Mrs. Kitano, current assistant principal of Mills High School, has been an important part of the Mills community.

Mrs. Kitano will be retiring at the end of the school year after having served three years as the Assistant Principal of Mills High School. She has been working for the San Mateo Union High School District for seven years, serving four years as vice principal at Capuchino High School and three years as vice principal at Mills High School.

“The best part about Mills is the kids, the teachers, and parents. The students are always so dedicated,” says Mrs. Kitano.

Throughout her service at Mills High School, Mrs. Kitano has coordinated student activities such as senior prom and graduation. She also manages the custodial department and has overseen the construction.

Before working for the San Mateo Union High School District, Mrs. Kitano worked for the San Francisco school district and had the vice principal position at Wallenberg High School and was the head of the special education department at Galileo High School.

During her retirement, Mrs. Kitano plans on obtaining a master’s degree in organizational psychology from Walden University. Currently, she has obtained a master’s degree in Administration from St. Mary’s college, a Bachelor of the Arts Degree in Art, and teaching credentials from San Francisco State University. She also plans to spend more time with her family and four grandchildren and continue pursuing her hobbies. Her hobbies include playing tennis and baking; she plans on enhancing her baking abilities by taking cake decorating classes.

Mrs. Kitano has been a big part of our Mills community and her kindness and consideration will be missed. Mills High School wishes Mrs. Kitano a fun and relaxing
retirement.

“This has been my best year working with teachers, parents, and students. I especially enjoyed Mills Mania and I am looking forwards to senior prom and
graduation,” says Kitano.

Lean Finely Textured Beef, abcnews.com

This past year in particular, “Lean Finely Textured Beef,” the beef filler better known as “pink slime,” has taken a beating from the media, from being called unsanitary to bacteria-infested.

It was once the champion beef filler that fast food restaurants and school cafeterias used. However since the media blitz, both McDonald’s and Burger King have sworn to discontinue its use. Nevertheless, the National School Lunch Program is still the largest buyer of the filler at 5.5 million pounds a year. Currently Mills’ meat is sourced from the state lunch program, which is directly affiliated with the National School Lunch Program and so the question remains is “pink slime” served at school?

Cost effectiveness is a reason why Mills could be using it. With the myriad of ground beef dishes at Mills High School, the filler could save the school some money by replacing pounds of ground meat every day. The saved money could then go to the English or other departments for better use.

However, looking at the history of “Lean Finely Textured Beef,” it is definitely not an ethical choice. Eldon Roth first ground and mashed the meat mounds in 1994. He formed a process for the usually unwanted bits and ends of cows where they could now be remade into filler for beef. Unfortunately, the external pieces of cow meat are usually the most bacteria infested containing untold amounts of E. coli and salmonella.

Ammonia became the solution. Although commonly used in household cleaning agents, Roth discovered that spraying the meat with ammonia would change the pH of the meat allowing most bacteria and pathogens to die. He then found a “balance” where the taste of the ammonia would not over power the beef.

JoAnne Smith of the USDA reportedly said, “It’s pink, therefore it’s meat,” despite the unappetizing and thorough procedure the meat had to go through.

With the USDA’s approval, the National School Lunch Program quickly became the biggest buyer, until a report by the New York Times, “E. coli and salmonella pathogens have been found dozens of times in Beef Products [the company that makes pink slime] meat, challenging claims by the company and the USDA about the effectiveness of the treatment.”

However, the question of “pink slime” at Mills was still left unanswered. The first interview with the cafeteria resulted in no information. The following day, the question was evaded and avoided by cafeteria workers. Finally, a week later, I was given an answer. Mills High School does not serve pink slime.

Patrons of the Mills cafeteria can feel safe at last. The lack of pink slime proves the cafeteria’s commitment to safe, clean and healthy food.

(Image Credit: studytipaday.wordpress.com)

In response to the string of SAT cheating scandals in Long Island, future SAT test takers will be required to provide photographs of themselves during registration to increase academic integrity.

The new rules will require students to either upload or mail a picture of themselves during the test registration process. Even though test centers are already required to check the ID cards of the students, the new requirement will place the sent photograph on both the test day roster and admission ticket. The change is also calling for more frequent and careful checks of each student’s identity. Soon, student IDs will be checked before entering the test room, between breaks, and when turning in the test materials.

As part of the change, all test takers must state their high school when registering. After test day, the photographs and the resulting test scores will be sent to each student’s high school. Officials from testing companies such as College Board and ACT Inc. are hoping that the schools can help identify suspicious scores.

The urgent need for tighter security on these entrance exams became apparent when a large group of teenagers in Long Island, New York, were caught cheating and taking the test for each other. The scandal involved students paying other higher scoring students up to $3000 to take the SAT test for them. They used fake IDs and even took tests for students of the opposite sex that had gender neutral names.

Even though there seems to be no downside to the change and its many benefits, cheating can still happen. Copying and sharing of answers or other test information is still another problem awaiting action.

Mills students have had generally positive reactions to this new change and believe it will definitely help prevent cheating.

“I think that it’s a good requirement because it prevents unfair advantages for students who have worked less to obtain the same, or a even a higher test score, as a student who has studied their life away,” said junior Samantha Yamashita.

Although he was happy about the change, Junior Alton Chau was more concerned on whether or not the already steep prices for the exams would be increasing.

“I think that it is a good thing if this is what [the test companies] feel would make the SAT and ACT more secure and fair, even though they are probably wasting a lot more time and money to do so…but I just hope they don’t boost the price to take the test,” stated Chau.

Officials from both College Board and ACT Inc. have since stated that there will be no additional costs for students, and that any additional expenses would be “absorbed” instead. The new requirements will come into effect this fall.

First Row(right to left): Jason Chun, Karin Chan, Michael Tom, Benjamin Benson. Second Row(right to left): Mr. Yung, Marco, Sarah Yung, Robert Mitsuda, Nathan Wong. The Mills Robotics Team at San Jose University preparing for the competition.

           After preparing for several months, the Mills Robotics Team, Team 253, took its robot  to San Jose State University from March 29 to the 31 to compete in the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition.

            The objective of this competition was to create a robot that would work cooperatively with two other robots, pitting a total of three robots on a team, against another team of three to shoot basketballs into a series of nets.  Each team had a total of two minutes and fifteen seconds to score as many points as possible, with additional points being awarded if the robots could balance on bridges in the middle of the field.  There was a total of fifty teams that participated in the Rebound Rumble, including teams from Mexico, Brazil, and Ohio.  In the end, it was California’s Bellarmine College Preparatory that took first place.  The Mills Robotics Team finished in forty-eighth place, but was satisfied with the results.

            As team leader of the Mills Robotics Team, James Ortis, stated, “I thought several robots had a lot more components and “special features,” as it were, than we did. Then again, I was surprised at how we compared in terms of complexity to many of the other teams.”

            The curve was set by Bellarmine College Preparatory, three time world champion, and Gunn High School and greatly increased the competitive atmosphere.  For a few of the team members it was their first competition; however, for others, it was just one of many competitions that they had participated in.

            Ortis stated, ” I did know what to expect going into the competition, as this was my fourth time going. What surprised me the most is the fact that our robot could have competed in the games well with its simplistic design, even if it did not look as professionally built or ‘smooth’ as other robots.”

            While the team did not do as well as it wanted, it was runner-up for the most persevering team award. Though disappointed, the team’s spirits were still high throughout the competition and continued to work to better the robot.  The high point of the competition, for the whole team, was the few moments in which Team 253 was in thirty-seventh place, but it was a short-lived joy.  Unfortunately, the robot refused to function while out on the playing field.  To the team’s benefit however, many schools, including Bellarmine Prep and Gunn High, offered their assistance in order to make the robot work but to no avail.

            Although, the robot was unable to act as a competitive member of the team, the competition was a great experience in which I, and the whole team, learned to work cooperatively with others and have a great time.

Mills High School principal Mr. Belzer holds up a copy of the new graduation requirement, Protocol 56.11.

San Mateo Union High School District officials have finalized plans for a new graduation requirement that consists of an oral exam question used to test students’ speech and general knowledge skills.

This extra step, formally called SMUHSD Protocol 56.11 or simply Pro 56, requires high school students to answer an intellectually stimulating question impromptu. First established in a handful of high schools on the East Coast, the San Mateo Union High School District is the first district in Northern California to use the program. Students will have to stand in front of a panel of judges that will grade and evaluate their answer. Administration from each of the San Mateo Union High School District high schools will be the judges. The questions are said to be similar to SAT I essay prompts, often asking about specific character traits and an individual’s opinion about it.

Answers will be graded out of one hundred points in three different categories: content, originality, and presentation. Content is weighted the most at forty points while originality and presentation each account for thirty points. According to preliminary information sent out to high schools in the school district, the judges will be looking for a well-stated answer that demonstrated a strong opinion. Furthermore, students will be awarded more points with a more creative and innovative answer. Students are also expected to dress in business attire and be able to exhibit a high level of maturity. To pass, students must get a minimum of seventy out of the one hundred points. High school students are to take it for the first time during the first semester of their junior year. If they do not pass the first time, they are able to take it again in the second semester of their junior year. The final chance to take the exam would be in students’ first semester of senior year. At this point, if a student has not passed, he or she must apply for a private oral exam at a later arranged date.

The positive effects of Pro 56 are said to be widespread. The oral exam doesn’t test on written or studied information, instead, it is an assessment of a student’s own personal experiences and speaking skills. In conjunction with the standard CAHSEE test required by the state, the oral exam will be able to create a balance between students’ skills.
“Pro 56 will really help out students become great, well-rounded individuals.” stated Mills High School Dean, Mr. Christian.

While many high schools around the nations have seen a general increase in test scores, school administrators want to emphasize a greater need to prepare students for the real world and the practical challenges it brings. The exam and the skills it encourages will help students achieve success in finding and getting jobs.

“The new graduation requirement will encourage students to become more socially conscious and challenge them to be critical thinkers in this rapidly evolving job market.” said Mills counselor Mrs. Hauth.
For all of its benefits, Pro 56 is getting a lot of support from high school staff throughout the district. District managers are planning for the requirement to begin to take effect for the class of 2014; their ultimate goal is to have the first exams administered this fall.*

* = This is an April Fools article.

AP preparatory books that help assist many students through challenging courses. (Source: uhsecho.com)

 After years of deliberation, the San Mateo Union High School District (SMUHSD) has decided to offer AP classes only to seniors, which will take effect two years after this year’s course selection, mainly as a result of poor funding.

Any student enrolled in an AP class who will not be a senior next year will have his or her AP classes removed and be placed in the CP (college preparatory) equivalent.  However, there will be another course selection day planned for all incoming sophomores and juniors for all those that wish to change their schedules for the 2012-2013 school year.  Students who are currently juniors will still have the option to enroll in the AP classes of their choice.

In response to recent budget cuts to education, the SMUHSD has found it necessary to remove all AP classes for freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, as seniors get priority for class scheduling.  This will dramatically reduce the amount of AP classes in session every school year, saving the school some money. There has been a lot of debate over the matter, but due to the elevated stress levels of young high school students, the school board took the initiative and removed the AP option for all current freshman and sophomores.  This new change has received some mixed reactions.

Vincent Siu, a current Mills junior, commented, “I think it is good that the school is only offering AP classes to seniors, because when I took AP classes my sophomore year I felt a bit overwhelmed.”

Overall, it seems as though a majority of the current freshman and sophomores are okay, even satisfied, with the decision.  With no AP classes, students feel less pressure to have to pile on the difficult classes while managing their everyday lives.

 Many parents in the SMUHSD also petitioned to have this rule put in place. Parents believe this will reduce academic stress and will perhaps boost student participation in other extra-curricular activities.

 This is an immense change to the school system.  Only time will tell what kind of impact this will have on students and their ability to get into colleges, as well as the effect it will have on school extra-curriculars.*

* = This is an April Fools article.

SAT III study guide issued by College Board

In October, 2012, students will have the opportunity to take College Board’s SAT III, which tests knowledge of the arts, music, and career development.

Taking the SAT III can potentially benefit high school students in admission into more prestigious colleges.SAT III testing will be available for students from October to May every year. The full score of the SAT III will be 800, which is the same score limit as the SAT II. The testing locations will depend on the subject one is being tested on. Testing will consist of different subjects in the arts, music, and career development. Unlike both the SAT I and SAT II, which allow students to take the test as many times as necessary, the SAT III can only be taken twice. The cost of the test ranges from $30 to $100 depending on the subject of the test. The SAT III is also a longer test than the SAT I or SAT II; testing times range from 5 hours to 8 hours.

The SAT III subject test in art includes dance, which tests a student’s ability to choreograph a fifteen minute solo performance. Test takers will be given two hours to choreograph a dance and one extra hour
to practice.  The SAT III also offers an instrumental subject test. Music testing is based on a comprehensive test that checks one’s knowledge of sight reading, scales, singing, and playing pieces chosen by College Board. The first subject people will be graded people upon is their confidence and ability to withstand pressure and nervousness on stage. Also,
the SAT III subject test in art will test a student’s ability to draw a quick sketch of a certain item chosen by College Board within twenty minutes.

Career driven students can also take a subject test in the career path section of the SAT III. Career driven subjects include public speech, culinary arts, and rhetoric. College Board recommends those who plan on becoming lawyers, work for the government, or other vocations requiring speech, to take the SAT III subject test in rhetoric or public speech. Rhetoric will be based on a debate between six people being tested; the test will be based on a student’s ability to write a position paper within fifty minutes. For students planning on pursuing a career in the culinary field, an SAT III subject test for cooking and patisserie are available. For the SAT III subject test in cooking, students must prepare a six-course meal for a group of judges. Test takers will have thirty minutes to prepare each course with a certain number of ingredients—imagine the television series “Chopped” on food network. Those competing in patisserie will be required to make six different desserts depending on the dessert being tested on such as cakes, cookies, mousses, and pastries.

Taking the SAT III can benefit high school students because it portrays a student’s ability to take risks and expand horizons. Scoring well on the SAT III can balance out low scores on the SAT I and SAT II or greatly increase one’s overall score on the SAT.

Colleges are promoting people to take the SAT III because they want to accept students that are both well rounded in performances and intelligent. Taking the SAT III broadens the perspective of college admission officers about a student because they get a chance to see one’s alter ego as a talented and skilled student in different fields.

“I advise students to take the SAT III because this will definitely give students a chance to reveal their true colors and unknown abilities,” says Mr. Stillman, a counselor.

According to the dean of Harvard University, Ivy League schools, such as Harvard, are giving students, who score well on the difficult SAT III, a better chance of being accepted. The collective studies and the statistical calculations of many prestigious colleges showed that students who take the SAT III have an 85% better chance of being accepted into top-level colleges.

Taking the SAT III will also give students a chance to earn scholarships from colleges that notify outstanding and well rounded students. Scholarships could reach up to thousands of dollars and include automatic acceptance into different colleges.*

* = This is an April Fools article.

California Department of Education, Mills High School, and San Mateo Union High School District logos

The California Department of Education, the San Mateo Union High School District, and Mills High School have just established new criteria for the 2015 graduating class due to overall grades and student behavior. Changes will be made to the required graduation credits, sophomore testing, and club activities.
1.   Modification for High School Graduation Requirements
Until now, Mills High School students have only needed to take two years of Physical Education. Now the class of 2015 must take an additional year of P.E. because of the administration’s concern for students’ lack of exercise. However, if a student joins a sport as a sophomore or junior, he or she will not need this third year of P.E.
2.   Changes to Content of CAHSEE and STAR Testing
Sophomores are required to take the CAHSEE and STAR to graduate. The CAHSEE consisted of a multiple choice section for math and English, as well as an essay. In the STAR test, sophomores are required to complete a math, English, chemistry, and a biology section. Now, the California Department of Education has declared that the incoming sophomores must also take a science section in the CAHSEE, and write an essay for the STAR. This is because the class of 2015’s grades was significantly higher than those of any other year in recent Mills’ history. The state thought it would be better if the CAHSEE and STAR would be more challenging for the students, so they decided to change the content.
3.   Suggestions for Club Activities
The district now says that the incoming sophomores should wait until their junior year to join clubs. First, colleges will not look at club involvement for the 2015 class, and secondly, the district says to wait until students are more adjusted to high school and mature enough to take on more responsibilities. Yes, incoming sophomores may join for their own personal interests; however, the district recommends waiting until junior year.

Yes, these are significant changes, but freshmen, please do not be overwhelmed or alarmed. These modifications will help you throughout college and the rest of your life.*

* = This is an April Fools article.

Lynbrook High School is only one of the 155 schools participating in the EEP.photo cred:http://heysandra.com/designs/?img=4115995081

The San Mateo School District will now provide high school students with the opportunity to share their favorite elective classes with a diverse set of students to learn from new teachers and share classes with people from all around the Bay Area

Mills will be one of the one hundred and fifty five participating high school’s that is joining the Elective Exchange Program, or the EEP. The EEP will take applications from students with 2.0 GPAs or higher to join the program, which lets students take some of the electives provided at Mills at a public high School like Aragon, at private schools such as Notre Dame or even in distant schools in San Jose with our fellow Vikings at Lynbrook High School.

Although the program will provide diversity among our students since many students from all over the Bay Area will be enrolling in classes at Mills also, transportation will not be provided, and students are expected to get themselves to their classes on time. The San Mateo High School District does not recommend students participating in the EEP to choose classes that are too far away from Mills.

The district is planning to regulate the amount of students who will participate in the program, as they expect many students to be interested. However, the application process will be strict and any misconduct at other schools in the EEP will result in termination of classes at the other schools.

Many schools are embracing this program quickly because many students are excited to mingle with other students. The exact date that Mills will start the EEP has not yet been released as teachers are worried about adding more students to Mills while the demolition and re-construction of the school is in progress.

Although the EEP won’t start until after construction has progressed, younger students like sophomore Hank Van Wart states, “I’m very excited for the EEP because a lot of my friends are from Aragon, and I want Mills to participate, so we can enjoy some of our favorite classes with friends we don’t usually see.”

The graduating class, however, is showing signs of bitterness, as they will not be able to enjoy the program like the underclassmen. Senior Nathaniel Welch says, “It would’ve been nice if this program had been around before we were graduating so in jazz band we could’ve jammed with some of the best high school musicians from all over the Bay.”

All elective classes will be participating and Mills teachers are excited about teaching new students, and seeing how other students will perform in new environments.

Mr. Hensley, who teaches Journalism here at Mills stated, “I know most teachers can speak for themselves but I think the EEP will definitely broaden the scope of how teachers educate, and the diverse students will definitely teach us new skills.”*

* = This is an April Fools article.

Mills administration has proposed radical new measures in the hopes of rehabilitating students with a blatant disregard for “simple aiming procedures” and retaining the janitorial staff that has threatened to go on strike. Possible solutions include a Japanese-style method of keeping the school clean and the installation of service commissioners to monitor those attempting to pee and flee, among others.   

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) announced that janitors working at Mills will officially go on strike on April 8th due to wage cuts and an increased workload as a result of student misconduct. Most schools in the district have lowered janitors’ wages because of the fiscal crisis, but janitors here at Mills have been pushed over the edge.   

“You can’t tell me that these kids leave their own bathrooms at home looking like this” remarked head janitor Don Ahuna in response to the bathroom squalor. “We are paid to clean bathroom stalls, not animal pens.”

Floors, seats, walls, students have decorated it all with their excretory waste, to the point where the stalls truly are more reminiscent of animal pens. For some reason students feel the need to spin like sprinklers and douse everything within a ten foot radius. Although the fire department could really put these whirling spasmodic squirters to good work, the general consensus among the janitors is that they can do without them.  

“It’s hard sometimes,” remarked an anonymous student. “I will be going about my business when suddenly I just lose all control.”

  Perhaps Mills students are suffering from a medically undocumented condition that causes such erratic behavior and some students have argued that they should not be punished for their physical handicaps. But does a students’ apparent incapability also warrant a bout of amnesia? After these apparently uncontrollable fits of aimless peeing, students casually walk out without any effort to clean up their mess. When asked of his thoughts on the matter, another anonymous student stated he did not know “what the big deal was.” He believed that it is the janitor’s responsibility to clean up after the students, “after all, they are paid for it.”

  In order to curb what has been dubbed the “peeing and fleeing phenomenon” service commissioners will be stationed inside every bathroom on campus during brunch and lunch to conduct stall and urinal examinations after each usage. Those attempting to pee and flee will be apprehended and immediately brought into the Dean’s custody. 

“Don’t even think about getting caught twice kids. I have got some really special plans in store,” warned Dean Christian. Along with having to suffer the Deans nameless punishment, these Dangerous Repeat Offenders (DRO’s) will be forced to take a sixteen hour long weekend course stressing the value of public sanitation and therapy sessions, for those especially persistent students. Failure to pass the course or attend therapy will result in the inability to graduate. 

The principal is quite disappointed by the inconsiderate behavior of certain students here at Mills and believes that if the issue is not properly resolved, there will be no more janitorial staff. The school cannot afford to give the janitors higher pay and if the students cannot pull it together and start being more civil in the bathrooms the janitors will quit, he says. The San Mateo School Board has mandated that high schools “ensure a thorough maintenance of bathroom facilities to promote a safe and sanitary environment.” The absence of janitors would mean that this responsibility would fall upon the students and Mills would be forced to resort to a Japanese-style cleaning system. In this system it would be a common sight to find students on their hands and knees before and after school as they scrub away at bathroom tiles and clean toilets. The principal strongly suggests that students restore proper bathroom behavior so that such drastic measures will not have to be taken. *

* = This is an April Fools article.