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Articles by Crystal Cheng
Time Out! Ep 22: Lucy Yung
CC: Hi everyone, my name is Crystal Cheng and welcome to Episode 22 of Time Out! Each episode, we will be diving into the sports scene here at Monta Vista High School and exploring the journeys of athletes from different sports. In this episode, I am joined by junior Lucy Yung, who is a member of the varsity girls tennis team here at Monta Vista. CC: How and when did you start playing tennis?
Overcoming the thief of joy
“Most people don’t get in,” I reminded myself, silently preparing for failure as my computer screen loaded with a status update from my dream college. A moment passed, and a letter with my application status appeared on the screen. “Congratulations!” I sat in shock for a second as the reality of my situation dawned on me. As I notified my closest friends and a wave of congratulations texts, calls and Instagram stories rolled in, I was elated.
Overcoming the thief of joy
“Most people don’t get in,” I reminded myself, silently preparing for failure as my computer screen loaded with a status update from my dream college. A moment passed, and a letter with my application status appeared on the screen. “Congratulations!” I sat in shock for a second as the reality of my situation dawned on me. As I notified my closest friends and a wave of congratulations texts, calls and Instagram stories rolled in, I was elated.
Fear of committing
Fear of committing Jinyong Um Throughout high school, junior Jinyong Um has seen many of his friends enter relationships prematurely — some of which resulted in his friends regretting it. Experiencing these unhealthy relationships second-hand has impacted Um’s perspectives on relationships as well. “One particular friend of mine who's already graduated got into this relationship and she said that it was a pretty big mistake,” Um said.
Living in Cupertino
For nine years, biology teacher Lora Lerner rented an expensive apartment on her own in Los Gatos. However, when online school began during the pandemic, she moved to Monterey Bay with her husband. After in-person school resumed, the long commuting time from Monterey to school pushed Lerner to look for a place close to MVHS. Luckily, she found a house that was not only close to MVHS but also $1000 cheaper per month than her apartment in Los Gatos. “I frankly got a good deal,” Lerner said.
Varsity Girls Basketball defeats Lynbrook High School 52-45
Varsity Girls Basketball won against Lynbrook High School 52-45 on Wednesday, Jan. 17 in its fourth league game of the season. The team started off with a lead of 11-6 in the first quarter and ended halftime with a score of 26-19. The Matadors continued their momentum through the second half, resulting in a third-quarter score of 36-31 and later securing the win.
“I’m not taking it today”
When it comes to students asking for extensions on tests, Biology teacher Pamela Chow acknowledges that it can be a slippery slope. Although she believes that her policy to allow students to take tests at a later date can establish better trust between herself and her students, she admits that this can lead to students asking for extensions in an untimely manner.
Gaining self-love
Content Warning: This article mentions eating disorders and body image issues. “And … let’s place you here.” The photographer for my kindergarten class photo guides me to the middle of the back row, three rows away from my best friend in the front row. I look to my left and right, not recognizing the kids I’ve just been placed next to despite being in the same class.
Delving into lunchtime
Exploring the ways MVHS students spend their lunch during school November 9, 2023 MVHS students spend their time during lunch in a plethora of different ways, from meeting up with friends to walk to 7-11 to studying in the library. To better understand lunchtime routines, El Estoque met with four different students to discuss how they chose to spend their lunches. About the Contributors Crystal Cheng is currently a senior and an Opinion editor for El Estoque.
In the face of climate change
Hope is necessary Search up climate change on Google, and the immediate results almost always yield negativity: articles about the detrimental effects on health, facts about how we are not on target to meet the Paris Agreement and news that we’re on track to reach temperatures too hot for human survival jump out, inciting an immediate association of climate change with disaster.
Growing Forward
Examining opinions around self-improvement in the MVHS community Self improvement can be interpreted in a multitude of ways, from cleaning your room to achieving a glow up. Click here to dive into the multi-faceted perspectives behind self improvement at MVHS. Crystal Cheng is currently a senior and an Opinion editor for El Estoque. In her free time, she enjoys playing the piano, annihilating Stardew Valley and bullet journaling. Ethan is currently a Junior and staff writer for El Estoque.
Finding your glow
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT86TKtdw/ luv.rynnn Glow-up culture first found its way into senior Lemon Liu’s life during the COVID-19 pandemic, when she says “everyone was having glow-ups.” Influenced by those around her, Lemon began to experiment with different aesthetics online. They found it difficult to fit into a specific aesthetic, but say the process of exploring external beauty helped them improve their internal confidence. “That was definitely positive for me,” Liu said.
Field Hockey wins against Lynbrook High School 1-0
Varsity Girls Field Hockey beat Lynbrook High School 1-0 on Wednesday, Sept. 20, in their fourth league game of the season. Junior and forward Saahithi Kancherla scored the team’s only goal of the game during the first quarter, with the team successfully defending their goal for the rest of the game. “I think we played really well especially towards the beginning,” Kancherla said.
Prom-piniated
About the Contributors Crystal Cheng, Sports Editor Crystal Cheng is currently a junior and a sports editor for El Estoque. In her free time, she enjoys playing the piano, watching Netflix and bullet journaling. Jisha Rajala, Opinion Editor Jisha is currently a junior and an opinion editor for El Estoque. In her free time, she enjoys baking, drawing and rewatching shows. Kripa Mayureshwar, Managing Editor Kripa is currently a senior and a managing editor for El Estoque.
With friends? Or with a date?
On the second to last day to send in permission slips and buy tickets for prom, junior Nikolas Margaritis found himself buying a ticket just before they sold out. Persuaded by his friends to attend, Margaritis’s focus at prom was simply to have fun with his friends. “My whole friend group decided to go, and I was the only one that was going to be left out, and I didn’t want to do that, so I just signed up,” Margaritis said.
Final Run: Wrestling
In the 2022-23 winter sports season, Boys Basketball, Girls Basketball and Wrestling all advanced to the CIF Central Coast Section playoffs. In this podcast, we will discuss Varsity Wrestling seniors Hayden Ancheta’s and Aditya Mishra’s experiences at CCS and their thoughts on their final season of high school. Hayden Ancheta EE: What are your thoughts on your personal performance throughout the season? HA: I think throughout the season, from start to finish, it was pretty solid.
To all the friendships I’ve left behind
To one of the closest friendships I have ever created in an exceptionally short amount of time: I think I told you already that I initially approached you because it felt similar to having a crush. Maybe back then I was just excited that if this went a certain way, I would have the opportunity to be in a “real” relationship. But I think it’s good we never went down that route and never tainted our friendship with the complexities of a relationship when it wasn’t necessary.
Varsity Girls Basketball ends its CCS run with a 57-44 loss to Hillsdale High School
Sophomore and forward Clara Fan looked up as the buzzer went off and the large black timers on either side of the Hillsdale High School gym displayed that there were 30 seconds left of the game. To her left, HHS’s coach had called a time-out, and in front of her, the score on the scoreboard read 57-44. Until then, Fan had kept the possibility of MVHS catching up to HHS in the back of her head, but now she knew the game was over, and her team had lost. For this year, the basketball season was over.
Varsity Girls Basketball beats Willow Glen High School 75-46 in its first CCS game
Matadors move onto quarterfinals with a win after receiving a bye for the first round Varsity Girls Basketball won against Willow Glen High School 75-46 on Saturday, Feb. 19 in the second round of CCS Division II playoffs. The Matadors were the No. 6 seed and were given a first-round bye. MVHS ended the first quarter of the game with a strong lead of 23-2, which senior Emi Kosakura says created the momentum that allowed the team to remain ahead throughout the rest of the game.
2023 CIF Central Coast Section Championships
Learn more about the CCS Tournament for the Varsity Girls Basketball, Varsity Boys Basketball and Wrestling Varsity Girls Basketball, Varsity Boys Basketball and Wrestling have qualified for the 2023 CIF Central Coast Section Championships Tournament. Throughout this week, they will compete in the tournament against many other teams. To stay updated with the teams and their games, CLICK HERE.
Clubs in Sports
About the Contributors Crystal Cheng, Sports Editor Crystal Cheng is currently a junior and a sports editor for El Estoque. In her free time, she enjoys playing the piano, watching Netflix and bullet journaling. Jason Chu, Staff Writer Jason Chu is a sophomore and staff writer for El Estoque. He has enjoyed writing since a young age and also loves to play volleyball and guitar. Manas Kottakota, Staff Writer Manas is currently a sophomore and staff writer for El Estoque.
Same sport, different situations
Exploring the similarities and differences between school and club coaches Girls Varsity Basketball Head Coach Sara Borelli started her basketball coaching career at South San Francisco High School, five years before she started working at MVHS. The coach of SSFHS’s basketball team at that time, originally a football coach, needed some assistance. Therefore, Borelli was recruited as a coach for SSFHS due to her experience playing collegiate basketball.
Homemade Hipster: Butter Boards
Learn how to make a unique spin on bread and butter Recently a viral trend on TikTok, butter boards place a twist on the traditional combination of bread and butter by presenting it on a platter, perfect for any party! About the Contributors Crystal Cheng, Sports Editor Crystal Cheng is currently a junior and a sports editor for El Estoque. In her free time, she enjoys playing the piano, watching Netflix and bullet journaling.
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