The Oracle (Feb. 2007)

The Oracle takes a sneak peak at the upcoming staff and choir musical

Page 14

Meet the people who guide you on your morning commute to school

Volume 43

’S A I N R O F I C AL

2.0

Alex Lee News Editor

According to the latest nonpartisan report card, California schools have a 2.0 grade point average. With a B-plus in after school activities, a C average in health, a C-minus average in education and a D-plus in obesity and family well-being, average California schools are clearly not

Student volunteers help communities in poverished areas Libby Craig Although Action in Africa is a young organization with only sixth months under its belt, club founder Palo Alto High School (Paly) senior Adam Whitfield is determined to rapidly induce change.

Gunn’s own International Missions Club, founded by seniors Ana Kostioukova and Shannon Wood, has plans to convert their club into a branch of Action in Africa. “The club took off at Paly much better then it did at Gunn and Adam has been looking to team up with us and work on funding children in Ethiopia,” Kostioukova said.

Last summer, Kostioukova, Whitfield and Wood all traveled to Ethiopia on a mission trip with the Menlo Park Presbyterian Church. During one of their team’s first experiences, the Bay Area teenagers helped serve food to young Ethiopian orphans. “The love and generosity these kids showed me was unimaginable,” Whitfield said. “Homeless and orphaned children, with no prior contact, acted like I was their best friend and had been for years.”

Upon returning home, Whitfield was moved and eager to share his experiences. “I wanted to make something really happen, and share my impressions of Ethiopia and its many problems with as many others as I could,” he said.

Whitfield started Action in Africa this year, a club whose

mission is to raise money for different regions in Africa each year and make Bay Area students more aware of hardships in Africa. This year’s goal is to raise $15,000 to $20,000 to donate to various relief organizations in Ethiopia.

Now, just halfway through the school year, the club has already met its target. So far, Action in Africa has held a carwash in addition to an ongoing African art sale and individual donations. At a fundraising concert last month featuring six local bands, Action in Africa raised more than $6,000. Half of the proceeds from Paly’s winter formal on Feb. 3 also went towards the club, from which they made over $10,000.

Action in Africa has won the support of hundreds of students in several high schools. Students at Castilleja formed a branch of Action in Africa called Youth Alliance for Darfur Action, which focuses mainly on the genocide in Sudan. Whitfield’s club has also been in correspondence with Leland High School, Menlo-Atherton High School and Menlo High School and is looking to spread throughout schools in the Peninsula. “[International Missions Club] decided to merge with Action in Africa because we are able to reach more people if we are a larger organization,” Wood said.

During Club Day on Feb. 7, Action in Africa raised interest from students. Upcoming fundraisers include an athletic shoe drive, a car wash and a comedy show.

Photo courtesy of Ana Kostioukova

NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. Postage

PA I D

Permit #44 Palo Alto, Calif.

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

performing up to standard.

The national organization Children Now sponsored the 2006-2007 report card. “The California Report Card includes data from major studies and data sources issued during the year, including the US Census, California Department of Education, and California Health Interview Survey,” senior policy associate Corey Newhouse said. “We rely only on reputable data sources, and therefore have confidence in the accuracy of the informa-

Taking action in Africa Sports Editor

Springing into a new season of sports, games and teams

Page 19

Monday, February 12, 2007

Issue 5

GPA:

Page 8

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

tion reported.”

Newhouse also shed light on how the organization assigned the school grades.

“We select the major issue areas to highlight based on our ongoing work in the field,” Newhouse said. “The grades are assigned based on the year-to-year change in the indicators, California’s ranking relative to other states, and policy and budget progress made in the year in question.”

The report credited California with GRADE—p. 2

New requirements lead to lane changes Adrienne Nguyen Sports Editor

As of 2009, Advanced Placement (AP) classes will require specific pre-requisite courses and an application process before admittance. The administration hopes that the new change in the science lane format will offer more options and cater to students’ interests.

The science department enacted the lane changes to increase students’ access to AP courses. “We hope that this new course of study will allow more students to have access to our higher level science courses,” Science Instructional Supervisor Lettie Weinmann said. “We believe students will be better prepared for these rigorous college level courses if they have had the introductory course in that subject area prior to taking the course.”

However, some students feel this system limits their choices.

“I feel that the system would be a disadvantage to those who do not have the extra period to take an extra science course to take an AP their senior year,” sophomore Nate Ma said.

The class of 2008 will be the last class to have taken a general science course, either Science 1 or Science 1AC during their freshman year, which is not considered a UC approved laboratory course. However, since the class of 2009, students have taken one of three biology courses their freshman year.

Classes of 2009 and on have the privilege of taking a science their senior year after completing three UC required laboratory science classes. Incoming juniors may take the new AP Chemistry course with a mandatory concurrent enrollment with a physics course. As of next year, juniors who intend to take AP Physics are required to have taken either Physics 1 or Physics 1A as a prerequisite. Those who intend to enroll into Biology AP their junior year will not be allowed to take an AP Physics course their senior year due to this new policy, unless taking doubling science courses and taking a physics course.

Available electives include Environmental Science, Astronomy and Biotechnology. Environmental Science will be offered to sophomores, while Astronomy and Biotechnology are only offered to juniors and seniors.

PAUSD votes against Mandarin immersion program Alex Lee

News Editor

Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) officials here discarded plans for a Mandarin immersion program during the Jan. 30 school board meeting. The board also voted 4-1 to look into developing a Foreign Language in Elementary School program that would reach all students. In light of the rejection from the board, program supporters will now explore creating a charter school backed by the district.

Superintendant Mary Frances Callan recommended establishing an elementary school dual immersion program, from kindergarten to the fifth grade, at Ohlone Elementary School.

Students would start off receiving most of their instruction through Mandarin, with the amount of English taught increasing with each grade level. The entire program would have been paid for by parent donations and federal grants.

The Board of Education rejected the proposal on a 3-2 vote, but trustees expressed support for the concept. They said the timing, other needs and growing enrollment made the program difficult to start now.

Many members of the community agreed with the rejection. “The World Languages Department at Gunn supports foreign language in the elementary schools for all children, not just a small, select group of students in a lottery choice program,” Language Instructional Supervisor Anne Jensen said. “One of

the principles of the California Foreign Language Framework is that foreign language should be available to all students from K to 12.”

French teacher Marcel Losier agrees. “I think having an immersion program of any language would benefit only a few students,” he said.

Rejection of the program will have no impact on Mandarin classes at Gunn. “The decision not to offer Mandarin immersion will not have any effect on the high school Mandarin foreign language program,” Jensen said. “This program is still in its beginning stages and we are working to clarify with students and parents the difference between a Mandarin foreign language class and a native speaker class.”

2

News

The Oracle

Students to attend mock Congress

Textbook accounts of how a bill becomes a law do not convey the passions of lawmaking. Even viewing Congress in session can fail to give a sense of the heated debates that go on in committee hearings or the compromising done in back-room meetings.

The Junior Statesmen of America (JSA) Winter Congress is a model United States Congress held for one weekend each year. This specific event is held from Feb. 24 to 25.

The Winter Congress is structured like an actual Congress: students are divided into Senate and House of Representative committees. Each student then goes to his assigned house and passes or rejects bills, depending on how well the debaters perform and what the students support.

The bills that pass both houses of the Congress may then be introduced into a “full session” of Congress if a Senator or Representative chooses to sponsor the bill.

If 1,000 students attend this year’s Winter Congress, a Canadian fund will donate $5,000 to Darfur for water, medicine and general relief. As about 800 people are expected to attend, all Bay Area JSA chapters are pushing for recruitment.

Students attending will be debating other students’ bills and proposing amendments to improve them, based on how bills and amendments are passed in the U.S. Congress.

Students attending include senior Daniel Black and juniors Molly Kawahata, Guy Herschmann, Kevin Lin, Victoria Van Duyne, Anand Gupta, Stephanie Tran and Jaya Wen.

Mathletes, athletes dance at Sadies

Mathletes left the textbooks at home and athletes ditched the game to dance together at the annual Sadie Hawkins dance at Gunn on Feb. 3.

The theme was proposed by senior Student Body President Nikki Dodani and voted on by the Student Executive Council. It was created in hopes of getting more people to come and dress-up. “The theme was one that everyone could easily participate in and many students could connect with on some level, given the high participation at our school in both math and athletics,” Student Activities Director Lisa Hall said. “It’s great to see everyone wholeheartedly participating in something and adds to the fun.”

Though the exact number of students who attended is unknown, about 700 students did show up. “More people came than I expected, which was fantastic,” senior dance commissioner Emma Quinn, who started preparing for the dance during winter break said.

Many students were attracted to the theme, including first time Sadies go-ers, like freshman Dane Sessions. “It was a really fun dance,” Sessions said. “The best part was seeing everyone’s costumes.”

However, some students found the theme far from satisfactory.

“The whole thing was bad and unoriginal,” sophomore Brian Townsend said.

Though hoping for a dance free of illegal substances and inebriated students, Hall admits that there were students who got in trouble. “There always seem to be a few people who feel the need to bring items to school events that are not in compliance with school policy or to come to school events under the influence,” Hall said.

“Those people are dealt with according to Gunn’s rules as laid out in the student handbook.”

Compton takes post as counselor

Newly appointed counselor Myesha Compton joined the guidance staff on Jan. 9 after previous work as an attendance secretary.

While in the attendance office, Compton went to school part time to earn a B.A. in school counseling. “I had been working at Gunn for a number of years, and I felt like I’d really become a member of the Gunn community,” Compton said. “I was ready to take the next step.”

Compton was drawn to counseling by a desire for better communication with students, as well as encouragement by other staff members. “Support and warmth from the counselors was a motivation,” Compton said.

Assistant Principal Kim Cowell is pleased with Compton’s work so far. “She is an excellent problem-solver and worked hard to improve the overall workings of the attendance office,” she said.

The addition of a sixth counselor decreased the counselor-tostudent ratio from 372 students to about 320 students per counselor, alleviating the counselors’ workloads.

Currently, Compton’s biggest task is freshmen conferences, which help freshmen choose college-track classes. Soon, she will be helping juniors choose colleges. “College applications can be a bit overwhelming for both myself and the students because there’s so much information to communicate,” she said.

—Compiled by Sasha Guttentag, Maya Itah and Alex Lee

Christopher Wu

Students enjoy French Club’s crêpe fest at the international luncheon. Several clubs held events throughout the week, including food sales, black history trivia and a book drive.

Celebrating Gunn’s diversity

Student leaders embrace opportunity to share their heritage Fi Kazi & Lucy Li Reporter & Graphics Artist

Organized by junior diversity commissioner Zuri Ray-Alladice, Diversity Week was held from Jan. 29 to Feb. 2 to celebrate Gunn’s uniqueness. “For Student Executive Council, each person has to have a personal goal,” Ray-Alladice said. “Diversity Week was my personal goal. I wanted to have a week where we could celebrate diversity again.”

On Jan. 30, Gunn held an assembly in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Ray-Alladice planned the week so that it coincided with the assembly. “I thought it would be appropriate with the theme,” she said.

The documentary by the Black Student Union (BSU) was shown during the school assembly, “We just decided to ask other people what they thought about the ‘n-word’ and other racial slurs,” junior BSU vice president Maymi Sarr said. “Hopefully it got to some people.”

Junior Noah Azarin enjoyed the documentary. “The best part of the assembly was where they interviewed random people,” he said. “It was a good video because it presented a variety of perspectives.”

Junior Iris Latour and sophomores Naomi Domkam and Lisa Aguilar sang the Black National Anthem dur-

ing the assembly. They prepared two weeks in advance, working on the lyrics and the melody of the anthem. “I felt [the audience] was very supportive,” Latour said. “I think music is important and singing the anthem was a good thing to do.” Many students also agreed with her statement. “The singing helped because people would actually focus on the topic,” freshman Annabel Lim said.

The German and French club, BSU, Quiz Kids and South Asian Students Association (SASA) participated in the week’s festivities. Each club held a small event at lunch, ranging from a German fairy tale by the German club to a book drive held by SASA. The clubs also contributed food to the international luncheon held at the end of the week. “It’s got to be about these activities we do together,” Azarin said.

Ray-Alladice wanted the week to commemorate our eclectic community. “My main goal is to just lessen the ignorance at Gunn, to celebrate our diversity and to realize that we have the ability to go to school with people who don’t look like us,” she said. “We should do it all year, but one week is a good start.”

Ray-Alladice’s goal may have been admirable, but Azarin felt that Diversity Week could have used some improvements. “The end result was 90 Sadies posters and 1 diversity week poster,” he said. “It just didn’t get the market penetration that it should [have].”

State’s marks well below average

Faculty, students think standards not applicable to Gunn n GRADE, from p. 1 making gains in standardized test scores and healthcare by hundreds of millions of dollars. But the report also indicated that California still needed sweeping and comprehensive changes.

Despite the report results, school administration and teachers do not believe that California’s overall grades in health or family well-being were a real problem at Gunn.

Categories for health included obesity, health insurance, dental health, infant and young children’s health and adolescent children’s health. “Certainly, the PE department makes the best effort to make sure that students are well versed in their fitness, and they work hard to meet state standards,” principal Noreen Likins said.

Instructional supervisor Steve Ames agrees. “By the state’s standards we are doing well. On a standard grade scale we have a grade of A-,” he said.

Likins believes that families are integral to Gunn student performance, as the report says. “Parents care very much, and usually it’s a healthy concern,” she said.

But Likins was not sure if Gunn parental support is appropriate

Graphic by Lucy Li

for their students. “Parents can believe that they are doing a lot to support kids,” she said. “But emotional support is usually hard to judge.”

Some staff members believe that the study reveals an economic gap between the rich and the poor.

“Districts in lower income areas often have lower wages often attracting teachers with less experience and sometimes with only emergency credentials,” French teacher Marcel Losier said. “The main problem is that the state of California does not provide enough per pupil funding to support the needs of all students.”

Junior Noah Azarin agrees.

“While these low scores are disturbing, they do not apply to Gunn,” he said. “As Gunn is funded by local funds rather than state funds, we don’t suffer or benefit from statewide changes to education policy and budget.”

Children Now chose which issues to highlight based on ongoing work. “Our staff is deeply connected with the advocacy community,” Newhouse said. “we rely on our own and our colleagues’ assessments of major policy advancements and key opportunities for improvement.”

News

Monday, February 12, 2007

Driving not a child’s game Mike Camicia As a driver, you have to realize that you are responsible for the safe operation of a very large and very heavy potential weapon, your car. When you stop and think what an amazing feat driving is, it is astonishing that we haven’t all killed ourselves. We are controlling the acceleration, deceleration and direction of a 3,500 pound vehicle which is all achieved by the four friction areas of the tires contacting the asphalt pavement, each roughly the size of the palm of your hand. Add in a slippery surface, some distractions, poor mechanical condition of your vehicle or simply another person driving down the same stretch of highway next to you with any of these same variables and you have an accident just waiting to happen.

Driving a car requires your full attention. Distractions like talking on your cell phone, adjusting the sound system, putting on makeup, eating, drinking or simply interacting with passengers can all lead to an accident.

Teens tend to believe that the accident will happen to the other guy, not themselves. The truth is that we all are the other guy at one time or another. Teenage drivers are involved in more accidents because they lack experience, and not necessarily the driving kind. They take chances often without regard to the consequences. The facts speak for themselves.

Think about it.

Teen driving fault that I have noticed: Following too closely. Young drivers tend to not leave enough room between themselves and the car ahead. Following too closely severely reduces the time to react and leaves you at a serious disadvantage when you NEED the extra space to stop or maneuver. You are cheating yourself out of the ability to avoid an accident by doing this. Everyone thinks he has quick reactions and can handle just about anything. That certainly isn’t true. The distance consumed in a panic stop is composed of three parts. The distance traveled while simply reacting. The distance traveled while initially pushing the brake pedal or turning the steering wheel, the distance traveled when the laws of physics take over (you know—that part of science class that you thought was especially boring and that you thought you’d never need to know anyway since you’d never use it in everyday life). What does this mean? It means that if you are driving 55 mph on a dry road with good visibility and have great reaction times, you will travel the distance of a football field before the car comes to a complete stop. This works out to about six seconds.

Your time and distance may vary. Why? The weight of the vehicle, the condition of the brakes, the friction (or lack of it) between the tires and the surface—even temperature and factor into the equation.

The best advice here is to leave more room that you think you’ll need.

The old rule of one car length for every 10 mph is not really enough. Of course when you leave a great deal of space between yourself and the car in front of you it is an open invitation for someone else to occupy it. You need to again compensate. Frustrating? Maybe. But just remember that should the guy in front stop short, and you run into him it is YOUR fault and you’ll receive the ticket for not leaving enough room to safely stop.

With the prices of auto bodywork at an all time high, not to mention increased insurance rates or the risk of a liability suit due to “whiplash,” I should think leaving a bit more room would be worthwhile.

—Camicia, the Auto teacher, is a guest columnist this issue.

On the road...

3

Teens are more likely than older drivers to speed, run red lights, make illegal turns, ride with an intoxicated driver and drive after using alcohol or drugs.

Teens are more likely than older drivers to underestimate or recognize hazardous situations or dangerous situations. Compared with other age groups, teens have the lowest rate of seat belt use. In 2003, 18% of high school students reported they rarely or never wear seat belts when riding with someone else.

The risk of motor vehicle crashes is higher among 16- to 19-year-olds than among any other age group. In fact, per mile driven, teen drivers ages 16 to 19 are four times more likely than older drivers to crash.

From the State Farm 2007 study “Driving: Through the Eyes of Teens”: 68% said they see teens smoking cigarettes while driving.

53% said they see teens using hand-held games and listening devices or sending text messages while driving.

48% reported seeing teens drive after drinking.

38% said they have seen teens drive after smoking marijuana.

—Compiled by Alex Lee and Mike Camicia

1990—Brady Grasinger (15 years old) dies when his car is hit by a drunk, speeding driver.

Dec. 20, 1994—Jared Cunningham (13 years old) dies when car is hit by a young, speeding driver.

O c t . 7, 19 9 7—t h e B r a d y- J a r e d Te e n Driver Safety Act (SB 1329) is signed into California law.

July 1, 1998—BradyJared provisions go into effect.

Sports Editor

Due to a greater awareness of drunk driving, Toyota Motor Corporation and other major auto corporations are currently designing a sensor that stops the vehicle if alcohol consumption is sensed.

If installed cameras sense unfocused or dilated pupils or if abnormal steering is present, the system will slow the car to a stop. Should the sensors in the steering wheel detect a high level of alcohol in the driver’s sweat and bloodstream, the car will not be able to start or slowly stop. In California, a driver will be charged with misdemeanor or felony if his blood alcohol content (BAC) exceeds 0.08 percent.

Toyota plans to install the system into all cars produced after 2009 and hopes that the move will reduce incidents of drunk driving. Toyota is currently the world’s second largest auto company and is leading the market with technology designed

Driving throughout the years

d e c u d e r o t

riv ing d k n ru

to prevent driving while under the influence. Nissan Motor Company is also devising a similar system to be incorporated into its vehicles.

“I believe this system will be effective in reducing drunk driving, although some bugs may arise in the system in the first few years,” junior Sam Hwang said. He is optimistic about the new system but realizes that the technology must be fine-tuned before a reduction in drunk driving accidents can be noticed.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 17,013 people died in 2003 in “alcohol-related” collisions. This number represents 40 percent of total deaths in accidents in the United States. California has experienced a recent increase in alcohol-related deaths, increasing from 39 percent in 2003 to 40 percent in 2004.

Law enforcement officials utilize similar technology to manage convicted drunk drivers. A breath-test interlock device is connected to the engine’s ignition system and is inside the vehicle. The driver must blow into the device prior to starting the automobile—the car will not start if the BAC exceeds the set limit.

The lock costs approximately $1,000 per vehicle. Volvo has designed a new Alcolock, which is built into the seat belt buckle that will be available in 2009. New legislation requiring all new automobiles to feature the interlocks by 2012 has been recently passed in Sweden.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) look to the current auto corporations for support in creating the technology that may prevent drunk driving. According to MADD, the developing technology makes “the vision that drunk drivers will not be able to operate vehicles is no longer a dream but, with substantial research, a real possibility.”

y g o l no h c e t e v i t o m o t u a w Ne Adrienne Nguyen

Jan. 1, 2006—AB 1474 provisions go into effect.

—Compiled by Dan Li

Sept. 18, 2004—AB 1541, an amendment to the Louis Friend Memorial Act, is signed into law.

Sept. 22, 2005—AB 1474, an amendment to the Brady-Jared Act, is signed into law.

Oct. 4, 20 05—A B 1325, an amendment to the Louis Friend Memor ia l Act , is signed into law.

s m ai

4

News

The Oracle

SEC reaches out to student body ASB Constitution The idea of a constitution for high schools is not a new one. By state law, all Associated Student Body (ASB) organizations require constitutions for student governments. “We didn’t decide to write the constitution—every ASB needs to have one and ours was lost years ago when an old Student Executive Council (SEC) was rewriting it,” junior class vice president Tara Levens said.

Finalized on Jan. 29, the Gunn Associated Student Body Constitution comprises all laws that govern students and the SEC itself. The topics addressed vary from specific laws ranging from the guidelines for clubs’ now-mandatory constitutions to SEC election procedures. “I think that having our procedures and policies written down and ‘set in stone’ will eliminate some confusion or misunderstanding of how things are run on campus,” Levens said.

The ASB Constitution can be viewed on the Student Activities website.

Newsletter

Initiated by junior Human Relations Commissioner Miranda Der in December, the SEC newsletter seeks to better inform the Gunn community about upcoming events, the SEC’s meetings and fun facts about SEC members and to give students further opportunities to relay feedback to the SEC via surveys.

The newsletter will be located on the Student Activities website for easier student and parent accessibility.

Town Hall In January, junior Community Service Chair Leah Rosengaus proposed to the SEC her and junior class president Max Keeler’s idea of a town hall that would serve as a launching pad for regular open discussions with the rest of the student body. “We’re all confronted with some issues in communication,” Rosengaus said. “The school needs to know more about what we are doing.”

At the town hall held after school on Feb. 8, the SEC answered questions regarding its Facebook group, Spring Fling and a Jordan Middle School SafeRide program. Despite the low student turnout, the SEC plans to hold monthly open Leadership Council meetings, at which students can offer their opinions in the SEC’s formal discussions. “Students can attend and have a voice,” Student Activities Director Lisa Hall said.

ies/ /~activit g r .o d s m. n.pau p://gun gmail.co t t @ h C t E a S n gun bsite SEC we e-mail to e n h a t d it n is e V s .HTM or sac/SEC

Focus Groups

Earlier this year, the SEC administered surveys to determine which campus issues were most important to students. SEC members were then divided into six Focus Groups dedicated to campus communication, trash and recycling, class prioritization, homework and ethics, class prioritization and SEC leadership audit. They will present their findings and suggestions for improvement today and on Feb. 28 to the rest of the SEC and to the administration.

—Compiled By Michelle Fang, Dezmon Hunter, Alex Lee and Meilin Luh

Homework debate goes national Do I learn by visualizing?” These preferences can influence how homework is completed, possibly According to Nancy Keates of yielding a better final result. “Away the Wall Street Journal, teachers from the hubbub of the classroom, at Gunn have been reducing the we notice the workings of our own amount of busywork, which helps mind—what captures its attention, the students benefit more from all where it wanders,” Wilson said. of their homework.

“This gives us keys to our strengths, In an article published on Jan. skills and passions.”

19, Keates writes, “some of the Some students feel overwhelmed nation’s most competitive schools by the amount of homework. “I are changing their homework polithink there is too much homework,” cies, limiting the amount of work junior Anna Bleisner said. “I spend assigned by teachers or eliminating at least two to three hours every it altogether in lower night doing my homegrades.” Gunn is listed work, and I am not even as one of those schools taking any Advanced We want to determine what the along with the lower Placement classes.” school at Westminster Though homework essential things in the curriculum Schools in Atlanta, Harmay seem tedious to are so that they are not overloaded. vard-Westlake in Los some students, it cannot This does not necessarily mean less Angeles and Riverdale be entirely cut out of the Country Day School in curriculum. “There is homework, but it does mean more New York City. no way we are going to relevant homework.”

Keates portrays the —Principal Noreen Likins get rid of homework at decreasing amount of the high school level,” homework as beneficial Likins said. “Students to students and their stress levels. assignments and choose problems are high achievers, and a high level “We have been having long con- that will provide enough practice of achievement requires work outversations about how to reduce the without being too redundant,” side of school.” stress students are under, particu- Beck said.

The amount of homework a larly ninth graders,” Principal NorThere are more reasons for student must complete will vary een Likins said. “The adjustment homework than are immediately depending on the number and diffrom the amount of homework visible. “I think homework is ficulty of the classes he is taking. in middle school to the amount about more than mastering the According to Beck, a student taking of homework in high school can material—it is about learning a basic math course will have about be very difficult for them.” Staff about ourselves,” English teacher 20 to 30 minutes of homework members, however, are trying to Tarn Wilson said. “When students per night, while a student in BC solve this problem. “We want to do all work in class, the teacher Calculus will have around an hour determine what the essential things structures the learning and the en- per night. The homework load may in the curriculum are so that they vironment. When we work alone, upset some students, but as long as are not overloaded,” Likins said. we get to learn about ourselves. new skills are being learned and “This does not necessarily mean Am I a morning or an evening per- mastered as a result, it is not going less homework, but it does mean son? Can I learn well with music? to be eliminated anytime soon.

Nina Nielepko

Buisiness Manager

more relevant homework.”

Many teachers agree that when it comes to homework, it is the content, not the amount, that matters. “In many ways, learning mathematics is like playing a sport,” Mathematics Instructional Supervisor Jeanne Beck said. “A football or basketball coach would not show his players a special ‘play’ just once and then expect them to implement it correctly during a big game. ” Math teachers, in this way, are like coaches. “The teachers in the math department look at their

Forum

Monday, February 12, 2007

Likins’ ban on racial slur necessary But, policing offensive epithets should be a team effort

P

rincipal Noreen Likins should be commended for her decision to limit the use of the “n-word” on campus.

Responding to a request by the Black Student Union (BSU), Likins announced at the Dec. 14 staff meeting that the word would be banned on campus.

The decision stands as a progressive step in further ensuring students’ well-being.

However, Likins stopped short of truly making Gunn a safer place for students by neglecting to expand the policy to cover all derogatory epithets and failing to institute strict disciplinary consequences. Additionally, students need to embrace the ban more whole-heartedly in order to eradicate the use of not just this term, but offensive language as a whole on campus.

Likins deserves credit for her speedy response to the BSU’s concern about the use of the “n-word” on campus.

She has thus established her authenticity as an administrator who listens to students’ concerns and acts accordingly.

It should be noted that Likins intends for the word to be prohibited only in everyday conversation, not in a literary or historical context in English or social studies classes. This distinction prevents unnecessary awkwardness in classroom discussions, and more importantly, invites

analysis regarding the evolution of the word and its meaning. Perhaps the discussions prompted by the ban will even induce students to think about the development of derogatory slang as a whole.

The most significant aspect of this ban is that it targets the people who interact most with students: teachers. Faculty members often fail to curb students’ usage of disrespectful and offensive language, perhaps because of the uneasiness that stems from such confrontations. Likins’ decision amends this situation by not only empowering teachers to call students on the word, but also emphasizing teachers’ responsibility to do so.

But, why stop at teachers? Students should also be empowered to call each other on the use of these terms. The administration should consider implementing a “language code,” similar to the Honor Code, to give students the backing of the school in policing

Graphic by Brian Phan

achieve its desired effect. Without harsh punishment, students will continually use the word, even if they are reprimanded by peers and faculty members.

I mplementi ng rigid enforcement policies would not be unprecedented.

W hen comedia n Michael Richards used the “n-word” to refer to an African American audience member last November, the incident exploded into a national news story, resulting in Richards’ public apology on television. Using this, or other similar terms, is a serious offense and deserves

The Opinion of The Oracle

their peers when they use offensive terms.

Part of the code should include strong enforcement procedures, as strict disciplinary consequences are necessary for the policy to

serious consequences.

Regardless of the course of action the administration chooses to take regarding offensive language, one thing is sure: student support is essential to its eradication. We are almost adults and should know the negative impact certain language can have on other students. Although some derogatory terms are widely used on campus and even in society and pop culture, this is no justification for their usage. Let’s stop calling each other names and start building a safer campus.

—Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the staff (in agreement: 45; opposed: 4).

Political correctness awkward, restricts speech

New terms deflect responsibility, result in unprecedented paranoia

Alex Lee If America were ever the land of freedom and equality, it isn’t now. I don’t care if God Himself has told you otherwise, but today we are all less free than we were 50 years ago.

Today, we have to be fearful of what we think, of what we write and especially of what we say.

We have to be afraid of using a word simply because it was denounced as offensive, insensitive, racist, sexist or homophobic. Today, we have to be morally upstanding, positive thinking and above all, politically correct citizens.

That means we should avoid saying things that insult others on the basis of things like race, religion, sex, ethnicity, class and sexual orien-

tation. But the new terms are often awkward, euphemistic substitutes for the original stark language. In simpler words, I can’t call you, or anybody else, ugly because it is now far too politically incorrect. No, he’s not ugly—he’s a “unique beauty.”

But what problem does political correctness solve? Ironically, members of identity groups often embrace the so-called politically incorrect terms. Deaf culture has never considered the label “deaf” to be an insulting label—in fact, it views the term as an affirming statement of group membership. Instead, many deaf people consider the politically correct term, “hearingimpaired,” to be highly derogatory, according to the National Association of the Deaf.

In addition, many politically correct terms are just linguistic cover used to avoid political responsibility. For instance, “juvenile delinquents” became “children at risk,” and “illegal aliens” became “undocumented workers.” But that’s not all. Political correctness has actually made us into a paranoid people. We see offen-

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sive language everywhere. The word “history” has been feminized into “herstory” because of feminine outrage at gender discrimination.

In fact, the word derives from the Greek for “inquiry.”

Even the media, former champion of free speech, has been muzzled by political correctness. Let’s say it all together: Fidel Castro is not a “president.” Castro has not been democratically elected in Cuba; the correct word to define him is “tyrant.” He is not a “charismatic individual.” But “president” and “charismatic individual” are what the media has been forced to call him.

We are all respectful of others and concerned with correcting injustices. We don’t need political correctness to make us think that we are not civilized without regulation and must have our thoughts and words restricted.

Just let us say it the way it is—after all, we like it that way.

Correction:

—Lee, a junior, is a News editor.

December issue—Vol. 43, issue 4

n In “Senior raises canine aide” (p.12), the name of senior Max Fox’s dog is Tara, not Para.

The Oracle regrets past errors and invites readers to correct any in the future by contacting a staff member or by sending an email to gunnoracle@yahoo.com.

5

Computer lab a privilege You would expect to see nerds and other “academically interested” students in the computer lab after school. They are there. But the computer lab is no longer just a place for academics or schoolwork. You’d be surprised at what some students do there.

A few weeks ago, I was sitting in the computer lab, staring at a computer screen. Yes, yes, I know—this already makes me sound like a nerd with no life.

Well, I was just there to finish my homework. But most people weren’t there for that reason.

I’m no goody two-shoes, but what I saw there appalled me.

I saw people on MySpace and Facebook. I saw people playing games—shooting games, Runescape, Adventure Quest—you name it, even though there is a clear sign saying “No Games Allowed.” I even saw a kid looking at pornography.

Maybe that was just an isolated incident, but it made me stop and think, “Why don’t we students use the computer lab like we’re supposed to?

What happened to students at Gunn? Why are we acting so stupidly?”

We need to realize that being allowed to use the computer lab is a privilege, not a right. If we don’t use it for what it was designed for, then we won’t be allowed to use it at all. We all know that playing games and looking at porn is entertaining—just play or look it up somewhere else, preferably at home.

Please don’t mess up school for the rest of us.

—Anonymous junior A note to the sofa culprit The students of Gunn High School are irritated.

It is because of you that none of us can heat our food or spend cold days in the Student Activities Center. Can’t you just confess?

Please do this for us.

Trust me, no one will hate you. In fact, we hate you now.

If you turn yourself in, we will be relieved and will most likely shower you with compliments and other niceties.

You see, we are Indian food eaters. We like to heat our food in the microwaves they have there. Lately, our lunch planning nights have been crazy. We can’t just take last night’s leftovers.

This is just one of the problems. One of our friends can no longer access the vending machine she is so in love with.

You are depriving a person from having her hunger satiated.

We really do not appreciate this. If you would like, we will bake you cookies for confessing to this pardonable crime. You can look up our names in the phone directory. Thank you.

—Seniors Fi Kazi and Maricris Paviera

6

Forum

The Oracle

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

Editorial Board

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Graphic by Julius Tarng

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News

Stéphanie Keller-Busque, Alex Lee, Vivien Tsao (associate)

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Alex Lee, Dan Li Staff

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Nina Nielepko

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Meilin Luh, Alex Tom

Senior Photographer Christopher Wu Photographers

Matthew Lee, Cosmo Sung

Graphics Artists Dezmon Hunter, Lucy Li, Brian Phan Reporters

Aurelle Amram, Scott Benitez, Aviel Chang, Danielle Edelman, Priya Ghose, Amarelle Hanyecz, Beth Holtzman, Dezmon Hunter, Maya Itah, Noah Johnson, Fi Kazi, Susan Lee, Jocelyn Ma, Alex Rasgon, Carissa Ratanaphanyarat, Ryan Tan, Jeffrey Wang, Chia-Yun Wann, Tenny Zhang

Adviser Kristy Garcia The Oracle is published by and for the students of Henry M. Gunn Senior High School. The unsigned editorials that appear in this publication represent the majority opinion of the editorial staff and The Oracle's commitment to promoting students' rights. The Oracle strongly encourages and prints signed Letters to the Editor. Please include your name, grade and contact information should you choose to write one. Letters may be edited to meet space requirements and the writer is solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.

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

These letters and ideas need not be from current students. The Oracle publishes 10 issues annually. Subscriptions are $40/year.

Michelle Fang

N

owadays, people turn on their television and see images of death and violence as easily as they can rent a G-rated movie. The government needs to censor the amount of violence in the media to prevent the corruption of youths’ minds.

As technology became more prevalent, a need for profit developed, and ads and explosive content are the best method for the media to attract viewers.

Youths grow up accustomed to gruesome images and violent scenes.

In the article “‘Perverse’ media upsets pope,” published Jan. 27, Pope Benedict said today’s media “were ‘perverse’ and harmed children when they exalted violence and trivialized human sexuality in the name of entertainment” (Reuters). Many say that media violence has no relation with the higher numbers of shootings and murders in everyday communities, but social scientists have proved otherwise.

Columbia University professor Jeffrey Johnson analyzed 707 families in New York for 17 years and found that children watching an average of two or three hours of television everyday were 60 percent more likely to be ag-

gressive and violent. In the 1970s, University of British Columbia professor Tannis McBeth Williams studied a remote village in British Columbia and found that violence increased by 160 percent after television’s introduction.

The media must realize its responsibility to protect viewers—no families want to raise their children in a society promoting violent images. Leaders of the industry should regulate the amount of violence shown.

If families watch television during the evening, then violent programs shouldn’t be shown until late at night.

Media is now structured to feed the audience what it wants, not what is important, evolving from informing to entertaining—the more explosive or exhilarating the medium, the more viewers it will attract. The government needs to intervene and ensure the media is at least showing the public facts, not fiction.

Senseless violence is ruining the minds of today’s youth, and it will only get worse as the years go on.

—Fang, a junior, is a Features editor.

L A E D L A E R E TH

CON

Centerfold Thomas Bao, Sasha Guttentag

Should the government regulate the media?

PRO

Features

Nathaniel Eisen, Michelle Fang, Jonathan Gu

I

Alex Rasgon

n an era where we can film and share anything with the rest of the world in minutes, we must become more tolerant of content originally considered taboo.

Violence is a reality—there is no reason to prevent the average person from seeing the violence around them. Exposing people to this reality would lead to more responsible and better-informed citizens, and therefore better community leaders.

Media is a business and motivated by profits. To put it bluntly: violence sells and attracts viewers in certain demographics–specifically males 18 to 25. Thus, removing violence from the news and other media would drastically hurt companies, because they would lose a key component of their viewership.

One common misconception is that children will watch violent shows if there is no censorship.

Kids tend to watch shows that

appeal to them, and thusly they do not gravitate towards material containing blood and gore.

In the event that they do, parental locks are available on television sets.

Similarly, children are uninterested by the news, so there is no reason to shield adult viewers from reality to protect children.

Many claim that the violence in Hollywood pictures adversely affects children and desensitizes them, but this, too, is false. A viewer watches an action film in a different mind-set than if he or she were watching live combat footage.

There is also a lot of censorship on television, which can ruin a program’s plot by leaving out key scenes. A prime example of this is “The Sopranos.” Recently, it has begun airing on the Bravo network, but heavy censorship ruins a key component of the film—its grittiness. Sacrificing quality is unacceptable, and there is no reason for global censorship when we can filter through the content ourselves.

Our government believes in protecting us by shielding us from the truth, but in 1789, the Bill of Rights was written, promising free speech as well as freedom of the press. By shielding ourselves from the reality of the world, we only create an illusion that blinds us from the truth, a world more vicious than the newscaster lets on.

—Rasgon, a junior, is a reporter.

Q & A with a social worker

The Oracle interviewed clinical social worker Terese BrennanMarquez to find out one professional’s perspective on violence in the media.

Q:

Can watching violence in the media serve as an outlet for people’s violent tendencies?

A: Some experts believe that is true. There are some people who believe that watching violence in the movies or playing a violent game helps people to work through some of their aggressive tendencies.

alone, being alone and experience some symptoms that show that they have experienced some level of traumatization.

Q: What is post-traumatic stress disorder?

A: Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental disorder that is caused when somebody witnesses or experiences something that is life threatening. When you feel that your own safety is threatened and you can’t shake it off and you don’t start to feel safe again, it turns into posttraumatic stress disorder.

Q: Does watching violence make people more violent? What are Q: Are people exposed to violence as children more likely to be

the psychological effects of exposure to violence?

A: Some people believe that watching violence makes people more violent and immune to the reality of violence. Watching violence can make people less upset about it and more willing to accept it.

Q: How does watching violence affect children?

A: Children who are exposed to violence can be affected by posttraumatic stress disorder. When you see something real, it’s hard to separate your own safety out from what could have happened to you. At the very least, even if they don’t develop post-traumatic stress disorder, children can have an acute stress reaction and have trouble sleeping

violent adults and have psychological difficulties?

A: People who experience violence as young people are more likely to be violent adults or suffer from severe psychological issues.

Q: At what age can people legitimately process violent acts?

A: Some of the really cruel kinds of things that you see, human beings being really cruel and inhumane to other human beings, would be difficult for anybody younger than an older adolescent, 16 or 17 years old, to process.

—Compiled by Caroline Hodge

Forum

Monday, February 12, 2007

Phone providers should not ‘cell’ out

7

Advertisements on cell phones an invasion of personal space

Nathaniel Eisen

C

ell phone companies are invading your mental environment. They are beginning to display showy, intrusive ads on certain menus on your cell phone, while maintaining that they incur no obligation to increase services as a result.

Many service providers have provided access to the worldwide web from their phones for several years, and they have no control over advertising in that realm. However, service providers have recently begun to allow advertisements on the websites to which they provide direct links on their phone menus, such as news and weather sites.

Sprint has been selling advertising space off of its menus, or “decks” for several months already, and Verizon announced in late December that in 2007 it would begin to place ads in the websites linked to its “Get It Now” deck.

My cell phone is as much a personal space as my room is. I would not want commercial messages appearing on my wall and I am equally repulsed by the idea of ads cluttering my brain as I prepare to talk to a friend or family member. Advertisements fuel my greed and leave me with a sense of discontentment, of a general need for something. How many more enticements to consume will we be bombarded with? What will be the next fortress of privacy to fall to the promise of profits? Many cars now have computer chips; perhaps they too will soon play a jingle as you open your door.

To make matters worse, company executives from Sprint are cautioning that the increase in advertising will not necessarily reduce the cost of services for consumers. According to Ovum Research, an information technology advisory corporation, advertisers were projected to spend $150 million on mobile phone marketing in 2006. Surely your service providers would be able to pass on some benefit from this wealth to you.

However, Sprint’s vice president for business development and

Is it ethical for a teacher to try to persuade students to follow his or her political views?

—Richard DiGiacomo Social studies teacher

Graphic by Julius Tarng

product innovation, Paul Reddick, said that this will not be the case.

“Mobile advertising will be a supplement rather than a subsidy,” he said at a Sept. 11, 2006 conference.

Apparently cell phone company executives see ads as services, like calendars or calculators, while they patently are not. Advertisements may occasionally inform me of useful information, but I prefer to find that information when I choose to research it.

Tell your service providers that

you do not view commercials as another enjoyable aspect of your cell phones. Insist that they keep advertisements off of your screen.

You have the power to protect your mental health, to avoid the stress of advertising in private spaces such as your cell phone. The Declaration of Independence lists the pursuit of happiness as an inalienable right—not the pursuit of profits.

—Eisen, a senior, is a Features editor.

Students need to rethink their definition of success

Enjoying the present should be just as important as planning for the future

Stéphanie Keller-Busque “‘Do you ever think much about the future, Linus?’

‘Oh, yes…all the time.’

‘What do you think you’d like to be when you grow up?’

‘Outrageously happy!’”

This is the conversation Charlie Brown and Linus had in Charles Shultz’s “Peanuts” comic strip run in newspapers Jan. 8. Ever since I’ve read the strip, I’ve thought of it each and every day as I go to school and observe my peers.

It appears as though the joy we once had as children from living in the moment is disappearing as preparation for the future takes over our lives, turning us away from the pursuit of simple happiness.

Many Gunn students have the mentality of “success at any cost,” arguing that the options open to them in the future depend completely on the decisions they make in high school. In the process, they set unreasonable expectations for themselves, making disappointment inevitable later on if they don’t meet these goals.

LET T THE ERS TO EDIT OR!

Students sacrifice their mental and sometimes New York Times, many universities and a growphysical health, lured by the chance of financial ing number of high schools are beginning to or educational “success” later on in life. Instead, introduce positive psychology classes to their they should slow down to focus on the things curriculum to teach students how to live more that make them happy, which will make them happily. have a greater chance of finding the so-called Students taking these classes admit that their success they seek. Although redefining success lives change for the better as a result. Even if as simply being happy may force students to Gunn students cannot take these classes while sacrifice some of in high school, they should keep in their prestigious mind that enjoying the present is the financial or edukey to leading a better life, a point cational aspirathat positive psychology professors Students sacrifice their tions, living hapstress in their classes. pily will lead to Even if students do not think mental and sometimes a life worth more they are stressed out, they should physical health, lured by than any amount consider adopting simple habits that the chance of financial or give them instant gratification and of money.

Living happily educational ‘success’ later bring them closer to self-actualizacreates a sense of tion. Think about which things truly on in life.” fulfillment, satismatter and motivate you. Learn to be faction and selfsatisfied with who you are and stop actualization. Additionally, a study conducted by thinking of the future—living for the moment is researchers at the University of Kentucky found not only more exciting, but also more rewarding that happy people live longer than unhappy once you reflect on your past and see that it was people, and the difference in lifespan between not wasted on planning for future success. them is greater than the difference between I urge students to redefine success and be smokers and non-smokers. more like Linus, hoping for happiness instead Society is catching on to this philosophy. A of getting tied up in the “success at any cost” new field, positive psychology, has proved that mentality. Success should not be measured by happiness can be taught and improve people’s the way you prepare the future, but by the way lives significantly. According to D.T. Max’s you face the present. article “Happiness 101,” run on Jan. 7 in The —Keller-Busque, a junior, is a News editor.

We want you!

Write us with your thoughts on The Oracle’s coverage or any other issues you care about. We’d love to hear from you. Email us at gunnoracle@ yahoo.com by March 9 for publication in the next issue.

It is not ethical for a teacher to propagate his political views in the classroom. A teacher’s job is to instruct students to think critically, and, in a social studies class, encourage students to draw their own conclusions about current and historical events.

A teacher should educate, not advocate for a particular viewpoint.

That is not to say, however, that politics do not belong in the social studies curriculum.

While bringing politics into the classroom inevitably brings controversy with it, the benefits reaped from its inclusion far exceed the possible detriments incurred.

The primary reason for teaching history is to help students discern the connections between past and present and prevent today’s citizens from making the same mistakes their predecessors did. In order to do so, politics must be part of classroom discussions. After all, what is politics but the history of today?

That being said, teachers owe their students an unbiased view of political issues and must present both sides of every argument. Hopefully, teachers are already well-versed in the subject to be able to point out the assets and flaws of both arguments.

Presenting only one stance would be akin to a math teacher giving students the answer to a problem without making them do the work to find the solution themselves.

After presenting both arguments, a teacher should facilitate discussion between students, encouraging them to draw their own conclusions based upon evidence presented to them.

A teacher should refrain from imparting his personal opinion about the topic during the discussion. Doing so may cause some students to question the validity of their beliefs and refrain from expressing their own opinions.

A teacher may consider revealing his thoughts at a student’s request, preferably during a one-on-one conversation outside of class.

Send you r et h ica l quandaries and comments to campusquandaries@gmail. com.

—Hodge, a junior, is a Forum editor.

8

Features

The Oracle

Friendly faces guide you on your way to school

Riding the shuttle with Martha Cachiro Fi Kazi Reporter

For those who have taken the shuttle before, the scene is all too familiar.

Amidst the morning chaos, students are barely able to stand upright. The familiar face of one of the shuttle bus drivers, Martha Cachiro, has been greeting students for 20 years. Many students see Cachiro as a bus driver, but few know of her life beyond the shuttle stop.

The amiable shuttle driver’s long day begins at 6 a.m. and ends at 8:30 p.m. During this time she does several circuits, which include trips to the Veterans’ Hospital and downtown Palo Alto. Despite the wearisome work hours, Cachiro enjoys her job immensely. “My favorite part of the day is taking the kids to school,” she said. “It reminds me of my childhood.”

The Nicaragua native enjoys interacting with the students. “I learned English through some of the kids,” she said.

In return, Cachiro takes extra effort to help her passengers. “She always stops

when I’m running to catch the shuttle,” senior Anu Asthana said. “She’s awesome.”

Cachiro is not only a shuttle driver, but also a caring mother. Cachiro’s son, a Burlingame High graduate, enjoys her company. “If I’m down or mad, she’ll tickle me or force me to give her a hug,” he said. “Eventually, I give her a hug.

She’s fun to be around.”

Her strong and influential charisma shows through as both a shuttle driver and a mother. “She’s the type who doesn’t hold anything back when she wants to explain something to me,” her son said.

“She wants me to understand, too.”

To many, she may simply be the woman behind the wheel, but others have a personal connection with her. Cachiro talks frequently to her passengers. When her son accompanied her on her route, he noticed many people waving at her. “Everybody seemed to know her,” he said.

Cachiro makes friends easily on the shuttle. “I like the job because I like to be around people and meet new people,” Cachiro said.

Jamming with Lido Giovacchini Sasha Guttentag & Alex Tom Centerfold Editor & Circulation Manager

As students enter Gunn, they are awakened from their sleepy trance by the jazzy tones of freshman Lido Giovacchini’s saxophone.

Giovacchini plays the three types of basic saxophones (alto, bass and tenor), as well as 10 other instruments.

He began playing in Massachusetts when he was nine years old because of a shortage of saxophone players in his school band. “I originally wanted to play trumpet but there were too many trumpet players,” Giovacchini said. “[The teacher] suggested I take up saxophone.”

Currently, Giovacchini plays the saxophone as a member of the Gunn jazz band. Because this prestigious band meets every Wednesday, he performs Wednesday mornings. “I started out by the parking lot and progressively got closer and closer each week to the bike cages,” Giovacchini said.

Giovacchini’s music causes others to want to jam with him. “When I hear Lido play, it makes me feel like I should take my sax out and play with him,” freshman Ben Gardiner said.

Graphics by Lucy Li Photos by Christopher Wu and Cosmo Sung

Giovacchini not only plays his saxophone with the Gunn Jazz Band, but also plays several of the 13 instruments he is trained in with his father, David Giovacchini’s band—Ahl-i Nafs, which roughly translates from Arabic into “The Princes of Darkness” or “Wonders of the Unseen.”

The band focuses on improvisation, something that Giovacchini excels at.

The band’s music is strongly influenced by Arabic and Celtic music, mixed with undertones of jazz. “If I had to describe the type of music we play, I’d describe it as ‘shimmering atmospheric’ or ‘folk jazz,’” Giovacchini said.

Giovacchini draws inspiration from Steely Dan, a musician in the Los Angeles jazz scene, and Joni Mitchell, a folk rocker. Giovacchini aspires to continue playing music as he grows up. “I hope to continue playing jazz and study ethnomusicology, which [includes] the relationship between Greek and Turkish music when I go to college,” he said.

Some upcoming events for Lido and his father are gigs at the Brainwash Café in San Francisco on Feb. 18 and a silent film at Stanford on Feb. 21.

Crossing Arastradero with Iris Marashian Gea Kang Editor-in-Chief

“Walk your bikes while crossing!”

Many of us zoom by 47-year-old Iris Marashian everyday, simply referring to her as “the crossing guard lady.” Yet for Marashian, who stands by at the Terman Middle School crosswalk from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., her duty reflects more than donning a stop sign and neon vest—it is a commitment to turning her life around and helping others.

One of Palo Alto’s 28 guards, Marashian has been at her post since last year.

According to Palo Alto Police Department Traffic Supervisor Sergeant Steve Herrera, crossing guards are vital to the community. “In this town where service is a priority, the public not only respects the guards, but [it] expects] them to be there helping [its] children get to school safely,” Herrera said.

Marashian feels a special affinity with teenagers. “It was a lonely time for me, so I like seeing the kids interacting with each other,” she said. “Plus, it’s fun to see the same people everyday.” Junior Christine de Banate agrees, recalling one conversation she had with Marashian. “I told her how beautiful it is in California, particularly in comparison with Ohio, where I’d just moved from,” de Banate said.

Born in Cairo to Armenian parents, Marashian came to the United States when

she was four and grew up in Palo Alto in a dysfunctional family that failed to provide guidance. As a result, Marashian had a troubled youth that included a suicide attempt. “Did I have any childhood dreams?

More like childhood nightmares,” she said. Nonetheless, she considers her dark days “a blessing in disguise.” “[They] forced me to see how I can’t blame how my life has turned out on others,” she said.

After majoring in graphic design at Foothill, Marashian was involved in business, in which she did not find solace, and tried continuing school but did not do so until her thirties. “My advice to young people: Once you start school, follow through because once you quit, it’s hard to go back,” Marashian said.

Now, on top of helping Palo Alto’s students, Marashian works 30 hours a week caring for pets, seniors and Alzheimer’s patients, while developing a cartoon character for children at the Institute of Children’s Literature in her spare time.

Marashian noted that her first name, “Iris”—the Greek goddess of the rainbow and a messenger—has an uncanny connection with what she likes best: art and assisting others. “My primary gift is not only art but also helping people,” she said.

That gift continues to manifest itself everyday. “Even when it’s raining and it’s 22 degrees out, the kids are there,” Marashian said. “And I’m there to help them.”

Features

Monday, February 12, 2007

9

Titan Rhythmz step to a new beat Hip hop-inclined dancers form a step team, enter competitions Stéphanie Keller-Busque News Editor

Titan Rhythmz has stepped it up. After showing off their remarkable skill to Gunn at the rallies, games and Open Mic Nights, the Step club competed against high schools across the Bay Area at Aragon High School on Feb. 10.

The club is a hit among its members and the audience it performs for. “It seems to me that people at school enjoy what we do because I always see them smiling after we perform,” sophomore club vice president Taniko Jackson-Martinez said.

“So it feels like we’re doing something right and hopefully we can make people smile at the competition, too.”

Senior club costume designer Maricris Paviera attended the competition at Aragon last year and is excited Titan Rhythmz participated in it this year. “The best part about being on the team is performing, making friends and just getting to dance and do our own thing the way we want to,” Paviera said. “I was at Jamba Juice the other day and a girl came up to me from Paly and told me, ‘You guys are amazing, I wish we had a team like that,’ so that was really cool.”

This is Titan Rhythmz’s first year as a club, created for dancers more interested in hip hop than jazz. Junior club president Zuri Ray-Alladice says that being part of the club’s creation is exciting and that the members are always having fun. “I really hope that it keeps going and gets bigger and bigger over the years, ” she said. “Gunn only had cheerleading and a jazz team, but this is great for girls who like hip hop or step better and I’m happy that there’s that kind of opportunity for them now.”

Club members work together to make their choreographies by contributing moves that are put together to create a dance. The three-minute routine Titan Rhythmz performed at Aragon compiled parts from previous dances as well as new moves. “We’re just doing this to have fun and have the experience of competing,” Ray-Alladice said. “We’re not going in cocky but we’re not going in expecting to lose either.”

Jennifer Lim

The Titan Rhythmz team practices part of its routine at the Mitchell Park Community Center. The team has performed at rallies and in a Feb. 10 step competition against other schools in the area.

Club members enjoy spending time together outside of their practices and performances. “I like [Titan Rhythmz] because we’re all kind of like a family,” Jackson-Martinez said. “We’re all friends and we have all these inside jokes from the time we spend together. It doesn’t feel like work; it’s really fun and I’ve become a lot closer to all of my friends because of it.”

The club fundraised for the competition by holding a taco sale on the Quad in November. “The money we raised at the fundraiser we had went to getting costumes,” Paviera said.

“We went shopping at Eastridge and the Great Mall and we found 20 hoodies that we got airbrushed at the flea market in San Jose.”

Club of the Month: Battlegrounds of History

Matthew Lee

Sophomore Jeremy Brouillet (left) and senior Mike Liang (right) play “Chariot Lords,” an exciting battle experience stored in a box in T-3.

Jocelyn Ma Reporter

If you’ve ever taken a stroll past the portables during lunch time, you’ve probably seen a group of students milling around outside of T-3. What are they waiting for?

Every lunch period, the Battlegrounds of History Club meets to play a variety of board and card games including magic, fantasy role playing and science fiction.

“I think it’s a healthy way to get out your aggression, as opposed to being in a gang and really fighting,” club advisor Richard DiGiacomo said. “It use to be only the game ‘Diplomacy,’ but as we had younger people, they were more into other board games.”

The club was passed onto DiGiacomo when he came to Gunn in 1995 from another social studies teacher, who left to become a missionary. “I think [this club] builds good social skills and teaches people about history,” he said. “We play

a little bit each day, so this way we can keep the game open in the room instead of having to put it away.”

“This is a safe place for gaming,” senior club president Mike Liang said. “This is my hobby, it’s what I do for fun.” The newly chartered club was unofficial until this year, after a two-year hiatus. “I like to come because there are people I know here,” sophomore club member Jeremy Brouillet said.

Brouillet’s whole family is into gaming, with a brother who was a previous member of the club and a father who often attends game conventions.

The club would like to start taking part of gaming outside of Gunn to gain more experience. “I’d like to have the club sponsor games at conventions,” DiGiacomo said. The club would pay the convention to have a table presenting the game they created. “Convention attendees play games, enter painting contests for miniatures and attend seminars hosted by game designers, artists and historians,” DiGiacomo said.

Ray-Alladice wants to see Titan Rhythmz continue growing over the years. “I hope that the team will have more money in the future to get more costumes and someone to do choreography because it’s hard for us as students with all our homework,” she said. “We would love for guys to be in the group too. Everybody is welcome to join.”

Members of the club hope to see the club grow and expand in the future. They will continue practicing in hopes of joining more competitions. “We’ll still be running Titan Rhythmz in the years to come,” Jackson-Martinez said. “We all love it so much—it isn’t going anywhere.”

7 10

The Oracle

Cente

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of the

Bay Area

With the elections for the new Seven Wonders of the World list by the New Open World Corporation already underway, The Oracle asked you, the Gunn students, to vote for the Seven Wonders of the Bay Area. So without further ado, here are the winners.

Santa Cruz Mystery Spot

Have you ever wanted to do the physically impossible? Well, now you can. Santa Cruz’s famed Mystery Spot was discovered in 1939 by George Prather. There, the laws of nature are defied as balls roll upward and people change height.

Opened in 1940, the Mystery Spot continues to baffle visitors today. Some speculate that carbon dioxide seeps from the earth, causing the phenomena. Others claim that aliens came to the spot and buried metal cones in the ground to guide their flying saucers. Still others speculate that magnetic forces from the Bermuda Triangle cause the curiosities.

Whatever the cause, the things that happen—or appear to happen—at the Mystery Spot are mind-blowing. Where else can you climb up walls for $5? In Anti-Gravity House, people appear to stand on a wall at a 45-degree angle to the floor. In the same house, a chair appears to cling to the wall.

However, some think that it is all a hoax. UC Santa Cruz psychology professor Bruce Bridgman takes his students there to show how “scientific psychology” can deceive the brain.

Others, such as the tour guides, attribute the mysteries, such as a ball rolling upwards, to supernatural or unknown natural forces. Many visitors leave the spot confused and speculate that forces beyond their mental grasp are at work. Is that the case? Go see and decide for yourself.

—Compiled by Nina Nielepko

Lombard Street

America’s most crooked street is right here in the Bay Area—San cisco’s Lombard Street. In reality, only one part of the street is crook stretches for 12 blocks before reaching Russian Hill, where one can crooked section paved with bricks and surrounded by beautiful hyd flowers, along with some of the most expensive real estate in San cisco.

The crooked part of the street consists of eight sharp turns with a limit of only five miles per hour. It was designed in 1923 to mitigate th 27-degree slope, which posed quite a challenge for old cars that were to climb this hill and for pedestrians who were used to gentler slopes. tourists today flock to this area in San Francisco, and a drive down tha is a must for many. Visitors typically photograph the street from the b of the curves, where they can see the cars driving down, with the fl and houses providing color.

—Compiled by Andrea

Haight Street

Stanford University

The academic prestige of Stanford University is not the only thing the school has to offer to Palo Alto and Bay Area locals. The school also offers events, lectures and activities to the general public.

The campus itself is home to about 8,180 acres, making it one of the biggest college campuses in the country. Stanford’s campus houses incredible natural beauty in its landscape from lush green hills to limestone architecture. The rolling foothills that reside along Junipero Serra have miles and miles of pathways to be explored.

In addition to all of this, the university contains some of the most beautiful views of the Bay Area.

Natural beauty is not the only thing that makes the school so special. The Stanford Shopping Center gives kids and adults from the area a big mall to go to without having to drive all the way to San Mateo or Milpitas.

There are clearly plenty of things to see at Stanford.

—Compiled by Stephen Salazar

In the summer of 1967, thousands of young people from around the w Haight Street, San Francisco to experience a new, free social experience.

Today, Haight Street is a famed destination known for its central role in movement. Commonly called “The Haight,” its name represents the entire Ha trict, which spans the vicinity around the intersection of Haight Street and The district began as an upper middle-class neighborhood but soon dec War II. The large, deserted and cheap houses became oases for hippies d Haight Street quickly became famous for its illegal drug dealerships and and roll scene. Many performers, including Jefferson Airplane, the Gratefu Joplin lived and performed in Haight Street.

Haight Street garnered international attention in the summer of 196 known as “The Summer of Love.” Thousands gathered in the neighborhoo and-coming hippie lifestyle. Psychedelic rock music soon attracted more song “San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)” by Scott M a nationwide hit.

A July 7, 1967 Time Magazine cover story, “Hippies: Philosophy of a Sub talized Haight Street’s leading role in the hippie movement. This and othe spread the hippie movement around the world, but Haight Street remained Haight Street continues to be a center of alternative lifestyles. Vintage sh carry retro items dating back to the sixties. Static, located at 1764 Haight St of vintage Gucci bags. Flower power, tie-dye, peace and love are still very the second Sunday of every June, the Haight Street Fair showcases hippie clothing to bring anyone back to the Summer of Love.

—Compiled

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11

Alcatraz

The island of Alcatraz holds a special place in the hearts of many Bay Area residents.

Located in San Francisco Bay, “The Rock’s” dark past continues to attract tourists and locals alike. Best known for its use as a federal penitentiary from 1934 to 1963, Alcatraz housed several notorious inmates such as infamous mob boss Al Capone. There are many stories about escaped prisoners who swam their way to shore, but in 14 recorded escape attempts only five prisoners have been marked as “missing and presumed drowned.” Every October the Dolphin Club of San Francisco plays on this legend by holding an “Escape from Alcatraz” swim as part of a triathlon every October in which contestants swim the 1.5 miles from the island to Aquatic Park.

Alcatraz was the location of the first U.S. military fort on the West Coast.

Before it became a federal prison it was a military prison from 1859 to 1963.

The Alcatraz lighthouse is the oldest American-built lighthouse on the west coast. It offers a wonderful view of the city and the bay both during the day and at night.

The island now belongs to the National Park Service and the prison facility has been transformed into a museum. Tours of Alcatraz are available year round and the island is very popular.

Alcatraz’s historical value and notoriety make it a true wonder of the Bay Area.

­—Compiled by Danielle Edelman

Survey results...

39 votes for Stanford University 21 votes for Santa Cruz Mystery Spot 34 votes for Haight Street 28 votes for Telegraph Avenue 111 votes for the Golden Gate Bridge

The Oracle’s picks: Lombard Street Alcatraz Penitentiary

—177 students surveyed (three votes per person)

Photos courtesy of the California Postsecondary Education Commission, M. Burgess, the CDF Group at LBNL, Dan H, Wysz, the U.S. Geological Survey and prinsipe boobooy Photo of map by Matthew Lee Graphics by Brian Phan

Even from miles away, it is easy to see why the Golden Gate Bridge is one of the biggest attractions in the Bay Area.

Built in 1937, the Golden Gate Bridge is an internationally recognized symbol of San Francisco and America, and is the second largest suspension bridge in the country.

The idea of a bridge to span the Golden Gate strait was conceived by engineer James Wilkins in 1917, and another engineer, Joseph Strauss, spent over a decade designing the bridge. After years of petitioning and hearings, the bridge was finally approved, and was completed May 27, 1937.

The color of the bridge, “International Orange,” blends well with the natural surroundings yet enhances the bridge’s visibility in fog. The bridge is widely considered one of the most beautiful examples of bridge engineering The Golden Gate Bridge provides a fantastic view of the Bay Area, with several vista points around the bridge, offering perfect places to relax and take in the view. In addition, the Golden Gate Bridge is close to many major attractions, such as the Presidio Golf Course, the Exploratorium and Union Square, making it the perfect spot for everyone.

—Compiled by Shiv Kachru

Telegraph Avenue

Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley–once a fevered hotbed of hippie activity, still retains its eccentric flavor, despite the move into a new era. The iconic Bay Area thoroughfare, named for the telegraph wire that runs alongside it is the center of activity in the city of Berkeley and figures in the lives of students at the UC Berkeley.

The street is lined with a colorful amalgamation of street vendors selling jewelry and extremely liberal T-shirts and bumper stickers. Shops, theaters and other businesses offer a potpourri of designs and ideas. It is indicative of the street’s attitude when a scruffy, dingy hat store is packed with people, while a clean, classy North Face store languishes emptily. Telegraph is rich with history, but still draws attention and visitors today and is an important part in the Berkeley community.

Years ago, in the more tumultuous age of the Vietnam War, Telegraph played home to massive showdown between police and anti-war protestors.

Defending the park that the government felt was a fostering ground for communist sympathizers, the students were violently quelled by police officers, and one protester was even killed.

Despite this dark history, the area is brimming with vitality, and the only problem, according to some, is the incredible proliferation of homeless people who seek shelter on Telegraph Avenue. However, this still does little to the charming atmosphere of one of the Bay Area’s most influential locales.

—Compiled by Boris Burkov

12

Features

The Oracle

Student provides care for exotic animals Senior learns to interact with Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo residents Vivien Tsao Associate News Editor

Does the thought of picking up live crickets, chopping up turkey necks and piling chunks of bloody, raw horse meat make your stomach squirm? For senior Grace Jung these tasks are just a part of her regular duties.

As a volunteer at the Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo, Jung spends her Sunday afternoons taking care of and playing with animals ranging from baby ferrets to bobcats. “I’ve always liked animals, so I wanted to gain more experience in this area,” Jung said. “Once I found a baby squirrel that a bird was attacking, so I called

We have two geese in the pond, and the male is a bit scary, and you have to ward him off with a broom.”

—Senior Grace Jung Animal Services. I remember thinking at that time that it would be cool to be able to help animals.”

Jung began working at the zoo the summer of her sophomore year to further her interest in veterinary medicine. “Due to my work at the zoo, I learned that animals have different personalities, which taught me a lot,” Jung said. “With different animals, you have to learn to modify your personality a bit, kind of like how you act around different friends. For example, we have two geese in the pond, and the male is a bit scary and you have to ward him off with a broom when cleaning the pond. Just last week, I guess I didn’t see him, and he bit my arm. Another volunteer had to pry him off me.”

Photo courtesy of Grace Jung

Senior Grace Jung holds her dog, Chewie. On Sundays, Jung volunteers at the Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo.

The goose is notorious among zoo veterans for his acts. “Alexander, our Chinese goose, who is around 30 years old, picks on the volunteers,” Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo volunteer supervisor Michelle McCarthy said. “He never attacks staff, and he somehow knows who’s staff and who’s a volunteer.”

However, Jung also has good memories of her work with another bird. “[The zoo] has a really old parrot that is around 17 years old,” Jung said. “She doesn’t let anyone near her besides our supervisor, and when the other volunteers and I used to feed her, she’d always bite us. After many months, though, she bent her head toward me and let me pet her. It felt great.”

Jung has also witnessed somber events at the zoo.

“We used to have two grown raccoons,” Jung said.

“One died recently, and so now the other one is really depressed, and we have to bang her food bowl or even sometimes hose her to get her to come down from her perch to get her food.” According to Jung, a new raccoon will be introduced to the zoo very soon in hopes of helping the raccoon out of its depression.

Aside from her zoo duties, Jung has also worked as a pet-sitter and now dedicates her time to taking care of her pet dog, Chewie. “Around a year-and-a-half ago, my dad saw an ad in the Korean newspaper for a puppy,” Jung said. “We drove three hours to Salinas the same day and brought Chewie back.” She credits her bond with Chewie for contributing to her work as a zoo volunteer and knowledge of animal moods.

“My relationship with Chewie really taught me how to act around animals,” Jung said. “I learned a lot about interacting with animals that I could apply to working with zoo animals.”

With her extensive work with animals, Jung hopes to pursue her dreams of becoming a veterinarian. McCarthy believes that Grace is well suited for the job. “Grace has been amazing,” McCarthy said. “She’s very enthusiastic, and has a lot of compassion for animals.”

Christopher Wu

We need your help!

In our quest to show all aspects of Gunn, we will publish one photograph by a Gunn student every month.

People, events and scenery are all permitted. Please send photographs, accompanied by brief descriptions, to gunnoracle@yahoo. com or drop them off in Kristy Garcia’s box in the main office.

13

Features

Monday, February 12, 2007

Perspective: Competing in a frenzied trivia hunt

Two reporters share the thrill of finding landmarks, answering questions in ‘Millard Fillmore’ Thomas Bao & Alex Lee First Steps Final Stretch Centerfold & News Editors

While most students were having fun at the Sadie Hawkins Dance or watching the Super Bowl, dedicated students researched answers to obscure questions for the 39th Annual Friends of Millard Fillmore (FOMF) Trivia Hunt from Feb. 2 to 4.

Over 20 committed Gunn students decided to spend at least part of their weekend scampering around the Bay Area in search of not only answers, but also hard evidence of these answers. “We had about 25 people coming in and out,” junior Jaya Wen said.

Some of the questions: • “Provide the name of the young woman who won the girls’ final of the 83rd national Marbles Tournament.”

• “Provide the name of the President whose father was the first father of a President to visit his son in the white house.”

• “Bring in the autograph of a person born on [July 21, 1969].”

• “Identify the popular sport spectator activity that is said to have originated in California on October 15, 1981. Provide the name of the person credited with initiating the activity, and the names of the two teams fans were watching.”

Quiz Kids advisor Heather Mellows supervised the students as they scrambled during the competition and was pleased with the result: 381 points—almost three times last year’s score. “There were times it was stressful, but mostly it was fun,” Mellows said. “I enjoyed seeing the students work together and work hard. Lots of students got involved and got interested and then got excited about the hunt. I was often amazed at the ideas that students had to solve problems and the lengths that they went to get the job done.”

“As advisor, most of my work was ahead of time, lining up volunteers, coordinating students, scheduling rooms and equipment, and managing details,” Mellows said. “During the weekend, I was mainly the switchboard, taking leads from one group of people working on computers and relaying them to students at the library getting the sources. Another major job was to keep everybody busy and to help prioritize the work that students were doing.”

Students helped Mellows keep track of the contest materials. Wen described herself as the secretary. “My job, the whole time, was to write the bibliographies,” she said.

Carlmont High School: 5 p.m.

The contest began at Carlmont High School, with an official reading of the questions. There, students were given handouts of all the questions and two hours to ask questions about the competition before they could drive back to their team headquarters, where they rushed to photocopy and distribute the questions.

Gunn Library: 7 p.m.

The Gunn team’s headquarters were based in none other than the Gunn library, where the team developed a system of answering the questions with a panel of note cards with questions attached. Students would pick a note card off the panel and then proceed to answer the question along with finding the source. After they found both the answer and its reference to the question, students would then place a colored note card on the panel, which would then visually reflect the amount of questions left unanswered. For junior David Brown, this was a welcome change to last year. “It was very haphazard,” Brown said. “We didn’t really come together as a team, but this year we were much better prepared.”

We did everything in a panic on Sunday. We printed everything, collated it and sent it out.”

—Junior Jaya Wen

Stanford Shopping Center: 1 p.m.

Senior Kevin Chung and junior Fiona Wilkes go to the Stanford Shopping Center, holding signs looking for someone born on July 21, 1969, the day that man first walked on the moon. They need to provide proof of that person’s birth date and their signature.

Stanford Shopping Center: 1:20 p.m.

Kevin and Fiona are kicked out.

Gunn Library: 10 p.m.

Students started leaving for the night. They were encouraged to get a good night’s sleep and come back the next day at 9 a.m. to continue working on the competition.

Alex Lee: A reporter’s perspective To help understand what FOMF was like, I went to the competition myself. I strolled into the library to see how things were going. The first thing that I saw was an entire wall of text-covered index cards. Feeling a bit out of place, I moved over to a table, sat down and was instantly plied with a packet of questions and a request from David to help with the competition. I went over to the wall to take a look, and found they had neatly organized the questions into different states of answers.

As I examined the questions, Jaya and [junior] Naomi [Shachter] came into the library. David asked the 10 of us now assembled to look at the unanswered questions and do all that was in our power to answer and document them. Working together, we used the Internet and encyclopedias to answer questions. The excitement—the thrill of being part of a team competition—is not something I can describe in words, but the stress of having people depending on you to deliver accurate, useful answers made it all the more exhilarating.

Photo courtesy of Jaya Wen

Brown dives into a plaque at MacArthur Park Restaurant, formerly a YMCA hostess house.

Norman Y. Mineta International Airport, San Jose: 2 p.m.

Kevin and Fiona proceed to the San Jose Airport where they hold up the same signs.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library, San Jose: 3 p.m.

Kevin and Fiona search for an article on the man who invented the sport spectator activity known as “the Wave.”

They find it in an archived copy of The Metro, a Silicon Valley weekly newspaper.

Calling Gunnison, CO: 5:30 p.m.

Dezmon Hunter

The team tries to contact the national Marbles Champion of 2006, but her parents refuse to help the team with documentation because she is a minor.

Finally, the team begins to wrap up, working to send its answers and documentation to the judges on time.

N

ot only did the Millard Fillmore participants have a weekend of exciting fun, they also learned useful information. For example, they found out that “Green Eggs and Ham” was written with only 50 different words

by Dr. Seuss as a bet from his editor that it couldn’t be done. They learned that a toilet was first shown on TV Alex Lee in 1957 on “Leave it to Beaver” when they got a baby alJunior team captain David Brown, senior Kevin Chung and sophomore Ryan Tan confer on strategy. ligator and didn’t know where to keep it. And by the way, that president question? Millard Fillmore.

Over 20 students from Gunn participated in this year’s Friends of Millard Fillmore Trivia Hunt.

14

The Oracle

topten worst love songs

10. “The Thong Song” by Sisqo 9. “Gettin’ Jiggy With It” by Will Smith 8. “Like You Better Dead” by In Flames 7. “Stacy’s Mom” by Fountains of Wayne 6. “Magic Stick” by 50 Cent 5. “Kill You” by Eminem 4. “Darling Nikki” by Prince 3. “Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely” by Backstreet Boys 2. “The Love Song” by Marilyn Manson 1. “It Wasn’t Me” by Shaggy

Entertainment ‘Totally Gone with the Wind’ brings flair Staff-choir musical implements role changes Vivien Tsao Associate News Editor

—Dezmon Hunter

spring concerts

preview

• Feb. 17: Rockstar Taste of Chaos Bill Graham Civic Auditorium: San Francisco • March 1: Snow Patrol Bill Graham Civic Auditorium: San Francisco • March 2: The Dandy Warhols The Mezzanine: San Francisco • March 10: Christina Aguilera HP Pavilion: San Jose • March 13: Third Eye Blind Fillmore: San Francisco • March 14: Taking Back Sunday Concourse of SF Design Center: San Francisco • March 15: My Chemical Romance Oracle Arena: Oakland • March 15: Rod Stewart HP Pavilion: San Jose • March 18: Eric Clapton HP Pavilion: San Jose • April 7: The Killers Bill Graham Civic Auditorium: San Francisco —Aviel Chang and Amarelle Hanyecz

Photo courtesy of Don Anderson

Senior Maggie Cole rehearses dance moves for the upcoming staff/choir performance.

´ Where: Spangenberg Theatre ´ When: Wednesday, Feb. 14 &Thursday, Feb. 15 @ 8 p.m.

´ Admission: $12 for adults & $8 for students (tickets available in the SAC)

´ Want to catch a sneak preview?

A clip of the 2002 performance is available on the choir website.

Do you want to watch the best show ever? If so, concert choir director Bill Liberatore guarantees that the 2007 Gunn choir and staff musical is a must-see.

A spoof of “The Producers” and “Gone with the Wind,” “Totally Gone with the Wind” outlines the journey of a producer and his nerdy assistant as they plan a surefire Broadway flop in order to make money off of sweet, old-lady Broadway investors.

The two choose “Gone with the Wind” for their unscrupulous venture, but instead of presenting the piece as is, they decide to make a few changes, such as performing the musical disco-style and adding an operatic aria. Hiring the worst director and actors serves as a precaution against success. However, the producers’ plans unravel, as against all probability, the musical becomes an automatic hit. The producers panic, and who knows what will happen when the tax auditors get a whiff of their devious plans?

Written by Nancy Hersage, the parent of a former Gunn student, “Totally Gone with the Wind” initially opened at Gunn in 2002 to great success and has been resurrected due to its comedic appeal. “[The musical is] the best we’ve ever done,” Liberatore said. “It’s not just witty, it’s laugh-in-yourseat hilarious—you’ll be sick from laughter. Also, we have the right group of kids who would be able to pull it off.”

This time around, Liberatore has also made a few alterations to the original musical. “We have a couple of exciting changes,” Liberatore said. “We have more staff members in place of students in lead roles and a few different songs to make the musical fun for the audience.” One of these roles is held by science teacher, Katherine Moser. “I’ll be playing Brun Hilda, an opera singer who sings disco horribly and dances badly,” Moser said. “It’s a great role for me because I don’t need to rehearse.”

Junior Stephanie Hoffman, who, as a JLS chorister, played an alien in the 2002 production of “Totally Gone with the Wind,” believes that the increased staff involvement will definitely add its own spin to the performance. “When I saw the 2002 musical, it was the best [Gunn musical], and the student who played Donnie, the choreographer, was amazing,” Hoffman said. “This year, we have a staff member, [math teacher Dave] Deggeller, in that role, so it’s definitely going to be interesting. The audience is in for lots of surprises.” Other staff members who hold main roles are science teacher Josh Bloom, who plays the director; band director Todd Summers, who plays Bloom’s nerdy assistant; and English teachers Tim Farrell, who plays the director, and Paul Dunlap, who plays Hilda’s husband.

Clint Eastwood tackles WWII in a new light Alex Rasgon Reporter

Legendary actor/director Clint Eastwood delivers what is arguably the best war movie ever made in his latest epic, “Letters from Iwo Jima,” breathing new life into the overplayed World War II movie genre.

“Letters from Iwo Jima” isn’t your typical war movie. Instead of taking the American view of World War II, it takes the point of view of the Japanese in one of the bloodiest battles of Pacific theater of operations. It tells the story from the perspective of two Japanese soldiers. The first is from the perspective of General Kuribayashi, played by Ken Watanabe (“The Last Samurai,” “Batman Begins”), the commander of the Japanese forces on Iwo Jima, while the second is from the view of Saigo, played by Kazunari Ninomiya, a grunt in the Japanese army who

was pulled away from his wife and unborn child to fight a war that was not his. It was also filmed almost entirely in Japanese, adding to the very authentic feel of the movie.

“Letters from Iwo Jima” does not pull any punches, and is as politically incorrect as they come. It shows the atrocities committed by both sides, rather than portray one side as “right.” One particularly shocking scene is when the Japanese troops are being told to aim for American medics because “many Americans will die to protect this one man,” according to their sergeant. Not only was this true, but it is amazing that this was included in the movie. There is also a very disturbing scene, where an insane Japanese colonel orders his own men to blow themselves up with their grenades to preserve their honor. Eastwood does not hold back, but shows it in its full horror, with tremendous amounts of gore,

something Eastwood does not shy away from in this movie.

With a lot of gray and usually darker colors, the color scheme employed in this movie is very similar to that of “Saving Private Ryan,” giving the movie a nostalgic yet gritty feel, which has been a trademark of the World War II movie genre. The camera work is simply amazing, and the sound effects add an incredible sense of realism to the movie, while not overwhelming the audience. This movie has already earned itself four Oscar nominations, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Sound Editing and Best Screenplay, and they are well deserved.

Eastwood puts the audience in the tunnels with the soldiers that fought at Iwo Jima and allows the audience to think for itself, instead of providing a set of clear cut heroes and villains like in most Hollywood action movies.

imdb.com

15

Entertainment

Monday, February 12, 2007

top five date outfits

top five restaurants

top five best pick-up lines

5. “Should I call the fire department? Because you’re on fire!”

4. “Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?”

3. “Are you from Tennessee? Because you’re the only ten I see.”

2. “Are your legs tired? Because you’ve been running through my mind.”

1. “How you doin’?”

Miyake Sushi 140 University Ave. Palo Alto, CA

top five date do’s 5. Compliment date.

4. Offer to pay.

3. Take a shower.

2. Listen.

1. Wink and smile.

Buck’s Restaurant 3062 Woodside Rd. Woodside, CA

top five cardinal sins 5. Getting someone else’s number during the date.

4. Talking about ex’s.

3. Standing date up.

2. Forgetting wallet at home.

1. Calling date the wrong name.

Dar Bar Indian 129 Lytton Ave. Palo Alto, CA

top five gifts 5. Bouquet of her favorite flowers.

4. A box of his favorite chocolate.

3. A copy of the AP Econ final.

2. Surprise dinner at her house.

1. Concert tickets.

Cheesecake Factory 375 University Ave. Palo Alto, CA —Compiled by Ana Kostioukova

“Any guy can win me over with a box of chocolates and a flower.”

Modeled by Nora Boyd and Jay Perlman

Haley Perkins (12)

“A date to the beach followed by a walk hand in hand, ending with a passionate kiss.”

La Strada 335 University Ave. Palo Alto, CA

Spencer Jones (9) Graphics by Lucy Li

Photos by Ana Kostioukova

16

Entertainment

The Oracle

★★★★★

★★★✩✩

Opened three months ago, The Counter has already attracted many customers with its unique urban and modern décor of light green graffiti covered walls and hanging skateboards.

Even the burgers are made with a twist.

Here, customers choose between different meats, cheeses, spreads and even buns.

Everything is made fresh and the portions are adequate. Customers can expect

The Alpine Inn, formerly Rosatti’s, serves hot dogs, sausages and burgers, charging $5 for a hamburger and $5.50 for a cheeseburger. With both indoor and outdoor seating, and friendly and easy-to-talk -to servers, The service is par for burger joints. The Alpine Inn attracts people of all ages.

The Alpine Inn is not located near any other big attraction, so it is not as popular as some of the other burger restaurants. It

to spend about $12 per meal, including starters, burgers and desserts. Although slightly more expensive than other burger joints, The Counter is definitely worth the price.

★★★✩✩ One step in and customers will feel like they are in a different place. The restaurant, decorated in dark wood, with carvings fake bullet holes in the walls.

While the fare is not particularly impressive, the decorations are The Oasis Beer Garden’s best asset. To add to the unique décor, customers are allowed to leave carvings on the tables.

The menu features the standard fries and burger selections. Customers should expect to pay $8 per person for a meal

is difficult to recommend going to the Alpine Inn for anyone not already in the area. It is not a restaurant worth going out of the way for, and the food is at best mediocre.

★★★✩✩

that includes a burger with chips and an appetizer. The food at the Oasis is not much different than the average fast food restaurant, making it a must for the décor, but a bust for the below average meal.

The Dutch Goose serves great food at a decent price. Relatively close to Palo Alto residents, The Dutch Goose serves hamburgers for $5.50 and cheeseburgers for $5.75. The Goose only has typical burgers and hot dogs, but it is widely known as a hangout spot for many high school students. The service is average, most of food is ready to eat about 10 to 15 minutes after the order.

The atmosphere in the Dutch Goose is relaxed. Among other laid back mealtime activities, diners can throw peanut shells on the ground, carve their names into the tables or just watch a football game on the big screen T.V.

—Compiled by Scott Benitez and Chia-Yun Wann

Sports

Monday, February 12, 2007

17

Wrestling coach knows success Head Coach Chris Horpel reflects on humble beginnings Ana Kostioukova Entertainment Editor

Matthew Lee

Head Coach Chris Horpel oversees his wrestling practice.

Horpel has coached wrestling for most of his adult life.

“I was horrible! I lost every match for an entire summer,” wrestling Head Coach Chris Horpel said. This isn’t the response many would expect from the 1976 Montreal Olympics wrestling alternate, especially one discussing the beginning of his wrestling career in the eighth grade.

Horpel started his wrestling carreer when he joined the high school wrestling team in Newport Beach.

Horpel enjoyed the experience of a team effort toward a victory,and continues to enjoy the sport today.

“The sense of team allowed me to push myself to excel,” Horpel said.

That summer, Horpel attended two practices a day, in addition to extra workouts. Before he finished high school he became one of the best wrestlers in the country.

Horpel’s success attracted many colleges. He chose Stanford for academics despite the fact that it had an average wrestling program.

However, he won the Pac 10 and

Titans pin Matadors in home meet Jonathan Gu

Features Editor

In the Titans’ last home wrestling meet of the school year, the wrestling team battled the Monta Vista Matadors. Among the many exciting battles was the 125-lb match. In an exciting battle, the third and fourth ranked wrestlers in CCS faced off at the home of the Titans.

Gunn’s star wrestler senior Kiyoshi Kawano (125 lbs, ranked third in CCS), faced Monta Vista’s premier senior wrestler Grant Kadokura. Before the match, Kiyoshi was jovial about his strategy. “We’re going to represent the true Asian school—I’m going to wrestle Samurai style,” Kawano said.

When the whistle blew, Kawano came out in Samurai style and immediately took down Kadokura, but was unable to pin the Matador. He proceeded to let Kadokura stand back up so Kawano could take down Kadokura again and gain an easy two points. By the time the final whistle blew Kawano won by a score of 19-5. “I did very well, but I couldn’t pin him because I wasn’t feeling very well and my opponent was very good at defending,” Kawano said.

Seniors Philip Hsiao, Jay Villafana (171 lbs, ranked 18th) and junior Nic Giaccia all easily pinned their

Matthew Lee

Kiyoshi Kawano performs double-leg take down on his Monta Vista opponent.

opponents. “It went very well. I was able to execute everything flawlessly,” Villafana said. Freshman Jack Sakai was able to beat his opponent on points. The night ended with Gunn winning 55-22.

Q &A with Canadian national team wrestler The Oracle talked with internationally renowned wrestler Matt Gentry, who gave a workshop to the wrestling team.

Q: So what is your name and where are you from?

A: My name’s Matt Gentry, I grew up in Oregon, but I went to school at Stanford, I graduated in 2005,

and I wrestled there. Now I am an assistant coach at Stanford.

Q: How do you know Coach Horpel?

A: Horpel coached me in my first year.

Q: So you’re on the Canadian National team?

A: Yeah, I have a dual citizenship with Canada. Last year I went up and ended up winning their nationals and getting on the national team.

Q: So, what are you teaching the kids over here at Gunn?

A: I was showing them my favorite stuff, some of the techniques that I use most often.

I was teasing them that I was teaching them the Matt Gentry CrabRide.

Q: Have you ever wrestled Horpel?

A: Yeah, in practice when I was a freshman. He probably beat up on me.

Q: Will any of the kids at Gunn do well in college?

A: I certainly hope so. I know Kiyoshi is already committed to going to Bakersfield. If they choose to pursue wrestling in college, with a little bit of work and a little bit of belief, I’m sure they can accomplish great things.

—Compiled by Jonathan Gu

became an All-American.

After graduating, Horpel tried out for the Montreal Olympics in 1976. He came on to the team as an alternate. “Neither my father nor I ever thought I would get this far,” Horpel said.

Unfortunately, the 1980 Olympics in Moscow were boycotted by the U.S. government for the in USSR invasion into Afghanistan, preventing Horpel from trying out again.

Four years later, Horpel was physically weaker than he was during his prime and he also became committed to coaching Dave and Mark Schultz at Palo Alto High School. He formed a close relationship with the brothers after the 1976 Olympics. Horpel remained close with the Schultzes for their entire careers. Both brothers won numerous awards, including the ultimate prize of a gold medal in the Olympics.

The wrestling team not only values Horpel’s experience, which includes 23 years as Stanford’s wrestling coach, but also appreci-

ates his attitude and composure during meets. “During meets he doesn’t yell out of passion, but he yells out useful instructions to the wrestler,” senior varsity wrestling captain Jay Villafana said.

Working with high school students is rewarding for Horpel. “It is gratifying coaching at the high school level because a wrestler can improve dramatically over a short period of time, versus college level where the wrestler must focus at improving one little detail,” Horpel said.

Sophomore Phil Park believes the coach’s efforts are paying off.

“He put a lot into making me better,” Park said.

The team’s hopes are very high this season. Horpel wants to break all the way to the Top 10 in CCS, moving up three spots from their last year’s ranking at 13th. Because of Horpel, the wrestling program is gaining more strength every year.

“We are truly lucky to have such an experienced coach,” Villafana said. “His knowledge is his biggest asset.”

18

The Oracle

Boys’ soccer falls to Paly

Sports

Crosstown rivals fight to enter playoffs Ryan Tan Reporter

Before the first kickoff, the boys’ soccer team (5-9-6) was on the verge of a remarkable turnaround. They had a poor start to the season with only one win out of nine games, and no one expected them to reassemble their broken season and to challenge Palo Alto High School (Paly) for a chance in the Central Coast Section (CCS).

Despite being the underdogs, the Titans stayed in the Feb. 7 game against Paly (8-8-4) with their heads held high.

In the first half, both teams put up a strong defense, and the ball moved constantly up and down the field with no team holding on to the ball for more than a few seconds.

Then, with some hard work and a touch of fortune, Vikings’ star junior Matt Staiger sent a penetrating ball into Gunn’s defense. A miscommunication between senior keeper Ian Powell and junior center back Timmy Sullivan resulted in a goal and gave Paly a 1-0 lead.

But the Titans were not fazed and countered with their own attack. Despite incoming defenders, junior forward David Light made an incredible shot but was denied by a few inches. With the ball up in the air, Light rebounded and made the possible game-tying shot but the goal was saved when the Vikings’ sophomore goalkeeper Peter Johnson caught the ball on his back inches from the goal-line.

Despite several well-placed shots, the Titans’ offense could not score a goal.

“The catch by Peter Johnson was an extremely important play for us,” coach Don Briggs said.

“Had they scored the game tying point, they would have been all pumped up and who knows what

Coach decisions alienate players Stephen Salazar

might have happened.”

Still up 1-0, Paly had possession of the ball at the start of the second half. Once again, fierce determination and strong defense resulted in a tense match. Despite several dangerous attacks, Powell made save after save, keeping the score unchanged.

With the match drawing to a close and Paly still in the lead, the Titan’s chances of making CCS were becoming slim. In the final minutes of the match, Staiger ended all of the Titans’ hopes for making the playoffs by scoring the controversial final goal of the game to secure the 2-0 win. “I’m pretty disappointed in the way we played,” junior center midfielder Charles Linares said. “We had good opportunities but we just made too many mistakes.”

Paly players knew they played an all around good game, but still commended the Titans, ceding that it was not an easy win. “We got lucky, in that [Gunn] hit the post twice, but I felt like we really

Photos by Jennifer Lim

Top: Senior forward Sam Zipperstein drives through Palo Alto defenders. Bottom: Sophomore forward Sean Parshad dribbles the ball into Palo Alto territory. neutralized some of their top players,” Johnson said. “Defensively I thought they played well—we just played great team soccer.”

Despite the setback, the team can be proud that it came so close to success. “We came together at

the end,” Sullivan said. “There was a cohesiveness that wasn’t there in the beginning.” In spite of the disappointing finish, hopes look high for next year, as only three senior starters will graduate and the team already fields four freshmen.

Basketball team pounds Cats Boris Burkov

Associate Entertainment Editor

The boys’ basketball team went into the Nov. 6 evening home game with confidence but was still in need of a win. Having beaten Los Gatos by ten in their previous encounter, Gunn was always favored to win the game, but it was a tough fight all the way through, and it was still imperative for the Titans to secure a victory.

Going in with a 17-7 record, Gunn needed a win to stay in contention for the second place spot in the De Anza League. Fortunately for the Titans, they squeezed out a 52-41 win with a strong performance in the fourth quarter and clutch shooting from sophomore guard Ryan Miller. “This is a team we should have been able to handle, and a loss would’ve killed us, but now we have to look forward to the games we have left,” Miller said.

Though Gunn trailed 10-5 early, the team rallied, and by the end of the first quarter, the score was competitive again. A crucial threepoint shot from Miller jerked Gunn right back into the game, foreshadowing things to come later on.

The game kept going back and forth, but the injury-wracked team lacked the services

of senior Anthony Bernard and could only give senior Peter Jordan minimal playing time, remaining unconvincing in the early play.

In the second quarter, Gunn went on a scoring run, seizing their largest lead of the early game. However, Los Gatos pulled back with a run of its own and by half time, Gunn’s lead was only two points.

To begin the third quarter, Los Gatos scored quickly to take a two-point lead before Gunn went on another scoring tear to pull five ahead.

The game continued to go back and forth, with the teams trading baskets and the lead switching back and forth. The third quarter ended 34-34.

In the fourth and deciding quarter, while Los Gatos jumped ahead and seemed to be in control, Gunn finally showed its class and stepped into top gear, leaving Los Gatos flailing. Miller had a fantastic quarter, scoring two critical three pointers, one to tie the game, and another to help Gunn pull away. “We really needed someone to step up, and tonight was my night,” Miller said. Riding the wave of Miller’s fine shooting, Gunn went on to win the game in comfort that betrayed the rough back and forth battle of the first three quarters.

Sophomore Kyle Perricone was relieved to

Jennifer Lim

Senior forward Peter Jordan goes up for a layup against Los Gatos.

have the win, but knew the team could do even better. “We still have room to improve, and I need to focus on my defense, but I definitely think we can do it,” Perricone said.

A coach is like a father. You cannot have the power to choose who the person is but you generally are stuck with him. A coach is both a teacher and a role model. No one knows him better than the members on the team.

He sticks with the team through good and bad times as any father would. A special bond grows between players and coaches and this relationship builds the success of a team. Despite the fact that there is such a valued relationship at stake, players have no decision regarding coaches.

The administration of a high school, college or professional organization decides whether a coach should leave or stay. It does not seem fair for a person who has never stepped foot onto the field to have the power of keeping or removing the coach at will. One would hope that at the very least the person in charge would take into consideration the consent of the players when making such a decision.

One might argue that players do not have the knowledge or expertise to know whether or not they have found a good coach, and that an older and wiser person in power should make all of these decisions. This is still not a legitimate reason why this person in charge cannot support his decision with the players’ opinions. The people affected most by a new coach are the players, so why should they be left completely out of the coach hiring process?

A tenure system could also be applied in coaching. Consistent success and player approval could be two defining factors in applying a tenure for a coach.

The former 49ers coach Steve Mariucci had a combined record of 60-43 and took the Niners to the playoffs four years out of six, yet was fired after losing in the second round of the NFL playoffs. The Niners have failed to make the playoffs since Mariucci left.

Teams can be left with a coach who is unsatisfactory at many levels but stays in charge.

While the players shouldn’t be given complete say regarding a coach or not, their opinions should be a factor in it.

In the end, if a liked coach is fired it can not only bring down team morale but also fan support. Disrespect for a team’s decisions means disrespect for the team itself. Players and fans have as much to do with a team’s success as a coach.

—Salazar, a junior, is an Entertainment editor.

19

Sports

Boys’ Tennis

Boys’ tennis will undergo another coaching change this year. New coach Jim Gorman hopes to bring new energy to the tennis program. Juniors Alex Liu and Daniel Ugarte are expected to occupy the #1 and #2 spots, respectively. Liu has been #1 varsity since his freshman year.

Ugarte hopes to continue the success he has had individually. “I hope to go undefeated like last year,” Ugarte said.

Last year, the tennis team made Central Coast Section (CCS) but lost in the first round. This year, the team has lost both its #1 and #2 doubles duos as well. The doubles division will have a very rough season this year.

There is hope in the singles line. “Our singles line has improved from last year, and we have a young team. Watch out for [senior] Evan Chen,” Liu said.

Monday, February 12, 2007

Gymnastics

Will the gymnastics team be ready in time for their first competition of the season? Gymnastics season is already under way, but still not all of the expected team members have shown up to practice. New Head Coaches Allan and Ericka Fusilero are the new owners of Twisters Gym, where the team often practices. The gymnastics team is currently working hard to improve their technique, flexibility and poise.

This season, the team’s overall objective is to at least make CCS, if not win it entirely. Key gymnasts to look out for this season include senior Kaylyn Reyes, junior Miranda Der and freshman Claire Reyes. Although the gymnastics team’s future looks uncertain at this point, team members have high hopes for the season’s outcome.

Softball

Softball coach Dave Jost has high expectations for his team’s performance this year. “I expect to win the leagues this year and go to a higher level in our division,” Jost said. “If we take leagues, we’d take a huge step for this program.”

This is Jost’s third year of coaching and is grateful to see that 11 players are returning from last season and that he doesn’t notice many weaknesses in the team. “We need to play together as a team, throw strikes, make big hits and make the plays,” Jost said.

Key players will be juniors Stephanie Lacek, Megan Carothers and Elizabeth Rei and seniors Crystal Greenberg, Caroline Binkley, Shannon Wood, Mary Kathryn Hannan, Kala Fisher and Katherine Ramirez.

Baseball

Track & Field

The baseball team has a lot to live up to this season. Last year, it managed to come second in CCS. After losing five graduated starters from last year, the Titans need to find a new identity. Coach Tim Thompson believes that the team can compensate for the diminished slugging power lost with the departure of power hitters Geoff Holman, Mike Myers and David Chezar. “I believe we will be better defensively, perhaps from a contact and average standpoint at the plate, and we should have more speed and be a better baserunning team,” Thompson said.

Senior Tucker Laurence will be the starting pitcher for the Titans, followed by seniors Jay Perlman, Derek Austin, Sam Zipperstein and Alex Zeglin and junior Kyle Einfalt.

The Titans have made it to the playoffs every year since coach Tim Thompson took over seven years ago, but the league they are contending in is very strong this season. “We have high expectations this year,” Laurence said. “We hope to repeat what we did last year and return to the CCS Finals.”

Swimming & Diving

The swimming and diving team has always worked hard to be the best, and this year, they have an opportunity to be crowned league champions. According to swimming Head Coach Mark Hernandez, the girls’ team has a lot of quality depth this year and is ready to win. “The girls are going to make a run at a championship–that hasn’t been done in a while,” Hernandez said.

However, he could not comment on the boys’ team with the same level of enthusiasm. Hernandez has observed strong leadership qualities and much young talent in the boy’s team, but is unsure whether they will develop in time for the upcoming swim season. “I don’t know what to expect from the boys yet,” Hernandez said.

Key swimmers include senior Julia Fish and juniors Casey Barnes-Waychus and Katie Reeves from the girls’ team, and seniors Christopher Preston, James Nusse and Will Agramonte from the boys’ team.

The track and field team has taken on a variety of new coaches this year. Head Coach Ernie Lee and his staff have returned, but sprint coach Joy Margerum and jump coach Laura Tompkins have also joined the team.

The team hopes to build on last season’s success with the development of juniors Dezmon Hunter and Gaurav Shirole and sophomore Allie Mayer.

Seniors Jenica Law, Curtis Liang and Jonathan Chu also have high hopes to surge deep into CCS. “I expect to make CCS and hope to make it to State,” Liang said. “For the team, we have a lot of fast people, but we’re not well distributed. I can see us doing well, just not outstanding because of our lack of coverage in certain events,” Liang is the premier runner in the 400 meter race.

Hunter is the best runner in the 800-meter race. He is optimistic about the season. “I think our varsity is very strong this year because we have Gaurav sprinting, Curtis at mid-distancec and the Chu brothers running the long distance,” Hunter said.

Lacrosse

Badminton

The girls’ lacrosse team hopes to recreate success they Starting the new season, the badminton team aims to had last season under their new head coach, Lisa MacLean. succeed in their league and win championships. The team Last season, the team had a successful 11-4 league record has grown stronger each year under head coach Marc Tsuunder last season’s captains, seniors Nicole Monica and kakoshi. Due to changes in league regulations, the varsity Julie Tisdale. team has increased from 16 players to 24 players. “Hopefully, Although the varsity lacrosse team will not be assembled these changes will be beneficial to the team,” senior girls’ until the end of the winter sports season, MacLean is ready singles player Jing-Jing Li said. to tackle oncoming challenges and lead the team into League Despite losing key players, such as graduated seniors Championships and Central Coast Section (CCS).

Davis Liu and Cecilia Yang, the team remains confident on “Our goals for the season is to win as many games as its prospective for the upcoming season. “The team remains possible and enjoy the game,” MacLean said. MacLean really motivated and the many returning players can only hopes to build on the team’s strength with stick work and help our prospects,” Li said. conditioning.

The team has trained regularly for the past three weeks, During tryouts, the prospective team has greatly im- and many practice on their own at various badminton pressed MacLean. “I am amazed at the level of the attitude clubs. of this team,” she said. “I see a lot of talent and it will be Photos by Cosmo Sung difficult to determine who will join the team.”

—Compiled by Adrienne Nguyen, Alex Tom and Jonathan Gu

Titan Scoreboard

˛ Records

˛ Upcoming Games

Boys’ basketball: 18-7 Girls’ basketball: 15-8 Boys’ soccer: 5-9-6 Girls’ soccer: 12-2-5 Wrestling: 7-2

Boys’ basketball vs. Saratoga: 2/12 @ 7 p.m.

Girls’ basketball vs. Wilcox: 2/14 @ 7 p.m.

Baseball vs. St. Ignatius: 2/19 @ 3:30 p.m.

—Compiled by Stephen Salazar and Eric Johnston

20

The Oracle

Sports So, you want to get in shape? Here are four easy runs favored by the track and cross country team. Warm up before you begin (try two to three laps around the track) and cool down after you finish. Wear sturdy shoes that are not too worn-out to prevent foot and leg injuries.

Short Syntax (2.6 mi)

Bol Park (1.9 mi)

A lt hough t h is rout e doesn’t have any water fountains on the way, you might be lucky enough to run by the Veterans’ Hospital while the sprinklers are on.

Begin by running down Arastradero towards Foothill Expressway, on the cement path to the side of the road. Make a right after about a half mile at Hillview Ave. You’ll run up a relatively steep but short hill before cruising back down.

Cross Foothill Expressway and make a right on Miranda Ave. Run alongside the Veterans’ Hospital on Miranda Ave. before reaching the Foothill Expressway/ Arastradero intersection.

Cross the Bol Park path and make a left into the back entrance to Gunn, left of the science wing.

This course winds around Gunn and Bol Park, and is even an official race course used by the cross country team in the fall. There are two water fountains along the way and a playground.

This run is a good choice if you have leg injuries and need to run on dirt paths rather than cement.

From the track, head to driveway next to the science wing. U-turn once you reach Arastradero and jog back to Gunn on the bike path. Pass a phone booth on your right and cross a bridge. Stop for water at the fountain on your right if necessary. Jog around the playground and head back to the path. At the junction by the phone booth, stay to the left, past lacrosse fields before returning to the track.

Manuella (3.7 mi)

Escondido (3.9 mi)

A standard for cross country and track runners, this course combines mild hills with flat stretches.

You’ll begin by heading down Arastradero towards Foothill Expressway, taking the cement path on the right side of the road. After about a half mile, make a left at West Fremont Road.

You’ll pass Los Altos Hills Town Hall on the right, where you can stop to get a drink of water if you’re feeling thirsty. Stay to the left as the road curve, running for about a quarter mile past Town Hall before you reach Manuella Road.

Take a left on Manuella and continue on the street as it winds down towards Gunn.

Near the end, you’ll pass Kol Emet Synagogue, where you can stop and get water.

This a good choice for beginning runners because it is completely flat and is an out-and-backer rather than a loop. If all else fails, you can always call somebody to pick you up at your destination if you are too tired to run back.

Head out towards Bol Park from the far side of the track. Run past the playground and cross Matadero Ave., continuing on a cement path towards Oregon Expressway. The path will dump you onto Hanover Street, where you’ll make a right. Continue on Hanover, passing Oregon Expressway and California Ave. You’ll eventually reach Escondido Elementary School, where you stretch, drink water and relax before heading back the same way to Gunn.

Graphics by Brian Phan

—Compiled by Caroline Hodge and Nathaniel Eisen