The Oracle (April 2009)

[FORUM] Madoff scandal drowns meaning of morality pg. 11

[CENTER-

[SPORTS]

Oops! Accidents turned into inventions pg. 14

Learn about sports under the radar pg. 25

Volume 45

THE HIGH SPEED RAIL:

U.S. Postage

PA I D

Permit #44 Palo Alto, Calif.

780 Arastradero Road, Palo Alto, CA 94306

Jocelyn Ma News Editor

If you’ve walked around downtown Palo Alto lately, you may have noticed people stationed near every intersection, stopping passerbys. No, it’s not the army. They are volunteers from the California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG) trying to persuade others to support one controversial issue that appeared on the 2008 state election ballot: the high speed rail.

In November of last year, Prop 1A (or the Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act for the 2Century) was narrowly passed with 52.3 percent of the 12.4 million voters voting affirmatively. The proposition approved $9.95 billion for the 80-mile high speed train that is planned to run from San Francisco and Los Angeles—and through Palo Alto.

Since the passing of the bill, groups on both sides have been hard at work advocating for their views. While groups like CALPIRG have been devoting their time to grassroots methods, residents of Palo Alto have not had quite the same reaction. More than 50 protestors marched from Lytton Plaza to City Hall on March 2 to protest the high speed rail, whose need for a constructed wall concerned citizens the most.

Though the wall would be considered an eyesore, French teacher Jennifer Wolfeld has a much more personal reason for opposing the issue: she lives in the area that will be affected by the construction of the high speed rail. “This project envisions

an issue that’s

gaining speed Computers, new digital cameras stolen from A-5

NON-PROFIT ORG

http://gunn.pausd.org/oracle

Monday, April 20, 2009

Issue 7

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

RAIL—p.2

Courtesy of forcechange.com

Baseball coach dismissed for conduct

Jon Proctor

Forum Editor

Fourteen new digital cameras and two desktop computers were stolen from the photo room and A-5 sometime between April 9 and 12. When Photo teachers Mark Gleason and Jennifer Hogan walked in the room Monday morning, they knew something was missing. “Mrs. Hogan asked me if all my students had checked out cameras, and only two had,” Gleason said.

According to Gleason, all the doors were locked when he left Thursday afternoon and when he returned Monday morning. To get to the cameras, the thieves had to open both the door to the room and the closet where the cameras were stored—each locked by different keys. There was no sign of forced entry so “they must have had a master key, or picked the locks,” Gleason said.

Master keys can open all doors on the periphery of Gunn buildings, but according to Gleason, only Hogan, Advanced Placement Art History teacher Wayne Hoy and himself have keys that can open the closet where the cameras were kept, and those are constantly accounted for. “Our keys are never out of our hands,” he said. Although the closet was locked, “the door had been damaged previously and may have been opened without a key,” Principal Noreen Likins said.

To prevent another break-in, the administration replaced all the locks in the photo room and considered setting up a video-surveillance camera and alarming the entire art room. “We’ve always locked up,” Gleason said. “Of course we’ll be more alert, but it’s impossible to watch over the cameras when you’re gone.” For a temporary measure, the administration pinned the doors Monday night so that they couldn’t be opened, even with a key. “It’s a reminder to us that we must be vigilant about security at all times,” Likins said.

According to Gleason each of the 14 Olympus E-520 cameras stolen cost the school around $1,000 and the computers were around $2,000 a piece.

The photo department bought the cameras in January using money from

CAMERA THEFT—p.2

Courtesy of The Olympian

COACH STRIKES OUT Varsity baseball coach Brian Kelly was fired after “losing his cool” during a heated argument between him and a team member. Assistant coaches Scott Einfalt and John Harney have assumed Kelly’s previous duties.

BASEBALL—p.24

Campus discusses discrimination during NIOS May Wu Reporter

Every year, Gunn hosts a series of anti-discrimination programs aimed at identifying and solving prejudice issues. Not In Our Schools (NIOS) Week focuses on all kinds of discrimination.

Activities began last Monday in classrooms.

English teachers were instructed to show one of three movies on discrimination. The movies focus on the effects and solution to discrimination. After watching the movie, the teacher would open a dis-

cussion about its specific stereotypes. Other movie discussions were also led throughout the week.

Last Tuesday, SEC presented an assembly with skits and videos to discourage prejudice. “[The main theme of the assembly was] accepting our differences and promoting awareness about discrimination,” Diversity Commissioner junior Teklehaymanot Yilma said. The assembly opened with two videos; the first video was a compilation of staff and student opinions on stereotypes. The second video was produced by Yilma, and included NIOS—p.4

Organic Gardening Club finds conflict with admin

News

The Oracle

SEC election process adds speech and debate segment AP tests more expensive due to rising costs

2

NEWS BITES

The annual Advanced Placement (AP) test cost complaints have risen once again, with exams beginning May 4.

According to Assistant Principal Phil Winston, one reason the AP tests are expensive is because of the high number of exams administered, and other costs. “We have such limited space that it has become increasingly harder to get proctors for the test,” Winston said. “We’ve also raised the cost because of an online processing fee that has made the whole entire process easier for us.” Principal Noreen Likins agreed.

“We give a huge number of tests, and more tests means more proctors,” she said.

Winston also cited test proctor payments, online registration, furniture rental and processing fees as factors for the cost of AP testing.

However, Winston said that Gunn is trying to keep costs low. “We’re doing the best we can,” he said. “Some of the costs are out of our control.”

Several students have also wondered why the Chinese AP test is offered at a more expensive cost than other AP exams. “It’s more time-intensive and personnel-intensive,” Winston said. “There’s a lot more set-up for the test. You need to do a verification, install a program—additional work has to be done.”

With all of it taken into consideration, some still think that the costs aren’t too rash. “So, at first I thought that it was really expensive and that they were trying to rip us off, but after you think about it for awhile, at least AP testing costs less than a college course,” junior Brittany Cheng said.

In an effort to eliminate cheating during Student Executive Council (SEC) elections, new rules will be implemented for future elections.

Past candidates have broken campaigning rules, such as campaigning before the set dates and going over the spending budget set by the SEC. Previously owned items have been used in campaigns, which led to unfairness for other candidates. “We are more strict with rules and disqualifications this year to eliminate disadvantages and to instill an equal race,” Student Body President Jeffrey Wang said.

In the 2010 election, candidates will also be required to give a speech and participate in a debate about school issues in front of the student body. The assembly gives the student body a chance to be introduced to candidates and their future plans. It will be mandatory for all candidates to participate.

“This will be an excellent program because now people can know the candidates and it’s not as much of a popularity contest anymore,” sophomore president Ting-Ting Liu said.

This year, an event called Meet the Candidates will take place on Monday April 20 at lunch. It features candidates’ booths located around the quad. The student body may ask the candidates questions about their platform and the candidates can campaign to the student body as well.

Some say that these new rules will change the way elections are run. “I think this will scare away some people, but the candidates who truly want a position in SEC will be encouraged,” Liu said.

This new format will allow the student body to learn more about the candidates before election time, so they can make a proper vote. “Putting the right person in office is important for a successful SEC next year,” Liu said.

Foods teacher Cindy Peters and the Organic Garden Club are currently trying to resolve a disagreement over the garden.

Principal Noreen Likins said that the debate centered on gardening methods. “It was about weed control, particularly around the path,” Likins said. “The club also felt that the newly installed irrigation system wasn’t the best way to go.”

Compromises between the Organic Garden Club and Peters have been made. “We wanted to be able to garden in the Gunn Organic Garden but also wanted to work with [Ms. Peters] about sharing the space,” junior Angela Marcinik said. “So we came up with a plan to share the garden.”

The club is currently in the midst of figuring out the future location of the garden. According to social studies teacher and Organic Garden Club advisor John Fredrich, in accordance to plot plans, the current organic garden will be converted into a car parkway and turnaround within four or five years.

The administration made suggestions concerning the fate of the garden. “Ms. Likins had a wonderful idea about using a large chunk of land that is in the back of school and currently unused as a new garden for the club, and that we could possibly secure that land,” Marcinik said. “It’s about three times as big so we can plant a lot more things in a larger quantity.”

Meanwhile, the Organic Garden Club is working on spring planting once again. The garden currently yields a crop of radishes, beets, peas and other vegetables, and is working on recruiting more club members. “The garden can always use other people,” Marcinik said.

—Compiled by Carissa Ratanaphanyarat and Alice Yu

High-speed rail project controversial Local residents voice multiple concerns over division, noise from train system voted in with Proposition 1A n HIGH-SPEED RAIL, from p.1

four train tracks for which a 75 foot horizontal clearance is needed,” she said “And while we haven’t been informed of exact the number of houses this affects up and down the Peninsula, those people who own homes that are right across from the PA District Offices and Paly on Churchill, will definitely have to move. In addition, we also know that the value of homes in neighborhoods near the tracks will decline in value--we just don’t know by how much.“ The properties currently standing in areas that will need to be cleared will become “eminent domain,” or sites under ownership of the government.

The wall is also a concern for Wolfeld, whose property is in a location where the rail will be in her view. “You’re going to see a 16 foot wall with 30 to 40 feet of wire sticking up,” she said. “It’s one continuous cement wall.”

Senior Christine Juang, who also lives near the projected construction site, was more concerned about the noise level change caused by the new addition.

“What worries me is that I’ll be Courtesy of photobucket.com trying to sleep at night while [the high speed rail] keeps going by,” The high-speed rail will connect San Francisco, Sacramento and San Diego. she said.

Courtesy of flickr user mambo1935

The Taiwanese High Speed Rail is an example of the kind of system that the state of California hopes to implement in the near future.

CALPRIG, however, has started a citizen outreach program that has reached over 120,000 people.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled with the voters’ approval of Prop 1A. With this vote, Californians decided to reduce our oil dependence, to build alternatives to traffic and long airport lines, and to help solve global warming,” it said in a press release after the proposition was passed last November. The idea of a high speed rail is not the issue, Wolfeld says. “The problem was that they had the choice not to go through Palo Alto,” she said. “They could have gone through the East Bay, and there’s an old railroad on the Dumbarton Bridge they could have used, but they didn’t.” She does, however, support the high speed rail itself.

“Of course I am for more ‘green’ transportation,” she said. “However, the people who will lose their home or whose homes will lose value are, in my opinion, being asked to shoulder an inordinate amount of the burden that comes with this project. Many people’s retirement savings are invested in these homes and so when the values decline, so does the amount of money they had planned to live on when they retired.”

Though the Santa Clara Valley Authority is heading the project, Prop 1A had the support of many political leaders including Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senator Diane Feinstein. Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, who represents District 12 (which spans Western San Francisco and part of San Mateo), joint-authored Prop 1A with Assemblywoman Cathleen Galgiani of District 17.

Wolfeld’s own property is not her only concern. “I grew up in Palo Alto. I actually went to Gunn High School, and it’s a very nice community,” she said. “I cannot imagine the difference when this huge wall is constructed that runs the length of the Peninsula. It’s going to separate one part of Palo Alto from the other.”

Burglaries occur overnight in photo room n CAMERA THEFT, from p.1

a grant written by Hogan as well as student donations collected at the beginning of the year. “It takes a lot to write a grant, and it’s a pity to see her hard work go to waste,” Gleason said. “It’s a really unfair thing they did.”

To find the burglars, the Palo Alto Police Department fingerprinted parts of the art room. The photo department also gave the serial numbers of the stolen cameras to the police, who will search Ebay, Craigslist and other places that the cameras could be sold. So far, however, there are no leads or suspects. “So many people go in and out of the room a day, it’s tough to get any clue of who did it,” Gleason said.

The loss of the cameras may make it more difficult to teach photo classes next year. “We had so many people sign up for photo next year that we dropped an Art Spectrum class to make room,” Gleason said. With only five digital cameras left for all the photo classes next year, however, each student’s time with a camera will be limited. “We attempted to boost up our supplies so people who

don’t have cameras can take the class,” Gleason said.

“That lasted two months.”

According to Likins, the school doesn’t have the resources to replace the cameras immediately. “I feel bad for the students who wanted to take photo next year,” junior photo student Leo Chen said.

Although photo class will most likely still be open to all students regardless if they have a camera or not, photographers may have to split into groups and share the camera while completing assignments.

“They may think they’re stealing from an institution and not individuals, but it does work down to the individual,” Gleason said. “It has an effect on real people.”

The main reaction from students and staff alike was disappointment. “You take precautions and lock stuff up, and then it’s just gone,” Gleason said. “I felt violated.”

If you have any information regarding the burglaries, please contact photo teacher Mark Gleason in room A-5 or at mgleason@pausd.org.

News

Monday, April 20, 2009

3

Butterfly migration passes through Northern California

Palo Alto notices increase in insects as throngs invade Bay Area on way up North Tenny Zhang Managing Editor

If you think you’ve noticed a recent upsurge in orange- and black-patterned insects around Palo Alto, it’s all right, you’re not just seeing things. A large migration of Painted Lady butterflies, scientifically known as Vanessa cardui hit parts of Northern California in March and April.

The Painted Lady butterfly is about one to two inches wide, and its wings are orange with a black lace-like pattern. The species resembles a smaller version of the Monarch butterfly, whose annual migration from west of the Rockies to Southern California is much more commonly known.

The migration occurs every year; butterfly eggs hatch in Southern California and northern Mexico and travel up the California coastline throughout March into early April. The butterflies move through Oregon, Washington and even up to British Columbia, Canada, sometimes flying for three days straight. Millions of painted lady butterflies search for food on this journey, in addition to mating and laying eggs.

The largest migration in recent years occurred in 2005, when dense throngs of the insect were reported to have been impeding traffic in the Californian deserts. In that massive movement, people in Sacramento counted three butterfly sightings per second.

According to a Web site dedicated specifically to Painted Ladies by Art Shapiro, a University of California, Davis professor of evolution and ecology, winter rains in Southern California have led to the increase in migration population this year. In waves, these butterflies are known to travel over buildings, forests and even thousand-feet mountain ranges, instead of around them. Local butterfly projects have counted rates from one butterfly per 10 seconds up to one butterfly per second.

“To witness a mass migration of this level it is truly spectacular,” Ryan Phillips, a biologist at De Anza College, said in the San Jose Mercury News. He counted over 1000 butterflies near Mount Hamilton in San Jose. “Butterflies were literally stacked on top of each other.”

The Bay Area is a mere stop along the way in the border-crossing journey, but residents across the Peninsula have reported sight-

DEAR

ings of flurries of butterflies in parks and backyards.

The butt er f l ies travel in a straightline route, not stopping until they’ve burned through the “yellow fat” reserve, according to Shapiro. Shapiro documented the first wave through Northern California on March 15, with a more intense increase around April 3. Individual butterf lies then began dropping out of the migration in order to to feed on flowers and mate.

Senior Kelsey Teramoto got up close and personal with the of butterf lies during a recent trip to Los Angeles over spring break. “As we were driving down Highway 5, they just splattered on our car,” she said. “It sounds like a rock is hitting you, but it’s really a butterfly and you see these big yellow splotches on your window.”

To take a look for yourself, visit denser locations in Palo Alto, including the area between Highway 101 and El Camino Real, Edgewood Plaza Shopping Center and Foothill Park. The northbound migration is set to end by mid-April, butB:10.5 the innew painted lady butterfly population will continue the cycle of life as it returns south this T:10.5 in August.

Dear White Gold, How do I get the attention of a girl who doesn’t know I exist?

Dear White Gold, Is copying someone else’s homework really cheating?

I mean, it’s not like it’s a test.

Bryan Houlette St. Ignatius High School Culver City, CA

Paul Charney South San Francisco Polytech South San Francisco, CA

Dear Bryan,

Newsflash, Paulio: copying someone’s homework is a test. It’s a moral test. An examination of your own character. And, my brother, I’m sorry to say that on this test you get a “D” for “Dude, you know better.”

First things first: you sure you’re not a ghost?

Seriously. I mean, it can happen to the best of us.

Did you see that movie about the psychiatrist and the short dude who could see dead people? That is one scary piece of business I’ll only watch when the sun is out. It’s bonkers, bro.

So chill it, skillet. Be yourself, stay strong, and make an immediate investment in the institution with the highest rate of return: the Bank of Bryan.

Dairy-o, White Gold

I once stole the melody from Switzerland’s national anthem for a single I recorded before becoming White Gold (“Hail to the Cheese” from my Shades of Brown album). Stealing doesn’t make you stronger, it just leaves you bankrupt, and in more ways than one (I still send most of my record royalties to the Swiss government).

Is taking the easy way out really worth looking ridiculous, being wrong and losing a friend? It’s better to put your own honest self forward, warts and all. (Although, warts are more a figure of speech here, considering I have flawless skin thanks to the homemade milk masks I apply every night before bedtime.)

The point is just to find your own notes and rip ’em at max volume, maestro. And always remember that in life the path that is most rocktastical is the path that’s the easiest to follow: your own.

Dear White Gold, My boyfriend and I can never get any alone time together.

No matter where we are or what we’re doing, he’s always getting calls or texts from his “boys,” who are usually working out or playing soccer or doing squats or getting haircuts. It’s so annoying. I try to make him focus on me and not pick up his phone all the time, but it never works. He even took two calls during my cat Tugboat’s funeral. I love him, but there’s gotta be some limits. Am I nagging, or is he just plain wrong?

Ashley Weber Golden Gate High School Mill Valley, CA

Both.

“Dear White Gold…” is America’s most popular advice column syndicated for student newspapers, created by an adult rock-and-roll singer who plays a milk-filled guitar. E-mail your questions to help@whitegoldiswhitegold. com and learn more about White Gold at WhiteGoldisWhiteGold.com.

Respectfully, White Gold

©2009 California Milk Processor Board

T:8 in

The best advice I can give is something that’s sewn on the underside of my sleep mask: focus on being the best you you can be. And that just means be yourself. Think good thoughts. If you feel stress coming on, get a good workout in and drink some chocoloco milk to rebuild those bodacious biceps. If this object of your affection is meant to dial your digits, it will happen in its own time. It’s a rule that applies not only to the ladies but also the musics. You think I wrote “Is It Me, Or Do You Love My Hair?” by stressing over every single note and syllable? Check the lyrics.

That was 100% inspiration, 0% perspiration. It came to me when I wasn’t even ready for it (I was playing tennis).

Here’s the thing: once the cheating starts, where does it stop? It’s a slippery slope from copying someone’s homework to writing answers on your sneakers to taking credit for inventing hot yoga.

I should know.

Nathan Toung Courtesy of flickr user Shitao

S:8 in

!"#$"%&'%"(&#)!*'"+,') -+)#"./0)#-1/0)&+2)3-($"+,) %4/)5-3#26').&(/

S:10.5 in

4

News

The Oracle

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Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief Libby Craig Managing Editors Noah Johnson Tenny Zhang News Beth Holtzman Jocelyn Ma Carissa Ratanaphanyarat Forum Maya Itah Jon Proctor Features Joyce Liu Niki Mata Centerfold Amarelle Hanyecz Amy Yu Entertainment Danielle Edelman Veronica Polivanaya Sports Aviel Chang Wen Yi Chin Mari Ju Copy Editors Sophie Cheng Emily Glider Sarah-Jean Zubair Photo Ivan Yong Graphics Brian Phan

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Letters to the editor and ideas for coverage may be sent to gunnoracle@yahoo.com.

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Not In Our Schools week aims to eliminate hate Students encouraged to talk about discrimination and acceptance NIOS Week, from p.1

students of various ethnicities who were asked if they ever been treated differently due to their race.

After the videos, students presented short skits with examples of possible on-campus intolerance.

The skits were followed by poetry and quotes that promoted equality.

The intent of the assembly was to encourage people in Palo Alto to avoid stereotyping, and to stand up against those who do. “I think it was effective because they did all the schools in Palo Alto, rather than just looking at Gunn,” sophomore Linda Zhang said.

Later that day, students wrote their feelings involving discrimination on a piece of paper. The paper was then clipped onto a piece of string tied to the three poles in the middle of the quad. The slips are meant to be shared among peers to heighten others’ awareness that it does happen to people. “[It’s] for people who thought that they were alone,” Yilma said. “When people look at the list, they relate to it. Hence, the activty’s name is You Are Not Alone.”

On Thursday, students participated in an activity designed to encourage acceptance and end prejudice.

Students were invited to write down specific stereotypes on sheets of rice paper, and to then dissolve the words in a pool of water. “Its symbolism is to ‘wash away’ the stereotypes,” Yilma said.

The Day of Silence, an event in which over a hundred students participated, concluded NIOS week last Friday. “[The Day of Silence] shows solidarity for the silence that [LGBT people] experience everyday,” GayStraight Alliance (GSA) club president Jessie Belfer said. The day is to help others understand the silence lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people go through. “People who may have never felt what it is like to be “silenced” get a bit more understanding for what their LGBT peers are going through and hopefully feel compelled to take action to end the silence by making their community safer and more accepting,” Belfer said. The activity is also used to encourage those who are LGBT to feel safer about being open, and to discourage prejudice or harassment. The event was wrapped

Top left: GSA representatives share information with students. Top right: Students read anonymous peers’ experiences with harmful stereotypes and discrimination.

Middle right: Buttons and information were distributed on campus. Bottom right: Students participate in dissolving stereotypes activity, run

by YCS-Interact Club. up with a shout-out at the end of the school day to represent the release of what all LGBT youths keep quiet.

“Many LGBT people feel afraid to be open about themselves because of their environment,” Belfer said.

Maverick Mallari

bythenumbers Gunn’s student body 50.6% Caucasian 29.6% Asian 6.8% Hispanic 4.9% Asian Indian 2.5% African-American 2.4% Pacific Islander 0.6% Other 2.6% Declined to state

Statistics taken from Gunn’s school profile

Faces in the Crowd: “What did you learn during Not In Our Schools Week?”

“Black and white crimes.”

“I learned a lot about discrimination in society today. I thought there was less because there’s not that much at Gunn.”

Ami Pienknagura (9)

Josh Jackson (10)

“I basically learned that discrimination exists even in such a tolerant society which is pretty surprising because Palo Alto is so accepting.”

“Celebrate one another’s differences.”

Riley Weinmann (11)

Eman Ma (12)

—Compiled by Sophie Cheng

News

Monday, April 20, 2009

Caffeine pill users worry about stigma

5

Shaya Christensen Reporter

Henry Liu

Students peruse various exhibits related to a number of teen issues at the PTSA sponsored Health Fair, including safe sex, eyesight, healthy eating, peer pressure, dermatology and stress management.

Health Fair broadens horizons Linda Yu

Reporter

On April 1, the Parent Teacher Student Association held the Health Fair in the gym in an effort to raise awareness regarding health issues and to allow students to explore various medical fields.

The fair featured booths set up by a wide variety of organizations and representatives. Using records from previous booths, Health Fair coordinator May To selected a group of topics that were more likely to interest students. “There were booths regarding dental, vision and nutrition issues, as well as booths run by the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Kaiser Permanente, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, the Palo Alto police department and Planned Parenthood,” To said.

Using science fair project styled presentations, brochures, video clips and free samples, each booth tried to demonstrate the effects of certain actions on the body or give suggestions on preventing certain diseases. “There were physicians, dentists, nurses, dietitians, pharmacists, counselors and therapists present,” To said. “The students were able to find out more about issues they were interested in or even consider them as career options for the future.”

Though the booths covered a variety of topics, an emphasis was placed on the theme of healthy living during the teenage years. “Teenagers are still growing, and this is the best time for such an event to be held because they may not have the opportunity later on in life, such as during college,” To said. Colleen Haesloop, who helped run the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital adolescent health and safety booth, agreed that the teenage years are crucial for healthy living. “What you put

into your body [at this time] is impor- interactive, and I felt that the people were tant,” she said. “If you live healthy now, interested, especially in the freebies.” To it really helps in the long run.” Haesloop agreed and noted that “the students were focused on answering questions regard- also very enthusiastic and receptive.” ing eating disorders, nutrition, exercise However, some felt that most of the and reproductive health. knowledge presented at the fair was Melissa Ta, who ran the American previously known. “Most students have Cancer Society booth, offered tips for already taken Living Skills, so people cancer prevention and felt that the knowl- really just came to get out of class and edge offered at the fair was invaluable. for the free stuff,” Seneviratna said. Of “The more knowledge you have, the more the police booth, he also noted that the power you have,” she said. “If you don’t experience was “more a game than a have enough knowledge, you don’t know drinking deterrent.” what to expect, or where to turn to.”

However, To said the future of the The police booth took a more inter- Health Fair is still promising. “The active approach by demonstrating the theme and format [of a future fair] would effects of driving impairment on coor- be the same,” To said. “I’m hoping that dination ability. “They gave us ‘drunk the event will be continued in 2 years.” goggles’ and had us walk on a line,” sophomore Gayan Seneviratna said. “It felt like I had taken off my glasses and spun around three times.”

While the booths focused on educating the students, the adults running the booths also used the fair as an opportunity to learn more about the students.

“I ran the nutrition booth and was able to find out more about how much the students knew about eating healthy,” To said. “This helps me in planning the booths in future Health Fairs because I’ll know more about what students tend to know and what they need to know more about.” Police officer Brad Kilpatrick also used the opportunity to assess student attitudes. “[The fair] gave us the opportunity to get to know more about the students and we were able to help point them in a certain direction,” Killpatrick said.

According to sophomore Sylvia Henry Liu Zhang, the Health Fair was a positive Students try healthy snacks at experience. “I think it’s a good place to be exposed to,” she said. “It was very the healthy Whole Foods booth.

Teen pregnancy rates on campus rise 3 percent Stephanie Kennel Reporter

Members of the Gunn community have not ignored the three-percent increase in the number of teen pregnancies over the years. According to Gunn health technician Heather Kavanagh, in addition to mere irresponsibility, one of the triggering factors in the rise in teenage pregnancies is the media. “The media has likely influenced the rise in the number of teen pregnancies,” Kavanagh said. “Young people look at pop stars who are having babies, like Ashley Simpson, Britney Spears and her sister, and because they idolize them, they may be influenced.”

According to Kavanagh, abstinence is encouraged at Gunn is through the living skills class, a graduation requirement that teaches sex education among other topics.However, Kavanagh said that other than providing education on the topic, there is little that can be done on behalf of the administration that could

prohibit female students from having sex and getting pregnant. “Teachers are not allowed to give out contraception,” she said. “The school cannot give the message that it promotes sexual behavior.

There are places where contraception is available to teens, like Planned Parenthood.”

According to Living Skills teacher Brian Tuomy, abstinence is not encouraged in Living Skills. “Based on California law, we don’t teach abstinence, only education,” Tuomy said. “We don’t tell kids not to do it because then they get the mentality that everything that’s taboo becomes tempting.”

The class merely “teaches protection and barrier methods for both sexes as wells as hormonal-based methods for females so that pregnancy can be prevented,” he said.

Gunn nurse Rose McGinnis believes that parents are liable for the education of their kids regarding sex and that additional information would come best from health professionals. “Parents are

responsible for sex education,” she said.

“Teachers and health technicians, when approached, could provide this information in a confidential manner. However, it would be best coming from health professionals, referring to students to Planned Parenthood or their private physician.”

In addition to influence from the media, McGinnis also considers the distinctive cultural aspects of teens who get pregnant and have babies. “Some cultures do not look upon teen pregnancy as a negative occurrence,” she said. “These parents support their children.”

According to McGinnis, there are teen pregnancies that she is aware of here at Gunn, and one of these girls made the choice to continue the pregnancy and has obtained much support for her decision to keep the baby.

“A recent teen pregnancy student has received a lot of support from her teachers, health technician and parents,” she said. “Her health insurance agency is supportive as well.”

It’s a legal high, yet it leaves students ashamed.

It’s safe and students and teachers alike are doing it in liquid form every day. It’s called caffeine.

Senior Victoria Gehry, (name changed for anonymity), says students at Gunn who use NoDoz pills feel that the stigma surrounding drugs makes the legal pills seem taboo, too. “I kind of feel like a druggy,” Gehry said. Stanford law professor and bioethicist Henry Greely called the feeling of taboo a dichotomy in American drug culture. “Our society has puts a lot of social meaning, usually negative, on ‘drugs’ or ‘pills’,” Greely said. “Caffeine in coffee is a beverage; caffeine in a tablet is a drug and hence culturally more suspect. We don’t think we should use drugs, we want to avoid using drugs, and at the same time a different part of us has his double espressos.”

Gehry’s NoDoz fix is equivalent to a moderate coffee drinker’s habit, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services. The Service’s Web site states that three eight-ounce cups of coffee per day is a moderate amount of caffeine for the average person. A Starbucks Grande cappuccino and a double espresso each contain 150 mg of caffeine. Each dime-sized NoDoz pills contains 200 mg of caffeine, but can be cut in half for a lower dose.

Senior Boone Carter, (name changed for anonymity) a varsity athlete, reports that he regularly takes one to two pills each day. “I would argue that it is not more dangerous than coffee,” Carter said. According to Carter, students are afraid that school administration will view the pills as a drug.

NoDoz “seems more sketchy,” when compared to its drinkable counterpart, Gehry said.

NoDoz pills can cause sleep deprivation and signs of habituation or addiction. “The first few times you take them, you can’t fall asleep,” Gehry said. However, she has become habituated to NoDoz. “Now I can fall asleep.” Gehry also reports signs of addiction. When she stops the pills, she gets headaches. These withdrawal symptoms are similar whether users get their caffeine from coffee, soft drinks or pills, according to research published in the journal Psychopharmacology.

Withdrawal symptoms can range from headaches to fatigue, drowsiness, depression, irritability, difficulty concentrating and flu-like symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and muscle pain or stiffness.

According to Greely, the use of other cognitiveenhancing drugs is simply an evolution of caffeinefueled study sessions. “I think cognitive enhancement is inevitable because neuroscience will lead to better drugs to treat brain-based diseases, some of which will also work for the healthy,” he said. “I suspect the next big hit will be drugs for enhancing memory, developed and sold for people with early stages of dementia but helpful for others as well.” But according to Greely, cognitive enhancement must be viewed with regards to its risks as well as its benefits. Prescription stimulants, such as Adderall and Ritalin, for example, are illegal. “[They] should not be used by someone whose situation has not been assessed by his or her physician,” he said.

According to Greely, being cautious about pill use is important. “Those who use No-Doz or other caffeine pills will find it easier to move to other drugs than those who just use caffeine in beverages,” he said. “They’ve already consciously broken the social norm.” He recommends exercising the same kind of risk assessment for any forms, though. Gehry and Carter both cited using NoDoz to stay up to finish homework.

“High school students under 18 should think about the pluses and minuses of using caffeine,” Greely said, “Including the encouragement it gives to procrastination by allowing someone to wait to the last minute while having some hope of avoiding disaster.”

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News

The Oracle

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Monday, April 20, 2009

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UCs should not change admission requirements Public schools side with private interests to reduce Asian attendence

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othing causes turmoil quite like the result of combining university admissions and ethnic tensions.

Though it is mostly associated with the civil rights movement of the 1960s, affirmative action is still evolving and causing controversy today. The newest chapter in the history of affirmative action is now being written in the University of California (UC) system with the recent decision to alter admissions policies in order to increase campus diversity. These policies, when put into effect, will decrease the number of admitted Asian students from 36 percent of the total admissions to between 29 and 32 percent, while increasing the number of whites from 34 percent to between 41 and 44 percent. The impact on Hispanic and African-American students will be negligible (according to the Office of the President, University of California). Although the pursuit of diversity on campus is admirable, this direct manipulation of the system flouts traditional merit-based admission and established legal guidelines enforced by the state government.

There are many laws in all levels of government that outline the complex ins-and-outs of racial preference in public institutions. Of these laws, the most pertinent to the UC’s decision is California Proposition 209, passed in

1996, which states that “the state shall not discriminate against, or grant preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education or public contracting.” This one phrase shuts down the kind of direct tinkering with admittance ratios that the UCs are currently attempting. When Proposition 209 was put on the ballot, the UC system was one of its greatest supporters. Now it seems that the current regents have decided that the laws of California no longer apply to their admissions policies.

Public schools are, by definition, meant to be all-inclusive. Unlike private schools, which have the right to be somewhat selective, state-funded universities must admit all qualified students regardless of ethnicity, gender or socioeconomic background.

The UC’s new admissions policy plans to eliminate required SAT subject tests and increase the number of students guaranteed admission from individual high schools (from the top four percent to the top nine percent) while decreasing the number of students guaranteed

admission overall (from the top 12.5 percent statewide to the top 10 percent statewide).

The plan is designed to allow lower-income families to apply, as well as increase the general eligibility pool.

Although this seems like a generous move on the part of the UCs, they are simply reshuffling the applicant pool to lower the standards of admission and favor less-qualified students. Removing SAT subject tests, which Asian students tend to score well on, puts more weight on the SAT reasoning tests, which favors American natives. Eliminating this requirement may also open the door for students who may not be as prepared for college as others. Instead of trading high caliber students for supposed diversity, the UCs should relieve the pressure caused by subject tests by sponsoring test-preparedness programs in high schools and by putting pressure on the College Board to stop gouging all students for these required tests.

The Opinion of The Oracle

State should not add PE load

Nathan Toung

Apart from anything else, this new admissions policy is causing tension throughout California. Although the new policy will not be instated until 2012 (thus affecting the current freshman class), students, parents and educators are already protesting this attempt to forcefully change the diversity of public schools. One can only hope that the UCs will adapt their policy in a manner that will allow it to truly serve the public interest rather, than the universities’ private motives.

—Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the staff (assenting: 39; dissenting: 3)

Obama lifts old media ban Veronica Polivanaya

Brian Phan

Melissa Chan Beginning with the class of 2013, four years of physical education will be required to graduate. Two extra years of P.E. will lower student morale and soak up funds. Pretending to play a sport four times a week won’t help anyone stay in shape, especially the students who really need it.

P.E. should not be mandatory. For four years, people should make the choice to do P.E. on the basis of free will. P.E. makes many students not want to put in effort—the team building and exercises are concepts that seem mildly ridiculous to many students. This teaches students how to feign or fake work, an unhealthy habit.

Two years of P.E. is already enough, and four is overkill. Students should spend time pursuing activities that they might aspire to in a future career. Students who truly benefit from the class and want to push themselves harder will be able to continue their exercise in advanced fitness, along with other likeminded students.

Similar to the fact that not all overweight

people are unhealthy due to muscle weight, the same holds true that not all underweight people are in shape. Many are skinny by nature, have little muscle and are physically very weak. Periodical fitness tests could solve this issue. A physical test every month or so, would allow the administration and the state of California to keep an eye on all students’ fitness instead of requiring four years. Students who fail to pass the test would be required to take a P.E course, and they would be given another chance to pass.

Getting fit is something that people will do on a basis of free will, not because the School Board puts them into a class where they play non-competitive team building sports with fellow students. Furthermore, more P.E. classes would result in a need for increased staff and equipment. This is money that should be spent in other areas.

The bottom line is that if students want to exercise and stay in shape, then they can do it by themselves. Two more years of a filled mandatory course will take away oppurtunities from students. True fitness is self-motivated and no high school course is going to change that. By forcing it onto the students for an increased two years, it will be detrimental to the facilities, students and school as a whole.

—Chan, a sophomore, is a reporter.

In an effort to promote transparency and open government, President Barack Obama has lifted an 18-year ban that prohibited media coverage of the War Dead ceremony in Dover, DE. Although it may sound like a complete violation of privacy, the lift is essentially beneficial because it will not only enable family members to make a choice regarding the matter, but will also unveil the cost of war to the public.

The ban was initially imposed by the George H. W. Bush administration during the Gulf War in February 1991 in an attempt to shield grieving families from further torment. Although that reason alone may seem to justify the implementation of the ban, there was another underlying cause that was far less legitimate.

In 1989, controversy sparked when several television stations projected split-screen images showing Bush joking around on one side, and a military honor guard unloading coffins on another. Embarrassed about the unfortunate turn of events, Bush asked the television networks to forewarn him the next time a split screen was used. When they declined, he simply banned media coverage of the war dead altogether.

The ban was unnecessary to begin with as it had practically nothing to do with the ceremony itself, and it simply pulled the wool over everyone’s eyes by shielding them from the cost of war.

By forbidding the public to view

images and videos of the war dead ceremonies held in Dover, the government hides the negative side of the war, which, in turn, downplays the cost of war in the public’s eye. Media coverage of the adverse effects of the war is limited enough as is, and it seems as though there are more commercials advocating the inexpensive education associated with joining the army than there are photographs of casualties and death tolls. When people are not exposed to the dangers associated with war, they feel more and more unaffected by it, and media coverage of the ceremony would remind the public that the cost of war is, in fact, a high price to pay.

Critics point out that the ban allows family members to honor the lives of their loved ones in a private fashion, sans media coverage, and that lifting it would strip them of that right. The new measure wouldn’t turn the ceremony into a paparazzi fest, however, but rather allow the war dead to receive more world-wide recognition for their achievements than they would otherwise. Families are also given a choice regarding the amount of media coverage that they want present, and can make the matter as private as they desire. Some may accuse the act of stripping families of their right to privacy, but in reality, it provides them with more rights, as they are given the option to make a choice that they had absolutely no say in before.

Obama made a good decision by allowing the cost of war to be seen not only on the battlefield, but also in American homes. Sweeping things under the rug may be the easy way out, but after all, honesty is the best policy.

—Polivanaya, a senior, is an Entertainment Editor.

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The Oracle

Hannah Plank-Schwartz After decreasing steadily for 14 years, the United States birth rate rose by three percent among 15 to 19 year old girls between 2005 and 2006. These rising numbers have caused skepticism as to whether enough precautionary actions are being taken. We must spread awareness in the form of three-year sex education programs and availability of contraception.

There are multiple factors that influence pregnancy numbers, one being the effect of pregnancy pacts. These pacts are a phenomenon in which groups of girls make pacts to get pregnant as teens. Many psychologists attribute the establishment of pacts to behavioral psychology showing that teens like to be in groups with a common interest. These pregnancy pacts unite teens with one goal: getting pregnant. A well-known instance occurred at Gloucester High School in Massachusetts, which ended the year with 17 students expecting, quadrupling the number of pregnancies from the previous year. Pacts are becoming more common and emphasizing the current need for action.

Another source being pinned as responsible is American pop culture and media. Movies like Juno and Knocked Up promote an idealized image of carefree teen motherhood. The version of motherhood displayed by the media is not burdensome or challenging like it is for real teen mothers. TV shows like Gossip Girl and 90210 portray sex as always being casual and consequence-free, even without the use of protection.

Young starlets like Jamie Lynn Spears also make teen girls think that it is okay to get pregnant at that age, and that it is even a cool new experience. Girls do not realize the huge impact of motherhood.

Whatever the influential factors, the three percent rise in pregnancies indicates the urgency of action to be taken. “The focus on teen pregnancy and births has lessened, because the news has been so consistently good since 1991,” Bill Albert, the Deputy Director of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, said. In order to reduce pregnancies, it is imperative that communities take steps to educate teens. Congress and state governments must pass bills requiring and funding sex education classes in schools. According to Time Magazine, an espe-

cially successful method of reducing pregnancies is a three-year sex-ed program that includes long-term counseling. Kristen Jordan, a recent graduate of Clemson University, began teaching a three-year, comprehensive sex-ed program that not only emphasizes the importance of contraception and abstinence, but also encourages self-esteem through role-playing and other activities. After the Comprehensive Health Education Act was passed in South Carolina, by requiring at least 12.5 hours of sexual education, school districts experienced a huge turn for the better. With the use of this interactive program and its enthusiastic teacher, district pregnancies have dropped from 19 in 2006 to only two in 2008.

Another solution that has been effective in reducing pregnancies is school health clinics. Researcher Douglas Kirby, head of the Washingtonbased Center for Population Options, studied the behavioral effects of sex education, to find which programs were effective. He found that when sex-education programs are combined with efforts to help teenagers obtain contraceptives, pregnancy rates drop sharply. According to Time Magazine, Mechanic Arts High School in St. Paul, MN became the first public high school in the U.S. to have its own full-service health clinic in the building. With the help of St. Paul-Ramsey Medical Center, it offered varied services like immunizations and sports physicals. An important factor that set it apart was that it also advised teens about contraception and dispensed prescriptions for birth control devices (with previous parental consent that their child could visit the clinic). Clinics now exist at four other St. Paul high schools and the results have shown great impact; between 1977 and 1984, births to female students fell from 59 per 1,000 to 26 per 1,000. Once more of these successful clinics and dual programs are established, studies have proven that rates should decrease significantly. These two effective programs, once expanded, have the ability to significantly lessen the number of pregnancies across the US. Working against outside influences like the media and pregnancy pacts, comprehensive sex-ed programs and helpful clinics have emerged as successful ways to battle the growing phenomenon of teen pregnancy.

a baby y b d sca e l t re at

I’m not really the kind of girl you’d expect to have a pregnancy scare. Not so much because I don’t get, um, carnal, but more because I am paranoid, and would thus be perfectly willing to break the mood in order to have a professional discussion about condoms, birth control and STDs. This paranoia has served many purposes in my life: it has allowed me to have clean, safe sex, it has only ever further sparked the sexual tension (“Oh, baby! Talk to me about synthetic progestogens!” Try it sometime). However, I never gave the possibility of teen pregnancy much thought. It seemed like something that only happens to inner-city kids.

I’m no disadvantaged kid, yet I had pregnancy scare a couple of months ago. I had missed my period by a day. And then another day. And then another day. As I frantically began planning what I would do in case I truly did have a little

R

Pregnancy causes meet solutions

—Plank-Schwartz, a sophomore, is a reporter.

stowaway, I thought about the last time I had been, you know, carnal. It was a week before my period was supposed to come (prime fertility time!). I had been at a party, the stereotypical high school kind, and I had a bit of firewater in me. The whole night, this guy had told me I was pretty, so when it was time to hit the sack, the firewater told me that anything that followed would be a good idea. We never had sex, but I remembered something I had learned in my Living Skills class: penetration isn’t necessary for impregnation to occur.

Over the next few days, I quietly bemoaned every tiny stomach pain, utterly convinced that the queasiness I usually feel from biking too fast was the result of something burrowing into my uterus.

Of course, the day after I bought some sticks to pee on, I got my period. Now, when I get my period, I usually spend the entire week in agonizing, endless pain. You can usually find me curled up in the fetal position, cursing under my breath. But I can honestly say that I have never been more relieved by the prospect of cramps and aching and nausea. I was expecting to go to college. I would have had to either dump the kid on my parents—not an option, considering how preoccupied they are—or put off the education I had worked so hard for. Nowadays, you can bet I’m going to be a little more careful with my firewater.

—Anonymous, a Palo Alto High School student, is a guest writer.

Vaccine offers safety

Beth Holtzman The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC), recommend and approve the administering of the HPV vaccine, Gardisil. Discovered in 2006, the vaccine guards young women

against two types of HPV (16 and 18) that account for over 70 percent of cervical cancer diagnoses. HPV is a common and deadly sexually transmitted disease (STD) affecting many women; in the U.S. alone, over 80 percent of women will have contracted at least one strain of the virus by age 50.

Despite the high success rates and safety of the vaccine, many people and organizations are fighting vehemently against its administration. The greatest naysayers preventing young girls from receiving this immunization are their parents. Parents are uneasy about immunizing their young daughters against

a disease that is contracted through sexual activity. One common fear is that the vaccine would increase sexual activity among teens; however, this argument is debatable. Dr. Christine Peterson, director of the University of Virginia’s Gynecology Clinic, said that the presence of a vaccine in ones body does not cause them to engag in certain behaviors, such as sexual activity.

Due to the predominately abstinence only sexual education taught in our country, many parents find it hard to grasp the idea of immunizing their 12 or 13 year old daughters against an STD. However, these notions must

change. Multiple studies, including those done by the FDA and CDC reassert the safeness and effectiveness of the vaccine. Therefore, it is necessary for parents to overlook the fact that the Gardisil vaccine prevents a sexually transmitted disease, but instead, parents need to focus on the idea that the vaccine protects their daughters from a type of cancer. Overall, Americans need to learn to accept the idea that their children may be engaging in sexual activity and that they should immunize their child before it’s too late.

—Holtzman, a senior, is a News Editor.

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Monday, April 20, 2009

9

High-Speed Rail will split the city Newly-proposed train threatens city despite few positive effects

Joyce Liu Palo Alto to Los Angeles in two hours and 21 minutes? With the new High-Speed Rail (HSR) up and running, the previous statement would become a reality, allowing Bay Area inhabitants to be able to travel to the Los Angeles area in less than three hours; one would pay no more than $60 and save approximately 300 pounds of carbon dioxide per trip. Nonetheless, do not be fooled by these numbers. Although saving time and going green appeals to many of us, we must consider the lengths that HSR will take to achieve these results.

California passed Proposition 1A last November, which authorized $9.95 billion in bond funds to plan and build the California High Speed Rail Project. The HSR project will be an 800-mile high-speed train system between San Francisco and Los Angeles. The proposed stations in the Bay Area are going to be located in San Francisco, Millbrae and San Jose, with another potential station in either Redwood City or Palo Alto.

One of the main issues with HSR in Palo Alto is the proposed elevated platform plan.

Platforms would be built at least 15 to 20 feet above the ground for the HSR tracks, with an additional 15 feet of wire above the platforms. Not to mention, there will be additional sound walls to reduce sound created by HSR. These 20-feet grade-separated tracks are hideous. No longer would there be any bushes along Alma—all we would have is a 20-feet wall. Furthermore, the wall would divide our city forever. Inhabitants’ views would be completely obstructed by this eyesore. Unfortunately for Palo Alto High School (Paly), they will have to cope with more than just Caltrain being next to them, and Paly will also gain a pleasant view of the grade separated tracks from its football field. Also, if HSR chooses to build grade-separated tracks, students who bike and who cross the East Meadow and Alma or Charleston and Alma intersection to get to school would need to resort to using San Antonio Road or Oregon Expressway to get to school. Both of these intersections would have to be redone. After the intersections are finished, bikers and pedestrians will need to

utilize underpasses similar to the one on Embarcadero or Oregon. No matter how HSR assures the public that the underpasses will be safe and secure, the thought of going through a dark underpass is always a bit daunting.

The most disturbing part of this whole ordeal is that the project seems to have made all the decisions already. It only asks for “residential input” to make it look like it listens to community members. The original memorandum of understanding stated that the “ultimate configuration of the Caltrain corridor will be a four track grade-separated high-speed rail system, with mixed-traffic from Caltrain commuter rail and the highspeed rail service.” Due to much protest, HSR officials decided to change the wording of the phrase to pacify residents.

However, the new sentence reads that, “ultimate configuration of the Caltrain corridor will consist of a multiple track, gradeseparated high-speed rail system…” Can someone please explain the difference between four-track and multiple track? HSR thinks that it’s appeasing the public, but they’ve only deceived us. “Multiple track” includes having four tracks, since multiple simply means having more than two. HSR has just given itself more options by saying “multiple tracks” since it could mean two, four, six or eight tracks—something we definitely do not want.

Another crucial part of this statement is the phrase “grade-separated.” Although HSR said that it would consider all options (including tunneling and trenching), the statement released shows that HSR is adamant about constructing grade-separated tracks. There are physical and psychological effects tied to the elevated tracks. Palo Alto will permanently be divided by these 20-feet walls, which will act as a physical barrier separating our city into East and West. In the 1990s, a grade-separated track was built in San Carlos. According to an article in The Mercury News, the residents who live near the tracks find that their lives have changed drastically since then. In the article, Ben Fuller, group president of the Greater East San Carlos neighborhood, where the tracks run through, said that residents feel isolated from the city’s downtown because of the tracks. He also commented on how nearby sidewalks have been narrowed, making it difficult to walk through the area, and that noise and vibrations near the tracks have increased since they were elevated.

There are quite a few possible solutions to

Dan Buckner

avoid building these elevated tracks in Palo Alto. The easiest solution would entail using the Altamont Pass, which would go through the East Bay and still end up in San Francisco. The main advocates for the Pacheco Pass, which runs through San Jose and up the Peninsula, are Silicon Valley business owners. They believe that HSR will help their business travel. However, looking at it from a time perspective, they should know that taking a Southwest flight from San Jose to Los Angeles takes roughly half as long to taking HSR. Plus, the location of the San Jose station will be in Willow Glen, which is a highly residential area and not in the proximity of any large corporations. It makes no sense to build HSR using the Pacheco Pass since it only passes suburban areas in between San Francisco and San Jose. The people of suburbia are not likely to be frequent HSR riders. On the other hand, the Altamont Pass would run through many more urban areas and have a higher chance of increasing ridership. Building HSR along the Pacheco Pass is not necessary because people located along the Peninsula could still easily drive to a station in the East Bay within 30 minutes and take HSR down to Los Angeles.

Compared to the usual six-hour drive, they would still be saving time and Mother Earth.

If HSR is adamant about using the Pacheco Pass after considering all the pros and cons, it must consider tunneling. Though it’s complicated and more costly, it would indeed reduce visual pollution.

This is becoming more than a NIMBY (“Not in My Back Yard”) problem. HSR will affect all residents along the Peninsula. Though not all of our houses will be taken away for eminent domain, the gradeseparated tracks drastically affect the lives of those who live in Palo Alto and beyond.

HSR is bound to come to the Bay Area. Californians showed that their support for this green concept when they passed Prop 1A, but we need to ensure that the HSR officials are acting in our best interests and in Mother Earth’s best interests.

Bay Areans should not settle for the Pacheco Pass just because of a few politicians political interests. We need to make sure we let our opinions be known as the HSR officials make final decisions on the project. Attend city meetings, notify your neighborhood association, sign the petition online at http://www.geopetition.com/ online/25328.html but most importantly educate yourself and others about the issue so that you don’t feel duped when it’s already too late.

—Liu, a junior, is a Features Editor.

Antibiotic obsession creates super germs

an

Ph n

It sounds like the worst of an outdated sci-fi horror film: the day when modern medication is rendered useless. Shockingly enough, that day is completely possible. Since being dubbed the “wonder drugs” of the 20th century, antibiotics have come closer and closer to becoming obsolete.

Antibiotic resistance is the result of advanced bacterial adaptations that diminish drug effectiveness. As common sense implies, antibiotics have never been perfect. However, over-medication and using the drug unnecessarily creates the perfect environment for bacterial evolution, and the breeding of so-called super-viruses. Microbes, which multiply every few hours and mutate often have the ability to pass resistant genes on to other bacteria. In a single day,

problem for people with weaker immune systems. Untreatable infections that lead to the use of riskier, second-choice drugs, can mean death.

People often overlook the most basic forms of resistance prevention, using antibiotics only when necessary. Antibiotics were developed to fight bacterial infection, and are useless against viruses. Often, worried patients ask their doctor’s for drugs to treat viral illnesses like the flu or the common cold, and doctors sometimes respond by prescribing ineffective and useless antibiotics. According to the Center for Disease Control, tens of millions of prescribed antibiotics are prescribed for viral infections. Finish all the medication your doctor prescribes to you. Stopping treatment after symptoms disappear allows for semi-resistant bacteria to survive and multiply. Additionally, never take someone else’s antibiotics. The drug may not be appropriate for your illness, and will lead to multiplying of resistant drugs.

Br ia

Eugenah Chou

an entire colony can spring from a small group of resistant microbes.

Beneath the pristine surface hospitals present, a much more treacherous environment is betrayed by statistics.

Already, more than 70 percent of the bacteria in hospitals have developed resistance to at least one common drug.

Nearly 90,000 patients die on hospital sickbeds each year, as a result of hospital-acquired infections. Scientists are suggesting that in the past decade, every kind of bacteria has strengthened.

The advancement of bacteria has not been mirrored by an evolution of prescription drugs, and the possibility of total antibiotic resistance presents dangerous consequences.

Infections based in drug-resistant bacteria will not respond to treatment, and increase chances of longterm illness. The problem is widespread, and growing fast. Resistance is a particular

—Chou, a sophomore, is a reporter.

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The Oracle

Team Tenny: Simmer down

PRO

Team Noah: Talk it up

CON

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Noah Johnson Every year, millions of seniors are notified of their college acceptances on or around the dreaded date of April 1st. As soon as a student is accepted, it is only a matter of minutes before the majority of seniors are aware. Naturally, every student pretends to be an admissions officer and judges whether or not the college’s decision to accept that specific student was justified. The student who was accepted, however, must choose between openly celebrating his or her acceptance and attempting to conceal his or her excitement for fear of disrespecting classmates. It is a difficult choice to make, but consider the fact that, at Gunn, we openly share in each other’s failures on our annual “Rejection Wall.” Why should acceptances be any different? After four years of grueling work in high school and another six months spent on college applications, students have the right to revel in their acceptances appropriately.

Everyone chooses to celebrate in his or her own way. While some rush to their school’s website to purchase much needed bragging apparel, others just let the news spread quietly. Perhaps some revel in the idea of keeping such a significant secret, but most of us want to share our success with others. Insults and purposeful bragging are one thing, but respectfully showing one’s happiness is another. As young adults we should be able to judge what actions are appropriate. There clearly is a difference between shoving an acceptance letter in a friend’s face and reporting acceptance news with a smile. An unspoken code of conduct exists surrounding this topic, and students need to understand that. Even though there are guidelines to follow, we should not conceal our natural emotions simply because it is a sensitive issue.

If you find yourself angry because another student is happy about his or her acceptance, remember that every senior is going through the same process. Use the classic, clichéd method of imagining yourself in the student’s shoes. It is doubtful that you would want to keep postacceptance jubilance inside. Sometimes the best way to keep from becoming jealous is to try to be genuinely happy for them. When this is not possible (let’s say your worst enemy got into Yale), keep your mind on your own college decisions. Trust me, there’s enough to worry about.

Being able to share in the successes of others is a necessary skill for life after high school. Life will always be full of ups and downs—if you cringe when another student smiles after he or she was accepted, you will likely act in the same manner when your coworker gets that coveted promotion.

We all need to grow up and let people celebrate as they wish. While I am not suggesting that we construct an “acceptance wall” next to our tribute to rejections, it is time to create a more welcoming environment to share our emotions about college–both good and bad.

—Johnson, a senior, is a Managing Editor.

Tenny Zhang You know, Anonymous Individual, when I was deferred from my dream school, the last thing I needed was to see you, strutting in front of L-3 (yes I remember all this vividly), high-fiving passing classmates in your red sweatshirt. Your obvious celebration made my deferral—and, eventually, rejection—feel even worse. In the case of Anonymous Individual, and so many others like him, perhaps I should have felt happier for the accepted and less depressed for myself. But alas, his complete lack of consideration and modesty rendered my sympathies nearly impossible.

To those accepted to your number one schools: I, too, want to celebrate with you, but please remember to have some humility amidst your rapture. By common courtesy, that is a necessary measure that we, too, often forget. And to those rejected and feeling sad: read on, read on.

College admissions are the culmination of 12 years of hard work, dedication and goals. Especially at a school like ours, getting into college isn’t just a brief process—it nearly becomes the students’ religion. We pray to the gods of SAT about a mere number, and we stock up on AP study guide and essay-writing “Bibles.” It only makes sense then, that when the decision arrives by mail or Internet, our emotions veer toward the more extreme end.

Therefore, I understand that when the accepted learn of their decisions, they want to scream and shout. Go ahead, just in the privacy of your own homes, please. That’s what I did, and only my parents were put off, not my peers. And taking the other extreme, a rejection is not a mere “oh well” moment. It can take weeks to get over the impersonal rejection letter. The bottom line is, we all went through college admissions purgatory together, so we should be more considerate towards our fellow applicants at the end of the road.

Following that rule, proceed to school after ridding yourself of the initial excitement. After all, the true joy of acceptance lies in itself, not in the act of telling others about it. Don’t spread the good news around in a 40-decibel voice—it makes you seem arrogant, which usually isn’t even the case anyway.

Generally, you’re simply too unaware of the reality for others. Be aware of it. April is usually a good time for reminding yourself of the other-person’s-shoes lesson.

How can we present ourselves as mature young adults in our application essays, and then blatantly ignore the simple courtesies we learned back in kindergarten?

After all the essays, letters and various overpriced College Board goods (“non-profit organization”—what a lie), this, perhaps, is a final test during the end of our high school years: simply put, how we interact with others less fortunate and control our own exuberance.

This is one exam that no amount of study, persuasion or supreme command of the process of elimination can master—and that makes it all the more challenging, yet defining of them all.

The Oracle’s Managing Editors go head-to-head: where should the boasting end?

—Zhang, a senior, ia a Managing Editor.

Forum

Madoff abuses right to plea Legislatures should examine the role of a guilty plea in cases

Emily Glider A guilty plea is supposed to be just what its name implies—an admission of guilt. But the scandal surrounding Bernard Madoff’s $50 billion con should encourage our current legislature, law enforcement and investigative agencies to reexamine whether this is actually what a guilty plea has come to represent. Even in the absence of a plea bargain, the circumstances surrounding Madoff’s investigation suggest that a confession of guilt is not always a selfless act, but sometimes a way to buy favors.

Over a 30-year period, Madoff ran a Ponzi scheme that cost investors over $50 billion. Madoff would offer to invest a client’s money in the stock market in an effective fashion, such that the stocks would appreciate in value massively, sometimes as high as 12 percent. He would then, instead of investing the money, keep it for himself. Then he would have to find another client who wished to invest with him, take 88 percent of his new client’s “investment” and give the remaining 12 percent to his prior client claiming that his stocks had appreciated (but there were no stocks). To make his “business” seem

more geuine, he ran a legitimate investment business as well.

While investigators insist that no plea bargain has been reached, the investigation into his family and colleagues—or lack thereof—seems somewhat suspicious.

He employed not only his wife, Ruth, but also his two sons, Andrew and Mark, and his brother. While Madoff claims that he restricted their employment to genuine parts of his investment business, initial investigation suggest otherwise.

ties exist in determining what is tainted money and what is not. But over a quarter of his assets came from scamming clients; surely they could trace more than a half a percent of his money.

Madoff has hired a squadron of lawyers, whom he has continued to consult with even after pleading guilty. Considering that he is pleading guilty and supposedly accepting a 150-year prison sentence, they have been pretty active during his period in jail. All of March they have been working busily, filing appeals to have him removed from jail, tallying up his assets and issuing press releases. Even if his sentence were reduced by fourth-fifths, he would Kimberly Han still probably spend the rest of his life in jail.

Legal teams are expensive; if he truly does not expect the judicial system Ruth Madoff, for example, is suspect- to be lenient in his case, if he is pleading ed of laundering 70 million dollars in the guilty out of remorse without any intenweeks immediately prior to and after his tion of gaining favors, why is he still payarrest. ing so much for legal advice?

Employees throughout his scheme beGuilty pleas are supposed to save taxgan transferring millions of dollars worth payer money. Trials are expensive and no of assets to spouses and family members one wants to waste resources. However, when the scam was busted, and Madoff in cases involving serious crimes, taxpaywas no exception. However, while Mad- er savings are not worth the price. Maoff himself has been behind bars for over doff’s case provides a grave example of a month now, none of his family has been the dangers of the guilty plea. For minor arrested. crimes, conserving clerical fees is imporQuestions also remain as to why only tant, but there are some situations abhortwo percent of the tainted money has been rent enough to warrant a maximum senrecovered. Since investigators initially tence. Confession should cuff the hands announced the intention to confiscate of the criminal, not the legal system. $177 billion of his assets, they have only confiscated $1 billion. Indeed, complexi—Glider, a junior, is a Copy Editor.

PAUSD should cut teacher health benefits

Henry Gens

The teaching profession is often characterized as being more for the love of the job than for the money. Although it seems evil to deprive teachers of their benefits, the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) has made the right decision to do so.

This policy of setting money specifically aside for the retirement benefits came about in the last decade as a result of many companies filing for bankruptcy. Such institutions could not offer employees their benefits because there was no fund in these companies directly for that purpose.

The Government Accounting Standards Board reacted to this by issuing recommendations that municipal entities (such as schools) set up retiree health care liability funds that remained separate from other budget allocations.

Earlier this month the PAUSD finished negotiating with two educational unions, Palo Alto Educators Association and the California School Employees Association to slash retirement health benefits for new teachers who enter the district after June 1.

At first glance this may seem like an overbearing policy directed at a group that already suffers too many cutbacks, but this new policy is actually extremely beneficial. New teachers entering PAUSD should not get retirement health benefits because the system for doing so is both broken and inaccessible. To understand the argument, it is first helpful to know the nature of what is at stake— that is, the retirement health benefits.

These benefits exist as an untouchable fund within the budget and amount to some $30 million, which is about 20 percent of the district budget.

It may seem like a prudent investment, but the strings attached to these remunerations effectively nullify the nobler aims of the program. To receive retirement health benefits, teachers must have been practicing within PAUSD for at least 20 years.

Many teachers, however, rarely remain in one district or job for so long.

This essentially alienates the majority of teachers currently in PAUSD. Furthermore, these funds can only be accessed by teachers who retire after the age of 55 and until the age of 65, at which point Medicare provides health benefits. The teacher aid only lasts a maximum of five years or until the retiree reaches the age of 65.

Thus teachers retiring at 63 would receive two years of coverage, and those at 55 would get five years of coverage until they were 60 and then be stuck with paying for their own health care.

In the end these restrictions ensured

Kimberly Han

that the overwhelming majority of teachers, amounting to some 80 percent, in PAUSD never enjoyed the benefits of the liability fund.

In freeing up this fund by canceling the retirement benefits for new teachers, PAUSD was able to grant a 2.5 percent increase in salary plus a one-time sum payment of 2.5 percent of the 2007-2008 salary across the board to all teachers, new hires included.

This policy favors new teachers, who start at very low salaries and have to contend with the high cost of living in the Bay Area.

The immediate cash increase helps everyone more than a distant fund with hard-to-meet qualifications, in addition to getting rid of an unused but highly costly budget allocation. This move is a forward-thinking action that eliminates unnecessary bureaucratic measures and misconceived notions of effective retirement healthcare.

—Gens, a junior, is a reporter.

Monday, April 20, 2009

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Passing period traffic needs to get moving

Amy Yu Morning traffic has officially spilled onto the campus itself. I am, however, not speaking of cars, but rather of students themselves. Traffic during passing periods is bad enough without people standing around and blocking the way. Space at Gunn is clearly limited, yet crowds of students continue to block the flow of traffic.

The human wall problem is most evident during brunch around the math and RC buildings, and the obstruction is becoming a serious and frustrating predicament.

Students walking from the Village to the other side of the school and vice versa should not have to waste three out of the five passing period minutes to wade through a sea of students. What’s worse is that the students who are creating the blockage do not respond to “excuse me” and are not considerate enough to realize they are in the way.

Pushing becomes the solution, and at five feet two inches, I’m at the perfect height to get painfully whacked by backpacks and elbowed in the side. And due to recent construction, the passageway between the math and RC buildings has become narrower; it is now more difficult than ever to get to the other side. With all the shoving and rising tempers, the possibility of injury has quickly turned into a reality.

While half the students scuttle to their next classes on the other side of the school, the sight of the human wall causes the other half to dread the thought of yet another push-and-shove match—even the students who loiter can not like being pushed around all the time. Do they not have classes to go to? And more importantly, would it kill them to find another place to socialize so that they are not interfering with others?

Students are not the only ones caught unawares in the traffic. Teachers can often be seen getting caught in the swarm and end up late to their classes. The teachers arrive to class flustered, and their students lose learning time.

I understand that these groups of students just want to hang out with friends and talk about how their days went, but it is not difficult to find another part of school where one can stand and not hinder others. The amphitheatre boasts enough room for them all, and there is plenty of space in front of Spangenberg for them to chat and catch up on whatever they want. Even the area on the other side of the RC buildings, where the music rooms are, is more convenient.

Fewer students will be walking from the main school grounds to P.E. or to the parking lot. By simply relocating, these groups of students would minimize the savagery of the human wall; everyone could safely get to his or her respective destinations.

Some students need to learn that they are not the only ones on campus. They need to stop blocking hallways. They are causing unnecessary stress to the student body and staff. I am sure I am not the only one whose patience is wearing thin, so please try to be more courteous. Otherwise, I will have to resort to pinching aforementioned students until they get the picture and move.

—Yu, a senior, is a Centerfold Editor.

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Features

The Oracle

How to: find a summer job As we await the arrival of summer vacation, being a coach potato isn’t the best option. You can use these next few months to find a summer job, whether for money, experience or just for fun.

1. Find a Location Choose a summer job that interests you.

Some popular sites include restaurants, retail stores and theme parks. In addition, there is a wall in the College and Career Center where teenage job openings and internships are posted. You can also search for job postings online or in the newspaper.

If a job catches your eye, call the employer up to ask about how to apply for the job.

However, make sure that the job is suitable for your age. There are some jobs that have age restrictions.

2. Write Your Resumé Next, you should create your resumé—a list that presents your skills, strengths, experiences and level of education. Write

down skills that you have that are related to the job that you are applying for a nd that put you in the best light. For example, if you are applying for a lifeguard position, state that you are a part of the swim team. Leave out any irrelevant information that would not be applicable to the position you are trying to attain. The resumé should only be a page long and in a legible font. Your resumé should be professional and concise.

Use bullet points to make it brief. Your employer is not looking for an essay rambling about how great you are. Proofread it to avoid any spelling or grammatical errors and have a family member or a friend check

Poetry celebrated on campus Sarah-Jean Zubair Copy Editor

For the month of April, the English department and Gunn’s literary magazine Pandora’s Box have celebrated National Poetry Month.

English Instructional Supervisor Paul Dunlap says the main idea is to spark an interest in poetry in students.

“Poetry is, unfortunately, seen as something very sterile and academic,” Dunlap said. “In the classrooms, students analyze the poetry so that it loses all of its fun and interest. I hope that throughout poetry month, students will be able to rediscover their enjoyment of poetry.”

Past events have included open mic poetry readings on the quad and poetry contests. As in previous years, Pandora’s Box plans on promoting Poetry Month with poetry grams.

“Poetry grams are poems that you can send to people,” Pandora’s Box president junior Anne Hsiao said. “You customize it, then have it sent to whomever you want.”

Poetry grams have many options for students to customize. While some are pre-written poems, others can be written for a specific person based on sender specifications. Others are similar to ad-libs and are filled in according to the sender’s wishes.

The English Department is also coordinating with video instructor Edward Corpuz to air poetry readings on the morning announcements. According to Corpuz, the

readings will consist of an anchor reading a poem the first week in April, and short videos of different students and staff members reading their favorite poetry aired throughout the month.

“This is the first time [the Titan Broadcast Network] has done anything for National Poetry month,” Corpuz said. “In the past, the broadcasting students have worked with the World Languages Department, Social Studies [Department] and the Student Executive Council (SEC). We think that National Poetry Month is a great opportunity for [TBN] to partner with the English Department.”

Dunlap has arranged for poet and Stanford professor John Felstiner to give a talk on poetry in the Little Theater on April 21.

Felstiner’s recent book Can Poetry Save the Earth? is a study of nature poetry. According to press release agency Business Wire, Felstiner said he felt that he could use “the pleasure of poetry to reach their consciousness, and their consciousness to reach their conscience.”

In addition to bringing attention to National Poetry Month itself, Dunlap hopes that April’s events will encourage students to foster a genuine love for poetry as well.

“When we first learn to speak and then to read, we learn with nursery rhymes and rhymed books, which is all poetry,” Dunlap said. “Unfortunately, we forget this and begin to think that poetry for English snobs.

I hope that students can rediscover a childlike love for poetry.”

it in case you overlook some mistakes.

3. Prepare for an Interview Once you find some possible options, you should start preparing for an interview. First off, find an appropriate outfit. It does not need to be formal, but it should be clean and not too revealing. You Brian Phan want to give a good first impression. Then, do a little research about some possible questions that the employer might ask you and think of responses. Practice with your family members or friends.

You might want to look up some information about the company you are applying to so you can amaze your employer. On your big day, try to arrive a few minutes prior to the actual meeting time. Although you

might be nervous before your interview, take a deep breath and try to relax. Do not forget to talk clearly and make eye contact during the interview.

4. Obtain a Working Permit For those who are under the age of 18, you need to have a working permit. You can get the paper in the College and Career Center. Your employer must offer you a job in order for you to fill out the permit. You will need to put in basic information about yourself such your name and date of birth.

5. Teen Working Rights Once you have a job, keep in mind that you have working rights. You are only allowed to work for eight hours a day and 48 hours a week if you are 16 to 17 years old. If you are between 14 and 15 years old, you are only allowed to work up to 40 hours a week.

If you are ever harassed verbally, physically or emotionally by a fellow employee, you should speak to your boss or your parents.

—Compiled by Jazreel Cheung

Art Piece of the Month

of different people’s body parts. Once the plaster strips were hardened I stuffed slabs of clay inside the molds and pulled them out to create a ripped and organic effect. Since I hadn’t made all the body parts out of clay I took pieces of twisted driftwood to create the missing parts. Finally I put it all together using pieces of rusty wire and mounted it on a metal pole so that it could be free standing.

TO: Were there any outside influences?

Britt J: The project originally started with [Erik] Bowman (my ceramics teacher) showing us pictures of Viola Frey’s artwork, she works with large pieces of clay to create the human sculptures, but mine turned out to be much more natural looking as opposed to her fully clothed and painted figures.

Q&A

with junior artist Britt Jensen The Oracle: What is the name of the art piece?

Britt J: Disjointed.

TO: What is your inspiration?

Britt J: I wasn’t inspired by one specific idea, but I really like the human body and I find the complexity very interesting. I also wanted to have a chance to create the human body using natural materials to maintain that organic look. The deeper meaning behind my piece is that things can always be put back together, but may never be quite the same.

TO: Where does your inspiration come from?

Britt J: My biggest inspiration is the natural world.

Originally I started photography because I wanted to photograph wildlife, landscapes, flower, that kind of thing. But I ended up very interested in macro photography. It still relates to the natural world, just the smaller things that people pass by and don’t notice everyday. Oh, and I like to browse flickr and Deviantart a lot, there is a lot of great work there.

TO: How did you make the art piece?

Britt J: My first step was to create plaster molds

TO: Will you continue your focus in sculpture?

Britt J: Yes, I will definitely continue in ceramics and sculpture, but I would also like to expand in art. Right now I am taking Graphic Design and next year I plan on taking Drawing and Painting if I have time. Personally I’ve taken an interest to sculpture because I really like to work with my hands and feel the material. I also really like to build things and figure out how they work.

TO: Sounds like you have a lot of different interests in art, when did you first start?

Britt J: I’ve been drawing ever since I can remember, and when I was little I had an endless attention span for anything that was craft related. I started taking art in middle school and I have been and plan to continue. I’m also going to an art program this summer.

TO: So, you are going to continue your artistic pursuit in college?

Britt J: I don’t know if I would like to go to a specific art school, but definitely have art as a minor and continue it as a hobby. Who knows? Maybe I’ll go to a graduate school for art.

TO: Since you started so young, do you think that some people are born to make art?

Britt J: I don’t think people are born to do anything specific, because there are so many opportunities in the world. I think it just depends on your upbringing and environment. Art is not like a sport, you don’t have to start young to excel at it. You just have to be committed and motivated to improve your art and your artistic eye.

—Compiled by Bauer Wann

Features

Monday, April 20, 2009

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Part 1:

2

3

13

4

Match each picture with a staff member.

5

6

7

8

(the person on the right)

9

10

11

12

Staff Members A. Paul Dunlap B. Ellen Feigenbaum C. Kristy Garcia D. Mark Gleason E. Yukie Hikida F. Chris Horpel G. Noreen Likins H. Alice McCraley I. Deanna Messinger J. Deborah Sanderson K. Tarn Wilson L. Claudia Winkler M. Lisa Wu

13 Part 2: Match each staff member with an interesting fact.

I. I was a big practical joker in high school and I always got away with everything because I was seen as a teachers’ pet and really innocent.

One time I put a spoonful of honey in someone’s desk to try to get a trail of ants leading to it. The school ended up closing the entire wing of the school for four days due to the ant infestation.

II. During my junior ye a r my f r iend a nd I m i xed up about 30 pou nd s of f ud ge but made it so that 1/3 of it was chocolate flavored Ex-Lax. We put it in the teachers’ lounge a nd watched as teachers ran in and out of classrooms every 10 minutes.

III. I was the animal kid.

I had two hawks, a couple of turtles, a bunch of snakes, fish, newts, frogs, lizards, a flying squirrel, a blue jay, a dog and a cat all in the house.

IV. In my earliest years of school, I was a good kid, but I would get in trouble for one thing: disrupting the class. Evidently, I would finish my assignments right away and go around helping my classmates fin-

ish, too, so that we could all be ready for art and recess.

V. My favorite food was appfel strudel.

VI. I was homecoming queen in high school and the first to wear denim to the homecoming dance. I also lived in the woods for four years in a log cabin without running water and only wood heat in Wisconsin right out of high school.

VII. I have always been fascinated with other places and would try to imagine what it was really like in the Amazon or the Himalayas. I started collecting sta mps because they often had pictures of places in the countries they came from. This was long before the age of computers and color TVs by the way. I spent hours pouring over atlases and dreaming about traveling to these places. Since

I started work, my primary aim has been to get to see as much of the world as I can. Now I collect photos, CDs and DVD about the places and cultures I visit.

VIII. When I was a little younger than this photo, I lived in a converted school bus that said “Suck Nixon” on the side.

IX. I’m a closet fan of the reality TV show, “The Bachelor.”

X. I was extremely shy when I was young. I am also really scared of birds, like chickens.

XI. Although I am not yet ready for an “old folks home,” I drink at least six Ensures a day...I love ‘em!

XII. At one point during my childhood, I could recite/re-enact the whole “Three Amigos” movie.

XIII. I’ve visited all the states except for Hawaii.

—Compiled by Amarelle Hanyecz, Joseph Lin and Joyce Liu

Answers:

1. G. VII. 2. A. IV. 3. L. V. 4. M. XII. 5. C. XIII . 6. J. II. 7. F. XI. 8. B. IX. 9. D. III. 10. E. X. 11. I. VI. 12. H. I. 13. K. VIII.

Photos Courtesy of the staff members

14

Cente

The Oracle

The Oracle uncovers scenarios where accidents have led to positive outcomes. While failing in their original research goals, inventors wound up with unplanned yet successful creations which are now a part of daily life.

There is something about Silly Putty that fascinates the human mind. However, not many people know that Silly Putty was never intended to be a children’s toy.

During World War II, Japan invaded Indochina, which was a major exporter of natural rubber. This put a damper on United States war efforts as rubber was a crucial material needed in truck tires, boots, life rafts, gas masks and bombers.

However, at that time synthetic rubber was too expensive to make, so the government’s War Production Effort called on the American industry to attempt to create a cheap rubber compound.

Then in 1943, James Wright, a Scottish engineer working at General Electric in New Haven, CT, combined boric acid and silicone oil and created a gooey substance.

After conducting a variety of tests, Wright discovered that the substance could be stretched, molded and bounced. The more pressure applied to Silly Putty the more it acted like a solid. Although it had a variety of fascinating properties, Silly Putty could not replace rubber and had no other practical use.

In 1949, the substance was rediscovered by Ruth Fallgatter, who owned a toy store.

She packaged the goo in plastic cases and sold them for two dollars each. Silly Putty did fairly well and was later discovered by Peter Hodgson, who was in debt. He saw Silly Putty as an opportunity and bought a large quantity of putty. With the help of some Yale students, he packaged them in plastic eggs. Hodgson managed to get his product stocked at Nieman Marcus and Doubleday stores. A journalist for The New Yorker found Silly Putty and wrote an article for the paper. Orders started coming in and over the last 50 years the production of Silly Putty has grown to a large scale with over 20,000 eggs manufactured each day.

What had started as a quest to find a synthetic rubber resulted in the production of one of the most classic toys of all time.

ty t u P y Sill

—Rupali Raju

Penici llin

Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin in 1928, one of the most revolutionary scientific developments of the 20th century, was an act of remarkable fortune. The event was built upon several arbitrary scientific decisions, a freak floating mold spore and an auspicious turn of the weather.

At the time of the greatest scientific hallmark of his career, Fleming was a Scottish research scientist with a thriving practice treating syphilis infections of wealthy London patients. In his spare hours, Fleming worked on his pet project and true passion—the discovery of the proverbial substance that his predecessor, the famed Louis Pasteur, had predicted could kill bacteria.

In 1928, Fleming had built a reputation as a skilled researcher but a disorganized lab technician.

His work space was usually in chaos and his bacteria specimen often forgotten or poorly prepared.

On Sept. 28, 1928, Fleming returned to his lab after a two-week vacation to check on the results of his original theory—that his own nasal mucus had antibacterial properties. Perusing his samples, he noted that, once again, his staphylococcus cultures had been invaded by a contaminant, this time a mysterious yellow-green mold. Deeming the samples as useless, Fleming discarded them, but later returned to fish them out when a visitor asked to see his work. In that moment, Fleming noted an unexpected development. In his cultures, a clear halo of space where bacteria had not grown surrounded the growths of mold.

Later, Fleming would discover that without his aid or intention, a random spore of rare bacteria-killing mold named Penicillium had drifted from a mycology lab downstairs to his own and taken growth in his cultures. In another stroke of fortune, Fleming had chosen not to incubate the bacteria just as a cold spell hit London, providing just the necessary temperatures for the penicillium to germinate.

At the time, Fleming was still ignorant to the remarkable events behind his discovery, but was able to make the critical connection that the mold inhibited the growth of staphylococcus bacteria. By isolating and extracting a sample of the mold from a piece of moldy bread, Fleming was able to identify the penicillium mold and dub it “penicillum,” which is now known as penicillin. His consequent research proved the mold’s bacteria-slaying effects upon all Gram-positive pathogens, identifying the first antibacterial substance.

The discovery would revolutionize the treatment of bacterial infection, allowing doctors to successfully treat previously untouchable diseases such as syphilis, gangrene and tuberculosis. Named the “wonder drug,” penicillin became the most efficient medicine in the world and spurred the development of an immense pharmaceutical industry dedicated to its creation and proliferation. In 1945, Fleming was rewarded for his work with a Nobel Prize for Medicine.

—Dana Li

erfold

Monday, April 20, 2009

y h p a r g o t o Ph

15

Every snapshot has a history, but we’re not talking about the story where a three-year-old decides to face-plant into his birthday cake at grandma’s house. Instead, this history involves the process of the flash and the chemicals that imprinted that memory onto photographic paper.

According to the story, Louis Jacques Mande Daguerre was experimenting with photographic plates of metal when he made one of his most important discoveries, purely by accident. The biggest problem with photography at the time was getting the images to stay without darkening into an indecipherable blob. Daguerre left an underexposed photographic plate in a cupboard and was surprised to discover an image fixed onto the plate a few days later. Needless to say he cleaned out that cupboard and by trial and error he found that a broken mercury thermometer had produced a vapor that developed a latent image. The discovery of the latent image was an enormous breakthrough in photographic science because it allowed for the exposure time of an image to shrink from eight hours to 30 minutes. Daguerre, delighted with his success, submitted the design to the French government and in 1839 the daguerreotype was exposed to the world.

Clearly, mercury and metal plates are no longer employed in modern snapshots, but that does not mean serendipity is lost from the science of photography. Ten years ago Harvard professor Eric Mazur discovered that blasting a silicon wafer with laser energy in the presence of sulfur and other chemicals produces a material, now named black silicon, which is more efficient in absorbing photons and releasing electrons. The patent on this technology was purchased

by SiOnyx in 2006. The company will research the semi-conductive properties of black silicon and utilize it in the production of extraordinary and efficient visual equipment.

—Ann Abraham

Amidst the chaos of World War II, naval engineer Richard James was given a fateful assignment. In 1943, a torsion spring ripped loose from the internal workings of a ship he was assigned to repair. The torsion spring, a series of tight metal coils used commonly in mechanics, bounced back and forth on the floor in a whimsical pattern. The playful fashion in which it sprung along the floor suggested to him a possible business opportunity. In 1945, James designed a machine to mass-produce torsion springs as children’s toys called “the slinky.”

James and his wife borrowed $500 to start James Spring and Wire Company, which produced 80-foot slinkies made of Swedish wire. The slinky was unveiled at Gimbel’s Department Store in Philadelphia at a Christmas fair in 1945. Four hundred slinkies were bought within the first hour and a half they were on sale. As the slinky gained popularity, James patented his toy on August 21, 1946, a year after going into business.

The James Spring and Wire Company changed its name in 1956 to James Industries, which continues to produce slinkies today and has sold 500 million as of this year. The company continues to follow the instructions outlined by US Patent #2,415,012, the original model, and has been met with tremendous success.

However, Richard James was not so lucky. In the 1960s, James joined a Bolivian cult and disappeared. He is thought to have died in 1974. His wife, Betty James, took over James Industries and moved it Hollidaysburg, PA where it is headquartered today. She added several new slinky models to the line including Jr. Slinky, Slinky Pets and Neon Slinky. She sold the company to Poof Toys in 1998 and died in 2008, after being inducted into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame in 2001.

Sli nk y

—Emily Glider

-Its t s o dP n a per a P id Liqu

Perhaps two of the most commonly used inventions among all office supplies are Liquid Paper correction fluid and Post-Its. However, both of these inventions were not planned products and were in fact created by accident.

Bette Nesmith Graham was a high-school dropout whose dream career of becoming a painter had never taken off. Instead, she married at 19 and spent her days working as an executive secretary for the chairman of the board of Texas Bank & Trust. As a secretary, Nesmith often made mistakes while using electric typewriters. Frustrated by the constant errors, Nesmith decided to take a painter’s approach to the problem.

Nesmith brought tempera water-based paint mixed in a kitchen blender to work and used a paintbrush to simply paint over her mistakes.

With her colleagues asking for bottles of “Mistake Out,” Nesmith began to realize the marketable potential of her invention. She started the Mistake Out Company in 1956 and patented her product with the name “Liquid Paper.” The company boomed and now produces Liquid Paper in various forms, including pens, bottles and tape.

In a similar way, Post-Its were never a planned creation. In 1968, at 3M, a multinational corporation that produces thousands of products, chemist Spencer F. Silver was given the task to design a strong adhesive. Instead he created a weaker adhesive that could stick to other objects but was easily removed. The invention was merely shelved as a failure until another 3M scientist, Arthur L. Fry, discovered its potential.

Fry spent his time outside of work in a church choir. One day, frustrated by markers that constantly fell out of his hymnal, Fry decided to coat his markers with Silver’s adhesive. It was an instant success and Fry immediately convinced 3M to distribute Post-Its nationwide.

Both Nesmith’s simple homemade creation and Silver’s supposed failure have become common office products used all over the world. These products have become two of the greatest “now why didn’t I think of that?” inventions.

—Elaine Liu Graphic by Dan Buckner Photos by Henry Liu, Marverick Mallari, Phillip Sun, Cosmo Sung and Ivan Yong,

16

Features

Students take a slice of p The Oracle

SciOly works toward States Amy Yu

Centerfold Editor

“Based on polymers and fibers found at the scene, we conclude that man number two murdered the woman.”

No, this is not from a recent episode of Law and Order.

Rather, this is a snippet of what students who are a part of Gunn’s Science Olympiad Club (SciOly) do at their main competition, the Science Olympiad. Recently, Gunn placed third in the regional-level competition and competed in the state-level competition on April 18 in Stockton. They competed against Mission San Jose High School and Palo Alto High School, who placed first and second in the regional competition, respectively.

Forensics, along with other science topics like cell biology, health science and environmental chemistry are event topics in which students compete to see which team is most knowledgeable. There are also engineering events which require SciOly students to build models, like catapults or rockets, and then test them at the competition. “It’s rather hectic, but it’s really exciting to go to competitions,” SciOly president Tammy Hsu said.

For the Science Olympiad, SciOly divides themselves into two teams through placement tests: Team A and Team B. Within each team, members are then further divided into groups of two or three. Individual members usually compete in four to five events of his or her choosing. Medals are awarded to individuals in their events, and the entire team receives a trophy if they place in the top three.

However, SciOly did not always go as smoothly as they would have liked. “We could’ve prepared more,” senior Annie Chin said. In the regional competition, Gunn barely beat Mission San Jose’s B team by one point. But in the

Q&A with Kevin Yang junior mathlete

The Oracle: What is your experience with math competitions?

Kevin Yang: There are two series of nationwide competitions during the year, and several local ones. I usually participate in the nationwide contests, and maybe one or two local ones a year. Up until this year, I trained and practiced actively.

I spent maybe 100 to 150 hours across three or four months.

end, SciOly was satisfied with their results. “Considering how little we studied, [the competition] went pretty well,” Chin said. “Everybody was happy and surprised.” Chin also experienced some difficulty when she and her team partner were given an event at the last minute and were studying between their other events. Tests were also difficult but not impossible. “My events were challenging; however, with some creativity, the harder problems became quite simple,” junior Jeff Han said.

Team miscommunication was also present throughout the competition. However, they are planning on learning from their mistakes. “I will start preparing sooner and get things done earlier so I will have enough time to do everything,” freshman Jeffrey Sun said. “We try our best and do what we can.”

SciOly offers many opportunities. “[SciOly] exposes you to topics you never knew you had an interest in,” Hsu said. SciOly is also a way for students to study topics they are interested in but are not taught in school. “If you like snakes, then you have an opportunity to study about them,” Hsu said. Students signed up for SciOly mainly because of interest. “It’s a really good experience for science,” Sun said, also stating how he would be part of the club next year and might try different events. Hsu agreed. “I was interested in science, and liked studying and preparing for science competitions,” Hsu said. “I have learned a lot about specific topics [in science], and I have also learned to schedule events and fit in study time for my own events.”

Anyone can join Science Olympiad and take something away from the experience. “[SciOly] is a fun way to express one’s interest in the sciences and [it] fosters a competitiveness that pushes one to excel,” Han said. SciOly meets in S-2 on Wednesdays during lunch.

TO: How do you prep for competitions? How many have you done?

KY: Do a ton of math problems, and read theory. I’ve competed somewhere in the tens of math competitions, probably low twenties. I placed third in the state and 17th nationwide in 7th grade doing MathCOUNTS, and was one of the top 40 scorers on the United States of America Mathematics Olympiad (USAMO) in 2007.

TO: Describe a competition.

KY: Think of a giant study party.

Now add Rubik’s cubes, people playing “the game” and an eightto-one boy to girl ratio. Usually,

the top five scorers comes out of the same group of ten or so people, and it is often possible to predict the winners before the contest begins.

TO: What draws you to math competitions?

KY: Math is something that I’ve been good at for a while, and while I do consider myself good at it, it’s not something I want to spend the rest of my life researching or developing. I don’t plan on majoring in mathematics in college, or pursuing it as a career. Theoretically, pure mathematics isn’t my thing.

—Compiled by Wen Yi Chin

Raising the AIME bar Alvin Man Reporter

Every year, the Mathematical Association of America holds the annual American Mathematics Competitions (AMC). The AMC offers five different tests, which are AMC-8, AMC-10, AMC-12, American Invitational Mathematics Exam (AIME) and United States of America Mathematics Olympiad (USAMO). Only the AMC-10 through the USAMO are given at Gunn. The AMC-10 is given to students in tenth grade and under, and the AMC-12 is usually given to juniors or seniors.

Gunn had many AIME qualifiers. “For any school, having one or two students making the AIME is extremely good,” math department Instructional Supervisor Jeanne Beck said, “However, as we sent 44 students to the AIME. It’s amazing.”

The top one percent for the AMC-10 and the top five percent of the AMC-12 qualify for the three hour long AIME. Unlike its predecessor, this test is not multiple choice and the answers are all integers ranging from zero to 999. “The first couple of questions are hard, and I think I got a seven out of 15 on the test,” sophomore Youyang Guo said. “However, I needed a nine to make it to USAMO.” Gunn has a high USAMO attendance. “Seven people coming from our school going to the USAMO is amazing as only 500 are accepted across the nation,” Beck said.

The top six of USAMO are invited as a team to the International Mathematical Olympiad. “We had two students that almost made the team,” Herreshoff said, “Both made the top 12 and were semifinalists.”

All test-takers are qualified for the Mathematical Olympiad Summer Program (MOSP), a three-week summer camp held at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. “The camp selection was divided into three parts, Black MOSP, Red MOSP and the Blue MOSP which are all based on USAMO scores.” junior Taylor Han said. “The top 20 to 30 non-seniors after the top 12 are selected into the Blue MOSP. The Black MOSP are the top 12 finalists and the Red MOSP is the top 30 freshmen at USAMO.” Han was selected to the Blue MOSP scoring 20 out of 42 on the USAMO. The test is a six question, two day, nine-hour essay and proof event. “The USAMO is extremely tiring and hard.

For the AIME and AMC, you only need an answer but in the USAMO, you have to prove it,” Han said, “And, the hardest question on the AIME is the easiest question on the USAMO.” Many of the students study on their own time with barely any help from teachers. “I just practiced on old AIME tests,” Guo said. Others have also attended camps. “I worked on math books Mr. Herreshoff recommended to me and I went to a math camp as well as an online class for problem solving,” Han said.

Students participate in mathematics camps, competitions Anne Hsiao

Business Manager

Calculus Camp: The math department offers students a camp outside of school that combines improving test scores and bonding with classmates.

Calculus Camp is open to all of the Advanced Placement (AP) AB Calculus students. “It’s not a painful way to learn,” math teacher Kathy Hawes said, strongly emphasizing how “awesome” the camp is.

At the camp, students have the chance to review old AP tests, work in study groups and take practice tests. There is also a trivia contest, and students get a T-shirt to bring home afterwards.

According to Hawes, going to Calculus Camp is extremely beneficial in improving AP scores. The practice test administered at the camp is considered a huge benefit to the students. “It is the only way to give AP tests in a real environment,” Hawes said. “You can’t

really administer a three hour test in one hour of class.” Statistics compiled by math teacher Dave Deggeller show that the pass rate on the AP AB Calculus exam has increased from 95 percent to 98 percent since students have gone to Calculus Camp in 2002. In fact, the percentage of fives received on the AP test increased by 20 percent. Calculus Camp is not only academically oriented. Students who want to exercise can hike. The one night students stay over, a campfire is held where people can just hang out. “The camaraderie is fun,” Hawes said.

The camp, held at the YMCA Camp Jones Gulch in La Honda, starts on May 1.

Students leave Friday after school and come back Saturday afternoon. Eastside Preparatory School, a private school targeting East Palo Alto students, is also invited to join AB Calculus students at the camp. The cost is $90, which includes meals, lodging, buses and T-shirts. “We do offer scholarships,” Hawes said. “We don’t want financial reasons to stop someone from going.”

Santa Clara Math Field Day: The Santa Clara Math Field Day is a math contest that tests both individuals and teams. At the contest, held at San Jose State University on Saturday, March 21, middle and high school students competed in different subject-specific tests, ranging from algebra and calculus to such tests titled Leap Frog Relay and Discovery Quest. “It’s a random contest where they like to give out a lot of trophies,” junior Charles Chen said.

According to math teacher Daisy Renazco, teachers who taught the various tested subjects recommended students to go. Some teachers, however, just encouraged students who wanted to participate. The contest lasted from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. and scores were announced at 12 p.m.

Students are scored in two different ways. In the individual events, students are ranked from people who scored the most correct questions to the least questions correct. In team events, there are a total of four people per team. Each person takes the test.

However, only three out of those four scores are chosen and the total number of points is then tallied.

The top 15 people in the subject place.

People who place 11th to 15th receive a ribbon and people who place first to tenth receive a trophy. One person placed top ten in Calculus, two people in Algebra Two and all three statistics students finished top 10.

The Leap Frog contestants finished third and the Discovery Quest student finished fourth.

Overall, Gunn placed third, behind Mission San Jose and Palo Alto High School.

While students are waiting for scores to come out, they are given Rubik’s cubes and puzzles to figure out. “If a person figured out the puzzle, they would be put in a raffle and have the chance to win a prize,” Renazco said. “Sometimes the prizes were the puzzles themselves.” Although the competition was not very exciting for Chen, he had the chance to “meet a lot of people from other schools and there are some pretty awesome people that you usually don’t talk to.”

Monday, April 20, 2009

17

Junior finds happiness in Bhutan

The Punakha Dzong, winter home to the central monastic body in Punakha, and an administrative center.

Men hang prayer flags in Dochula.

Dylan Paddock Guest Writer

During spring break, I flew halfway around the world to Bhutan, a country that strives to be the happiest place on earth. Little-known Bhutan is an isolated Himalayan kingdom nestled between India and Tibet. I traveled to Bhutan as part of a research trip with my mother and her journalist husband, who writes for the New York Times. As I traveled the country and listened to people, I thought to myself, “How can this tiny nation of 700,000, with minimal technology and few consumer goods, be happier than the so-called developed world?” On this journey, I learned about happiness and Bhutanese culture.

Day 1: March 23

On my first day, I arrived in Paro, the only city with an international airport.

Leaving the terminal, I saw the first of the ever-present Tibetan Buddhist prayer flags, sprouting from the hillsides. These colorful flags, bearing printed prayers, are hung in auspicious places. Every time the wind blows, the prayers are repeated, spreading good karma.

Courtesy of Dylan Paddock

Monks walk through Thango Monastery the after lunch.

The philosophy stems from the Buddhist faith. “GNH in Bhutan is the responsibility of the government,” Dorje said. “It’s a mandate of the state and responsibility of the government to create an environment where individual citizens can pursue happiness.”

To define and measure GNH, the Bhutanese government divided the concept into four pillars: sustainable and equitable socioeconomic development, conservation of the environment, preservation and promotion of culture and good governance. With the four pillars, Bhutan hopes to achieve a stable, lasting state of happiness for its people.

That evening, we met Prime Minister Jigme Thinley. He was eloquent and happy, and spoke English better than many Americans. “I believe I’m in the business of creating happiness in a safe world,” he said. He told us that Bhutanese often choose happiness over avarice. Thinley recalled that he was teaching farmers better agricultural methods and tried to convince one farmer to grow a second crop of rice every year.

The farmer said he would rather go on a pilgrimage than make a profit and declined the Thinley’s request. The experience reminded him that for Bhutanese, happiness is based on understanding when one has enough.

“To bring development you must corrupt the minds of people,” he said. “You have to make them greedy.”

Day 3: March 26 I traveled from Thimpu to Punakha, Bhutan’s former capital. Between the two cities lies a mountain pass called Dochula.

A holy site, it has a complex of 108 Buddhist monuments known as stupas and a hillside obscured by thousands of prayer flags. Walking with Karma Singye Dorji, my guide and new friend, I happened upon a tulku, or Living Buddha. Living Buddhas Day 2: March 24 are men said to be reincarnations of great We visited Bhutan’s capital, Thimpu, Buddhist teachers and very holy. This man home to 100,000 people. There we met the blessed the prayer flags we had purchased in Communications Minister Kinley Dorji, who Thimpu and we added them to the forest of explained to us the Bhutanese government’s dyed cotton flags. guiding philosophy: Gross National HapCircumambulation, walking in circles, piness (GNH). Retired King Jigme Singye is akin to meditation and is a crucial aspect Wangchuck introduced GNH to emphasize of Tibetan Buddhism. Losing oneself in that people’s happiness is more important thought and prayer while circumambulating than the country’s economic productivity. improves collective karma, luck and happiness. Prayer wheels are common in towns, monasteries, and the government and religious centers known as dzongs. The elderly often have small, personal prayer wheels that fit into pockets.

The most devout Buddhists circumambulate while spinning prayer wheels, doubling the strength of their prayers. Some holy areas have roads built around them to enable motorized circumambulation. Just as Prayer flags line the bridge in Thango Monestary. with prayer flags, Buddhists

believe that with every rotation, the mantras, held inside the wheel, and the mind repeat.

As I circumambulated the stupa complex, I felt a sense of clarity, calm and happiness.

Later, we headed towards the Temple of the Divine Madman but never got there.

We met an old villager named Thoeba, who was making toasted rice called zao—much like Rice Krispies—over an open fire. The 61-year-old explained that his happiness is not based on material goods, but the physical wellbeing and safety of his family. “As long as my body is able, I will keep doing this,” he said, “My mind is free. I do it until I want to stop. If a little time is left over in the evening, I say prayers. And if there’s no time for prayers, I just pull the blanket over my head and fall asleep.”

Afterwards, he invited us to his home to

Junior Dylan Paddock wears a gho, the traditional Bhutanese dress for men. have tea and ara, a rice wine similar to Japanese saki. We decided to skip the temple and accept the hospitality of Thoeba and his wife Chongnyima, two complete strangers. We sat until well after sunset, exchanging stories and gifts and drinking salty Himalayan butter tea with fresh homemade zao. Sitting with them, I appreciated the happiness the couple had, and Bhutan’s concept of Gross National Happiness.

18

Features

The Oracle

The truth: rejection “You have not been selected for admission to Cal Poly.”

—Cal Poly

Dana Li Rejection—three short syllables and a world of pain. As Gunn seniors are discovering, rejection may just possibly be the coldest noun in the entirety of the English language. For many of us, this college admission season is the first major taste of denial, and our relative naivete coupled with our teenage propensity for angst (see: angry kid burns rejection letters, http://www.youtube. com/watch?v=gLYj5D0g2TY) can make the composition of the rejection letter delicate business. Below are some of colleges’ most commonly committed rejection letter faux-pas.

Probably the first and most painful rejection method is the sneak attack letter. This letter typically prefaces with cheery, innocuous phrases about the quality of a student’s application and prestige of the school, before flipping a 180 and hitting the hopeful sucker mid-paragraph with the denial. One of the most concise examples is University of California (UC) Santa Cruz’s poorly-phrased “Welcome to UC Santa Cruz!

You have been rejected” of 2008. Like a really flirty girl or an infomercial, the sneak attack feels almost formulaically designed to raise hopes to maximize the trauma when they’re dashed.

In the pursuit of brevity, however, it is also necessary that colleges avoid insensitivity. With the increase in applications and the popularization of online notifications, some letters can be concise to the point of ridicule. We’re talking one-word rejections, like “DENIED”, capitalized, bolded, glaring phosphorescently at you from your web browser. Though quick, this style of rejection also communicates a sense of blatant disregard—as if the student doesn’t warrant the time necessary to compose a full sentence, much less a full letter. From some schools, especially those whose applications require a great deal of writing and mailing on the students’ part, colleges’ unwillingness to send out proper letters comes across as hypocritical.

Last but not least is the obsequious letter. Usually related with the more prestigious schools, letters of this form are usually rife with contrite statements like “we are sure you are disappointed with this decision” or “we understand that this was not the response you were hoping for.”

The intention is probably a misguided attempt to commiserate with students, but considering that it was, in fact, the letter writers that just did the rejecting and that the senior may already be wallowing in self-pity, echoing the sentiment back at the student is a bit like overkill. Rather than sounding compassionate, the college comes across as pompous and patronizing, like they’re implying that a student bases his self-worth on his entry to the school, which may in fact be true, but pretty much fails to console anyone.

But it would be unfair to simply criticize. Not all letters are insensitive and some schools do in fact successfully strike the balance between simplicity and compassion. These well-written rejections are clear, but also take the time to provide a healthy perspective for the disappointed student.

They remind students of a couple simple facts: that college decisions are not everything and rejection letters aren’t everything. The best rejection letters ultimately benefit all parties, defending the colleges from an influx of outraged teen protests and giving us seniors a chance to learn to face denial with grace and understanding.

As for all the less-than-sensitive letters out there, we can only suggest that they remember that their primary audience continues to be a group of snubbed 17 and 18 year olds.

After all, hell hath no fury like the high school senior scorned.

—Li, a senior, is a reporter.

“Hello! Breaking news from MSUM! Minnesota State University-Moorehead is the premier 4-year public university in the upper Midwest.

We are enthralled that you took the time to apply for admission to the class of 2013, and our hearts are further warmed by your obvious passion for our institution… On behalf of the admissions committee at Minnesota State UniversityMoorehead, you have been denied admission and your application materials have been cancelled.

Thank you.”

—Minnesota State University “Click to get your decisions.

This is the big moment. Your entire life could change with what you see on the next page. Click to continue to check your decision. …Rejected.”

—MIT “Dear , we regret to inform you that you were not one of the chosen ones for acceptance this year.”

—Bowdoin Title: “F’09 Rejects” —Carnegie Mellon

“Please be assured that the faculty, staff and student members of the Admissions Committee carefully reviewed the credentials and recommendations submitted with your application and were disappointed that you could not be included among those admitted.”

—Georgetown “We realize that you are likely to be disappointed with this decision.”

—Princeton “DENY” —University of Virginia Online “We understand that this is not the decision you were hoping to receive from Cornell.”

—Cornell Early Decision

Matt Lee

Students’ rejection letters cover the wall outside the Student Activities Center.

“I realize that it is difficult to experience a denial letter as something other than a personal rejection...”

—Swarthmore

“Hello , here is your admission decision.

Denied Admission” —Grinnell

—Complied by Dana Li

Gunn participates in Green Light Film Festival Maya Itah

Forum Editor

Although most students associate the green movement with organic gardens and Al Gore, a number of Gunn kids have taken a different approach—think lights, camera, action.

The Earth Day Green Light Film Festival is Palo Alto’s way of getting locals involved in the solution to a global problem. This year, cinema lovers of all ages submitted 69 short films; the festival displayed its top 15 picks on April 16, at the Cubberley Theater.

“Participants aren’t typical filmmakers,” video production teacher Ed Corpuz said. “They’re ordinary people in the community.”

“At first, I wanted to just make [the film] to improve my skills and have some fun,” finalist junior Charlie Chang said.

“But after researching all the things you could do as an individual, I really wanted to show what I found.” His documentary, coproduced with junior Jon Proctor, explores environmental change on both a local and global level.

Finalist sophomore Anna Von Clemm got a taste of the festival well before she submitted her entry. “My sister was part of a film that the Environmental club made, so I went and saw it,” she said. The subject of her film—recycling—is certainly serious, but Von Clemm tackled it with a lighthearted clay animation.

When the students were asked to comment on the best part of the filmmaking process, their responses were as varied as their films. “The most fun part of making the film was traveling,” Chang said. Along with Proctor, who helped with the film, Chang visited Hidden Villa farm to study agriculture’s effect on environmental change. Although both students men-

tioned the foulness of the farm animals, they said the visit was otherwise a very positive experience. “It was refreshing to pass animals in their natural habitat,” Proctor said. “When you pass big farms, you know that’s not how it’s supposed to be.”

Surprisingly, Von Clemm found that technical difficulties were her biggest sources of entertainment. “I was doing a scene while we had friends over with two small daughters,” she said. “They were extremely excited and fascinated by the clay animation process and insisted on sitting and watching. Sitting and watching for three and five year olds is actually more like running and jumping around, as well as placing random things within the set.” She ended up re-filming that particular scene. “They were having so much fun that I didn’t really want to stop them,” she said.

Of course, filmmaking wasn't all rainbows and sunshine. “We had to get all the good parts of our interviews and somehow squeeze them into 13 minutes,” Chang said, groaning at the memory. Although the festival sets no time limits, films are ordinarily five minutes long, and his task was made especially difficult by the sheer breadth of knowledge his interviewees imparted. “This one guy talked too much,” Proctor said. “We wanted him to say one thing, and he just went on forever.”

Von Clemm barely expected to finish her film in time. “I couldn’t work on it during spring break because I was going to Thailand,” she said. “Being the extremely organized person that I am, it didn’t really register in my brain that I would have to actually finish the movie before leaving.”

In the end, Von Clemm managed it—if perhaps a little late. “I ended up finishing at three o’clock in the morning,” she said.

“There was definitely more I would have

liked to do but at that point I was just like, ‘I am going to bed.’”

Although students who are already involved in film often hear about the festival through extracurricular activities, the majority of the student body remains unaware of its existence. “They have advertised the festival on the morning announcements for the past two years,” Corpuz said. “Having more connections between environmental clubs or other campus student groups might also get more students involved with the film festival.”

The films are more informative to some than others, as filmmakers come from different backgrounds and undertake varying amounts of research.

Chang learned far more than he had initially expected. The most shocking fact he discovered? “Apparently, 50,000 people a year die from secondhand smoke,” he said. “It’s appalling.”

Conversely, Von Clemm found that her experience did not seriously impact her view of going green. “I have always been very conscious about the environment, mostly because of my family,” she said.

Whether students participate to learn about the earth, to hone skills or to have a good time, there is one universally appealing motivation for picking up a camera.

The festival is a contest, after all—and there are prizes involved. Although the festival hasn’t released specifics, those prizes are worth a total of $2000.

“I told [my brother] we could share the prize,” Von Clemm said. “Now I know I have at least one person rooting for me.”

Chang and Proctor are ready. “Of course it was a good experience,” Chang said. “But I’d also like to win.”

Proctor added to the plans. “We’re gonna dress to impress,” he said. “We’ll have our tuxes.”

Entertainment

Monday, April 20, 2009

19

Test your word, number and visual skills with this plethora of puzzles or challenge a friend

Unscramble the following and then decode the secret message

Sudoku Puzzle See this solution and others on page 23

Courtesy of http://www.opensky.ca

Horse Maze Start

Courtesy of http://www.kidsdomain.com

Tic Tac Toe

End

Courtesy of http://www.printactivities.com

Can you spot the differences?

There are 12 differences in between these two pictures.

Can you spot them?

For more puzzle fun, check out www. thisisnottom .com Courtesy of http://blog.willamette.edu

Entertainment 20 Farmers’ markets offer culinary adventure The Oracle

One member of The Oracle staff explores two local farmers’ markets for fresh and tasty ingredients Shaya Christensen Reporter

Before I start, I have a disclaimer. I’m not a foodie, a gourmand, or the next Top Chef. So when my assignment was to check out two local farmer’s markets, it was like a new reality show: Challenge: Make a meal for four using fresh, local ingredients from the farmer’s market.

Guest judges tonight: My sister, my mom and my dad.

Setting: Mountain View Farmer’s Market Tonight’s dish: Pizza I get an hour-and-a-half to shop. (Ok, so that’s the amount of time before the market closes. I got a late start today.) First, I mosey up and down the rows, check out the giant green sprout mountains (what is that?), and sample some apples.

Next thing I know, my time is half up. A lot of time? Yeah, right. The sheer size of the market overwhelms me—it takes up the whole Caltrain station parking lot, and most of stands I see are produce. I have to think fast. Good vegetables? Check.

Variety? Check. This means pizzas.

I find some super red tomatoes from Hollister and throw those as well as some garlic into my bag. I feel like I really am on deadline: a timed contestant. I make my recipes up on the spot: tomato sauce with shitake mushrooms and pesto with

walnuts. I taste three mediocre pestos, then grab a sample being hawked by a man from East and West Gourmet Afghan food.

This pesto is right on. Afghani pizza. Who knew?

My time is almost up. (Fine, not really, but some of the vendors are starting to pack up). The last thing I do is nab some shitake mushrooms from a lady named Bamboo then head out.

Back in my kitchen it really is like a show. My pizza dough is ready, the pans are simmering, I’m trying not to burn the walnuts, and I am running around trying to find salt! I told you, I am definitely not the next Top Chef. I have a feeling it will work out. Even if I am disqualified (the olive oil and cheese are from Piazza, but I swear they were locally made) it was worth the experience.

A week later, I’m still in. The judges enjoyed the pizza and asked for another meal. Reality show, take two.

Setting: California Ave Farmer’s Market Tonight’s dish: Pasta With all its cactus and tofu stands, painted pots and glutenfree muffins, I’m skeptical about having enough variety in stands to have good food.

And then I see them. Like a forest of mini trees sprouting from the table: asparagus. I was wrong. The produce here is great. I look around more. There’s a lot of citrus fruit. Yum… orange pasta. Or…lemon. A three pound bag of almonds? This cooking challenge thing is just getting easier and easier. That’s

it. In three ingredients, it’s all I need, and I still have time to enjoy a muffin on my way out.

Final Comparison:

The California Ave market is more relaxed than Mountain View. For one, it is remarkably smaller. It spans only one block of California Ave, while Mountain View takes up the whole Caltrain station. It is artsy and musical. I saw three entertainers along the street: a man playing guitar, a stand-up bass and guitar duo, and a balloon man.

Both markets are very family-friendly. The California market, however, is made up of laid-back shoppers. They walk up and down the rows, sit at tables, or take a seat on the sidewalk to enjoy the sun. The Mountain View market shoppers, on the other hand, are mostly there to get their shopping done.

California Ave is set back by the fact that it carries Palo Alto’s more pretentious air. With all its specialty booths (paintings, soaps and expensive tofus) and mostly Palo Altan patronage, the market has the feeling of an arts festival. For a wide variety of superb produce, Mountain View is the place to go.

For specialty items and a relaxing lunch with your shopping, California Ave is where it’s at.

Top four booths: ApricotKing (Mountain View), Bakers (California Ave), Oaxacan Kitchen (California Ave), East and West Gourmet (Both)

Farmers’ market sauce, pizza and pasta recipes Pizza Dough

Recipe from “Pizza” by Silvana Franco 1 2/3 cup all-purpose or bread flour 1/2 tsp salt 1 package active dry yeast 2 T olive oil 1/2 cup tepid water Method Put the flour, salt and yeast in a large bowl and mix. Make a well in the center. Add the oil and water to the well and gradually work in the flour to make a soft dough. Sprinkle with a little flour if the mixture feels too sticky,

Asparagus Pasta

Fresh linguini (400 g) 2 bunches asparagus stalks, chopped into 1-in. pieces 2 cloves garlic, pressed 1 cup almonds, halved 3 meyer lemons, cut into halves Butter (for cooking and to coat pasta) Olive oil, shaved parmesan, salt and pepper to taste

but make sure it is not too dry.

The dough should be pliable and smooth.

Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 10 minutes, sprinkling with flour when needed, until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Rub some oil over the surface of the dough and return the dough to the bowl. Cover with a clean cloth and leave for about 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in size.

Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. Knead for 2 minutes until the excess air is knocked out.

Tomato sauce

Pesto Pizza

Shitake Pizza

Method Heat the oil and garlic in a large skillet for 3 minutes until browned. Chop the tomatoes.

Add tomatoes to saucepan. Add the herbs, salt, sugar, and pepper.

Let simmer, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes. Turn down heat, cover with lid, and keep heated until ready to use.

Method Roast walnuts in a pan over high heat until slightly brown. Spread the dough thin on a baking sheet. Spoon thick layer of pesto over the dough. Crumble goat cheese on top of the pesto, leaving spots of pesto showing through.

Sprinkle walnuts on top.

Method Saute the mushrooms in 2 T of butter until tender. Spread tomato sauce over pizza as desired. Lay half-balls of mozerella and mushrooms on top of tomato sauce. Cook pizzas for 20 to 25 minutes, or until crust is golden. Sprinkle a few tablespoons of olive oil on top of the pesto pizza before serving.

Method Toast almonds in pan at medium heat. Bring pot of water for pasta to boil.

Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large separate pan at medium heat. Press garlic into butter, and sauté until slightly brown.

Add asparagus. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring

occasionally.

While asparagus cooks, place the pasta in boiling water. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is slightly chewy. Drain, place in a large bowl, and toss with 2 tablespoons butter, until completely covered.

Squeeze the juice of the

2 T olive oil 2 tomatoes 2 garlic cloves, pressed 1 sprig oregano, chopped Pinch sugar Pinch salt Pepper to taste

Half the prepared pizza dough Pesto sauce Goat cheese Walnuts

Meyer lemons over the pasta and toss. Toss with asparagus, almonds, parmesan, salt and pepper.

Hints About two minutes before removing pasta from heat, pour some of the boiling water into the bowl you will serve it in, until an inch-deep layer of

Half the prepared pizza dough Shitake mushrooms, chopped Prepared tomato sauce Balled mozzarella Olive oil

water sits at the bottom. Cover the bowl with a pot lid. Pour this out when you are ready to put the pasta in. This warms up the bowl, so the pasta will not cool as fast when it is served.

After removing the pasta, work quickly so it does not cool.

Loving Hut serves up a twist on vegan dining experience Henry Gens Reporter

Cosmo Sung

Loving Hut serves fresh vegan dishes that are healthy and delicious. It is located at 165 University Ave.

The new Loving Hut restaurant in downtown Palo Alto, however, seeks to dispel this common misconception of bland food with a wealth of delicious vegan dishes.

The restaurant is situated on the corner of High and University Streets.

Upon entering the restaurant I spotted a wall with portraits of famous people on it and the words, “These Smart, Beautiful, Talented People are Vegetarian. Why aren’t you?” Needless to say, I was a little intimidated.

However, the friendly demeanor of the serving staff immediately overshadowed this trepidation. They were

extremely amiable and accommodating to my obvious lack of knowledge concerning vegan dishes. Based on their recommendations, I ordered the Guru’s curry, the avocado BLT and the Shepherd’s Pie. The food arrived promptly, which lent further to the order-to-go vibe of the restaurant. A side dish of soup or salad was immediately provided with the entrees during the wait, and both presented a decent experience.

I barely had the time to groan about the impending blandness of the subsequent dishes before the entrees rolled out. Upon sampling the dishes, I could hardly contain my surprise at the abundance of flavor in each one. The Guru’s curry was positively

delicious with an infusion of soy, rice and, of course, curry. The avocado BLT (with tempeh acting in lieu of bacon) was a savory treat thanks to the welcome addition of avocados, which were fresh and succulent. The Shepherd’s pie, a medley of soy crumbles, eggplant, carrots, onions topped off by mashed potato, was surprisingly substantial and tasty.

The meal offered an unexpectedly fresh take on vegan food that was both filling and delectable. The entrees were all priced in the $9 to 13 range, a reasonable rate given the singularity of the dishes. For the vegan it is truly an oasis in the culinary landscape of Palo Alto, and for everyone else it offers a viable dining option.

Entertainment

Monday, April 20, 2009

21

Hit the ground hiking this spring and check out these fun outdoor locations around Palo Alto

Shoreline Park

S

horeline is a beautiful park with great views of the Bay.

Because it is situated on a peninsula, there is bountiful plant and animal life. The trails are close to the water and stretch all the way up to Mountain View. Pockets of water line the paths and it is not uncommon to see great white egrets fishing in the small coastal streams. Shoreline also offers a small man-made lake with boats and a small café. There are plenty of hilly, grassy areas for the people who wish to picnic and play Frisbee. The lake path is a pretty short walk (about a half mile), but the Bayland trails are good for jogging and even biking and are about four miles long.

The Stanford Dish

T

he Dish in Stanford boasts an impressive couple of trails which

are good for semi-strenuous walking and jogging. The trails wind through the hills and peak at the Stanford Satellite Dish where it is possible to get an excellent view of the Bay Area. It is coincidentally perfect for far-off fireworks watching at night. There is not that much shade along the way and it can get pretty hot on sunny days so water is a good thing to carry with you. The Dish is well traveled by joggers and walkers and can be an intense workout.

Foothills Park

F

oothills Park is a veritable Eden for nature lovers; it’s quiet and

full of wildlife. Proof of residency in Palo Alto is required at the gate but each resident can bring up to fifteen guests. There is a plethora of trails that take the hiker to beautiful views of the hills and Stanford from afar. There are nice shady places at intervals as well as warm sunny patches. The distance you hike is entirely up to you but you are guaranteed an amazing view. The general nature trail that starts at the Oak Grove picnic area encompasses a variety of inclines and flat walking which is good for moderate exercise. There are also several picnicking grills and tables at the start of the trail and plenty of grassy places for games and recreation. There is also a lake available for fishing and boating.

Photos courtesy of http://maps.google.com

—Compiled by Ann Abraham

22

Entertainment

The Oracle

If you’re bored on the weekends, try these fun places for food and fancy footwork

Café Borrone Dotcom business club by day, entertainment hotspot by night. A local Menlo Park bar, Café Borrone is a European style cafe that is not high priced and very delicious. Ranging from best coffees and deserts to breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner, people go there for local meetings, rendezvous and romantic gatherings. In the tradition of the relaxed outdoor Italian piazza and the art inspired Parisian coffee house, family owned and operated Cafe Borrone serves up superb coffee, delectable food and an unbeatable atmosphere.

Less than a mile from Stanford University in the heart of Silicon Valley, Café Borrone is the place to be. With a diverse menu and live music on most Friday nights, there is never a time of day when this restaurant is not busy.

The plaza in front of the restaurant is dotted with small tables overflowing with people. Borrone is a casual, order-at-the-counter kind of place that still manages to turn out sophisticated sandwiches, salads and nibbles.

The atmosphere at Café Borrone’s patio on a sunny day is unbeatable. Choose from three daily soups ($2.50/cup, $4.75/bowl) served in colorful dishes. Although it is hard to decide between minestrone, vegetable and black bean soup, I went for corn chowder. The tasty, velvety sweet corn soup was filled with fresh tomato chunks, green pepper and corn kernels. Pieces of muenster cheese melted into a gooey stringiness, which made the soup even yummier. The food at this cafe isn’t the only thing that people rave about. Their music selections vary from Chopin, to country, to local artists from the Bay Area.

The art assortment is soothing, fitting and cultural, which attracts all the more customers in turn.

Phillip Sun

Cafe Borrone’s inviting atmosphere and delicious food attract many people. Live music is featured on most Fridays.

Varsity Dance Club

Courtesy of Paul Price’s Society Orchestra

The Varsity Dance Club brings dancers back in time with vintage music and costumes. Parties are hosted once a month.

Unmatched Knowledge Thoroughness & Integrity Superior Marketing Skills Unsurpassed Service Invincible Spirit Superlative Results

Anyone looking to spice up his or her night should try dinner and dancing with Varsity Dance Club, a monthly dance party featuring live vintage music from Paul Price’s Society Orchestra. One can find this lively crowd on the third Sunday of every month from 4:00 to 6:30 p.m at either one of two locations—the Masonic Center in downtown Palo Alto or Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church on Colorado Avenue.

Founded in 1982, the club has been attracting potential dancers and exposing vintage music around the community for quite some time. “Our purpose is to help people discover this era of music,” violinist of the Paul Price’s Society Orchestra Tyane Boye said. The music featured is from 1895 to 1935, which includes ragtime and the Roaring 20s. “This era of music is very energetic and lively,” he said.

A typical dance night includes an instructional period of the history of the specific dance as well a how-to session with instructor Don Isaac, a break with refreshments and, of course, an opportunity to spread those dancing wings. These monthly dance nights are open to everyone. “We have high school students, college students and older folks,” Boye said. “Everyone is welcome, you don’t need to be a great athlete or a coordinated person to join.” In addition, the ambiance of every dance night varies from month to month depending on the people that attend. “Whoever comes determines the environment,” he said.

Admission for students is $15, and while vintage dress is appreciated it is not required. “I guess you can call our services educational,” Boye said. “We are preserving tradition, and in times like these, sometimes people just need somewhere to be carefree and remember the days that were full of positive energy.”

—Compiled by Tiffany Hu and Mati Pluska-Renaud

top ten

student body president campaign slogans

10) Be flirty with Virdi.

9) Don’t be a hick, vote for Nick.

8) You won’t have a care if you vote for Scott Baer.

7) May is the Day to vote for Jonathan Day. 6) Since it’s spring, vote Arielle Ling.

5) You’ll be all right with Nathan White.

4) Vote for Garrett—he’s got merit.

3) Start the year with a bang, Vote Kevin Yang.

2) The rewards won’t be tiny if you vote Katie Smiley.

1) Jone Saukitoga is as relaxing as yoga.

—Compiled by Bauer Wann

1) I Sing I Swim—Seabear 2) Limon Y Sal—Julieta Venegas 3) Little Black Sandals—Sia 4) First Day of My Life—Bright Eyes 5) More than Words—Extreme 6) Honor Fantasy—Mates of States 7) So Much Trouble—Matt Pond PA 8) Your First Asian Boy—Traphik 9) Decatur, Or, Round of Applause for Your Stepmother!—Sufjan Stevens 10) Three Seed—Silversun Pickups

—Compiled by Jon Proctor

Entertainment Tech-phobic teen addresses her fears

Maya Itah The relationship between teenagers and technology is a funny one. Baby boomers, who were fortunate enough to watch the Internet emerge, fully appreciate its worth as an exciting new frontier. As for me? I could be on Mount Kilimanjaro, and I’d probably still whine about the lack of instant messaging. In most aspects of my life, I embody the sociologist’s conception of a typical Generation Y kid. I read blogs. I stream music on YouTube. I know the distinct difference between a “lol” and a “LOLZ!11.”

Outwardly, I am totally comfortable in a world of flashing buttons and whirring machines.

But on the inside, I am a lot like your grandmother. When I was eight years old, my mother, a devoted techie, explained to me that cell phones would one day hold everything from cameras to e-mail. Like an old geezer, I freaked and wondered why we couldn’t just use phones to call people. I’ve gotten better since, but I have to admit that when the iPhone first came around, I fearfully declared that touch screens would infiltrate every modern convenience. The thought made me want to hide in a forest and live off of sustenance farming.

It’s an odd mindset to have in Silicon Valley. And yet, I often find myself wondering what it would be like if, say, we just didn’t text.

I have a fledgling theory: I think we would have better social skills. The telephone has been widely used since the beginning of the 20th century, but it’s becoming obsolete.

You know those super awkward phone conversations where both parties want to end it but neither one knows how? That’s why people just text now. It’s convenient—too convenient. It’s much easier to impress someone when you have five minutes to come up with something exceptionally witty to type.

Maybe if we stopped planning our words so meticulously, we’d develop more natural wit, one that would translate to real life.

Now I’m going to start getting truly irrational: I am concerned by a little phenomenon I like to call computerexia, i.e. a disease in which engineers strive to make gadgets thinner than Keira Knightley at the Oscars. Lightness is important, but the MacBook Air? Too much! I like my computers to have a little meat on their bones.

I want to be confident that they’ll actually function if I decide to throw one across the room (I’ve been there, sadly). Like a stubborn driver who won’t let go of that stick shift, I want my bulky computers, flawed as they may be.

My parents look on me with a sort of shame. They both played a part in the tech revolution, and yet here I am, complaining about the things that make my life convenient.

But after some meditation, I’ve realized that my fear of innovation doesn’t stem from creepy visions of a robot-induced apocalypse.

I’m just a little bit nostalgic. Things were so much simpler when I was five and Barney was on VHS. I can get over that, though. I know that I will always accept whatever comes my way eventually. (…But I reserve my right to freak out when artificial intelligence reaches the masses.)

—Itah, a senior, is a Forum Editor.

23 One Acts showcase students’ direction Monday, April 20, 2009

Nicola Park reporter

As the annual One Acts approaches, the cast is preparing for the last performance of the 2008-2009 school year. The show is a series of short, entirely student-directed plays led by seniors Ella Cooley, Franzi Mayer, Sabrina Riddle, Rivka Kelly and Amalia Bob-Waksberg, junior Michelle Lalonde and sophomore Catherine Volpe. The performances range from light-hearted comedies to acts of suspense, and contrast from other school productions in various ways. “[It] is really special because it’s students picking what play speaks to them,” Cooley said. “I have a lot of free reign except for, well, nudity,” Cooley said.

The small casts leads to a strong bond between members. “You really develop a bond with people that really can’t be duplicated and it’s very special,” Mayer said. “It’s something you get to do on other shows, but [in One Acts] it’s [on] a much more different level,” Lalonde said.

Wallach believes their hard work will be repaid. “The reward is putting a smile on an audience or making them think or challenging their brain in any kind of way,” junior Daniel Wallach said.

“Los Vendidos” Directed by Cooley, the act is a comedy with a serious message about racism and stereotyping. Honest Sancho, played by senior Ben Bowmer, sells Mexicans in his “Used Mexican Lot.” When a secretary, played by senior Shaina Davis, asks for “a Mexican type” for Governor Reagan’s administration, Sancho offers her three different men played by senior Gabe Rivera and juniors Thomas Sheehan and Rafael Brazón.

The act also stars sophomore Shivani Rustagi, who plays a Mexican-American. “It’s kind of controversial, so [a challenge is] making it not offensive,” Cooley said. “[The actors] are doing

Sudoku Answers

Solve the puzzle on page 19

Courtesy of http://www.opensky.ca

Spot the differences Solve the puzzle on page 19

1) Time on clock 2) Pin in old lady’s hair 3) Blank plate on shelf 4) Cabinet handles 5) Bowl on shelf 6) Child’s smile 7) Old lady’s blouse 8) Child’s bare feet 9) Spoon in cat’s paw 10) Two bananas on table 11) Square cookie on pan 12) Mountains in picture

SCRAMBLESOLUTIONS Solve the puzzle on page 19

Word scramble: 1) LADYS SLIPPER 2) DAFFODILS 3) SPRING 4) CROCUS 5) BLUEBELLS Secret Message: April showers brings flowers.

May

Mexican stereotypes, so it’s easy to interpret it as being racist or not good taste. It’s striking a balance between being funny and not funny.”

“Overtones” The four-woman show is directed by Mayer and consists of actresses senior Lauren Hart and juniors Ronit Roodman, Sarah Powell and Aria Airo. Two of them portray characters while the other two are their interfering consciences. A conversational fiasco ensues when the characters and their consciences communicate and interact with each other. “It gets really complicated and really confusing, but it’s hilarious,” Mayer said. “It’s just such an intriguing play to me. It’s funny, but you can really relate to it, and that’s why I like it.”

“Lovers and Other Strangers” Led by Volpe and Lalonde, this act follows the story of a conservative Italian family’s confrontation with the complications of love and marriage. Frank and Beatrice, played by Wallach and senior Beatrice Strnad, are a couple persuading their son Richie, portrayed by junior Austin Lewis, to stay with his wife Joan, played by senior Mimi Willard. Despite some humor, the act underscores the themes of family and the importance of love in a relationship. “[It’s about] how important it is to be in love versus being committed to being a part of a relationship, which is a funny concept to deal with,” Lalonde said. The act also discusses the impact of divorce on a family, according to Wallach.

Lalonde chose this play because of its use of accents, she said. “I love playing with accents,” she said. “I talk with accents personally all the time.”

“Abbott and Costello” Modeled after the original works of entertainment giants Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, the cast’s rendition brings a dash of classic burlesque comedy from the mid-1900s era to the stage. “The actors are able to work off one

another as if they’re improvising, like they’re making it up on the spot,” junior Yvonne Lin said. “In their skits they never did the same thing twice. They’re classics.” Directed by Kelly, the cast includes Lin and sophomores Julie Scrivner and Sam Stein. The act is set in a donut shop, and the performers display “straight man” and “clown” characters that the original Abbott and Costello were famous for.

“Five Characters in Search of an Exit” Adapted from an episode of “The Twilight Zone,” the play’s plot follows five characters in their attempts to escape from a room—none of them, however, know how they arrived there. The cast includes seniors Lee Friedman, Meghna Dholakia, Scott Keenan, Sho Murphy-Shigematsu and Jeremy Brouillet, junior Ben Gardiner, sophomores Liane Chabansky and Sophia Christel and freshman Blake Vesey. Riddle, the director, described the act as creepy but fun. “I want [the audience] to feel confused for the majority of the play,” Riddle said. “It’s so weird it’s almost comedic.”

“The Misadventures of Flungus, Udder Boy” Bob-Waksberg directs this lighthearted musical that presents the tale of Flungus—played by junior Josh Kelly—a boy with udders who is the subject of an unsuccessful science experiment.

Flungus attempts a normal teenage life and attends his first day of high school where his conspicuous udders become a source of embarrassment. The act includes seniors Ali Maggioncalda, Nora Boyd and Shalini Bathina, juniors Angela Marcinik, Jordan King, Leilani Graham, Nick Ziebell, and Sam Putney and sophomore Sneha Bathina. “It’s mostly just fun, but it’s [also about] acceptance if you want to take something out of it,” Bob-Waksberg said.

One Acts will be showing from May 14 to 23 in the Little Theater.

Sports

Monday, June 1, 2009

Q&A with Bob Sykes

New Football Coach

The Oracle: How d o you plan on building the football program here?

Bob Syke s: I want to bring a lot of energy to Bob Sykes the team and Football focus the guys’ coach thoughts on winning. I want them to play together, believe in themselves and just try the best they can. We are going to teach the guys everything we can about the fundamentals of the game.

TO:What are some goals that you have for next season?

Bob S: My goal is to win the whole CCS[Central Coast Sections] , but that’s my goal every year. I want the kids to be able to feel good about themselves on the field and off the field. I also want them to be wellrounded people and show respect to each other and to their teachers and elders.

TO: What previous experience do you have regarding coaching football?

Bob S: I have coached football for eighteen years. The last place I coached was at Menlo-Atherton

(M-A). Besides M-A, I coached at the University of Nevada for a little while and also at Los Altos High School and Saratoga High School.

TO: Aside from your coaching experience, what other aptitudes will you bring to the team as the new football coach?

Bob S: I’m a very confident person and I want to increase the team’s overall confidence and just have fun.

I want them to realize that they have all kinds of potential to reach what they want to reach.

Baseball

Most Valuable Player (MVP) – Jonathan Rea (11) Most Improved Player (MIP)– Matt Jost (12) Coach’s Award (CA)– Seth Lassen (12)

Badminton MVP – Henry Liu (10), Shohei Habu (12), Phoebe Lin (10) & Linda Zhang (10) MIP – Nick Talbott(10) & May Wu (10)

Golf

MVP – Julia Ama (9), Richard Yuan (11) MIP – Julia Tang (10), Alex Doundakov (11) CA – Casey Lincoln (9)

Diving

MVP – Talia Mahony (11) MIP – Russell Welton (11) CA – Max Lipscomb (10)

Boys’ Tennis

MVP – Martin Trainer (12) CA – Lexy Atmore (11)

MVP – Rajeev Herekar (11) MIP – Paul Wang (11) CA – Ishan Bhadkamkar (12)

TO: After seeing the spring practices, what aspects of the team look good?

Bob S: We have some pretty good receivers, running backs and quarterbacks. Our defense is pretty decent as well. We just need more guys to try out for the team.

Gymnastics

MVP – Claire Reyes (11) MIP – Asuka Ishihara (9) & Leslie Landers (9)

Lacrosse

—Compiled by Stephanie Kennel

MVP - Charles Chisom (12), Sunny Margerum (11), Allegra Mayer (12) MIP - Ryo Asai (11) CA - Tara Saxena (12)

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Swimming

TO: What does the coaching staff look like so far?

Bob S: Right now we’ve got four guys on varsity and three guys on the frosh-sophomore team. We’ll probably end up with five and four staff members on each team.

Track & Field

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23

MVP – Tiffany Giang (12) MIP – Jennie Robinson (9) CA – Kelsey Cranmer-Brown (12)

Softball

MVP – Nicole Grimwood (10) MIP – Claire Collins (9) CA – Rachael Fleischmann (12) —Compiled by Shaya Christensen

24

Sports

The Oracle

Courtesy of Bob Drebin

Left: Blumenfeld defeats No. 1-seed, Omar Al-Halew, 7–4, from Santa Teresa, in the CCS semifinals. Center: Blumenfeld manages to lock his opponent into a cradle during the third period of the CCS finals. Right: Athletic Director Chris Horpel shakes Blumenfeld’s hand as he walks off the mat after finishing a successful match.

Blumenfeld clinches CCS wrestling title Tiffany Hu & Annie Shuey Reporters

No Gunn wrestler has managed to claim the Central Coast Section (CCS) wrestling title in 30 years. Until February that is, when senior Zack Blumenfeld managed this feat.

Fifth-seeded Blumenfeld upset third-seed Jason Lucchetti of Terra Nova High School 7-4 to win the title.

According to head coach Chris Horpel, who has coached Blumenfeld since the start of his wrestling career in seventh grade, Blumenfeld’s lower seed helped motivate him to push through tough matches in the tournament. “It helped that he was the underdog, because no one expected him [to win],“ Horpel said. Blumenfeld’s motivation came partly from the fact that this season would be his last as a Titan wrestler. “I used to choke a lot and underperform,” Blumenfeld said.

“I wanted to show myself and everyone else that I could do it. I couldn’t have gone through high school without this victory.”

According to Horpel, Blumenfeld’s CCS victory was the product of years of hard work and dedication. “He’s the type of guy where, if there’s an optional work out or practice,

he shows up,” Horpel said. “He put in more hours in six years than most people in 10 years.”

Sophomore teammate Stefan Weidemann believes that the core of Blumenfeld’s athleticism is training. “Zack helped organize the off-season workouts and made sure that people would go,” Weidemann said. Assistant coach and former Duke wrestler Tom Glenn was particularly impressed with Blumenfeld’s attitude. “Whether he wins or loses, Zack wants to get better,” Glenn said. “I think he’s a model athlete.”

Glenn and Horpel placed a focus on being a strong competitor both physically and mentally. According to Glenn, wrestling is at least 90 percent mental. “In tough matches, it’s just a matter of who breaks first,” Glenn said. “It was just a matter of pounding into [Blumenfeld’s] head that he was better than his opponents.”

Both coaches agree that Blumenfeld’s mental toughness increased dramatically through the season.

In a league final match, Blumenfeld had a bad fall and sprained his neck. Horpel initially thought for a few moments that it could have been broken, but Blumenfeld got up in

less than 90 seconds time, more motivated to pull out the victory. “He was losing, but ended up pinning his opponent,” Horpel said.

“Because of the injury, his technique had to be perfect. A handicap forces you to bring out the best.”

In the CCS semifinals, Blumenfeld upset the number one seed. “I wasn’t thinking about the pressure,” Blumenfeld said. Horpel was impressed with the competition Blumenfeld faced and how he dealt with it. “Only about three percent of all high school wrestlers go on to wrestle in college,” Horpel said. “Zack on his ‘A’ game is in that three percent, but so were his competitors.”

Before the CCS tournament, Horpel had all of his wrestlers in the tournament envision what they wanted to accomplish. Blumenfeld took a unique spin on this activity, writing a pseudo newspaper clipping, titled “Blumenfeld wins CCS.” In the clipping, Blumenfeld detailed his matches, correctly predicting who he would wrestle against. “Zack went home and wrote up the results for each match that he wrestled,” Horpel said.

Blumenfeld’s confidence picked up after writing his article. “I knew beforehand that

I would win,” Blumenfeld said. “I was able to visualize that before my matches, and that helped me a lot. [Winning] is the most rewarding feeling.”

Though thrilled with being the CCS champion, Blumenfeld’s hard work has not stopped. “It’s just one stepping stone,” he said. “It doesn’t make me a better wrestler because I won one tournament. I’m not burned out on wrestling, I’m looking to keep going and improving.”

According to Weidemann, Blumenfeld was also a team leader, motivating others in the program to work harder and improve.

“He always pushed the pace, he raised the bar and everyone wanted to catch up with him,” Weidemann said.

Blumenfeld is not only a CCS qualified wrestler, he also inspires his peers, according to Glenn. “He was the guy everyone looked up to,” he said. “It’s people like Zack that have kept my interest in coaching.”

Horpel, too, finds Blumenfeld to be an excellent role model. “All I can say is that my first [Gunn] CCS champ couldn’t be a nicer guy, a phenomenal student, [and a] tremendous athlete,” Horpel said. “[It] couldn’t have happened to a better guy.”

Baseball coach dismissed after conflict with player Joyce Liu & Niki Mata Features Editors

On April 9, dissension transpired between varsity baseball head coach Brian Kelly and a player which ultimately led to Kelly’s suspension and a change in the coaching staff.

Senior James Barnett said the conflict began when Kelly allegedly made an inappropriate joke to motivate the team but ended up insulting a player. “I think the worst part was that the team had to go through a complete coaching overhaul and that one player was insulted in a way that no one should be spoken to,” Barnett said. According to Barnett, he did not agree with Kelly’s actions towards the anonymous player. After practice, he confronted the coach about the misconduct, and in return was verbally assaulted. “It just kind of escalated,” junior Jon Zeglin said.

“We were all a little shook by it.”

After he told his parents about the issue, Barnett’s father spoke to Principal Noreen Likins. “I didn’t know what would happen,” Barnett said. “I just thought the situation would go back to normal, and that the coach would apologize. He swears a lot, but something just switched. He took it too far.”

The administration discussed the incident that occurred on the baseball field and decided to suspend Coach Kelly from the coaching staff. He has coached baseball at Gunn for four years. “We initially decided that it would be better for him to not coach in the immediate future,” Likins said. “After investigating we decided it would be better all around for him to not come back to Gunn.” Neither Kelly nor Coach John Harney could be reached for comment for this article.

According to Likins, coaches should be role models for students. “We like to have teachers coach because they know how to interact with students,” she said. “When we hire coaches from outside, they are unknown entities, and we don’t know what they will be like. They could be a master at the sport but not necessarily a good coach or teacher. We encourage coaches to look at their job as more than just instilling knowledge of a sport.”

The change in coaching staff occurred mid-season and, according to Barnett, was problematic for the team.

After Kelly was removed from the staff, previous assistant Harney became interim head coach and Scott Einfalt remained as an

assistant coach. The original staff consisted of four coaches; however, after the incident, Kelly’s friend, who was also a coach on the team, decided to quit as well.

According to Zeglin, the change hurt several players’ morale. “It has affected our team a lot,” Zeglin said. “It’s bad for the team environment and everyone’s a bit frustrated.”

Einfalt said that though the change had some negative effects on players, the team began the healing process. “The incident was very hard on the team and initially it fractured us,” he said. “That was very hard for us to recover from for a few games, but within our last couple of games I think we’ve gotten over the hump and became a team again.”

Two new assistant coaches were also hired, bringing the coaching staff up to four people once again. “We just recently brought in two brand new assistants who are younger and have unbelievable baseball knowledge and skills,” Einfalt said. The new assistant coaches include Gunn alumnis Greg Matson and University of California Los Angeles graduate Matt Thayer, who was also drafted in professional baseball.

“They have been phenomenal in the healing

process,” Einfalt said.

The team also faced member changes— Barnett left the team, and said that many other players remain bitter about the incident. “I think some of the players are bitter still, and some of them are bitter towards me, but the majority is pretty upset with the coach,” he said.

Though Barnett said that Harney has some experience and will do a good job holding the team together, he still believes that the team would have won more games with their previous coach. According to Zeglin, the team has become less focused, but sooner or later they will turn things around. “We still need to play as best as we can despite what happened,” he said.

According to Einfalt, despite the fact that the team has not played up to its potential thus far this season, they are determined to prove that they can succeed in the El Camino division. Progress has already been made. In a recent game, senior Jonathan Jung threw a no-hitter, an extremely rare event in baseball, against league opponent Santa Clara.

Prospects are hopeful due to Harney’s help, according to Einfalt. “Coach Harney’s done a phenomenal job of bringing the boys back on track,” he said.

Sports

Monday, April 20, 2009

25

Although the diving team only has nine members, it has been doing very well this season, according to diving coach Aaron Pollock. The diving team competes in one of 12 events at a regular swimming and diving meet.

The team consists of two seniors, two juniors and five sophomores.

Though the team may seem small in comparison to other sports’ teams, it is actually larger than most school’s diving teams. “Because we have a large team, we often outscore our opponents in the diving event,” Pollock said.

Due to Gunn’s pool renovations, the team has been practicing at the Palo Alto High School (Paly) pool. They recently competed against Paly in a meet in which sophomore Max Lipscomb took first place in junior varsity (JV) boys, and Russell Welton placed first in varsity boys. Sophomore Samantha Macario took fourth in JV girls and sophomore Anna Von Clemm took fourth in varsity girls.

“Some new divers joined this season and they learned really quickly,” junior Talia Mahony said. Macario is one of the new divers. “I started diving because I wanted a break from volleyball, and other divers told me the sport was fun and laid-back,” she said. “Also being able to sit in the hot tub between dives was very appealing.”

Macario said she likes diving because she gets to meet different people from different grades that she might not have met otherwise.

Last year the team sent two boys and three girls to the league finals and the team hopes to as well this season. “All of the divers have shown improvement, but both senior Marc [Mallari] and Talia qualified for the Central Coast Section (CCS) meet last year,” Pollock said. “ Junior Russell Welton also has a chance this year.”

Maverick Mallari

Phillip Sun

Top: Sophomore Shai Bruhis prepares for his jump, somersaults through the air and lands in the water headfirst to end a front one-and-a-half dive during practice.

Bottom: Freshman Maddie Sabbag cradles her way through the Castilleja defense.

With about a third of their season behind them, the varsity lacrosse team sports a record of 2-5. Senior varsity offensive player Danielle Steinman is optimistic and feels that the team can still go far. “I think our team has a lot of potential,” she said. “Lately we have started playing a lot harder, and everyone is showing a lot of improvement. I think we are going to finish strong this season.”

Senior center Ari Parikh agrees. “We are finally understanding how to work and play as a team, which was a bit challenging for us in the beginning of the season,” she said.

“I think by the end of our season, we will have exceeded our expectations.”

Last season, the team finished the season with one of their best records in Gunn history at 15-6. Steinman says that the number of experienced seniors made a great difference in the team’s game dynamic last year. Coach Peter Carolan agrees, but believes that in spite of a less experienced team, they are capable of achieving excellence.

“Every team, every year, is bound to have a different character and attitude,” he said.

“Last year’s team was cemented by some impressive senior leadership. Skill-wise this year’s team is just as strong if not stronger, however, the personality of the team will not reach its full potential until we are mentally as strong as last year’s group.”

In addition to players’ personal improvements, new strategies implemented to improve the team’s game this year have included new ways of warming up and different positioning on the field. “I think a lot of the things Pete [Carolan] is having us do are really helping,” Steinman said. “For example, he has moved some of our defensive players to the attack side of the field to utilize their talents.”

Both Parikh and Steinman say that their main goal is to see the team dynamic built up more. “My goals for this season are play hard and strong as a team,” Parikh said.

“Yes, we are going to make a bunch of mistakes along the way, but as long as we work together I know we can become one of the top teams, if not the best, in our league.”

With a current record of 3-6, the boys’ varsity golf team is faring a little worse than they were last season, according to coach Chris Redfield. “We are not doing quite as well as a team this year but the players are improving individually.” Redfield said. “All the members have gotten better. They have had one more year to practice.”

The team has six members and two alternates. “We only lost one senior who graduated last year,” Redfield said. “We have six returning players and one freshman on the team.”

The team practices at the Palo Alto Municipal Golf Course where it have their home games as well. The team usually practices two to three times after school and have one to two matches on the other remaining days.

The team has won matches against Fremont, Cupertino and Homestead so far. “I think that we need to just get out and practice some more,” junior Michael Chun said. “We would like to go to state and not just play at county level but that does not look possible this year.”

The team remains positive and hopes to better next season. “A lot of the members are juniors so they will be seniors next year so they will have more experience,” Chun said. “We will only lose one senior, Martin Trainer, who is one of our best players.”

The team has three more league matches until the league championship.

“Our goal this year is to do really well in the league championship and hopefully make it to CCS,” Trainer said. Competition will be tough since the team is up against rivals such as Los Altos High and Paly, who, according to Redfield, are the best in the league.

This season, the gymnastics team is under the leadership of new head coach Liliana Petronelli, varsity team captain junior Claire Reyes and junior varsity (JV) team captain senior Alicia Michelson.

Petronelli, who grew up in Germany, brings 20 years of private coaching experience with her to replace former coaches Ericka and Allen Fusilero.

“I’ve been coaching [the team] since February, since the old coach Ericka became pregnant,” she said. “I was interested in coaching at Gunn because I’d never coached high school gymnastics before.” According to varsity member Aja Hartman, Petronelli has been a welcomed addition to the team.

“Before, we had another team [for Twisters Gym] practicing at the same time, but now we have our own coach,” she said. However, Reyes thinks that decreasing the number of coaches has hurt the team’s focus. “People get distracted easily,” she said.

Besides the addition of a new head coach, the gymnastics team has experienced other changes. “The gym is fixed up now, because they had some remodeling done,” Hartman said. “There’s also a lot of incoming freshmen, so JV [and varsity have] gotten a lot bigger. Before, there were only four people on varsity and we had to drag some people from JV to get a couple more points. We still don’t have enough varsity [members] but there are some great JV [members] that are moving up and can help.” According to Reyes, the team has faced a lack of qualified varsity members for the past few years. Five team members need to contribute scores to each event to form an official team, according to Petronelli.

Petronelli’s goal this season is to have everyone on JV and varsity compete in at least two events before May. “We hope to win [Central Coast Section (CCS)] because it would be a great accomplishment,” sophomore ] varsity member Asuka Ishihara said. Last year, the team placed second in CCS. Michelson also wants to get the team to bond more. “In the last two years, we had no captains and people just showed up to practices and meets, so I want to make it more of a team sport,” she said.

The Titans’ next meet is against Saint Francis and Gilroy at Twisters Gym on Thursday at 6:15 p.m.

—Compiled by Sophie Cheng, Rupali Raju and Sarah-Jean Zubair

26

Sports

The Oracle

Jung lunges her way to victory Emily Zheng reporter

“So far this year, our team is doing fairly well. We have had a few wins with the varsity boys, and a couple second or third place finishes for the girls. All in all, we are doing pretty well this year; not too good, not too bad.”

Russel Welton (11), Diving “This year’s team looks great, everybody is showing that they want to be part of something bigger than just a track team. Our team has become a real family.”

Charles Chisom (12), Track & Field “Our team has not been so hot this year in terms of wins, yet, we don’t have much to improve on.

We just need to be a better hitting team during late game.”

Jon Jung (12), Baseball “We lost one of our better players because of some personal issues. Overall, the team has been better this year.”

focused on gaining one point at a time.” In the end, Jung came out on top, winning 15-8.

At the semifinals, Jung kept up a strong offense until the score reached 13-6. She was only two points away from qualifying for the finals.

However, Jung started to panic. “I kept messing up over and over again,” Jung said. “I felt horrible because it seemed like I couldn’t stop myself.

Eventually she caught up and beat me 15-13. I didn’t even get one more point as she got nine more.”

Though Jung was unable to win the semifinals, she was able to place third out of 124 strong fencers from around the nation. “This is my favorite victory for Noelle.” Harkness said.

“She utilized her intelligence and athleticism well that day, and we’re very proud of her.”

Currently, Jung is training for the JPCC, a qualifier for Summer Nationals in Houston. She is also looking forward to another national tournament in late April.

Jung has high hopes of fencing throughout college and beyond. “At first fencing was just a hobby, but I’ve been getting more and more into it,” she said. “I don’t want to sound cliché, but when a match gets really good, fencing is pure exhilaration.”

Cardinal fencing closes Wesley Ting (11), Tennis “Last year we were second in the league. However, we lost many seniors from last year, and the varsity girls have no seniors this year. So we have to try very hard.”

Emily Watkins (10), Swimming “The last Paly-Gunn game was mostly a bad experience and everyone wasn’t playing the best they could. But since then, we’ve improved a lot by communicating more and acting more as a family.”

Due to the uncertain economic climate, the Stanford University Athletic Department is considering cutting multiple sports this year including fencing. Cardinal Fencing Club (CFC) coaches offered to continue running the program without Stanford funding and without personal salaries, but the fencing team still faces the possibility of being cut. “We offered to self fund our budget (through the club and camps),” Stanford fencing head coach Lisa Posthumus wrote in an email. “We cannot believe they would cut a sport that would self fund.” CFC is the only Division I fencing program in the entire western half of the U.S. —Compiled by Sarah-Jean Zubair

Graphic by Brian Phan

School board approves plan for new gym Annie Shuey Reporter

Maddie Sabbag (9), Lacrosse “Varsity did well for our first meet of the season and I think that over time we will continue to improve and get more girls competing in all events so that we can hopefully place second at [the Central Coast Section].”

Claire Reyes (11), Gymnastics “We’re doing good and have team chemistry. We came off to a rough start and as the season was progressing we started to get to know each other better and became more of a team.”

Sophomore Noelle Jung’s journey in fencing began in sixth grade with a simple advertisement in the mail and a flicker of curiosity sparked by a childhood movie.

Noelle Jung “I always wanted to (10) try fencing because I loved the scene in the movie The Parent Trap Lindsay Lohan fences against her character’s twin,” Jung said. “I wanted to be just like the girls, and fencing looked like the coolest thing ever.”

In her first three years of fencing, Jung trained at multiple organizations, but still felt that she was being deprived of her full potential due to either a low competition level or an overall lack of support from her former coaches. Jung trained at Cardinal Fencing for more than year before seeking out a new club. “MTeam is a nationally renowned fencing club in San Francisco,” Jung’s father, Yoon Jung, said. “Since Noelle was beginning to compete at a national level, we decided to join.”

Since joining MTeam, Jung has been under the close instruction of head coach Greg Massialas and assistant coach Cole Harkness. According to Harkness, Jung’s strengths include her aggressiveness, which helps her to set the pace of the match, and her long lunge, which gives her an obvious edge. “I can think of way more weak points than I can strong though,” Jung said. “I lean forward a lot and I often panic when I’m on the defense. There’s still tons more that I need to improve on.”

Jung has participated and placed in multiple high-level tournaments, including Stanford Bay Cup where she won first place, and Junior Pacific Coast Championship (JPCC) where she placed sixth. “The JPCC tournament was really special to me because it was my first time ending up in the finals of a big tournament,” Jung said.

However, according to Jung, her most memorable tournament took place on Oct. 12 of last year when she traveled to Columbus, Ohio to participate in the North American Cup. Jung had to face her own teammate to enter the semifinals. “I could tell she was trying really hard to beat me because she was fencing differently from how she fenced in practice,” Jung said. “But I just

Taylor Aguon (9), Softball

“I believe our golf team has the true potential to be better than what we are. Losing our Martin Trainer next year will be a loss, but if we are able to unleash the potential in which we have, we could become prodigious in the upcoming years.”

Henry Fan (11), Golf —Compiled by Kevin Gao

Gunn High School is in the middle of a massive facility upgrade. Football, soccer and lacrosse players play on new artificial turf, softball and baseball players have new fields and aquatic athletes will soon have a brand new pool. Titan hardwood athletes may be wondering why the basketball, volleyball and badminton programs and the ten teams between them that practice in the gym have to share court space and gym time. On March 21, the Palo Alto Unified School Board approved the plan to build a second gym. According to Athletic Director Chris Horpel, an additional gym will be hugely crucial to the success of our athletic programs.

Girls’ varsity basketball coach Sarah Stapp has been pushing for the construction of a second gym. “It’s our top priority right now,” Stapp said.

According to Stapp, her team would ideally practice for around two hours by themselves. The gym was split between varsity and junior varsity each practice this season. “There were more distractions, and with the gym to ourselves everyone would pay more attention,” Stapp said Basketball, being a winter sport,

begins during girls’ volleyball in the fall and runs into badminton in the spring. The basketball program did not have significant gym time prior to the start of the preseason because of the conflict. The volleyball program packed up and left at 5:30 p.m. instead of the usual 6 p.m. for the last three weeks of the season as the varsity team was pushing towards Central Coast Section playoffs. The basketball season ran exceptionally long this year, which pushed back the start of badminton season. With two gyms, volleyball and basketball could practice simultaneously, maximizing the effectiveness of preseason training for basketball while bolstering the volleyball postseason. In transition season between basketball and badminton, the badminton program can begin training earlier and harder, not harming basketballs’ postseason.

In addition to more flexible practice times, a second gym will be beneficial across the board for the volleyball program. Currently, each of the three teams gets one court to practice on.

With more gym space teams will be able to use multiple courts for practice and do more position training. Safety of the athletes will also improve.

“There are 60 girls in the gym, and balls everywhere,” former volleyball

head coach Raudy Perez said.

Due to the absence of a gym, badminton training was taken outdoors.

According to sophomore Nick Talbott, this was a disadvantage. “The incoming freshmen weren’t able to train as much, therefore not being as prepared,” Talbott said. “[Having] the gym definitely would have helped.”

According to Horpel and the preliminary construction drawing, the floor space of the new gym will be the same as the current gym, but necessary changes will also be increased.

The ceilings will be pushed higher for the convenience of volleyball and badminton players. Volleyball, wrestling and badminton matches will be primarily played in the new gym.

Gaining full approval to build a second gym can take up to six months. The rough plan has already been approved by the school board.

Now, it will be taken to an architect, who will draw up a complete plan for construction, which will go to the state of California to give the final seal of approval.

Horpel aims to have the new gym fully constructed and ready for use

by September 2011. “The athletic facilities will be upgraded step by step,” Horpel said. “This is just phase one.”

Sports

Monday, April 20, 2009

Q&A with

McGinn becomes a Viking Anne Hsiao

Business Manager

Following his decision to resign from the position as head coach of the Gunn varsity football team, Matt McGinn accepted a football coaching position at Palo Alto High School (Paly).

According to McGinn, a few major factors weighed Matt McGinn on his decision to coach at Former head Paly. When word got out football coach that McGinn resigned from coaching at Gunn, Paly was one of the schools that contacted him.

“I’ve known [head] Coach [Earl] Hansen for a long time,” McGinn said. “A major reason why I agreed [to coach] was because of my relationship with him.” Paly offered him a position early December and he accepted early January.

According to McGinn, coaching at Paly was never a part of the plan, but he hopes to become a better leader by following Hansen’s steps and learning from him.

McGinn also preferred to stay and coach in the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD). “Having to coach at a school different from the one I teach at has only happened once before,” McGinn said. “It’s an experience that I have to get used to.”

Because the decision was only recently made, McGinn has not interacted with the players a lot yet. He has mostly been attending meetings to familiarize himself with the offense and defense of the team and to learn their schemes. He has also attended coaching clinics at Burlingame and Reno to learn coach-

ing techniques from National Football League (NFL) and college coaches.

“Right now is an adjustment period for me,” McGinn said. When the season starts next year, McGinn will be coaching the linebackers and tight ends, as well as serving occasionally as the offensive coordinator.

The Gunn football team is supportive of McGinn’s choice. “[The decision] is really up to him,” junior Yash Patel said. “It’s an opportunity for him; it affects us, yes, but it’s not for us to decide.”

Assistant coach Mark Weisman also believes that the decision is up to McGinn. “It really doesn’t matter how I feel,” Weisman said.

“Matt is a close and personal friend. I thought we’d be coaching together [at Gunn]for a long time, but that wasn’t the way it worked out.”

Although he has not worked with the players yet, McGinn sees a major advantage for the Paly team. “The sheer number of kids on the team is a major advantage,” McGinn said. “It’s easier on all the kids since they can switch in and out more often.”

The experience has been very different from what McGinn is used to. He has to adjust to the fact that he does not coach at the same school as he teaches. “It’s a little odd, but in time it should get easier,” McGinn said. He said it will be a refreshing change to play against the Gunn team. However, it will be strange for him because he has relationships with many of the Gunn players.

Even though they will be playing against each other next year, Weisman said, “we’re still going to be good friends with him.”

The first game against Paly next year will be on Oct. 9, and since McGinn now coaches for Paly, he hopes that “it will end positively for Paly.”

Kevin Hwang

New Volleyball Coach The Oracle: Why did you switch from Archbishop Mitty to Gunn?

Kevin Hwang: The reason that I decided to come here was because I feel like Kevin Hwang Mitty is a well-oiled machine and I know I Volleyball was an important perCoach son there, but I think Gunn is a good fit for me because it’s a strong academic school with a history of excellence in athletics and an athletic director with a clear vision of academic and athletic excellence going forward.

I think the program needs a little bit of direction, but I feel like I can really make a difference here.

TO: How long have you played and coached volleyball?

KH: Well I actually played tennis in high school, and I didn’t play volleyball until after college when I picked it up with a couple of friends. I’ve been coaching for probably six or seven years, with a combination of high school and club.

TO: What do you hope to bring to the team?

KH: I believe in a certain way of doing things that makes a team and makes the

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Fridays in print

players successful. This would include creating an environment where players can learn and get better and cultivating a culture where the team always comes first. Also, generating a positive practice atmosphere where the players will compete and have fun and having each player develop a sense of pride for themselves, the program, and their school. So I’d bring in that kind of culture.

TO: What is your strongest asset?

KH: You might have to ask one of the kids who have played for me to see, like Erika Hoopes or Chanel Miller. I would just tell you that I am always striving to get better and each year I hope that I am a better coach than the year before.

I want to learn, and I would like to think that this is a quality that I pass on to my kids.

TO: What are you excited for?

KH: I’m looking forward to working with the kids. A big part of why I came here is because I’ve coached a lot of them in club. Like I said, I feel like I can make a difference. I think I can give them the direction that they need. I’m just excited about getting in the gym with them, working hard and hopefully winning first place in league.

—Compiled by Emily Zheng

28

Sports

The Oracle

Tara Levens ‘08

Adam Juratovac ‘05

Graduate Tara Levens, who has swam at both Gunn and Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics (PASA), now swims for the University of Chicago.

Levens said college swimming is very similar to her past experiences.

“My training schedule is almost the same now as it was in high school except now I put in additional time for weight lifting,” she said.

At the University of Chicago, Levens has thus far received numerous awards and titles. She holds the school record in the 50 meter freestyle, 100 meter backstroke and 200 meter backstroke, was part of four relays that also broke school records and received an All-University Athletic Association honors in the 200 meter backstroke.

She was also named Most Valuable Player and Rookieof-the-Year for the 2008-2009 season.

Levens says that she loves college swimming.

“There’s a great sense of team camaraderie that I never really felt as part of the Gunn team or even, to some extent, my club team,” she said. “Since we all go to school, swim, eat and live together, we are a really tightknit group.” Although Levens doesn’t see swimming professionally in her future, she says she will continue to swim as long as she can.

Alumnus Adam Juratovac is currently a senior at the University of Idaho (UI), where he plays football.

Juratovac was recruited by UI while at Gunn, however he red-shirted his freshman year, meaning he took an additional year off in order to accommodate for a year of illness, injury and

other conflicts.

Compared to Gunn football, Juratovac says college football is a full-time job. “During the fall, not including traveling, we spent at least 30 hours a week working on football related things,” Juratovac said. For home games, the team goes to a hotel 45 minutes away the Friday before their game. “We’re technically on the road every weekend during the season,” Juratovac said.

During his college football career, Juratovac has been named a member of the all-academic team for his conference, an honor awarded to only fifteen students who excel in athletics as well as academics. In his sophomore year, his first official year of playing, Juratovac received an honorable mention for the freshmen All-American team.

Juratovac hopes to be able to play professionally, and can start talking to those teams his senior year. “I’m definitely keeping my options open,” he said

Alex Guzinski ‘05

Andrew Jacobson ‘03

Alumnus Alex Guzinski now plays soccer for Yale University after playing varsity soccer at Gunn for three and half a years.

Guzinski’s career began with his experience in high school and his desire to pursue the sport.

“Growing up by Stanford, playing division I soccer quickly became a goal of mine,” Guzinski said.

Guzinski said club soccer and the coaching he received in high school were defining factors in his recruitment.

“What I have achieved is definitely a result of [my coaches’] hard work and dedication in developing me athletically, ” he said.

According to Guzinski, confidence was what help him succeed in the college level of play. “The confidence I established at Gunn really helped me transition from Gunn to Yale,” he said. “It is a huge step into the unknown, and it’s really important to have that confidence instilled in you. That way, you know what you have to do to excel.”

In his freshman year at Yale, Guzinski’s team won the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament, which was a big dream of his. “It’s an awesome time,” Guzinski said. “Similar to Gunn, the camaraderie that exists with my teammates isn’t accessible in any other environment.

Guizinski was recently chosen to be captain for his team in his senior year, which he says is a huge honor.

Soccer mid fielder and alumnus Andrew Jacobson has traveled the depths of professional soccer.

Prior to his professional career, Jacobson played for the University of California Berkeley, where he scored 11 goals and received many awards, including NCAA first team All-American, and Pac-10 player of the year.

Jacobson was selected in the 2008 Major League Soccer (MLS) draft by D.C. United, but signed with FC Lorient of the French first division. Jacobson had to quit the team shortly after being drafted due to an injury. Later in the year, he was drafted to the U.S. National Futbal Team and played at the Futbal World Cup in Brazil.

He officially made his MLS debut when D.C. United kicked off the season on March 22 at the Los Angeles Galaxy.

—Compiled by Niki Mata

Graphic by Brian Phan