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hhsepitaph.com
Volume 62, Issue 8
Homestead High School 21370 Homestead Rd, Cupertino, CA 95014
FUHSD, community discusses advisory restructural plans Administration shares changes in response to student feedback
day and a lack of student engagement, Nurnberg said. As a result, another significant change is that advisory will shift to the shorter Monday tutorial period, Gross said. Math teacher Bethany Mathews said this change is beneficial because Wednesday tutorials cause more interference with students' schedules. “I like the idea of changing advisory to a Monday because I feel like the students really utilize those 40-minute tutorials for their classes,” Matthews said. “When those are taken away, it puts a lot of stress on the students and the teachers who need to work with the students.” Advisory was first implemented in 2019 as a response to student interest in learning about self-care strategies and accessing mental health resources, principal Denae Nurnberg said. The need for such content was further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, Nurnberg added. Before the implementation of advisory, teachers independently taught the subjects in their classes, but were overworked from creating the lesson plans
Maya Dutt and Madeleine Yee
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ollowing months of collecting student feedback, FUHSD is currently discussing ideas for a new advisory system that will be implemented in the upcoming school year, associate superintendent Trudy Gross said. The proposed changes include transferring to shortened sessions on an online platform called Wayfinder, which allows students to interact with lessons and offers teachers flexibility in teaching content, Gross said. “Within the topics [on Wayfinder], there are different activities,” Gross said. “What we're thinking about doing is providing a few different options, and then teachers could decide which activity they want to do with their students.” Advisory content will include recurring topics such as Title IX and digital citizenship., Gross said. However, lesson plans will also shift to focus on overlooked areas such as anti-bias and anti-racism content, Gross said. “We've been focusing around social emotional learning,” Gross said. “Now, with Wayfinder in place, our hope is that there would be some engagement within the classroom, and it would give teachers an opportunity to try out [new] curricula.” The advisory change discussions center around student feedback the district received from the spring student survey, principal Denae Nurnberg said. The most common problems cited were lost tutorial time on Wednes-
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"It's really good that [advisory] is going to be more interactive. [Currently], because we don't interact that much, [it] feels like it's just a lecture, and I just don't want to hear it."
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—Sandy Fuentes, 10
themselves when it could easily be reformatted as a standardized curriculum, Nurnberg said. “We hear from students and staff that there are some logistical and design problems that lead to a lack of connection in how it's being delivered,” Nurnberg said. Despite the dissatisfaction with the current system, in the feedback form, 50% of students said they want to continue learning the content taught in advisory, Gross said. Although it would be better if students did not feel like it took away from their work time during tutorial, junior Agnes Ko said the new advisory system will be beneficial. "I think the new system will be much better with the addition of interactive activities because it will allow students to better experience advisory,” Ko said. “Students will be more willing to engage in activities rather than sitting through videos.” Mathews added that she believes organizing advisory groups by grade will be beneficial in building community and creating more targeted lesson plans. "What I see is a lot of the kids are getting the same information multiple years in a row, and they're getting tired of that," Mathews said. "If we do it by grade level, we can make sure that we're not being redundant with the information. We would be implementing it when it's actually helpful [and] valid and when they're open to it." In addressing the concerns posed by the student body, Nurnberg said she hopes the new changes to advisory increase student engagement with the curriculum. “It's not getting in the way of other important learning,” Nurnberg said. “The content that we are providing is a part of growing up, and hopefully students will find value in the [upcoming] shifts being proposed.”
May 29, 2025
FUHSD robotics center begins construction Students, staff share process for robotics center Danielle Feldsher and Olivia Levesque Ouellette Construction for the FUHSD robotics center at CHS has commenced after almost two years of preparation, superintendent Graham Clark said. The center, projected to open at CHS in September 2026, will serve as a communal space for all FUHSD robotics teams, granting the HHS robotics team increased resources and practice efficiency, Clark said. Advocating for improved resources, robotics students campaigned for the passage of Bond Measure G, a local FUHSD proposition that would establish a robotics center open to FUHSD teams, robotics president, senior Karen Zhang said. After voters approved the measure in June 2022, the robotic center’s design was approved in early 2024, Clark said. Upon construction, the center’s projected increase in space and resources will allow the team to practice in a higher-intensity setting and more effectively prepare them for competitions, robotics adviser Ed Taylor said.
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See Robotics Center, Page 2
Feedback on advisory changes HHS members reflect on changes, from switching to Monday advisories to using new software Wayfinder
"It's a positive change because a lot of students don't appreciate the long periods of SEL learning, and advisory isn't well liked among students. Some students believe tutorial is time to get work done, and they use it efficiently. However, if students are expecting to do work, but they find out they have advisory, then it's more of a burden to them." - Tae Kim (10)
"I would love if it was done by grade level. Counselors and administration can do something that is specific toward different classes. What I see is that a lot of kids are getting the same information multiple years in a row, and they're getting tired of that. If we do it by grade level, we can make sure we're not being redundant with information." - Math teacher Bethany Matthews
"Wayfinder is somewhat effective, as the activities work. It allowed me to reflect on my mental wellness during sessions, and I was able to become happier by understanding my mental wellness. I’d say the current advisory system is better, as it uses videos to help students reflect.” - Aidan Tam (10)
Photo courtesy of Jaya Singhal
The robotics center will allow FUHSD robotics teams to practice more effectively, Taylor said.
Illustration by Kaylin Yi
Infographic by Malar Raguraman and Ethan Xue
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Color guard captain twirls her way to recognition Senior Kaci Freeman receives $2,000 scholarship
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Marvel makes lightning, then 'Thunderbolts*' Film strays away from CGI action
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Frausto's last dance Long-time Equestriettes adviser to retire
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