The Oracle - December 2017

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

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Friday, December 8, 2017 Volume 55, Issue 4

780 Arastradero Road, Palo Alto, CA 94306

ONE YEAR AFTER THE ELECTION: STUDENTS REMAIN POLITICALLY ACTIVE Jennifer Gao and Ayala Tzadikario

Copy Editor and Oracle-TBN Liaison

On Nov. 8, 2016, the nation watched as Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton by 77 electoral votes, becoming the 45th president of the United States. Trump’s victory empowered both ends of the political spectrum to take action to further their beliefs, and, a year later, these actions are continuing to prevail. The results of the election created a rift between political parties and their voters, and many expressed feelings of shock, elation or dismay.

As the country became further divided between triumph and turmoil, individuals and groups with strong political views conveyed their beliefs, whether through violence or peaceful protests.

Although over a year has passed since the 2016 election, students are still voicing their political beliefs amidst a newly changed political landscape.

Women’s Marches Around the World One of the most attended peaceful protests was the 2017 Women’s March that took place on Jan. 21, in Washington D.C., a day after President Trump’s inauguration. According to The Washington Post, there were over 653 recorded marches in the United States and at least 261 marches abroad. In Washington D.C. alone, over one million people were estimated to have marched to advocate for issues in-

cluding women’s rights, reproductive rights, health rights, health care reform and immigration reform. A Women’s March occurred in both San Francisco and San Jose on the same date. The impact of political protests like these was extensive, earning online responses from politicians such as President Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders, while fostering a volatile political environment across the nation.

With the prevalence of these nearby political events, many students had the opportunity to participate. Senior Madison Mosier attended the San Francisco Women’s March and felt that the experience helped her connect with other people who shared similar political views.

“This Women’s March was so important because it was a compilation of a lot of people who felt [angry and frustrated], and it was really great to see other people outside of my family that were having the same emotions and reactions, and were doing something productive with [them],” Mosier said.

The enthusiasm of the San Francisco Women’s March participants did not falter, despite the day’s unfavorable conditions. “It was pouring down rain...we were using [our signs] to shield our heads until they got soaked through but everyone was still out there—no one went home,” Mosier said. “Cheering in the rain was a really interesting experience too [because it created an atmosphere] of coming together with all these strangers in the pouring rain for a

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common cause. It felt really amazing to be a part of such a huge group.”

Current Involvement Junior Arjun Prabhakar is currently on Anna Eshoo’s Student Advisory Board, where students lead discussions to decide on an overarching topic for the board, choose specific topics to write policy papers on and present them to the congresswoman. “Some examples of papers would be education reform, gender equality proposals, wind energy subsidies and government support,” he said.

In addition, Prabhakar is passionate about the relationship between technology and public policy, a topic that includes internet privacy, net neutrality and the responsibility of social media companies to regulate their sites.

“People often focus on the innovation side of technology, but the rapid rise in innovation has built a demand for effective public policies that protects privacy and security,” he said.

Junior Jenna Kaplan, a supporter of the Democratic Party, has been involved in phone banking, a campaign strategy in which volunteers call local, potential voters to discuss a campaign and its candidates in order to increase voter turnout and expand the voter base. Kaplan is also part POLITICS—p.3 Photos courtesy of Michaela Fogarty, Justin Hong, Jenna Kaplan, Madison Mosier and Arjun Prabhakar

Gunn gathers evidence for mid-cycle WASC check-in Kristen Yee

Forum Editor

On March 19 and 20, a team of two researchers from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) will come to Gunn for a mid-cycle checkup of the six-year accreditation process. According to WASC, the purpose of the accreditation process is to assure the community that a school’s purpose is appropriate and being accomplished, and to provide valuable insight from the fellow educators that visit the school. The chairperson of the midpoint

checkup in March will be Irvington High School math teacher Michelle Lau, who will be looking for progress on goals and areas of improvement established in 2015.

There are multiple parts to the mid-cycle preparation team. The administration, the Instructional Council, parents and students on Site Council and the Student Executive Council are currently working on collecting data and evidence from different departments. The information gathered will be compiled into reports for the visitors.

Social studies teacher Tara Firenzi is a key member in the report-writing process, acting as a coordinator for all

WASC-related activities.

When the visiting team arrives in March, they will check for progress based on their observations and evidence from the school’s report.

In past years, WASC has shown a dramatic shift in focus, moving from a teacher-oriented academic environment to a student-oriented one. During an accreditation training that Principal Kathleen Laurence attended, WASC emphasized that they weren’t just looking for a list of accomplishments. “What they’re saying now, because they’re

WASC—p.2

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News

Monthly Highlights: Ping Pong Tournament “What I liked most about the event is how everybody comes together to enjoy it—it gives you a sense of pride for your school.”

—Daria Heydari (10)

“This event was just another chance for Gunn students to show their incredible strengths you would never think they possess. I cheered on many of my classmates who I never would have expected to be ping pong players as they struck with unbelievable saves and powerful hits.”

—Will Roth (12)

“I know nothing about ping pong but the players were so good. It was really engaging and great to watch.”

—Emilia Santos (9)

—Compiled by Kaya Van de Horst Photos by Richard Yu

WASC committee to complete mid-cycle check-in in March WASC

student-centered, is that we want to see what you’ve done, but more than that we want to see evidence and that you to have analyzed that evidence to show how it’s impact student-learning,” Laurence said.

The three main goals that Gunn established in 2015 were to develop a culture that embraces multiple paths to success and promotes social-emotional well-being, increase achievement for historically underrepresented students and create a more efficient data collection system.

Now, three years into the accreditation, Gunn is looking at how much progress have been made and what needs to be done in the next three years to reach their goals in 2021.

The WASC preparation teams are also looking at the aforementioned areas of improvement and assessing their relevance to the school. While Gunn has the option to strategically abandon one of the goals made in 2015 if they feel that it isn’t applicable anymore, Laurence sees that as an unlikely path. “It may be not so much that the goal is going to change, but how we’re going to get there is going to change,” she said.

To address the goal of creating a more efficient data collection system, teachers meet every Monday during their weekly collaboration time, where they compile data retrieved from student assessments and inspect the essential learning outcomes and targets. Reflecting WASC’s

shift towards student-centered academic environments, teachers then evaluate whether students are doing well in their learning environment or not. Laurence noted how teachers are learning by teaching their students. “It’s kind of interesting because the professional learning communities are really about the teacher learning,” she said. “[They’re trying to make] changes in their behavior and instructional strategies that then impact student learning.”

Gunn is also concentrating efforts on increasing student voice, an area of improvement indicated by WASC in 2015. Laurence and Advanced Placement (AP) Statistics teachers Daisy Renazco and Rachel Congress saw the annual AP Statistics survey project as the perfect opportunity to tackle the goal of increasing student input. “This is a project that we’ve always done in statistics and I refined it to have it be what is it is now, which is about improving the school,” Renazco said.

The survey project's focus was refined to reflect these overarching questions: “How can we develop a plan to improve the experience of Gunn High School students and how would you redesign the school to improve the experience of students?” Within this theme, students were free to pursue any niche they had interest in. Some students looked at balance of life, some at school lunches and others at the effect of parental pressure on students’ academic performance. Junior Nicholas Wong chose to focus his

survey topic around the technology-oriented school that Gunn has become. “We did [the survey] based on electronics because technology is used a lot during school and we wanted to see if there could be improvements,” he said.

The completed project was presented on Dec. 7 in the library, and some of the data will go into the reports compiled for the WASC mid-cycle checkpoint. As a student, Wong sees this project as a good opportunity to further incorporate students into school processes. “[I felt] that it was a good way to get student input on things that could improve Gunn, since all groups had the ability to choose which topic they wanted to survey students on,” he said.

This project is just one of many different strategies taken to address the issue of lack of student input, and the opportunity to enrich student learning and improve the school simultaneously is one that Renazco cherishes.

“Learning is more relevant when you can see why we learn what we learn,” she said. “This is why we learn statistics, and I hope to continue to make learning relevant for my students.”

The team of two researchers, upon concluding their visit, can return in a year’s time if they deem insufficient progress has been made in Gunn’s goals and areas of improvement. “We’ve done a lot of really good work here [in the past three years], and I would feel terrible if that happened, but I don’t think it will,” Laurence said.

New Titan Pride Week aims to celebrate diversity, wellness Liza Kolbasov Copy Editor

During the week of Jan. 29, Gunn will have its first Titan Pride Week, a new celebration of school pride that incorporates ideas from the former Not in Our Schools (NIOS) week. It is being organized by Sources of Strength in conjunction with Student Executive Council (SEC), a group of students, staff and several clubs. The week will focus on celebrating diversity and inclusion at Gunn, and, unlike previous years, feature wellnessfocused activities. The underlying theme of the week will be pride in the school particularly the diversity of the student body.

Senior class president Eric Her noted that NIOS week in the past seemed to prevent some people from expressing their views, such as political stances and personal identities. “I've noticed that NIOS week has been focused on the idea that we don’t want certain aspects in our student population,” Her said. “And that just discourages conversation and discourages some people from voicing their own opinion.” The new Titan Pride Week will focus on opening up conversations and accepting differences within the student population.

Wellness Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA) Tara Firenzi describes Titan Pride Week as an evolution

of NIOS week that broadens the message behind the week. The values represented by NIOS week are still important to Titan Pride Week. “It's broadening that idea to go beyond what’s not welcome to what we also welcome, encourage, support and care about,” Firenzi said.

According to Reach Out Care Know (ROCK) club president junior Meghna Singh, Titan Pride Week will focus on recognizing all positive aspects of Gunn. “It’s our diversity, it’s our inclusion, it’s how we support wellness and are trying to have that conversation to change the stigma,” Singh said. “We thought that we should just put all that goodness into one week and make the most out of it.”

Sports Commissioner senior Sarah Glasser initially had the idea to create a wellness week for Gunn, but the week did not fit in this year’s schedule. This led her and a group of students to suggest integrating these concepts into NIOS week. “We combined the week with NIOS week so we could have the best of both worlds in a sense, we could have a mix of everything,” Glasser said.

Most of the activities throughout the week will be organized by clubs such as ROCK, Gay-Straight Alliance and Acts of Random Kindness. Additionally, Sources of Strength will run various activities, including a photo campaign. As a culminating celebration for the week,

there will be a healthy activities walk after school on the track in honor of healthy activities month. “[On] Friday, to wrap up the week, there will be a Sources of Strength [and] wellness event going on on the field,” Singh said. Many of the activities are still in the planning stage, and there will likely be additional activities focused around the main themes of the week, including wellness and inclusivity.

Throughout the week, both in- and out-of-class activities will work to bring students closer together and let them stretch their boundaries, according to Wellness TOSA Courtney Carlomagno. “Students should expect to have fun things to do at brunch and lunch, and things that challenge them and open their minds to things they may not have thought about, as well as a week that's going to encourage them to connect with others,” Carlomagno said.

Carlomagno hopes that the new changes will encourage students to come out and participate in the week's events as well as step out of their comfort zone and learn something new. She encourages all community members to be a part of the process in helping put Titan Pride Week together. Students and staff members can get involved by emailing Carlomagno. “We really want this to be an all-hands-on-deck thing,” she said.

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

Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief Deiana Hristov Managing Editors Grace Ding Janet Wang News Sohini Ashoke Carolyn Kuimelis Amanda Lee Forum Caroline Ro Kaya van der Horst Kristen Yee Features Emma Chiao Chelsie Park Grace Tramack Centerfold Joy Huang Stephy Jackson Sports Paulo Frank Bridgette Gong Jack Mallery Lifestyle Megan Li Yael Livneh Katie Zhang Changing the Narrative Joanna Huang Photo Editor Richard Yu Graphics Editors Sherry Chen Jeffrey Yao

Friday, December 8, 2017

Students, staff advocate for political involvement POLITICS

of the Young Political Activist panel, a group that she moderates for the Mid-Peninsula Media Center. “Phone banking has been my greatest contribution to political activity,” she said. “Local political activism is something that I am looking forward to contributing more towards through participation in voter registration drives and information sessions.”

Importance of Voice According to social studies teacher Laurel Howard, it is important for students to also be politically active in order to make sure that they are heard and not over. looked. “Students inherit the world that is being shaped and created now, so [their] voice should be heard just as much as anyone else’s,” she said.

Although the ma. jority of the Gunn community has not reached voting age, Statistics from Pew Research Howard feels that stuCenter dents should take advantage of their rights when they turn 18. “When I was just old enough to vote, I missed a small county election, and my mom, who had spent the day volunteering at a poll station, was furious with me,” she said. “She helped me to see that the ability to actively participate in politics as a woman is something that so many women before me fought for, and by not using my right to vote, I was disrespecting those sacrifices.”

Kaplan agrees that student voice is important and needs to be further represented in order for students to be able to enact change. “I think that the government and who is legislating and judging is too important to be left to everybody else,” she said. “We are supposed to be a country governed by and for the people, and I believe that is impossible to achieve unless everyone, regardless of whether you can vote or run, participates to the best of their ability. Being politically active is also a great way to learn more about what goes on in every aspect of politics, which is beneficial for fun facts as well as for greater understanding of the systems that run the country.”

Social studies teacher Anna Ward emphasizes the impact of students excercising their right to share their beliefs through participation in political activities. "I think it's really important that we get out and speak, because the moment we're silent, bad things can happen," she said.

Campus Opportunities A multitude of resources are available for students to get involved in politics, according to Howard. “Sooner than you think, students in high

Business/Circulation Eric Epstein Assistant Business/Circulation Ryan Manesh

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

Copy Editors Laurel Comiter Jennifer Gao Liza Kolbasov

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

Oracle/SEC Liaison Kaya van der Horst

Graphics Artists Catherine Chen Tiffany Chen Mina Kim Grace Liu Gary Wu

Adviser Kristy Blackburn

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

Letters to the Editor, Comments and ideas for coverage may be sent to oraclegunn@gmail.com or posted on our Facebook page. These letters need not be from current students.

I thought the paper this month was really interesting to read and relevant to the student body. I also think that the news stories this month were very important and relevant to students.

Oracle/TBN Liaison Ayala Tzadikario

Tech Editors Julia Cheunkarndee Andrew Zhao

Moving Forward Although she is not teaching government this year, Howard believes that political involvement can be linked with independent thinking, which she tries to encourage in the classroom. “I try to build critical thinking and a healthy sense of skepticism into my history curriculum,” she said. “It’s so important that we evaluate everything we read carefully and that we don’t take something as fact just because it appears to be written in an intelligent way.”

Regardless of the country’s political status, Prabhakar believes that the fundamental role of citizens in the functioning of government warrants political involvement. “I understand that everyone has a lot of tasks and responsibilities in their life, but democracy goes as far as people take it, so everyone has an obligation to be politically active,” he said.

Similarly, Kaplan believes that all change starts with political participation, regardless of how insignificant it may seem. “Political activity is the backbone of our country, and as the represented in a representative democracy, we must make sure that we keep it strong,” she said.“Locallevel, state-level and federal-level decisions are all shaped by the voices of those who vote, those who submit bills to or lobby their representative and those who help and encourage others. Political participation is the way to claim your voice.”

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Staff

Photographers Justin Hong Sofia Sierra-Garcia Max Wang

school today will be the responsible adults [who] are making decisions.

Why not try to prepare for that now?” Howard said.

On campus, one opportunity available for students to share their political perspectives is the Junior State of America club, which focuses on civic education, and is held every Thursday at lunch in V-25. Junior Collin Jaeger has been involved in this club since its formation. “I go to [this club], which is new on . campus,” Jaeger said. “It’s pretty cool because you can have a lot of political discussions and debate there.” The Junior State of America is a national organization that hosts thousands of clubs across the country, advocating for . student participation in politics.

According to their official website, students plan and execute all of the conventions and activities . available to those who join the club on their own.

Jaeger hopes that the impact of his work will extend further than himself, encouraging those around them to become politically active as well. “Especially [with] people who may be afraid Jeff re y Yao to express their views…I often try to approach people with political questions or insights that will get them to speak their mind about politics and whatever they're feeling on the subject,” Jaeger said.

November 9th, 2017 I think Jeffrey’s art is truly spectacular.

—Alex King, 12 Some short stories and fan-submitted fiction would be an interesting concept.

—Ryan Lee, 12

—Caroline Liu, 11

I would like to see coverage about what students want to pursue for their future, fields that are popular among Gunn students, and coverage on students who are already in job fields, etc.

I really like the first page with the picture of the locker room, and I was surprised because I did not know that issue was happening.

—Hannah Kim, 11 Maybe include a bit more PAUSD news.

—Sachait Arun, 9

—Jun Han, 12

[I would like to see] senior advice. I’m a big book nerd so I would like a book recommendation column (what are the popular books for the month or something like that).

—Lauren Priest, 11

The Oracle is the second place Best of the West winner at the 2017 NorCal Media Day.

Forum

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u.s. should lower drinking age for

Maturity level of 18 year olds should justify right to drink

Jack Mallery For a country that prides itself on being advanced and sophisticated, America is surprisingly behind the times when it comes to the legalization of alcohol. A drinking age of 21 has become anachronistic compared to other countries, with the negative implications far outweighing the positive ones. In America, 18—the age of legal adulthood—should be the age for legal alcohol consumption as well. A lowered drinking age would introduce teenagers to the responsibility of making individual decisions, create safer communities and fix a largely ineffective law that prohibits alcohol consumption before the age of 21.

In the United States, the cusp of adulthood welcomes teenagers into a life full of new opportunities and responsibilities. They are allowed to vote, smoke cigarettes, serve on juries, be legally tried as adults, get married and serve in the armed forces. And yet, walking into a nightclub and ordering a drink is strictly forbidden. Men and women can risk their lives for our country but, apparently, cannot be trusted around a bottle of liquid. At the age of adulthood, if citizens are allowed to lay down their lives for America, it is baffling that alcohol is still illegal for them.

If turning 18 really is the introduction of our greatest responsibilities, then it should come with the trust that accompanies alcohol consumption.

Contrary to the common misconception that drinking earlier is a harmful practice, lowering the drinking age could actually make teenagers and communities safer.

Allowing 18 to 20 year olds to drink in regulated environments with supervision would decrease unsafe drinking activity elsewhere. Prohibiting entry into bars and other licensed locations only encourages poorly monitored house and fraternity parties; in these places, there is a much higher chance of binge drinking, the practice of consuming dangerously large amounts of alcohol,

and alcohol poisoning.

In addition, what makes underage drinking appealing is the fact that it is taboo.

Breaking the law to indulge in drinking provides teens with a thrill.

Making alcohol legal would diminish that sense of exhilaration, thus decreasing the amount of drinking that occurs. Also, the law has proven to be largely ineffective at prohibiting underage drinking. A study by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University in 2006 found that 72.2 percent of 12th graders had consumed alcohol on occasion, rendering the law of 21 or older ineffective.

To be fair, there is the worry that a lower drinking age would impact violent crime, dangerous behavior and illegal acts sometimes associated with drinking.

However, a 2002 study by Professor Alexander C. Wagenaar of the University of Florida College of Medicine, found that lowering the drinking age to 18 would not necessarily increase homicide or criminal activity due to the fact that the current drinking age does not affect these either.

Lastly, lowering the drinking age would result in a decrease of underage people who have alcohol-related injuries and don’t seek medical attention due to legal circumstances.

The practice of illegal underage drinking also takes a toll on government funds. According to the 2010 National and State Costs of Excessive Alcohol Consumption published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, underage drinking costs the government over 24 million dollars due to government-paid health care, lost productivity and law enforcement. In addition to decreasing chances of teenage drinking and thus lowering crime rates, a lower drinking age would cut down governmental costs for enforcing underage drinking laws. The

money wasted could go towards causes that really need it.

On the other hand, it is true that research proves alcohol can hinder brain development before the age of 21. According to National Public Radio, underage drinking is deleterious to brain tissue and hinders the brain’s development by affecting motor skills, coordination and memory.

Furthermore, the brain’s prefrontal cortex does not fully develop for most people until they are around 25 years old, according to the Medical Center at the University of Rochester. This means that teens are underdeveloped and unprepared to consume alcohol, which would further hamper their decision-making abilities.

However, part of becoming an adult is learning to handle increased responsibility.

Alcohol provides an opportunity for teenagers to take responsibility for their actions, a benefit that outweighs the consequences. In essence, a lower drinking age would not only create a safer drinking environment, but also wouldn’t increase the chances of teenagers participating in crime.

Turning 18 represents a transition into a stage of life with more responsibilities. In the coming years, young people should be able to crack open a bottle of champagne to celebrate as they look forward to the rest of their lives as adults. The drinking age may still be 21 now, but hopefully there will be an impetus that persuades America to open its eyes to do what is best and safest for us all.

underage drinking costs the government 24 million dollars annually, according to the 2010 study on national and state costs on excessive alcohol consumption.

according to the national center on addiction and substance abuse at columbia university, 72.2 percent of high school seniors consume alcohol on occasion.

a study by a college of medicine professor at the university of Florida revealed that Lowering the drinking age would not necessarily increase homicide or criminal activity.

—Mallery, a senior, is a Sports Editor.

Faces in the Crowd Should the drinking age be lowered to 18?

"I think that they should keep it at 21 because it's too much responsibility for teenagers."

Kate Mallery (9)

"I believe the drinking age is where it should be. Drinking before the age of 21 harms brain development."

Ryan So (10)

"I think it should be changed because at 18 you are officially an adult so it doesn't seem right to have to wait three years to be able to drink."

Ria Sood (11)

"Yes, because most people break the drinking age anyway and punishment is all based on how lucky you are in not getting caught."

Alex Berlaga (12) ­—Compiled by Laurel Comiter

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Friday, December 8, 2017

responsible alcohol consumption According to the California Healthy Kids Survey,

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,

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Deiana Hristov

from 2015-2016,

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of high school juniors have had at least one alcoholic drink in the last 30 days.

Drinking abroad fosters appropriate consumption

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people aged 12 to 20 consumed 11 percent of all alcohol in the U.S.

Drinking ages around the world

Every year when my family goes to Bulgaria, we get together with our friends in a big villa in the countryside. We stay up all night, talking, singing and catching up with people we haven’t seen since the year before. Alcohol flows freely: beer bottles litter the table, wine glasses are perpetually being filled, and bottles of rakia—a Bulgarian spirit—are emptied.

The Bulgarians I know all drink a lot. A party usually starts out with a couple of glasses of wine during dinner, followed by rakia as dinner winds down and, for most guests, a post-dinner beer.

Nevertheless, I’ve never seen anyone at a Bulgarian party pass out on the floor, vomit or drink themselves woozy. I’ve always viewed liquor as a social lubricant, something to ease the tension and relax the muscles. The typical frat experience—shots, kegs, forgetting what you did the night before—is foreign to me. It is true, however, that the perspective I have of drinking culture in Bulgaria is due to my parents, leading to a perhaps skewed perception: I’ve never gone out to a bar or a club in Bulgaria. Bulgaria’s Sunny Beach is a notorious tourist spot due to its night life, a scene mostly fueled by cheap alcohol. According to the World Health Organization’s 2014 substance abuse report, Bulgaria drinks more per capita and has more incidences of heavy drinking than the US: 16.9 to 13.3 percent and 19.6 to 16.9 percent respectively. Both America and Bulgaria have the same patterns of drinking score—a score that represents the level of risky behavior undertaken while under the influence, with one being the least risky and 5 being the most—of 2. Bulgaria has a prevalence of alcohol dependence of 3.7 percent, while the United States has a prevalence of 4.7 percent.

Alcohol always has a presence in my house. Bottles of wine line the countertop, and there is always beer in the fridge and whiskey in the cupboards. When I was little, my dad and I would go grocery shopping together, and at the end of our trips we would stop by the local liquor store to buy wine for the week. While my dad perused the labels on the bottles, I would stare at the pretty glass and read the labels, ignoring the stares of other shoppers. When we went to Napa for a vacation, my parents took us along with them on a wine tasting tour. Drinking alcohol for me was like doing taxes: a normal adult thing that I wasn’t old enough to do yet.

I never looked at drinking as something cool, edgy or rebellious.

I think I have a pretty good relationship with alcohol: I know my limits and I don’t feel the need to ever drink to excess. When I went to my family friend’s villa in Bulgaria the summer after I turned 16, the adults there let us try a glass of house wine. This was my first time drinking an amount larger than a thimbleful. I sipped my wine all night, savoring the warm, fuzzy feeling it gave me, enjoying the music and the conversation. Being introduced to alcohol in a controlled environment showed me what a positive experience with drinking could look like.

There are problems, however, with normalizing drinking.

Alcohol consumption can lead to liver problems, addiction and early death. Portraying alcohol as just another beverage can lead to these dangerous aspects of consumption being ignored. According to Queensland Health, alcohol consumption in adolescents can alter the potential for memory retention by the hippocampus. How can we combat these problems, however, when teens feel they cannot open up about their alcohol consumption for fear of the legal consequences?

Lowering the drinking age to 18 would be the first step in creating a dialogue about alcohol and the potentially dangerous aspects of drinking. When teenagers feel that there is a taboo on alcohol, they feel the need to slink around their parents’ backs to not get in trouble, often leading to bad decisions. Take, for example, the kid who drives buzzed back from a party rather than call his parent to pick him up, for fear of getting in trouble. I know my parents would rather I be honest with them about where I am going and what I am doing than leave them panicking in the dark. By modelling what an appropriate amount of alcohol looks like, parents can set an example for their kids to follow later in life. In turn, kids are more open with their parents about their social lives, fostering a relationship of mutual understanding, honesty and communication.

—Hristov, a senior, is the Editor-in-Chief.

Grace Liu

Statistics courtesy of Business Insider

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Joy Huang A camera shutter sound. A few giggles.

These are just a few signs that indicate another student has fallen asleep during class. This is not an uncommon sight in the classrooms—exhausted students often sleep in class to compensate for their lack of rest.

It’s clear that students are emotionally and physically strained from the lack of sleep in their busy lifestyles, causing them to struggle to focus in class, maintain a positive mood and perform well in activities. A promising solution is to take a power nap, which benefits the student both physically and psychologically.

Napping can improve alertness, focus, productivity and safety. According to the National Sleep Foundation, a study at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) indicates that a 40-minute nap can increase drowsy military pilots’ and astronauts’ performance by 34 percent and alertness by 100 percent. Naps can help people to be more observant and focused so that they can improve logical reasoning and boost reaction time. These traits are essential in performing well in academics and extracurriculars, and important in preventing poor decision-making.

Another benefit of napping is improving task performance. According to U.S. News, Assistant Professor at the University of California Riverside’s Department of Psychology and author of “Take a Nap! Change Your Life” Sara Mednick revealed that people performed just as well on a visual learning task after a 60-minute to 90-minute nap as people who had an 8-hour night of sleep. With so many responsibilities and commitments, sometimes it is simply unrealistic for students to get a good night’s sleep, resulting in poor performance on assessments and overall difficulty in absorbing course material. In fact, the 2015-2016 results from the California Healthy Kids Survey shows that 32 percent of high school juniors in the district reported “agree” to having difficulty concentrating due to sleepiness, and 23 percent reported strongly agree. Naps can offer a hopeful alternative for students who have no choice but to sacrifice sleep at night. If tired students take a nap before their assessments during a prep period or Flex Time, they may perform better than they have expected.

Additionally, naps can assist in maintaining a positive attitude and relationships with others. The American Psychological

Association states that a study by the University of Michigan found that people were less impulsive and had greater tolerance for frustration after waking up from a 60-minute midday nap compared to people who watched an hour long nature documentar y instead of sleeping. With greater patience, people are less likely to create tension and damage relationships.

Some say that a concern with napping is that it is a social taboo because it appears to convey laziness or lethargy. The truth is, society is becoming more encouraging towards naps.

In Japan, napping in the office is common, socially accepted and often seen as a subtle sign of diligence, according to a New York Times article. Big companies are also promoting napping— Goog le headquarters is famous for its napping pods, and Uber offers napping rooms for its employees. Numerous universities have also adopted different napping facilities in recent years, like the University of Michigan, which provides napping stations in libraries for students. Clearly, people are changing their attitude on people napping.

Napping improves foc us, elevate task per for ma nce, foster better relationships and generate a more positive attitude. So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and take a nap during your prep period or Flex Time.

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YES

Napping provides beneficial rest According to the National Sleep Foundation, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the afternoon is the optimal nap time.

A student lies down for a quick nap during an afternoon slump after school. She awakens later to f ind t hat t wo hours have flown by, scrambling out of bed to start her school work.

Napping comes in handy when experiencing sudden sleepiness or when making up for lost sleep. When many students arrive home after school or even later due to extracurriculars and other activities, however, napping is an inconvenience and a disruption to the school day.

Accord i ng to the National Sleep Foundat ion, t he best time to ta ke a nap is between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. in the afternoon. This time range is when most people have lower levels of alertness and require an extra boost of energy.

However, students are not dismissed until 2:35 at the earliest. The time that students should be taking naps, if necessary, is already being spent elsewhere, at school.

Napping later in the day will eventually lead to unwanted disturbances.

A d d i t i o n a l l y, napping earlier in the day prevents the nap from interfering with the nighttime sleep cycle. The Nationwide Children’s Hospital recommends an average of nine hours

According to the 2015-2016 California Healthy Kids Survey, 32 percent of juniors from the district reported “agree” to having difficulty focusing due to sleepiness.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, naps should be 15 to 20 minutes for maximal benefits.

—Huang, a junior, is a Centerfold Editor.

Emma Chiao

of sleep a day. Based on their studies, students actually receive about seven hours of sleep. However, it’s much more than just nine hours of sleep; students need nine continuous hours of rapid eye movement sleep (REM). REM sleep begins to occur in the first 60 minutes of sleep. During REM sleep, the body and brain are energized, and the regions of the brain for learning are stimulated. Naps that are late in the afternoon will keep students awake later into the night, taking away from much needed deep sleep. Furthermore, napping later in the day easily leads to naps that last for hours— foregoing work time or disrupting REM sleep.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, in order to gain the full benefits of a nap, naps should be no longer than 15 to 20 minutes. A shorter nap, also known as a power nap, is meant to allow the body to recover and rest without falling into complete REM sleep. Immediately after awakening from REM, the brain is still releasing melatonin, and the blood pressure and heart rate both speed up.

The circadian rhythm that the melatonin enforces is disrupted.

In fact, being forced to wake up in the middle of deep sleep is what creates the grogginess and disorientation one may feel after a long nap. This is also known as sleep inertia—the transition from sleep to awake that also causes a decline in motor dexterity. For students who waste time trying to fall asleep or who have to get up from a nap to complete school work, the ideal nap length is rarely achieved and a longer nap that’s disrupted becomes the default.

According to BBC News, the need for longer naps during the day can signal fatigue and disturbed nighttime sleep.

Such results are often a result of sleep deprivation caused by work and social habits. Furthermore, the studies showed that naps longer than an hour were early warning signs of possible links between sleep disturbances and increased appetite.

A lack of sleep prompts higher levels of enkephalin to be released into the blood, which causes the urge to indulge in sweet foods. Students should see the need to take longer naps as a sign of disturbed nighttime sleep.

The ideal nap is one that is taken in the early afternoon and only lasts a short 20 minutes. These standards are difficult to achieve for many students, and students should therefore invest more time into being efficient during the day and getting a good night’s sleep.

—Chiao, a senior, is a Features Editor.

Sher

—Huang, a junior, is a Centerfold Editor.

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hen

Forum

Friday, December 8, 2017

7

True Holiday meaning lost in consumerism culture Yael Livneh Step into the Michaels craft store on Charleston any time after Halloween and a barrage of lights, toy trains and fake snow will fill your peripheral vision. Garlands priced at $20 for 12 feet and cheap onedollar “stocking-stuffers” overflow on every store shelf. Commercials and advertisements featuring a jolly round man dressed in bright red plaster every wall and television. Hanukkah-themed mugs reading “Chutzpah” and “Mensch on a Bench” dolls sit side-by-side by the cashier line, tempting shoppers with their bottom-of-the-barrel prices.

The heavy commercialization of the holiday season by huge corporations and their intrusive advertising has emphasized materialistic items and excessive consumerism rather than community and family.

Along with technological advancements, companies have gained more intimate access to their consumers and are taking advantage of it by blasting an overly consumerist mentality into the daily lives of their customers. Advertising campaigns infiltrate every form of media, from Spotify ads to sponsored Instagram posts. In today’s world, it is difficult to survive without some sort of electronic device on hand, and even harder to get around without social media. According to a 2017 Statista study on social media, 81 percent of Americans have at least one social media profile. On popular social media sites, such as Instagram and Facebook advertisements populate personal feeds.

TotalRetail reports that 71 percent of advertisers have bolstered their Facebook ad spending since 2016, and the numbers continue to soar.

Additionally, during the holidays, corporations scramble to play to traditional holiday messages like family, friendship and joy as a strategy for economic gain. According to digital marketing blog Branded3, a study conducted on social media users on Twitter and Facebook showed that 46.2 percent of consumers reported feeling joy towards Christmas ads while 52.6 percent ex-

perienced anger, fear or sadness. Scrolling through one’s timeline during the winter season should not be a traumatic experience to the point where a majority of users are distressed and unhappy.

While gift-giving may be a lovely custom in theory, the splurging has skyrocketed, shifting the attention of the holidays solely towards consumerism. According to the National Retail Federation, the average American will spend $700 on holiday gifts this year alone. This vast spending will total to nearly $456 billion nationwide. For perspective, laying down 400 billion one dollar bills flat is enough to cover the entire state of Delaware.

Increased spending is not the only thing that has changed the way society views the holiday season. Before the 1920s, the red-clad Santa Claus was depicted in bishop robes and animal skins and would be drawn as anything from a tall, gaunt man to a spooky-looking elf.

In 1931, the Coca-Cola Company commissioned Michigan-based artist Haddon Sundblom to develop advertisements centered around Santa Claus. Sundblom painted him as a pleasantly plump man with a bushy beard, a “Coca-Cola red” suit and, to complete the look, a bottle of Coke in hand. The power of advertising has had such a strong grip on society that in less than a century, the holly jolly icon of the holiday season has primarily become an advertisement himself.

Commercialization has changed nearly everything about how the holidays are celebrated. Companies tack real values like love and family onto cheap products, promising happiness to the person receiving them. Now more than ever, with the ubiquitous presence of electronics in homes, cars and hands, consumers are losing the core values of the holiday season due to intense, corporate advertising. Traditional messages and figures have shifted ever further from what they once were—customs intended to bring us together. This year, take a step back from the ever-closer world of targeted advertising and excessive consumerism. Spend some time offline and unplugged, take a walk with family and friends, bake goods for neighbors or volunteer at a shelter. Enjoy the holiday season for what it is: a time to be togetherwith loved ones, free from the stress of giving and getting material goods.

—Livneh, a junior, is a Lifestyle Editor.

Graphics by Sherry Chen and Mina Kim

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Features LAR s t n P community draw s stu de

Caroline Ro

Forum Editor

Whether it be through traveling, literature or art, there is something undeniably compelling about being able to see the world through someone else’s eyes.

Through live action role-playing (LARP), participants are able to live out alternate lives as characters in fantastical universes, running into battle and saving their fellow soldiers from danger.

LARP can be approximated to Dungeons and Dragons (a role-playing board game) or Skyrim (a role-playing video game), except acted out in real life. After the game-master, or coordinator, creates a fictional universe and sets rules for the players, LARP-ers are left to their own devices to choose their characters, learn their backstories, wear costumes and gear up with props accordingly before they begin an event. As the fate of the universe has yet to be decided, they are given complete freedom to improvise in terms of what direction they want to take.

Universe themes can range from horror to utopian, but most LARP universes take place in historical fantasy settings, with much of the costume inspiration coming from the Renaissance period or “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy. Costumes often even come from Renaissance fairs, previous Halloween costumes or online stores, while weapons are made out of foam and duct tape.

Sophomore Evan Alexis first discovered LARP when he saw LARP-ers in action at Mitchell Park.

Curious, he went over and learned what they were doing, going on to attend his first league event at Peers Park around seven years ago. He decided to continue his hobby as he found that he enjoyed the freedom LARP-ing gave him. “You get to be independent, and it’s really fun,” Alexis said.

Others, like juniors Raj Shrimali and Trevor Paley, were introduced to the activity through family and friends. “Both my sisters played LARP, and so I got into it,” Paley said. “I wanted to LARP as well because it seemed cool.”

LARP also helps players build relationships with a variety of different people and create new circles of friends. “The [LARP] community is really nice and there are a lot of people that I’ve met through LARP who are great friends of mine,” Alexis said.

For those who are unfamiliar with LARP, it can seem strange or outlandish, a misconception many LARP-ers are aware of and wish would be cleared. “I guess a lot of people just assume that LARP-ers are really weird people,” Shrimali said .“We’re normal people too.”

There is also a complexity to LARP hidden in the backstories and details of the universe that, at first glance, can go unnoticed. “It’s not [necessarily] just about attacking people with foam swords; there’s also role-play and a story to it,” Paley said.

LARP-ing serves as an outlet for creativity and imagination for players that can distract from the mundanity of everyday life. “I think that it’s getting more and more stressful with school nowadays and there’s more competition,” Alexis said. “I think LARP-ing is just a great way to escape.”

Courtesy of Christopher Melville

Photo courtesy of Evan Alexis

Jeffrey Yao

Photo courtesy of Evan Alexis

Left: Participants discuss strategies and renew supplies. Middle: A set of typical LARP weapons are ready for battle. Right: A group of LARP-ers celebrate post-game.

Features

Friday, December 8, 2017

Senior Kevin Frans pursues opportunities in artificial intelligence Andrew Zhao Tech Editor While senior Kevin Frans might seem like a typical high school student at first glance, he’s been taking online courses at the undergraduate level, applying this knowledge to create robots that learn and publishing research papers as a lead writer. Most remarkably, Frans cultivated his interest with little external assistance.

Frans’ interest in artificial intelligence (AI) began from an unlikely encounter. “During sophomore year, someone came up to me and said, ‘Hey, do you know what a neural network is?’” Frans said. “And I said, ‘No, not really.’ And then I googled it—it was pretty interesting.”

According to Frans, AI is a fundamentally distinct subset of computer programming. “AI is when computers can do things that you don’t explicitly tell them to do,” Frans said. In other words, AI can learn things instead of mechanically carrying out a set of tasks. “Let’s say you write an iPhone app,” Frans said. “When you touch a button, it opens up your photos or something, but you had to tell the computer to do that when you coded it.

Meanwhile, AI is something where you can give the computer something it’s never seen before, but it can come up with a solution for it.”

One AI aspect he was first attracted to was image recognition software, or software that can recognize and identify pictures. “Basically, the first thing I saw was this image recognition stuff, and you’re like, ‘What the heck? How can it do that?’” Frans said. “I thought image recognition was impossible, so I wanted to understand image recognition.” Frans’ work paid off: his first project was developing a program that carried out this process.

After his image recognition project, Frans gradually branched out into other fields. He describes a process for taking a black-and-white sketch and turning it into a colored sketch. Because he found the coloring tedious, he had a computer do it for him. “This is one of the cool things of AI, because when you color an image, most of the creative part is in

Sherry Chen

Photo by Sofia Sierra Garcia

drawing out the sketch and not coloring, but a lot of this process can be automated,” Frans said.

Frans’ passion helped him land a spot as an intern at nonprofit AI research company OpenAI last summer. On its website, OpenAI has posted several unsolved computer science problems; naturally, Frans worked on them. When he hit a wall, he emailed John Schulman, a researcher at OpenAI. They exchanged correspondence discussing various subjects in AI. Later, Frans decided he would apply to be an OpenAI intern. After a difficult process, Frans applied to and got accepted for an internship at OpenAI. “I had to do a day-long interview, which was kind of scary, but it worked out,” Frans said.

At OpenAI, Frans was given an opportunity to pursue another project.

“My group, the reinforcement learning group, was trying to let AI learn to solve simulated tasks as fast as humans do,” Frans said. Frans uses the example of the classic video game Space Invaders to describe his project. “[I], as a human, can learn to play the game in an hour and be pretty good,” Frans said. “But for a computer, it takes six months of simulated time before it can figure out to play the game, which is way too long. So our research is to make the six months turn more into six hours.” At the end of his internship, Frans published a research paper about the progress they had made in machine learning software.

Frans has faced various difficulties when working on his programs. One of the most prominent challenges, according to Frans, is the length of time it takes to run an AI program. “One thing that separates AI from other computer science problems is that you actually have to train these things, which can take a few hours, or a few days for the big tasks,” Frans said. So instead of immediate feedback, he has to wait a while to receive results.

Due to his work, Frans has been featured on Wired magazine. “I guess it’s pretty cool,” Frans said. “I never thought that I would be in an article.”

Partly due to this article, Frans is now seen as a role model to aspiring AI researchers, with people emailing him for advice. Frans has one main piece of advice to give these people: “Just go do it.”

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Cente Flickr

White House Photographer

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Richard Yu

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Friday, December 8, 2017 Fickr

Pixabay

JANUARY

Jan. 20: Donald Trump is inaugurated as the 45th president of the United States.

Jan. 21: The Women’s March is estimated to have roughly five million participants, breaking the record for the largest single-day protest in the history of the United States.

February

Feb. 5: The New England Patriots defeat the Atlanta Falcons 34 - 28 at the Super Bowl LI. New England makes the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history, after being down 21 - 3 by the end of the second quarter.

Feb. 26: “LaLa Land” is mistakenly announced as the winner of Best picture at the 89th Academy Awards. “Moonlight” actually wins the award.

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YEAR In Review

MARCH

March 12: A group of Gunn students write and present a petition calling for administration to recognize student voice because of the new bell schedule changes. Students are especially irritated by the proposal to take away optional tutorial and replace it with a mandatory Flex Time earlier in the day.

APRIL

April 22: The March for Science is held in Washington, D.C. on Earth Day to celebrate and emphasize the significance of science. The march takes place in more than 600 cities across the world, with an estimated 1 million total participants.

April 24: American Peggy Whitson breaks record of total days spent in space for an astronaut in NASA at more than 534 days.

MAY

May 24: Dr. Denise Herrmann announces her resignation as the principal of Gunn via a Schoology message. She now serves as the associate superintendent of Fremont Unified School District.

JUNE

June 12: The Golden State Warriors win the NBA Finals Championships by defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in the final game. 2017 is the Warriors’ fifth year as the NBA champions.

JULY

July 5: Russian bombers fire missiles aimed at an Islamic State in Syria. The Russian Defense Ministry reports that three ammunition deposits and a command post are destroyed by the missile.

AUGUST

Aug. 21: A total solar eclipse takes place and is visible from certain cities in the United States. This is the first total solar eclipse to be seen from the United States since Feb. of 1979, and another one will not occur until April of 2024.

SEPTEMBER Sept. 23: Former superintendent of Palo Alto Unified School District Dr. Glenn “Max” McGee announces his resignation effective September 29.

OCTOBER

Oct. 8: Northern California Wildfires break out in the Napa and Sonoma areas and become the deadliest wildfires in California history. They burn over 210,000 acres by Oct. 14 and force over 90,000 people to evacuate their homes.

NOVEMBER

Nov. 5 : Shalane Flanagan is the first American woman to win The New York City Marathon since 1977. It is the largest marathon in the world, with 98,247 applicants for the 2017 race.

DECEMBER

Dec. 4 : The United States Supreme Court allows President Donald Trump’s third version of his travel ban to go into effect.

—Compiled by Grace Tramack

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Features

Students share adventures moving Sophomore Anna Lorenzon: Michigan

As she walked from class to class on her first day at Gunn, sophomore Anna Lorenzon was bewildered by the school’s foreign layout. “Gunn is outdoors, which is really different,” Lorenzon said. “My other school was an H-shaped, three-story building.” Lorenzon will stay at Gunn for one year while her parents are on sabbatical at Stanford University, only to return to her former high school to finish her last two years.

This stark change can be attributed to the climatic difference between Palo Alto and the location of Lorenzon’s old school—Ann Arbor, Michigan. “The weather is really different,” Lorenzon said. “The weather is always nice here, but it rains and snows a lot in Michigan.”

Gunn’s open format and warmer weather allow for brief respites from the cramped indoor classes. “It’s nice that you can walk in fresh air between classes,” Lorenzon said.

Luckily for Lorenzon, Gunn’s bell schedule has proven helpful in her acclimation to a horizontal school layout. “The passing time is a lot longer,” she said. “I used to have only three minutes of passing time. If I pass my friends here, I have time to talk to them instead of just wave.”

Lorenzon has been happy to have had a generally warm welcome from the Gunn community, as moving schools can be a difficult ordeal. “In the very beginning I didn’t have any friends because I didn’t know anyone here,” she said. “But some people were really nice and they let me eat with them during lunch and to hang out.”

Coming from a college town, Lorenzon is no stranger to an intense academic environment. She has found, however, that some differences have emerged. “It’s kind of similar but there are a lot of driven people here,” Lorenzon said. “I think it's a lot more serious here.”

The biggest difference Lorenzon has found has been the quality of teachers at Gunn. According to Lorenzon, teachers here are much more invested in their students than she was used to. “Teachers at my other school were really bad,” she said. “I only had one teacher that cared about what they were teaching. Others would just give an assignment and not teach anything for the entire class.”

Yet another difference for Lorenzon is the fact that courses she is currently enrolled in have been shifted from what she would’ve been doing at her old school, due to different requirements for advanced placement classes. “You have to be a junior to take [most] AP’s here,” Lorenzon said. “I would’ve taken AP U.S. History at my old school but I couldn't here because I’m a sophomore.”

Since Lorenzon will be moving back to Ann Arbor for the 2018-2019 school year, she realizes her time at Gunn is very limited. “I’ll miss the people I met here,” Lorenzon said.

Courtesy of Anna Lorenzon

—Written by Paulo Frank

Junior Audrey Lamis: Texas On her first day in California, junior Audrey Lamis was taken aback by the comparatively small houses but also pleasantly surprised by the beautiful weather and diverse culture.

At the age of 11, Lamis moved from Austin, Texas to Palo Alto, California.

Lamis moved to California due to the long distance between her father and the rest of her family. “We moved out here because my dad was a co-founder of a startup,” she said. “He had been working in San Francisco for two years prior and we would only get to see him on the weekends.”

According to Lamis, moving to California from Texas was not only enjoyable but expanded her perspectives as well. After moving, she realized how great California was due to its culture and environment. “Of course there was the benefit of weather and being so close to both the beach and the mountains, but there was also the benefit of being exposed to so much more culture,” she said. “In Texas, over half my classmates and neighbors were white, so I didn’t get to learn or experience much from other cultures. Moving out here, I was exposed to different languages, different religions and different people. Before moving here, I was much more close-minded.”

With all these new changes, Lamis went through a difficult transition. “Transitioning was really hard for me because I had always been surrounded by people who looked like me,” Lamis said. “It was such a culture shock and I was pretty young. I just needed time to get used to everything, and eventually I did.”

Despite her gratefulness now, Lamis didn’t like California initially. “I hated the size of the houses and the size of the backyards,” she said. “In Texas, I had a three-story house with an acre of land, and that was considered normal. I also hated how the schools were so small. It took a really long time to adjust to the fact that everything really is bigger in Texas, but once I got over it, I started to like it here.”

The schooling system in California is also structured differently than that of Texas. “My schools in Austin were IB (International Baccalaureate) schools so we had to learn a language and there were advanced classes for different subjects even in elementary school,” Lamis said. “I learned Spanish and remember how I was so proud because I was in the Language Arts Talented and Gifted program.”

Despite the adjustments, however, Lamis has enjoyed her time in the Bay Area so much that she hopes to end up back here in the future. “Living here these past few years has made me realize how beautiful and amazing California really is,” she said. “So often I hear from kids who were born here about how they want nothing more than to leave and never come back, [but] knowing that this is almost as good as it gets, I only want to come back. Life here is so serene and beautiful, and if I get to come back here, I would consider myself extremely lucky.”

When going back to Texas to visit her relatives, Lamis feels thankful that she moved to California. “Every single time I go back to Austin, I realize how lucky I am to be living in Palo Alto,” she said.

—Written by Katie Zhang

Courtesy of Audrey Lamis

Features

Friday, December 8, 2017

13

here from distant destinations Senior Ali Havaei: Iran On top of balancing coursework, extracurriculars and free time, international students must learn to rapidly adjust to a new country. Senior Ali Havaei, who has been attending Gunn since the start of his sophomore year, moved from Iran without speaking English.

Havaei grew up in Isfahan, a city in central Iran home to 1.9 million people. He took an entrance examination to be admitted into one of the city’s more selective public high schools.

Havaei’s journey to America started with an unexpected win by Havaei’s mother. “It was really surprising...we weren’t planning to move here, and my mom suddenly said, ‘I won the green card lottery’ and we were like, ‘Oh that is really exciting,’” Havaei said. “At the same time I didn’t know what the best thing to do was. It’s a new experience—it’s something new to do.”

The family contemplated the sacrifices and upsides of leaving home. “[The thought of moving away] was exciting but at the same time a little bit frightening because I was going to lose all my friends and I didn’t speak English,” Havaei said. His parents would also get new jobs and lose a bit of financial power. Nonetheless, the family was drawn to the universities and work opportunities found in America. “So we decided...we would take our chance in order to have a better future,” Havaei said.

Upon arriving in America, Havaei worked hard to practice his English. “The most important thing that has changed is my speaking language,” Havaei said. “I speak English many hours a day and I try to learn English.” After a year of English Language Learners (ELL) class and additional efforts outside the class, he improved his second language.

Havaei made sure to observe the American lifestyle firsthand. “I started to listen to the music that Americans listen to to try to get to know them better and learn what they like to do,” he said. Havaei also began reading books that are popular with Americans, some of which he had previously read in Persian.

Academically, Havaei’s previous school prepared him well for Gunn. While he found the math and science courses of his previous high school especially rigorous, math seemed easy to him after he moved. Furthermore, he had a tolerance for certain academic cultures. “My high school back there was so competitive and rigorous,” Havaei said. “All the classes were so hard. But you know, the interesting thing about that is, although it was like that and so competitive, stress levels weren’t so high. I don’t know why. Stress levels were pretty good—I mean I was never personally stressed about school back then.” One difference he noticed between his previous high school and Gunn was the option to pursue electives at Gunn.

At Gunn, students who move from a different country to America often join other international students in the ELL class. Havaei’s advice to Gunn’s future international students is to spend time with not only ELL peers, but American students. “I would say try to get to know them and see what they do and see how their lives are here,” Havaei said. “Try to get the culture and adapt. Mostly learn English by reading books, listening to English music or watching English movies. I think the most important first step is to learn English.”

—Written by Joanna Huang

Richard Yu

Freshman Matias Zirulnik: Chile

Courtesy of Matias Zirulnik

Graphics by Grace Liu

To freshman Matias Zirulnik, at first glance, Gunn’s campus seemed more like a scene out of Baywatch than it did a school: life guards patrolled the quad while a mermaid was spotted walking down the steps of the N-Building. On their first day of high school, 478 wide-eyed freshmen were welcomed by the senior class decked out in their pool-party themed costumes.

While being new to a school can always be stressful in itself, Zirulnik had to navigate through an additional novelty: adjusting to life in a new country.

On Aug. 7, Zirulnik moved to the United States from his lifelong home in Santiago, Chile with his older brother Lucas and his mom. “My mother wanted to study at Stanford [University] and she wanted me and my brother to be with her so we came too,” he said. “We’re only staying here for eight months until my mom finishes her education.” Afterwards, the Zirulniks will return to Santiago in March.

In Chile, the academic school year runs from March to December with two weeks of winter holiday in July and summer holidays from mid-December to March. Because of this calendar, Zirulnik technically never finished eighth grade as he left in the middle of the school year in August. “Initially, I was scared of leaving all my friends, but then I thought it’s going to be a very good experience for me,” he said. “Besides, I’m going to improve in English a lot.”

Fortunately, language has not been a huge barrier for Zirulnik as he attended AndréeEnglish School, a bilingual private school in Santiago. “I realized that when I say I’m from a private school, people look at me like I’m weird because [private schools here are] much more expensive than the private schools in Chile,” he said.

One of the immediate differences Zirulnik noticed between Gunn and his old school was the size—Andrée-English school had the size of Gunn’s population split up into 12 grades, meaning the grades were much smaller. Additionally, students remained in one homeroom during the entirety of the day. “In Chile we don’t change rooms from class to class,” he said.

“The teachers change depending on what class they have.”

While it can be overwhelming to make friends in a grade of nearly 500 students, the small size of his old school allowed for a tight-knit community and fostered more meaningful relationships. “We stay together as classmates for the entire 12 years of school in Chile, so we get to know each other more than here,” Zirulnik said.

In terms of education, Zirulnik has noticed Chile places a stronger emphasis on memorization—a stark contrast to Palo Alto’s educational approach of problem-based learning and applicable knowledge. “Here you have to think more about the problems and in Chile you just look at the problems and have to memorize how to do it—if you don’t, you’re not going to do well in school,” he said.

Since his move from Santiago, biking has played a large role in Zirulnik’s newfound independence. “In Chile I was dependent on my mother for rides or had to use the bus,” he said.

“It’s kind of like more freedom here because I can go wherever I want.”

Along with his new mode of transportation, Zirulnik has embraced other opportunities through his involvement in Quantum Physics Club, choir and tennis. “Choir is fun but I don’t think I will continue it when I come back home because in Chile it’s only really girls in the choir,” he said. “I want to continue tennis in Chile though.”

—Written by Kaya van der Horst

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Sports

Sports serve as source of fun, fitness for staff

Photo illustration by Gary Wu and Richard Yu

Photo illustration by Sherry Chen and Richard Yu

Photo illustration by Gary Wu and Richard Yu

Joshua Little

Joanna Garlejo

Heather Mellows

Freshman biology teacher Joshua Little is currently training for a half-marathon he plans to run in mid-January. Little used to stay active by swimming but has not been swimming as much recently. “I was a swimmer in high school, and for a year in college, so I really love to swim,” Little said. “I just don’t do it as often anymore.”

Little picked up running earlier this year, influenced by friends.“I have been running since June,” Little said. “I run with two other friends that are teachers from another school, and that’s just a way for us to hang out, but then also to keep me motivated to keep training. Running is also easier to do than swimming because all you have to do is throw on a pair of shorts and shoes, whereas you actually have to go the pool if you want to swim.”

Besides trekking the long journey from his classroom in the village to the main part of campus multiple times a day, Little trains for his half-marathon in accordance to a suggested training regiment. “There’s a 16-week training guide where you run three to four times a week,” Little said. “I started with running a mile, but now I’ve moved to doing five or six miles every other day.”

Little’s favorite part of running is the satisfaction from staying active. “When I was sick, it felt like, ‘Aw, I’m just going to be on the couch all day,’ and that sounds nice at first, but when you get up to go to work, you just feel tired,” he said. “When you get back into running, you just feel like you can tackle any problem and that you can do anything.”

In the future, Little hopes to stay resilient and continue running. He values persistence and finds small victories based on his accomplishments. “My goal for running in the future is just to stick with it,” Little said. “I don’t need to be the fastest person; it’s really just a personal goal to always improve my times with each race.”

With a demanding job that takes up the majority of the day, health tech nurse Joanna Garlejo searched for a way to manage her fitness while also successfully keeping up with her duties on campus.

For her, the answer lies at the gym, which provides all the essentials she needs to both stay fit and have a good time.

“I don’t have a particular sport; I just go to the gym and use the cardio machine for 30 minutes and some weights here and there,” she said.

Garlejo's original source of motivation to get active and hit the gym was not simply a desire to be fit. Instead, it stemmed from wanting to make the most of her time and avoid the dreaded morning rush hour. “I didn’t want to stay in traffic for about an hour in the morning or afternoon so I thought I might as well just go to the gym in the morning or after work,” she said. Although going to the gym served as a diversion from the daily struggle of being caught in traffic, her appreciation for exercise and fitness increased from that point on.

Garlejo likes to keep her pre-workout very simple and achievable. “I just try to have a good night's sleep the night before— it makes sure I have energy,” she said.

Many people have trouble going to the gym everyday because they don’t see many positives, but Garlejo finds the morning gym session to help as a good kickstart to her day. “My favorite part is probably that the workout actually helps me get energy first thing in the morning,” she said. “I am there between 5:30 to 6 o’clock in the morning.”

While following a gym routine requires much energy and commitment and can at times become tedious, Garlejo uses certain strategies to make exercise enjoyable. “I prefer to workout with upbeat music while watching the news on the monitors,” she said.

Chemistry teacher Heather Mellows views swimming as a pastime that reaps various mental and physical benefits.

Better yet, Mellows swims as a method to get substantial exercise and to relax and take a break from any stressors in her life.

Mellows has turned to swimming consistently ever since she was young and continues to find ways to fit it into her schedule. “I’ve swam my whole life but I started swimming laps as an adult when I was in grad school because it was relaxing,” she said. “When I moved to Mountain View, I found a pool that was easy to get to and easy to use.”

The pool serves as an easily accessible environment for her to maintain a healthy, fit and enjoyable lifestyle. “It’s a good form of exercise and I find that it’s very even,” Mellows said. “Other things that I do tend to disalign, but swimming, since it’s very symmetric, puts my body back into alignment.”

To make the most out of her time in the water, Mellows avoids any distractions and directs her complete focus, attention and effort to swimming her laps. “I don’t listen to music or use my phone or anything,” she said. “It’s totally thinking time and meditative.”

Swimming also serves several purposes aside from exercise and relaxation. For Mellows, following a healthy and routine activity also fulfills her day by renewing a sense of mental clarity and productivity. “It’s a good time to refocus and reset and get ready for the day,” Mellows said. “I am often tired after I swim, but it’s a good kind of tired, where I feel like I have accomplished something in the day.” With all of the benefits that Mellows has enjoyed from swimming she will undoubtably continue her hobby long into the future.

Biology Teacher

Health Tech Nurse

Chemistry Teacher

—Written by Sohini Ashoke, Eric Epstein and Ryan Manesh

15 Students channel sports passion through Fantasy Teams

Sports

Friday, December 8, 2017

Carolyn Kuimelis News Editor

While flying from Hartford, Connecticut to Austin, Texas in 1979, sportswriter Daniel Okrent was struck with an idea for a new way to enjoy sports, specifically baseball. The notion was simple: he would create made-up teams comprised of real players and then check the box scores each morning in the newspaper to keep track of his team’s progress. Little did he know, his idea would grow into a multibillion dollar fantasy sports industry with over 59 million players as of 2017, from football lovers to golf fanatics.

Although Okrent’s main idea of managing a fantasy team and gaining points based on how players perform has remained, mobile apps and websites have since revolutionized the accessibility of fantasy sports. Anyone with a group of willing friends and internet connection can form a league and compete against each other. Senior Eli Tannenwald recalls joining an online fantasy football league on a whim in middle school. “I first started off with fantasy football because it’s more popular as a fantasy sport,” he said. “It was just something to do.”

Since the start of his fantasy endeavours, Tannenwald has gone on to compete in online leagues, as well as in leagues with his friends. He is well-known for being one of the most active members amongst his peers. While most use sites like Bleacher Report and SportsCenter to research players, Tannenwald

creates his own spreadsheets with statistics on players he selects for his teams. “Because I’ll do a lot of analytics and a lot of research for these leagues that I have money on, that same research will translate into leagues with my friends who maybe don’t put as much time into it,” he said. “It’s fun to do a little trash talk and have a little something to brag about.”

For many, playing fantasy sports is a natural extension of a previous interest in a sport. Having been soccer fans and players from a young age, seniors Erik Johansson and Herman Singh both enjoy playing fantasy soccer in online leagues as a way to connect with people who have similar interests and share their passion. “We have a vast knowledge of soccer because we grew up with soccer,” Johansson said.

“That’s our thing.” After joining fantasy basketball and football leagues to play with their friends, however, Johansson and Singh have increased their knowledge in sports they originally knew little about.

Johansson also appreciates the shared bond that he and his friends have over fantasy sports. “Every fantasy sports group chat I’m in suddenly Jeffrey Yao turns into a friend group chat,” he said. He also notes the power that fantasy sports have in bringing people together. During an Uber ride to a Stanford vs. UCLA football game, Johansson re-

calls his friend striking a conversation with their Uber driver about fantasy football. “He instantly had a 20 to 30 minute quality, in-depth conversation with this guy who didn’t say anything when we initially got in the car,” Johansson said.

While some leagues decide to have a cash prize for the winner, others agree on different, more creative terms.

For example, sophomore Joshua Mei and his friends decided that the loser of their fantasy basketball league would have to get his hair cut by the winner. Similarly, junior Wonseo Chung says he and his friends agreed that the loser of their league would have to wear pink light-up shoes for a week. Chung emphasizes the importance of having a motivation for teammates to continue playing.

“Put a reward on it, because if you don’t put a reward on it, people will just stop trying for the rest of the season when they start losing, and then it’s not that fun,” Chung said.

Senior Michael Schmidt admits to hitting his fantasy peak in eighth grade, having since struggled in drafting successful players. “I pick good players; it’s just that everyone decides to be bad when I draft them,” he said.

“Sometimes I think I have a curse.” While the average number of points scored per week is approximately 100, he once scored a total of one point in a week. Despite having the odds seemingly stacked against him when it comes to fantasy sports, Schmidt continues to participate in leagues for the camaraderie they bring. “Everyone is just coming together and having a good time,” he said.

Thinking of trying fantasy sports?

Check out these sites for leagues and more tips • • • • •

http://www.espn.com/fantasy/ http://bleacherreport.com/fantasy-sports https://sports.yahoo.com/fantasy/ https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/ https://www.rtsports.com/

Beginner's drafting tips for fantasy sports

Play Draft running backs first (RB). There’s one RB on the field at a time, and so having a good one on your team is very important. Plus, you can pick up decent wide receivers on the waivers later. A good strategy would be to aim your first three rounds towards a RB pick, then a tight end and a second running back to follow.

•

•

Make sure to pick a good tight end.

You won't be able to find exceptional tight ends on the waivers after the draft, so be snappy about picking one up.

•

•

You don’t necessarily need a high draft pick to succeed. There are enough top-tier players to build a strong team off of, so don’t worry about getting top seed and instead focus on potential picking strategy with a lower draft pick.

•

Play

Play

•

Do some research, maybe you're not creating a fantasy team to win, but it's still important to have at least some knowledge about the game. Think not only about what players you would like beforehand, but also which positions matter the most. There are shortages of offensively-talented catchers and shortstops, so be sure to scoop one up before they're gone.

Stay updated on what’s happening in the actual game. Injuries and suspensions that happen in real time affect the fantasy world, so being notified of such factors and reacting appropriately with timely shuffles will help your winning chances.

Take the draft seriously. Building a quality fantasy team starts with the draft, and so your performance during the season will rely fairly heavily on your strategic picks and cunning.

• •

Draft small forwards first. Don’t get carried away by draf ting point guards or centers first; there are a lot fewer small forwards to pick from, while there are a lot more centers that are good enough to win.

This applies to the slim roster of great power forwards as well.

•

Pick players of different skill levels within the team because then you know that players have the ability to score on their own without their success being dependent on another player.

•

Remember that role-players are important players as well. Don't get too caught up on trying to grab stars; you'd be surprised at how much underrated players can do for you.

—Compiled by Megan Li

Graphics by Mina Kim and Grace Ding

16

Sports

Teams galvanize for winter sports Wrestling

Cheer While other winter sports are just starting, the athletes in cheer show consistent diligence: the two-season sport transitions from fall regionals to winter nationals. Well into her third year of the sport, team captain senior Arianna Sweat’s interest has not faltered. “I really like all the aspects of cheer because it is a mixture of everything I love, like stunting and dance, which is a good balance,” she said.

In addition to the sport itself, Sweat also enjoys practices with her teammates.

“We’re all really close and we’re all friends with a common goal of doing well at nationals,” she said.

Girls Basketball The girls basketball team is hoping to build off its success from last year, with a 13-12 record in all competitions. Senior Mikee Cagampan is excited for the current season to build off of the great season they had last year. According to Cagampan, the team is pleased with the progess they have made so far. “The season has been going pretty well,” Cagampan said. “We've only played three games so far, but none of them were actual games that counted.

We've won two out of three of those games.”

This year, Cagampan would really like to see the team continue to improve and work toegether.

Cagampan has great confidence in the future of the program and is pleased with the start of their year.

“Obviously, our team just wants to continue winning,” she said.

Boys Basketball Familiar faces join this year’s boys basketball team as it gets ready to take on another season. Many returning players hope to have an even better season. Junior Evan Dray is confident that their team dynamic will lead them to a successful season. “We definitely have a chance to do big things this year,” he said.

Junior Jake Humble hopes that their team ethic and hard work will show in their games. “Every day we work hard and have really high expectations of our season,” he said. "We have a lot of team chemistry and are in store for a great season.”

This year, wrestling has a large coaching staff consisted of Gunn alumni Eric Cramer, Ian Cramer, Blaze Lee, Dennis Chan and Glenn Smith. All wrestlers can receive one-on-one coaching from these five coaches during practice. “I really like our new coaching staff because there are a lot of them so they focus on everyone, rather than specific people, and they also teach you everything they know,” junior Kayla Lin said.

As the team has a league title to defend, head coach Eric Cramer has high hopes for his team to succeed in tournaments and dual meets. “Most importantly, I want to see our team improve throughout the season and capitalize on our potential,” he said. “Everyone on the team has the ability to do well in the sport, and I want to help everybody get there.”

Senior Travis Haro advises athletes who are new to wrestling to go in with an open mind and have fun. “You’ll have a great time and will bond with everyone on the team,” he said. “No one ever gets on you if you lose or make a mistake; everyone always tries their best to bring you up or help you out so that you come back the next match better than before.”

Photos by Max Wang and Richard Yu

Boys Soccer

Girls Soccer Even though this year’s girls soccer team is comprised of relatively young players, coach Juan Mayora has high hopes for the season. “I do think we have the potential to at least go [to] the league championships, make Central Coast Section and go past the first round,” he said.

According to Mayora, four club players left the school team last year, and because of out-ofschool club restrictions, some players could not return to the school team. “Now we lost five, six of the starters, because of the rules,” he said. “But we’ll do what we can. We have enough players.

We’ll be a young team, we just have to learn to play together.”

Senior Izzy Fryett is confident that her new teammates will strengthen the team. “I think we’re going to do really well,” she wrote in a Facebook message. “We’ve gained a lot of talented freshmen and players from JV. It is really sad that we don’t have some players returning, but I hope we can do them proud.”

Dance Unlike most of the other winter season sports, the dance team practices in their studio and performs at rallies, sports games and other school events such as Night Rally for both fall and winter season.

The girls have already gone through the fall season together, which means that introductions are out of the way and a team environment has been formed—something that junior Christiane Helmer has noticed. “For dance, we’re already a team before winter season, so we have things rolling by now and the bond is already there,” she said.

Aside from differences in the team dynamic from the beginning of the year, there are a few other changes this season. “This season is different from the fall because we don’t perform at the halftimes of football games and instead are mainly doing basketball games and getting ready for competition,” sophomore Yvonne Ma said.

The new season of boys soccer could not have come to a better start: the team currently has a stand of 1-0 in preseason. Junior team captain Bob Hahn is eager to get back on the field after recovering from an injury, hoping to ensure a continuation of a winning trend. “I’m just motivated to get back to fitness and play with the team,” he said. “I tore my [medial collateral ligament] and am out for the entire preseason, but working to get back to fitness in order to play on the regular season opener is what is driving me at the moment.”

Hahn has high hopes for the team as they strive to progress further in Central Coast Section than the previous year. These ambitious goals are backed up by a strong and qualified team. “The best quality of the team is work ethic,” he said. “You can really see that some of the guys are going out on the field and pushing themselves every day which is fantastic for them and the team as well.” For Hahn, nothing beats the feeling of working hard and achieving his desired outcome. “My favorite part of the sport is winning,” he said. “Just going out there on the field and getting results is what I love to do.”

—Compiled by Laurel Comiter, Jennifer Gao, Bridgette Gong, Amanda Lee, Megan Li and Katie Zhang

Sports

Friday, December 8, 2017

17

Triathlete Thomas Burton sustains vegan lifestyle Kaya van der Horst Forum Editor In the past two years, senior Thomas Burton has consistently placed top 10 in multiple triathlons—a race involving the sequential completion of swimming, cycling and running. The most impressive part of it all? Burton is a plantpowered athlete, disproving the common misconception that vegans can’t be high-performing athletes.

While most of us are still sound asleep at 6 a.m., Burton would already be awake for half an hour, getting ready to train in the pool. He trains at least three hours a day and picks two sports to train for—swimming in the morning, and then either biking or running after school.

Burton originally started competing in triathlons the summer after sophomore year. “I did a mini kids [triathlon] when I lived in China, and then I didn’t do one again until two summers ago,” he said. “I discovered that it was really fun and encompassed all the three sports I was into: cycling, swimming and running.”

Burton had always been a runner and swimmer, participating in swim, cross country and track and field. An injury, however, prompted him to turn to cycling as a lowimpact sport. Now, Burton regularly participates in sprint triathlons—a race in which he must swim 0.5 miles, cycle 20 kilometers and run five kilometers.

As for his plant-based diet, Burton became fully vegan midway through sophomore year. “Basically, there was a girl on the cross country team who was vegan and that sparked my interest,” he said. “I asked myself, ‘Is this worth looking into?’ and then I remembered that my dad had gone vegan a long time ago.” Burton then received a book from his father about a study showing the correlation between animal products and certain diseases.

Despite viewing veganism as the “logical thing to do” after having read the book, Burton didn’t fully convert until after he came across videos about animal cruelty. “After that, I just went vegan overnight,” he said. Burton’s environmental, health and ethical concerns are the three main pieces driving his decision. “Those pieces just all clicked together

and I felt like I should become vegan,” he said. While he had ideal.” a very abrupt transition, Burton advises prospective vegans Ultimately, Burton believes that going vegan has been a to transition gradually. “I just did it overnight, but I don’t beneficial choice. “Immediately after I became vegan, I nothink that’s the right thing for everyone who plans to go ticed better muscle recovery and wasn’t feeling as sore,” he vegan,” he said. said. “Being vegan isn’t only about food—it’s about choosing Burton initially relied on himself to make diet-specific the ethical option that doesn’t hurt animals or harm the enmeals. “At first my mom was really resistant to the idea of vironment.” me being vegan and she was like, ‘I’m not going to cook for you anymore, you can’t be vegan,” he said. Now, Burton’s Sweet potatoes are loaded whole family has embraced the vegan lifestyle. “My mom with fiber, which is essenstill makes the old recipes she used to make but vegan— tial for controlling appethey’re really delicious,” he said. tite, burning fat and mainAlmond milk replaces cow milk, while taining healthy digestion. vegetable-oil-based butter substitutes normal butter, allowing him to consume smoothies and mashed potatoes just as before. Some of Burton’s typical meals inOatmeal releases carclude toast with peanut butter and a banana bohydrates into the for breakfast, however, followed by leftovers for bloodstream, keeping lunch. For dinner, meals may include rice energy levels consiswith vegetables and tofu, pasta or vegtent during workouts. etable lasagne. “Some vegans want to go the really expensive route, or there’s this misconception that being vegan is really expensive, Dates are high in glubut if you look at what I eat in cose; as soon as one is a day, I don’t only go to Whole consumed, the sugar Foods and buy juices,” he said. dissolves and proAlthough Burton’s vegan diet vides instant energy. may not necessarily be more expensive, it has proven difficult while travelling for competitions. “When I was racing durNut butter is a source ing the summer and went to the of healthy fats and proMidwest like Ohio and Illinois, tein. This protein can be they did have vegan options, but used to fix muscle damnot in the way that the Bay Area age, speeding recovery. does,” he said. “Vegan options are probably going to improve, but right now travelling is not ­­—Compiled by Chelsie Park Graphics by Catherine Chen

Lifestyle

18

NO

YES

Gingerbread serves as delicious holiday treat Grace Tramack

yC hen

—Tramack, a junior, is a Features Editor.

er r Sh

You walk into your kitchen, and a sweet holiday scent fills your nose.

Peeping into the hot oven, your delicious baked goods are perfectly golden-brown and welcome you into the warmth of your home, making you forget about the freezing temperatures or dreary days of the looming winter. This treat can only be gingerbread, one of the most famous and well-known holiday treats. Gingerbread is delicious, extremely versatile, easy to make and should be respected as part of a classic winter tradition.

Most importantly, gingerbread has a flavor that evokes a sense of nostalgia and happiness even in frozen-over hearts. It has the potential to be soft and fluffy, such as in cakes or cookies, or can be a deliciously decadent dessert that will satisfy the strongest sweet tooth. In addition, ginger snap cookies can also be crispier, with a milder taste and a lighter consistency. Even if ginger is not a personal favorite, the taste can be used in other types of recipes, or toned down to slightly mask the flavor, and it will still have the same sugary and nostalgic smell and effect. However, if done right, the perfect balance of sweetness and spices makes the taste alone enough to love gingerbread.

Gingerbread is also one of the most all-purpose foods and tastes of all time. There are not only classic baked goods such as cakes and cookies, but also more out-there recipes for adventurous eaters like milkshakes, mousse or s’mores. Gingerbread isn’t just for eating, though—it allows for personal creativity and uniqueness like no other dessert can offer. Making gingerbread men is a great way to spend time with friends or family; they can be decorated in a multitude of ways. Gingerbread ornaments can be created and make for great homemade gifts.

The most famous craft of them all, though, is the gingerbread house. There are so many design and decoration possibilities, and the best part is that they are edible if you want them to be, but can alternatively last the whole winter. Using gingerbread as a way to bond with friends and family is incredibly easy and valuable, allowing for those who don’t necessarily like the taste to still enjoy it as a part of their winter culture.

Gingerbread is delicious and extremely versatile, and should definitely be acknowledged as an integral part of holiday tradition. The sugary sweet truly has something for everybody, whether it be the taste, scent or creativity.

Stephy Jackson While the holiday season is one of the most wonderful times of the year, our society has ruined it with the over-glorified tradition of gingerbread. Gingerbread is a tradition during the holidays, not because it tastes good or looks amazing, but only because we have been engaging in the custom year after year and nobody has questioned the true value of it. It is so tasteless and childish that it does not deserve to be called a holiday staple.

Gingerbread does not taste remotely of ginger; in fact, it doesn’t taste like anything at all—with the exception of cardboard.

No matter how freshly-baked your loaf is, the flavor is still as if it were left on the counter for over a year or as if it never entered an oven in the first place. Some people attempt to compensate for this dry tastelessness by adding far too much ginger and other spices. This creates an overly potent and tongue-coating assault that no one deserves to experience. While gingerbread is incredibly bland on its own, the addition of a random melange of spices only makes it a thousand times worse.

As an elementary school activity, making gingerbread men and houses was admittedly fun.

But older individuals still seem to insist on partaking in these childhood activities even though the fun has worn off. What’s the point of spending time decorating some cold, hard slabs of gingerbread with globs of sticky frosting and squished gumdrops when there are much better things to do that won’t bore you to near-death?

For example, you could adorn some tree ornaments for a classier outlet of creativity, cozy up by a nice fire or do literally anything else.

The worth of gingerbread has been over-exaggerated by enthusiastic individuals who have yet to see that the baked good lacks flavor, appeal to interest, and overall value.

Students are in school from August to December sitting in hard wooden desks, so why punish themselves with cookies made of the same material? There are so many other recipes, flavors and tastes out there that would do a wonderful job replacing gingerbread as the classic holiday cookie. The unruly reign of gingerbread must end. In no way should such a pathetic excuse for food be part of such a wonderful time as the holiday season.

—Jackson, a junior, is a Centerfold Editor.

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Like caffeine? Make a mocha by combining coffee and your favorite hot chocolate if you’re eve r in need of a caffeinated kick.

Take s ome t im the re al dea e to make l. Melt favorite your choco milk a nd do late with n’t thing to ma rush anyke the chocola te of y our dr hot eams.

—Compiled by Amanda Lee

Graphics by Mina Kim, Yael Livneh and Jeffrey Yao

19 Seasonal mishaps make for emotional memories

Lifestyle

Friday, December 8, 2017

Visiting pet ruins festive cheer

Misspelling spoils Santa Claus myth

Stephy Jackson

Megan Li

A few years ago, one of my mom’s friends asked my family to take care of their dog, a little pug named Philip, during winter break while they were traveling. Philip was cute because he had big rolls of fat all the way up to his face, and his tongue would always be flopping to the side of his mouth. His face always had this slightly dumb expression and looked as if it had been squished flat. Despite being adorable on the outside, he was the spawn of the devil on the inside; he would bite and scratch everything he could find in the house. Couches, pillows, chair legs, you name it, Philip tried to destroy it. Philip also had a nasty habit of peeing whenever he was mad, hungry or just felt like annoying us. But for some reason—I'll never know why— my entire family adored him.

Then, come Christmas morning, Phillip showed his true colors and turned our lovely Christmas into a messy disaster.

All my siblings and I, along with our parents, made our way to the Christmas tree and started to admire all the wonderful gifts that we could not wait to open. Suddenly my mom said, “Does anyone else smell something weird?” We all stopped for a second and sniffed the air, slowly being encompassed by a putrid smell that filled the room. I noticed that this stench was coming from under the tree. and got down to check out what could be causing the smell, and just as I moved one of the presents out of the way, there was Philip, who had given our family his own giftI—he had pooped all over the presents and the bottom side of our Christmas tree. We all stepped back and screamed as my parents ran to grab some towels to clean up the mess.

My parents spent the morning trying to clean up the mess and my siblings and I just sat on the couch and complained. We were able to save some of the presents, but some of the others were sadly lost in the battle. Let's just say Philip didn't have such a hot rep after that day.

Growing up, Santa Claus wasn’t ever a huge part of my family’s Christmas. We never left milk and cookies out or sent letters stuffed with milelong wishlists every holiday season, but I still never once doubted his existence. In my young mind, it was absolutely incomprehensible to even suggest that the holly, jolly old man wasn’t real—after all, not only did I receive that pack of Mr. Sketch markers I had oh-so-badly wanted, but he also signed his name gracefully on every single present. With those solid pieces of evidence, who was I to question anything?

That all changed when I was rudely yanked out of my fresh-faced reverie on a fateful Christmas Day nearly ten years ago.

In the days leading up to Dec. 25, 2007, I had been in quite a few heated debates with my older brother over Santa’s existence; he had already been painfully disillusioned and was bent on ruining my childhood as well. But being the avid Kris Kringle fan that I was, I only crossed my arms, stamped my foot and dubbed him a sad non-believer.

Come Christmas morning, I flew out of my room in an excited frenzy to see what old St. Nick had placed under my tree over the night. While checking the tags for my name, I stumbled upon something terrible: “Santa” had been grotesquely misspelled as “Stana.” To any other child it wouldn’t have been a big deal—Santa can make mistakes too—but my confidence had been shaken by my brother’s impassioned arguments and it seemed highly unlikely that the mythological man would spell his simple, five-letter name incorrectly.

In an attempt to prove my doubts wrong, I scampered to my parents’ room and shook my mother awake. I demanded to know why Santa couldn’t even spell his own name. Was it because he was too busy handwriting every card and was so tired that he rearranged the letters? It wasn’t because he wasn’t real like my brother had been trying to convince me—right?

Understandably irritated with my hysterics at such an early hour, my parents decided that it was time for me to learn the harsh truth of the real world. To them, I was old enough that they could drop the whole “Santa’s real, don’t worry!” schtick. To me, it was like my world was crashing down around me, and I would be lying if I said no bitter tears were wept on that cold morning.

When school started again, I was sorely tempted to bring everybody down with me in a textbook example of the phrase “misery loves company.” I decided against it, though, and instead opted to sit in silence. Other kids would learn of the truth in the years to come, while I, in the meantime, learned to thank my parents every year instead of that fictitious, red-clad figure.

—Jackson, a junior, is a Centerfold Editor.

Catherine Chen

—Li, a junior, is a Lifestyle Editor.

Avoid family conflicts through cowering, confrontation • Stick your head inside the holiday turkey when your relatives start discussing politics.

If your family is vegetarian, stick your head in the mashed potatoes. Bonus: they’re noise canceling, so you won’t hear them scream in disgust.

• When your family members ask about your extracurriculars, make up the weirdest sounding activity you can think of. They’ll be so confused that they won’t bother pushing the issue.

• Buy the largest box you can find, wrap it in festive paper, and hide in it all night. Pro tip: bring some snacks and a large, empty bottle.

• If you’re feeling bored (and feisty), bring up a polarizing political issue. Then, slip away from the dinner table and watch the world burn.

• When you finally snap, either go big or go home. You're already yelling, so you might as well create an argument that generations to come will retell.

—Compiled by Carolyn Kuimelis

Mina Kim

20 backpage Bullet journaling offers creative organization outlet on track s n a l p s p e book ke e t o n e l b a Customiz sov Liza Kolba

k—my le noteboo tt li a d n u , ta karo ever y thing to revolve y n m u g e e m b o s c a e b y life h lanner has ast year, m ative to a p rn e found lt Over the p a le p is sim mmer, and Th su l. st a . la fe rn li u l m ulous cia gra bullet jo play ing fab ed nt on Insta time and so is u e d o e c fr c s, a a y w m m I r s th ing ove studygra ationer y a lived, brea e across a ed w it h st xt weeks, I ss e ay… n se k b e o O I first cam th . s r a in o dived ke d . F people o d f o n o h a y s e a it n n o w u I n . a ls ds o n ever y a comm bullet journ l I fina lly got my han ds to obsessively pla d e ll a c s n ee nti coding. creatio journa ls, u ople who n draw ings and color e t e p ll ic u b tr n d e e c and ta lk phy w it h f those ec I am one o etail in fancy ca lligra ersisted, so maybe d k ever y etheless, I p c n a t. o a tr N . th d d f n a a o b ud tt y ss sha k y. breath hat? I’m pro were, admittedly, pre r, and my lettering le w w o n k u ds cie into ca lBut yo ads got fan urna l sprea pens, I got re jo w w sp o y fe b t M m rs . o fi le T rna ling el st y My e bullet jou trust y past ng my own y Th ri e m s. v d o to c n o a is h d s p slowly rush pen kers and age. rst set of b es w it h stic anize my cond langu Wit h my fi an attack ing my pag se y m e ing me org m a tt c g le e e b b y, , a I e d . y m h usy creative sed ligrap rn to on a b ed me to express my t first confu tu a h to e ic c h la w p , w ea ps for the a llo jargon rna l gave m t pleases my eyes. It a lso, perha u m jo a t e I ll . u rt b a My Voila, the f do y tha per in a wa ctua lly (gasp) k ind o w months. a fe p a n o n a ts h th thoug t I ca n a for longer ing me tha a planner to g y own acin k side, show ic y life, st e to start m didn’t v m r e n in e e th m p I first ti a l. na lly got u d enough, bullet journ s before I fi a l was goo th rn I rea ln u r, o e jo v m y magic of a e f o w m think couple unt, ho ’t o a n c e c id a m d n I k a o — g It to rtin ubts mmunit y sorts of do on after sta ws, but about the co ll o a S . d it a h e I se t. llo t to sands of coun would wan likes and fo a ling as I was—thou s for e e n th o t y u n o a b e a n believ weren’t bullet journ erits of different pe udygrams m terested in e in v s ti a la ized that st st re ju e ho are a ll debate th the best. of people w r the world who can notebook is h e ic v h o w ll r a e v le ditor. th o peop , is a Copy E t to the dea re h o g fi om h d p n so a a hours —Kolbasov, stagram dygram on In u st s a’ iz L t u Check o

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Photo by Richard Yu Graphic by Grace Ding Notebook page courtesy of Liza Kolbasov

bullet jou rna notebook use l (n.): a customizable d as an orga nization syst em

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