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Monica Mai 2014

Monica Mai 2014

Homecoming 2014

3 min read

News

Homecoming 2014

Monica Mai December 11, 2014

With new changes, homecoming this year saw the highest turnout Aragon has seen in recent years.

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The Outlook reported in the fall that the San Mate

The Outlook reported in the fall that the San Mateo Union High School Board of Trustees planned to decide on a district-wide cell phone policy this spring in order to comply with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Phone-Free School Act, which requires districts to implement policies restricting cell phone usage.

Aragon’s current rule for the usage of personal electronic devices is that they are to be turned off during class. It does not specify how this must be done, but some teachers have utilized phone charts or pockets.

Discussion about a new policy has been postponed until the fall due to other Board topics taking priority. This delay has given the Board more time to review data from the Panorama survey, which was taken by students, staff and parents last semester. The results revealed a common theme, with all respondent categories reporting that students seemed distracted by their phones when doing work.

While the Board has not started drafting the policy, the district will most likely set a foundational guideline for phone restrictions during class time, but leave the exact implementation up to the individual schools.

“My sense is [that the baseline rule is] going to be really rooted into what our values are,” said Brian Simmons, SMUHSD Director of Curriculum and Assessment. “What do we care about making sure students know and are able to do? The academic, social, emotional standards that we try to hold kids to [are] going to be big pieces of it.”

Although this approach would allow schools and teachers to determine what will work best for their students and environments, some anticipate the potential loose policy will lead to inconsistencies in execution.

“If we create a policy that is kind of unclear and leaves a lot of room for interpretation, that’s problematic,” said social studies teacher Courtney Caldwell. “So if there’s going to be a policy, then that policy needs to be upheld [throughout all schools in the district].”

Newsom’s law requires districts to have a policy in place by July 2026 so that it can be carried out starting in the 2026-27 school year.

Reporting by Naomi Kotani.
Data in courtesy of the San Mateo Union High School Board of Trustees.

On May 2, Aragon held its annual Farewell Rally fo

On May 2, Aragon held its annual Farewell Rally for the graduating seniors in the North Gym.

“I was looking forward to see [if] the seniors can win this rally,” said senior Howell Zhang. “I was hoping to see the Mini Lip Dub [too] ... I was quite excited about [the rally overall].”

This rally included a Hungry Hippos game, in which people from the four classes competed against each other to recover as many balls from the floor as possible, as well as two performances from the Aragon dance teams.

“I liked … the dance team’s performance,” Zhang said. “They did very well. [I] also [enjoyed] the [Hungry Hippos] game.”

The Farewell Rally ended with the senior send-off, a tradition that typically includes a video airing — whether that be the Lip Dub or an end-of-year commemoration — and a song. However, there were unexpected technical issues that caused the Mini Lip Dub video to glitch, leaving the video unplayable.

“The technical difficulties were disappointing, but I know there’s nothing they could have done to prevent it,”
said senior Felicity Corti. “[But] doing a run-through is always a good idea for each part of the rally … It’s always good to just see if you can stop problems before they happen.”

Even with a successful run-through prior to the rally, the video had issues with audio, then playback.

“[We] tried to focus on the positive sides of things, but it was definitely just weird,” said freshman Rally Commission member Sam Jacobs. “We tested everything before the rally, and it was perfectly fine.”

After being unable to play the Mini Lip Dub, Leadership decided to conclude the rally with the senior send-off song, “Good Old Days” by Macklemore (featuring Kesha), leaving some with bittersweet sentiments.

“It definitely felt different to experience [the rally] as a senior,” Corti said. “A little more sad, because it’s our last rally, but it also makes me feel really special.”

Reporting by Dora Chen.
Photos and videos by Madeline Allen and Ethan Tawn.

On April 25, the Aragon Latino Parent Group hosted

On April 25, the Aragon Latino Parent Group hosted its annual Latino Cultural Festival in the South Gym from 6-9 p.m.

“I am Latina … [so] it’s good to see all the people and the dancing and foods that I’ve had ... at home with my family,” said junior and event volunteer Audrina Portusach. “For people coming to high school, it’s hard to find a place to fit in, and it’s really important that everyone knows that they have a spot with their culture … [and] to help students, especially in this day and age, to connect with [those] cultural roots.”

This year’s festival featured decorations like hanging flags representing various Latino countries and colorful paper banners called papel picado. The gym was arranged with two rows of tables placed on both ends of the gym, leaving a central space for the DJ and performances. Food service stations were set up around the dining area, along with additional seating provided by the bleachers.

“[This festival was] an opportunity … to show off how we dance and our culture from [songs] and our food,” said freshman and student performer Leslie Chevez. “Our first performance … is called Sauce y la Palma. It’s from Sinaloa, and we wear flower dresses. [Our other] dance was La Negra … also from Sinaloa.”

Students enjoyed the event overall, noting the diversity in the cultural showcase.

“I was looking forward to the food, and I was actually really happy with it,” Portusach said. “I [also] really like how they have different parts of Latino culture; it’s not just from one area specifically.”

However, to improve the festival in the future, many suggested expanding the venue.

“One piece of advice [I have] would be to make the event bigger,” Portusach said. “It’s a really good event and a lot of people will show up, especially if it’s in both gyms or out in Center Court.”

Besides the Latino Cultural Festival, OPLA hosts several events throughout the year, including Latino Senior Award nights on May 16.

Reporting by Dora Chen.
Photos by Victoria Santana.

On April 26 from 6–11 p.m., Aragon Athletic Boos

On April 26 from 6–11 p.m., Aragon Athletic Boosters held the first-ever Parent Prom in Sausalito to raise funds for the Aragon Music Department and Aragon Athletics.

“Retrospectively, the name is probably not the best … It was sort of a joke when it started, because we didn't know what to label it,” said facilitator and organizer Mark Schneider. “When it came to marketing, people were confused [because] they were mixing [it] up with the [prom for high schoolers]. But I've spent the last two months emphasizing the fundraising component and not the prom component.”

The event was held in The Pines, a historical mansion built in 1888. One of the home’s current owners, Gil Purcell, restored several features of this house before it was opened to be used as a venue.

“This house has a lot of history, and we're just temporary custodians [that] brought it back,” Purcell said. “We wanted to replicate with the old used brick, the original redwood [and] the things that were done here originally.”

Parents paid $100 per ticket to help fundraising efforts and sponsors helped pay the cost of running the event.

“I got sponsors who contributed up to $5,000 for the food,” Schneider said. “Then I contacted a mom from Aragon, Sibby from Sibby’s Cupcakes. She's always donating and she was very excited, so she offered to [make] some of the desserts.”

Entertainment and catering were provided at the prom. Parents could dance to music played by Aragon music students or the DJ later on in the night, and parents could tour around the four-level house. A shuttle and bus provided transportation for parents back to Aragon after the event as well.

“The steak and the chicken were really good and the sauces were perfect complements,” said parent Drew Constantino. “I definitely [would come next year], and I will recruit more people to come. It's a beautiful home [with a] nice, easy, short ride on the bus.”

Over 100 parents attended Parent Prom, raising lots of money for students. With such success, similar events may be held in the future.

Reporting by Yang Yang.
Photos in courtesy of Michael R Lewis.

On April 13., Dr. Satsuki Ina, Japanese-American p

On April 13., Dr. Satsuki Ina, Japanese-American psychotherapist and author of “The Poet and the Silk Girl,” visited the Aragon theater to speak about her understanding of and experience with Japanese-American Internment.

The event was organized by the Aragon Asian Parents Association and by Advanced Placement US History teacher William Colglazier. The event began with a showing of the documentary “And Then They Came for Us” then transitioned into a live question and answer with Dr. Ina. Fourth-generation Japanese-American juniors Kate Sato and Kylie Uyekubo led the discussion with Dr. Ina.

Reporting and photos by Meilin Rife.

On Apr. 18, Leadership’s rally commission held a

On Apr. 18, Leadership’s rally commission held a pool rally in center court. It featured pool floaty races, dive contests and the hamster wheel race.

Photos and video by Ethan Tawn and Anna He.

On April 19, a Dunkin Donuts truck arrived at the

On April 19, a Dunkin Donuts truck arrived at the upper basketball courts for a promotional giveaway event open to both staff and students. Arranged by Dunkin, the event offered free drinks after school to close out the week.

Photos by Ethan Tawn.

Aragon held their spring jazz concert on April 11

Aragon held their spring jazz concert on April 11 at 7 p.m. in the theater with the Jazz Band and Jazz Ensemble.

The groups performed a total of ten different pieces, including songs such as “I Snore, You Drive!” by Victor Lopez and “Every Summer Night” by Pat Metheny. Additionally, the Jazz Ensemble premiered a new piece, “Simpler Times” by Jay Jordan.

“I got to do a fun drum beat when our flute player was soloing, called the Cascara Drum Beat,” said senior Jazz Band drummer Natasha Efron. “I had never played it before, and I hadn’t practiced it before … so it was really fun for me to learn and experiment with the sound.”

Following intermission, band director Kevin Gallagher announced awards for student performers.

“One thing I really like about the awards that Mr. Gallagher does is that they’re all student-chosen,” said senior Jazz Ensemble alto saxophonist Dominic Kudzia. “So it feels especially cool when your peers recognize you [for something], instead of just the director recognizing you for it.”

Following the awards for Jazz Ensemble, the senior players gave Gallagher a farewell gift. The gift consisted of a travel bag for the upcoming music program trip to Ireland, a wallet, a book of tips that the seniors have been gathering from Gallagher since the start of 2024 and other various items.

“The concert was very well-produced and performed,” said freshman Rosie Mayor. “[The senior gift] was a really sweet way for [students] to honor their teacher.”

Overall, the consensus amongst performers was that the concert turned out well.

“We did pretty good,” Efron said. “We played everything like we were supposed to, and there were only a couple of small, unnoticeable, little mistakes within the band.”

Audience members also enjoyed the concert.

“[The concert] was really nice,” said sophomore Prerna Gopinath. “The trombone solos were really good and the Jazz Band played really well.”

Aragon Music’s spring concert series will continue every week for the next month, with the orchestra performance up next on April 18 at 7 p.m. in the theater.

Reporting by Reika Lam.

On March 11, Aragon Math Club hosted the Aragon Ma

On March 11, Aragon Math Club hosted the Aragon Math Marathon, the annual math competition for middle school students. Around 100 students from 6 local middle schools participated in the competition held at Aragon.

From March 28-29, Aragon Band, Orchestra and Choir

From March 28-29, Aragon Band, Orchestra and Choir held their Symphonic Pops concert in the theater, performing the musical “Wonderful Town.”

“This year we were given the music very late,” said junior first-chair cellist John Liu. “We pretty much [had] two weeks to rehearse a whole musical. It’s great music, but it’s also hard music, so two weeks is really very little time to get this together.”

The students had around two-and-a-half weeks to prepare for the performance. Most had to practice during Flex or lunch times. During Flex rehearsals, the women’s, men’s and chamber choirs combined.

“Personally, I haven’t found it super stressful,“ said junior and women’s choir member Heli Artola. “The stressful part I’ve found is [that] I can’t go to Flex for math, [which] I need, or AP [English Language and Composition], because I’m dedicating my time to the musical. So I feel like that’s the most stressful thing, that I’m taking time out of my day, like Flex [so] I can’t go to classes I really need.”

In order to perform, the instructors had to purchase copyrights for the play.

“With any copyrighted musical, especially anything by Leonard Bernstein, we have to apply for the license,” Chen said. “A few months ago, before winter break, I applied for the license. We tell them who’s performing it. We have to tell them how many people are performing in it. We have to tell them the age group. We have to tell them the school. And then they will let us know if they’re going to grant us the rights for it. Then right after winter break, they told us they gave us the rights for it, [and] we paid almost $2,000 for copyrights.”

After the performance, students reminisced and reflected on their performance.

“To be honest, I expected to fall out of the sky a little, but we stayed up,” Liu later said. “Maybe there was some turbulence, but we stayed in the air … I was pleasantly surprised with how we played because we [didn’t] have enough time to prepare this, and everyone was struggling, but we pulled it together.”

Check out the full coverage on aragonoutlook.org.

Reporting by Yang Yang.
Photos by Madeline Allen and Ethan Tawn.

From March 20–23, Aragon Drama performed its spr

From March 20–23, Aragon Drama performed its spring play, “Much Ado About Nothing” by William Shakespeare.

Aragon’s rendition moves the original setting of the play from the Italian town of Messina, to a cruise ship set in the 1980s. The storyline follows a comedic telling of two romances, one being between characters Benedick and Beatrice, played by Macen Adams and Bridgette Martin, and the other between Claudio and Hero, played by Leighton King and Sophie Rayes. However, the antagonist, Don John, played by Andrew McColl, plans to disrupt their love stories, scheming and plotting against their happiness throughout the play.

“I thought it was interesting that they changed the setting,” said freshman Mena Lamberti. “I loved the costumes and the [set design], it was really cool.”

Junior Jack McNeely, who played Borachio, was worried about his lines.

“All of us were very nervous,” McNeely said. “[But] Shakespeare is a staple in the theater community [and] the payoff of being out there and making people laugh and bringing a story to life is just so worth it.”

For others, relationships with fellow cast members are what makes being part of the show enjoyable.

“It is a really great community,” said sophomore Li Jennings, who plays the character Antonio. “There’s something magical about watching the show from the wings and seeing all the characters and all the hard work you put into [a show] come to life.”

McNeely shared hopes for what the audience took away from the performance.

“The second semester of school is never the easiest, especially for seniors and juniors who are going through it right now,” McNeely said. “I hope [it served] as a nice distraction, but I also hope it [gave] budding theater kids in the audience some idea of what they’re getting into if they decide to come to Aragon, or do Shakespeare in the future.”

Aragon Advanced Drama will perform a student-directed musical, Chicago, on May 16.

Reporting by Reika Lam.
Photos by Lian Wang.

On March 24, 2025, the senior class of 2025 hosted

On March 24, 2025, the senior class of 2025 hosted a movie night after school featuring High School Musical 3. Tacos, cookies and snacks were served and seniors sat in center court.

Reporting by Meilin Rife.
Photos by Lian Wang.

On March 6, Aragon’s varsity badminton team clin

On March 6, Aragon’s varsity badminton team clinched a 30-0 victory over Hillsdale in their first game of the season. With a 10-2 record in the 2023-24 season, the Dons have proven themselves a formidable opponent on the court and dominated in their finish last week.

Similarly to tennis and other popular racquet sports, the team consists of a lineup of singles and doubles players ranked 1-2-3 competing against similarly ranked opponents from other schools for a win. The remaining players who are not seated compete in playoffs and different exhibition games. Although the team houses nearly forty players, one of their strong suits is their communication and adaptability with one another.

“We’re all really connected,” said sophomore and singles No. 1 Allison Hsu. “We have really good teamwork and during games, we uplift each other and brighten the mood.”

Additionally, the players focus on training hard during their practices to be able to compete at their peak during games.

“One of our biggest strengths is our competitiveness,” said junior and girls doubles player Sathini Senthilkumar. “Although practices are easygoing, we stay focused and work hard during matches.”

Regarding their game on the 6th, many players anticipated a strong but friendly match against Hillsdale, considering it a good game to open the season with.

“[Hillsdale] came from a different division,” said Hsu. “So I’m hopeful that we can beat them.”

Following their victory later that night, sophomore and doubles No. 3 player Ben Marshall said, “It was a full sweep.” “Although there was room for improvement, we were all very focused and secured our win,” said Senthilkumar. “I believe it’s important to learn from each matches’ mistakes and make improvements in the next one to keep growing and prepare ourselves for tough matches.”

“As a team, our goal is to secure more wins,” said Senthilkumar. “And to earn a spot among the top three schools in the Bay Division for Badminton.”

Their next game is scheduled against San Mateo on March 20.

Reporting by Advika Singh.
Photos by Ethan Tawn and Madeline Allen.

On March 7, Aragon’s College and Career Counseli

On March 7, Aragon’s College and Career Counseling department hosted Career Day, a biennial event that is held only by Aragon, out of all the schools in district.

Career Day takes nearly two years to plan and involves almost every group at Aragon — students, teachers, administration, the Parent Teacher Student Organization and a separate planning committee.

Over 60 speakers came to Aragon to give presentations on their career paths and experiences.

“Aragon was my first career day,” said Emily Delaney, guest speaker and biologist and geneticist at Big Hat Biosciences. “I wish I’d had this type of career information available to me when I was in high school. [The day] was well organized and I’m happy [Aragon] is sponsoring this for students.”

For this Career Day, a new sign-up system was used. Seniors had the first pick of career day sessions, followed by juniors, sophomores and freshmen.

“The sign-up process was pretty good, except one session I wanted to attend was hard to sign up for,” said senior Cata Dulcey. “There was a website that gave you the name of the speaker and their descriptions, but then on the actual sign-up sheet, the speaker’s job was different from what was on the website, so I couldn’t find it.”

Despite some sign-up complications, many regard Career Day as successful.

“Never in my career had I gotten such overwhelmingly positive reviews from a survey,” said Queenie Hua, Career Technical Education and Career coordinator. “There were so many positive reviews, the form even stopped taking responses.”

The next Career Day will be held in 2027, with specific dates still to be determined.

Reporting by Christine Choi.
Photos by Lian Wang and Ethan Tawn.

From Feb. 27 – March 1, Aragon Robotics For Insp

From Feb. 27 – March 1, Aragon Robotics For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology Robotics Competition team competed in the Orange County Regionals.

This was a week one competition, meaning it was the first competition in the organization. The team had a little more than seven weeks to complete the design, edits and minimal testing, but not enough time for preparations and training — resulting in some mistakes. Nonetheless, the team won the Judges’ Award for their robot design.

“Our robot only worked as intended for two matches out of 10,” said senior FRC captain Adam Richter. “Our robot design has a lot of potential. It was definitely one of the strongest bots there in terms of potential … So even though [this competition] was in some ways a disappointment, overall, we’re even more motivated because of this to improve for our next competition.”

This year’s game was called Reefscape. Contestants needed to build a robot that could navigate a simulated ocean floor, and the robot had to pick up objects like polyvinyl chloride pipes and balloons, replicating the various elements at the bottom of an ocean.

The team ended up placing 27th out of 40 other teams in the competition, which members attribute to the minor bot malfunctions, such as wires or electronics falling out.

“The reason we didn’t uncover these issues beforehand is because we didn’t have time for enough testing, as well as not having a practice field, the most accurate place to reveal the issues with the robot,” Richter said. “So even though it was working in the room, when we were actually on the field and dealing with intense gameplay and collisions, some things were falling out. One of our biggest issues was a motor controller [falling] off of our robot just because it wasn’t secured properly, and it got caught in the wheel and ripped out a bunch of wires. Our goal is not only to improve the robot overall but [also to] have none of those issues left for [the] San Francisco [Regionals].”

The next FRC robotics regionals will be from March 21–23 in San Francisco.

Reporting by Yang Yang.
Photos by Ethan Tawn.

On Feb. 22 at 6 p.m., Music From the Heart was hel

On Feb. 22 at 6 p.m., Music From the Heart was held at the Congregational Church of San Mateo. It is an annual event hosted to raise money for the Aragon music program and an opportunity for Aragon music students to audition to showcase their ability in a solo or with a group of their choosing.

The next music concert at Aragon will be the Symphonic Pops Concert on March 27 and 28 in the theater.

Read the full article on aragonoutlook.com

Reporting by Dora Chen.
Photos by Felix Ma.

The outlook reviews Chill Spot Rendezvous, a newly

The outlook reviews Chill Spot Rendezvous, a newly opened locally owned ice cream shop. Students get a 10% discount when they visit @chillspotrendezvous #review #foodie #localbussiness #recommend

On Feb. 21, Aragon Jazz Band and Ensemble performe

On Feb. 21, Aragon Jazz Band and Ensemble performed their 19th annual Double Exposure Concert alongside Hillsdale’s Jazz Ensemble. Each year, the two schools alternate hosting the concert, and this year, it was held in Hillsdale’s Little Theater. Although sports rivals, the concert is a way for Aragon and Hillsdale to share the stage and encourage collaboration.

Reporting and photos by Lian Wang.

Buy at: bit.ly/3CQMz1O

Buy at: bit.ly/3CQMz1O

Aragon’s annual winter formal dance, themed “A

Aragon’s annual winter formal dance, themed “An Evening in London,” was held on Feb. 15 from 7–10 p.m. This year, the dance was hosted at Devil’s Canyon Brewery in San Carlos, instead of the usual location, Fox Theater in Redwood City.

“It’s a time for the school to really come together at an event outside of the school campus,” said junior Jocelyn Soohoo. “You almost will never see such a big gathering that’s not on campus, and everyone that’s here wants to be here … you have more fun [and] the chance to dress up and be with friends.”

Overall, students were eager to explore the new location as they shared their expectations for this new experience.

“I’m hoping there’s more space to dance,” said senior Frankie Mayor. “I remember [Fox Theater’s] dance floor was kind of difficult to maneuver on once a lot of people were in there. It’s a cool place, but it was a little hard to get in.”

The dance met many students’ expectations.

“I really liked all the catering, they did pretty well on that,” Soohoo said. “I [also] really liked the venue, just considering everything and how they decorated it.”

While some students appreciated the dance, others expressed their thoughts on the possible improvements of school dances in the future, especially regarding the amount of security guards and staff.

“My least favorite part is the strictness — like [teachers] are watching high school kids having fun and [they’re] just standing there,” said senior Lueni Georgievski. “[The teachers] should have more engagement … because I think they’d really bring the energy.”

The dance introduced a new experience for students but also created a shift in attendance trends.

“I thought [the new venue] would attract more people,” Araneta said. “[But] compared to the number of people last year, we saw a noticeable decline, [which might be because] it was a new venue [and] it was actual food instead of cookies [like] last year.”

Prom is scheduled for May 3, with the location and theme to be revealed.

Read the full length article on aragonoutlook.org

Reporting by Dora Chen.
Photos by Ethan Tawn.

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