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The Student News Site of Monta Vista High School

El Estoque

The Student News Site of Monta Vista High School

El Estoque

The Student News Site of Monta Vista High School

El Estoque

Eric Zhou

Eric Zhou, News Editor

Eric is currently a junior and a news editor for El Estoque. He enjoys listening to music and is a huge Star Wars fan.

All content by Eric Zhou
Ethnic studies teacher Usiel Meraz-Cerna. Photo | Eric Zhou

FUHSD delays Health and Ethnic studies course requirement

Health and Ethnic Studies to run as an optional course offering next school year
Jonah Chang and Eric Zhou
December 6, 2024
Sophomore Saanj Rao poses with her fellow dancers at the end of a performance. 
Photo courtesy of Saanj Rao | Used with permission

Time Out! Ep. 28: Saanj Rao

Sophomore Saanj Rao talks about her relationship with dance
Sana Karkhanis and Eric Zhou
November 24, 2024
Photo illustration | Stella Petzova

Election 2024

Examining the impact of local, statewide and national elections on the MVHS community
Junior Suhan Hajela attempts to score on a Cupertino High School defender.

Varsity Boys Water Polo falls to Cupertino High School 11-6

MVHS is forced to focus on defense due to absent goalie
Eric Zhou
October 12, 2024
New California law prevents schools from directly outing children to parents, amid recent parental rights movement. Illustration | Corinna Kuo

California becomes first state to ban schools from disclosing gender changes

New state legislation bans schools from directly notifying parents of students’ gender changes at school
Zaid Naqvi and Eric Zhou
September 21, 2024
Senior outside hitter Kiana Mark, sophomore outside hitter Emily Chan and junior libero Victoria Woo take a preparatory stance in the backcourt. Photo by Eric Zhou

Varsity Girls Volleyball falls to Los Gatos High School 3-0

Matadors struggle with serve receive in their first league game
Zaid Naqvi and Eric Zhou
September 16, 2024
Staff shakeup

Staff shakeup

District-wide changes are implemented at the close of the school year
Moving on up

Moving on up

The teachers’ union implements a 10% salary raise
Ethan Kellogg and Eric Zhou
May 25, 2024
Sophomore and middle blocker Pratham Kannan alongside senior and outside hitter Varchas Athreya get ready to receive the ball from Mountain View High School.

Boys Volleyball defeats Mountain View High School 3-0

The Matadors play consistently to take an easy victory
Riya Murthy, Alan Tai, and Eric Zhou
May 7, 2024
College bound

College bound

Exploring the changing landscape of higher education
A student takes a practice SAT assessment.

Standardized testing makes comeback

The MVHS community discusses changing SAT policies for college admissions
Sarah Liu and Eric Zhou
April 21, 2024
School Resource Officer Aalok Patel poses for a photo. | Photo courtesy of Aalok Patel | Used with permission

Behind the badge

School Resource Officer Aalok Patel discusses the challenges, inspiration and joys of his job
Alan Tai, Mihir Vishwarupe, and Eric Zhou
April 6, 2024
Raising Funds

Raising Funds

MVHS student groups raise money through creative fundraisers
Local Kitchens is located less than a mile from MVHS, making it a popular choice among students. Photo | Eric Zhou

Eating Local

Local Kitchens aims to help MVHS students raise money
Ethan Eisler, Aidan Ruan, and Eric Zhou
March 9, 2024
A 1998 portrait of Avvakumovits | Photo courtesy of Tom Avvakumovits

FUHSD teacher and administrator retires to put family first

Associate Superintendent Tom Avvakumovits retires after spending his whole career at FUHSD
Eric Zhou
March 5, 2024
Education legislation

Education legislation

California passes new laws to improve education
The MVHS Library has historically provided a variety of inclusive texts.

Bans on bans

New California law adds protection to maintaining inclusive texts
Taryn Lam, Brandon Wang, and Eric Zhou
January 27, 2024
Sean Morrison ends his presentation by addressing questions from students in the audience.

MVHS holds an information session to promote Middle College

Advisor Sean Morrison and three students share experiences of alternative enrollment
Eric Zhou
January 17, 2024
The California Reparations Task Force hold a public hearing on Jan. 28, 2023, at San Diego State University. Photo by Ariana Drehsler, CalMatters | Used with permission

Road to reform

Examining current approaches that foster change within the community
Members of the California Reparations Task Force hold a meeting at San Diego State University's Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center, on Jan. 28.  Photo courtesy of Kamilah Moore | Used with permission

Repairing the past

Examining California’s proposed reparations plan to address the historic oppression of African Americans
Brandon Xu and Eric Zhou
December 9, 2023
The West Bay Community Band, displaying patriotic flair, delivers a performance to commence the ceremony. The MVHS Band provided the stands and chairs for the musicians.

Veterans Day Ceremony 2023

Annual Veterans Day Ceremony honors veterans, active duty military and first responders
Alan Tai and Eric Zhou
November 14, 2023
2023 Costume Contest

2023 Costume Contest

Exploring the competitors’ costumes in MVHS’s annual costume contest
Alan Tai, Brandon Xu, and Eric Zhou
November 13, 2023
School safety

School safety

Exploring approaches to support students' physical and mental well-being
Artificial Intelligence starts to make its way into education. Illustration | Abha Dash

Redefining cheating with ChatGPT

Administrators and staff discuss potential methods to accommodate the use of AI in learning
Ethan Yang and Eric Zhou
September 29, 2023
The Wellness Room contains a variety of activities to help students relax and de-stress.

Making Space

Exploring new student spaces in MVHS
Interventions Support Specialist Afreen Malim and Student A discuss upcoming homework.

Learning Space

MVHS implements Guided Studies to support struggling students
Ethan Yang and Eric Zhou
September 29, 2023
Smog blurs sunlight rays along a street near MVHS.

Smog prompts MVHS to pause all morning indoor and outdoor physical activities

Smoke from Northern California fires blankets Cupertino
Ethan Yang and Eric Zhou
September 20, 2023
Hi Barbie!

Hi Barbie!

Exploring social media’s impact on women empowerment themes in the summer hit “Barbie”
Monica Jariwala will fill the English Department Lead vacancy left by Julia Satterthwaite.

Tackling new roles

Three teachers appointed Department Leads
Krish Dev and Eric Zhou
May 31, 2023

Behind the blossoms

Exploring the story of the MVHS Garden
Alan Tai, Yash Thapliyal, and Eric Zhou
May 30, 2023
Students are often compelled to not apply for financial aid, considering the stigma around doing so in wealthy communities.

Facing financial aid

Exploring the stigma against applying for financial aid in Silicon Valley
Megha Mummaneni and Eric Zhou
April 12, 2023
MVHS students wait at the main entrance for the administrators to give the all-clear signal. Photo | Eric Zhou

False fire alarms force MVHS students and staff to evacuate

Two consecutive false fire alarms disrupt school on March 22 and 23
Eric Zhou
March 24, 2023
The ability of the chatbot creates the possibility for future job replacement as it is "too smart for its own good" according to Chen. Illustration | Sophia Ma

Write an article about OpenAI’s ChatGPT

The community reflects on ChatGPT’s strengths and weaknesses
Sophia Ma and Eric Zhou
February 17, 2023
Senior Marcus Praseuth and his family row a whitewater rafting boat during their vacation in Cancun.

Terminal delays

Students and staff reflect on inconveniences at airports over winter break
Lillian Wang and Eric Zhou
February 4, 2023
As part of mass nationwide layoffs, tech companies in the Bay Area have laid off over 43,000 employees since November. 

Silicon valley layoffs

Examining the effects of Bay Area tech company layoffs on employees
Mihir Vishwarupe and Eric Zhou
December 16, 2022
UC Berkeley graduate student workers strike on campus. Photo courtesy of UAW | Used with permission

Fighting for higher wages

Examining the effects of the UC protests on MVHS alumni
Eric Zhou
December 12, 2022
starting fresh

starting fresh

sharing teachers’ first experiences at MVHS
Alan Tai and Eric Zhou
November 12, 2022
A collage of images depicting Faezan Hussain, John Swensson and William Lai from left to right. Photos courtesy of Faezan Hussain, John Swensson and William Lai | Used with permission

American heroes

Discovering how military service has influenced the lives of local residents
Alan Tai and Eric Zhou
November 11, 2022
Photo courtesy of Serena Liu | Used with permission

Illustration | Sophia Ma

New beginnings

Exploring alum college adjustment journeys
Kripa Mayureshwar and Eric Zhou
October 12, 2022
Matadors at Work

Matadors at Work

Students share new jobs they’ve picked up over the summer
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