Under Pressure
September 6, 2019
On the three orange and blue plaques hung up in every UPA classroom, students are told to be honest, accountable and to persevere in all of their academic endeavors; however, there comes a point when students may feel that breaking these very values is the only option to achieve success. “The i...
Mental Health? What’s That?
Katherine Nguyen and Pallavi Rajani
June 3, 2019
“Split.” “Psycho.” “Girl, Interrupted.” Hollywood movies tend to use mental health as a driving force through their characters. Often a defining characteristic of the villain, mental illnesses such as Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) leave a mark on the audience—crazy people ha...
A Book Over a Cellphone
April 8, 2019
You check the time on your phone and turn on a playlist to listen to as you walk towards the doors of the library. Once inside, you put down your phone and pick up the sequel to the book you just finished. You flip to the first page and begin to read. You read until you hear on the PA system that ...
Rewinding the History of YouTube Rewind
Jacob Villareal, Reporter
February 12, 2019
YouTube is one of the key aspects in social media and trends. Anyone is able to upload videos with a diverse variety of content including gaming, appealing skits and blogging. If a video garners enough attention from viewers, there is a chance of the video going viral. Videos containing conte...
The Real Life “Crossy Road” Experience
Annie Zhang, Fun & Games Editor
July 8, 2018
People are familiar with the game “Crossy Road,” released in 2014. It is a mobile game where the player must avoid being flattened by cars while trying to cross the streets. UPA students and teachers who ride the VTA light rail encounter their real-life “Crossy Road” as they cross Canoas Garden Ave...
We’re Not Angry; We’re Just Disappointed
Ruchika Singla, In-Depth Editor
June 8, 2018
Thirteen and a half years. We had been preparing for 13 and a half years to enter the realm of adulthood by stepping into the next phase of our life: college. We crammed every bit of those 13 and a half years into a 350 word essay, a brief resume, a portfolio. We, taking information from...
No, Women Are Not Up for Grabs
Emily Hung, Editor-in-Chief
March 8, 2018
In light of increasing tension around the issue of sexual harassment, victims of harassment who have exposed their perpetrators—also known as Silence Breakers—are setting the example on an issue that could easily shame those harmed into silence. Earlier this school year, two students were disci...
Violence Warrants a Desire for Changes
Nicole Rendler, Managing Editor
December 4, 2017
Reading the news in 2017 is like watching a horror movie, seeing so many people die right in front of your eyes. With what seems to be a shooting every day, it begs the question: How many people are going to die before America realizes that gun control is necessary? Gun violence, whic...
Scouting Worlds Collide with Mixed Reactions
Nicole Rendler, Managing Editor
November 4, 2017
This will probably be the first and only time I will say this, but there is no reason for girls to be included. This was my gut reaction to the announcement on Oct. 11 that Boy Scouts of America will officially be allowing girls into the Cub Scout ranks of their organization as well as making a new...
To Pimp an English Class
Jacob Cayabyab
October 20, 2016
A communist pig with a vendetta to animals, two teenagers infatuated with each other, and a pair of best friends who work to buy land and have a farm walk into a bar. The bartender asks, “What can I get you?” They all reply, “Worksheets about what the characters felt during this scene,...
![One full month of consideration from the Santa Clara County Board of Education passed, and the night of Nov. 6th, after the meeting was delayed a full two hours after the initial start time, ended with UPA’s reauthorization for another five years. At approximately 8:30 p.m., the members of the Santa Clara County Board of Education met with Executive Director David Porter, other UPA Administrators and even teachers who attended the meeting and watched with anticipation if the school would be cleared to operate for another half-decade. With concerns raised about conflict of interest on the Board of Trustees, performance gaps, special education and vaping, UPA responded to each concern well enough to maintain the faith of Santa Clara County, further supported by the students and staff members that spoke on behalf of the school’s performance. Although UPA overcame the hurdle of another authorization, the Santa Clara Board offered key advice such as the increase of special education and further inclusion in the school’s demographic that UPA will hope to follow into 2025. The final vote for the reauthorization was 6-1 in favor of UPA, with board member Cladia Rossi (Area 7) voting against UPA on the notion that the school did not do enough to represent those that do not speak English as a first language. “When the board is asking questions, they will make concerns known,” Director of Student Services Andrew Yau said, “and that will drive us for the next five years [...] to make sure we address those.”
First Photo: Executive Director David Porter and Director of Curriculum and Instruction Matt Daughterey answer questions from the board.
Second Photo: Board Members Peter Ortiz (Area 6), Kathleen M. King (Area 2) and County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Mary Ann Dewan read over the third issue of 2018-2019’s Aquila newsmagazine.
Third Photo: Board member Joseph Di Salvo (Area 4) addresses his reasons for voting ‘Yes’ in renewing UPA’s charter, flanked by board members Grace Mah (Area 1) (Right) and Anna Song (Area 5) (Left).
Fourth Photo: UPA parents and staff members watch the meeting.
Reporting and photos by Kristian Crowther, Co-Editor-in-Chief.](https://upaaquila.org/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)
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May 1, 2019
Mental Illness at UPA | Episode 2
April 27, 2019
Mental Illness at UPA | Episode 1
April 27, 2019