “[Archery is] one of those

sports where if you don’t shoot for a few

weeks or so, you pretty much lose everything,”

he said. The equipment required for archery is

also expensive as various components besides the

bow are required to improve the accuracy of the

shot.

“[When] getting my bow, the base

cross was $200 which isn’t much, [but] once you

add the whisker biscuit which holds the arrow,

peephole, sights, all kinds of things, [...] that’s

another $200 of add-ons,” Christophe said.

Although time and price may be incon-

veniences, both students expressed that archery is

a fun and unique way to spend time. While Brian

hopes to start competing in world tournaments

sometime near the end of the year, Christophe

simply wishes for more free time to allow for

consistent practice.

Page 9 Volume 4, Issue 1

Featured Artist: Tiffany Chao

Poetry by Anonymous

it goes riding, riding

down to your families

our lives pinned down by receipts

generation of excess, generation of

green,

never looking at what life really

means

the vampires bite the silver bullet

america going down uncertainty's

gullet

preach to the believers

hate the others

hate in the speakers

causing pain causing death

until there's no pain left.

i frame pictures in my mind

memories left for myself to find

but when i look back on this time

i think of how much people were

lying.

Photography by Yaoyao Pei

The Youth Science’s Institute’s WILD-

LIFE FESTIVAL

What? Get the opportunity to interact with

several animals, such as owls, snakes, and

even mountain lions! Enjoy food and fun the

entire day, with activities such as wildlife

programs, hands-on science activities, and

arts and crafts.

When? Sunday, October 7th from 11:00 AM

to 4:00 PM

Where? Alum Rock Park in San José

Disney on Ice; 100 Years of Magic

What? Join the celebration as 65 of Disney’s

unforgettable characters come to life in Dis-

ney On Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic!

Join the one and only Mickey Mouse, Minnie

Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck, Jiminy Cricket,

Pinocchio, and all the Disney Princesses in a

skating spectacular you’ll remember forever.

When? Any day between Wednesday, Octo-

ber 24 and Sunday, October 28

Where? HP Pavilion, San José

Habor Village Pumpkin Patch

What? Harbor Village will have pumpkins,

family events, fundraisers, foods, live music,

and many fun activities, such as pumpkin

decorating and smashing, in the month of

October! Every Saturday and Sunday: pony

rides and petting zoo; October 21 and Octo-

ber 28: rock climbing, zorb balls, and slack

lining; October 7 and October 14: zip lining.

There’s fun for everyone! en? Saturday,

March 24, 12:00-2:30pm

When? Any day in October, 10:00 AM to

9:00 PM

Past Events

Upcoming Events: Family Giving Tree

By: Angela Kong

With the last days of summer

slipping away and the cold weather seeping

in, the wintry winds herald the arrival of

every privileged child's favorite holiday —

Christmas. This festival evokes many warm

images, most commonly of hot chocolate, a

hefty pile of presents beneath a large

Douglass Fir lavished with colorful baubles,

and a stout but smiling Santa Claus, imagi-

nary or not.

Although, not every child is able

to grow up with such privileges — for

many, presents have been nonexistent as

their family's income is hardly able to keep

up with day to day living, let alone often

expensive gifts. Thankfully, the community

is stepping in to help bring a bit more cheer

into the holiday season for these less afflu-

ent families. This December, the District 1

Youth Advisory Council (D1 YAC) is once

again partnering with Community United to

host the Starbird Family Giving Tree on

Wednesday, December 21st from 4:00pm -

6:00pm at Starbird Teen Center on 1050

Boynton Avenue.

At the event, members of the

Youth Advisory Council and volunteers will

help wrap presents to give to under privi-

leged children. Games, food, arts and crafts

will also be provided at the event for chil-

dren to enjoy, as well as a costumed Santa

Claus granting wishes, handing out candy

canes, and posing for pictures.

In the past, YAC District One

has donated gifts to over 100 youth and

made personalized holiday greeting cards

for every teen attending the Starbird Teen

Center. Not only does this event bring out

the brightest smiles from these less privi-

leged children, but many YAC members

have claimed that helping out other children

has been one of the best annual community

service events they have volunteered at.

This event will

help to con-

tinue

strengthening

the bond

between YAC

members and

the San Jose

youth as they

congregate

together for

an evening

filled with

casual dining,

craft-making,

and gift ex-

change.

Pictures of past

Family Giving

Tree events at

Starbird Youth

Center