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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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THEORACLE Henry M. Gunn High School

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Monday, October 13, 2014 Volume 52, Issue 2

780 Arastradero Road, Palo Alto, CA 94306

District implements new stricter California food regulations Kathleen Xue

Forum Editor

The new California Department of Education Food Regulations became activated for schools throughout the state on July 1, 2014.

The new California Code of Regulations Sections 15501 and 15578 include more dietary restrictions on school breakfasts, snacks and organization and club food products. In addition, the Academic Center (AC) and library have restricted all food in the library due to legal concerns.

combinations, such as pita and hummus, are considered as one food item under the new restrictions. According to PAUSD Nutrition Services Director Alva Spence, however, these new limitations are not always effective because students have been seen to purchase more food items as a result of the calorie cap. Hungry students may purchase two or three servings of snacks to compensate for the new

regulations. According to profit results from previous years, despite the switch to lower calorie meals and snacks, sales have not stagnated but instead have increased, suggesting that the students have increased consumption due to the decrease in nutrients per food product.

Food items are not the only ones receiv ing new limitations; beverages now have a list of their own required guidelines as well. Some of the new requisites for bever-

NO JUNK FOOD

Food & beverage regulations The main meal changes were school breakfast nutritional adjustments, making it mandatory for school administration to enforce students to take one serving of fruits or vegetables along with their meals. According to California Code of Regulations Section 15577, new specific restrictions include caloric, fat, saturated fat and sugar restrictions. Caloric restrictions for high schools must not exceed 250 calories per snack item and 400 calories per entrée item.

Food items must also not contain more than 35 percent of their calories from fat, 10 percent of their calories from saturated fat and 35 percent sugar by weight. Moreover, food items sold in

Competitive club sales Though there have been many meal changes with new state food regulations, the tightening of competitive sales regulations has received much more attention. According to Spence, the new code requires all student organizations to sell within the state

November 9, 2012: First court hearing for Vergara v. California.

May 2, 2013: California Teachers Association and the California Federation of Teachers choose to represent defendants in lawsuit.

January 27, 2014: Trial begins in the Los Angeles Superior Court.

August 28, 2014: After an unofficial ruling in June, Judge Rolf Treu rules in favor of the student plaintiffs, finding all five Challenged Statutes unconstitutional.

August 29, 2014: Governor Jerry Brown appeals to California State Attorney General, claiming the court decision must be reviewed by a state appellate court before becoming law.

Prachi Kale Copy Editor

COLLEGE FAIR—p.2

FOOD—p.3

Graphics by Dave Zhu

College fair to be hosted today Gunn is hosting the 17th annual Palo Alto College Fair today, open to only Gunn and Paly students from 6 to 8:30 p.m. in the Titan and Bow Gyms. The fair provides an opportunity for students throughout the Bay Area to meet representatives from colleges all over the world. The representatives will give out general information about their college, answer questions and provide workshops about financial assistance and college essays. This year, approximately 149 colleges will participate in the college fair.

According to College and Career Coordinator Leighton Lang, the fair requires a good amount of planning.

“We send [the colleges] invites and we send more personal invites to the ones that come here to our campus for college visits because we have their information,” Lang said. “They register online, they pay and we provide them a nice dinner on the day of the event.”

Lang suggests that students also do some planning of their own before attending the fair and has some

ages include: water must be the first ingredient, no more than 2.1 grams of added sweetener per fluid ounce, no caffeine and at least ten milligrams but no more than 150 milligrams of sodium per eight ounces.

These regulations are actually stricter than FDA school requirements. When Canteen food vendors mistakenly filled Gunn vending machines with zero-calorie Coke and Dr. Peppers in September, it was because they were following national guidelines and not new state guidelines.

The trend of stricter guidelines will continue over the course of the next eight years, according to Spence. The state is currently undergoing a ten-year plan and 2014 marks its second year. It is expected that state regulations will continue to lower sodium and sugar levels over the next few years, and lines to be stricter than national guidelines.

Courtesy of studentsmatter.org

Raylene Monterroza, one of the nine student plaintiffs in the Vergara v. California case, addresses the media outside the Los Angeles courthouse on the opening day of the case. Plaintiffs and attorneys of Students Matter watch on.

California teacher protection laws struck down Shawna Chen

Forum Editor

On Aug. 28, California Superior Court judge Rolf Treu struck down the state’s teacher protection laws in his final ruling for the landmark Vergara v. California case. Treu argued that tenure, seniority and dismissal policies have made it too easy for ineffective teachers to remain on staff and thus deprive students of the right to equal education, specifically those who are underprivileged.

In response, Governor Jerry Brown filed

an appeal on Aug. 29 that contended the legal basis for Treu’s ruling and though the process may take months to reach the Supreme Court, implications of the case have spurred national and local debate.

While Assistant Superintendent Scott Bowers does not believe that the case will have grand repercussions in Palo Alto, talk of the subject has led both students and educators alike to rethink how Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD), too, can improve students’ quality of education.

The lawsuit was brought to court by nine students living in Los Angeles, who

assert that teacher protection laws hinder learning. Among their chief objections as stated in their Form of Complaint is teacher tenure, which essentially secures employment for life after 18 months in class. Additionally, costly dismissal policies are often ignored by districts due to large inconveniences, while seniority plays a role in giving priority to length of service as opposed to performance.

In PAUSD, teachers are annually observed while formal evaluations are carried out every two or four years depending on VERGARA—p.2

2

News

THEORACLE

SNAPSHOTS “It was super exciting, almost a little overwhelming. It was interesting to see the product of all the creativity and hard work of the Gunn students.” ­ —Zoe McKeown, 9 Courtesy of Tony Park

“Club day shows you that getting involved doesn’t have to be difficult–just sign up and show up!” ­ —Alex Kim, 11

“I remember freshman year when Michelle first started pitching the idea of Maze Runner in SEC and it turned out even more amazing than I had imagined! I think all grades put their best effort in, and it was really fun to seeing the classes bond together. ” ­—Somina Lee, 12

Maze Runner

Alexandra Ting

“The maze was prepared in a very organized fashion.” ­—Kevin Ji, 10

Alexandra Ting

Courtesy of Tony Park

Courtesy of Tony Park

Club Day

“It was really crowded, but there are a lot of really cool, wacky and fun clubs at Gunn.” ­ —Viraj Ghosh, 10

“I thought that it went very well for a first-time event and it was nice to see the grades collaborate with each other to create a more positive environment.” ­­—Eric Her, 9

Lisa Cheong

—Compiled by Michael Chen

College Fair on campus today

Brown appeals Vergara decision

advice for students. “Number one, get there early,” he said. “Bike, commute, get there some other way than drive.” Since there are so many colleges to visit during the fair, Lang also recommends that students come with pre-printed labels in order to save time. “A lot of the colleges will have those invite cards for you to send you more information,” Lang said. “If you have a pre-printed label with your name, address, interests, your GPA and test scores, that will be a really quick way to get around to a lot of the schools.”

In addition, Counselor Monica

the teacher’s length of service in the district. Permanent status comes with the assumption that teachers are meeting standards, and once it is given, the difference between three and thirty years of experience becomes insignificant. “The seniority aspect of the lawsuit has never happened here,” Bowers said. “That only happens when the district is overstaffed and a reduction in force is necessary, and Palo Alto has not been plagued by that process for many years.”

In spite of this, Bowers acknowledges that other districts across California may fall prey to both the practice of seniority and cumbersome dismissal policies. “People change over time, and if over time someone is ineffective after a period of targeted support for the teacher, the process shouldn’t be so costly that the district won’t even bother to engage in it,” he said.

Furthermore, California’s period of teacher evaluation before permanent status should be reassessed, according to Bowers. “It is true that other states have much longer probationary periods,” he said. “Only a few states like California [retain] the 18-month process.”

Nonetheless, the teachers’ union has fought back against the lawsuit, defending permanent status as a stronghold for academic freedom. The California Teachers Association and the California Federation of Teachers have charged David Welch, the benefactor funding the student group, with scapegoating teachers instead of addressing the true source of the achievement gap: neighborhood violence and poverty of underprivileged children.

For president Palo Alto Educator’s Association Teri Baldwin, misconceptions of the case resulted in a ruling unfavorable to the teachers’ union. “Permanent status and seniority doesn’t stop teachers from being evaluated, they should be evaluated,” she said. “Permanent status and due process rights protect teachers from having districts fire them for no other reason than because they are high on the salary schedule.”

Additionally, Baldwin believes that the plaintiffs made multiple conjectures about the system of teacher assessment without providing evidence. “They’re saying that due process gets in the way of evaluating teachers and therefore keeps bad teachers in the classroom and that isn’t true,” she said. “The case also makes it seem like there are a ton of bad teachers out there and I just don’t think that is the truth.”

The controversy surrounding the case has led educators and students alike to question whether a compromise can be made regarding teacher protection. “I think we need more flexibility but I don’t think we should do away with them completely,” Principal Denise Herrmann said. “I understand the spirit behind the people who brought the case, especially in large districts where an underperforming teacher

COLLEGE FAIR—p.1

Espinoza encourages students to look into colleges that they may not have considered initially.

“Think outside the name-brand colleges,” she said. “Take advantage of the fair and talk with the representatives of colleges you haven’t heard of before. You may be surprised what great and unique programs and opportunities they offer.”

The fair will be from 6:00 to 6:30 p.m. for Gunn and Paly students only, with a student I.D. required. It will open to the general student population from 6:30 to 6:45 p.m., and open to all from 6:45 to 8:30 p.m.

VERGARA—p.1

often is just moved around or is kept instead of a person who is newer to the district but is performing and meeting kids’ needs much better.”

Nonetheless, Herrmann understands the concerns of teachers’ union; the ruling as it stands only presents solutions that represent one polarity or the other.

“Right now, it’s black and white,” she said. “It’s either all rights or no rights, and I think that’s something we have to be very thoughtful about.” For Herrmann, the main issue at hand involves the process with which districts proceed with layoffs. “I think we need more options with teacher performance and certification in terms of who goes first,” she said. “The focus should be on who can help more kids.”

Students have also followed the development of Vergara v. California. To senior Joy Jin, the plaintiffs’ complaints can be considered reflections of student experience. However, the promise of teacher tenure is what attracts qualified educators, Jin says. “It’s the guarantee of security if you perform well in your first few years, especially if you have a very controlling administration that could easily fire a teacher without that much of a reason,” she said.

Jin’s suggested solution is to formulate a set of laws that define how to work with different teachers. “The problem is that we don’t know how to identify which teachers are and aren’t qualified because it’s very subjective,” she said. “Every teacher is in a different situation, and it’s very difficult to create laws that apply to everyone.” Even so, Jin admires the plaintiffs’ courage in bringing their case to court. “Beforehand, it was an issue that was below the table because of all the trouble it could cause,” she said. “Now, more people [can be] knowledgeable about the case and form their own opinions.”

While Herrmann encourages all students to bring concerns about teacher quality to the attention of administrators, she also bears the reminder of confidentiality. “Trust that we’ll listen, trust that we’ll respond,” she said. “But when students bring a concern to us, it becomes a personnel matter and that’s a private relationship between me and that teacher.”

While some of students’ requests for change may seem simple, for teachers it is not always easy. “You have my commitment to try and always improve the quality of learning environment,” Herrmann said.

“But sometimes, those are habits that teachers have built for 20 years, and they’re not going to change overnight.”

As the Vergara v. California lawsuit progresses, Bowers looks to balance teacher protection within district limits. “Hopefully, [the outcome of the case] balances the needs of the district to ensure that we have the best teachers working with our students and the needs of the individual teachers that they’re getting due process, and that neither one of those is so burdensome that we don’t engage in it,” he said.

News

Monday, October 13, 2014

3

New dietary rules to affect clubs, AC, Library FOOD—p.3

nut r it iona l requ i rement s , i nclud i ng s t r ic t l i m it s on s o d iu m , su ga r a nd saturated fat. “For clubs and groups, the main issue is probably the rule of not being able to prepare the food item on campus,” Spence said. “California is actually more strict than USDA guidelines, and the maximum calorie limit for snacks is now 200 calories.”

Clubs and organizations that do meet the new food regulations can only sell half an hour after school ends and must stop before midnight. “Clubs are going to see less revenue from food fundraisers,” Spence said. “It creates another level of complications for both staff and students.”

The new club regulations have a lready seen considerable student backlash. Student Activities Director Lisa Hall believes that the change will prove to be difficult, but it will be manageable.

“There are def initely student groups who are disappointed,” Hall said. “One of our challenges this year is that the Fall Club Food Fair is going to have to meet the nutritional guidelines as well, so one of the jobs of the event team is to help clubs figure out types of ways to fundraise without food, or having an event that somehow also meets the requirements by the state—and they are working on that right now.”

However, clubs a re not the only ones affected by t he new competitive sales reg u lation— according to Hall, student organizations such as Student Executive Council

(SEC) will also have to alter their annual Changes in the AC and Library Candy Gram sales to meet nutritional Beginning September of this year, the st a nd a rd s. “W hat we need to t h i n k AC and the library no longer allowed about is what are some ways to promote food consumption within facilities. The ourselves and also make some money,” new direction for both spaces has been Ha ll said. “So t here’s a lot of t hings spurred by the change in leadership in that can be done—events or activities the library. Co-librarian Brian Tuomy with selling T-shirts, or selling non- hopes to return the library and the AC edible products that have to do with to a study ing environment and obthe organization like publications, serves Clause 2 of the Williams Act, or wrist bands, or things people that states that “School facilities can wear, things people can use must be clean, safe, and mainin some way,” she said. “[New tained in good repair.”

1. kinds of fundraisers] may a Tu o my v i e w s f o o d c o n bit more expensive and sumption within the library AC may t a ke more t i me , a s d isr upt ive to t he hyand but if promoted propg iene a nd s a fet y of library erly, it can still be facilities, as seen in a really valuable prev ious yea rs. Acban all fundraiser.” cording to Tuomy, food in the Gunn library buildings is the only one in the district that allowed food to b e c on2. Clubs can sell only sumed

three categories food or beverages.

of

3. Only one student or organization is allowed to sell food per day.

4. Snack food items Can contain no more than: • 35 percent of calories from fat and sugar by weight • 10 percent of calories from saturated fat • 250 Calories per item

Elizabeth Zu

THEORACLE

INBOX

780 Arastradero Rd Palo Alto, CA 94306 (650) 354-8238 www.gunnoracle.com

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

Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief Danielle Yacobson News Lawrence Chen Kush Dubey Forum Shawna Chen Esther Kozakevich Kathleen Xue

Managing Editors Pooja Belur Klaire Tan

Features Lisa Hao Yuki KlotzBurwell Ryeri Lim

Lifestyle Sam Acker Noa Livneh Justin Wenig

Centerfold Emily Kvitko Naina Murthy

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Photo Anthony Tran

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

Photo Lisa Cheong, Josh Spain Alexandra Ting Copy Elinor Aspegren Prachi Kale

Graphics Anton Oyung Elizabeth Zu

Business Matt Niksa

Business Matt Hamilton (Assistant) Tech Aayush Dubey Oracle/TBN Liaison Isaac Wang Adviser Kristy Blackburn

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

The Oracle publishes nine issues annually. Subscriptions cost $45 per year to receive all nine issues.

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.

I enjoyed reading all the past articles about food, such as what people eat and price tags of the local area restaurants.

—Samuel Tse, 10

Graphics Dave Zhu

Staff Reporters Stina Chang, Michael Chen, Sabrina Chen, Lucy Fan, Ariel Pan, Wendy Shi, Erica Watkins, Lena Ye

within the building. This caused the area to become littered with food waste, requiring custodians to spend one to two hours per day tidying up the library alone. Tuomy believes that the library, an environment for studying, has slowly become a socializing center for students over t he past few yea rs w it h t he a llowance of food. According to Tuomy, with the prohibition of food within the library will return it to the quiet space it was five years ago.

Academic Center Resource Specialist Pam Steward agrees, stating t hat the AC and library are meant to foster education, and should not be filled with potential food waste. “The AC was supposed to be for tutoring and studying,” Steward said. “I personally like the environment because it’s relaxing, but we need to remember that this place isn’t just about hanging out and eating, and students do need to work.” The AC will no longer sell food after school.

As a result, the AC has comprehensively t ig htened its g uidelines to be similar to those of the library in order to improve the AC’s academic atmosphere.

“The AC should be a place to get tutored, a place to do homework with the help of the textbooks and a place to use computers for academic purposes and to print academic assignments,” Steward said. “With the inclusion of food and recreational uses of the computers, it was just too loud in the AC for tutoring to get done, and the tutors and students could not hear each other.” Now, according to Steward, with less litter in the AC, computers are less difficult to maintain and t he overa l l interior of the AC is much more sanitary for studying a nd get t ing work done.

[This issue] had many eye catching articles that were engaging and informative.

—Sabrina Chen, 10

September 12, 2014 I want to see more stuff about the football team.

—Max Chiew, 12 The stories were great and interesting, and had a nice balance of topics and categories.

—Jarrod Hsu, 11

I would like to see more debates in The Oracle and less opinion without the opposite side for pieces like the Pro/Con kind of articles.

—Lucy Augustine, 10 I really like the article on how to start a Twitter war.

—Beatrix Cardell, 11

I would like to see more stories about Palo Alto and things to do that are accessible to all high school students.

—Karunya Sethraman, 11 I thought that this was such a fantastic first edition.

—Danny Golovinksy, 12

The Oracle is a 2013 NSPA Pacemaker Award winner.

4

News

THEORACLE

Five school board candidates offer diverse qualifications Elections will be held Nov. 4th for the two available school board positions.

Jay Cabrera

School board candidate Jay Cabrera has several major priorities he wants to bring to Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD). One is to teach students real life-skills.

Cabrera believes education should prepare students for the real world by teaching practical knowledge such as what to expect in job interviews, in addition to giving students skills to succeed in the academic world. “Student feedback has told me that teaching practical life skills is something students want but that the classroom isn’t the best place to learn them,” Cabrera said. “We have to ask how we can empower students through extracurriculars, or by having alumni come in to work with students to effectively help them learn these skills.”

Cabrera wants to tackle the issue of the unrealistic amount of stress placed upon students, as a result of high standards of achievement. “What we are seeing is students are having difficulty meeting these huge levels of achievement that they are pressured to hit,” Cabrera said. “This problem relates to a number of important issues including the cheating scandals that are going on.” Cabrera believes that implementing a network of student submissions is a possible solution to this problem. Teachers would be able to see each student’s collective homework load and make schedule adjustments to lighten student workloads.

Other important aspects of Cabrera’s candidacy include goals to bring computer programming into the school curriculum and to transform the school board itself into a more interactive body. “One of the main things about my candidacy is interactivity,” Cabrera said. “It’s about how we can broaden the school board system, utilizing 21st century technology to give real-time, direct interactivity to the general public so that people can vote on important issues in front of the board.”

Gina Dalma

After studying economics in Mexico, PAUSD school board candidate Gina Dalma transitioned into education and is how a board advisor of the Silicon Valley Education Foundation. Currently, Dalma is a grantmaker and senior program officer at the Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF). According to Dalma, she works with 54 different school districts to fund and support the creation of “spaces where all kids can learn.”

Dalma chose to run for a seat on the PAUSD board because she prioritizes involvement in the district where her own children are taught. In the past, Dalma has been locally involved as part of Ohlone Elementary School’s Site Council, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) process at Palo Alto High School and several district coalitions for Spanish-speaking parents.

One of Dalma’s biggest goals is to more directly implement Common Core in PAUSD curricula. “Our students are the pacemakers of tomorrow, so they need to be problem-solvers,” she said. “I would argue that six hours of homework is not the best approach to learning. Meaningful teaching is the single most important goal.”

Dalma believes that her training as an economist can benefit the district in unique ways. “For the past ten years, I’ve been involved in increasing educational levels for students in this region,” she said. “What I’m bringing to the table is a professional lens and an objective opinion.” Dalma has confidence in accomplishing her goals. “There’s a lot to do from the board level,” she said. “But I think we have all the things we need in Palo Alto to be cutting-edge.”

Ken Dauber

Ken Dauber is looking to bring his student-first attitude to the Palo Alto school board. Dauber plans to reduce stress, reduce crowded schools and increase foreign language options in elementary and middle schools. He hopes to use his experiences consulting for the United States Department of Education, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to help.

As a parent of two former Gunn students, Dauber has seen the negative effects of large homework loads on students. “I can see the value in making some simple changes in things like homework, testing and projects, because I have seen my own kids struggle with those issues,” Dauber said. To reduce unnecessary stress, Dauber plans to use a Project Safety Net Plan previously passed by the school board to measure how much homework students are doing and prevent the buildup of tests and projects.

To reduce overcrowded schools, Dauber is looking to create a 13th elementary school, an improvement he hopes will change the dynamic of elementary school education. He is looking to increase foreign language offerings in elementary schools and middle schools. “When we start kids learning foreign languages earlier, their language ability is improved,” Dauber said. “It also generally improves literacy.”

Along with his main points, Dauber hopes to help the district avoid complacency, and continue to improve. “We have a great school district and sometimes it is hard to see how we can get better,” Dauber said. “Focusing on continuous improvement in the district is something we can really benefit from.”

Catherine Crystal Foster

Catherine Crystal Foster has more than 20 years of experience working with children and has served on PTA, PiE and the Palo Alto Community Fund. “Now is a very exciting time to be on the school board because [of] the new superintendent, new principals [and] Common Core academic standards, so there are opportunities now to do some really fantastic things in the school district,” Foster said.

Foster believes one of the most important skills she will bring to the board is her ability to incorporate different student experiences. Her extensive background in volunteering and working for non-profits has given her leadership skills and the ability to manage money effectively. She has worked to help low-income first-generation college students finish college. “I’ve struggled with those kids. I’ve worked with those kids. I’ve talked to their parents. I’ve

watched them through their ups and their downs and gotten them through,” Foster said. She plans to have a strong student voice present in the board. “I think it is really important that the school board focuses on what is important for the students because if we are not student-focused, we are not doing our job,” Foster said.

Foster’s vision for Palo Alto include making students 21st century learners who are more aware of their surroundings. “Being a 21st century learner means that you’re somebody who can learn your whole life,” Foster said.

Foster has high hopes for Palo Alto’s future. “We’ve got some work to do in Palo Alto,” Foster said. “I think there’s a lot of great teaching that goes on and there are incredible students. Palo Alto is very good and instead of being very good, it can be great.”

Terry Godfrey

Former President of Palo Alto’s PTA Council (2009 to 2011) and most recently President of Palo Alto Partners in Education (2011 to 2014), Terry Godfrey believes improving teacher quality and district governance and management should be prioritized.

Godfrey believes that her 25 years of experience in finance and organizational management has honed her skills as a leader. “Twenty-five years has given me the ability to understand and work with large, complex organizations like our school district,” she said. “I know our district well and I have a lot of experience in managing organizations, setting goals, gathering input and making decisions.”

Godfrey hopes to address the incon-

sistency among teachers of the same course as well as a lack of promptness in returning assignments through a holistic approach. “Giving teachers the time and resources to plan for their classes and collaborate with other teachers would go a long way towards getting them aligned and solving some of these issues,” she said.

In addition to teacher quality, fostering a healthier learning environment is one of her main concerns. “One middle schooler I know explained how his P.E. class is so big that they can’t do anything more than workouts because there are too many of them to organize into games” Godfrey said. This, along with elementary schools that have too many students, both need solutions.”

­–Compiled by Michael Chen, Kush Dubey, Matthew Hamilton, Ryeri Lim and Ariel Pan

5 Forum EDITORIAL: The opinion of The Oracle Monday, October 13, 2014

New administrative changes to the library need compromise At the start of this school year, the library adopted a new set of policies which prohibit eating, restrict computer and laptop use to school activities and actively enforce the noise level limit. The Academic Center (AC) followed suit in Sept. by also implementing a no-food policy. These changes have garnered negative responses from many returning students who consider the library and the AC as places for not only work but also eating and relaxing with friends.

After looking into the causes for these changes, The Oracle finds, however, that students should embrace the new library and A.C. policies. They will be beneficial for students in the long run by ensuring we will always have a clean and quiet place to turn to for academic resources.

Despite its support of the new policies, however, The Oracle also feels that the administ rat ion needs to recognize this transition as a difficult one for returning students.

We encourage the administration and staff members of the AC and library to be more accommodating of student needs and pursue temporary compromises.

When eating was first permitted in the li-

brary three years ago, the librar y slowly lost its identity as a space for students to work. While occasional snacking can be beneficial for an environment dedicated to student learning, we students took our newfound privilege a step too far. We began to use and perceive the library as an area primarily for eating lunch, surfing the internet and socializing. The result was an environment incapable of upholding federal standards: the library was dirty, loud and crowded. The new library and AC policies have resolved many of these issues. Stricter

Before

restrictions on computer use now ensure laptops and computers are always available for school work. The noise level remains low enough for students to concentrate and friends to whisper. Trash has noticeably reduced, with daily output falling to a quarter of its previous 240 gallons.

Students, however, are understandably reluctant to accept these changes. Perhaps the biggest cause for our stubbornness is our perception of the library and the AC as places where we can rightfully work, surf the web, talk with friends and eat, all at the same time. For three years, the AC and the library have been places for us to do so, and so students have naturally come to identify them as facilities dedicated to these purposes. However, we must realize the original roles of the library and the AC are solely academic in nature. These facilities are intended to be places where students can work, make up tests or find peer tutors. We may feel entitled to an environment where we can relax and eat, but the library and the AC are not intended

for these purposes.

Still, some specific new policies are unnecessarily restrictive. For example, those wishing to check out a laptop should be allowed to print out their Infinite Campus page if they forget to bring their ID card.

The print out provides both a student’s picture and his student ID, just as much information as an ID card does.

In addition, a policy against sleeping in the library is ridiculous. Naps are not distracting to other students and do not expend library resources. Furthermore, it’s unreasonable to expect a student to go outside or return home to sleep, especially when a prep period last only 58 minutes and some students bike over three miles to get to Gunn.

Furthermore, now that administrators have reestablished the roles of the library and the AC, they should begin to focus on providing students a new facility to replace

what the library and the AC originally meant to us. The current Student Activities Center is unable to fulfill this need. What students really want is a space for working, eating and relaxing with friends. We do not need ping pong tables, grimy couches or gaming consoles in our student activities center; we need desks, more computers, printers and suitable lighting. Admittedly, a plan to build a new student activities center is in the works.

E

b liza

et h

Zu

Construction will take years to complete, however, and before then, students are left without a place to work while eating and relaxing with friends.

Therefore, efforts should be made to address student needs during the interim. Perhaps the administration can open up specific classrooms for use during lunch and after school for students interested in doing homework while snacking with friends. Another possible alternative could be allowing light snacking in the AC during class periods: no meals, but perhaps a granola bar or an apple here or there. This compromise prevents food from dominating student activity in the facility but also

allows students to get a bite or to in while working.

Either way, the administration cannot simply leave student alone to fend for ourselves while a new student activities center is still being discussed.

School officials should be actively looking for a solution for the time being. —Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the staff (assenting: 26; dissenting: 0; abstaining: 8)

After

Elizabeth Zu

Forum

6

Falling into different Preserving long distance relationships:

Teenagers who don’t use contr aceptives are twice as likely to become teen mothers as those who do.

Emily Kvitko

PRO

According to Long Distance Relationships Statistics, ten percent of marriages start as long-distance relationships, and 75 percent of engaged couples have been in long distance relationships. At first glance, long-distance relationships seem likely to fail.

However, close examination of long-distance relationships has shown that they can actually improve relationships by increasing communication, connection and mutual commitment within a relationship.

Of course, a relationship separated by thousands of miles is hard work and timeconsuming. According to Statistics Brain, 40 percent of long distance relationships are doomed to fail after 4.5 months. However, a study for the Journal of Communication showed people in long-distance romantic relationships can form stronger bonds than those in normal relationships. Those facing a distance barrier had greater feelings of intimacy due to two factors: they disclosed more about themselves and put more work into the relationship. These efforts pay off and allow a long-distance relationship, in which time together become sacred, to create some of the closest connections.

Distance takes a relationship and makes it something more than physical; instead of relying on physical contact to keep the relationship going, partners spend their time talking about their day, feelings and desires. A long-distance relationship is a true test of what the relationship is about. They say once a couple makes it through a geographicallychallenged romance, they can make it through anything.

Furthermore, long-distance relationships can be more healthy as distance prevent individuals from allowing a romance to dominate their lives. In a normal relationship, it is easy to lose oneself in the relationship as the partner is easily accessible. Couples separated by distance rarely have this problem; it is difficult to live through someone when he or she is thousands of miles away. Therefore, distance helps the members in a relationship keep a grasp on their identities and keeps them in touch with reality. This is especially beneficial for younger individuals who are still establishing themselves in the “real world.”

Of course it is better to be together, hand in hand, with the person one loves, but in life people have to make sacrifices. Being in a long distance relationship for some period of time may actually be the medicine a f lawed relationship needs to create a bond that a couple will not forget. Scientists revealed that the most important factor for making a long distance relationship work is the certainty that one day the two will be together.

Men and women in long distance relationships tend to idealize their partners’ behaviors, which leads to a greater sense of intimacy.

—Kvitko, a senior, is a Centerfold Editor.

Birth control contraceptive measures are smart, not slutty Erica Watkins Every day, teenagers put themselves at risk for pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. According to the Center for Disease Control, 46.8 percent of high schoolers have had sex. When almost 50 percent of teenagers are engaging in sex, we cannot continue to avoid discussing contraceptives.

Despite the controversy surrounding the issue, birth control should no longer have a negative connotation attached to

it. Parents should encourage their kids to become aware of contraceptive options and women need to have the right to access birth control.

In high school, when students hear that a girl is on birth control they automatically assume she is having sex; however, there are many other uses for birth control, such as management of severe acne and irregular menstrual cycles. On the other hand, if the girl is on birth control for the purpose of having safe sex, she shouldn’t be judged because women have not always had the right to control their own bodies. With the invention of birth control, women are no longer tied down by unwanted pregnancies and are free to pursue their own careers. The fact that a girl is taking her life into her own hands by taking birth control is a decision she deserves to make, without negative responses.

Birth control and condoms were designed to allow safe sex,

not to encourage sexual activity. Though many parents believe that allowing their kids access to contraceptives will give them permission to engage in sexual activity, by having a discussion with kids about sex, one is actually decreasing the chances of sex because kids will feel as if there is more investment in their well-being. The alternative of not allowing teens to be on birth control will result in rebellion and unprotected sex.

In high school, the topic of sex is simply unavoidable.

The conversation of safe sex, however, is often avoided. We need to address the issue of unprotected sex in high school by supporting girls who decide to take birth control, by encouraging parents to discuss with their kids about safe sex and by allowing women the right to birth control no matter what their situation is.

—Watkins, a senior, is a reporter.

Forum

Monday, October 13, 2014

7

kinds of relationships are they worth the maintenance?

Kathleen Xue

Hookups negatively affect future prospects

CON

Friendships with graduating seniors often transcend the mere four years of high school, blossoming into budding romance. Couples kiss goodbye on commencement, vowing to keep in contact and uphold long-distance relationships. However, what these people do not know is that long-distance relationships rarely last and it is seen that a majority of breakups happen between mid-September and October. Scientific research has proven that these relationships are nearly impossible to maintain.

In a long-distance relationship one must constantly be prioritizing his or her partner over those within close proximity. However, this is biologically difficult to accomplish for, according to scientists at the Loyola University Health System, the feeling of being in love comes from the stimulation of certain mechanisms in the brain. The two partners in a relationship transmit pheromones to each other. These pheromones cause individuals to release dopamine and feel a biological high. However, this response only happens when there is physical intimacy and face-to-face contact. Thus, long-distance partners are not truly in love, but rather elongating a relationship gone stale with lack of exposure. This lack of adrenaline between two partners must also be coupled with the distractions of people who are physically nearby, making keeping the relationship doubly difficult.

Moreover, individuals in long-distance relationships don’t experience the mundane obstacles normal couples do. While this may at first seem appealing, it leads to issues when those originally in a long-distance relationship reunite and actually being to live and plan for a future together. They realize that the long-distance relationship they sustained during their time apart does not accurately reflect what a life together would genuinely be like. An example of something one wouldn’t experience during long-distance relationships that are typically in normal relationships includes little habits each partner has that may cause issues when both partners are physically with each other, but that two long-distance partners cannot notice because they are never there.

Finally, what is most overlooked is that for long-distance relationships to work, both sides must trust each other completely and be willing to put in their entire effort with blind faith that this effort is being reciprocated, without the incentive of physical touch. For relationships that depend on physical contact (i.e. sex) this simply will not work and there is always going to be the doubt of philandering on both sides, as no one is capable of putting their entire trust on a single person. Thus, though the long-distance relationship encourages independence of partners, it also encourages cheating on both sides because there is no physical force implementing complete fidelity. Neither side is completely sure the entire time what the other side thinks for there is rare face-to-face conversation and it is much easier to deceive through indirect means of communication, which long-distance relationships rely heavily on.

It is therefore the best plan of action not to commit oneself to a longdistance relationship seeing that it will only flounder and disappoint in the end. Investing instead in the people physically near will prove much more beneficial in the long term. It is completely feasible to preserve a longdistance friendship, but to go as far as to try to keep love alive with miles in between is both exhausting and unprofitable.

Esther Kozakevich

Hookup culture is everywhere; nowadays songs, TV shows and media are all advocates of sexual promiscuity.

To a certain extent, having sexual freedom is empowering. However, our culture has gone too far in its contempt of commitment.

Hooking up with a lot of people or only having friends with benefits type of flings creates unrealistic expectations for relationships in the future, scares off potential love interests and is not as emotionally satisfying as purposefully committing oneself to a significant other.

The main problem with hookups or friends with benefits types of situations is the expectations for future relationships. Having lots of hookups and “fun buddies” does not equal real relationships. While being in a nostrings-attached type of affair doesn’t always require commitment, affection and emotional vulnerability, real relationships usually do. Getting accustomed to the casual feel of a non-commitment can set you back in future serious relationships and create standards and expectations that the other party may not be able to meet. If a serious, committed relationship is your ultimate goal, being in lots of friends with benefits scenarios will not prepare you nor benefit your ultimate objective.

W hen you’re c on s t a nt ly hooking up with people, potential love interests get scared off. If a guy who’s looking for a committed relationship sees you constantly having a new hookup every night, no matter how much he respects you or how empowering it is for you, he’s going to get the impression that you don’t want a serious relationship or are already taken. He’s going to be much more likely to pursue you if he knows you’re actively looking for someone and are going to be committed to them if you date.

Lastly, hookups and friends with benefits relationships simply do not satisfy our emotional needs. No matter how afraid you are of serious commitment, evolutionarily humans crave and want constant affection and attention from one mate. Even if you’re looking for something casual, eventually one party or the other is going to want more commitment/emotional intimacy than the other is willing to offer. By this point we’ve all heard that friends with benefits never really work, and settling for a friends with benefits just because you haven’t found a Statistics pulled real relationship from Gutt Macher or are afraid of institute and being alone is a waste of everythe “Journal of one’s time.

Communication.”

33% of men respected their hookup partner less after the hookup, while 23% of women did.

—Xue, a junior, is a Forum Editor.

44% of college students in 2010 had sex as a result of a casual date.

­—Kozakevich, a senior, is a Forum Editor.

8

Forum

Homecoming dates are overrated Sam Acker As Homecoming week approaches, many students start to become anxious about securing dates to the dance. Because of this, these next few weeks can be exciting but also terrifying. As a senior, I’ve had experience with both going to a dance solo and having a date. In reality, the importance of having a homecoming date is often blown out of proportion and can be overrated.

My freshman year, I attended the dance without a date. I was bitter at first, but after a while I told myself to ignore my hesitation about being alone. I was still eager to see what the hype was about, and I love a good dance.

But from the minute I stepped into the gym, I felt uncomfortable. Everywhere I turned,people were holding hands and talking to their dates.

I felt like telling people I forgot my date or that he was just late because of traffic. So, for a while, I talked to people who weren’t dancing and clumsily attempted to dance in between pairs.

Before long, I derived a strategy that has proven to provide some levity in other awkward dances. I attempted, and sometimes succeeded, in simply not caring. I literally faked it until I made it. It began with a lot of smiling, laughing and some very wacky dancing. As I pretended to have the night of my life, I sensed myself starting to actually enjoy the dance. By lightening the mood and pretending to be fearless, I was able to enjoy my situation. I accepted that I was already there and it was impossible to turn back.

Once I got comfortable being alone, I started to accept the awkwardness and paid attention to other aspects of the dance, such as the perfect song playing in the background or how awesome everyone looked in their dresses.

To be fair, there are downsides to attending the homecoming dance without a date. The dateless are in the minority, and it takes a lot of courage to go “stag.” Furthermore, having a date motivates you to dress up and feel important about attending. Without a date, it is easy to feel like no one will notice whether or not you wore makeup or curled your hair. It is a downward path if you start to have a negative mindset about being dateless. Often, teenagers believe that their confidence and personalities are directly affected by the lack of a date, but in reality, the dance holds more meaning than just who you go with.

Honestly, I love going to dances with a date.

It is an easier situation to handle, and in terms of dancing, you have a guaranteed partner. But I have heard so many horror stories of dates gone wrong (They barely knew their date; it was awkward; they were creepy; they were mean) .Although it might seem like it, the end of the world will not come if you find yourself without a homecoming date. Go with a group of friends who also do not have dates, or do what I did my sophomore year and just skip the dance. Shocking, I know, but it was actually one of the best nights I have had with two of my good friends.

Another possibility is to find an alternative to the dance, like bowling.

Otherwise, go alone! Have fun, act crazy and enjoy yourself. The music could be the best it’s ever been, and if you love to dance, dance your heart out. Regardless of the date situation, the Homecoming dance has and will be a highlight of our high school careers.

I, Samantha Acker have been dateless and have had a date at homecoming and believe it or not, I survived both situations. You can too.

—Acker, a senior, is a Lifestyle Editor.

Pop polls create excessive drama Most Attractive?

Lawrence Chen Every year, the release of pop polls stimulates heated discussion amongst students. Seniors discuss who to choose with their friends and the lower grades ask the seniors who they are going to pick. People campaign for pop poll positions by talking to others and posting on social media. However, usually there is only one pop poll position per gender under each choice, thus, resulting in disagreements between individuals who believe they should both be nominated for the pop poll position. This causes unnecessary and meaningless drama that

Most Competitive? voter’s perception to better suit themselves. In addition, many of these pop polls are very subjective such as, “best eyes,” “hottie with a body,” or “most desirable.” By including these choices as pop polls, tensions brew as people who believe they are entitled to the same pop poll compete against each other.

Pop polls ultimately foster an unhealthy competitiveness among the student body over a few superficial titles that are extremely exclusive. Of course, the winners of these titles may feel a sense of accomplishment and contentment upon being selected for the poll. However, the runners up are left feeling dejected or inadequate because their qualities were not highlighted well enough to deserve the attention to rise in social standing.

In addition, some of the pop polls aren’t even entertaining and are actually rather offensive to the people who get nominated for them.

Some polls that come to mind are, “most in need of a reality check,” “most likely to cross the line,” or “most likely to retake a 2390.” Pop polls should be entertaining and shou ld highlight

Best Personality? pulls the senior class apart.

The simple fact t hat st udents ca mpa ign for pop polls should be a red f lag.

Pop polls should be decided on how a person has acted over the past four years, not by campaigns. People campaign through pictures with underlying implications or they are straightforward in their intent, saying in the photo’s caption, for example, “#biggestbromance2015,” or “#biggestgossip.”

If people need to go through so much trouble to persuade people to vote them under a certain pop poll, then they shouldn’t even deserve the nomination because they artificially influenced the

people’s best times throughout high school. Instead, these pop polls are far from lighthearted and actually exemplify a student’s more negative qualities.

While pop polls can be good fun and entertaining, “The Olympian” should be more considerate of people’s feelings in choosing some of the polls. “The Olympian” can better utilize the space that pop polls take up or include more neutral polls to avoid conflict among the seniors.

Best Friends?

—Chen, a senior, is a News Editor.

Monday, October 13, 2014

Global Spotlight Changes in Apple’s iPhone 6 are not significant Michael Chen

Before the iPhone, the concept of a touch-screen phone was alien. In fact, a lot of the technology that came with the first iPhone seemed like fantasy before it was put into use. The iPhone and its sequels have brought revolution after revolution to the smartphone world. Since their creation, Apple has improved and reproduced seven generations of the iPhone, the latest being the iPhone 6 and its larger counterpart, the 6 Plus.

However, Apple’s dynasty of groundbreaking new phones has come to an end.

The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus will not have as big of an impact on consumers and the smartphone industry as previous products did. Despite all of the improvements that these new models sport—from faster internet speeds to a new version of iOS—the newest iPhone lacks major innovations to the existing product. Most of the iPhone 6’s modifications are small improvements and additions to existing features.

For example, the new iPhones have larger and higher resolution screens than those of previous models. These improvements enhance user experiences with media and apps, and the increased size will even allow for new in-app features including an iPad-style landscape mode

for applications on the 6 Plus. In addi- card. In Oct. of this year, Apple’s mobile tion, the iPhone camera has a variety of wallet system, Apple Pay, comes into efnew capabilities that enhance the phone’s fect. Apple Pay offers an easy, secure and media taking ability. The newest iPhone private way for users camera shoots HD video, captures to store credit and slow-motion and time-lapse clips debit c a rd s i n and maintains constant focus t hei r phones throughout footage using a and make There was no new autofocus technology. private, difference However, while these ims e c u r e in sharpness provements in the iPhone’s transacdesign and functionalities tions with between the make room for more crea touch. iphone and the ativity from users and app Apple Pay, developers, t he i mproveaccording Samsung Galaxy. ments themselves are simply to Apple, is minor tweaks and additions. a lready supWith only small changes, it is ported by many unlikely that these new iPhones will major cred it ca rds create as big of a wave as previous models and banks, and more than did. For example, the iPhone 3GS was 220,000 stores have been integrated into the first iPhone to support video taking its network. The number is growing, capabilities, doubling the iPhone’s camera which makes it seem likely that Apple functionalities and opening up the world Pay has a chance of revolutionizing the of capturing motion pictures to iPhone way people pay for their expenses. Reusers. It was the first iPhone to support gardless, it will take time for it to fully voice recognition, a feature which is now integrate into people’s everyday routines used in many popular apps. Then, the and there is always the concern that with iPhone 4S took voice recognition a step mobile credit storage, your private credit further with Siri, the virtual assistant who card information is available for hackers uses voice recognition to communicate to steal. with the user. The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus Overa ll, seven generations of new simply bring a cacophony of adjustments iPhones sporting the newest innovations to existing features—adjustments whose is draining Apple’s idea pool and as that impacts will be minimal compared to pool gets smaller, so will the impact that the tidal changes that previous models their new products have on the world. brought.

The newest iPhones do have one wild—Chen, a sophomore, is a reporter.

U.S. is partially to blame for ISIS’s military actions Elinor Aspergren

Pro-militarists have been hounding President Barack Obama to take action against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) for months. Their pleas were warranted after the beheading of two American journa lists and a British aid worker, when President Obama announced a new wave of b ombi ngs a nd an attack on ISIS. Though these pro -m i l it a r i s t s a re c le a rly t he most vocal of lobbiers, t here are others who believe that fighting ISIS is the wrong course of action. There are more effective alternatives than military intervention, for t he war on ISIS cannot be handled without tackling the tyranny in the Middle East.

To first understand why military action is ineffective, ISIS’s long history must be understood. The founder of ISIS, Musab al-Zarqawi, met Osama bin Laden in 1999 and began directing his rhetoric toward the Shiite population of Iraq. After Sad-

dam Hussein was toppled by the United States, Shiite politicians replaced the Sunnis, who had long dominated the government in Iraq. Zarqawi was counting on the Sunni resentment to build alliances in his group. By 2006, he began to insist that his group submit to Sharia law, or strict Islamic law, but his ambitions were cut short when the United States dropped bombs on his hideout. As the tide turned against Zarqawi’s group, an inf lux of U.S. troops surged against them, and demoralized, the cadets disappeared. By 2011, when U.S. troops withdrew, AQI rebranded itself the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) and the new leader, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, took Zarqawi’s tactics a nd supercharged them.

Soon, they were domin at i n g h e a dlines around the wor l d for t h e i r dominance in Iraq and Syria. Military action against ISIS won’t work because, as seen in the past, an invasion will not make them go away. In fact, the U.S. takeover only served to make them stronger. According to the National Intelligence Estimate, the U.S. occupation of Iraq actually spurred a new generation of terrorists and increased the terrorism threat against America. More American

9343 civilians were killed in Iraq by Isis from January to September.

military interaction would just make this worse as violence only strengthens the ideology that fuels ISIS and will recruit more radicalists to ISIS’s cause.

To eliminate ISIS’s inf luence in the region, the United States needs to engage in finding lasting solutions to problems in the region. One way to do this is to recruit the Sunnis, who haven’t been radicalized

by ISIS. While ISIS has 20,000 fighters, there are 25 million Sunnis who can serve as potential recruitments as long as they remain disillusioned with political leaders. With Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki, who refused to accommodate the Sunnis and therefore fueled discontent with the government, stepping down, part of the job has already been done for the United States. In fact, the new Prime Minister Haider al Abad has pledged an open government, economic reform and respect for human rights, which would lead to a sounder Iraqi government and less political strain. Under these new circumstances, the United States can focus on garnering support in the region to take down ISIS. Besides creating a more equitable, democratic system of government across the Middle East, we need to work with our allies to provide resources to challenge jihadists like ISIS. There is no great way to solve the ISIS problem. Each solution has its disadvantages. Under no circumstances, however, should the President take military action against ISIS. Doing so will only worsen the situation for the United States.

—Aspegren, a junior, is a Copy Editor.

9

10

Features

THEORACLE

Foothill offers specialized opportunities for upperclassmen Matt Niksa

Business Editor

The Foothill College Middle College is an alternative education plan for juniors and seniors. The Foothill Middle College began in 1993 in collaboration with the Palo Alto Unified School District, Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District (MVLA) and Foothill College itself.

Although the first Middle College nationally was established only 40 years ago, the program has become nationally recognized and is popular in the Bay Area.

According to the MVLA school district website, the Middle College program targets “bright, college-bound students who may not be performing up to their full potential, or students who are ready for a change from the traditional high school environment.” Assistant Principal Tom Jacoubowsky works in association with the MVLA school district and Foothill College to provide students with information on the Middle College program. Jacoubowsky believes that any student with academic potential could find the Middle College program attractive. “It’s for kids who are academically strong. It’s not for students who have had problems doing the academic work at Gunn,” Jacoubowsky said. “We’ve had a range of students who in a sense I would say have underachieved and have struggled and have gone

I go to

on to Middle College. We’ve had students who are like 4.0 [GPA] students who just want a different experience.”

The Middle College program offers four different opportunities for students. The first opportunity lets students complete high school graduation requirements faster by taking concurrent high school and college courses. The system provides students with “double-credits” for their high school classes. For example, if a student takes a five-unit Chinese class in one quarter then he earns a year’s worth of high school credits in the Chinese course in just a 12-week span. While earning a year’s worth of credits in less time may sound appealing, each 12-week course covers a year’s worth of curriculum. Class curriculums are expedited, and Middle College students are expected to learn the material at a much faster rate if they hope to attain the credits.

Middle College also offers an environment that allows students to choose their own education. Students can choose the college classes that they want to take as long as they sign the Middle College Student Agreement. To help students adapt to the collegiate system, all students design their own schedule by choosing college courses from the Foothill College catalog. A Middle College student usually takes two hour-long college courses in the morning from 9 a.m. to noon, and then their core high school classes from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. Participating in sports and choosing Senior Peter Goldie

college courses are both left for the student to decide. The only courses that cannot be decided by the students are the required high school classes.

The third opportunity the Middle College plan offers is a chance for the student to explore another range of electives that differ from high school electives. Middle College offers 90 different departments for students to explore.

While Gunn and MVLA both offer a plethora of electives, Foothill College offers branches of science (anthropology, sociology, kinesiology) that are not offered at these other two high schools. The diverse courses that Middle College students can choose from is intended to help them choose a possible major before they enter college.

The final opportunity that Middle College offers to prospective students is the smaller class size. Also, while students take different college courses every 12 weeks, or a quarter, all 70 Middle College students study and work together in a large classroom setting for an entire semester, taking the same courses. Since students work together in such a large setting, every student gets to know each other and work together to succeed.

With smaller class sizes, a greater variety of classes and an opportunity to complete high school graduation requirements faster, Middle College is certainly a viable option for prospective high school juniors and seniors.

Senior Anna Moore

Junior Allison Simoni

Middle

College

because...

Josh Spain

Middle College student challenges common misconceptions Hayley Krolik

Sports Editor

Most struggling high school students are not aware of alternative pathways for pursuing their education and often end up trying to survive high school as best they can. Senior Alicia Holland took advantage of Foothill College Middle College, one alternative, and is now thriving. “When I went to Middle College, I learned to love learning again,” Holland said. “I can be excited about school and think, ‘Wow, I’m really pumped for this class that I’m taking,’ even if I didn’t think it was a subject I’d be interested in.”

At Gunn, Holland was frustrated with the school system and asked her counselor about other options. “When I was at Gunn, I was not happy,” Holland said. “I didn’t fit the mold of a Gunn student.” She first considered independent learning and private school, but ultimately chose to attend Middle College.

“Middle College is a family,” Holland said.

“You only have two high school teachers and not only are they heads of the program, your college counselors and your teachers, but they are also your second set of parents.”

Since college classes do not start until two weeks into the high school year, the Middle College students participate in team building and bonding activities for the first two weeks.

Holland took part in a dodgeball game, scav- program,” Holland said. “It definitely adds enger hunt and beach trip with her classmates, a little sparkle to your application.” Students activities which gave her a chance to meet have already demonstrated success in a colnew people. “Middle College students are so lege environment, so colleges are reassured spoiled on waking up,” Holland said. “On the that the students will flourish at an actual beach day, we had to show up at 8 a.m. and college. Additionally, Middle College prepares the day didn’t end until 2:30 p.m. We were students for college early on by providing the all complaining, ‘This is such a long day! I opportunity to get seven to 11 college credits can’t believe we have to stay a quarter. “You really finish at school this long.’” your credits up early,” HolThe atmosphere at Middle land said. “A lot of people finCollege enhances communiish up high school at junior ty through discussion-based year or go into college already classes Holland laughs as she having about a year of college explains the “gnarly debates” credits under their belt.” her classmates get into in The system consists of a class. “The next day you’ll balance of college classes as come back to class and see well as daily Middle College Alicia Holland those two people that got into English and history courses. a fight hugging, because you can’t really hold According to Holland, there is more flexibility grudges in Middle College as it’s so small,” in choosing classes but classes are also more Holland said. “Within a few months, you have rigorous. “You wouldn’t sign up for Middle this new community that I’ve never experi- College if you can’t handle the two-hour enced before in the school system. It breaks lecture period in the college classes,” Holland down all those social barriers.” said. “It’s definitely faster paced, but if you Middle College comes with a lot of ad- get a good teacher, you won’t even notice the vantages. Attending Middle College might speed.” Students have the freedom to learn even prove beneficial to a student’s college what they want and try new things; Holland is application. “The college application process even taking a body flexibility class this quarter is no different. If anything, colleges really along with an astronomy class although she love to see students in the Middle College has never liked science before.

Holland wants to banish the myths about Middle College and hopes that Gunn students will understand its benefits. “There’s a stupid rumor that only high school drop-outs go [to Middle College] and that’s not true at all,” Holland said. “There’s a huge variety of people, and that’s really special.” She is incredulous that Gunn students often portray Middle College as a place only for stoners, dropouts and slackers. Holland has met some of the smartest people she knows at Middle College and challenges the misconception that Middle College students are completely deprived from a high school experience.

Students can still attend their high school events, get student discounts and participate in school sports and student government.

“Just because you go to Middle College doesn’t make you any less of a Gunn student,” Holland explained.

Holland recommends Middle College to kids who are unhappy with the school system or bored because they find school too easy.

Kids who had decided not to go to college and went through the Middle College program are now applying and excited for their next step. Holland herself became a happier and more social person. “It’s for anybody who is unhappy in the school system,” Holland said.

“It’s for kids who just can’t do it anymore and need to be re-inspired to learn.”

Features

Monday, October 13, 2014

11

Junior Jordana Siegel leads female business event Prachi Kale

Copy Editor

Junior Jordana Siegel is involved with a variety of organizations such as the Palo Alto government’s Youth Council, Gunn’s Brand4U club, a Jewish Youth Group and Nordstrom’s Teen Fashion Board. Additionally, Siegel is involved with Girls Innovate, an organization dedicated to helping teenage girls develop their leadership abilities.

As president of its Teen Committee, a group of girls that organize and lead Girls Innovate workshops and events, she is in charge of coordinating many of the organization’s workshops. “Every Teen Committee member has to plan events, so we go over the upcoming events, the new updates in processes of planning and learn another lesson in leadership from a program called the Student Leadership Challenge,” Siegel said. “It really is about updating the Teen Committee about Girls Innovate and educating them on leadership in terms of Girls Innovate.”

Siegel became interested in Girls Innovate at the end of her freshman year. “It was a day-long motherdaughter conference where I attended two workshops on marketing and how to properly pitch my ideas,” she said.

“I enjoyed the conference so much that I followed up by attending a few feedback meetings and from there, my involvement skyrocketed.” As president of the Teen Committee for Girls

Innovate, Siegel oversees the monthly meetings, manages publicity and runs the Student Leadership Challenge, a program the entire Teen Committee is taking part in and occasionally plans workshops.

According to Siegel, there are many steps that go into planning the conferences for Girls Innovate. “We first create a uniting vision for the conference and then begin to assign tasks such as finding a venue, speakers and sponsors to different members of the Girls Innovate community,” Siegel said. “It is really important that the leadership of Girls Innovate takes advantage of our support networks and are not swamped with the work of planning. Each member plays a distinct role in planning it.”

She believes that the organizations she is a part of have enriched her life.

“It is really rewarding to give back to your community, and these organizations provide me with the opportunity to learn and grow as a leader in a safe environment that welcomes failure,” she said. According to Siegel, Girls Innovate provides her with opportunities to expand her leadership abilities, interact with professionals and try to learn what she wants to do in the future.

Siegel encourages others to attend Girls Innovate events, beginning with a series of public speaking workshops which will take place on Oct. 19. Registration is online at the Girls Innovate website.

Q&A

Photos courtesy of Jordana Siegel

Top left: Juniors Jordana Siegal and Amy Watt listen to ideas at the business series. Top right: Siegel presents a guest speaker to talk about social entrepreneurship at an event.

Bottom: Siegel poses with Pamela Keith, founder and CEO of CuisineStyle, a catering company.

Artist of the Month:

The Oracle: What type of art do you create?

Anj al i He re k ar : I s om e t i m e s d o paintings and other times prints. I usually use acrylic.

TO: Why did you start painting?

AH: When I was really little, my grandma introduced me to drawing and painting, and I just ended up really liking it. She taught me the basics-how to draw different things and how to study different objects, and I could create my own art from that.

TO: How has that influenced your art today?

AH: Anytime I’m drawing at home or painting, I can always go to my grandma because she lives with us.

She tells me what I’m doing wrong or how to improve my artwork, and that influences my art a lot.

TO: How has art influenced you?

AH: It changes the way I look at things. Art teaches you—or at least for painting—to look at things and notice more things than you would if you weren’t an artist.

TO: What in spires you whe n you paint?

AH: A lot of times the things that inspire me are just random patterns or colors that I notice. They remind me of an idea, and I paint it.

senior Anjali Herekar TO: Who else has influenced your art?

AH: In the classroom, [art teacher Deanna] Messinger pushes me a lot to get things done because sometimes, when you get into your head too much and you think too much about what you’re doing instead of just doing it, you can kind of slow down and that’s not good for the artistic process. Mrs. Messinger has helped me with that. She just cares about her students a lot and helps me develop good ideas for my artwork and how to write good artist statements.

TO: What do you enjoy most about painting?

AH: I like being in my own world for a while. Once you get going, once you get in the flow and you keep painting, it’s really fun. It’s kind of like writing.

TO: How do you practice and improve your style in art?

AH: I practice by sketching objects to improve my shading. I also try to learn from other students around me.

TO: Do you have any advice to other artists?

AH: My advice for other artists is to plan things out before you start, because it helps a lot later on. You can still be creative and change it as you go along but it’s always good to know exactly where you are starting.

TO: Who’s your favorite artist?

AH: I have a few favorite artists. I really like Monet, Salvador Dalí and Leonardo da Vinci. I learned a lot about studying the human body from Leonardo da Vinci because he would actually take real human cadavers and cut them open and look inside and study the anatomy of it. From studying his work, I became inspired to do a lot of paintings of the human body.

TO: Are you considering a future career in art?

AH: No, I’m not considering a career in art, but I do want to continue art in college and take more art classes.

TO: What is your goal as an artist?

AH: My goal as an artist is to master printing by the end of the year. I paint with acrylic a lot but have not gotten into different kinds of prints yet, and it would be cool to experiment with that.

TO: What’s most difficult about painting?

AH: What’s mo st d i f f i c u lt ab out painting is when you think mixing certain colors will give you one color, but it actually gives you something completely different. When that happens you kind of have to mess around with paints you use until you find the perfect color. That’s also part of what makes it fun, too.

—Compiled by Lena Ye

Alexandra Ting

12

Cente

Family Feud The Oracle offers ways to solve miscommunication in parent-teen relationships

What parents say... what teens hear Parents say: “Do you really need dessert?”

Teens hear: “You should cut down your calories.”

P: “Your friend ___ is so nice and smart!

Their parents must be so proud!”

T: “Why aren’t you more like __?!”

P: “Give me your phone and stop hanging out with your friends.”

T: “I don’t trust you to do your work.”

P: “Is that seriously the best you can do?”

T: “You’re such a disappointment.”

P: “We’ll see.”

T: “No.” P: “Who are you hanging out with? I’ve never heard of them before.”

T: “Sounds like you’re hanging out with the wrong people who will obviously peer pressure you into doing illegal activities.”

—Compiled by Yuki Klotz-Burwell

Parent-teen relations Ryeri Lim I know someone whose best friend is her mom—and not in the unfortunate way of Norman Bates. The two confide in each other about everything going on in their lives and genuinely enjoy each other’s company. Faced with such a loving parent-child relationship, I feel equally uplifted and jealous; as with many teens, that connection doesn’t come easily for me and my parents.

Years of reflection, however, have led me to believe that few teenagers truly hate their mothers and fathers; they simply lose confidence in their parents over time. As teens, we doubt our parents’ ability to support us emotionally, to understand our motivations, to have our backs yet stay honest with us and even to be generally good people.

For a while, I attributed the discon-

nect to an incompatibility between parent and child. During fits of anger, both my mom and I have both verbalized this idea to each other: “If we weren’t related, I’d never associate with a person like you.” More reasonably put, I thought that my parents and I just weren’t meant to be; nurturing our relationship was unnecessary, even pointless.

But recently, I’ve questioned that feeble theory. Most people have experienced a period of teenage rebellion which, according to the Empowering Parents Program, leads to one of the most significant personality changes in the course of an individual’s first 18 years. As you may have been told many times, try considering that tumultuous period from your parents’ point of view.

Imagine how you would react if a friend you’ve known since childhood suddenly develops a completely different set of priorities, an unprecedented new outlook on life and a vaguely emo fashion sense over the course of a couple months.

Would it be so easy to let such changes pass without remark, to trust your friend to be making the right choices?

STAT: 54% of parents were not satisfied at the academic achievements of their children.

STAT: 45% of teens felt their parents were unduly concerned with their life.

Statistics Courtesy of http://journal.acs-cam.org.uk/data/archive/2010/201002-article9.

STAT: In high school, only 27.5% of children tend to seek advice from their parents as opposed to the 44.1% in middle school.

13

erfold

Monday, October 13, 2014

Advice: Find a TV show to watch with your parents like “Modern Family” or “Master Chef.”

Advice: Go on a hike. The outdoors are a great place for talking.

Advice: Have dinner with your family at least three times a week. No cell phones allowed.

Advice: Cook a traditional meal that has been in your family for generations.

ships are important But from our point of view, those radical changes are a product of the same teenage instability that compels us to look to our moms and dads for the confidence we don’t have in ourselves.

And if—or when—we don’t find that desired encouragement in our parents, who may be as lost and human as we are, we feel betrayed.

Deep inside, I know it’s unfair to expect my parents to understand me on a transcendental level. It’s almost as if I think a supernatural emotional connection exists through our shared DNA. My mom and dad have raised me for 17 years, after all, and they have annoyingly said that they know me better than I know myself. If that’s true, they’re guilty of bad parenting every time we don’t see eye to eye. As unreasonable as that sentiment is, that’s the extremity of the misery I feel when I feel like I can’t go to my parents for comfort or encouragement, because I have little confidence that I’ll receive what I need.

Yet I believe that this universal feeling of betrayal is exactly the reason why it’s worth putting effort into strengthening

relationships with our parents. It feels right to unconditionally love them; it hurts to leave a relationship-damaging argument with my mom unresolved.

The need to prove my point wars with my guilt at upsetting my parents, even if they have seriously wronged me in that particular situation. When I really think about it, it’s painful to consider holding a grudge against my parents—or simply having no affection for them—for the rest of my adult life. All the stinging misunderstandings of a few adolescent years don’t indicate how much I’ll want them around when I have my own kids.

When my mom and I argue, I don’t want to remind myself that it’s useless to try and make my her understand my viewpoint. On the contrary, I want to try again and again to connect and communicate with her, and I want to persistently seek trust and security in our relationship. Unlike many aspects of our past together, I feel optimistic about this new start—it feels right.

—Lim, a junior, is a Features Editor

What teens say... what parents hear Teens say: “Go away, I’m busy.”

Parents hear: “I hate you.”

T: “I’m going to be out until late.”

P: “I’m going to a crazy party and/or having sex.”

T: “I’m not doing so well in school.”

P: “I’m not trying hard enough.”

T: “But ___’s parents let them do that!!”

P: “I wish they were my parents instead.”

T: “You don’t know him/her.”

P: “He/she is a sketch person.”

T: “You don’t understand.”

P: “It’s not even worth it to explaining it to you.”

T: “I don’t know what I want to major in.”

P: “I haven’t thought about my future.”

T: “Stop bothering me.”

P: “You’re really annoying.”

P: “I’ll do that later.”

T: “I’m lazy and don’t want to help out.”

G r ap hics b y Dav e Zhu

—Compiled by Lisa Hao

14

THEORACLE

The Oracle examines impacts In hopes of confronting a sensitive but prevalent issue, The Oracle looks at the perception of drinking and driving in the Gunn community. The Oracle recognizes that although illegal and dangerous, driving under the influence occurs across the country, including Palo Alto.

Drunk accident alters crash victim’s life

Art teacher Deanna Messinger recounts the effects of brother’s experience with a drunk driver.

Shawna Chen Forum Editor

In the United States, drunk driving accidents kill 28 people each day.

One in 10 teenagers in high school have driven drunk.

Jim Messinger, 23, glanced down at the road in front of him. He had taken a sip of marijuana tea earlier that night and wanted to confirm that his motorcycle was centered next to the white line. When he looked up again, a pair of headlights blinded his sight. A car had veered into his lane and was approaching him head-on.

He tried to swerve out of the way but, within seconds, the car had crashed into him and smashed through one of his legs. The momentum threw him off his bike and into a nearby ditch, where he hit a rock as he slid down the trench. His pelvis broke, his shoulders and fingers dislocated and his collarbone snapped into pieces. As he lay in the soil, he thought to himself, “This is it.”

But because his leg was so lacerated, the torrent of flesh and bone pinched off an open artery and prevented fatal blood loss.

The injury he would struggle with for the rest of his life also saved him.

A mile down the road, the drunk driver, whose tire had burst from the collision, stopped at a neighboring residence, knocked on the door and, intoxicated, said, “I think I hit something.”

After lying in the ditch for unknown minutes, Jim caught a glimpse of headlights cruising toward his location. With as much strength as possible, he raised his one good arm and tried to catch the driver’s attention. The woman, a nurse, pulled over, saw Jim’s body and helped alleviate the blood loss by constructing a tourniquet around Jim’s leg and placing a blanket over his torso. Once he in a safe position, she withdrew to the nearest farmhouse to contact the ambulance.

“The ambulance came, my parents were called, and he was taken in,” art teacher and sister Deanna Messinger said. “It was just above the knee they had to amputate, but then in the hospital, he got staph infection, and it was bad enough that they had to take another big section off.”

In the end, what was left of Jim’s leg could barely be called a stump, but for 23-year-old Jim, the trauma caused by the incident would last a whole lifetime.

The aftermath shook the whole family, and Messinger, at 16, was forced to become a support system to two parents in anguish and a brother with depression. “My mom would come, wanting consolation, and just cry to me about this boy she diapered with two legs who now only has one,” she said. “So I felt like I had to hold it together for her.”

The distance between their home and the hospital also created difficulty for the Messingers. “[It] was almost an hour from where we lived,” she said with a pause. “I didn’t get to see him [in hospital] a lot; I’d just hear about it, and that was really hard.”

The family remained in disbelief for a long time, but for Messinger, the incident was also a wake-up call. “We have almost two of everything and that’s a really good thing,” she said.

“But when we lose one, the other one becomes so very valuable.”

After being discharged from the hospital, Jim’s life went into a downward spiral. Though he was grateful to be alive, the injuries that he sustained, especially the amputation, resulted in separation from his community. “They say that anger is the cover-up emotion of everything else and that depression is just anger unexpressed,” Messinger said. “My brother turned the anger on himself instead of lashing out.”

Having to relearn simple actions became a point of frustration, and memories of the accident followed him everywhere he went. Just looking down at his leg induced a rush of emotion, and soon, the phantom pain was excruciating, “as if someone were stabbing the non-existent foot with a knife.” Every hour,

the voices in his head taunted him with a fantasy world that could no longer exist.

“I watched him take the gun out of the gun cabinet, but I was so stunned I couldn’t try and [stop] him,” Messinger said.

“He took it upstairs, and he was going to shoot himself, but my mom stopped him. She ran up the stairs and grabbed the gun.”

The damage was done. Afterwards, Jim was placed in a mental institution and diagnosed with schizophrenia, which Messinger believes stemmed from the physical and emotional suffering that he underwent. “Because he recovered, we now know it was trauma-induced bipolar [disorder],” she said. “He doesn’t take medication anymore and he’s not bipolar anymore, but the accident had seriously screwed him up.”

Even after therapy and his return to mental stability, Jim searched for any distraction from reality, and he himself turned to alcohol. “He isolated himself at home, and just drank,” Messinger said. “He could’ve gone down just from that. If the drunk driver hadn’t killed him, he could’ve ended up killing himself from the trauma and how much it changed his life.”

But this time, Jim fought back. He went into the Alcoholics Anonymous program and slowly, with the help of this fellowship, regained control of his life. “Once he cleaned his system out of any alcohol, he got better,” Messinger said. “And now, he’s doing great. He’s building a barn, and he bicycles with his arms.

He can’t get a prosthetic because his stump is too short, but he gets around really well. In the end, he’s just grateful to be alive.”

There is no doubt that the car crash altered more than a few aspects of Jim’s life. The young, vibrant man that had emitted love in everything he did seemed to disappear with his leg.

“Before, he was this dreamer and free spirit,” Messinger said.

“After, he was broken; he was more quiet, more subdued, cautious and a little less trusting of the world.”

For a long time, Jim blamed the drunk driver. What-if’s crossed his mind daily, and his family could only watch in desperation as he slid into the abyss. “My family had been through a lot of trauma already, and we’d learned that these bad things happen and that it can kind of bring people together, but this fractured his life for a long time,” Messinger said.

Almost a decade passed before Jim could begin to recover from the trauma of the experience, but with encouragement and steady streams of help, he was able to heal the emotional scars and find joy once again. The loss of symmetry had shattered his everyday routines, but once he regained his balance, he immersed himself in everything he could do. “He skydives, he scuba dives, he jumps on one leg,” Messinger said, smiling.

“When he got well again emotionally, he didn’t let it keep him from doing all the other things he wanted to do.”

Today, it is easy to get swept up in the curiosity and desire to experiment with alcohol, but Messinger heavily emphasizes the importance of preparation. “Be smart about it; even if you decide to get wasted, be smart,” she said. “Plan for it; just plan ahead and get your designated driver so then you don’t have to worry about putting other people’s lives in danger.”

Messinger hopes that her brother’s story serves as a reminder that nobody is invincible. “We are vulnerable,” she said with a grave note in her voice. “You think nothing’s ever going to happen, but the recipe of alcohol and driving can be disastrous and ruin people’s lives and their loved ones’ lives.”

For Jim, one person’s mistake disrupted the future he’d dreamed of and the world he’d envisioned. “The guy [who hit him] was so wasted he didn’t know what he hit, so there’s this sense of how alcohol makes you not even understand the value of life,” Messinger said. “It’s one thing to put your life in danger, but when you get behind the wheel, you are putting everyone else’s lives in danger, and it’s not fair to the innocent people on the road.”

Two out of three people will be involved in a drunkdriving crash in their lifetime.

Due to increased awareness of the danger of drunk driving, the number of related accidents have fallen 52% since 1982.

Statistics courtesy of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Centers for Disease Control

Gunn behind the wheel...

“I’m really against it. I am repulsed by the people who say that it’s not a big deal; they don’t know that it can take someone’s life—including their own.”

“For some it is their only option, but most just stupidly do it for fun.

Both are equally horrible, but we should eliminate the joyrides.”

NO

65%

N/A

19%

YES

16% Have you ever driven after drinking?

“Driv ing drunk is dangerous if one is actually impaired and has had more than a few drinks. I don’t think, however, that someone driving after only a few drinks poses much of a threat.”

“I loathe it. I think drivers have a responsibility to ensure they don’t put themselves in that position. By not accepting this responsibility, they endanger the lives of not only themselves but also the others around them.”

NO

62% DON’T KNOW 10%

YES

27% Have you ever been driven by a drunk driver?

Monday, October 13, 2014

15

of driving under the influence

A Q& with Palo Alto Police officer Erin Goodell The Oracle: What are the consequences of getting a DUI? Erin Goodell: You get placed under arrest, and then you have the option of getting your blood drawn or to [breathe into] a breathalyzer, which goes into your record to show exactly what your blood alcohol content is. If you’re an adult, you can go [immediately] to jail.

You’ll usually spend about six hours in jail that night, but then you have to go to court. That costs thousands of dollars—that’s the biggest thing. The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) decides if your license is going to be taken away and for how long. Other than that, legal fees just cost a lot of money. It’s way more than a traffic ticket. But that’s just if you get pulled over and you’re driving under the influence. Now, if you are in a crash and injure somebody, and you’re drunk, it’s a felony [and] you’re going to jail. There are misdemeanors, which are regular DUIs, so it’s not as severe, but a felony means you could definitely do time in jail for a little while.

TO: A lot of people think that driving when you’re “tipsy” or not as intoxicated is not as dangerous. What would you say?

EG: Well, the thing is this: most of the people that I have arrested for driving under the influence are extremely surprised by how drunk they are. They think, “I have only had one or two drinks,” and they truly believe that they are okay to drive when they’re not. The majority of people’s blood alcohol content is a lot higher than they feel like it is, and they don’t realize that. At the same time, you could actually be arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) even if you’re under the limit. If someone’s a [below the legal limit], but are swerving all over the road and driving horribly, they could technically still get arrested for DUI.

TO: What do you think is the motivation for high schoolers when they drink and drive?

EG: I think they do it for the same reason any adult does it: the number one reason is that they think they’re okay to drive. They’re stubborn. But if you were to watch some of the videos of these people who perform field sobriety tests, you would laugh. For juveniles, I think the second biggest [motivation] is that they don’t want to tell their parents. They don’t have another ride because most of their friends have had something to drink. You have to designate a driver. That person cannot say, “I can have at least one drink.” No, it’s zero. I’ve seen a lot of people who have ruined their entire futures based on this. It’s going to go on your record—people lose their jobs sometimes for having DUIs. I don’t know for sure if it does or not, but it could possibly affect even college [acceptances]. [But] that’s the minimum effect; the maximum effect is if you kill somebody. Just think about how you could live with that.

NO

NO

TO: If students believe that their only two options are to drive intoxicated or get in trouble with their parents, what would you suggest?

EG: Honestly, my advice would be to call your parents.

I don’t care how drunk you are, your parents are going to be a lot less upset at you for calling them than if you try driving home and get into a crash. You’d be very surprised how many people are arrested for DUI. We see crashes every single weekend almost just in Palo Alto, and Palo Alto is small. Especially with teenagers, their bodies can’t actually hold alcohol like an adult’s body does. Parents aren’t stupid; they understand that [underage drinking] might happen but they’re going to want their kids to be safe. It’s just not worth the risk.

Would you rather live with the risk of possibly killing someone or being in an accident, or have your parents be mad at you?

72%

69%

ONLY OPTION

ONLY OPTION

YES

YES

18%

21%

9%

9%

Would you ever consider driving drunk?

Would you ever consider being driven by someone drunk?

276 students surveyed Graphics by Anton Oyung and Elizabeth Zu

TO: Which do you think is more dangerous, texting while driving or drinking and driving?

EG: I don’t think there’s a definite answer. Texting and driving [means] your attention is on something other than the road. [But] someone who’s driving under the influence could totally be paying attention to the road, without any phone on them; but their perception and their reactions are not the same [as if they were sober] at all. They both could be just as dangerous. [Either way], you’ll be driving over curbs and sidewalks; your attention on the road is just not the same.

TO: What would you suggest if the only sober driver available was someone without their probation year?

EG: Obviously I’m not going to tell you to break the law but that is safer than having somebody drive drunk. Now, if I stopped somebody who wasn’t past their probation period, I’d still call everybody’s parents. That’s the other risk to take: if the cops do stop you for some reason and they realize some 17 and 18-year-olds are all intoxicated, their parents are going to find out. You might as well just have called your parents for a ride.

TO: Any last thoughts or advice?

EG: No matter what, drinking and driving is not worth the risk. Period. [Drinking and driving] don’t go together. Too many people have lost their lives.

—Compiled by Yuki Klotz-Burwell

Columnist ref lects on drunk-driving experience

I’ve always been the kind of person who follows the rules and does what they’re told.

I would never have considered the possibility that I would drive drunk. In my mind, drunk driving is not only needlessly irresponsible but also mind-numbingly immature. Why would someone drive drunk? What circumstances could ever force someone into such a dire situation? Unfortunately, I ended up finding out.

It was a Saturday night and I was excited about the possibility of going to a party. However, when I went to ask my parents if I could sleep over at a friend’s house, my parents surprisingly said no. But by that point, I had already decided on attending the party no matter what.

At 10:30 p.m., everything was going according to plan—my mom had expressed how tired she was, my dad began to feel sick and the party, I heard, was getting into full swing. But then disaster struck: my mom decided to watch a twohour long movie. I knew then that my parents wouldn’t go to bed until at least 12 a.m. For a moment, I almost considered staying home. But my friends were telling me how much fun the party was and I couldn’t help myself; I snuck out.

I slipped out of the house unseen and completed the five-minute drive to my friend’s house. He actually lived within biking distance but my bike was in an area of my house visible to my parents, so taking the car was the sneakiest way. My plan was to sleep at my friend’s house until 5 a.m. and then sneak back home, no one the wiser.

When I arrived at the party most of my friends were already drunk but there was plenty of alcohol left for me. A friend of mine had saved me a SOLO cup filled with more than enough vodka plus a couple cans of beer.

I drank without a care in the world. After about 30 minutes, however, I realized that my phone was buzzing. I checked to see who was calling and my heart stopped. It was my mom.

At that point, I knew there was no way of getting out of trouble. I didn’t yet feel the effects of the alcohol, but I knew that in another 15 minutes I would most likely be wasted—so I acted fast. I answered the phone to my mom yelling at me to return home before she called the cops to find me. That would get my friend in trouble too, so I quickly gathered my things and ran to my car.

In the back of my mind, I knew what I was about to do was completely at odds with the kind of person I try to be—but I did it anyway.

I got in the driver’s seat, already panicking that police were out searching for me. For the first time in my life, I drove at the 25 miles-perhour speed limit on Middlefield Road. I concentrated harder than I ever had before, knowing that any mistake I made could ruin my future.

Luckily, I was able to make it home unscathed; I was almost relieved when my parents started yelling at me because I knew I had lucked out.

The next morning, I dreaded talking to my parents and avoided them as much as possible.

I do not think my mom noticed that I had been drinking but I do believe that my dad had an idea. However, the way they reacted was completely different than how I expected. They just preached honesty and how they wished I had simply asked to go to the party beforehand.

Looking back at that experience, my biggest reaction is disappointment. I’ve done many dumb things in my life, but drinking and driving was by far my biggest mistake. It could have derailed my collegiate future or even unthinkably caused a death. I realize now that no matter what trouble I might get in, I cannot count on luck twice in a row. However difficult it might be, I should call my parents to come pick me up. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

—anonymous Gunn student

16

Sports

athlete of the Month Freshman Adrian Lee: Badminton player

The Oracle: How long have you been playing badminton and what inspired you to play?

Adrian Lee: Since I was four or five I’ve been playing but I got into more training when I reached eight or nine. My dad is a big fan of badminton; he’s been playing since he was young, so he introduced me to the sport. When I used to live on the East Coast in Boston, we used to go to the gym and I watched him play badminton. He’s been really supportive and encourages me to do better.

TO: When did you start playing seriously and what made you do so?

AL: When I moved [from Boston] over here, there were quite a few good coaches in the Bay Area. Again, my dad was really pushing me during elementary school to do a lot of extracurricular activities.

TO: What makes badminton different from other sports?

AL: First, compared to basketball or water polo, it’s an individual sport. You don’t get other people encouraging you and you don’t have to encourage others. It’s just you and your coach, of course. You also have a partner in mixed doubles or doubles. In badminton, you have to compete with other opponents and win points off your opponent.

TO: What do you like most about badminton? How is it and has it been special to you?

AL: I remember when I was little I didn’t like it as much as I do now. I thought [badminton] was just something cool to do since my dad kind of had me keep on going every weekend. Now whenever I don’t want to do homework or I just want to have some fun, I ask my dad if I can have a group lesson since I look forward to that on the weekends. I’ve been training with the same people since I was five; they’re pretty good friends. When you go to competitions, you get to meet new people and train in other places like L.A.

TO: How are you preparing for it? What are some things you need to work on?

AL: I train three times a week but I’m not sure if that’s a lot or too little. I would prepare by getting in a better mindset, train more at home and do basic workouts, and work more on my attitude; [my attitude] is what I’ve been trying to work on recently. I tend to get really frustrated when I don’t do well.

TO: What do you hope to learn while competing on a national level?

AL: I get game experiences. You have to be able to conquer your nerves or just deal with them. You also have to deal with competing with your friends. You can’t relent if you’re playing with your partner; you have to keep them strong and you can’t give up. Trying to do well in general helps a lot—everyone wants to win.

TO: What are the key qualities of a great badminton player in your opinion?

AL: I think you have to be very lenient with yourself and also have to push yourself. That’s my biggest problem. I get mad with myself so easily and I’ve been working on that for quite a long time.

TO: What are your future plans in badminton and what are your goals?

AL: I’m not that sure, but I’m definitely going to keep at it until I can’t compete in the Junior National division anymore. I would keep it as a recreational sport [until I’m 18 or 19], since it’s pretty hard to become a [professional] badminton player and I don’t know if I’m up to that. My goals also include, first of all, making the varsity team at Gunn in the spring. Then, try to win as many league games as possible and make it to CCS. –Compiled by Aayush Dubey

ISAAC'S Top 6 steps to avoid a penalty

1. Foul in a really obscure way like dumping piranhas into the opposing team’s side of the pool. Remember: if it’s not in the rule book, they can’t nab you for it.

2. When called out for overaggression, blame violent video games for making you the way you are. After all, a little roughness is to be expected after playing “Grand Theft Auto: FIFA Edition.”

3. Don’t wait for the referee to call you out on something. Take the initiative and report the referee for excessive whistle-blowing, getting in the way and general meanness. The best defense is a strong and uncalled-for offense. Every referee you send into a nervous break down is one less for you to deal with.

4. A referee without his whistle is just a regular guy wearing stripes. Render him powerless by hiding his source of power (bonus points if you can frame the other team for taking the whistle).

5. Disguise yourself in the opposing team’s uniform so that the other school gets penalized for whatever fouls you commit. Yes, referees are that dumb. No, you won’t get in trouble.

6. Join the NYPD. They get away with everything.

—Compiled by Isaac Wang

17

Sports

Fall sports teams charge into their new season,

Dance

“We had five seniors graduate last year which was half of our team, but I’ve found that the girls we have this year have such a strong bond. We all have our roles, whether it be creating formations, finding and cutting music or choreography.”—junior Alex Kim Left: From right to left, freshman Kim Li, senior Tina Wang and junior Alex Kim perform their halftime dance on the field at the football game.

Right: From right to left, junior Alex Kim and freshmen Jaclyn Liang and Kim Li watch the cheer team perform.

Courtesy of Amanda Kim

Courtesy of Amanda Kim

Volleyball “We are a very good team but we’re not perfect.

We make mistakes but we don’t focus on them. We don’t dwell on the past and we are constantly positive and focusing on the next play.”—senior Nicole Brigham Left: Senior Tahra Knudsen dives to keep the ball in play .

Right: Senior Nicole Brigham jumps to spike the ball.

Bottom: The whole volleyball team celebrates a point.

Josh Spain

Josh Spain

Josh Spain

Girls’

Water Polo “This season is about adaptation. In the past we’ve somewhat relied on our older teammates, but this year we are only depending on ourselves.

We’re in a position where we have to fight and fight hard for every ‘W.’ This season is about pushing ourselves to be the best team we can be.”—senior Emily Fitzgerald “I think we have a lot of hardships to overcome like losing a lot of our really strong seniors , but in the end we are a strong team and I think we can get far in CCS as well as look for another league title.”—senior Adi Steinhart

Lisa Cheong

Girls’ Tennis

“We have more players and are more united than last year. I think that’s going to make matches more exciting.”—junior Emma Bers

Left: Senior Kiley Lin holds the ball out of the water and away from her opponent, scanning the pool to make her next pass at the game against Mountain View.

Above: Senior Deeksha Kumar sets up for a serve.

Courtesy of Butch Garcia

Sports

Monday, October 13, 2014

18

have h igh hopes for reac h i ng CC S t it les

Cross Country

Boys’

Water Polo “I expect us to play to our potential. Winning CCS will be a challenge but I think we have it in us.”—junior Calder HildeJones

“Right before we race, where we all huddle up at the start line together, the girl would do a cheer that goes like, ‘How funky is your chicken; how loose is your goose; come on Lady Titans and shake your caboose,’ and we say it as loud as we can.”—senior Michelle Zhang

Courtesy of Noah Krigel

Left: Sophomore Josh Radin and senior Mack Radin at the Punahou Invitational in Oahu, Hawaii.

“Our biggest weakness is that we don’t beat every team we play by more than ten goals.”—junior Christian Znidarsic Left: Freshman Young Lee fires a Courtesy of Butch Garcia

Lisa Cheong

Football Cheer

“We’re competing this year, so I hope that when we look back we realize that we worked hard and did everything we could.”—senior Joowon Lee Above: The entire cheer team poses while performing a new dance to “How Low” by Ludacris at halftime during the football game on October 3rd.

Football

“The team is definitely improving on offensive and defensive plays. We are fixing each little possible error, from our conditioning to blocking the right defender.”—junior Corry Gong Left: Senior Sharod Miller stiff arms an opponent while running the ball across the field.

Bottom: Senior Nozomu Imanaka holds a tight grip on the ball while jumping through multiple opponents trying to tackle him.

Courtesy of Butch Garcia

Anthony Tran

Golf “We have a good team dynamic. We’re 100 percent supportive and we never blame each other when losing because we lose as a team, not as individuals.”— junior Tiffany Yang Courtesy of Butch Garcia

Above: Sophomore Margaret Redfield watches her shot.

Sports

Monday, October 13, 2014

19

Cross country competes in Punahou Invitational in Hawaii Matthew Hamilton

BUSINESS EDITOR

The cross country team participated in the 57th Punahou Cross Country Invitational on Sunday Oct. 4. Gunn won the boys’ varsity division that came down to a sixth man tie-breaker. The girls came in second in the varsity division. Junior Gillian Meeks won the girls’ varsity division and broke the course record by one minute and three seconds.

“We did great,” junior Simon Rufer said.

“It’s the first time in a long time that the boys did better than the girls.”

For the first time in four years, the cross country team was able to leave the state for a meet. The team used to have a tradition of going to an out-of-state meet every other year, but with changes with coaches and administration, the team was unable to go until this year. Second-year coach Patti Sue Plummer was approached by current seniors last year about the idea of reviving the tradition. “I think it’s amazing what our team captains have done,” Plummer said.

“They really had to figure this all out from scratch, and they did.”

Senior captain Noah Krigel helped plan the trip. All administrative responsibilities were taken on by him and his fellow captains. “Second semester last year we approached Patti Sue about doing an outof-state trip, and she said if you plan it, I will sign off on it,” Krigel said. “We called airlines, hotels and made itineraries, and then filled out the required paperwork.”

Hawaii was settled upon by chance.

Senior captain Mack Radin noticed that Sarah Robinson (Class of 2014) was wearing a Punahou Invitational shirt to practice.

Radin asked Robinson how she got the shirt, and Robinson explained that during her freshmen year the team went to the Punahou Invitational. Team members such as senior Michelle Zhang also had siblings who attended Gunn and relayed stories about the trip. “We also really wanted to go to Hawaii,” Krigel said.

One of the largest benefits from the trip was bonding. Multiple team members commented on the closeness of this team, and the support members have for one other.

The team planned a snorkeling excursion and allowed time to visit the beach. “Unlike other sports we have boys and girls training together, which changes the vibe,” Zhang said. “I just think we are a family.”

Radin agrees this team has a strong bond. “I have been a three-sport athlete for my entire time at Gunn, and I have never been on a team so close,” Radin said.

Multiple cross country teams in California have biannual trips to increase team bonding, but also to give team members extra motivation to train hard. “Cross country is really hard, and it is nice to have something to look forward to,” Plummer said. “It also gives the kids a nice incentive to train over the summer. When the season is over it is easy to say, ‘I am going train hard this summer’, but when summer rolls around the attitude is not always the same. When you have a meet like this to shoot for, it gives you a focus for training.”

From a competition standpoint the Punahou girls’ cross country team is not unfamiliar to Gunn’s cross country team.

They made a trip of their own to the Stanford Invitational on Sept. 27 where the Gunn girls team beat the Punahou team by a slim margin. “We are probably going

Juniors Mara Green and Kia Green, and senior Michelle Zhang lead the pack in the race through an off-course section of the race at Punahou.

The boys’ varsit y team poses at the f inish line af ter placing f irst.

to have some competition,” Rufer said. “I am sure they are pretty good.”

The confidence carried over into the race where both Gunn teams had a strong showing. The summer work was substantiated by the first place finish for the boys in the varsity division, and the second place finish for the girls’ in the varsity division.

The boys’ team has not experienced such a high finish in previous seasons. The girls team usually places higher than the boys, but the boys have been working hard to reverse that trend.

“We have gotten a ton better, just compared to last year,” Rufer said. “Everyone has gotten better, not just the new people, but the people on the team last year have been improving. So something is going right.”

The team also enjoyed some highlights off the course. For many team members this was their first trip to Hawaii, and the team took advantage of their time on the island.

A snorkeling trip and morning runs were some activities team members enjoyed. The team also had a talent show at the hotel.

“We woke up at 5:30, and saw the sun rise on the mountains,” Meeks said. “It was really amazing, it was beautiful.”

“We had a lot of food, snorkeling was a lot of fun, and winning was something that we have not done in a while,” Rufer said.

The trip will have lasting impacts on the cross country and track teams. According to Rufer, the first place finish is a good confidence boost for the boys. “It is a great start to the season,” Radin said. “The cross country and track seasons are synonymous and this sets a good tone for both.”

Junior Gillian Meeks also set the record for the course by one minute and three sec-

onds. Meeks said the record was a surprise for her. “I was really happy with my result because it was humid,” Meeks said. “I was running by myself, and I had no idea who was going to be in the race.”

The trip may also inspire future cross country teams. “It is a good thing for the team in general to have these experiences and for the young kids to think about what they can do in two years,” Plummer said.

“Maybe it will keep them motivated to stay in this program when they see they have the chance to go on this trip.”

“It was super fun, almost everyone had a good race and it was a great team bonding experience,” Meeks said.

Courtesy of Noah Krigel

Senior Noah Krigel runs up a incline at the Punahou high school invitational.

Sports 20 Foul play: domestic abuse and the NFL THEORACLE

Matt Niksa Every minute, nearly 20 people in the U.S. become victims of domestic violence by an intimate partner according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV. In total, more than 10 million Americans experience some form of domestic abuse every year, and yet, inf luential national organizations have shown that they do not know how to deal with domestic abusers.

The incompetence shown when handling domestic violence in the t he Nationa l Footba ll Leag ue (NFL) has angered fans and pundits alike.

T he f a c t of t he mat ter is that the NFL does not know how to punish or control d om e s t ic violence on a consistent basis. Seven NFL players have been arrested under cha rges for domestic violence this year and the league has fostered a culture that not only can’t control domestic violence, but also allows it to thrive.

Out of all of the players arrested for domestic abuse this year, the Ray Rice scandal was arguably the most egregiously handled. The eight-month saga began on Feb. 15, 2014 when Baltimore Ravens star Ray Rice was arrested on assault charges of his fiancée Janay Palmer. According to Rice’s attorney, the event was a “minor physical altercation.”

The assault turned out to be anything but minor. On Feb. 19, TMZ.com released a video allegedly showing Ray Rice dragging his fiancée by her shoulders out of an elevator. Rice spoke at a discipline hearing with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on June 16, where he told him his account of what happened in that elevator on Feb. 15. Rice was suspended for two games by Goodell on July 24.

In response, the majority of NFL fans lambasted Goodell, saying that the NFL commissioner had not set an example to other athletes over the consequences of domestic violence.

The low point of the entire Ray Rice tragedy occurred on Sept. 8, 2014. when another video surfaced on TMZ.com, showing Rice punching and knocking out Palmer. The Ravens and the NFL, according to multiple sources, had not seen the video until it was released. Hours after the release of the video, Rice was released by t he Ravens and was suspended indefinitely by the NFL. Goodell said that the reason he suspended Rice was because Rice’s description of the incedent of abuse differed from that shown in the video. However, according to an ESPN report and Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome, Rice was honest at the discipline hearing. The world may never know who was telling the truth at that hearing, but the entire saga as well as the suspensions of NFL players Ray McDonald, Greg Hardy, and star running back Adrian Peterson have more than tarnished the league’s reputation.

There are many factors as to why the NFL so poorly managed the Ray Rice case, but I believe the outdated aspects

12 NFL Players have been arrested on domestic abuse charges In 2013 and 2014.

of the league’s domestic abuse policy are the main reason why domestic violence remains a huge problem for the NFL. One big flaw is that teams have the sole power to deactivate players charged with domestic abuse as long as the players are not on Goodell’s exempt list. However, teams have a conf lict of interest because if a team’s best player is charged with domestic abuse, it could create conflict between the team’s fanbase and the team’s integrity. Fans of NFL teams expect to see t hei r best players on the field on Sundays and if a team’s best player is sidelined because of a domestic abuse scandal, then fan attendance at games will consequently drop as well.

Teams do not want to lose revenue because of a suspended player, but they also do not want to send the message that domestic abuse goes unpunished. It puts the teams in an awkward situation that they should not be involved in in the first place.

Another outdated aspect in the NFL’s domestic abuse policy is the exempt list itself. Goodell’s main role as commissioner is that he manages business strategy and disciplinary action in the NFL. The exempt list is one way he disciplines players. However, while the list allows the commissioner to temporarily exempt players from the active roster, it still allows the players to be paid as they deal with legal issues. Players should not be paid by teams that have no involvement and are not responsible for these players’ domestic abuse charges. If the player is cleared of his domestic abuse charges, then he should be reimbursed with a check that covers the salary that he lost.

The NFL is taking the right steps by creating a more modern domestic abuse policy with a new rule. Players who violate

the league’s domestic abuse policy will be suspended six games without pay, and second-time offenders may be subject to lifetime bans.

The second step the NFL should take to help police domestic abuse is to create seminars before every season to teach the consequences of domestic abuse.

The seminars should only apply to new or relatively new players in the league. If players are educated on the effects of domestic abuse then I am confident that the rate of domestic violence in the NFL (55.4 percent relative arrest rate-highest arrest rate for all crimes committed by players) will drastically decrease.

Finally, the NFL should work with the NCADV to create advertisements to spread awareness and teach all audiences the importance of creating a domestic abuse-free society.

Just a 30-second advertisement showing NFL role models will educate children and adults on the importance of ending domestic abuse. The NFL has a large audience at its disposal and advertising the issue may decrease the national rate of domestic abuse.

Although the NFL’s reputation has suffered over the last four months, if they invest time and money to create stricter domestic violence policies and promoting a campaign to end domestic abuse, the perception of the league will benefit positively. The NFL should be the paragon of how it assesses domestic abuse. Once the NFL creates a strong template to combat domestic abuse, other major corporations will follow suit and the nation as a whole will become more vigilant in its quest to end domestic abuse.

The NFL’s Arrest rate is still 55.4% of the national average.

—Matt Niksa, a senior, is a Business editor.

DOMESTIC ABUSE BY THE statistics Message From football Coach hirano

1 in 4 53% 20 70% 85

women have been the victim of severe physical violence by their intimate partner.

Q: As a football coach, what’s your opinion on how the NFL has handled the domestic abuse scandal?

of intimate partner violence incidents are reported to police in 2012. people per minute are victims of physical violence by an intimate partner in the U.S.

A: There are two sides to every story, but when you’re an adult, I feel you should know right and wrong. Management should handle these situations [domestic abuse] the right way.

When it’s your career on the line, these cases can become very intense. When you look at Josh Spain the numbers [of people arrested this year] it is higher than usual but this is a problem bigger than society. And we’re exposing domestic abuse to kids through celebrities. I feel it’s a huge problem.

of U.S. workplaces have no formal policy that address domestic

out of the 713 NFL arrests have been for domestic violence since 2000 —Statistics courtesy of nbcnews.com, ncadv.org, and cnn.com.

NATIONAL DOMESTIC ABUSE HOTLINES 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) 1-800-787-3224 (TDD)

Lifestyle

Monday, October 13, 2014

21

Fashion Must-haves for The fall season The Oracle staffers sophomore Matthew Hamilton and senior Emily Kvitko model two fashionable fall outfits.

1

2

1

2 3 4

5

3

4 Photos by Anthony Tran

Emily’s outfit 1. Collared shirt (Macy’s) 2. Necklace (Forever 21) 3. Sweater (Macy’s)

Matthew’s outfit

4. Tea-length skirt (Forever 21) 5. Ankle Boots (Jeffrey Campbell)

I love the mini skirt for the fall because there is something very refined and lady-like about it. I threw on a chunky sweater, statement necklace and scrunched socks to cozy up the look.

1. Blue mini gingham shirt (Vineyard Vines) 2. Navy quarter zip sweater (J Crew)

3. Khaki chinos (J Crew) 4. Sperry topsiders

The sweater is a nice choice for fall because you can take it off when it gets hot in the afternoons. The khakis are a fall essential, and the Sperrys are a perfect addition to prep up the outfit.

—Compiled by Matthew Hamilton and Emily Kvitko

Faces in the Crowd What color is your underwear?

“Blue and white polka dots.”

Maya Shoval (9)

“Pink lace with sparkles.”

Ray Park (10)

“Black and white pandas, smiling and winking.”

Sam Woodbury (11)

“What underwear?”

Advait Kalakkad (12) —Compiled by Noa Livneh

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Lifestyle

THEORACLE

Now and then: Freshmen expectations, alumni reflections of Homecoming Freshmen Expectations

Alumni Memories “ We always spent weeks getting rea dy for the floats, so we ha d a lot of float par ties because in those days it was harder to make a float. I just remember tissue paper, glue an d ho urs an d ho urs tr ying to design it an d put them together an d get them on field.”

“I think that freshman will lose everything, but whatever.”

—Jamie Huang “Probably loud. Really loud. There’s probably going to be candy and a lot of music.”

—Lydia Tsai

C l a s s o f 19 81’s f l o a t m a k e s i t s w a y d u ri n g h a l f t i m e f o r t h e h o m e co m i n g g a m e .

ave Zhu

“It’s the first dance of the year, and it’s sort of a way to remember the fun parts of being back to school as opposed to just the work part.

You have the whole school year ahead of you, and it’s just one small thing at the beginning to remind you that there’s fun things to do too.”

Graphic by D

“They sound cool and I guess more people participate than middle school because there was less participation.

They sound really big.

Both seeing all the floats being done and the airbands being performed.”

—Kaelyn McFarlaneConnelly

— Carol Acker (Class of 1981)

Class of 2002 liked to present their Homecoming King and Queen like true royalty in a carriage.

—Compiled by Sabrina Chen

—Inna Zakharevich (Class of 2002) Photos by Alexandra Ting

—Compiled by Shawna Chen

Lifestyle

Monday, October 13, 2014

Current students, alumni highlight aspects of well-known universities “Night-life-wise, USC is a lovely place to be. And by night life,” I don’t mean the Palo Alto version of Netflix, trips to CREAM and the aimless drives all over town until God grants us desperate teenagers with an open house. I hope everyone applies to USC. Go Trojans” —Lee Zhao (USC ‘18) “Definitely, as a Jesuit school, people should be prepared to take ethics and morals classes. In my opinion, the engineering department is quite nice, so I would recommend this school to deeply religious people interested in studying engineering.”

—sophomore Kevin Ji “I love the school and the people.

However, one of the things I do not like is the fact that we are on a quarter system. While being on a quarter system makes classes you don’t like finish faster, you also have a lot more exams in a shorter amount of time and start school a lot later than the rest of the colleges.”

—Priya Sahdev (UCLA ‘15) “The most interesting aspect I learned about Northwestern is that they have this awesome event called “Wrestlepocalypse,” which is WWE Northwestern edition. It gets quite dangerous, as last year a referee was tossed outside the ring by a wrestler and forced to crowd surf. A student who likes to be social and active outside the classroom would thrive at Northwestern.”

—senior Aaron Miner

“I liked that they had really interesting opportunities for students, anything from early screenings of ‘Game of Thrones’ to study abroad programs. While I love that it’s walking distance from areas like SoHo and Greenwich Village, I’m not big on the fact that there isn’t really an enclosed campus.”

—senior Edut Birger

“Hazing for finals clubs was just starting and one of their rituals is to have pledges pee on the lucky foot of the John Harvard statue in Harvard Square. A few friends and I walked by the statue, and we saw a couple of slightly inebriated males trying to clamber on to the statue, presumably to pee on it.

We wanted to stay and watch, but as the pants started to come off, we decided it was best to leave.”

—senior Esther Kozakevich

23

The worst college essay ever written Justin Wenig

Disclaimer: This is not a serious essay. With seniors hard at work on essays, I wanted to provide a more humorous interpretation.

While I tell you this story reader, I want you to imagine me as an old man with a white beard who sits by the fire in a fuzzy robe. Whenever I use an adjective I will stroke my beard and whenever you see a period, imagine me taking a sip of coffee.

Once upon a time, I was cooking the turkey for Thanksgiving. I was only 13 years old—take a minute to contemplate my precocious maturity.

While I was cooking, my brother walked up to me and reminded me to rotate the turkey so it would fully roast. In my obstreperous, truculent state—#SAT LOL—I rotated my spine 137 degrees at a stunning rate of 42 mph and my right forearm whipped skyward toward his unknowing, yet subtle face. As my soft and clammy hand connected with my brother’s lower jawbone, his face drew back, and he yelped like a distraught rabbit under the full moon.

At the time I was as furious as the native people of the Amazon when their homes get cut down for tree bark. But later I calmed down and realized that the turkey actually did need to be rotated. I am now a well-known activist in the global community—my family—for world peace. For example I am famous for holding up the two-finger peace sign followed by a duck face.

Now I will respond to the prompt on the Common App. I was shooting the basketball like Michael Jordan. Swoosh. Dribble. Did you know that Michael Jordan got cut from his varsity basketball team in high school? Well, so did I. I also got cut from my charity organization, but that is another story. Anyways, the ref blew the whistle, and the game started. The score was 0-0.

It was intense, and I was locked in. The ball for this game was an orange round circle, almost like a sphere. The ball also had a circumference and radius.

Okay, I lied. I got ejected from the game in warm-ups. And I also suffered a severe tooth injury. After that I went to the dentist. He saw that I had chipped my tooth and told me there was nothing he could do. He also told me that I should start flossing regularly. I didn’t. Anyway, my chipped tooth injury indentured (no pun intended) me for the next four years, which explains my horrendous grades.

By the way, for the season, I averaged two points per game on the JV squad, one-fourteenth of what Michael Jordan averaged.

Thank you for reading this essay and considering my application. I asked my friends for a couple of words to describe myself, and they are as following: genius, intelligent, above-average intelligence, average, not particularly smart, not smart, idiot, moron.

Now pick your jaw up off of the ground. I know that you know that I know that you love this essay. I will now to end this Shakespeare level essay with a quote, “It’s true. I am the Chosen One, only I can destroy him, but in order to do so, I need to know what Tom Riddle asked you all those years ago in your office and I need to know what you told him. Be brave, sir. Be brave like my mother.” —Harry Potter [Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince] —Wenig, a senior, is a Lifestyle editor.

24

Backpage

R atemy teacher.com: accu rate eva luat ions of teachers or biased reviews from unhappy students?

Teacher statistics 101: Ratemyteacher.com RANGE

MEAN

MEDIAN

English Department (21 Teachers Rated)

1.3-4.3

Math Department (21 Teachers Rated)

1.3-4.3

3.0

3.0

Science Department (16 Teachers Rated)

1.3-4.3

2.6

2.7

Social Studies Department (16 Teachers Rated)

1.0-4.0

2.6

2.7

2.7

Are the stats valid?

2.7

Teacher ratings: what we found and where we found it This set of teacher ratings came from “ratemyteachers.com” reviews. The site sorts teacher ratings as provided by students into six categories: easiness, helpfulness, clarity, knowledge, textbook use, exam difficulty and overall quality of teaching. Ratemyteachers.com allows users to submit teacher ratings within each category on a scale from 1 to 5, where 5 is the highest score possible.

We selected only teacher reviews that had at least three submissions to be part of the calculations. The entire set of ratings were divided into departments of math, English, science and social studies. For each department rating, we calculated the mean, median and standard deviation. For the knowledge, textbook use and exam difficulty categories, some teachers did not have a 1 to 5 rating available, so those teachers were not part of the categories’ calculations.

—Compiled by Aayush Dubey

* Ratings are out of five stars

For all teachers, the averages for “easiness,” “helpfulness,” “clarity” and “knowledge” were each given a rating of around three. Teachers were also given averages of three in the same categories. The average for all teachers in the “overall” category is 2.8. Ratemyteacher.com’s statistics are far from infallible, though. Since any disgruntled student can post multiple submissions, and teachers can submit positive reviews for themselves, the submissions are not completely accurate and unbiased. Still, the statistics provide a roughly accurate portrayal of student opinions.

—Compiled by Aayush Dubey

Staffers compare different teaching styles and policies

‘Generous’ grading style

It’s hard to admit that getting a good grade is more important than learning the subject, but that’s unfortunately the case. Students deal with trying to focus on schoolwork, study for the SAT, the ACT, subject tests, work on extracurricular activities, volunteer and maintain good grades. Let’s be honest, it’s almost impossible to do it all. Trying to simply balance schoolwork is hard enough and teachers often don’t realize that they are hurting us by giving us more material and grading harshly than by simply being generous with grading. Although it’s true that we might “learn more” by having a tougher teacher, the outcome of the potential grade could deter a good grade point average (GPA).

An “easy” teacher would typically be more generous with grading, making the class less about learning and more about getting the credit. Colleges don’t care what teacher you had or how hard you worked; they care about the name of the class and what grade you got. Because different teachers grade assignments differently, the same course would be unequally distributed grade-wise.

The first thing that universities look for in an application is how high the applicant’s GPA is. Everything else in your application is secondary, so by getting a teacher who is likely to lower your GPA, he or she is also likely to lower your chances of admission. Of course there are a lot of other factors that go into college admissions, but your application will definitely shine brighter if you have a stronger GPA. Having easier teachers would also give you the chance to focus on your curriculum as a whole, rather than on specific classes. You will earn better grades overall and have an easier time getting into college. It is worth sacrificing a couple extra life lessons for an “easier teacher” because you have the chance to learn those lessons again, but you don’t necessarily have the chance to redo your GPA.

Rigorous curriculum and grading

A rigorous teacher will always trump the teacher who gives an easy A. Yes, it is nice to effortlessly receive an A from a teacher who couldn’t care less, but there is nothing better than a teacher who evokes passion within his or her students by teaching them unforgettable lessons.

Every now and then students come across teachers who can make us smile on a bad day by spreading the love of their respective subject. The feeling is purely golden. Even if it isn’t your favorite subject, you learn the true definition of passion, joy and discovery. These teachers garner a dynamic classroom environment that even gets the quietest kid involved.

A good teacher is not afraid to poke fun at his or her students. They will playfully jab at their students, developing a rapport that eases them into the period. This teacher knows that there is a time and place for fun and for learning but is not afraid to incorporate fun into the lesson in order to further the immersion of the students into the discussion. The integration of fun in a learning environment not only enhances the teaching but also encourages students to speak up and communicate.

Good teachers refuse to leave anyone behind. They spend tutorials, lunches and time after school helping students who would be left behind understand concepts they don’t understand.

Great teachers care about their students as people. They set high expectations for each and every one of their students.

A good teacher understands that it’s okay for students not to get the concept immediately. It takes time and practice. This will not stop them from doing their job effectively. These teachers realize the workload each student has, but does not let this dominate the work they provide for their students.

Good teachers can reveal the hidden secrets to loving a certain subject even if the subject is notorious for being boring.

An easy A is nice, but achieving the A through hard, continuous work is truly worth all the guts and glory.

Graphics by Elizabeth Zu

—Compiled by Noa Livneh and Arjun Sahdev