FEATURE-LETTER FROM THE EDITOR THE LANDING

LETTERFROM THE

Shreya Arora & Duncan MorrowEditors-in-Chief

"Tomorrow never knows"

InFlight

Staff 2013� � � � � � � � � � � � � �Shreya Arora & Duncan Morrow

� � � � � �Mrs. Mary Crawbuck� � � � � � � � � �

Kelly McDeavitt� � � � � � � � � � � �Sohan Shah � ! � " � � � � � � � � �Teddy Wu! # � � � � � � �Jessica Jayson� � � $ � � $ � � � � � � �Jacob Richey% ! � & � � � $ ' % ! $ ! ' � �Emma Longridge

( � � � � � � � � � �Alexis Bagon

% � � � ! � � � � � �Benjamin Dunn� ) � � � � � � � � �

Anthony Kuo* � � ! � + ! � � � � � � � �Kyle Smith� � � � ' $ � � � � � �

Ayesha Omarali� " * % � � � � � $ � � � � � � �Mina Corpuz� � * % ! � � � �

Haris Hanif

+ � � , � � � � � �Andrew Huang

- . / 0 � 1 2 � 3 * � ! � �Sharon Chu

Snigdha Jayavarapu

* � � ! � + ! � � � $ 3 * � ! � �Susan Kim

Viswa Rao

Adam Williams

4 � " � $ ! 5 � � %� 5 ! $ $ � $ ' * � ! � �Veeda Alahari

Shubhi Badjatiya

Sadie Edwards

( � � � � * � ! � �Dharam Amin

Matt Hardwick

Kyle Wiest� ) � � � * � ! � �Jeanelle Wan

Crystal Chu

Garrett Kwok

� 6 2 1 7 / 2 . 8 * � ! � �Daniel Kim

Andrew Loke

Meher Pahwa

Cesar Saldana

Brianne Uyeda

Lovingly dedicated to Sharon Cao.

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IN THIS ISSUE

Hey Falcons,

This year, InFlight will carry on

the legacy it started last year with

a redefinition of our news media.

However, this year, your Journalism

class will be introducing to you

a news magazine: The Landing.

Our articles will still be up and

running, as well as a full version

of this magazine, on our website

fhsinflight.com, even though we

will have fewer print newspapers.

Our theme this issue is “Tomorrow

Never Knows.” We’ve found that

the fundamental excitement of high

school is not just the amalgamation

of wonderful experiences,

but the moment right before

them- the thrill of not knowing

what tomorrow will bring.

This issue, we wanted

to showcase some Foothill

seniors that have come

so far in sports, bringing

for an even more exciting

tomorrow that never knows,

so make sure to check out

our College Commits spread.

InFlight will be working

with several different media outlets

this year, including our Tumblr

at fhsinflight.tumblr.com, which

captures funny quotes from around

our school; and our Livestream at

Livestream.com/fhsinflight, where

major sports games and events will

be streamed throughout the year.

Definitely check out these sites

and others on the back because

though tomorrow never knows,

we can always take advantage of

what we know today. Be informed.

Stay Classy, Falcons.

1 2-3

5-7

8-9

10 12

Changes at Foothill

Halloween

Happenings and

Opinions

Senior College

Commits

Club Rules and

Class Sizes

Gangnam Style Fall Sports Report

NEWS-SCHOOL CHANGES

PAGE 1

THE LANDING

Leadership plans to make this

New year brings changes to Foothill

A new year has started at Foothill,

and that means students and faculty

are in for some major changes.

This year, Foothill has a new vice

principal, various new teachers, a new

bell schedule, and late Wednesdays.

Among the new faces is Vice

Principal Mrs. Heller. She is starting

her first year here after teaching at

Amador Valley High School for fourteen

years. When asked about the difference

between Foothill and Amador, she

replied, “They’re not at all that

different.” Mrs. Heller is glad to still

be part of the Pleasanton community

and finds the staff and students at

Foothill to be friendly and welcoming.

Since many of our teachers retired

last year, there are a multitude of new

teacher that are able to fill their spots.

There are six new teachers at Foothill.

Two of them are math teachers: Ms.

Elnady and Mr. Johnson. Ms. Elnady is

teaching Algebra, Geometry, and Math IV

while Mr. Johnson teaches Intermediate

Algebra, Math I, and Math V. The new

faculty also includes Mr. Friesen, the new

Leadership and Chemistry teacher; Ms.

Moshtagh, teaching English and AVID;

Ms. Ron, the new Spanish teacher; and

Mr. Mueller, who teaches Economics,

Law and Society, and Global Studies.

Secondly, returning students will

see that the bell schedule has changed.

School now starts at 8:01 AM and

ends at 2:47 PM. In addition, late

Wednesdays are back. For Sophie Wan

(’13), “It’s perfect. I can either stay

up later to catch up on work, or I get

more sleep than usual, so it gets me

through Thursday and Friday.” Mallika

Pahwa (’16) seems to agree with

Wan’s sentiments, as she believes that

“every day should start late because

students work better with more sleep.”

Hopefully these changes will

benefit Foothill as the year progresses.

Crystal Chu

Staff Reporters

Snigdha Jayavarapu

Jeanelle Wan

Staff Reporters

Anthony Kuo

In the Leadership class at Foot-

hill High School, students represent-

ing each grade show leadership skills

on a day-to-day basis by keeping our

school spirited, organized, and fun.

From the Halloween costume contests

to the much-awaited annual Senior

Flock party, the Leadership class has

a plethora of

exciting danc-

es and good

times planned

for this

year. With a

new teacher, new students, and

new ideas, Leadership is well on its

way to creating an amazing, en-

tertaining 2012-2013 school year.

This year, the new brain behind

leadership is Mr. Friesen. Friesen de-

scribes Leadership as "exciting and

fun.” He believes that it’s vital to take

a non-academic class. He enjoys help-

ing the class turn their ideas into reality.

"The ASB members and the Lead-

ership class are hard-working and have

been helping me learn the traditions

of FHS,” Friesen states, adding, “Be-

cause they're a small class, it pushes

them to work harder as a group, and I

know that they have great potential."

For some, Leadership is a great

way to create a memorable high

school experience. Chloe Meyere (‘13), elected last year to be the ASB Vice

President, says "Leadership has been

an opportunity for me to get involved

in my school. I've always wanted

to have a say in what happens, and

Leadership gives me the personal

satisfaction of knowing I can actu-

ally make a difference on campus."

This year, Chloe is looking forward

to enjoying the Halloween activities

and says the annual Flock Party will

most likely be the highlight of the year,

since it is one of the largest events

that all grades can participate in.

When asked what plans Leader-

ship has in store for Foothill this year,

Lauren Bennett (‘13), ASB President,

responded by saying that Leadership

has new aims and ideas that are differ-

ent than what has been done before.

There are many fresh, new activi-

ties to look forward to this year, includ-

ing the annual "Trunk or Treat,” where

students get to trick-or-treat out of the

trunks of other students’ cars. “[Trunk

or Treat] seems to always be a huge

hit with the students,” says Bennett.

She adds, “Leadership is work-

ing right now to promote the

event so that everyone dress-

es up for school on [that day].”

Bennett says Leadership’s hopes

for this year are to get more people

involved in and aware of the differ-

ent activities

taking place

on campus.

“ T h e

goal is for

everyone to participate equally,

and not have the seniors domi-

nate everything,” says Bennett.

Along with trying to get more

underclassmen to participate, Chloe

Meyere says the ASB officers want to

make this Leadership class the most

effective it can be while hopefully re-

newing school spirit and involvement

to how it used to be in previous years.

Leadership wants to make this

school year full of fun and excit-

ing events with even more partici-

pation from Foothill students than

in the past few years. Through

this, they hope, it will be the best

year for Foothill High School.

the best year

REC

IPE

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FEATURE-HALLOWEEN

PAGE 2

THE LANDING

Candy: An Essential Part of Halloween

Pumpkin Bread

Sharon Chu

Staff Reporter

There comes a time every year

when aisles of every store suddenly

burst in abundance with candy in

all shapes and sizes. To avoid such

tempting goodies is nearly impossi-

ble. Everywhere you turn, these bags

of joy seem to be beckoning to you.

Each year, Americans spend over

$2 billion on Halloween candy alone -

which comes as no surprise. In fact,

it was here in the US where candy

earned its role in the popular fall holi-

day. According to candy expert Samira

Kawash, of The Atlantic, candy com-

panies created the idea in 1916 to

increase candy sales and consump-

tion: a holiday invention “uniquely

American in its entrepreneurial spirit:

Candy Day.” In the early 1950’s, kids

received nuts, fruit, cookies, cakes,

and even coins as tribute during their

annual visits around the neighbor-

hood. It wasn’t until the 1970’s

when candy was served as the most

popular and fitting Halloween treats.

Nowadays, various types of can-

dy flood the market this time of year.

From America’s favorite chocolate

bar brands (Hershey’s, Snickers, Kit

Kat, Twix, Milky Way) to fruity de-

lights of assorted textures and fla-

vors (Starbursts. Skittles, Dum Dums,

Sour Patch Kids), candy manufactur-

ers rarely fail to please us - or them-

selves, for that matter. They intro-

duce us to different and sometimes

“limited” editions of classic candy.

Take Snickers as an example: in

recent years, they’ve added varia-

tions such as “Snicker’s Dark,” con-

taining dark chocolate, and a lim-

ited edition “Snicker’s Fudge” bar.

To some, these candy bars

sound nowhere near delicious, while

to others it’s a dream come true.

For Dustin Duranleau (’15), regular

Snickers would be his top Hallow-

een pick “because the mixture of

chocolate and caramel is amazing.”

Others, such as Paul Jung

(’13), tend to lean towards can-

dy with a fruitier taste, such as

Sour Patch. For him, the candy

“reminds [him] of his childhood.”

Halloween favorites don’t have to

remain in any set category though.

Elaine Cheng (’15) and Alanna Good-

man (’15) agree that “Twix, Sour Skit-

tles, and sour candy in general” are their

favorites. “We like it all,” they added.

If candy-giving wasn’t intro-

duced to Halloween sixty years ago,

how different would it be? With no

candy in the spotlight, Halloween

would just be a day full of pranks

and parties featuring seasonal fruits.

Whether it’s Halloween or

“Candy Day,” either way we’d still

have loads of sweets. Imagine that.

3 1/2 cups of flour2 teaspoons baking soda1 teaspoon salt2 cups sugar1/2 teaspoon baking powder2 cups (preferably) fresh pumpkin1 cup vegetable oil4 eggs (beaten)1/4 cup water1 teaspoon cinnamon1 cup walnuts

INGREDIENTS: DIRECTIONS:STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, sugar, and baking powderSTEP TWO: Mix the pumpkin, oil, eggs, water, and cinnamon together. Combine it with dry ingredients, but don’t mix too thoroughly. Stir in the walnuts.STEP THREE: Pour into a well-buttered 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Bake 50 to 60 minutes until a thin skewer poked in the very center of the loaf comes out clean. Turn out of the pan and let cool on a rack.

FEATURE-HALLOWEEN

PAGE 3

THE LANDING

1

2

3

4

5

A girl should be able to wear what-

ever she wants, yet the Halloween

costumes sold in stores don’t give her

enough options. There is something

about the appeal of dressing up that

creates a false belief that Halloween is

the only day where a girl is allowed to

wear suggestive clothing and get away

with it. It’s not a bad or good thing, but

the costumes that sit in stores usually

emphasize the body more than usual.

When a boy looks for a Halloween

costume, he can find ones that range

from an M&M to the grim reaper. When

a girl looks for a Halloween costume,

she can also find these costumes, as

long as the theme “sexy” accompanies

them. Costumes are tighter, shorter,

and show more skin, promoting the

idea that this is the norm for girls.

For now, unisex and homemade

costumes seem to be the only solutions,

but the fact remains that unless some-

one wants to dress up like a Christmas

present or a can of soup, there aren’t

enough options to compensate for the

amount of sexist female costumes.

Hillary Djatikusuma (’14) com-

ments that the costumes are “degrad-

ing and unfair. They just objectify girls.”

The costumes themselves are not

unfair, but the inventory of costumes

kept in Halloween stores is. Girls are

only given sexualized costumes to

Halloween is just around the

corner, which means it’s

time to start planning where

to go for the best candy

and scares! Here are the

top 5 places in Pleasanton

to get your Halloween on:

3) madden’s house,

foothill road

Biggest candy bars by far at this

house! You have to stop by here

at least once in your Pleasanton

youth. Just make sure to get

there early, because there is a line!

4) laguna oaks

There may not be the scariest houses

in this neighborhood, but this area is

always packed with kids of all ages,

making it a fun, social place to go.

1) pirates of emersonThe number one scariest

place to go on Halloween.

While you may not be in a

neighborhood setting with

an abundance of candy, this

place is well worth the scare.

2) tennis park

neighborhood

There are tons of haunted

houses jammed in this

confusing yet popular area,

as well as plenty of trick-

or-treating. One house

to look out for this year

is 6933 Court Monterey.

This haunted house will

be bound to scare you.

5) ruby hillsJust like Laguna Oaks, you are

bound to find all your friends in

this part of town. You can also

snag some great candy and

hit up some amusing parties.

halloween in

pleasanton

A Hot Mess: Are Halloween costumes too revealing?Jeanelle Wan

Staff Reporter

choose from in stores, even though

there are plenty of other costumes

that would sell. Who says a witch

has to wear a tight dress? Who says

a witch can’t wear a long robe and

have ratty hair and look absolutely

terrifying? Who says a witch can’t

look like the more modest Herm-

ione Granger from Harry Potter?

During the upcoming costume

fashion show at lunch, many Foot-

hill girls will be disappointed that

they cannot participate because

they won’t have a creative costume

that doesn’t focus on their bodies.

This problem can be solved if Hal-

loween stores began selling non-

sexist costumes that don’t objectify

women into simply being sexy things.

Photos Courtesy:

Jeanelle Wan and Teddy Wu

Ages 3-6 Ages 7-10 Ages 11-14 Ages 15+?

NEWS-PLEASANTON-LOCAL THE LANDING

On Thursday, October 4th, Pleas-

anton city’s local elections com-

menced. There are three positions

available: one for mayor and two emp-

ty city council seats. Jerry Thorne

and Cheryl Cook-Kallio are compet-

ing for Pleasanton’s next mayor.

On his personal statement for the

Pleasanton Weekly, Jerry Thorne has

been in public service for 17 years and in

business for over 40. His political stance

seeks to have the city council to work

together in line with the school district

Pleasanton Elections UnderwayBrianne Uyeda

Staff Reporterand city employees in order to balance

the budget and prevent unfair taxes.

Thorne also wishes to sustain Pleas-

anton’s high quality of life standards.

“This vision is based on years

of leadership experience in both

the public and private sectors and

the input I have received from cit-

izens like you,” Thorne states.

Cheryl Cook-Kallio›s personal

statement says that she is a three-

term vice mayor with six years of ex-

perience as a city council member. She

has also taught Government and says

that this will enforce her understanding

of the mayoral position. She supports

public safety made by the addition of

traffic signals, economic growth and

development, and affordable housing.

“Your vote will determine who

will lead Pleasanton, and more im-

portantly, which direction our be-

loved city will take and how it

will grow,” Cook-Kallio says. “It

is about issues and effectiveness,

and the ability to get the job done.”

These candidates seem more than

ready for the challenges that being a

mayor comes with, so if you’re 18 in

Pleasanton, get out there and make

your voice heard! The ballots can be

turned in any time until November 6th.

At the 11th hour on the 11th day

of the 11th month of 1918, the armi-

stice that ended hostilities between

Allied nations and Germany took ef-

fect. On November 11, 1919, the first

Armistice Day was commemorated

to honor the veterans of World War I.

Armistice Day lasted until 1954

when its name was changed to “Veter-

ans Day” to honor both the living and

the deceased veterans of all wars. Now

a federal holiday, Veterans Day is rec-

ognized by flags being flown at half-

mast and government offices including

schools being shut down for the day.

This year we observe Veterans Day

on Sunday, November 11, and have No-

vember 12 off from school. The Tri-Val-

ley and Pleasanton in particular have

a strong tradition of commemorating

V e t e r a ns D a yfeature

16th Annual Tri-Valley Veterans

Day Parade

Theme: “Purple Hearts”

Where: Downtown Pleasanton

(starts on Old Bernal Ave)

When: 11:30am Nov. 4

Military Packout by Pleasanton

Military Families (PMF)

Where: Veterans’ Hall 301 Main

St. Pleasanton

When: 4pm Nov. 16

NHS Letter Writing to Soldiers

Where: FHS

When: 3 pm-5pm Nov. 30

*This event is being put on by

Foothill’s NHS. Contact any NHS

member for more information.

NHS Military Drive

Where: FHS (in-class)

When: December 10-21

*Contact any NHS member for

more information.

� � � � � � �� � � � �Kyle Wiest

Staff Reporter

Veterans Day with parades, benefit

events, and military drives. According

to the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post

6298, the annual Tri-Valley Veterans

Day Parade has been held in Pleasanton

since its creation in 1996 and has had

many influential speakers including US

Army Major General Nick Tooliatos (US

Army), US Congressman Jerry McNer-

ney, and Rear Admiral Jud Scott (USN).

This year, Pleasanton clubs and

organizations are also stepping up

to help commemorate Veterans Day.

PAGE 4

“To us in America, the reflections of

Armistice Day will be filled with solemn

pride in the heroism of those who died in

the country’s service and with gratitude

for the victory, both because of the thing

from which it has freed us and because

of the opportunity it has given America

to show her sympathy with peace and

justice in the councils of the nations.”

-Woodrow Wilson

FEATURES-PLEASANTON-COLLEGE COMMITS THE LANDING

PAGE 5

Foothill seniors’ college commits

After an arduous recruiting pro-

cess that lasted nearly two years,

Foothill senior Alex Sborov (’13) has

committed to playing golf for Texas

Christian University next fall. Sbor-

ov calls the decision “a relief to not

have to worry about college anymore.”

TCU first approached Sborov

during a tournament in her sopho-

ALEX SBOROVTexas Christian University

Teddy Wu

Features Editor

KATIE SBOROVVanderbilt University

Some decisions are made based

upon a whim; an instantaneous gut

feeling so forceful and persistent

that one can’t help but comply.

Such is the case with the commit-

ment Katie Sborov (’13) made to

play golf for Vanderbilt in the fall.

Several schools initially approached

Sborov beginning September 1 of her

junior year, including the University of

California at Berkeley and the Univer-

sity of Michigan. But it wasn’t until

Katie played in a tournament this past

July, with college scouts onlooking,

that Vanderbilt first approached her.

“The talks got heated in a hur-ry,” said Sborov. “I

visited the campus

in late August and

accepted the schol-

arship on the spot.”

When asked about her emo-

tions about the decision, Katie sim-

ply replied, “It feels good to know

that all the hard work has paid off.”

Sborov has been playing golf

since she was three years old. She

has been on Foothill’s varsity girls

golf team for all four years, and has

excelled at the sport throughout her

life. The crowning achievement of her

shining career so far has been quali-

fying for the US Girls Junior Cham-

pionship this past summer. “It is one

of the most prestigious tournaments

to qualify for, and it was the place I

first met the Vanderbilt coach, so it

was really memorable,” Sborov says.

Katie, along with her twin sis-

ter, Alex, plan on leading Foothill’s

varsity girls golf team to anoth-

er successful season, this time as co-captains. In addition,

Katie will continue to play

in individual tournaments

throughout the year to im-

prove her game and prepare

her for her freshman year at Vandy,

where she hopes to make the trav-

eling team. While she may be liv-

ing the sweet life now, the best is

still yet to come for Katie Sborov.

more year, stating that

the school had an in-

terest in her. NCAA

regulations prohibit

schools from official

student contact until Septem-

ber 1 of their junior year, however.

Soon after contact was estab-

lished, Sborov traveled to Fort Worth to

visit the campus, and would later com-

mit to TCU on June 5th of this year.

Alex also received scholarship op-

portunities from several other schools,

including the University of Arizona and

the University of California at Berke-

ley. Still, TCU remained her top choice

throughout the recruitment process.

Alex and her twin sister, Katie

Sborov (‘13), began their golf careers

at age three by first swinging a set

of plastic clubs. Since then

, the two have been on Foothill’s var-

sity girls golf team for all four years.

Her lowest score so far for eigh-

teen holes is a 69, and her favorite

tournament she’s competed in is the

California State Junior Girls Champion-

ship, held every sum-

mer in Monterey. “The

biggest highlight for

me has been qualifying

twice in the USGA Girls Junior Championship,” says Sborov.

This is an annual tournament featuring

the nation’s top young female golfers.

As for her current golf game,

Sborov plans on continuing to play

with the Foothill team in the fall, and

to play in local invitationals during

the rest of her senior year. It’s safe

to say her future is looking bright.

EMMY RODRIGUEZUniversity of Oregon

In the fall of 2013, Foot-

hill’s own Emmy Rodriguez (’13) will be joining the green and yel-

low at the University of Oregon.

Rodriguez, who currently plays

center back on the Foothill girls’ soc-

cer team, is excited to take her game to

the next level. “It’s an honor to play in

a top college division as the PAC 12.”

When asked what she was most

excited about playing in Oregon, she

replied, “I’m excited to play with my

sister.” Her sister, Allison Rodriguez

was a walk-on to the team in her

freshman year, and seems to have

a great influence on Foothill’s soc-

cer star. “My sister pushes me out on

the field and she knows me the best,

which makes me a better player.”

Oregon was Rodriguez’s first choice

from the beginning. She says she has

already met the coach of the Duck’s

squad and has visited the campus a cou-

ple of times stating, “I think the Univer-

sity of Oregon is the perfect fit for me

academically, socially, and athletically.”

As this Falcon transforms into

a Duck in the next stage of her

soccer career, we can only ex-

pect great things for “Em-Rod.”

Hudson has

played wide re-

ceiver, tight end,

outside lineback-

er, safety, and

RAYMOND HUDSONUniversity of California, Berkeley

From our very own varsity foot-

ball team, one player has committed

to taking his game to the collegiate

level. Raymond Hudson (’13), one

of Foothill’s high-achieving athletes,

will be taking his talents to the Uni-

versity of California at Berkeley.

punter throughout his four years of

high school football, and will be pri-

marily used at the tight end position

with the Cal Bears. Although where

he will land on the depth chart is un-

known, he will be given the opportu-

nity to put his talents on full display.

When asked how he felt about

the whole situation, he respond-

ed, “This is a dream come true.

Playing football at Cal has been a

dream of mine for a while. It’s awe-

some that I am able to go there.”

There seems to be no downside

here for Hud-

son as he gets

to play the game

he loves at the

college of his dreams on a full schol-

arship. This is an exciting journey

for the football star, and the fact

that he is staying in the Bay Area is

sure to keep parents and students

of Foothill High School cheering.

Foothill seniors’ college commitsDaniel Kim

Staff Reporter

PAGE 6

Photos Courtesy: Benjamin Dunn, State Cup 2010 Photographer, Teddy Wu, Celina Li, Alexa Milus, Laura Klein

THE LANDING FEATURES-PLEASANTON-LOCAL-COLLEGE COMMITS

ALEXA MILUSWashington College

Alexa Milus (‘13) has committed

to Washington College in Chester-

town, Maryland for lacrosse. Alexa

says she is “happy with where [she]

is going,” and can’t wait for next fall.

In the meantime, Milus still

plans to play lacrosse on her trav-

el team, continuing the hard effort

and diligence she has put forth in

her game. “It›s mostly for condi-

tioning and to get better before

college,” she says. For a girl with a

shining past, here›s hoping her fu-

ture brings many bright spots as well.

FEATURES-PLEASANTON-LOCAL-COLLEGE COMMITS THE LANDING

PAGE 7

Foothill seniors’ college commits

Celina Li (’13) has committed to

the University of California, Berkeley

for swimming. She is the top swim-

mer in California and has achieved

greatness in her sport by being a

part of the USJunior National team

and Olympic Trials this past summer.

Whenever she is asked about

her accomplishments, Li attempts

to downplay her expertise and skill.

Li said that she «was always at the

pool watching [my] sister swim and I

ended up joining the swim team be-

cause I wanted to be just like her.”

The college recruitment process-

es can be incredibly stressful, and

as she ventured out to learn about

the colleges scouting her, such as

USC, Stanford University, UC Berke-

ley, and University of Georgia, the

process got even more intense.

CELINA LIUniversity of California, Berkeley

Shubhi Badjatiya

Staff Reporter

LAURA KLEIN Stanford University

Foothill Senior

Laura Klein (’13) has

committed to Stanford

for lacrosse. As a top lacrosse athlete, Klein would often

travel all over the country to compete.

Her success can be attributed to

the incredible amount of hard work she

puts in to her sport and to her school.

Klein was inspired by her older sister to

play lacrosse, and stated that her sister

was instrumental in encouraging her

“pick up the stick and try out the game.”

College choices are incredibly

hard, and Klein can attest to that fact.

Her colleges came down to Brown,

Princeton, and Stanford, with Stan-

ford becoming the eventual winner.

Klein explained the recruitment pro-

cess, starting with freshmen year,

when the daunting process began. “I

wrote to college coaches and went to

many college showcase tournaments.

Stanford recruited me the summer

after my sophomore year and it was

a perfect fit, so I committed October

of my junior year 2012.”

But getting noticed

by Stanford was one

of the hardest parts of

the recruiting process, with hun-

dreds of girls to compete against,

and it is incredibly difficult to stand

out and make a lasting impression.

In college, Klein is planning on

“improving not only the physical as-

pects of my game such as endurance,

stick skills, and shooting, but also

the intangibles such as leadership,

aggression, and a good work ethic.”

Klein stated plenty of reasons

for why she picked Stanford, and it seems like she truly made the best

decision for her. “I love how it is

so focused on academics, yet still

has a huge sports following. I like

the intensity of the lacrosse pro-

gram. It is a beautiful campus. I am

close to home so my parents can

see me play. Ultimately, I just felt

it when I walked onto campus that

this was the place I wanted to be.”

One of the hardest parts is turn-

ing a college down. “I had to call

the head coach at USC and turn him

down, and it was one of the hardest

things I’ve had to do. But the best part

was the call to the UC Berkeley head

coach, Terri, and committing to Cal.”

Li talked about UC Berkeley’s

eclectic training methods, and

said she looked forward to “spin

classes, yoga, weights, and ocean

swims.” Li is an upcoming super-

star, but it truly is her humble atti-

tude that will take her far in life.

OPINIONS-CLUB RULES

PAGE 8

more about other communities.”

While it seems unfair that the

enforcement of these guidelines limit

such beneficial events, we can’t com-

pletely blame them. Vice Principal Jen-

nifer Friesen mentioned that some of

these guidelines are set by the state.

It’s not like the administration has

power over the state to change this.

They are simply following guidelines.

But aren’t we following them too

closely? Alex Ku (‘13), a District Coun-

cil member, mentioned that she had

the opportunity to talk to other clubs in

Northern California. Club officers from

other schools did not have as many

obstacles as the ones here at Foothill.

If the school didn’t enforce the

guidelines so strictly, our clubs could

do so much more. Club members al-

ways have creative ideas, but many are

turned down. If they don’t see much ac-

tivity going on in the club, they move on.

Guidelines are strictly enforced to

prevent mistakes, but they’re prevent-

ing clubs from doing more. Why hold

back clubs from their full potential?

on them in order for the club to pro-

mote its idea of “service above self”

and get involved with the community.

They need fundraisers to raise mon-

ey for their annual cause and events

beyond the campus for volunteer-

ing opportunities. However, it will be

quite difficult this year to plan several

events each month as guidelines and

paperwork slow down planning. Many

members are disappointed when they

find out that events are canceled be-

cause they aren’t approved in time.

The strict club regulation is al-

ready affecting Interact’s first major

off-campus event of the year: FLC.

Grace Kim (‘13), the events coordinator,

explained, “We have problems getting

to district and area events because

the school requires us to get field trip

forms, volunteer clearance forms and

chaperones for every single event.

FLC is a leadership workshop and

a spirit filled day for high school stu-

dents. By restricting us, they’re po-

tentially limiting us from a great op-

portunity to really network and learn

Although the way that clubs oper-

ate has not changed in the last three

years, the administration is now push-

ing clubs to follow these guidelines more

closely than before. Officers around cam-

pus have spoken about how fewer fun-

draisers and off-campus events are be-

ing made because of the hassle they

have to go through to earn approval.

A few of the duties as a gen-

eral member of a club are: to attend

meetings, listen to officers, and dis-

cuss upcoming events. This rarely in-

cludes planning events for the club.

However, members also find it frus-

trating when ideas are turned down.

Many approved clubs that benefit

Foothill are actively involved in vari-

ous events in and out of school. These

events are meant to be fun and ben-

eficial. Interact, for example, depends

THE LANDING

Club rules: limiting

Susan Kim

Staff Reporter

OPINIONS-CLASS SIZES

PAGE 9

THE LANDING

As they settle into this new

school year, many students here

on the Foothill campus are not only

overwhelmed by homework, sports,

and part-time jobs, but also find

themselves seated in classrooms that

can no longer contain them. Class

sizes this year are off the charts, with

many classes reaching a total of nearly

40 students. Due to the budget cut

crisis, many class sections are being

cut, which leads to less class periods

and more students within them. Now,

teachers are being forced to accept

more kids into their classes which

then creates more noise pollution and

a lower quality working environment.

Betty Thoe, an English teacher, has

repeatedly stated in her classroom that

“it is difficult for me to teach because

the subject that I am teaching calls for

a class size of twenty-five, not nearly

38.” This overcrowding directly effects

Class sizes on steroids

Emma Longridge

Business Manager

those involved: it is harder for the

teacher to teach and it is equally more

difficult for the students to learn.

The fact is that, throughout all

my three (going on four) years of

attending Foothill, I have never seen my

classes so impacted by budget cuts.

After viewing and experiencing all

of these complications, I have come to

the conclusion that schools’ frivolous

spending ventures are sending us into

a seemingly endless pool of misery.

Many of us have seen the different

things the school has used its funds

for. Many times, it doesn’t match up

why the school has enough money

to spend on elaborate events, but not

enough to create more class sections.

Often times, by merely just

viewing the situation, it proves to

be hard to register why we, as the

future leaders of America, need to be

subjected to the poor or misguided

choices of administrative adults.

However, while it may appear to

be this way, after speaking to Jennifer

Friesen, vice principal extraordinaire,

the situation seems to be more

complicated. In reality, the PUSD

determines where the different sorts

of funds and donations go, not the

school itself. For example, the new Mac

computers Foothill recently acquired

are derived from money stored in

the technology category of finances.

There is no way to dip into

different categories for funds

because the money can only be used

for the purpose it is intended for.

That means it is not possible to

take money out of one department

of lesser need and put it into a

department of higher need. Because

of this, many class sections have

been cut and lead to larger class sizes.

“Certain classes are chosen

based on what students want,”

states Friesen, “If more students

want to take science, we will put

more science classes in. If more

students want art, we add more

art classes.” Now that classes are

larger and more impacted, “I feel it

is harder for students to concentrate,

leading them to not do as well as

they could have,” shares Friesen.

A&E-GANGNAM STYLE

PAGE 10

THE LANDING

Crystal Chu

Staff Reporter

How to Gangam

essentials so they can over-spend on

conspicuous luxuries such as coffee.

Many would say that “Gangnam

Style” has gotten its popularity from

merely the dance. Psy created a

choreography that is very similar to

a horse. It may seem odd, but it has

positive feedback from a range of ages

and genders. Kai Zamora (’16) said

it was “entertaining,“ and Hannah

Frederick (’13) said it was “unique and

very different.” Adrian Martinez(’14)

even added that he “loves it!”

Step 1: Step 2: Step 3: Step 4:

Although this music video is

all fun and games, high schoolers

aren’t the only ones glued to a

YouTube screen. Kids as young as

elementary school have seen the

video and the various dance moves

included. So while you’re laughing at

the wacky dance moves, there are a

wide variety of kids who have also

seen the video and know the dance.

So watch out world, Psy has a made

a comeback with “Gangnam Style”

and who knows what may come next.

PSY SWEEPS THE WORLD WITH

The line “Oppa Gangnam Style”

has been sung across the world.

All because of the comeback song

“Gangnam Style” sung by the Korean

artist Psy.“Gangnam style” is a music

video made by South Korean artist,

Psy that has over four hundred twenty

million hits from fans all across the

world. To some students, it was a

surprise that the song had gone

global. James Lee (’14) commented,

“I thought it would only be a hit in

Korea, but it became international”.

So who is this crazy mastermind

behind the song? Psy, also short for

Psycho, (real name Park Jae-sang) is

a South Korean songwriter, singer,

rapper, dancer, and producer. Just as

his name says, he may be psycho,

but as a matter of fact, he graduated

from the Berkeley School of Music.

Gangnam is a small district in

Seoul, South Korea. Gangnam used

to be a country like neighborhood in

Seoul, meaning that there was very

limited technology, abundance of

famers, and it used to be a rural area

separated from the city. Thus Psy

dresses and represents a Gangnam

man. Currently though, Gangnam

is now the Las Vegas of Korea. The

lyrics explain about wealth and

class in the South Korean society.

The basic meaning of the lyrics

is about how Korean women would

spend more money on coffee than

their own lunch. These women are

called “Soybean paste women”

for their propensity to crimp on

and who knows what may come next.

Students Zach

Summerfield

(’13) and

Sean Mackle

(’13) showing

off their

”Gangnam

Style” moves.

“GANGNAM STYLE“

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttep 1: Step 2: pSSttep 3

A&E-PIZZA REVIEW

PAGE 11

THE LANDING

The first I hit was New York

Pizza. It is a kitschy place in

Downtown Pleasanton, danger-

ously close to the Pleasanton arch,

and is great for pizza in general.

However, parking is difficult- it

may take twenty minutes to find

a spot to park your car. This time

may or may not be worth the piz-

za, depending on what you like.

The pizza there is done

New York Style with a thin crust

that folds easily. Pizzas come in

various sizes. The cheese was

stringy and, of course, cheesy. Ev-

erything was cooked well. If you

like to dab your pizza with napkins

before you eat it, get your napkins

on. There’s a bit of grease to dab at

The eat-in experience is fine.

The nice people behind the coun-

ter bought out the pizza within the

estimated time that they gave. The

wait wasn’t too long and the store

was clean. The price is moderate.

Vito’s Express in Dublin is

a good Friday night pizza place

for everyone. It’s a little bit fur-

ther out in somewhat deserted

strip mall and shopping center, so

parking is A-okay. The best part

of this place is that you can ac-

tually see the cooks making your

pizza when you order in person.

The decor isn›t bad at all:

there’s a wacky 10 (or more)

spoked ceiling fan and Vespas both

inside and outside the restaurant.

There’s also a small bar inside, but

most of us won’t get served there.l

The pizza itself is fine. It

smelled really good when one of

the employees brought it to my

table. The crust is thin and there

was a moderate amount of top-

pings on the pizza. It tasted a little

bland, but was good otherwise.

Cafe Main was deemed the

most fun place on Earth. By

that, I mean our cashier danced

for us. Though I can’t guar-

antee a dance for every cus-

tomer, it was still a great place.

On a more serious note, Cafe

Main located in Downtown Pleas-

anton. The staff is friendly and

the pizza came out quickly. For

those who have never been in-

side, there are more seats that

you’d expect as there’s a back

seating area equipped with a TV.l

Cafe Main offers two types of

pizza: thin and thick crust. I had

both kinds, but I couldn’t really

tell the difference. Beyond that,

the pizza was good. I didn’t have

the urge to dab the pizza with

napkins though it wasn’t with-

out oil. Most importantly, the piz-

zas ordered with toppings come

pretty much completely covered.

I wasn›t used to the density of

toppings on top of the pizza. That

make for a pretty good mix: a

pizza that doesn’t look too greasy

and contains lots of toppings.a

The InFlight Pizza Review

New York Pizza Vito’s Express Cafe Main

Anthony Kuo

Photo Editor

SPORTS-FALL SPORTS REPORT-FOOTHILL

PAGE 12

THE LANDING

Sohan S

hah &

Vis

wa R

ao

Sports

Editor & S

taff R

eporter

The

Footh

ill

vars

ity

footb

all

team

is

lo

okin

g

pre

tty

good

this

year,

havin

g

won

again

st

the

follow

ing schools

: N

evato

, Las Lom

as,

and M

onte

Vis

ta. They h

ave lost

to F

reedom

and C

al H

igh. H

ead

Coach M

att

Sw

eeney sta

ted th

at

“R

ay [H

udso

n]

(’13

) and G

riffi

th [

Ga

tes]

(’1

3)

have re

ally ste

pped

up.

They

are

ju

st

phenom

enal

pla

yers

.”

Coach

Sw

eeney said

th

at

the te

am

has dis

pla

yed good

work

eth

ic,

but

needs to

w

ork

on sta

yin

g fo

cused

all t

he t

ime w

ith n

o m

enta

l la

pses.

He a

lso s

aid

that

the t

eam

pla

ns t

o b

e m

ore

bala

nced i

n t

he r

unnin

g

and passin

g gam

e by utilizin

g both

com

ponents

of

the off

ense equally.

The fo

otb

all te

am

has put

in

num

ero

us h

ours

of hard

work

, and c

ontinues to w

ork

six

days a w

eek,

with either

aft

er-

school

pra

ctice

or

lunch tim

e film

re

vie

win

g.

When asked if his

team

has a shot

at

the pla

yoff

s, C

oach Sw

eeney

replied “

It’s

a c

razy l

eague.

Anyth

ing c

an h

appen.”

The

Footh

ill

vars

ity

girls

’ volleyball

team

is

usually a

forc

e t

o b

e r

eckoned w

ith,

and t

his

year

looks no diffe

rent.

C

apta

in A

manda T

uazon (

’13)

has help

ed keep th

is te

am

str

ong as ever. She

sta

ted,

“This

year, w

e have a very

young te

am

.

We are

consta

ntly im

pro

vin

g and develo

pin

g our

younger pla

yers

, and o

ur m

ore

experienced m

em

bers

are

doin

g a gre

at

job m

ento

ring th

e oth

ers

.” Led

by C

oach D

usty

C

ollin

s, th

is te

am

has dis

pla

yed

very

str

ong s

erv

ing a

nd s

pik

ing s

kills

, w

hile a

lways

main

tain

ing a

positiv

e a

ttitude.

Jasm

ine B

allest

ero

s

(’13), one of

the th

ree vete

ran pla

yers

, said

, “W

e

made N

CS f

or

the p

ast

two y

ears

, and I

thin

k w

e

are

definitely

still in t

he runnin

g to w

in it

this

year.”

The k

ey g

am

es for th

is team

are

the m

atc

hes v

ers

us

San Ram

on,

Am

ador

Valley,

and C

alifo

rnia

H

igh.

Led

by

capta

ins

Ally

Wong

(’13)

and

Leanne C

hen (

’13),

the g

irls

’ vars

ity t

ennis

team

has

done

very

w

ell

despite

the

fact

that

it’s

com

prised of

main

ly very

young pla

yers

. U

nder

the tu

tela

ge of

the tw

o co-c

apta

ins,

th

is gro

up

has united as a te

am

and is

sta

yin

g positiv

e.

Wong

says,

“I

pla

y

with

a

defe

nsiv

e

sty

le,

and I

have a very

str

ong fo

rehand.”

By

dis

pla

yin

g h

er

advanced t

echniq

ue a

nd f

orm

, she

help

s th

e younger

pla

yers

develo

p.

She sta

ted

that

the key gam

es fo

r her

team

are

again

st

Am

ador

Valley H

igh School, San Ram

on Valley

Hig

h

School,

and

Monte

V

ista

H

igh

School.

The

matc

h

vers

us

Monte

V

ista

H

igh

School

should

be

one

to

watc

h

because

they

have

a

rela

tively

old

er

team

w

hile

we

have

a

younger

and

still

develo

pin

g

team

,

whic

h

should

le

ad

to

an

inte

resting

dynam

ic.

Ale

x S

boro

v (

’13)33

Raym

ond H

udso

n (

’13)3

Allis

on W

ong (

’13)3

Fall Sports Report

VOLLEYBALL

FOOTBALL

TENNIS

333333333333333Br

ooke

Cam

pbel

l (’1

3)3

Pho

tos

Cour

tesy

: Te

ddy W

u, A

ntho

ny K

uo

To r

ea

d the

ful

l a

rtic

le, vi

sit fh

sinfl

ight

.com

FEATURE-BULLYING-SCHOOL ISSUES-SUICIDE

PAGE 13

“A permanent solution

to a temporary problem” is

a phrase that is most often

used when it comes to suicide.

In the past two years,

more than nineteen people in

Pleasanton alone have chosen that

solution to end their problems.

Suicide is the third leading

cause of death for young adults

worldwide and has become one

of the leading causes of deaths

in Pleasanton. It’s sad to see that

these teens felt helpless enough to

put an end to their lives; it’s sad to

see these teens become a statistic.

However, we have the power

to keep someone from simply

EDGEStanding on the

4,000 people

The Coroner’s Bureau of

Alameda County deals with

an average of

each year.

120 suicides

Suicide is the

leading cause of death

among young people ages

15 to 19 years.

THIRD

meet every Monday,

Wednesday, and Friday

in Room B- 11 at lunch.

Peer Advocates

Ask for help.

THE LANDING

Meher Pahwa

Staff Reporter

becoming another number. At Foothill,

we are lucky to have a number of

resources that can help individuals

facing depression and suicidal behavior.

“Our Movement,” a school club

that meets every Thursday, is an

organization that helps people directly

deal with depression and suicide. They

support events such as PostSecret and

the “You are Loved” campaign, both

of which encourage the prevention

of suicide. “The main objective of our

club is to show that people are there

for you and to believe in yourself,”

says student Selina Lao (’13).

Foothill High School is also blessed

with another great program: Peer

Advocates. Peer advocates consist

of a group of students who meet

every Wednesday and Friday to help

students with issues such as bullying,

harassment, and depression. Both

of these groups strive to show

how significant the issue of suicide

is, and continue to hope that with

these meeting they may be able

to offer help to those who are

struggling with the idea of living

Unlike most problems, suicide

does not have a direct cure-there

isn’t medication we can use to

make it go away. However, what

we can all do is to help prevent it.

As Lao says, “Depression,

self-injury, and suicide are

very serious matters that need

attention, but rather than trying

to “cure” them, we need to take

the measures to prevent them, and

the prevention is within all of you.”

We can direct people to get

professional help, or we can inform

our counselors when we see someone

upset. Or sometimes, just be willing

to listen and provide support and

let the person know you care.

The teen suicide rate has increased

more than %200 in the last decade.

It’s time for us to do something. It’s

time to show that the statistic matters,

and that death is not just a number.

If you notice anyone or feel

yourself that you need help, please

call the Anonymous Student Tipline at:

Almost 1 in 5 high school students have thought about committing suicide.

925 417 5199

Over

ages 24-15 die each year

because of suicde

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