May 2014

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Gunn teachers say their farewells.

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Friday, May 16, 2014

Volume 51, Issue 9

780 Arastradero Road, Palo Alto, CA 94306

Vandals deface gunn, spur student response

Candidates for principal chosen Hayley Krolik

Sports Editor

Shawna Chen Forum Editor

On Monday morning at 6:45 a.m., math teacher Rajeev Virmani approached the N building from the Gunn parking lot and noticed lines of spray paint streaking across the wall of the front entrance. As he moved closer, he registered the words, “Thank god Lobos is leaving,” and felt his stomach sink. Over the weekend, derogatory messages had been spray painted on walls, glass and concrete surrounding the N building, RC building, quad, music building and Titan gym. Graffiti that mocked the Gunn football team, targeted specific ethnicities and made references to the class of 2014 was on display across school grounds.

“I remember thinking, ‘Oh, crap,’” Virmani said. “‘Our school just got vandalized.’”

By the numbers

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Gunn Reactions As students trickled into his zero period class, dialogue arose discussing student reactions and the extent of the vandalism. “No one thought it was funny,” Virmani said. “Everyone’s thought was, ‘Can’t believe someone would do that to our school.’” Emotions ran from disappointment to anger and sadness to distress. “We started informally talking about it and how insensitive, vulgar and intrusive it felt,” Virmani said. “Everyone was kind of shocked and confused.”

The bell rang, and students remained stunned. “Then, one or two of my students said, ‘Let’s go and cover it up,’” Virmani said. “And I said, ‘Okay, let’s go do it.’” With stacks of paper and rolls of blue tape, Virmani’s and math teacher Chris Karas’s students dispersed across campus as if they were on a mission. “It made me feel

Rankings

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really proud to be a part of Gunn High School, as a teacher here, because it was all student-driven,” Virmani said.

The movement to conceal the graffiti soon inspired other students to chalk encouraging messages over the paper itself. Along with numerous peers, junior Jessica Luo spent the day writing uplifting memos over the campus graffiti. “When you have a wound, you put a band-aid over it,” Luo explained. “Sometimes, you want to put some sort of cool band-aid over it to show that you’re not ignoring the fact that something happened but instead you’re taking this opportunity to celebrate something else.”

The collective effort to cover up what had been written would later be greatly treasured by students like freshman Bryan Owens, who “didn’t actually see much of the graffiti beVANDALISM—p.2

Gunn High School’s national ranking according to U.S. News & World Report

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Following interviews held on May 9, district officials and members of the Principal Selection Input Committee (PSIC) have narrowed their decision down to two final candidates, and are preparing to enter the superintendent evaluation round. One of these applicants will fill in the principal position after current Principal Katya Villalobos’ departure. Superintendent Dr. Kevin Skelly is scheduled to make his official recommendation to the school board on May 27.

The first PSIC interview panel was comprised of 11 teachers who represented the Instructional Council, and the second was made up of staff, parents and two students. Each panel member allocated points to candidates based on the quality of their responses.

District officials were then able to narrow down applicants by calculating their total points, and the final two candidates will be pushed through to the next round. The Superintendent and various members of his cabinet will follow up with more interviews and review the candidates’ strengths and weaknesses to aid in making the superintendent’s recommendation.

Both teachers and students hope to see certain qualities in the new principal. Computer Science teacher Joshua Paley hopes that the principal will be effective at getting things done. “The world is changing; how a person manages the change matters,” Paley said. However, he recognizes how adapting to a school’s individual system can prevent the principal from doing his job. According to Paley, with the ease of technology, parents can send in complaint emails in seconds that can clog up the principal’s inbox and force other important work to be pushed to the side.

“I think a new principal is going to have to delegate a lot of this stuff,” Paley said. In addition, he bePRINCIPAL—p.3

May 2

May 5-9 May 9–14

May 27

PSIC and Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources reviewed community input.

PSIC began interviews.

Superintendent follow-up on recommendations and finalists.

Target date for Superintendent’s recommendation to the Board.

Gunn High School’s state ranking according to U.S. News & World Report

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News

THEORACLE

SNAPSHOTS

SPRING FLING “My favorite event was Powderpuff with the cheerleaders because it was really awesome watching my friends cheering for our team.”

—Kiana Fong (9)

Courtesy of Pam Steward

Courtesy of Kristy Blackburn

Anthony Tran

“The admin response has been really good. They weren’t making it very publicized.”

—Math teacher Rajeev Virmani

“My first impression was that [the graffiti] was a one building thing, but then it just grew bigger and bigger.”

—Josh Kaplan (11)

Anthony Tran

“It was good; my favorite parts were the inflatables at the block party.”

—Kathleen Ji (10)

Anthony Tran

“[Spring Fling] really gives me something to look forward to instead of just graduation.”

—Michael Chen (12)

“I’m just so upset that people would deface our school. It was arrogant, self-centered and just not nice. We should have more respect for how privileged we are.

—Grace Kuffner (10)

Graffiti

Anthony Tran

Courtesy of Maytal Abramson

Audey Shen

—Compiled by Lisa Hao and Shawna Chen

Student body, staff respond to graffiti messages VANDALISM—p.1

-cause people had been kind enough to cover everything up.”

Parts of the graffiti had already been masked by the time English teacher Jordan Huizing arrived on campus, and as Virmani explained the situation, she felt both simultaneously shocked and proud. “[I was] appalled by what had happened to our school because it’s such a violating feeling; we spend so much of our time here that it feels like a second home, and to have somebody do that to our home essentially felt really horrible,” Huizing said. “But also proud of the students who’d already taken action, that they were covering it up with paper because they didn’t want their peers to be hurt, and that they were trying to cover it up with positive messages. It was really amazing to see the strength of our school.”

Official Response Throughout Monday, police officers documented scenes as district maintenance responded to the vandalism by painting over the graffiti and spray washing the concrete. “[Repercussions] would certainly include suspension,” Assistant Principal Trinity Klein said. “Students can be found financially responsible for the cost of the cleanup, and the cost will be enough that there will also be legal consequences.”

Administrators have already compiled a list of possible suspects, but the majority of the investigation, which remains confidential, will involve discussion with students who retain any knowledge of the incident.

“If students really want to help us figure this out, they will share with somebody on staff anything and everything that they hear and let us do the investigation of what’s true and what’s not true,” Klein said. “The more information we have, the more likely we will narrow in on the right person.”

The degree of va nda lism has incited speculation concerning the per pet r ator’s i nt e nt . “ T he only thing that someone who does something like that wants is to have people react to it and freak out about it and have a lot

of anxiety over it,” junior Josh Kaplan said. Coming together “Maybe [the perpetrator] was really frusWhile the perpetrator has yet to be identitrated at Gunn, but if individuals were more fied, responses to the graffiti have unified the calm about it and the school was equally school and given staff and students a renewed harsh cracking down on it, then it would sense of community. “That the first place a have the desired effect of not having people lot of people went to is to try and take care of feel like they’ll each other, that get attention for the first instincts things like that.” of people were Though the “This was a really aggressive action and a to chalk positive administration messages, cover maintains a firm really negative action toward a whole lot things up and be st a nce on t he of people. To act out in that way, there’s really protective consequences of either a real anger behind it or a sadness of each ot her, such vandalism, I t h i n k rea l ly Assistant Prin- that turned into anger, but there’s no joy speaks volumes cipa l of g u id- behind this.” about the coma nc e Tom Jamunity we have,” —English teacher Jordan Huizing coubowsky also Huizing said. hopes to underThe extraorstand the perpetrator’s emotional state. “This dinary circumstance has also reinforced the person needs help, and I would really want core values at the heart of Gunn. “A lot of that person beyond being held accountable people will say in their minds when they see to get help,” Jacoubowsky said. injustice, ‘That’s wrong, but you know what?

Regardless of who committed the act, I don’t want to get involved,’” Jacoubowsky relief will come in the form of discovering the said. “What I like about what Gunn kids did motive behind the crime. “Though the state- was that they said, ‘No, we will get involved, ments were incredibly malicious, I’m hoping and this is wrong,’ [and] I think it shows the it’s born out of immaturity and stupidity as great efforts we’ve made that we’ve taught the opposed to hate,” Huizing said. “This was a students not just academics but what’s right really aggressive action and a really negative and wrong as far as how you live your life.” action toward a whole lot of people. To act Since Monday, the statement “We’re all in out in that way, there’s either a real anger this together” has only been reiterated, with behind it or a sadness that turned into anger, senior student body president Justice Tention but there’s no joy behind this.” appearing on Titan Broadcast Network and The culprit, however, hurt more people making the announcement for students and than he or she may have accounted for. staff to wear Not In Our Schools T-shirts as “People, whether they show it or not, are a symbol of unity. In the end, the vandalism hurt by the graffiti everywhere, especially incident will vanish from the intricate idenwith jabs at specific races,” Kaplan said. tity that is Gunn. “We will move forward by “Ultimately, [the perpetrator] should think focusing on how amazing our community is more deeply about the broader implications in so many other ways,” Virmani said. “It’s about their actions and the fact that they’re good to not focus on what was said; the graffiti hurting other people around them, not just was done by a select few. Now, we’re going to the school itself.” come together and show who we really are.”

Friday, May 16, 2014 3 News Gunn regains U.S. News national, state, STEM rankings Shawna Chen

schools within the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The magazine first compares student performance on state proficiency tests to the state average. After looking at reading and math results on these tests, U.S. News & World Report narrows down the list to schools whose students are performing above the state’s average results.

For the institutions that meet initial requirements, U.S. News & World Report then looks at economically disadvantaged students speci f ic a l ly.

If these students perform above the state average for economica lly disadvantaged students, then the school moves onto the final step of examination.

Last year, the performance gap between the school average and the average of economically disadvantaged students led to Gunn’s disqualification at this phase.

According to Villalobos, departments have since been working towards closing the performance gap between the school average

Forum Editor

On Apr. 22, U.S. News & World Report released its 2014 list of America’s best high schools. Both Paly and Gunn were among the three percent of American high schools that placed in the top 500 range.

Because Gunn did not pass phase two of the ranking system in 2013, it was not included in last year’s list of top 500 high schools, but this year Gunn ranked 104th in the nation, 17th in California and fifth on the list of high-performing high schools in Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) subjects. “Obviously, it’s a huge acknowledgement for the school,” Principal Katya Villalobos said.

“By any standard of measure, our school is doing incredibly well. There’s no other way to put it.”

Each year, U.S. News & World Report compiles its list by analyzing all public high

Sophomore Isaiah Katz also embraces and disadvantaged students by increasing Gunn’s ranking as well deserved. However, available support. he believes that efforts can be made to imThis year, Gunn’s efforts paid off, and the prove emotional stability on campus given school was able to move onto the concluding Gunn’s high academic pressures. “There are stage of analysis, which involves judging a lot of issues with students’ emotional secuschools on college-readiness levels. U.S. rity and mental state of being as well as a lot News & World Report calculates a College Readiness Index from performance and of classes allowing the wrong factors to drive participation rates in Advanced Placement students’ motivations,” he said. “Though (AP) exams.

Gunn is an excellent environment, there is For junior a lot of pressure and standards Victoria Wang, Gu n n’s r a n k- “Obviously, it’s a huge acknowledge- of expectations ing on the list of ment for the school. By any standard of that we can take steps to minihigh-performing schools in STEM measure, our school is doing incredibly mize.”

Ultimately, an is one to cele- well. There’s no other way to put it.” amalgamation of brate. “We focus —Principal Katya Villalobos multiple support a lot on math and systems assisted sciences, which is great because giving people the opportu- Gunn in its strive for excellence according nity to take those courses will foster more to Villalobos. “This is obviously completely interest in those fields and guide students to our students’ performance, but in that you pursue those careers,” Wang said. However, also have the incredible hard work of the Wang notes that arts should be equally teachers and staff, the incredible resources emphasized at school for a well-rounded en- provided by the community and parents vironment. “I feel that our school has taken directly, and all the opportunities our stua natural tendency to go towards STEM dents are rewarded,” she said. Nevertheless, because we’ve excelled in STEM, so they Gunn’s rankings do not define the school. want to push harder to [move] even higher “It is a recognition, it is an honor, but that’s up,” she said. “But our arts is also lacking, not what Gunn’s about,” Villalobos said. and it takes much more energy and time to “It’s always going to be about continuous build that up.” improvement, regardless of rankings.”

PSIC to select Gunn’s next principal following recent interviews Raisinghani said. “The principal shouldn’t have to be in charge of coordinating student activities because that’s the student government’s job.” Additionally, both Paley and Raisinghani stress the importance of flexibility. “There a lot of really good teachers, and part of what makes them good is they are not being micromanaged,” Paley said.

“Their creativity shows in the classroom and beyond.” According to Bowers, the district is looking for a versatile leader who will be efficient in providing students with powerful learning throughout the school program. The PSIC is looking for candidates with administrative and leadership experience, as well as

PRINCIPAL—p.1

-lieves it is necessary for a principal to protect and emphasize the importance of programs that are already valued at Gunn. Junior Aren Raisinghani wants a passionate principal who is trustworthy and approachable. “The new principal has to be really involved in school,” Raisinghani said. “They have to understand our Titan traditions and be involved in those traditions.” He also believes that the new principal should be transparent in their policies and be an advocate for the students.

“I feel like as for bringing new things to school, the principal should be receptive to students who want to implement change,”

THEORACLE

The Oracle strongly encourages and prints signed Letters to the Editor and Comments. Comments are generally shorter responses, while Letters are longer pieces of writing.

Editorial Board

News Lawrence Chen Kush Dubey Forum Shawna Chen Esther Kozakevich Kathleen Xue

Managing Editors Pooja Belur Klaire Tan

Features Lisa Hao Yuki KlotzBurwell Ryeri Lim

Entertainment Sam Acker Noa Livneh Justin Wenig

Centerfold Emily Kvitko Naina Murthy

Sports Hayley Krolik Arjun Sahdev

Photo Anthony Tran

Please include your name, grade and contact information should you choose to write one.

Graphics Dave Zhu

Graphics Anton Oyung Elizabeth Zu Business Matthew Hamilton (Assistant)

Oracle-TBN Liasion Isaac Wang

Business Matt Niksa

Copy Elinor Aspegren Prachi Kale Tech Aayush Dubey Adviser Kristy Blackburn

The Oracle is published by and for the students of Henry M. Gunn Senior High School. The unsigned editorials that appear in this publication represent the majority opinion of the editorial staff and The Oracle’s commitment to promoting student rights.

The Oracle publishes nine issues annually. Subscriptions are $45/ year.

Letters and Comments may be edited to meet space requirements and the writer is solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.

Letters to the Editor and Comments and ideas for coverage may be sent to gunnoracle@yahoo.com or posted on our Facebook page. These letters need not be from current student.

I like the surveys. It’s interesting to know what the school thinks about an issue.

—Angelle Cheung, 11

Staff Reporters Ian Cramer, Nia Gardner, Joanne Lee, Erica Watkins

the principal will undoubtedly go through some challenges as they begin their work next year. “Any new principal will face the challenge of getting to know the school culture, the staff, students, and community,” Bowers wrote in an email. “Learning what the principal-ship is like in Palo Alto compared to their previous position will be a challenge.”

As a principal for 12 years, Baker emphasized the importance of community input. “[The new principal] really needs to listen to what the people are saying,” Baker said. “What I would always ask was, ‘What do you think we stop doing, what should we start doing, and what should we continue doing?’ ”

INBOX

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Editor-in-Chief Danielle Yacobson

someone who understands the importance of building relationships with students, parents and staff.

Six initial candidates were accepted, and then narrowed to down to two based off of administrators’ and students’ interview assessments. Director of Secondary Education Katherine Baker believes interviews adequately reveal who best suits this description.

“We are looking for someone with vision, someone with experience, someone who’s collaborative, has the values, the integrity we seek in a highly qualified leader,” Baker said.

Although the new principal will be chosen before the school year ends, Bowers believes

I would like to see more stories about Gunn culture.

—Randy Wu, 9

April 18, 2014 I liked how they didn’t just talk about things that were specific to Gunn, like the SAT, which was relevant but not specific to our school.

—Lucy Augustine, 9

I liked the article about how to intimidate your opponents.

—Rebecca Christainsen, 9 I want to see more controversial story —David Lin, 12

I liked this month’s issue because most of the articles are pretty relevant to the things that are happening around school right now.

—Jocelyn Liu, 10 I liked the backpage— anatomy of a Gunn student —Anna Cabot, 12

The Oracle is a 2013 NSPA PacemakerAwardwinner.

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News

Students participate in student-directed One Act plays Elinor Aspegren

the director’s instructions, but when you’re enjoy the struggles, happiness and comthe director, you’re the puppet-master of a edy of other people’s lives,” she said. bunch of free-willed puppets.” Directing Drama teacher James Shelby thinks Gunn’s annual student-directed One her peers, she says, is a totally different the plays are going excellently so far, Acts, which began on May 8, include five experience from acting. She cast some and that they will be prepared to deliver plays: “The Veldt,” “The Ugly Duckling,” inspiring people for her show, and she feels smoothly. “Every night we have had bigger “Flowers for Algernon,” “The Bald Sopra- daunted from the responsibility. “Some of attendance, and our final night of the first no” and “This is a Test.” For many of the the people I casted I really look up to and weekend we sold out,” he said. In addition, students like seniors Anthony Keech, Holly admire as fellow actors,” she said. “I feel Shelby believes that, although the shows Wright, Sivan Spector, Tatiana Boyle and kind of insecure giving them directions.” have shortened in time, they are better in Julia Nelson and junior Dakota Baker, this is Kraemer believes that the most rewarding quality. “I’m just really impressed with all their first venture into the world of directing. aspect of acting in One Acts is seeing the the plays,” he said. Hanson calls the plays Sophomore Alan Hanson, who plays final product. “The shows are fantastic and a huge success so far, and has enjoyed his “George” in “The Veldt,” believes that One seeing what the directors have done so far experience in the show. “It is a pretty nice Acts is an integral part of the theater com- makes me really excited and proud to put way to end off the year,” he said. One Acts munity. “One Acts, compared to the other their shows on and call myself stage man- continues until tomorrow night. Get your shows, is a lot ager,” he wrote. “It tickets early, because they quickly sell out.

Courtesy of Anthony Keech more relaxed, i s f r a n k ly t he less stressful best experience I “The shows are fantastic and seeing and intensive, have had at Gunn. what the directors have done so far and doesn’t Baker admits that cause a lot of they had a couple makes me really excited and proud sacr i f ice to setbacks during to put their shows on and call myot her comthe last few weeks, self stage manager. It is frankly the mitments,” he due to the shows’ said. Senior length. “The play best experience I have had at Gunn.” s t a ge m a nI chose was origager Evan inally well over —Senior Evan Kraemer Kraemer an hour. I cut it agrees that One Acts is important. “In down a bunch and it was running last essence, you are getting five different week at about 30 minutes faster,” she said. shows wrapped up in one night,” he said.

Kraemer recommends that students, According to Hanson, One Acts is a very teachers and parents come and see One exciting time for both actors and directors Acts as soon as possible. “You have a due to the increase in teamwork. “You have wide variety of shows that makes the to learn how to work with the different di- whole night feel like a roller coaster,” Courtesy of Neel Marlous rectors, and the directors have to learn how he said. According to Baker, One Acts to work with people,” Hanson said. Baker is a great time to de-stress during the Top: Sophomore Yasmine Hamady plays a teacher who is pressuring sophoagrees. “It’s pretty crazy and daunting,” she end of the year. “It allows you to forget more Sam Woodbury, a student in “This Is A Test.” Bottom: Sophomores Ben said. “Being an actor, you have to listen to your life for roughly three hours and Lee (left) and Jamie Hattler (right) sit down for a cup of tea in “The Veldt.”

Copy Editor

Bands perform at May Fete parade Prachi Kale

Copy Editor

Gunn’s Freshman Concert Band, Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble combined to march and perform at the 92nd annual May Fete parade on May 3. The collective bands played a variety of pieces—from current genres to classics. The parade began at 10 a.m. in downtown Palo Alto and finished at 1 p.m. in Heritage Park. It aimed to provide an opportunity for children to get together and enjoy themselves while celebrating the appearance of spring with activities such as the float contest and creative costumes.

Children and adults could also attend a fair after the parade finished in Heritage Park. The parade had many activities such as free game booths hosted by local businesses and nonprofits, food trucks, The Museum of American Heritage with its collection of antique cars, Stanford bands, live music from Palo Alto School bands and the Stanford Marching band.

The trio of Gunn bands has been performing at the May Fete parade for at least 25 years, according to band teacher Todd Summers. “Every year the Gunn band is

awesome,” Summers said. “They look great, sound great and have fun.”

The band generally spends a little bit of class time on the May Fete pieces for a few weeks before the parade. “We traditionally always play the ‘Gunn Fight Song’ and the ‘Hey Song’,” Summers said. “This year we added ‘Let It Go’ from ‘Frozen’ and people loved it. There were kids along the parade route that sang along with us as we marched by.”

According to Summers, his favorite part of the parade was having all three Gunn bands combine into one large band with the cheerleaders and orchestra carrying flags.

However, there were some things he disliked.

“The May Fete parade is the first Saturday of May every year,” Summers said. “There is an SAT test on the first Saturday of May every year, so the juniors taking the SAT never get to march that year.”

Overall, Summers believes, the parade was enjoyable for everybody, and was a huge success.

Sophomore saxophonist Ajay Raj believed the atmosphere contributed to a better experience while playing. “It was great marching with my fellow students and playing great music,” he said.

Anthony Tran

Gunn’s May Fete band performs a piece during the afternoon of May 3 for the audience as they march down University Avenue.

Forum

Friday, May 16, 2014

5

Brazil unprepared to host 2014 FIFA World Cup Matthew Hamilton

The World Cup is a time of intense nationalism, when citizens find themselves united behind their home team.

For Brazilians, this sense of pride should be even stronger because the 2014 World Cup will be held in their own country. As the World Cup nears, however, the citizens of Brazil have united in protest rather than pride. Hosting the World Cup has aggravated Brazil’s weak economy and social system. Billions in taxpayer money have

gone to financing stadium construction instead of addressing public education, poverty and public transportation issues.

However, despite the government’s heavy public spending at the cost of its civilians, the stadiums are incomplete and the nation’s security issues have yet to be addressed. With less than two months to go until the start of the World Cup, Brazil remains unprepared to host the tournament.

The most obvious problem facing the Brazilians is the incomplete stadiums. Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) set a deadline for 12 stadiums, but only six were completed by the target date. Since then, an additional three have been finished, but three more stadiums, including Arena Corinthians where the tournament is set to start on June 12, still remain under construction.

Incompletion of the stadiums has irresponsibly delayed FIFA’s preparations as well. With stadiums still being built, it is unclear how many seats will be available overall. As a result, FIFA has been forced to limit the amount of tickets it can sell. According to Al Jazeera, seven percent of the total tickets for the World Cup have been withheld.

More importantly, Brazil has also failed

Around the World

to complete crucial security precautions in preparation of the influx of visitors that will arrive in June. Crime is prevalent throughout the nation, with the gangs of Brazil’s slums being notorious for extreme violence. The most recent data shows that Brazil ranks seventh in the world in homicides, recording 51,198 homicides in 2011. Worse, violence is concentrated in urban areas where matches will be held. In 2012, there were 1,209 homicides reported in the city of Rio de Janeiro, which is set to host seven matches, including the final. The Brazilian government will have the task of protecting the 600,000 people projected to attend the World Cup. However, only 70,000 more police officers have been hired.

The Brazilian government has mishandled the responsibility of hosting the World Cup. Inefficient spending and lack of transparency have led to incomplete stadiums. A police force that already has to fight the seventh highest homicide rate in the world will be burdened with 600,000 more people to protect, with only a 15 percent increase in officers. Furthermore, the World Cup preparations have exacerbated economic problems. Unfortunately, an event that is supposed to bring joy to a nation has brought debt, discontent and delays for Brazil.

—Hamilton, a freshman, is an Assistant Business Manager.

AT A GLANCE:

Obama’s continuous rejection of Keystone XL delays the implementation of cleaner energy and addition of 600,000 jobs.

AT A GLANCE:

Brazil has spent billions in preparation for FIFA World Cup, but incomplete stadiums and major security issues have yet to be addressed.

Keyst

one b ill wil l brin g ben eficia l chan ges to econo my Kush Dubey

In April this year, President Barack Obama rejected the construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline due to concerns about the pipeline’s potential environmental impact on Nebraska’s Sand Hills region. The House has passed the bill multiple times, but Keystone XL has dragged on for over three years due to political indecisiveness in the Senate and opposition by the President. The bill outlines plans to extend the existing Keystone pipeline to supply southern states like Oklahoma and Texas with shale oil. By buying cheaper oil from the Canadian oil production company TransCanada, it would increase oil imports by 830,000 barrels per day. Congress and the President should stop delaying the bill and pass Keystone XL because oil is a cleaner and more dependable source of energy than coal, provides crucial oil to the private sector and decreases our oil dependence on politically unstable countries in the Middle East.

While oil has a bad reputation, it actually decreases U.S. greenhouse emissions because it allows factories to avoid using coal, a worse alternative. Since the 2000 spur of U.S. domestic oil production through hydraulic fracturing of shale rock, total emissions have decreased at a rate of approximately three percent every year according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Companies find shale oil more attractive than coal because it costs less and effectively lowers their emissions.

Passing Keystone XL would help lower emissions and provide consumers with more oil than overseas energy and coal.

By providing private energy companies with cheaper energy, corporations can use the extra funds to produce more, buy more and invest more. Consequently, the implementation of Keystone XL is projected to create 600,000 long term jobs in the energy sector and add $521 billion to the U.S. economy by 2035.

In addition, Keystone XL provides energy security, an overlooked problem that the United States faces due to overseas oil reliance on Middle Eastern countries. These countries undergo political transitions that can contribute to high-risk levels when mutual, economical engagement occurs.

Political instability can lead to fluctuations in oil prices. However, by making politically stable Canada a major source of oil, the U.S. will be able to expect more reliable prices.

The only problem legislators have with Keystone XL is that there is a lack of information regarding its overall infrastructure, according to a claim made in a single report by the EPA in 2010. Despite an array of environmental concerns regarding the pipeline’s infrastructure, the EPA reported in its final report that the pipeline would pose “no significant impacts.” Since then, the EPA and

Anton

Oy un

g

federal departments have continuously affirmed the pipeline’s safety when met with doubt from the public or legislators. Despite thorough investigation by the EPA in June 2011, Obama called on the Department of State a few months later to conduct another study. The first yielded inconclusive results, while subsequent reports agreed with the EPA’s stance.

Just a few months later, with political momentum pressuring the president to take action, Obama sent it back for another inspection, which only revealed more information backing the pipeline’s safety.

The nation has felt the effects of over three years of energy inefficiency because legislators and the President have continuously delayed the comprehensive opportunity presented to them. Current problems such as expensive energy, a declining economy and unreliable energy sources would be solved with the implementation of Keystone XL. It is time that Obama steps up to the plate and takes positive action toward the bill.

Keystone XL is estimated to add $521 billion to the U.S. economy by 2035.

—Dubey, a sophomore, is a News Editor.­

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THEORACLE

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Friday, May 16, 2014

7

TO SUMMER & BEYOND...

“Follow your passion” is

STU DENTS SHOULD CONTIN UE STUDYING OVER THE BREAK SUMMER PRO

Matt Niksa

The thought of being productive over the summer is something that most students would never dream of. After 10 months of school and a week of finals, studying over vacation is the last thing on a student’s mind. Everyone is looking forward to the relaxing and well-deserved twomonth summer break.

However, summer is a fantastic opportunity to get ahead in school or to take advantage of available internships and jobs. Working over the summer allows students to explore potential career paths while preparing for future classes or standardized tests. Either way, working hard over the summer may not be relaxing, but it does offer students the opportunity to try new things and prepare for the following school year.

Taking advantage of the summer gives a

student time to lighten his load for the next semester. This can be very beneficial, especially for incoming seniors who have to balance school and college applications. The earlyapplication window is only open until Nov. 1, and turning in a college application during the early admission process can possibly increase a student’s chances to get accepted into his desired university. According to 2012-2013 U.S. News data, Boston University, Emerson College, Northeastern University, Stanford University and other prestigious institutions have a 10 percent higher early acceptance percentage than the regular acceptance percentage. If one can start on early-admission college applications before the first day of school, then one would be better prepared as a student for the challenges of applying for college and balancing the homework load.

For juniors, the summer can provide invaluable time to prepare for upcoming tests, such as the SAT or ACT. According to College Board, a majority of students take their first SAT in the spring of junior year, and then retake the SAT their senior year. Studying over the summer allows students to gauge where they are and respond appropriately.

Different students will need different amounts of preparation. In addition, students can take this time to figure out which standardized test they will take. Choosing which of the two they will take is extremely important, and taking a couple of mock SAT and ACT tests over the summer gives a student the necessary information to make an educated decision.

If a student chooses not to get ahead, he can also use the summer to gain work experience. This allows students to improve their resumes with internships or jobs. Colleges often look for whether or not students take the initiative to

work hard outside of school. Becoming part of a company or non-profit organization as an intern can be a challenge, since students might not receive pay and have to work hard before taking a more integral role. However, students who work over the summer gain valuable skills, like punctuality and confidence. For students who have obtained a work permit and are old enough to work for a company, getting a job is beneficial for many reasons. Students in high school and college are inclined to be frugal in their expenditures, so getting a job allows students to save money for food and other necessities. An article by Ruth Graham of the Boston Globe shows that students who work in high school and college end up with salaries 16 percent higher than those who do not. In addition, these benefits can help students succeed in the future. Internships and jobs have a positive effect on a student’s work ethic and provide experience interacting with the outside world.

It is true that students deserve to relax a little over the summer and recharge their batteries for the following school year. Every student on campus works hard each semester, and the summer vacation is a great time to let off some steam. However, during the summer, students shouldn’t completely forget about school and all of the other activities that go with it. College applications, jobs, internships and studying for standardized tests are all worthwhile things to do over the two-month break. Most importantly, working hard over the summer is not just about keeping oneself busy. Instead, it allows students to prepare for the challenges of the following year so they can be two steps ahead of their peers.

—Niksa, a junior, is a Business Manager.

Elizabeth Zu

Yuki Klotz-Burwell On the last day of school, students are already shifting out of study mode and preparing for vacation, one that is clearly necessary after a stressful year of high school.

According to a survey conducted by the Associated Press and Music Television in 2008, 85 percent of high school students have experienced stress “at least sometimes” throughout their high school careers. Furthermore, in the same survey, 73 percent of the 804 teachers assessed agreed that school is significantly more stressful now compared to previous years. Continuing to work over the summer will only result in negative mental effects, such as increased anxiety and stress, which can put a student’s well-being at risk. Therefore, relaxing over the summer is necessary as it provides valuable opportunities for students to refresh their mental mindsets and prepare for the upcoming year.

Failing to take a break over summer can cause students’ stress levels to exponentially increase. Anxiety issues, which can escalate into disorders, affect self-esteem, the amount of sleep one receives and performance both in and out of school. Lack of sleep can lead to loss of concentration, unhealthy weight gain and a weakened immune system.

If students were to strain themselves over the summer, they could overwork themselves past their mental limit and capabilities, which would be detrimental to both their physical and mental health.

Additionally, a survey administered by USA Today in

2010 revealed 13 percent of teenagers feel stressed during the summer, whereas 27 percent feel “extremely stressed” while in school. More than double the amount of students feel more pressured during the school year than they do during the summer. When students work exhaustively over the summer, their stress levels can increase to match the extreme levels that occur during the school year. Increased stress results in more anxiety and can cause students to neglect responsibilities, skip meals or isolate themselves from their peers.

According to a mental health survey released by Child Trends in 2008, one in four high school students displays mild symptoms of depression. The survey stated that the major source of depression in the kids surveyed was high school stress and the struggle to balance school and social activities. Depression, which is an emotion or a clinical disorder, has incredibly negative effects. It causes unhealthy mental symptoms such as suicidal thoughts and self esteem issues. Untreated depression can encourage students to turn to drugs or alcohol. However, the same report indicated that students’ happiness levels increased over the summer, showing the break to be beneficial to students’ mental health.

Summer break presents students with the perfect opportunity to try a plethora of new activities. With endless hours of free time, they can do anything that pleases them to take their mind off of school while exploring new endeavors.

If students have to work over the summer, they would be unable to participate in activities that they cannot experience during the school year, such as camps or

long-term vacations. Without vacations or entertaining activities, constant school work can grow monotonous and extremely tiring.

Their minds will be focused on one thing for far too long, and students may overwork themselves.

Taking some time off from school and the work that comes with it gives students the perfect opportunity to de-stress and take their minds off academic anxiety and expectations. By working hard over the summer and leaving no time for a break, students forget that, while focusing on school is a major necessity for the future, a tired and overworked student will have nothing to offer if they’ve spent their entire life studying, and will have no energy left to do anything outside of their comfort zone.

—Klotz-Burwell, a sophomore, is a Features Editor.

CON

bad advice

Klaire Tan

Elizabeth Zu

Elizabeth Zu

Camps are a waste of time, money content of classes often does not match what is promoted by their brochures. The concepts taught and the programs used are extremely juvenile; class material is often too basic to be related or applied to real world situations. In addition, while the program might revel in the fact that they cover many different Lawrence Chen topics over the course of a few weeks, the content of the classes is often spread across many different fields. Because of this, the students don’t get a deep enough understanding in any certain In an attempt to help expand their kids’ educational expe- area to be useful. rience, parents more often than not sign up for their kids to Parents shouldn’t be paying thousands of dollars to these attend expensive camps over the summer. In these camp bro- institutions and students shouldn’t be wasting weeks of their chures, the managers will always hype up the type of “comprelife for some simple college touring hensive academic activities” that attendees will be involved in. or friendship building with While the programs make those claims up front, if one actupeople who may never ally attends one of those camps, he may find that summer be in their lives again. camp programs aren’t as productive as they are hyped In fact, the majorup to be. ity of the activities According to the The reason these camps are often a waste of time at those summer American Camp and money is that there are so many activities that camps can be done can sidetrack the kids who attend these camps. on your own time Association, While education should be the priority, too much and don’t require Camps can cost time and effort is put on extraneous activities that dropping thoufocus on—as pessimistic and cynical as this may sands of dollars. more than $1,500 sound—having fun and getting the students to know If you want to acper week. each other. Students may go into these camps with the tually receive a comfull expectation of learning but end up spending the first prehensive educationday playing ice-breaker games instead. The next few days al experience, you should also tend to be full of useless activities, while only a minority enroll in actual courses of the time is spent in class learning actual content. instead of attending camps that In addition, the time that students spend in class learning have questionable means of presenting may not even be productive. Of course there are professors at their material. While these summer camps may talk hand to aid the students’ learning. The way they are chosen up the great experiences that students will have, the programs for the position, however, isn’t always effective. The professors do not normally live up to the hype. In fact, if a student wants may lecture for little while, but most of the mentoring is done to learn, summer camps are not the place to do it. To earn a by teacher assistants who usually aren’t qualified instructors. truly wholesome education, high school students should enAlthough they may have experience in their respective fields, roll in classes, not camps, at actual institutions such as Foothill the teacher assistants may not convey instruction in the best Community College or Stanford University. Otherwise, why manner and teach with inefficient methods. Thus, this actually bother? sets back the education of the enrolled students.

Even if the courses are taught by qualified individuals, the —Chen, a junior, is a News Editor.

The school year is coming to an end, and I’m watching the seniors—some of whom I’ve known for years—graduate right before my eyes. As a junior, it’s an alarming sight. I’m forced to come to terms with the fact that next year, it will be the class of 2015 entering adulthood. And while most of us can’t wait for high school to be over, it’s hard not to stop and think, “What are we going to do with our lives?”

Some obnoxious individuals already know the answer. Doctor. Engineer. Programmer. Starving artist. For others, it doesn’t come as easily. As a result, we become incessantly obsessed with discovering our calling right now, lest we end up trapped in a job we hate for the rest of our lives.

Now, to be honest, I used to be one of those people. While all the normal kids were enjoying their childhoods, I was busy having nightmares about gray office cubicles. However, a few years later, I have come to realize that this fear of mine stemmed from the false belief that “following your passion” is the key to happiness. American media has always spoon-fed us the idea that discovering your “inherent calling” automatically equals a perfect and fulfilling life. It makes sense, doesn’t it? If you can find what you love, then you’ll find a job you love.

However, this popular advice oversimplifies the process. It sells us the idea that we all possess a pre-existing passion within us.

But this isn’t true.

Passion isn’t something we naturally possess.

Instead, it’s something one develops through experience. How often do you wake up one day and suddenly realize that you’re meant to spend the rest of your life researching Elizabethan lyricism or the Greco-Persian Wars? If declaring one’s passion is so simple, then I have a passion for food porn, laminated maps and sleeping in weird places.

Furthermore, following your passion is a romantic notion that fails to address the realities of the U.S. economy and the average workplace. It assumes that one will be able to find the job matching their “preexisting passion,” and that one will automatically enjoy that job. However, statistics report otherwise.

As of April 2014, the national unemployment rate is 6.3 percent. Moreover, the Society for Human Management has found that work type is only ranked seventh when it comes to “very important aspects of employee job satisfaction.”

Now let me clarify, I’m not trying to persuade everyone that pursuing what you love as a job is impossible. Nor am I saying that people shouldn’t be passionate about what they do. I’m simply saying that the well-known phrase “following your passion” glosses everything behind rose-colored glasses.

If you set out to chase your passion with no preparation for the hardships that may follow, you’re likely to end up going nowhere but your parent’s basement.

All in all, let me end on a clear note. Students need to stop worrying about “discovering” their passion and realize that inherent passions do not exist. Instead, we should keep our mind open, try new things and set out to develop a passion in a certain field.

—Tan, a junior, is a Managing Editor.

8

Features

THEORACLE

Palo Alto students create new city guide service for teens Elinor Aspegren Copy Editor

Palo Alto is a vibrant city full of many volunteering and social opportunities. These opportunities, however, often go unnoticed by teens. That’s why juniors Sharon Chen and Ally Gong, alumna Rubi Alcazar, and Palo Alto High School (Paly) student Gabriel Mechali created clickPA: a website that is “a one-stop events central for high school students in and around Palo Alto,” according to their website.

According to Chen, she and her fellow co-founders always knew that they wanted to help teens in the city. “Our narrower mission is to let teens know about events, activities and opportunities,” she said. Chen found inspiration in what fellow Gunn students sought from their city. Sophomore and tech staff member Bethany Wong agrees. “There is so much going on in Palo Alto, and the problem is that not a lot of teens know about it,” she said.

Part of clickPA’s success is due to the people who run it. According to Wong, the website is already sponsored by the city. Chen states that the reason why this website is

so unique is because teens created it and run it. “The idea behind the website, along with its name and mission statement, was all created by students of Gunn and Paly,” she said. Wong and Chen are both proud to call the website the first official city sponsored teen website.

Chen believes that c l ic k PA has had a big impact on the

towards publicity. The teen company’s most recent goal is to create a communicative mobile application. They want to create the app because so many teens have smart phones.

“We are trying to make an app to make our website more accessible,” Wong said. clickPA is also known in the community for their monthly Instagram contest. “Each of the two people who win [the Instagram contest] get a $10 gift card of his or her choice,” Chen said. According to Chen, clickPA started the contest in order to promote the idea of having a more lively teen life in Palo Alto. “Also, it is convenient for the teens with Instagram accounts to quickly enter into a contest Ally Gong and Dave Zhu and get involved with clickPA,” she said. The ease in joining the clickPA nu m b e r of t e e n s w ho v o l u n t e e r community aligns with the website’s goals for city-wide in Palo Alto, as many have d i s c o v e r e d interconnection. volunteer opportunities through the website. AcAll in all, Chen believes that teens throughout Palo cording to Wong, the project is valuable because of the Alto should use clickPA often so they can better explore communication it allows between students. “It’s such a the opportunities the city has to offer. “It is advantageous great way for teens to get involved and meet people from for our peers to use this site as a giant database of events, a variety of different backgrounds,” she said. activities and opportunities to make the most out of their Chen’s current goals for clickPA are mainly geared lives,” she said.

Artist of the Month:

junior Emily Aiken

The Oracle: How did you get into percussion?

Emily Aiken: I think I was in fourth grade when I took this Orph class in school, which is a music class for little kids. I played with little baby xylophones ranging one octave.

I got really into it. In sixth grade band, I started playing percussion, and I kept on moving up from there.

TO: Do you play in any bands?

EA: First, let me say that there’s a difference between types of percussion music.

There are drums, which are for rock and jazz, while I focus on percussion, which is classical. I mostly play in orchestras. Right now, I’m in the Stanford Symphony. [In the past,] I’ve played in the San Francisco Youth Orchestra and the California Youth Symphony.

TO: Have you ever gotten offers to join a band?

EA: Yeah, in my freshman year, I actually played in a rock band here at Gunn. I have played and still play drum set. If you’re a percussionist, it’s often important to be able to play drum set, even if you’re not really good at it, so I have some experience with that too.

Audey Shen

TO: What instruments do you play for percussion?

EA: Basically, you have to be able to play everything. At least orchestrally, you have to be able to play anything and everything, and there’s some ridiculous stuff in modern music that you have to use as a musical instrument. It’s crazy. But in terms of playing solo, I focus on marimba, which is like a big xylophone—I hate calling it that. But it’s basically a big xylophone with a much deeper tone.

TO: Among all the different instruments you do for percussion, what’s your favorite?

EA: Marimba, for sure. It’s my favorite because it’s like playing a piano. You play with four mallets. On top of that, it has a really unique tone.

TO: When playing a piece, is it difficult to switch between instruments?

EA: It really depends. For solo pieces, you’re often just playing a single instrument.

There’s a whole category of percussion called multi-percussion for when you play a solo piece with a whole bunch of instruments that you constantly switch between.

It can be really interesting and challenging.

And then in orchestra, you often have to juggle multiple parts, like when playing cymbals and snare drum.

TO: Do you have to buy all the instruments you practice on?

EA: I own a marimba because that’s my focus in terms of instruments. I also own two really bad timpani and a snare drum.

People often own less than that. If you’re not very serious, you’ll usually just own a snare drum. I definitely don’t own all the little things, like a pair of crash cymbals, woodblocks or cow bells. If I need them, like right now while I’m studying multipercussion pieces, I’ll borrow them from my teacher. He has everything you’d ever want.

TO: What do you think of the stereotype that percussion is just drumming?

EA: I’m pretty used to it at this point. It’s cool. I don’t really mind because I have some good friends who are super serious percussionists, and when I think of them, they’re not like that [stereotype].

TO: Is it hard to learn all those different instruments?

EA: Honestly, I think a lot of it is not hard.

A lot of the instruments are really similar.

If you know how to play snare drum, you’ll be good on a lot of different instruments.

Sometimes it’s hard, especially with modern composers who throw in lots of random stuff and then you need to play three instruments. But honestly, it’s usually pretty easy to adapt to a new instrument.

TO: Why do you like percussion?

EA: I like it because it’s very unique. Not a lot of people play percussion, and not a lot of people realize its potential to be a really musical instrument. I also like that it’s really new and just becoming a viable solo instrument. There’s a lot of modern music written for percussion which I really like learning. New music is all crazy and really strange; I enjoy playing those pieces and adapting to them.

TO: What do you dislike about percussion?

EA: Sometimes we do really old stuff like Beethoven, Mozart and Romantic Era composers, who didn’t write that much [for percussion]. So I have rests [in the music] for thousands of measures, but I still have to be at the rehearsals. It gets pretty boring.

TO: Are you going to continue doing percussion in the future?

EA: I don’t plan on being a music major. I don’t plan on going to music school, but I hope to maybe minor [in it]. I’ll definitely keep playing music. Virtually all colleges have orchestras, chamber music programs or private lessons.

—Compiled by Elizabeth Zu

Features

Friday, May 16, 2014

9

Longest-serving PAUSD employee passes away Kush Dubey

News Editor

Every day at 6:15 a.m. sharp, data processor Martha Cartwright would arrive at Gunn in her trademark car, a white 1977 Pontiac Trans Am. “It was like clockwork,” Guidance Technician Assistant Robin Francesconi said. “Even the janitors had to make sure they would come before her.”

Francesconi knew Cartwright for 13 years. But one recent Wednesday morning, the white sports car was not in the staff parking lot. “[Subconsciously] when we didn’t see her car we were all concerned,” Francesconi said. “If you didn’t see Martha’s car, something was wrong.” The staff soon found out that, after working in the district for 49 years, Cartwright had passed away. She was in her late seventies.

Cartwright began her data processing career at Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle School and then transferred to Gunn in 1965. In 2011, she took on additional work for Palo Alto High School. Cartwright’s work focused on manual data entry of student data into schools’ databases and management of the logistics of student schedules. “All the behindthe-scenes things that you assume are there already—she was instrumental in making it happen,” Francesconi said. According to Francesconi, Cartwright was very detail oriented.

“She could recall all dates, times, events [and] seasons, and her legacy was that she retained all information even with more than a thousand students,” Francesconi said.

Registrar Tracy Douglas, who knew Cartwright for eight years, learned much about Cartwright as a co-worker and a person. “In her 49 years of employment, [Cartwright] missed about two weeks of work due to medical issues,” Douglas said. “She did not take days off because she simply loved being here—meeting students, always helping the staff and just being at Gunn.”

Cartwright was compassionate and cooperative when working with staff and students. “She really cared about all the students and remembered everyone,” Francesconi said.

“She always made you feel like you were number one, and always helped you with something, and was always there

for you.” According to Douglas, Cartwright would never turn down an opportunity to provide a lending hand.

“Whenever I needed help, she would drop everything and ask, ‘Whatcha got?’” Douglas said. Cartwright also brought a positive attitude to the workplace. “She would always make you laugh,” Francesconi said. “If you were ever feeling down, she could always make you laugh.”

Cartwright’s friends, family and fellow staff mourn her loss; the emotional ordeal has especially impacted those who were close to Cartwright. “For the staff that knew her, it was a great shock,” Francesconi said. However, Francesconi believes Cartwright has moved on to a better place. “She passed away peacefully,” she said.

“That’s all we know.”

Courtesy of Cartwright’s family and fellow staff

Top: Photos of data processor Martha Cartwright and choir teacher Bill Liberatore from Gunn’s 1976 yearbook.

Left: A recent staff portrait of Cartwright hangs on a wall next to the entrance to the Main Office.

Right: Personal belongings and photographs fill Cartwright’s former workspace in the Gunn office.

10

THEORACLE

Departing staff reminisce

el l ur w

Yu

Claudia Barahona Position: Secretary Time at Gunn: 11 years Reason for leaving: Relocating to Santa Rosa

Terry Jacobs Position: History Co-teacher Time at Gunn: 12 years Reason for leaving: Wants to focus on individual teaching

Kim Cowell Position: Assistant Principal, Facilities and Construction Time at Gunn: 19 years Reason for Leaving: Not given

Jessica Laurence Position: Aide Time at Gunn: 2 years Reason for leaving: Teaching opportunity in China

and

n Tra y n t ho An

z-B lot K ki

Jack Cusumano Position: Biology Teacher Time at Gunn: 20 years Reason for leaving: Retiring

Rajeev Virmani Position: Math Teacher Time at Gunn: 9 years Reason for leaving: Part-time job at University of San Francisco

Friday, May 16th, 2014

about their time at Gunn

11

Staff Horror Stories You know you’re at Gunn when...

“I chaperoned the prom one time. We had to go in the dance circle, and it smelled so bad in there, and we’re like, ‘Abandon ship! We gotta get out of here!’ That was something gone wrong.” -Barahona

“....the fire alarm goes off every week.” -Claudia Barahona “...you start wearing a heck of a lot of Gunn apparel and are proud of it.” -Cowell “...Hal Daner stops you to tell a great joke.” -Jack Cusumano

“I had to drive my husband’s big truck to work because I was dropping something off.

As I was trying to get into the parking lot out here, I ran over one of the sprinklers in full view of quite a few people.“-Cowell

“Setting off the ‘fire alarm’ with burnt toast in the science office.” -Cusumano

“...students take more AP classes than you did.” -Jennfier Laurence

“My first year teaching at Gunn was pretty difficult. I had no idea how to control the class. One class, there were some kids smoking weed in the back of the class. It was not my best teaching moment.” -Virmani

“...your students are more mature than you are.” -Rajeev Virmani

Elizabeth Zu

Two truths and a lie: Gunn Edition 1.

“Study hard, play hard.” -Barahona

a. Gunn is haunted. b. I’ll always be mistaken for a student. c. We’re moving the main office.

Kim Cowell

“Enjoy the moment. Enjoy where you are.” -Cowell “Always make time for yourself and look after

a. I was a member of the 1979 CCS Champion Volleyball Team. b. I have been part of hiring at least 20 of Gunn’s staff members. c. I’m really good at math.

2.

“Step outside your comfort zone.” -Virmani

Jennifer Laurence

I will miss...

a. All of my pets are named after cheeses. b. I work as an archaeologist during the summer. c. I’ve been to five continents.

Rajeev Virmani a. On the day of my college graduation, I hoboed on a tram from Sacramento to Seattle. b. I can slam-dunk basketballs.

3. My name, Rajeev, means water lotus.

each other.” -Cusumano “Be fluid, be flexible.” -Laurence

“...funny moments that occur in the classroom and daily interactions with my colleagues.” -Cusumano

4.

Anton Ouyung

Answers: 1. a 2. c 3. c 4. b

3.

Advice for teachers and students:

Claudia Barahona

“...the students, the staff and seeing my students in performances.” -Jacobs

Elizabeth Zu

­—Compiled by Shawna Chen, Nia Gardner and Joanne Lee

12

Cente

Stress

The Oracle takes a look at ways

Dit ch

stre ss i n

1. Exercise! Not only

5 st eps

does exercise release endorphins in your body, it also takes your mind off your worries.

3. Rock out to the right type of music.

It can steady breathing, slow heart rate and activate a relaxation response.

2. Laugh a lot. Laughter boosts your immune system, lowers blood pressure and releases endorphins, which triggers a positive feeling in your body.

Exam stress and anxiety can b Emily Kvitko

Centerfold editor

Let’s face it: stress hits most people at some point or another. Students pride themselves on their ability to stay up late studying, to keep up with social networking and to attend events during crunch time. Drowned in activity, they forget to come up for air and end up tumbling into anxiety and despair.

Stress creates a fight-or-flight response by preparing the body physically and cognitively to detect and deal with threats to our well being. In extreme circumstances, the body responds by breathing faster, which leads to hyperventilation. When students experience anxiety, cortisol and adrenaline flood their bloodstream, which cause muscles to tighten and vessels to constrict.

The hormones released during anxiety weaken the body’s immunity and put the Statistics were taken from Psychology Today

victim at risk of becoming ill, which does not bode well if the student has an exam coming up. According to The American Psychological Association, stress is a top health concern for U.S. teens in high school. Most psychologists believe that if the students don’t learn healthy ways to manage that stress now, it could have serious long-term health implications.

Although the body’s response can have negative effects, having a healthy level of stress is good. For example, a manageable amount of pressure could lead to higher academic performance by increasing motivation and setting goals. Stress shows that people care and value things, which creates a feeling of accomplishment once the goal is completed.

According to researchers Gregory J. Cizek and Samantha S. Burg, 25 to 40 percent of students are affected by exam stress and those that are typically perform 12 percent lower

erfold

Friday, May 16, 2014

Less

Lunch

s to overcome stress and anxiety Breakfast One and a half cups of oatmeal One cup of blueberries One glass of milk • •

•

Oatmeal: Oatmeal is a comforting food that increases serotonin, which boosts your happiness.

Blueberries: Blueberries are full of vitamin C and antioxidants. When you are stressed, your body needs antioxidants to repair your cells.

Milk: Milk is high in antioxidants, vitamins B2 and B12, protein and calcium.

The protein lactium has a calming effect by lowering blood pressure. Also, the potassium in milk helps relieve muscle spasms triggered by stress.

13

Mastering a stressfree diet

Turkey sandwich with avocado Celery and carrots with hummus One orange Black Tea •

•

•

• •

Turkey: Turkey is full of the amino acid tryptophan, which signals the brain to release the feel-good chemical serotonin and promotes calmness.

Avocado: Avocados are full of vitamin B and are high in monounsaturated fat and potassium, which help lower blood pressure.

Raw vegetables: The crunchiness of these vegetables helps to relieve stress through the mechanical process of chewing on them.

Oranges: Oranges have vitamin C, which lowers cortisol, a stress hormone.

Black Tea: Many people have had lowered levels of cortisol after drinking black tea over the course of 6 weeks.

Dinner Four ounces grilled salmon One and a half cups grilled asparagus Two cups whole grain pasta • • •

Salmon: Salmon contains Omega-3 fatty acids that prevent increases in cortisol and adrenaline when stressed.

Asparagus: Depression and stress has been linked to low levels of folic acid, which can be found in asparagus.

Whole grain pasta: Carbs prompt the brain to make more serotonin. They stabilize blood sugar levels.

—Compiled by Sam Acker

4. Practice Yoga. Yoga helps loosen tense muscles.

It forces you to focus your mind, body, and breathing.

(Check out Backpage for some ideas.)

be combatted and minimized than their non-anxious peers.

The good news is that stress is manageable.

In the midst of a pile of work, it is important to see things in perspective. Step back, take a deep breath and decide what’s really important. Then, make a schedule and start working. Study with friends, but remember to collaborate rather than compete. Most importantly, change your location. People need variety in their study habitats. A new location provides fresh, inspirational vibes that help students focus.

Try maintaining a positive mindset.

Positive thinking enhances students’ ability to perform on tests. When students grow anxious, they start thinking negatively. Talking oneself out of a discouraging mentality distracts attention from what is making a student stressed.

When taking tests there are concrete ways

to lessen stress. Prioritize problems on the test.

If something is unknown, put a question mark next to it and come back when everything else is done. Focusing on one problem often causes the mind to think failure is inevitable.

Don’t try to be perfect: it’s great when students succeed, but failure is bound to happen.

Take that failure and do better on the next test.

Don’t rush with tests. Spend enough time on each problem but make sure not to spend too much time. Save time to go over the test 5 minutes before the end.

Plan things out. Make sure to sleep well the night before a major test and eat a healthy breakfast. Pick a seat away from doors to avoid distraction. Plan out how much time you have and how long to spend on each problem.

Stress does not need to be a daunting set-back when you have the proper tools to understand and manage it.

5. Go outdoors. A walk in the park has been scientifically proven to decrease frustration. Fresh air is a great mood elevator.

—Compiled by Lisa Hao

Photos by Anthony Tran; Graphics by Dave Zhu and Anton Oyung

14

Features

THEORACLE

Clubs give students insight into different fields

Green Innovation

DECA

Aayush Dubey A rewarding academic extracurricular, Gunn’s DECA club has shown great success in training students for competitions in the fields of basic business and marketing principles.

DECA, formerly called the Distributive Education Clubs of America, is an internationally recognized organization that gives high school and college students opportunities to grow into emerging leaders and entrepreneurs through events and conferences. Junior co-presidents Victor Kao and Somina Lee began the club after receiving the encouragement from friends participating in DECA outside of Gunn; they received offers from several Silicon Valley DECA officers to set up a branch at Gunn.

DECA offers leadership conferences as well as competitive events at regional, state, and international levels. At DECA competitions, students can compete in role-play events, where they are given ten minutes to develop a business strategy.

Written events, where students are given several months to prepare a 30 page business plan to present to judges, are another option.

L ee bel ieves t hat Gu n n st udents should be given the chance to experience working in a realistic business-related environment, as hundreds of high

schoolers throughout the world already have, through DECA. Lee is interested in studying business at college and felt that partnering with Kao to begin Gunn’s DECA club would be essential for her to share her passion with other student members. “[DECA] seems like a great opportunity to not only get to know people, but to also develop speaking and writing skills,” Lee said.

The club began with approximately 20 members, but increased to nearly 60 members after the club attended their first conference. Photos from the conference were posted online, and gave the club school-wide publicity. Because its rapid increase in membership, Gunn DECA was given a California membership award. Kao believes Gunn DECA has done extremely well for a first-year club. “Knowing that our club has a lot of success in the first year is crazy,” Kao said. “Having such high attendance to meetings and conferences and having a dedicated group is pretty rewarding.”

This year, 26 out of 41 Gunn DECA members placed in the top eight of their events, ten qualified for the state wide competition and seven competed at the International Career Development Conference (ICDC) in Atlanta, Georgia.

“It’s a rewarding process, to put so much effort into something you’re so passionate about and seeing those results you get,” Lee said.

Courtesy of Jocelyn Liu

Courtesy of Alexandra Ting

Tech Editor

Left: Junior co-presidents Victor Kao and Somina Lee lead the club at the Silicon Valley Leadership Development Conference at Burlingame in January.

Right: Juniors Somin Kim and Joy Jin are awarded a place at ICDC.

Sam Acker Entertainment Editor

The Green Energy Innovation club, founded in the fall of 2012 by club president junior Quinn Wu, has gained local popularity with its recent accomplishments and events. Recently, Wu and his friends were inspired to explore a new field of technology which uses innovative ideas to solve environmental issues.

This year, the club’s leaders focused turning their ideas into real, successful projects. “We didn’t really accomplish much until this year,” Wu said. This year they finished creating an energy “dashboard,” which enables users to see their daily energy consumption. “Last year we were dealing with many companies about our dashboard and several of our relationships with the companies didn’t work out,” Wu said. “This year we were much more successful and found someone to work with. It was a major turning point for us.”

Additionally, the club recently planned and hosted a Green Innovation Speaker Night. The event featured experts in the field of environmental technology and resources, as well as various members of the community. They spoke about spreading awareness of the impact creative technology can have on the changing ecological environment. Wu attributes the success of this night to the amount of publicity the

event gained. “We spread the word about the event around Gunn in different classrooms and also in local restaurants and companies,” Wu said. “We never planned an event before so we didn’t realize how hard actually planning it would be.”

Another new aspect of the club is their online blog. “It just started and we have a couple of articles up,” current club vice president Ebrahim Feghhi said. “I spend a lot of time writing the articles and working on [the blog].” The blog features events, such as Earth Day, and links to informational websites. Additionally, it informs readers about issues in the environmental world and provides suggestions for helpful volunteering options around the community.

The Green Energy Innovation club has high hopes for its future at Gunn. “Next year, we want to create a solar-powered energy charging station around Gunn, where people can come to charge their devices and also socialize,” Wu said. The project is still being created and may implement an aerobic activity that users can participate in to charge their electronics, such as a stationary bike.

The club leaders hope to have even more events in order to get the Gunn community involved. “I think that the Green Energy Club has a lot of potential for the future,” Wu said. “Getting a first-hand look [at] it during high school could be a really great experience for everyone.”

Courtesy of Green Innovation Club

From left to right: sophomore Jason Huang, advisor Peter Herreshoff, junior Quinn Wu, junior Alex Hasnain, junior Dmitriy Timokhin, junior Ebrahim Feghhi, junior Jamie Shi, junior John Shi.

Local startup develops high school-centric social networking apps Nia Gardner Reporter

Wislr, a mobile technolog y startup based in Palo Alto, has created the first social networking application for use exclusively within high schools. Contrary to Facebook, where anyone can connect to anyone else’s individual profiles, Wislr creates networks that only allows students from the same high school to join. “Facebook use is going down in most areas in the [United States], so we’re trying to make a more closed-off and targeted app for high school students,” Wislr intern and senior Joyce Wen said.

By differentiating between high schools, the app can prominently feature school events and mold to the school’s academic and social scene. “It’s a fun way to talk to people you know,” Wen said. The app has not yet been released to Gunn, but has been informally tested at other Bay Area high schools.

In addition to the main app, the Wislr team is working on a variety of other high school-centric apps, such as “Fess,” a forum where students can post anonymous

confessions. Perhaps most promising is the “Gunn Utility App,” which is currently available on the IOS App Store.

Many Gunn students have already begun to use it.

The Gunn Utility App functions as a quick-help resource, featuring the bell schedule, a map of the school’s campus and a daily-updated bulletin for announcements and events. Students are also able take scanable photos of their identification cards and store it on the app, which makes borrowing library books, checking out laptops and buying event tickets more convenient. “We built utility features for Gunn students so that the app would have an immediate positive effect from the day the app was downloaded,” Wislr IOS developer and Fusion Academy junior Ash Bhat said. Currently, the app receives most use from students’ personally posted statuses.

Additionally, Gunn students can individually post statuses onto a school feed.

The feed is similar in format to Twitter which, according to Wen, was partly the inspiration for the startup’s name. “On Twitter, you tweet,” Wen said. “On Wislr, you whistle.”

Each social network is exclusive to the students within one high school.

Every confession post on “Fess” is anonymous.

Every Wislr app incorporates students’ academic and social lives.

Elizabeth Zu

Sports

Friday, May 16, 2014

15

Sports department receives $15,000 grant, fights deficit Ryeri Lim

FEATURES EDITOR

The Parent-Teacher-Student Association (PTSA) granted the Athletics Department $15,000 during a meeting on May 8 to jump-start next year’s budget, which has been suffering from a significant lack of student donations this school year.

The Athletics Department, having lacked sufficient funds all year, has attributed the recent deficit to a decrease in “voluntary contributions” by student athletes. Following a lawsuit in 2012, the government reminded all Californian public schools that it is unlawful to have required fees for P.E. or sports-related extracurricular activities. According to Athletics Director Jill Naylor, this means Gunn has to request donations instead of requiring the fees as it did in the past.

According to Naylor, the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) does not allocate for either Paly or Gunn’s after-school sports programs; currently, the $175 donation—per student, per sport—is the only source of funds to cover standard athletics expenses. These expenses include league tournament fees, Central Coast Section (CCS) competition fees, equipment purchases, sports medicine, first aid purchases, and transportation costs. “If the budget starts being cut, we may have to take some tournaments away,” Naylor said. “Or, as we have in the past, we may not provide as many buses [to game locations].” PTSA member Cindy Wenig explained how these changes would affect families. “Parents would have to take time out of work to pick kids up from away games,” she said. “To me [as a parent], that was a significant change.”

According to Naylor, Gunn athletics anticipated a deficit given the increasing number of athletes and the removal of required fees. “It was sort of a red f lag, so we [knew we needed] to prevent it from getting out of control,” she said. In order to prepare, she notified the administration and Sports Boosters, a parent-volunteer organization that works to offset or reduce standard fees. However, the Sports Boosters budget is generally reserved for “extra” expenses like team jackets and upgraded equipment. According to Sports Boosters president Lynn Johnson, the goal of the organization is to boost, not to fund.

Wenig suspected that ambiguity within the application system contributed to the lack of donations.

“When registering, a website gives [applicants] the ticket to play,” she said. “It didn’t have a clear link for making an easy contribution—there was no sign that said, ‘Now [donate].’”

Naylor and Wenig further added that some parents and students simply were not inclined to pay a “voluntary” fee. Junior class president Aren Raisinghani, who attended the PTSA meeting at which the Athletics Department received the grant, explained the reasoning behind this attitude. “When presented with the suggested donation request, many students and parents opt out of paying because they don’t realize that these suggested donations are pivotal to the success of athletic programs­­—an understandable error,” Raisinghani said.

Subsequently, Naylor and PTSA members have been informing parents about the deficit by issuing personal appeals via email. “As soon as I found out about [the deficit], I sent an email through all the coaches to alert parents that if they won’t contribute, there will be cuts next year,” Wenig said.

However, Naylor doesn’t see the deficit as a strictly negative situation. “I’m just cautious,” she said. “I think it’s turning into such a positive thing because people are starting to work together to provide great experiences for one another.” Naylor believes that the deficit will soon be balanced a parent awareness rises.

According to Naylor, Sports Boosters have not yet been forced to provide funds for the aforementioned necessary expenses, despite the deficit. The round of email appeals brought in $5000 in parent donations within the first week.

Raisinghani feels similarly optimistic.

“Athletics and Sports Boosters are doing an excellent job of advocating for the students,” he said. Johnson is also assured that the department will not suffer much. “There are some schools...that had to completely cut out

the average athlete requires approximately $264.

in the early 2000s, the district cut $40,000 from its high school athletics.

Statistics from pausd and national federation of state high school athletics.

their athletics departments because they were not receiving enough funding, which is really sad to me,” Johnson said. “Because this is Palo Alto, realistically, we won’t lose [our Athletics Department].”

Others, like Wenig, see the riskiness of the situation. “I t hin k [Naylor] has tried all year to raise awareness among parents [but] I can’t predict how many people will be conc er ne d ,” she s a id . “We can’t wait until next year to solve this problem.”

All agree, however, that student at h letes shou ld become involved in suppor ting t heir school.

“I’ d encou rage at h letes to continue f undraising for themselves,” Raisinghani said. “Student-raised money, along with grant money, can do wonders.”

In consideration of student enterprising opportunities, Wenig recently developed an after-school snack bar branching of f Titan Gym. “Students can run the concession, with adult supervision, and use it to make money...as a fundraising mechanism,” Wenig said.

Most importantly, Naylor, Wenig and Johnson encourage all student athletes and parents to donate what they can financially afford. “The donation doesn’t have to be the whole amount,” Johnson said. “[Even] a check for $10 would help; every donation helps.”

16

Sports

THEORACLE

Spring sports teams finish the season strong;

Diving

Swimming

Audey Shen

Sophomore Daichi Matsuda completes a butterfly stroke during a swim meet against Monta Vista.

Overall Record: 5-2 Memorable Moment: “When Christian Znidarsic swam an extra four laps in a meet when everyone was yelling at him to stop. He thought he was really far behind and just kept going.”

— Anthony Zunino (11)

Boys’ Golf

Anthony Tran

Sophomore Vivian Zhou completes a dive at the Gunn pool.

Overall Record: 5-2 Memorable Moment : “When I got my front double somersault, because it is a difficult dive and it took a lot of work and patience to achieve.”

—Jarod Hsu (10)

Softball

Anthony Tran

Junior Iris Chin follows through after releasing a fast pitch from the mound at the Gunn field.

Overall Record: 10-2 Memorable Moment: “Well, speaking for the entire team here, I think the most memorable game of the season was the Paly game. We were down, getting close to the end of the game and everyone kind of was losing hope, but with our spirit and confidence, we came back and won the game.”

—Anna Tevanian (10)

Girls’ Lacrosse

Stephanie Kim

Senior Yilei Yu focuses as he putts the ball into the hole.

Overall Record: 10-7 Memorable Moment: “Though we were projected to play mediocrely at the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League tournament based on season stats, we ended up coming in second place, just five shots short of first, qualifying for CCS for the fourth year in a row.”

—Shai Mohan (11)

Courtesy Butch Garcia

Junior Rachael Tsai looks up field to pass as she explodes past an opponent during a home game .

Overall Record: 15-2 Memorable Moment: “We beat Saint Francis. It was the first time Gunn has ever beaten Saint Francis, and it was especially great because it was a whole team effort.”

—Anna Dang (11) ­—Compiled by Lawrence Chen, Ian Cramer, Emily Kvikto, Isaac Wang, and Kathleen Xue

Sports

17

Friday, May 16, 2014

ref lect on season with h igh hopes for next year

Boys’ Lacrosse

Badminton

Anthony Tran

Sophomore Josh Spain brings the ball up the field, past a Saratoga player .

Overall Record: 5-8 Memorable Moment: “Our best moment was toughing it out in the cold and the rain and the mud when we played against Saratoga.”

—Tony Liu (11)

Boys’ Tennis

Audey Shen

Junior Adam Liu jumps to smash the birdie over the net in a match.

Overall Record: 4-3 Memorable Moment: “Our win against Monta Vista. It came down to our boys varsity three singles match where we had Hunter [Klotz-Burwell] playing.

We supported him a lot during the match, and when he won, we all got up and cheered.”

—Angela Lin (11)

Audey Shen

Sophomore Vishal Bomdica prepares to strike a forehand from the baseline.

Overall Record: 1-16 Memorable Moment: “Although we did not always win, we lost as a team and always had fun with one another.”

Track and Field

Baseball

Anthony Tran

Freshman Margaret Redfield swings her legs over the bar, as she soars through the air.

Overall Record: 5-1-2 Memorable Moment: “The most memorable moment has got to be watching Sarah Robinson and Gillian Meeks both break the course record at Saint Francis. This record was held for 30 years and these two girls both destroyed it. I was on a team I could truly be proud of.”

—Thomas Rasmussen (12)

Anthony Tran

Junior Bjorn Hessen-Schmidt winds up to pitch during the game.

Overall Record: 2-26 Memorable Moment: “This season we started four underclassmen, and they rose to the occasion. ” —Ravi Levens (11)

Sports 18 Oracle staffer makes NBA playoff predictions THEORACLE

Matthew Hamilton

There is a plethora of storylines from the 2014 playoffs, ranging from the controversial remarks made by Clippers owner Donald Sterling to the Washington Wizards upsetting the Chicago Bulls. The most prominent question is: will any team prevent the Miami Heat from winning its third title in a row? The answer is a resounding, “no”. The Miami Heat is the most dominant team in the playoffs. The Heat is the number two seed in the Eastern Conference behind the Indiana Pacers, the team regarded as the Heat’s strongest challenger. The Western Conference offers three potential challengers: the San Antonio Spurs in seed one, the Oklahoma City Thunder in seed two and the Los Angeles Clippers in seed three. These challengers do pose a threat, but for the past two years the Heat has been unstoppable in the playoffs and will continue its dominance this year.

The Miami Heat will be National Basketball Association (NBA) champions for the third time in a row by beating the San Antonio Spurs.

The past two championships are substantial evidence for its title credentials, but

its playoff run this year further illustrates its exceptional standard of play. The Heat swept the Charlotte Bobcats in the first round, meaning in a series of the best of seven games, the Bobcats did not win any.

No other NBA team swept its opponent in the first round. The number one seed in the Eastern Conference, the Indiana Pacers, lost three games to the Atlanta Hawks and the number one seed in the Western Conference, the San Antonio Spurs, lost three games to the Dallas Mavericks. Each team has won at least one game in all the other series.

The Miami Heat’s success in the playoffs can be attributed to LeBron James and the whole team’s great defense. James is regarded as the strongest player in the league. He has won four regular season Most Valuable Player (MVP) titles and two finals MVP titles. His talent has led to the nickname “King James,” and he has the top-selling jersey in the NBA. James leads the NBA in postseason scoring and has been named to the “all-defensive first team” for five years in a row. Dwayne Wade, a 32 year-old shooting

guard, is not at full health for every game, and Chris Bosh suffers from inconsistent playing. The Miami Heat needs James to lead in games when his teammates are playing inconsistently. James is more than capable of leading the team, as he has been averaging 30 points a game this season.

The Heat also has point guard Norris Cole, one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, and LeBron James, another aggressive defender. The Heat’s two defensive specialists Chris Andersen and small forward Shane Battier are in the power forward position.

Andersen provides the energy needed to pressure the opponent, while Battier can lock down any scorer in the league. The Heat was tied for fourth in opponent points per game in the 2013-2014 regular season, meaning it allowed the fourth fewest points per game in the NBA. In the playoffs, Miami leads the NBA in opponent points per game.

The winner for the Western Conference is not as obvious as the Eastern Conference, but the San Antonio Spurs will likely advance to play in the NBA Finals. Even though the team has lost three games to the Dallas Mavericks, it will have no problem advancing to the finals. The Spurs, like the Heat, plays stifling defense, and although the team does not have any players the caliber of James on its roster, it has multiple

consistent scorers.

The Spurs also has very good perimeter defenders such as shooting guard Manu Ginobili, point guard Tony Parker and center Tim Duncan. Duncan is one of the greatest centers of all time, and he continues to improve despite his age. The Spurs is coached by legendary coach Gregg Popovich. Under Popovich, the Spurs has won four NBA titles. Its defense can shut down any half-court offense but lacks the ability to stop teams in transition. Despite its weaknesses, the Spurs was tied for sixth in opponent points per game during the 2013-2014 regular season.

The aforementioned trio consisting of Ginobili, Parker and Duncan is also productive offensively. Both Ginobili and Parker are strong at scoring from the perimeter and in the paint. Duncan averages 15 points a game. The Spurs will not blow its opponent out the building. However, the Spurs averaged 105 points per game in the 2013-2014 regular season and it shows no signs of slowing down during the playoffs.

Ultimately, Miami will prove too talented for the Spurs, and the Heat will win its third championship in a row. With the Spurs three best players over 30 years old, the Spurs age will catch up to the players in the finals, because James will exploit their age. Miami has the defensive capabilities to shut down San Antonio and the offensive capabilities to overwhelm the Spurs defense.

The Heat will beat the Spurs in six games to capture its third title in a row.

—Hamilton, a freshman, is an Assistant Business Manager.

Past success makes Spain most likely to win World Cup Esther Kozakevich As always, many great teams are going into the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup in Brazil this summer. The World Cup begins on June 12, and the first match will be held in Sao Paulo, Brazil. I think that the three teams that will be in the semi finals will be Germany, Brazil and Spain. All three teams have shown excellence in past FIFA World Cups, and have great players. Ultimately, I think that Spain will come out victorious.

First and foremost, Spain not only won the last

World Cup in 2010, but also the 2012 Euro Cup. They boast the most wins for a nation in the Euro Cup, and two of their best soccer clubs, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, have won the most league championships in La Liga, the Spanish Premier League, history.

Spain’s team boasts a strong defense, of fense and midf ield. Spain has amazing players in each position, including Alba and Pique as fullbacks, Pedro and Torres as forwards and Xavi, Iniesta and Xabi Alonso as midfielders. Iniesta even won best player in the 2012 Euro Cup, and Torres earned the Golden Boot award. Overall, I don’t see Spain having any obvious weaknesses.

Spain’s main contenders include Brazil and Germany. Both are strong teams. Brazil is hosting the games, which means that they have a strong fanbase and, possibly, some rigged referees. They also won the most World Cups in FIFA World Cup history. Ad-

ditionally, Brazil has some strong players, but Spain’s team is more well rounded.

Germany also has several advantages. They’re tied with Spain for most Euro Cup wins. Both nations have won three. They also have excellent players. For example, their goalkeeper, Manuel Neuer, is regarded as one of the best goalies in the game. However, they were not as successful in the 2012 Euro Cup. They lost to Italy in the semi finals, and Italy lost comprehensively to Spain in the finals. Therefore, I think Spain has advantages over both Brazil and Germany.

It’s undeniable that this year’s FIFA World Cup boa st s nu merou s excel lent tea ms . I t h i n k Spa i n stands out from ot her teams w it h its conf idence, stellar past record and well-rounded team, which will lead them to victory.

—Kozakevich, a junior, is a Forum Editor.

Faces in the Crowd Who do you expect to win the World Cup?

“I think Argentina has a chance because of Messi, but I think Portugal has better players like Ronaldo.”

“Spain is going to win because they are the best team in the world.”

“Germany, because they’ve had some consistently good teams in the past few years.”

“Argentina, because they have a really strong team.”

Sean Phan (9)

Cristobal Gonzalez (10)

Allison Nguyen (11)

Evy Vaughan (12) —Compiled by Esther Kozakevich

Sports

Friday, May 16, 2014

19

The Oracle staffers choose best sports movies of all time “Rocky”

“THE FAB Five”

“The Blind Side”

John Avildsen’s first movie of the famous boxing series “Rocky” portrays an amateur boxer, Rocky Balboa, who tries to look happy but secretly has the desire to escape his dull life. Besides improving his poor living conditions he wants to repair his relationship with his trainer, Mickey, and express his love for a quiet pet shop worker named Adrian. Rocky is a collector for a loan shark but he dreams of being a professional boxer. His luck turns around when the World Heavyweight Champion, Apollo Creed, sets up an exhibition match with Rocky to show the audience that “America is the land of opportunity.” Although the fight was meant to be a simple show for the audience, Rocky misinterprets it as chance for him to win the world Dave Zhou title, and almost defeats the champion.

The film depicts the struggle of an underdog to achieve fame, which is demonstrated through how Rocky overcomes difficult situations. Rocky’s interactions with his initially unhelpful coach ease when Mickey finally offers Rocky some extra training in preparation for the fight. As for Adrian, Rocky helps her become a woman who can stand up for herself, especially against her rude brother, and she eventually falls in love with Rocky. The film stands out as a story of both patriotism and hope.

“The Fab Five” is centered around five male basketball players at the University of Michigan by the names of Ray Jackson, Jalen Rose, Chris Webber, Jimmy King and Juwan Howard. They were part of the first team to play five freshmen, known as the Fab Five, on the same court. Yet, this film is not about how these talented freshmen dominated college basketball between 1991 and 1993. Instead, the film focuses on the cultural uprising these freshmen brought through their rebelliousness and swagger. Inspired by rappers Chuck D and Ice Cube, the five players talked trash and introduced a unique style of clothing that resonated with the younger generation.

Ultimately, the revolutionary concept of the film is what makes Dave Zhou it a masterpiece. The University of Michigan had played a mostly-white men’s basketball team for the majority of the 1980s, so the sight of an all-black, freshmen team playing for the school garnered positive and negative reactions. Critics disapproved of their baggy, black shorts, music choices and trash talk. Supporters of the five players praised their successful attempt to challenge the fabric of college basketball and transcend stereotypes. “The Fab Five” documents the cultural impact each player of the five brought to college basketball, and it’s up to the viewer to watch the movie and form his own opinion.

‘The Blind Side” depicts the life story of a struggling African-American teenager, Michael Oher, who was living alone. A caring white family decides to adopt Michael after housing him for a few days and learning of his past, specifically his separation from his drug-addicted mother. At first, he isn’t academically motivated and has continuous flashbacks of his childhood struggles.

However, eventually Michael develops a passion for football by imagining that the team is his family to protect.

At the same time, he tries to improve his academic life, graduating high school with a 2.52 grade point average. After such success, Michael begins to think the family only encouraged him to play football so that he would play for the Dave Zhou University of Mississippi. Michael develops a stronger bond with them after realizing that their only wish was for him to have a better life.

Although the main focus appears to be about football, the true meaning of this film is how a loving mother takes action and welcomes a black boy into a white family. It showcases the benefits of great determination and the importance of family, especially one which can look past stereotypes and accept you for who you are.

ISAAC’'S Top 7 ways to handle a loss

1. Blame a factor outside of your control like the sun, the direction of the wind or the political situation in Russia. Everyone knows nothing throws off your game like Communist interference.

2. When you’ve decided that you have no chance of coming back, pretend to read a message from your phone, mutter something that sounds important like, “the president is in danger” and run off the court.

3. Accuse your opponent of cheating for any reason you can think of.

I commonly use offenses like “running faster than me,” “sweating too much” and “winning.”

4. After losing, tell your opponent, “It’s a dumb sport anyway. I’d be embarrassed to be good at it.” This can sometimes be difficult to get out through your tears of frustration but do your best to keep your sniffling to a minimum.

5. Insult something about the other player besides his playing ability.

Your opponent will have trouble celebrating his victory after you tell him that his nose “looks funny.” Who’s the real winner now?

6. Take the loss honorably, shake the opponent’s hand and thank them for a great game. Then, steal something from their bag while they aren’t looking.

7. Cry to yourself quietly while eating a bucket of ice cream and listening to Daniel Powter’s “Bad Day”. ­—Compiled by Isaac Wang

—Compiled by Aayush Dubey and Matt Nitska

20

Entertainment

THEORACLE

Quiz: What are you dressing up as for the Under the Sea quad dance?

Which of these exists?

A) Cool YOLO Swaggy Swag Fish B) Jellyfish Lion C) Seal fish D) Vampire squid

What bodacious sea creature has horns?

A) Guinea Pig B) Rhinoceros C) Arabian Horned Fish D) Narwhal

List the dumbest to smartest: A) Shark, Jellyfish, Dolphin, Bagel B) Jellyfish, Shark, Dolphin, Bagel C) Bagel, Jellyfish, Dolphin, Shark D) Bagel, Jellyfish, Shark, Dolphin

How is the ‘dugong’ best described?

A) An illegal Chinese bell B) A sandwich C) A sea dwelling rhino D) A sea cow — Compiled by Justin Wenig

Mostly A’s A three year old would have had more correct answers than you. You are not dressing up.

Mostly B’s Your answers were mostly incorrect, and you have limited knowledge of the ocean. You might dress up.

Mostly C’s You have adequate knowledge of the monsters that lie in the depths of the ocean.

Spongebob suits you best.

Dance facts:

• Last dance of the year • Proceeds go to YCS/Interact • Tickets sold at door for $5 • 7:30-10:30 p.m.

• On the quad

Mostly D’s You are a true lover of the sea. You will likely dress up as the greatest sea creature of all, the Merman.

Photo illustration by Dave Zhu and Noa Livneh

Going to the beach in the Bay Area this summer? Here are some options:

Natural Bridges State Beach

Crissy Field

Carmel Beach

Santa Cruz Beach

Half Moon Bay State Beach

Ocean Beach

• • • •

• • • •

• • • • • •

Tide pools Bench/barbecue areas Trails to see Monarch butterflies nearby Secluded beach that can be reached by climbing Clean Parking can be difficult Lovely downtown Dogs and bonfires allowed

Campground (must make reservations) Three mile trail to walk, jog or bike Dogs prohibited Parking costs $10 Excellent views No bonfires allowed

• • • •

Dogs allowed Nice for jogging or walking Great view of the Bay. Benches and picnic areas

• Beach and Boardwalk-amusement park • Beach is free, but boardwalk costs $30 for a day pass (to get on rides, etc) • Warmer and generally nice weather • • • • • •

Foggy and windy Excellent waves for surfing Dogs and bonfires allowed Close to Golden Gate Park A bit polluted Parking is easy to find

—Compiled by Elizabeth Zu

Entertainment

Friday, May 16th, 2014

21

What if... Bella Swan were a high school student at Gunn?

Kathleen Xue

Forum Editor

Bella Swan’s day began with her waking up at an uncertain time in the morning. As she looked in the bathroom mirror, her reflection was unclear, features all blurred except for her brown hair. Nobody knew what Bella looked like, not even herself.

All she could think about was her crazy, obsessive vampire boyfriend named Edward Cullen whose relationship with her was not only pedophilic, but borderline abusive. As she got ready for school, she thought about how Edward had climbed up into her window last night, and fawned over her romantic nature.

After an uneventful breakfast, Bella mumbled a goodbye to her father, Charlie, and headed out the door to her big, red, broken-down truck. Before she could even start the engine, Edward, the obsessive boyfriend, was suddenly forcing her off the

steering wheel and replacing her in the passenger seat so that he could drive. “I’m scared you’ll make a mistake driving to Gunn,” he said between gritted teeth. “Arastradero is a dangerous road for a girl like you.” Hearing this caused Bella to almost swoon; she thought that everything Edward said was absolutely wonderful.

As they drove into the parking lot, Bella spotted her normal human friends hanging out by the freshman quad and pretended not to see them when they waved. Among them, there was Jacob Black, a werewolf, who eyed her and glared at Edward with hostility. Jacob didn’t even go to Gunn, but for some reason he was there stalking Bella as well.

They got out of the truck and the whole way to her first class, Edward made sure to be her bodyguard, not letting anyone come anywhere within a one-meter radius of her.

Bella thanked Edward for the protection and thought about him all through math class.

Her grade in Introduction to Analysis and Calculus was extremely mediocre. She studied a lot for the tests, but Bella never remembered the material because she was always so occupied with Edward, her one hundredyear-old pedophilic vampire boyfriend.

After IAC was biology, which she shared with Edward. That day, however, the class activity was poking needles and drawing blood.

After Bella walked across the senior quad to the science buildings and entered Ms. Powell’s classroom, she did not see Edward anywhere and decided to leave class to find him.

Instead, she found him glittering in the sun on the senior quad. “Why aren’t you in Biology?” Bella asked him. “Sometimes you just need to cut class for the good of the group,” he replied, still glittering ridiculously.

“You smell delicious, by the way,” he added.

Bella decided that math and half of biology was enough academic rigor for a day, so she and Edward drove to Foothill Park where

she just watched him glitter some more in the summer sunshine. She thought he was just beautiful. He made her forget she was failing all of her classes at Gunn­which were already challenging enough given that she spent all of her time watching her boyfriend sparkle instead of concentrating on her various classes.

Somehow, however, she had been accepted to Dartmouth due to some string-pulling by Edward on her behalf. Her peers at Gunn despised her for getting into such a good school without having to commit herself.

She and Edward left just as the sun set as he drove her back home in the dark, she pondered how she could become a vampire herself so that she could live with Edward forever. Bella ended the day giving herself a pat on the back. She had been unusually productive, as she had only skipped four classes as opposed to her usual six.

—Xue, a junior, is a Forum Editor.

Dave Zhu

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Entertainment

THEORACLE

What is Senioritis?

Dave Zhu

Senioritis, also known as Lazy Bum Syndrome (LBS), is an illness most commonly found in fourthyear high school students nearing graduation. Those afflicted by LBS exhibit severe losses in energy and motivation as well as an annoyingly frequent use of the phrase “second semester senior,” a term that seems to have replaced “YOLO” as the new reason for doing absolutely anything—or nothing—for that matter.

The first case of Senioritis was observed at the turn of the century, when high schooler Jacob “Bugg’n” McCarthy blew off a live performance by the Backstreet Boys, a group then widely considered to be “hip to the jive,” so that he could stay home and sleep.

Since this historic occurence, the number of students suffering from LBS (called “Seniorities”) has increased exponentially and regularly spikes as summer approaches.

A recent study revealed that currently nine out of ten high school seniors suffer from LBS, a 20 percent increase from 2010. Despite this, the higher-ups in the educational system have written off Senioritis as a “fictional disease used as an excuse for laziness.” This statement was met with outrage from the LBS population and undoubtedly would have incited a riot outside the doors of City Hall if rioting didn’t involve so many activities that were too strenuous for the average Senioritee such as “getting up,” “going outside” and “being angry.”

You know you have Senioritis when: • You find yourself ditching your prep period.

• You stop to catch a breather halfway through your walk from A period to B period and realize that both of these classes are in the Village.

• You ask to go to the restroom three times in the same period.

• Your physics teacher has a special foam ball at her desk reserved for throwing at you when you fall asleep in class.

Cures for Senioritis: • Foam balls • The word “rescinded” • An ancient Native American ritual that involves burning textbooks under the full moon while performing a sacred dance in traditional ceremonial clothing and chanting the phrase, “I muh lay zi see neeyor,” the meaning of which has been lost for centuries.

• A healthy dose of summer —Compiled by Isaac Wang

Entertainment

Friday, May 16th, 2014

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Classy students show off their unique wardrobe Summer Tip: Put your hair up in a bun to keep your hair out of your face and stay cool.

Junior Cadence Calixto pairs an ordinary tanktop with some bohemian

Senior Addi Kamb is replacing the casual sundress with a princess

Summer Tip: Wear light colored clothing to reflect the sun and keep your mood cheery.

Summer Tip: Instead of using excess amounts of powder, invest in blotting sheets to avoidoily skin.

Sophomore Jill Dempsey is mixing popular leggings with a hamburger pullover.

—Compiled by Naina Murthy

Dressing nicely for school should be required, not optional Yuki Klotz-Burwell To some people, waking up early to dress well for school might sound like a punishment. To others, it’s a daily routine. Spending extra time to pick out a cute outfit or perfect a new hair style before going off to see the same group of people you see every day may sound like a waste of time. Hearing this, many may ask, “What’s the point?”

Not only does dressing well for school make other people take you seriously, it also makes you feel better and allows

you to focus more on your educational success.

Appearance plays a crucial factor in determining what kind of impression one leaves. Dressing well shows that you take school seriously, not as a mandatory activity in between sessions of Netflix. Wearing pajamas to school every day implies that school provides an environment appropriate for sleeping.

Furthermore, dressing well now prepares students for adult expectations. Individuals are held to higher standards at the workplace than at school. Dress wear may even be regulated by corporate policy at some companies. Therefore, paying attention to your attire now is good practice for when you’re an adult and want to be respected.

Additionally, dressing well gives you confidence. If you look good because you spent an extra half an hour

on your appearance, it’s easier to focus on what matters in school, and not on how much your peers are judging you.

This increased confidence allows for better performance both socially and academically, as there is less of an inclination to be insecure.

But at the end of the day (or rather, the beginning), your dress wear comes down to what you consider to be presentable. A presentable outfit allows you to earn respect and be taken seriously. This ultimately has more benefits than acting as though school is a casual activity that doesn’t require any extra effort or thought. By dressing well, people recognize how important school is to you, and thus making an effort to look presentable is sensible and favorable.

–Klotz-Burwell, a sophomore, is a Features Editor

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Backpage

Yoga provides relaxation plus strong workout

Physical: Tones and lengthens the

leg and hip muscles. Stimulates full range of motion in shoulders.

Mental: Improves your confidence.

Reverse Warrior

Lord Of Dance

Noa Livneh Entertainment Editor

With finals coming up, it’s easy to forget that our physical fitness aligns with our mental health. We spend hours studying and crammi—wait, what, who said cramming?—for exams, and we often forget that without physical attention, our minds are useless. I am not saying you have to be an athlete to maintain physical health, but there are some things you can do to work your body and improve your learning capabilities. For a very long time, I thought yoga was a silly activity. There are no strenuous movements and you never get tired, so how is it exercise? I’ve seen my parents leave every morning with their yoga mats and Lululemon gear, but I never understood why yoga was so important to them. After weeks of observing their behavior, I realized that yoga did much more than I thought. Not only were they getting in shape, they were also being active and getting their energy levels in the morning. Their moods were much lighter and they began to accomplish more in a day than they normally would. If you are stuck at home studying and you feel as though your body is slowly turning into mush, yoga is a great way to get back into physical health.

To be clear, I am a very lazy person. My motivation to work out is practically nonexistent, and my ability to use gym equipment is laughable. I have tried to get myself to go on jogs, but those tend to end up with me walking at snail-speed to the nearest coffee shop (don’t think I go for the skinny stuff; chocolate croissants are where it’s at). After numerous attempts at jump-roping in my backyard and executing poorly coordinated pushups, I decided to opt for a different physical activity: yoga. After a couple living room sessions with my mom, I noticed that I felt much more relaxed and was ready to take on my studies. Now, I try to do at least thirty minutes to an hour of yoga a night. I suggest that you dedicate a little bit of time to yoga, and you’ll notice the difference it makes.

Tree

Physical: Improves

Physical: Strengthens the quads and arms.

Mental: Decreases physiological anxiety.

balance and tones the entire standing leg.

Mental: Helps increase concentration.

Physical: Improves digestion and tones

the legs and buttocks.

Mental: Calms the brain and helps relieve stress and mild depression.

Shoulder stand

—Compiled by Noa Livneh Photos by Noa Livneh