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

14 days of love: Kimika & Shozo

14 days of love: Kimika & Shozo

Aashna Patel February 7, 2023
In the seventh installment of the 14 days of love series, El Estoque explores the familial relationship between English teacher Shozo Shimazaki and his daughter sophomore Kimika Shimazaki
Kenneth Gan poses with his pet python Udon in his classroom. 
Photo by Abha Dash

Animal Love

Abha Dash, Staff Writer October 10, 2022
Exploring teachers’ pets and the impact they have on them
French teacher Janissa Zahns pen pals would send photos of themselves and their life in France.

Exchanging Letters

Kalyani Puthenpurayil and Anna Jerolimov March 4, 2022

Sophomore Daphne Huang, Juniors Rohin Inani and Yamini Mathew, English teacher Shozo Shimazaki, Biology teacher Renee Fallon, French teacher Janissa Zahn and parent Venkat Ananthan share the letters they...

As methods of communication such as emailing and calling became more popular in the 1990s, English teacher Shozo Shimazaki remembers thinking that the post office would go out of business, but the letters that people sent across the world remain in our history.

The forgotten art of writing letters

Kalyani Puthenpurayil and Anna Jerolimov March 4, 2022

Thoughtful. Underrated. Special. A nice gesture. A method of reflection. A lost art. Below are the experiences of students, teachers and community members regarding receiving and sending handwritten letters. 

Monta Vista shares New Years’ resolutions

Sonia Verma and Lillian Wang February 9, 2022
MVHS students and staff share their goals for the upcoming year
MVHS teachers utilize classroom playlists as a medium to make the learning environment more comfortable. Graphic by Justin Kim

Breaking down classroom playlists

Justin E Kim, Arts and Entertainment Editor February 1, 2022
Teachers explain the philosophy behind listening to music with their students
The iconic scream mask | used under creative commons

Horror is not for everyone

Amber Milesi, Staff Writer October 22, 2021

he young woman turns the corner hesitantly. She looks pale and is covered in a sheen of sweat. Her body is trembling as she inches her way down the hall, an old phone clutched in one hand. Once an average...

Race in anime

Anika Sharma March 24, 2021
Examining how anime portrays Black people and the effect on anime fans in the U.S
Exploring the stories of Cupertino residents, students and teachers

Humans of Cupertino

Discovering the stories that populate Cupertino
50 Questions with Shozo Shimazaki

50 Questions with Shozo Shimazaki

Krish Dev, Opinion Editor January 21, 2021
In the 12th installment of the recurring series, El Estoque asks Shozo Shimazaki 50 questions
Our cultures in food

Our cultures in food

Exploring the cultural significance of Asian food and its representation in America
Life after death

Life after death

Helen Chao and Shivani Gupta September 17, 2018
Teachers and students debate about what’s waiting for them beyond the grave
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