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Student Council Opens Its Doors
At student council meetings, attendees are given the opportunity to voice their thoughts on school issues and propose initiatives for change. Before this year, attendance was limited to selected representatives, chosen by teachers or from extracurricular classes like Speech and Debate. Now, any student can participate by...
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Cracks in the Walls
In an effort to bring students closer together, the school planned day-long workshops designed to strengthen the community from Sept. 3 to through 5 called Breaking Down...
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Mid-Cycle and Money Measures
By Ayush Deshpande Dec. 11, 2025 Dilara Varoglu Art On Nov. 4, several elections were held across the state of California, leading to measures such as Proposition 50, Santa Clara County Measure A, Delano Measure B and McFarland Measure C being passed. Proposition 50 authorizes California State legislature to begin a mid-cycle redistricting of the state’s congressional maps. Measure A will raise the county sales tax to 9.75% for the next five years, and Delano M
Dec 12, 20253 min read
The Snapping of SNAP
By Andrew Xie Dec. 11, 2025 On Oct. 1, the U.S. government entered a shutdown for the first time in seven years. After both chambers of Congress failed to agree on a spending bill to propose to President Donald Trump, many government services were either partially or completely stopped. Among these disruptions was the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the federal program that provides monthly food benefits for millions of low-income households in
Dec 12, 20253 min read
BARTggu Controversy
By Lauren Law Nov. 12, 2025 A crisp white and blue circular emblem marks the iconic logo of the Bay Area as it flashes before commuters’ eyes on the side of a sleek, silver train speeding through San Francisco. The bold letters spell out the acronym of Bay Area Rapid Transit: BART. Yet trains are not the only location where this logo can be spotted—recently, the logo has also been seen on canvas tote bags, baseball caps and water bottles displayed behind the gla
Nov 12, 20253 min read
Caught Red-Handed
To improve safety on the roads, San José is installing new red-light cameras at selected intersections that have been labeled as the most dangerous. Titled Vision Zero, this initiative...
Nov 4, 20253 min read
Philz Coffee’s Bittersweet Sale
On the corner of 24th and Folsom Streets of San Francisco during the 1970s, one man started a tiny supermarket selling the nation’s cheapest milk and beer...
Sep 23, 20253 min read
A Holly Jolly Musical Sleigh Ride
By Brandon Koo Dec. 11, 2025 Ryan Park Art As the doors swing open to the band room of Rian Rodriguez , Visual Performing Arts Department, the vivid soundscape is impossible to ignore—the brass warmups blaring and the vocal scales filling the room. The collage of notes is a kind of organized chaos that only happens when three major music groups work together—a collaboration between Band, Choir and Orchestra. “I feel more connected because I am working with peop
Dec 11, 20253 min read
Chicago School Musical
By Isabell Zhu Dec. 11, 2025 Ryan Park Art The stage lights dim, the orchestra hums a quiet melody and a hush falls over the audience. A single spotlight makes its way on stage—just in time for the school’s long-awaited production of “Chicago” to begin with a jazzy, scandalous and ritzy adaptation of Velma Kelly’s “All That Jazz.” The school’s rendition of “Chicago” premiered on Nov. 12 at 4:30 p.m., followed by evening performances on Nov. 13, Nov. 14, Nov. 20
Dec 11, 20253 min read
Cracks in the Walls
By Ariel Lee Nov. 12, 2025 Eleanor Wang Art In an effort to bring students closer together, the school planned day-long workshops designed to strengthen the community from Sept. 3 through 5, called Breaking Down the Walls. However, despite its positive goals, low participation levels and scheduling challenges ultimately led to the program’s cancellation. Breaking Down the Walls is a school-based initiative run by Ignite2Unite that focuses on building empathy, un
Nov 12, 20254 min read
The Price of the Party
By Amie Ahn Nov. 12, 2025 Eleanor Wang Art Beneath illuminated jellyfish decor glowing in dreamy hues of blue and green, students stream into the cafeteria, greeted by pounding music and excited cheers. Outside, cameras flash as friends crowd together and pose at photobooths, while others sip on Mermaid Fizz drinks and bite into Krabby Patty sliders. This scene brings to life a Homecoming under the sea—but of course, with a price. Homecoming, a classic high scho
Nov 12, 20253 min read
Virgin
With this volume marking my third year writing for the music column, I was faced with a decision: continue reviewing music or...
Sep 25, 20252 min read
AI in Education
By Teresa Sun December 10, 2025 The academic environment is rapidly shifting as Artificial Intelligence (AI) moves from a theoretical concept to a powerful tool accessible to every student. While AI-driven systems have been evolving for decades, the current generation of Large Language Models has made personalized, on-demand academic assistance instantly accessible, enabling students to study smarter and more effectively, or perhaps for misuse. However, this rap
Dec 12, 20254 min read
Campus Goes Phone-Free
The Phone-Free School Act, signed by Governor Gavin Newsom on Sept. 23, 2024 required all school districts, charters and county offices of education to implement some policy that limits or prohibits smartphone usage during the school day by July 1, 2026. SJUSD decided to enact a complete prohibition in and out of the classroom for the 2025-2026 school year; phones must be kept off and...
Nov 12, 20255 min read
TAs in the Classroom
By Sarah Perez Sept. 24, 2025 In a quiet corner of the classroom, a diligent student performs a series of tasks,...
Sep 25, 20253 min read
New TA Policy
By Srihita Madiraju Sept. 24, 2025 Catherine Nguyen Art In previous years, upperclassmen had the opportunity to become a teacher's assistant (TA). Selected by their teachers during course selection, TAs provide teachers with various forms of assistance depending on their unique teaching styles, with tasks ranging from collecting homework to reviewing classwork submissions. This year, the school adjusted its TA policies to better align with state education code, disrup
Sep 25, 20253 min read
Assassinating senior safety
Stalking high schoolers and blocking incoming traffic are typically not activities one would deem school-appropriate. Given this, it was no surprise that this year’s senior assassin game sparked administrative intervention...
May 21, 20253 min read
Cultivating Culture and Customs
By Sarah Perez December 10, 2025 Growing up Persian-American in the U.S., senior Tara Kashani-Brink celebrated Persian cultural traditions, was spoken to in a mixture of English and Persian and enjoyed Persian food—experiences that led her to feel passionate and proud between her two cultures. Kashani-Brink vividly remembers her mother’s book of Farsi poems; whenever her mother had a worry or unanswered question, she would read a poem to Kashani-Brink and foll
Dec 12, 20254 min read
Chargers Roll For Initiative
By Dylan Xie December 10, 2025 On Wednesday afternoons, when many students are tired and eager to head home after a long day, a new adventure is just beginning around the corner of campus in Room F-4—the clatter of dice on the table top, the murmur of voices around the table, the players plotting their next move. This is a typical afternoon at Leland’s Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) Club, a growing community of students eager to explore the limitless realms of make
Dec 12, 20253 min read
Student Council Opens Its Doors
At student council meetings, attendees are given the opportunity to voice their thoughts on school issues and propose initiatives for change. Before this year, attendance was limited to selected representatives, chosen by teachers or from extracurricular organizations such as Speech and Debate. Now...
Nov 12, 20253 min read
Colorful expressions of Charger creativity
Saturated with color and bursting with motion, Freshman Bayleigh Toth’s edits—10 to 20 second clips of characters synchronized to music—have enthralled almost 30,000 followers. What began as a personal hobby has become a success for Toth. Her most viral video...
Nov 12, 20253 min read
New Staff Members
By Dylan Xie Sept. 24, 2025 Frida Castro-Lavenant, Social Studies Department Entering her first official year as a teacher, this has been a dream come-true moment for Castro-Lavenant. Prior to this position, she was a student teacher at Fremont High School and a substitute at Leland for a year and a half. Castro-Lavenant had already familiarized herself with the faculty during the previous summers. As an instructional assistant, she collaborated with Trevor H
Sep 25, 20252 min read
A Matter of Mindsets
By Brandon Koo ` Dec. 12, 2025 Emma Wang Art “Stay positive!” The screen flashes as the teacher monotonously reads off the Seven Mindsets slides. A student scrolls through TikTok under the table, and another races through his math homework. The Social and Emotional Learning Program, founded by author Daniel Goleman, created the Seven Mindsets curriculum and new Monday mental health activities to improve mental health and community, yet, for many students, it coll
Dec 12, 20254 min read
College Lottery?
By Melvin Najarian Dec. 12, 2025 Senior folklore claims that the final step of the admissions process involves a dramatic drumroll and an admissions officer sitting back in a large brown leather chair, flipping a two-sided coin: “Accept” on one side, “You are Not Welcome” on the other. Of course, no established university operates this way, but to many students, it sometimes feels like they might. The truth is, admission outcomes reflect less randomness; what feel
Dec 12, 20253 min read
One Dimensional Stereotypes
By Srihita Madiraju Dec. 11, 2025 Catherine Nguyen Art Although social media claims to be a space for self expression and individuality, it can often do the exact opposite. Platforms such as TikTok and Instagram have become breeding grounds for stereotypes that categorize users into narrow labels, ridiculing certain sets of behaviors or traits or dictating how people should act. When taken to the extreme, these harmful nicknames can cause self-censorship and th
Dec 11, 20253 min read
Military Marred By Politics
By Ayush Deshpande Nov. 12, 2025 Nakshatra Arun Art On Sept. 30, over 800 generals and admirals, constituting the most important of America's military leadership, left their posts from around the world to gather in an auditorium at Marine Base Quantico. However, the speech that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth gave was far from the crucial address the officers had flown thousands of miles to hear. Masquerading as a call to defend the nation, Hegseth furthered hi
Nov 12, 20253 min read
Academic Appeasement Undermines Freedom
By Winston Chu Nov. 12, 2025 Leona Hung Art Halfway through a university lecture at Texas A&M, a student silently takes out her phone. As the professor projects a gender unicorn graphic to discuss gender identity, expression and sexuality, the student makes her move—pressing record, she exclaims, “I am not entirely sure this is legal to be teaching, because according to our president, there are only two genders.” After a brief back-and-forth, the professor asks
Nov 12, 20253 min read
Ws in the Chat
The school alarm blares at the University of Akron in Ohio, signaling the start of the day. Hundreds of students rise from their slumber to prepare for class, but they do not pack their backpacks with traditional supplies such as pencils or textbooks; instead, they fill their backpacks with...
Nov 12, 20253 min read
"Happy Gilmore 2”
As an avid fan of Adam Sandler and an occasional golf player, on the day “Happy Gilmore 2” came out on Netflix, I sat down before my TV with legs kicked back...
Sep 28, 20252 min read
From Pick-Me to Poser
Matcha lattes in reusable jars; a copy of “Pride and Prejudice” he has never actually finished, wire headphones for the “sound quality”...
Sep 23, 20253 min read
Catastrophic Chats With Chatbots
The user’s screen lights up with a flood of messages being sent back and forth in succession. First come the casual questions...
Sep 23, 20253 min read
Blastin’ Senior Assassin
By Chelsea Lu & Niru Shivakumar May 21, 2025 Before receiving diplomas and throwing caps into the air, seniors are...
May 23, 20252 min read
Surviving Typhoon Kalmaegi
By Liliana Chai December 10, 2025 The morning of Nov. 6, Typhoon Kalmaegi unleashed a torrent of destruction on the central Philippines, killing at least 188 people in the country. Heavy rains brought by the typhoon triggered landslides, obliterating residential areas and public buildings. Underlying the storm’s physical damage is the nation’s long-standing issue of corruption-plagued flood control infrastructure projects. This failure in disaster preparedness ha
Dec 12, 20254 min read
Starvation and Survival Stories in Sudan
By Winston Chu December 10, 2025 The destructive civil war that broke out more than two years ago in Sudan still persists today, spreading famine, genocide and death among fighters and innocent families in what the National Public Radio has labeled the world’s largest humanitarian disaster. While the conflict officially began in 2023, tension emerged when President Omar al-Bashir seized power in a coup in 1989. Al-Bashier presided over Sudan for three decades un
Dec 12, 20253 min read
Japan’s “Iron Lady”
On Oct. 4, Japan’s dominant Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) chose hardline conservative Sanae Takaichi as its new leader. Backed by the ruling coalition, she was set to replace outgoing Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in a parliamentary vote on Oct. 15. Takaichi was elected as Japan’s first female prime minister on Oct. 21 in a historic yet divisive victory. Takaichi’s political journey began...
Nov 12, 20253 min read
From Goodall to Global Hope
Within the steep mountainous ranges and lush tropical forests of Gombe, Tanzania, a woman with her binoculars, sketchbook and compass sits quietly in observation on a log against layers of fallen leaves and twigs. In front of young Jane Goodall...
Nov 12, 20254 min read
Plastic Pollution Persists Post Geneva
By Melvin Najarian Sept. 24, 2025 As more and more microplastics make up our food, bloodstream and brain, plastic...
Sep 25, 20253 min read
Mushrooms Insulating Rooms
By Lauren Law December 10, 2025 In Alaska, where homes battle the brutal cold with layers of imported Styrofoam, scientists are turning to mycelium, the living root network of mushrooms, to create a biodegradable and locally sourced insulation alternative that has been in development for nearly a decade. In Alaska, where homes battle brutal cold with layers of imported Styrofoam, scientists are turning to mycelium, a living root network of mushrooms, to create
Dec 12, 20254 min read
AI CRISPRfication of Genes
The era of lengthy, trial-and-error laboratory work in gene editing is ending. Researchers are forging a transformative partnership between artificial intelligence (AI) and CRISPR-Cas9, accelerating the speed and precision with which scientists can modify DNA. This alliance promises to...
Nov 12, 20254 min read
Dangers…out-of-this-world
By James Tong Sept. 24, 2025 The stars glimmer in the night sky above a crackling campfire in the forest. Above...
Sep 25, 20253 min read
ST: To H-1B, or not to H-1B
By Michael Im Feb. 12, 2025 Immigration, whether it be legal or illegal, has been a major point of polarization in American...
Feb 14, 20254 min read
Fading Like The Dead: Ghost Forests
By Ariel Lee and Shiny Xu Dec. 11, 2024 A haunting graveyard of leafless trees and bare trunks protrude from the earth of...
Dec 11, 20242 min read
CSS Successes
By James Yu As the warm autumn leaves wither away with the start of winter, several of the school’s fall sports have successfully topped off the end of their seasons at the Central Coast Section (CCS) championships. Even before they hit the green for CCS, the school’s girls’ golf team was on fire. After finishing the regular season with a flawless 8-0 record, the team dominated the league at Blossom Valley Athletic League (BVAL) Championships. Hitting the ball running at CCS
Dec 12, 20253 min read
Breaking Rules or Records?
By Dylan Xie December 10, 2025 The gun goes off. Runners explode out of the blocks for the 100 meter dash, their legs churning as they push into the ground. The crowd roars, but this is not the Olympics. It is the Enhanced Games: a sporting competition where athletes are openly permitted to use performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) in an attempt to break world records and push the limits of the human body. Eleanor Wang Art This idea was conceived in 2023 by Aust
Dec 12, 20254 min read
Streameast Shutdown
It is the World Cup Final—every four years, billions across the world tune in to watch a nation be crowned the world’s best. Even those without streaming subscriptions are able to tune in on the game through free but illegal websites, notably Streameast. However, due to the sting operation in Egypt...
Nov 12, 20253 min read
Surf’s Up in Maui
With its pristine waters, Maui is a haven for surfers chasing the perfect wave. Now, the island’s infamous coastline will serve as a center stage as Hawaii prepares to make surfing history. Hawaii plans to host the first Hawaii High School Athletic Association (HHSAA) surfing championship at Ho‘okipa Beach Park on Maui’s North Shore on May 1-2, 2026. The championship will feature...
Nov 12, 20253 min read
Chinese Robolympics
By Ayush Deshpande and Srihita Madiraju Sept. 24, 2025 Beijing’s Ice Arena erupted with cheers from the crowd, the audience...
Sep 25, 20253 min read
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