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  • The charming exterior of Butter and Fold attracts many customers at all hours of business. From the elegant teal and gold color scheme to the waft of freshly baked breads, it’s impossible to simply pass by without taking a peek inside.

    A&E

    Butter and Fold: The perfect place to satisfy your pastry cravings this fall

  • At the Olivas Links Golf Course, on Sept. 21, 2023, the Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) girls golf team faced off in a league match against Bishop Diego. The Dragons played well and won the match with an overall score of 249-303. Pictured above, Maddie Wicks 26 concentrates as she putts her ball toward the pin, finishing hole five with three over par.

    Latest

    Recap: Girls’ golf takes Bishop Diego 249-303

  • On Sept. 22, 2023, Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) competed in their first Tri-County Athletic (TCAA) league meet. Foothill Tech races with five girls on varsity, including Danika Swanson-Rico 25, Bennett Rodman 26, Kalea Eggertsen 26, Emma Anderson 26 and Isabella Efner 25. They warm-up on the start line, exchanging words of encouragement and waiting for the queue to begin the race.

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  • With beloved melodies and nostalgic anthems dating back over a decade, fans and general audience members alike enjoy singing along to her award-winning album, Fearless, from 2008.

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    The Eras Tour: an adventure spanning 17 years of music 

  • On Sept. 21, 2023, Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) boys water polo hosted a home game against their opponent Malibu High School (Malibu). With lots of splashing, Ethan Ortiz 24 attempts to find an open teammate to give Foothill Tech an advantage to win their league match.

    Boys' Water Polo

    Recap: Boys’ water polo bested by Malibu

  • Students of Foothill Tech try to make button pins of their own design at Back to School Night. This college and career class provides an opportunity to learn life skills and creativity.

    Latest

    Foothill Tech welcomes parents and guardians at Back to School Night 2023

  • In the teen show “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” an adaption of the popular Young Adult novel, protagonist Belly Conklin navigates her love life in a triangle between brothers Jeremiah and Conrad Fisher.

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    “The Summer I Turned Pretty”: In Defense of the Fisher Boys

  • During F.I.R.E and lunch, members of the Associated Student Body worked hard to prepare an assembly line of delicious In-N-Out for the Class of 2024.

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  • On the sunny afternoon of Sept. 19, 2023 girls tennis played against the Villanova Preparatory (Villanova) School Wildcats. The tennis team huddles together and chants in a pregame ritual before beginning their matches.

    Girls' Tennis

    Girls’ tennis triumphs over Villanova in first league match

  • The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the much anticipated sequel to the critically acclaimed and beloved video game The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Announced in 2019 by Nintendo at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, Tears of the Kingdom was released on May 12, 2023 after nearly four years of waiting. Since its release, the game has been met with widespread acclaim from critics and fans alike. The game directly follows the events of its predecessor, building upon them and expanding an already immense world. Writer Kelly Quinn shares his thoughts.

    A&E

    “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom” is victory for gaming

  • The three cakes that were reviewed were Lemon, Pumpkin Spice and Red Velvet all topped with a generous amount of cream cheese frosting.

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    A dive into Nothing Bundt Cakes: America’s largest specialty cake company

  • Comprising of 12 songs, Olivia Rodrigos new album GUTS is her second studio album and was released on Sept. 8, 2023. Rodrigos first studio album, SOUR, released in 2021, was critically acclaimed and beloved by fans, making her second album long anticipated. Writer Isheeta Pal takes on the task of listening to GUTS and reviewing it, delving into its key themes and messaging.

    A&E

    Album Anatomy: “GUTS”

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  • Christopher Nolan hits it out of the park once again with his brilliantly done biopic about the man who invented the atom bomb, Oppenheimer.

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  • In Laufey’s latest album “Bewitched,” released on Sept. 8, 2023, she brings a jazzy and soothing take on the journey of love. Following the success of her previous album, “Everything I Know About Love,” her sophomore album comprises 14 songs, each bringing their own unique spin that is sure to bewitch the listener. Join writer Lily Toreja as she reviews each song and delves into their individual meanings.

    A&E

    Album Anatomy: “Bewitched” by Laufey

  • On the eventful evening of Sept. 14, 2023, the Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) Dragons faced off against Cate in their third league match. The matchup was very even and came down to the fifth and final set in which the Dragons were unable to secure the win. After bouncing and hitting the ball to set her rhythm, Malia Gray ‘24 (number 9) goes to serve, as her teammates and her alike hope for the best.

    Girls' Volleyball

    Girls’ volleyball endures a hard loss against Cate

  • Jackson Basurto ‘24 and Alfred “Mason” Borkowski ‘24 are in full recruitment mode as students pass by their table. The club offered a fun way to engage with other students while doing something they all enjoy.

    Events

    Dragons find their connection at Club Rush 2023

  • On the afternoon of Sept. 14, 2023, the Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) girls golf faced off against La Reina at the Olivas Links Golf Course. Maddie Wicks ‘26 tees it up with hopes of sticking it close to pin and hopefully having a birdie opportunity. Wicks finished hole six with a double bogey and finished the entire course with a 56.

    Girls' Golf

    Foothill Tech defeats La Reina in league match

  • Isabella De La Rosa 24 (number 3) and Charlis Swezy 27 (number 1) block from the net, while Malia Gray 24 (number 9) and Morgan Houston 25 (number 2) stay behind to cover any unexpected plays from the other team.

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    Girls’ volleyball spiked on by St. Bonaventure

  • Students hit the ground running as the 2023-2024 school year picks up its pace. With this years You Belong Week taking place Sept. 11-15, 2023, as well as Club Rush on Sept. 15, 2023, Dragons are busy keeping up with all the events.

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    FDP-TV: Season 2, Episode 2

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Jessica Lunetta ’03: “Reach out, you’re not alone, it will get better”

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Jessica Lunetta (formerly Jessica Halloway) ‘03 never dreamed that the color pink would become a significant part of some of her fondest memories of high school. After changing schools eight times before landing at Foothill, Lunetta remembers feeling “relieved” to finally be in a place where she felt she could excel academically. However, academics were not the only thing on her mind. While at FTHS, Lunetta made both memories and friendships that would last a lifetime.

Lunetta met her best friend, Aimee Johnson, during their junior year in Ben Clancy’s Art 1 class. The two girls were seated at the same table and Lunetta remembers that Johnson was “covered in pink.” It would not be until a year that the two would finally become friends when they were the only two office assistants during one period.

Jessica Lunetta during a recent Dragon Press interview.
Jessica Lunetta during a recent Dragon Press interview.

“They stuck us in a conference room together, by ourselves, and made us do a project where we had to talk to each other. A hour and 15 minutes later, we came out gabbing, laughing and officially friends,” Lunetta said.

It was also during their TA period that Lunetta and Johnson hatched a plan that involved covering the assistant principal, Glenn Grey’s, office in lots and lots of pink. “We got permission from Helen and Liz to go into his office for 20 minutes ad plaster it in pink. We had pink tablecloths, pink streamers, Strawberry Shortcake and Hello Kitty. He has a Hello Kitty night light courtesy of us,” Lunetta recalled.

After all their hijinks in high school, Lunetta and Johnson are still friends to this day. “Now we are in our thirties and we are still the same way. We’ve been pregnant together at the same time, our husbands are good to each other. […] My fondest memory is of having my best friend. How could it not be?” Lunetta said.

From the ages of 15 to 21, Lunetta worked as a swim instructor for children with special needs. She worked with children who had autism, down syndrome and other similar disabilities. She credits her work in this field to the encouragement of others, such as her sisters and mother. “Early on, before I even realized, I just had a natural ability. It didn’t bother me, it was something I was ok with. This was early on, before I even had my own two children with autism. It kind of just rolled with my life,” Lunetta said.

Jessica Lunetta's senior portrait in the yearbook.
Jessica Lunetta’s senior portrait in the yearbook.

Lunetta married her husband at the age of 22 and they have two sons. Today, Lunetta is a stay-at-home mom and does extensive work within the community. She is an advocate for children and adults with autism. She also works with new mothers to help them through their postpartum period and people with mental illness.

Lunetta herself was diagnosed with Bipolar II Disorder, PTSD and severe anxiety soon after her oldest son was born. Although she was not diagnosed until her early twenties, looking back Lunetta recognizes that many of the symptoms of her mental illnesses were manifesting themselves in high school.

“All through high school, and early even before that, I had severe depression. I wasn’t able to voice it to my parents, because I didn’t really quite know what I was supposed to do. I didn’t know what was normal,” Lunetta said. She stated that learning to adapt to living life with a mental illness was a process that took many years and is still ongoing.

“I’m blonde, I’m Bipolar and I love Italian food,” Lunetta stated, as she explained that she feels in the past few years she has been able to truly explore who she is outside of her mental illness.

Looking back, Lunetta wishes she could have told her high school self four things, “Reach out, you’re not alone, it will get better and I love you. That’s a good one, I should have told myself I love you more when I was in high school.”

Lunetta described her high school self as “compassionate, attentive, and open-minded.” Despite her struggles, she remembers Foothill fondly. Her favorite class was a Melanie “Captain” Lindsey’s 12th grade English class. “She was pivotal in a lot of things in high school for me. She really helped me through a lot of stuff,” Lunetta recalled.

Due to the small size of her graduating class (only about 80 people), most people in the class are still in contact today, in some way or another. She remembers looking around at graduation and knowing everyone by their first name. “It isn’t six degrees of separation, it’s like two degrees,” Lunetta said.

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