The Oracle (April 2006) by The Oracle

Henry M. Gunn High School 780 Arastradero Road Palo Alto, CA 94306 Palo Alto Uniﬁed School District

NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. Postage

PA I D

Permit #44 Palo Alto, Calif.

Volume 42 Issue 6

Forum

Prom vanity overtakes sincerity

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

http://gunn.pausd.org/oracle 780 Arastradero Road, Palo Alto, CA 94306

Silence aims to be heard Stéphanie Keller-Busque Reporter

Various students will be spending the day today in silence for the Day of Silence, a student-led day created by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and the United States Student Association (USSA).

The Day of Silence symbolizes the struggle that students who are silenced by prejudice, discrimination and harassment face in speaking out about their sexual orientations. This year, the Day of Silence is during a week of anti-hatred campaigning organized by several clubs at Gunn called “Not In Our School.” Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA)

Club adviser Karen Oppenheim believes that acceptance and support from students on days like the Day of Silence invites openness. “The Day of Silence serves as an essential reminder to people who are struggling with their sexual identity that there are many more people in their community who understand their pain and accept and support their

choices,” Oppenheim said. “I wish it were as possible for a gay student or teacher to casually mention ʻmy partnerʼ in front of a class as it is for me to mention, in passing, ʻmy husband.ʼ” Junior GSA president Reese Probst hopes that today will make people reﬂect on how much some SILENCE—p. 5

Quad attractions

Prom extravagance out of control PAGE 6 Features

Teachers in love Teacher love stories for the season of spring

Jonathan Cheung

PAGE 10

Teachers Wayne Hoy and Phil Lyons order breakfast from the new Gunn Gourmet Café.

Student travels Jewish youth explore Poland, Israel while art students visit Italy

New café opens

PAGE 15

Student-run breakfast café serves teachers Michelle Fang Reporter

Centerfold

Here comes the sun Spring affects student behavior and mood PAGES 12-13

Entertainment

Prom 911 Emergency help for last-minute disasters PAGE 19

Sports

Jump into Jessica Starr Starr develops through personal discipline and perserverance PAGE 21

On April 19 the Gunn Gourmet Café opened in the newly remodeled staff lounge. The café will be open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and will offer a variety of breakfast foods and drinks. Parents Kathleen Hughes and Karen Lawson envisioned a vocational education program for disabled students to gain work experience in a high school environment. “We wanted to provide disabled, at-risk and orthopedically handicapped students of Gunn High School work experience that will encourage and stimulate academic involvement and enable them to leave high school and ﬁnd other employment in similar businesses,” Hughes said. “A beneﬁt would be that these students will gain more exposure to the Gunn community in a positive and meaningful way.” A Gunn Gourmet Café seemed like a feasible idea since both Hughes and Lawson had started a previous program in Terman Middle School for disabled students to run. “Given the experience at Terman, we knew that

Jennifer Lim

Junior Anthony Bernard jumps over two classmates to make a basket during the Dunk Contest held on the quad designed to raise spirit.

CAFE—p. 4

Club raises hunger awareness Caroline Hodge Reporter

From March 26 to April 5, the Food for Thought club sponsored a canned food drive competition between B period classes. The drive collected 427 pounds of food which will be donated to the Urban Ministry in Palo Alto. “The club was initially started to spread awareness about world hunger, but I

also wanted to focus on more local community service,” senior Food for Thought club founder Danielle Sainanee said. Spanish teacher Sonia Stroessnerʼs Spanish AP Literature class won the drive with 124 pounds. Senior Coreen Collins, a student in the class, explained that Stroessner urged her students to participate, viewing the competition as a challenge for the 11-student, predomi-

nately senior class. “We were like the underdog,” Collins said. In order to increase their chances of winning, the students organized funds to buy cans at Costco. Each member of the class donated $5, while Stroessner matched their total, bringing the funds to $110. Collins viewed the contest as worthy and rewarding. “Not only do we feel good about winning because weʼre the smallest class in the

school, we also get that sense that weʼre actually helping and making a difference,” Collins said. Sainanee ﬁrst realized the magnitude of global hunger in her sophomore year Contemporary World History Class. “It was kind of shocking to hear how bad the hunger situation is,” Sainanee said. The Food for Thought clubʼs vice president, junior Christine Giang, will organize the drive next year.

2 ◆ The Oracle ◆

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

EWS◆

IGL plans community service Moses Lai Reporter

Parents plan ’07 Grad night Seeing ﬂaws in past graduation night parties, class of 2007 parents have formed the Planning Committee, a small group of junior parents, led by Laura Stefanski and Doris Pon. After talking to a planning parent for the class of 2006ʼs Grad Night, Stefanski found a few things she wanted to modify for next year. “One thing that intrigued and bothered me is the cost per student and for the event as a whole,” Stefanski said. “Not every family can afford to pay $230 to $250 for Grad Night plus everything else that pops up. Also, some of the parents wonder why having fun has to be so expensive.” The Planning Committee wants to make the most of their funds. “I think itʼs important to see what it is the juniors like to do and the activities that would be enjoyable on Grad Night,” Stefanski said. In an electronic survey conducted with the assistance of junior Student Executive Council (SEC) representative Daniel Moss, over 200 students gave input for the event. Some ideas include basketball and billiards for next yearʼs graduation party. Students are also interested in photo taking, an area for large group games and having high-quality cuisine. The planning committeeʼs agenda now is to conduct fundraisers with the help of next yearʼs SEC in order to keep costs down for individual families.

Library gets new media A new program is underway at the library for the students with special needs as well as the rest of the Gunn community. Initiated by the Student Executive Council (SEC) and the academic departments, a new section of the library will provide audio books, video tapes and DVDs to help support curricular needs. Department meetings, which accompanied the SECʼs proposal, discussed making available movies from classes such as Film Literature and required English courses to be checked out to students. “Itʼs always easier when students have something to hear or watch,” librarian Kristi Bowers said. “Right now prospective movies include Tale of Two Cities and a few Shakespearean plays. Weʼre just trying to expand to be more exclusive to support curricular needs.”

Calc Campers prepare for AP AB calculus students sat around a campﬁre, roasted marshmallows and sang sing-a-longs, this past weekend in the annual Calc Camp. “This is our ﬁfth year doing it,” math teacher Dave Deggeller said. “[Math teacher] Marianne Chowning and I heard that other schools were doing something similar and wanted to do it for our students too.” Camp was held at YMCA Camp Gulch. While the camp was centered around calculus, optional hikes and games were available to students. Students studied calculus and teachers offered guidance. The second morning, students took a practice AP test under test conditions that they will encounter on May 3. “[The students] get an idea of how theyʼre doing and what they might need to work on before the actual AP test,” Deggeller said.

Student excels at chemistry Science students from around the nation took the Chemistry Olympiad, prepared by the American Chemical Society. The two hour multiple-choice exam made up Round One of the four rounds required to qualify for the International Olympiad held in Korea this year. Only one student from Gunn, junior George Lu, qualiﬁed for the regional Chemistry round. However, science teacher Heather Mellows is unsure about the outcome of the upcoming round. “Competition at the next level will be very tough. I cannot guess how well he will do but it is quite an honor to make it that far,” Mellows said.

Art Society holds art show The National Art Honor Society (NAHS) held its second annual art show at Gallery House on California Ave. from March 28 to April 1. The art show was judged by George Rivera, director of the Triton Museum of the Arts in Santa Clara and a well-known artist. The prize money came from pasta feeds which raised almost $400 and from the entry fees which raised over $200. A variety of art was submitted to the competition, ranging from painting, photography, and ceramics. For the ﬁrst time, winners were able to sell their work at the Gallery House. One piece that sold was a photograph called “crossroads” by senior Johnny Chang, which won two honorable mentions. —Compiled by Libby Craig, Meilin Luh, Sasha Guttentag, Stephanie Wu and Alex Tom

The Interscholastic Gaming League (IGL) held a free for all Local Area Network (LAN) console party on April 7, a minimum day. The LAN party featured many different X-Box and Game Cube games, including the popular favorites Super Smash Brothers Melee and Halo 2. Around 20 to 25 people attended, staying from after school to around eight at night. “The minimum day event was a fun, low-key event, enjoyed by everyone,” junior club president Jon Stein said. “We had a host of regular attendees in addition to several Gunn students who have never attended an IGL event before. There were some nice Halo matches for the gun gurus and some Smash Bros. for the melee masters.” The club was planning a service project at the Veteranʼs Hospital to provide gaming consoles for the patients. However, the project has been cancelled because many of the patients are recovering from mental impairments, which would not permit them to play console games. The club is now working on providing the consoles for a childrenʼs hospital. “The primary goal of the childrenʼs hospital community

Christopher Wu

Sophomore Michael Hii, junior Derek Austin and junior Lawrence Park play a video game at the IGL LAN party. service project will be to locate a place to install game machines that the children recovering from or getting ready to have surgery to help them get their minds off of their health issues,” club adviser Eric Ledgerwood said. “Recent research has shown that children who are allowed to play games before surgery have faster recovery times and are less likely to have complications due to mental stress surrounding their procedures.” The IGL club has also been

holding long-term fundraisers such as selling Bawls, soda, t-shirts, networking gear and other related merchandise. The club has earned enough money to buy a PS3 or an X-Box 360, while the rest will go towards the community service project. As the school year ends, the IGL club is planning to host another LAN party or a tournament. It is also planning a trip to EA Games for a tour, although the speciﬁcs have yet to be worked out.

Administration promotes safety Vivien Tsao Reporter

The administration is attempting to increase student safety after two recent attempts by adult males to lure children into their cars, as well as a declaration of Code Yellow across the Palo Alto Uniﬁed School District last month. In one case of the attempted advances, an adult male tried to convince two boys bicycling through Mitchell Park to leave with him by offering them toys. In the second case, an adult male yelled at a female student at Jordan to leave with him. The children in both cases ignored the attempts of the men and left unharmed. The March 7 Code Yellow was declared because a sexual predator had escaped from the Palo Alto Veteranʼs Hospital. At Gunn, however, administrators are less concerned with the

possibility of students being convinced to leave with strangers than bodily advances on Gunnʼs pupils. “In high school settings, we are less worried about students being lured into cars as they were educated in elementary and middle schools to deal with these events,” Principal Noreen Likins said. “Instead, our focus is self-defense and teaching students how to deal with a situation in which they have to protect themselves.” The main program that teaches students to protect themselves is the required self-defense unit taught in physical education. “We basically try to raise awareness [about sexual predators] and empower students to defend themselves,” Physical Education and dance teacher Allison Rockwell said. Included in the unit are visits from the Palo Alto Police and the Rape Crisis Treatment Center.

Other activities include demonstrations on how to defend themselves, starting simply by saying “No!” in an assertive voice. “We start with voices, as a lot of people have trouble screaming, ʻNo!ʼ in a loud voice, then we teach students how to hit, kick and jab in order to stun the attacker,” Rockwell said. Students have also weighed in on the inﬂuence of the course. “I think the self-defense unit is very effective because you get to try out the moves,” sophomore Aurora Zhang said. “Otherwise you wouldnʼt really know where to hit and jab if you were attacked.” Also high on the administrationʼs priority list is informing parents and students of the recent incidences. “We try to publicize information as widely as possible by sending a letter home or directly by email through the Gunn Connection,” Likins said.

Gunn receives $125k from PiE Andrea Yung Reporter

Partners in Education (PiE) donated a total of $1.89 million to the Palo Alto School District during the March 28 board meeting. The district will distribute the sum among all 17 schools when enrollment numbers are released on Sept. 13. Last year, Gunn received a $30,000 to $40,000 donation from PiE, most of which was spent on fees for substitute teachers during Camp Anytown and half-time tech support staff. Gunn received $125,000 this year—some of which will be deducted for the new staff.

The remaining funds will be spent on upgrading school technology. “The plan that has been agreed to by the Instructional Council is to replace the L14-A lab with new Mac computers that will match up with some of the newer machines currently in L14-B,” Principal Noreen Likins said. “We also plan to update the two very old PC labs (P-20 and IA-1) with one new PC lab. We may also have enough funding to make mini-labs in some classrooms.” Elementary schools have typically received more funds than secondary schools because parents are more involved. This yearʼs direct appeal campaign in the form of letters resulted in a 12 percent

increase in donations. While primary schools received $1.35 million, secondary schools received only $540,000. Elementary school students received $280 each, compared to secondary school students who recieved $90 each. “The school district will wait until the eleventh day enrollment numbers come in, in Sept., to determine the exact amount each school will receive,” PiE Director of Public Relations Simone Otus Coxe said. PiEʼs priority next year will be increasing donor participation rate. “We want to increase contributions at the secondary schools, so that we can in turn give them a larger gift,” PiE president Susan Bailey said.

Wednesday, April 26, 2006 ◆

The Oracle ◆ 3

EWS◆

Centennial anniversary marks historic 1906 quake Jill Fu Reporter

On April 18, 1906, the San Andreas Fault shifted, moving the area east of the fault southward up to three yards in some places. Onehundred years later, we in the Bay Area stand on land altered by the San Francisco earthquake and in our education, reap the knowledge that scientists derived from the earthquake about plate tectonics. The earthquake lasted 47 seconds, spreading out from a point near San Francisco, traveling north up to Oregon, south down to Los Angeles and even into central Nevada. It registered between 7.8 and 8.3 on the Richter scale, classifying

it as a “great” earthquake with only a classiﬁcation of “rare great” topping it. The earthquake wrought the greatest havoc upon San Francisco, where broken pipelines, overturned heating appliances and tangled electric wires created raging ﬁres. It is estimated that the cumulative damage killed over 3,000 people during the earthquake. The 1906 earthquake is considered one of the United Statesʼ most destructive natural disasters and stands in the same ranks as Hurricane Katrina. In Palo Alto, the earthquake was not nearly as damaging. Still, furniture moved, plaster fell and roads reshaped themselves. The earthquake even destroyed a newly

erected building and toppled Stanford Universityʼs 100-foot-tall chimney, killing a guard standing below it. Yet Palo Alto recovered well enough after the earthquake to make unsuccessful attempts to lure earthquake-ravaged San Franciscans to Palo Alto with posters bearing the words, “Why not live in Palo Alto?” Despite the great damage the San Francisco earthquake caused, it is better known for the scientiﬁc knowledge it brought the United States. Although the theory of plate tectonics would not emerge until the 1960s, the San Francisco earthquake founded major advances in the study of Californiaʼs earthquakes. The most prominent

Staff recalls 1989 quake stories The magnitude 7.1 Loma Prieta earthquake that shook the entire Bay Area on October 17,1989 was so massive that it sent tremors as far away as Los Angeles, which is roughly 400 miles away from the epicenter, and caused serious damage to infrastructure all around the San Francisco Bay Area. It was deﬁnitely large enough to affect the lives of the following Gunn staff members, who shared their stories of experiencing such a massive earthquake.

Pagan escapes doorway, dives under desk Math and science secretary Jarrod Pagan remembers exactly where he was when the earthquake hit at 5:04 p.m. on that fateful day. It was well after his middle school day had ended but he was stuck in detention, studying Latin. The school was empty and it was just Pagan and his teacher alone in the room when everything started to shake. “I remember they said you should stand in a doorway during an earthquake. So I walked over to the back door and just when I was about to step underneath, the door slammed shut. If I had made it there in time I probably would have got my ﬁngers cut off or something,”

Pagan said. When Pagan saw the door slam shut right in front of him he realized just how ﬁerce the earthquake actually was. “I knew it was an earthquake right away but I had no idea how big it was. But as soon as I went to the door and saw it shut close on me I thought ʻthis is really big,ʼ” Pagan said. “I canʼt even describe how hard this door shut, it was a metal door. If it had been wood, it would have shattered.” After the attempt at taking cover under the doorway failed, Pagan ran over to where his teacher had taken cover under a large table. “I tried to run and slide under-

neath [the table], but before I got all the way under it a giant bookcase fell over onto my feet,” Pagan said. “The teacher then pulled me the rest of the way under the table and huddled over me.” Although Pagan did not suffer any serious injuries other than limping around for the next couple days, he deﬁnitely learned his lesson about where to take cover during an earthquake and recommends everyone else to follow suit. “I wouldnʼt recommend for people to stand under the doorway, although I suppose they mean doorways without doors,” Pagan said. “I would say that under the desk is a better idea.”

Camicia observes odd events during quake Automotive technology teacher Mike Camicia was at home trying to mow the lawn in time to go inside and watch the “Battle of the Bay” World Series when the earthquake hit. Camicia describes his initial confusion to what was going on. “Stuff started falling out of the tree and I was like ʻwhat the heck?ʼ” Camicia said. “I couldnʼt ﬁgure out what was going on.” As Camicia realized that it was an earthquake he was experiencing he looked up the street and was astonished at what he saw. “All the cars in the driveways were rocking up and down,” Cami-

cia said. “I could see the street undulating. It made a loud roaring sound.” Although the street in front of his house experienced such large movement, when Camicia later investigated the street for any damage he was surprised at what he found. “It looked like waves were going on in the street. They were about a foot high, and afterwards I checked to see if there were any cracks in the street, but I found nothing,” Camicia said. “It was really amazing.” But Camicia said that the thing he understood the least was how

a certain cat behaved while the earthquake was going on. “The wildest thing was when, while all this was going on, a cat came running across the street and stopped right in front of me and looked up with this expression that said ʻWhat the heck is going on?ʼʼ Camicia said. “It was all very surreal.” Despite the short duration of the earthquake, Camicia said that afterwards he was visibly shaken. “It didnʼt last that long, only about 20 seconds,” Camicia said. “But it was long enough to get your attention, thatʼs for sure.” — Compiled by Brennan Bird

of these advances was the “theory of elastic rebound,” introduced by John Hopkins University professor Henry Fielding Reid, which corrected a widely held view that earthquakes cause land to shift rather than vice-versa. A century later, the elastic rebound theory still holds as the basic model of earthquake behavior. The earthquake damage has not been forgotten either. Palo Alto commemorated the 100th anniversary of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake in a presentation at the City Hall. It included a history of what happened in Palo Alto during the earthquake, a Red Cross presentation on how to prepare for the next big earthquake and several

other presentations, including those by the U.S. Geological Survey, the Palo Alto Fire Department and the Civil Air Patrol. San Francisco also tempered its centennial celebration with a grave look ahead. While the city welcomed tourists by adding an earthquake angle to many attractions, it also hosted the 100th Anniversary Earthquake Conference from April 18 to 21. Speakers of many professions came to the conference to discuss the possibilities of an upcoming quake and how to best prepare for it. For the Bay Area, the 100th anniversary of the 1906 earthquake was not only a time for remembrance but one for foresight.

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Wednesday, April 26, 2006

EWS◆

Cartoons pop up on campus Social studies Expressiveness of cartoons worry administration Nina Nielepko Reporter

Political cartoons have been showing up around campus in bathroom stalls, by the quad and in classrooms. One of the cartoons, a poster in room S-9, has a clearly political focus, and seems to serve no other purpose than to let the artist express his/her views. This poster shows a large wildcat clawing at a man. Underneath the drawing is the phrase, “The Federal Reserve—we care.” The political message of this poster is unclear to some students. “I donʼt understand it,” junior Laura Jefferson said. “Is the Federal Reserve represented by the cat or the man?” There were several posters advertising “The Return of the Horse,” a band which participated in the battle of the bands at Mitchell Park on March 31. “Admission is two dollars, but the love is free,” the posters announced. There were two versions of this poster. On one, a horse, standing up like a person and dressed in a suit was smoking a cigar. On another version of the poster was a cartoon showing a horse sitting on a manʼs back. This particular poster did not receive a warm welcome from the administration. “Itʼs not appropriate for a school campus,” Dean of Students Kim Cowell said. “First of all, anything that will be posted must ﬁrst be approved. I saw the one with the horse and the man, and it was sexually obscene. To me, it was unfair of the person to do that. What they donʼt realize is that people have to stay here and look at that, and not everyone wants to. Itʼs wrong. Students are legally a ʻcaptive audience.ʼ”

department to lose teachers Sree Kode News Editor

Jonathan Cheung

Cartoons such as this one, declaring “The Federal Reserve—we care!” have been appearing around campus. The creator of this poster, who wishes to remain annonymous, says that he is not aware of any political undertones, and simply drew what band a band member asked him to. After the battle of the bands at Mitchell Park, the posters were removed. “The cartoons are weird,” sophomore Kevin Yao said. “Iʼm sort of surprised

that the school allows them to be posted. The pictures didnʼt look like they had anything to do with a concert.” The cartoons certainly served their purpose of advertising the band. “I saw the picture and I thought, ʻthatʼs interesting,ʼ” freshman Angela Chen said. “I didnʼt really read it. They were ʻWow,ʼ they really caught my attention.”

AP United States History (APUSH) teacher Robert Kellyʼs decision to leave the district leaves the social studies department with the task of ﬁlling his position. Although the district had a job fair on April 1, no one candidate stood out as the right one to take Kellyʼs place. “When youʼre trying to replace somebody with experience, not only with teaching, but also with the community, you want to choose someone who is very good,” social studies Instructional Supervisor John Fredrich said. “Itʼs like comparative shopping.” Fredrich, who is in the process of interviewing candidates for the course, hopes to get a teacher who has both specialized and general experience. As most teachers teach multiple courses, it is preferable that the replacement teacher is able to teach more than one course. In the case of an inexperienced replacement teacher, there are specialized training courses that ETS offers for AP teachers. Next year, the social studies department will also be losing Sam Picture and Alice McCraley, who will be on maternity leave. “The situation is that the social studies department is going to be losing a number of teachers,” Principal Noreen Likins said. “Theyʼll be looking for people who can cover the needs of the department.” Teachers already in the social studies department might also take on more responsibility. “Itʼs a juggling act where we develop people and offer opportunities to those already in the department and also ﬁll in the gaps,” Likins said. Currently, members of the social studies department, along with Likins, are trying to narrow down the list of almost 150 APUSH student applicants to about 90 who will be admitted into next yearʼs expected three APUSH classes. However, Kelly is not taking a part in determining next yearʼs students. “Itʼs not fair to Mr. Kelly to ask him to do the next teachersʼ work,” Fredrich said. “Heʼs moving on.” Kelly, although excited, is also unhappy about leaving. “Excited as I am to do this and Iʼm sure itʼll be fun, Iʼll be leaving behind familiarity,” Kelly said.

Activities on quad raise awareness Students run Stephen Salazar Reporter

Christopher Wu

The Environment Club displays a plethora of disposable plastic water bottles to encourage students to buy reusable bottles.

Environmental awareness was abundant last week as the Environmental Club, Organic Garden Club and senior Environmental Chair Mabel Tsang hosted the first annual Gunn Earth Week. Sophomores Environmental Club co-presidents Caroline Hodge and Emily Viggiano planned the week with the intention of raising student awareness about environmental conservation and action. “Seeing as students are so intelligent and driven at Gunn, I feel that we have an obligation to lead the way as a very environmentally conscious student body,” Hodge said. The week began with the showing of a film in the Little Theatre at lunch on April 17. The film was about the importance of recycling electronics, and what serious harm can be done by wasting such products. Along with the film, there was an introduction of Earth Week given by Hodge and a talk by Green Citizen Inc. member Marci Reichelstein. On April 18, Peter Drekmeier from the Palo Alto City Council came to the Student Activities Center (SAC) at lunch to give an inspiring talk about being environmentally conscious. “I was trying to emphasize the

importance of action as well as education,” Drekmeier said. “A lot of what we learn in school is based on traditional ways of thinking about the world that no longer work.” The next day, the Environmental Club distributed cloth grocery bags, made from recycled soda bottles, provided by the City of Palo Alto Recycling Program. In addition to picking up cloth bags Wednesday, students enjoyed free samples of organic and locally grown food in conjunction with the Organic Garden Club. Country Sun and vendors from the Mountain View Farmerʼs Market provided drinks, fresh produce and other goodies for students to sample. On April 20, the Environmental Club sold all of its 27 reusable Nalgene water bottles. They plan to sell Nalgenes on campus again in the future, due to the overwhelmingly positive response they received. On April 21, Tsang organized a photo exhibit and an “Earth Day resolutions” activity. On Earth Day, the Environmental Club co-hosted an electronics recycling event with GreenCitizen Inc., from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Club members helped to sort and process electronics brought to the event. The Environmental Club received 10 percent of the proﬁts made from all the recycling.

Gourmet Café ■ CAFE, from page 1 the students really enjoyed working in a cafe setting. It was a very powerful experience to see students far exceeding expectations and gaining even more from the experience than anticipated,” Hughes said. Using past experience, a team of volunteers set to work planning a Gunn Gourmet Café. Disabled students at Gunn will have a chance to learn simple recipes that would be greatly enjoyed by the Gunn community. “I think the café is a great opportunity for the students to learn academic and vocational skills in a more realistic setting than provided in the classroom,” Special Education teacher Janet Fox said. Before setting the details on the cafe, the management team advertised this new program through a survey given to the Gunn staff to see what they would like on the menu. Students from the special education class involved in the cafe will have a daily schedule to abide by. Each student working for the cafe will record his or her working time after completing his or her tasks. Students will be given one to six tasks each day to complete with the help from aides from the special day class. Some students who are more academically advanced will be given the opportunity to work with software programs to keep track of the proﬁts and expenses. At this early stage, only the students from L-12 are involved but the actual goal is to have “Junior Job Coaches” for regular education students to gain community service credit by volunteering with the café.

Wednesday, April 26, 2006 ◆

The Oracle ◆ 5

EWS◆

Participate in stopping hate Artists express acceptance Students dissolve Michelle Lee Reporter

This is the ﬁrst year Gunn is hosting the student-judged “Not in Our School” Art Contest. Entries were submitted until April 24. All forms of art have been accepted, including two-dimensional art, three-dimensional art and poetry as long as they embody either the theme of diversity or antidiscrimination. A two-paragraph explanation was also required. One to two representatives from each club at Gunn have judged the work. Deanna Messinger took submissions and will assist students with displaying the pieces. However, she notes that the members of the National Art Honor Society (NAHS) worked to help put the art contest together. “The NAHS students have handled all of the arrangements, publicity and details to make this exhibition happen. I am very proud of them and the professional relationship they have established with Gallery House for future exhibitions.” Cash prizes will be distributed for winning art pieces and the art will be featured on display. The idea for this art contest originated from the Womenʼs History Month

Art Contest, which is no longer held at Gunn. Junior Gay-Straight Alliance president Reese Probst believes that the art contest is beneﬁcial to Gunnʼs diverse atmosphere. “I think that letting people create art on the theme

of tolerance really allows others to see the different ideas and views that are present at Gunn,” Probst said.

If you wish to participate in the Day of Silence, cut out and wear the box on your shirt.

stereotypes in water Dezmon Hunter Reporter

This Friday, as part of the anti-hate week that is t a k i ng pl a c e a t Gunn and Palo Alto High Scho ol, a ste-

Lauren Krensky

Day of Silence Please understand my reasons for not speaking today. I am participating in the Day of Silence, a national youth movement protesting the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their allies. My deliberate silence echoes that silence, which is caused by harassment, prejudice, and discrimination. I believe that ending the silence is the first step toward fighting these injustices. Think about the voices you are not hearing today. What are you going to do to end the silence?

reotype pool will be set up on the quad. Students participate in the event during their English period. They will be asked to write a stereotype about a certain group of people on a piece of rice paper. After writing it down, they throw the rice paper into a pool of water that will be set up on the quad. The disintegrating rice paper represents the wish to fade away the issues of race, homophobia and religion. The rice pool is one of the last events that end the district-wide anti-hate week. The goal is to get students thinking about hate related issues. “I think Gunn students will appreciate the metaphor of dissolving stereotypes and hopefully see the rice paper pool as a symbol of clarity.” English teacher Karen Oppenheim said. “The goal is for it to have an effect on students right off the bat.” Sophmore Naomi Shachter has participated in this event before. “You have to acknowledge your own stereotypes and know that they exist in the community,” Shachter said. Many clubs are joining forces to accomplish the one goal of terminating hatred. The rice pool is just one of many ways to accomplish this in our school. “Itʼs deﬁnitely powerful for them to write down their stereotypes and get rid of them,” Katie Fernadez, Youth Community Service worker said.

Students fight intolerance through silence ■ SILENCE, from page 1 students have to endure to be accepted. “Schools are great because they provide an area for many different opinions and ideas to be heard,” Probst said. “When someone feels unable to express themselves, for whatever reason, it hurts not only that person, but the entire school community.” Probst also hopes that students will join in the action by not speaking for the day or as much time as they can. “It is a relatively small gesture, but when everyone does it, it is very powerful,” Probst said. Sophomore Ilana Cartun will also be participating in the Day of Silence. “I encourage people to participate to the best of their abilities as long as they know the reasons behind why they arenʼt speaking,” Cartun said. Cartun has mixed feelings about the Day of Silence, however. “Itʼs a good thing to commemorate, but it doesnʼt seem like itʼs accomplishing very much,” Cartun said. “Hopefully it will” Sophomore Shani Chabansky, who participated in last yearʼs Day of Silence, agrees. “Even though the intent is good, I think the Day of Silence is the wrong way of getting the point across,” Chabansky said. Participants receive a ﬂyer for the Day of Silence to explain why they arenʼt talking. It ends with the statements, “Think about the voices you are not hearing today. What are you going to do to end the silence?”

6 ◆ The Oracle ◆

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

ORUM◆

Japanʼs atrocities should not be forgotten

Stephen Chao Brett Labash and Khen Shomron

Prom’s elegance far too costly

High prices, “pursuit of vanity” poison final formal The sight is a familiar one: a long, elegant limo arrives to whisk away a girl in an elegant dress and her date, wearing a two-day rental tuxedo and a mile-wide smile. Over decades, prom has been a fixture of high school culture not just in America, but abroad as well. Recently, however, administrations in high schools have begun fighting back against the tradition of prom, and two Long Island, N.Y., principals set off a furor on Oct. 16 at their high schools when they decided to call off the event altogether. One of the two principals, Brother Kenneth M. Hoagland, wrote a 2,000-word letter to parents explaining the decision, citing promʼs “financial decadence.” Granted, the cancellation of prom is far too harsh a solution for Gunn to follow, but there are lessons to be learned from Hoaglandʼs critique of prom as “a pursuit of vanity for vanityʼs sake.” At its most basic level, prom is extremely expensive. Take, for example, a male senior renting a tuxedo, and buying him and his date prom and limo tickets, as is often the case. Even if we assume both he and his date have student body cards, the two $45 dance tickets, two $94 limo tickets (base price), and finally his $95 tux rental add up to $314 before the dancing has even started.

All this without considering the thousands of dollars Gunn spent on putting prom at San Francisco City Hall last year and at the Exploratorium this year. One could argue that the tuxedo and the limo are simply added amenities the school does not impose, but the bus tickets are still $20 and taking away the tuxedo still keeps the price of prom above $100. This ﬁgure does not even include prom dresses,

The Opinion of The Oracle

for which some girls spend hundreds of dollars. Yes, prom has always been totally and completely optional for students. But part of its lavish appearance is to act as a culmination of four years of ruddy dances in gyms–the one dance that tops them all. And at such an elegant prom, one might expect classical music or even Frank Sinatra playing from the speakers. Instead, the same old booming hip-hop pounds, and the difference between prom and any other

dance becomes negligible on the dance floor—prom is, after all, just people dancing with better clothes on. On April 6, under intense media coverage, the principals of the two high schools decided to reinstate the prom, this time with a dress code of dresses, not gowns, for girls, and jackets and ties for boys. Instead of after-prom parties full of debauchery and the famous prom-night “first time,” buses will take students back to the school for late-night bagels and cream cheese. The important thing is not the validity of Hoaglandʼs prom cancellation and reinstatement, but the message he sent to his students: that the “prom culture” that so pervades American high schools will no longer be tolerated. Yes, Gunnʼs prom is a very fun event for students and a great way to end the year. However, we must watch for promʼs decay into what Hoagland described as “the flaunting of affluence,” because prom should be more about the people you are with than the clothes you are wearing. Hoagland maintained all along that his high school was “willing to sponsor a prom, not an orgy.” An orgy, perhaps, not of the sexual nature but instead of a fabulous boasting of wealth. Gunn could learn something from Hoaglandʼs example.

SEC elections based on popularity, not merit

Andrea Wong Editor-in-Chief Many freshmen, sophomores and juniors are voting today for their student leadership for next year. The process is purely democratic—anyone can run for office, and everyone can vote for any candidate. Unfortunately, the result is a Student Executive Council (SEC) based on popularity, not qualification. The problem is cyclical. Too few students factor a candidateʼs qualifications into their choice, and too many students without adequate leadership skills make

it to the ballot. As it turns out, the candidates who present their strengths and goals usually do not win because uneducated voters overlook their ostensibly boring campaign. Candidates who have the most friends, write the funniest blurbs and post the most elaborate election poster on the most visible wall of the Student Activities Center frequently win the positions. Voting based on how entertaining a candidate is or how much time he puts into his campaign is a poor way to choose a school leader. Instead, a candidateʼs fitness should be determined by his ability to lead and direct in his position. For instance, a class president should not only be very spirited, but also be organized and responsible. Presidents are especially crucial in leading the class through Homecoming, during which airbands, ﬂoats and

game competition require much organization. Throughout the year, presidents need to take responsibility for their classʼ funds by spending and fundraising appropriately. Making a decision solely on a candidateʼs personal appeal is a disservice to oneʼs class. The Election Issue, which circulated the Monday prior to Election Day, is the main vehicle for candidates to voice their platforms and intentions. The only way for the Election Issue to be effective is if the candidates themselves establish reasons why the student body should vote for them. Past positions in leadership paired with the direction in which they want to take SEC should be included, along with samplings of their personality. Currently, there are no qualiﬁcations to meet in order to run for SEC, which invites anyone to run, even those without

sufficient abilities. One way to correct this is to require a teacherʼs positive recommendation along with the election petition., In addition, the current SEC members should play a larger role in selecting their successors. Members should interview students vying to run in the election and then select a set number of people to run for each ofﬁce. Although this may limit the democracy in the system, it will help the school filter fit candidates into the election pool. Gunn is making the right move by introducing electronic voting in an attempt to increase voter turnout. But it is not simply voter turnout, but voter education about the candidates and issues, that truly needs to be addressed. Leadership and ability to make change are two qualities that cannot be measured by the number of friends a candidate has.

In the spirit of International week, reading Malcolm X in AP US History and discussing racial prejudice in school, there has been one issue that always bothered me: the spotlight on the “cruel” treatment of the Japanese in American relocation camps during World War II. The Japanese speaker in the International Week assembly already discussed the details of the event, and Iʼll admit rounding up the Japanese population in America and stuffing them into government funded summer camps was cruel, but that treatment is a slap on the wrist compared to the Japanese treatment of the Korean and Chinese population which started much before World War II or the passing of the HR 2701 bill. In my history books, I never see any information regarding the Japanese empire destroying peopleʼs lives or war crimes committed by the empire besides the violation of several international treaties and the invasion of Manchuria, which the League of Nations did not react to. The Japanese are viewed as very respectful and courteous people, and they are to a certain extent, but underneath that lies a history of cruelty and hate. The Japanese invaded the Korean peninsula in 1876, and started subsequent attacks on Chinese and Korean towns. The Japanese pillaged numerous towns, raped women, killed families without mercy, looted communities and committed many more heinous acts without reason. One such event which stands out is the Nanjing massacre otherwise known as the Rape of Nanjing, which many Japanese still deny to this day having occurred to this day; more than 300,000 Chinese civilians were killed in cold blood over six days, shouldnʼt this be considered genocide? The atrocities do not end there—not only did the Japanese obliterate the Chinese capital; they also tried to destroy the Korean language and culture. The Japanese wiped out the Korean government, forced the Korean people to learn the Japanese culture and language and forbade any attempt to spread or mention any material related to the Korean culture. If this isnʼt cruel and unusual, I donʼt know what is. None of this information is mentioned in the Japanese school textbooks at all. Japanʼs schools and its teachers do not mention anything regarding the Japanese occupation of China and Korea; the Japanese government refuses to teach such “controversial” events to the Japanese people and continues to deny “controversial” events pointed out by the Asian victims. Numerous novels and forms of Japanese media exist supporting the harsh oppression of the Korean and Chinese population. The conflict is still alive today, a full 60 years after World War II. The Japanese committed numerous atrocities, which the older and the current generation of Korean and Chinese families still suffer from to this day. Why, then, do the Japanese ask for recognition of the cruelties done to them when they donʼt even admit the atrocities they have committed? The Chinese and Korean people do not receive the recognition they deserve for enduring such intolerable cruelty under the Japanese for almost a century. But do not be fooled into thinking that the Koreans and the Chinese were the only ones victim to the Japanese atrocities. In fact, there is probably no Asian population in the Pacific Islands that has not been negatively affected by the Japanese people. I donʼt hate the Japanese people, I take Japanese in school, I love Japanese food and Iʼm an avid fan of video games and anime. All I am saying is the Japanese should admit their wrongs before pointing out the wrongs of others. —Junior Lawrence Park

Wednesday, April 26, 2006 ◆

The Oracle ◆ 7

ORUM◆

The Oracle 780 Arastradero Rd Palo Alto, CA 94306 (650) 354-8238 http://charlotte.pausd.org/oracle

Editorial Board

Editor-in-Chief Andrea Wong Managing Lauren Krensky, Tony Liu

PRO

News Sree Kode, Dan Li, Brennan Bird (associate) Forum Misha Guttentag, Gea Kang, John Greely (associate) Features Janice Kwong, Anthony Wang, Adrienne Nguyen (associate) Centerfold Shiv Kachru, Marianne Kvitko, Emily Wang Entertainment Howard Chen, Stephanie Wu, Maya Tanaka (associate) Sports Ana Kostioukova, Alex Lee, Amar Ghose (associate) Photography Jonathan Cheung Graphics Johnny Chang Technical Jonathan Cheung, Dan Li Staff

Business Shoshana Leeder, Darryl Liu Circulation Ellen Holtzman, Natalie Kirkish

Graphic Artists Stephen Chao, Brett Labash, Khen Shomron, Julius Tarng Photographers Tina Armenante, Ellen Holtzman, Jennifer Lim, Christopher Wu

hould military personnel be allowed to recruit at Gunn? The 2001 No Child Left Behind Act lets the military obtain studentsʼ contact information from high schools across the nation. However, at the same time, it also requires administrators to make it known that parents can withhold their childʼs information by signing a non-release form. According to the National Priorities Project web site, local Monta Vista High School had two military recruits in 2004. The militaryʼs efforts to recruit on campus are not harming students and the military should therefore be able to keep up its on-campus recruiting policy. The armyʼs outreach to high schools is a benefit for students coming from low-income families. Those who cannot afford a college education can receive major funding from the military as a gift for their endeavor for a higher education. For many students, the military may be the only way to fulﬁll their college dreams. Furthermore, high school recruiting does not mean that the army will force students into joining. Enlisting is a completely voluntary ac-

he U.S. Military recruiting services might give you a call tonight. You might also receive a glossy brochure touting the benefits of joining the military along with your bank statements and college letters in the mail today, and a local recruiter could even show up at your doorstep. All of this is perfectly legal. Under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001, all secondary schools must turn over studentsʼ names, phone numbers and addresses to the military. This means that the military can contact you whenever it wants, unless you turn in an “opt-out” form, which ensures conﬁdentiality. The district mails this form to upperclassmen, but it should be more readily available to students. Not only a re military recruiters provided with studentsʼ contact information, they are also allowed to be at school events, alongside colleges and career programs. In fact, the NCLB requires secondary schools to give recruiters the same access as colleges or employers. The administration should be lauded for

Caroline Hodge Reporter taking steps to minimize recruiting, as Gunn allows only one visit per year per service. However, it still needs to ensure that when recruiters are on campus, counter-recruiters are next to them to help students reevaluate the often inaccurate information the military gives. Due to increasing quotas and declining military retention rates, recruiters are more likely than ever to stretch the truth. A recruiter is more or less a salesperson, and will naturally bias the information they give. However, the military is not a product that can be returned upon finding out its true features. Without accurate information, students risk entangling themselves in a life that is very different from what they had envisioned. Recruiters often fail to accurately describe two key benefits of enlisting—free job training and money for higher education. In fact, only 35 percent of veterans receive GI Bill funds for college. Because of these gross improprieties, high schools need to present a more balanced picture of life in the service by finding local counter-recruiting organizations, such as Think First!, to set up tables next to recruiters. Students deserve to know the harsh realities of the military, and should be informed of their right to privacy.

Prohibition of club food sales restricts students

Adviser Kristy Garcia 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 students' rights. The Oracle strongly encourages and prints signed Letters to the Editor. Please include your name, grade and contact information should you choose to write one. Letters may be edited to meet space requirements and the writer is solely responsible for the accuracy of the content. Letters to the editor and ideas for coverage may be sent to gunnoracle@yahoo.com. These letters and ideas need not be from current students. The Oracle publishes 10 issues annually. Subscriptions are $40/year.

s by Graphic ao Ch Stephen

Reporters Thomas Bao, Libby Craig, Nathaniel Eisen, Michelle Fang, Jill Fu, Sasha Guttentag, Caroline Hodge, Dezmon Hunter, Eric Johnston, Stephanie Keller-Busque, Moses Lai, Michelle Lee, Meilin Luh, Nina Nielepko, Alex Ragson, Stephen Salazar, Alex Shau, Alex Tom, Vivien Tsao, Andrea Yung

Alex Shau Reporter

tion. High school students should be wise enough to make judicious decisions for themselves. And if it so happens that students receive letters in the mail trying to encourage them to enlist, they can always just choose to ignore it. Tons of colleges do this and no one complains. So why should we complain if the army does the exact same thing? Finally, for those who are worried about handing over their private information to the army, there is always the non-release form. By law, the district is required to inform students that they can prevent r e c r u it er s from obtaining their contact information via this option. The fact that the military recruits on campus is not a major problem. Even if the military does contact students, students still have a choice between joining and not joining. Students and adm in ist rators have nothing to worry about.

CON

Howard Chen Entertainment Editor It is unfortunate that clubs will not be allowed to sell food on campus. Not only does this move appear to be a cowardly attempt to remove competition against the schoolsʼ new food program, but it will greatly impact the well-being of clubs and demoralize students.

First off, anybody who thinks that the food clubs sell is any less healthy than that being sold on campus is not aware of what is being offered by both parties. Clubs offer a variety of foods, a lot of which, like pasta, salad and pastries are homemade with fresh ingredients. Some of the most popular oncampus food items offered include pepperoni pizza, Splenda-enhanced water and mozzarella breadsticks. Not to knock the schoolʼs attempt to make healthy food available to students, but banning clubs from selling food simply because they offer unhealthy options is simply not a valid argument. Also, not only do clubs offer food just as healthy as that provided

on campus, but they also expose the student population to food they normally would not try. On my own, I would never have decided to walk into an Indian restaurant and order samosas. However, when the South Asian Student Association was selling traditional Indian food, I decided to give them a try, and I was pleasantly surprised. Without club food sales, I would have never experienced such exotic flavors. Many students will have shared a similar experience. Naturally, most of the language clubs offer various foreign foods that most students enjoy and have come to expect. The French Club sells crepes, the German Club grills sausages during Oktoberfest and

Asian culture clubs offer fried rice. The foods offered on campus just cannot compete with the variety that clubs can provide. Diversity is good, but charity is even better. While many clubs sell food to expose students to delicious new tastes and cultures, one of the biggest reasons to hold food sales is to raise money for charity. Community service clubs such as Key Club and Interact sell food to raise money for charities that help the local and worldwide community. When clubs provide food that is healthy, expands cultural horizons and raises money for good causes, it is very difﬁcult to understand why clubs would ever be banned from selling food on campus.

8 ◆ The Oracle ◆

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

ORUM◆

Warming Earth cause for concern

Consequences of pollution potentially disastrous

Brennan Bird Associate News Editor

he topic of global warming has become so popular today as to even ﬁll up the front cover of fashion magazine Vanity Fair, complete with a green clad bunch of celebrities ranging from George Clooney to Al Gore to Julia Roberts posing solemnly to advocate the seriousness of the “New Green Revolution.”

Unfortunately, any remnant of a solution to this global epidemic will not be found within the pages of a magazine. Rather, a solution lies deep within the core of the rampant and mostly unrestrained industrial expansion that parts of this world have undergone in the last two centuries. It will pose questions about how our global economic system is affecting the world and will challenge us to decide just how serious the consequences will be if we continue to refuse the sacriﬁces that will come with necessary change. Scientists all around the world have been observing global warming—an increase in average oceanic and atmospheric temperatures—for decades now. Both national science academies in the largest industrial countries and the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change agree that the average global temperature has risen between 0.4 and 0.8 degrees Celsius. It is not the increase, but the reason for it, that is most contested. Most scientists believe that the rising concentration of carbon dioxide and

other greenhouse gases due to human activity is trapping a larger amount of solar radiation within the atmosphere, causing higher radiation absorption by the earth and subsequent higher surface temperatures. But theories aside, a truth still exists—increased oceanic and atmospheric temperatures are already having effects on the earthʼs complex weather systems. Warmer tropical seas are fueling larger and more frequent tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean, which crash into our Southern shores as ﬁerce hurricanes. Last summer, the United States experienced a hurricane season that shattered all previous records. The season brought forth not only the

Brett Labash

most hurricanes, with 14 storms topping the previous record of 12 set in 1969, but the highest number of ﬁerce storms with a record-breaking three Category Five hurricanes in one season: Rita, Wilma and Katrina. The total cost damage of all the seasonʼs storms was the highest as well,

an astonishing 50 billion dollars combined. In a recent article for Nature magazine, Kerry Emanuel analyzed hurricane records for patterns in changing storm intensities. Emanuel discovered that over the past 30 years, the fierceness of hurricanes hitting our shores has increased dramatically, in direct accordance with the rise in ocean temperatures. If this uprising trend continues, the intensity of hurricanes will rise each year, posing an even more serious threat to states that border the Gulf Coast and the Atlantic Ocean. This change in ocean temperatures could also affect the current U.S. tornado season. As cool air from the North Pole comes down and mixes with the warm air from the warmer waters of the Gulf Coast, tornados are being created more frequently—with increased fierceness and longer duration. Already the 360 tornados this year make up the most tornados in the first three months of a season ever. And the number of tornado-related deaths so far is already the highest since 1998, even though the season hasnʼt reached the peak month of May. The potential economic cost and blow to human life that this rapidly changing weather will have upon our country cannot be ignored. California has also experienced some unusual weather, and while nobody has proved that it has been caused by global warming, one full day of sun over all of spring break makes one wonder if the two are connected. And when one considers both the detrimental effect of this rainiest of rain seasons upon Californiaʼs huge agricultural industries, the problem becomes even more frightening. Although the Bush administration took steps to further global warming research, they have done little to significantly decrease greenhouse gas emissions, largely because of a fear that this will adversely affect the economy. But as the toxic gases keep rising, it will be the same economy that denied the warming that will foot the cost of fixing it.

Eating meat: bad for the body, bad for the cow

Tina Armenante Photographer On todayʼs factory farms, our favorite fuzzy barnyard animals are crammed by the thousands into ﬁlthy, windowless sheds, wire cages and gestation crates. These animals will never raise their families or do anything natural to them. They will never feel the sun on their backs or breathe fresh air until the day they are loaded into trucks bound for the slaughterhouses. Yet farmed animals are no less intelligent or capable of feeling pain than are the dogs that Americans consider manʼs best friend. Benjamin Franklin called turkeys “true American originals.” He had an enormous respect for their resourcefulness, beauty and agility. If Franklin saw his beloved birds crammed into filthy sheds after their beaks and toes are burned off with hot blades, he would turn in his grave. Many turkeys suffer heart failure or debilitating leg

pain, often becoming crippled un- lifestyle is often considered horri- vegan diet aids in preventing hyperder the weight of their genetically fyingly difficult, and the question of tension, diabetes, asthma, arthritis manipulated and drug enhanced proper nutrition always comes up. and gall bladder disease as well as But never fear, all the essential in reducing heart disease, the leadbodies. When the time comes for slaughter, they are thrown like trash vitamins and minerals to a healthy ing cause of death in industrialized into trucks and when they arrive in diet are jam-packed in a vegetable- countries. With a heart attack death the slaughterhouse, their throats are based diet. For instance, calcium—a occurring every 45 seconds in the cut and their feathers burned off, all major mineral essential for healthy United States, meat consumption while they are still fully conscious. bones and teeth—need not come nowadays is exorbitant—in 2005, But turkeys are not the only animals from milk but also from nuts, figs, an estimated 25.6 billion pounds suffering—cows, pigs, chickens, molasses, sea vegetables, soya of commercially sold beef was consumed in the horses, cats, fish, United States mon keys a nd & alone. just about every On top of other animal v Markets v Chain Markets avoiding meat, you can think - Apple Health Foods - Whole Foods veget a r ia ns of are used for Redwood City - Trader Joe’s and vegans do greedy human (650) 368-3124 not wear aniconsumption all v Restaurants - Bumblebee Health Foods mal skins or over the world. - The BayLeaf Café Mountain View use products All animals Palo Alto (650) 968-3131 experimented have rights and (650) 321-7466 - Country Sun Natural Foods on animals, indeserve to have - Tofoo Com Chay Palo Alto cluding many their interests San Jose (650) 324-9190 cosmetics and taken into con(408) 286-6335

Easy vegetarian vegan options

sideration. Just l i ke hu m a n s, they suffer and are interested in leading their own lives. Why should humans be able to exploit them? The most common reason to become a vegan or a vegetarian is the respect for animal life. Vegans eat nothing of animal origin, including meat, eggs and dairy products. As a result, the vegetarian and vegan

milks and hard tap water. Similarly, protein is abundant in brown rice, beans, tofu and sesame. In fact, a diet free of animal products is better for oneʼs health, as fewer than one out of every 250,000 slaughtered animals are tested for toxic chemical residues, leading to potentially toxic meat. Also, a

household cleaners. Vegans and vegetarians are aware that they cannot stop the atrocities that go on around them, but they refuse to participate in or further the cause. So the next time you settle down with a steak knife in hand, keep in mind that unfortunate cowʼs journey to your dining table.

Hotter climate potentially beneficial

Eric Johnston Reporter Americans are obsessed with bad news. Nearly every natural disaster gets linked with global warming, and “climate change” is associated with our planet going to pot. Of course, with a warming climate comes change, both negative and positive—a warming earth may improve our lives in many respects. The United Nations says that with more glaciers melting due to heat, the amount of rainfall will actually increase about seven percent if warming continues. More water and carbon dioxide for plants means the agricultural industry in the United States will likely produce more food for the worldʼs rapidly growing population. Also, receding glaciers may reveal rich oil deposits. Further, The Washington Times reported on a northern passage in Canada being opened due to melting ice, which would provide a quicker way for large ships that do not fit through the Panama Canal. In addition, the effects of global warming are more prominent closer to the poles, so colder climates will find more favorable weather while the tropics will see little change. The warmer climate is good news because most vacations spots involve sunny locations such as Florida. Paranoia over a changing climate is not new, as “global cooling” was debated heavily in the early 1970s. In 1975 Newsweek even pointed toward “ominous signs of the Earthʼs weather patterns.” Ironically, greenhouse gases were blocking the sunʼs rays. We must remember that temperatures have been fluctuating for million of years along with carbon dioxide levels. Only an estimated 3.5 percent of all atmospheric carbon dioxide is linked to human activity, according to Dr. Dixie Lee Ray, the former head of the Atomic Energy Commission. Therefore, we cannot blame ourselves for global warming. Most people are naturally afraid of change. Yes, our worldʼs climate is rapidly changing, but the effects are often beneficial. Although the reduction of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere is a good idea, we do not all need to fear for our lives.

Wednesday, April 26, 2006 ◆

The Oracle ◆ 9

ORUM◆

Anti-immigration legislation rooted in fear Disdain for foreigners helps make the American dream felonious

Stephen Salazar Reporter One of the greatest ﬂaws in our society is not the increasing number of immigrants in the country, but the increasing xenophobia —a fear of people different from themselves—in a majority of Americans. Many Americans are uncomfortable with outsiders and foreigners in their country, but this slight fear should be no reason to charge these immigrants with a felony. Congress has just passed a law that makes it a felony to be caught as an illegal immigrant in America, while prior to this it was just a misdemeanor. Though the majority of our government saw this as a ﬁt law, plenty of people in the country do not. They have formed numerous rallies and protests across the nation, including one in Los Angeles that consisted of almost one million people. These rallies consist of immigrants and citizens alike protesting the new law because of the

harm and trouble it adds to the already struggling immigrant population. Illegal immigrants come into America looking for opportunity. A harsh reality they learn very quickly is that this opportunity is far from free. Often the most that they can gain is a slummy apartment, a cheap job and very little money. With increased enforcement against illegal immigrants, they would be lucky to have that. If one were to stop and think, these people do not pose much of a real threat or problem for anyone else.

Are immigrants harming people, harassing them, or causing an exceedingly amount of trouble for people? It is merely their presence itself that bothers people, an irrational fear of different people. Many people see immigrants as people stealing jobs from Americans and ruining the economy for the rest of the country. However, these jobs that immigrants are supposedly “stealing” are ones that almost no Americans would take. You would never see a 22-yearold fresh out of college willing and ready

Stephen Chao

Defending the old Analysis

Tony Liu Managing Editor A great oak tree lies at the front of the campus. When a sidewalk was commissioned for Gunn, the tree was in the way. Instead of cutting down the tree, however, the builders constructed a roundabout route. Even though the sidewalk was lengthened and no longer perfectly straight, the tree was saved. Today, the majestic oak tree not only provides shade and much needed greenery, it is also a central part of Gunnʼs identity. Like the oak tree, the Analysis class has become an integral part of what makes Gunn unique. It is a challenge, but it exposes students to a variety of math subjects, to a world beyond grades and memorization. With the support of two helpful teachers, most curious students succeed in this class. It is truly a unique experience that should be saved. The trouble began when math instructional supervisor Jeanne Beck was asked to re-examine the textbook. For Analysis, the original concern was over the instruction of a few topics, a problem that couldʼve easily been remedied by communicating with the current Analysis teachers, Peter Herreshoff and Dianne Gleason. However, the debate has gotten political and philosophical, and drastic changes have been planned. The proposed replacement textbooks are not bad—theyʼre shiny, new and have been peer-reviewed,

but the current series of pamphlets is invaluable. Through years of fine-tuning, generations of Analysis teachers created the current curriculum, which challenges students with in-depth explorations. But it is not just a good curriculum that is being squandered. In order to let other teachers teach Analysis, Herreshoff and Gleason will likely not be teaching it next year. Wasting their talents is not just logically inept, but criminal. Not only did students benefit from their familiarity with the subject, but they provided an education filled with passion and discovery. While other teachers can also provide this quality of education, teachers arenʼt just commodities exchanged at will. They have histories and emotions too, and for the current Analysis teachers, they also have expertise. When teachers are already providing a memorable education, it is ridiculous to shake things for the sake of change. Although the current proposal calls for Herreshoff to teach a math elective comprising more difficult Analysis concepts, this plan is short-sighted. Many students who take Analysis are not math geniuses, but are industrious and curious. Through the class, the get exposed to a wide array of math concepts not found elsewhere. Taking the more difficult concepts of Analysis and placing them in an elective will narrow the breadth of students exposed to such invaluable material. Perhaps the greatest loss from the suggested changes is an experience that is uniquely Gunn. There is no denying that the class is a challenge, but it is exactly this challenge that helps students grasp their full potentials. And as difficult as the class is, the teachers go out of their ways to help students succeed. Detractors point out that the class

covers material beyond the stateprescribed standards. But when has Gunn ever striven to just meet state standards? Should the purpose of this honors course be just a stepping stone to college, or should it be a class that stimulates each studentʼs intellect to the full potential? Playing the dual role of educators and administrators, Beck, Principal Noreen Likins and the Palo Alto school board members must respond to complaints by students and parents. For each complaint, however, there are many unheard compliments for the class. I recently surveyed many former Analysis students on their take on the class. While most acknowledged that the class was difﬁcult, a good majority also noted that the experience was valuable. As parents can attest getting exposed to such advanced topics is beneﬁcial in the long run. In this highly educated community, its educators should strive to give student the most rewarding and intellectually stimulating experience possible. It is too easy for a few negative responses to spoil a beautiful educational opportunity. So ahead lies an oak tree. It can be chopped down and replaced, or we can work around it and enjoy this gift for a long time ahead. Contact a school board member, Beck or Likins to voice your opinion.

Be Heard

Share your opinion with the decision-makers: Jeanne Beck: jbeck@pausd.org Noreen Likins: nlikins@pausd.org Mandy Lowell, schoo board president mlowell@pausd.org

to be a school janitor, or someone with a Masterʼs degree in engineering working at an orchard picking fruit. These immigrants are doing jobs that no one else would be occupied with, so people cannot rightfully claim that that they are taking jobs away from us. Another conflict people see with immigrants is that they ruin our economy by not paying taxes or by being on welfare. A 10 percent rise in immigrant population cuts nationwide salaries by 44 billion dollars. However, that money does not just go down the drain—it is merely distributed throughout the rest of the economy. Along with immigrant spending in American products and economy, employers benefit financially from their work due to such cheap labor of immigrant employees. Money is not “lost” because of immigrant workers, and it is not the reason for a declining economy in America. Immigrants in America are not nearly as much of a burden as people claim them to be. The economic difficulties for handling a surplus in immigrants are not as detrimental either, and the government should not make more of a problem out of this situation. Yes, regulating who comes in and out of this country is important, but a hard-working foreigner trying nothing but to support his family should not be considered as a threat to our economy or way of life.

New AP Biology selection system poorly structured

Alex Lee Sports Editor The new system for awarding students seats in Advanced Placement (AP) Biology makes little sense. A less qualified, weaker science student can now get into AP Biology over a candidate already taking advanced courses. In other words, students from classes like Biology 1A and Chemistry 1 can take the places of students from Chemistry Honors, if they received a higher overall grade in the course. The entire AP Biology acceptance system is based on grade. Anything lower than a B in Chemistry Honors class causes immediate rejection, while students in Biology 1A or Chemistry 1 have to get an A- or above. However, this creates a problem, for students in lower-lane classes would have an easier time of getting into the AP Biology class. Students in the lower lane classes are far less qualiﬁed to take more-demanding classes. Most of the lower-level students took the easier classes because they wanted to avoid having to stress themselves out over grades and class work. Others who are in lower-level classes dropped out of the advanced classes because they couldnʼt deal with the

fact that they were going to get Cs or Ds in those harder classes. This second group of people is responsible for pushing honor students out of the honor lanes. They are accepted into AP Biology because they can get an A in an easier class, which does not make necessarily make them qualified. Starting next year the science department will enact a policy forcing AP biology applicants to have taken a year of biology already. This further hurts sophomores who will have to take another year of Biology in order to get into AP Biology senior year. An easy solution to this problem is to create a new in-between class, similar to the new non-calculus based Physics AP Class. This would allow lowerlane students to continue to get good grades. It would not keep out the extremely dedicated science students in lower classes. Although it makes it slightly harder for lower-lane students to get into Biology AP, it opens up more space for those who are in harder classes and would have a more difficult time getting in to AP Biology otherwise. Tough classes like AP Biology can only be open for a finite number of people. It is up to the teachers to decide who gets in and who does not. Teachers, however, should not pass over capable candidates in honor classes who can handle the work for students with flashier grades in relatively easier classes. AP Biology is a difficult AP class, not a fashion contest.

10 ◆ The Oracle ◆

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

EATURES◆

Phil Lyons & Bibi Marti

Mark Hernandez & Melinda Mattes

Andrea Yung

Adrienne Nguyen

Reporter

Associate Features Editor

There will not be a single dry eye in the house when social studies teacher Phil Lyons marries his college sweetheart, Bibi Marti, July 14 after proposing in the summer of 2005 in New York City. Lyons met Marti in 1989 through a friend with whom she had been dating, and they began going out for a short period of time in 1993. In September 2004, the two got back together only to get engaged 11 months later. “My ﬁrst impression was that he was really, really cute,” Marti said. “I also liked his sense of style. He used to dress up in those days.” Her favorite memories include dancing in Hollywood with Lyons, having family dinners together and hiking Mount Tam near San Francisco. Lyons proposed to her in their New York hotel as they were preparing to leave for dinner. “I asked her for some chapstick in my bag, but there really was no chapstick, just a ring, and thatʼs what she found,” Lyons said. “She seemed pretty ecstatic.” Lyonsʼ friend social studies teacher Robert Kelly only has positive outlooks for the wedding. “He seems to look forward to it,” Kelly said. “He may be nervous, but for the most part, he seems to look forward to it. He and Bibi are a good couple, and they have fun together and look forward to having fun together.” The two currently have their honeymoon, as well as parts of their wedding, planned out.

English teacher Mark Hernandez is now engaged to his girlfriend of four years, Palo Alto High School social studies teacher Melinda Mattes. Hernandez first met Mattes on the Stanford pool deck while coaching the Gunn swim team in 1999. On the eve of Feb. 20, 2006 at 12:30 a.m., Hernandez proposed to Mattes in room 2965 in the Sierra Tower of the Disneyland Hotel. The ceremony will take place on July 7, 2007, at Stanford Memorial Church at 3 p.m. Hernandez welcomes both staff and students, but he will not however, tolerate any ʻrioting.ʼ Hernandez and Mattes first announced their engagement to the Gunn swim team during the team meeting after the Intrasquad Meet March 3. “We felt that the swim team knew us best, and therefore, they deserved to be the first to know [on campus],” Hernandez said. “[Becoming engaged] means that my mom doesnʼt give me as hard of a time,” Hernandez said. Mattes and Hernandez are currently enjoying their new life as they begin to plan their wedding. “Thereʼs a lot to be planned,” Mattes said. One thing that must be done is the purchase of an engagement ring. Both have decided that they will not travel the traditional route regarding an engagement, a diamond ring. Instead, Mattes wishes to have a sky or water blue sapphire as the prominent stone.

Courtesy of Phil Lyons

Phil Lyons and his ﬁance Bibi Marti attend a friend’s wedding. Lyons and Marti will be wed in July. “My father, who is a Roman Catholic priest, will be marrying us in a church ceremony,” Marti said. “Iʼm so excited about my wedding ring, which I plan to wear around the house before weʼre actually married. [Phil] said I could.” Lyons and Marti will embark on a Baltic cruise as their honeymoon. “Weʼre going to Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Estonia, and a place Iʼm so very excited to visit, Russia,” Marti said.

Courtesy of Mark Hernandez

English teacher Mark Hernandez and Anna, English teacher Matt Struckmeyer’s daughter, attend Hernandez’s engagement party. “Diamonds are not rare, yet completely overpriced,” Mattes said. She wishes to not be a walking advertisement for diamond cartels. “Having a diamond ring as an engagement ring is not historically accurate,” she said. In the early 20th century, DeBeers used the diamond as the preferred stone of choice in the ads. “I would rather pay less for something even more beautiful and valuable than follow the trends and have a diamond,” Mattes said. Hernandez has been teaching for seven years, while Mattes has been for four. However, in their free time away from school and coaching swimming, they enjoy watching sports, “Law & Order” and playing miniature golf.

Married teachers share personal engagement stories Lisa & Matt Hall

Stacy & Kevin Clark

Photo courtesy of Lisa Hall

Photo courtesy of Stacy Clark

Student Activities Director Lisa Hall and her husband, Matt, take a vacation in Maui, Hawaii for a luau.

Math teacher Stacy Clark and her husband, Kevin, visit Michigan. They married in July 2004 in Los Angeles.

A surprise proposal on the beach in Hawaii in the middle of summer could be a dream of many people, but for student activities director Lisa Hall, itʼs a reality. At a YMCA Youth and Government program, Lisa met Orange County club advisor Matt Hall ten years ago. Last summer, Lisa went to Maui, Hawaii with her best friend. While on their stay, Matt secretly ﬂew to Maui and surprised her with a romantic, storybook proposalby getting down on one knee on the lava rocks by the water. The two tied the knot just a day later at a beach in Kaanapali on July 4th . Lisa advises that in relationships, being compassionate and accepting is important. “Rejoice in your similarities and be understanding of your differences, and always have things to laugh about together.”

In February 2003, math teacher Stacy Reid thought she was going on a leisurely hike near San Francisco with her boyfriend, Kevin Clark. However, she was unaware of the romantic scheme that Kevin had planned. “Once he kept driving further and further, I knew something was going on.” Stacy said. The couple, who had been dating for two and a half years after meeting through a friend, ended up in Mendocino, where Kevin proposed to Stacy in front of a lighthouse, which he knew she was especially fond of. After a long engagement, Stacy and Kevin were married in July 2004. The medium-sized wedding took place in a church in Los Angeles, followed by a reception in the penthouse ballroom of a hotel.

Janice Kwong

—Compiled by Libby Craig

Wednesday, April 26, 2006 ◆

The Oracle ◆ 11

EATURES◆

Math student advances to nationals Talented junior competes in prestigious USA Math Olympiad Reporter

Determine all composite positive integers n for which it is possible to arrange all divisors of n that are greater than 1 in a circle so that no two adjacent divisors are relatively prime. —From the 34th annual USAMO competition While problems like the one above would stump the average Gunn math student, they are standa rd fa re for math whiz jun i o r We n d y Lee. Along with four other Gunn students, Lee recently qualiﬁed to take the United States of America Wendy Lee Math Olympi(11) ad (USAMO), the prestigious t h i rd st ep i n the Mathematical Association of Americaʼs series of competitions. Approximately 250 high school students in the United States are invited to take the nine-hour exam, given over two days. Math has not always been Leeʼs forte. In fact, during elementary school, it was her worst subject. It was only when her sixth grade teacher suggested that she compete in the Notre Dame Math Competition, a local contest for middleschool girls, that Lee realized she

had talent. She took first place and has been competing in math competitions ever since. Lee competed in Math Counts competitions in middle school, taking fifth place both individually and with her team in the state competition when she was in eighth grade. When she arrived as a freshman at Gunn, Lee decided to pursue her interest in the subject further and join Math Circle, an after-school and lunchtime group sponsored by math teacher Peter Herreshoff. The group spends the majority of the time doing problems similar to those in math contests like the AMC, AIME and USAMO. “Sheʼs a very talented individual, and she definitely works hard developing that talent,” Herreshoff said. “Itʼs not like everything comes automatically to her, but it does come fairly easily.” Despite the fact that she is the only female student in the group, Lee does not feel affected by the gender difference. “I donʼt really notice it,” Lee said. “Iʼve known [the other members] since middle school. I feel pretty comfortable talking about math stuff with them.” Although the problems on the math contests are very demanding, Lee explains that she enjoys the opportunity to stretch herself. “I like the challenge,” she said. “Itʼs very logical and itʼs fun being able to solve really hard problems.” Furthermore, Lee says that at least to some extent, practice makes

perfect. “You can read a lot of books about well-known theorems and useful problems and you can look at solutions of past problems,” Lee said. “It gets easier once your familiarize yourself with them.” Hopefully, Leeʼs diligent practice will pay off at the USAMO competition, which were held at Gunn on April 18 and 19. Lee says it doubtful that she will qualify to go to the next level of the competition, a summer training program held in Nebraska for the 12 top-scoring students. “I want to at least not get a zero at USAMO,” she said. “Itʼs pretty difﬁcult, so a lot of people who qualify actually get zeros.” Although Lee is not sure what she will want to major in in college, she is sure that whatever subject she decides to pursue will have something to do with math. For now, Lee will continue participating in math competitions, being a member of the Gunn Robotics Team, playing violin in the El Camino Youth Symphonyʼs senior ensemble and competing with the varsity girls tennis team. “I try to focus on what Iʼm doing and do it well,” she said.

USAMO Facts: - test consists of six questions - competition takes nine hours and takes two days to complete - six top scorers join the International Mathematical Olympiad

35th United States of America Mathematical Olympiad 1. Let p be prime number and let s be an integer with 0 < s < p. Prove that there exist integers m and n with 0 < m < n < p and sm < sn < s p p p if and only if s not a divisor of p - 1. (For x a real number, let x denote the greatest integer less than or equal to x, and let {x} = x - x denote the fractional part of x.)

{ } { } {}

2. For a given positive integer k find, in terms of k, the minimum value of N for which is a set of 2k + 1 distinct positive integers has sum greater than N but every subset of size k has sum at most N/2. 3. For integral m, let p(m) be the greatest prime divisor of m. By convention, we set p(+1) = 1 and p(0) = . Find all polynomials f with integer coefficients such that the sequence {p(f(n2)) - 2n} n>0 is bounded above. (In particular, this requires f(n2) = 0 for n > 0.)

Caroline Hodge

4. Find all positive integers n such that there k > 2 positive rational numbers a1, a2, ..., ak satifsying a1 + a2 + ... + ak = a1 a2 ak = n. 5. A mathematical frog jumps along the number line. The frog starts at 1, and jumps according to the following rule: if the frog is at integer n, then it can jump either to n + 1 or n + 2m +1 where 2m is the largest power of 2 that is a factor of n. Show that if k > 2 is a positive integer and i is a nonnegative integer, then the minimum number of jumps needed to reach 2ik is greater than the minimum number of jumps needed to reach 2i. 6. Let ABCD be quadrilateral, and let E and F be points on sides AD and BC, respectively, such that AE/ED = BF/FC. Ray FE meets rays BA and CD at S and T, respectively. Prove that the circumcircles of triangles SAE, SBF, TCF, and TDE pass through a common point. —From the April 18 to 19, 2006 USAMO

Club takes on Quiz Kids House of Trivia wins over other schools Students who know which English king ruled for just one year will feel at home in science teacher Chris Stallingsʼ House of Trivia. Students meet in S-1 to test their trivia skills and apply it in Bay Area school competitions. The club is afﬁliated with Quiz Kids, a television show where high school students compete in a Jeopardy-style trivia game, but the club also attends multiple trivia tournaments each year. Although the club lost several knowledgeable seniors last year, it has still done well against other high schools. “We are a young but talented team,” sophomore Vir Choksi said. “Most of us are freshmen and sophomores.” The team did particularly well in the Bay Area Academic League (BAAL) where junior club president Kevin Chung was recognized as one of the best single players in the trivia competition. “We had a bad start with our ﬁrst trivia tournament on Quiz Kids, but we performed pretty well afterwards against other

1. Whom did Time magazine name as its 2004 “Person of the Year”? 2. Give the word for “the art or science of growing ﬂowers, fruits, vegetables and shrubs.” 3. When nuclear fusion takes place in a star, into which gaseous element is the starʼs hydrogen changed? 4. Identify the planet whose moons are named after the Greek words for “fear” and “terror.” —From Accent on Academics Volume 20

? Trivia Answers

? Trivia Questions

schools,” Chung said. “We won against our rival, Mission San Jose, during the ﬁnal round of a BAAL tournament in the beginning of March.” Some of the club members have been successful in part because they remember facts that might appear on the quizzes. “We memorize lists of simple facts that Stallings and club members compiled,” freshman Michael Rivlin said. The contestants also ﬁnd it helpful to remember only the most important ideas about topics. For example, if there is a question about Kentucky senators, chances are Henry Clay will be the answer because he is the most famous one. The club advisors, Stallings and science teacher Dr. Heather Mellows, encourage the team members by creating new ways to practice trivia, and the results have been promising to Stallings. “Weʼre really good for a young team,” he said. “By next year we will be as good as everyone expects Gunn to be.” Stallingsʼ House of Trivia meets Monday and Wednesdays in S-1 at lunch and anyone is welcome. For the record, Edward VIII ruled England for one year before marrying an American.

Reporter

Eric Johnston

1. President George W. Bush 2. Horticulture 3. Helium 4. Mars (Phobos and Deimos, respectively)

Club Info

Meets Mondays and Wednesdays in S-1

FLOWERS & CHOCOLATES

Open Late 650-968-0141 745 West Evelyn Ave. Downtown Mountain View

WWW.FLORATIQUE.COM

12 ◆ The Oracle ◆

CENTE

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Do you cut class

Recent wet w

• As of April 1, the statewide average for snowpac • It has been the rainiest March since 1904, when • Tahoeʼs Donner Ski Ranch saw 20 days of snow • High school ofﬁcials have canceled 1,130 baseba • The unusual weather can be blamed on westerly

more often when it is sunny?

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Sunlight affects student sty 236 students surveyed

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Spring brings sunny days, chirping birds, bright flowers and a myriad of festivities. With the advent of April Foolsʼ, Spring Break, Easter, Motherʼs Day and Prom, it seems obvious that the new season brings happiness. But what are the real reasons behind this phenomenon? Some say that in the springtime, school is less stressful. People are more settled into their classes and teachers are more lenient. The onset of spring comes at the end of the third quarter slump, a time when students become more at ease with their workloads and grades drop. Teachers have also noticed more students cutting classes in the spring than in the winter. For upperclassmen, senioritis also kicks in with the new season. “The exuberance associated with spring probably adds to senioritis, although mostly itʼs students psychologically disengaging themselves from their old environment and looking forward to the new,” psychology teacher John Hebert said. A study from the University of Michigan has shown that spending time outside rather than cooped indoors actually “broadens cognitive style.” This means students should spend more time outside when the weather permits it, to maximize the healthy inspiring effects of spring. Perhaps more classes should be held outside so students can experience the weather and its cognitive benefits. With the departure of cold weather comes a new dress style suitable for a warmer environment. In the spring, heavy layers of clothing like sweatshirts and long pants are replaced by lighter clothing such as tank tops and shorts. This change in fashion also furthers the joyful mood of spring. “Wearing multiple layers of clothing hides you, whereas if you're wearing less clothing you're less hidden,” Hebert said. “People are less depressed and are obviously clothed in such a way. Nobody looks attractive in a parka.” Spring, furthermore, carries with it a sense of rebirth. The sunny d ays convey a hopeful sense of romance. With After the frigid weather of winter, the warmth of the sun is prom just around very welcome. Even when the air is chilly, it does not have the the corner, stufrostiness of winter. Finally, in the spring I do not go to school dents are lookwearing five layers, a hat and mittens every day. Springtime is ing for love. when flowery dresses and skirts, capris and sandals come out of A glance the closet at last. Life at Gunn also gets more exciting as the weather gets warmer. As the season goes on, the days get longer and school seems to take up less time. Now, even though we do have to get up before it is light, we come home with hours of daylight left, unlike in the winter when it is almost dusk by the time school and sports are over. During this time of year, everything is alive and everything is blooming. The life and vitality everywhere are infectious. It makes a person want to get up, do something and go somewhere. In the spring, it seems as though any good thing could happen.

Students look forward to the sun This is one of the best times of the year. Fall is beautiful, but since it is near the beginning of the school year, not an altogether relaxing time. Winter is cold and gray, which is, in its own way, very nice and cozy. Being trapped inside for long periods of time, however, can make one feel rather claustrophobic. Summer is glorious after a year of tests, homework and dull lectures, but the endless heat and painful sunburn can dampen the fun. Spring consists of the best parts of these seasons crammed into one. For those who like rain, there is plenty in early spring, as seen especially this year. And honestly, who does not enjoy spring ﬂowers The air is crisp without being too cold. The smells of hyacinth, freesia and chimney smoke are all around. No matter how much I dread the thought of going to school, the beautiful mornings always improve my mood.

—Nina Nielepko

How do you feel about the weather? “No matter what the weather is, Iʼm happy. You have to deal with rain, sun and snow because they are a part of nature.” —Senior Doug Simpson “My friends and I like the spring because it allows us to study outside and enjoy each otherʼs company.” —Junior Anthony Saviano “I study better when itʼs raining because there is nothing to do outside.” —Freshman Kacey Quinn “The sunnier it is, the happier I am.” —Sophomore Alex Liu

e H

Wednesday, April 26, 2006 ◆ 13

ERFOLD◆

Rain Fall

weather facts

ck was 125 percent that of normal. it rained 23 days out of the month. this March, compared with just seven one year ago. all games this season, compared to 601 rainouts last year. wind patterns blowing storms that originate off the coast of Japan.

Teachers respond to seasonal changes

As spring comes to rejuvenate nature, several changes are also noticeable on campus at Gunn. Studentsʼ attitudes evolve with the weather, and teachers are the ones who see these transitions the most. Teachers find that it is harder to get studentsʼ attentions during the spring. “I believe that students are rowdier, more often truant and have greater difficulty concentrating in the spring when the weather is hot,” social studies teacher Phil Lyons said. Math teacher Sarah Kastelic has also noticed these changes. “Some students get anxious for summer vacation,” she said. “Some people lose focus.” Spring showers have proven to be just as distracting as hot weather. “The most amusing thing about rain is that when it pours, it is as if a teenager has never in his or her life seen it before,” English teacher Kristina Gossard said. “Even the most attentive student is suddenly unable to focus on anything.” Despite their studentsʼ changing attitudes, teachers still keep their classes on task. “When the weather is really nice, I find myself joking around a little more and talking much more loudly,” science teacher Bill Dunbar said. “Anything for [the studentsʼ] attention.” Lyons said he does not change the curriculum or his delivery style in the spring. “Content and teaching methods remain the same irrespective of the weather,” he said. “Considering the fact that people go to school in Finland when itʼs 50° below zero and in Israel when itʼs 110° leads me to believe that humans are able to academically succeed in spite of extreme temperature changes.” Even though it makes it more difficult to do their jobs, teachers are happy when spring arrives. “Ms. Hawkins and I were commenting about spring being in the air,” Gossard said. “Couples around the campus reveals that students are flirting more than were holding hands, birds were singing and everyone looked happy. The stereotype ever. After all, “springtime is associated with romance,” Hebert about spring exists for a reason.” said. “Think back to Shakespeare. There are all sorts of spring references associated with romance and love.” —Stephanie Keller-Busque In scientific terms, research shows that there is a direct correlation between happiness and amounts of light. During winter, when there are fewer hours of sunlight, depression is more common. This affliction, known as the Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), is also more severe in higher latitudes, where winter has even less sunlight. In the tropics and near the equator, SAD is less of a problem because it is sunny more of the time. Ultraviolet light rays decrease the production of melatonin, a hormone that increases drowsiness and depression, and increase the production of serotonin, an essential neurotransmitter that regulates mood and feelings of happiness. Some people are more prone to the changes in mood than others. Furthermore, sunlight on the skin makes people feel healthier by helping to produce vitamin D, which is required for the body to take calcium into the bloodstream. On the other hand, too much time in the sun can cause sunburns and even skin cancer. School psychologist George Green observes that spring affects the moods of Gunn students. “I notice depression all times of the year, but probably more prevalently in the winter,” Green said. “With spring come remissions. Spring lifts depression for some people.” In fact, a common, effective treatment for seasonal and general depression is specialized light therapy. Light therapy exposes people to light twenty times brighter than normal indoor light for a few hours, and consequently people report feeling much happier. An easier way to cure this depression, however, is to spend more time outdoors, soaking in the rays of the sun. It is not only the sunlight that lifts our mood, but also many other factors associated with spring, such as fresh food and more exercise. Studies have shown that during the winter holiday season, some people tend to gain a bit of weight, probably from eating more foods and exercising less. When spring comes, however, people become more active and exercise more, as well as eat less fatty food and more fresh spring food. Other simple aspects associated with nature in spring also tend to cheer people up. “Finally weʼve got daylight and flowers and no clouds, no snow or rain,” Hebert said. “Itʼs definitely a release from a semidepressed state.” Spring really cheers people up. As senior Adam Dohner puts it, “[spring] puts a bounce in your step. Because itʼs spring! It makes you bouncy!”

yle, spirit and stress level

n u s e h t s e m o c e r e —Jonathan Gu and Anthony Wang

Graphics by Johnny Chang and Julius Tarng

14 ◆ The Oracle ◆

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

EATURES◆

Program rewards student bikers Pedal for Prizes encourages cycling to reduce traffic Jill Fu Reporter

On many mornings, parent volunteers greet and surprise student bikers with gifts of candy and prize drawings. Such activities areonly one facet of Pedal for Prizes. The Pedal for Prizes program is part of the Go-Fast program, which began in 2001. Granted $25,000 from Trafﬁc Safe Communities Network (TSCN) in Santa Clara County in 2002, Go-Fast built the bike cage and the bike racks on campus. It also funded the redesigning of the parking lot for better access and set up the free shuttle system. With extra funds to spend, the Go-Fast committee created Pedal for Prizes as a motivational program. “We needed to spend all the $25,000 in the 2003-2004 year otherwise the grant money would revert to the TSCN organization,” Go-Fast committee member Kelly Kvam said. Parent volunteers run the program, promoting students to bike. “Those of us involved with Pedal for Prizes hope to encourage current and future cyclists to do what is good for their community and their health,” Pedal for Prizes co-organizer, Jane Pillar-Wilson said. “By offering students food, prizes and verbal encouragement, we support them in continuing the example they set for others.”

Jennifer Lim

Students leave the bike racks after school. A poster on the bike rack fence displays various pedaling prizes including Baskin Robbins gift certiﬁcates. The prizes range from candy to the $1,000 mountain bike. On the monthly “Prize Day,” bikers draw pieces of candy out of a black velvet bag. The color of the wrapper determines the prize, including wins such as a Gunn t-shirt, Jamba Juice gift certiﬁcate or ticket to a school dance. On the monthly “Chance

Day,” parent volunteers hand out food treats, and bikers get to enter their name into the drawing for the mountain bike. The mountain bike drawing will occur May 18, during the Way2Go week celebration. In the past, this ﬁnale was also accompanied by the distribution of other prizes,

Tiny fee saves resources

including helmets, bicycle pumps and other cycling gear. Pillar-Wilson said that rewarding students who bike is an attempt to reduce traffic to better the environment. “In the fall, when cyclists numbered 240 per day, we figured that a line of 240 cars trying to get into the Gunn parking lot would reach from campus to El Camino,” Pillar-Wilson said. “Add that to the existing traffic and the jam could reach to Alma. Cycling reduces pollution. Motor vehicles contribute mightily to poor air quality and global warming.” Both the committee and Student Activities Coordinator Lisa Hall believe that cycling will bring benefits to the individual. “Biking is a great way to stay healthy and promote fitness, which is a growing issue for children and teens,” Hall said. There are also other possible perks for students who bike to school. “Although, we have not researched the cause and effect relationship, itʼs interesting to note that smart kids bike,” Pillar-Wilson said. “Thirteen percent of Gunn students bike, and 32 percent of our National Merit Scholars cycle to school.” Hall feels that Pedal for Prizes promotes Gunnʼs status as a Green Business, helps decrease traffic at school and helps keep air quality high. With so many benefits, the program is thriving. “Itʼs a win-win situation for the students and the school,” Hall said.

Compact resolves to Club spreads word of renewable energy boycott new products Michelle Fang Reporter

The Environmental Club is making headway in spreading the word of renewable energy among Gunn students. Palo Alto Green is a program that encourages the use renewable energy. Ninety-eight percent of the renewable energy is wind power generated on the borders of Oregon and Washington. The remaining two percent of the energy comes from solar installation in California. Currently, about fourteen percent of Palo Alto residents are enrolled in this program. Only Palo Alto residents can sign up and they can do so by phone, mail, or visiting www.cpau.com for registration and more information. Membership lasts for one year and costs 1.5 cents extra per kilowatt-hour. That is about an average of $9.75 more than your monthly energy bill. Palo Alto Green offers positive influences on the environment locally and globally. By signing up, the amount of energy saved is equivalent to not driving your car for more than 11,000 miles a year or planting 624 trees. However, the renewable energy is not guaranteed to come to the designated home. It is transported through pipes to the community. “Itʼs a simple action that Palo Alto residents can take to reduce an individualʼs negative impact on the environment,” sophomore Environmental Club co-president Caroline Hodge said. Environmental Club members

have begun publicizing the Palo Alto Green program throughout the school. “Our goal is to convince the students who will in turn, convince their parents that this is a program worth signing up for,” senior Environmental Club member Matt Auerbach said. “It is 10 times more effective for students to convince their parents than parents receiving a simple brochure.” Recently, Auerbach has led a small group volunteers to contact and inform local grocery stores like Molly Stones about the program. Club members have also visited classes and made presentations to students. The presentations center around the programʼs environmental beneﬁts and ways for students to help increase the amount of renewable energy use in Palo Alto. “Most importantly, itʼs the fact that this program is so affordable,” Auerbach said. “You hear about solar panels and other ways to

save energy and itʼs just a hassle. Palo Alto Green is only about 10 dollars more every month—thatʼs the equivalent of two Starbucks drinks.” Because the Environmental Club has agreed to help publicize this program in the Palo Alto community, Palo Alto Green has decided to offer a $5 donation to the club for every family signed up. In order for the club to receive this donation, each household that signs up must write Gunn High School on the “How did you hear about this program?” category of the brochure or website. “We view this as a great opportunity to gather funds to donate to other environmental organizations like World Watch,” Hodge said. Although Palo Alto Green is new to Gunn, its membership is growing rapidly. The Environmental Club hopes to spread it to Palo Alto High School and local cities like Santa Clara.

Palo Alto Green Current Participants: 3,851 Pounds of CO2 avoided: 39,559,500 Miles not driven: 44,498,875 Trees Planted: 2,360,070 For more information, visit http://www.cpau.com/programs/ green/index.html

Natalie Kirkish Circulation manager

Americaʼs obsession with disposable consumer products is harming the environment and cluttering our lives. Everyday we buy things we do not need and go home to a house full of stuff we do not use. At the end of 2005 a small group of San Francisco made a New Yearʼs resolution to go a whole year without buying any new products. The group called itself The Compact. The Compact has promised to buy no new products. Instead, they will borrow, barter and buy used products deemed necessary. There are some exceptions including food, drink, medicine, socks, underwear and utilitarian services. Members of The Compact, however, are strongly encouraged to buy local products and support local artisans and charities when making purchases. The Compact features a group on Yahoo, a website forum and blog where members ask questions, share ways to avoid buying new products and discuss environmental issues. The group currently has over 1000 members and anyone is welcome to join. It is a great resource, even for non-compact members, for information on sustainable living practices. None of the members of The Compact are high school students, but members promote the ideology of wise consumer spending and environmental awareness. Dave Mata, one of the original Compact members, strongly believes teenagers should cut down

on their spending. “So many [teenagers] get caught up in the idea of keeping up with the trends, and being just like [their] friends that they often forget the impact of what they are doing,” Mata said. “It sounds trite to say, but teenagers now are the over-consumers of tomorrow, and we live on a planet with ﬁnite resources. If teens donʼt get educated about the potential impact of their actions, all we can do is wait for what could be a very bad time.”

Group Goals • To go beyond recycling in trying to counteract the negative global environmental and socioeconomic impacts of disposable consumer culture and to support local businesses, farms, etc.—a step that, we hope, inherits the revolutionary impulse of the Mayflower Compact. • To reduce clutter and waste in our homes (as in trash Compact-er). • To simplify our lives (as in Calm-pact) Yahoo Group website: http://groups.yahoo.com/ group/thecompact/ Online blog: http://sfcompact.blogspot. com/

Wednesday, April 26, 2006 ◆

The Oracle ◆ 15

EATURES◆

Youth explore Jewish history

Students travel to camps in Poland, sites in Israel Ellen Holtzman Circulation Manager

halhevet is a two-week educational program to Poland and Israel initiated by the Bureau of Jewish Education and the Holocaust Center of Northern California. This March, seniors Tal Cohen, Nadav Perl, Gal Michael Peleg and Yasmin Santis went on this inspirational program. “Shalhevet, the Hebrew word for ﬂame, is often associated with remembrance and the passing of knowledge,” Peleg said. “The goal of this trip was to learn about pre-Holocaust life for the Jewish people, recognize the historical and social context of the Holocaust with its connection to the establishment of Israel, and to understand our responsibility to act as witnesses.” Cohen said that she went on the trip because many of her family members died in the Holocaust. “It was important for me to go there and see what millions of Jews had to go through,” Cohen said. “I have learned so much and heard so much about the Holocaust that I felt like I had to take this opportunity and see this important part of my history” The studentsʼ journey through past generations began in Krawkow, Poland. They traveled through the Krakow Ghetto, Oscar Schindlerʼs

Factory, the Warsaw Ghetto, The Jewish Cemetery and Pleszow Work Camp. The most difficult part of the trip for many of the participants was visiting the multiple concentration camps. The students went to Auschwitz/Birkenau, Majdanek and Treblinka. Concentration camps are very disturbing and powerful sites and not that many people have a chance to witness the horrors that happened there during World War II. “Every participant felt differently at the camps,” Peleg said. “Some were overwhelmed emotionally and broke down, others were clearly submerged in silence and thought.” The students understood that there was no “right” way to react to what they were seeing and that each individual would have to handle the experience their own way. “Majdanek was the hardest camp for me because as soon as we got there we stepped straight into the gas chamber, which is still intact and covered in cyclone B gas residue and ﬁngernail scratches all over the walls,” Cohen said. “It was one of the most intense feelings of my life to stand in a room and know that peopleʼs lives ended there and they were just regular people.” After ﬁve emotionally strenuous days in Poland, the teens went to Israel where they started their trek upward to the Golan Heights. They also went to Jerusalem, where they met with Arab-Israeli

teens. Next, they went to Tel-Aviv where they visited the Israeli Defense Force Historical Museum, Yitzhak Rabin Square and swam in the ocean. “Flying to Israel was so moving for me,” Perl said. “It was just so great to get off that plane and be in such a great country. Many of my friends were kissing the ground because they were so excited to ﬁnally be in Israel.” The trip had a combination of Israelis who had either lived in Israel or traveled there many times, and Americans. Each participant took in the experiences differently. “For me, the best part of the trip was coming together as a group,” Peleg said. “I couldnʼt help but feel astonished by the rareness of 23 kids hugging at the gates of Auschwitz, or supporting each other at the Krakow Ghetto,

Photo Courtesy of Gal Michael Peleg

Photo Courtesy of Tal Cohen

or dancing and cheering on the Tel Aviv beach.” The participants attend a weekly meeting where they are encouraged to share their experiences in a public

Above: Program participants pose for a group picture near the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Left: Senior Tal Cohen stops for a photo during a tour of the Auschwitz camp.

setting. “The History Channel may provide the factual background, but there is no substitute to experiencing something with your own two eyes.” Peleg said.

Students relive Italian Renaissance Artists experience art, culture in travels to Florence, Rome Adrienne Nguyen Associate Features Editor

From April 6 to 15, 14 Gunn art students and three chaperones, including art instructor Deanna Messinger, traveled to Italy for an in depth look at the culture, history and art. Students on the trip ranged from freshmen to seniors who traveled throughout Italy for 10 days on this specialized tour. Students came from different artistic backgrounds and were enrolled in classes ranging from Drawing and Painting to AP Studio Art. Participants traveled to Florence for three nights and Rome for six nights. The previous trip was held three years ago, but Messinger hopes have it every two years. “If held every two to three years, I hope to give students the chance to take this trip at least once during their high school career,” Messinger said. Messinger organized the trip in accordance with EF Educational Tours. Messinger attempted to reduce the pace of the tour to provide ample time for students to be able to draw and paint comfortably. Even after this trip, however, she still wishes to slow the pace down even more. The trip was designed so that in addition to studying art, students could see and experience the culture and history of the city, particularly the beginnings of the Renaissance. “This excursion really opened their eyes and minds in ways they probably did not expect,” Messinger said. “I hope the students can come back with strong sketches and an understanding of the birthplace of the Renaissance.”

Photos by Dezmon Hunter

Left: Junior Alix Nicholaeff sketches a lamppost in a park in Rome. Above: The students stop to take a photo with the statue in the Borghese Galleria garden in Rome. The group visited at most two sites a day, where the students could stop and paint in the afternoon and return later in the day. Sites visited include the Spanish Steps, the Duomo, Bargello and Ufﬁzi Museum, Vatican City and Colloseum. “There is so much to see in Italy, but given the time restraints, I wish we could have seen more and still have had time to paint,” Messinger said. One aspect of the tour Messinger would

like to change was to have stayed in a hotel in Rome. Instead, the group stayed in Aranova, a town thirty minutes away from Rome by bus. “It was inconvenient that we had to wait each day for the EF bus,” Messinger said. Sophomore Dennis Chan was quite impressed by the Italian cities. “The trip exceeded my expectations and Italy was much more modern than I had anticipated,” Chan said.

Junior Radha Karra thoroughly enjoyed the trip and recommends it to anyone who has the chance to go. “I particularly enjoyed seeing the artwork, the Forum and the Sistine Chapel,” Karra said. During the trip, Messinger was moved by how well the group meshed and how responsible the students were. “Travel really connects you and it was clear that deep friendships were developed,” Messinger said.

16 ◆ The Oracle ◆

topten

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

NTERTAINMENT◆

ways to de-stress before APs 10. Take a warm soothing bubble bath with the lights off and scented candles. 9. Whether one plays baseball, tennis or lacrosse, throwing a ball really hard against a backboard feels great! 8. Go dancing in the rain. If lacking rain, a sprinkler makes a ﬁne substitute. 7. Start your own tradition of Junior Cut Day or Sophomore Cut Day. Freshmen, you donʼt know the meaning of stress. 6. Beat on a punching bag for an hour. 5. Take a trip to Happy Donuts with a couple of good friends to “study.” 4. Spend time with someone you actually like. 3. Take a midnight jog in the neighborhood. 2. Ice cream, sweatpants and a chick ﬂick. Bad for the body, good for the soul. 1. If youʼre a senior, why bother doing the work? Otherwise, just deal with it.

BY BRENNAN BIRD | ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR

The Oracle gives a brief overview of the musical tastes and styles of some bands that have a presence on Gunn campus.

—Ana Kostioukova

slampoetry

event

—Stephanie Keller-Busque

Graphic by Johnny Chang

Gunnʼs slam poetry event April 6 marveled audience members as an assortment of verses with topics ranging from dentists, airports, college, television to love filled the Little Theater. The event was organized by the Gunn Slam Poetry Club (GSP) and featured guest performances by Lee Knight Jr. from the Palo Alto Slam Team and Tim Bevins and Travis Reid from Fremont High School. Slam poetry is the art of performed poetry in a competitive event. At such events, poets each perform a poem called a slam, which is then judged on a scale from one to 10 by five randomly selected audience members based on the content of the slam and the way it is delivered to the audience. Poets cannot use props, music or go over the three-minute time limit. Of the five scores, the lowest and highest are dropped, and the poets with the best scores perform a second slam. The three finalists with the best total scores are then given prizes for their pieces. Slam poetry lets poets be creative in their writing and performances, allowing them to present a variety of styles and topics to their audience. “Slams provide many different voices and perspectives, and through these voices come stories, heartbreak, laughter and really beautiful poetry,” junior GSP member Sara Rose Tannenbaum said. One of GSP club advisor Jessie Hawkinsʼ favorite parts of slam is that it attracts a terrific variety of people to both perform and watch. “I like the ancient literary tradition adapted to a modern sensibility, the fundamentally nonsensical idea that poetry can be judged with numbers and that the judges can be anyone from a fellow poet to a mechanic whose preferred literature is typically about Chevy transmission systems,” Hawkins said. Throughout the event, poets interacted with the audience by sharing with them the joys and frustrations they felt expressed in their slams. “Thereʼs a special dimension you add when you perform poetry,” junior GSP member Elijah Guo said. “I take pleasure in watching the audience actually being able to experience the poetry in a whole new light.” GSP founder and president senior Ian Barnett agrees that having an audience is one of the best parts. “The reward is seeing peopleʼs reactions,” he said. “Thatʼs enough to keep me coming back [to perform].” The event raised enough money to pay back all the clubʼs expenses and hopes to have another event soon. “The event went really well,” Hawkins said. “The audience always reminds me how good these poets are, how far theyʼve come and how much promise they hold.”

Devilclef Devilclef attempts to fuse classical music components with metal rock. The band is composed of guitarist and back up vocals junior Mike Lee, violinist junior Jonathan Kuo, cellist sophomore Brooke Lieberwitz, vocalist freshman Nomi Carmen from Paly and drummer freshman Sai Boddupalli from Palo Alto High School. It started off with just Lee and Kuo putting on duel performances, but they soon expanded in order to create a rock band. “[We] had to work to accompany the violin into this band,” Lee said. “We decided that we needed a cello and started recruiting someone to play cello. Then we started recruiting for drums and we began to slowly grow.” The bandʼs name comes from the metal rock music they play along with the classical components of having a violin and a cello. The name is a satanic play on the musical symbol treble clef. “The treble clef is a symbol of classical music, so it represents our classical taste,” Lee said. “But we also have a metal taste so we wanted to have the devil in there to show our metal side. Not to say that the devil represents metal music, but since devil rhymes with treble it all works out.” He said their music has several different characteristics. “We have a heavy metal side, a melliﬂuous classical side and since our vocalist is female we also have the sweeter side,” Lee said. The band has had several band members come and go throughout the past year. But their overall musical goal has remained the same throughout.

Undeclared Despite this bandʼs lack of a name, they still rock it up with booming drums, guitar solos that are reminiscent of Eric Clapton and vocals that range in style from emo to blues. The band was spurred from the jamming sessions of senior guitarists Russell Wynne and John Barley. While preparing to perform at an upcoming Open Mic they asked senior Patrick Rundell to back them up on drums. After the performance it was decided that senior Eric Stewart would play bass and the band was formed. Their music includes a broad range of inﬂuences from classic to modern rock, which is reﬂective of the band membersʼ diverse musical preferences. “We play all kinds of music,” Barley said. “Weʼre pretty versatile.” Currently the band plays covers of their favorite artists and their own original songs. “Russell writes a lot of our songs, I write a few and Eric has one,” Barley said. “We all write our songs.” The band has performed at Open Mics along with a recent senior fundraiser. They have already recorded one song and Barley said there is a possibility of developing a CD with several tracks in the future. “We might put a couple songs on a CD and give it out at our next gig,” Barley said. “Weʼll see, though.”

mainstreamrap opinion Before the explosion of cookie cutter rap artists there were struggling emcees begging to have their rhymes heard. They rapped about things their public could relate to like racism and segregation, before “bling bling” and “grills.” Nowadays there are two components for surviving in the modern realm of hip-hop—masculinity and power. The same kind of hyper-masculine violence in movies, video games and military culture affects the youth. America is a hyper aggressive nation, thus an artist like 50 Cent is palatable in an environment that perpetuates cultural violence. Emcees like Big Daddy Kane and Kool G painted pictures of silky rap gangsterism that inspired the hundreds of rappers who came after them. Out of the rubble came artists like Notorious B.I.G. and NWA. Though they continued to rhyme about the mansions, the Moet and the ladies, their raps also reveal the causalities on the road from struggler to hustler to player. There is no doubt that hip-hop is an integral part of pop cul-

The Return of the Horse Best described as “contemporary porno groove,” The Return of the Horse is sparking interest all over campus. First created from weekend jams of senior guitarist Alex Kerckhoff and senior drummer Roscoe Linstadt, the band soon expanded to include senior keyboardist Adam Dohner and freshman bassist Alex Rusoff. The idea that has helped shape the bandʼs music came to Kerckhoff and Linstadt while jamming one weekend. “Out of boredom one day we were all like, ʻwant to make some porno music?ʼ” Kerckhoff said. The track they then recorded on the computer was then dubbed over the track with sporadic guttural vocals that “you would hear during a porno,” as Linstadt described. After interest started spreading about their recorded creation they decided to invite Dohner and eventually Rusoff to join their jams. Dohner described the music that resulted and cleared up any confusion about their chosen genre of music. “That can be a little misleading, we are not actually nudists,” Dohner said. “Itʼs a simplistic improvised funk band, one that you might hear in the background of a porno.” The bandʼs name was created in response to a part of their ﬁrst track where the vocals come in and murmur, “they call me the horse.” So one time when they were jamming all together it was declared that “the horse is back,” and thus the origin of The Return of the Horse. Their inﬂuences include James Brown, Fela Kuti, Jimi Hendrix and The Meters. They are building a repertoire of original songs. The band practices two to three times a week at Linstadtʼs house, appropriately named the “stable.” They have already performed at the Mitchell Park Community Center and at the Jungle Copy downtown. Students interested in hearing The Return of the Horse should check for posters around the school for information.

ture, which makes the current state of rap a crisis. Rap has drifted into the shallowest pool of lyrical possibilities and the latest version of hip-hop betrays the attitudes and ideals that framed it in the early ʻ70s. The recent commercialism of hip-hop got the best of it and has given the whole genre a horrible reputation. But there is still hope. Rappers like People Under the Stairs, Beans, Edan and A Tribe Called Quest have pulled themselves from beneath the trashy rap and have managed to produce intelligent rap, ʻ70s style. They have broken down the walls of the modern day hip-hop and are expressing themselves with lyrical ﬂow. It is hard to separate the good from the bad, but there are a few things you can look for to determine if a rapper is a below average. If a rap begins any of his songs with “This is (insert their name) cominʼ at ya from (insert name of city they represent)” they you can bet that their creativity levels are low. If the rapper in question uses sneaky words to hint at questionable material, such as “laffy taffy”and “milk shake,” it is a sure sign that they are struggling to come up with good material to rap about. —Tina Armenante

ind x

Wednesday, April 26, 2006 ◆

The Oracle ◆ 17

NTERTAINMENT◆

Spring entertainment extravaganza! by indulging in the latest new televi-

we’re going to have a good time

sion shows, tech gadgets, music or just a day on the beach with group of friends.

America’s Next Top Model The show is back for its sixth season, with fresh drama and new, exciting challenges. The girls have been forced to pose on real ice, walk down the runway holding cockroaches, and strut their stuff in dangerously tall, chunky high heels. African-American model Danielle fell and sprained her ankles, and could only walk with the aid of crutches. A brawl between a biracial black girl and an insecure Asian lead to tension in the house. Who will win the modeling contract? A strong contender is the Nigerian Nnenna. 8 and Ocean This new MTV reality series showcases the lives of models struggling to survive in the unpredictable business. Tough issues such as acne prevent the girls from attending go-sees and scoring jobs. Drama ensues between male and female models dating, and two twins work to differentiate themselves. One suffers from facial blemishes, a major setback. The agency owner appears to be afﬂicted with an addiction to plastic surgery, and her attitude is similarly hard-to-please and unreal. —Marianne Kvitko th

beaches&directions

the best beaches

Bust out that skirt and tank.

Pack a picnic and head over to the grassy knoll by the science building.

Find a spot of sun on the quad to tan in.

Dye your hair “beach blond.”

Splurge on (another) pair of Rainbows.

Head up to Tahoe and catch the last snow day of the season.

Montara State Beach, Montara Montara is a great spot to relax and enjoy the beach. There is a small cove where you can sit above the water and watch the giant waves. It is private and never crowded. Estimated Time: 46 minutes

Borrow your dad’s convertible and ride around town with the top down.

Ano Nuevo Point Ano Nuevo is a must-see attraction on the California Coast. It is the largest mainland breeding colony in the world for the northern elephant seal. From December to March the beach is occupied by hundreds of elephant seals, sea lions and other sea life. So if you want to see marine life in its natural habitat, check out Ano Nuevo. Estimated Time: 1 Hour 8 Minutes

Have a “spring ﬂing” with that cute guy or girl in your math class.

Sunny Cove, Santa Cruz This small and personal beach is perfect for boogie boarding, body surﬁng and beginner to advanced surﬁng. Estimated Time: 53 Minutes Tunitas, Half Moon Bay Tunitas is a great beach to go to if you are looking for an adventure. To get down to the beach you have to scale a cliff. Once you get down, there is an abandoned house open to explore. However, adventurers much watch their step for poison ivy. Estimated Time: 47 minutes —Natalie Kirkish

Try all of Jamba Juice’s new ﬂavors.

Get your wisdom teeth pulled, it will be raining outside anyway. —Natalie Kirkish

“Me and my Gang”—Rascal Flatts With what seems like an extremely short time between albums, Rascal Flatts doesnʼt disappoint with their fourth album, “Me and My Gang.” This album has catapulted the trio to the top of country music. Country music is now becoming more of a crossover genre in general and barely has any of the harsh twang that most people think of with country music. Rascal Flatts is riding the trend for all itʼs worth, creating their own blend of country and rock music. The group, however, tries to dabble in more traditional country sounds with tracks such as “Backwards” and “Me and My Gang.” The rest of the album seems predictable of a Rascal Flatts sound with ornamented melodies that are sure get stuck in your head within three listens. Though some songs seem tired and very similar to one another, this CD is not to be skipped.

zoo tycoon 2

“The Life Pursuit”—Belle and Sebastian With their sixth album, the Scots of Belle and Sebastian continue to develop their upbeat alternative rock style. Most of the songs on the album, like their previous albums, are composed of both a male and female part, where the lead singer Stuart Murdoch sings a line, followed by a line by Sarah Martin. The final product is that each song is more like a conversation between the members of the band. The conversation-style method of singing proves to be both effective and interesting as the contrast in Murdoch and Martinʼs voices play off each other well. But what makes this album better than their previous ones is that the best songs on the CD are the slower-paced ones. In “Dress Up In You”, Murdochʼs smooth-flowing lyrics combined with the soft trumpet in the background makes the song almost a lullaby. Other songs such as “Act of the Apostle II” provide a pleasant change to the rest of the energy-filled album.

“Sing-a-longs and Lullabies for Curious George”—Jack Johnson Faced with the task of giving a voice to a central character who does not speak, Universal Pictures turned to Jack Johnson to craft songs to provide a voice for Curious George. As a new father, it gave him the opportunity to make a gentle album for both parents and children. Jack turned to friends, his band and three other songwriters, to contribute songs to bridge the gap between parent and child. Jackʼs take on the classic Schoolhouse Rockʼs “Three is a Magic Number,” reinterpreted the 3 Rʼs as a call to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Overall, this album contains Johnsonʼs usual smooth melody and relaxing beats. —Shiv Kachru

Seabright Beach, Santa Cruz Seabright is a great beach because it offers something for everyone. Seabright allows dogs so it is a great place to bring your dog to play in the water with other dogs. At the end of the beach is a cave to explore. Head out to Seabright at sunset and create a bonﬁre with your friends using the bonﬁre pits available. Estimated Time (from Palo Alto): 51 minutes

www.98kqfc.com

www.cnwcentral.com

Palm Treo 700w ($699.99) The Palm Treo 700w is a small, unique-looking phone with a mini keyboard. It acts like a computer and incorporates features such as a PDF viewer and Microsoft ofﬁce. Of course, it also comes with a high-quality camera.

zon. com

The Real World: Key West This seasonʼs reality show features seven diverse roommates, including a biracial girl, a bisexual guy, an anorexic, a Russian princess and a Latino guy involved in real-estate. With so many different backgrounds and behaviors, personalities are bound to clash. Besides featuring love quadrangles and alcoholism, the show deals with serious issues such as rape, relationships and eating disorders.

Top ten ways to kick off spring

hot cd reviews

spring tv shows

www.mtv.com

rascal ﬂatts

new technogadgets

8th and ocean

www .ama

reet the sun as summer creeps closer,

Philips 128 MB Audio Keyring ($35-$45) This MP3 player is so light and tiny yet strong with magnesium armor. It is shaped like a pocket knife but is so small t h a t people can wear it around their necks while being able to control the songs on the device. Meritline MUSIK 128 MB ($99) This watch not only keeps track of time but also acts as an MP3 player. The sound quality is amazing for a gadget of this ilk. It also has a rechargeable battery so users donʼt have to worry about a shortage of power. Zoo Tycoon 2 ($29.99) Zoo Tycoon 2 is the next game in the Zoo Tycoon series. The ﬁrst Zoo Tycoon was a big hit, spawning fan web sites and many players. Players get to become the zookeeper of a zoo ﬁlled with endangered species and try to build an attractive zoo for visitors. —Alex Shau

18 ◆ The Oracle ◆

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

NTERTAINMENT◆

Players go through hell trying to navigate the treacherous terrain of Oblivion Alex Rasgon Reporter

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion takes the player to the immense world of Tamriel, thrusting one into the midst of a conspiracy of assassination, demonic invasion and revenge. The world of Tamriel is under attack by the demonic Daedra, who are sent forth from the planes of Oblivion, which is another way of saying that theyʼre from Hell. The Emperor, voiced by the famous Patrick Stewart, is under attack by assassins. Right before his death, the Emperor sends players on a quest to ﬁnd his illegitimate son, who is the last heir to the throne of Tamriel. As the player makes his way through the underground caverns of the Imperial City, various tutorial tips are displayed at the appropriate times, gently easing the player into the game. As the plot unfolds, the player has many choices as to what heʼll do next and how heʼll do it. Aside from the main storyline, there are hundreds of side quests open to the player, from rescuing cities on the brink of destruction, to tracking criminals in the massive forests of Tamriel. This freedom is nonlinear, but subtly guides the player

in the right direction. The game features over 200 hand-crafted dungeons, in a world that is approximately 16 square miles. To demonstrate this, there is a dungeon right after the tutorial, which takes approximately two hours to beat, yet it is only a tiny of a percent of the entire game. Tamriel is composed of verdant forests, wide grasslands, frigid tundra and swampy marshland, as well as the land of Oblivion, which features a unique hellish landscape filled with ominous towers, seas of lava and hordes of horrific monstrosities. Entrance to Oblivion is granted through Oblivion gates, which have appeared all throughout the country side of Tamriel, as well as outside the nine major cities. To destroy the gates, the player must enter them and destroy the tower in the plane of Oblivion which allows the gate to remain open. One of Oblivionʼs best features is its combat system. It is from a first person perspective, but allows a player to go to third person if that is the preferred style of play. It includes hundreds of weapons ranging from swords to bows to giant war hammers. It also includes many suits of armor, and all of its various components such as chest plates and helmets. All of these

Take the Lead stumbles badly Dancing shines in this ballroom bust After waking up in a daze several hours after watching Take the Lead, I realized that not only was I out $6.50, but that most of my brain cells had been wiped out and were leaking out of my eyes. Take the Lead tells the story of a ballroom dance teacher, Pierre Dulaine, played by Antonio Banderas, and how he changes the lives of a group of students serving out detention in an inner-city high school in New York. As to why a school would allow an unqualiﬁed dance teacher to supervise its detention classroom is beyond me, but that is the way it is. The students in the class are supposed to be the worst possible delinquents of their school, yet they are somehow rather mild and poorly acted. Dulaine is really there to teach the students to dance. With the aid of his blonde dancing partner, Morgan, played by Katya Virshilas, Dulaine performs a beautifully choreographed dance in their detention classroom, amazing the students and making them realize their full potential as dancers. Along with Dulaineʼs help, the students craft a new style of dance, a combination of traditional ballroom dancing with their own hip-hop style dance. In the end, the students learn that there can be more to their lives than the walls of their detention classroom. However, although this sounds inspirational, it is so awfully directed and written that it strips any potential this movie had to be good, or at least respectable. This movie does have one saving grace however, and that is its dancing. This movie has some of the most amazing choreography in a movie Iʼve seen in years and deserves credit for that. However, my amazement was quickly drowned out by lackluster acting, directing and writing. All of the actors aside from Banderas have relatively no real acting experience and it shows. Even worse than the acting is the directing which we have Liz Friedlander to thank. Friedlanderʼs only previous experience was being a renowned director for music videos. Most of the actors seem unmotivated in the dramatic scenes which give a bland feel to the movie. There is not a single funny joke in this movie and makes me wonder why they even try. All attempts at seriousness in this movie are laughable and are the only source of humor in this movie. Unless you are a dance aﬁcionado, stay clear of Take the Lead. —Alex Rasgon

add or detract from the players stats, such as strength, agility and magic stats. They also add to the characterʼs look. On the other side of the spectrum, a player can also wield magic. The spells the player can cast vary from a piffling little flare to calling upon the fiery power of Oblivion itself. There are also a variety of healing spells and other spells that will either boost the playerʼs stats or detract from them. The last component of Oblivionʼs combat is its sneaking aspect. In almost any given situation, the player can sneak past various enemies or kill them while sneaking to get a damage bonus. Oblivionʼs combat system is the perfect balance between skill and luck, and immerses the player in fantastic medieval style combat, with a twist of magic. The graphical aspects of this game are mind-blowing. This game has the best graphics of any game out there and is way ahead of its time. Amazingly, it doesnʼt require an expensive computer to run. A $150 graphics card would be sufficient to run Oblivion or one could buy an Xbox 360 for $300. The physics engine is also amazing, allowing the player to witness enemies sliding down ramps, or being blasted off of cliff edges and

Photos courtesy of David Colby

Zombies and other evil creatures are constantly lurking in the dark, waiting to attack the next unsuspecting player. falling to the ﬁery pits below in a realistic fashion. Oblivion is a game that one could play for years. Literally. There is enough content to last for a long time, taking into account the hundreds of different characters one can create, as well as the hundreds of side quests available to the player. It would actually be amazing if one year from now, someone

could manage to ﬁnish every aspect of Oblivion. Oblivion is not only the best game of this year, but is deﬁnitely one of the best games ever made, raising the bar for all games that will follow. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Teacher Man makes learning a pleasure Irish immigrant shares experiences in NYC schools Nathaniel Eisen Reporter

In Teacher Man, Frank McCourt tells vignettes from his time in the New York City school system, as well as of his own life as a continual migrant between Ireland and New York City. As McCourt struggles to teach in various vocational schools, I felt disconnected from the stories about poor children in the 1950s through ʻ70s. However, McCourt teaches the lessons of good humor, faith in creative education and humility so well that I kept reading. When he moves to a high school more similar to Gunn, I could relate more to the stories and, more importantly, recognized the overarching similarities in these students from all walks of life. I realized that I was learning about a viewpoint that my own teachers might share. McCourt opens with the background of the first kids he taught in the vocational schools, poor and disillusioned in Eisenhowerʼs era of peace and prosperity. McCourtʼs first story really drew me in: how he restores order after one of his students throws a sandwich at a critic of that studentʼs mother. “It was my first act of classroom management. My mouth, clogged with sandwich, attracted the attention of the class. They gawked up at me, thirty-four boys and girls, average age sixteen…Petey said, ʻYo, teacher, thatʼs my sandwich you et.ʼ Class told him, ʻShaddap. Canʼt you see the teacher is eating?ʼ” McCourt introduces his more interesting stories by saying “Mea Culpa,” which means “through my faults” in Latin. Through his faults, McCourt tells stories to his students about growing up poor in Ireland and struggling in New York, gaining valuable therapy in the process. Through his faults, he lets a bad mood from an argument with his wife carry over to school and ends up hitting an already upset

student with a magazine. His faults (as well as those of his supervisors) lead to him switching teaching jobs several times. Yet with faults and hardships in life comes imagination, and in other tales McCourt acts as an innovative and caring teacher. He manages to make grammar interesting to students by comparing it to psychology and a ballpoint pen. He leads teenagers in music—concerts of recipes, culminating in an ethnic picnic—and convinces even the most skeptical that it was worthwhile. When he runs into an ex-class clown and the boy thinks that McCourt dislikes him, McCourt tells the boy honestly how he “admired his style, his good humor, his honesty, his courage,” and “how beautiful he was and is in every way.” McCourt thus conveys subtly and humorously how much he grew as a person through teaching. McCourt does have faults as a storyteller, and he too often engages in paragraphs or pages of generalizations about the kinds of students. For example, he says that after 15 years, he can “pick out types: the eager, willing ones; the cool; the show-me; the indifferent; the hostile; the opportunists here because theyʼve heard Iʼm an easy marker…” As a student these paragraphs made me uncomfortable and I soon started skipping them. That being said, at different times I have acted like the kid who threw the sandwich, the class clown and the skeptic who appear in this book, and it was a pleasure to read about speciﬁc other teenagers in circumstances similar or different from my own. I have had teachers with some of the same faults as McCourt, and by reading this book gained both empathy for them and knowledge of the ﬂaws in many school systems. Iʼve been lucky enough to have teachers with the same good qualities as McCourt has, and reading this book brought back memories of them. I hope that all of my teachers and all of my fellow students, residents of the often-tumultuous world of high school, read it. If you do, McCourt will quite nearly take you, as he tries to take his students, “from FEAR to FREEDOM.”

+ Wednesday, April 26, 2006

+prom 911 ◆

prom emergency help

Last minute fashion fixes, make-up tips and hair help to make prom stress-free, the way it’s supposed to be.

Diagnosis: Prince Charming forgot to order a corsage ahead of time. Prescription: Add a “personal” touch to prom by making your own! Just follow the easy directions below.

uys, if you forgot to buy your corsage the week before, donʼt worry! Here are simple instructions to make your own.

Added bonus, your date will think youʼre sweet for trying.

1. Use an odd number of flowers for your corsage (one, three or five flowers). 2. Gather your flowers together and wrap floral tape around the stems. 3. Now add your greenery of choice to fill in between the flowers. 4. Place your corsage leaves over the stems below the flowers. 5. You can now wrap it all together with more floral tape. 6. Trim your stems if you need to. 7. Add your ribbon bow. 8. Wrap the stems in ribbon. 9. Use the remainder of the ribbon to tie around your dateʼs wrist.

Diagnosis: Prince Charming took his sweet time before asking. Now we don’t have outfits and prom is only days away! Prescription: Don’t worry darling, it’s very possible to be the belle of the ball with minimal shopping time.

t is just days before the big dance and both you and your date are outﬁt-less. Need no fear, there are plenty of last minute places you can hit just days before the dance and still get

a great dress or suit just in time. There are a few great second-hand couture stores in the area that carry unique and adorable dresses. Passings of Time sells designer dresses from centuries past that you will not be seeing a double of at prom. Boys, you have it easy. If you are without a suit days before the big dance, run down to the Menʼs Wearhouse on University to have a suit thrown together. If you have not coordinated with your date, donʼt pull a “fast one” and pick out a powder blue tux for laughs. Go classic. A crisp black suit with a snazzy tie will impress your date and your buddies. Girls, if you are not interested with the second-hand options that are offered in Palo Alto, San Francisco is at our fingertips. With the slew of amazing stores in the city you are bound to find your perfect dress. Stick to the less expensive, general stores. H&M and Forever 21 sell some great, casual dresses that will not put a big dent in your college funds. Pick up one of the extremly inexpensive dresses from one of these stores and dress it up with dramatic and rich looking accesories. Match your new dress with a pair of cute, comfortable heels, a clutch and some awesome jewelry. Anthropologie also has a great selection of less formal dresses that are less pricey than some of the designer prom dresses that are in Bloomingdales and Macyʼs. This year, try a shorter length dress, try to move away from the floor-length puffy, princessy dress from the 80s prom movies. Graphic prints like polka dots, as well as fit-and-flare dresses with a more defined drop-waist look and shorter lengths are a huge trend this season. For a more creative look, choose a dress with a special pattern, design or detail.

Diagnosis: I look more like an evil stepsister than Cinderella. Prescription. Work with what you got, and if you don’t have much, add makeup.

The Oracle ◆ 19

NTERTAINMENT◆

ho needs to pay a stylist to have your makeup done? Instead of splurging

what could be prom picture money, round up a few of your friends and

Diagnosis: I have hair like Cousin It! Prescription: Have a friend you trust do up your hair at home.

eed an alternative for an expensive, time consuming salon hair do? There are plenty of easy to do hair styles you can conjure up

have a make up party before hand.

at home moments before your date picks you up.

Pick up a few inexpensive eye shadows at a local drug store and maybe a new lip color to make the make up a little bit more extravagant. Put on your dresses and do your hair before hand so there is no smearing! Or, ﬂip through magazines and gather tips from your favorite celebrity. If youʼre into Hillary Duff, Ashlee Simpson or whomever, mimic your favorite look of theirs. They are the perfect models for makeup, because chances are, it was done by a professional. You can perfect Ashleeʼs smoky eyes (just remember to keep your cheek color natural and use a very light lipstick), go for a sweet and sexy look like Hillaryʼs (donʼt forget the lipgloss) or try Mary Kateʼs dark-rimmed eyes (these really show off dark hair). Cut out a picture of your favorite celebrity and practice the look before the big night. Remember to emphasize either your eyes or your mouth. The biggest mistake people make when putting on makeup is that they highlight both the eye and the mouth. You need to pick one or the other and downplay the other. If you choose to focus on your lips, youʼll want to go bright. Red is hot for prom, as are dark pinks. Just stay away from brown and make sure you keep your eye makeup soft and simple. If you want to play up your eyes, go all out with liner, shadow, mascara and even false eyelashes (the ones that arenʼt obnoxious and ﬁt for Vegas). Skip the foundation. Please. No one under age 25 needs foundation. If you have acne or blemishes, stick to a concealer that perfectly matches your face & apply a light powder over it. Powder is great for calming down a shiny forehead.

The Pomp-n-pride: Fun and classic, the pompadaur is a quick fix that can last all night. 1. Tie all of your hair back into a tight, high ponytail. 2. Slightly push your bangs or the hair that would be used for your bangs forward to get the lift. 3. Comb lightly in the front to blend it with the rest of your hair. When combing the front, comb straight up, NOT back. 4. You can use your other hand to help shape your hair and adjust the height in front to your preference. The best results occur when you achieve a height in front that will allow you to slightly taper the hair down as it goes to the back. 5. Make sure there are no fly hairs, comb down the sides, finish off with a good spritz of hair spray for hold, and you are done and ready to dance! The Simple Twist: 1. This new runway friendly style has been seen on the catwalk of Diane Von Furstenberg and Miu Miu and takes no more that ten minutes. 2. Collect the hair into a lower ponytail (messy, finger combed knots make for a chic, runway look). 3. Use a decorative hair tie or clip to secure the hair. Simply loop the hair back around into the clip and secure it to make a loop.

—Compiled by Tina Armenente

20 ◆ The Oracle ◆

Ge Bennde r

entities t a ken id omise is m d n a pr l t wi ns g Show Identica is yearʼs Sprin teacher a m a r d h t y s b e d o ʼs galore d d more. Directe of Shakespeare n an of io r, it s e e d f c f n o n e g show to in nʼs r udie r n a p u s s e G r , y u ’s s y r lb s Jim She dy of Errors a hen it r uns Ma This yea n of Shakee w m t o h C ig l e e Th ditio dd f s is a ren umor an a h ld medy o h r c o o u w C m e e h t h f T ion o . ct speare’s plete with 18 to 27 cited the condit e chose to dire h s y e y id Shelb rs, com rs in wh ing bes e he facto o other mean yed most Erro t f ke on th o a e t n n l o jo a n ld v e e h s ie a that a med medy. rs and w a farce y the fela use othe the sake of co ent p m s a y to u y simply lay—g nly for nvironm girls pla d as the e down we p iewed o n a s t r when v or us to laugh er ef he far th male pa arts. Taking “Itʼs tim Shelby said. “T gh. “ y ,” lau e male p Quad, this h t worsens der we should of Shelbyʼs bab har t ar rival ck until on the go, the he recen been pushed ba arch, place t e that n to o e u is D M d a w in h o ce h ng Show rs g its pla spring s uld miss. the Spri One Acts takin e show outdoo h th in dy sho o b May, wit helby to host the big twists o n f d gS “One o nter qua allowin st time. l be that the ce ront of r ﬁ e h t for he f e wi l ormanc Shelby said. “T ct as the a our perf ,” l e l our stag ities Center wi in front wi l l b e v k ti c t blo s When nt Ac n e e d r u e t f f S i . the the d t scenes p, and differen see a totally e b backdro l l i AC w y wi l l of the S ce ar rives, the n ie ne the aud nter quad.” cks is o lo b e g r e c la how. remade g around the of the s r, ts c e n p i s Work nging a r t he at e st challe ferent than ou ons, to o m e h t f of di rati itʼs ver y nities for explo r student “Since u io t r n e o s p an,” e e op there ar etting more urb supposed to b s s tʼ e I h “ make t u said. Alana J et.” r to c e unch of r i d ic mark ound a whole b sani l b u p a k ar Dos set in e to wor r Osma “We hav r stage manage and SAT tests senio TAR ve now things,” the AP tests, S m we ha nter. le e b k o i r l p “ said, ies Ce . A big weather Student Activit May, but and the e h of h with t t for the 19th e is a clas s t.” a dance hat nigh not the Thereʼs performance t ever, is w a o h e , v a g Shakettin we h ge in se ns to put on this time, n a h c A r ea n y pla akespea n Shelb so only spi omedy. “In Sh yed by males, c la n p a e a e r p r e a w ale r ts spe ale par ts ll the m menʼs a m e s f a e h m t all ng hi he wo ne-uppi men, and all t tʼs weʼre o said. “I o w by Shelby d e nt ,” y e n la e m p t m c a re by ena d ʼs e n y n la u p G e .” line par ts ar e before features Caro h n o d n e s e m, Sara never b medy of Error Gjerdr u arey as o n C i l e it h a T C of el C ox, r and No e, , Tara C Hodson r, Sina Kimiaga mio of Syracus o e r g s, r Hambu s of Syracuse, D mio of Ethusu o r lu n D o sti g Antiph s of Ephesus, ely, boa v ti c e lu p s o Antiph nd Luciana re . a students g the lead Adriana t of around 30 in y la as t of p Itʼs a total c ith the prospec r said, “ a g ia m w i d K e ina othing Fac senior S tity. Thereʼs n set, t, r a p female en iden and cor g a wig f mistak a case o n a guy wearin e.” tha fac mpanifunnier ck all over his nd acco rsion a ti ts s is ip l tw ve with original Shelbyʼs fulﬁll With its nʼs ensemble, to s e Gun s pledg or ment by medy of Error I would love f “ o at C t. n y e e h jo m h of T of enjoy d be giddy wit ople e is m o r e n ea its p ant p st to com aid. “I w he at erʼs t people ju tion,” Shelby s d uc fo r g o o the prod o o d t he at r e y g t o e nj o sake.”

of E omedy

The C PM peare’s 8 @7:15 Shakes t May 1 PM g Nigh Openin May 24 @8:00 @8:00PM e 7, Matine 0, 25, 26, 2 ,2 d May 19 8, on the Qua $ Tickets

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Wednesday, April 26, 2006

NTERTAINMENT◆

oh yJ b hic r ap

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Wednesday, April 26, 2006 ◆

The Oracle ◆ 21

PORTS◆

jump jump revolution with

Gea Kang Forum Editor

pring is in the air and the playground beckons—you may be tempted to take advantage of the warmer weather and play jump rope outside. For junior Jessica Starr, though, jump rope is not merely a spring treat but an integral part of her life throughout the year.

Having launched its ﬁrst major national competition in the mid-1990s, competitive jump rope is still a developing amateur sport. According to Starr, however, work is underway

to make it part of the Olympics. A serious jumper who started at age five thanks to a friendʼs sister, Starr qualified for the team Jumping for Joy when she was seven years old and has been competing nationally and internationally ever since. For instance, she and her team placed first at the 2002 World Championships in Belgium in the 12- to 14year-old division. This summer, Starr and her co-ed team, ranging in age from elementary school to college, will compete in Canada. Although it includes some individual elements, jump rope is traditionally a team sport with various events including speed, double dutch and freestyle. As a result, Starr emphaSTARR—p. 22

Paly defeats Gunn in city competition Titans unable to outperform the Vikings in rivalry meet Eric Johnston Reporter

Gunnʼs boysʼ and girlsʼ varsity track teams fell short to Palo Alto High School (Paly) at last Thursdayʼs meet. Both teams entered the dual meet with similar records. Both Paly and Gunnʼs varsity boys were 3-1, however Palyʼs girls are also 3-1 while Gunnʼs girls have won just one dual competition. “Our mile runners are strong,” Titan long distance coach Matt Tomkins said. “But we need to improve in all the jump events.” Paly long distance coach Golden Krishna was optimistic about the meet. “Our distance running is good and our girls are also a little deeper than our guys,” he said. “This is considered the city championship and weʼll probably beat Gunn.” Competitors on Gunn remained positive going into the meet. “Frosh-soph is probably going to win the meet, but Iʼm not sure about varsity,” sophomore Brian Hand said. Gunn started off strong by winning the boysʼ 4x100 relay, anchored by senior Chris Yu, followed by freshman Allie Mayer leading the pack to win the 1600 meter. However, Paly stayed strong with senior Scott Himmelberger placing ﬁrst in the boysʼ 1600 meter. “I was pretty conﬁdent that I was going to win,” Him-

melberger said. Adam Dohner won the 400 meter while junior Curtis Liang won the 300 meter hurdles. “The next meet will be a lot harder for me to win in because weʼre playing Los Altos,” Liang said. “They have a guy who placed ﬁrst in C.C.S.” Gunn made a strong competitor in part because of Yu, who won all four of his events. He also narrowly beat sophomore Dezmon Hunter in the 200 meter. Hunter was gone for several past events, and his return was helpful for the Titans. “I was surprised how close Dezmon came because it was a new personal record for him,” Yu said. Christopher Wu Despite many Titan Juniors Jonathan and Calvin Chu race to the ﬁnish wins in the different line against Paly. individual events, Gunn could not manage to gain enough points to overcome the came down to a couple of points,” Head Vikings. “The Paly varsity girlsʼ were ac- Coach Ernie Lee said. “The competition tually the favorites, but the varsity boysʼ brought out the best in both schools.”

Golf team rides Mustangs to victory Stephen Salazar Reporter

The small, yet talented Gunn golf team dominated the Homestead Mustangs on April 5. The Titans won 209 to 234 in the wet and muddy Sunnyvale Municipal golf course. Sophomore Matt Williams and freshman Martin Trainer showed strong performances during the match. Trainer is considered to be the top player on the team, leading with a score of 36 in the 9-hole round. Trainer birdied on the fourth and sixth holes, but bogied on the ﬁnal three holes. “I had a disappointing ﬁnish, but the beginning of my round was started really well,” Trainer said. The number two golfer on the team, sophomore Matt Williams, shot a 42 but with a bogey on the last hole, and double bogey on the second hole. “My performance wasnʼt up to par, and neither was my score” Williams said. Despite the disappointment, his performance along with a stunning 311 yard drive on the sixth hole was a determining factor in the Titanʼs victory. Players like Trainer and Williams also compete in competitive tournaments on their own time. These extra competitions are the reason for the stronger team this year. Though the Titans came away with a convincing victory at the end of the day, the team still felt they could improve in future matches. Another discouragement for the team was the loss of freshman Taylor Johnson, who could not compete in the match. “Our season has great potential, but through some turmoil early in the season we havenʼt achieved it yet,” Williams said.

22 ◆ The Oracle ◆

SPORTS◆

Jump rope builds character ■STARR, from page 21 sized the importance of communication. “Iʼm really close to my teammates,” Starr said. “We really have to communicate with each other, especially since some of the jumping is done with two people turning the rope [in double dutch]. Itʼs difficult being in sync with the people youʼre jumping with.” Another aspect of teamwork is helping each other. “Those of us who have been around for a while and who have been to several competitions try to help the younger jumpers because thatʼs the only way to learn,” Starr said. “We get better at recognizing whatʼs wrong and what can be fixed to make things better.” On the team, Starr is known for her perseverance. Jumping for Joy teammate Katie Johnson, a sophomore at Westmont High School, has been working closely with Starr for the past two years. “Without Jessica on the team, I probably wouldnʼt be the jumper I am today,” Johnson said. “Jessica has that competitive drive that pushes the whole team. She always goes the extra mile even if the rest of the team makes fun of her for doing it, but in return, we normally get guilt-tripped into going the extra mile with her.” An athlete of myriad talents, Starr used to play soccer and also runs track and cross-country for Gunn, although jump roping is her top priority. Practicing jump rope three to four days a week for up to two-and-a-half hours at a time, she said that jumping and other sports allow her to cross-train. Junior Mary Kathryn Hannan, a friend of Starrʼs since the sixth grade, considers jump rope one of Starrʼs defining characteristics. “Sure, sheʼs stressed out at times because of it, but I canʼt imagine her not [jumping],” Hannan said. Likewise, in Starrʼs mind, jump

Upcoming Games

Courtesy of Jessica Starr

Starr and her team participate at National Championships. roping has played an inﬂuential role in shaping her character. “Thereʼs definitely a lot of discipline involved—if you donʼt go, the team canʼt practice,” Starr said. “You have to be reliable, and you have to be willing to work and take criticism.” Starr also noted the pressure of competing. “Unlike a basketball or soccer game, in jump rope, you have one chance to show all of your hard work,” Starr said. “You donʼt get a ʻdo-overʼ even if the routine was a disaster. Itʼs completely devastating when you donʼt do your best—everyone is watching you and can see how upset you are afterwards. And itʼs hard to stay mentally focused and composed throughout an entire competition, when you might be competing over 10 events and it can last from one to three days.” Nonetheless, Starr welcomes the challenge. “The risk of making mistakes during competition is part of the thrill of the sport,” she said. “The most important thing is to channel your determination to do better into your next event and stay focused. After every competition,

we always come back to practice inspired with new goals and new ideas for our routines.” Since jump roping is a relative newcomer to the sports community, Starr feels that more can be done to spread awareness. To that end, Jumping for Joy reaches out by performing and conducting workshops for schools. “Itʼs really rewarding to teach others what Iʼm passionate about, and itʼs great to see how happy they get when they learn how to do a trick they thought they couldnʼt do,” Starr said. The team also performs at other functions, such as Stanford and Santa Clara sports games. In addition, Starr hopes to continue jumping throughout college and become a part of the United States Amateur Jump Rope Board in order to increase the sportʼs popularity. “All the beneﬁts a sport can give you are compiled in jump roping—itʼs good for your health, it teaches you teamwork, you get to travel and perform for others and you learn how to compete on the spot,” Starr said. “And jump ropers are nice people—they share ideas and help each other.”

Titans bring varsity boys’ record up to 4-1 Thomas Bao

Varsity Badminton vs. Milpitas @ home, 4/27, 3:30 Varsity Baseball vs. Milpitas @ Baylands, 4/28, 7:00 Varsity Diving SCVAL finals @ Los Altos, 5/2, 9:00 Varsity Gymnastics vs. St. Francis @ Twister’s, 4/26, 7:00 Varsity Lacrosse vs. Leland @ home, 4/28, 4:00 Varsity Softball vs. Cupertino @ Cupertino, 4/27, 4:00 Varsity Swimming SCVAL trials @ Palo Alto, 5/3 - 5/5, 2:30 Varsity Tennis SCVAL tournament, 4/26 - 4/27, 1:00 Varsity Track & Field @ Los Altos, 4/27, 3:15

Writing Got You Reeling? I can help.

Writing for SAT essay, high school, college - life! Planning & refining college application essays.

Reporter

—Additional reporting by Moses Lai

Sports Update Records

(As of April 20, 2006) Varsity Baseball: 7-9 Varsity Lacrosse: 1-2-1 Varsity Softball: 4-3 Varsity Tennis: 5-2

Swim team shuts down Saratoga

The Titans faced the Saratoga Falcons on April 20 in the final official swim meet before league playoffs. Coach Mark Hernandez was confident at the start of the meet. “The pool looks good, our swimmers look good, I like our chances,” Hernandez said. His initial conjecture soon proved correct when Gunn swept both boysʼ varsity and girlsʼ varsity. “We won the vast majority of them,” junior Mark Prior said. Contributing to the girlsʼ varsity victory was sophomore Casey Barnes-Waychus, who won both the 200 and 500 freestyle. Another key swimmer was the aforementioned Prior, who helped lead the win for the boysʼ varsity with wins in the 200 freestyle, 100 butterfly and 400 relay. Now, Hernandez looks forward to playoffs on May 3.

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Anne Knight

Photos by Moses Lai

Top: Senior Michael Wong swims breastroke. Left: Senior Di Eaton races forward in her backstroke event. Right: Gunn and Saratoga swimmers go head to head.

2 degrees, English, Harvard 7 yrs. teaching, 5 at Harvard 16 yrs. marketing communications 2 yrs. magazine journalist (Horizon, Look) 2 sons graduated from college

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(650) 852-0810 knightwrite@comcast.net

Wednesday, April 26, 2006 ◆

The Oracle ◆ 23

PORTS◆

Gunn falls short to Saratoga

Rain, rain, go away

Falcons win in a closely contested match Michelle Lee Reporter

The Titans had a close match against the Saratoga Falcons April 20, losing by a single point. One reason for the loss was the absence of a substantial number of players for the past few weeks. “There have been people missing practice due to being sick as well as trips,” sophomore Zachary Myers said. Although the team lost, the Gunn badminton team has shown significant improvement against Saratoga. “The last time we played Saratoga, varsity lost by a lot, whereas this time we had a close game, so weʼve improved,” sophomore Jonathan Lin said. Several individuals have shown substantial progress. “Jing-Jing Li has improved a lot from before,” ju-

Stephen Salazar Reporter

Christopher Wu

Seniors Emily Ho and Albert Gao prepare to receive against Saratoga nior Vincent Chang said. “Also, Jonathan Lin and Gordon Liu, who usually play JV one, played varsity two and did really well.”

Despite the loss, badminton looks forward to Santa Clara Valley Athletic League playoffs.

Bright outlook for sports programs Sports Boosters raise money for new athletic facilities Dan Li News Editor

On April 22, the Gunn Sports Boosters hosted the “Clash of the Titans,” a basketball game between the students and the staff that also served as a fundraiser for Gunnʼs athletic and physical education programs. “The idea is to have some fun, to increase awareness among the parents of the need to improve the athletic facilities at Gunn, and also to raise some money,” Sports Booster president Bob CranmerBrown said. The event was part of an ongoing campaign to improve Gunnʼs athletic facilities. The PAUSD Board of Education approved the installation of football ﬁeld lights on March 28. “Trying to raise money has been a very long, drawn-out project,” Cranmer-Brown said. “We have given the district enough money to be able to move forward with building the lights, but some of the money that we have given them we havenʼt yet raised as donations. Weʼve had parents put money forward on the basis that they will be

reimbursed by future donations.” Cranmer-Brown hopes that the next bond measure—coming up late 2007— will provide funds for other projects, such as a new swimming pool. “The school board and the school district are now working on the bond measure, and one of the top priorities for Gunn is the swimming pool,” Cranmer-Brown said. “Weʼre in a fairly advanced position in that we have now raised the $246,000 necessary for the plans. Weʼre now talking to the architect about sending that money and getting the pool designed and approved so itʼll be ready to go once the bond measure is approved.” Sports Boosters is also working on building a second gym.“Weʼre now working with the architects and with parents and with the coaches to determine what our needs are for the gym so that we can work up from our needs to design the gym,” Cranmer-Brown said. Gunn is behind surrounding schools in terms of athletic facilities. “If you look at the major athletic facilities that youʼd want—youʼd want an all-weather track, youʼd want at least a 35-meter pool,

youʼd want a turfed football field, youʼd want an adequate sized soccer field and youʼd want a decent sized baseball field,” Cranmer-Brown said. Cranmer-Brown believes that if more parents and students communicate with the school board, Gunn athletic facilities will become a higher priority in the upcoming bond measure. “What weʼd like to see is the parents and the students at Gunn High School rise up and have their voices heard by the school board,” Cranmer-Brown said. “If 1,000 people send e-mails and phone calls and letters saying that itʼs time that the athletic facilities were properly upgraded, then it wouldnʼt be too hard for us, instead of just getting a pool and a gym, to also add on turf for the football field. And we have a perfect location for a lacrosse and soccer field at the far end of the campus.” Junior Geoffrey Schiebinger, who is on Gunnʼs tennis team, is not very enthusiastic about improving athletic facilities. “I believe the school should spend the money on academics instead,” Schiebinger said. “Not all students do sports. All students do academics.”

If there is ever an inevitable force that can curse a team in the spring, it is weather. For the past month and a half baseball, lacrosse, track and softball team players have seen rain plague games and practices. The biggest problem for coaches and players is that come game time, a weekʼs worth of practice is lost and the team is that much less prepared than if they had more time to practice. For instance, the baseball team went weeks without real practice due to the rain in March and early April, making it difficult for the team to work toward a post-season record. After school, players would have to just pack up and go home hoping for clear skies the next day. Softball is in the same boat as baseball, canceling practices to avoid the muddy field and intolerable rain. Local Little League baseball teams had trouble with the weather as well. Teams were unable to even start the season until after spring break because of the rain. With opening day on the April 7, the first game was not played until the April 18. Lacrosse was another sport that received several delays in practice because of wet weather. The team and “The Tomahawks,” a local boysʼ club team, had numerous cancelled practices, and again sent players packing up and going home after school. One advantage, however, for the boysʼ club lacrosse team is that they practice on an artificial turf field. The advantage with this is that coaches need only to cancel practice if it is currently raining during practice, not before. Teams that practice on grass fields are obligated to cancel practice due to unstable muddy fields from rain earlier in the day. Artificial fields are without these problems, and allow more practices for a team. Though many improvements for athletic fields at Gunn are already being planned to take action, having a turf field for sports that cannot practice in rain would increase the number of practices and home games during rainy weather. Track, the most popular outdoor spring sport on campus, has roughed the rain by continuing practice regardless of the weather. Long and short distance runners have come home from practice soaking wet after running through rain, and sometimes pelted by hail. For the remainder of April and May, players, coaches and fans alike can enjoy the recent sunny weather and hopefully not have to suffer through another long plague of rain.

Athletes push limits with Matt McGinn Trial fitness-based PE classes popular with students Vivien Tsao Reporter

For those who bemoan that physical education class does nothing to improve their physiques or who wish to stay in shape during their sportsʼ off-seasons, hope lies just around the corner. Beginning next year, Athletic Director Matt McGinn will be teaching a new course focused primarily on improving the fitness levels of Gunnʼs students. Upperclassmen who have already finished their required two years of physical education will be able to participate. McGinn noted his rationale in beginning this course. “There were a number of reasons to start this class,” he said. “[They were] to encourage juniors and seniors to participate, to help reduce student stress through fitness, and to bolster the fitness

and athleticism of [Gunnʼs] athletes.” Though McGinn hopes athletes will take this course, it is also open for nonathletes. “The class is aimed at athletes, but is not limited to athletes,” McGinn said. “We are encouraging anyone who is interested in resistance training and improving his or her speed and agility.” Diverging from the more general “fun-and-games” approach of regular physical education, the new class targets students whose main focus is to train their bodies. Instead of participating in typical physical education activities, students in the new ﬁtness class perform activities that help develop specific muscle groups. “The students of this class will participate in ﬂexibility exercises involving dynamic, ballistic and static stretching routines,” McGinn said. “Also resistance training using weights and resistance

bands as well as plyometric exercises which help to increase oneʼs speed and explosiveness using jumping exercises, and agility training using such tools as ladders and jump-ropes [will be included].” This course also boasted a more flexible routine based on the individual as opposed to the class. “One day we might do stretching and the next day weʼll be in the fitness center,” sophomore Molly Duncan-Stone said. “Thereʼs more freedom as we can work on what we want to do in the fitness center.” A current trial run of the new fitnessbased physical education course has been popular with students, with full classes in its two test periods. Judging from the success of his current classes, McGinn hopes to teach at least two periods of his advanced physical education course, with a limit of 30 to 34 students per class.

Jennifer Lim

Sophomore Devin Mcdonald lifts weights during a physical education class.

24 ◆ The Oracle ◆

In many sports, siblings share an intense rivalry. However, Gunnʼs varsity number one doubles team, junior Clifton and senior Craighton Poon is a different case. The two siblings both began playing badminton in their freshmen year when their oldest brother, Brandon Poon, a former Gunn badminton player, encouraged them to play. “Brandon was the one who inﬂuenced all of us,” Clifton said. “Brandon basically told us to play because he thought we might be good.” Brandonʼs initial guess soon proved correct, when both brothers became talented freshman players in their respective years. Later on, both reached varsity level as sophomores. Unlike most siblings who share a rivalry, these two brothers work together as the Gunn varsity number one doubles. Together they help each other bring their best game to the court. “We try to motivate each other before and during our games. Weʼll try to pump each other up and yell encouragement during games,” Craighton said. “Weʼve grown up together and we know each other well, so I guess that it adds to our synergy.” The Poon brothers constnantly help each other to get the birdie. —Thomas Bao

Whether they are bickering or laughing with one another, there is an extraordinary bond between two siblings. That is why playing lacrosse together is such a special experience for sophomore Olga and junior Yana Galperin. Yana, who started playing lacrosse after watching the intense pre-season, played on last yearʼs solid JV team. Fifteen strong seniors graduated from last yearʼs varsity team, leaving many spots open when tryouts started this February. Yana took this opportunity to move up. However, Yana isnʼt the only Galperin on the field this spring. Joining her on varsity is her first-timer sister, Olga. “Iʼm so proud of Olga for making varsity her first year,” Yana said. This is the first time the Galperin sisters have ever participated on a team together, and they have found that it is a beneficial experience. “On the field we pump each other up,” Yana said. “Sheʼs there for me when I need her the most, off and especially on the field. If Iʼm having a bad day and am really nervous about the game sheʼs there to calm me down and get me focused.” As for competition, the two keep it good-natured. “I think thereʼs always an underlying competition no matter what. Thereʼs definitely a bit of the whole sibling rivalry going, but basically itʼs almost always friendly,” Yana said. It also helps that the two play different positions. “Luckily enough, I play defense and Yana plays offense,” Olga said. “That actually helps the sister rivalry because itʼs not like one is more skilled than the other since we play completely different things. We both have different strengths and weaknesses.” Although the two havenʼt always gotten along so well, they have grown close in high school. “Sheʼs more than just family,” Yana said. “Sheʼs definitely my best friend.” —Libby Craig

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

PORTS◆

Left: Senior Craighton Poon prepares to strike, while Below: junior Clifton Senior watches on Elliot Krigel defenand sophosively. more Arlie enjoy a nice jog around the Gunn track.

Christopher Wu

Most people shudder at the thought of running dozens of miles a week. But for sophomore Arlie and senior Elliot Krigel, it is their passion. Senior Elliot Krigel began running cross-country his freshman year as cross training for tennis and soccer, then his primary sports. However, he decided to focus on running, and quit soccer and tennis to run cross-country and track and ﬁeld. His younger brother, freshman Arlie Krigel, followed suit. As a seventh grader at Terman Middle School Arlie demonstrated a talent at running, breaking seven minutes on the mile his previous year. Because of this skill, he decided to join his middle schoolʼs cross-country and track team. Although running is a sport that is demanding and requires a signiﬁcant amount of endurance, the Krigel brothers quite enjoy it. “I like it because everyone on the team is friendly and itʼs low key during practices,” Arlie said. When Arlie entered high school, Elliot, then a junior and team captain, helped him to adjust to the setting. “Elliot was the captain of the cross-country team so that made it easier for me to get used to a high school Jennifer Lim team,” Arlie said. Thse two help each other constantly with encouragement. “We support each other by going to each otherʼs races and cheering each other on,” Elliot said.

Here is an inside look at four pairs of athletes who share a mother, a passion and a team. Whether they play lacrosse, swim, do track and field, or play badminton, they stay together.

Below: Junior Yana Galperin and sophomore Olga recuperate after a particularly intense lacrosse practice.

Christopher Wu

Above: Senior Swimmer Matthew Prior stands with his brother, junior Mark Prior.

Courtesy of Olga and Yanna Galperin

—Thomas Bao and Michelle Fang

Junior Mark and senior Matthew Prior are both pillars on the Gunn swimming team. As siblings they have a unique relationship when it comes to swimming. “The boys are both competitive and supportive,” coach Mark Hernandez said. “Matt is a great role model and mentor, and Mark is both respectful and wants to push his brother.” Both brothers hope to continue swimming competitively in college whether it is through clubs or teams. Not only are they the best swimmers on the team but they are also its leaders. On the team they are known as “Prior.” Matt is one of four captains on the team. “They get along with everyone, and everyone looks up to them,” Hernandez said. “They fit right in, and stand for excellence in everything they do.” The Prior brothers began swimming at five years old and started swimming competitively at age eight. Though they are on the same teams their strengths vary. Mark swims in the freestyle and fly whereas Matt swims the individual medley and the backstroke. They can both swim together for the relays. The brothers both have accomplished swimming careers. Mark was 12th of 49 in 200 freestyle at CCS and qualified for the American Short Course Championships last year. Matt received the 2005 Adam Szmidt Memorial Pacific Swimming Long Course Juniors Olympics High Point in the 17 to 18 year age group. Until junior year both brothers were on the water polo team instead of the swimming team. However, they both decided to switch because they realized that while they were fast, their abilities were better suited for swimming. “While water polo was a lot of fun, I eventually realized that while I had the speed, I didnʼt have any of the other skills necessary,” Matt said. “I was much better at swimming and decided to concentrate where I could do my best. Plus, in swimming you practice co-ed.” —Moses Lai