The Oracle (June 2011)

[Centerfold] Prepare for

nostalgia as The Oracle looks at childhood pp.12-13 [Sports] Badminton coach awarded Coach of the Year p. 19

[Entertainment]

[Features] Students’

Student-directed One Acts showcase a variety of dramatic talent p. 21

creativity shines in Palo Alto Art Show p. 10

THEORACLE

Palo Alto Unified School District Henry M. Gunn High School 780 Arastradero Rd Palo Alto, CA 94306 NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. Postage

PA I D

Permit #44 Palo Alto, Calif.

Henry M. Gunn High School

http://gunn3.pausd.org/oracle

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011 Volume 47, Issue 8

780 Arastradero Road, Palo Alto, CA 94306

School board adopts new two-year calendar Utkash Dubey

Forum Editor

On May 10 the Palo Alto School Board held a board meeting to vote on the proposed calendar which would take effect during the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 school years. The school board voted 3 to 2 in favor of adopting the revised calendar, which involves an earlier start date of Aug. 16, 2012. The calendar also moves finals weeks to Dec. 17 to 21, 2012 and starts second semester after winter break. School will end on May 31, 2012 for the first year the calendar takes effect.

Despite many public comments that meeting disapproving of the calendar, the board members passed the proposal in hopes of reducing student stress and allowing more time for the senior college applications process. Board members Barbara Klausner, Barbara Mitchell and Dana Tom voted in favor of approving the consent calendar, whereas board members Melissa Baten Caswell and Camille Townsend objected to the ratification of the long-debated proposal.

Baten Caswell, the current board president, acknowledges the substantial effect the calendar will have on the overall school year. According to Baten Caswell, first semester starts earlier in August and is shorter than second semester by almost 20 calendar days, so teachers will be asked to adjust the workload accordingly. The change also makes winter break free of exam study, although, according to Baten Caswell, students may find December to be a busy month with finals week conflicting with holiday events and activities. She also specifically emphasized the college process. “Seniors will need to avoid procrastination and plan for last-minute college choice changes created by changing priorities or the results of college application early admission/early action decisions,” Baten Caswell said.

At the May 10 meeting, 60 community members provided their input on this particular issue and the board was overwhelmed with community disapproval for the calendar.

Parents from both district high schools, as well as some Palo Alto High School (Paly) teachers, pushed the board members to keep the current calendar. According to Paly athletic coaches, the change would force preseason training for sports to coincide with the first few weeks of school. Parents stressed the loss of family time and that a shifted summer vacation would alter family plans. After the voting took place, disappointment drove some spectators straight out the door.

The board decided to adopt the calendar change based on academic concerns. “The members of the board said they wanted to provide a work-free winter break for high school students,” Baten Caswell said. “[However] I felt that there were too many outstanding issues that had not been resolved and that they would create issues for many students and families.”

Senior Kevin Zhang spoke in favor of the change at the board meeting.

As a student familiar with the college admissions process, he shared personal experiences and why they led him to fight for this change. “The current system forces many teachers to administer finals before and after winter break. For [Advanced Placement (AP)] Economics and AP C Physics I had two finals. I was completely stressed out of my mind and it was too much work to handle,” Zhang said. “I was stressing till winter break and after winter break, going into second semester, it was CALENDAR—p.4

Teachers’ firsts

Lisa Wu

Even teachers were once bumbling adolescents. Believe it or not, they went through the same awkward phases as their students.

The Oracle takes a look at the triumphs and travails of teachers’ various first experiences through a collage of short pieces written by the teachers themselves. Take a look at p. 14 to laugh, groan and cheer as your favorite teachers reveal some of their “firsts.”

Gunn Figures

»

$10,623

English teacher recounts story of first kiss

Jordan Huizing Though I always knew I wasn’t fairy tale princess, the lure of the magical first kiss still filled my childhood daydreams. Kisses seemed to solve every problem from girls who couldn’t wake up from a nap to bringing someone back to life.

The amount raised

by Gunn students participating in Relay for Life

1,625

However my cinematic triumph was not to be.

Kisses ruin everything, I dejectedly thought as Tyler looked down at the floor. His mom sternly questioned him as he shoved his hands in his pockets. Tyler’s older brother stood in the doorway, grinning at our demise. All I had wanted to do was see the awesome new tree house, and now, we were both in trouble.

Tyler and I were best friends and the bane of Aunt Carole’s existence.

We pushed every boundary that we could think of: jumping from the

The approximate number of hours spent in school from August 24, 2010 to June 9, 2011

swings at their highest points, sneaking frosting from birthday cakes, and playing in the blocks three days in a row. Though we were barely past toddlerhood, Tyler and I took on the world with the spirit of Indiana Jones. Everything was an adventure and no looming punishment could keep us in line.

One late summer day, when Aunt Carole denied us the chance to go swimming, Tyler and I. We ran away f rom preschool to f ind something much more suited FIRST KISS—p.14

29

The number of teachers and staff members at Gunn whose last name starts with the letter H

2

News

THEORACLE

Fast For Awareness brings hunger to student attention

From May 27 to May 28, about 160 students participated in Key Club’s annual Fast for Awareness. The purpose of this 30 hour fast was to raise awareness for hunger experienced around the world. Prior to fasting, participants were required to raise at least $30, but $100 was strongly recommended. The money was donated to Action Against Hunger, an organization focused on ending world hunger.

This year’s Fast for Awareness added an extra fundraising component. Key Club tacked on a canned food drive, where it collected non-perishable foods and sent them to the Second Harvest Food Bank. “Not only are we helping out with world hunger, we are also helping out with local hunger,” Key Club president junior Andrea Huang wrote in an email. “It is definitely a cool addition.”

While fasting, students stayed overnight in the school gym and participated in various events. “First, we had a guest speaker and service opportunities related to hunger,” former Key Club president senior Connie Hsueh wrote in an email. “After that, we had activities including badminton, dodge ball, board games and video games, as well as a movie room for those interested.”

After the many long hours of fasting, the participants were treated to a plethora of food at around 12 p.m. Local stores and restaurants generously donated a lunch for the participants.

Huang encourages students to attend Fast For Awareness because it allows one to experience hunger for a long period of time. “It allows one to realize that he or she takes food for granted and that many people around the world are not able to eat for even longer periods of time and experience worse hunger pains,” Huang wrote.

Student engineers showcase mini robotic cars

NEWS BITES

On May 25, all 70 students in Introduction to Engineering and Design (IED) and Digital Electronics classes showcased their final project on the senior quad. The project was a competition between seven teams, each with their own handmade robotic car. The seven cars raced each other in a maze that was created from plywood. The first team whose car finished the maze received a prize from engineering teacher Bakari Holmes, who teaches both classes.

The project took over two weeks to complete, including weekends. “I’m proud of the students for accomplishing everything in the given amount of time,” Holmes said. “It was an insanely ambitious project. We literally started from scratch.” In order to complete the final project, Holmes created seven teams and assigned multiple team leaders.

One team created the concept of the maze, as well as sketched and formed different prototypes. Another team then physically constructed the maze. Additional teams were responsible for checking the quality of the maze and the robots, creating T-shirts, setting up the maze and robots on the quad and communication. “It was a good challenge and I learned a lot from the project,” sophomore Thomas McAulay said. Of the seven teams that competed in the race, team four completed the maze first.

—Compiled by Zoe Weisner and Emily Yao

SEC SCOOP Upcoming Events: Baccalaureate (6/5) Graduation (6/8) Last day of school (6/9) Freshman Orientation (8/17) First day of school (8/23) Quad dance (8/26) Reminders: Senior yearbook distribution (5/31) 9th through 11th grade yearbook distribution (6/1) Link Crew training on (8/16) School photos on (8/24) If you have any suggestions or questions, please contact us!

Email: sec.gunn@gmail.com Facebook: “Updates from Gunn SEC” Or ask us a question at www.formspring.me/GunnSEC

Wendy Qiu

Stanford professors Mitchell Stevens (left), John Perry (middle) and Ken Taylor (right) immerse themselves in discussion about the philosophy of college admission during the Philosophy Talk taping.

Philosophy Talk discusses admissions Divya Shiv

Managing Editor

To celebrate the end of Advanced Placement (AP) tests and other standardized testing, Palo Alto High School (Paly) hosted a Philosophy Talk on May 20. Current and past philosophy students from Gunn and Paly attended Philosophy Talk to be the audience for Stanford’s national Philosophy Talk radio show, where the students’ questions during the Talk were broadcast nationally. In addition, students were able to ask questions on the Talk’s topic, the philosophy of college admissions.

This year, the Philosophy Talk focused on the topic of college admissions, and whether the college admission process reflected the students’ philosophies. “We really looked at the ‘why’s behind everything, such as why there is so much competition around college and if students should risk losing an authentic part of themselves for college admission,” philosophy teacher Jordan Huizing said.

Philosophy Talk organizer Lucy Filppu chose this topic after seeing the effect that the competition sur rounding college had on students. “Too often students endure a slew of tests without a chance to reflect on who owns their education,” she

wrote in an email. “One of the great gifts of philosophy is the framework for questioning that it offers students.”

Stanford professor and author Mitchell Stevens, who wrote “Creating A Class,” a book about an insider’s look at the process of college admissions, hosted the event. During the Talk, students listened to Stevens and two Stanford philosophy professors, John Perry and Ken Taylor, debate the philosophy behind college admissions. “Philosophy Talk was hosted by two rambunctious hosts named Ken Taylor and John Perry who are sort of the Yin and Yang of philosophy,” Filppu wrote. After the debate audience members asked questions or responded to their debate. All were recorded for the national Philosophy Talk radio show.

After the radio show, students stayed longer to ask more questions for a podcast. “Philosophy Talk is an open forum for kids to talk about different issues and share their opinions about the philosophy of the college process and the pressure that it can create,” junior Rachel WeissmanTsukamoto said. “You encounter other students who are going through a lot in the college process with testing and high school in general, and it can be really enlightening to hear what other

students are going through.”

Although Philosophy Talk was an open forum, Filppu made this event exclusively for students.

“My observation is that parents tend to dominate conversations about teen stress and college admissions,” Filppu wrote. “I may be wrong, but I wanted to give students a chance to speak their minds without parents present. I wanted them to own their voices.”

Although the event had a large turn-out according to Filppu, she felt that students were restricted in their ability to voice their opinion. “I’m not sure the Philosophy Talk radio format allows students enough input, so in the future I will look to improve the format and involve students more in the planning,” Filppu said. “But I am committed to giving students a philosophical voice in their learning.”

Through this event, Huizing hoped to bring the two schools together as well as allowing her students to hear different ideas that they may not have discussed in class. “I think that the Philosophy Talk gave students the chance to apply what they’ve learned in class to life and discover how they want to live,” Huizing said.

“Hopefully, the seed that is planted during the philosophy talk will grow into something that’s bigger than just one night.”

Guidance statistics 5 Excellent

4

Good

3

No Opinion

2

Below Average

1

Needs Improvement My counselor knows who I am!

Counselor was friendly and approachable

Counselor advised me My counselor helped when selecting courses me find a career/ for the next school year vocation/college

Counselor availability

Statistics compiled by College and Career Information Specialist Leighton Lang reflect the results of the senior exit survey for the past few years. Other statistics show that 96.4 percent of students surveyed felt their opinions were valued and supported through counseling, 99 percent felt counselors showed respect to students and family members and 89.3 percent saw their counselor for college or career counseling.

News

Wednesday June 1, 2011

3

Annual Youth Forum brings Palo Alto teens together Workshops and discussion panels broach various issues and give students opportunity to voice opinions Amrita Moitra News Editor

On May 21, the Cubberley Community Center hosted the second annual Palo Alto Youth Forum. Organized by Palo Alto Youth Council (PAYC), Palo Alto Youth Collaborative and the Teen Advisory Board (TAB), the forum consisted of a series of workshops relating to teen life, with topics ranging from life as an athlete to nutrition and exercise to even dreaming.

Students from both Gunn and Palo Alto High School came together to discuss issues with community figures.

“Teens have a chance to get together and enhance their relationships outside of school,” Lane Pianta, Production Manager of the Palo Alto Children’s Theater, said. “They learn from one another and discuss the priorities for Palo Alto.”

The forum consisted of 10 different workshops divided between two sessions. First session workshops offered a variety of experiences. Teens could make T-shirts that best symbolized the Palo Alto youth, play a variety of improvisation games or learn the responsibilities of an elected official. In addition to these discussions, students were able to talk to a panel of three influential local athletes: Palo Alto coach Ben Parks, Stanford linebacker Doug Baldwin and Stanford point guard Melanie Murphy.

The forum was also a means to brainstorm ideas that would be beneficial for local teens. The “Creating a TeenCentered Music Scene” workshop in the second session focused solely on the possible creation of a consistent open mic night where young musicians could exhibit their talents. Youth in the Question, Persuade and Refer training, another second session workshop, received instructions on how to provide peer support and prevent suicides. Other workshops included nutrition and dreaming.

Students who attended the Palo Alto Youth Forum when it was first introduced last year were surprised by the changes of the second forum. In contrast to last year,

Jonathan Yong

Gunn and Paly students came together at the Youth Forum to design a T-shirt that represents Palo Alto youth. this year’s Youth Forum focused on helping teens gain the skills necessary to become successful, well-adjusted individuals. The 2010 Youth Forum emphasized student involvement with prominent businesses and school board members to make Palo Alto a more youth-friendly environment. Whereas last year’s forum occurred across three different weekends, this year’s forum was consolidated into one day.

Students and adults found that the forum provided stimulating insight into Palo Alto youth life. “Teens in this community have been through a lot in the last few years,” workshop discussion facilitator Carolyn Brown-

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Digovich said. “There are many stresses and this forum tells them that we are willing to hear them. We care for them and the kids need to know that we watch out for them.”

PAYC and TAB have received positive feedback on the forum and look forward to implementing changes for next year. “It was pretty successful,” TAB member junior Sonal Prasad said. “Although the panels were interesting and helpful, we definitely could have had more students.”

PAYC and TAB hope to increase publicity next year and offer more interesting sessions. “While this was pretty good, next year will be better,” Prasad said.

4

News

THEORACLE

THEORACLE

780 Arastradero Rd Palo Alto, CA 94306 (650) 354-8238 http://gunn3.pausd.org/oracle

Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief Ashley Ngu Managing Editors Monica Cai Divya Shiv News Amrita Moitra Jean Wang Zoe Weisner

Wendy Qiu

Jonathan Yong

Forum Utkash Dubey Rani Shiao Features Anna Qin Lydia Zhang Centerfold Elsa Chu Yilin Liang Entertainment Boot Bullwinkle Samantha Donat Lucy Oyer Sports Eileen Qian Emily Yao Photo Wendy Qiu Jonathan Yong Graphics Lisa Wu Tech Colin Chen Webmaster Charles Chen

Staff Reporters Colin Chen, Melia Dunbar, Sam Hayward, Charles Liu, Song Park, Kyle Zhu Business/Circulation Managers Annie Tran Steve Yang Graphics Artists George Hwang Alvina Yau Adviser Kristy Blackburn

Jonathan Yong

Jonathan Yong

Above: Juniors and sophomores battle seniors and freshmen in a lunchtime game of powder puff. Top middle: Students enjoy the block party’s giant slide. Far right: Math teacher Dave Deggeller falls into the dunk tank during the block party. Bottom left: Students compete in the gladiator joust after school. Bottom middle: Student bands give live performance to provide entertainment during the block party.

Spring Fling activities add to school spirit Monica Cai

managing editor

Despite the moody weather and recent slew of testing, students found a way to enjoy themselves at Spring Fling, which was a two-day event from May 19 to 20 hosted by the Student Executive Council (SEC). “It was a great success,” senior Special Events Commissioner Matteo Lieb said.

“A lot of people showed up and everyone seemed to have a lot of fun.”

The first day featured a scavenger hunt at brunch and the Powderpuff game at lunch, where free pizza was provided for students. In the Powderpuff game, two teams, one consisting of seniors and freshmen and the other of sophomores and juniors, battled each other in flag football. The sophomores and juniors emerged victorious, winning with a score of 21-14. The sophomores and juniors were declared winner of Spring Fling, having won every game.

On the second day, SEC continued the trend of homecoming games with the balloon stomp at brunch and obstacle course at lunch. “I thought the games were well-attended and although a certain sense of competitiveness wasn’t there, people still had fun watching in a relaxed, noncompetitive way,” Lieb said. “People were into the games and everyone came out and supported their class.”

However, Lieb felt the games could have been

more original, which was an opinion shared by junior Jesse Zwerling. “I thought the games were appropriate for the amount of time they had, but I do feel that a little variation from homecoming games would be better,” Zwerling said.

In order to increase the level of excitement, Lieb came up with the idea of adding class competitions. Zwerling also thought adding more events would make this year’s Spring Fling more interesting. “I wasn’t completely into the games nor do I think the rest of the school was,” Zwerling said. “The hype surrounding Spring Fling was lacking.”

On Friday after school, a block party was held for the entire Palo Alto community was held in the parking lot to end Spring Fling. In addition to offering free popcorn, cotton candy and snow cones, popular vendors such as Panda Express, MoGo BBQ and Kara’s Cupcakes sold food, and a portion of the profits went back to the Student Activities fund. Because this was a SEC sponsored event, and not a school fundraiser, SEC was happy with whatever profits they got from vendors. “We knew going in we were going to lose money so we were fine with it,” Lieb said.

However, according to Student Activities Director Lisa Hall, the vendors were extremely pleased with sales and eager to come back next year. In addition to food, students were provided with plenty of opportunities to have fun with the teachers’ dunk tank, obstacle course, gladiator

School board changes upcoming calendar n CALENDAR from pg. 1

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

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

These letters and ideas need not be from current students. The Oracle publishes 9 issues annually. Subscriptions are $42/year.

Jonathan Yong

still a tough transition. Having finals before winter break with a non-finals schedule is also terribly difficult because it was so hard to go to class and know I had in finals both of my next two periods.”

Zhang feels that the new calendar will have an impact on the college application process, but that students should be able to adjust accordingly. “[It] would not make a negative difference, but possibly a positive difference,” he said. “If a student is going to push applications into the end, chances are that they’re not determined

enough to handle it in the first place.”

Principal Katya Villalobos is overall pleased by the calendar change. “I’m excited by it,” Villalobos said. “It’s a healthy thing to look at new processes.”

According to Villalobos, the administration and teaching staff will have to work through changes with the schedule regarding curriculum, student activities and other events during the school year, but Villalobos does not think this change outweights the benefits of the changed calendar. “I view change positively, not negatively,” Villalobos said.

joust and several other electronic sports games.

“The block party was really good,” Zwerling said. “It was a fun way to close out the week.”

Although Spring Fling is an event that has long been a part of Gunn’s history, SEC only decided to reintroduce it last year. This year’s Spring Fling showed several differences, the most prominent being that it was shortened from a week to two days. “All week seemed a little overwhelming,” Lieb said. “We wanted to condense it and make the two days better.”

As Special Events Commissioner, Lieb was primarily in charge of planning. “My role was to assign different tasks to various people as groups who then work on it as SEC,” Lieb said.

“I coordinated all of the groups and made sure everything was done.”

The block party was another new addition to this year’s Spring Fling. “Four years ago, we did a big carnival event similar to this,” Hall said. “It was well-received, but it wasn’t what students were expecting, so we took a different approach to advertising.” To counter early rumors of a carnival with a Ferris wheel, SEC chose to promote the event as a block party to clear up any misconceptions.

Spring Fling is set to return next year. “Given the attendance and how long people stayed at events, it seemed like people were really enjoying themselves,” Hall said. “The likelihood of Spring Fling occurring again is very high.”

Calendar Survey Results Junior Jesse Zwerling created a survey to gauge students’ opinion about the possibility of finals before winter break. The data was presented to the school board at their May 10 meeting.

74%

78.1%

65.9%

of students support early start with exams before winter break

think there will be less stress if exams are held before winter break

do not feel finals before winter break will impact their college application activities —967 students were surveyed

News

Monday, April 25, 2011

5

6

Forum

THEORACLE

Bay Area needs more preparation for natural disaster Amrita Moitra Recent natural disasters like the 2010 Haiti earthquake, this year’s Japan tsunami in March and the Alabama tornado in April have sparked an increase in disaster preparedness around the nation.

The Bay Area is no stranger to natural disasters as it is situated on the San Andreas Fault. However, while the Bay Area is ready for earthquakes, it is both physically and mentally unprepared for any other kind of disaster.

In the Bay Area, zoning codes require all new buildings to be seismically retrofitted, thus preventing any damage from earthquakes. But Bay Area infrastructure does not account for disasters like floods, tsunamis and even landslides. This is dangerous because close to eight percent of the Bay Area is in a flood zone. According to the Fritz Institute, a research center on national disasters in California, 45 percent of this land is occupied by commercial, industrial and military complexes. In addition to these important facilities, 9.7 percent of transit lines are located in flood zones. It is imperative that these statistics are lowered, according to

the Association of Bay Area Governments’ Earthquake and Hazard Program (ABAGEHP), floods are the Bay Area’s most common disaster. Moving these services inland would be impractical if a disaster were to hit, so it is crucial to make sure the infrastructure in flood zones are well-protected.

While this region has rarely experienced tsunamis with the magnitude of the Japan tsunami in March, they are still a big threat. While all health care facilities are out of tsunami inundation zones, about 16 percent of Bay Area wastewater facilities are within this zone. If a tsunami were to strike, the Bay Area would have a serious problem with water contamination. In addition to floods and tsunamis, about 23.1 percent of the Bay Area is prone to landslides. Despite this figure, there are no zoning code requirements for landslide protection whatsoever, illustrating that the Bay Area businesses, utilities, roads and homes are unprepared for a variety of different disasters.

Not only are building structures ill-equipped to handle disasters but awareness programs are also sorely inadequate. According to ABAGEHP, tsunami mitigation strategies are limited simply because they are infrequent. Awareness programs for disasters like landslides have been created, but are extremely under-funded. None of the ABAGEHP’s landslide risk

assessments have been funded, and efforts by the California Geological Survey have experienced substantial cuts in funding. Even small scale programs like fire safety in schools have been given less attention.

Because of school fire drills, students are trained to blindly follow their classmates to a designated meeting place.

School fire drills are just another time to talk with friends and minimal protocol is followed by teens, who are eager to get out of class.

Students aren’t taught the important steps to follow when escaping a fire, such as feeling the door with the back of the hand to determine the location of a fire or closing all the doors and windows that aren’t being used to prevent oxygen flow. It is crucial for proper funding and emphasis to be given to correct evacuation procedures if the Bay Area hopes to be prepared for future disasters.

Alvina Yau

However unprotected infrastructure and uncomprehensive awareness programs do not mean that the Bay Area will fall apart when the next natural disaster strikes. In fact, the Bay Area is more advanced than many regions when it comes to post-disaster relief. Hurricane Katrina revealed America’s flaws in post-disaster relief.

The Bay Area Preparedness Initiative, now known as BayPrep, has created numerous programs to help the elderly and disabled after earthquakes and floods.

They have detailed search-andrescue plans that can be applied on a community level.

However, to be truly prepared for a major disaster, the Bay Area needs to be ready before one actually hits. Because this region is prone to numerous calamities, it is of the utmost importance that the infrastructure is protected and citizens are aware of the proper emergency disaster procedures.

By implementing strict zoning codes and thorough education programs, in addition to the existing relief initiatives, the Bay Area will be ready for anything Mother Nature throws its way.

—Moitra, a junior, is a News Editor.

Lucy Oyer Despite the apparent mindlessness of online games such as Tetris and Neopets, these games actually offer students a beneficial break from the stressful demands of high school. Unlike other pastimes, most popular online games are free and easily accessible, meaning that students can play for just a few minutes in between tasks without paying an arm and a leg. In addition to the obvious fun that games provide, they can also produce various mental health benefits. Though critics may argue that the games are a waste of time, when played in moderation, they are a relaxing way to clear an extremely stressed brain.

Tetris and Neopets have recently become popular among Gunn students, most likely because neither costs a penny to play.

One can log on and play for just a few minutes and then resume their studies. There is no need to drive anywhere and students are still able to take a needed break from study periods and crushing homework loads.

The excitement of winning a round of Tetris or receiving a rare item in Neopets provides a dose of happiness that can be just enough to push a student to keep studying.

A player can immerse themselves within a game and forget about their problems, even if it is only for a few minutes. This can greatly improve a student’s mood, which in turn increases productivity. Even though the time they spend playing the game is not technically a productive period, a gamer makes up the time by working more effi-

ciently and concentrating better due to the morale boost their game provided.

Not only is Tetris fun, but a 2010 study

by Oxford University scientist Emily Holmes showed that it provides beneficial effects on a patient’s mental health. By immersing themselves in a game of Tetris for just 10 minutes a day, people diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) experienced significantly fewer traumatic flashbacks than those who did not play the game. While most people who are playing Tetris do not suffer from PTSD, the therapeutic effects could apply to them as well.

Other games such as Boomshine are designed specifically to calm player’s nerves.

The game consists of bursting pastel colored bubbles as the player tried to get the largest possible chain reaction. After just a few minutes of playing, the effects are remarkable. There is something satisfying about seeing the bubbles all come together and explode. Perhaps it is a subconscious message that everything will come together in the end or maybe it’s just pretty, but either way, the hours of homework a student has left will feel more manageable after playing.

Although some students are unable to set their own boundaries on playing time, for the most part, games are a quick respite from the pressures of high school.

By setting limits to how to play, students can avoid getting addicted and reap only positive results from them. Critics may declare online games a waste of time, however they are just the opposite of that when played in moderation. They relax a stressed-out brain and do not involve any time commitment.

—Oyer, a freshman, is an Entertainment Editor.

CON

PRO

Online games spark controversy in student time management Elsa Chu You’re studying and it’s been hours since you stopped to take a break, but the big test is tomorrow. However, you figure that you’ve memorized enough equations for now and decide to take a little break. A few clicks and you’re on your favorite relaxation site, Tetrisfriends. com, and before you know it, it’s been two hours. While you’ve ranked up three times, the stack of review sheets on your desk remain far from finished. Breaks are intended to be replenishing and reward the hard worker for their diligence, but most online games do nothing but waste time.

There is an ongoing battle between the practical, studious side of the brain and the pleasure seeking, immediate gratification side. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, flash games target the fun-loving right hemisphere, which also plays a primary role in decision making, and thereby encourages a return to the game. And ultimately, an unhealthy addiction can be developed.

Both games and studying put a large emphasis on motor skills like gathering information, comprehending data and memorization. This way, neither the brain nor the eyes get much benefit from the “break.”

A study conducted by the Chiao Tung University in Taiwan on a group of adolescents found that the teens tend to grow dependent on games and will begin to

neglect family, academic performance, and even friends.

Online games can also cause tension, aggression and anxiety in competitive situations. This is because these games pit one person against another, causing both of the people feel the instinctive need to win and often get angry or frustrated if they lose.

This negative attitude carries on to schoolwork and makes studying seem harder. On the other hand when somebody wins, the feeling of accomplishment pushes him or her to keep playing, and time starts to slip away.

Although some people can ultimately ace the test that they neglected to study for, even the best people have a hard time focusing when they’re fantasizing about earning points in Neopets or beating someone on Omgpop. The companies that create these games purposefully design simulations that become addicting and give a false sense of accomplishment and gratification through the accumulation of virtual points, levels, money and other such “accomplishments.”

However, in the end, none of the virtual prizes awarded in the game have value in the real world.

Other study-break techniques such as physical exercise aren’t as time consuming and one more effective for a taking a refreshing break. Going for a 10-minute jog can help loosen up tense, cramped muscles as well as let your mind take a break from cramming and just focus on the steady rhythm of your footsteps.

The key factor that draws in players to these games is their addictiveness, something people conquer every day. So the simple thing to do in any case is to gather up some common sense and click that little red x.

—Chu, a junior, is a Centerfold Editor.

7 EDITORIAL: The Opinion of The Oracle

Forum

Wednesday June 1, 2011

Teachers’ merit should not be overshadowed by length of teaching career

A

s American education falls out of its position among the top worldwide education systems, the quality of American school districts has been called into serious question. Yet in the face of persisting economic struggles, the United States continues to funnel taxpayer dollars away from education. The budget cuts have caused tremendous teacher layoffs, which has added extra inspection into the current tenure system. Because seniority policies diminish education, school and district administrators should revise layoff policies so that performance is taken into greater consideration than seniority is.

In the self-proclaimed meritocracy of the United States, students with the greatest performance are rewarded. Teachers, on the other hand, are credited for the number of years they have taught. However, the number of years spent teaching is an inaccurate measure of an educator’s ability to teach. A 2009 study by University of Washington researchers Dan Goldhaber and Michael Hansen showed that teachers in their third years are generally as effective in teaching as those who have spent 10 to 20 years on the job.

They also found that students in schools with seniority policies learned on average two to four months of material less than

those under different layoff policies. The years of experience a teacher may have do not directly translate to increased performance.

Moreover, seniority policies prevent the best teachers from securing jobs.

Teachers who have worked for a longer time continue to hold most positions, while newer teachers who could be equally or more effective, are quickly eliminated. The Los Angeles Times found that over the past two years in the Los Angeles Unified School District, the district laid off about 190 teachers who were ranked in the top 20 percent for raising math and English test scores. Improvement in test scores and student and administrator evaluations would be more effective measures of a teacher’s effectiveness because they more concretely take into account the teacher’s impact on the students. The current policy, however, perpetuates a cycle of keeping teachers with seniority while forcing out newer teachers.

The newer teachers often compose a diverse range of ethnicities, while the older teachers generally have a much smaller variety. Seniority policies lower the amount of diversity among educators, giving students less experience with teachers who may represent their different ethnicities. A diverse range of teachers, on the other hand, would inspire students of various ethnicities to be more successful, lowering the achievement gap.

Although many feel that revising seniority policies would take jobs from teachers with more experience and give the positions to ones with less experience, a change in policy would improve our education system. Many years of experience do give teachers the opportunity to improve their performance, but hiring the most effective teachers rather than the most experienced will prevent lackluster teachers from constantly staying in school districts. Allowing the teachers who have proven themselves most effective to stay, on the other hand, can give them time to gain experience equal to that of teachers with seniority.

In order to resolve problems with seniority that dominate teacher layoffs, school and district administrators should institute improvement in test scores as the chief deciding factor in layoffs. Doing so would help improve the quality of education that students receive and avoid subjective evaluation of teachers. A combination of other factors such as student evaluations, attendance, classroom management performance and extra school responsibilities could also contribute to a more accurate measure of a teacher’s effectiveness. In a competitive job market, managers hire the most competent people, which does not always relate to years on the job.

It is crucial that the current ineffectual policies that attempt to avoid subjective

perceptions be replaced to keep the interest of the students at heart. The change necessary to restore American education to its former prestige begins with the introduction of newer, more effective policies.

—Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the staff (assenting: 26; dissenting: 2)

George Hwang

Making the perfect app Multiple finals better for students Sam Hayward From games to news, one can find just about anything in the world of apps. But what turns a simple idea into the top 10 apps downloads list? Why is it that some apps, after years of planning and meticulous consideration, fall by the wayside of the consumers? To many, it appears that the app market is unpredictable and cruel.

In fact, there is a precise recipe to achieve app stardom.

Some apps are simply tools for dealing with the Yau Alvina limits of time. The Robotic Guitar App for guitar players comes built in with tuners, metronomes, chords, scales to help out the musician. The app does a valuable service and cuts down on time, which is the power of apps. Consequently, apps need to be unique and functional. They have a specific purpose and they need to excel in that designed purpose.

Metaphorically speaking, apps are animals in nature. Each one has to find its specific niche or else it will die out. In the app world, the

competition is fierce. Apps are racing against time to keep up with the newest innovations and to adapt to the ever changing consumer market.

Pricing has to do with complex economics, but it also can be quite basic. According to AdWhirl, a corporation that deals with advertisements on apps, free apps are six times more likely to be installed than their dollar-busting counterparts.

According to gigaom.com, installation rates for one gaming app dropped 95 percent after the company started to charge 99 cents. Subsequently, be careful if one wants to put a dollar sign before an

app.

Catchy titles also play an important role in app marketing and help entice customers into the product.

Consumers tend to want to understand the benefits of the app and what services it will provide, not criticize the layout. Although it’s not wise to be hasty with app design, don’t overestimate its importance.

—Hayward, a junior, is a reporter.

Melia Dunbar In Gunn’s math program, the term “final exam” has come to encompass more than the conventional end-of-the-semester exams, as several courses offer additional tests to wrap up major areas of study. In accordance, classes such as Algebra 1A/Geometry A and Trigonometry/Analytical Geometry have become notorious for having two finals in one semester. While students usually associate tests with more work, the practice is actually beneficial, and helps students develop an in-depth understanding of course material.

Mastery of basic skills is critical to understanding advanced topics; a midway checkpoint motivates students to achieve total proficiency in basic areas they might otherwise neglect. Administering a comprehensive test midway through the semester lets teachers to ensure that every student is comfortable with the basics before going into more complicated material. In turn, students benefit from a greater sense of confidence as they begin to tackle new concepts. Through this,

students increase their ability to recognize patterns. Most importantly, they learn how to draw conclusions that incorporate both basic and complex aspects of the topic, thereby reaching a level of understanding that far surpasses surface-level regurgitation of facts from the previous unit.

A team of psychologists at Purdue University led by professor Jeffrey Karpicke once again confirmed what research has proven many times: when it comes to developing long-term understanding of a given topic, comprehensive

all about retrieving, all about reconstructing our knowledge,” Karpicke said to the New York Times. His study suggests that testing plays an invaluable role in the learning process, requiring students to “retrieve” and “reconstruct” as they work their way toward a higher level of understanding. While it’s easy for students to lose sight of this idea—indeed, many students seem to believe teachers create tests for the sole purpose of bogging their charges down with busywork—even the most obstinate disbelievers can admit that a well-written test has the potential to cement key ideas and call attention to important topics. Karpicke’s findings demonstrates that the skills that students develop through tests are stored in their long-term memory, which create the foundation on to build their knowledge of advanced material.

While students inevitably moan and groan George Hwang the night before a final, they must realize that the benefit of tests increasing their understanding are key to student success. outweighs the drawback of a few In Karpicke’s study, thousands extra study sessions. Two finals of college students were asked to encourages students to learn as read a nonfiction passage. Stumuch as possible, allowing students who received a test shortly dents to reap the benefits of expoafter reading the passage, which sure to a vast range of material. In prompted them to analyze and the end, students will be proud to interpret various components of know they made the most of their the passage, had almost twice time in class. the power of recollection a week later than those who did not take —Dunbar, a junior, is a reporter. the test. “I think that learning is

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Forum

THEORACLE

Summer fun fries the brain

Sleep, relaxation help aid in test taking

in focus and the ability to process information and analyze situations critically.

Additional studies have indicated that cramming is a limiting factor to information retention after tests. Science magazine issued a study in January 2011 that tested 200 college students, instructing them to read several science paragraphs to measure information retention. The study concluded that relaxing enchances a students’ ability to draw up relevant information in a cohesive manner extensively, while cramming reduces this retention, weakening the connectedness of the information.

Relaxation, paired with moderate studying and reviewing of materials, can be the key to less stress and better test performance.

However, relaxing is often thought of as partying or staying up late to prevent worry about the approaching test. Actual relaxation entails students sleeping early, doing enjoyable and low-strain activities such as exercise or light reading and eating healthily to maximize concentration and test performance.

With research supporting the necessities of sleep and the inefficiency of cramming on testing and retention results, it is only appropriate to conclude that cramming does not benefit the average student and should not be turned to as a study method.

Anna Qin Steve Yang With summer looming on the horizon, we must reanalyze and dissuade ourselves that we still need summer break. We must look towards the increasingly competitive global market the future brings, and decide for ourselves if our “lazy summers” are truly worth it. It’s sometimes easy to forget that a little pain now will go a long way later in life. That’s why I believe the United States should reevaluate our current summer break schedule and seriously weigh the rewards vs. consequences—shorter summers now for greater success in the future? I’d say that’s a good trade-off.

One thing is undeniable­—high school students love summer break. Those sunshinefilled months spent lounging around reading comic book after comic book have come to define my childhood. There are always vacations to be had, foreign lands to be discovered and fragile minds to be recharged.

Yet nothing may be more detrimental to learning aptitude and the overall scholastic health of a student than those long, uneventful summer days. President Barack Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan recently described the elongated summer vacation as “outdated” and “inadequate” for 21st century life.

Summer vacation was originally established in order to accommodate the summer harvest season, when schoolchildren had to take a month or two off to help their parents gather crops. However, in today’s nonagrarian society, we need to revisit this notion that an elongated summer break is a good idea.

In other nations such as Japan and South Korea, which regularly score significantly higher on international standardized tests than the United States, students go to school for as many as 243 days a year. This is almost 60 more days than the American average of 184 days. It is not irrational to conclude that longer school years equate to higher test scores, and would result in a more competent future workforce.

A recent study by Johns Hopkins University found that missing one month of schooling equates to one week of necessary reeducation at the beginning of the school year. Due to the giant gap between schooling years, a significant portion of the year (three weeks to a whole month) is taken up by students who need to relearn material covered in the previous year.

Finally, education is all about equalizing financial disparities between families. With our summer break schedule, students without the financial means to attend “brain jogging” summer camps or partake in other academic stimuli suffer the most. Wealthier families are able to send their children to top of the line summer facilities, taught by college professors and thus furthering their own academic prosperity. Students that are not as academically involved, however, are shown to backslide during summer, while other students’ achievement levels remain high.

To close this gap and provide equal opportunies for every student, our current school schedule must be changed to reflect the needs and demands of the current age. America has always striven to be number one, to never be beaten. Our grassroots education system is the pinnacle of our fight, and if we lose on this front, we will forever be shorthanded.

–Yang, a sophomore, is a Business Manager.

As finals and June SATs close in, many students are relying on heavy study sessions, also known as cramming, to quickly absorb a large amount of information in order to successfully get through their examinations. Cramming is loosely defined as the attempt to digest a large volume of information in a relatively short amount of time. Successful cramming entails the complete consummation of knowledge under that time restraint. While this may be perceived to be an effective method of studying as well as the more desirable option due to the reduced amount of time put in, students are ultimately losing more than they gain in this arduous process, whether on tests or in the long run. Recent studies have shown the damaging results of cramming, including productivity loss and diminished retention.

The root of many problems associated with cramming is sleep —Qin, a sophomore, is a Features Editor. deprivation. While there is no specific requirement for the number of hours the average teenager body needs, cramming nonetheless infringes upon general sleeping habits due to the large amount of study time required immediately before a test. A study in 2003 by the Sleep and Chronobiology Laboratory at the Hospital of University of Pennsylvania measured the effects of sleep deprivation on sustained attention, the concentration needed to maintain focus on one specific subject for an extended period of time. Researchers administered tests over a two-week span and found that subjects who had over eight hours of sleep daily had fewer attention lapses and no cognitive declines, while subjects who had fewer than six hours of sleep had increasingly declining attention spans over the 14 days. The results indicate that cramming leads to a general decrease George Hwang

Girls: don’t bend to ‘freaking’ peer pressure Boot Bullwinkle Have you ever found yourself freaking with someone and simultaneously caught the eye of your teacher? Now that is the definition of awkward, and there is no reason why it should not be. Freaking has become a part of the teenage culture, but when broken down, it’s very unappealing to most people. Here’s the general analysis of freaking for those who have managed to elude freaking or even avoid the sight of freaking: a boy’s private area is firmly applied to the girl’s butt and the two proceed to grind to the beat of a song. That’s pretty provocative, right? From a boy’s perspective, this simulation of clothed sex is pretty darn cool, while still inappropriate.

But what’s so great about freaking from a girl’s perspective? Out of the fifty-five girls I asked about their opinion of freaking, 37 said that they did not enjoy freaking. It’s a norm at dances that everyone freaks, but if the majority of girls don’t like freaking, then why does everyone do it so much? “Because the guy wants it,” one girl said. I’m not saying that my survery was the most scientific, but it was certainly eye-opening. Most girls said that they enjoyed dancing and having fun, but when

I work occasionally as an aide for a Special Education Class at Gunn. One day in April, I was escorting a student with Down’s syndrome.

That day in gym class, the class was playing badminton. The students were paired up in fours and working hard to improve their skills with their peers.

My student was trying as well, but by herself. She struggled with control and coordination of her racket.

All of a sudden, she approached another student and asked, “Can I play with you?” To my pleasant surprise, the

they thought about it, realized how inappropriate freaking was. It is important that both the boy and the girl have fun at a dance, but respect and communication are essential so that one person’s fun isn’t ruined.

In our teenage society, girls are influenced to freak at dances, and sometimes unwillingly. So many times, girls complain about how they had to dance with an awkward or random person. If a girl rejects someone, she’s thought of as a snob. This leaves the girl with two options: bear out three minutes of a weird guy dancing with her, or resort to the oh-so famous line, “I’m really thirsty. I’m going to go grab a drink.”

Girls should have the same choice as guys when it comes to freaking, and being able to handle these hard situations is imperative. Girls do not always get a choice of who they dance with, especially when guys start moving into their space. Guys should not be taking advantage of the prone situation that girls are put in. If you ever find yourself walking around, scoping your next target, maybe you should be asking yourself why you’re alone in the first place. Nowadays, girls are encouraged to be provocative, and the guys are encouraged to target the ones who put out the most. This results in a snowball effect of girls adopting looser morals, and guys having lower respect for them.

So boys, if you start freaking with a girl and she turns around with a complete look of terror, it would probably be in both of your best interests to back off.

—Bullwinkle, a sophomore, is an Entertainment Editor.

young man responded, “Yes, of course,” and played badminton with her until the end of class. My special needs student hit the birdie all over the court, and the young man picked it up from the floor many times. He continued to be her partner until the end of the class.

I thanked the young man, but forgot to ask his name. So whoever you are, I want you to know that you are my hero.

If I were a college recruiter, I would choose you over others who might have higher grades. If I were a manager at a Fortune 500 company, I would choose

you over others with fancier resumes.

Because in the end, it is not your school record that determines who you are and the impact you make on the world. It is your character and your life philosophy that brings success. Understanding, kindness, and regard for fellow human beings are the ingredients needed for a successful global person of the 21st century. I am so glad I observed these attributes in this young man in gym class at Gunn.

—Submitted by Alice U. Hahn, Ph.D.

Features

Wednesday June 1, 2011

9

The Oracle says goodbye to three teachers who will be retiring after this school year Janet Fox

Judy Niizawa

Sonia Stroessner

After 33 years of teaching at Gunn, Special Education teacher Janet Fox is planning on retiring after this school year.

Fox teaches students who are orthopedically handicapped and helps integrate them into classes at Gunn. “They spend part of their day in my classroom working with me on basic skills and part of their day in mainstream classes,” she said. “I work with the mainstream class teachers to design modification for their classes so my students can participate.”

Fox says that she has enjoyed her time at Gunn and has found that teachers are always helpful and ready to accept her students into their classes. “We also have lots of mainstream students who come to our room and interact with the students,” Fox said.

“It is an extremely accepting community for students with disabilities.”

Because of the great environment, Fox has found her job to be very rewarding. “I think it’s just amazing how much these students learn and grow,” she said. “It’s wonderful being able to seeing students that graduate and go on to be successful. I’ll come and visit, of course.” For Fox, teaching has never been boring, as she is always thinking of ways to maximize her students’ progress.

According to Fox, after she leaves Gunn, she is still going to stay in the field of education. “I want to go into private practice,” she said. “If I’m going to go in a new direction, this seems like a good time.”

Fox already teaches a summer course at Notre Dame de Namur in Belmont for those training to be special education teachers, and hopes that it will prepare her for the type of work she plans to do after she retires from Gunn.

With her newfound free time, Fox plans on getting a labradoodle puppy and spending more time at home. “Whatever I do, it won’t start at 7:55 a.m.,” Fox said.

Since 1970, Special Education teacher Judy Niizawa has been working with the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) in speech pathology, specializing in helping kids with language disorders. However, right now, she is looking forward to passing on the position to someone else. “It just seemed right to vacate the position for somebody who might be more jazzed about the technology and new online software techniques available,” Niizawa wrote in an email.

However, for Niizawa, leaving does not mean letting go of her 40-year-long career. “I will continue with what I do now, except I won’t have to come to work,” Niizawa wrote.

After leaving PAUSD, Niizawa plans to reunite with some of the people she lived with after World War II. “I am involved with capturing the history of the Japanese American communities before and after World War II,” she wrote.

Although she has many favorite memories, the aspect of Gunn that Niizawa liked the most was her fellow teachers. “I loved working with the gifted staff and how they would bring out the best in all of the students,” she wrote. “The energy is incredible and very stimulating.”

According to Niizawa, working at Gunn has been a memorable experience. “It helped me go back to my days in high school and to take the students’ point of view,” she wrote. “But [even] more, it showed me how boundless youths’ approach to life can be and how great the future will be in their hands.” When thinking about her students, Niizawa recalls her experiences with a smile. “I loved the special touches in the way hair and fashions were worn,” she wrote. “I had a chuckle every day and enjoyed that creativity and selfexpression.”

Niizawa appreciates the students and the staff for making her experiences at Gunn memorable. “It has been a real kick and I will miss Gunn,” she said.

Spanish teacher Sonia Stroessner, who has taught at Gunn for 23 years, is retiring after this year.

Stroessner has taught many sections of Spanish, including Spanish 3 and 4, Advanced Placement (AP) Spanish Language and AP Spanish Literature. With her new time, she plans on bonding with her family and grandchildren.

Stroessner reminisces about her many years as a teacher, during which she watched the school develop into an educational powerhouse. “The number of the students have increased and the demands of the colleges are much greater,” she said. “The students’ attitudes about learning have changed in order to conform. However, it was not always for the better.

Grades are not as important as knowledge.”

According to sophomore Jesse Kim from Stroessner’s Spanish 3 class, Stroessner has made an impact at Gunn and many students will miss her. “She’s very enthusiastic about teaching,” Kim said. “My favorite moments are when she tells a funny story or when she does a little dance to the class.“ Senior Matthew Wang, who takes Stroessner’s AP Literature class, agrees. “Mrs. Stroessner makes learning fun,” he wrote in an email. “She makes her classes interactive, whether it includes acting out things, singing or drawing­—she really cares about her students and tries her best to remain calm and explain everything.”

Although she has enjoyed her time at the school, Stroessner wishes to pursue her other interests in life.

“Gunn has been my dream job,” she said. “However, I would like to have some time for myself before I get too old to enjoy it.” Stroessner plans to learn a new language, improve her dancing and read the many books she has amassed over the years.

As Stroessner retires, she urges her students to remain open to new ideas. “Learn as much as you can,” she said. “The more you know, the more you realize how little you know.”

Photos and Graphics by George Hwang and Wendy Qiu

—Compiled by Anna Qin, Rani Shiao and Lydia Zhang

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Features

THEORACLE

Wendy Qiu and Jonathan Yong

Left: The Youth Art Annual Exhibition was held between May 9 through May 31. Right: Art collection on display, ranging from oil paintings and sculptures to rice paper paintings.

Palo Alto students display art at district office Emily Yao

Sports Editor

From May 9 to May 31, the Palo Alto Unified School District Office hosted the Youth Art Annual Exhibition, an event that featured artwork produced by Palo Alto students from kindergarten to 12th grade. The event is usually held at the Palo Alto Art Center, but due to renovations, the art show was moved to the district office located on Churchill Avenue.

The art show contained various types of artwork, ranging from digital photography, paintings and paper-mache to bronze sculptures, ceramics and drawings. Also on display were self-portraits, pictures of animals and famous monuments, and collages and paintings of food and other subjects The works of art presented different types of themes for all

viewers to enjoy.

The show also provided other activities that spectators could partake in besides admiring art. On May 11, the Palo Alto Art Center hosted a hands-on art making at the reception. “In addition, viewers could read the interpretive elements for each artwork,” Art Coordinator Sharon Ferguson said. Art Story labels were added this year, which included information about art from the past that inspired lessons and students. “There were also Art Responder labels, which are for artworks chosen by the Palo Alto Art Commissioners because they touched, moved or amazed them,” Ferguson said. “The written comments were displayed with the work.”

Many Gunn students had their artwork chosen by the Palo Alto Art Commissioners, including seniors Danielle Wenocur and

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Vanessa Xia. Wenocur’s digital picture of a dog and Xia’s oil painting on canvas received great responses from Palo Alto Art Commission Chair Terry Acebo Davis. In addition, Wenocur’s picture was featured on a banner to advertise for the event.

Wenocur’s interest and talent in art developed during her freshman year. “After taking Art Spectrum, I got better at drawing and knew I wanted to continue doing art,” she said. “I had to choose between doing drawing and painting or graphic design, and in the end, I chose graphic design.”

Since then, Wenocur has produced many works of art, and she says that graphic design teacher Mark Gleason has been her main source of help. “If Mr. Gleason charged five cents for each good idea he gives me, in the end, he would be rich and I would be broke,”

she said.

On the other hand, Xia became interested in art when she went along with her younger sister to art lessons. As she improved, Xia says that art became her main method of expressing her emotions. “Even though I am capable of expressing myself through words, art offers many more ways to accurately portray what I feel and think because there are so many more options in terms of colors and textures,” she said. Xia is currently in the Studio Art program taught by Deanna Messinger.

In the past years, the exhibit has been very popular. “It is an amazing testament to the collective power of student visual art and artists,” Ferguson said. “The work is so accomplished, diverse and sophisticated it almost seems impossible that it is student art.”

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Features

Wednesday June 1, 2011

Student expresses creativity with yo-yo Kyle Zhu

Reporter

Yo-yoing has recently become more popular among students. One such enthusiast is freshman Max Tripolsky, who has become well-known for excelling at this unique hobby. He is part of the newly established Yo-yo Club and according to club president sophomore Jason Ang, Tripolsky is talented and always tries to help people learn new tricks.

For Tripolsky, yo-yoing is not just any random hobby, but rather a skill that he strives to constantly improve. He competes at many Bay Area competitions and has also competed on the state level in hopes of qualifying for the state finals. He also attends the Bay Area Classic Yo-yo and California State Yo-yo contests and although he placed 16th last year, Tripolsky has been working hard by practicing as much as he can in preparation for his future competitions.

Tripolsky recalls how easy it is to mess up while performing at a major competition, since he recently dropped one trick while he was competing. “You go up there on this stage alone, and everyone stares and expects you to amaze them,” Tripolsky said. “Regardless of whether or not you mess up, the show must go on.”

According to Tripolsky, a fun aspect of competitions is meeting professional “yoyoers” and watching everyone perform.

Every competitor has a different style, and watching the performances sparks Tripolsky’s creativity and helps him invent new tricks.

Tripolsky first started yo-yoing when he was 10. He remembers seeing a commercial on television and deciding that he was going to pursue the hobby. His sister taught him some basic tricks like “walk the dog” and “gravity pull.” From there, he started to learn from both his friends and the Internet. “I remember watching a video

on the Bay Area Classic contest,” Tripolsky said. “And the people that won did all sorts of technical and flashy tricks that really got me interested in competitive yo-yoing.”

In the world of yoyoing, there are five styles: single A, looping, triple A, offstring and counterweight. Single A involves a long spinning yo-yo, while triple A involves using two of those at once. In addition, looping uses two fast-moving yo-yos, and offstring involves a yoyo that can release off the string. Tripolsky is skilled in all five styles of yo-yoing and is best at single A and counterweight. He has collected many yo-yos over the years, and has also both bought and won many from competitions and raffles. “Although there are many different yoyos out there, it doesn’t matter which one you use,” Tripolsky said.

“It’s all about how much Kyle Zhu experience, skill and Top left: Freshman Max Tripolsky performs a “green triangle suicide,” one of a large variety of yocreativity you have.” yo tricks that Tripolsky knows. Top right: Tripolsky (middle) poses with other members of the YoSince he doesn’t have a yo Club. Bottom left: Tripolsky pulls off a “UFO.” Bottom right: Tripolsky executes a “gyroscope.” favorite yo-yo, Tripolsky just randomly picks one whenever he blowing,” Ang said. “He knows so many Aside from yo-yoing, Tripolsky is also wants to yo-yo for fun. tricks, and still manages to link them all a skilled juggler and often participates with While most competitors use tricks together smoothly. That takes some seri- the school’s juggling club. He also enjoys made up by other people, Tripolsky is of- ous skill.” “Max is crazy at yo-yoing,” being a part of the track and field team, ten found combining tricks and making his sophomore Eric Lee said. “His tricks are where he runs sprints for the team. Outside own variations of them. “Tripolsky turns so quick and require so much skill, it’s of school, he often enjoys playing tennis yo-yoing into something completely mind- hard to believe he got so good so fast.” and biking on the weekends.

Former teacher continues assistance in district Song Park & Jean Wang

Reporter and News editor

For many students and staff members, former Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle School (JLS)

teacher Mel Froli has been a ubiquitous presence throughout his time in the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD). “He just keeps showing up, looking happy,” Special Education teacher

Jonathan Yong

Former Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle School teacher Mel Froli has worked to improve the Palo Alto community.

Janet Fox said. “He’s here year after year.”

Froli first joined PAUSD in 1963 as a teacher at Terman Jr. High, after which he moved to JLS in 1979. During his long tenure as a teacher, he has taught Gunn teachers Justin Brown, Steve Ames, Don Briggs, Heather Mellows, Brian Tuomy and secretary Lynn Glover. “He kept the classroom organized and calm, and held you at a high standard that kept you going the whole time,” physical education (P.E.) teacher Steve Ames said. Over the years, Froli has noticed the advent of many changes in teaching. “Changes that I feel have occurred include the rise of collaborative learning in the classroom, the increase in dealing with social issues, the rapid growth of technology and the accompanying impact on teaching and learning and the declining support base provided by family,” Froli wrote in an email.

Today, Froli continues to work at JLS, assisting in classroom teaching, running the student recognition program, supervising the Student Store, handling the mascot and advising the Knowledge Bowl Club. In addition to his busy schedule at JLS, Froli volunteers at Gunn as the sports announcer for

the girls’ volleyball and basketball games. “I’ve thought he’s been a great asset to Gunn athletics. He’s willing to volunteer for anything if you ask him,” P.E. teacher Matt McGinn said. “It’s hard to find people like him, who are just so eager to volunteer their time.”

Ames also attests to Froli’s dedication. “When he’s volunteering, he makes sure he knows what he’s doing to make it professional,” he said. “He doesn’t cut corners.” In addition, Froli plays an important role in the Palo Alto community, having been a Stanford sports announcer for 16 years, covering volleyball, women’s basketball, women’s gymnastic and baseball.

Froli finds great pleasure in his time at Palo Alto. “I have very much enjoyed teaching classes, relating with students at JLS and

Gunn and watching many of them participate in sports and activities,” Froli wrote.

For him, the most satisfying part of teaching is the development of relationships with students and staff. “I take pleasure in seeing students move from the middle school years through high school and follow their progress,” he wrote.

Because of his continued service, Froli has become a valuable part of the Palo Alto community.

“He’s just been, in general, someone who supports students not just in school, but also in extracurriculars,” McGinn said. “That sends a positive message to students that there’s someone to support them.

It’s important to know they’re being supported by adults in the community.”

12

Cente

THEORACLE

With the Digital Age in full swing, children are becoming more exposed to electronic goods. The Oracle explores how technology has influenced the childhoods of two generations.

l a t i g i d s e o Re a d i ng g

onic. Stuwas not electrters in class. ol ho sc , ar compu yesterye In the days ofing books and rarely usede Internet and laptops us th g ed in is done us dents research most research dle, However, noway in many classrooms. such as the Amazon Kin sce st s ac n et d ai bl an m ta a g are t of readin sophistication With the onses entered a new stage of e or ordering from those ok ha stor reading, too, r than going to the bookn simply download an e-bo he ca at d R il . , a ch sibility astic catalogs ha inutes. colorful Scholne store in a matter of m of this technology. Wit lm pa ts li e efi th on en in b from an e are many a oks now laying Granted, therotherwise inaccessible bo e satisfaction of buying th of e d nc or ie sb er p ga ex smor , a person can ing to the of one’s hand neously. erback. By go interesting ap p ta to an ts st in efi on book stumble up there are ben ce Undeniably, son is able to browse andwouldn’t have had a chang a e er in is p ld a rw ho e, he or of ot st g ey th elin book ver. agazines that wonderful fe novels and m d read. There’s also the beauty of an unscuffed co rred fe s an re r p ou r ve in ei co m th is lu e d to l to the to choos el ft sm le pree e e ar th s om m S om . stalgia book, fr bookwor no e, or ag e ia nc ed ie se m en hers lect conv In today’s whether it be rchasing ability, while otoney for it. e, iv ot m d an pu m per irect means d shelling pa access and d ­—Steve Yang fer the rapid of picking up a book an ay w ” ld the “o

e m o c e ized b ys ern o T od m

yver ugh e e s re o we get en rnet u pend s. s o s e t t g ar Le uldn’ re In could els c imar- s. d e n a co fo 2 h pr itie e les then nd be 5 to 1 ot W t are qual of th en c i ion ck d a es g H tha ch ns se s, , B en ba xiste m ag racin ones gh-te rf gu lso be babie een l t e o i e ock ildr ds e fr nd he d h N n a ve” s b ura y P nd ch e iPa ildren oh a mes t hy an lored his ca y Ali nd haernat tions l l o c ” D i o e e P s a lik , ch y- nt as -c . T ab tr up lle ra. lik 1990 ings r kids g) Pla s, ofte ore fl audy guns ke “B other y of s w co culau and s t Toy n the ore th m fo eatin y toy for m lky, g irsof lls, li n. An ularit of ne “Dra exist 10s i ef rea (or an rn bu c a do io op ion d ill 20 s e r B st h p t an t e e er M tu e ti e wh hem. main ishing ged. harp hat th realis mor ke fasn the e crea ein” olls s in th w off ike t e qu an a s r t ly nd eli t d s o h o f o am e s ch en lea ari e a lif ing to t ie S rbie Toy s n it.” L e fuk becir tim s have e tak it is c to sc e mor t in a italiz e led Fran —Ba ture. “R” U o Un ar, th begun n v v u b , p c “ i r e e a a e th Tim s, h .com ed whe nd a ly ca t” h lled gon the f Toy Com ghtye have nster ; y m i s h o a , a s e r e d n o s L r t g c i e o l D e e i or b dtim ransf s dol mov oubt Twil dolls 90s a ange ompe /DV Buzz 2010 trol m ng f y ’ n e n t ha il tre ve day y to und ke “ de the ch ’t c TV se th co Z o o u n a i h t n e dia On 0s h of to abili hat is oks l t incl ys of nue t h ca -inc cho ids i mot Ly 199 ome n the one t by bo ” tha the to conti y-Doess 13 ms to dy, k for re — s in give g up, ated High that will le Pla rinc y see Woo eels are outin s cre nster s not t toys simp ney P And wboyot Wh spr ance “Mo er, it’ e tha that “Dis hich ty co nd H romch as owev itabl anced and a y, in ws trus ets a su H inev adv ucts Stor er hi hu p it’s re so prod Toy n, ov huZ a ple vie ma or Z f Ap e mo space bies h ic r t u in rist ap F tu sw . to cks tr u Graphics by George Hwang, Lisa Wu and Alvina Yau

sca c o u l dn d r I c o nt r n t h e m u s ol l i ng L o ok ic v id e o a n d U i ng b a ck “ F ly 2 , w h o w a l ly f l i k e a G 6 ” a b o u t e lt i n g r e a t he sahow no mt a me Howe way. v er, de som e t wou ldh i ng to d b a r e so e p r et t p f u l a t e a c ef ge a r ou nt t i n dt

13

erfold

Wednesday June 1, 2011

Time to bring back imagination

Annie Tran

Tel evis ion sh

ifts

DooIn the cul to Al 90s. c to thture, st l That. hildren ed is day arting These ’s tele Ranthe tre . For extrends show vision gers nd o am like s we rang pl re f e P I n Nic com are stil stars b e, show okémo the ced from k l p e n s fro elod ariso an e com like tha nter o Scoo and m the eon sh n to th xample ing sin Lizzie t have c f popu byina Hann 90s. T ows s e past of te gers McG ontin lar and ppropr ah Mo hese p eem le, today amwo and Thuire st ued cur the p iate. H ntan rogra ss en ’s Disn rk at i e Po artIt is rent ch lots ar owev a seem ms, liktertain ey Ch ts best wer new impo ildre e unr er, wh badl e Th ing th annel . cati child rtant t n’s teleealistic ile the y put t e Regu an shoand a to onal th ren’s t o see t vision , there actingogethe lar Sh ws like ol to m an b elevis hat, d that are m is ov r and ow env Word old chefore a ion, th espite are be any a er the age the ironm Girl d ildren nd tele ese sh the pe neficia spect top you ent. emo int vis ows rcei l to s of ion ve ng o E a n k sionWhile er gen ven shostrate t well-ro is nowre far md flaws ids. h e G sho of th ener ratio ws li e valu unde bein ore e in uted ws fro e 90s i ation Zn the imke The e of edd peop g used duto t m bo s sup wil por Jona ucat le. Sh as he s th t i e l o ocia gene rior to stubboance of s Brothon in a ws l de rati curr rnly a ba ers fun velo ons te e l pme havent chil insist t anced ach d li h nt o sig ren f th nific ’s te at televfe. e yo an levi itly ut con sion, —A h. trib m ri ta M oitr a

Ma i n c h a n st re a m m g es m usic ea n i n gs

focu s

Ba c k d a lo u i n t h e 9 0 rea l ly s: Music s, p opu la r c m musicrelat e to, sonsist e d o usic d id n g t he sc ene to uch a s h f songs t ’t just t a l h ig k m d s, p e usic sc e ay, a r t ist h scho ol at act ua l l ab out d r i k on ople a re s ne wit h t hs l i ke Jus , love a nd y t a l ke d a n k i ng, pa r t t h b o ut w rot ehe 9 0 s, t h ow n pa r t ei r cat chy i n Bieb er,pr a ise. some t yi ng, a nd y e t h i ng b K b i s t n o e o e g n a p $ ” ove t g t h a t p e i ng r a nd s t hat d id songs we wh i le wea s a nd rep ha a nd Fa e o pl e r e by e t i t iv t d et a r i ng r over. n’t ju r E a st e p i s I e l e n t l v .

M y o s e r F r ic te pl ep al o o at t er what r exa mple ad, t hey a eat ph r a s e l i ke t he i ng clot h i s. Howevvement a r ct ua l e er, i n , t he e ob st a n B s g a c s a uc ks s ly so cl e s c t s p it e ome b ng “My H t a l ke d abh a s “Bab t re et Boyst hey go c r hei r t y, ,C ou az e et we e d a n c e h e l a ck o n t woa r t Wi l l G t what em baby, bab el i ne D io y. f y oh! o O n” o t io n n p e o pl y h a r a n d j u m p m e a n i ng ” s e’s lo ve, t hby Cel i ne p e ople ac a nd f u l. T d consider a rou nd to i n t he ly r i t o . ey w i D ng p e d ay’s musi ng how sl For i nst a cs, music l l a lw i o n t a l k s u n n o o i a o c c p w y e w l i s , dan s t he rh to t he e to d a fe e l c i n g a d ay s g i yt nc playe d b e a t, it’s doe, a nd i f mat d a nc es h m is a nd to Ma r ia ves p e opl e h h b u i n g it s job. sic ca n ge e cause it’sow her son Ca rey t p e op gs suc c e le t o f s la i l s—Kyl e Z hu

sinc e

199 0

s

What is this madness I hear now? Kids choosing to stay inside during recess to play on the computers? Trading Pokémon on their DSi’s? Checking their Neopets accounts? I must confess that I myself was once involved in all of these activities but never during recess. Heck, when I had a chance to go outside, I’d just grab it and go.

It seems our generation has set up quite the paradox for our following successors. In this day and age, it is no longer surprising to see toddlers with iPads and third graders walking around with flashy new cell phones. A large percent of parents are doling out hundreds of dollars on whatever pleases their little baby bumpkins despite the recent economic recession. It may seem surprising to some, but the philosophy these days seems to be that if it’s for the kids’ betterment or education, why not?

This generation of tech-parents, however, are failing to realize that unfortunately, with the introduction of sophisticated technology, the new generation has produced more and more children that would simply prefer to stay inside staring at blinking screens. With all of the surrounding technology that we have thus far achieved, we seem to have lost a sense of humanity that less and less children are experiencing: going outside.

Parents don’t realize that by allowing this to continue, they are actually harming their children socially. In the past, our generation has been granted simpler toys that garnered more of our imagination versus now where everything is already done for us. Also, for our own enjoyment, we depended more on our imagination and played games outside like hide-and-seek or freeze tag. Now, it’s more like “Hey, want to play a game with me online?”

Has the idea of going outside for the sake of fun been thrown away? Believe it or not, we learn the social skills we’ll need to later survive in our overcritical and cutthroat world from those simple outdoors games. We may encounter problems with playmates that we have to find solutions to by ourselves, without depending on a computer to communicate our feelings to another human being. As humans, we crave face-to-face social correspondence. In fact, recent studies have even proclaimed that humans respond best to touch and visual 3-D interaction. However, it seems we’ve created a whole new network of artificial social skills, so that children spend less time with other people.

Don’t get me wrong, I fully support the development of new technology. However, there should be limits to how much a child is exposed to. Parents should not be resorting to sticking their kids in front of a television or just handing them a pacifying Apple product. That, my friends, is taking the easy way out.

Yes, I know most of us have memories of ourselves as kids just sitting in front of the TV and watching the mystical stories of Disney come to life or giggling at the latest Blue’s Clues episode, but at least we’ve come to cherish those childhood relics. Now, I see kids obsess about things like Miley Cyrus’s new sexy look or the new update on the Angry Birds app for the iTouch.

If children paid as much attention to nature as they do the latest Wizards of Waverly Place episode, perhaps they would develop more inclination for social interaction, thus preventing them from learning life’s hardest lessons alone.

—Tran, a junior, is a Business Manager

14

Features

THEORACLE

Katherine Moser I had my first day of teaching in 1997 working as a substitute teacher. I had just decided to switch careers (teaching is my 3rd car eer, actually) and had been accepted to Stanford for my credential.

To get some experience before starting to teach graduate school, I got an em ergency teachi ng per mit so I could substit ute teach for a wh ile before entering the program. I had worked out an arrangement to do long-term sub stitute assignments at Monta Vista High School, whe re a family friend of mine was head of the science department.

My first assignment was in a phy siology class, running the mink dissection lab for a teacher who was taking a two-week holiday . She had left the cur riculum (lab manual, etc) for me so I could give students their copies. My job: get the minks ready!

I was a bit nervous because I had never dissected a mink before, so I volunteered to come in the day before to learn where all the sup plies were stored and to get the lab set up. I figured my first day would be easy as I was prepared.

When I first walked in into the roo m, the students knew I was a sub, but they had no idea that I was a first-time teacher (because I was really, really, really old when I began teaching). I did n’t realize this until later, but due to my age, kids just naturally thought I had a lot of experience and nev er questioned me.

Also, they instantly recognize d I was the same age as their parents, so they just assumed I would be typically parental and conserv ative, and all my students have always behaved well. I didn’t know this at the time, so I tried to establish credibility with them by telling them about my qualifications.

I introduced myself, describ ed my background (research, running a medical clin ic, teaching), and asked them if they had any que stions. Sur prisingly, they were actually interested in my research experience, so we chatted a bit about that for a few minutes.

Then, I introduced the lesson (dis section safety and how to use the tools first), and we opened up our bags of minks to begin the firs t dissection.

Sur prise! I had put the minks in the dissection trays, but hadn’t actually opened the bags. Turns out we had been sent the wrong min ks—these still had their skin and fur on! So...I had to draw a picture on the board about how to skin an animal and we spent the entire first period removing the pelts.

Luckily, I had a lot of experi-

ence skinning animals; in my first research lab we would often take the “normal con trol” rabbits home and cook them for dinner (after removing their internal organs for our data collect ion). I was quite a pro at skinning a rabbit, and min ks are very similar so it was very easy to skin a min k. Unfortunately, you can’t make a coat of the fur once it has been embalmed!

By now, between the introdu ction and extra “skinning” time, we were already one day behind.

We never made up the time, but the teacher I was working with was still very hap py. It turns out to be quite difficult to find substitu tes who are willing to run a dissection lab, so she was actually grateful I could do anything at all.

The moral of the stor y—always open up all your supplies before you start!

I am always ultraprepared now!

Second moral—it pays to amass odd skills like animal skinning, because you never know when they might come in handy.

—Moser, a guest columnist, is

George Hwang

n FIRST KISS from pg. 1

afterward, iller” for some days called me “Kitten K eth. and I gritted my te d I were dents in that car an The three other stu and we t, ch re d of Mr. Geezb rsonunited in our hatre Pe l. ee wh e behind the g if in each dreaded our tim th e ol wh given up on the sed ally, I would have ha rc pu d ha secret dream: I m ea it were not for my dr y m d rlier at age 14 an Bill Dunbar a ith a car two years ea w st te se al driver’s licen was to take the fin d rebuilt myself. my night- car that I ha in ar as a high scho ol pe ap to ed us sp ent long hour s d ha l, I Mr. Geezbrecht r, to uc str in g a Ch ilton’s manua high school drivin an pu zzling over hm re es an fr mares. He was my we th y ey et th ch til ot my knuckles un der and more cr ile and I had scraped and he was even ol my 1966 Oldsmob d. ently scar red, but an l rm ke al pe ta his name suggeste sm to a e d m r ha fo ready Bakersfield ting in the driveway sit s My high school in ed wa us ey th at th police cruisers fleet of refurbished for a the DMV test. ter of driver’s train ive, and every day dr to s nt de e end of the semes stu th h At e of re l to teac th al ith of w t lis rs na one of these ca eezbrecht ran dow semester I slid into Geezbrecht ing, Mr. G r. , I supposed, as M nd at (a th s er so iv s nt dr de nesses as ak we r s to ou g other terrified stu in try d an only gave certificate e’d be signaling beings as well). He an m ng m hu lli could belittle us. W fro ye nt be de ’d stu her freeway, and he on to me and one ot merge onto the busy IND YOU!?! of completi H ated that both of BE ul ’S ec sp HO he W en !!! r, and even th ca ! y D! m tlet “LANE POSITION EE SP R U the DMV. The gaun !! WATCH YO uld fail our tests at wo d or us ha od LOOK A H EA D! t de ch r re ou zb til Mr. Gee , DAMMIT!” un en thrown down! be h d tc to ha di e LANE POSITION a m to to in e up iv re, and it was re ready to dr predicted my failu ant failed and we we ng. to make it all stop. ran over prove him wro st solo drive my turn to drive I s wa later, during my fir it ys en da e wh re e Th nc ve O ha d ul co I ra . tempo ry license s in the road own ca r with my y m at in th a paper bag that wa id ra af s edom and sense of the bag, but I wa y pocket, I felt fre m t hi d in I swerved to avoid n he W . at an I expected. I ha uldn’t like th that was greater th f lie Y H re ns Mr. Geezbrecht wo so “W d les ic lle at ye um r. Geezbrecht Mr. Geezbrecht’s tra the bag, though, M G!?! THERE survived vision of how BA a d AT ha TH I e ER us rge part beca ! la E! I in DID YOU RUN OV ER TH IN to work out when EN KITTENS ything was going er as ev w ee I COULD HAVE BE G ” r.

S! M N at TE to honk LE D SI X K IT d. I couldn’t wait , rte so sta k xt YOU JUST K IL in ne th e ’t th s dn di pu cam kill kittens? I when I pulled onto shaken. Did I really nly now that I zbrecht O l? ue cr so g in but why was he be idea of morning. e that this was his se I n ca r de ol h uc am m all to me. He columnist, is a it was not funny at —Dunbar, a guest humor. At the time physics teacher.

to our extreme palates. The frantic adults found us an hour later gobbling up the neighbor’s strawberry patch. Needless to say, we never got to go swimming.

The first time I went to Tyler’s house, I fell in love. With Tyler’s tree house. Though I had grown up in the woods, climbing trees daily, I had never been inside a tree house.

I begged Tyler to let me see the inside of the amazing fort. For the first time, he looked hesitant but started to climb up the ladder. I grabbed the first rung to follow Tyler, but his older brother raced over.

“You can’t go up there,” Tyler’s brother mocked. To my quizzical look, he responded, “You’re a girl.”

“So?” I replied, not grasping his point. “I can climb too.” I started up the wooden ladder, trying my best not to look down.

The ground was really far away.

This was much higher than the big slide at Aunt Carole’s.

Tyler’s brother gaped at my defiance. “I’ll tell.” The worst words a troublemaker can hear.

He backed up his claim by inching towards his house.

The tree house was so close.

I couldn’t stop now. I pulled myself up the final two rungs and sat next to Tyler. We were alone in our own kingdom of

a biology teacher.

mismatched boards, rusty nails and sun-streaked leaves. From the splintery corner of the room we couldn’t see his brother, the house or our impending doom. Tyler grinned at me proudly. I had beaten the most terrifying of enemies: the older brother. He leaned forward and kissed me. Though my eyes were wide open, staring at Tyler’s eyebrows, I didn’t see Tyler’s dad peek through the door.

“What’s going on here?”

Tyler and I never kissed again. As we grew up and apart, our days were filled with basketball and theatre instead of tree houses and strawberries.

He became that distant childhood friend that I saw daily but never talked to. The years we had missed seemed bigger than the adventures we had shared.

At graduation, we congratulated each other with the intimacy of strangers.

Over a decade later, I log into Facebook and a suggestion pops up. “Do you know Tyler?”

I smile with a wisdom beyond my teenage worry. Though we haven’t spoken in years, I know Tyler. He is adventurous to the point of rule breaking. He ignores his older brother. And, wherever he is, he probably has a tree house.

—Huizing, a guest columnist, is an English teacher.

15 Junior performs classical South Indian music

Features Sammy Hayward Reporter

Junior Sruti Sarathy invests a big part of her life into something that only few are aware of. Sarathy practices Carnatic singing, an ancient form of Indian singing that is gaining popularity around the world.

Carnatic music is incredibly different from Western music, focusing more on religious texts and melodically based structures than harmonization and chords, on which Western music is based.

When Sarathy performs, she has no idea what exactly she is going to play. As most of Carnatic singing involves improvisation, Sarathy constructs melodies in her head and then expands upon them on her own.

Not many can relate to the experience as being a child growing up in America, pursuing an art that has nothing to do with American mainstream culture.

In fact, because it is rare to find other teens performing Carnatic music seriously, Sarathy explains that it can sometimes be a lonely pursuit. However, Sarathy understands the sacrifices she has to forgo in order to pursue her passion.

Sarathy practices every day, usually for multiple hours, in order to perfect her form. The commitment to her art has certainly

Wednesday June 1, 2011

paid off. “The nearly ten years of practice that I have put in so far have started leading to more serious and professional opportunities of late,” she said. “I am now getting chances to play and sing alongside senior musicians traveling from India and other places across the US.” Sarathy is grateful for having a mentor that has been by her side through out her career. “I owe everything to my guru teacher, Anuradha Sridhar, who has taught me for so many years,” she said.

Carnatic songs can be performed in many languages, including Sanscrit, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada. “Many of the songs are several centuries old so the language can be archaic and difficult for any modern speaker,” Sarathy said.

Sarathy has made a special effort to learn these languages and will often refer to books to ensure that her pronunciation and word choice is correct. “My mother speaks Tamil, which I am fluent in, but I still have to keep improving in the language for the sake of my music.” On top of Tamil, Sarathy is also learning Sanskrit, one of the oldest living languages that still exists and that is also the foundation of many Indian languages.

Although teens interested in Carnatic singing are hard to find in Palo Alto, fortunately, there is

Courtesy of Sruti Sarathy

Top left: Junior Sruti Sarathy performs Carnatic music at a concert with her violin. Top right: Sarathy (middle left) sings passionately to a large audience, as part of an ensemble group.

Bottom: Sarathy sings with two fellow male Carnatic artists while she plays the violin. a large and active South Indian community in the Bay Area. “I am still able to listen to concerts featuring artists, as well as perform in local temples and festivals,” Sarathy said. The local, musical community is so active that Sarathy usually has a concert every other week. In order to understand

Student designs own clothes Yilin Liang

Centerfold Editor

Junior Carly Neugass creates and remakes vintage clothing and accessories for herself, as well as for her friends. According to Neugass, her style is practical.

“I can’t look at something without thinking about how it’s made,” Neguass said.

Her creations have included dresses, wallets made from plastic bags, hand-made Halloween costumes for friends and a messenger bag made from old jeans.

According to Neugass, the inspiration for her creations comes from various different sources. One of these sources is online communities such as Etsy, where people are able to sell any of the goods they have created. Through this website, she

Courtesy of Carly Neugass

Junior Carly Neugass models a homemade summer dress and belt ensemble.

has made many friends who have helped her develop her ideas for her products.

Neugass is inspired by the material or fabric of her creations. “I found some really cool plastic and I wanted to make something practical out of it, so I made wallets,” she said. Neugass also observes what others are wearing and builds designs off of the essential elements or those that she likes. When she creates her clothing, she always draws out the specific design she wants and then makes the actual piece.

While creating and redesigning clothing, Neugass has had to overcome several challenges. According to her, making clothes is sometimes difficult due to her exposure to eccentric fashion. “I was so used to people making prom dresses out of Dorito bags and candy wrappers,” she said, “I sometimes forget that people don’t wear things like that everyday and I have to find a happy medium between the two. My fashion sense is practical, but I like eccentric fashion.”

Making clothes has also been technically difficult as Neugass has had to teach herself through trial-by-error on how to draft patterns, the cotton basis on which clothes are made.

However, making her own clothes has been rewarding for her. “It’s great creating something and seeing that I made it,” Neugass said.

Last year, Neugass tried to start her own business online selling wallets fused from colorful plastic bags. During this period, she sold some wallets online, as well as in person. “It was hard to continue with it,” she said. “It’s difficult for me to focus on just making one thing. I like to try everything.” However, Neugass still plans to continue to sew and use her skills in the future. “It’s much more of a practical skill for me,” she said.

more about the history of her art, Sarathy has travelled to India to perform. “In December, there is a classical music season in Chennai, India, where over 4000 concerts happen all over the city in a span of four or five weeks,” she said. “For the past several years, I have gone to Chennai during De-

cember to perform a few concerts there as well.”

Sarathy is sure that music will be a part of her for the rest of her life. “Carnatic music is the one thing that means more to me than anything else,” she said. “I want to continue to learn for the rest of my life.”

16 Sports Spring sports end with a bang, show strong THEORACLE

Golf:

With the addition of many new, talented members this season, the boys’ golf team performed very strongly, capturing first place in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL) El Camino division for the first time in 16 years.

After a disappointing start, the golf team came back and worked hard to win the league. According to junior Vincent Yang, the team owes its success to its perseverance, never giving up despite occasional losses and setbacks. They also benefited from a strong team spirit and rapport. “Everyone was really dedicated and wanted to win equally as much,” Yang said. “In that sense, the team was very well connected with one another.” The team even beat crosstown rival, Palo Alto High School (Paly) in a tense and close match after having tied with them for two consecutive years.

The team also performed well in Central Coast Section (CCS) qualifiers, qualifying as a whole team for the first time since coach Chris Redfield began coaching golf. Despite a disappointing showing in CCS with the team failing to advance to the finals after placing 8th out of 11 teams, the team remains positive. “Everyone was more or less happy with the season,” Yang said. “We all look forward to next year.”

Softball:

The softball season ended on a strong note with a 5-2 victory on May 11 against Milpitas High School, breaking a string of four straight losses. The softball team has maintained a strong season this year, in spite of a small team size. “Although we didn’t do as well as we did last year, it was a great last season for me,” senior Nicole Grimwood said. “I’m sure the team will do well next year.”

After losing the first five games, the softball team managed to rally back and win 11 of its 12 games after its

1

losing streak. Overall, the softball team has won a 14-13 record, with seven wins and five losses in league games.

Sophomore Claire Klausner proved to be a very strong player throughout the season for the team. As a pitcher, she won 12 of the 17 games she pitched in, all the while giving up very few runs. She also held one of the highest batting averages on the team and led the team in runs.

With a team composed almost entirely of freshmen, sophomores and juniors, the team looks to return even stronger in the future.

2

Boys’ Lacrosse:

Although boys’ varsity lacrosse did not get the chance to participate in the SCVAL finals, the team had a successful and fun season. With a record of six wins and nine losses, lacrosse had a great season, considering 12 of 25 players were underclassmen. Head coach Jim Blocho feels the season went well overall. “We enjoyed ourselves and had some tough losses, but a great time nonetheless,” Blocho wrote in an email.

Ranked 21st in California out of 30 high school teams, the lacrosse team has a lot to work on if they want to move up in the league. “Improvements are always part of playing lax. We lost a lot of seniors next year, so we’re going to face a challenge next season,” Blocho wrote in an email. “I look forward to it.” Senior Ethan Katznelson feels next year’s team “has a lot of young talent and potential, so we have a chance next year.” For future years, Katznelson “[looks for] more people to come out on the field, we never have enough players or substitutions.

To be a good championship team we’ll need more people to come out and give lacrosse a shot.” With nine seniors leaving at the end of this year, the team faces a disadvantage, but still looks forwards to a great season in 2012.

Diving:

The varsity diving team, led by coach Shana Karp, has had a great season overall and sent one diver to compete at CCS. The team had the greatest number of members in history this year. “What was particularly special about this year was the amount of time that the experienced divers devoted to coaching the new divers,” Karp said. Sophomore Blaze Lee felt that the team did a great job in improving during the season. “We bonded well and constantly critiqued each other’s dives,” Lee said. “Varsity was always helping the other members improve.”

According to sophomore team captain Miko Mallari, the team won every single diving meet except for one against Paly, which he feels is a great accomplishment for the team. At SCVAL, the girls ended in second place and the boys finished in fourth.

In order to qualify for CCS, 280 points or more must be scored by a single diver in one meet. Like last year, the team was able to be represented at CCS against the whole Bay Area. Mallari finished with a score of 333.35 and made it past both cuts, placing him at 11th.

Karp expects the team to continue to prosper for the next few years, and Mallari agrees that the current squad has shown great potential in improvement. “Our team has grown a lot since last year,” Mallari said. “Members on the team work really hard to learn and perfect new dives, so I think this season proved that the team strived for and achieved success.”

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Victor Kwok

Courtesy of Butch Garcia

Henry Liu

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Courtesy of Anne Hildebrandt

Track and Field:

The varsity track team ended the season with a record placing sixth in their league. As for CCS, 12 athletes qualified, including junior Andrew Prior, who regularly runs the mile event, and junior Michael Underwood, senior Rory Runser and junior Peter Chen running the two mile run event. Other key runners include junior Daniel Krigel, who runs the mile and seniors Sam Dawson and Ian Wilkes who both run the 800 meters event.

For hurdles, Alex Barthelemy finished sixth in the 110 meters event, with a time of 16.01 seconds.

At the league finals and CCS qualifier, Dawson ran a 2:01.94 in 800 meters, placing fifth and Prior ran an impressive time on the 1600 meters event in 4:32.15. Runser and Underwood competed in the 3200 meter event, placing sixth and thirteenth with times of 9:46.49 and 10:17.69, respectively. Track overall placed ninth out of 14 teams, with 26 points.

Sophomore Ebba Nord ran a successful 100 meters, with a time of 12.63, placing fourth in the Women’s division. Nord also ran in the 200 meters event, finishing eighth out of 13 other runners.

Senior Erin Robinson crushed her competition in the 3200 meters run, with a time of 11:14.82, finishing almost 15 seconds faster than the runner-up.

Courtesy of Casey Maltz

Jonathan Yong

1. Sophomore Jessica Sun dives into the pool. 2. Sophomore David Lester launches the Madison Sabbag looks for a team player to pass the ball to. 5. Junior Asuka Ishihara the butterfly stroke in a race. 7. Senior Andrew Leung carefully places the golf ball Ebba Nord sprints with the baton to the finish line. 10. Senior Connor Radlo stands

Gymnastics:

Despite the small team, the girls’ gymnastics team had a good season, placing second overall in SCVAL. The team overcame many struggles this season, including the many injuries that prevented members from practicing. In addition, the team only had five members, compared to other schools that often have 10 or more, which made it more difficult for them to place higher at meets. At gymnastic meets, the top four scores from each school determine the ranking of the team.

However, after much individual hard work, the team managed to secure second in league and fifth at

CCS, beating many larger teams. “We did pretty well as a team,” junior Asuka Ichihara said. “Everyone made their skills.” For CCS, the team also practiced with the newly formed Paly gymnastics team, which consisted of two members. “The rivalry doesn’t affect us because we often helped and supported each other during competitions,” Ichihara said.

Even with their strong showing this year, the team looks forward to improving and doing better next year.

“I hope that next season, we can get more people to join and make gymnastics a popular sport at Gunn,” Ichihara said.

17 records, make history throughout the season Sports

Wednesday June 1, 2011

Boys’ Tennis:

The boys’ tennis team’s season came to an end on Friday, May 6, in the second round of Central Coast Section (CCS) playoffs. Despite a lack of senior players, the team defeated Saint Francis High School in a 6-1 first round victory, only losing in the No. 1 singles match. In the second round, the team lost to the second-seeded Saratoga Falcons in a 6-1 defeat, eliminating them from the CCS playoffs.

The team’s season was marked with 11 wins and eight losses overall. “We did great,” tennis coach Jim Gorman said. “We finished fourth in the De Anza League, which is

the strongest league in the state.” This year’s team was also ranked ninth out of over 120 teams in the state, an impressive feat.

The Titans hope to remain strong next year and keep their spot in the top 16. With strong performances from the doubles players this year and many young players looking to return, the team is well-poised to come back for even more success. “Behind the leadership of Kevin Macario and the swagger of Jinyan Jiang, we grew up as a family and all look forward to a great season next year,” sophomore Nabil Hamade said.

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Girls’ Lacrosse:

The girls’ lacrosse team was led by coach Doug Arakawa and finished with a record of 4-13. According to Arakawa, the team did much better than last year and greatly grew in skill considering the youth of the team.

“I think they had a good year,” Arakawa said. “We showed steady improvement as the year progressed and finished with some very exciting and close games.”

Although they had a rough season, the lacrosse team statistically improved in their wins and goals scored compared to last year. While the girls lost both games to Palo Alto High School (Paly), Gunn came close to victory in one game with a score of 11-9. According to sophomore Emily Redfield, the team’s closest game was against Leland High School. “It was a really memorable game,” Redfield said. “We held them to only five goals and played four overtimes to break the tie and win 6-5.”

Although the team lost eight seniors and changed coaches this year, the members still managed to pull together and show the other schools what they were capable of. “I will always remember the 2011 varsity team and how much I enjoyed coaching them,” Arakawa said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better group of young adults to be part of my first head coaching experience.”

Badminton: Melissa Sun

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Jonathan Yong

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Courtesy of Butch Garcia

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The badminton team members ended their season as a dominant force in their league, placing second overall. With a formidable record, the varsity badminton team finished strong, as it has in previous years.

In regards to CCS finishing, badminton players had a lot of expectations based on much success in previous years. Sophomore Martin Hung and his doubles partner and older brother, Stanley Hung, took first place during last year’s CCS draws, but fell short this year. On May 26, after a first round bye, the duo swept Santa Teresa High School’s varsity one doubles team, winning with an astounding score of 15-1, 15-1. They reached the doubles finals but fell short, losing 8-15, 15-4, 15-9.

The girls’ doubles one team, seniors Catherine Wu and Linda Zhang, also had an easy win, defeating the Corona del Mar doubles one team 15-3 15-11. They finished first in girls’ doubles after a 15-10, 15-7 win in the finals.

Mixed doubles one team seniors Henry Liu and Phoebe Lin played an excellent game, beating Santa Teresa’s doubles team 15-11, 15-5. Both Liu and Lin have a history of finishing first, although not together.

Liu was victorious last year playing boys’ doubles while Lin won mixed doubles. This year, coach Marc Tsukakoshi decided to mix the teams up and put the two together. The two took the championship with first place, a first time for the coed team. The championship point came with an ace from Lin. “I was kind of relieved, but at the same time you feel like ‘Wow, it’s over,’ Lin said. “It dawns [on] you.”

After the match, Liu felt similarly. “It definitely came out of nowhere because I was always expecting the players who play several sports and people who win CCS every year. But for two badminton players to win, it’s definitely an honor,”Liu said.

Baseball:

Jonathan Yong

Henry Liu

ball to his teammate. 3. Sophomore Jinyan Jiang hits a tennis ball with a forehand shot. 4. Junior does a split jump during her routine. 6. Sophomore George Yu comes up for a breath while doing to ensure a great putt. 8. Junior Laura Kidder prepares to catch a ball at third base. 9. Sophomore ready to hit a home run. 11. Senior Boshiaw Hsu practices drop shots with coach Marc Tsukakoshi.

Swimming:

The Titan swimming team, led by head coach Mark Hernandez, had a successful season this year. The girls placed second and the boys fifth in league finals and the team sent many competitors to race at CCS. They had a great season and improved significantly over the course of the season.

“The season ended with much success,” Magill said. “Our hard work really showed when we sent our swimmers to CCS and the girls placed in the top five teams.” Sophomore Richard Wang thought that the team gave it their all this season. However, according to Wang, they will be losing many gifted swimmers next year. “The team’s been phenomenal in

giving a lot of effort,” Wang said. “Although our loss against Paly was disappointing, we kept giving it our all and in my opinion achieved what we wanted to as a team.”

Gunn sent a total of 20 swimmers to compete at CCS this year. The girls ended up placing fourth in CCS and senior Emily Watkins broke Gunn’s school record for the 100 breastroke, setting the record at 1:03.89. While the boys didn’t get into the top five teams, they managed to get into more events than last year. “We had a historic CCS this year,” Hernandez said. “Our swimmers swam lifetime bests almost across the board, ranking them as the second best public school.”

The baseball team’s season drew to a close on May 12 as the Titans played the Milpitas Trojans. Despite having twice as many hits as the Trojans, the Titans lost 5-6. The loss also brought an end to a five-game winning streak that the Titans had maintained. With eight wins and seven losses in league games, as well as 13 wins, 11 losses and one tie overall, the Titans played a strong season. The team was especially successful at home games, winning ten games and only losing four.

The Titans’ defense has been greatly supported by pitchers such as junior Ryan Gorman and senior Joe Snyder, who helped prevent opposing teams from scoring runs. The team’s offense has remained equally strong, with seven or more runs scored in five of the last six games. Junior Graham Fisher led the team in hits, while senior Jack Hannan hit the most doubles and runs batted in.

—Compiled by Utkash Dubey, Charles Liu, Jean Wang and Kyle Zhu

Sports 18 Athletes commit to colleges during junior year THEORACLE

Junior Allison Doerpinghaus recruited to play for East Washington University team Monica Cai Managing Editor

While most juniors are dreading the fast approaching onslaught of college applications, junior Allison Doerpinghaus can relax, knowing that her future is pretty much sealed.

In April, Doerpinghaus committed to playing Division One volleyball at Eastern Washington University (EWU) in Cheney, Washington. Her commitment to the school is only verbal as of now, but come Nov. 9, the National Letter of Intent Day, Doerpinghaus’s college plans will be 100 percent finalized.

The recruiting process began about six months ago for Doerpinghaus. “Allison drove the recruiting process,” father Chris Doerpinghaus wrote in an email. “At the onset, I helped her understand the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rules and come up with an initial list of potential colleges. From there, she did the research to narrow her list of schools and began contacting coaches.”

The official NCAA rule for the recruitment of juniors bans coaches from approaching athletes and from communicating with them at tourna-

ments. Thus, it was up to Doerpinghaus to make the first move.

Doerpinghaus has played on Gunn’s varsity volleyball team for two years and currently plays for Vision Volleyball Club’s 17-Blue team, a nationally-ranked travel team. The team competed in national qualifiers like Colorado Crossroads and Far Western’s in the spring, which provided college coaches the perfect opportunity to watch several players at once. By then, Doerpinghaus had already narrowed down her college list to a few colleges she was really interested in and in March, she made a few unofficial visits to her top three schools: University of Portland, South Dakota State University and EWU. The day after Doerpinghaus’s visit to EWU, she called the head coach Miles Kydd, who gave her an official offer. Two weeks later, Doerpinghaus chose to turn down South Dakota State’s offer and instead Eastern Washington. “Upon initial review, EWU was a very good fit for Allison in that it has a solid education, is the right size and is located in a college town that is not far from a decentsized city,” Chris Doerpinghaus said.

There were several other factors that played a role in Doerpinghaus’s

decision. “EWU’s coaching staff is awesome and I really connected with the girls when I was there,” Allison Doerpinghaus said. “The school has a lot of school spirit [too]. It’s a college where everyone who goes there loves where they’re at. All of the girls there were talking about the pride they get from representing their school.”

Eastern Washington’s team currently has 14 players and Doerpinghaus was, thus far, the only recruit of her class. Still, playing time is not guaranteed so Doerpinghaus is considering red-shirting, in which the player suits up but doesn’t play, in order to keep her four years of eligibility. Position-wise, Doerpinghaus will continue to play as a middle blocker.

“It’s going to be a lot of work, but it’s good work,” she said. “It is definitely going to be fun.”

Doerpinghaus’s decision to play in college is one she has been sure of since freshman year. “The first day of school in Mr. Weisman’s class we had to write down our biggest goal and playing in college was mine,” Doerpinghaus said. “I love the sport.

It’s helped me grow emotionally because I found something I’m good at, and it has given me confidence and the motivation to work hard.”

Courtesy of Steve Sato

Junior Allison Doerpinghaus jumps up and gets ready to spike the ball during the NCAA Qualifier volleyball competition.

Soccer player junior Paul Blanchette gets recruited Boot Bullwinkle Entertainment Editor

Courtesy of Paul Blanchette

Top: Junior Paul Blanchette throws the ball towards his teammate.

Bottom: Blanchette walks away from field after blocking the ball.

As the end of high school draws near, soccer players already have their focus on the future ahead of them. College becomes more prominent in their minds, and the desire to continue their playing career grows. A lot of work is required to ensure that they end up at the best school possible that is academically, socially and athletically strong. Junior goalkeeper Paul Blanchette has experienced this process firsthand and has already committed to playing soccer at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) after he graduates from high school.

Blanchette began his recruitment a year ago after doing a bit of personal research on what colleges were within his reach. “[I started] emailing the coaches about where I’m playing and giving him my coach’s number,” Blanchette said.

These emails acted as an in-

Q&A with

troduction with each coach. After a few phone calls back and forth between LMU and Blanchette’s coach, the college’s head coach came to watch Paul play in a few games. There were plenty of opportunities for Blanchette to showcase his talent, due to the fact that he has played at a high level throughout the majority of his career. Most of his exposure came from his time with the De Anza Force Academy Under-15/ Under-16 and his week with the United States Under-17 Men’s National Tea m. LM U wasn’t the only college in Blanchette’s scope. P r i nceton Un iversit y, Oregon State, University of West Virginia, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and University of California, Davis were just a few of the prospective Division I schools that Blanchette had in mind.

A series of phone calls between Blanchette’s coach and LMU fostered a strong connection to the university. As the range of schools in consideration

sh r un k, the decision became clearer. “At that point I emailed LMU to let them know I’m even more interested, and then eventually they offered me a visit,” Blanchette said. He also paid a few visits to other colleges in the winter, but says LMU seemed like the right option for him.

Ranked 46th in NCAA Division 1 last season, the Lions have a history of success having won multiple sets to the NCAA champs. Also, other factors such as recent expansions to the Sullivan Soccer Field and a reputation for successful goalkeepers helped convince Blanchette to commit to LMU. When LMU offered him a spot on his visit, it took him a few weeks to decide, but eventually he committed to LMU, and will be playing with them during their 2012 season. Blanchette still has his senior year to ready himself for the future. While the recruitment process is complete for Blanchette, it’s just the beginning of his college career.

Incoming Football Coach Dan Navarro

Dan Navarro The Oracle: How do you plan to improve the team?

Dan Navarro: Hopefully by teaching good technique, and having the student be motivated and committed to play hard and with pride, I will improve the team.

TO: What does a normal day at work entail for you?

DN: I do not talk about winning and losing. I talk to the team in terms of preparing to win. If the team is well prepared and does the things necessary to be successful then they will be.

TO: What do you think are some of the the team’s strengths right now?

DR: I do not have a lot of information at this time, but I think we will have a good running game and a solid defense.

TO: How long have you been coaching and why did you decide to coach at Gunn?

DN: I have been coaching for 37 years. I have been a teacher at Mountain View High School for the past 32 years and will be retiring in June. I still enjoy coaching and wanted to continue in my retirement. When the Gunn position opened, I saw it as an opportunity to improve a program, which is something I enjoy doing.

TO: What is your coaching style?

DR: I am known as a disciplinarian, but I really do not see myself that way. I see myself as a teacher of football. I want the players to be student-athletes, so I stress education through football. I want the team to represent themselves and the school with pride and respect, and I want them to be leaders on campus.

—Compiled by Song Park

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Sports

Wednesday June 1, 2011

Head badminton coach wins Coach of the Year Emily Yao Sports Editor

Known for his notorious conditioning, terrible jokes and inspiring stories, head badminton coach Marc Tsukakoshi, who began to coach the team in 2001, is receiving the 2011 Coach of the Year Award. This prestigious award is given out by the California Coaches Association and has been honoring coaches all over California for 54 years. Tsukakoshi will be receiving the award in Sacramento today.

Before becoming head coach, Tsukakoshi translated for Sony

Computer Entertainment America and then directed product development and technical marketing. His transition from technical marketing to badminton was inspired by the loss of a loved one. “I realized that if I were to die in the next ten years, I would have accomplished nothing outside of my own endeavors of selfishness,� Tsukakoshi wrote in an email. “There are so many students at Gunn that just need an athletic outlet to give them confidence, discipline and simple fun.� Tsukakoshi’s realization led him to becoming the assistant coach in 2001. A year later, he became the head coach.

Since then, Tsukakoshi has

shaped the team, mainly by implementing his own activities during conditioning. “I have tried to take the hardline Japanese physical conditioning that I grew up with, combine it with an array of international level drills and twist in critical thinking via peer mentoring and collaborative learning,�

Tsukakoshi wrote. “I like to keep things ever evolving while seeking things that provide intensity, relevance and safety.� Conditioning usually includes a variety of activities such as abdominal series from the Power 90 Extreme exercise series and a Russian military running drill.

Tsukakoshi’s unique coaching

style has paid off, resulting in a consistent record for the badminton team. Gunn placed second this year in the De Anza Division of Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL), following its 2010 and 2009 league championships. In 2010, Gunn won six out of the eight possible gold medals at Central Coast Section, shattering past records.

In addition, Tsukakoshi’s coaching style has transformed amateur players into matured competitors. “I started with kids that all tried to play the same style of game through sheer mimicry,� he wrote. “Now our players are developing play styles and strategies that fit their strengths and weaknesses.�

The amount of work Tsukakoshi has put into improving the team is appreciated by the badminton players. “Marc’s main strength is his dedication to the team,� senior Linda Zhang wrote in an email.

“He sacrifices so much to coach varsity and junior varsity and he also offers weekend training.�

Furthermore, the players are always learning valuable life lessons from Tsukakoshi at practice. “Marc gives good advice and he tells the best stories, and he stresses the importance of playing with integrity and respect,� Zhang wrote. “I have learned to respect my opponents and the time and effort they put in to reach the level they are at now. This translates to how I behave off the courts as well—always be considerate and respectful to others.�

According to Tsukakoshi, he has developed a great relationship with the players. “At the end of the day, I am blessed to walk in the gym to those who genuinely want to learn and play for the love of the badminton,� he wrote. “It is a great unifying factor, and something that distinguishes ourselves from other teams in the league.�

Henry Liu

Head badminton coach Marc Tsukakoshi tosses senior Boshiaw Hsu a birdie to improve Hsu’s aggression on the court. Tsukakoshi is receiving the Coach of the Year award today in Sacramento.

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20

Sports

THEORACLE

unconventional sports The Oracle features students who participate in uncommon high school sports

Archery Archery may be an Olympic sport, but only a few people know much about it. Freshman Ray Chen is one of those few. Chen became interested in archery in sixth grade after his father read about it online. He soon began practicing under Peter Palomo at Palomo Archery in Palo Alto. This January, Chen competed in the California Indoor Championships and also competed at the national level in February. In addition to indoor archery, Chen also practices outdoor archery, which can be used for hunting, through a program at the Stanford Archery Range.

According to Chen, archery requires a lot of patience and he often shoots [three to five arrows at a time for hours.] “I aim for consistency,” Chen said. “It is groups that win you the competition. If you can shoot [all the arrows] in one spot, then you can just move the spot.” Each shot use the same arm muscles, so when repeated hundreds of times, the movement can greatly tire the archer. However, despite the repetitiveness, Chen enjoys archery and credits it with improving his ability to focus.

The product of countless hours of practice is displayed at the competitions Chen participates in. According to Chen, these tournaments are very tense occasions, where contestants line up and shoot their arrows at a 10-ring target that is 20 yards away.

Then they must wait for another group to shoot before they can retrieve their arrows and see how they performed.

For students interested in beginning archery, Chen leads the Archery Club on campus. Although there is no Gunn archery team, the club informs students about where they can shoot and also facilitates discussions about the sport.

—Compiled by Lucy Oyer

Horseback Riding For many, the phrase “horseback riding” may bring back unpleasant memories of family activities gone wrong, but for some Gunn students, riding is a passion. Freshman Hannah Stuckenbrock started riding horses when she was just two years old. Since then, she has experimented with many different styles of riding including Western and English. “Western is my favorite,” Stuckenbrock said, “It is the most relaxing and it is what I do with my family.”

The differences between the styles of riding are most evident in the saddle types that they use. Western style saddles are the most commonly used for recreational riding and are comfortable enough to use for hour long rides, while English style saddles are lighter and smaller. They give the horse more freedom and are used for a majority of races and show jumping competitions.

Stuckenbrock attends Pacific Ridge Pony Club rallies a few times a year where she participates in show jumping and horse management competitions. The horse management portions involve quiz rallies where contestants answer questions about horse care and stable management. She competes under the guidance of her trainer Crystal Petralli.

Stuckenbrock’s favorite parts of horseback riding are the social aspects. “I like all of the friends I have,” she said. “We have races in the pastures.”

For those interested in riding, Stuckenbrock believes that it is a lot easier to learn at a younger age. “But if you keep doing it, it is really fun,” she said. “It is actually a really, really good exercise.”

Stuckenbrock keeps her horse at Westwind Barn in Los Altos Hills. According to their website, if you are interested in pursuing riding, the barn has programs for beginners to develop their riding skills.

Graphics by Alvina Yau

—Compiled by Lucy Oyer

Biking When students see spandexclad cyclists zipping in and out of morning traffic on Foothill Expressway, they may be inclined to dismiss biking as an elitist, adult-oriented pastime. Many students, however, have dabbled in the spor t, proving that it is more accessible than one might imagine.

Some, like sophomore Tim Aiken, have even become avid participants.

For Aiken, it took an unfortunate turn of events to pique his interest. “My old bike got stolen and I got a road bike as a replacement,” Aiken wrote in an email. “I started going on rides, and after a few fun climbs and ripping descents, I was hooked.”

According to Aiken, a competitive mindset marks the difference between a road race and the average spin around the neighborhood. “Quite frankly, racing is

much more painful,” Aiken wrote “If you’re not pushing yourself to the limit, the guy in front of you will be, and you’ll lose. That being said, it’s a ‘nice’ kind of pain, if that’s possible.”

Aiken often commutes outside the city in search of challenging terrain.

“I bike mainly in or next to the Santa Cruz Mountains for two to three hours per day,” he wrote. “On weekends I’ll race in places as far away as the foothills of the Sierras.”

Students in need of a convenient place to practice, however, need not look far from home.

“The mountains around Palo Alto are arguably one of the best places to cycle in the Bay Area, if not in the whole U.S.A.,” Aiken wrote.

While practice is important, he cautions beginners against taking on too much too soon.

“When starting biking, it’s important to have fun,” Aiken wrote. “Painful intervals and hill repeats can come later…just spend a few months enjoying it.”

—Compiled by Melia Dunbar

SURFING

Despite its low profile, surfing continues to generate interest in the Bay Area, inspiring athletes from miles around to catch a wave. Sophomore Alex Beroza, who started surfing at the age of 15, encourages other students to take advantage of their proximity to the coast and give the sport a try.

According to Beroza, some of the best places to surf are just an hour or two away. “It’s all about Santa Cruz,” he said. “There’s something for everyone [because the waves come in all sizes]. That’s why it’s considered a surfing town.” For those just getting their feet wet, he recommends Cowell’s Beach, a “nice spot” where first-timers can practice catching two-foot waves.

Beroza, however, recommends that beginners surf the Internet for background information before they hit the beach. As with any sport, many techniques that seem easy when executed by professionals actually require a considerable amount of skill and experience.

“To surf at all, you need to be able to catch waves, which requires a lot of paddling strength and stamina,” Beroza said.

He recommends that beginners develop these skills at a camp where they can interact with people who share their desire to improve. Beroza suggests Richard Schmidt Surf Camp in Santa Cruz, which has a week-long program that caters to beginners, giving them the opportunity to pick up tips from an expert. “Schmidt is a big-wave surfer who has surfed 30-plus-foot waves in Oahu,” Beroza said. “[When I attended the camp] he gave us advice and tools to surf. He can make you stand up on the board your first time.”

Because of the long commute to the coast, Beroza can only surf every other week. However, he maintains a positive outlook. “One key thing to realize is that while it is a sport, it’s also a lifestyle,” Beroza said. “It’s a way to have fun.”

—Compiled by Melia Dunbar

Entertainment

Jonathan Yong

Jonathan Yong

Wednesday June 1,

21

Wendy Qiu

Top left: Juniors Robert Watson and Rachel Freeman play an eccentric couple in the absurdist play “Amalgamation”. Middle: Senior Shany Albalak and junior Melissa Cunha discuss human mortality in “Lion in the Streets.” Right: Freeman surprises an unsuspecting Watson. DVD’s of One Acts are available for purchase in the Student Activities Center.

Student-directed One Acts entertain Although all of the plays were similar in the fact that they were student-directed, Managing Editor each of the five plays’ plots and styles were From May 12 to May 21, students were completely different from one another. For able to go to the Little Theater to watch this example, the play “Dr. Horrible’s Singyear’s annual tradition of One Acts, five Along Blog” was a musical comedy directdifferent plays each directed by Gunn the- ed by seniors Sophie Christel and Emily ater students. However, while many view- Simon, and based off of the Internet webers were concentrating on the plot or acting series of the same name. In this musical, in each play, many students were not aware the main character is a failed super villain of what happened backstage during each who falls in love with a girl named Penny. performance, exactly what made this year’s A conflict arises when Penny begins dating One Acts possible.

Dr. Horrible’s nemesis and the town’s hero, For instance, one important job in One Captain Hammer. “He is torn between folActs was the task of directing, which in- lowing his love, getting into the infamous volved everything from choosing a script to Evil League of Evil and defeating Captain working with the tech crew. “A director is Hammer as he embarks on this crazy musiresponsible for the whole technical design cal journey of ‘Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along of their show, so they must communicate to Blog’,” Simon wrote in an email. tech heads what they want done in terms of In contrast, “Lion in the Streets” which costumes, makeup, sound, lights and set,” was directed by senior Alice Walton, took senior Kayla Neumeyer wrote in an email. on a more dramatic tone. This play was “A director also has a large part in publiciz- an abridged version of Judith Thompson’s ing the show and makfull length play of the ing sure people come same name. One of the to see it.” characters is forced Neumeyer directed to face a metaphoriThe lion brings out a the play “‘Dentity Crical lion that has been sis.” In the play, the haunting them for a instinctive, primal bemain character Jane long time. “The lion havior in the characters, goes through a nerbrings out a instincand as the truth comes vous breakdown while tive, primal behavior dealing with her crazy in the characters, and out, each character dismother, her transsexuas the truth comes out, covers something about al psychiatrist and her each character discovbrother who also hapers something about themselves, for better or pens to be her father, themselves, for better for worse.” grandfather and mothor for worse,” Walton —senior Alice Walton er’s lover. “Amidst wrote in an email. on “Lion in the Streets” sex changes, theatrical One Acts also feacatastrophes and zealtured the plays “Trious bouts of incest, Jane must try to make fles” and “Amalgamation.” “Trifles,” which sense of a world seemingly turned upside were directed by seniors Isabel Giovacdown,” Neumeyer wrote. “‘’Dentity Crisis’ chini and Mariya Gurivera, was a murder shows us the humor in the serious issue that mystery that began its story after the muris self-identification.” der had taken place. The play focused on Students were also able to see the plays two women who solve the murder simply “Amalgamation,” “Dr. Horrible’s Sing- by sitting inside a room while waiting for along Blog,” “Lion in the Streets” and “Tri- the men, who went looking for evidence, to fles,” all of which were directed and run by come back. “‘Trifles’ is playing off of the students. “I love watching student directors stereotypes of women, Gurivera said. “It having to solve problems that I normally is set in 1916, when the woman’s role was deal with throughout the year,” theater lower than the man.” teacher Jim Shelby said. “I’m acting more On the other hand, the play “Amalgamaas a producer instead of a director since tion” was an absurdist play and featured One Acts are completely student-owned.” two characters who talked about topics Divya Shiv

“

ranging from chlamydia to different jobs. of the individual directors to set up light “‘Amalgamation’ didn’t have a set back and sound cues. “The directors tell us what story or an exact plot line when we first sounds they want and where, but it’s comread it,” cast-member junior Rachel Free- pletely up to us which particular sound man said. “There was cue to use, unless the very little character director specifies a development, so we certain one,” Head of had a fun time develDuring this process, each Sound sophomore Jeroping the characters, Kelem wrote in [play’s cast] really becomes emy getting to be crazy an email. “Each show a family during the re- has its own unique and seeing where the words took us.” hearsal process and we soundtrack. For inAlthough the difstance, one of them go into every performance is all Beatles, while ferences between each play provided greater supporting each other and another is just doorvariety in One Acts, it bells.” as a team.” also meant that PubHowever, the per—senior Mariya son who made sure licity Head senior Cat Volpe needed a difthat everything was Gurivera ferent strategy to atworking smoothly in tract the audience. “Since each of the five One Acts was the Stage Manager, junior shows were so different, we needed to find Megan Hubbell. As Stage Manager, Huba balance between getting the shows out bell worked with all of the tech departthere and making sure we don’t overwhelm ments and with the directors to ensure that people,” she said. “For me, publicity is a the director’s visions were reflected in their fun game where I have to figure out what play. “During the show, [sound] works very people want to see but also remain true to closely with the Stage Manager, since she the shows.” Volpe is in charge of putting to- is the one who tells me when to play each gether the posters around schools, making cue,” Kelem wrote. advertisements for the morning announceTwo other tech departments that Hubments, and getting the sandwich board in bell oversees are the Paint and Construcfront of Spangenberg ready. tion crews, who work together to set up the While publicity is an important part of different sets. “Because there are so many One Acts, costumes and makeup play an One Acts, we can’t go all out for painting important role as well, especially for the like we usually do for the spring musical period play “Trifles.” According to Giovac- and fall show,” Head of Paint Crew Ivy chini, the head of Make Up Eve Kelly and Schneider said. “Normally I would do a lot head of Costumes Heather Nolan were an of research to find out what I should paint, integral part to the production of her play. but for One Acts, I just talked to the direc“We worked with costumes a lot because tors to see what their vision is.” ConstrucTrifles is set in the 1900s, and they did a tion was another necessary component of really good job,” Giovacchini said. “We One Acts, as they created the set for each of struggled finding accessories, like hats, that the five shows. fit in with the period, but the costumes deAlthough One Acts required a lot of work, partment was amazing in helping us out.” many cast and crew members came togethIn addition to costumes and makeup, the er as a family and had fun while getting the Props department was also an important show ready. “We rehearse every day from part of One Acts. “Having the right props 3 to 5:30 p.m. except for the weeks comfor our play was essential,” Giovacchini ing up to the show where we stay until 6 or said. “If we forgot one prop, the whole play 6:30 p.m. not to mention full-day weekend wouldn’t have made sense.” Props worked rehearsals,” Simon wrote. “But during this in collaboration with the Run Crew, who process, each [play’s cast] really becomes a placed the different props on stage during family during the rehearsal process and we each of the plays. go into every performance supporting each Another part of the tech department is other and as a team. We had some challengLight and Sound, which works with each es, but everything worked out in the end.”

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22

Entertainment

THEORACLE

Plan balance for Summer camps not just for little kids your summer Boot Bullwinkle

Entertainment Editor

Yilin Liang

Let me give you a rundown of my summer schedule from last year. Over a period of two months, I worked as a Counselor-In-Training (CIT), took summer classes, worked as an intern, went to music camp and did Link Crew.

While my friends traveled to the farthest reaches of the world and experienced new cultures, I stayed and toiled away in dear old Palo Alto. At first, I was extremely jealous. I too wanted to travel to Turkey and visit the Grand Bazaar or sit at an outdoor café in Italy, eating all the flavors of gelato imaginable.

However, despite its lack of historical monuments and fancy ice cream, it’s not to say that my summer experience in Palo Alto was less enriching than those of my friends. In fact, it was my most prolific summer to date.

I accomplished much and did little bumming around the house in my pajamas watching TV. However, the best part was that at the end of the summer, I felt proud of my accomplishments.

Of course, I am a firm believer that my summer should only be reserved for “summery things,”` for example going to the beach, sleeping in, travelling and most importantly, having no schoolwork. I was elated that for the first time in a whole year, my days would not be perfectly scheduled and the sound of a bell would not direct me to my next location.

However, my plans changed because of the constant nagging from my mother, who wanted me to get something useful done with my measly two months. So I ended up packing my precious summer days with activities that, at first, were exactly the opposite of what I wanted. As opposed to spending my days basking in the warmth of the summer sun, I suddenly found myself running from activity to activity. However, despite my change of plans, I ultimately found myself benefiting from being so busy and enjoying my packed summer.

As cheesy as it sounds, having a busy schedule allowed me to discover new things about myself. For instance, I’ve always been slightly awkward around little children, finding it hard to hold a conversation with someone whose interests are so different from mine and who can’t always muster an intelligible reply.

But after working as a CIT, I started to enjoy myself. I seriously began to consider a career that would put me in a setting with lots of kids.

In addition, packing my summer schedule contributed to my sense of accomplishment. I remember one summer when all I did was watch TV and travel. By the end of this summer, my eyes were sore and I had a pile of summer work that did not get done. Not only did I feel guilty about having so much free time and not doing any work, but I also had to pull an all-nighter to finish all my work the day before school started.

Of course, I’m hardly advocating working your butt off for the whole summer. Didn’t I say I was a firm believer in a relaxing summer?

Instead, block out time to go on a trip, keep in contact with and hang out with friends and watch all of the new summer movies in theaters. While summer can be a good time to accomplish a lot, we must also remember that its main purpose is a break from school. So when planning this summer, keep in mind that fun is fun and work is work. It’s always best to balance the two.

—Liang, a junior, is a Centerfold Editor

Summer camps are a chance for fun and adventure. They are also a great way to fill up a summer vacation to avoid toiling around the house in pajamas. But how can that awkward situation of “Oh my god, I’m the oldest person here by at least three years,” be avoided? Luckily, there are several age appropriate summer opportunities for high school students.

For example, the Christian Music Theater (CMT) camp is a great way to earn community service and money while working to help kids have a great time. Sophomore Ben Sampson has worked with the camp for many years and is now a counselor of his younger siblings. “We work with kids entering kindergarten to seventh grade who, after two weeks, put on a performance,” Sampson said. “The overall goal is to have fun, and obviously there’s the theater part to it.”

The camp is held locally at the Grace Lutheran Church in Palo Alto, and the sessions are held

at convenient times in the morning and afternoon. This way, one can either choose to sleep in, or they can still hang out with friends in the afternoon over the summer. The program doesn’t preach a specific religion, and all people are accepted to participate. In order to become a counselor, one must have been a Counselor-In-Training (CIT) for two years. During this time, there’s an equal opportunity to work with little kids, and earn community service. There are also plenty of other teenage counselors, so little kids won’t overwhelm you. After two years as a CIT, counselors carry more responsibility, but are able to put some money in their pockets for the work they perform.

There’s also the opportunity to improve your athletic abilities over the summer. If you are dedicated to a sport and looking to further your playing career, then a college recruitment camp is an excellent decision for you. Instead of having the colleges come you can go to them. These can also act as a college visitation

opportunity so that one can get a preview of the college experience. This provides you with a great opportunity to showcase your talent, while also hanging out with people who play the same sport as you.

While school may be out, people still have the opportunity to expand their mental capabilities. While local summer schools are a good way to learn, there is a whole world out there to explore and learn about.

Whether you go to an immersion camp for a language, take a collegeoffered program, or explore a career education program, you will have life long memories that will influence your culture and knowledge. The Palo Alto Bubble is a great place to live, but the world has treasures that can only be explored by stepping outside of our comfort zone.

There are tons of opportunities available this coming summer, they just need to be found. So no matter what you do this summer, all that matters is that you have a great time.

George Hwang

Season’s blockbusters make for a good time Zoe Weisner

News Editor

This summer, expect to see a variety of films heavy with action, animation, romance, comedy and the supernatural.

These include X-Men: First Class, Monte Carlo, Zookeeper and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two. X-Men: First Class This film is the earliest movie to be released this summer on July 3. The film stars James McAvoy as the young Charles Xavier and Michael Fassbender as Erik Lehnsherr, who is the man behind the super villain Magneto. The plot centers on the young Magneto and Xavier discovering their powers, which forever changes the course of their friendship.

Cars 2 is Walt Disney Studios and Pixar’s latest animated sequel to the Cars series, and is expected to

premiere on June 24. Owen Wilson voices the famous Lightning McQueen and comedian Larry the Cable Guy plays McQueen’s humorous sidekick Mater. The story features McQueen and Mater’s journey to the World Grand Prix where the winner will be crowned the world’s fastest car.

Monte Carlo, premiering on July 1, combines popular teenage actresses and the typical “switching places” storyline.

Disney star Selena Gomez plays Grace, who is taking her best friend Margaret Bennett, played by Lieghton Meester,to a vacation in Paris. Along the way Grace becomes mistaken for a famous British celebrity and conflicts arise.

Zookeeper is a comedy that takes place in the Franklin Park Zoo, starring a kind and affectionate zookeeper named Griffin Keyes who is dedicated to taking care of the animals. When Keyes decides to leave Franklin Park

Zoo in pursuit of love, the animals at the Zoo keep Keyes from leaving by revealing that they can actually speak.

Zookeeper will be released nationwide on July 8.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, the last movie in the Harry Potter series is expected to break box office records. The film will be available in theaters on July 15, and is an all-out battle between good and evil as Harry Potter takes on Lord Voldemort once and for all. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 will keep the series’ original cast members, with Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, Emma Watson as Hermione Granger and Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley.

No matter what your personal taste in movies may be, whether it be for romcoms or action-filled thrillers, at least one of these summer’s blockbusters will be sure to suit your interests.

The Oracle’s top songs for summer

1. “Phantom Limb”—The Shins 2. “Up, Up and Away”—Kid Cudi 3. “Undercover of Darkness”—The Strokes 4. “Give Me Everything”—Pitbull feat. Ne-Yo 5. “The Lazy Song”—Bruno Mars 6. “Island in the Sun”—Weezer

7. “Young, Wild and Free”—Wiz Khalifa 8. “Under Control”—Tim Myers feat. Ben Lee 9. “Blow Away”—A Fine Frenzy 10. “M79”—Vampire Weekend 11. “Light Up the World”—Cast of Glee 12. “Float On”—Modest Mouse

23

Entertainment

Wednesday June 1, 2011

Students dream of summer f lings Steve Yang gender; the proud Homo Sapiens does not stoop to trivial matters like fooling around or meaningless fun.

In fact, my ideal summer fling would be perfectly okay with being less physical than is expected from most high school relationships. Maybe she’d be someone who is content to just sit by my side and discuss fun, silly things.

Maybe the people I’m talking to are biased, but most of the guys who I’ve conversed with merely want a girl to be there for them through hell and high water.

They want a girl who can handle the roller coaster of life with them. I’m not saying these summer flings are going to turn into your future spouse or anything; they may not even be the perfect yin to your yang. This special someone however, will make your summer more fun and will give you a reason to wake up early.

Trust me, as lame as that sounds, yes, you are going to want to wake up early for this girl. She’ll be someone you’re constantly looking forward to.

And with summer right around the corner, who knows? Our lives are a daily lottery drawing, and at any minute we could meet our other half. As we all head off to various tropical destinations or stay home to start internships, it’s important to keep an open mind to these things and hope for the best.

—Yang, a sophomore, is a Business Manager

George Hwang

It is time to unwind; the long-awaited season of warmth has finally blessed us with its presence. I intend to fully take advantage of this time to polish the résumé, explore the world around me and of course, chillax like a boss. The possibilities are endless—new people to befriend, places to see, new discoveries to be made all day, everyday. At the top of my to-do list, however, is the search for the ideal girl to accompany me into summer.

Like many teens, I believe one of the greatest purposes of summer break is to finally find that significant other. As humans, we are basically programmed to crave the company of another person, and as intelligent beings, we desire that this person be compatible with ourselves. Personally, I want to find a girl who can appreciate and share my academic interests and understand my little pet peeves. Being the girl of my dreams and all, she would of course love everything in between all of that as well.

Summer is a gold mine for those that are single and ready to mingle. After all, we have plenty of free time to meet new people, one whom that will hopefully be that summer fling. You know the type of girl I’m talking about right? The girl you want to stare at clouds with on top of a rolling green hill, to laugh so hard with that lemonade comes out your noses and to scream in terror with at a cheesy horror movie. The girl who can enrich your summer to its maximum potential.

The best part of all of this already lovely affair? There is no long-term commitment necessary, which is a slam dunk for all you commitment-shy gentlemen out there. This does not mean that you, my fellow males, can go out and attempt to hook up with any girl you want. It’s demeaning to our own

Annie Tran Get ready for summer, boys and girls. The time for relaxation, freedom and hot weather is upon us, slowly beckoning us into its warm embrace. The prospect of finding the “love” of our oh-so-short summer is starting to fill us with excitement. Short, sweet and commitment-free. By golly, that just makes me feel giddy inside.

And why not? After all, school is almost out and we do happen to have eight weeks of freedom just laying around. I’m guessing a lot of us will be putting that time to use by going on humanity trips, internships or college summer courses, but that does not mean we can’t find a little bit of lovin’ along the way. The summer vacation is basically a license for us to run wild and carefree in the world. We can fill up these next few magical months with whatever we so desire; it is now our time to create our own agenda. I’ll take a gander and bet that many of us are starting the summer off single.

Now, I’m not advocating any of that silly monkey business we call hooking up. Rather, now is the time to go out and find that certain someone who will venture with you into the great Summerland of Fun. Yes, summer does happen to retain that lusty aura of freedom that seems to infect the majority of us hormonal teenagers, but some of us fail to realize that there is much more potential to a summer fling than a “frennies with bennies” deal.

Maybe I’m too much of an idealist, but during this short period of shimmery warm haze, I want to find someone who

is more than an awkward hook-up. I am not expecting the tall blond hunk with shapely rippling muscles who can make all of the girls’ jaws drop. In fact, I’d be perfectly happy with the typical skinny hipster who’s reppin’ those tattered brown cords and a Jones Soda T-shirt. Really, I just want to find a guy that I can have fun with over the summer, and maybe even discover a connection with.

Maybe I’m being a little too wistful, but I can’t help but think of the potential of this promising summer. Perhaps we could write letters over the summer when we’re apart, run away to Foothill Park to watch the sunset or just sit around in sweatpants sleeping in the playground. Maybe we could even meet up during the occasional 11:11 to make a few wandering wishes on an elementary school rooftop. I’m probably dreaming too big, but that’s the fun of it, I guess—just pondering and hoping for the coming future.

However, if I were to engage in such a relationship, I would want both of us to perfectly understand the rules of how it would most likely play out. We may have fun and games, but one must always be aware of the impending deadline that is soon to come. Maybe a few lucky couples will make it out of the summer haze, but as many of us know, sometimes things just get lost in the transition. The point of the ideal summer fling is for it to be brief and noncommittal, so as fun as the fling will be, just prepare yourself for the end.

Otherwise, I wish y’all luck on discovering those summer loves.

Remember to be safe and stay classy.

Summer 2011—we are so out.

—Tran, a junior, is a Business Manager

Summer jobs promise real-world experience Samantha Donat Entertainment Editor

The four years a student spends in high school are the breeding grounds of change. Of course there are the typical social and emotional changes that students undergo, but an often overlooked change is a student’s evolution into an adult. One of the biggest aspects of adulthood is, unfortunately, working. With summer fast approaching, many high school students realize that they will soon no longer be able to spend their eight weeks of bliss lounging by the pool and frolicking through sprinklers—instead, they’ll soon need to be working just like the rest of the adult population.

For many students, the idea of being restricted to certain hours, reporting to a manager and no longer having that “teenage freedom” can be incredibly unappealing. However, a surprising number of students have bravely taken the first step forward into adulthood and have found themselves jobs, both during the school year and over the summer. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 48.9 percent of youths ages 16 and above are employed over the summer.

For many of these students, having a job has been an extremely rewarding experience. Take, for instance, junior Tiffany Miller, who has been working at The Sweet Shop in Los Altos since January of 2011. Although Miller was at first hesitant to apply for a job, she later found that it was an incredibly smart decision to make. “After the first few weeks, I began to realize how much I enjoyed working. Even in just a few months, I’ve learned and grown so much,” she said. Since starting her job, Miller has become

much more comfortable interacting with adults and her superiors, such as her manager, and she has especially learned how to properly manage her time. Working this summer will only bring her even more growth.

According to College and Career Center Information Specialist Leighton Lang, the advantages of having a summer jobs are numerous. “You gain work experience, the importance of working with people and build your résumé,” Lang wrote in an email. Of course, getting a paycheck on a monthly basis is a nice perk too.

That’s not to say, though, that getting a job is a walk in the park. Finding and applying for jobs definitely involves a substantial amount of effort on the student’s part, although it will eventually pay off—no pun intended. “You have to be persistent,” Miller said. “Whether it’s following up on your applications or constantly keeping an eye out for ‘hiring’ signs, you have to stick with it.”

Lang agrees that the job application process is not an easy one, especially during the summer when competition for jobs increases. Students, however, don’t realize that there are a plethora of resources for finding jobs on campus solely for their convenience. For example, in the guidance office there is an extremely helpful tool known as the job file. “The job file is one of the most useful resources we have on campus, but it’s also one of the most unknown,” Lang said.

The job file is, quite simply, as it sounds: a large file in the back of the guidance office that contains myriad job applications, ranging from categories such as retail and food service to sci-

ence and medical vocations. Another useful tool on campus is the “job board” in the guidance office, which features ads and flyers from businesses that are searching specifically for student workers.

The most important aspect of finding a job, though, is making sure that the student seriously enjoys the job area in which they will be working. Both Miller and Lang strongly advise against taking a job if the student isn’t sure whether he will genuinely enjoy his work. “You should work in a field you enjoy,” Lang wrote. “You don’t want to spend your summer working in a job you don’t like and that won’t help you in the future.” According to Miller, there’s nothing worse than having to work at a job that you don’t enjoy.

Although summer is fast approaching, there are still plenty of opportunities left out there for students looking for work. Finding a job that suits you and your interests won’t be easy, but once you do, you’ll be forever grateful that you took the first step.

24

DOODLES

Entertainment

THEORACLE

C6H12O6

The function of the epiglottis is...

As opposed to actually paying attention during class lectures, many students prefer to spend their time doodling in the margins of their notebooks. The Oracle showcases some of the school’s quirkiest and most interesting doodles.

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Graphics by George Hwang and Alvina Yau