C
November 2015 Vol. 4 Edition 2
Magazine Arts & Culture
Life in the Clouds 16
Letter from the Editors
Dear Readers, We are excited to introduce our second edition of C Magazine this year. We feel like we have made tremendous strides since our first issue and are happy to release a more gripping edition. We were lucky enough to talk to Congresswoman Jackie Speier of California’s 14th district for our cover story about the quickly expanding vape industry and culture associated with it. We also talked to several students and a police officer, all of whom bring different perspectives to a controversial story. In “The Minds Behind the Floats,” we delve into what it takes to build the floats for each grade during spirit week, and talk to the masterminds behind the designs and construction. We venture into the political sphere surrounding Donald Trump by more closely examining his political strategy and gathering Paly students’ opinions, as well as highlighting some of his most provocative quotes. Finally, we talk to junior Max Usman about being one of two males on the Paly cheer team. Check out his interview to read his opinion on cheerleading as a sport and about his experience on the team. We’ve also undergone some changes in the structure of our magazine. We have transformed the Entertainment section into Arts and Media as well as made a number of other slight aesthetic changes, and we’re delighted to show you the new C Magazine. Enjoy reading! Sincerely, Frida Schaefer Bastian, Maya Benatar, Clara de Martel and Maya Kandell Editors-in-Chief
Cover Photo by Jordan Schiling
Editors-in-Chief
Clara de Martel Frida Schaefer Bastian Maya Benatar Maya Kandell
Managing Editors
Ahana Ganguly Katie Douty
Design Editor
Charlee Stefanski
Photo Editors
Emma Scott Larkin McDermott
Copy Editor Katya Sigal
Social Media & PR Alex Weinstein
Photographer Jordan Schilling
Staff Writers Ayah Chakmakchi Henry Gordon Jasmine Abeyta Katie Passarello Nicole Li Rima Parekh Reilly Filter Sarah Shapiro Teddie Stewart
Advisors
Brian Wilson Esther Wojcicki
Email: campanilemagazine@gmail.com Instagram: @campanilemagazine Facebook: The C Magazine Twitter: Paly_CMagazine
CONTENTS
FOOD
Spice up your Turkey 4 Seasonal Caffeine Fixes 5 The Truth about Juice Cleanses 6
ARTS
C Magazine Perspective Poem: Inch The Minds Behind the Floats Artist of the Month: Portia Barrientos Quick-n-Easy Room Decor
28 7 8 9 12 14
9
Up in the Clouds 16
MEDIA
Teachers Analyze Texts Moment Netflix Documentaries Playlist: Netflix & Chill
22 23 24 25
CULTURE
Trump: What is he Thinking? 26 A Conversation with Cheerleader Max Usman 28 Mixed Grades in Math 30
16
FOOD
SPICE UP YOUR TURKEY
Having the same old classic turkey every year can get boring. It’s time to spice it up! TEXT AND DESIGN BY ALEX WEINSTEIN ILLUSTRATIONS BY MIA BLOOM
Deep-Fried Turkey
Cajun-Injected Spicy Turkey
Do you have a craving for all things fried? Whether that is chicken, potatoes, or even twinkies. For all you fried-food lovers this DeepFried Turkey is the best option this holiday season. This turkey will give you a perfect crispy outside and have a juicy delicious inside. For those of you worried about your health, deep frying your turkey may not be the best option; but it’s the holiday season so you might as well gain the winter weight!
Always ordering the spiciest thing on the menu? Why don’t you carry that love for spice into your traditional turkey meal this Thanksgiving? By injecting your turkey with cajun spices it will be the perfect amount of spicy to satisfy your liking. However, if you’re having guests over, make sure you warn them on the spiciness of your turkey. You don’t want guests to be drinking all your milk after taking a bite.
Turducken Is turkey just not enough for you when it comes to the big Thanksgiving feast? The solution to this major turkey trouble is to combine turkey, duck, and chicken. This amazing trio will certainly add some pizzazz on your Thanksgiving table. If you’re worried about the complexity of this recipe, that’s not a problem! Just follow the simple recipe provided and you will be having the best Thanksgiving dinner on the block.
Scan the QR code to see the full recipes!
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Tofurky Always feeling left out during the holiday season because you don’t eat meat? Having tofurky is the perfect solution. This tofurky recipe will definitely satisfy all your Thanksgiving cravings and you won’t have to feel left out eaing only bean casserole. Not a vegetarian? Why not give the Tofurky a try; you never know vegetarians may have more fun!
SEASONAL CAFFEINE FIXES C Magazine searches local coffee shops for the best wintertime drinks and study spots. TEXT BY CHARLEE STEFANSKI AND CLARA DE MARTEL PHOTO AND DESIGN BY CLARA DE MARTEL
Macchiato with almond milk from Blue Bottle
Pumpkin Spice Latte from Coupa Cafe
The Macchiato is served in a cute espresso cup and decorated with a foam heart. Taste wise, the silky smooth sweetness of the almond milk doesn’t balance out the bitterness of the espresso shot. Although a good caffeine fix, this drink is not worth the $5. Despite its disappointing drink, Blue Bottle is redeemed by its cool and comfortable space with extensive seating and workspace.
Although well presented, the actual drink doesn’t live up to its milk foam art. The coffee is creamy, but it’s too sweet and the lack of both pumpkin and spice flavor contradict its title. While I did enjoy the whipped cream topping, that doesn’t cloud the fact that this is basically hot sugar water with a little coffee. However, Coupa is, as always, a wonderful spot to grab a bite with some friends to do homework.
Marocchino from Cafè Venetia The Marocchino is a cappuccino with less milk and a layer of melted chocolate on top. When you take a sip from the thick ceramic mug, sweet chocolate and creamy coffee delight your tastebuds. Priced at a reasonable $4.50, this drink is the perfect caffeinated pick-me-up. Café Venetia offers several unique drinks that can be enjoyed in the comfort of the café’s study space, which is stocked with a variety of tasty pastries and cakes.
Mocha from Mayfield You cannot go wrong with a rich and creamy mocha from Mayfield Bakery. Without overpowering the taste of the coffee, the drink’s silky and rich chocolate is the perfect touch. Accompanied by any of the buttery and delicious Mayfield pastries, this mocha is the perfect drink for wintertime Town and Country runs. food 5
N
ot so im-pressed The truth about juice cleanses
PHOTO BY JORDAN SCHILLING
Text and design by Jasmine Abeyta
TEXT AND DESIGN BY JASMINE ABEYTA Available at essentially any raw or cold-pressed juice shop, juice cleanses are an accessible and easy approach to weight loss that have quickly become one of the most popular dietary trends. During a juice cleanse, you drink six pre-selected juices each day, in two to three hour increments, to flush toxins from the body. This can last anywhere from three to ten days. Many juice companies make controversial and inaccurate claims about some of the health benefits of cleansing, so C Mag looked to find out whether filling your body with nothing but compressed fruits, nuts, and vegetables for several days is really all that good for you. Read on to find out about some of the common misconceptions about the benefits of juice cleanses.
FICTION:
FICTION:
FICTION:
Juice cleanses help increase your energy levels and improve your overall mood
Cleanses can make up for unhealthy eating habits
Juice cleanses are a quick, effective way to lose weight.
FACT:
During the actual cleansing process, your body burns most of the glycogen used for energy storage, leaving you with decreased levels of energy and low blood sugar, which can lead to irritability, dizziness, nausea and fatigue. The entire purpose of a juice cleanse is to assist the body in cleaning itself, something it does already, so the self-fulfillment you feel for starting healthy habits is what actually improves your mood. But then again, as the New York Times writer who published her juicing experience wrote, “What’s so bad about feeling a little better, even if there’s no demonstrable proof that you actually are better?”
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FACT:
Some assume that juice cleansing will wash out the toxins that an unhealthy diet puts in your body. However, juice cleanses are only meant to assist the body in its natural process of detoxification. The body can only clean itself to a certain extent, so when we put additional harmful substances into our system by eating worse, the body has to use resources that normally help stabilize our immune system to fight these extra toxins. In other words, the fact that you’re on a juice cleanse doesn’t mean you can splurge right before it because juicing won’t make up for those additional toxins.
FACT: Although you will lose weight during a cleanse, you’ll lose the wrong kind. A decrease in body fat is the key to long term weight loss, but in a cleanse, you only lose water weight. The lack of protein in your diet might cause muscle loss, which could also drop you a couple numbers on the scale. Because you’ve lost the wrong kind of weight, it’s likely you’ll gain it all back once you return to your everyday diet, making the whole process essentially pointless.
ARTS
A series of published personal works:
DESIGN AND ART BY TEDDIE STEWART
C Magazine Perspective
Personal Statement:
D
alton is my complete opposite. “Take away my guns, take away my freedom,” Dalton tells me as we hike through a grassy meadow surrounded by snow-capped mountains this summer in Wyoming. When I met Dalton on the first day of my NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) course, he was wearing camouflage from head to toe and talking about how much weight he lifts at the gym. Born and raised in Ohio, he is a hunter, has never traveled outside of the United States, and is fiercely attached to his conservative beliefs. Whereas, I’m a liberal, student journalist born in Paris and raised in England. “Guns lead to more negative consequences than benefits,” I attempted to convince him. “NO! Gun control is an unfair punishment to all gun owners,” he retorted angrily. For the next couple of days I brazenly engaged him on a variety of topics ranging from feminism to abortion and eventually realized that any attempt to convince him of anything was completely pointless; I labeled him as a typical ignorant American and decided to avoid him from then on. But then came along day 22, the most mentally straining day of the trip, as I described it in my journal. It was 100 degrees. We wore long pants and head nets to protect ourselves from the swarms of mosquitos and we had to finish a 6 hour hike with a climb up a 1000 ft hill through bushes and over logs. I was in the very back, irritated that everybody elswas way ahead. My calves burned, my shoulders were sore, and I was feeling completely drained. I dragged myself up the top of the hill, lifting one foot at a time as if each weighed a hundred pounds. Then, as I made the final painful step... “There aren’t any safe campsites here, we have
to go back down,” said Andrew, the instructor. I stormed off alone, so exhausted that I felt like crying. Dalton noticed and followed me, “Hard climb, huh?” he smiled, as he gave me a high five. Then he sat next to me, and we watched the entire valley unfurl beneath our feet in silence. And that was all I needed, someone to just be there for me; the anger and despair dissipated. I had let my prior judgements cloud that he is dedicated, caring, and a good leader. On the final day out in the wilderness, our course instructors asked us to reflect on how we were going to apply what we had learned back home. As I stared at a blank page in my journal, it dawned on me that I had never felt as good about myself as I did while I was in nature for that month. I overcame my initial judgements of Dalton and realized that I have to be more accepting. Every single day I had to be completely self-reliant and actively support my peers. I wrote page after page until my hands cramped up. After I got back, I was a counselor at a journalism camp and one of my campers asked me what I want to do this year, and I responded: “I want to be a better person.” I had a new perspective on life; I found what is truly important… more important than any kind of success I may achieve, is the relationship that I have with others and how I affect the community around me. Now I ask my friends how they are doing everyday and have a better relationship with my parents. I take my brother out to lunch, and talk to my sister about how her first year of middle school is going. On my birthday a few weeks ago my sister gave me a card in which she wrote, “you’re my role model.” So I think I’m on the right track.
arts 7
TEXT AND ILLUSTRATION BY TEDDIE STEWART You outline me like a sketch I feel you in between my fingers arousing my sensitivity committing to my facade all the whileblind to my prophecy exigent to fill my stretch marks and pacify my scars molding me with teeth clenched onto your love ideals but you don’t understand I will demit my rivers deeper I’ll torture my brandings unsympathetically aloof I will watch you decorticate and stack your heart lungs stomach peeling the thin layers of your marveled purity actualizing your entitlement just to get a centimeter and I’ll be an inch away
8 ARTS
The Minds Behind the Floats TEXT AND DESIGN BY KATIE PASSARELLO PHOTOS BY JORDAN SCHILLING AND KATIE PASSARELLO
F
or Palo Alto High School (Paly) students, the end of October promises one thing: Spirit Week. Students move their competitive attitude away from the classroom and focus it on to the football field. Each grade is responsible for coming up with a theme that corresponds with their class “color”. One of the primary elements of the class theme is the float, and, more times than not, the winning float places a large role in determining the winning class of Spirit Week. Long before Spirit Week begins, students send in designs, blueprints, and dimensions to plan for the construction of the floats.Throughout the week, students crowd into the auto shop to bring these designs to life. All students are welcome, but each grade has one or two main designers, who serve as the minds behind their class float. C Magazine got an inside perspective from each of these head designers to see what goes into the design, process, and construction of the floats.
Lawrence Han (‘16) stands on a latter to paint the upper portion of the outerspace themed Senior float.
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Freshmen David Foster attended the freshmen float meeting early in the fall and became incredibly interested in the designing aspect of the float. David knew that Spirit Week at Paly was a huge deal and he was excited to be a part of it. Having no prior knowledge on floats, he decided to use the handy dandy internet.
“ We looked at prior videos, The Voice had some really great videos, we looked a lot of stuff up as on online just trying to find stuff to help us get started ”
Bryan Dickson (‘18) was involved with float designing his freshmen year but didn’t have a large role. However, this year he felt that his ideas could be applied as a primary design. He joined the float committee and became the mind behind the sophomore float.
“ It’s important to manage the materials and making sure
that the float is stable and aesthetically pleasing. Both design and structure
”
Junior Ibby Day has been the float designer for the class of 2017 since freshmen year. Her designs stem from her love for art and her passion for design. This past summer she attended a highly selective summer school for the arts called CSSSA in Valencia, California. She was able to use this extra practice to help produce accurate, easy to view sketches for the float,
“ I think anytime you’re practicing or learning about art
you develop more of a style and that was displayed in the float this year
”
Kai Gallagher (‘16) didn’t get involved in the float making process until junior year. However, he enjoyed it so much that he decided to help out again senior year. His main focus for the floats are adding the embellishments after his partner James Wang (‘16) creates the 3D model.
“ We brainstormed time
relevant things that related to the topic. For this year we thought of things most closely associated with space. For example the lunar landing, or mars. We ended up picking the lunar landing because it was the most visually striking
”
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Sophomore Bryce Doughman adds finishing touches to a wood surf board for the sophomore float.
Garrett Lees (‘16) attaches stuffing to the front side of the senior float.
Freshmen Tucker Biorn poses on the finished freshmen float before the class dance. Jessica Wong (‘17) paints the mural on the back of junior’s “Ancient Egypt” themed float.
ARTS ARTS 11 11
ARTIST OF THE MONTH
PORTIA BARRIENTOS TEXT AND DESIGN BY RIMA PAREKH AND AHANA GANGULY ART BY PORTIA BARRIENTOS
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One of Portia’s drawings depicts a scene from Roald Dahl’s children’s book “James and the Giant Peach.”
P
One piece Portia is most proud of portrays a girl surrounded by a cityscape whose hair is on fire.
alo Alto High School (Paly) senior Portia Barrientos first realized her love for drawing when she created a spinoff of Pokemon cards in second grade called “Zoomon,” which she traded with her friends during lunch. Fast forward 10 years, and Barrientos has moved on from illustrating game cards to taking art classes at Paly and attending a program at the California Summer School of the Arts. C Magazine sat down with Barrientos to explore her artistic journey.
C Magazine: What inspires you? Portia Barrientos: “Seeing really good work inspires me ... also, I’m a competitive person, so I like trying to best myself and I also like seeing my peers’ work, and that inspires me to become better than them ... I’m very competitive and that drives a lot of things I do, and art is no exception.” C: Why do you do the art that you do? PB: “Drawing is just really fun to me ... I want to go to art school because I want to do something that I enjoy. There’s something exciting about making something new. When I do art, I try not to make clichéd pieces. Sometimes artists create pieces to convey a certain message ... but I like doing art because I can express myself through the piece. But other people can see different things in it. It’s very open to interpretation. My art doesn’t contain a lot of symbols that are clearly only interpreted as one thing.” C: What impact do you think your art has? PB: “Art has had a really positive impact on my life because it’s one of the few creative outlets that has been constant for me. I have two younger siblings who are not as into
art as me, but when I ask people who know them ... they say, ‘they draw so much!’ ... Maybe I’ve had an big impact on my siblings; I’ve influenced them to do more art. I don’t know what impact my actual art has had [on an audience] because I have no idea what other people think about it. If people start thinking, or just enjoy looking at my art when it’s displayed, then that’s good enough for me. I’m not super concerned about the impact that my art will have on other people. I’m just satisfied with being happy with myself when I do it.” C: Which piece are you most proud of? PB: “I’m always striving to be better, so there’s no piece that I’d say I’m most proud of, but in sophomore year, second year art, I did this portrait of a girl and there are cities in the background and her hair is on fire ... that piece ... has staying power because I think I was able to put a lot of emotion into that piece and it’s really apparent when you look at it.” C: What’s your concentration in AP Art? PB: “[One] concentration that I was thinking about was the aspects of communication
and how communication happens today and how it impacts people, and the sort of detachment that has developed that has developed because of technology. It’s kind of impersonal these days.” C: Do you feel like you really improved after attending the California Summer School for the Arts? PB: “Yeah, it was leaps and bounds ... Just doing art for a month straight and never stopping and always being in your sketchbook, even if you’re producing crap in your sketchbook, [means that] you’re still improving because you know what not to do. We did so much figure drawing, which is great on all levels. You gain a greater understanding of the human figure, and you also improve the way you portray form in general ... We did it in charcoal, which is a medium that I usually don’t use, so that was really helpful for me. Just being surrounded by so many creative people who are thinking about how they can improve inspires me to improve too. It was a super productive and open environment that encouraged mistakes and encouraged growth and artwork.”
ARTS 13
Quick-n-easy Potted plants- Want a fun way to spruce up your windows? Go green!
You will need an old mug and a plant of your choice. Pick up a succulent plant from your local nursery or store, such as Trader Joe’s, for about $5. Make sure your mug of choice is big enough to put the plant inside. Take your plant out of its temporary plastic pot and gently place it into the mug. If needed, pack extra dirt around the plant to ensure that it’s securely encased. Now you have a super cool succulent for your bedroom, simple as that! Make sure to water your plant once a week to keep your gorgeous new addition looking fresh.
Simple Canopy- Fall asleep under a haze of soft lights!
This is one of the easiest, yet cutest projects. First, purchase either white or yellow strings lights. I suggest getting them at Target or Amazon. You will also need Command stickon wall hooks. All you have to do is stick the hooks on your bedroom walls, and string the lights over them in any fashion that your heart desires. That’s it! Lights usually look better when draped in rows or placed behind curtains. If you have sheer curtains, they will blur the lights, giving your room a more magical vibe.
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Room Decor TEXT, PHOTOS AND DESIGN BY EMMA SCOTT
Light bulb vases- a fun way to recycle and beautifully display flowers at the same time!
You will need several light bulbs, flowers (fake or real), a small screwdriver and twine for this project. Using scissors or pliers, remove the bronze disk on top of the plastic black covering on the bottom of the light bulb. This should leave a small hole in the covering. Insert the small screwdriver into the hole and rotate it forcefully in circles. After ten seconds, the plastic should begin to crack. Once it does, take pliers and remove the excess black covering. Next, take the screwdriver and jam it down the light bulb’s “neck.” This will break the thin glass barrier that separates the main part of the bulb from the “neck.” Empty out any glass or plastic that might have fallen into the bulb and then thoroughly wash it out. Add a little bit of water into the bulb, place your flower in it, and tie it up with some twine. Now you’ve created a dainty and aesthetic decoration for your room, easy as pie!
Lights, Lights, Lights!- warm up your room for this coming winter with string lights! To make your canopy, you will need a large, sheer piece of fabric, a battery powered string of lights, and Command stick-on wall hooks. First, stick the hooks on the wall containing your bed’s headboard. Attach them so they are perpendicular to the floor and as far apart from each other as the width of the fabric. Next, make two very small holes at each corner of the fabric. Gently put the fabric on the hooks. Now you need to decide where you want to hang the other end of the canopy. You can either stick it to the ceiling, creating a draping effect, or to an adjacent wall. Attach the remaining hooks as desired, and secure the fabric on the hooks. Next come the lights. Start by wrapping one end of the lights around the first command hook, and then arrange the rest of the lights in messy rows, going from one side of the canopy to the other. Voila!
ARTS 15
COVER
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LIFE IN THE
CLOUDS
C Magazine explores all aspects of vape culture, from hobby to legality
TEXT BY KATIE DOUTY AND MAYA BENATAR CONTRIBUTORS: FRIDA SCHAEFER BASTIAN AND MAYA KANDELL
T
hick, transparent liquid oozes into frayed cotton. The boy sets the bottle of liquid aside and picks up a metal mouthpiece, pressing it to his lips. He inhales deeply, unleashing a masterpiece of corkscrews and rings into the room, while the aroma of bubblegum wafts over his captivated audience. Erik, a Palo Alto High School (Paly) senior, whose name has been changed to protect his identity, sets down his vaporizer and grins, clearly pleased with his display. Like Erik, many see vaping as a hobby and even an art form. While many believe vaping is a relatively harmless alternative to cigarettes, others are beginning to worry about the long-term health effects of vaping and the lack of regulation and manner by which the products are produced and sold. Harmless or not, vaping is indisputably
PHOTOS AND DESIGN BY JORDAN SCHILLING on the rise. More than three times as many teenagers were using vape products in 2013 as they were in 2011, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and E-cigarettes (e-cigs) are still a recent phenomenon: the first e-cigs were invented in 2003 and weren’t sold in the U.S. until 2007. E-cigs were initially built to help people quit smoking, and quickly developed into vaporizers, which are more complex and use different flavored juices. These vaporizers allow for recreational use, rather than just a simple substitute for cigarettes. What began as an attempt to market a healthier alternative to cigarettes has blossomed into a booming $3.5 billion industry, which legislators and law-enforcement are still struggling to accommodate. Vaporizers and e-cigs heat liquid to create a vapor, which the user then inhales. Vape products are smokeless and users ingest few-
er of the toxic chemicals found in cigarettes, making them arguably healthier. However, they do pose some known health risks, and, because they are new, the long-term effects are largely unknown. Certain vape pens are highly customizable and can vaporize different liquids, with or without nicotine. Paly senior, Tom, another anonymous interviewee, recalled that an acquaintance used a vaporizer as a mechanism to smoke hash oil, or cannabis oil, which is not uncommon. “It’s not like people are smoking weed for the first time out of a vape,” Tom said. Vape juice is difficult to distinguish from other liquids, especially from a distance, so students smoking illegal substances out of vaporizers can often go unnoticed. Scott, another anonymous Paly senior, and Tom both mentioned that they have
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CC ERIK
friends who vape in school bathrooms, which they can do with minimal risk of being caught because the vapor doesn’t leave behind a smell. “Teachers aren’t allowed to go into the boy’s bathrooms, so as long as they don’t see blowing smoke when [someone is] walking out of the bathroom there’s really no way people could get caught,” Scott said. Some take pleasure in vaping due to the calming effect of nicotine. “I vape because it’s fun and kind of relaxing,” Scott said. “I enjoy the act of it and the effects of the nicotine.” On the other hand, many students use nicotine-free juices, claiming to enjoy vaping purely for its entertainment value. “I don’t vape because of the nicotine,” Erik said. “I use a small amount of nicotine to no nicotine ... I do it because it’s really an art form.” Erik enjoys maintaining his vape and exchanging knowledge about it with others. “I care less about the act of vaping and more about having a cool vape or modifying it,” he said. “It’s not necessarily [about] the act of vaping in terms of intoxicating yourself, but learning about vaping and building
your coils.” Maintaining a vape is also crucial for safety reasons. A neglected vape can pose serious health risks. “You need to actually perform maintenance on a vape,” Tom said. “You need to change the cotton and coils all the time, or else it will just get dirty or burnt. Inhaling burnt materials, such as the metal in vapes under certain circumstances, can become
“It’s really, really rare cases,” Tom said. “It’s only ignorance.” However, according to the CDC, there has been a rapid increase in “incidents reported containing e-cigarette-related exposures, of which 51.1 percent were among young children. Overall, e-cig exposure calls per month increased from one in September 2010 to 215 in February 2014 in the United States.” Despite the potential health risks, there are certain aspects of vaping that make it healthier than cigarettes. One of the more definitive studies about the health risks of vaping, commissioned by Public Health England, titled “E-cigarettes: An Evidence Update,” found that e-cigarettes are around 95 percent less harmful than smoking tobacco. Because most vape juices contain nicotine, vape businesses are often associated with the tobacco industry. Despite its correlation with the tobacco industry, some of the interviewees believe that the vape industry doesn’t deserve an equally negative reputation. In their eyes, it should be recognized for its efforts in helping people to quit smoking cigarettes.
“I DON’T VAPE BECAUSE OF THE NICOTINE... I DO IT BECAUSE IT’S REALLY AN ART FORM” -Erik, senior
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harmful.” Tom has a friend who was sent to the hospital for accidently inhaling melted metal while vaping. There are more common, short-term side effects as well. Vaping can lead to a dry mouth, itchiness, dry skin, dizziness, allergies and canker sores. More drastic cases like that of Tom’s friend are somewhat rare.
“I started vaping because all of my friends were smoking cigarettes and I wanted alternatives to be able to provide for them,” Tom said. “I took all of that information and got all of my friends off cigarettes and into vaping and that’s the entire reason I vape.” Brandon Pierce, a teacher at Lydian Academy, agrees that vaping is a successful substitute to cigarettes. Last year, he bought his mother a vape for Christmas in order to help her quit smoking. “[My mom] started at level 18 [of nicotine addiction] and now [after vaping] she’s at level 6, which I think is the lowest level,” Pierce said. “At this point, I think it’s more just psychological and [her vaporizer is] something to fidget with.” However, other interviewees feel as though there is some association between vaporizers and cigarettes, especially in terms of addiction. They also agree that because vaporizers still contain nicotine, they are gateway substances into drug culture. In other words, because vaping seems non-addictive and less harmful than other substances, individuals who are not substance users are more likely to begin vaping than to begin smoking cigarettes. In an interview with C Magazine, Congresswoman Jackie Speier of California’s 14th District, elaborates on vape as a hobby instead of its original intent of ending cigarette smoking. “I think people are using it more just to vape than to get off of smoking,” Speier said. Last May, Speier sponsored and attempted to pass the Stop Selling and Marketing to Our Kids E-Cigarettes (SMOKE) Act, which addresses the health risks of vaping and how it should be regulated, since currently vape products are unregulated by the Food and Drug Administration. Although there are many aspects of vaping that make it seem less harmful and more entertaining than addictive, there are concerns regarding the lack of regulation of the production of vape fluid. Because vape juice is such a new product and the vape industry as a whole has grown so quickly in such a short period of time, there has been little to no legislation passed regarding the production of the juice. “A big part of the problem is that it’s not regulated at all,” Speier said. “So you’ve got vats of this liquid coming in from China or being made in people’s bathroom tubs and so we don’t really know what’s in it.” Palo Alto Police Department officer,
James Reifschneider, discusses vaping in terms of its legal consequences. “The legislature is trying, I think, to catch up in California, as well as in a lot of other states, to figure out how best to regulate the e-cigarette m a r k e t ,” Reifschneider said. The risk Speier foresees with vaping, and her reasoning behind backing vape regulation in con-
gress, is that nothing will be done in terms of regulating the vape industry until there have been fatalities. “It’s like dietary supplements: they’re not regulated until someone falls over and dies,” Speier said. “It’s presumed healthful and safe until proven otherwise. This is not a standard that should be used for e-cigarettes because you’re dealing with nicotine which is
“I STARTED VAPING BECAUSE ALL OF MY FRIENDS WERE SMOKING CIGARETTES AND I WANTED ALTERNATIVES TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE FOR THEM” -Tom, Senior
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very addicting.” In addition, Speier feels that the rapid growth of the vape industry is partially due to the public’s acceptance of e-cigs in comparison to cigarettes. “We’ve had the good fortune of tobacco smoking becoming a taboo, and culturally it’s frowned upon now,” Speier said. “Vaping is creating this new platform where you can sit around and vape and not be subject to the [same] restrictions.” Overall, Speier believes that it’s important that the makeup of vape juice is clear to those purchasing vape products. One of the main focuses of vape regulation is on minors. Reifschneider explains that “there’s a penal code section that makes it a crime for someone under the age of 18 to possess tobacco, or to possess what’s referred to as an instrument for smoking tobacco.” The consequences are relatively mild compared to punishment for using other substances. Being caught with a vaporizer containing tobacco results in a $75 fine, or community service as decided by the court, and is counted as an infraction, meaning there’s no possibility of jail time. According
to Reifschneider, e-cigs should be treated differently than cigarettes in the eyes of the law. “There’s really no smoking involved, because it’s by definition using the element to heat it up and cause a vapor as opposed to a burn,” Reifschneider said. This begs the fundamental question — should vaporizers legally be treated the same way as tobacco? Although talking about how to treat the
there is tobacco in the product, to a minor,” Reifschneider said. However, high schoolers don’t always leave vape shops empty-handed. According to Tom, employees of vape shops don’t usually question someone who presents themselves with an experienced attitude. “A lot of 18- or 19-year-olds who come in [to vape shops] have no clue what they’re talking about and ask ridiculous questions and try getting [materials] that will produce huge clouds for them,” Tom said. “I’ll walk in and I’ll ask for a specific thing and it’s a very easy transaction.” Whether it means using a fake ID or portraying a confident attitude, it’s certain that teens can obtain these devices. An industry whose initial product had the purpose of helping individuals eliminate smoking from their lives has now rapidly grown and entered the lives of millions, including members of the Palo Alto community. Though some view vaping as an art form, others are turned off by its potential health risks. With all opinions taken into consideration, the culture of vape is undoubtedly one that will continue to evolve and affect people around the world.
“I THINK MORE PEOPLE ARE VAPING JUST TO VAPE THAN TO GET OFF OF SMOKING” - Jackie Speier, Congresswoman
20 COVER
use of e-cigs is on the agenda for the Palo Alto City Council, there are no pending municipal codes or set deadlines. According to Reifschneider, there is a separate state law under the health and safety code which makes it illegal to sell an e-cig or a vaporizer to a minor. “It is illegal for a retailer to knowingly sell a vaporizer or an e-cigarette, whether or not
MEDIA
Ms. Interpretation
Paly Teachers Attempt to Interpret Teenage Texting Lingo
Mr. Rodriguez
Ms. Park
Zero Hoots “Hoots are like, cheers, cred, stars. You get zero hoots.”
“I’m thinking cat calls, like zero cat calls.”
“I don’t find it funny.”
Swoop Me “I like the verb swoop. Meet me at Town and Country?”
Mrs. Filppu
Mr. Olah
Mr. Yonkers
TEXT BY HENRY GORDON DESIGN BY EMMA SCOTT AND HENRY GORDON
Slide Through “I’ve only heard that in reference to slide through the DMs... I know what a direct message is, I don’t understand the context of sliding through a direct message.”
“To do well in life, like to slide through it.”
Finna “Is it like being fine and thin because you are like finer and thinna?”
Bae “Finnish, from Finland.” “Best friends and enemies.” 22 media
HOW MANY MOMENTS DO YOU SPEND ON YOUR PHONE?
Paly students use the app Moment to track how much time they spend on their phone. TEXT AND DESIGN BY KATYA SIGAL
Between passing periods, I realized that I automatically take my phone out of my backpack. Sometimes I even leave my phone out on my desk in class. I’d like to say that I only use my phone for school related activities, but in all honesty, it’s usually used to check up on the squad grext. I am admittedly a victim to this “phone obsession” that has boomed over the years. Luckily, I have discovered the app Moment, which tracks the amount of time you spend on your phone by recording how long you have your phone unlocked throughout the day. C Magazine went around Palo Alto High School and asked 5 students to download the app and record how much they used their cellphones.
“I hated it. It made me realize how unproductive I am as a “It was a wake “I think it was cool to up call for me to pick student and an individual in society. see how much I was on my my head up and take This app gives me the potential to phone. I would sometimes look the world in around look back and see how many hours I and be surprised to see how spent doing nothing.” me.” little or how much I had been - Andrew Cho, senior - Nick Smallwood, on my phone.” junior - Georgia Hansen, freshman
C Magazine: What were your initial reactions to the results?
Average number of hours on a weekday
C Magazine: Are you going to keep using the app?
3 hours 35 min Data taken from 4 people over two days
“The app was very helpful for a week, but it actually runs down your battery so I deleted it.” - Nick Smallwood, junior
“I already deleted it.” -Andrew Cho, senior
“The first [day that I used the app] I was pretty shocked and sad that I spent so much of my day on my phone... it made me more mindful.” - Lia Salvatierra, freshman
Average number of hours on a Sunday
5 hours 5 min Data taken from 5 people
“I think I will keep it on my phone to keep my “No, because it uses up my technology use in check.” battery and there’s no point. I think it’s - Lia Salvatierra, freshman interesting, but it sucks that it has to take up all of my battery.” - Liam Shalon, sophomore
media 23
NETFLIX DOCUMENTARIES C Magazine reviews some of the best documentaries Netflix has to offer. TEXT BY MAYA BENATAR AND FRIDA BASTIAN SCHAEFER DESIGN BY AYAH CHAKMAKCHI ILLUSTRATIONS BY MAYA KANDELL AND CLARA DE MARTEL
Fed Up
30 Days
“The truth about what causes obesity” —Frida and Maya 30 years ago, the US government enacted dietary guidelines that overlooked the dangers of overconsumption of sugar and denied the role of sugar as the primary cause of obesity and diseases like diabetes, especially among children. The government and the media blame obesity on children taking in too many calories and not exercising enough, when, in fact, the amount of sugar in foods consumed by children makes it impossible to exercise enough to burn off all of those calories. The film follows the story of several children who struggle with obesity and dietary diseases in order to expose the sugar industry’s unlimited financial lobbying that has withheld attempts by parents. schools, states, and Congress to provide a healthier diet for the next generation.
“Surprising, moving, and all around compelling” —Frida and Maya In this series of 45-minute episodes, Morgan Spurlock, who also made the movie “Supersize Me,” takes people out of their comfort zones. Through this experiment, he tries to break barriers between social classes, age groups, religions and sexualities. Each episode follows a person as they spend time in a foreign environment that forces them to face the other side of their belief. This moving and provocative series is not only comedic but is also is a reminder that acceptance of those who hold drastically different beliefs than our own is attainable.
Stephanie Soechtig
Morgan Spurlock
Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap Ice-T
“An entertaining films about entertainers” —Frida and Maya Do you love music? Do you care about a specific type of music? Ice-T does, which is why he embarked on a mission to expose the truth behind Hip-Hop. The rapper travelled throughout the country from the Bronx to Compton interviewing different rappers such as Eminem, Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube and Nas. The film focuses on the different approaches to rap music and its rise to becoming one of the most prominent forms of music.
Miss Representation Jennifer Siebel Newsom
Planet Earth
BBC and Discovery “A peek into incredible natural phenomenons” —Frida and Maya “Planet Earth” is a BBC Natural History Unit series created in 2006. Netflix houses all 11 50-minute episodes, each including a ten-minute segment at the end revealing challenges the cameramen faced while shooting. Each episode provides an overview of a different biome or habitat of planet Earth.
24 Media
“Inspirational. A definite must-watch” —Frida and Maya “Miss Representation” is a gripping film exposing the way media portrays women and the pressure on young girls to look a certain way. The film also focuses on the inadequate representation of women in influential positions in the media. If you are in the mood to be empowered, this movie is the one for you. By providing insight into a problem deeply rooted in the foundations of our society, “Miss Representation” sheds light on a subject that affects everyone, boys and girls alike.
Playlist of the month:
Netflix & Chill
PLAYLIST AND DESIGN BY LARKIN MCDERMOTT PHOTO BY ALEX WEINSTEIN
Let’s Get Lost by G-Eazy, Devon Baldwin Planes by Jeremih, J. Cole the place by Inc. Who Better by Tia London From Time by Jhene Aiko, Drake How Many Drinks? by Miguel, Kendrick Lamar Make You Feel by Alina Baraz, Galimatias Comfortable by K CAMP Earned It by Jasmine Thompson
coffee by Miguel Tired of Talking by LEON Thinkin Bout You by Frank Ocean Pull Me Down by Mikky Ekko Sexual Healing-Kygo Remix by Kygo, Marvin Gaye Grind With Me by Pretty Ricky Don’t by Bryson Tiller Two Weeks by FKA Twigs Us by MOVEMENT
for the rest of the playlist scan here...
Media 25
CULTURE
TRUMP: WHAT IS HE THINKING? “THE DONALD’S” CAMPAIGN TRUMPS HIS COMPETITORS’. WHY?
TEXT AND DESIGN BY AHANA GANGULY ILLUSTRATION BY MAYA KANDELL
M
ost people would agree that Donald Trump is an eccentric. His public declarations about climate change and immigration have attracted tremendous outrage. His comments about veterans have sparked significant outcry. Even his campaign announcement contained derogatory statements. Despite all of this, he is a frontrunner in current polls. How can this be? Trump is a showman who has experience with drawing attention. He has long been brash and rude; before a 1989 interview with Larry King, he asked, “Do you mind if I sit back a little bit? Because your breath is very bad. It really is.” He hosted a reality television show, “The Apprentice,” for a decade, but was fired just this year by NBC for referring to Latino immigrants as rapists and drug dealers. Despite these offenses, he did not apologize. Because he doesn’t attempt to sweep his scandals under the rug, the media stays focused on his outrageous statements, and issues of his choosing become the topic of conversation. His refusal to backtrack also helps to cement his dominance in people’s minds. According to a recent Washington PostABC News poll, the quality valued most by Republicans in a presidential candidate is “a strong leader.” Trump certainly demonstrates strength and supremacy in his statements: “I fully think apologizing is a great thing, but you have to be wrong ... I will absolutely apologize sometime in
the distant future if I’m ever wrong.” This determination to stand by his ideas – no matter how controversial – conveys a sense of confidence that tends to be appealing in a leader. Trump’s complete disregard for political correctness serves as a refreshing change for many Americans who have grown tired of overly cautious politicians. A 2015 Rasmussen Reports survey found that 71 percent of American adults think that political correctness is a problem in America today.
I think he’s inexperienced, but the way he’s campaigning is strategic for a candidate like him. He’s making himself a character, sort of like a product — he’s very good at business, that’s how he made so much money — he’s branding himself in a way that he thinks will appeal to people, and it clearly is working because people have projected that they will vote for him.
A lot of people don’t listen to what he says and they don’t realize that he doesn’t ever say anything about a specific goal or plan for government. he just says things people want to hear.
- MAYA LATHI, JUNIOR
26 culture
“I FULLY THINK APOLOGIZING IS A GREAT THING, BUT YOU HAVE TO BE WRONG ... I WILL ABSOLUTELY APOLOGIZE SOMETIME IN THE DISTANT FUTURE IF I’M EVER WRONG.” - DONALD TRUMP
Trump’s willingness to make controversial comments wins him support. These rage-invoking statements also put him in a position of power. If his conservative competitors disagree with his radical proclamations, they lose support for their views on that particular issue. If they agree,
- MARIA FLETCHER, FRESHMAN
they won’t do it in such a shocking way and will end up appearing weaker than Trump. By continuing to attract controversy, Trump avoids any real questions about his policies. In this manner, he has avoided revealing any weaknesses in his policy because the media rarely asks him about his plans for running the country. Trump is masterful when it comes to transforming his reputation. He used to be affiliated with the Democratic Party and contributed significantly to campaigns, but has turned himself around so much that it is barely touched upon. When several of his businesses went bankrupt, he quickly removed his name from those enterprises and distanced himself from the catastrophes. This ability has helped his campaign succeed. Trump is also at an advantage because he is not a politician by trade. A recent Washington Post survey concluded that many Republicans distrust the government; 37 percent of self-identified GOP voters feel “angry” about the way the government works. Trump garners trust because he is associated to a lesser degree with politics. Currently, the two leading Republican candidates – Ben Carson and Donald Trump – are not politicians. Despite Trump’s reputation in certain circles for being a buffoon, his political tactics seem to appeal to voters in a unique and unprecedented way. His campaign has been successful so far, but only time will tell if his strategy will work in the long run.
He is a lone man with no real vision. He just has outrageous, offensive opinions and he wants to fit into a party in order to get a nomination. He is obviously not a Democrat, but he is not a Republican either. He is simply deranged ... I hope that people do not look down on the GOP for him. It’s fine if you disagree with the GOP, but he is not what it stands for. - OWEN DULIK, SENIOR
IN HIS WORDS:
TOWN HALL IN ROCHESTER, NH, 2015 WHEN ASKED HOW HE PLANS TO BRING BACK THE AMERICAN DREAM:
“LOOK. WE CAN BRING THE AMERICAN DREAM BACK. THAT I WILL TELL YOU. WE’RE BRINGING IT BACK. OKAY? AND I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU’RE SAYING. AND I GET THAT FROM SO MANY PEOPLE: ‘IS THE AMERICAN DREAM DEAD?’ THEY ARE ASKING ME THE QUESTION ‘IS THE AMERICAN DREAM DEAD?’ AND THE AMERICAN DREAM IS IN TROUBLE. THAT I CAN TELL YOU. OKAY? IT’S ON LIFE SUPPORT, IT’S IN TROUBLE. BUT WE’RE GOING TO GET IT BACK AND WE’RE GOING TO DO SOME REAL JOBS. HOW ABOUT THE MAN WITH THAT BEAUTIFUL RED HAT? STAND UP! STAND UP! WOW! ‘MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!’ WHAT A HAT!”
“THE ROLLING STONE,” 2015 WHEN DISCUSSING IVANKA TRUMP:
“YEAH, SHE’S REALLY SOMETHING, AND WHAT A BEAUTY, THAT ONE. IF I WEREN’T HAPPILY MARRIED AND, YOU KNOW, HER FATHER ...” TWITTER, 2012 ON CLIMATE CHANGE:
“THE CONCEPT OF GLOBAL WARMING WAS CREATED BY AND FOR THE CHINESE IN ORDER TO MAKE U.S. MANUFACTURING NON-COMPETITIVE.”
TWITTER, 2015 ON CLIMATE CHANGE:
“IT’S REALLY COLD OUTSIDE, THEY ARE CALLING IT A MAJOR FREEZE, WEEKS AHEAD OF NORMAL. MAN, WE COULD USE A BIG FAT DOSE OF GLOBAL WARMING!” TWITTER, 2012 ON POLITICAL CORRECTNESS:
“WHILE @BETTEMIDLER IS AN EXTREMELY UNATTRACTIVE WOMAN, I REFUSE TO SAY THAT BECAUSE I ALWAYS INSIST ON BEING POLITICALLY CORRECT.”
“TRUMPED!” BY JOHN R. O’DONNEL, 1991 ON AN ACCOUNTANT AT TRUMP PLAZA:
“BLACK GUYS COUNTING MY MONEY! I HATE IT. THE ONLY KIND OF PEOPLE I WANT COUNTING MY MONEY ARE SHORT GUYS THAT WEAR YARMULKES EVERY DAY.” culture 27
EMBRACING EXCELLENCE A CONVERSATION WITH CHEERLEADER MAX USMAN
TEXT AND DESIGN BY NICOLE LI AND JASMINE ABEYTA PHOTOS BY NICOLE LI
A
collective roar rips through the air as a Palo Alto High School (Paly) wide receiver races across the field and scores a touchdown. In celebration, the pep band comes to life with a grand refrain and the cheer team chants to fuel the energy in the stands. Two voices carry out above the cheer team ranks, rising over the spectators through big, white microphones. They are the voices of the new male cheerleaders: junior, Max Usman and senior, Alfredo Gonzales. Usman decided to join cheer in April of his sophomore year after taking an extended hiatus from water polo. Cheerleading was an obvious go-to for Max, who was intrigued by the sport. Despite initial doubts about making the team, Usman is now a key member of the team as a backspot stunter and dancer.
28 culture
Cheer is a unique sport that combines gymnastics, dance and school spirit. Male cheerleaders are especially valuable in providing support in stunting, which requires power, flexibility and strength to perfect the formations. While cheer can be rewarding and filled with high-energy stunts and routines, the perceptions about the lack of seriousness and masculinity around the sport can be crushing. According to cheer and dance coach Hilary McDaniel, cheerleaders, formerly known as yell-leaders, used to all be male, and held considerable prestige among high-school and college students. In the 1920s, however, more females began participating in the sport, and society began attaching stigma to cheerleading.
Max Usman helps lead cheers at a football home game against Saratoga High School on Oct. 2. “Unfortunately, because it was a female-associated activity, when the gay community began to come out and be more public, the backlash that they received would often relate them to females,” McDaniel said. “Any male who’s then doing something that’s predominately made up of females, whether it be cheerleading or nursing ... would be shoved into a box.” Every few years, one or two male cheerleaders have joined the Paly cheer team. As society progresses towards accepting male cheerleaders, with co-ed and all-male cheer teams becoming more commonplace, the cheer environment at Paly has also made progress. C Magazine sat down with Usman to discuss the challenges and joys of being on Paly cheer.
The cheer team huddles up before performing at halftime.
As backspot, Usman stabilizes and protects the flyer in the air.
C Magazine: When and how did you decide to do cheer? What brought you to it? Max Usman: “I decided to do cheer the spring of 2015. I used to be a waterpolo player but I couldn’t continue that because of unfortunate circumstances, and cheer seemed to be the logical next step because I already had friends on the team, and those friends told me that they were hungry to get boys on the team, so I decided: ‘You know what? Let’s do it!’”
O
C: What are your favorite aspects of cheer? MU: “I love stunting, that’s really fun because it’s where I’m most beneappreciated drop of just thick, cause I’m stronger than the girls… It’s transparent liquid true! I mean, our oozes coachinto literally tells us frayed cotthat, it’s just like aton fact! And then tumheld together by bling I also reallytwo likesmall, because I’vecoils. just metal started getting better at it. I can do A steady, confident hand sets the bot-a running cartwheel now.picks ” tle of liquid aside and up a metal mouthpiece, screwing it onto a bulky, C: What scares youAabout cheer? rectangular base. button is pressed MU: “What scares me most theeager high and the mouthpiece is metis by risk for serious injury. Even during lips. After a deep inhale, a masterpiece tumbling, if you pull the wrong, of smoke corkscrews andtumble rings fills the you can fall, you can hurt your neck, room. The strong aroma of bubblegum shoulder, During stunting, wafts over arm. the fascinated onlookers.if we drop the flyer she can fall and get(Paly) hurt, Erik, a Palo Alto High School or if the flyer falls wrong on us we get senior, whose name has been changed hurt. I’ve had my nose smashed, shoulto protect his identity, sets down his der dislocated, brokeclearly my finger once… all vaporizer and Igrins, pleased with this in the span of 4 months. I’m fine now, his display. Like Erik, many people, includthough!” ing Paly students, see vaping not only as a hobby, but as an art form. While many regC: Ifvapers you could yourvaping friends family ular may tell think is or harmless one thing about cheer, what would it be? MU: “I’d say how athletic of a sport it is, be-
cause my family tends to view it as like the stigmata towards cheerleading, when you actually have to be a real athlete to be able to do cheer, or else you’re going to get eaten alive.” C: How has the cheering environment at Paly changed since you joined it? MU: “We’re able to do more complex stunts, like pyramids, basket-tosses, dead-man’s, from both me and Alfredo being there. Having two of us there really makes the team as a whole get better.”
C: Do you have to fight off stereotypes? MU: “I am a walking stereotype… I am a flamboyant, gay cheerleader. I don’t fight the stereotype; I embrace it.” C: What has been the most difficult aspect of being a male cheerleader? MU: “Biggest thing about it has been the assumption that every cheerleader is female. At the camps they’ll yell with the megaphones, ‘Alright, girls, let’s go!’ and I’m just standing thinking, can I still be on water break? Do I not have to come?”
“ I am a flamboyant, gay cheerleader. I don’t fight the stereotype; I embrace it.” - Max Usman, junior C: Why do you think there aren’t more guys in cheer? MU: “Most people take everything at face value, so they see all of the girls doing it and instantly assume this is a feminine sport. Most people wouldn’t know that it used to be a male-dominated sport.”
C: How has cheer impacted you? MU: “I participate more in school events... I think a lot more about Paly as a whole, instead of just my class or my friend group.”
C: What piece of advice would you offer someone of any gender who wants to join? MU: “To a guy: Don’t be afraid to try out. If you try out, we will welcome you with open arms, and probably some sort of party, because we got another guy! And if anyone ever tries to give you any sort of crap about being a male cheerleader, you tell us who they are, and we’ll take care of it (wink wink). And to anyone, we’re always looking for more people; a bigger squad means better things, anyone can join, you can have never done cheerleading in your life, or have done cheerleading forever, and we will still get you on a team, we will make you better and we will progress you as a person.”
culture 29
MIXED GRADES IN MATH Exploring views on intermixed grade levels in Paly math courses TEXT AND DESIGN BY SARAH SHAPIRO AND REILLY FILTER ILLUSTRATION BY MAYA KANDELL
L
inda boxed the final answer and heaved a great sigh. The past 90 minutes in Algebra 2/ Trigonometry A felt like a marathon, but the test was finally over. As she walked out of class, mentally calculating how much partial credit she could receive, she heard a loud voice: “That was ridiculously easy.” Linda turned around to see a boy laughing as he joined his friends for lunch. Having struggled through the test, his flippant remark naturally made her feel dispirited, and a bit angry. But what made her feel worst of all: the boy was a sophomore. Linda, a junior at Palo Alto High School (Paly) whose name has been changed to protect her identity, is one of many Paly wdents who takes a math class with students from varying grades. The current Paly math system, which consists of five different lanes, was recently changed to include classes that consist of a com-
bination of students from different grade levels. Originally, freshmen that wanted to take geometry were only offered Geometry Honors. In 2010, the math steering committee, a district-wide committee made up of instructional supervisors and district administrators, opted to create a non-honors lane for freshmen wanting to take geometry. Before the change, freshmen who had taken algebra in eighth grade had to repeat the course if they didn’t want to be in Geometry Honors. Those students wouldn’t have had the opportunity to take Calculus due to the way the lanes were previously organized. Linda’s class, Algebra 2/ Trigonometry A (Alg2/TrigA), contains both sophomores in the second-to-highest lane and juniors in the third-to-highest lane. Advanced Geometry (Geom A) and Intro to Analysis and Calculus (IAC) are two other courses where the grade level of the students in the class differs. “Being in the same lane as kids who are younger than me makes makes me feel embarrassed and inferior,” Lind said. “It’s a little awkward because all their grades are better than mine.”
Younger students in combined classes are technically in a lane higher than the older students. Linda doesn’t think that the sole factor of being older compensates for younger students being accustomed to a faster pace, choosing to be in a higher math lane, and possibly even having superior mathematical abilities. Linda wishes the Paly math classes were separated by grade. “I just think that separating the classes would be best.” Linda recognizes that not all older students share the same sentiment, but nonetheless, she thinks that feelings toward inter-grade mixing in math is a prominent enough issue to be addressed. “Obviously not everyone feels completely discouraged by the younger students, but in general I’d say people often get frustrated by them,” Linda said. Senior Bryn Carlson, who was enrolled in a combined Geometry A class as a sophomore, felt so strongly about this issue she decided to take action. Her frustrations were prompted by her struggle to learn at the same pace as the younger students in her class. She felt the class was geared towards the faster learning pace of the younger students. “I felt really frustrated because I had chosen the lane I was in so that math wouldn’t have to be something I stressed out about,” Carlson said. Carlson created a petition with the goal of shedding light on this issue in order to ultimately encourage the separation of grade levels in integrated math classes. Although she never followed through with her petition, she would still like the math lanes to be redesigned to best accommodate all students. Some teachers, on the other hand, feel as though there are enough benefits to combining grade levels in math classes to offset the drawbacks. Charlotte Harris, who currently teaches IAC and Alg 2/ TrigH, is aware of the divide in her combined classes, but still feels as though it’s a system that should remain in place.
LANE 5
LANE 4
LANE 3
LANE 4
ALG 1.1
ALG 1
ALG 1A
GEOM A
ALG 1
GEOM
GEOM A
ALG 2/TRIG A
GEOM
ALG 2
ALG 2/TRIG A
IAC
ALG 2
PRE CALC
IAC
AB CALC AP
FLOWCHART OF PALY MATH SYSTEM. ARROWS SHOW WHICH CLASSES ARE COMBINED. “I think there is educational and social value in having a mix of ages in one class,” Harris said. “The setting is closer to ‘real’ life.” Radu Toma, head of the Paly math department, agrees with Harris that the change in the system is a positive one, mainly because he hasn’t heard verbalized discontent from students. “Most students understand very well the fact that our flexible laning system is designed not to group students by age but to allow each student to be successful and appropriately challenged in the math course they take,” Toma said. Paly math teacher of twenty-eight years, Kathi Bowers, said that when the classes were first combined, there was a noticeable divide in all mixed classes that is not as prevalent now. “There was a time I thought we should separate them,” Bowers said. Bowers believes the majority of students no longer mind being mixed at all. “I think we saw [a divide] the first two years … I don’t see it anymore,” Bowers said. “A little bit with the junior-senior [mix], but not that they’re resentful of the other.” Bowers feels there is a still a divide in IAC, a class with both juniors and seniors. She attributes it to the inherent differences between juniors and seniors. “The seniors are a different breed,” Bowers said. “They are thinking about college apps, and then they’re second-semester seniors and they really don’t care. Whereas the second-semester juniors are extremely motivated and really want to do well for colleges.” Bowers is not the only teacher to recognize this division. Harris says success in the class is more distinctly different between the
two grade levels, especially during second -semester. According to Harris, the math department considered dividing IAC into juniors and seniors. “We asked our juniors if it was a distraction to them and they said no, and that they were fine with the mix,” Harris said. “Unfortunately, we never did ask the seniors if they minded having the juniors in there. That sounds like something we can still ask.” Although there are only combined classes in the lower four lanes, students in the top
and then blown away by the truth of that statement.” On the other hand, Edward Kim, a sophomore in Analysis Honors who has skipped a grade level in math, doesn’t agree that younger students do comparatively better in math than older students. In terms of grades younger students receive, “[The success level is] not so much for only a one-year age difference, but you can see it when really young kids take the class and do well,” Kim said. Noah Galper, a junior in Analysis Honors, feels that the younger students’ success likely doesn’t bother a lot of the older students, but more so affects students who may be having a harder time in the class. “The kids in my grade that do the absolute best in the class probably don’t mind [the younger students being in the class] at all,” Galper said. “But for the people in the middle it’s really annoying to hear ‘F--k I got a 95’ coming from a freshman.” Bowers believes this resentment stems from a more competitive, higher-achieving mentality among the honors math students. “The [older] kids have always expected to be the top dog, and these new kids come in and they’re better than you, or they’re as good as you,” Bowers said. Because this environment is prone to have its challenges, many believe it is important to take all students’ varying abilities into consideration. However, the intermingling of different grade levels can also provide educational benefits. In this situation, there may be no way to satisfy all students’ needs, but to take these opposing views into consideration is the first step.
“I THINK THERE IS EDUCATIONAL AND SOCIAL VALUE IN HAVING A MIX OF AGES IN ONE CLASS. THE SETTING IS CLOSER TO ‘REAL’ LIFE.” - Charlotte Harris lane are no strangers to inter-grade mixing. These students are intermingled with another “breed” of younger students: ones who have skipped whole grade levels of math. Some of whom have not even reached high school yet, but are still in Paly’s math classes. In general, students who have skipped grade levels in order to be in a more advanced class, tend to do comparatively better than those who are of the appropriate age. Harris sees a clear distinction in the level of ability of students in different grades. “Teachers, who have taught this course before, told me that the eighth graders would be the ones to get an A+ on all assignments, tests, etcetera,” Harris said. “I was skeptical,
culture 31
Cynthia Schuman www.cynthiaschuman.com Resin | Enamel | Oil