LGHS students advocate for Pride flag - LET’S TALK: Los Gatos legislators and residents discuss pressing policy issues - JNHS puts on annual Japanese Festival

Oct 13, 2026

Upload by Jasmine

LGHS students supported raising the Pride flag at the Los Gatos Town Hall, delivering persuasive speeches that helped pass the motion 4-1 and highlighted Los Gatos as a safe, welcoming town. Junior Nova Jayaraj created an Instagram effort to boost youth participation in local politics, while peers described the emotional impact of facing opposition and unexpected resistance. The issue also covers LGHS’s Japanese National Honors Society hosting the JAFF festival, featuring performances, vendor activities, an alumni panel, and a film screening, with proceeds benefiting an Asian women’s domestic violence shelter.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPresentations

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time7 min

AccessFree to download

LGHS students advocate for Pride flag

Town Hall speeches and motion passing

LET’S TALK: Local politics and youth involvement

JNHS puts on annual Japanese Festival

JAFF event activities and proceeds

Performances, alumni panel, and film screening

LGHS students advocate for Pride flag by Siyona Singhal and Nelson Kramer Humor Editor and Editor-in-Chief On Dec. 16, 2025, six LGHS students attended the Los Gatos Town Hall and bravely spoke in support of raising the Pride flag in June. Each student gave persuasive and impactful speeches that strengthened their fight for greater representation and inclusion in the Los Gatos community. The student’s efforts led to the motion passing 4-1, showing that Los Gatos, along with many other Santa Clara County municipalities that have already raised Pride flags, is a safe and welcoming town. LET’S TALK: Los Gatos legislators and residents discuss pressing policy issues. When junior Nova Jayaraj saw a town council meeting scheduled for mid-December, she took action. Committed to youth involvement in local policy, Jayaraj set up an Instagram account to encourage students to participate in current and future local politics. During the meeting, the floor was open for public comment. Regarding her speech, she shares,“A big point that I was trying to make is that no matter what you believe, religion, whatever, that’s not a justification for hatred. At the end of the day, I can’t invalidate your beliefs, but the minute you start using that to put down another group, that’s when I have a problem.” Jayaraj and her peers, while not facing much personal criticism, didn’t feel welcomed by the opposing crowd, which influenced how she delivered her speech. She notes,“I was angry that I was standing in the same pulpit that others stood at, and I was standing in the place where so many people had spoken hateful things. I was also frustrated that it took six high schoolers to get this passed.” Junior Louisa Horwath became involved with the event when Jayaraj reached out to her. Horwath was determined to join because, on a personal level,“I actually work with kids as part of my job, anda lot of those kids have faced this kind of oppression, so me being up there when they can’t is very important.” To prepare, Horwath wrote a speech, ensuring she voiced the emotional impact of her personal experiences. Overall, from this experience, Horwath realized that there is a lot of negativity in the LG community and is determined to stand against it. Eli Asheghian, also a junior at LGHS who attended the meeting, explains that at first,“I honestly, I didn’t really care whether there was a Pride flag in LG, but the fact that there was going to be resistance there made me angry.” After the meeting, Asheghian was shocked by the sizable presence of Donald Trump supporters in Los Gatos and encourages students to be more aware of their rights and freedoms. Six high school students walked into a Los Gatos Town Council meeting and actively participated in bettering the community. Many of them, including junior Guy Shaham, left feeling they had made a change. He reflects,“It felt good that our voices, us collectively, even if it was a small change, could make a difference in our community.”These teens make clear to anyone who lives in or visits Los Gatos that all people are seen and accepted. CONGREGATE: Council members gather at the LG Civic Center for meetings. JNHS puts on annual Japanese Festival by Fuyu Banno Graphics Editor LGHS’s Japanese National Honors Society (JNHS) hosted its annual Japanese Arts and Film Festival (JAFF) on Jan. 24. The day included various performances, vendors, and ways for students and visitors to learn more about Japanese culture. All proceeds of the event were donated to Asian Women’s Home, a domestic violence shelter located in Santa Clara that focuses on the Asian community. JAFF is planned entirely by members of JNHS alongside the guidance and support of teacher Kumi Kobayashi. From recruiting the vendors to selecting the movie appropriate for the event, JNHS does everything. The opening ceremony of the event involved a trivia game among JNHS members in which all of the questions were related to Japanese cul

FAQs

What was the outcome of the motion to raise the Pride flag in June?

The motion passed 4-1, supported by six LGHS students’ speeches at the Los Gatos Town Hall.

How did Nova Jayaraj encourage student participation in local politics?

She set up an Instagram account to encourage students to join current and future local politics.

What was featured at the Japanese Arts and Film Festival (JAFF)?

JAFF included performances, vendors and cultural activities, an alumni panel, and a screening of the animated film A Silent Voice.

Oct 13, 2026

Upload by Jasmine