The Aragon Outlook

12/10/2025

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11/28/2025

Aragon’s biotech club hosted its 5th annual environmental design competition in the MPR on Wednesday, Nov. 19, from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. Each group had 10 minutes to present their project; five minutes to pitch their idea, and five minutes for a Q&A session with the judges. Groups were to find a realistic solution to a specific environmental issue, and were judged on how well they identified the problem and how realistic their solution was.

“[All] the projects that we saw were very well put together in terms of identifying a problem and trying to think of how to approach it. [Just] looking from the outside … [these students] are definitely on the right track to have that right mindset,” said competition judge Cobi Yu. “[Whether] you pursue engineering, business, science, [etc.] in the future, [this] mindset is … going to be more and more important as time progresses.”

Winners received monetary prizes, $1000, $500, and $250 for first, second, and third place, respectively.

“[We] were … looking [for] what [the scope of] problems they’re solving for [is],” said competition judge Sameer Kalra. “For example, [the first place team] defined a larger problem, and then [they came] up with an approach of solving it, [as it was something they can] actually do something about [and] create a prototype [and test] around it.”

The first place group designed a filter for a washing machine, focusing on water pollution. The second place group focused on deforestation through speakers that stimulate plant growth, and the third place group concentrated on algae bloom removal. Students saw that they can make a tangible impact, and many are hoping to continue to compete next year.

“[There’s] really no harm in trying. [The] whole point is [for] people to … work on [and] think about how [to] solve these issues,” said Chase Rokala, a member of the group that placed second. “[The] underlying purpose behind it is to get younger people thinking about the environment or health…to help solve these issues [and] improve the world.”

The Biotech club will host its next competition next year centered around health.

Reporting by Renee Ren.
Photos by Aaron Lee.

11/21/2025

The California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress test is taken by juniors every year, testing their levels of academic achievement in English and math. The purpose of the test is to show families, teachers and administrators students’ progress and areas where more attention is needed.

“[Teachers] painted [the tests] as something that didn't really have that much impact on our lives,” said senior Sheridan Stewart. “[Your] results [may] … have an impact on [California State University] placements in English and math classes, [but] other than that, it didn't really seem like a very high stakes test.”

Aragon’s test scores are much higher than the state average. In the 2024-2025 school year, 59.39% of juniors earned a passing score in math, far surpassing the state average of 30.49%. In English, 81.71% of juniors scored a passing score, exceeding the state average of 56.96%. This is also an increase from the 2023-2024 school year, where 56.84% of juniors passed the English portion, and 78.19% passed math. Those are 2.52% and 3.51% increases in the last school year, respectively.

“[The questions] were pretty standard, at least for English,” Stewart said. “I'd compare it to [the] grammar [section] on the SAT … I didn't think they were bad, [and] the essay was pretty straightforward.”

There was also growth for English-learner students.

“[Even] though [their] scores were below the average, each student’s scores in math and English went up at least 80 points,” said Vice Principal David Moore. “[We] believe that's because we have our new [community and literacy in action] classes … Everyone [in the English Learners’ Advisory Committee was] super encouraged and excited to continue to grow [the] program to see those scores continue to increase. [That's] hard data that shows those CLA classes work, [so] we're really excited to expand that program.”

The CAASPP test will be administered for juniors again in April 2026.

Reporting by Renee Ren.
Graphic by Madeline Allen.

11/19/2025

Advanced Placement Physics teacher Steve Ratto has been collecting baseball merchandise since his childhood.

“My dad would buy a box of [baseball] cards, and we would open it together to try to complete the set,” Ratto said. “I would watch the All-Star Game with [him], and we’d put out a felt field, and we [would] take the cards that we collected … and move them around during the game.”

As a Giants season ticket holder for seven years and running, Ratto continues to expand his Giants collection with both sentimental and humorous finds.

“I have a [Giants] orange [styrofoam] Hulk fist … meant to hold a drink,” Ratto said. “It’s hilarious. Every time I bring it to a game with friends, it becomes this prop, and it’s a lot of fun. I have a lot of good memories behind that.”

Many of his other memorabilia also have personal stories behind them.

“When you had seats during the pandemic, they’d put your cardboard cutout there in [your] place and televise it,” Ratto said. “I pranked one of my best friends by putting a cardboard cutout of him instead of my wife … Now, he moved to Minnesota … but every now and then, we’ll take his cardboard cutout to a game … It means something when I look at that.”

To Ratto, collecting isn’t about chasing rare or expensive items — instead, they serve as a physical reminder of the moments, people and experiences that make up his life.

“I have these memories related to baseball — good, bad and indifferent; I wouldn’t trade them,” Ratto said. “It’s not just items, but any time that has [those] memories. That stuff matters to me.”

Reporting by Madeline Allen and Zack Li.
Photos by Madeline Allen.

09/29/2025

Junior Mina Hwang has been playing the piano since she was five years old and has since won numerous competitions.

“My aunt gave me this mini keyboard,” Hwang said. “And I used to play around [with it]. But then I asked my mom, on my fifth birthday, to take me to a piano lesson. It started as a hobby, but then, little by little, it became more serious in my life.”

For Hwang, daily piano practice takes up one to two hours, or even five to ten hours during testing and competition time.

“Every touch is so important,” Hwang said. “If a note slips, the judges can hear it. If you’re not giving your best interpretation, the judges can hear it. It’s really important to give 100 percent emotion, 100 percent focus, into every single recording.”

Expanding from her solo journey, Hwang became a piano accompanist, joining the Bowditch Middle School orchestra in sixth grade and the Bay Area Youth Choir & Orchestra in seventh grade.

“It’s a new experience [compared to] when you’re playing by yourself because you really have to understand and match what your vocalists or string soloists are doing,” Hwang said. “You’re [not] free [or] on your own to do whatever you want. You want to understand what they mean and listen and play along. As an accompanist, it’s really important … not [to] overpower [the other instrumentalists].”

Hwang has found success in her musical endeavors, winning first place as a soloist in the 2025 Charleston International Music Competition. Hwang has also won a gold award with junior and violinist Laura Wang and sophomore and cellist Kana Ueno from the California Music Educators Association.

In the future, Hwang plans to continue playing classical music, as well as jazz and pop, and explore music composition. `

“When I play piano, I feel the most comfortable,” Hwang said. “It’s a beautiful way to communicate, not with your words, but through your emotions. It’s a really valuable experience that everybody should [have].”

Reporting by Helen McCloskey and Kyra Hsieh.
Photos in courtesy of Mina Hwang.

09/29/2025

09/21/2025

Senior Tory Maciel began her filmmaking journey in her junior year to satisfy her interest in the discipline.

Maciel’s first filmmaking endeavor was creating a film during a two-week intensive camp. The film is 1980s-inspired and follows a stereotypical nerd and jock who conspire to steal exam answers.

“This was our first film for basically all of [the people in my group],” Maciel said. “Two weeks is [an] extremely limited [amount of time] and we only had two days of filming, two days for basically every stage [of production], which is extremely difficult, especially with eight minds all collaborating at once … It was the messiest thing ever. But it was so fun because the plot … was very cliche.”

Since then, Maciel has written screenplays and produced other films. The lengthy filmmaking process requires much collaboration and compromise, such as in another one of Maciel’s projects, the “Flesh and Spirit” series, which follows a girl coming of age at a Catholic school.

“I was the weaker link in the writing,” Maciel said. “I’d write something and then my partner would show me every reason why their version was better. Seeing other people’s ideas and thinking, ‘My idea is better,’ and then having to compromise is really difficult sometimes, especially when you get attached and feel strongly about something … but it’s necessary, and maybe your idea is better, but [that] doesn’t mean their idea is bad, either. The hardest part [of filmmaking] … is coming to [an] agreement about every single line.”

Maciel draws inspiration for her films from her own life and the world around her, whether it is from videos, nature or the color orange.

“In the screenplay I’m working on right now, one of the most pivotal scenes is [set] during sunset,” Maciel said. “So many important moments in my life have happened during sunset. That scene is where the characters are … being very vulnerable with each other in that moment … [and] you can feel the love.”

In the future, Maciel plans to create tour films and publish them on YouTube or a streaming service.

Reporting by Helen McCloskey, Kyra Hsieh and Yang Yang.
Photos in courtesy of Tory Maciel.

06/08/2025

In one year, senior Ivan Hager went from being a beginner in photography to selling his work.

“Through high school I had friends … who liked to take photos,” Hager said. “I took Digital Photography my junior year [which] boosted my interest in [photography] … I bought my first camera towards the end of that class.”

Hager began taking photos of Aragon athletic events for the yearbook, but has since become a hired photographer for MaxPreps.

“Being at the event I’m taking photos of is the most fun part of the process,” Hager said. “I’ve always watched sports, but never played it. This is a way for me to be connected to it.”

Apart from taking photos of sports, Hager also enjoys capturing birds and aviation.

“Fleet week air show last October was really fun because the spot I was in was close to all the planes,” Hager said. “Seeing and taking pictures of the Blue Angels was really cool … I was in this area [for photographers].”

Learning photography required a lot of patience from Hager.

“The biggest challenge is keeping track of the subject because it’s going so fast,” Hager said. “It can also be difficult if you don’t have certain types of lenses … For sports, I had to save up money to buy gear, even if it’s old gear, to get as good of a result as possible.”

Hager has found immense value from photography.

“[Through photography] you get to create memories through an image,” Hager said. “For example, in sports, you get to see the action but then you get to create the memory for yourself as well as the players and the [audience].”

In the future, Hager hopes to become a photographer for a professional team and also try concert photography.

Reporting by Meilin Rife.
Photos in courtesy of Ivan Hager and Anna He.

05/21/2025

With finals approaching, many students seek ways to destress and connect with nature. Spending time outdoors by exploring hiking trails could be a viable option for students.

In San Mateo, there are various hiking trails to choose from, including the likes of Sawyer Camp Trail and Waterdog Lake & Open Space. In a further radius to San Mateo, popular trails include Montara Mountain Trail in Pacifica and various trails in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

“The most enjoyable part about hiking for me is that you are pretty isolated,” said junior Luca Mangano. “You have a really nice view while you are hiking as well … it’s also [refreshing] to get out and get closer to nature.”

One of the most local and most popular hikes in the area is Sawyer Camp Trail. Sawyer Camp Trail is a scenic hike that traces the Crystal Springs Reservoir.

It consists of a windy and paved 11.6-mile trail that extends from San Mateo to Millbrae. Sawyer Camp Trail also features 456 feet of elevation change, and the trail takes around three-and-a-half hours to complete.

Established in 1978, Sawyer Camp Trail is one of the most popular in the area, with around 300,000 hikers visiting each year. Many people like to walk on this trail mainly for its views, consisting of a view of the Santa Cruz Mountains and even sights of the peninsula as a whole.

Overall, Sawyer Camp Trail provides a positive experience, consisting of an easy hike, all the while providing excellent views as well. At times, the trail gets close to the bank of the reservoir.

Another local hiking trail is the Waterdog Lake and Open Space, located in Belmont. The space preserve consists of five trails that lead to a freshwater lake. The trails are surrounded by many trees and are made accessible for bikes with various wooden bridges that go over creeks.

“I like how you feel like you’re deep in a forest when you’re there, even though you’re basically in someone’s backyard,” Mangano said. “There’s also a lake at the bottom that I see a lot of dogs swim in, it’s a fun place to go for an afternoon.”

Check out the full coverage on aragonoutlook.org.

Reporting by Antonio Mangano.
Photos by Felix Ma

05/15/2025

The Outlook reported in the fall that the San Mateo Union High School Board of Trustees planned to decide on a district-wide cell phone policy this spring in order to comply with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Phone-Free School Act, which requires districts to implement policies restricting cell phone usage.

Aragon’s current rule for the usage of personal electronic devices is that they are to be turned off during class. It does not specify how this must be done, but some teachers have utilized phone charts or pockets.

Discussion about a new policy has been postponed until the fall due to other Board topics taking priority. This delay has given the Board more time to review data from the Panorama survey, which was taken by students, staff and parents last semester. The results revealed a common theme, with all respondent categories reporting that students seemed distracted by their phones when doing work.

While the Board has not started drafting the policy, the district will most likely set a foundational guideline for phone restrictions during class time, but leave the exact implementation up to the individual schools.

“My sense is [that the baseline rule is] going to be really rooted into what our values are,” said Brian Simmons, SMUHSD Director of Curriculum and Assessment. “What do we care about making sure students know and are able to do? The academic, social, emotional standards that we try to hold kids to [are] going to be big pieces of it.”

Although this approach would allow schools and teachers to determine what will work best for their students and environments, some anticipate the potential loose policy will lead to inconsistencies in ex*****on.

“If we create a policy that is kind of unclear and leaves a lot of room for interpretation, that’s problematic,” said social studies teacher Courtney Caldwell. “So if there’s going to be a policy, then that policy needs to be upheld [throughout all schools in the district].”

Newsom’s law requires districts to have a policy in place by July 2026 so that it can be carried out starting in the 2026-27 school year.

Reporting by Naomi Kotani.
Data in courtesy of the San Mateo Union High School Board of Trustees.

05/13/2025

On May 2, Aragon held its annual Farewell Rally for the graduating seniors in the North Gym.

“I was looking forward to see [if] the seniors can win this rally,” said senior Howell Zhang. “I was hoping to see the Mini Lip Dub [too] ... I was quite excited about [the rally overall].”

This rally included a Hungry Hippos game, in which people from the four classes competed against each other to recover as many balls from the floor as possible, as well as two performances from the Aragon dance teams.

“I liked … the dance team’s performance,” Zhang said. “They did very well. [I] also [enjoyed] the [Hungry Hippos] game.”

The Farewell Rally ended with the senior send-off, a tradition that typically includes a video airing — whether that be the Lip Dub or an end-of-year commemoration — and a song. However, there were unexpected technical issues that caused the Mini Lip Dub video to glitch, leaving the video unplayable.

“The technical difficulties were disappointing, but I know there’s nothing they could have done to prevent it,”
said senior Felicity Corti. “[But] doing a run-through is always a good idea for each part of the rally … It’s always good to just see if you can stop problems before they happen.”

Even with a successful run-through prior to the rally, the video had issues with audio, then playback.

“[We] tried to focus on the positive sides of things, but it was definitely just weird,” said freshman Rally Commission member Sam Jacobs. “We tested everything before the rally, and it was perfectly fine.”

After being unable to play the Mini Lip Dub, Leadership decided to conclude the rally with the senior send-off song, “Good Old Days” by Macklemore (featuring Kesha), leaving some with bittersweet sentiments.

“It definitely felt different to experience [the rally] as a senior,” Corti said. “A little more sad, because it’s our last rally, but it also makes me feel really special.”

Reporting by Dora Chen.
Photos and videos by Madeline Allen and Ethan Tawn.

05/06/2025

On April 25, the Aragon Latino Parent Group hosted its annual Latino Cultural Festival in the South Gym from 6-9 p.m.

“I am Latina … [so] it’s good to see all the people and the dancing and foods that I’ve had ... at home with my family,” said junior and event volunteer Audrina Portusach. “For people coming to high school, it’s hard to find a place to fit in, and it’s really important that everyone knows that they have a spot with their culture … [and] to help students, especially in this day and age, to connect with [those] cultural roots.”

This year’s festival featured decorations like hanging flags representing various Latino countries and colorful paper banners called papel picado. The gym was arranged with two rows of tables placed on both ends of the gym, leaving a central space for the DJ and performances. Food service stations were set up around the dining area, along with additional seating provided by the bleachers.

“[This festival was] an opportunity … to show off how we dance and our culture from [songs] and our food,” said freshman and student performer Leslie Chevez. “Our first performance … is called Sauce y la Palma. It’s from Sinaloa, and we wear flower dresses. [Our other] dance was La Negra … also from Sinaloa.”

Students enjoyed the event overall, noting the diversity in the cultural showcase.

“I was looking forward to the food, and I was actually really happy with it,” Portusach said. “I [also] really like how they have different parts of Latino culture; it’s not just from one area specifically.”

However, to improve the festival in the future, many suggested expanding the venue.

“One piece of advice [I have] would be to make the event bigger,” Portusach said. “It’s a really good event and a lot of people will show up, especially if it’s in both gyms or out in Center Court.”

Besides the Latino Cultural Festival, OPLA hosts several events throughout the year, including Latino Senior Award nights on May 16.

Reporting by Dora Chen.
Photos by Victoria Santana.