By Ayush Deshpande May 20, 2026 Ryan Park Art On March 26, the members of the San Jose Unified School District (SJUSD) Board of Trustees convened and voted to close five schools in a narrow three-to-two decision. This concluded a months-long process of numerous board hearings, community meetings and protests. Empire Gardens, Canoas, Gardner, Lowell and Terrell elementary schools will be closing as early as the end of the 2025-26 school year. SJUSD deeme

By Elizabeth Taylor-Rotzow May 20, 2026 It is that time of year again; seniors are simultaneously preparing for their futures and reflecting on their experiences at Leland High School. This year brings a deeper feeling of bittersweet reflection as I watch my own daughter, Marlene Rotzow, graduate. While I have been a teacher at Leland for many years, Marlene has been here all of her life, literally. It was 2007, during a 5th period Senior English class

By Claire Chang, Ariel Lee, and Srihita Madiraju May 20, 2026 After learning Spanish and French during high school and college, Heather Hendry, Foreign Languages Department, embarked on her teaching career, where her experience as a student herself influenced her to empathize with common challenges students face throughout their linguistic journey and thoroughly help others understand linguistic mechanisms. Throughout her 38-year tenure at the school, she has taught var

By James Yu May 20, 2026 The desert stirs. Like a scene out of Napoleon’s infamous Egyptian campaign, a massive army descends on Indio, California’s silent dunes. Yet, instead of muskets and perfectly-kept uniforms, each soldier is prepared for battle with $16 matchas and bold rave fits. Men used to go to war. Now they go to

By Lauren Law May 20, 2026 Social media has begun to turn serious struggles into a source of admiration. People often post about mental health, heartbreak or unhealthy habits in a manner that aestheticizes or normalizes them, instead of highlighting how difficult they really are. This can also be seen in trends that frame overconsu

By Dylan Xie & Bradon Koo May 20,2026 A lot of unnecessary cleaning and repair costs come from students damaging property or leaving messes behind. The most frustrating situations are when bathrooms have to be closed because student behavior affects everyone else trying to use them. One time, I even saw a toilet filled with apples in one of the restrooms.