First Generation: Sophomore Julian Carbajal

Emily Terada

April 20, 2015

Filed under In-Depth, Issue-6, Web Exclusive

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n his house, Spanish is the only language spoken. But at school, sophomore Julian Carbajal, can be heard speaking many languages, including French and Spanish. As a way to keep their heritage intact, speaking Spanish is a large and integral aspect for Julian’s family. “When...

First Generation: Junior Daughty Arora

Olivia Jerram

April 20, 2015

Filed under In-Depth, Issue-6, Web Exclusive

[dropcap]J[/dropcap]unior Daughty Arora grew up in India with her grandparents. She met her parents for the first time she remembers when she was five. She will be the first in her family to grow up in America. “It means a lot [to be first generation],” Daughty said. “There’s a lot of pressure...

First Generation: Senior Federica Cerruti

Elaine Lee

April 20, 2015

Filed under In-Depth, Issue-6, Web Exclusive

[dropcap]A[/dropcap]merican fashion, social cues and standardized testing: these are some among many cultural differences that senior Federica Cerruti learned to adjust to when she moved to Los Altos three years ago as a sophomore. Ethnically Italian, she was born and raised in France for seven years...

First Generation: Junior Aldo Montes Sanchez

Maya Varghese

April 20, 2015

Filed under In-Depth, Issue-6, Web Exclusive

[dropcap]F[/dropcap]or Junior Aldo Montes Sanchez, the inspiration to strive to be the first person in his family to go to college comes from his mother, who never had the opportunity to go to college as she wasn’t able to finish high school. “My mother had come to the US in 8th grade and she believ...

First Generation: Senior Akemi Yoshida

Sitara Sriram

April 20, 2015

Filed under In-Depth, Issue-6, Web Exclusive

[dropcap]W[/dropcap]hat’s for dinner: Black beans and rice or sushi and stir-fry? Senior Akemi Yoshida comes from very different cultures: her mother is Honduran, her father was Japanese and she has spent her whole life in California. Despite having to juggle many different ways of life, Akemi has...

First Generation: Sophomore Sean Adibi

Hanna Khosravi

April 20, 2015

Filed under In-Depth, Issue-6, Web Exclusive

[dropcap]F[/dropcap]or as long as he could remember, sophomore Sean Adibi has held his cultural heritage first and foremost in his life. Being a first-generation American from Iran, his primary interests, both social and academic, have merged with his passion regarding his Iranian roots and have led...

First Generation: Junior Paola Campos

Olivia Jerram

April 20, 2015

Filed under In-Depth, Issue-6, Web Exclusive

[dropcap]J[/dropcap]unior Paola Campos was born and raised in the United States. She plays soccer after school, takes AP English and stresses about college applications. The entire college process and experience is especially important to Paola as she will be the first in her family to attend. “C...

The Tenure Debates: What teacher job security means for the public school student

Sitara Sriram

April 19, 2015

Filed under In-Depth, Issue-6

[dropcap]O[/dropcap]One of the most common topics assigned for persuasive essays, school debates and classroom discussions is the issue of teacher tenure. It is one of the most contentious topics in education, and all students, no matter where they come from, can relate to it. Teacher tenure provides...

Rights, Rules and Regulations: Maintaining student’s rights and school authority is a balancing act

Alexandra Milkey

April 19, 2015

Filed under In-Depth, Issue-6, Showcase

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]The California constitution guarantees the fundamental right to a public education. But this guarantee is only the first in a long line of significant constitutional rights that public school students in California have. Several Supreme Court cases have extended many of those constitutional...

Charter School Disputes in the Los Altos School District

Spencer Dembner

April 19, 2015

Filed under In-Depth, Issue-6, Showcase

Charter schools have been increasing in numbers throughout the United States over the last two decades. They are unique in that they receive public funding but function completely separately from their school districts. According to the U.S. Department of Education, the charter school system has grown...

The Military as a Path to College

The Talon

November 5, 2014

Filed under In-Depth, Issue-2, Showcase

Enlisting in the military is often seen as an alternative for those who cannot or do not wish to attend college. However, since attending college is considered the norm for many students in Los Altos, many don’t realize there are many routes to consider when it comes to higher education options directly...

So You Want to Join the Military?

November 5, 2014

Filed under In-Depth, Issue-2

If you were to walk into a kindergarten class and ask, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” chances are you’d get a lot of firefighters, astronauts, veterinarians and ballerinas. Most kids wouldn’t say, “I want to be in the military.” However, to seniors Brendan Krepchin, Michael Mylen,...