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SMOKE SIGNAL MISSION SAN JOSE HIGH SCHOOL 41717 PALM AVENUE, FREMONT, CA 94539
2024-25
Year in review By Roshan Annamalai, Dhaeshna Booma, Kanupriya Goyal & Kaiwei Parks
Staff Writers
The 2024-25 school year has been a whirlwind of fresh experiences and familiar traditions. As MSJ students begin to feel a sense of familiar nostalgia with another year coming to an end, the Smoke Signal Signal led some of the major events from new clubs to district changes that have taken place throughout the year.
clubs
With the number of clubs on campus continuing to rise, many found success throughout the 2024-25 school year. MSJ Mock Trial’s students worked diligently with their two attorney coaches to prepare arguments for both the prosecution and defense sides of a fictitious court case, placing well at the county level competition. Meanwhile, MSJ DECA continued to perform well at the State Career Development Conference (SCDC), with 10 top three winners and a total of 34 club members qualifying to compete at the International Career Development Conference (ICDC). MSJ Model United Nations (MUN) members won a number of awards throughout the year. At UC Berkeley’s BearMUN conference, MSJ MUN President Junior Alice Zhao and MSJ MUN Events Coordinator Sophomore Cham Yu earned the Outstanding Delegate award, while four other members each received verbal commendations. MSJ Speech and Debate found success this year as well, with MSJ Speech and Debate Vice President of Events Senior Vedatman Duhoon and Public Forum Captain Senior Vaibhav Wudaru reaching quarter finals at the Stephen Stewart Memorial Middle and High School Invitational. Aside from competitions, many clubs hosted multiple unique and impactful events, such as MSJ LEO club’s guest speaker event with influencer Ishaan Sharma, which drew in a large audience of MSJ students. Many new clubs were established this year, such as MSJ Poverty Patchup, which aims to provide resources and education to the homeless and MSJ Red Cross, a humanitarian service club that focuses on helping people around the world through first aid education, disaster relief efforts, and volunteer service.
May 23, 2025
sports Four MSJ seniors will take their athletic careers to the collegiate level starting in the fall of 2025. To celebrate their accomplishments, an athlete signing day was hosted on April 10. MSJ sports teams have performed just as admirably this school year, with the Girls Tennis, Badminton, Girls Golf, Girls Volleyball, Cross Country, Boys Basketball, Boys Volleyball, and Boys Tennis teams making it to the MVALS Championship. Girls Tennis won at MVALS and proceeded to NCS, where Freshman Kuhu Samant and Junior Hannah Bi received first place in singles. Girls Golf also emerged victorious as MVAL champions.
STEM MSJ students made big strides in STEM this year, earning top awards and honors at competitions across the county, state, and country. MSJ’s Science Bowl team qualified for nationals and made it to the top 12 teams in the country. The Science Olympiad team also had a strong showing at the 2025 Northern California Science Olympiad State Tournament, placing first in the Chemistry Lab, Geologic Mapping, and Wind Power events, and finishing fifth overall. At the 2025 Alameda County Science and Engineering Fair, 15 students from MSJ placed second or higher. Junior Ryka Chopra earned a Grand Award in Engineering and the NASA Earth Systems Science Award while qualifying for the International Science & Engineering Fair for her research on the use of reinforcement learning for Arctic conservation. Freshman Leyi Li, Junior Akshay Murthy, and the team of Juniors Jeffrey Li and Michael Liu also won first place, with Leyi Li and Murthy advancing to the California State Science & Engineering Fair. Senior Meenakshi Nair was also recognized for her research on detecting and mapping informal settlements using satellite imagery in the prestigious Regeneron Science Talent Search. Meanwhile, Senior Ishaan Awasthi displayed his skills in app development, winning the 2024 14th District Congressional App Challenge, held by Rep. Eric Swalwell, for his app ZenBuddies, aimed to assist teens struggling with stress and anxiety.
Performing Arts MSJ’s performing arts programs have seen an exceptional year across music, dance, and theater. Both the Wind Ensemble and Orchestra earned unanimous Superior ratings — the highest possible score — at the California Music Educators Association Band Festival and the Northern California Band Association Large Ensemble Festival. MSJ’s Color Guard also excelled, placing at the California Color Guard Circuit Competitions in Fresno and the Winter Guard International Color Guard Championships. On the dance stage, MSJ Ishaara took second place and won Best Choreography at Baazi, the Bay Area’s annual high school Bollywood dance competition. Their energetic routine fused Bollywood, hip-hop, and modern dance styles. In the theater scene, MSJ Universal Performers brought the classic Little Little Women Women to life in a heartfelt production exploring themes of sisterhood, loss, and love.
district updates
School Events MSJ kicked off the school year with the highly anticipated annual Green and White Assembly, featuring performances from the Unity Airband, high-energy class competitions, a special appearance by the Mission Man, and introductions of new staff members. Homecoming Week followed in late September, bringing a wave of school spirit through each class’s skits and performances, culminating in the Homecoming Extravaganza. These events followed Junior Dylan Reagan's tragic passing on Aug. 29, 2024, which saw his friends, teachers, and peers all coming together to mourn, remember, and celebrate Dylan's life. On February 21, the annual Charity Fashion Show, featuring Disney-themed Leadership 2 performances and model walks, brought the community together to help raise funds for Los Angeles fire relief efforts. On March 18, the Wellness Center organized a Bike Blender event in the Bell Tower Quad to spotlight the unique benefits of using more sustainable transportation methods. School spirit carried into Multicultural Week, held from March 31 to April 4, highlighting diversity through club selling and live performances. The season wrapped up with the final schoolwide formal dance of the year, the annual Spring Fling on April 11, which included a night market with booths run by student businesses and clubs, such as Tanvi’s Crochet Closet and MSJ Vietnamese Student Association.
This year, FUSD officially transitioned from Infinite Campus to the Aeries Student Information System, intending to introduce a more user-friendly platform for managing grades, schedules, and attendance. Alongside the switch, ParentSquare and StudentSquare were launched to streamline communication and keep families and students better informed about school events, announcements, and academic updates. District leadership saw major changes as former superintendent Erik Burmeister resigned, and former MSJ principal Zack Larsen assumed the role in February. The district also worked to resolve long-standing negotiations with the Fremont Unified District Teachers Association (FUDTA), ultimately reaching an agreement on April 30 after more than a year of negotiations, teacher picketing, and strike concerns. In a push for greater student access to a variety of courses, the district and school removed several course prerequisites, particularly for math and science classes, allowing more students to pursue advanced courses. Meanwhile, MSJ is preparing to implement a new bell schedule starting the 2025-26 school year that removes Thursday advisory periods in favor of 10 extended lunch periods meant to better use instructional time for learning.
PHOTOS BY THE SMOKE SIGNAL ARCHIVES, COURTESY DEVANG RAINA, COLIN APPERSON, FIONA LEE. GRAPHICS BY NEWS EDITOR CATHERINE QIN
ONLINE
THIS MONTH
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ALBUM REVIEW: SINCERELY, Sincerely, is the fifth studio album and third English album from Kali Uchis. Released on May 9, the album follows the release of its lead single, “Sunshine & Rain…,” on March 27. Read the full album review on our website.
PROM PHOTO COVERAGE On May 17, Prom celebrates the last school dance of the year. The event, located in the San Francisco City Hall, consists of photobooths, DJs, music, food, and games, creating a lively and entertaining vatmosphere for attendees.
FOR MORE COVERAGE, VISIT www.THESMOKESIGNAL.ORG