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

One of the four album covers for THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT features Swift in a state of distress with her hands in her hair. Swift released variants of the album cover with bonus tracks, and this specific cover comes with the bonus track The Black Dog. This photo eventually became the cover for THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT: THE ANTHOLOGY. Album cover | Beth Garrabrant

Taylor Swift fails to deliver with ‘THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT’

Aashi Venkat April 23, 2024

Global mega-popstar Taylor Swift released her highly-anticipated album “THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT” on Friday, April 19, following months of excitement. Swift announced the album upon winning “Best...

Some popular examples of young adult novels are the Harry Potter book series, the Twilight series and The Hunger Games trilogy.

The book revolution

Aashi Venkat and Asha Wojciechowski April 9, 2024

When Literature and AVID teacher Megan Choate was in high school, Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” series was a huge phenomenon. “Twilight,” a four-novel vampire romance series released from 2005...

Economic teacher Pete Pelkey worked in a variety of professions, ranging from being a paramedic to working at a funeral home.

Pete Pelkey’s peculiar past

Ananya Chaudhary, Dylan Nguyen, and Aashi Venkat April 6, 2024

Ananya Chaudhary · Pete Pelkey’s peculiar past EE: Hi guys, my name is Ananya Chaudhary, I'm Dylan Nguyen. And I'm Aashi Venkat, and today we're going to be talking with Pete Pelkey, who is...

Social media can be dangerous to post on, especially as trends become more sexualized

Watch your step!

Aashi Venkat April 4, 2024

From harmless skits to thirst traps with Kanye West’s “Carnival,” social media sites like TikTok have a wide variety of content. Even today, scrolling through the app will reveal multiple different...

Carter rides a white horse on the main COWBOY CARTER album cover, a parallel with her RENAISSANCE album which features her on a mirror disco ball horse. In her hands is an American flag, and she is decked out in a red, white and blue cowboy outfit.

“COWBOY CARTER” is an artistic sequel to “RENAISSANCE”

Aashi Venkat and Sonia Verma April 2, 2024

“If that ain't country, tell me what is? / Plant my bare feet on solid ground for years / They don't, don't know how hard I had to fight for this,” (“AMERIICAN REQUIEM” — Track one on “COWBOY...

One of the eternal sunshine album covers features Ariana Grande in sheer red gloves, covering her eyes with a smile on her face. Album cover | Republic Records

“eternal sunshine” is a vocal and emotional triumph, yet falters on other fronts

Arjun Dhruv and Aashi Venkat March 11, 2024

“I'll play the bad girl if you need me to / If it makes you feel better” – “true story” (Track seven on “eternal sunshine”)   After three years of anticipation, pop megastar Ariana Grande...

Students define girlhood as what it means to them in a sentence or phrase.

Entering a new era

Aashi Venkat and April Wang March 7, 2024

From pink bows to the lights and glamor of Barbie Land, social media has seen a surge of femininity, coined as "girlhood" by the various trends highlighting what it means to be a girl today. Women have...

My sister and I dressed in traditional Indian clothes in preparation for a family photoshoot. Photo courtesy of Raghuram Venkatasubramanian | Used with permission

Dear Trisha,

Aashi Venkat February 14, 2024

Dear Trisha, We were both kids when our mother died. Despite this, you took a proactive role in filling the seemingly endless void that emerged as a result of this loss: you never had to dye my hair...

The poster for Percy Jackson and the Olympians features Walker Scobell (Percy Jackson) holding a sword as waves come crashing around him. Poster | Disney+

“Percy Jackson and the Olympians” fails to meet expectations

Aashi Venkat February 3, 2024

Ready to transport viewers back to his fantastical Camp Half-Blood once again, author Rick Riordan pitched the concept of a Percy Jackson TV series in 2019, which became official with the 2020 announcement...

Written media depicts love in a variety of ways, with songs and books spanning from true love to toxic relationships.

Struck by Cupid’s arrow

Aashi Venkat January 24, 2024

From the idea of true love to the glamorization of toxic relationships, love has historically been portrayed in various ways through novels and song lyrics. Alt-pop artist Lana Del Rey’s lyricism is...

The THINK LATER album cover features McRae decked out in shin guards with THINK LATER painted on them in blue letter. Album cover owned by RCA

‘THINK LATER’ paints heartbreak in a beautiful way

Aashi Venkat December 12, 2023

Pop artist Tate McRae released her sophomore album “THINK LATER” on Friday, Dec. 8. While the album’s lead single “greedy” was released in mid-September, McRae only announced the album in November,...

Sex, alcohol, drugs and suicide are often used by directors in popular TV shows, with examples being 13 Reasons Why and Euphoria.

A grasp on reality

Niveda Hari and Aashi Venkat December 6, 2023

Content Warning: This article mentions drugs, sex and suicide. Reader discretion is advised.  Step into the world of Emmy award-winning HBO show “Euphoria,” where neon lights and a kaleidoscope...

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