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

Abha Dash (12) was photographed before and after using a Snapchat beauty filter. The filter whitened not only her clothes and surroundings, but her facial features, as well.

the AIssue

Shannon Yu and Kalyani Puthenpurayil March 10, 2024

TikTok has seen a surge in the use of AI filters, whether to modify facial features or to generate seemingly realistic photos. Many companies, not just  investing in these tools, hoping to appeal to consumers.  However,...

Graphics by Amberly Sun

Fearing the inevitable

As students grow up and gain more experience in their lives, they start to develop various fears in the different facets of life. While many of these fears can be mitigated, oftentimes these fears play...

We must reinforce the idea of consent in everyday situations such as showing affection: not liking physical affection does not mean you care about someone any less.
Illustration | Anika Bhandarkar

High five, please

Anika Bhandarkar March 9, 2024

Meeting relatives often goes like this: my parents greet them first, exchanging a customary “how have you been,” followed by my brother getting a wave or a high five. Eventually, they turn to me, extending...

College and Career Advisor Rogelio Calderon works during the school day. Photo by Sagnik Nag Chowdhury

A “major” decision

Sagnik Nag Chowdhury and Amberly Sun March 9, 2024

Sophomore Shreeya Setty has had wide exposure to various activities in the liberal arts fields such as being a teacher’s assistant for a business class and a member of Future Business Leaders of America...

LGBTQ+ individuals should not be expected to come out — it can put an enormous mental and emotional strain on them and also reinforces heteronormative and cisnormative societal standards.

Coming out quietly

Anika Bhandarkar January 28, 2024

From the initial “Hey, I need to tell you something,” to the eternity of watching the three dots appear as my best friend typed back, I anxiously waited, because I was going to come out to her. The...

Photo | Meggie Chen

The invisible gap

Meggie Chen and Michelle Zheng January 28, 2024

It’s not uncommon to hear teachers parroting the phrase “grades don’t matter, learning does” —  and while the intention is undoubtedly good, and in many ways correct, this sentiment also fails...

In the same bubble

In the same bubble

Raj Thapliyal, Staff Writer January 26, 2024

It is common at MVHS for the expectation to be that there is an eventual pay off for the abundant amount of effort put into high school coursework, typically through the pipeline of an acceptance letter...

Star-studded activism

Star-studded activism

Meggie Chen and Aidan Ruan December 9, 2023
Exploring the flawed expectation for celebrities to share political opinions
Photo | Sonia Verma

Politics in the classroom

Sonia Verma and Michelle Zheng December 9, 2023

According to a survey of 116 MVHS students, 73 percent believe teachers should not incorporate their own beliefs into their curriculum. With many social science and literature curriculum at MVHS tied to...

Graphic | Sarah Liu

Stereotypes Podcast Part 3: Linguistics in Movies

Sarah Liu and Michelle Zheng December 6, 2023

S: Hi, I’m Sarah. M: Hi, I’m Michelle. S and M: And today, we will be discussing linguistic stereotyping in movies. M: We’ll be exploring how the use of language stereotypes in movies...

Graphic | Michelle Zheng

Shifting away from electric vehicles

Ethan Yang and Michelle Zheng November 29, 2023

You have probably seen the electric vehicle charging stations in MVHS’s parking lot. These 16 electric vehicle charging stations are a result of FUHSD partaking in the Charge! program that aims to expand...

Load More Stories