
Devin Gupta, Managing and Web Editor

Main gym renamed
Honoring Harry Bettencourt’s 32 years of service to FUHSD

From textbooks to television
Examining the impact of teaching through more modern, accessible means

Breaking down binaries
Re-evaluating our dichotomous perception of the world

Cupertino’s best boba destinations
El Estoque finds the best boba in Cupertino by visiting select establishments.

Binaries at Monta Vista
Exploring HAmLit’s Patriot Act project and how MVHS subverts common binaries

Language in Media
Examining how the rhetoric used in modern media permeates our daily lives

Course selection should be more flexible
Scheduling based on seven classes bolsters elective enrollment

Students attempt an engineering project
Two teams build a catapult out of craft materials

Class of 2023’s Homecoming performance
Juniors wins 2nd place for their performance during Homecoming week

Homecoming 2021: A Recap
Showcasing the highlights of the past week's performances

Staff baby boom leads to long-term substitutes
Exploring staff and students’ reactions to long-term sub situations

BREAKING: Los Altos High School bomb threat threatens Homecoming football game
Reports of a dangerous device at LAHS proves a false alarm

Cupertino Night Market
Cupertino Chamber of Commerce resumes its events after COVID-19

FUHSD implements on-campus COVID-19 procedures
Exploring how students diagnosed with COVID-19 are quarantined

Club leaders share their objectives for the 2021-2022 school year
Exploring what’s in store for clubs as MVHS returns to in-person learning

Girls Basketball: Monta Vista loses to Homestead 43-35
Varsity loses its fifth game of the season

Plotting the Future
Examining course allocations at MVHS through the lens of declining enrollment
Part 2: The Process
Examining how MVHS makes course allocation decisions

50 Questions with Kenneth Gan
In the 14th installment of the recurring series, El Estoque asks Kenneth Gan 50 questions

Boys Soccer: MVHS defeats Cupertino High School 1-0
The team secures its first win post-pandemic despite struggles with team chemistry

Girls Golf: MVHS competes against Lynbrook for its first game of the season
MVHS loses to Lynbrook 204 to 229

Don’t Miss Your Shot
Scientists used RNA technology to create the COVID-19 vaccine, yet its fast-paced development and distribution caused concerns about side effects as vaccines are administered to essential workers.

Phase 2: The Distribution
Exploring the success and opinions surrounding the first wave distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine

MVHS Music Department’s All-State Band and Orchestra members
How All-State band programs are managed through the screen

College Board cancels SAT Subject Tests and SAT optional essay
Student reactions about the cancellations and changes in standardized testing

Closing off the semester
What Closing Week means and where it came from

Permanent Resident: Immigration at MVHS
Following the immigration journeys of MVHS students and parents

El Valedor presents at national yearbook workshop
Junior Lydia Lu shares her COVID-19 social media strategy at yearbook webinar

Cupertino Businesses in Quarantine
Cupertino businesses adapts to the unexpected circumstances created by the pandemic

Lloyd Holmes: the new president of De Anza College
Holmes shares his experiences with race, education and giving back

Ballot Box
Exploring local politics in our community

63 MVHS students qualify for the semifinals of the National Merit Scholarship Program
Breaking down the logistics behind the competition

Candidates running for Cupertino City Council
Meet Joseph Fruen, Kitty Moore, Steven Scharf and Hung Wei

Zoom school replaces in-person learning during pandemic
Examining various perspectives about instruction through a screen

FUHSD implements credit/no-credit grading in response to COVID-19
Despite community opposition, board of trustees unanimously vote to reaffirm new grading system

Maatcha.me online release
FUHSD students chat and find new friends on student-built platform

COVID-19 and its impact on the sports community
Exploring the feelings from different MVHS athletes who have been impacted directly from this and the fans of professional sports leagues

All Santa Clara Valley Athletic League sports suspended
Exploring MVHS student’s reactions to the suspension of all sports seasons

[Video] Graduating seniors take a freshman biology test
El Estoque tests how much seniors remember from freshman biology

College admissions should be merit-based, here’s why | EE Opinion
Of many controversial topics, college admissions is one of the most pertinent to Monta Vista high school. In this video, El Estoque staff writers Devin Gupta and Tanish Mendki explore why admissions should be merit-based

MVHS Course Selection Guide
Exploring student perspectives on every course offered at MVHS

Opposition to the Vallco Plan
Sand Hill Property reinitiates construction in Vallco Shopping Mall after passing of State Bill 35

Urbanization of Cupertino
In a constant state of change, Cupertino has experienced drastic changes in terms of infrastructure and business from the influx of both workers and residents. Vallco construction has recently been reinitiated after the passage of State Bill 35. The proliferation of chain businesses act as a double edged sword to local businesses. Median house values climb and realtors work to satisfy buyers who prioritize commute times. Read more about each story.

Former Cupertino Chipotle worker wins $95,000 sexual harassment lawsuit
Employee Austin Melton wins sexual harassment case against Chipotle

Lessons From Around the World
Exploring the differences in policies and systems between the U.S. and foreign countries

Tesla’s Technology Update
Electric car manufacturer released a new software update for their electric cars including self-park, Spotify, Netflix, and arcade games

Bring Change to Mind’s 2019 California Summit
Bring Change to Mind attends a conference about spreading mental health awareness and personal wellbeing

Trending Tik Tok teens
MVHS students go viral on social media platform Tik Tok
[Video] MVHS Stereotypes
An exploration of the stereotypes of MVHS in the community

Bring Change to Mind: The founding and purpose
Objectives behind the Bring Change to Mind organization efforts to make an impact on students’ mental health

Pre-college college expenses
Students outline various expenses their parents spend to better their college applications

World at stake
MVHS community responds to the dire effects of climate change

App and Web Development Club officers compete at the University of Pennsylvania Hackathon
Seniors Gautham Raghupathi and Tom Zhang build an AI customer prediction model at the PennApps 20 hackathon.

The F-Word: Failure
Examining the influence of failure in the MVHS community

The disappearance of the Monta Vista Cheer Team
Students react to the Yell Team as a replacement for MV Cheer