OPINION
Environmental Disasters
THE
VOL. 58, NO. 9
4 CENTERSPREAD 10-11 SPORTS 17 GRAPHICS 20 Class of 2023 MULTICULTURAL COLLEGE Pride Month ASPIRATIONS WEEK ATHLETES 2023
SMOKE SIGNAL MISSION SAN JOSE HIGH SCHOOL
May 25, 2023
41717 PALM AVENUE, FREMONT, CA 94539
Mental Health
2022-23
This year marked the addition of many new mental health and destressing strategies at MSJ. Lasting throughout the second week of December 2022, L2 announced its first Destress Week — a week filled with free hot chocolate, candy, a movie in C120, goodie bags from Santa, and a petting zoo — in order to help students relax before finals week. In response to the positive reception, L2 hosted a second petting zoo paired with therapy dogs on April 28 with an extended lunch so students can unwind before a busy two weeks of AP testing. Aside from new activities implemented throughout the year to aid mental health, the completed Student Wellness Center and Therapist Room have also been opened. Located next door to each other in C1 and C2 respectively, students now have access to a welcoming and comforting environment during lunch. This year, FUSD also introduced monthly Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Advisories, organized by English Teacher Nina LaRosa and Social Studies Teacher Nancy Benton. These lessons teach students about recognizing healthy and toxic relationships and exploring emotions during their teenage years.
YEAR IN REVIEW By Anandita Devata, Ashley Pang & Callie Yuan Staff Writers As the 2022-23 school year comes to a close, MSJ wraps up yet another year full of momentous events and milestones. Check out the Smoke Signal’s compilation of some of the major schoolwide events, clubs, STEM, sports, arts, mental health, and local news.
Sports Numerous sports teams at MSJ qualified for regional and state-level championships this year. MSJ Boys Water Polo placed fifth in MVAL — the team’s best in five years — while Girls Water Polo placed third, qualifying for NCS Championships. Freshman Hannah Bi and Girls Tennis Co-Captain Junior Megha Hedge placed second at the NCS Doubles Tournament, and Boys Tennis won MVALS and NCS. Girls Golf also won NCS Division 1 Championships for the first time in five years. In addition, Badminton has seen numerous victories during the year, including securing the championship for their 17th NCS this year. To celebrate the achievements of seniors attending college as athletes, MSJ held its Athlete Signing Day on April 20. The event showcased Seniors Audrey Wang, Selena Tang, Tara Ushiro, Julie Wu, Marco Yang, and Shrish Choudhary signing their letters of commitment to their respective colleges.
CLUBS
Schoolwide Events
In order to accommodate for the many diverse interests at MSJ, students have taken the initiative to pitch and start new clubs. In the past year, ten new clubs have been established at MSJ: Swab4MSJ, MSJ Vietnamese Student Association, MSJ Psychology, MSJ Cybersecurity, MSJ Competitive Pokemon, MSJ Korean Club, MSJ Red, MSJ Smile, and MSJ Physics. Over the past year since their respective formations, these clubs have hosted introductory meetings with free food and weekly meetings to garner student interest. One of the largest service clubs on campus, MSJ Key Club hosted its annual Fall Rally North on October 22, 2022, raising $3,400 for the Pediatric Trauma Program. MSJ Interact also collaborated with other Area 5 Interact clubs to coordinate the annual Fall Leadership Conference. In honor of Green Week from April 23-26, MSJ Green Club worked with L2’s Green Team and Campus Committee to organize pizza fundraisers, thrifting activities, tote bag making, pass out free donuts for walking to school, and invite Sustainability Manager of the City of Fremont Rachel DiFranco as a guest speaker. They also collaborated with NAHS to bring Fremont’s boxART! community beautification program to MSJ. Many MSJ clubs also went on to represent MSJ at state, national, and international level competitions. MSJ Model United Nations competed at the 49th annual National High School Model United Nations Conference, one of the most difficult conferences of the year. MSJ DECA also had 40 students advance to and attend the International Career Development Conference from April 22-25.
Throughout the year, Leadership 2 (L2) has hosted a multitude of events, ranging from Homecoming Week to MSJ’s first ever Service Week from Oct. 31 to Nov. 5, 2022, in which L2’s Community Committee organized an activity each day dedicated to special sectors of the community, including special needs children and women battling breast cancer. Other school-wide events previously covered by the Smoke Signal include Service Week and Charity Fashion Show. In February, the Community Committee also brought back the Charity Fashion Show, featuring breathtaking dances and student models as participants helped raise money for charity. L2 carried its momentum to organize Multicultural Week at the beginning of March and the Multicultural Assembly in a celebration of MSJ’s diverse cultures. At the end of March, the school hosted its annual Spring Expo after 3 years, renewing the tradition of showcasing student work and introducing underclassmen and junior high students to MSJ. Clubs also set up booths around campus to publicize their mission and encourage incoming high school students to join.
Local News STEM
Arts
During the 2022-23 school year, MSJ students participated in a multitude of STEM-related events and competitions, including the Samsung Solve For Tomorrow, Science Bowl, Alameda County Science & Engineering Fair (ACSEF), and Ms. Kuei’s first-ever stoichiometry eats. Notably, MSJ Science Bowl advanced to Nationals for the second year in a row following a first-place regional finish, while others were recognized for their projects and abilities to solve real-world problems in Samsung, ACSEF, and Exploravision competitions. As one of the most prestigious scholarships awarded to high school students, the US Presidential Scholars Program and National Merit Scholarships were presented to 12 and 81 MSJ students, respectively.
On Sept. 6, 2022, the Art Department completed a new mural in the E-Wing titled “Star Fish,” capturing student’s love for sea creatures like clownfish and stingrays. MSJ Universal Performers also excelled this year at Lenaea High School Theatre Festival, earning various awards including Gold in the One-Act Plays Production category for their original musical, A Minor Inconvenience. The club will be showcasing its spring musical, Spongebob the Musical, from May 24-26 in C-120. Performing in various parades and reviews, MSJ Band & Orchestra have also flourished this year, securing first place HS Open Class Mace Drum Major at the 51st Annual Santa Cruz Band Review. In Dec. 2022, MSJ Marching Band participated in Redwood City’s Hometown Holiday Parade; in March, MSJ’s Winter Guard and Winter Percussion competed in the Northern California Band Association Armijo Winter Review and were awarded third place in the Regional AA Division of their respective categories.
ONLINE
ThIs Month
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SMOKIE EATS: 626 NIGHT MARKET MINI
GRADUATION VIDEO COVERAGE
Taking place at Great Mall, Milpitas, the new pop-up of the 626 Night Market Mini features three dozen of the Bay Area’s most popular, local food pop-ups. Check out the Smoke Signal’s review of the 626 Night Market Mini in this episode of Smokie Eats.
The Class of 2023’s graduation ceremony this year will take place at Tak Fudenna Memorial Stadium on June 6 at 9:00 a.m. Watch the Smoke Signal’s video coverage of the ceremony at our website, featuring interviews from the graduating senior class!
From bell schedule changes and “rickrolling” through the intercom system to extreme weather events, the 2022-23 school year has been filled with unique local news. To begin the school year, FUSD and MSJ initiated three immediate changes — the switch of the bell schedule from 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., the adoption of Minga, and the removal of the Totem Pole. In addition, MSJ also adopted key curriculum updates, including opening AP World History class to rising sophomores and implementing a new Chemistry of Earth’s system textbook. Beyond the campus, due to the intense rainfall and high-speed winds during the month of February, the local community experienced extended periods of power outages, fallen trees, and snow-capped mountains. PHOTOS BY THE SMOKE SIGNAL ARCHIVES, COURTESY ALLISON HUANG, KTVU.COM. GRAPHICS BY STAFF WRITER KAYLEE LIU
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