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Palo Alto Unified School District Henry M. Gunn High School 780 Arastradero Rd Palo Alto, CA 94306
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The more clear-cut incentives Cheating occurs for a wide range of reasons. While a less observable cause is rooted in the community mindset itself, a number of distinct issues lie within the structure of our school. Principal Dr. Denise Herrmann says several general motivations exist for cheating. “I think that most of the time, it’s because [students] haven’t managed enough time for them to be able to do the work, the high-quality work or learning, themselves,” she said.
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Clara Kieschnick-Llamas, by an unequal emphasis on STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) classes over arts and humanities courses. “Because we’re in Silicon Valley and we’re surrounded by people who do math and science, people think that those subjects are the most important to be learning,” she said. Kieschnick-Llamas says she doesn’t often see cheating occurring in math or science classes but instead finds students cheating more in classes that are “less important like language classes and history.” Another contributing factor is miscommunication between teachers and students. In sophomore Elizabeth Miksztal’s class, students were told that they would not need to study certain material for a quiz. “It turned out that the things that [were] not going to be on the quiz were on the quiz,” she said. Since the quiz was ou r
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Definitions of cheating At the beginning of the school year, students attended an assembly that analyzed various results from the 2015 Challenge Success Survey about student life. The survey revealed that only 13 percent of students had not cheated in any way in the past year. Various forms of academic integrity violations included copying someone’s homework, collaborative work without permission and passing on test questions from someone who had already taken it. The results also provided data on students’ own cheating habits, such as using cheat sheets, plagiarizing and using others’ work as their own. According to Gunn’s academic policy, “cheating is taking (or lending), at inappropriate times a person’s work, information, ideas, research, and documentation, without properly identifying the originator, and/or acting dishonestly or unfairly in order to gain an advantage—a deliberate act of deception.” If 87 percent of Gunn’s 2000-student population has cheated, then the underlying question of it all is: why?
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It’s test day. You’re sitting at your desk, nervously tapping your pencil. You’ve prepared to the best of your ability, but you need to do especially well on this test to maintain your A in the class. Anxiety increases as you open the test booklet. One problem in particular is worth a lot of points, but you don’t know how to do it. The teacher exits the classroom into the back of the science department’s atrium to converse with his teaching assistants. Do you pull out your phone to Google the answer? Senior Gregory Duvall (name changed) answered yes. “If you ask around, everybody’s getting such high grades and high SATs and things,” Duvall said. “You just feel the need to be better or be at least as good as them.” Duvall, then a sophomore, calls the incident his most egregious act of cheating. “I feel pretty bad about that, but I got an A minus in that class and barely an A minus,” he said. “If I hadn’t looked up that answer, I definitely would’ve gotten a B plus.”
“Sometimes they just have too much on their plate, sometimes they have been afraid to ask clarifying questions in class, sometimes they think they understand it but they get home and they don’t.” One of the most common forms of cheating at Gunn is copying answers from a peer’s assignment or the solutions manual. Senior Maritha Wang often observes students comparing and exchanging answers before big lab assignments are due in science classes. “I don’t think people cheat because they don’t think they’re capable of doing the assignment,” she said. “I think they just run out of time, and I feel like homework is easy points, so you kind of just feel dumb if you don’t end up getting an A in the homework category.” Gunn’s cheating culture is further perpetuated, says sophomore
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taken on a laptop on Schoology, students were able to easily open an additional tab and search up the answers. Because her teacher misspoke about the content on the quiz, Miksztal believes that her cheating was justified. “I talked to people after the quiz and about 40 percent said that they had cheated not because of stress, but because of the fact that they thought it was completely unfair,” she said. “They felt that they [shouldn’t] have to have their grade suffer because of a teacher miscommunicating something and not being held responsible for it.” A bigger issue is Gunn’s broad and overarching definition of cheating, says senior Ben Lee, which is incorrectly applied on campus. “I feel like cheating at this age just naturally occurs, just like other things in life like stress and bullying,” he said. “Cheating is not asking someone for help or asking someone what they thought of the test. Cheating is taking someone’s test and using it for your own test.” Using such an umbrella term, Lee says, is a disservice to students. By Gunn’s definition, a number of real-world businesses should be facing consequences too, but Lee notes that ramifications for the corporate industry do not exist. “Lyft, Uber and Wingz are basically the same thing with tiny changes and you can argue that they copied each other. They’re companies and they have certain rights,” he said. “But [the administration doesn’t] look to companies and accuse them.” Psychology teacher Warren Collier believes students consider cheating when they become desperate. In Collier’s experience, when it comes to deciding between moral or utility values on the spot, one is not compelled to be honest. “When we are in that desperate situation, the moral issues usually don’t become the main motivating factor,” he said. “When I’m sitting in that test, and I have no idea how to answer the question, I don’t usually think. ‘What is the right thing to do?’ I think, ‘I need to get this right.’” Collier has witnessed students cheating in his classroom, and followed necessary guidelines set by the administration. Though he does not handle direct ramifications, the relationship between the teacher and student shifts. “For the teacher, it’s hard not to think, ‘Why doesn’t this student care about my class,’” he said. “Things get awkward because I’m emotional about it and the student is emotional about it.” CHEATING—p.4
District examines adding a new secondary school at Cubberley Shannon Yang
Oracle-SEC Liaison
At the Dec. 8 Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) Board of Education meeting, the Enrollment Management Advisory Committee (EMAC) will recommend that the district charter a new Design Task Force (DTF) to research the details of adding another school at Cubberley Community Center and implementing small learning communities within the existing secondary schools. In March, the district charged EMAC, a group of 11 parents who applied for and were accepted to the committee, to assess the district’s needs for enrollment, including the need for a new secondary school. EMAC has been informing their decisions through
different types of data, including interviews and focus groups, national averages of all American high schools, schools comparable socioeconomically and academically, the history of Palo Alto schools and 57 academic papers about ideal school size. According to EMAC secondary chairman Joe Lee, the committee found that the current school sizes at the secondary level are too big to be effective. “We didn’t have a prejudgement when we started the work; we wanted to see what the data showed us,” Lee said. “And even though we didn’t any single smoking gun that said our schools are too big, the preponderance of data suggested that a new school would be good.” According to Lee, a parent survey showed a dramatic dropoff in community satisfaction. “Parents at the elementary level were satisfied by a seven to one margin—seven
satisfied with one unsatisfied—but when it came down to the middle and high schools, it went down to something like a two to one margin or a one to one margin,” he said. The committee used the academic papers and talked to administrators, finding the ideal school size to be 600 to 900 students for middle schools and 1,200 to 1,700 students for high schools. “Academic research say there’s an inverted U-curve to school size and learning efficacy,” she said. “In other words, as you grow, you can offer more and more electives and programs for your students and that’s a good thing; you have more classes you can choose from, but beyond a certain point, there’s diminishing returns, and the larger a school is, the worse it is for learning effectiveness.” CUBBERLY—p.2
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Turkey Feast: Nov. 19
MONTHLY HIGHLIGHTS
“My favorite part about the Turkey Feast was being able to celebrate Thanksgiving with my friends.” —Mackenzie Mosier, 9
“It’s cool to see ping pong as such a hyped up event since it ’s pretty uncommon.” —Samantha Carlos, 11
“Turkey Feast makes us feel united and it’s tasty. The turkey was by far my favorite part and “I think [the Turkey Feast] the combination of the flavors contributes to the ‘We’re all in of the food was so good.” —Nikhil D’Souza, 10 this together’ slogan. You see everyone eating and it’s just a time when no one’s going out to lunch so you see all your friends.” —Duchess Dankwah, 11
Photos by Josh Spain
“The tournament was really intense with a lot of high-level play going on.” —Bo Rasmussen, 12
Ping Pong Tourney: Dec. 2 —Compiled by Kaya Van der Horst
Photos by Alexandra Ting
Examining College Pathways Matthew Hamilton News Editor
In an upcoming issue The Oracle will examine the College Pathways program and tools to aid historically underrepresented students in the college process. The goal is to shed light on the program and how Gunn prepares students for life after graduation, whichever path they choose. After a recent “Palo Alto Daily” title grabbed the attention of many in the community, we felt it was imperative that The Oracle address the issues raised by the title, specifically the claim that 0 percent of black students in the district were deemed college-ready when they took the ACT. The Oracle wants to hear all possible perspectives on this issue and has already interviewed alumni about their experiences at Gunn. If you feel you have experiences relevant to the subject matter and would like to be interviewed, please contact Matthew Hamilton at oraclegunn@gmail.com. We want as many opinions to be represented in the article so please reach out if you want to be interviewed.
The Oracle examines College Pathways
Email us at oraclegunn@ gmail.com
PAUSD plans for school at Cubberley CUBBERLEY—p.1
be willing to invest in a new school,” he said. “It is Though the capacity of the high schools has in- the next committee’s responsibility to see if they can creased due to new building projects within bond find the money. We’re going ask them, ‘How much programs, Lee says EMAC suggests building a new are you willing to put up?’ The committee will be school so that existing high schools can be less responsible for seeing if private donors can come up overcrowded. “From a theoretical perspective we with the difference.” might be able to shove 2300 students in each of our In addition, the district may also issue another two high schools, and that’s what the district has bond issue referendum. “I think people ought to have planned for in expanding Paly and Gunn,” he said. a say on whether or not they support this significant “What we’re saying is a little bit different. We’re say- investment in the future,” McGee said. ing, even if there is A not her goa l, room—and actuLee says, is improvally we doubt that ing the situation in t here is despite ex ist ing schools, the stated capacwith small learning ity that the district communities and claims—it’s going teacher tea ms so to be very tight. that students and These schools are teachers can connot designed for nect more closely. the number of stu“What we need to do dents they have is to make innovatoday or the 700 Courtesy of the Catamount tion in our secondmore students that ar y schools more will arrive by the systematic,” he said. year 2020.” “Right now they’re Accord i ng to being done in pockLee, the 27-acre ets, in small groups, Cubberley site and teachers have might actually be to overcome a lot two subcampuses, of static friction to since the district get any thing new has a need for a new going. People love middle school as them when they’re well. “It’s kind of in in them, but they’re Courtesy of prarieform.com the same way that Top: The Elwood P. Cubberley High School Class not pervasive.” I think Fairmeadow of 1969 celebrates Homecoming on the quad. EMAC is recomis next to JLS,” Lee Bottom: The former quad is now used as a soccer field. mending t he apsaid. “They’re right pointment of a new next to each other, but they’re separated by a fence.” committee, the Design Task Force (DTF), to deterLee says EMAC does not think it will be too mine the nuts and bolts of the Cubberley secondary expensive for the district to construct a new school school, such as whether it will be a choice program as the majority of the land is already owned by the and what kind of alternative education can be impledistrict. “Right now, we believe there’s a lot of money mented. The DTF, McGee says, would include repout there, net new money that people are willing to resentatives from all stakeholder groups—students, donate to the district for the purpose of opening a parents, teachers, administrators and community new, innovative high school,” he said. “These are members—unlike EMAC, which is comprised only potential private donors who are willing to cooperate of parents who applied. The committee has sent with the City of Palo Alto and work cooperatively surveys about design preferences to teachers and on something new and innovative.” students. Cubberley will most likely be a center for However, the operating cost will be more difficult alternative education. Among the school types that to fund. According to Lee, it costs $3.5 million a year EMAC wants the DTF to explore, as were listed in the to staff a high school with everyone except teachers. student survey, are project-based learning, connec“The recommended approach that we want to take tions, International Baccalaureate, Career Pathways is to ask the district how much money would they and Thematic and Direct Instruction.
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Friday, December 4, 2015
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Bryant Street Garage funds teen projects
not very selective if you have an idea you can support and back up,” Iourovitski said. “It’s accessible to all teens that want to receive funding Many students have used Bryant Street Gaand support.” rage Fund (BSGF) to receive funding, mentorship Junior Jady Tian, who received a mini-grant and resources for their projects. A City of Palo for her photography fundraiser “Eyes” this OctoAlto program, BSGF began in 2001 when the city ber, says both the mentorship and financial supcouncil voted to use the rental revenues from port helped her and her co-planners learn more a city-owned property under the name Bryant from the process. She believes many teens can Street Teen Center. It is currently a gym, and 75 identify with having an idea, but lack the funds percent of the profits go towards providing minito actually see a project through. “Jose helped us grants of up to $1,000 to support teen ideas for finalize our prices and made sure everything was events or programs. accurate and precise in our budget plan,” Tian Teen program specialist Jose Perez, who is said. “I recommend BSGF because it’s a way to in charge of working directly with test your idea and get funding because it teens and their ideas in applying has a lot of community resources which for mini-grants, explained that you cannot get if you don’t participate BSGF offers a unique opportuin it.” nity to teens. “Being in Palo Alto, Perez feels that allocating funds for [students] should take advantage teen projects provides leadership reof [the grant program] because it’s sources not typically accessible to teens. here for you, and we’re here to help BSGF funded the team that produced you,” Perez said. “Your ideas are so the documentary “Unmasked,” which valuable, and we want you to know has held three screenings in Palo Alto we value your ideas and we want to and was recently screened at the Big help you make them happen.” Asian Los Angeles Cinema Festival. Junior Kevin Ji, who has worked “They created an impact, got the word with BSGF on his project Financial out and sparked that dialogue,” Perez Literacy for Youth (FLY), believes said. “The cool thing about it was that that the program is an incubator creating a dialogue was their [initial] Courtesy of Jose Perez for teens’ ideas. “The program Middle school students in Financial Literacy for Youth (FLY) goal, and they were so happy when they and the city do not really get any work on posters for the carnival event they held on Nov. 6. accomplished it.” reward other than simply doing The Palo Alto Youth Council also good for the community; that’s worked with BSGF to fund PA Roots, a why it’s based in the community community-wide literary magazine run services department because any by Palo Alto students. good that any of these programs Ji and Iourovitski have seen their bring doesn’t bring revenue back program expand since its inception. to the city,” Ji said. “It adds to the They recently held an event in November community.” allowing elementary school students Perez receives mini-grant ideas to apply financial concepts they learn through online applications, arthrough the FLY program in an innovaranges meetings to discuss the tive way—creating their own carnival. proposed idea and assists students Only ten students attended their first in creating a specific proposal and event, but 40 students attended their budget plan. Once the proposal most recent one. “I think that definitely and budget forms are complete, the it’s not just the money that helps, but Courtesy of Jady Tian the mentorship that I get from Jose and Teen Services committee, which oversees the libraries’ art, theatre Students in Braille Without Borders present their photo gal- other adults that work there [that help and community centers, reviews lery to art patrons in the Mitchell Park Community Center. as well],” Ji said. Evalyn Li
Reporter
the submission for approval. Perez explains it’s his personal goal to help all students’ ideas come to life. “It’s super easy, and a lot of teens don’t know that,” Perez said. “Typically, we fund every proposal, and if it’s not approved at first, I go back and recommend changes to the teen(s) to make sure it gets funded.” Co-manager of FLY junior Janis Iourovitski emphasizes that the program’s dedication to funding all submissions has helped BSGF gain experience in holding events. As a result, it helps teens like Iourovitski plan events themselves. “A lot of people think it takes a lot of work to apply and that they are super selective, but they are
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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 oraclegunn@gmail.com or posted on our Facebook page. These letters need not be from current students.
Oracle-TBN Liaison Anyi Cheng It’s formatted very well and it focuses on issues important too Gunn students. Also there are good illustrations. —Petr Moore, 11
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Since English isn’t my first language, I didn’t feel that I understood the articles well when I read the articles. However, The Oracle is an exception because it has better design and a lot of sources for understanding. —Jueun Pyun, 11
Graphics Artists Cheryl Kao Joanne Lee Jackie Lou Reporters Alex Dersh, Paulo Frank, Evalyn Li, Kaya van der Horst, Mikaela Wayne Tech Sabrina Chen Grace Ding Adviser Kristy Blackburn
November 6, 2015 One article or area of interest I would like to see is an advice column or a cartoons section. —Lindsay Wong, 11 I really like when there is color, as it brings the page alive, but I don’t know if adding more color is doable. —Catherine Wu, 11
The writing was on point like it usually is. One concern I have is that almost the entire first half was concerned with sexual misconduct and mental health. Yes, it is important that we are aware of these things and that we can get help if needed, but taking up half of the school’s newspaper is a little much. —Maria Wu, 12 I thought the first generation immigrants page was pretty cool and complex. —Jane Kim, 11
The content was well-written and covered a wide range of issues. Instead of focusing on student activities, I think The Oracle should also address news in Palo Alto, or in our greater community. —Alex Tang, 12 I would like to see more school events featured because I barely have any sense of what’s going on at school and outside my classes. —Justine Cho, 10
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Students, staffers propose causes, solutions for cheating CHEATING—p.1
Collier did cheat in high school, and he carries the attached guilt to this day. “It’s important to have integrity as a person and I don’t think it’s worth sacrificing your integrity just for a couple more points,” he said. “The test or project will be gone by next month, but the fact that you cheated will be remembered for the rest of your life.”
short term to gain in that way. “It’s certainly not a necessarily planned thought,” he said. “The students probably don’t think of themselves as villains; they just at the moment have a sense of wishful blindness—‘I don’t want to think about it this way and I really want to get a good grade.’”
Cheating as a necessary evil If facing the same dilemma in college, What research shows about cheating Duvall doesn’t believe he will choose the same The reality is that we have lots of human route. “In college, the stakes are a lot higher,” he values; honesty is one of them. “Conflicts arise said. Most students, he says, see good grades as every time human values collide with each oth- a pathway for college, college as a pathway for er, and of course they collide with each other a stable job and a stable job as the ultimate when we think about politeness,” Duke pathway to a successful life. University Professor of But for Duvall, cheating Psychology Dan Ariely on his test was a preventative said, pointing to white measure—to avoid punishlies. “But when it comes ment from parents. in collision with success, I don’t It is true that in Palo think people would thoughtAlto, some parents exert a fully say, ‘I want a life of flying certain amount of presover a life of honesty.’” People sure on their children do it one time, find themselves to do well in school. on a slippery slope and do it Superintendent Dr. again, Ariely says. Max McGee reminds In society, students are natstudents, however, to be urally pushed toward getaware of the clash of culting good grades, says Ariely, tural interests in the commuwho wrote “The Honest nity. A numNumber of students who used a false excuse to Truth About Dishonesber of parents get an extension on a due date or on an exam. ty” about his research in Palo Alto on dishonesty. This is reinforced by parents grew up with parents who survived the Great who treat students differently when they receive Depression. Some parents even immigrated good grades and by the working world’s mes- into America in hopes of raising their family sage that only the educated are hired. Naturally, in a more promising environment. Because of then, a conflict of interest develops: sacrifice this, McGee says Palo Alto parents may tend honesty or sacrifice good grades? to place higher importance on stability, which We see the world through our conflicts of to them is best achieved through education. interest, Ariely says. If you have a conflict of Students see things from a different perinterest, you’re likely to feel motivated in the spective, and open dialogue needs to occur in
order to bridge the gap between parents and there are so many high-achieving students at students. “We first need to understand cultural Gunn, it would seem like you’re weak if you powers and pressures,” McGee said. “Then we went over and talked to a teacher,” he said. need to work with parents and faculty on how The alumni Laurent speaks to often talk these cultural factors impact students and how about how nice it is to be in a noncompetitive we can help kids manage the pressures.” environment where students don’t compare Cheating was also a practigrades or scores and peers take time out of cal matter for senior Aubrey their days to help you with your work. Laurent (name changed). “Slowly, we have to become more In one of her classes, the aware and try our best not to be teacher gave quizzes evso grade-focused,” she said. ery week, but Laurent She believes teachers must says the teacher never play a role in raising awareadequately prepared stuness and realize when they dents in class for these are assigning excess or busy assessments and instead work to help alleviate stress. assigned a large amount Parents, too, can play a of outside work. “I do rerole in diminishing students’ member we brought up the competitive mindsets, Duvall says. amount of Number of students who paraphrased or copied a few sentenc- If parents can inwork with es of material from a source without referencing it in a paper. stead emphasize her in class collaboration and once,” Laurent said. Her teacher replied that openness early on their children’s lives, then she needed to keep students busy so she could students will be able to thrive in a healthier stay busy, Laurent says. environment, without the constant pressure of To pass one of these quizzes, which were having to do better than their peers. more frequent and easier than tests, Laurent would have to study for one to two hours while Steps toward solutions neglecting other schoolwork and activities. “As To start affecting change, McGee believes everybody in this class started to realize how conversation must begin in the classroom. ridiculous these quizzes were and how they He points to the model of a freshman reflecweren’t really testing your knowledge—ev- tion seminar at a national university. These erybody was just power-memorizing the day seminars are run by faculty and identify a hot before to get a passing grade—a lot more people issue related to student life that needs to be turned to cheating,” Laurent said. She was even addressed. The best outcome will occur only caught cheating once, but her teacher did not through full and complete honesty, and McGee report her and there were no repercussions. says if a teacher takes action against students Though her cheating behavior began as a who speak of a cheating experience in a space way to maintain a good enough grade with- of open dialogue, it will not be tolerated. out overburdening herself, at a certain point Gunn administration is already planning she became so used to cheating that she just to hold student focus groups in January to start kept doing it. “Why keep studying when it’s so drafting ideas on how to mitigate cheating. easy?” she said. “When students are feeling An idea Herrmann hopes will take root way too overwhelmed, you have to give is the creation of a peer court, where a group something up.” of peers evaluate one’s actions and determine the measures needed to earn back the trust Underlying pressure and expectations of teachers and classmates. Nonetheless, an Gunn’s academic environment is not internal shift needs to occur. “[Students] think isolated. According to a study conducted by that just because they don’t get it right away, Challenge Success, two-thirds of 6,294 stu- they’re not going to get it. If after some initial dents at 15 high-achieving schools reported attempts at learning and they’re not getting it, not regularly being “fully engaged in their they’re likely to slip into some poor choices,” academic schoolwork, often associating Herrmann said. “We want to build on the idea absence of engagement with more frequent of helping students develop a growth mindset, school stress, higher rates of cheating and that it’s okay not to know something and that greater internalizing, externalizing and it’s okay to ask for help and it’s okay to be thinkphysical symptoms of stress.” ing over assessment over time.” Wang believes it is the students themWhile some degree of cheating will always selves who have high standards. After all, remain on campus, we must also realize that it is human nature to compare we are generally quite honest. Ariely says what oneself to others. “Maybe administrators can do to discourage it’s just growing up in the cheating is create a strict, specific set Silicon Valley, where of rules for behavior. When someeveryone’s already so body says, “Don’t cheat,” it is successful,” she said. too broad and not enough “You have startups to stop someone from beeverywhere; Stanhaving dishonestly. What ford is literally three we need are guidelines blocks down from that clearly define what the street. When you’re people are expected and in a culture of such exallowed to do and not do. cellent people, excellence “We can make dishonesty becomes normal.” harder,” he said. “We can Students face anremind people that a betrayal Graphics by Jack ie Lou other issue when disof honesty is a betrayal of Number of students who helped cussing colleges, most a social good, and we can someone else cheat on a test. often hearing about remind people of the imprestigious schools like Harvard and not portance of honesty.” smaller liberal arts colleges. The same goes McGee goes a step further and asks the for the technology industry. “We hear of the community as a whole to look at success from a parents’ companies that really took off and more multidimensional angle. “When students sold for millions of dollars,” Laurent said. feel like their ultimate final exam is what college “But we’re hearing this one-sided opinion they go to, they may be more inclined to cheat,” of everyone becoming super successful he said. But life is about more than that, and [in their terms of success], and we’re never your grades don’t define who you are. “The really hearing about the other 90 percent.” deepest satisfaction in my professional life is Though asking for help from a teacher hearing from former students and how they has become less taboo in the last few years, impacted other people’s lives based on lessons Duvall says peer pressure still contributes they had learned in my classes,” McGee said. to a fear of requesting assistance. “Because “That is my final exam.”
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Friday, December 4, 2015
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New Code Red policy gives teachers more flexibility Anyi Cheng
Herrmann said. “[They] just weren’t intuitive.” a Code Red situation. It stresses the importance of giving In response to the collected data, Gunn administration teachers and students certain freedoms during a crisis: began to change the way it advises its teachers. “We thought “While they should follow the plan and any instructions Following changes in federal school safety recommen- that if we gave really clear directions and if people followed given during an incident, often they will have to rely on their dations, Gunn administration has changed certain aspects the directions, then they’d be safe,” Herrmann said. “What own judgment to decide which option will best protect lives.” of its Code Red practices. The changes will be announced at they found is that there is no one right way.” Instead of The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) the Dec. 9 staff meeting and are a response to new data and giving teachers specific, limited rules for Code Red exe- makes similar suggestions. Teachers should make decisions information available from both federal and school sources cution, Herrmann hopes to show different possible safety about lockdown or evacuation on their own in life-threatenabout how teachers and students should respond during a options—for example, varying ways to organize a classroom. ing situations, as specified in the school crisis management Code Red alarm, with most focusing on safety tactics as well By promoting flexibility, she hopes to increase safety for all. plan written by the IACP Guide to Preventing and Respondas improved communication with police. “Let’s teach different ways to barricade,” Herrmann said. ing to School Violence. “The Code Red changes are much more about practices Assistant Principal Miriam Stevenson agrees. “The best Herrmann believes the new Code Red policies will lead and what we’re going to be teaching and reinforcing with our place to go or how to respond is to positive results. “They empower teachers and students to staff and students,” Princisituational dependent,” she said. make good decisions within a set of boundaries,” she said. pal Dr. Denise Herrmann “While getting into a classroom said. According to Herr“We thought if we gave really clear and barricading is part of the drill mann, the basic idea behind to prepare, in a real situation that directions and if people followed Code Red actions has not may not be an option or the safest the directions, then they’d be safe. changed. “In general, the choice. Our choices would depend overall policy is similar in What they found out is that there is on how close we are to what is octhat once we know that we no one right way.” curring at the time as well as our have an intruder on campus individual abilities to respond.” or something, then that Another major change in Code — Principal Dr. Denise Herrmann would force us to go into Red practices is the heavier inCode Red,” she said. volvement of police, both during Earlier this year, the school ran a baseline Code Red a drill and in a real emergency. Gunn administration is drill to evaluate how each classroom responds to a Code currently making efforts to work more closely with law Red alarm. Herrmann worked with a team of analysts to enforcement to ensure maximum campus security. “In a real collect data from the drill. “We went and checked every emergency, law enforcement is trained to respond directly classroom, so [the data] was how many classrooms were to any disturbance,” Stevenson said. barricaded, how many were silent, if there were anywhere Stevenson believes changes to Code Red practices will you could see kids moving,” Herrmann said. “It’s more of strongly impact the way students and teachers are taught a performance-based kind. In this kind of situation, it’s not about responding to emergencies. “I think it will provide on what you know as much as it is on what you do.” more flexibility in our thinking and preparations,” she Herrmann found that many of the Code Red routines said. “It can be helpful to consider how we might respond teachers had learned were ineffective. In an emergency, she and how that might be different based on where we are on discovered, adults and students alike did not follow through campus, the features of the building, area or classroom.” with many of the practices they’d been taught beforehand Revisions to Code Red practices were influenced by simply because those practices were often too intricate to changes in federal suggestions. The U.S. Department of EdCourtesy of Matthew Hamilton carry out. “Earlier five years ago, some of the kinds of rec- ucation stated in its K-12 Emergency Response Guidelines Students in L-6 work together to build an effective ommendations we were making were sort of complicated,” that students and staff may need more than one option in barricade with chairs during the Oct. 13 Code Red drill. Oracle-Sec Liaison
Gunn prepares for El Niño Prachi Kale
Features Editor
Palo Alto, along with many other cities in California, is beginning to prepare for the effects of El Niño, a weather phenomenon that will hit the West Coast from December through February; it is predicted to be the strongest storm in 50 years. “Locally, the predicted El Niño effects are increased rainfall, which could possibly lead to some negative aspects including localized flooding and mudslides in parts of California,” environmental science teacher Eric Ledgerwood said. He recommends that anyone living in areas prone to flooding should be prepared with sandbags, which are available from the City of Palo Alto. “Also, anyone with roofing needs should make sure that they are prepared for heavy loads of rain,” he said. “This can include making sure that your gutters are clean and that any drainage pipes in your yard are clear and ready to handle the load of water that is possible.” Principal Dr. Denise Herrmann says Gunn will also take precautionary measures to try and prevent flooding on campus. “The building and grounds team will make sure to blow off leaves and other debris that may clog the rain drains,” she said. “We will also make sure all low branches are removed from trees. All doors have been checked for seals on the bottom to make sure water doesn’t flow in.” Ledgerwood has also seen representatives from the district cleaning out gutters and removing leaves from rooftops. “I think that roofing needs have taken place over the years so Gunn should be about as prepared as it can be,” he said. According to Herrmann, assuring that all drains are clear is the most proactive
way to prevent flooding. However, Assistant Principal Miriam Stevenson says Gunn is prepared in the event that drains are blocked or slowed. “If we do have flooding, we have pumps, sandbags and fans available to help mitigate damage or safety concerns,” she said. “Gunn is receiving additional support from the district to blow out the drains, clean and inspect all roofs, downspouts and storm
Courtesy of Los Angeles Times
drains; they will be repaired if necessary.” Both Herrmann and Stevenson believe that Gunn is well-equipped for the impending rain. “Our custodial team and building and ground team are top notch and we are very prepared for inclement weather,” Herrmann said. As for the issue of where students will eat during lunch, Herrmann says the administration is working with the teachers to identify classrooms that will be open to students on rainy days. Ledgerwood recommends that students who bike arrange for alternate transportation, as biking in windy and wet weather can be dangerous. Stevenson also advises students to be more cautious with the increased rain. “I recommend going a bit slower and being aware on your way to and from school whether you’re walking, biking, a passenger or driver,” Stevenson said.
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EDITORIAL: The Opinion of The Oracle National articles do not reflect the real situation in Palo Alto Lately, several controversial articles have circulated social media, theorizing why Palo Alto experienced yet another suicide cluster last school year. While most student and alumni perspectives have been diverse and illuminating, pieces featured in professional publications such as “The New York Times” or “The Atlantic” tend to offer an incomplete part of our story. Instead of highlighting the ways our community has moved forward, these articles blame unsubstantiated causes, harmfully generalize the complicated subject of mental health and lack productive solutions to the problems they ascribe. They focus on dissecting the past for the sake of public intrigue rather than supporting our recovery by recognizing our town’s efforts to change the narrative. Many articles have painted us as a stationary community stuck in the same demanding, high-pressure mindset—they blame potential causes such as affluence, extreme standards of academic excellence, parental or peer pressure to succeed and more. They often exclude profound research showing that mental disorder and/or substance abuse has been found in over 90 percent of people who die by suicide. Rarely do they mention our continued work to reduce mental health stigma through community education and increased dialogue. Although there is always room for improvement, these articles fail to capture the full picture of how we have actively united and taken concrete steps to understand and address the complexities of mental health. Many group initiatives—ranging from community collaborations to student- and school-led efforts—have been developed in hopes of promoting a safer, more aware environment. When nationally read publications fail to portray such decisively positive responses to a widely prevalent social issue, they risk leaving other communities hopeless about similar struggles. Palo Alto School District (PAUSD) has taken steps to begin mental health education at a younger age. In 2011, PAUSD implemented an elementary-level program called “41 Developmental Assets” to help students develop positive, healthy values. Programs like this that start the conversation about mental health early allow students to become comfortable talking about their wellbeing. Additionally, in cooperation with Caltrain, the City of Palo Alto will soon enact a plan to ensure greater safety around the rail corridor. They plan to install an Intrusion Detection System that can more quickly detect trespassing on the tracks, upgrade the eight-foot fencing and remove vegetation for improved visibility. PAUSD now mandates Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) training in Living Skills, a class required for graduation. These sessions teach high school students how to recognize
warning signs of suicide, assist in questioning and comfort- undeniably competitive atmosphere—one that affects most ing distressed peers and refer others to get help. students, many negatively—but it in no way summarizes Our city authorities have proven to the community that the Gunn experience. they care. For example, Project Safety Net—a coalition beDespite our multi-dimensional efforts to educate, tween medical professionals, the City of Paly Alto, PAUSD respected publications have consistently overgeneraland more—has drawn upon national suicide prevention ized the complicated subject of mental health. Suicide research to develop a strategic plan for improving overall is a multifactorial phenomenon; it is a course of action youth wellbeing and preventing suicide in Palo Alto. taken almost always because of multiple causes, including Project Safety Net’s list of frequently asked questions raises potential undiagnosed disorders. Furthermore, the senawareness about the community’s efforts and helps people sationalist ways in which these articles have reported our better understand struggles, according to the American the situation. BetFoundation for Suicide Prevention, ter publicity for may increase the likelihood of conDespite our multi-dimensional these proactive, tagion. Instead of giving details about efforts to educate, respected timely measures the victims, research instead advises publications have consistently can teach other writers to focus on describing warning communities how signs, advances in methods of treatovergeneralized the complicatto start the converment and strategies for overcoming ed subject of mental health. sation about mensuicidal ideation. Through including tal illness and take stories of hope and recovery, publicatangible measures for prevention and recovery. tions can reduce the risk of contagion and encourage Most prominently, student voice continues to help those at risk to seek help. reshape our community’s culture. Multiple campaigns As much as we want to comprehend the nature of suiand events have taken place this year to promote a posi- cides, the reality is that none of us truly understands why tive mindset throughout Gunn and Palo Alto. Founded by they occur. Every individual faces unique life experiences graduates Mingming Caressi and Cat Volpe, the Alumni and one should remember that correlation does not imply Dialogue Initiative (ADI) and the Gunn Student Wellness causation. Mental illnesses do not discriminate. They do Committee have teamed up to administer panels hosted not affect just one race, just one personality type or just by alumni. They hope to foster communication between one town. Since 1999 suicide prevention has become a current and past students, allowing current students to national, public health issue through U.S. Surgeon General receive guidance in maneuvering their way though Gunn David Satcher’s “Call-to-Action to Prevent Suicide.” As a and planning for life after high school while reminding city, we are not alone in our fight to reduce mental stigma. students that high school and college aren’t the end-all, Instead of depicting Palo Alto as an isolated city, writers be-all. should use our experiences to highlight the importance of Furthermore, Sources of Strength, The Oracle and the addressing mental health by challenging misperceptions Reach Out, Care, Know (ROCK) club have been working and inspiring hope. together to promote the “#TitanStrong” campaign. Sources Although a number of journalists have neglected to offer of Strength held an informational night for parents affili- productive ways to move forward, Palo Alto continues to ated with both high schools to brief one another about the move itself forward. Our city will never forget the losses program’s teachings on building resiliency. The Oracle has we have suffered, but we are all presently working hard to debuted a series, “Changing the Narrative,” which features shape the future. By giving voice to different perspectives personal stories written by community members aiming to and solutions, our community has united toward the goal highlight the beauty of emotional vulnerability and reduce of positively changing our town’s attitudes and increasing stigma of taboo topics. ROCK has continued its tradition of awareness and vulnerability regarding mental health. delivering free appreciation grams, through which students Regardless of what outside media reports about Palo Alto, write encouraging notes to classmates and teachers. our community continues to remain resilient and grow in While the positive impacts of these initiatives cannot spite of our past. be quantitatively measured, the cohesiveness and care they embody directly contradict the stressed atmosphere —Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion dramatized by several outside articles. Our school has an of the staff (assenting: 31; dissenting: 0; abstaining: 5).
Elizabeth Zu
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recognizing feminism Honors literature curriculum still Everyone should lacks meaningful female perspectives support feminism Ryeri Lim and Deiana Hristov Some of the most celebrated works of our day are penned by women: “Frankenstein,” “Wuthering Heights” and “Little Women,” are only a few. And yet, instead of highlighting these women in the English Advanced Placement (AP) and upperclassman honors curriculum, such important content is buried underneath a mountain of analogous male protagonists and books by male authors. To thoroughly teach great literature and skillful analysis, honors English courses should place more emphasis on the literary achievements of the female perspective. The English department has recognized that this discrepancy in gender representation needs to be fixed. In 2013, changes to the required reading list increased the variety of authors introduced in honors lanes: the number of female authors has risen from three to 12, out of a current selection of 40 total works. This was a huge step forward. The omission of books written by women conveys the message that female authors are insignificant in the world of literature. Adding these required works to the curriculum not only does the achievements justice, but also allows students to experience a whole range of perspectives. Accelerated courses should not limit students to a necessarily narrow point of view communicated by one gender. It must be said, however, that we study not the authors themselves, but their works. It is important to also look at pieces which feature interesting female protagonists and viable role models. Fewer than 15 of 40 total works—37.5 percent—feature female protagonists. This imbalance in the curriculum creates a redundancy of male characters, often exploring similar themes. Even AP instructors, who are not required to teach
a specific list of works, may fail to address this issue. For example, the works “‘Master Harold’...and the boys,” “Hamlet” and “Brave New World” all feature adolescent males who struggle to discern right from wrong and where they truly stand on that spectrum of morality. While this cohesiveness can enrich the learning experience—and not all instructors teach the three works together—the need for diverse perspectives is greater than any excuse. By neglecting books by or about women, we neglect the education of girls in literature classes. It is also important to note that female protagonists should be relatable and thought-provoking, not simply one-dimensional love interests. Her unique set of struggles and conflicts should not depend on male characters to prompt discussion and analytical thought. After all, an important aspect of accelerated English classes is learning to study the character arcs throughout a book. When a reader identifies with these characters, they gain a better understanding of the novel. This benefits male students, who can at least superficially connect to 65 percent of the protagonists they study. But what about the females? It is more difficult for girls in our honors literature classes to immediately identify with characters in the required works, especially as emphasis lies on novels such as “The Scarlet Letter,” which is about the degradation of a woman caught committing adultery. Additionally, when students lack the experience to give flawed female figures the same sympathy or understanding they give to flawed male figures, they frequently misinterpret controversial characters—Daisy in “The Great Gatsby,” for example. Students must be trained to analyze and explain all types of characters’ motives and development, or essays will continue to villainize Daisy and aggrandize characters such as Ma in “The Grapes of Wrath.”
The College Board ’s AP English course guide says that “in an ongoing effort to recognize the widening cultural horizons of literary works written in English, the...Committee will consider and include diverse authors in the representative reading lists.” Only guidelines, however, are provided; the texts on the AP exam are arbitrary. Students must be prepared to insightfully analyze anything, including works written by people of many different demographics. The changes made to the national curriculum two years ago offer more literature by women and featuring women protagonists—now, it is up to our teachers to choose to teach them. — Lim, a senior, is a Forum Editor. Hristov, a sophomore, is a Copy Editor.
Elizabeth Zu
National Feminism Statistics 85 percent of Americans claim they believe in “equality for women.”
Americans’ perception of the term “feminist”:
18 percent of Americans consider themselves feminists Source: New York Times
Source: The Huffington Post
Graphics by Jackie Luo
Katie Russell
Everyone should consider themselves feminists, and that statement should not be controversial. The definition of a feminist is someone who believes that men and women should be social, political and economic equals. This, at least to me, sounds reasonable enough, and the general public seems to agree; according to “The Huffington Post,” 82 percent of Americans believe men and women should be equal. However, only 20 percent of Americans consider themselves feminists. This discrepancy ultimately stems from a host of misconceptions about feminism and what it stands for, an issue that may only be combated by means of education and explanation. The word “feminism” is often paired with the word “radical,” and tends to prompt eye-rolling and even outright displays of distaste. According to YouGov, 37 percent of Americans said that the word “feminist” has a negative connotation. A common criticism deals with semantics; if feminists fight for equal rights, opponents ask, then why not call it egalitarianism? Why “feminism”? To paraphrase from author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s “We Should All Be Feminists”: to avoid the word feminism is to exclude and ignore the struggles and oppression women have faced for centuries. Rather than simplistically placing both genders on the same level, feminism aims to empower and enable women to claim the institutional and interpersonal power men already command. Sexism undeniably disadvantages women in their careers, their financial independence, their physical safety and more; circumstances are dreadfully worse in non-western nations. Feminism’s negative connotation itself is proof that we are still far from realizing gender equality. A prevalent concern is the association with hate-mongering activists who also consider themselves feminists. As with any other social movement or group, extremists will demand attention, but those who call for the subjugation of men do not represent the vast majority of feminists. It is absurd to dismiss the ideas and beliefs of the whole simply because of a minority’s actions. Similarly, an oft-cited misconception about feminism is that it somehow leaves men in the dust. According to “The Economist,” only 18 percent of American men consider themselves feminists. Regardless of whether the remaining majority are actively oppositional or apathetic, that shockingly low figure would certainly rise if misconceptions were corrected. Contrary to popular belief, feminism benefits every gender. The field does not promote women or their rights over men; it strives for equality between genders. In this quest, feminists advocate the destruction of social constructs like gender roles. Discrimination and self-consciousness on the basis of gender still permeates everything from the television we watch to the majors we choose to pursue in college. Stringent masculine and feminine gender roles constrict freedom and opportunities for absolutely everyone, no matter the gender. Feminism is within everyone’s best interest, and there is no good reason not to call oneself a feminist. Misconceptions should be resolved through open discourse; those who already support feminism should patiently educate. If we believe that men and women deserve equality in every way—and I hope we all do—then we should all consider ourselves feminists. —Russell, a senior, is a Forum Editor.
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New education act can make progress Alex Dersh
Congressional politics get a bad rap these days, and for good reason. Partisanship and gridlock have made this branch of government an unprecedentedly hated institution. Out of all the problems that Washington D.C. cannot solve, education reform is one of the most critical. Sufficiently educating the country’s children is important and prevalent to everyone. Thankfully, recent developments on Capitol Hill give reason to believe that compromise and problem-solving are not yet dead. This December, the House overwhelmingly passed a major education overhaul crafted by Republicans and Democrats that would upend the federal framework of the 2001 law No Child Left Behind. Reforming this widely criticized relic of the Bush administration by passing the Every Student Succeeds Act decreases school dependence on standardized tests and improves education in multiple other ways as well. This bill looks to be the first successful effort at replacing No Child Left Behind. The new bill passed through the House with bipartisan majorities and looks ready to pass the Senate and become
law. Significant concessions were made on both sides, and while some of these would have made the bill much better had they been included, the necessity of creating a bill that could pass through Congress was worth the omissions. Great legislation in American history succeeds because both sides of the aisle collaborate to make the best bill possible. This bipartisan legislation is a step in the right direction toward ending a national obsession with standardized testing, reforming accountability requirements and shrinking the heavy-handed and centralized role of the federal government in education. It would move away from a school rating system overly reliant on student test scores by allowing states more flexibility in how to assess teachers and students, putting to rest attempts to tie teacher pay to test scores. The amount of funding schools receive, determined by a formula assessing school quality, would be evaluated with a more holistic combination of student and parent engagement, school climate and graduation rates, along with test scores. This change in evaluation would lessen pressure on schools to obsess over testing in order to secure better funding, which is currently dependent in great part on test scores. The federal government would no longer be able to mandate or incentivize states to adopt sets of standards such as Common Core, thereby freeing states to adopt standards they feel are more appropriate and tailored to citizens of specific states. Accountability measures
are strengthened, requiring states to intervene in the lowest performing 5 percent of schools, as well as ones with persistent achievement gaps and high dropout rates. The bill would also double-down on state commitments to ensure that all students, regardless of race or background, have access to a quality education. This honors our nation’s principles by reaffirming our commitment to equal educational opportunities for kids of all backgrounds.. Gunn, along with high schools nationwide, saw first-hand the unpopularity of Common Core’s standardized testing requirements. The test, named “Smarter Balanced,” attracted embarrassingly low participation rates from juniors. Classrooms frequently had more test administrators than test takers, and reports from across the country signaled huge percentages of students opting out of the assessment. This example illustrates the poorly implemented and poorly received testing requirements outlined by federal law and makes clearer the necessity of reform in testing standards. The endless tug-of-war between competing interest groups in the education debate may finally come to a head with the passage of this landmark legislation. Now out of the House, Every Student Succeeds Act awaits becoming law. With the passage of landmark education reform looking more certain by the hour, our politicians finally seem now to be giving the necessity of reforming our educational system more than lip service. —Dersh, a senior, is a Reporter.
Sabrina Chen
A typical night for a Gunn student might include studying for the math midterm, reviewing for the AP Statistics test and preparing for an in-class essay. Meanwhile, a chat window from a best friend appears on the screen. It reads: “Hey, did you take the French midterm yet? Can you test me?” The response (to not let down the friend) includes detailed advice with several questions that were on the test. The student sends, “Can you send me your bio homework?” A photo of the homework appears, followed by a message: “That’s what friends are for.” According to the Challenge Success Survey last spring, 87 percent of Gunn students have cheated. The most common types of cheating were working on an assignment with others when the instructor asked for individual work, copying someone else’s homework and getting test questions or answers from someone who already took the test. While there are many factors that may cause students to cheat, some of the most prevalent reasons are the desire to get into a good college, peer pressure, lack of time and the easiness of doing so and getting away with it. Gunn’s culture promotes an emphasis on college admissions. Facebook posts with “Accepted to Harvard!” or “UCLA 2019!” get hundreds of likes. Because colleges are so selective today, students feel the pressure to get good grades. When they cannot achieve a desired grade, they resort to cheating. This temptation to cheat stems from the mindset that one has to maintain a 4.0 grade point average, win a gold medal at the Junior Olympics, receive a 2400 SAT score and volunteer for 500 hours or more in order to get into a good college. A student with an 86 percent on one test before the final might cheat to save the grade and maintain the straight-A streak. Additionally, there is always the question of whether one should spend five hours studying and receive a B or not spend any time at all and receive an A. Peer pressure causes students to share homework and test
questions. The general idea is that friends should help each other. If a student shares answers from a test, he is more popular with his peers, being called “open” and “friendly.” Other students, therefore, are more likely to share answers with him if they take a test before him. There is nothing worse than a swarm of people running to the unfortunate soul who has A period math and asking him about the midterm. Ironically, there appears to be a stigma among students against people who do not cheat. Commonly, someone who refuses to send answers is referred to as a “goody two-shoes” or “one of those kids.” This attitude is representative of survey results, which show that cheating is more normal than not. Students also compare grades all the time. It is horrifying to get a D or an F on a test only to be asked for a grade by a “I failed but I got a 94” friend. Meanwhile, refusing to answer questions relating to grades makes one appear too sensitive and weak. Cheating is also easy and effortless at Gunn. A simple message to a couple of friends can give a student basically all the problems and answers from a midterm. A quick photo can provide homework answers. An easy Google search gives students access to thousands of pre-written essays. Students rarely get caught cheating because no one wants to be that kid who tells on everyone. Cheating is no longer a moral issue; it is an issue of necessity. Students need to cheat to meet their own expectations as well as their peers’. In order to begin to fix the cheating issue and end the cheating culture, there are several steps that can be taken. First, teachers should more distinctly change up problems between periods, more so than they currently do. This way, G period students won’t have an advantage over those in A Period. Second, more students should stand up and be “the kid who doesn’t talk about tests.” The stigma against people who do not cheat should be switched to be against people who do cheat. Students should be more willing to criticize those who cheat; a simple, “Isn’t that unfair to the people who actually did the work or took the test?” would help resolve the problem. Finally, students should spread the message that a college doesn’t define a person and that grades are just numbers and letters. By lowering college and grade expectations, students will be more relaxed and less likely to cheat. —Chen, a sophomore, is a Tech Editor.
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Community college deser ves consideration as a viable option
A lexand ra Ting
as freshmen. So, while students can brag of going to a top college straight out of senior year in high school, by the end of the following four years, community college transfer students can boast the same prestigious university name on their diploma—and for half the price. Though community college offers gateways to more reputable universities, community college itself is also Shagun Khare a legitimate alternative educational experience to more expensive public or private universities. For any student, community college can mean coming out of undergradu“_______ is probably going to go to Stanford, and ate education without the thousands of dollars in debt that I am probably going to Foothill.” For the hundreds of one might have to carry for the bulk of their middle-aged times we have heard it or even said it, the phrase does life if he or she goes to a private university. Rather than carnot cause a single person to flinch, much less speak up rying the weight of surmounting debt on their shoulders, about it. We are enveloped in an environment that is students can instead utilize money saved from commuintellectually stimulating and pride ourselves for raising nity college for more vauable endeavors in future years. our voices and embracing people of all backgrounds, so While a significant number of students in Palo Alto why is it that, in Palo Alto, degrading community college are privileged enough to afford these more costly schools, has become an acceptable, even mundane occurrence? for many students these universities are not the most While we live in a town that allows us to define ourselves financially suitable options. With community college as privileged, the term is not one that necessarily applies costing about $3,000 and private universities costing to all students. Therefore, an average of $30,000, it is imperative for memby the end of four years bers of the Palo Alto com- Community college transfer students can of undergraduate educamunity to start embracing saving $110,000 can boast the same prestigious university tion, and stop shaming commean a vast realm of savmunity college, since it is name on their diploma—and for half ings and opportunities for an option many students the price. many families. With that will be considering as they in mind, it is imperative beg in new chapters in t heir lives nex t fa l l. for those who are able to afford such luxuries as private According to the Foothill-De Anza Community universities to remain respectful of other people’s deciCollege District, the two community colleges nearest sions when it comes to higher education. Joking about to Palo Alto have some of the highest graduation and matters such as community college not only diminishes transfer rates in the nation. Foothill College has a rate of students’ worth, but also invalidates the obstacles and about 69 percent, and De Anza College has a rate of 73 difficulties they and their families might have had to percent, far surpassing the national average of 39 percent. endure in order to get to that point in the first place. Given such success, community college is clearly a viCommunity college is not a code word for stupid. It able option for students seeking a more affordable, local is a place where students can obtain a valuable education school for undergraduate education. And for those who that can help provide them with brighter futures and are not accepted to their dream schools, community invaluable opportunities beyond the realm of just educollege in the Bay Area provides students with a second cation. As a community, it is time for students, parents chance, opening up a gateway to more reputable educa- and teachers alike to begin opening up dialogue about tion after just completing two years of school locally. the benefits and viability of community college. We can Additionally, Foothill College has worked with the bring light to more affordable education through the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) to offer same college counseling sessions, college fairs and genthe UCLA Transfer Alliance Program, in which hon- eral discussion we encounter every single day at school, ors students are guaranteed priority consideration for but that always seem to be revolving around expensive, admission to the UCLA College of Letters and Science. prestigious universities. Rather than joking about comAccording to Foothill College, students experience a munity college, we should praise and respect it, because 70 to 98 percent acceptance rate through the program, community college has never been a code word for “stucompared to UCLA’s general acceptance rate of 17.3 pid”—that is just how our community has perceived it. percent. Therefore, not only is it more likely for one to get If anything, community college signifies opportunity, into a national university through community college, and a chance for an equal education that we all deserve. but it also allows students to save up to $60,000 per year as opposed to the tuition required of students entering —Khare, a junior, is a Sports Editor.
Faces in the Crowd Are standardized tests an accurate measure of a student’s intellect?
“I don’t think so because the results are compared to others rather than based on your own knowledge.”
“I don’t think it shows your true intelligence because it just shows how much work you put into it.”
“No, I don’t think it really matters anyways since I’ve known some people who scored low but still went on to do big things.”
“No, because I feel like there are a lot of different ways that people can express their intelligence other than traditional tests.”
Micah Alon (9)
Mohr Tzur (10)
Demario Williams (11)
Isabel Wei (12) —Compiled by Tim Sun
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More advanced non-STEM classes can benefit all Anyi Cheng
There is just something that screams “science” about living in a place called Silicon Valley. Stationed in a city only a few miles away from big-brand tech companies like Oracle, Tesla and Apple, it comes as no surprise that Gunn is inordinately science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) -oriented. In fact, U.S. News & World Report currently ranks Gunn as the 11th best STEM school in the nation. However, what Gunn can boast of in STEM, it lacks in subjects like English and history. Our school does not offer nearly as many advanced humanities courses as it should, putting some of its students at a disadvantage. One look through Gunn’s 2015 to 2016 course cata log is enou g h to se e t he d i spa r it y b e t we en STEM course opt ions a nd hu ma nities course options. Gunn only offers one Advanced Placement (AP) English course (AP Literature and Composition) and three AP social science courses (AP US History, AP Economics and AP Psychology) despite the numerous other AP humanities tests that exist. That is exactly half the number of AP math and science courses offered, leaving those who are not so numbers-savvy feeling left out of the loop. Gunn’s challenging math and science classes likely contribute to its top-notch STEM ranking; here, math and science classes even have designated “lanes” of difficulty throughout all four years of high school. Students have three different options for first-year biology alone: Biolog y 1, 1A and H. Course options in the humanities, on the other hand,
are woef ully limited. Underclassmen are especially restricted; freshman and sophomore year social studies only has one “lane,” and English classes are limited to an “Advanced” option and a “regular” college prep option. We live in a rapidly developing world of technology and innovation, but that does not mean the arts should be shunted aside.
Though perhaps unintentional, the bias of Gunn’s classes towards STEM-favoring causes is detrimental to the well-being of some students. The abundance of advanced science and math courses have led many students—some of whom are not looking to pursue a STEM-related c a reer—to t a ke more A P or honors courses than they can handle. Part of this is because they feel pressured to take a certain number of advanced courses. What exacerbates this problem is that many of the advanced courses
Elizabeth Zu
At Gunn, we try our best to foster an encouraging and inclusive environment. Our lack of advanced-level humanities courses, however, propagates the pre-existing disadvantages against students who are not necessarily STEM-inclined. Lessons in the humanities deliver their own set of invaluable skills. A physics or trigonometry class cannot teach students how to read and analyze as critically as can a quality literature class. People are less likely to succeed in the future without the skills obtained through studying humanities; even a petroleum engineer will need to be able to read or even publish a few papers.
they tack on are in subjects that hold little to no appeal to them. Students cannot reinforce the idea that they should academically pursue subjects they have genuine interest in if those subjects are not offered; the appeal of learning for the sa ke of lea r n i ng cea ses to exist when students are pressured into taking an advanced course that they have no interest in. If Gunn offered more advanced courses in the humanities, it would alleviate this dilemma by giving students more opt ions t hat cou ld cater more specifically to their wants and talents. Letting students choose t he subjects
they want to study will instead increase the appeal of education. Of course, there is the ever-persistent worr y that the addition of more advanced courses would lead to what is called “honors stacking.” At a competitive school like Gunn, it is inevitable that many students will feel obligated to take as many tough classes as they can. Parents and teachers alike fret that if the school offered even more AP and honors classes, many students would blindly try to take them all. Even so, our current situation is hardly fair and already leads to unnecessary stress. A better balance between advanced c l a s s e s i n d i f ferent f ield s wou ld at least allow students to challenge themselves and focus on the subjects they persona lly want to focus on. We are not trying to manufacture scientists and mathematicians at Gunn; we are trying to let students explore their intere st s a nd natura lly develop t heir academic abilities. Not offering enough choice doe s not help that mission. C ol le ge B o a rd a l re a dy of fer s A P tests for Language and Composition, G over n ment , C ompa r at ive G over nment, European History, World History and Human Geography—all classes not currently offered at Gunn. Adding such classes and giving underclassmen the option to take more challenging courses in social studies and English could open new doors, alleviate student stress and highlight the very core values we champion: diversit y, inclusion and a well-rounded education. Let us choose our own education and let us follow our own interests; let us not leave out those who would rather write lines of verse than lines of code. —Cheng, a junior, is the Oracle-TBN Liaison.
Finals should not be necessary if students have an A Ariel Pan
While Andy Williams may be singing “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” many students would beg to disagree. December means finals season; people are already starting to prepare study guides, hiring lastminute tutors and using finals calculators to figure out the minimum amount of work needed to maintain a good grade. But in the f lurry of final projects and last-minute essays, studying for every single final is an impossible task. To better reduce stress, students should not have to take a final exam if they have an A in the class because they have already proven that they exerted the effort necessary to receive that A. Not having to take finals in all classes allows students to focus on classes with which they have the most trouble. Right now, it is a bit like trying to stop all the holes in a leaking boat; water keeps coming in. Many students already prioritize classes, choosing to study more for classes with lower grades. But even if one has an A in the class, it is not a given; he or she still has to receive an average grade on the class final to maintain that A. As most finals are weighted about 15 to 20 percent of the total grade, they have the ability to raise or drop a grade by a few percentages. Studying for those classes diverts time away that could be used
to study for classes in which the students have bor- be grueling. If one does not have to take a final in all derline grades. Focusing on a couple of finals allows of his or her classes, then it can free up one of these students to spend more time studying that subject and testing periods so students can save their best for their gives them more time to understand and retain what hardest class. They should not have to waste energy they do not know. Rather than trying to cram dates taking the final in a class in which they already have an and formulas that they will forget right after, students A because they already put their work in all semester. can use final-free periods to study for other tests and Some might say that letting those with As not take prepare for final prethe final widens the gap between sentations, effectively those with As and those with lower reducing stress. Finals are meant to test on general grades in the class. But people are In a test-based class not all the same. They may excel such as math, if a stu- knowledge of the class over the course in different classes or subjects and dent has an A, it means of the semester. But if a student has it is unreasonable to suggest that they did well on quizalready put in the work over the people shou ld a l l succeed in t he z e s a n d /o r c h a p t e r same classes. A student might have t e s t s . It m e a n s t h e y semester and maintained an A, there trouble in math but excel in English understood the subject is no point in testing them further. or vice versa. Again, focusing on matter and are efficient one subject is easier than spreading in test-taking; taking the final exam will not change oneself across two. that. In a project or essay-based class, the grade is Finals are meant to test on general knowledge of more based on the student’s work during the semester. the class over the course of a semester. But if a student Students who worked hard to get an A in those classes has already put in the work over the semester and should not have to stress about those finals. Finals try maintained an A, there is no point in testing them to be all-encompassing, but due to the amount learned further. If they worked hard over the semester but in the semester, they are often less detailed than unit still did not achieve an A, not having to take a final tests. Some teachers already allow students with 94 in classes in which they do have As will free up time percent or higher in the class to skip the final, citing so they can really focus on mastering the material in that there is no point in testing students on what they more challenging classes. While this does not make already know. taking finals any easier or more fun, it will bring us Even if a final is not especially hard, working for one step closer to the most wonderful time of the year. 100 minutes takes its toll on the mind and on the second day of finals with periods A, C and G, this can —Pan, a junior, is a News Editor.
Features
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Friday, December 4, 2015
Students display their innovative sides Sophomore David Tesler Paolo Frank Reporter
Sophomore David Tesler is co-founder of local startup company GoForge. Tesler has been interested in the technological field ever since he was young. “I wrote my first program when I was seven,” Tesler said. “It was a button that did nothing that I labeled ‘The Stress Button.’” Their program allows people to work on coding and developing their projects from a cloud for low prices. Monthly, GoForge charges $5 per 512 megabytes of random access memory (RAM), and $0.10 a month per gigabyte of storage in their database. Tesler and his co-founder work on different aspects to manage their company smoothly. “I handle the construction of the tech itself,” Tesler said. “My cofounder does the business.” Tesler believes that working with his partner is part of
what makes his experience at GoForge appealing. One vivid memory of his partner occurred at a tech party, at which his partner got into a heated argument about the coding program Java. “I was amazed at how well he argued, even though he didn’t know Java,” Tesler said. “You give him any point to push across and he’ll do it.” Their program provides app developers with a cloud service for working on their projects. “We make it easier for companies to make web applications,” Tesler said. “We make the development environment consistent.” At t he moment , GoForge is in its beta stage, and the launch date for the full site is
undecided. “I don’t know what’s going to pop up,” Tesler said. “It’s insanely disorganized with school, so I don’t have a roadmap [for the full launch].” So far, 4,502 users have registered and 6,152 apps have been created. Tesler is passionate about his job at GoForge and sees it as a getaway from school. “It’s the fun kind of stress,” Tesler said. “I would go insane if school was the only thing I did.” Though Tesler is happy working at GoForge, he is uncertain about what his future in tech holds for him. “Things change a lot with time, and I don’t know what will trend in the future,” Tesler said. “I think Internet of Things (IOT) will trend. It’s when you have internetenabled devices. Not just phones, anything. Coffee makers, washing machines. It makes life easier.”
Junior Andrew Shen Lena Ye
Sports Editor
Freshman Amber Fu Stina Chang
Centerfold Editor
We value creativity and imagination in children, but what about solving world problems? We tend to think of practical solutions instead of solutions primed on creativity. Though many students are training to become the best problem-solvers in school, freshman Amber Fu is learning to become a creative thinker at the Design Farm. “The problems [we have] today are very nebulous,” Design Farm mentor Donald Olgado said. “If we can define [the problem] properly, we can usually find someone who can solve it.” The Design Farm allows students to learn about leadership, confidence and most importantly, design through the program Teen-Cubator. Teen-Cubator, a section of the Design Farm, provides space for students to express their creativity and apply that set of thinking to the real world. For Fu, this is her favorite part about Design Farm and Teen-Cubator. “We have a lot of freedom, but there is also structure,” Fu said. Fu first became interested in Teen-Cubator when she and her mom were looking for a program to help her find new interests. “I like engineering and math,” Fu said. “We thought it was a design program [that involved those subjects], so my mom signed me up.” At Teen-Cubator, students come up with projects that can potentially solve dilemmas. Fu and her team are currently working on a project that helps high school students manage their time schedule. “I spend a lot of time on social media and I can never get my homework done until really late at night,” Fu said. “So I want to change that and start to feel aware.” Since a number of sites and apps already assist people with time management, Fu and her team decided to utilize one of these programs to show people the difference it makes when using a time management program. Being actively involved in this program, Fu Ch saw herself inf luenced by her own project. “It’s helped me be more eryl Ka organized with my time,” Fu said. o Fu has been part of Teen-Cubator since the beginning of this school year, and she plans on continuing to remain involved. “I’m still deciding what I really want, but this is definitely one of the top things that I want to do,” she said. Olgado believes that students can utilize the Design Farm as a way to figure out their future interests in life. “It’s a way to get your feet wet and figure out what you like to do,” he said. Middle school and high school students who are interested in joining the TeenCubator can contact the Design Farm team by visiting its website at thedfarm. org or by getting in touch with Donald Olgado.
Junior Andrew Shen has worked as a designer for DoorDash since the summer after his freshman year. His job is to define and create visuals for the product the company makes; Shen does interaction design and converts big ideas into something that can be coded onto specific screens. However, as one of DoorDash’s first employees, his job description used to be a lot more broad and ambiguous. “When I started off, DoorDash was a pretty small company,” Shen said. “We had around 30 employees. I had to do a lot of everything, so that meant starting with broad needs of people, consumers, merchants, and drivers, and breaking those down to create a solid product. I had to wireframe, create final deliverables, and help out with some of the code.” He landed the job after an employee found his portfolio website and contacted him. “I sat down for coffee just to get to know him a little better and get to know the company better,” Shen said. “Where they see themselves in five or ten years, how product design plays a role at DoorDash, how I’d be making an impact, and getting a general idea of what the team and company culture is like.” After the interview, he went in and participated in an impromptu design exercise, a version of a coding or engineering exercise. DoorDash gave him a hypothetical situation where he had to design a part of the app, and asked him to sketch his ideas to see how he tackled ideas and how he communicated with engineers. Working with DoorDash has helped Shen in landing jobs and doing graphic design work for other companies such as Lasrmark and Coden. It has also forced him to step up and take responsibility for his work. “I learned the hard way that in the workplace, no one’s going to tell you what to do,” Shen said. “If you need something from someone else, you have to go out and communicate with them. You have to be proactive and actively talking to people instead of waiting for things to come to you.” Shen values and prefers the experience of working in a physical office at DoorDash compared to his other jobs, which were usually conducted through Skype calls. “I liked working as a full-time employee and working on a long-term product instead of constantly switching projects with short-term contracts,” Shen said. “That was why I wanted to work inhouse at a company instead of working remotely off a one or two-month contract.” The in-house environment also helps him work more efficiently. “Once you get there, you have to work,” Shen said. “Everything is already set up for you there and everyone else is working. Being able to go into an office and specifically set aside five or ten hours in a productive place allows me to use time more effectively.” Shen’s advice for other aspiring designers involves fundamental work ethics. “Have good taste, be humble and work really hard,” Shen said. “If you’re able to look at your own work and say, ‘This is really bad,’ then you’re headed in the right direction. If you’re willing to work towards that and keep expanding your taste as you go, then you’ll be pretty well set.”
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Center
BODY ART
and the
ESS QUE
‘“I believe the purpose of body art is to be able to openly express yourself through your outward appearance. It’s a way to show the world what you think is beautiful on a human canvas.
—Maila Keulker (12)
Flock of sea
Rose “This form of art is silent but expressive. Through art and music, I express things I can’t explain with words or writing but with feeling and symbols. Just plainly being themselves, wearing colors, being different and standing out is kind of scary but totally rewarding at the end of the day when you smile at the little joy inside you.”
something m lows people identity.”
Dream Catcher
—Suzie Navarro (12)
Stu d ent’s stand s on b o dy ar t as self-expression Michael Chen
he ry Jo l Ka an o ne an Le d e
Centerfold Editor
rt
by C
Butterfly A
“I think the purpose of body art is to show people your own world. I love to show my tattoo—it is my country’s (Korea) traditional tattoo and my religion is included also. Body art will make people focus on you when you walk, talk and move.” —alumnus Soho Lee
Self-expression is plentiful at Gunn. In art classes, students learn sculpture, painting and pottery. Music students express themselves with sound, while those taking photo class choose to display individuality with stills captured by a camera. However, not all forms of expression at Gunn are limited to the classroom. Some students choose a unique medium to express themselves: their bodies. Body art has a controversial place in modern society. A large number of the opinions voiced today give body art a negative connotation. Parents often warn children not to make impulsive decisions with lasting consequences, and the sharp tools and requisite pain associated with most forms of body art are enough to deter many. The question then
becomes why— According expression tha of making you make yourself the time.” De says he origin and found tha through tough where I didn’t said. “I thoug was somethin
13
rfold
Friday, December 4, 2015
e
SENTIAL ESTION: why?
“This means of expression is a way to display what is meaning ful or motivational to that individual. Body art gives people the opportunity to become the person they envision by taking advantage of agulls the many different forms of modification. Whether it be a prominent change or more subtle, this artistic expression alto create and build a new sense of self-
—Maila Keulker (12) Blue Dragon
Wolf Pack
—why do people pursue body art? to junior Ian Detreville, body art a unique form of at is more than just art. “I think body art is a way u a little more you,” Detreville said. “It’s a way to f unique, and that uniqueness stays with you all of etreville, who has a piercing and multiple tattoos, nally experimented in body art out of curiosity at it gave him the confidence and strength to push h times. “I was going through a period of my life think I was going to make it to be older,” Detreville ght I might as well experiment in body art, which ng I was really interested in, and I ended up using
it as a way to express myself. Overall, it made me feel more confident and definitely shaped the person I am today.” Detreville is one of many who uses body art as a way to show individuality. Senior Maila Kuelker says that in regards to expression, body art is chiefly a way to connect with oneself. “Body art gives people the opportunity to become the person they envision by taking advantage of the many different forms of modification,” Kuelker said in an email. “Whether it be a prominent change or something more subtle, this artistic expression allows people to create and build a new sense of identity.” Kuelker has a multitude of ear piercings, which helps set her apart from others. “For me, it’s an easy and small way to be a bit different,” she said in an email. “I think piercings can be really pretty considering there is such a variety of earrings and designs to choose from, and I like being able to add some sparkle to my look without going over the top using just jewelry.”
While its unique medium separates body art from more traditional forms of expression, body art is still used for many of the same purposes. Some people use it as a facet to showcase their personality, while others use it to represent important aspects of themselves and their lives. Body art’s purpose varies from individual to individual. Gunn alumnus Soho Lee uses body art to represent his native country of Korea; its traditions and his religion. Senior Suzie Navarro, on the other hand, depicts her life story through her body art. “I keep adding as I grow,” Navarro said. “Whatever memorable things stun my life is what I choose to mark. I lost a close friend of mine a week before we were going to get each other’s names tattooed; he never showed up to the appointment so I have his name as well as music notes.” Different individuals will have their reasons and motivations for body art. But regardless of that reason, body art contributes to their sense of identity and individuality. In this aspect, it is comparable to any other form of art. Painters, photographers, musicians, sculptors—they all express themselves using different means. That expression becomes part of their identity, just as body art does. The only difference is the canvas. Photo by Josh Spain
14
Features
Different organizations demonstrate Foothill Middle College students grow plants for Haiti The Society of Providence United for the Economic After hearing about the club’s existence, Cabot decided Development of Petion-Ville (SOPUDEP) is a Haitian to join, relating with the founders’ desires to improve organization that works to provide food, education, hous- the lives of impoverished Haitians. “I felt the passion ing, healthcare and enterprise to the poor citizens of the that [Whitman and DeShetler] had [and] I could see that C a r ibbea n nathey were so happy to make a diftion. A club was ference,” she said. “For me I just founded at want everybody to have the Foothill Middle same rights and health care College to raise and education.” money and coLeiman, too, understood o rd i n a t e w i t h how necessary it was SOPUDEP to for her to take the opachieve the same portunity to help those hu ma n it a r ia n less fortunate. Life in goals. Silicon Valley espeTwo members cially gave her perof the club, Marspective on what t ha Cabot a nd she could do to Nina Leima n, Courtesy of Middle College Haiti Club he lp ot he r s . a re ju n ior s at “I’m obviousMiddle College students prepare the soil on their Foothill Middle ly so privileged Solidarity Farm for planting vegetables this winter. to live in Palo C ol le ge . T he y have been involved with the club since its creation this Alto,” she said. “To be able to do school year, volunteering their time to work on numerous something to help another comprojects to raise money for SOPUDEP, such as planting munity is cool.” a produce-filled garden. Cabot and Leiman hope Leiman joined upon learning about the club once the that others are inspired to club’s founders, Natalia Whitney and Marie DeShetler, make a positive impact in advertised among Middle College students. Leiman saw the world from the work they an opportunity to help out those in need while better are doing. “I think they see our connecting to her Middle College community. “It’s really motivation and how easily we can go about cool to be able to work on something in my community,” helping people who are in need,” Cabot said. she said. “It really feels like we’re doing something good The club’s “Solidarity Farm,” a community for the world.” farm located in East Palo Alto, grows produce
to be sold in order to raise money for medical supplies. They sell the produce through Community Supported Agriculture packages. The club also goes green through its ongoing recycling project, in which they collect aluminum, plastic and glass bottles in exchange for cash that goes to the charity. As Cabot explained, helping out is easy for any and all. “You don’t have to be at every single fundraiser or every single activity to pitch in,” she said. “We represent how easy it is to help and be part of a community that is in need.” Cabot and Leiman both understand the critical needs of many in Haiti, as the country’s corrupt government makes prov id i ng for its cit i z ens d i f f ic u lt . Underscoring her compassion for those in need, Cabot saw no excuse for not contributing to SOPU DEP. “I f I can make an impact, and if I can do good, then what is stopping me?” she asked.
Graphics by Cheryl Kao and Elizabeth Zu
—Written by Alex Dersh
Fall Service Fair introduces local service organizations
On Nov. 17, the Youth Community Service-Interact clean up the beach for Half Moon Bay Reserve, you clean schoolers help,” she said. “I know a lot of people have a (YCS-Interact) club hosted its first Fall Service Fair, in up and you never see the beach again,” she said. “The [Fall] hard time getting service hours or want new experiences which over 15 organizations offered volunteer opportuni- Service Fair allows you to find something to do throughout with community service. It’s cool that YCS-Interact made ties to students. The various organizations provide diverse the whole year and it makes the service more meaningful.” it so available to everyone.” resources for students to get involved with their communiYu volunteers with organizations that revolve around Kuimelis says service benefits both the volunteer and ty. Some of the organizations ranged from Abilities United, helping kids, and says that the most the community. which supports children and adults with disabilities, to rewarding part of long-term service is Not on ly doe s the MidPeninsula Regional Open Space, which assists in watching the kids grow. “You see how service help her recreational, park and social services. they change from one summer to the next grow as a person, YCS-Interact annually hosts a spring Service Day, an summer,” Yu said. “That’s something that but it also allows event where students participate in off-campus community you can really get from the service. If Kuimelis to use service for one day. However, the club decided it wanted you volunteered to tutor throughout the opportunities to more students to engage in long-term service, so it planned whole year, it makes a difference because help others. “In t he Fa l l Ser v ice you can see how they one way or anFair. YCS-Interact struggled in the beother, it’s going Co-President seginning of the year, to better you as a n ior Br ia n H i l l and at the end of the person and your says t he Ser v ice year, they are more community,” she Fair was planned self-sufficient.” said. “CommuCourtesy of YCS-Interact Facebook group so t hat students Initially, Hill was nity service helps could build conconcerned that the Students sign up to receive more information. you realize the nections with their club’s work would go privilege that you causes. “The idea to waste if there were have and it helps was really rooted no student attendees. you give back to in creating long“We were planning people who don’t term volunteering everything—we got have the privilege. Alexandra Ting partnerships,” he all the organizations It gets you out of said. “We do a lot of A Youth Community Service (YCS) representative to come, we had the your comfor t runs and one-time presents about their organization’s service work. decorations set up, zone and try new events, but really, the tables and evthings that are recreating a partnership and going every weekend or every erything looked good—and I was worried warding.” other weekend is something really valuable to have because that no one was going to show up,” he For Hill, comyou get that relationship with the organization and a close- said. “I had one site tell me that she’s gone munit y ser v ice ness to the cause.” to service fairs at other high schools and hold s a lot of Board member junior Anushka Joshi says the Fall they were more reluctant to talk to her. At meaning. “SerAlexandra Ting vice is important Service Fair allows opportunities for service to be more Gunn, students walked right up and talked A crowd gathers around Canopy, a tree-planting because we take accessible. “We wanted to bring service onto campus as to her and she was impressed.” well and give opportunities there,” she said. “[Service is] Sophomore Carolyn Kuimelis, who non-profit, to learn about its city-wide events. so much from our important because it helps people who don’t have things has been involved with volunteer work community, and that you have, and it’s important to take care of the world since elementary school, attended the Service Fair hoping it’s important to give back to it,” he said. “It opens your around you and reach out into your community.” to explore more volunteering options. “For a while, I’ve eyes to the needs of others. It’s our duty to use our own Interact Co-Vice President senior Giannina Yu says the really liked being involved in service and I wanted to see resources to help those who don’t have them.” service fair promotes continuous service and commitment. what other service opportunities were out there and there “The difference is when you go to Service Day, if you help were a ton of organizations that were happy to have high —Written by Janet Wang
Friday, December 4, 2015
15
the rewarding power of giving back Four holiday service events to visit:
Service brings back childhood joys
Deiana Hristov
Holiday Community Tree Lighting: Mountain View City Hall Plaza 500 Castro Street Mountain View, CA 94041 Mon., Dec. 7 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Help Santa give out hot chocolate and cookies, and aid kids with arts and crafts.
Pet Food Express:
3910 Middlefield Road Palo Alto, CA 94303 Sat., Dec. 12 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Bring pets to have picture taken with Santa Claus, proceeds benefit Itty Bitty Orphan Kitty Rescue.
Holiday Toy Elves:
204 Stierlin Road Mountain View, CA 94043 Sat., Dec. 12 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Come out to sort and inventory toys for the Holiday Sharing Program. Also help prepare, setup and takedown the toy store.
El Camino YMCA Holiday Event:
2400 Grant Road Mountain View, CA 94040 Sat., Dec. 12 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Volunteer to work at craft tables, photo booths, check-in desk and help with food preparation.
— Compiled by Naina Murthy
Toys for Pups creates toys for charity Toys for Pups is a new club on campus, started by junior Emily Spector. Students meet during lunch on Mondays in room C-3 to make dog toys by tying fabric in different patterns to make firm ropes. The toys are then donated to Canine Companions for Independence (CCI), a nonprofit charity organization that provides service dogs to people with disabilities. Spector got the idea for the club after being introduced to CCI by her aunt, who has a service dog. “I was already really passionate and knew a lot about [CCI] because my aunt is involved with it,” she said. “I formed the club because I wanted to try to get more Gunn students involved with charities.” Club advisor John Hebert’s favorite part about the club is its mission and goal. “It’s very generous to give up your lunch hour to create a chew toy for a dog you’ll never meet,” he said. “It’s good service in good spirit.” Sophomore Lydia Tsai joined the club out of love for dogs, but has also discovered additional incentive to attend meetings every week. “Making the dog toys with friends is relaxing and helps me unwind
when I have a lot on my mind,” she said. “It’s also inspiring, what these simple toys can do to help other people.” Like Tsai, many other students have joined the club because while they can do something that benefits the community, they can also have a good time and make new friends. “Even though not everybody in the beginning knew everybody, people are always helping each other out and talking to each other,” Hebert said. “In that sense, [the club] has a really good social environment.” Spector welcomes new members and encourages interested students to give it a try. “It’s a really fun and chill environment,” she said. “If you’re interested in helping a really important charity, then it’s a great way to get involved easily.” —Written by Grace Ding
Alexandra Ting
Toys for Pups members prepare and measure different types of patterned fabric to make chew toys for dogs.
When I was little, there was a period of time during the summer, after our family vacation but before school started, when my brother and I had absolutely nothing to do. It was 2008 and my family had just moved to Palo Alto, so my mother decided to seize this opportunity for me to make friends and get integrated into the community. She signed me up for Foothills Day Camp, a two-week camp run by the city of Palo Alto, in which a group of 10 counselors take about 50 kids up to Foothills park to run wild. I had been to summer camps before, and I was expecting two weeks of sitting in the corner reading while the other kids played dodgeball or some equally terrifying game. Foothills Day Camp was different, and I fell in love with it—from the goofy counselors, to the games, to singing on the bus on the way to and from the park. I came back the next year, and the next, until I was simply too old to attend the camp. In 2012, the first summer since I came to Palo Alto and didn’t attend the camp, I felt like I was missing an old friend. The camp had done so much for me—it introduced me to new friends, gave me the opportunity to explore and run around and helped me grow from the shy kid who sat alone at lunch, face buried in a book, to someone who would be on the front lines during Capture the Flag. Since I was not old enough to be a counselor, I applied for the next best thing: Counselor in Training (CIT). Being a CIT was like donning a second skin I had never before worn. I was still a camper at heart, and I found myself dropping my stuff at the camper table and sympathizing with the kids who complained about the camp’s “no disturbing nature” rule. At first, I was more like an overgrown camper than a CIT. However, as the days went on, I grew into my role. It was hard to strike the right balance between being fun and strict. As I berated a kid for breaking the rules, my inner camper would flinch. Over the two-week session I learned how to cheer up a crying camper, how to keep singing even though I felt like my lungs were about to collapse and how terrifying it is to break up a fight between two eight year olds. Above all, I learned responsibility, what it means to have a leadership role and how to handle that power. The last day of camp, when I was hugging the campers goodbye and smiling until my cheeks hurt to keep tears from falling, I learned one other thing—I would keep going back to this camp as long as I could. I kept my promise and came back as a CIT again. This time around, however, it was different. As this was my second year, I felt more like a counselor than a camper. I had an even greater leadership role: I was expected to lead more games, organize more crafts and tackle challenges with campers instead of referring them to a counselor. These new responsibilities meant I no longer had brief moments of downtime to catch my breath, but I didn’t care, as long as I got to spend time with the camp I loved. The fact that the next summer I will return to Foothills Day Camp as a counselor is mindblowing, but sometimes I wish that my years as a CIT were never-ending. As a counselor, I’ll miss the days when my time in the Foothills was not muddled by the added complexity of a paycheck and salary. Volunteering at Foothills camp gave me more than just community service hours. It gave me the chances to go back to my camper years, back to being that sunburned camper running, screeching with laughter through the fields. —Hristov, a sophomore, is a Copy Editor.
Features 16 Black Student Union raises minority awareness Elinor Aspegren News Editor
With over 100 clubs and organizations on Gunn’s campus ranging from Cheese Club to Thespian Club, none offer more of a sense of belonging to its members than the Black Student Union (BSU). Run by senior Menna Mulat and junior Tiazha Jackson, the organization prides itself on its diverse atmosphere and commitment to serving minorities. According to Jackson, several changes to the club have strengthened this atmosphere. “One thing that we’re focusing on this year is not just bettering the community around us but bettering ourselves,” she said. This year, they are working on a partnership with the Ecumenical Hunger Program to focus on volunteering for their community. Additionally, the club wants to bridge stereotypes and teach others information regarding minority
Courtesy of Black Student Union
Black Student Union cleans up after the Block Party Carnival in the 2014-2015 school year.
Q&A
awareness beyond what is learned in the classroom. Club member sophomore Aldric Bianchi said he joined the club because he wanted to help create this change. “I wanted to destroy the stigma or stereotype
“BSU provides a sense of unity that provides a place for everyone to go to. It’s like a family that’s with you on campus.” — Co-President junior Tianzha Jackson around us that we’re not into education,” he said. “I want to change that fact, and I want people to view us for our culture and community.” According to Mulat, a typical meeting consists of a focused agenda that allows discussion and dia logue on events, issues and the general black community. “We try and have a goal for each meeting—for example, one of our goals right now is to raise our overall [grade point average] and help each other out,” she said. “W hat we l i ke to see [a nd ta l k about] is what our schools do and how we can put ourselves out there for them.” The two presidents are planning to put on several events this year. In addi- Cher y lK ao tion to the club food fair, the BSU will be volunteering with several organizations and planning a dance for BSUs at other schools. “We’re
going to have a school dance and last year during one of the fairs we made food—we cooked jambalaya and hot dogs to make money for our club,” Bianchi said. “There’s also many other BSUs in other high schools, and there’s going to be a conference in Sacramento that we’re going to attend.” According to club member junior Victoria Crayton, BSU prides itself on its awareness and inclusion. “We have more diversity in our club—it’s not just black. Although that is our focus, we do welcome all so that we can have different views from each person from their different cultures,” she said. Mulat added that diversity was the club’s goal because there are not many minorities on campus. “At this school, there’s not a lot of minorities or at least not a lot of African-Americans, so all black students and all minorities need to get together and talk about the same things that they go through in life,” she said. Overall, BSU gives its members more than just a place to talk: it gives them a place to be themselves. “BSU provides a sense of unity that provides a place for everyone to go to. It’s like a family that’s with you on campus,” Jackson said. Crayton agreed with the aspect of a family atmosphere. “When we see each other on campus we say hi, we mess around with each other, we joke, but it’s a safe environment for everybody to express their opinions and thoughts,” she said. “It helps with awareness and allows me to feel like I have a place at this school.”
Artist of the Month:
TO: What is your preferred medium? TC: I really like graphite; it’s my favorite medium but recently I’ve started experimenting with watercolor, oil, acrylic and charcoal. TO: What inspires your artwork? TC: Mainly my own thoughts and emotions. Sometimes I do portraits of celebrities, but most of the time I sketch from my imagination and use online reference photos. TO: Of all your works, which ones are you most proud of? TC: I am really proud of my graphite artworks. They are probably the best because they show the most technique and graphite pencil is the medium I have used most, so I’m more familiar with it. TO: In what ways does art inspire you? TC: Art inspires me by being a really cool way to present my own statements and ideas. Other people’s art inspire me by expressing things that I connect to.
TO: What differentiates your style of art from other artists’ styles of art? How would you describe it? TC: I wouldn’t say that my art isn’t conventional, but I like to think that my art is different because I play with design and geometric shapes. I really like having classical portrait figures and then more modern shapes and effects to draw attention to the main focus. It’s sort of like graphic design, but more romantic. TO: Where do you hope to take your art in the future? TC: I’d like to continue creating art as a recreational hobby, but not necessarily as a career. I don’t plan on going to art school but maybe art summer camp. When I am older, I will probably take art classes outside of school, and consider selling commissioned pieces. TO: What does your process look like when doing your artwork, from coming up with the idea to the final product? TC: Once I come up with an idea, I usually sketch it out with pencil and then I use thumbnails (smaller replicas of the image) to explore which kind of direction I want to take. After that, I decide which medium [to use], like colored pencil or watercolor, and draw the basic outline for that. Then, I add the color and the detail until I feel like it’s done.
TO: What advice do you have for other artists? TC: I would really recommend talking to Ms. Messinger who’s the art teacher, even if you don’t take art classes at Gunn, because she can help mentor you and introduce you to art programs outside of school and summer opportunities as well. TO: Who are your biggest supporters and who helps you the most with your art? TC: My friends, because they have always been really supportive of my art and have always encouraged me to continue it. A lot of them are artists as well so we compare ideas and give advice to each other which is really helpful. —Compiled by Mikaela Wayne
Josh Spain
Sophomore Tiffany Chen shows her workin-progress sketch of the singer Halsey.
Josh Spain
The Oracle: When and why did you begin doing art? Tiffany Chen: I started doing art in kindergarten, along with all the other little kids, but I continued doing art throughout middle school because I really liked having a physical way to express myself. I wanted to create something unique for myself that expressed my opinions.
sophomore Tiffany Chen
Sports
17
FALL SPORTS PLACE IN LEAGUE, PLAY WELL AT CCS Cross Country Both girls’ and boys’ cross country teams competed at the Central Coast Section (CCS) final meet on Nov. 14. The girls’ team finished in fourth at CCS on Nov. 14, barely missing the cutoff to advance to the state meet. Senior Gillian Meeks, who won the title at CCS, and junior Illi Gardner, who placed tenth, continued on as individuals at the state meet on Nov. 28. Gardner came in 123rd in the state meet. Meeks placed first in the state for Division II and will compete next at the Nike Cross Nationals meet on Dec. 5 in Portland, Oregon. Despite the team’s disappointment at not advancing further, Gardner maintained that the season was a success. “We did really well, and we had one of the strongest teams that we’ve had in a while,” Gardner said. “A lot of people improved over this season, which is what’s important.” The boys’ team placed seventh at CCS. Junior Jonas Enders was the highest-placing runner, finishing in eighteenth place. Enders emphasized the team’s growth and bonding over the season. “We got really close as a team, and I think that was more important to a lot of us than the actual rankings,” Enders said. “We did get a lot better from the beginning of the season, and we worked really hard throughout. We’re all pretty happy with the results.”
Courtesy of Gillian Meeks
Girls' Tennis
Courtesy of Quinn McGannon
The girls bonded at In-N-Out after their CCS game. For the first time since 2012, girls’ varsity tennis made CCS semifinals, earning fourth place. They lost to Menlo High School on Nov. 11. “We felt really good going in to CCS because we had won our league and won a few non-league matches with the league above us,” captain senior Emma Bers said. “We felt like we were real competitors.” After a successful season with only one loss to Cupertino High School, the team will move up to the higher league next year. “We’re in the lower league because we got last place last year,” Bers said. “However, we won this year, so we’re going to move up and play against really good teams.” Underclassmen contributed to the team’s success. “I think that we did a good job of welcoming [the new players] in and making them feel like a part of our team,” Bers said. According to freshman Yarden Gaffan, the season allowed her to gain a sense of connectedness. “For the first time I really wanted other people to win and I didn’t only care about if I won or lost,” Gaffan said.
The girls’ water polo team came back for a second straight year in CCS, this time making it to the quarterfinals where the team lost to Palo Alto High School (Paly). “We had been in CCS finals the past two years and had beaten Paly twice before,” captain senior Radhika Ranganathan said. “We were a little bit complacent because we thought we were going to win again, which I think definitely affected how we played.” The team began with a winning strategy, but the other team ended up slipping by them on counterattacks. According to assistant coach Aaron Cavagnolo, the team put in a great effort after losing senior starters. “We were a young team this year and we haven’t had any freshmen start on our team since before Mark [Hernandez] took over coaching the girls’ team,” Cavagnolo said. “We were really impressed with how dedicated they were to improving and stepping up to the challenge.” Although it ended the season with a loss, the team was proud of its accomplishments. “This is an opportunity for us to learn and see where we want to be,” Cavagnolo said. Their camaraderie was also a huge component of their success. “We are really close—we are a family,” Ranganathan said. Looking back on the game, freshman Michelle Fang feels that she came out of the game with a fresh mindset. “We tried to not let them get in our heads and focus on every single moment,” she said. “You have to focus on ‘what’s important now,’ and we remembered this with the acronym WIN.”
Courtesy of Mikaela Wayne
The girls attribute their success to their teamwork.
For the fourth year in a row, the girls’ golf team placed first in its league, having lost one game and tying one. To end the season, the team placed sixth in CCS. One of the challenges the team faced was maintaining level-headedness throughout the season. Senior Tiffany Yang relates that not having time to practice during the off season affected her mentality throughout the season. “It was very challenging for me because I’m used to playing okay and I kept on thinking that I was playing badly despite the fact that I was not,” she said. The mental stress aspect of the sport proved to be the largest challenge. Nonetheless, the team achieved its goals for the season. Junior Margaret Redfield is proud of the team’s record. “Our goal this season was to lose as few matches as possible, and for that we placed a lot of emphasis on every putt and it made a difference in the match,” she said. It was through the putt-shots and constant practice that the team has been able to achieve their record this year. Having completed this season, the team looks forward to the next. “Although it was disappointing to get sixth in CCS, it’s okay because the team always has next year,” Yang said.
Courtesy of Sabrina Chen
The girls’ golf team stands proud after placing sixth at CCS.
Senior Gillian Meeks finishes the season on a strong note.
Girls' Water Polo
Girls' GOLF
Volleyball
Courtesy of Sydney Tam
The volleyball team made it to the quarterfinals of CCS. Varsity volleyball carved a path to CCS this year, wrapping up its season in the first round of CCS after losing to St. Ignatius High School, coach Craig Bankowski said. According to Bankowski, the team’s spirit and determination played a significant role in its success. “St. Ignatius was a bigger, stronger team, but we didn’t go out there pessimistic,” Bankowski said. Despite the fact that this year was arguably the shortest volleyball team that Gunn has had, they made up for it in ferocity. According to senior Sydney Tam, bonding was the best part of her experience. “We definitely all supported each other through the tough time, [and] cheered for each other through the good times,” Tam said. The team’s main strategy was defense. Bankowski says the team had one of the strongest defenses in CCS. “We would dig [the ball] up every time they hit it at us,” he said. Sophomore Christina Perez said the strategy was especially important throughout the season. “We had to block more and our defense had to be spot-on, because they had a bigger block and could just hit it straight down,” she said. According to Bankowski, while the team had its strengths, its players needed to be more consistent. “I would have liked to make plays more dynamic, but we didn’t have players that could jump super high,” he said. For next year, Bankowski hopes to change the girls’ strategy from defensive to offensive. “Hopefully, we will have the height to transfer the strategy,” he said. “I’m really excited because we’re probably going to get the kids that can do that.” Overall, Perez thinks that the best aspect of the team was its unity. “Without [team spirit], we wouldn’t really be anywhere,” she said. Bankowski agreed that this, along with the team’s perseverance, helped to bring the team some wins and make the season well worth it. “The girls worked their butts off every single second of the game,” he said.
Boys' Water Polo The boys’ water polo team lost in the CCS semifinals against St. Francis High School. However, the team still put up a good fight and has fond memories of the season. “It’s my third year coaching at Gunn so I’ve had a lot of these guys since they were freshmen,” coach Matt Johnson said. “They were very mature and knew what to expect.” According to senior Christian Znidarsic, sophomore Jack Mallery set the tone for their first CCS game, scoring a goal to start off a smooth match. Mallery said that the team worked hard together. “It was so much fun to be with all the guys and play at our best level,” Mallery said. The boys’ initial strategy was to score first to get the upper hand. While defensive tactics can be complicated, the team has learned a lot from the season. “In any big game situation, you always learn more how you respond to intense situations,” Znidarsic said. “You always have to be willing to step out of your comfort zone for the team.” Their hard work paid off—the team only let in four goals in the first three quarters of CCS semifinals. Both Znidarsic and Mallery will miss playing with their teammates. “I learned how important teamwork is,” Mallery said. “Don’t blame anyone because you win and lose as a team.” The season ended on a high note—Znidarsic and his co-captain senior Calder Hilde-Jones won first team all-CCS as well as league co-MVPs, and Mallery won second team all-CCS.
Courtesy of Butch Garcia
The boys celebrate after their home game win at CCS.
—Compiled by Elinor Aspegren, Yuki Klotz-Burwell, Hayley Krolik, Katie Russell and Barrett Zhang.
Sports 18 AN INSIDE LOOK: EMOTIONS BEHIND THE GAME
PERSPECTIVE OF THE BENCHWARMER: WHY DO THEY STAY ON THE TEAM? Matthew Hamilton News Editor
Of ten overlooked and sometimes ignored, the athletes that populate the benches of Gunn’s varsity sports teams have a unique experience in high school sports. Working just as hard as the players who start, but not receiving the reward of playing time, benchwarmers find pleasure in the friendships made with their teammates and individual growth throughout the season. Many could start on teams in other high schools, but find themselves on the bench for Gunn. Despite this fact, most benchwarmers enjoy cheering on their teammates during games and working with them in practice. For senior Heri Sanchez Vargas, making the varsity boys’ basketball team last year was “probably the best experience of my life.” Trying out as a junior, Vargas was unsure of whether he would make the team that ended up going 20-4 and making it to the quarterfinals of the Central Coast Section (CCS) Division I tournament. After he made the team, he was able to play in some games but found himself on the bench for most of the season. The basketball team practiced two hours a day for six days a week, and all the time spent with the team was something he enjoyed. When asked, Vargas said the locker room was like the team’s “house.”
Senior Geoffrey Wilson, a benchwarm- fellow teammates,” Ji said. “A false pass or er on last year’s team, agrees with Vargas. play could get the ball stolen.” “It is like a brotherhood in there,” he said. According to Ji, water polo did not have “It is where we feel most comfortable.” to cut players from tryouts because many Through the two were not playing in left after realizing the amount of work rethe game, both enjoyed supporting their quired of players. Ji did not leave, and felt teammates like his growth from the bench. over the season “Ever yone i s made his expe“You try to become better. It was rejust supporting r ienc e wor t h ally fun to cheer on someone who is one another,” it. “You show in so much pain that they want to Wi l s on s a id . i mprovement give up and to motivate them to do “We go crazy throughout the after Alex Gil season,” Ji said. their best.” —senior Ulyssa Valdivia “I might not be or someone else makes a big i mprov i ng a s play,” Vargas added. fast as others on the team with more talJunior Kevin Ji, a member of the var- ent, but I am making better passes and not sity boys’ water polo team, had a similar getting tuned as much by defenders from experience. The boys’ water polo team has other schools.” morning practice three times a week and The work put in this season was worth practice after school every day. The team it for Ji, especially knowing it helped his just captured its third straight Santa Clara teammates. “Waking up early is someValley Athletic League (SCVAL) champi- thing everyone knows is hard to do, but onship and has players getting recruited you have to wake up early to get better,” to play in college. “Players that you see as Ji said. “We do a lot of hard sets together on the bench at Gunn could be really good so we have to keep each other motivated.” at other schools,” Ji said. Senior Ulyssa Valdivia, a member of the All of the practice pays off in the pool varsity girls’ tennis team who placed third and in forming friendships with other in CCS this year, has also enjoyed her time teammates. “You really get to know your on the team. Through being on the team fellow team members and when you have she has met new people and interacted to make specific passes or plays you have more with people she sees every day. Acto be really confident in working with your cording to Valdivia, girls she would nor-
mally never talk to become close friends though practicing and playing together on the tennis team. As a senior she has been able to make friends with underclassmen on the team. Valdivia enjoyed watching her teammates’ matches and motivating them. “It is really fun to watch your teammates go through a really hard match and win,” she said. “It was really fun to cheer on someone who is in so much pain that they want to give up and to motivate them to do their best.” Practicing with her teammates was a source of motivation for Valdivia. Her teammates pushed her to do better at every practice. “You try to become better,” Valdivia said. “When you are surrounded by good players you are motivated to do your best and it is fun to get that experience.” Valdivia, Ji, Vargas and Wilson all note that despite the time commitment and the lack of playing time, their experiences on the team were something they cherish. Even though they might get more playing time at another high school, they all preferred the team atmospheres at Gunn. The family dynamics and friendships formed during long practices made all the time worth it. “It does not matter what you play—everybody is friends with everybody and they do not judge based on your spot on the lineup,” Valdivia said.
Elizabeth Zu
COACHES, STUDENTS REFLECT ON TEAM RELATIONSHIPS Kush Dubey Forum Editor
In athletic competitions, the scores, records and player statistics often mask the people behind those numbers. Team relations—or the ways athletes and coaches interact with each other—play a key role in the success of the group and its individuals. Athletes and coaches alike believe understanding how to address conflicts and differences that frequently arise in sports is integral to the emotional and competitive wellbeing of teams. According to varsity girls’ lacrosse player junior Janis Iourovitski, the majority of team conflicts arise from events that occur between players outside of the sport. “Most of the time the conflict has nothing to do with the team as a whole,” she said. “These conflicts impede a team’s ability to work as a whole, since players may not want to communicate with each other, making it difficult to work together.” Iourovitski believes that the best way to resolve disagreements is to prevent individual issues from interfering with the team’s objective to win games. “The only way to overcome these conflicts are for the players to forget about their personal problems and work as a team,” she said. “The players must leave their issues behind for the time being and communicate, at least about the game at hand.” Varsity boys’ water polo coach Matt Johnson recognizes
that players’ positive attitudes are necessary to keep the team focused on their common goal. “Obviously I do not stand for anyone being rude or disrespectful, so if that is the case, I squash it right away and remind everyone that this is a positive environment where mistakes are all right because that is how we learn and get better,” he said. “Teams that practice and play in a negative environment are never successful.” For athletes, sportsmanship plays an important role in keeping relationships within the team and with other teams robust. Varsity tennis player senior Kiran De Silva recalls an instance during a tennis meet against Saratoga High School in which the integrity of a match was violated. “There was one match when an opponent disrespected my teammate by purposefully making a bad call on match point,” he said. “The entire team went berserk and we had a bit of a shouting match.” It was only until the coach defused the situation that the team was able to calm down. At the end of the day, the conflict did not negatively affect the team’s camaraderie. “Afterwards we all had a good laugh over our reactions to the incident,” he said. De Silva believes that disagreements like these do little to change the strength of team relationships. “I’ve learned over the years that conflicts are actually a normality to sports—especially team sports,” he said. “Over time it becomes something that shouldn’t be taken too seriously, something that should be used as an endearing experience.” In order to strengthen bonds among athletes, Johnson
has taken the team out on travel trips and fundraisers. The Orange County for High School Championships, as well as Sacramento and Santa Barbara tournaments this season, served as opportunities for the teammates to spend time with each other watching other games, going to team dinners and going to the beach. “I think the time the players spend in the vans driving there and back and the time they spend together during the weekend plays a very positive role in building their relationships with one another,” Johnson said. Another way teams bond with each other to improve connections is through engaging practices. Even for singleperson sports like tennis, playing beside different partners often enhances athlete-to-athlete relations. “We occasionally rotate [playing] partners in such a way that everyone ends up playing with each other,” De Silva said. “We learn to adapt to a wide array of play styles and levels of tolerance for certain teammates.” For Iourovitski, important lessons have helped her grow as a competitive athlete through her experience with conflicts. “I have learned the only way to overcome conflicts is to communicate and to understand the other person’s perspective,” she said. Iourovitski found that acknowledging that her teammates are there to help each other reach a common goal helped everyone move forward. “You may not agree with the other person but it is important to remember during the game you are still on the same team,” she said.
Friday, December 4, 2015 Sports 19 Students gain experience mentoring middle school athletes Tim Sun
or what they wanted to improve on,” Advani said. Cruz uses a more hands-on approach to connect with his seventh grade boys’ basketball team. “I do the drills with After their playing careers end, many people bring their them sometimes,” he said. “I think that’s a really good part passion for sports to the sidelines to mentor younger athof coaching, where you can actually get into playing with letes. This year, some students have taken the opportunity the players.” to coach at Terman Middle School, and these studentAll the students stressed the importance of patience coaches lead teams in various sports such as football, volin working with younger kids. Only a few weeks into his leyball and basketball. coaching career, Cruz has already Many of the students were inspired learned the magnitude of persisto pursue coaching by role models tence and flexibility in working with who have also gone from playing to a diverse group of players. “You really coaching. Senior Andre Augustin led have to be patient when you’re coacha seventh grade flag football team at ing these kids because they have difTerman this fall, and he points to his ferent personalities,” Cruz said. “Each father as his inspiration for entering player is different in his own way and coaching. “When he was coaching, it’s hard to cater to the whole team.” I would come to his practices and I All of the students had positive would see how the kids looked up to coaching experiences, and they comhim, and I just realized that I wanted munally cited relationships with playto do that,” Augustin said. “I wanted to ers as their favorite aspect of coachbe a coach like him, because it’s every ing. Advani enjoyed connecting with son’s dream to be like their dad.” her team and seeing each individual Although the prospect of coachprogress during the season. “Honestly, ing a team might seem daunting, the [my favorite part was] just talking to coaches were all up for the challenge. the girls, getting to know their perJunior Christian Cruz recently began sonalities and watching them grow as coaching basketball and acknowlplayers and become better every single edges that though the transition from day,” she said. Advani currently leads player to coach required an adjusta seventh grade boys’ basketball team ment in mentality, it was not hard to and keeps coaching because she enjoys find his coaching identity. “As a player having a positive impact on the lives you focus on yourself but when you’re of youth. “I continue coaching because Courtesy of Ritu Advani a coach you have to focus on the team I enjoy meeting new people and influThe Terman volleyball team poses with its coaches, sophomores Ritu Advani and Nikeilie Yang. as a whole,” Cruz said. “[But] it wasn’t encing their lives for the better,” Advani difficult because I knew what kind of coach I wanted to be.” players, and the students all worked to develop positive re- said. “It’s amazing knowing the ways I can contribute to our During practice, the coaches keep the game simple and lationships with their teams. This fall, sophomore Ritu Ad- community.” fun for the players. Augustin started off with basic exercises vani coached a sixth grade girls’ volleyball team and tried to Augustin feels that the experience was extremely influand then ran drills to develop the players’ football skills. create an open environment for her players. “For five to 10 ential and greatly impacted the development of his own “We have them warm up with dynamic stretches, have minutes at the end of every practice, we’d sit down as a team character. “It just made me more responsible and it made them do one lap around the Terman field and then teach and do compliments, talk about something on their mind, me into a man,” Augustin said. “It’s a life-changer, honestly.” Business Manager
them the fundamentals of football,” he said. Augustin recalls an occasion that reflects the lighthearted nature of his team. “I remember one time I came to practice late because I had a doctor’s appointment and then my assistant coach said, ‘Go tackle Andre,’” Augustin said. “Then the kids came and chased me and they tackled me, which was pretty cool.” An important aspect of coaching is relating with the
Sports 20 STAFFERS BECOME GYM CLASS HEROES
CLASS I: ZUMBA
Josh Spain
After having participated in various dance-inspired fitness classes, I was interested in attending a Zumba class. Zumba is truly the grandfather of dance fitness classes and has been gaining popularity since the late 1990s. When I walked into the group exercise room, I was surprised to see a diversity in age groups. Here was a community atmosphere; the students were mingling amongst themselves and with the teacher. The room was nearly full. The music started and the teacher stood in front of the mirror-paneled walls. It was difficult to catch on and I felt too self-conscious to go full out with the moves. I had been pushed up to front and center and I could tell how silly I looked. However, I tried to ignore that and remember that the moves were just supposed to be fun: these aren’t steps I would break out at the next quad dance. Some of the other students tried to help me out, explaining different sections of the dances. The people around me were all very welcoming and friendly to me throughout the whole class.
Zumba classes tend to use a mix of music that heavily features Latin tunes. It was an interesting mix between pop, some hip-hop and Latin pop. Some of the music felt a bit too relaxed to me, but I guess it varied on the taste of the person listening and how easy the listener could fall into step with the beat and energy of the song. The class itself was not very high-impact and catered to people of all different fitness levels and ages. Zumba is best for those looking for a fun, but not too difficult, way to work out. I found it best when I let go of my selfconsciousness; I got exactly what I put into the class. The instructor, Rowe Hoffer, told me after the class that her favorite thing about Zumba is that it is a happy workout. She was not there to make sure that her students were doing everything right, but to inspire them to feel the rhythms and enjoy themselves. —Written by Jenna Marvet
CLASS II: HOT YOGA Going into the class, I felt apprehensive, to say the least. As someone who can not even stand walking outside on hot summer days, I was eager to see how I would survive in a steaming room at 110 degrees for 90 minutes, not to mention attempting yoga postures. Thankfully, I was lucky to have a friend who was not only enthusiastic but also intent to take on the challenge with me. That is how we found ourselves entering a small but welcoming building called YogaSource in downtown Palo Alto on a Wednesday afternoon. After taking off our shoes and renting our mats, we entered the studio and watched other students filtering in, casually setting up their spaces and moving into poses they were already familiar with. Meanwhile, being the clueless newbies we were, my friend and I stared in awe at the dim lights hanging from the ceiling that created such a calming atmosphere. Within 20 minutes, I was extensively sweating through pores I never even knew existed. Although I had not been too overwhelmed when I first entered the room, the heat and humidity caught up to me quickly, and the towel and the water bottle I brought became my saviors. After a couple warm-up and breathing exercises, we went through a series of 26-set poses, doing each twice. I immediately noted that the main difference with this class and regular yoga class was that it was less focused on the flow of movements. Some postures focused on balance, while others emphasized flexibility or strength in different parts of the body. All three aspects were challenging, and I often found that
one of my legs would be shaking from attempting to balance and support the whole rest of my body. At first, I was preoccupied with watching other students perfect advanced versions of postures I could never imagine myself doing. I soon remembered, however, what the instructor had told us a few minutes before the start of class. He reminded us that as beginners, we should not be stressing to get everything right, but instead try our best and come out of the practice feeling energized and refreshed. After I began following his advice, I was able to feel an increased awareness of my body, as well as control of muscles I had never paid attention to before. This was also made possible because he would occasionally correct me on certain stances, so I could allow myself to feel the full stretch. Near the end of the class, even the sweat was not bothering me as much. I actually preferred the heat because it made me feel more accomplished. Overall, I am grateful for an enjoyable experience. Although the physical aspect was tiring and difficult at times and I still felt sore a couple days later, I appreciated the chance to de-stress with my friend the day before a math test while at the same time becoming more in touch with my body and capabilities. The emphasis on self-improvement and self-awareness is particularly appealing to me, and is probably why I will consider going back for another class some time.
—Written by Grace Ding
Courtesy of Grace Ding
CLASS III: KICKBOXING
Courtesy of Yuki Klotz-Burwell
As I laced up my Nikes, put my hair in a ponytail and got into my “athletic” clothes, I tried to think of the last time I had done anything remotely sporty. Besides going to the YMCA once in a blue moon (only when my mother threatened to cancel our membership), the last time I had truly and regularly worked out was during physical education class in freshman and sophomore year. Yet here I was, getting ready to try a cardio kickboxing class at Studio Kicks in Palo Alto. Going in, I was apprehensive and brought a friend with me, not knowing what the level of exercise would be. Although the class was for beginners, I predicted I was more in need of something along the lines of a “pre-pre-prebeginners” course. However, as my friend and I stepped on the mat to begin the 45-minute class, I was surprised at how smoothly I was able to handle it. Music was playing constantly in the studio, so we got right into exercising as soon as the instructor stepped onto the mat. Other students seemed as though they knew what they were doing, so we followed suit by mirroring the motions our teacher was doing, starting with doing jumping jacks while bouncing up and down. The instructor hardly talked, instead occasionally yelling
out instructions such as, “left leg, left leg!” and “to the side, to the right” as he showed us what to do. Although we were active throughout the entirety of those 45 minutes, we were able to go at our own pace. Some members had perfect, high kicks and managed to keep up with the instructor’s quick movements, while others were moving more slowly and doing less intense versions of the actions. I tried my best to match the former group, breathing heavily and feeling my face turning red as I bounced around at the beat of the fast-paced music. Kickboxing was difficult, but not impossible. I was able to keep up for the most part, taking breaks to slow down when I needed to. After the class was over, I felt exhausted but satisfied; I was proud of the workout I had done and how I had pushed myself. Overall, I got out what I put in. I tried my hardest and got what I wanted out of it. I was looking for a fitness class that offered me the ability to exercise at my own pace while still being disciplined; cardio kickboxing provided me with that. If you are looking for a way to burn some calories, have fun and push yourself, choose kickboxing. —Written by Yuki Klotz-Burwell
SNEAK PEEK: PRACHI KALE’S SPIN CLASS When I signed up for the spin class, I thought I knew what to expect. I had taken a few spin classes before, and most of them had similar environments and similar styles of workout routines. While this class did have both the classic peppy instructor and the spandexclad middle-aged women, I was taken off-guard as my friend and I walked into a dark room with strobe lights flashing and Justin Bieber’s “Sorry” blaring from surround-sound speakers.
It turned out that the spin class was actually a revolutions class, which is basically a spin class with an emphasis on music and dance. It seemed that most of the all-women class around me was familiar with the class and the routine, so the instructor didn’t go into much of an introduction and launched right into the workout. I was completely confused as I got on my bike and struggled to get the cycling shoes clipped onto the bike. I caught on quickly, however, and managed to keep up with everyone else.
TO READ MORE ABOUT PRACHI’S SPIN CLASS, CHECK OUT THE FULL STORY ON GUNNORACLE.COM.
Friday, December 4, 2015 21 Lifestyle December holidays celebrate variety of cultures, traditions
Kwanzaa Kwanzaa is a cultural African-American holiday celebrated from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1. It was created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, a professor of Africana Studies at California State University, in response to the Watts riot in Los Angeles. He wanted to celebrate and preserve African-American tradition. The name originates from the Swahili phrase “mantunda ya kwanza,” which means “first fruits,” a term that alludes to the celebration of one’s roots. Every night of Kwanzaa, the family lights one of the candles on the Kinara, or candleholder, and one of the Nguzo Saba is discussed. Nguzo Saba translates to “seven principles” and consists of values important to African culture, such as unity and purpose. There are also seven symbols involved in the celebration of Kwanzaa: Mazao (the crops), Mkeka (the mat), Kinara (the candleholder), Muhindi (the corn), Mishumaa Saba (the seven candles), Kikombe cha Umoja (the unity cup) and Zawadi (the
gifts). All of the symbols represent components of African culture or the seven principles, as well as the children and the future of the African people. Zawadi are given to children to emphasize their heritage and their parents’ love for them. These gifts usually include a book to represent the importance of learning. The colors of Kwanzaa present on its flag are black, red and green. Black represents the people, red, their struggle and green, their future and hope. The Mishumaa Saba consist of one black candle and then three each of red and green. Those who celebrate the holiday typically hold a traditional African feast—a Karamu—on Dec. 31 and a day of meditation on Jan. 1. Anyone can experience the Kwanzaa traditions by celebrating at the San Francisco Kwanzaa festivities. There will be multiple events, based on the Nguzo Saba, every day from Saturday, Dec. 26 at 12 p.m. to Friday, Jan. 1 at 6 p.m. Visit kwanzaasanfrancisco.com for more information.
Hanukkah Hanukkah is the Jewish festival of rededication. It is celebrated over the course of eight days, beginning on the 25th day of the Jewish month Kislev. The Jewish calendar is a lunar calendar and has 12 to 13 months; Kislev is the ninth month in the Jewish year. Marked by the kindling of one candle each night, the holiday is also commonly known as the festival of lights. According to Stanford Professor of Religious Studies Charlotte Fonrobert, the historical story of Hanukkah dates back to when Israel was a part of the Greek Empire, which wanted to impose its Hellenistic culture on the Jews. By the second century B.C.E., the Greek king Antiochus IV began to severely oppress Jews with hopes of successfully uniting the empire under Greek laws and customs by prohibiting Jewish practice. In an attempt to convert the Temple of Jerusalem into a place for Greek worship, it was religiously defiled and a statue of the Greek god Zeus was set up.
Formed in opposition, a small group of Jews led by the Maccabee family stunningly defeated the powerful Greek army and reinstated the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, cleansing and rededicating the Temple. When the Jews wanted to light the Temple’s lamp, which was supposed to be lit every night, they only found enough oil for one day. However, the lamp miraculously burned for eight days until new oil was found; Hanukkah was established, a holiday commemorating the miracle of the oil. Traditional food for Hanukkah is typically fried or contains lots of oil, such as latkes and jelly donuts, to recognize the oil’s value. Other traditions include lighting one candle on the Hanukkiah each night as a symbol of the eight nights the Temple’s lamp burned and playing the popular dreidel game. Beginning Dec. 6 of this year, Hanukkiahs will be lit all over the world, commemorating the miracle of the oil.
Mawlid Mawlid is an Islamic holiday centered around the celebration of prophet Muhammad’s birth. In 2015, celebrations will occur on Dec. 24 for Sunnis, and Dec. 29 for Shiites. Different sects of Islam disagree on the exact date of the prophet’s birth, so the holiday is commemorated on different days depending on one’s sect. In some places, the holiday is expanded to include the whole week in order to promote unity among all followers of Islam, regardless of sect. Additionally, since Islam is based on the lunar rather than solar calendar, the exact date of the holiday changes each year, but always falls sometime between December and February. Specific ways of celebrating Mawlid, which is also called Milad-un-Nabi, vary greatly depending on the type of Islam, country and personal preference. Some Muslims choose to fast for the
day, while others celebrate Mawlid through parades, carnivals and decorations or through reading the Quran and stories about Muhammad. Mawlid is especially important in Pakistan and Indonesia, where celebrations are elaborate and often last a whole week. Though Mawlid is important to many Muslims, it is not generally considered one of the most notable holidays in Islam. Its celebration has been controversial since some do not consider it to be true to Islam, because it is not commanded by the Quran or the prophet Muhammad. This winter, Mawlid will be celebrated by Muslims around the Bay Area. Events include a sold-out Maghrib Prayer hosted by the Grand Mawlid Association in San Ramon, a celebration held by the South Bay Islamic Association at Masjid al-Mustafa in San Jose and another at Masjid al-Tawheed in San Francisco.
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed most commonly on Dec. 25 by billions of people around the world. This is a Christian and cultural celebration that consists of church services, gift-giving, symbolic decorating and family or other social gatherings. Rev. Matthew Smuts, pastor at the Grace Lutheran Church, described what Christmas means to the Christian religion. “In the Christian tradition, Christmas is very near the beginning of the year, and very near the beginning of things,” he said. Smuts says Christians look both forwards and backwards in observance of Christmas. “We’re looking backwards to remember the birth of Christ, which we observe on the 25th of December,” Smuts said. “We’re also looking forward—in the New Testament, Christ says that he’s coming again.” Many symbols that are associated with Christmas stem from roots in the Christian tradition, especially since the holiday takes place on the shortest day of the year. “The idea of an evergreen
tree at the shortest time of the year represents the questions of, ‘is spring coming?’ and, ‘are we ever going to get out of this?’” Smuts said. “A Christmas tree is a tree that seems to ignore the fact that it’s winter.” Along with the classic, tall evergreen tree, the simple star stands tall and important at the top of the Christmas tree as an important symbol during the holiday times. “One of our hymns quoting one of the important readings at Christmas time refers to Christ as the ‘bright and morning star,’” Smuts said. Stars are symbolic in the way that they provide light, therefore representing enlightenment and guidance. “Stars are important in relationship to Epiphany, the story of the wise men following a star,” Smuts said. Christmas is an important day in the holiday season and maintains a rich culture. Among the fun and festivities, Christmas is a time to show love and celebrate new beginnings.
Read about the November Hindu holiday Diwali online at gunnoracle.com
—Compiled by Hayley Krolik, Helen Nguyen, Katie Russell, and Kaya van der Horst
Graphics by Elizabeth Zu
22
Lifestyle
THEORACLE
Last-minute New Year’s party complicated by travels, eggs Sabrina Chen
While I wouldn’t call my family “overly ambitious,” hosting a New Year’s party two hours after arriving from a 12-hour flight may be slightly extreme. On Dec. 31, we were stuck in a subway station in China for over two hours, from 9:15 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. In fact, we had bought some nice fluffy rolls of bread just before entering the subway station, but by the time we arrived home, they were as flat as paper. To picture the subway station, imagine 100 people squished into a 12-by-12-inch box. Now extend that box to a subway station, and you will have an accurate image of the situation. The day of the party, my family rushed onto the plane to fly back. For some reason, I had a huge urge to eat cup noodles right when I got on the plane, and I couldn’t even wait until after takeoff. The urgency was severe. So, I made one of the flight attendants fill up my cup noodles with hot water, but before I could take a bite, the captain announced that we were going to take off. I was so frazzled that the poor flight attendant had to hold my cup noodles with hot water in it during takeoff. After, I tried to entertain myself by playing cards with my then eightyear-old sister. Five seconds after we started playing, all the cards fell off the small table. Elizabeth Zu The guy next to me gave me an annoyed look. Afterward, we decided to play “Plants vs. Zombies” on the iPad. The only problem: we already played the entire adventure game so only the Zen Garden was still waiting to be watered. First of all, the Zen Garden is so boring. There are some pots and you can buy seeds to plant in the pots and water them. Second of all, I wasted all my
coins buying a special mystery plant that turned out just to be a pea shooter. After twelve hours, we finally arrived home. Because of the time difference, we conveniently arrived at 4 p.m.—perfectly two hours before the guests were supposed to come. While my parents frantically prepared, my sister discovered her letter to Santa in the closet—the letter that was supposed to be sent before Christmas. While she reevaluated her life, I tried to cover it up by saying that we typed up her letter and sent Santa an email instead. A 20-minute debate about whether there was Wi-Fi at the North Pole ensued. Calmly, I had to make up an elaborate story of how while Santa delivered his presents last year, he collected Wi-Fi in a bag and brought it back to the North Pole. To this day, I’m still not sure if she believes it or not. Finally, the 15 guests arrived. There was the classic Lin Hong who takes more time taking photos of every dish than eating. There were the two twins who believed everything I told them even though years ago, I had tricked them into eating five bowls of rice to receive a “special prize”—a high five. There was Lewis, who was two years younger than me and very open in telling me every last detail about his love life. He even let me make him a Facebook because I told him that Google Plus wasn’t the new trendy way of living. At last, it was time to eat. After the usual cheers and hot gossip by the parents, the party started off smoothly. The kids sat at the kid table, the parents at the parent table. Midway through the dinner, however, one of the moms decided to let the kids try her eggs. Holding a plate of eggs, she got out of harmony with the environment and the eggs started to topple out of the plate. First, an egg dropped. Then, another. Suddenly, all the eggs tumbled out. One fell on my poor sister, who was still recovering from the Santa incident. Inevitably, she spilled her orange juice at that same moment. There was a mess in the Chen household, but for some unknown reason the Chens have lots of experience with these situations. First, a picture must be taken to remember the memories. Five moms appeared with cameras, telling the kids to smile and look at all of their cameras at the same time. Second, whoever spills the orange juice must clean it up. Athina “Zeeb” Chen (my sister) was having a rough day. All in all, it was a memorable holiday. —Chen, a junior, is a Tech Editor.
Lifestyle
Friday, December 4, 2015
23
Charitable brands give back, serve as alternative gifts United by Blue
Sseko
www.unitedbyblue.com
www.ssekodesigns.com
Its flagship location not only specializes in durable, insulated outerwear, but also runs a café within the retail store. Moreover, for every product purchased, United By Blue removes a pound of trash from oceans and waterways through company-organized cleanups.
Based in Uganda, Sseko employs undergraduate and graduate women to create diverse collections of footwear, bags, wallets, scarves and jewelry. 50 percent of the individual salary goes into a scholarship fund that is not accessible by others, providing women with job opportunities and financial aid.
STATE Bags
Purpose Jewelry
www.statebags.com
www.purposejewelry.org
For every sophisticated canvas or cotton backpack purchased from STATE, one filled with “essential tools for success” is given to an American child in an at-risk neighborhood. This exchange occurs through “Bag Drops,” which are motivational, educational rallies created by child development specialists.
The company “International Sanctuary” commissions a wide range of elegantly wearable accessories, handcrafted by survivors of sex trafficking and slavery. 100 percent of the proceeds fund education, medical care and business ventures for survivors as far away as Mumbai and as close to home as Orange County.
—Compiled by Ryeri Lim Graphics by Jackie Lou
Staffer reviews classic holiday movies “It’s a Wonderful Life”
“A Christmas Carol”
“Home Alone”
Graphics by Joanne Lee
3.5/5 stars
3/5 stars
4/5 stars
When small town businessman George Bailey wishes he had never been born, an angel is sent to Earth to grant his wish and take George along a journey to see the effect of his absence on his community. When George witnesses the lives of the people he touched and how much they differ without him, he realizes his worth. He sees how much he has and the difference he can make. Although this film was released in 1946, the message still resonates with current times. For a holiday movie, this is definitely one you can enjoy with the whole family. While there are darker undertones and messages that will interest adults, kids can enjoy the magical quality of the plot. It can also ease conversations with younger children about depression and tragedy. “It’s a Wonderful Life” is a nostalgic glimpse into the past through its beautifully shot black and white scenes and even though the movie may remain aesthetically colorless, it will last decades to come.
Based on Charles Dicken’s classic Christmas story, this movie features an old grouchy man named Scrooge who despises Christmas. On the night of Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by three ghosts: the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future. Along the way, Scrooge learns to appreciate the people around him and finds enjoyment in the holiday season. In 2009, Disney took on the challenge of remaking this classic story into an animated film for families and audiences of all ages. The realistic animation makes the film a multidimensional and immersive experience. From the Christmas ghosts to Scrooge’s scowl, the detail of the design is superb. Although the detailed and artistic animation is an appealing element, some of the sequences can be too scary for younger audiences. This may not be the best choice for a watch with your little cousins, but its classic story and creative style make for an entertaining holiday film.
As far as classics go, “Home Alone” is one of the most recent and well-loved. Kevin, our protagonist, accidentally gets left behind during his family’s holiday vacation. While stuck at home alone, he gets the freedom he finally hoped for. Little does he know, burglars are robbing houses on his street. To catch the thieves, Kevin makes a crazy contraption in his house. Using ingenious ideas, he manages to ward off the burglars from his home. This family comedy is a great movie to watch for all ages. Kevin’s clever antics keep the audience engaged throughout the length of the movie. The slapstick in this movie will have the audience laughing. As childish as the movie is sometimes considered to be, in the end it reminds us that family helps make every situation better. The importance of family and having a home is emphasized throughout the movie, making it perfect for a family get-together. —Compiled by Stina Chang
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#THEORACLETHANKSGIVING Creative Commons License
@alext312 Thankful for food, music, photography, and the people in my life: my family, friends, classmates, mentors.
@jessymckeown I am thankful I can squish this face.
@redandblue1738 Thankful for blue!!
@lydiac621 Thankful for their beautiful faces.
@mehrnazz15 Thankful for these girls for making me @literallylucy So grateful for you and your smile. exothermic high fives!
@mrgjune Thankful for his crazy dancing and for always making me laugh.
@linlinliu Thank you, God. For food to share, for friends that play, and love and care.
@ashley.kimm Thankful for a best friend like her.
Graphics by Cheryl Kao