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Articles by Riya Murthy
Staff shakeup
District-wide changes are implemented at the close of the school year As the school year comes to a close, a variety of developments are implemented. From a 10% raise for teachers to veteran teachers stepping into new roles, click HERE to read more about the changes to FUHSD. Samika is currently a junior and Arts & Entertainment editor 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 Indian food with her mom.
Staff changes: Retirements and new roles into the 24-25 school year
New World Language and English Department Leads are instated while Molly Guadiamos retires May 24, 2024 Teacher Changes at MVHS Molly Guadiamos After 30 years of teaching Spanish within the FUHSD district, including serving as a World Department Lead for over a decade at MVHS, Spanish teacher Molly Guadiamos has decided to retire at the end of the 2023-2024 school year.
Boys Volleyball defeats Mountain View High School 3-0
Varsity Boys Volleyball defeated Mountain View High School 3-0 on its senior night Friday, May 3. Though the first set started off neck-and-neck, the Matadors pulled ahead to seize a resounding victory, winning 25-15. The Matadors consistently forced Mountain View HS to take time-outs throughout the three sets, extending their lead to take both the second and third sets and achieve a swift win.
The TikTok ban is political theater
With over 1 billion active users, TikTok is the in the world, a staple on most teenagers’ phones at MVHS. However, this platform facilitating global expression may soon be snatched from the market. On Wed. March 13, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would, in effect, ban TikTok.
Celebrating major March holidays at MVHS
When junior Bernice Kwong and her family moved from San Jose to Cupertino, they decided to start going to church and adopt the Christian faith. Every year since then, they enjoy celebrating and participating in Easter festivities. Kwong and her family are currently part of a non-traditional Orthodox Church, a Chinese Cantonese congregation that often prepares Chinese dishes for Easter. However, Kwong has visited a variety of different types of churches with varying Easter celebrations in the past.
Work hard, play hard
The MVHS community plays a variety of different games from pay-to-play experiences to educational tools
Time Out! Ep. 17: Allison Chang
RM: Hi everyone, my name is Riya Murthy, LT: And I’m Lindsey Tang. RM: Welcome to Episode 17 of Time Out! Each episode, we will be diving into the sports scene here at Monta Vista High School and explore the journeys of athletes from various sports. In this episode, we are joined by junior Allison Chang who dances various styles as part of the MV Dance and outside studio team. RM: How and when did you start dancing?
Pay for Play
Junior Jessica Zhou clearly recalls seeing her close friend spend nearly $200 on the Zhongli and Staff of Homa banners of the gacha game “Genshin Impact,” using the money to obtain both the in-game character and weapon. “Genshin Impact” is a game where players can explore a vast open-world landscape, embark on quests or spend money to earn a currency called “primogems,” which they can use to earn rare characters and weapons.
Sprawled on the walls
Flag of Libya One of the first things students notice in history teacher Usiel Meraz-Cerna’s classroom is the Libyan flag proudly displayed on the wall opposite the door, next to his desk. The flag, with three horizontal stripes of red, black and green, and a white crescent and star at the center, is used to represent the cause of the revolutionaries in Libya under the dictatorship of Muammar Gaddafi.
Behind MV Bhangra
Video story exploring the behind the scenes of the MV Bhangra club December 15, 2023 Step behind the scenes of MV Bhangra, where the beats are bold and the connection to Indian culture is real. Exploring the club’s approach to crafting engaging shows and its genuine connection to Indian culture, El Estoque provides a candid peek at the collaborative choreography sessions to the celebration of Indian traditions that make the Bhangra team’s performances what they are in this video story.
Behind MV Bhangra
Video story exploring the behind the scenes of the MV Bhangra club December 15, 2023 Step behind the scenes of MV Bhangra, where the beats are bold and the connection to Indian culture is real. Exploring the club’s approach to crafting engaging shows and its genuine connection to Indian culture, El Estoque provides a candid peek at the collaborative choreography sessions to the celebration of Indian traditions that make the Bhangra team’s performances what they are in this video story.
Immersed in India
Recognizing different forms of Indian influenced entertainment in our community At Monta Vista High School, forms of Indian-influenced media and culture surround our whole community. El Estoque’s Art and Entertainment section sought to examine and recognize some of these forms, ranging from clothing to food choices. Click here to read about these experiences. Samika is currently a junior and Arts & Entertainment editor for El Estoque.
Immersed in India
As a student body filled with an array of Indian backgrounds, Indian-influenced arts and culture can be found in many corners of our community. From incorporating traditional Indian clothing into daily wardrobes to defining authentic Indian food, click here to read explore how embracing cultural forms of arts and entertainment enables the Indian American community to maintain a connection to their heritage.
Out of my own head
I can’t remember the last time I did something without overthinking it. Thinking “why would I do this” and “what could happen” and “what did they think” is, to me, as much a part of completing a task as the actual task is. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy the things I overthink — even though I may be mortified to speak and facilitate a discussion in my literature class, I still enjoy the process and am happy to take up the responsibility.
Wishful thinking
What are you hopeful for? On the surface, it’s an easy question with an easy answer. Many people are often thinking of the next best thing, the next achievement — it’s natural to say, ”I am hopeful about getting a 1600 on my SAT” or “I’m hopeful about getting a date to prom.” My immediate reaction, however, is blanking out.
The new faces of MVHS
Discovering the new staff on campus this year Kathryn Foo is a junior and a features editor. She is apparently extremely uncultured but can talk for hours if given the chance. Alan is currently a junior and a Features Editor for El Estoque. He is an active member of MV Speech & Debate and enjoys exploring technology. In his free time, he plays video games, messes with people and scours the internet for random topics that pique his interest.
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.
Climbing the mountain to self-growth
Debunking the idea of linear growth in self-improvement September 29, 2023 Heart pounding, you open Collegeboard to check your SAT score, and as the number on the screen tells you that the score is far lower than you had imagined, you feel an ache in the pit of your stomach starting to churn. The anticipation immediately shifts to disappointment in light of the score, but you tell yourself that there will be other chances.
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.
Stranger danger
Content Warning: This story contains mentions of blackmail and death threats. After a couple of months of chatting with an online friend, sophomore Jerry Wang’s friendship took a dark turn. Though he had believed they were close, the friend he met on a Discord server — seemingly out of nowhere — started manipulating and blackmailing him. At one point, the stranger’s friend began sending him death threats as well, and Wang cut off contact, left shaken by the experience.
Man on the street: Can you solve this riddle?
Testing MVHS students and staff’s abilities to answer puzzling riddles Jami Lim, Megha Mummaneni, and Riya Murthy About the Contributors Jami Lim, Staff Writer Jami is currently a sophomore and staff writer for El Estoque. In her free time, she indulges in her love of books, films, art and Lana Del Rey. Megha Mummaneni, Staff Writer Megha Mummaneni is currently a sophomore and a staff writer for El Estoque.
Running from the riptide
I remember reaching down to touch the water during my first visit to Hawaii, in awe at how clear my reflection was, and how bright and ethereal the ocean seemed. To my third-grade self, being at such a large beach and seeing and touching animals that were so majestic they seemed out of this world was stupefying. And so, following the week-long trip to Oahu, I knew that working in the water was what I wanted to do.
Out of line
A sports field is constructed with many lines — lines in which rules are enforced. However, sports also creates metaphorical lines of respect that can disappear in the heat of the game, leading to fouls and red and yellow cards.
Setting the guideline
Junior Jennifer Long bites back her frustration as the referee blows the whistle once again. She knows the call signals the end of the JV Girls Volleyball team’s short-lived lead. Although there was no doubt in her mind that her team was better, there was one thing holding them back: the referee. Long says she was calling them on every single point, every single line — calling double touch lines, netting, everything, even when Long was certain her teammates had done nothing wrong.
Looking from a clear lens
I’m not perfect. It’s not hard for me to admit. After all, who is more aware of one’s shortcomings than themselves? However, when I volunteered at a camp for young elementary schoolers last summer and noticed that the kids seemed to worship me, it struck me that to them, I was flawless. Soon after, one of the children I had mentored and become close to — in that way that teachers become friends with their students — told me excitedly that she wanted to be just like me when she grew up.
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