• March 24FUHSD Earth Day
  • March 25Mock Trial Auditions
  • April 1April Fools Day
  • April 4Lynbrook IDC Exchange
  • April 14-18Spring Break
The Student News Site of Lynbrook High School

the Epic
On April 28, Lynbrook will join PISA, assessing 40 random sophomores on math, science and reading for international comparison, for the first time. Graph based on data provided by OurWorldInData.org.
International student assessment closes after loss of educational funding
Notable recent events include the 40th anniversary of the FUHSF, school closures in East San José's Franklin-McKinley School District, raging wildfires across Oklahoma and a new wave of violence in the Syrian civil war. Top left: Photo used with permission from FUHSF Top right: Photo used with permission from Ivan Aleksic/Unsplash Bottom left: Photo used with permission from Patou Ricard/Pixabay Bottom right: Photo used with permission from Mahmoud Sulaiman/Unsplash.
Campus, community and world events
Vertigo Literary Magazine club received the first-class REALM award on Feb. 7 for the literary and artistic quality of their titular magazine's issues. Graphic illustrations used with permission from Vertigo.
Vertigo magazine wins national REALM award
Sophomores from across the district enjoy an evening of skating at the frst-ever intradistrict social.
Class of 2027 skates to first intradistrict social
Recent events to note include FBLA's e-waste donation drive, state efforts to fast-track relief for the Los Angeles wildfires, a polar vortex in the Midwest and Plains states and an international agreement to regulate AI. Top left: Photo used with permission from Nothing Ahead/Pexels Top right: Photo used with permission from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Bottom left: Photo used with permission from David Robert Crews Bottom right: Photo used with permission from Focall Foto
Campus, community and world events
From the Star-Spangled Banner at American football games to the red, white and blue decorations at election rallies, Americana has long been a symbol of pride and cultural identity.
Partisanship clouds patriotic values
When juveniles commit severe crimes, such as premeditated murder, they are often unable to be tried proportionally, leading to decreased public safety.
The Santana Row stabbing reveals shortcomings in juvenile justice
Microtransactions, or small in-game transactions of real money, create unhealthy spending habits in video game players.
Microtransactions encourage gambling over gaming
Students actively engage in discussions and group activities in their Ethnic Studies class.
Editorial: Federal education cuts threaten ethnic studies programs
President Donald Tump's federal aid freeze, announced on Jan. 27 and rescinded on Jan. 29, had to led to various delays in federal funding, including for schools, farmers and nonprofits.
Trump’s federal aid freeze sows confusion and endangers communities
Junior Irene Hwang offers humorous advice to those without a romantic partner during Valentine's Day.
A single person’s survival guide to Valentine’s Day
Sophomore Saavan Saraf discovered his voice in politics after a long and perspective-changing journey.
Finding my opinions in the world of politics
Junior Brian Lee holds up prayer beads, a symbol of his atheist identity amid his Buddhist family.
A different prayer in a Buddhist household
Moving west, east and west again
Moving west, east and west again
Looking back and moving forward
Looking back and moving forward
Students actively engage in discussions and group activities in their Ethnic Studies class.
Editorial: Federal education cuts threaten ethnic studies programs
In a district wide effort to address student mental health issues, Lynbrook plans to launch a future mental wellness center, preceded by a monthly prototype launching in May.
Future wellness center is a step toward aiding student mental health
Student petitions are an important way of bringing attention to school issues, but the line between serious and counterproductive petitions must be drawn. Graphic illustration by Charlotte Bolay and Crystal Zhu
Editorial: The power of petitions in student advocacy
The FUHSD board should increase outreach opportunities for students to participate in district activities, while students should engage in board efforts.
Editorial: Bridging the gap between district board and students
Editorial: Initiating safer traffic practices around campus
Editorial: Initiating safer traffic practices around campus
Every day Tara Grande, Thomas Lopez, Johnny Roberson and Tim Wehner serve as the school’s crossing guards.
Crossing into the lives of Lynbrook’s crossing guards
With a steady hand, sophomore Charlie Loper applies the last details to his signature Basque cheesecake. Photos used with permission by Charlie Loper.
Charlie Loper bakes beauty with Basque It cheesecakes
As the soft glow of a candle flickers in her garage, sophomore Chanelle Aragones delicately shapes each piece of ribbon, the flame curling its edges to create petals. Photos used with permission by Chanelle Aragones.
Chanelle Aragones wraps up success with every bouquet
Aidan Tung watches over the coral he has meticulously maintained. Photo used with permission from Aidan Tung.
Aidan Tung dives deep into the world of coral keeping
Choir showcases their yearly Singing Valentines performances to classmates and teachers. Photos by Claire Guo, Lilly Wu and Crystal Zhu. Graphic illustration by Gary Pan.
Revealing the magic behind Lynbrook’s annual singing valentines
Photos by Lilly Wu. (Lilly Wu)Graphic illustration by Claire Guo. (Claire Guo)
Claire Hsu bakes it up
Jayden Yang makes waves through water polo
Holden Choi finds a career path in his passion for video games
Jason Wu grows passion and creativity through a side hustle
Chloe Chung strengthens connections through vinyl
World War II (1939-1945)
World War II (1939-1945)
In the fast pace of modern popular culture where trends seem to disappear before they even start, it is easy to forget their origin and cultural significance.
Subcultures enrich mainstream
The Great Recession (late 2007 to mid-2009)
The Great Recession (late 2007 to mid-2009)
Throughout history, music has continuously served as a reflection and response to tumultuous times.
Turmoil, strife and the music through it all
From the vibrant textiles of Mexico to the intricately embroidered saris of India, different forms of traditional clothing have all been woven into the diverse fabric of culture.
Tradition makes its way into modern fashion
The wrestling team navigates through new obstacles after the departure of a beloved coach.
Wrestling team perseveres back at the mat
The Valkyries perform at regional and national level competitions with elaborate choreographies while also performing at school events. Photos used with permission by Dorothy Ko
The Valkyries’ steps to success
The rejection by the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors allows the continued use of turf in recreational areas. Graphic illustration by Cecilia Wu.
Santa Clara Board rejects a push to ban synthetic turf
Alice Wu dribbles her 1000th point basketball, among memories or her past years of playing basketball. Photos by Epic staff. Graphic illustrations by Amanda Jin and Ethan Wong.
Alice Wu shoots her 1000th point toward success
Arm in arm, the upperclassmen and underclassmen sports duos build bonds together in the winter season. Photos by Gary Pan and Lilly Wu. Graphic illustrations by Savaan Saraf, Jenny Suh. Ethan Wong and Lilly Wu.
Growing closer with sports mentorship duos
View the full photo gallery at the link in our bio or at bit.ly/spromfashionshow2025
Senior Prom Fashion Show 2025
The past two months have seen hit after hit in terms of new album releases, two most notable being Lady Gaga's “Mayhem” and LISA's “Alter Ego." Graphic illustrations by Akash Anand, Stuti Jain and Yvonne Wu.
Nostalgia and Self-Discovery: a Review of LISA’s “Alter Ego” and Lady Gaga’s “Mayhem”
Epic staffers Amanda Jin and Irene Hwang give their opinions on the 2025 Oscars nominations. Graphic illustrations by Olivia Tu.
From Anora to Emilia Perez: Our opinions on the 2025 Oscars
View the full photo gallery at the link in our bio or at bit.ly/2025silsilayfashionshow.
Silsilay Fashion Show 2025
60 years of Hollywood love in four rom-coms
Tug, not tackle: Students and staff on girls flag football in Viking athletics
Tug, not tackle: Students and staff on girls flag football in Viking athletics
Approaching 60 years of history: Lynbrook back in the day
Approaching 60 years of history: Lynbrook back in the day
Nostalgic memories, since 2010
Nostalgic memories, since 2010
Vertigo and La Pluma Open Mic
Vertigo and La Pluma Open Mic
Students gathered in the parking lot on March 29 for ASB's first school-sanctioned celebration of Holi.
Adding a little color with Holi
Brain Rot
Brain Rot
Nostalgia
Nostalgia
Gaming the system
Gaming the system
Lost in translation.
Lost in translation.
View the full photo gallery at the link in our bio or at bit.ly/spromfashionshow2025
Senior Prom Fashion Show 2025
View the full photo gallery at the link in our bio or at bit.ly/2025silsilayfashionshow.
Silsilay Fashion Show 2025
View the full photo gallery at the link in our bio or at bit.ly/2025jpromfashionshow.
Junior Prom Fashion Show 2025
View the full photo gallery at the link in our bio or at bit.ly/epicwf25.
2025 Winter Formal: Midnight Masquerade
Sanskriti 2024
Sanskriti 2024
Exploring students’ favorite brain rot activities
Exploring students’ favorite brain rot activities
Women who inspire Lynbrook
Women who inspire Lynbrook
Being firefighters, since 1986
Being firefighters, since 1986
Graphic illustration by Gray Pan.
Freshmen and Sophomores battle in the first ever Underclassmen Showdown
Graphic illustration by Yvonne Wu.
What is love?
Epic staffers Amanda Jin and Irene Hwang give their opinions on the 2025 Oscars nominations. Graphic illustrations by Olivia Tu.
From Anora to Emilia Perez: Our opinions on the 2025 Oscars
Graphic Illustration by Amanda Jin, Alexandra Wu and David Zhu.
Behind the runway
Formula 1: Pit lane Talk
Formula 1: Pit lane Talk
Graphic Illustration by Daeun Chung
College mythbusting with Mr. Roy
Don’t judge a book by its cover: the shortcomings of banning books
Don’t judge a book by its cover: the shortcomings of banning books
The Student News Site of Lynbrook High School

the Epic
The Student News Site of Lynbrook High School

the Epic
Chelsea Lee

Chelsea Lee, Design Editor

(she/her) Chelsea Lee is a senior and third-year staffer. She is a Design Editor and previous News Editor for the Epic. Within journalism, she is most passionate about photojournalism and broadcasting. Outside of the newsroom, she enjoys cuddling her maltese dog, Coco, and exploring a variety of creative outlets.

All content by Chelsea Lee
Approaching 60 years of history: Lynbrook back in the day

Approaching 60 years of history: Lynbrook back in the day

Chelsea Lee and Riki Murase
April 29, 2024
From "Barbie" to "Mulan," nostalgia has been a marketing strategy to remodel remniscent shows, yet some approaches have entered gray regions between offering fresh perspectives and exploiting the audiences' pre-existing connections.

[Photo] Nostalgia in media: Toeing the line between modernized and contrived

Valerie Shu and Alyssa Wang
April 29, 2024
Being firefighters, since 1986

Being firefighters, since 1986

Chelsea Lee and Katie Chin
April 1, 2024
New Consumer Design Club, Magic Club, Ravens and Taiwanese American Student Assosiation spark new diverse spaces.

Five new clubs provide diverse perspectives to campus

Chelsea Lee and Katie Chin
March 11, 2024

Dr. Roy Rocklin’s legacy memorialized in new science building

Chelsea Lee and Gary Pan
November 19, 2023
Lynbrook’s first ever Moon Festival celebration

Lynbrook’s first ever Moon Festival celebration

Ashley Huang and Chelsea Lee
October 10, 2023
Katie Chung finds vending at craft fairs with friends and running her small business to be a gratifying experience, and she feels lucky that she gets to share her art with new people.

Alumna Katie Chung expands Hua Studios to local craft fairs

Alexandra Wu, Chelsea Lee, Erin Fitzpatrick, Rohan Kakhandiki, Apurva Krishnamurthy and Audrey Sun
September 15, 2023
Committed

Committed

Maple Leung, Eileen Zhu and Chelsea Lee
June 2, 2023
Training with numerous coaches throughout the years, Zhang has come to appreciate how each coach provides a new perspective on how to approach swimming, and all similarly push him to try his best.

Tianyou Zhang commits to Carnegie Mellon University for swim

Chelsea Lee, Design Editor
June 2, 2023
Leaving a legacy at Lynbrook, Chu broke the school’s 100-yard breaststroke record two years in a row, with the most recent time being 55.94 seconds.

Jerry Chu commits to Carnegie Mellon University for swimming

Chelsea Lee, Design Editor
June 2, 2023
Senior Prom 2023: Happily Ever After

Senior Prom 2023: Happily Ever After

Riki Murase and Chelsea Lee
May 13, 2023
To create a more accepting community, respecting the needs of people with SAD can go a long way.

Feeling SAD? Blame the weather

Chelsea Lee, Design Editor
May 8, 2023
Level four champions will go on a "Champions' Trip" to Japan paid for by the Bowl's organization and the Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Kakehashi program.

Lynbrook places second in National Japan Bowl

Chelsea Lee, Design Editor
May 8, 2023
Senior William Xu and junior Krish Agarwal build their own PCs.

Students build custom digital experiences with self-built PCs

Chelsea Lee, Design Editor
April 10, 2023
Nine new divers have joined the Lynbrook diving team this year, creating a lively and supportive environment to explore their potentials

Lynbrook swimmers explore new potential in diving

Chelsea Lee, Design Editor
March 10, 2023
By not allowing stigmas prevent them from enjoying the sport, female wrestlers show their resilience and prove that they too deserve to compete in the playing field.

Wrestling against gender stereotypes

Chelsea Lee, Design Editor
February 6, 2023
Behind the scenes: Studio 74 puts on “The Lion in Winter” play

Behind the scenes: Studio 74 puts on “The Lion in Winter” play

Chelsea Lee, Design Editor
January 13, 2023
Homecoming: Freshmen Skit 22-23

Homecoming: Freshmen Skit 22-23

Chelsea Lee and Elizabeth Cheng
October 19, 2022
Shen wins a gold medal at the International Math Olympiad with a score of 36 points out of 42.

Eric Shen wins gold medal at International Math Olympiad

Chelsea Lee, Design Editor
October 10, 2022
The Sharma sisters' home-based business, Bake Up, supplies the Bay Area with eggless muffins, cookies and their signature banana bread.

The Sharma sisters Bake Up a business

Amy Liu, Chelsea Lee, Sam Sarma, Audrey Sun, Alyssa Wang, Emily Pedroza and Daeun Chung
August 23, 2022
The laws and ethics surrounding animal testing

The laws and ethics surrounding animal testing

Chelsea Lee and Sam Sarma
May 26, 2022

[Photo] Rita Korsunsky, AP Calculus BC and Algebra 2/ Trigonometry teacher

May 26, 2022
This year’s groundbreaking time landed seniors Alyssa Meng, Alison Tjoe, Vanessa Su and Claire Wang in first place in the Central Coast Section League and eighth in the ranks of all high school California teams.

Four years, four track stars, one historic record broken

Chelsea Lee, Design Editor
May 3, 2022
Silsilay Fashion Show 2022

Silsilay Fashion Show 2022

Chelsea Lee, Design Editor
April 30, 2022

The objective Cypher is to eliminate other players and be the last person standing after a series of challenges.

Cypher: The Class of 2022’s senior game

Chelsea Lee, Design Editor
April 5, 2022
Senior Prom Fashion Show 2022

Senior Prom Fashion Show 2022

Chelsea Lee, Design Editor
March 26, 2022
Winter guard’s well-choreographed performance captivates the audience by telling a story with vivid visual aspects.

Winter guard: Dancing with flags, rifles and swords

Chelsea Lee and Lauren Liu
March 8, 2022
Boys basketball wins quarterfinals CCS NorCal 2022

Boys basketball wins quarterfinals CCS NorCal 2022

Chelsea Lee and Elizabeth Cheng
March 2, 2022
Boys basketball makes history at CCS Championship 2022

Boys basketball makes history at CCS Championship 2022

Chelsea Lee, Design Editor
February 27, 2022
Sophomore Adithri Sharma sings Andra Day’s “Rise Up.”

Coffeehouse Talent Show 2022

Susanna Tang and Chelsea Lee
February 12, 2022
Although the anonymous administrators of school Instagram pages may only intend to provide students with a quick laugh, negative effects such as cyberbullying and harassment can easily arise from these pages.

The humor and harm of school IG pages

Chelsea Lee, Design Editor
February 1, 2022
Epic staffers try to pick up Lynbrook students

Epic staffers try to pick up Lynbrook students

Chelsea Lee and Lina Mezerreg
February 1, 2022
Electrical boxes add a splash of colorful artwork to San Jose’s streets.

Student artists paint life into San Jose’s streets

Chelsea Lee, Design Editor
December 7, 2021
Epic staffers try special effects makeup

Epic staffers try special effects makeup

Chelsea Lee, Anwen Huang and Neha Ayyer
November 9, 2021
When a person shops, the brain releases dopamine as a response to the perception of a reward. The surge of happiness and positive feelings that ensues makes retail therapy an addictive method of stress relief.

Does retail therapy inspire relief or unhealthy reliance?

Emma Constable and Chelsea Lee
November 9, 2021
Social isolation let my own, unfiltered personality unfold in the comfort of my home after being stagnant for so many years.

Becoming confident in social isolation

Chelsea Lee, Design Editor
October 11, 2021
Homecoming: Staff Skit 21-22

Homecoming: Staff Skit 21-22

Samiya Anwar, Chelsea Lee and Susanna Tang
October 1, 2021
As the summer comes to a close, many students are wondering about Lynbrook’s COVID-19 policies.

Lynbrook implements new COVID-19 policies provided by SCC

Jason Shan, Meera Nambiar, Susanna Tang, Chelsea Lee and Anirudh Seshadri
August 25, 2021