January 2016

Politics become personal for Gunn students.

Exploring race and diversity at Gunn.

PG. 6-7 FORUM

PG. 14-15 FEATURES

Student Senate brings campus opinions to SEC

Helen Nguyen Business

Earlier this January, Student Activities Director Lisa Hall announced the Fall Student Senate results in a Schoology post. “As part of an Student Executive Council (SEC) goal to increase transparency with the student body, we are releasing our analysis and plan of action obtained from our most recent student senate,” the post read. Details of the Senate were explained in the PDF, with all comments in the document recorded anonymously during the session.

Student Body President senior Isabelle Blanchard recalled that in past years SEC has struggled with transparency and this year members focused on improving communication between students. “Last year, with a lot of the changes that were being made, people felt like their voices weren’t heard,” Blanchard said. “We wanted to make sure that they didn’t feel that way for all the SEC decisions.”

The SEC held its Fall Student Senate during Flex Time in November to receive feedback from the student body on a range of topics, including communication, cheating and academic competition. The 40 students who participated were nominated by teachers or randomly selected; their responses were recorded anonymously to be used and analyzed by SEC, in hopes of creating change.

The first Student Senate was started two years ago, and has continued yearly since. Blanchard believes the Senate is a chance for students to give SEC their feedback and opinions on what they find important. “The purpose of the Senate is to connect with the student body more,” Blanchard said. “I think a lot of the times we make choices for the student body, but honestly not the whole student body is on SEC so it’s hard for us to communicate.” Blanchard noticed that having a place for students to talk to SEC faceto-face was very helpful, and says it is a strong step towards increasing communication and SENATE—p.4

Online: Palo Alto Teen Arts Council and Mental Wellness Update

Photos courtesy of Fay Liu, Juan Santos and Alexandra Ting

NON-PROFIT ORG

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

U.S. Postage

PA I D

Permit #44 Palo Alto, Calif.

College Pathways expands opportunities

because she did not speak to me,” Wheeler said. “This rumor that went around was based off of information we did not know about. We publicized College The College Pathways program has expandPathways at Back-to-School Night and at ed this year to meet the recommendations of Freshman Orientation, so we have been the Western Association of Schools and Colletting people know we still have it. We leges (WASC). Through partnering with the have been communicating that we still Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) have the program as best we could.”

Director of Academic Support Judy ArgumUnder Compton, the program has edo, the program has expanded from 100 to expanded to help as many students as pos127 students, and added one more college sible in applying to college. According visit as well as a new service called the Colto Compton, most Gunn students come lege Pathways Mentors. The program has from families where at least one parent also transitioned from the direction of former has attended college and is familiar with guidance counselor Monica Espinoza to the the college application process. College direction of guidance counselor Myesha Compton.

Pathways was created to help the students who Some students thought that the program had came from families without that experience. been eliminated when Espinoza left Gunn fol“There is a lack of understanding that there lowing the 2014-2015 school year. One even took are some families who don’t come with the to Facebook to voice her displeasure with the same experience—not that they do not have administration. Black Student Union President the same motivation, they just don’t have senior Menna Mulat has been in the program the same exposure or experience,” Compton since her freshmen year and thought that taking said. “We have an obligation to level the away the program would hurt minority students playing field, and in order to do that, you at Gunn. In her Facebook post last summer, she do have to provide some focused support.” expressed her displeasure with the administraAccording to Wheeler, the expansion came tion. The post was liked, shared and became viral in response to a recommendation from the among Gunn students, many of whom agreed WASC committe calling for more equitable that the program should not be taken away. support at Gunn. For Wheeler, this means Assistant Principal Heather Wheeler, who instead of giving every student the same supoversees the program along with Assistant port and expecting the same results, students Principal Tara Keith, was disappointed to receive the support they need which means hear that so many students believed the building in more support for some stuprogram was going to leave along with dents. “If a student cannot get an outside Espinoza. She understood the worry that tutor, we offer tutors here to them in the Cheryl Kao the program could leave along with EspiCollege Pathways program,” Wheeler noza, but wanted to emphasize that the administration said. “Some students cannot go to outside college never had any intention of eliminating the program. counselors so we provide that support from somebody “I can’t speak to what Ms. Espinoza told her students PATHWAYS—p.5 Matthew Hamilton News Editor

Tea Time increases alumni interaction Stina Chang

Centerfold Editor

Gunn alumni Cat Volpe and Ming Ming Caressi launched the first Tea Time with Alumni program during Flex Time on Tuesday, Jan. 12. Tea Time consists of sessions in which students have the ability to talk with Gunn alumni and hear about perspectives of life after Gunn. Offering hot tea, hot chocolate and a variety of snacks in room N-101, alumni provide current students with the chance to learn about different paths after graduation while making connections and relationships. “[Tea Time] relates to a lot of things in dialogue, but it is also casual and fun,” Caressi said.

After the alumni panel in November, current students were asked what role they thought alumni should take in becoming a resource at Gunn. Tea Time was a solution suggested by the

Wellness and Openness in the Palo Alto Community collective. With junior Shannon Yang, sophomore Danny Howell and the Reach Out, Care, K now. Club, the project was soon underway.

Tea Time officially launched on Ja n. 12 i n English teacher Jordan Wel ls’s room, where s t udent s were split into groups and paired with a lu m n i to ju st have a casual conversation and create a connection.

Conversations varied from individual high school stories and college application ad-

vice to personal hobbies and interests. “The basic idea is a freeform conversation you can talk TEA—p.4

Jackie Luo

2

News Challenge Success team Admin cancels rally due to district policy creates mission statement have to protect the rights of those few students who might find [the dance] very offensive, and the law requires us to do that,” she said.

The Student Executive Council (SEC) announced the Board policies are enforced for all school-sponsored administration’s decision to cancel the Paly Rally in online events. “I think that when we point out guidelines to stuclass groups on Jan. 21. The message cited lack of time as dents, if they’re trying to make a decision and they ignore a reason for not holding the rally, along with concerns them until the eleventh hour, it’s not going to allow us as about appropriateness in light of the Board of Education’s administrators who are responsible for both what goes on new policy on sexual harassment, nondiscrimination and in the classroom and co-curricularly to do our job, which is bullying. to make sure we’re not allowing something to go forward In December, the Board of Education passed a new that we know could violate that policy,” she said. policy on sexual misconduct and harassment, which Hall says the most prominent factor in the decision to tightened the definition of harassment and bullying while cancel Paly Rally was time. “The first Paly-Gunn game prioritizing safety for all groups of students on campus. was on Jan. 8, and usually they’re much later,” Hall said.

SEC was informed of these changes at the start of the new “That limited our time and ability to negotiate and make semester, and administrators asked SEC members to revise changes.” SEC would have come up with a better supported the Paly Rally tradition to follow the new policies. solution with more time, says Hall.

“It wasn’t us saying, ‘You can’t do that,’” Principal Dr. Nonetheless, administrators believe the rally dance Denise Herrmann said. “It was that our whole district has tradition is outdated at Gunn. “The leadership team and taken that stance, and it’s our job as administrators, when administrators felt that over time the Paly cheerleader policies change, to inform people who they’ll impact.” tradition has lost its original purpose and now has little According to Student Activities Director Lisa Hall, to no connection to the basketball game itself and the the Paly Rally, which would have taken place this year purpose of building school spirit around athletics,” Hall on Thursday, Jan. 28, began as a rally specifically for said. “It’s not inclusive as it’s only senior boys, and there drumming up spirit and interest for Paly-Gunn basket- have been issues with the costuming choices in that they ball games. In the past, senior boys would dress as Paly do not take into consideration the feelings and reactions cheerleaders and perform some of Paly’s cheers at the rally. of all of our student groups.”

Since Hall arrived at Gunn in 2005, the Paly Rally has Blanchard says most SEC members understand why had consistent problems with inappropriate dances, outfits the administration made its decision but hopes that in the and behaviors. “What it comes down to at this point is: future administrators will maintain clearer communicawhat is the purpose of this particular piece of the rally?” tion with SEC. “We just wish we had been consulted into Hall said. “So are we doing a rally that’s supposed to be for the conversation more and that they had come to us before drumming up school spirit for a big game or are we doing making a final decision,” she said. “I understand that board a rally so that a few select people can get up and do some- policies are getting really strict and we have some issues thing they think with board polis funny?” icy in the disOnce admintrict, but peristrators gave sonally, what I SEC i nst r ucfind upsetting tions to align is that SEC unwith Board polderstood where icy, SEC Student they were comBody President ing from and senior Isabelle was willing to Blanchard says compromise the Council beand work gan discussing Alexandra Ting out over time possible revi- Last year’s cheer team performs its Paly Rally number. This year’s rou- something that sions. Blanchard tine, along with dance’s routine, will be postponed until another rally. would follow all says there was the rules.” talk of moving away from “shooting down Paly and Treasurer senior Kellen Liu too believes that the decimore towards upping Gunn” with focus on details such as sion should have been made by students. “I think the switching colors of dress from Paly’s colors to Gunn’s col- decision-making behind it is flawed,” he said. “I don’t think ors, having rally dancers perform with cheer or reviewing the Paly Rally, even if it seems like it, is based on mockery. the dance with the administration ahead of time. “That was It’s supposed to be something that’s funny and enjoyable, our plan moving forward—to continue having a rally for for people to laugh about. It’s something the school, espeit, but to make adjustments to how we checked everything cially the senior class, looks forward to every year.” and make stricter guidelines for what they could wear and Site Council member senior Grace Park, however, what they could do,” Blanchard said. disagrees with Liu. Even if some students saw the event SEC’s expectation, however, had always been that its as funny and not a big deal, an underlying layer of uninmembers would be the ones making the decision on Paly tentional sexism exists. “The difference is if girls did the Rally. “Originally, when [Assistant Principal Miriam] exact same routine dressed in the exact same clothes in Stevenson came in and presented the Board policy, what the same setting, they would be seen as inappropriate,” she it seemed like to SEC was that there was a policy that we said. “Most of the student body just sees the dance routine needed to follow and we couldn’t keep things the way they as good fun, but if they saw where the routine originated, were,” Blanchard said. “But it was to our understanding what it means, and the whole context of the rally, they’d that it was possible to then do something as long as it fol- realize that it doesn’t fit everything else we’ve been doing lowed the Board policy. It was a surprise when the admin for the past year.” came back to us and To Park and kind of gave us a flatHall, we should “We just wish we had been consulted into the conversation more and out no.” not hold tightly to that they had come to us before making a final decision.”

On Jan. 19, the traditions simply leadership team, —Student Body President Isabelle Blanchard because they’re which includes Hall, traditions. “A lot Herrmann, four Teachers on Special Assignment, Mental of people are uncomfortable with the amount of change Health and Wellness Coordinator Joanne Michels and Gunn has dealt with, and they don’t want to change yet athletic director Curtis Johansen, among others, revisited another familiar, beloved routine,” Park said. “But just the issue. Hall reported SEC’s plans, but Herrmann says because this tradition is comforting to some doesn’t mean “there was no choreography, no dress code, no nothing.” it’s comfortable for everyone, and I don’t know if a couple Not only was the rally an issue of accountability—ad- of laughs are worth breaking board policy.” ministrators could not ensure that what students said they While Hall acknowledges that students have a lewould or wouldn’t do would actually happen—but it also gitimate right to be angry about not being a part of the became a “doability” issue, Herrmann says. “I want to final decision-making process, she hopes students will set students up for success, and it felt like we were almost also recognize how necessary time is in such cases like setting students up to be doomed to not meet the policy,” the Paly Rally. In the future, the Paly Rally could return, Herrmann said. even if the Paly dance component does not. Either way, Even if individuals disagree with the board policy, Hall asks all students to seriously consider why we keep Herrmann says it trumps everything. “Whatever any of or change events and traditions. “We want to make sure us think individually, once the school board has decided we’re celebrating all of our teams,” she said. “We want to on a policy, it has to be followed, and as a public school, we share the love.”

Shawna Chen

Editor-In- Chief

Alex Dersh Reporter

In a meeting on Jan. 14, the Challenge Success committee evaluated its chart of work goals and developed a list of potential action plans to achieve them. Members discussed the best strategies to take, such as designing accessible communication between stakeholders, assessing grading practices, guaranteeing face-to-face communication and promoting varied definitions of student success.

The committee is a team of parents, students and teachers formed to create specific goals and develop action plans to address academic culture and student stress. It is made up of tiered groups, including a core group that develops ideas and focus groups that give feed“My goal is that all three stakeholder groups, staff, students and parents, all contribute to improving learning and well-being for students.”

— Principal Dr. Denise Herrmann back. According to the committee’s charge, it meets frequently and is currently evaluating two goals: to “expand the culture of safety and empathy to de-stigmatize academic vulnerability, and celebrate diverse strengths and fluid definitions of success;” and to “design and maintain clear, timely and accessible communication systems that foster relationships, collaboration and informed decision making among students, staff and parents.”

The committee existed in a smaller form three years ago, but was reintroduced by principal Dr. Denise Herrmann in Spring 2015.

Volunteer applicants who were passionate about the issues were accepted to join. The administration strived for gender and age parity, including students of all grades and a variety of parents and staff. Herrmann believes a diverse group of people is best to achieve committee goals. “My goal is that all three stakeholder groups— staff, students and parents—all contribute to improving learning and well-being for students,” she said. “I really believe that when you get a group of people together like this that there is wisdom in the group.” Herrmann sees the administration’s role in the team’s success as promoting the best possible solutions. “We’ve really been trying to work with that core group to make sure that every voice is heard and that we are really making thoughtful decisions about where to put our energy for change,” she said.

Having heard about the Challenge Success’s impact, parent Evan Lurie saw a chance to contribute to changing Gunn’s angle on stress and academics. “I think [local director Denise Pope] has identified an area where we have a lot of opportunity ahead of us to transform the schools that we’ve got today from institutes of ranking and competitiveness to institutes that actually promote learning,“ he said. Lurie sees the committee’s goal as crystallizing the potential students can reach in high school. “We need to be thoughtful about whether or not we’re trying to create students who are really good at memorizing material and eager to take in information or if we’re creating environments that really encourage thinking and reflection and a thirst for learning and knowledge,” he said.

Junior Gaby Candes joined the committee because she believes it is the best way to challenge definitions of success. Central to this is the creation of an academic “climate of care,” extending empathy toward people’s diversity. “Gunn is a very accepting and understanding place for people of different genders, identities, race and religion and sexuality,” she said. “You can be a lot of different things at Gunn, but it’s less acceptable to be a substandard student.”

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

Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief Shawna Chen Managing Editors Arjun Sahdev Kathleen Xue News Elinor Aspegren Matthew Hamilton Ariel Pan Forum Kush Dubey Ryeri Lim Katie Russell Features Lisa Hao Prachi Kale Yuki Klotz-Burwell Centerfold Stina Chang Michael Chen Sports Shagun Khare Hayley Krolik Lena Ye Lifestyle Jenna Marvet Naina Murthy Barrett Zhang Photo Editor Alexandra Ting Graphics Editor Elizabeth Zu

Staff Business/Circulation Tim Sun Assistant Business/Circulation Helen Nguyen Copy Emma Chiao Deiana Hristov Janet Wang Oracle/TBN Liaison Anyi Cheng

Friday, January 29, 2016

Palo Alto Climate Summit invites participation Evalyn Li

Reporter

INBOX

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

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

Graphics Artists Cheryl Kao Joanne Lee Jackie Lou

Adviser Kristy Blackburn

Letters to the Editor and Comments and ideas for coverage may be sent to oraclegunn@gmail.com or posted on our Facebook page.

These letters need not be from current students.

I want to see articles about things going on in the city and the broader community, not just on Gunn campus.

—Jamie Huang, 10

December 4, 2015 The page on body art was pretty awesome.

—Zoe Banks, 10 The cheating story was interesting, but I didn’t really like it because it was revealing.

—Jane Kim, 11

they’re more willing to embrace change,” Navarro said. She also believes that students know their campus best and it makes more sense for them to spearhead the change. “Students are best equipped to pinpoint really what are the issues and what would or wouldn’t work,” Navarro said. “To have an eye to that as you go through your school day and look through where the wasteful practices are, then you can move to the looking-for-solution phase.”

Project ENYbody, an environmental organization of students from Paly and Gunn, was also present at the Summit. Project ENYbody Vice President junior Helen Nguyen, along with 15 other Project ENYbody members st a f fed t he event. Nguyen said that the youth turnout was good considering that most of the involvement is usually from adults.

“The amount of young adults and students who showed up surprised me, but gave me hope that this feedback to Palo Alto will initiate more youth participation and action in our city,” she said.

L ead i ng up to t he event, Project ENYbody Photos by Josh Spain helped promote the event to youth audiences by reaching out to high school science teachers and creating a Facebook event. “Youth participation is so important in this climate summit,” Nguyen said. “I would encourage all students to go to as many events like this as they can because they are great opportunities for youth to showcase their voices.”

Regardless of whether one attended the Summit or not, Friend wants people to understand that making the sustainable choice can actually be making the easy choice. Nguyen agrees with him, adding that everything counts in order to achieve sustainability in Palo Alto. “A lot of people in general don’t really think that their help and their effort matters,” Nguyen said.

“But every single amount of energy and effort put into saving our resources and going green is so necessary. We should start now.”

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

I really liked the graphics and variety of topics discussed. The writing, as usual, was excellent, and there seemed to be something for everyone.

—Karunya Sethuraman, 12

Photographers Josh Spain Mei-Yun Tang

Tech Editors Sabrina Chen Grace Ding

for the city’s pioneering path. “In other parts of the country like Chicago or Boston, where a lot of electricity comes from coal, their strategy is to move people out of coal into natural gas,” Friend said. “We are in this other world, saying, ‘No, natural gas is great, but not good enough for us; we’re going from natural gas to clean electricity.’”

Although Palo Alto is doing well in some areas, other areas still need more work. “The carbon-neutral electricity is a terrific move, the zero-waste program is a terrific move and that’s worth honoring,” Friend said. “On the other

Palo Alto’s Sustainability and Climate Action Summit took place in the multipurpose room of Jordan Middle School on Jan. 24.

Residents, council members, young people and other individuals gathered to listen to the current climate action draft plan.

Palo Alto Mayor Patrick Burt gave a brief introduction. Colonel Mark Mykleby, who could not attend in person due to flight complications, talked through Skype. He was followed by a presentation by Chief Sustainability Officer of the City of Palo Alto Gil Friend and community discussion.

District Energy Specialist Rebecca Navarro explains that t his summit has allowed for the necessary Top: Colonel Mark Mykleby answers audience’s questions community enabout his presentation on sustainability through Skype. gagement. “It’s Right: Sustainability Officer of the City of Palo Alto Gil Friend becoming very clear that cli- talks about Palo Alto’s progress in becoming carbon-neutral. mate change is a responsibility for the municipal government hand, transportation—between emissions, to address,” Navarro said. “I think the city of congestion and car dependence—is a mess; we Palo Alto wants to involve its residents to the don’t control it; it’s a regional nightmare.” greatest extent possible so that there is an unFriend emphasized the importance of diaderstanding of why it’s time to make some of logue throughout the summit and says that the these changes and changes in attitudes towards city council will have a series of study sessions lifestyle.” about each key strategy of the Climate Action During the Summit, Friend reported the Plan which will be extended to the community. gains the city has made toward becoming a “[At the summit] we are going high-level across carbon-neutral city. Palo Alto has had a 35 everything,” Friend said. “What happens next is percent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions a lot more conversation about this to see what since 1990 and its target is to achieve an 80 people resonate with, what they like, what they percent reduction by 2030, 20 years ahead of don’t like, what they’re concerned about and schedule in comparison to the state’s goal of ultimately at some point it comes back to city 2050. Friend says that the passing of policy for council to say, ‘Let’s have some policy.’” carbon neutral electricity in 2013 signifies that Navarro believes that adolescent voices are along a four-year trajectory, Palo Alto will be valuable in this ongoing conversation. “I think carbon-neutral. Friend expresses excitement younger people have fresher perspectives and

Oracle/SEC Liaison Shannon Yang

Reporters Cassie Bond, Sherry Chen, Elizabeth Chung, Alex Dersh, Paulo Frank, Akansha Gupta, Clara Kieschnick-Llamas, Carolyn Kuimelis, Amanda Lee, Tone Lee, Evalyn Li, Jack Mallery, Matthew Oh, Samuel Tse, Kaya van der Horst, Mikaela Wayne

3

Because it was relevant to SEC, I enjoyed the coverage of the change to a genderneutral court and The Oracle did a great job covering it.

—Lisa Hall, staff

I like how it’s less political than it was last year. I [also] really like the sport section because it is focused on Gunn students and brings to light parts of Gunn people don’t hear about.

—Kiran de Silva, 12 I love recognizing feminism and the article about the power of giving back to the community—it’s very well written and gives real student perspective.

—Lydia Crabb, 12

The new issue looks really cool, and Centerfold is really colorful and vibrant.

—Kayla Yee, 11 The Oracle is very interesting and it’s nice to keep up with what’s going on around Gunn.

—Katie Zhang, 9

The Oracle is a 2014 NSPA Pacemaker Award finalist.

4

News

MONTHLY HIGHLIGHTS: MLK DAY OF SERVICE AND WINTER SPORTS RALLY

“I learned that there are a lot of different ways to celebrate MLK and to honor the memory, and you can just do that by supporting organizations by buying their products or just simply talking to other people about it and spreading awareness.”

—Ilana Silverstein (11) “It really brought my spirits up to learn more about MLK day because they had a lot of great boards that [Teen Advisory Board] built to educate the public on MLK.” —Stephanie Zhang (10)

Photos by Alexandra Ting

“I don’t think the most important part is about winning. I mean, of course everyone wants to win, but it’s also about how we work together to get there. Teamwork played a big role and without it, we wouldn’t have finished.”

—Jaclyn Liang (10)

“I thought this rally was a good opportunity for the individual classes at Gunn to work together and try to win. The rally was definitely a lot of fun for me because of the competitive but friendly atmosphere.

I was surprised by the amount of people that came out to support their individual classmates and cheer them on.”

—Jun Kim (10)

Photos by Mei-Yun Tang

—Compiled by Sherry Chen

SEC receives feedback from new Student Senate

Alumni promote dialogue

transparency between SEC and the student population.

Hall says the student body has given feedback questioning the lack of transparency, and SEC is intent on resolving the problem. “One of the things SEC has heard loud and clear from the student body is that, ‘We are always getting surveyed and we’re always participating in focus group, but we don’t very often hear what the results of those compiled pieces of information are, nor are we told how that information is going to be used,’” Hall said. “The SEC was really interested in making sure that happened with anything that we were going to do—this was a first step towards that kind of transparency.”

Hall hopes students are aware that SEC is actively working on improving and resolving student issues. “Everybody on SEC is a part of a committee set up for each of the main things that were brought up,” Hall said. “Our hope is to actually take action on that and make some changes to what we have impact over—whether it’s talking to the counselors, or whether it’s the way we do business and try and change student events.”

According to Hall, this first step towards greater transparency is crucial. “I think that you can’t ever have enough transparency,” she said. “The number one thing that we hear all the time is, ‘Communication wasn’t good.’” Because today’s communication avenues have become vast and numerous, Hall says it is always good to check in with the student population to find out what the most effective communication methods are. “It’s always about trying to improve our communication by keep people informed,” Hall said.

Junior Leila Tuma, who participated in the Senate, noted that it was a great opportunity for students to express their opinions about different topics to Gunn leadership. She believes the discussion opened up new topics that the community often doesn’t address. In addition to opening more doors in the light of advancement in the Gunn community, the discussion has created a more open environment—something that is beneficial to the progress Gunn is heading towards. “I think people want decisions and changes to be made in the open and for it not to seem like things are being hidden from the public,” Tuma said. “There is nothing to be secretive about here, and welcoming and sharing ideas is important in improving the community.”

According to Blanchard, SEC hopes to make a lot of small changes towards increased transparency and wellness in the future. The debut of the suggestion boxes around campus is an example of one of the many changes SEC has in store. She believes all the changes SEC is

about whatever you want,” Volpe said.

According to Volpe, Tea Time was an instant success.

“I felt like people were walking out of the room with a lot of energy,” Volpe said.

Students who attended the session were able to receive advice and listen to real-life stories directly from Gunn alumni. Junior Aurora Vaughan learned of another path to happiness by talking to an alum who currently attends Foothill College. “You can take a gap year; you can go to Middle College; you can go to a community college and transfer,” Vaughan said. For a junior like Vaughan, it was helpful to hear it from someone with personal experience.

“I really hadn’t actually considered [those possibilities] until I heard it from someone in real life, telling me it was real,” Vaughan said.

Through Tea Time, junior Juan Santos saw how little money impacted another alum’s future. “[The alum] pursued whatever she wanted to do regardless of money,” Santos said. “I thought that was a really nice takeaway, seeing how she put one of the things that was very valuable in society second to what she wanted to do. It was really inspiring.”

Unlike other support groups on campus, Tea Time offers the development of closer relationships between alumni and current students. “I think this offers a new opportunity for a new type of connection,” Wells said.

The primary goal of Tea Time is to connect current Gunn students with alumni, making alumni a more approachable resource. “[Alumni are] a group of people who understand what it’s like to be at Gunn and care a lot about Gunn,” Volpe said. “There are certain understandings and connection we have that you don’t have with anyone else on the planet.” According to Wells, Tea Time also intends to preserve a family-like relationship for the alumni who return. In order to foster alum and student connection, Wells says it is important for the student and alumni to steer their own conversation. “If needed to be a moment of venting, let it be that. If it needs to be something more positive, let it be that,” Wells said. According to Wells, alumni are aware that they are not professionals; however, they are willing to listen in the role of a friend.

Caressi added that Tea Time serves as a place for students to just hang out. “Tea Time is also simply a relaxing space where students can just let go and have a really great conversation with someone,” says Caressi. “Sometimes things like that can turn a day around in a positive way,” she said. Leaders of Tea Time ultimately hope that current students will be able to gain different perspectives of life after Gunn. Though alumni are not professionals, their viewpoints often encompass insights not necessarily possessed by parents, teachers or counselors. “The alumni offer a unique perspective that isn’t readily accessible unless you have an older sibling,” Wells said.

Serving under the philosophy of providing a family relationship, Tea Time also allows alumni who return to Gunn to feel welcome. “There is still room here for you at Gunn. You’re still wanted; you’re still a Titan long after you graduate,” Wells said.

SENATE

Jackie Luo

working on will have an impact on everyone. “They’ll all do their own things equally, but just having more Senates is something that could be really impactful,” Blanchard said. “We can then make more changes based on those and I think that will be really helpful.”

Blanchard hopes the changes will help increase dialogue between students and SEC and make people feel more heard. She says the feedback from the Senate showed engagement and SEC was pleased that people had a lot to say. “We’re hoping they know that we’re actually listening to them, and care about what they’re saying and their opinions,” Blanchard said. “There’s a lot of changes that we’re hoping to make to the atmosphere of Gunn and certain small details, like how the counseling system works and schedules.”

This year, SEC is striving towards creating more touch points with the student body. “SEC recognizes that they can be considered sort of an aloof group, and they want to cut that down a little bit and make sure that people feel they’re being heard, or at least know where to go if they want to share some information or ask questions,” Hall said. She stated that SEC anticipates more improvement and hopes to add similar events that target different groups of people on campus.

SEC has scheduled Student Senate to occur every semester. In addition, the new Flex Time will provide time to hold informal Senates. Students will be able to go in during Flex Time and give SEC feedback concerning different topics. “It will be similar to how the school board runs, and how you can go in and just speak,” Blanchard said. “We won’t respond, but we’ll take in feedback.”

TEA

News

Friday, January 29, 2016

5

College pathways program includes more students PATHWAYS

who has been through the college application process.”

The focused support comes in many forms. Compton pulls College Pathways participants out of class in small groups based on grade level to meet with them. In the meetings she is able to give them more counseling on top of what they receive from their assigned counselors. Compton exposes the students to what is required to be deemed ready for college—from test scores to grades and how students should be preparing for college at each grade level.

For students that are not able to pay for SAT or ACT prep classes, the program is able to offer SAT and ACT prep courses at no cost or reduced cost.

This year, community members also volunteer to tutor students who are not receiving college preparatory grades. Sponsored by PAUSD, members of the community tutor students who are struggling and cannot afford to go to private tutors. Community members also volunteer to edit seniors’ college essays before they send in their applications. According to Wheeler, these community members are people who have both been to college and also represent the diversity of the College Pathways program.

In addition, students in the program go on college field trips to show them the diversity of schools. Compton values exposure to colleges and wanted to expand that aspect of the program after becoming the leader of the College Pathways program.

In previous years, the program only visited two colleges, but this year the program will visit three to show students a broader range of colleges.

“Many of the families do not have the resources to take their kids to visit colleges, so this year, we are taking kids to visit one Cal state school, one University of California school and one private school,” Compton said. “The idea is that through [this program] 9-12 grade s t u d e nt s s h o u l d have t he opportunity to visit at least 10 colleges.”

Another product of ex pa nsion this year is the College Pat hways mentor program. Juniors in College Pathways are paired with a staff member to mentor them through the college application process. Mentors guide them beyond just academics.

According to Wheeler, a large part of academic success is feeling accepted at school and having an adult at school that a student knows he or she can talk to. The assigned teacher is meant to be the adult that a student in the College Pathways program can talk to about any topic.

“The goal is to develop the relationships with staff members and to recognize that it is very important for all students to have an adult on campus that they can talk to,” Wheeler said.

“A really important piece of academic success is feeling like you belong and you have that support.

The program also provides support for students who are historically underrepresented and may not have the same resources outside of school.”

College Pathways mentors Were introduced this year.

The Program grew from 100 to 127 students in the past year.

Students in College Pathways have benefited from the knowledge gained from the program. Mulat has been i n the program since her freshman year and believes the program was extremely beneficial for her.

“It has been ver y helpful because [as] m i nor it ies, we do not have a lot of opportunities to go and get help, but College P a t hw ay s l e t s y ou know about each and every thing you have to know about college,” Mulat said.

Mulat did not know where to take SAT or ACT prep classes, but through the program she was able to attend classes. She believes that she would not have been able to apply to 10 historically black colleges and universities if she had not been in the program. Mulat is not alone in her appreciation of the College Pathways program.

Gunn alum Mauricio Sanchez also felt the program was vital to his success in high school. While in the program he was given the confidence that he could go to college.

“After my time in College Pathways, they made me believe I could go to any college I felt I fit at,” Sanchez said. “It was a very important program. I originally had no faith in going to college. I figured I would graduate and just start working, but that program, they were on top of me and made sure I did all my work and that I believed I could get into college.”

The Program Will visit one CSU, one UC and one private school.

THE NEW focused support comes from A Wasc committee.

6

WHEN

Forum

POLITICS

District should prioritize renaming Jordan, Terman PAUSD Minority Achievement and Talent Development Advisory Committee, PAUSD strives to foster a community in which “every student has the opportunity and access to programs, practices, and personnel that will empower every child to attain his or her highest intellectual, creative and social potential.” To have schools named after racists inherently suggests that these people are deserving of being honored. For Shagun Khare students of color, and especially for minority communities, Jordan and Terman clearly do not meet that criteria. Thus, if PAUSD truly wishes to empower every child, it should get rid of the school names as soon as posEach weekday, promising young students walk sible, because even the notion that one must attend schools named after into Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) middle schools eugenicists can be a highly uncomfortable situation for many students. named after racists and eugenicists in order to learn about how Furthermore, retaining the names of Jordan and Terman Middle they can lead lives embracing acceptance and tolerance. Palo School disregards the perpetuation of racist ideas that exist to this Alto, although portrayed as a sort of panacea against discrimina- day. A promi nent message of t he eugenicist Hu ma n Bet terment tion and ignorance, is home to physical embodiments of those Foundation, which both Jordan and Terman were members of, was very characteristics. While teachers inside the classrooms of that Caucasians were the superior race, and that other, inferior races, these schools tell their students of how they should accept such as black and brown people, would die out as a result of survival everyone regardless of their appearance, the of the fittest. Although this notion is not prominent today, traces of names embellishing the schools on the outside this ideology continue to disparage and create hostile environments seem to tell a different story. The hypocrisy for minority communities as of late. Therefore, if is blatantly clear. The question now is, Jordan and Terman as people contributed to what are we going to do about it? the perpetuation of racist ideals that affect In November, PAUSD parent PAUSD students to this day on a daily baLars Johnsson created a petisis, there should be no doubt in anyone’s “Schools [should tion on Change.org calling for mind that their names should cease the renaming of Jordan Middle to be a part of our district’s rhetoric. be] renamed to School af ter his son brought to The notion that Jordan and Terman genuinely promote his attention that the school was are just names sounds eerily like the named after David Starr Jordan, defense Confederate f lag supporters the mor al values a leading eugenicist, or one who used to justify why the Confederate our community believed in the selective breeding f lag should remain raised in South of certain races. Since the petition Carolina. Supporters of the f lag said it lives by.” was created, it has garnered over was part of history, and that it did not 350 signatures and brought to light rea lly af fect anyone any more. So, why the fact that Terman Middle School did we take down the f lag? South Carolina is also named after a racist who was Governor Nikki Haley answered that quespart of the same eugenics organization as tion quite eloquently. “We are not going to allow Jordan. As a result, a growing chorus of com- this symbol to divide us along longer,” she said at a press conference plaints has stimulated the creation of forums in June of last year. “The fact that it causes so [much] pain is enough and boards that consider the implications and possible ramifications to move it from the Capitol grounds.” We also cannot allow names of this revelation. The current progress, however, pertains only to the like Terman and Jordan to divide us any longer. Their ideas may have renaming of Jordan Middle School. While the steps taken so far have perpetuated years of pain that many groups in our community have been heading in the right direction, more thorough in- had to endure for decades. That is enough to now remove this symbol vestigation and efficient action need to be taken of racism so prevalent in our community off of our school grounds. to ensure that these schools are renamed Discussions and board meetings can only go on for so long. If we to genu i nely promote t he mora l want to act and really create change, the time is now. values our community lives by.

According to the —Khare, a junior, is a Sports Editor.

Cheryl Kao

Forum

Friday, January 29, 2016

7

BECO MES PERSO NAL

Syrian civilian provides insight, friendship for junior Hao Jiang

Last summer, scouts from 150 nations around the world gathered on Kirarahama Beach in Yamaguchi, Japan for the World Scout Jamboree; I was fortunate to be one of the 40,000 in attendance. One of the first foreign troops I visited was the Syrian contingent—a small group of no more than eight Syrian scouts. Eight sets of eyes warily eyed the American flag patch on my bag and my strange uniform as I, the first American they had ever seen, walked into their campsite. We soon began exchanging patches, neckerchiefs and other paraphernalia, but the interaction was brief because the Syrians had very few items to trade. After returning to my campsite, I encountered them rarely, if at all. Halfway through the jamboree, however, I met Roy Alcheikh. In line with my interest in international relations, I bombarded him with questions about daily life amidst the Syrian Civil War. Before knowing Roy, I naively assumed that all Middle Easterners fit the ignorant stereotype of the religious fanatic, intent on destroying the American people with his oi l a nd terrorism. But Roy’s stories took me straight into that community, half a world away.

What I saw on the news was what Roy continues to personally witness. Over five years, the Syrian Civil War has killed 340,000. Roy has lost family members and neighbors in the fighting. He has witnessed countless rocket attacks, airstrikes and urban combat around his home.

The city he inhabits, Saidnaya, is home to 25,000 people, a landmark monastery and the world’s second-largest statue of Jesus Christ. Saidnaya is also currently under siege by the terrorist organization Al-Nusra, which vows to eradicate the Christian population. Since October 2013, hundreds of militants from al-Qaeda-linked group and brigades of the self-named Free Syrian Army have mounted multiple unsuccessful attempts to capture the mountaintop monastery, which overlooks Saidnaya—a strategic place from which they could destroy the city below. A nearby military source claims that the region has been subject to aerial bombardment for almost three years, and that even elderly people exceeding 70 years old are fighting. Random gunfire, mortar strikes, sniper attacks and more are commonplace. All this occurs just miles from the presiding statue of Christ, which holds a sign that reads, “I come to save the world.”

Growing up in this setting, Roy has to be prepared to defend himself and his family if necessary. His two older brothers have joined the local pro-government militia that supports the Syrian Arab Army in engagements and skirmishes near his home.

Toward the end of the jamboree, upon realizing my time with him was coming to a close, I traded my uniform for his. On the last day, I said my goodbyes while wearing Roy’s Syrian uniform. Surprised, his scoutmaster remarked on it “You’re the last person I expected to wear this uniform. It is really amazing what things have come to be.” I responded to him: “None of this would happen if politics was involved; it is amazing what we could accomplish when we throw politics out of the window.”

After I returned to the States, Roy continued to send me updates from the frontlines of the war. I was getting information about recent air strikes, incursions from the rebels and counterattacks into rebel held territories by the Syrian Army. I now have better insight into the reality of this issue: blaming all Middle Easterners for the actions of groups such as al-Qaeda and ISIL is akin to blaming all white Americans for the actions of the Ku Klux Klan or the Westboro Baptist Church. Yet one of the hardest parts of maintaining a friendship with Roy is still the political differences that separate our two countries. While the U.S. is not officially involved in the Syrian War, airstrikes from American planes, Central Intelligence Agency militant training and Special Operation raids still peru Z bet h petuate the war in Syria. a z i l E American intervention is a heated issue in our friendship; it sometimes threatens to tear our friendship apart.

Similarly, on a globa l level, count less resolutions have failed to end the war. Despite the efforts of the United Nations, the International Red Cross, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Arab League, Russia, Iran, China and many other nations, the fighting still continues in Syria. I still maintain hope that the war will end soon. But before it does, a lot more people are going to die.

—Jiang, a junior, is a Guest Columnist.

Overseas bombing evokes personal connection despite distance Katie Russell On the morning of Oct. 10, 2015, two bombs were detonated outside the main train station at a peaceful protest in Ankara, the capital city of Turkey, killing at least 102 people and injuring at least 400 more.

Tragedies like this one often seem distant, occupying our thoughts for maybe a few minutes as we reflect on how cruel and heartless some people can be, or how horrible the abstract concept of “terrorism” is. No matter how much we sympathize with the poor people in these situations, the truth is that these events are quickly forgotten or at least laid on the top of a stack of similar incidents in our minds. However, this apathy all changes when people we know and love are involved.

The word “politics” conjures up mental images of dignitaries arguing about taxes and trade deals and, during election years, drawn-out speeches full of jargon and pandering to specific demographics. A crucial piece missing from these images is ourselves. The public feels detached and distanced from the goings-on of the world around us, especially in regards to foreign affairs.

Particularly in election years such as this one, it’s easy to let the stream of confusing foreign names and places flow past us without paying much attention, and even if we wanted to, it is practically impossible to find the

time to look deeply into situations in other countries. lege students, had been at the protest when it was In my own experiences, I have watched abstract is- bombed. Though they had not been harmed, they had sues overseas become parts of my daily life. I studied witnessed firsthand the chaos and destruction caused abroad for three summers in a row—in Mexico, Turkey by the bombing, and were waiting anxiously for news and Finland—and the experience of living in these from the hospital about several of their friends who environments broadened my awareness of the political were critically injured. Speaking to those friends about issues specific to those places and situawhat they were going through caused me to think tions. Having personal experiences twice about what had been reported in the and connections has made me feel media; everything has a bias, and what more involved in what’s going we see is not necessarily the comon in the world, making me plete or true depiction of events. “the point is that I consider the ramifications Of course, I can’t claim to have did feel something, and implications of policy felt the tragedy in Ankara more and that sense on the people I care about. deeply than anyone else; to do so of emotional On that morning in Octowould be to completely ignore the connection is what ber, I immediately felt that I pain that those directly affected ties us together across needed to contact everyone I have felt. I was only in Ankara for knew and cared about in Aneight weeks, and haven’t been back borders and political kara—my host family, my Turkin a year and a half; yet the point views.” ish friends, even my teachers—to is that I did feel something, and that make sure that they were all right. sense of emotional connection is what ties As I anxiously waited to hear from us together across borders and political views. them, I couldn’t concentrate on anything Nations may vary by such things as culture but what had happened, and this time, everything I read and cuisine, but we all universally share the capacwas colored with the emotions and experiences I per- ity to connect emotionally and form close bonds sonally carry within myself. The BBC reported that the with one another. Politics may seem abstract and Islamic State was to blame, members of the opposition difficult to understand, but personal ties cause those within Turkey blamed the government itself and sepa- artificial borders and differences to dissolve. Firstrating fact from rumor and allegation was impossible. hand experiences and relationships are absolutely Eventually I did hear from those I care about in integral to having a full understanding of politics.

Ankara; my host parents, sister, aunt, grandparents, etc., were all fine. Two of my close friends, both col—Russell, a senior, is a Forum Editor.

8

Forum

Take the chance to change Winter dance learns from Sadie’s mistakes Anyi Cheng This year, the student councils of Gunn and Palo Alto High School (Paly) have decided to replace the Sadie Hawkins Dance with an unprecedented Gunn-Paly dance.

The interschool dance is all-around better for students; not only will replacing Sadie’s give students the chance to meet new people and reconnect with old friends, it will also reinforce an important message about gender roles and equality.

A cross-school dance is unique to the district. Gunn students have had few other opportunities to meet Paly students; the result is a lack of connection between the two student bodies, something that is surprising for two schools located only across town from one another. Teens should get to know their community, and that includes getting to know students from other schools. However, it’s hard to find opportunities to freely mix and mingle with students from other schools. By cohosting a dance, the two high schools come together to bring that opportunity directly to

way of promoting gender equality would be to encourage girls to take a stand at all dances. We shouldn’t need to set aside a once-a-year time to empower women.

Instead, the school can promote gender equality through advertising choices such as featuring girls asking guys on Titan Broadcast Network (TBN) ads or posters. We should make it clear that female students are always empowered, and the first step towards that is removing an event already unpopular with students.

—Cheng, a junior, is the Oracle-TBN Liaison.

G

students.

Furthermore, getting rid of the traditional Sadie’s dance is a positive change. Historically, Sadie’s has never had a relatively high attendance count—last year, 255 students bought tickets to the Sadie’s dance, compared to the annual average of 600 tickets sold for the first quad dance of the year. Sadie’s is a dance that is supposed to symbolize gender equality and female empowerment by specifically being an event where the “standard” gender roles are reversed: female students take the initiative and ask male students to the dance, rather than the other way around.

While some may protest that getting rid of Sadie’s would only be a step backwards because the dance intends to promote gender equality and socially empower females, the opposite may be true.

The idea of Sadie’s implies that female students should only freely take the initiative on special occasions. Instead, a better

un

n

l a -P

ce n a D y Feb. 26, 7:30 to 9 p.m.

$5 with ASB/Lightning pass, $10 without $10 for guests

Graphics by Cheryl Kao

Spring spirit week has potential to be something special Hayley Krolik According to Student Activities Director Lisa Hall, the last Spring Fling that utilized its full potential occurred six years ago. Since then, it has taken on various formats, such as those consisting of three dress-up days or just a block party at the end of the week. One difficulty seems to persist throughout each run of the event: a lack of participation. If the Student Executive Council (SEC) approaches Spring Fling as a legitimate spirit week and begins promotion earlier, the student body will treat the festivities as authentic and participate.

In order to create more opportunities for student participation, Spring Fling should consist of five dress-up days rather than three. This format is akin to Homecoming Week, a highly anticipated event in which almost all students participate. If Spring Fling is organized similarly to Homecoming Week, students will connect the two and increase their participation in Spring Fling.

Also, students sometimes forget to dress-up and then feel like it’s not worth it if they only have one or two days

left. One modification could be to set up overall dress-up increases student excitement when they see intriguing days rather than a theme for each class. posts about the activities at every turn. SEC should begin However, Spring Fling should be different from promotion for Spring Fling at least two weeks in advance Homecoming in one essential way: a wellness compo- and incorporate the same tactics used for Homecomnent. Spring is a time when stress levels are elevated— ing to get the same enthusiastic response. Spring Fling Advanced Placement (AP) testing is right around the tends to be more difficult for SEC to host because of the corner, students are trying to figure out busy spring semester and a long year of putting on so their summer plans and homework many successful events. To alleviate the burden piles up. SEC can take advantage of this event, SEC could take advantage of the of Spring Fling by providing student body by appointing a few interested free giveaways and relaxation students to help them work on Spring Fling.

“Spring fling opportunities to reduce stuThis varied group would inspire even more should be dent stress. Many colleges students to get involved in the process and different in provide puppy therapy days promotion would reach many different in which they bring dogs on student groups across the school. one essential campus to reduce stress, and Spring Fling is ready to become a way; a wellness Gunn students are always a legitimate, consistent part of the school fan of Donut Feeds. If SEC can calendar. With better promotion, more component.” strike a balance between these dress-up days and games and a unique wellstress-reducing activities and some ness component, students will f lock to every competitive lunch games, Spring Fling Spring Fling activity. SEC can use this event to get will be a smashing success. students involved in shaping events and to revitalize The last imperative component to a successful Spring students with a little fun so they have the energy to push Fling is promotion. For Homecoming, there is an entire through the semester. After these improvements, Spring Titan 101 Homecoming Boot Camp session, and an an- Fling may just be the new Homecoming. nouncement video is produced along with Facebook and Instagram updates for each day. This communication —Krolik, a senior, is a Sports Editor.

Forum

Friday, January 29, 2016

9

Admin shapes new year College Pathways program vital to students, deserves increased support Janet Wang

For many of us, high school is just a platform to getting into our dream colleges. We spend countless hours preparing for standardized tests, signing up for Advanced Placement (AP) courses and finding tutors to help us in challenging classes—all with the goal of getting into college. The college talk is so prevalent in Palo Alto that it seems like it has turned into a culture in which everyone has certain college-related expectations.

For educationally underrepresented students, however, college can be less attainable. These students are often first-generation college attendees, come from low-income families or have previously attended Title 1 schools. College Pathways was developed as a program to provide resources and encouragement to about 130 underrepresented students on campus, supply more access to college opportunities, increase support and boost educational resources.

It is imperative that this program is not only well-maintained, but also expands in order to offer resources to students who would not have access to them otherwise.

Giving underrepresented students access to college opportunities is an essential step in building thriving futures. Education is a key factor in that process and is an advantage that opens up doors to a multitude of opportunities.

Disadvantaged students, however, are not presented with the same education options. In fact, less than 30 percent of low-income students enroll in a four-year school, and less than 50 percent of that group graduates. Through College Pathways, underrepresented students can ta ke t he f irst steps to receive the opportunities they deserve. A college degree allows more career options, flexibility and overall progress. People with college diplomas earn twice as much as people with high school diplomas; this in turn results in long-term financial stability.

Expanding the program also increases support. In families of first-generation college students, there is often a lack of understanding of college because they do not share the same experiences as families who have college alumni. Families with college alumni are often more familiar with higher education and how the experience works whereas first-generation college families often are not. College Pathways encourages potential first-generation college students to break the intergenerational cycle. According to College Pathways Coordinator Myesha Compton, the program works with students to increase awareness and exposure about college and preparedness. Throughout the whole process,

parents are able to support and stay informed about their student and attend parent events. Not only can they motivate their students, but parents also receive crucial information about college that can be continually passed down to future generations.

While many Palo Alto students are able to afford tutoring and test prep classes, underrepresented students often cannot. According to the Southern Education Foundation, 55 percent of Californian students come from low-income families that earn less than $47,248 per year. Therefore, these students rely heavily on both teachers and educational resources for tangible support.

College Pathways helps provide these resources for free and enables equal chances of academic success. By increasing the program, the achievement gap will shrink, as College Pathway-supported students will receive help more in line with other Palo Alto students. An equal

L Jack ie

ou

opportunity to get the same education, despite socioeconomic status or background, presents people of all statuses with the same potential for success.

It is clear that College Pathways is necessary and vital to many underrepresented students’ futures. By expanding the program, the school will give these students additional support, educational assistance and an equal opportunity to college and beyond. College Pathways provides disadvantaged students with an environment that both helps them obtain the same resources to excel in college and prepares them to succeed in their lives while fostering personal connection and support. Prioritizing and growing this program will extend aid for more than the current 130 students to brighter, bigger futures they strive for and deserve.

—Wang, a sophomore, is a Copy Editor.

Paly Rally elimination hasty, but creates equality Elinor Aspegren

The Palo Alto High School (Paly) Rally has been a tradition at Gunn for as long as most students can remember. For many senior boys, it is the best time of the year. This year, however, the best time of the year is no more; the administration decided that the Student Executive Council (SEC) will not be allowed to provide a platform for the “Paly cheerleaders” to perform.

According to a message sent out by the SEC, the revised school board policy on sexual harassment, nondiscrimination and bullying required that these changes be made. For these reasons, abolishing Paly Rally is justified. Making the decision without compromise and without student input, however, is not.

One of the many arguments from those who support Paly Rally is that it’s just a fun tradition. They say that the admin “must be really triggered” and complain that “we are so politically correct now.” These comments aren’t just wrong, but they’re downright disrespectful.

In order to understand why Paly rally cannot be considered a fun tradition, one needs to understand the double standard of dress. This concept refers to the unwritten code of sexual behavior permitting men more freedom than women. This sexual behavior isn’t always what people think, however—it also applies to what people wear. A couple years ago, the audience was flashed by the Paly cheerleaders. Yet these outfits were still allowed in following years. In contrast, the Titanettes had to cover their shoulders for the Night Rally because even that was deemed too distracting.

This message not only is unfair, but sends the idea to girls that they are not allowed to wear what they want to school, while guys have the freedom to do so. Allowing a dress code violation for guys but not for girls promotes a disparity between girls and guys that ultimately ends up marginalizing girls in the future. Not only that, but dressing like a girl and imitating the Paly cheerleaders, most or all of whom are girls, is violating the board policy’s clause on sexual harassment. For every boy who participates in this rally, there’s a girl who has been sexually harassed in her lifetime who sees it and remembers it.

The problem with this decision is not what it does, but rather what it represents. Throughout the past two semesters, administrators have been emphasizing the importance of dialogue and communication between students and staff. There have been several forums between students and staff, a Student Senate and several committees all to preserve student voice. In the words of Superintendent Dr. Max McGee, “We can do better.

We will do better.”

But the Paly Rally decision seems to debunk all of the aims of this initiative. Students are supposed to be involved in the decision-making, but this doesn’t mean just the decisionmaking that affects our schedule or our mental wellness. It’s also the decision making that affects our spirit and our daily lives at Gunn.

In late January, the SEC proposed a modification to the Paly Rally senior boys’ dance routine. The decision entailed the boys wearing a dress code-abiding outfit and the dance routine being choreographed by the cheer team. Yet, even with this compromise, the administration came to a final decision all by themselves. The SEC, however, is the one that runs the rally—they’re the ones that need to have jurisdiction over it as well. After all, it’s the Student Executive Council, not the Admin Executive Council.

This decision permeates the belief that the administration do not trust us enough to make this decision on our own. Perhaps, if SEC had come to this decision—which, if given another week, they certainly would have—people would have caused less uproar about it. Instead, someone is getting blamed, and it isn’t those who put on the dance in the first place.

Over these past few semesters, students, staff and administration have tried to make decisions that reflect unity between the staff, students and administration. This school unity, however, cannot be achieved without administration listening to the students.

—Aspegren, a senior, is a News Editor.

For more information, see News, page 4.

10

Features

Teachers recall entertaining, amusing senior pranks Theatre teacher

Jim Shelby

Throughout the 30 years that theatre teacher Jim Shelby has taught at Gunn, he has experienced a bountiful list of senior pranks. Shelby’s favorite senior prank was when students hacked into the school intercom in the mid-’80s. One day, right in the middle of B period, the speakers in every classroom came to life with a very irreverent, shocking “newscast” about the school, teachers and students.“I’m in the middle of a class and suddenly wacky music and voices came through the speakers,” Shelby said. “And then I realized that it was inappropriate, just like, ‘Woah, I hear things and names that I would not expect to hear.’” The broadcast lasted around an hour.

The prank seemed to have startled many other teachers as they scrambled to understand what was going on. “I went outside to look, and other people were out there as well,” he said, “It basically froze the entire campus.” Despite the struggle to turn it off, no one could find where the sound originated from.

For a while, nobody knew how the students got access

Photos by Josh Spain Graphics by Elizabeth Zu

english teacher

mark hernandez For English teacher Mark Hernandez, high school literally became a zoo. For his senior prank, Hernandez and his classmates turned the quad into a petting zoo of sorts. “We put a bunch of hay on the quad and we put little fences up,” he said. “We brought in ducks and chickens and had ourselves a little farm.” His tightknit class of only 48 students allowed for the intense planning and coordination necessary to execute a prank as grand as this. It wouldn’t be just any senior prank.

One group of students captured ducks and chickens from a nearby park, and somehow was also able to get ahold of a cow. Although Hernandez was not involved in securing the animals himself, he remembers how committed his classmates were. When the hard work of capturing animals was over, the seniors certainly had their “hay” day. Since the school shared one central quad, all of the students and staff could marvel at the farm. “Everyone came to the same quad and everyone got to luxuriate in the gloriousness of the cow

to the intercom. “No one could find where it originated from, much less how to turn it off,” he said. “All classes were disrupted and in rapt attention for the morning.”

It was only until later that Shelby and other staff members learned about how it happened. Shelby still recounts the story in wonder. “They drilled into the Little Theater door to steal an amplifier, snuck up into an attic above a social studies classroom, put the amp[lifier] on its own battery powered system, spliced connectors into the sound system cables and had a timer on the tape player so that it would go on by itself in the middle of the morning,” he said.

In the end nobody was hurt, and other than the small hole in the door, there was no harm done to school property. Shelby sees this as the perfect prank—attentiongrabbing, but not destructive. “Something tremendously expensive is just stupid, but [a good prank is] something that gets attention and disrupts in a clever way,” he said.

Overall, Shelby looks back at the prank with amusement. The students never got caught, and he thinks fondly of the experience. “It was very impressive, and this prank just made me smile,” he said. “The young men who pulled it off are now probably either in jail or at the head of corporations.”

—Written by Barrett Zhang

and the many ducks and chickens,” Hernandez said.

Although the prank was exhilarating for both Hernandez and his classmates, the juniors didn’t share in the amusement.

At Hernandez’s high school, it was protocol for the juniors to clean up the seniors’ mess and the chaos was hard to handle.

“We decided to skip out before we had to take [the animals] away, and the juniors had to figure out how to get the cow off campus,” he said. “They were irate.”

The severity of the prank ended up causing the school to change rules regarding senior pranks.

“We really dominated this and we went so out of bounds that they had to change the rules,” he said.

Stealing animals and placing them in the middle of a school would usually lead to serious repercussions, but the group was sworn to secrecy.

“Because we all stuck together and no one said anything or ratted anyone out, we did not get punished,” he said.

It was that same teamwork that brought Hernandez’s senior class closer together as they approached the end of their high school careers. “It served for us as an ill-advised, ill-conceived bonding effort that no one said anything,” Hernandez said.

“We were so pleased with ourselves and proud of the whole enterprise.”

—Written by Caroyln Kuimelis

Math teacher

Dave Deggeller Throughout the early ‘90s, math teacher Dave Deggeller witnessed a variety of senior pranks at Gunn. “When I first started teaching here, the idea of the senior prank was more of a tradition and pranks were more colorful,” Deggeller said.

Deggeller’s favorite senior prank consisted of string—lots and lots of string. “I arrived early in the morning, [and] a lot of the seniors had gotten here much earlier and brought a lot of string with them,” he said. “They put string between every two trees.

Really, every two objects you can think of had string between them and it was so dense that you can barely walk through the Bat Cave- or the quad without running into strings.”

Although Deggeller thought the prank to be “very artistic and creative,” the principal at that time did not. “Unfortunately, the principal did not agree [with my thoughts] and by 9 a.m. most of

the string had been cut down,” Deggeller said.

Although the prank had been cut short, Deggeller still remembers it as one of the most amusing senior pranks he has ever seen at Gunn.

“I think it was a surprise, he said. “It was very memorable and sweet.”

Deggeller remembers the string prank more creative than destructive, unlike some senior pranks that went too far and did not turn out humorous. “There are a lot of senior pranks that are unfortunately destructive; for instance, when people put raw spaghetti in the locks of classrooms,” he said. “Not only does it disrupt teaching, but it is also very expensive to re-key the entire school. So unlike those destructive pranks, I thought the string was very elegant and artistic.”

Deggeller believes there have not been a lot of pranks on campus in recent years due to many of the changes that the administration went through over the years, including changes of school policies and level of tolerance. “Perhaps the administration was more tolerant of senior pranks [in the past], because the last five or six years I don’t remember any senior pranks,” Deggeller said.

—Written by Elizabeth Chung

Features

Friday, January 29, 2016

11

Students submit ‘Say It’ app to national Verizon App Challenge

The group was inspired by the struggles of the in- Favorite Award. The prize for either award consists of novators’ peers at Gunn. “We saw students who had a $15,000 grant to make the app a reality and enhance trouble using their phones,” Krylova said. “Siri does not Gunn’s Science, Technology, Engineering and MathJuniors Sophie Krylova, Ariel Pan, Lauren Tan, Sarah understand a lot of people with physical disabilities, like ematics program. “It would be really difficult to develop Tan and Jady Tian are working to help everyone “Say It” one of our classmates who has cerebral palsy.” the app if we do not win, since none of us know how to with their alternative Siri app. The app idea works for Senior Melis Diken, who helped the group by an- code,” Sarah Tan said. people with speech impediments, strong accents and swering a questionnaire about her difficulty using Siri The girls have been through a long process in the other speech probtechnology, believes the app contest. “There are a lot of tiers we had to get through,” lems that make it will be helpful for people with Krylova said. “If we win in the nation, we difficult to use the similar struggles. “While will develop our idea into a working app pre-prog ra m med there are apps similar to and present the product to the sponsors software in smartthe ‘Say It’ app, they tend at a final conference in Tennessee.” phones. to be expensive,” Diken T he sponsors of t he prog r a m The team brainsaid. “It is very nice that include Verizon, Massachusetts Instormed t he idea this app is free so it is stitute of Technology and the Techfor t he app a f ter not an extra expense nology Student Association, some learning about the for a beneficial tool of which have already listened to nat iona l Ver i zon that can help many a web presentation about the App Challenge people.” app. “It feels really good to t h rou g h t he Re Users will be see adults and tech experts search Science and able to record pay attention to our idea,” Invention Club on themselves sayTian said. c a mpus. Ver i z on ing a phrase, save While it has been an Mei-Yun Tang cha l lenges bot h it a nd t y pe i n arduous series of steps, m idd le a nd h ig h From left to right: juniors Sophie Krylova, Sarah Tan, Ariel whatever comthe group has high hopes school students to Pan, Jady Tian and Lauren Tan entered their idea—an al- mand—such as for the project. “We want create an original ternative Siri app that benefits people with speech prob- “open maps,” to actua l ly see t he app app idea, submitted lems—in the national Verizon App Challenge competition. “text mom” or work,” Lauren Tan said. in the form of both “open music”— “We have a v ision for an essay and a video about the idea. they wish to use. “We want to make it easier what it will look like Krylova initiated the creation of the team, sparking for people to use their phones based on their and are excited to see interest in her friends and peers. “I was interested in this needs,” Lauren Tan said. it come to life.” challenge, but I did not know how to get involved,” Tian The app idea has already won the statewide Anyone can vote to said. “Meanwhile, Sophie formed a team and asked me and regional competitions—which included support the app in the Alexandra Ting if I wanted to join. I really liked her idea for the app.” winning high schools in 11 other states—and is Fan Favorite Awards Krylova recruited the other members to work together to now competing against other high schools for Senior Melis Diken—who has cerebral by texting SAYIT1 to solidify the app idea and create the necessary publicity the national award. As state winners, they are palsy—hopes that the app will help her the number 22333 unvideo for the contest. also entered into the Verizon App Challenge Fan and others better communicate with Siri. til Jan. 31.

Jenna Marvet

Lifestyle Editor

12

Ce

Students Share

Their Stories

Q&A with Junior Claire Hu:

Q: What significant changes have you gone through in your life?

A: I decided to go vegan the beginning of sophomore year. It was mainly because I was gaining a lot of weight after my injury and I wasn’t eating very healthy. It gave me a new sense of purpose and it allowed me to get out of my terrible mental state. I also had bad body image issues and being vegan helped me get rid of that.

About Cha

Q: How has this change shaped who you are today?

A: I appreciate my body a lot more. When I’m training, I learn to respect its limits while in the past I treated my body more as a tool and train constantly while no thinking about recovery.

—Compiled by Emma Chiao

Psychologist sees positivity in change Prachi Kale Features Editor

Making

As many have observed time and time again with failed New Year’s resolutions, it can be extremely difficult to change behaviors and habits. These behaviors and habits are studied by psychologists in a genre known as change psychology, which is the study of what inhibits and facilitates change in human beings. According to Dr. Stan Goldberg, a speech-language pathologist who specializes in helping people with communicative disorders change, change is difficult for us because of the fear of the unknown. “Change involves giving up something we are familiar with for something unknown,” Goldberg said in an email. “Even if what we are giving up is unpleasant, it produces less anxiety than embracing the unfamiliar.”

In his article “The 10 Rules of Change” for the magazine “Psychology Today,” Goldberg lays out a series of steps and rules that he believes generally brings about the most effective and highest rate of change. As a first step, Goldberg suggests recognizing that behaviors are complex and overall change cannot occur in only one step. “Almost all behaviors can be broken down,” he said. “[You can] separate your desired behavior into smaller, self-contained units.” Along with this recommendation, Goldberg advises that the smaller steps be extremely gradual. “Uncomfortable change becomes punishing, and rational people don’t continue activities that are more painful than they are rewarding,” he said.

Goldberg suggests that a successful completion of one of the steps should be positively reinforced in order to solidify the idea that change is good. Additionally, he states that slower and more natural changes to a behavior or a routine allow it to become automatic.

Much of the resistance to change stems from the fear of the unknown. In order to push past this, Goldberg recommends examining the consequences of the situation in which one doesn’t change, versus the situation in which one changes. “Compare all possible consequences of both your status quo and desired behaviors,” he said in an email. “If there are more positive results associated with the new behavior, your fears of the unknown are unwarranted.”

In addition to examining the consequences, Goldberg advises that the goal should be a realistic one, so as to diminish the fear of failure and ensure a greater chance of success. “Knowing more about the process allows more control over it,” he said. Goldberg believes that analyzing where the process worked and where it didn’t allows a greater opportunity of success in change for the future. “Classify all activities and materials you’re using as either helpful, neutral or unhelpful in achieving your goal,” he said.

“Eliminate unhelpful ones, make neutrals into positives and keep or increase the positives.” Goldberg believes that the more of the principles you apply, the higher your success with change will be.

Graphic by Elizabeth Zu

a Titan p

enterfold

Friday, January 29, 2016 path the

Q&A with Sophomore Zoe McKeown: Q: What significant life change did you go through?

A: Last spring, I decided that I was going to audition for our school student-directed One Acts. Theatre was something that I was always really interested in but I have really bad anxiety.

ange

13

In the process I realized it’s something I love and I’m actually pretty good at. I was cast with a group of people I loved working with and I fell in love with theatre and haven’t looked back.

Q: How did this affect you?

A: I’m so much more confident. I hated speaking in front of people. But now I realize that there’s something so beautiful about putting yourself out there and maybe being a little bit scared but not really caring and it’s very liberating.

— Compiled by Emma Chiao

Quitting can be a beneficial change

a

Change:

perspective

Mikaela Wayne

There is a common stigma that relates quitting to be a bad thing­—but, in my experience, quitting can actually have a positive impact in one’s life. I learned this when I had to quit one passion in order to pursue another and while still try ing to maintain a balanced life.

Throughout my life, I’ve always loved theatre. I love the arts; I’ve always envisioned I would carry this passion with me not only throughout high school, but for the rest of my life. In middle school, I was able to do activity after activity and still have time for homework and a social life. Every day after school it was volleyball practice, followed by theatre rehearsal, and later I even decided to add water polo into my schedule. At first, I was not nearly as involved with water polo as I was with theatre; however, there was something exciting about the game and the team aspect of the sport that I hadn’t been able to find in theatre. Soon enough, I was equally passionate about both activities. When I got to high school, and all of the school work started piling on, I realized I couldn’t balance art and athletics like I used to in middle school. I had to choose between the two. I weighed all my options and ultimately conceded that the most beneficial choice was to play water polo and to let go of theatre.

I decided to quit theatre because I knew that water polo would positively impact my life in many ways. Water polo had already taught me how to work with a team and be a leader. In middle school, I was one of the more experienced players and because of this, I had to step up in order to improve my teammate’s abilities. I ran drills and showed less advanced players proper form. It also taught me critical thinking, strategic tactics and problem-solving skills. All of these skills are extremely rewarding and are skills I can apply to the real world. I knew quitting theatre was the right call regardless of how difficult it was at first.

I was and am in much better physical condition because of water polo, and fully committing to the sport increased my athletic skills exponentially. I am excited about having the option to be a collegiate athlete and know that this wouldn’t have been an option for me if I had not quit theatre.

Today, though I often miss theatre, I remind myself that the choices is essential for my water polo career. Trying to balance a sport, an art, social life and academic work would have been nearly impossible. Sacrificing theatre has allowed me to keep up with school and extracurriculars without being constantly stressed out. Even though it was difficult, in the long run, I think quitting was the right decision to make. This sacrifice has changed my life for the better.

—Wayne, a junior, is a Reporter.

14

Features

The Oracle reviews diversity, Minority students speak about prejudice, stereotypes on campus Shannon Yang

ORACLE-SEC LIAISON

When sophomore Aldric Bianchi walked onto Gunn’s campus his freshman year, he noticed that not many people looked like him. Because he was born here in the United States, Bianchi considers himself an American by nationality, but Bianchi also considers himself a minority at Gunn. His mother is Brazilian and black and his father is French and white, yet Bianchi describes himself to strangers as “mostly Brazilian [and] black.”

According to Gunn’s 2015-2016 school profile, 2 percent of the school’s student population is African-American, while 3 percent is two or more races. “Freshman year, I found it a bit hard finding people who were black or Brazilian or French, and I was kind of solo in a way,” Bianchi said. “There aren’t many at Gunn who are black [or] mixed either. We have a small population compared to a lot of other races, like Indian [and] Asian.”

In comparison, Palo Alto High School (Paly)’s student body is 3.9 percent African-American, a higher diversity level that Bianchi believes would be beneficial for Gunn. “What I see here at Gunn is mostly major races: white American, Asian or Indian,” Bianchi said. “Paly is much more diverse.”

Bianchi says he often receives stares from others who question his race. “Last year, people would make fun of me for looking Arabic or looking a different race that I’m not,” he said. “People would say I’m no race or I’m weird just because I’m mixed race.”

For senior Menna Mulat, one of the ways that prejudice manifested itself was in the classroom. “My teachers ask me if I need help a lot, which I don’t mind, but at the same time it’s like some teachers kind of single me and other black students out and say, ‘Are you doing good?’ or ‘You need help?’”

However, Bianchi says that although he’s been treated differently, the school setting has improved throughout the years. Teachers have begun to listen to him more attentively and he finds Gunn to be more of an inclusive place. “When I was younger, teachers would ignore me maybe or brush me off a bit more than other students, but here at Gunn I wouldn’t necessarily feel that way,” Bianchi said. “Most teachers are very inclusive, kind and caring towa rds a l l t he students.”

However, Bianchi believes that there are t wo side s to the situation.

According to Bianchi, Gunn sometimes treats all black s t u d e nt s a s students who require more help and assistance. Although the extra attention can be helpful and increase the chances of going to college—as has been the case with students from Black Student Union (BSU)—Bianchi believes there is a fine line between offering help and racism.

“At the same time, I feel like those kind of things can only go to a certain extent before it becomes patronizing and racist in a way and kind of racially profiles students for certain traits or certain actions,”

he said. “People act weird [when] wanting to help us because it Bianchi believes that although white students’ actions seems that we need help [and] like we’re in a difficult position.” reflect on themselves as individuals, black students’ actions Senior Marek Harris agrees with Bianchi and recognizes seem to reflect upon the whole race. “I think that people that there is a problem with the way that teachers address shouldn’t try to focus on this aspect,” he said. “They should minority students. “I don’t think that the way [district is] focus on the person in front of them instead of putting this approaching the situation is very good because veil around them and turning them into someone they’re mostly focusing on the negatives,” they’re not.” he said. “They need to focus on a soluTo deal with these issues, Mulat and tion and making sure everyone is on Bianchi turn to BSU, a club at Gunn board and the solution is the most that is open to students of all races. accurate way to help everyone.”

Mulat describes it as a family.

“I think it’s important to Mulat also feels treated dif“We talk about how we can stop ferently as a minority. Growing [stereotypes] and how we can be really aware and openup in Atlanta, Mulat was used have other people not think the minded about not just to a larger black population. same way,” Mulat said. “If you’re the black community but “It’s hard to be a minority at having a bad day or if you had Gunn because not everybody someone talk bad about you or other races as well.” comes from the same route that stereotype you, we talk about I come from,” she said. “When I that and we try to solve it and —Sophomore Aldric Bianchi moved here and I went to Terman kind of deal with it.”

[Middle School], I was different. It In addition, Mulat ignores mean was kind of hard to get used to that.” comments she receives from people. “I Mulat and Bianchi agree that black don’t let it get to me,” she said. “I usually students are often put into a box and exjust ignore it and move on with my day or let pected to meet certain stereotypes. This expectathem know just because I’m black, [it] doesn’t mean tion made Mulat’s transition more difficult because although I’m dumb or my hair is fake.” she is a social person, non-black students would stereotype Junior Sofia Murray, founder of the Latin American her. She says she often received comments such as: “If you’re Culture Club, feels like her culture has been overlooked black, you’re only good at sports.”; “If you’re black, you do at Gunn. “A lot of people assume that all Latin Americans bad at this test.”; “How do you have such good hair? You’re look Mexican, and when you think of someone who speaks black.”; “How’d you do [well] on this test? But you’re black.” Spanish, most people assume Mexican stereotypes,” she said.

Bianchi points out that black people are portrayed more Murray’s status as a “white-passing Latina” makes it negatively in the media, which affects how others see him. easier for her to assimilate into Gunn culture. “People don’t “There’s supposedly [so] many different kinds of white assume that I’m Latin American because I look white,” she people, but when people look at us black people, they usually said. “I think there’s a lot of assumptions that aren’t made see someone who is very ghetto, doesn’t have [a] good educa- about me. I don’t think I get put under any of the stereotypes tion, does drugs or drinks alcohol and has a temper and is or anything like that because of the fact that I look white.” likely to get in fights with people,” Bianchi said.

Murray identifies 50-50 in between white and Mexican stereotypes, and her identity shifts based on whether she is at home or at school. “At home, I identify a lot more with my Latin side because I hang out with my grandma a lot,” she said. “She lives with us, so I speak a lot of Spanish at home.

I think when I’m school, I’m a lot whiter.”

Bia nchi has not learned much about minorities from his experiences at Gunn.

“I think it’s really left out in some places,” he said. “People are aware of recent things like Martin Luther King Jr. Day. I saw my friends talking about it, but I think only one of my teachers talked about it.

You really could have gone deep into those kinds of things, but now it’s more of an emphasis on math and science and going to college.”

Looking forward, Bianchi hopes that Gunn can implement more programs to include minorities. “Maybe in the next few years, we could include programs to increase awareness of the minorities here and open our eyes to some of these things,” Bianchi said. “I think it’s important to be really aware and open-minded about not just the black community but other races as well.”

Alexandra Ting

From left to right: sophomore Aldric Bianchi, junior Sofia Murray, senior Menna Mulat and senior Marek Harris hold hands to represent embracing diversity.

Friday, January 29, 2016

15

racial bias with students, staff Q&A with Diversity Commissioners

The Oracle: What do you do as Diversity Commissioners?

Ridhaa Sachidanandan: We put on lots of events that are basically based towards diversity and inclusiveness on campus. It’s basically making sure that every single student on this campus feels included and feels like they’re a part of a community because the Gunn community is not a single race or a single gender identity—it’s a beautiful blend of everything.

TO: What projects have you been working on lately?

Marek Harris: We’re going to do something for Black History Month—that’s why we didn’t focus anything too big on Martin Luther King Day. Basically, we want to talk to students in Focus on Success, get an idea of what we can do to better assist the students and to get an idea of how everyone is doing at Gunn. We’re also planning Inclusivity Week, which is going to be a lot of fun this year.

TO: What’s the hardest part of being Diversity Commissioner?

RS: The hardest part would be getting students involved. A lot of us are kind of in our own world and we’re usually “too cool” for things. Student involvement has definitely been a difficulty but we are hoping to overcome stuff like that. Sometimes we’ve had publicity and timing issues, where students aren’t able to come and participate because there’s other clashes, so we really hope that second semester we get to iron those things out.

TO: What have you accomplished at Gunn in terms of diversity?

MH: We’re pretty diverse on campus. We have all the different elements that could lead to something great, and we just have to make sure to use them properly and do the best with the things we have now. I think that we have a lot of events and we acknowledge a lot of things that are socially important. We are taking important things into consideration.

For instance, we made Homecoming Court gender-neutral.

TO: In your opinion, what does Gunn still need to achieve?

RS: One thing we can work on is definitely making sure that every single group on campus feels represented and every single student on campus should feel like they have a voice.

MH: I think there are a lot of things we still need to achieve. Everyone has their own special needs and accommodations and we need to make sure teachers understand that. Everyone needs to be included on campus—I think that that would be a big step forward.

Senior Ridhaa Sachidanandan

Senior Marek Harris

Senior Crystal Trevillion

Trevillion was unavailable for the Diversity Commisioners Q& A.

TO: Why did you decide to become Diversity Commissioner?

RS: I’ve been on Reach Out. Care. Know.

(ROCK) since sophomore year and there’s a lot of stuff that ROCK does in tandem with the Diversity Commissioners, so that was a huge part of it: knowing that I could be a liaison between ROCK and Student Executive Council. Also, I’ve been doing Indian dance since I was three years old and every time I did one of the shows, I felt like I was really part of the community. I knew that since we have a lot of communities here, it would be a lot of fun to do something like that at Gunn.

MH: I knew there were a lot of changes going on at Gunn and I wanted to have my voice heard.

Gunn doesn’t necessarily do the best of jobs with students of color and just minorities in general. I wanted to make sure that I can be that conduit between students and administration.

TO: Which groups do you focus on helping out?

RS: We work with Black Student Union, members of the Latin American community, Spanish Club, German Club. If they have ideas for events, we collaborate with them.

MH: We do so many events that focus on different aspects of students that I think everyone can get involved in some way. We do stuff involving the lesbian, gay, bixsexual, transgender and queer community and we do stuff involving minorities. Regardless of your heritage, or your culture or how you identify, we’re working for everyone in that sense.

—Compiled by Clara Kieschnick-Llamas

English teacher discusses blend of cultures Ariel Pan

getting that question?’” she said. “When you’re a kid, you want to fit in [and] you don’t want to be different. So that [question] just makes it very clear, you’re not like the others, something is “What are you?”: that is the question English teacher Shaina wrong with you.”

Holdener receives the most about her race. Though it may sound There was a point when Holdener became so frustrated with innocent, depending on how the question is asked, it can also people asking about her race that she became cynical and lashed come across as either interested or offensive. Holdener feels fine out at askers. “People would say, ‘What are you?’ and I’d say answering the first case, but answering the latter is upsetting. ‘A girl,’ or find something to be a smartass back because I just “I’ve had a lot of people ask me [that question] in sort of a rude wanted the people to leave me alone,” she said. way like, ‘What are you even? I can’t figure you out,’” she said.

However, once Holdener realized that she could not expect “It definitely makes me feel like I’m not a person; I am a thing others to understand her problems anymore than she could for them to figure out and pick apart and put together.” understand theirs, she stopped lashing out. Instead, she decided The short answer is that Holdener is Filipino to teach people a better way of asking. “I found and Caucasian. The long answer is more complithat people were very shocked,” Holdener said. cated; her mom is Filipino with some Chinese and “They always said, ‘I had no idea, I’m going to Spanish descent while her dad is Dutch and Czech. do that next time.’”

Growing up in a predominantly white area in San She advises people to always share one’s own Diego, her family was among the few non-whites in ethnicity before asking about others’. Holdener the neighborhood. Her parents were discriminated also recommends asking for everyone’s ethnicagainst because they were an interracial couple, ity in a group so that no one feels singled out. and that prejudice trickled down to affect both Shaina Holdener However, Holdener wants to stress that Holdener and her siblings. “We were harassed a lot she is not making a blanket statement for all of the time,” Holdener said. “They wouldn’t always mixed-race people. “It’s just my experience and say it was because of [race], but it would come out in the fight, like perspective, and my experience is probably different from other some neighbor would say a slur or something about us and then mixed people’s experiences,” Holdener said. “There is just so it was like, ‘So that’s why you don’t like us; it’s because of that.’” much variety that you can’t say, ‘This is what it’s like to be mixed.’”

Holdener has also had several experiences of feeling alienAlthough Holdener has accepted her mixed identity, her ated as the only person who gets asked about her ethnicity in a complete identity encompasses so much more than just race. “I’m group. “It can be pretty isolating when you’re the only one that just happy being me and myself,” she said. “I don’t think it has that is happening to and you’re just thinking, ‘Why is no one else anything to do with being mixed; it’s just in general who I am.”

NEWS EDITOR

Staffer explores intersection of privileges Ryeri Lim

Last week, my parents and I drove into San Francisco at 7 a.m. to renew our immigration visas.

Despite the light blue walls and calm, orderly atmosphere, a hard-to-place tension buzzed between those of us in the waiting room.

Or maybe only I felt it. My person of color experience has fortunately differed from that of many other Americans—for most of my time in San Francisco and Palo Alto, I’ve been immersed in communities of people who, if not South Korean, at least share my black hair and flatter facial features.

It’s no wonder I so acutely sensed being “other”-ed.

To be “other”-ed means to fall victim to the implication that you don’t belong, that you’re not among the norm. For many, this sensation is prevalent enough that we can’t figure out what’s wrong with it. After all, I’ve only ever experienced life as a racial being: someone whose identity is excessively tied to her race or color. And on the other side of the wall, people who possess the “default” whiteness can rarely conceive the pressure that their actions are inextricably perceived in the context of their race.

But as one of Gunn’s 34.9 percent East Asian population (40.4 percent including Indian), I struggled for years to affirm my personal right to fight “other”-ing—even though I noticed it in class discussions, college interviews and social settings.

Though I am politically aware enough to recognize “other”-ing and its roots in cyclical prejudice, I felt I hadn’t suffered from anti-Asian discrimination as much as, say, the only almond-eyed student at some small-town, Midwestern school. In light of where I live and whom I live among—well-rounded friends and financially successful mentors, of whom many look like me—I felt unqualified to speak out.

But this summer at the Civic Leadership institute, a three-week program about justice and privilege in our American society, I learned about the Big Eight. These delineate the eight most prevalent categories of prejudice and opportunity in our nation: race, nationality, gender, sexuality, religion, physical and mental ability, class and age. I discovered that my experience as a “racial being” in the Silicon Valley lies at the crossroads of my color, my lack of citizenship and, in fact, my socioeconomic class.

I finally identified the line between racial and class-based privilege—a fine line, as the two dependably intersect each other. In truth, my Asian-American identity falls in line with my upper-middle class identity; despite my immigrant status, I am part of the richest racial group in the United States. Similarly, destitution is pervasive in many black and Hispanic communities. Yet if we mistakenly assume class is determined by color, we misdiagnose the thousands of working-class whites whose poverty has little to do with their race.

Here is the prevailing bottom line: every single individual experiences some type of privilege that another American lacks. All forms of opportunity and access intersect in confusing ways, difficult to categorize from federal and personal standpoints.

We often only recognize how we suffer.

But when we push for progress, we must press hard on the issue and soft on the person. Ultimately, we move forward with the understanding that we are all human—what social justice and self-love are about.

—Lim, a senior, is a Forum Editor.

16

Features Sixth annual TEDx focuses on idea of ‘More Than a Number’ than a tag or a number.”

Ledgerwood believes that TEDx is an important event beREPORTER cause it provides a way for people to share ideas that may not be emphasized elsewhere. “I think TEDx is really important On Jan. 22, the sixth annual Technology Entertainment because it affords an outlet for people who have really great Design (TEDx) event—centered around the theme “More than ideas to be able to actually participate a Number”—featured a diverse group of community and stuin the TED brand dent speakers. TEDx co-president w it hout h av i n g Emotional senior Giannina Yu says the to try to vie for Media Intelligence— theme is meant to express to the very limited ObjectificaThe Skills tion and DevalOur Students students that they are not just number of spots Deserve by a statistic. “Nowadays, a lot uation of Women that TED has for Throw

by Auzeen Ronen of people are characterized their main conOut the Saedi Ph.D. Habib by their grade point averferences,” he said.

Checklisted age or SAT scores, their Why “The idea that a stuChildhood by Julie Lythcottages, their heights or Schools dent, like the ones who 3-D Haims t heir weig hts,” Yu Need Technolhave performed and Printsaid. “Numbers are ogy to Teach actually given talks ing by what define people. Writing by Jeff here at Gu nn Hig h Soumithri When you fill out an Scheur School, has done that Bala application for a driver’s really just wouldn’t be licence, it’s all numbers. possible unless you had a We wanted to represent what it means TEDx program and I think to be more than the statistics that idenit would be unlikely that students would get tify you.” to have their voices heard without TEDx.” Top 5 Gunn TEDx advisor Eric Ledgerwood Kim hoped that students who particiechoes Yu’s opinion. “The idea is really pated felt more confident about themselves TEDx Talks to think about uniqueness of people and and gained the understanding that everyone to think about individuals really as indiis represented by more than just a collection of viduals, not just as a collection of people numbers. “We hope that this year we have students living in the United States or living in the leaving the event with a greater sense of self-idenworld,” he said.

—Compiled by tity and what they want to do with their futures, The logo for this year’s TEDx conference, not necessarily going by what the rules are or Shannon Yang a cow, reflects the theme. Co-president senior Justin what the numbers tell you to do,” he said.

Graphic by Jackie Lou Kim said that as cows are often branded with numbers, Speakers’ individual topics at the conferthe cow icon represents the idea that people are not statistics. ence ranged from anti-bullying and the importance of design “The cows have little tags with numbers on their ears, so a thinking to following passions and planning for the future. farmer can track where their cows are,” he said. “Since that’s To view previous years’ photos and videos, visit www. a number, the goal behind the cow was to say that you’re more tedxgunnhighschool.com for more information.

Amanda Lee

Richard Yu

Top: Donald Olgado from Design Farm speaks about the importance of design and innovation for teens. Middle Left: Jessica Minhas describes her experiences exploring humanitarian issues.

Middle Right: Junior Rawlins Echeveria emcees TEDxGunnHighSchool. Bottom: Gunn students perform the first movement of “Cafe Music.”

Q& Artists of the Month: A

senior Bona and freshman Joseph Kim

The Oracle: When and how did you first get into your art styles?

Bona Kim: I actually started art my junior year. I’ve always been interested in art, but I couldn’t tell my mom that I wanted to do art because my brother was more talented. It was sort of normal for me to not do art and focus more on academics, and then I realized my junior year that it was my last chance to tell my mom that I want to do something [with art]. I started painting and I took classes here.

Joseph Kim: I just liked drawing in general when I was young and I really started liking cars; I started [drawing cars] around third grade, and then I got into designing.

TO: Do you guys have a regular subject that you like to express in your art?

BK: Most of my artwork talks about social and economic issues such as wealth distribution and beauty standards. I attempt to communicate these issues by portraying people’s reactions towards the absurdities of life.

JK: I usually take a car that already exists and I try to make it better.

TO: What style of art do you guys do?

BK: I usually paint and draw—a lot of my artworks use gouache and charcoal, so those are my main media.

JK: I usually do designing which requires pen and pencil, and I paint also.

BK: So he’s more into design and I’m into more fine arts.

TO: What plans do you guys have for your art in the future?

BK: For me, I’m planning on going into the field of design, but I would like to study social sciences as I am interested in economics and psychology. I hope to be able to combine design and liberal arts to make my art more powerful.

JK: I would like to major in car design and transportation, but I would also like to be able to be good at fine art and all art in general.

TO: What are some str ug gle s you guys have had to overcome with your artwork?

BK: The biggest struggle was learning to move on. At one point I realized that my work can never be perfect and that I could work on one painting forever. I was constantly dissatisfied with something.

Eventually I built confidence in just completing my work and being done with it.

Sometimes just knowing when to stop creates the beauty of the work.

JK: For me, whenever I don’t have ideas for designs I feel really bad at myself because I think I’m losing my artistic abilities or something, so that’s my biggest worry

TO: Would you say that your style has evolved over time?

BK: At first, I was painting a lot as a form of realism, which means you draw as realistically as possible. But over time I studied a lot more impressionism, expressionism and different sectors of art. I had a lot of influences from my peers and that led me to expressing myself a lot more through my paintings.

JK: I always drew cars, and skillwise I definitely got better. When I was young, I would usually draw unrealistic things like pencil cars, but now I’m moving on to more realistic cars that could actually be invented.

TO: What advice do you guys have for aspiring artists?

BK: My advice would be to find something that inspires you something that you are passionate about. Or, just look around. My friend Advait once told me to put my phone down and to look at the color scheme around me. It’s difficult sometimes, but I think it’s really important.

JK: Pay attention to little details. And draw every day—even doodling can help you. Practice will take you far.

Alexandra Ting

—Compiled by Deiana Hristov

Sports

17

CONCUSSIONS IMPACT ATHLETES’ PLAY, WELLNESS Coaches, players share perspectives on effects, stigma Paulo Frank and Tim Sun

Reporter and Business Manager

they can work their way up again without any symptoms.

Without any detailed requirements from Central Coast Section (CCS), dealing with concussions has been mostly up to the trainer and coaches. “We were trained to find the symptoms, test them and find the right places to refer them to, as well as monitor and make sure they’re taken care of,” Romero said.

Doctors recommend limiting academic workload to prevent aggravation. Montejo is on a 504 plan that limits the amount of time each day she spends at school to four hours and doing homework to two hours. She feels that her doctors do not have much power in helping her recover since the only “medication” for concussions is time. However, the minor steps her doctors have suggested have been beneficial. “All they really can do is tell me what to do and it’s up to me to follow it strictly,” she said. “I guess it has helped a little—the four-hour plan was really useful because after three classes I’ll get so dizzy.”

In the athletic world, injuries are often viewed as a major problem. Due to its inherent physicality and hard head-onhead hits, football is always associated with concussions as an area of concern. Recently, due to movies like “Concussion,” the retirement of high-profile National Football League (NFL) players due to mental health concerns and a record number of NFL players declining invites to the Pro-Bowl, more attention than ever before is being directed towards concussions.

Unlike injuries in which a player is physically incapable of performing, concussions make movement difficult due to mental issues. Any additional head trauma slows recovery and can become dangerous. Concussions raise particular concerns for young players in how their academics are impacted and whether school Impact administration Not only do concussions remove athletes from their appropriately sport, but they also have wide-ranging impacts off the addresses the field as well. Concussion symptoms include sensitivsituations. ity to light, irritability by sound and difficulty in conThis year, centration, which greatly impact a student-athlete’s a few athletes performance in the classroom. Cruz’s first concussuffered consion forced him to miss two days of school and the cussions during injury made studying difficult when he returned. “I athletic particihad a hard time concentrating,” Cruz said. pation. Football “Especially since we have longer class periplayer junior ods, I’d catch myself drifting off often and Diego Cruz sus[would have] to take a little break.” Montained two concustejo feels a drawback has been the inability sions just two weeks to work as hard as possible. “Knowing that apart. Cheerleader junior I can’t perform 110 percent sucks,” Montejo Ina Montejo also suffered a 10said. “I’ve missed so many things and I feel foot fall directly onto her head during a stunt like everyone just keeps going [but] I’m in preparation for Night Rally. limited. I fall behind and then I have to Elizabeth Zu catch up.”

Injury With high-stress classes, a concussion A concussion is a form of brain can make school much more challenging. trauma caused by blows to the head.

“After 10 minutes, I’ll have a headache,” Concussions can come with a wide Montejo said. “[I] can only focus for a range of symptoms ranging in severity, short time, and it really sucks espeincluding headaches, confusion, excescially if you’re a junior because you sive fatigue and dizziness. In severe cases, have so much work.” even memory loss and blackouts can occur.

Four months after sustaining her A point of emphasis, especially in diagnosis, is that injury, Montejo still has symptoms concussions are capable of taking place without the loss of which doctors attribute to pressure. consciousness.

“They think the stress is prolonging For concussions, the first step is to realize the athlete is conit too, [but] who wouldn’t be stressed?” cussed. For many athletes, this stage is very difficult. Montejo Montejo said. “You’re trying to catch up with school. continued practicing despite her fall and likely worsened her They asked me if I could take a semester off, and I said there’s condition. “After, I kept going and I was like, ‘I’m fine. Let’s just no way I can do that.” Montejo says her driving and sleep has keep going and keep rehearsing the routine’,” she said. “It took also been impacted. a couple minutes for me to realize that I shouldn’t keep going.”

Cruz adds that the heat of the game removes the pain and Steps taken by coaches that athletes have a hard time diagnosing their own condiWhile public perception portrays concussions as common, tion. “I feel like they don’t feel them in that head injuries are uncommon on the footmoment because of the adrenaline rush,” ball team. In the last 10 years, the team Cruz said. “When I got my first one, I kind “Knowing that I can’t really per- has averaged less than one reported inciof played through it a couple plays, and that dent per year, as they take them seriousform 110 percent sucks. I’ve missed ly. “Coaches are not spectators,” football wasn’t smart of me because I should have so many things, and I feel like ev- coach Mark Weisman said. “Our primary just gone out as soon as I felt dizzy.” eryone just keeps going [but] I’m concern is our athletes. Every case of a

limited. I fall behind and then I kid getting injured is significant.”

Recovery have to catch up.”

California Interscholastic Federation Coaches are well-trained in teaching Bylaw 313 states that a student athlete —Junior Ina Montejo tackling with injury prevention techsuspected of suffering a concussion shall niques. “All the coaches here have gone be removed from competition at that time for the remainder through mandatory teaching by the Institute of USA Footof the day. The student athlete must then be evaluated by a ball for tackling practices and techniques,” Weisman said. licensed healthcare provider and receive written clearance to “That’s why we practice [appropriate] tackling all through return to play. the season.” Most coaches have participated in the “heads Doctors recommend stopping activity after a concussion to up” program, which stresses safety. Coaches are therefore avoid exacerbating visual and auditory stimulation, followed prepared to ensure no athlete’s condition worsens. by a gradual reacclimization to athletic participation. Cruz Currently, sensors placed in about half of the players’ helstarted his rehab process with balancing and walking lunges. mets monitor the magnitude of contacts. The district later plans He slowly started jogging, then sprinting and finally returned to integrate impact testing to further aid coaches. “It’s a software to full health. After an athlete passes concussion tests, athletic where we get to create a baseline of every athlete’s cognitive abiltrainer Christina Romero gives a confirmation that allows him ities,” Romero said. “That way, if something happens during the or her to resume playing. “We start the ‘return to play’ pro- season, we can retest them and see the differences.” Despite curtocol,” Romero said. “We give them a few small things to do rent progress, Montejo believes coaches should not simply trust physically, and if there are no symptoms, every day we just add what the athlete says. “The coaches should be more attentive to up a little bit more until they’re ready to return.” what’s going on in the field or in practice,” Montejo said. “Once If the player develops any symptoms during a stage in the they see that someone falls, they can’t just ask ‘how are you feel“return to play” protocol, they are dropped down a level so ing?’ because by tendencies you’re going to say, ‘I’m okay.’”

Fan wrestles with head versus heart Alex Dersh Mike Webster, center, aged 50. Terry Long, offensive lineman, aged 45. Justin Strzelczyk, offensive tackle, aged 36. Andre Waters, safety, aged 44. All four of these men were celebrated NFL football players on the Pittsburgh Steelers; all four of their lives spiraled out of control, ending in their deaths.

The cause: brain damage suffered from playing football, due to thousands of hits to their heads sustained over their long careers.

I recently watched the movie “Concussion,” which chronicled these deaths through the lens of the doctor who examined them after they died. Combined with my own research into the subject, this film alerted me to the real dangers of playing the sport. It hits home for me too, because for all intents and purposes I come from a football family. My father and cousin both played as linebackers in high school, and up until they graduated my grandmother would make a point of seeing her son and grandson play as often as she could. Watching the big game every year and sharing Fantasy Football scores are some of my family’s biggest pastimes, and you can be sure that FOX or CBS will be playing on our TV in the background every Sunday.

While I stay informed about the NFL, I don’t subscribe to it the way my father does, and it would be a stretch to call me a fan. The biggest reason I’m not a fan is my cynicism about the sport and the detrimental effect it has on players.

As the film highlighted, playing football comes with an inherent risk of long-term brain damage due to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). This disease causes the brain to deteriorate, leading sufferers to develop symptoms such as impulsivity, depression, confusion, memory loss and advanced dementia. Not all football players get it, and just because the disease is inherent doesn’t mean someone like my dad is guaranteed to have CTE. Surely enough, he functions (reasonably) well at 51 years old. But the statistics regarding the disease deserve a double-take: a September 2015 study found that 96 percent of NFL players examined posthumously by researchers had CTE. The same was true for 79 percent of all players NFL or otherwise.

Now, my father isn’t naïve about the dangers of football. Knowing what he knows now, about concussions, about CTE, he would not let me play football today. Upon being asked whether he would have played football all those years ago had he known what he knows now, he can’t say for sure. He knew the risks of football, like concussions, injuries and broken bones. All kids back then did. But what they didn’t know was the risk of chronic brain disease, of having a life ruined because of an inherently violent American pastime.

It’s ironic, but not lonely, for my father to be a committed NFL fan who nevertheless abhors the damage it can cause. Hearing news like the early retirement of Chris Borland or the regret of Antwaan Randle El reminds me that even the players, never mind the country, struggle between reverence for these modern gladiators battling in a Colosseum and recognition that humans were not created to play nor evolved to endure this sport.

—Dersh, a senior, is a Reporter.

Sports

18

GET TO KNOW THE BIGGEST SUPERFANS AT GUNN WHO: SENIOR BEN ROAKE SPORT: BASEBALL TEAM: SEATTLE MARINERS The Oracle: When did you become a fan?

Ben Roake: I became a fan when Ichiro Suzuki became a member of the Seattle Mariners in 2001. I was about five years old at the time. My Japanese side of the family are big baseball fans and I just got into it. Just because Suzuki was on the Mariners was the reason I became a fan of the Mariners.

TO: What do you do to show that you are Ichiro’s biggest fan?

BR: I have my room covered up with Suzuki Ichiro gear. I have gone to baseball games where Ichiro did not play and [I still] dressed up as Ichiro. I also run a Facebook page that is dedicated to Ichiro, which I post on very frequently.

I have even created a nickname for myself based on Ichiro’s name. My last name is Roake so I just added Ichiro to the front and call myself Ichiroake.

TO: What do you like about being a fan of Ichiro?

BR: My favorite part of being a fan of Ichiro would be acting like him. I post things every day on social media related to Ichiro, I always search up on what he is doing. Unfortunately, 2016 is going to be the last year Ichiro plays baseball.

You get to know a lot about the player, what he does and his positive impact. Ichiro, from what I’ve known, isn’t very open about his personal life, but when it comes to baseball, we know that he doesn’t spend time slacking off. He is a very well respected player in the sports community.

[No] players in the MLB have a grudge against him, due to the fact that he never does any unsportsmanlike things that numerous athletes are seen doing.

TO: Are there any downsides to being a fan of one team and one team only?

BR: There are some downsides. Since I have been a fan, they have never been champions in the league. There has been a lot of criticism about the team, but I have never betrayed them.

TO: What are some memorable moments that you have of Ichiro when you were at a game?

BR: My best memory of a game was when Ichiro and the Mariners were playing the Oakland A’s at the A’s stadium and I remember seeing a player hit a ball straight to Ichiro. Ichiro caught the fly ball, and there was a runner on second base tagging up to run to third base.

Ichiro then threw a laser beam to get the player out. When that happened I went totally insane, even having the urge to jump into the field to join Ichiro.

TO: Were you ever surprised by the outcome of a game?

BR: I went to the game where Ichiro got traded to the New York Yankees. The Seattle Mariners were playing the New York Yankees on that very day. When Ichiro came out on to the field wearing a New York Yankees’ jersey, I was really confused seeing him in the Yankee uniform.

Ichiro still did get a standing ovation though, even though he was playing for the [opposing] team.

Alexandra Ting

WHO: JUNIOR GIANNA GENCARELLA SPORT: HOCKEY TEAM: SAN JOSE SHARKS The Oracle: When did you start liking the Sharks?

Gianna Gencarella: I have always liked the Sharks because my dad was a fan so naturally I became a fan, and all my life I have been going to Shark games. I think I first went to a game when I was six, and I’ve been going ever since.

TO: Why do you follow the Sharks?

GG: The Sharks want to meet the fans because they host all these events for a chance for you to meet them. On a monthly basis, they go to children’s hospitals and play with them. Our mascot, Sharky, goes to school with other players and read to kids. Sometimes, when the Sharks score a goal they fist bump the glass where a little kid is and throw the pucks to the little kids. I feel like all the people, even players from other teams, are really nice people.

TO: What do you like about attending Sharks games?

GG: I love going to the games because they are really fun. You get to cheer for your team when they score a goal and you get to go crazy with all the people and high-five people you don’t even know. It’s a really awesome atmosphere. It’s great, and is a wonderful community.

TO: Do you play hockey?

GG: No, but I would want to play hockey if I could ice skate well. Hockey in Physical Education was so cool. I was named number one in seventh and eighth grade for hockey because I knew all the rules.

TO: Who is your favorite player?

GG: I love all the players on the team and I never have a favorite player because it’s a team sport and everyone contributes to getting a win. Plus, every player on the team is really nice and they all give back to the community and care a lot for their fans.

TO: How do you feel about the Kings vs.

Sharks rivalry?

GG: I’m just going to put it out there—I absolutely hate the Kings. I love the rivalry because the games are always more intense and it means more to the fans when the Sharks beat them. It’s an awesome feeling that everyone has and the rivalry is always intense.

They’re probably my least favorite team in the NHL. I love it not only when we beat them, but when any team beats them.

TO: What was your best experience with the Sharks?

GG: My best experience at a [Los Angeles] Sharks game is whenever we beat the Kings.

The fans just go crazy and everyone celebrates. One really great experience I can remember was when the Sharks were winning by five points against the Kings and the whole stadium started doing the wave. The great thing about it was that all fans just kept cheering and doing the wave for the entire last half of the third period.

Alexandra Ting

WHO: SENIOR VISHAL BOMDICA SPORT: BASKETBALL TEAM: GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS The Oracle: When’s the first time you knew about the Warriors?

Vishal Bomdica: I probably knew about them throughout my life because I grew up in the Bay Area, but I didn’t really start watching them until I was in sixth grade. I just started watching from the first game of the 2009-2010 season. At first, it wasn’t an extreme love or anything because honestly the team was garbage. They only won 26 games that year, but I thought they were really fun to watch.

TO: What’s the hardest part about being a Warriors fan?

VB: The first three years I was a fan were tough.

Then, Monta Ellis got traded a couple years into being a fan. Then, Stephen Curry—my favorite player—was riddled with injuries his sophomore season and his third season. It honestly was just frustrating because the ownership was terrible.

They had to get rid of the ownership before the Warriors could ever become good again—and they did eventually. Before the 2012-2013 season, the Warriors had only made the playoffs once in the past 18 years. They were at or near the bottom of the NBA each year.

TO: Did you still enjoy being a fan when the Warriors were not doing as well?

VB: Yeah, I did. For some reason, I loved watching them even when they sucked because they were so exciting. They scored the ball a lot; they didn’t just play defense. Every game ended up being really close and competitive. So, I still loved it.

TO: What’s your favorite part about being a fan?

VB: I think it’s the feeling in the fourth quarter when it’s a close game. It’s grown to the point where I’ll get nervous. I start sweating and I start gritting my teeth. I get mad. I get emotional about things that are affecting something that I can’t really control. I go crazy. If you ask anybody that knows me, I go absolutely crazy.

TO: Why’d you become a fan?

VB: I’ve been playing basketball my entire life and I love the sport a lot. I never really watched it and in sixth grade, I was like, “Why aren’t I watching it?” Then, I was like, “All right, you know what? They’re my local team. I’ll just start watching them.”

TO: Do you normally watch the games?

VB: I’ve watched since sixth grade. I’ve probably missed five or six out of 500-ish games.

TO: What’s the best experience you’ve had?

VB: [In] 2014, Warriors were playing Oklahoma City Thunder and it was a really close game.

Then, Russell Westbrook comes up and hits a deep three from 30 feet out; that puts OKC up one point. The Warriors had two seconds to get the ball in-bounds and score the ball. They got the ball to Andre Iguodala; he fades away, shoots, swishes. Game-winner. I love that game.

The greatest part so far was also last season, when they ascended from just a playoff team to one of the best teams in NBA history. What they are doing this year is even more amazing.

TO: If Curry left the Warriors, would you still be a fan?

VB: I would still love the Warriors as much as everything but it would be really hard on me if Curry no longer played for them. Obviously, I look up to Curry and he’s my favorite player.

I would still be a diehard Warriors fan, but I would definitely support Curry on the side.

TO: Do you feel like your love for the Warriors has changed throughout the years? If so, how?

VB: It’s grown. When I first started watching, I wasn’t nervous; I just thought it was entertainment. As time went on, you feel like a part of the team as a whole. You feel like supporting them makes a difference. [My love] has increased and it continues to increase after every game.

Josh Spain

—Compiled by Cassandra Bond, Lisa Hao, and Samuel Tse

Sports

Friday, January 29, 2016

19

Students, parents bond through their love for athletics

THE WEIS

Unlike most, 8 a.m. on Sunday mornings is a time that sophomore Jolie Wei looks forward to. She wakes to the sound of her alarm clock, ready to go on a run—with her dad.

Wei first started going on runs with her dad in seventh grade. “I started running with my dad because I wanted to participate in more activities and just being more active overall,” she said. “I also wanted to spend more time with my dad.” The runs started out easy, two to three miles every Sunday, at nine-minute mile pace. But as Wei got more used to running every week, the runs got faster and more longer. They progressed to five to six miles at eight-minute mile pace. Now, she and her dad can run several miles at a time, usually at Palo Alto Baylands Preserve.

More recently, Wei and her dad have been participating in races. While her dad runs the marathon, Wei runs the 5K and cheers on her dad. Up to date, Wei and her dad have completed 10 races and have many more to go. “We have a marathon coming up soon and I’m looking forward to racing and supporting my dad,” she said.

Wei says running with her dad has really helped her and her dad motivate each other. “When you run with someone you push yourself more, especially if the other person is faster than you. When I run, I always try to keep up with him,” she said. “It also motivates my dad to know that I want to do something of his interest.” They are able to not only motivate each other, but also offer support in running. Wei and her dad often ask each other how they are doing and exchange “war stories.”

Wei has had many running memories with her dad, but a particular one took place last summer in China.

She and her dad woke up at five in the morning to run across the famous Tiananmen Square. Wei enjoyed every moment of it. “It was pretty fun because as my dad says, ‘The best way to tour a city is by foot,’ so that’s basically what we did,” she said. “As we ran by monuments, he was able to explain the history to me. It was nice for him because he was exploring his own culture and I was there to see his hometown with him.”

Running with her dad has become a hobby and an enjoyable routine for Wei. “It’s no different than you going to the movies for fun,” she said. “It’s just the fact that I run and I do it with my dad.”

Courtesy of Jolie Wei

Sophomore Jolie Wei participates in a family track fundraiser.

THE ROTHSTEINS

Courtesy of Sam Rothstein

Junior Sam Rothstein plays at a game in Florida.

Junior Sam Rothstein has always spent his summers practicing soccer with his dad in order to improve his abilities while also spending quality time together. “We always do the same warm-up together and then juggle for a while and play a pickup game,” Rothstein said. “We also work on our long shots… He has to work on that.”

Their bond over soccer started at an early age. “I started playing soccer when I was really young and my dad saw it as a way to interact with me and to be a fatherly figure,” Rothstein said. “He eventually got interested in playing and possibly even plays more than I do.”

Playing soccer has improved Rothstein’s relationship with his dad.

“Honestly, I think it’s the biggest bond we have. It is something that we can talk about,” Rothstein said. “We are both pretty up to date and like to watch big games together. He is always trying to teach me something and vice versa.”

According to Rothstein, his dad enjoys playing soccer on his own as well. “He plays pickup soccer with his friends at lunch every day and he loves it,” Sam said. “Whether it’s 100 degrees out or raining, he always goes, but in the summer he takes me with him.”

Rothstein’s dad is always supportive of his son’s academy team and is a huge fan. “He comes out to all of my games that are in California and is always on the sidelines cheering,” Rothstein said.

Initially, Rothstein learned new skills from his dad, but now they work to grow as athletes together. “I think for a while he was better than me and had a lot to teach me, but at this point, I think I have more to teach him,” Rothstein said. “It is just something we both enjoy.”

Courtesy of Sam Rothstein

The Rothsteins bond through practicing soccer together.

THE RADINS

Ever since junior Josh Radin was four years old, he has practiced sports with his father, Jon Radin.

“Basically every sport that I ever started, he was my first coach and helped me get the fundamentals of the game,” Josh said of his father, who coached his sports teams when he was younger, starting with soccer, then basketball, working their way up to T-ball, baseball and tennis.

Jon motivated Josh to always do better for himself and put in as much work as he possibly could.

“Sometimes it’s harder for me to play sports by myself because of the lack of motivation, so it always helps to have my dad there with me as a teammate, coach and overall inspiration,” Josh said.

Over the years, the duo was able to start spending about two hours a day together when they would normally not, according to Jon. “Our teams would practice a few times a week,” Jon said. “I’d take him to practice, spend the time on the field coaching during practice and then I’d take him home.”

All that time together doing sports—including the drives to practices and games—helped Josh and his dad develop a whole different aspect of their relationship, as coach and player along with father and son. “Sports for me has always been a way to bond with people and get to know people or become closer with them,” Josh said. “So spending that much time together really got us closer.”

In addition to spending more time together, Josh and Jon got to see each other in different situations and learn sportsmanship skills when their team would lose. “It’s easy to work together when you’re winning,” Jon said. “Dealing with losing was a lot harder. But we learned how to work hard, not give up and get better.”

Though Josh now plays varsity sports and Jon can’t coach for him anymore, they still practice together for fun. One time they ran to the closest outdoor basketball hoop and played one-on-one against each other. They also competed together in a father-son tennis tournament, which they won.

For Jon, one of the most beneficial aspects of playing sports is that he can play them alongside his son. “I coached him when he was four, I coached him when he was 14 and when he’s 24 we’ll still be able to play tennis and basketball and everything together,” Jon said. “No matter what school he’s in or what it is happening in his life, we know that we can always go out and play sports together.”

Courtesy of Josh Radin

Junior Josh Radin and dad Jon pose at a baseball game in 2006.

—Compiled by Emma Chiao, Mikaela Wayne and Shannon Yang

20

Lifestyle

THEORACLE

How to be a successful Second Semester Senior

1.

8:25 a.m. is more of a loose guideline than an actual requirement to be at school. If you are running late you might as well enjoy a nice breakfast.

3.

Prioritize your happiness. If it’s between a homework worksheet and binge-watching the last season of your favorite Netflix show, choose what will make you most happy. “The Office” over the attendance office, am I right?

5.

2.

Be spontaneous. Take adventurous trips to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in the middle of the week or spend a weekend in San Francisco. There is so much beauty to take advantage of here in the Bay Area.

#S 4.

SS 6.

Save every piece of paper you receive from class. Every. Single. One. Take your classroom recycling bins home. Fill garbage bags and your entire closet with left over sheets. Let’s make this Paper Toss the biggest and best one yet!

Sleep! I know you probably haven’t thought about this in the past threeand-a-half years, but better late than never. You’ll feel better and even if you have to put your homework aside to get to bed early, the benefits outweigh the opportunity costs.

The week of May 16 will be the best week of your life. Advanced Placement testing: over. Monday: Senior Cut Day. Tuesday through Wednesday: Smarter Balanced Testing for juniors only. Thursday: why bother even showing up? Friday: Physics Day at Great America! Get pumped.

—Compiled by Hayley Krolik

Photos from Creative Commons License

When the junioritis bug hits Sabrina Chen

It is only the first month of second semester of junior year, and I already have senioritis (or junioritis). This is a serious problem, as I have three semesters to go.

In addition, I still have many items on my agenda that most seniors don’t necessarily have: SAT II subject tests, Advanced Placement (AP) tests and college application essays. During this winter break, I discovered the stark contrast between my current behavior and my behavior last semester.

Last semester, I was the typical “try hard.” Some days I would wake up at 5:30 a.m. to practice piano, and I would run everywhere instead of walk in order to save just a little bit of time. For example, I would

run straight from the car to the piano when I got home from golfing just to save the extra ten seconds. I also rarely used social media or wasted time, as a minute saved was a minute earned. I had a strict bedtime at 10:30 p.m. in order to gain energy for the next day. I never slept in, as I had to wake up at 8 a.m. for SAT preparation on the weekends. Sometimes my mom asked me if I wanted dessert after dinner, but I refused because I didn’t have time to eat. I lived a very intense life.

Over this winter break, something went completely wrong. I would wake up at 11 a.m. and just lay in bed for the next two hours staring at my phone. I would walk to breakfast instead of run. I would go on Facebook for a couple of hours and watch funny videos on YouTube. Everything that I had planned during first semester for the break did not happen. I even ordered the wrong SAT II book, which meant that studying was literally impossible. I was just too lazy to move. I also developed a bad habit of using my phone on 1 percent battery because

charging my phone was too much effort.

Although school has started, my laziness, unfortunately, has stayed. Running from the car to the piano has now become walking from the car to the fridge only to get a bowl of ice cream. The rush after dinner to start homework has become a leisurely stroll to the couch. On the upside, I started doing yoga: the pose where you lay down and just breathe. Whenever I get messages about homework or tests I calmly inform everyone that I will start soon. Also, my sister is now my servant because I cannot go upstairs to get a textbook or walk the five steps to the TV remote. Just a few days ago, I decided to go with my mom to Safeway on a random school afternoon for maximum procrastination in the name of bonding with my family.

Hopefully, I will eventually become as motivated as I was last semester. I do miss the adrenaline of sprinting to the piano immediately upon waking up.

—Chen, a junior, is a Tech Editor.

Graphics by Cheryl Kao, Joanne Lee and Elizabeth Zu

Advertisement

Friday, January 29, 2016

21

22

Lifestyle

Staffers evaluate failed New Year’s resolutions Yuki Klotz-Burwell Like many people, I started 2015 aiming to eat healthier and exercise more. I downloaded an app to catalog my eating and exercise habits and, hopefully, my success. I was excited to work out more and become more fit, imagining how my progress would look. However, my first attempt at working on my resolution was a failure.

After running about three blocks, I was exhausted. I blamed it on my hurt ankle (I walked straight into a wall earlier in the day) and limped back home.

I was discouraged, but I still felt as though I could live up to my own expectations.

I planned a guide for myself, setting up certain days when I would make my way to the gym (a three-minute walk from my house) and work out my legs, abs, arms, cardio, etc. The schedule looked nice when I finished it, complete with possible exercise routines, but I never got around to completing any-

Grace Ding

Sitting on my bed in the final hours of 2014, I scrolled through Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, laughing at witty jokes about New Year’s resolutions.

I wondered if I too should join the millions of people worldwide and set a few myself. I’d never done it before, and I certainly had never believed in their usefulness; however I remember deciding that night that I wanted my 2015 to be better than my 2014, and that a few New Year’s resolutions probably wouldn’t hurt.

Without really thinking any of them through, I made a mental list of everything I wanted to be better at in the new year. Included in that excessively long list were two of the most popular resolutions worldwide—spend less time on social media and be more focused. My naive 2014 self thought that setting these goals would somehow push me towards success in 2015 and ultimately bring me a level of happiness in life I had always seeked.

However, as I broke one resolution after another

Akansha Gupta For 16 years of my life, I’ve been a sporadic vegetarian. First, I make a pact with myself and promise to stick to veggies, grains, fruits and dairy, but then I catch the glorious smell of chicken nuggets and promptly forget all my promises. 2015 was supposed to be the year to change all years; I became determined to take a stand. My New Year’s resolution was to stick to a vegetarian diet.

Did I keep my resolution or not? Well, that depends on your definition of vegetarian. If by vegetarian, you simply mean no meat, then I kept my resolution. However, if you consider poultry and fish non-vegetarian like the Vegetarian Society does, then I failed spectacularly.

For t he f irst few mont hs, I a lmost conv inced myself that my conversion to vegetarianism was complete. My mother is vegetarian and she enthusiastically supported me by banning non-vegetarian food from the house. I was so puffed up with (false)

thing on my list. I found myself constantly making excuses, justifying that I was too busy, too tired or whatever explanation I could think of.

I did, however, begin recording all the food I ate onto a calorie counter app. At first, I noticed a change in my eating habits. I was ashamed at how unhealthily I was eating and convinced myself to start eating foods that were better for me. I thought that I was on my way to achieving the coveted “bikini body.” After a while, however, I became overly self-conscious about the calories I was taking in.

Rather than changing my diet I started to refrain from inputting certain foods because the app would tell me that my choices were too caloric. It would not tell me how to change my eating patterns or give me suggestions, leaving me feeling stuck. I eventually deleted the app and reverted to my previous food habits.

What I lacked was motivation; I did not have the drive to fulfill my resolution. Nothing convinced me to reach my goal. My friends would invite me to work out with them and I would see advertisements for weight-loss methods, but nothing inspired me. I could have easily committed to going to the gym at least once a week or to exercising for 15 minutes every afternoon, but I simply did not want to. I decid-

ed that I was reasonably fit and healthy, and should focus on setting more meaningful goals than the ones I assumed I was supposed to have.

While last New Year’s may not have been the best of years as far as resolutions go, I set out to make this year’s count. I’m resolving to be content and to stay true to myself and what I want, rather than fit into others’ expectations. After all, it’s never too late to start.

and found that my carried-over struggles from 2014 were as insurmountable as ever, I went on a downwards spiral of constant disappointment and frustration. It was the second semester of freshman year, and my motivation for school and anything else was slipping even more than before. It seemed impossible to ever be productive and focused, so the time I wasted on social media naturally increased as well. I obsessed over and became hopeless about how high school was still so far from ending.

It goes without saying that I was incredibly unsatisfied with that semester, and when it finally drew to a close, I wasn’t even grateful that I had dragged myself through.

Although summer break was definitely fun and relaxing, the dreaded return to school brought me back to my previous state of mind. First semester of sophomore year was characteristically uneventful and stressful, and the line between simply wanting to seem indifferent

and actually not caring became even more hazy.

However, as 2015 slowly drew to a close, I was able to reflect. I was the only one to blame for not following through with any of my goals.

I shouldn’t have expected my overwhelming number of ambitions and vague resolutions to pave a magical path to happiness.

Even so, looking back, although I know that they brought me the opposite of happiness, I can also say that my mistakes helped me learn. Instead of wishing on a whim to become a better person in every aspect of the word, those wanting to benefit from New Year’s resolutions should settle only on one or two specifics, and make a realistic plan to see them through.

So for anyone who made or didn’t make resolutions this New Year, it’s important to remember that goals in life can be made under any circumstances; yet the meaningful ones are only those you put an effort in and learn something from, even if you don’t end up achieving them exactly the way you hoped to.

pride in my willpower that I barely had the opportunity to crave meat.

My resolve remained intact all the way until March when I accidenta lly bought a chicken sub. Despite my pu rported vegetarian status, I ate the entire thing. In my defense, I was hung r y. Eat i ng t he sa ndwich was like opening a f loodgate bec ause I suddenly became conscious of how much I was giving up.

I think I became a little crazy; I started having conversations with the devil on my shoulder.

It told me that I had broken my resolut ion once, a nd it asked me if it mattered if I broke it again. For the next two months, I barely paid any attention to my resolution. My resolve had crumbled.

However, sometime in May,

—Klotz-Burwell, a senior, is a Features Editor.

—Ding, a sophomore, is a Tech Editor.

I was reminded of the pesky, little nuisance I called “The Resolution.” This time it was harder to stick to tofu and veggies than it had been the first time.

During Turkey Feast, I might have tried a piece of turkey. Other than that, however, I haven’t tasted anything that once had scales, fur or feathers for seven months.

I was vegetarian for 10 months out of 12 last year.

In conventional terms, I didn’t quite keep my 2015 New Year’s resolution or pact of vegetarianism. But I don’t consider the attempt a failure either. I am proud of myself for making a resolution and doing my best to stick to it. Trying to keep my resolution made 2015 interesting for me. It was a learning experience. Now, I know I have more willpower than I expected, but I also know my determination is fallible.

New Year’s resolutions are spectacular ways to dare yourself to step out of your comfort zone. Even if you fail, they make you cognizant about your limits and better prepared to make a next one the following new year. Making a New Year’s resolution and adhering to it is challenging. But if done right, the reward is immense.

—Gupta, a junior, is a Reporter.

Photos by Alexandra Ting and Josh Spain Graphics by Joanne Lee

23 Students explore local sustainable eatinG

Lifestyle

Friday, January 29, 2016

Sustainable farming yields benefits to environment, health

Sustainable eating: the phrase usually brings to mind images of Whole Foods, free-range chickens and vegetables. The words are often thrown around, but many people do not completely understand the idea. To eat sustainably is to choose foods that are grown or raised in a way that does not harm the environment. One doesn’t have to become a vegetarian to eat sustainably—it starts small and local.

Most of the food that we pick up in the supermarket are not grown or raised sustainably. Animals are reared on factory farms in inhumane and abusive conditions. They are raised in close quarters, living in their own filth for a majority of their lives until they are slaughtered. To counter the unhygienic conditions, factories

will introduce antibiotics into the feed, traces of which remain in the meat when it reaches a grocery store for consumption.

Factory farming creates immense amounts of waste which increases pollution and the destruction of ecosystems.

With the Green Revolution in the 1930s came the rise of industrial agriculture—intensive farming, which, while producing higher amounts of crops, led to detrimental side effects such as increased pollution, exhausted land, depletion of water sources, increased pest resistance of insecticides/herbicides

—Written by Lena Ye

Farmer’s Market Local farmers sell their produce, meats and other foods for reasonable prices on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Location: California Avenue, Palo Alto

Hidden Villa:

Where to buy sustainable food

Visitors can experience a working sustainable and organic farm.

Location: 26870 Moody Rd, Los Altos Hills

Subscribers to farm-to-table services enjoy ease, local foods Deiana Hristov Living in California means living in the number one producer of fruits and vegetables in the United States. With all of this fresh, tasty produce growing in our backyard, farmto-table delivery service brings the food to you. For this service, members pay a certain amount per month and receive a box of inseason produce delivered to their doorstep.

Social Studies Instructional Supervisor Lynne Navarro is a regular customer of the service and has tried two different programs: Full Circle and Live Earth Farm. Navarro first heard about farm-to-table when she read the book “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life” by Barbara Kingsolver. “They were talking about Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in that book and I thought, ‘Well, that’s something I totally want to support.’”

Farm-to-table attracted Navarro for several reasons. “My dad is a member of California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF), so it’s something my family has believed in for a long time, and I wanted to support the farm but there is also an obvious benefit for me.”

The service also led Navarro to inte-

and ecosystem destruction. Thousands of acres of forests were cut down to create land for industrial farming, leading to the extinction of many rare animal species. Industrial agriculture also goes hand in hand with genetically modified organisms (GMOs), a branch of science whose pros and cons are still hotly debated. Many scientists agree that GMOs are unhealthy for humans, harm the ecosystem and contaminate other plants.

Sustainable eating is a concentrated effort to better the environment with choices in one’s diet. While helping the environment may seem like a vague and far-off cause, it is easily achievable through small changes in one’s diet.

grate more fresh produce into her diet. “You get this entire box of vegetables, and they’re perishable, so you need to get it together, get organized and eat them all,” she said.

Sometimes, however, the service falls short. My mom first heard about the service through her work. Being from Bulgaria, a country of seven million people where it only takes four hours to drive border to border, she was used to eating juicy red tomatoes fresh off the vine and fruit plucked no longer than one hour before eating.

When my parents moved to the United States they were disappointed at having to eat produce bruised from riding hours in the back of a truck while paying three to four times the amount they would have paid in Bulgaria. So she decided to give the farm-totable service a whirl.

Twenty bucks and a week later my family was standing around a brown box set on the dining room table. My dad was rubbing his hands together as my mom carefully slit open the top of the box, careful not to jostle the produce inside. Her smile faded as she pulled the food out: two decorative squashes, three brown, flaky onions and a lone potato. We looked back into the box, shook it around, but that was it. The rest of the evening found my brother munching on a hard, green pear, my dad trying to procure something for dinner and my mom scratching her head and Googling onion and squash recipes.

All in all, every service is different.

Some allow you to pick which types of produce you want, while others are set; some offer large quantities, while others offer small quantities. In the end, a good farm-to-table delivery service is efficient and useful, saving you a trip to the grocery store while providing delicious, fresh food.

Calafia Cafe: This sustainable cafe features meals suitable for meat-eaters and vegetarians alike.

Location: 855 El Camino Real #130, Palo Alto

LYFE Kitchen:

Tips for eating sustainably

LYFE offers a plethora of delicious sustainable meals.

Location: 167 Hamilton Ave, Palo Alto

1. Buy locally grown and raised food.

Besides supporting local farm families, local food is fresher since it is not flown in from another continent.

2. Have a weekly Meatless Monday.

Beans, nuts and tofu serve as excellent protein substitutes, which are not only cheaper than meat, but are also an eco-friendly alternative that helps reduce fossil fuel dependence. According to the WorldWatch Institute, around 28 calories of fossil fuel energy are needed to produce one calorie of meat, while only 3.3 calories of fossil fuel energy are needed to produce one calorie of a plant protein.

3. Go organic.

Buying organic foods promotes a less toxic environment for all living things through the reduction of toxins and farm pollution. Since going organic can be pricey, try to prioritize dairy, meat and fruit and vegetables such as berries, apples and spinach.

4. Compost food waste.

It’s an easy way to enrich your soil while extending the life of landfills. If you don’t have space for an outdoor compost pile, you can just as easily compost indoors with the use of a special bin. Compostable items include yard trimmings, eggshells, paper, fruits, vegetables and coffee grounds.

6. Buy seasonal Produce.

Forget buying cherries and bananas from Ecuador during the winter. Go for the local apples and oranges instead, which will be more nutritious and less expensive. Foods that were harvested early to endure long distance shipping won’t have the full complement of nutrients they previously had.

—Hristov, a sophomore, is a Copy Editor.

Graphics by Cheryl Kao and Jackie Lou

—Compiled by Matthew Oh and Kaya van der Horst

24

GETTING READY FOR SUPERBOWL SUNDAY THREE COMMERCIALS TO LOOK FORWARD TO

Taco Bell: In 2013, this fast food restaurant produced an ad featuring elderly people defying stereotypes and partying for a night out that ended with a Taco Bell run. This year, Taco Bell plans to reveal a mystery Super Bowl product.

Doritos: Previously, Doritos made a comedic commercial featuring a child proving that pigs fly in order to be rewarded with a bag of Doritos. Hopefully, Doritos can produce an equally humorous ad this year.

Coca Cola: Coca Cola usually supports the theme of camaraderie and happiness in a community, creating uplifting and heartwarming ads. This year, the company will most likely continue the theme and create an ad that is sure to bring out a smile in everyone.

BLACK PEPPER SALSA Directions In a bowl, stir the tomatoes, green bell peppers, onions, cilantro, lime juice, jalapeño peppers, cumin, salt and pepper. Serve with tortilla chips.

1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup diced onion 2 tablespoons lime juice 3 cups chopped tomatoes 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 4 teaspoons chopped jalapeño 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

CAROLINA PANTHERS

The Panthers (17-1) rely on their solid defense and high powered offense, led by quarterback Cameron Newton. Former Heisman Trophy winner, Newton has come out swinging with only one loss so far. Along with Newton, be sure to watch out for tight end Greg Olsen, running back Jonathan Stewart and wide receiver Devin Funchess. In their second Super Bowl appearance the Panthers are shooting for their first NFL title, but anything can happen in the biggest game of the year.

Graphics by Cheryl Kao and Elizabeth Zu

LIME GUACAMOLE Salt 3 chopped avocados 1 minced jalapeño chile 2 tablespoons lime juice 1/4 cup chopped cilantro 1 seeded and diced tomato 1/2 cup minced white onion

Directions Let the uncut onion soak in cold water for 20 minutes. In a bowl, combine avocados, onions, jalapeño peppers, tomatoes, cilantro and lime juice. Season with salt and serve with tortilla chips.

DENVER BRONCOS

The Broncos (14-4) rely on their outstanding defense, led by outside linebacker Von Miller and defensive end DeMarcus Ware. In the American Football Conference title game, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was hit 23 times by the Broncos, breaking the Patriots’ previous season high of 12 hits on Brady.

Not to be forgotten is the Broncos’ veteran quarterback, Peyton Manning. With one Super Bowl ring already in his possession, Manning is shooting for one more before retirement.

—Compiled by Jack Mallery Recipes courtesy of Cheryl Dressler and Everyday Food