The Smoke Signal

By: Anusha Rijhsinghani Girls, it’s that time of year again where we are in control and have the opportunity to do the unconventional: ask a guy to a dance. Yes, that’s right, the Sadie Hawkins dance is only a few weeks away which means it’s time to start figuring out who to ask and more importantly, how. As one of my male friends so eloquently put, “Guys don’t go for the romantic stuff that girls fall for. Just straight-up ask him.” I guess that could be one approach to asking a guy to Sadie’s, or you could take the road…

By: Grace Wu On February 14th 2012, MSJ’s Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) held their annual mock wedding during lunch in the A-wing cafeteria. The event gave students the opportunity to exchange vows with each other regardless of gender. Students were also encouraged to watch and enjoy the ceremonies. MSJ’s GSA is a club “which provides a safe place for students to meet, support each other, talk about issues related to sexual orientation and gender identity and expression, and work to end homophobia and transphobia.” The wedding served as a celebration of rights and equality, in light of recent legislation passed…

By: Sherry Xiao MSJ’s third annual 3v3 basketball tournament, held in the spring in past years, began early on January 17, Matches were ten minutes each and were played every day at lunch from January 17 to February 10 with breaks during finals and the wrestling tournament. The winning team in the championship bracket was the Shooting Stars with Seniors Patrick Andresen, Shray Bansale, Param Bhatter, and Ilene Tsao. They defeated the Junior Ballerz 5-4 in overtime. The winning team in the compensation bracket was Teachers with Social Science Teacher Bill Jeffers, History Teacher Jason Cain, Geography Teacher Joshua Hunter,…

By: Anjali Kanthilal Smoke Signal: What experience do you have working with the student body? How will it show if/when you become president? Monica Liu: I am currently the ASB secretary, so I do have a lot of experience working with the student body. We’ve planned a lot of events this year and many new things as well. We’ve made the MSJ ASB website, we’ve created a Twitter account, and a new Facebook group. We’ve also implemented a new minute structure during council, and a new club process this year so that clubs can be really successful. In ASB this year,…

By: Jaynelle Gao Smoke Signal: Why did you want to be involved in leadership? Dennis Lee: I applied for Leadership 2 because as a freshman, I really looked up to everyone in the class and after every event I would think, “I really want to get to know that person” and I feel like they did a lot for me. Nihar Parikh: When I was in eighth grade, I saw the class of ’09-’10 and they were kind of immortalized because of the effect they had on the student body. I felt like I would like to have the same…

By: Jin Peng Smoke Signal: What changes do you want to implement/what do you want to do differently if you are elected as ASB Secretary? Alton Lin: I would like to have more effective communication between ASB and the student body. I really would like to see students give more input and feedback and to overall nurture a stronger relationship between ASB and students. I wish to achieve this greater connection so that more people can get involved and more people can understand how this school runs and in turn get better feedback for questions that they may have.  …

By: Anjali Kanthilal Smoke Signal: What experience do you have working with the student body? How will it show when you become treasurer? Emily Chen: I’ve been Junior Class Treasurer all year and I’ve also worked alongside the current ASB Treasurer in the student store and his comittee. Through being treasurer in both those positions, I’ve worked with the school accountant, Ms. Stoorza, and I’ve had to file requisitions and make deposits. As ASB Treasurer, I will have to be in charge of a lot more than that because all the club stuff will go through me.   SS: Handling the large…

By: Sonali Toppur   Smoke Signal: What qualities do you possess that make you a good candidate for this position? Charley Lin: I’m a very open-minded person, and always open to new ideas. Also, I’m very social and love to be around other people. Being Activities Coordinator is a position in which you have to bring the school together and put yourself out there. This is a quality that I have. I’m also very hard working, and a lot of fun! Neha Nayak: Being a member of L2 has definitely given me the insight and experience needed to work as a…

The Smoke Signal is looking for our next year’s Journalism I staff. The application will be available on February 24th, so check back for more information!

By: Alekya Rajanala As a follow-up to the 54th Grammy Awards predictions in our February 3, 2012 issue, the Smoke Signal now presents some nominees and artists who took home Grammy gold on the night of February 12.   1. Album of the Year WINNER: 21—Adele Doo-Wops & Hooligans—Bruno Mars Wasting Light—Foo Fighters Born This Way—Lady Gaga Loud—Rihanna   2. Record of the Year WINNER: 21—Adele Holocene— Bon Iver Grenade—Bruno Mars The Cave—Mumford & Sons Firework—Katy Perry   3. Song of the Year WINNER: “Rolling in the Deep”—Adele “Cave”—Mumford & Sons “Grenade”—Bruno Mars “Holocene”—Bon Iver “All of the Lights”—Kanye West   4.…