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Articles by Niveda Hari
Crossing the line: exploring the nuances of student-teacher relationships and investigating how close is too close
AW: Hi, I’m Asha NH: And I’m Niveda. AW: As students, we’ve all had teachers who have made an impact on us, both positive and negative. Teachers are usually the adults we see the most often outside of our family members, and the school environment, especially leading into high school, allows for unique dynamics to develop between students and teachers. NH: That’s very true.
What cuts on the Department of Education mean for FUHSD
President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14151 on Jan. 20, resulting in the termination of all federal diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Numerous contracts, grants and programs that support DEI in education were consequently suspended, and the Department of Education archived documents and reports that described and used DEI policies. On Feb.
Localcations
Although many MVHS students spend their weekends holed up studying, they don’t have to travel far to find something fun to do. From local museums to the great outdoors, El Estoque’s Arts & Entertainment section explores local attractions and the experiences of people who spend their time there. Click here to read more.
Located in Cupertino, Rancho San Antonio is a 3,988-acre open space preserve and a 165-acre county park. The land has been owned by 4 families over the last 200 years. The Grant Brothers owned Deer Hollow Farm, located in Rancho San Antonio, and the surrounding area for 77 years until they sold it in 1937, when the land was almost lost and turned into a shopping mall. However, local residents and environmental groups fought back, allowing for the land to be preserved.
Varsity Boys Volleyball falls to Lynbrook High School 3-1
Varsity Boys Volleyball fell to Lynbrook High School 3-1 on Wednesday, Apr. 2, placing it at 5th in the SCVAL De Anza League. The Matadors were off to a slow start, ending the first set with a 25-17 loss due to inconsistency in serve receive. Though the team picked up momentum with a second set win of 22-25, the LHS defense overpowered the Matadors, allowing the Vikings to win the following two sets 25-19 and 25-22 respectively.
Beyond the surface
Samika is currently a senior and Editor in Chief for El Estoque. She loves listening to hip-hop and rap music and playing with her dog. In her free time, Samika watches NBA games or cooks with her family. Ananya is currently a senior and Editor-in-Chief for El Estoque. When she isn’t reporting for El Estoque, you can find her binging her favorite shows: “Gilmore Girls” (only the first four seasons), “Grey’s Anatomy” (the first six seasons) and “How I Met Your Mother” (all nine seasons).
Rage-bait: How purposefully rage-inducing content is harming users’ mental health
Rage bait online takes advantage of viewers and perpetuates unethical behavior for monetization “POV: when ur at a cafe and everyone is staring at you filming a tiktok cause ur so pretty” This is a caption one may find under a rage bait video. The glaring narcissism and lack of social awareness on the part of the creator that people are staring at the creator not for their looks but for their intrusive filming in a public space immediately triggers a colorful array of negative reactions.
The sound of Black history
Over her decades-long music career, Beyonce has received 1,349 nominations and won 737 awards, but when she won album of the year at the 2025 Grammy’s for “COWBOY CARTER,” criticism erupted. People questioned if the award was merely compensating for her earlier, overlooked albums; fans of Billie Eilish fumed at the perceived snub; and other musicians attacked the album for not being “country” at all.
The Birds and the Bees
Sex can be a tricky topic to discuss, yet it’s also one of the most important as we grow up and become exposed to more complex topics. Whether it’s the rise of BookTok, an online community featuring both smut romances and dark romances, or pornography on the Internet, when consuming media we need to remain informed and conscious of our decisions and what we’re being fed.
Integrating special education students is necessary for equitable education
At schools nationwide, special education students, or students who require specialized instruction and support due to diverse abilities, are too often isolated from their peers and denied equal access to educational opportunities. This divide not only limits the potential of students with diverse abilities, such as students with sensory, cognitive or social-emotional issues, but also reinforces the harmful stereotypes about their abilities.
Content Warning: the rise in misleading marketing of books with adult content towards children
The marketing of young adult books falsely advertises explicit content There it was — her uncle’s book. Senior Manasi Prasad, at the time only ten years old, curiously reached for the novel she had seen her uncle reading during their vacation in South India on the bedside table. She glanced in the general direction of where her parents’ voices were just audible above the sounds of the forest before carefully flipping to the text on the back of the novel. Architects? Elite art guild?
Dark romance novels promote and romanticize abuse, illegal activity and a lack of consent
“The dark and sensual allure of becoming the target of one man’s dangerous obsession is on graphically raw display in this compelling read.” USA Today bestselling author Zoe Blake’s editorial review of the dark romance novel “Haunting Adeline” by H. D.
Dark romance novels promote and romanticize abuse, illegal activity and a lack of consent
The novels have real-world implications and should not be dismissed just because they are fiction. “The dark and sensual allure of becoming the target of one man’s dangerous obsession is on graphically raw display in this compelling read.” USA Today bestselling author Zoe Blake’s editorial review of the dark romance novel “Haunting Adeline” by H. D.
Integrating special education students is necessary for equitable education
MVHS should integrate special education students into general education classrooms to promote inclusivity and break down harmful stereotypes At MVHS and schools nationwide, special education students, or students who require specialized instruction and support due to disability, are too often isolated from their peers and denied equal access to educational opportunities.
2026 cell phone ban sparks uncertainty about cell phone usage in MVHS classrooms
Students and staff explore the potential impacts of AB3216 on how technology is used in MVHS classrooms English teacher Jessica Kaufman first implemented her “cell phone jail” after the COVID-19 pandemic. The aptly named rectangle of pouches hang on the walls of both of Kaufman’s classrooms, and occasionally house students’ phones when she confiscates them for the class period.
A unique friend
MVHS students share about their unconventional pets and relationships with them The most common pets in the U.S. are dogs, followed closely by cats and then fish. However, some students at MVHS have chosen more unique friends to keep at home — including geckos and jellyfish. Watch this video to see more. About the Contributors Jason Chu is a senior and Features Editor for El Estoque. Previously, he served as a News Editor.
Varsity Girls Tennis falls 3-4 against Los Altos High School
Varsity Girls Tennis fell to Los Altos High School with a score of 4-3 on Tuesday, Oct. 22. Although the Matadors won early matches and gained a strong lead, they ultimately came up short in the final matches. Despite the loss, senior Diya Sammanna, who played doubles with her partner Zoe Laurelle, was proud of their performance. “We were pretty consistent and we stayed calm even though we lost points,” Sammanna said. “We weren’t rushing.
50 fresh faces
Sophia is currently a junior and a features editor for El Estoque. In her free time, she enjoys watching late-night comedy, listening to music and hiking with her family. Jason Chu is a senior and Features Editor for El Estoque. He has enjoyed writing since a young age and also loves to play volleyball and guitar. Niveda is currently a junior and a staff writer at El Estoque. In her free time, she enjoys reading, watching Grey's Anatomy and going to the beach.
MVHS paraeducators discuss their roles in supporting students
Ten years ago, paraeducator and head football coach Ceazar Agront spent every day working from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. running his own business and coaching football at Homestead High School. He disliked the high-stress lifestyle, but he wasn’t sure where his career was headed until the HHS head football coach pointed out that he was not only good at working with kids, but fulfilled by it.
Time Out! Ep. 21: Avyan Mahajan
NH: Welcome to Episode 21 of Timeout. Each episode we dive into the sports scene here at Monta Vista and explore the journey of athletes from various sports. In this episode, we are joined by Avyan Mahajan who shares his journey in baseball. AM: Hi, my name is Avyan Mahajan, and I’m a sophomore who’s on varsity for the baseball team. NH: What position do you play? AM: I’m a centerfielder. SP: How did it impact your childhood?
The juice is loose!
“The juice is loose!” Fans cheered as ex-football star O.J. Simpson and former NFL player Al Cowlings drove along the Los Angeles freeway in a low-speed car chase, pursued by the LAPD, which had called for the surrender of Simpson earlier that morning. Orenthal James Simpson, known as O.J. Simpson, was born on July 9, 1947, and passed away in Las Vegas on April 10, 2024, at the age of 76, due to complications with cancer.
Ethical crossroads
El Estoque (EE) has been a student-run publication at MVHS since it began in 1969 and aims to follow this current mission statement: “El Estoque will accurately inform our community through well-researched, unbiased and in-depth accounts of stories of the student body and staff, local news and developments and taboo topics prevalent in and near the MVHS realm.” The processes and effort that go into fulfilling this mission are often unseen but play a prevalent role in EE’s reporting process.
Swim defeats Fremont High School 181.5-153.5
Varsity Swim defeated Fremont High School on Thursday, March 28 with a score of 181.5 to 153.5. Varsity Girls won against FHS 97.5-69.5 while Varsity Boys tied 84-84. Sophomore Nandini Karthik says the game was originally scheduled for Friday, March 29, but was changed to the day before since too many students were unavailable to compete on that day due to personal reasons and mentions that the weather on Friday was not ideal for swimming.
Gaming around the globe
When Spanish teacher Maria Autran reflects on her childhood, she looks back to elementary school, remembering the sounds of laughter and the shuffling of La Lotería cards as they were passed out in the extra time before class ended. She recalls the excitement and competitiveness of her classmates as they reached into the bucket of beans to place on their board each time their card was called. La Lotería is a traditional Mexican game that blends elements of bingo with colorful and lively pictures.
Varsity Baseball falls to Saratoga High School 6-0
Varsity Baseball fell to Saratoga High School 6-0 on Thursday, Feb. 29. Batting first, SHS quickly gained the early lead, scoring one home run in the second inning and two in the third. Having difficulty batting against the SHS pitchers, the Matadors were unable to score while SHS got one home run in each of the last three innings.
Varsity Baseball falls to Saratoga High School 6-0
Varsity Baseball fell to Saratoga High School 6-0 on Thursday, Feb. 29. Batting first, SHS quickly gained the early lead, scoring one home run in the second inning and two in the third. Having difficulty batting against the SHS pitchers, the Matadors were unable to score while SHS got one home run in each of the last three innings.
Silent sounds
Olivia Isabel Rodrigo took the world by storm on Jan. 8, 2021, with the release of “drivers license,” a teen heartbreak ballad that catapulted the 17-year-old to superstardom. Following the single’s release, Rodrigo came out with her debut album “SOUR.” Since then, Rodrigo has been streamed over 14 billion times on Spotify, won three Grammy awards and solidified herself as a teenage pop icon.
A grasp on reality
Content Warning: This article mentions drugs, sex and suicide. Reader discretion is advised. Step into the world of Emmy award-winning HBO show “Euphoria,” where neon lights and a kaleidoscope of emotions transform viewers into a haze of substance-induced sexual endeavors and high school drama.
DIY Diagnoses
After COVID-19, due to the increase in mental health issues. This is one of many changes we’ve seen post-lockdown. But, the supposed “fix” that mental health awareness promises comes with a few downsides. This new trend links to another problem: self-diagnosing. When scrolling through social media like Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube, it’s not hard to come across videos that try to spread awareness of mental health disorders by giving information about them.
Cough, cough (side eye)
It’s official. Red, runny noses, loud coughing fits and trash cans piling up with tissues — flu season has commenced. Students at MVHS are falling sick left and right, but there has been a distinct change in attitude around coming to school ill compared to two years ago. During the COVID-19 pandemic, people would stay home when they were sick or showing symptoms for the sake of protecting others. In contrast, our school is moving towards an environment where many come to school despite being sick.
Us vs. them
On Aug. 21, hundreds of parents gathered in Sacramento to protest a series of new bills they claim violate their parental rights. In particular, they were protesting bills like which would require a supermajority vote (a vote that requires support greater than a one-half majority) from school boards to ban a book in schools, and AB 665, which would allow children 12 and older to receive mental health treatment without parental consent.
Behind the Scenes: PTSA
A behind-the-scenes look at what the PTSA is doing for MVHS
Changing Education with ChatGPT
Since its release on Nov. 30, 2022, the artificial intelligence tool known as ChatGPT has become widely recognized for its ability to write essays and answer prompts. In order to hold human-like conversations and provide detailed answers to inquiries, ChatGPT has been trained to process large data collections and generate a relevant response.
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