The Oracle (Nov. 2010)

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

[Forum] Finding the

beauty in academics pg. 6 [Sports] The CrossFit training program brings the heat pg. 19

[Features] Chickens

[Entertainment]

cluck their way into students’ lives pg. 10

NON-PROFIT ORG

Twelve Angry Men comes to Gunn pg. 23

U.S. Postage

PA I D

Permit #44 Palo Alto, Calif.

Student, faculty members attend Giants parade Monica Cai & Krishan Allen Sports Editors

On Nov. 3, Gunn students and teachers took the day to head up to San Francisco and get a taste of the victory that they have waited so long for. For the first time in 56 years, The San Francisco Giants were crowned World Series champions, and the chance to celebrate such a momentous occasion was too great to pass up.

Main Office Secretary Lynn Glover made the trip to the city to witness history. Given her status as an employee for the Giants’ guest services department working as an usher at games, Glover was invited to walk in the parade.

“Everyone was hyped up and smiling,” Glover said. “It was so wonderful to see everyone happy and because of this team everyone had come together.” Students also jumped at the chance to witness the celebration of the Giants huge win. “The parade was awesome,” senior Yotam Kasznik said. “It was really cool to be a part of the first Bay Area sports teams championship.”

As expected, everyone was jubilant as players on floats strolled through downtown and confetti rained from above. “The parade was insane,” senior Kiana Choroski said.

GIANTS—p.15

Education crisis: multifaceted reform needed

Melissa Sun

Left: Featured artists perform in the “Dear Palo Alto” showcase, an event held in response to last year’s student suicides.

Right: Event coordinator Julia Tachibana’s classmates made her 1,000 paper cranes after her brother died by suicide.

‘Dear Palo Alto’ celebrates life Ashley Ngu & Divya Shiv News Editors

On Nov. 6, local youth featured their artistic talents as part of “Dear Palo Alto,” a two-hour long showcase held in response to the student deaths last year. The showcase included featured paintings, songs and dance routines from high school students, as well as monologues from the

Stanford Theater Activist Mobilization Project. The event was co-sponsored by the Palo Alto Community Services Division (PACSD) and Break Through the Static, an organization exclusively dedicated to supporting teens who have lost a loved one to suicide.

“Art allows individuals to reach deep within themselves and connect with emotions that otherwise may remain

hidden or ignored,” Break Through the Static Founder Jade Chamness said. “We hope performers and spectators alike left ‘Dear Palo Alto’ more in touch with themselves and walked away knowing that the future of Palo Alto’s youth is bright.”

The idea for a teenage artist showcase came from event coordinator Julia Tachibana, who graduated from Palo Alto

High School in 2005. According to Tachibana, the recent suicides deeply affected her because her younger brother died by suicide in 2003. She became interested in holding an event to raise awareness about mental health issues after seeing a play about eating disorders. “I was experiencing an eating disorder at that time, so it was really healing

SHOWCASE— p.2

Sarah-Jean Zubair As more and more Americans realize the dire state of this nation’s public school system, the call for educational reform grows louder.

The term “charter school” has become a regular part of these dialogues. But while charter schools can sometimes provide a quality education for students who would otherwise have struggled in their state schools, they do not address the root of the United States’ education crisis. And because they aid only a small population of American students, they do not have the impact that sweeping reform measures from all entities involved in the education system would. While they can be incorporated as a part of the solution, charter schools are not a silver bullet to the U.S.’s education woes.

Like public schools, charter schools receive state funding. But unlike public schools, they CHARTER—p.5

2

News

THEORACLE

New HP printers replace old copy machines

YCS hosts Open Mic Night fundraiser

NEWS BITES On Nov. 23, the Youth Community Service/Interact Club (YCS) will hold an Open Mic Night in the Little Theater. The proceeds from this event will help fundraise for YCS Club’s Guatemala trip, which will be held over spring break. During this trip, a group of students goes to work in a Guatemalan village. In the past, the YCS club has helped build schools by pouring cement in ditches, painting walls and sanding shelves.

“Our efforts were well received and made a significant difference in the lives of the students there; they wanted to see us return in 2011,” senior Max Lipscomb said. “With the help of funds from the Open Mic Night, we’ll be able to do so.”

Open Mic Night is the main source of fundraising for students who plan on attending the trip. The leaders organizing the Open Mic are seniors Max Lipscomb, Andrew Kent and Mason Naar, who are also in charge of the Guatemala trip. The leaders are trying to raise the largest amount funds that they can, but according to Lipscomb, this will be the only Open Mic Night for the Guatemala trip this year.

All of the students who are currently going on the trip had to fill out an online application regarding questions about community service and their Spanish speaking abilities.

This year, YCS plans to have a pre-sale for the Open Mic Night. “It will cost $8 for pre-sale and $10 at the door,” Lipscomb said. A current list of students who are performing during Open Mic Night includes Tensync, After Closing Time, Gunn’s Juggling Club and science teacher Bakari Holmes. “We are expecting a full house and it will be a Guatastic night,” senior Mason Naar said.

As a way to combat the campus’s high printing costs, the administration has entered into a contract with HewittPackard (HP). The school has traded in more than 80 old copy machines and printers for 53 new printers from HP. Since printing and copying costs make up a large portion of each department’s budget, the administration is working on ways to cut down on the expenses. “In the first five weeks of school, the Academic Center went through about 21,000 copies,” Assistant Principal of Guidance Kim Cowell said. In addition, according to social studies teacher Chris Johnson, he can go through as many as 40,000 sheets of paper in a year on copying alone.

“We are making a more conscious effort to reduce [printing costs] in any way we can without negatively affecting the quality of education,” Assistant Principal of Budget Wes Cedros said. According to Cedros, the HP printers were paid for by the school district and are located in more central areas in each department to reduce the number of copy machines needed at Gunn.

As a result of this program, supplies for printing are also cheaper for the school. “All of the printers communicate with HP so that they know when we are running low on supplies,” Cedros said. “For example, if they see we are low on toner, they can ship it [automatically] to us at a cheaper cost. We never run out [of paper and toner] and we don’t need to [spend time replenishing] the resources.” The administration thus no longer needs to buy as many supplies from retail stores that add on additional expenses for packaging and customer service and can instead purchase materials directly from the manufacturer.

—Compiled by Elise Lee and Lydia Zhang

Melissa Sun

A breakdancer from Captivating Dance by Nona performs a stunt during the “Dear Palo Alto” showcase.

Students express emotions through art community, I feel that I can relate to these events and I thought that it was a really good cause.”

After the show, the audience split into breakout groups. “I was very pleased to see that the youth responded really well to our breakout groups; staying after the program to process what happened,” Tachibana said. “It was really moving to see all these kids sitting down with their peers in small groups, talking about the event and passing ideas around about what else we can do as a community to help each other.”

The project had almost no budget until offers of help and donations began to come in from numerous individuals from the community, organizations and businesses. According to Tachibana, she was ecstatic when the PACSD unanimously agreed to co-sponsor the event, enabling her to rent out the theater venue for free. The Break Through the Static graphic artist created the flyer at no cost. Omega Printing also printed the flyers and programs for free, Starbucks donated coffee and the Palo Alto Medical Foundation and the Arts Council of Silicon Valley gave grants.

SHOWCASE from pg. 1

to hear students speaking out so honesty and creatively on the topic,” Tachibana wrote in an e-mail. “That was what prompted me to use dance, drama, art and music for this event.

Art empowers both the performer and the audience, and only positive energy can result from it.”

“Dear Palo Alto” included numerous works of art. One such piece was a collection of 1000 origami cranes that were given to Tachibana by her classmates after her brother’s death.

In addition to the artwork, “Dear Palo Alto” also had featured acts, such as the alternative Gunn band After Closing Time and hip-hop artist Mickey Cho. Student performers expressed their enthusiasm for the event, as well as their gratitude for the chance to express what they wanted to say to the community. “I thought the event was a great opportunity for kids to come and express themselves in a fairly uninhibited way,” junior Daniel Wolfert said.

“It was a great way to speak my mind about not just the suicides at Gunn, but the suicides across the nation. As a member of the LGBT

Q&A with

Palo Alto Police Lieutenant Scott Wong

The Oracle spoke with PAPD Lieutenant Scott Wong to clarify the consequences of carrying passengers with a provisional license.

TO: What are the consequences of carrying passengers with a provisional license?

SW: The officer will not allow the driver to drive away with the passengers. The passengers will be asked to walk or their parents may be contacted for a ride. The parents may also be notified that their child has been a passenger of a driver who is in violation of their provisional license, but only the driver would be cited.

The consequences from the court could be a fine or community service or both.

TO: How would you suggest students respond to requests for rides?

SW: The licensee should be fully aware of the restrictions and just tell their friends that they’re sorry but they cannot violate the law. I know this may sound easier said than done, but, as the driver of a vehicle, you are responsible for everything that occurs within the vehicle. On the flip side, the potential passengers have a responsibility to not put their friends in a difficult position by asking or insisting on a ride.

The Oracle: Why is it important for newly licensed students to drive without passengers for a year?

Scott Wong: The primary reason for the restriction is to ensure that a newly licensed driver is driving with an experienced and more mature driver and/or passenger.

TO: What are the restrictions on a provisional license?

SW: In the first 12 months of driving, the licensee may not drive between the hours of 11 p.m. and 5 a.m or transport passengers under the age of 20 unless they are accompanied by a licensed driver who is 25 years or older.

TO: How often do you catch teenage drivers violating the terms of their provisional licenses?

SW: I would estimate that we issue maybe 20 provisional license violations per year.

SEC SCOOP SEC has recently formed focus groups that will research and address the following issues around campus in the coming months: Reducing student stress Improving spirit and athletic participation Adding new events Building connections with local businesses (discounts, etc.)

Organizing Spring Fling Strengthening our alumni network Improving our cafeteria food and line Increasing communication with the student body 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

Tachibana and Chamness were also surprised to find that so many high school students auditioned for “Dear Palo Alto. “While planning this event with Julia, we just hoped to get a couple people to come,” Chamness said. “But then it ended up becoming this amazing event with so many performers.”

After the event, organizers, performers and audience members expressed a desire to have future events similar to “Dear Palo Alto” to give students a chance to express themselves. “I hope the performers become aware, if they are not already, that they have a powerful voice and a very constructive means through which they can bring awareness to various different issues close to their hearts,” Tachibana said. “I also hope that teens will realize that they are not alone and that there are many loving people around them, willing to listen if they ever want to talk. This event was just as much about celebrating life, as it was about addressing difficult issues, and we certainly did that [Saturday night]. We witnessed what all these young people are capable of doing.”

Scott Wong

—Compiled by Annie Tran

News

Monday, November 15, 2010

3

School board delays calendar vote Board members need more info on impact of finals before break

Utkash Dubey & Kevin Zhang Reporters

On Nov. 9 the Palo Alto Unified District School Board decided to delay the vote on the proposed calendar that would have moved finals before winter break. The delay was due to insufficient support from both proponents and opponents of the plan. The new school calendars for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 school years were tabled until the Dec. 7 meeting, where the school board hopes to make a solid decision.

According to the school board’s response to the proposal made by the joint calendar committee, the proposed changes will attempt to alleviate student stress and allow them to enjoy their holidays. “A major reason is that the staff believes a more cohesive semester maximizes instructional time and reduces student stress,” the joint calendar committee proposal stated. The proposal also addressed the shifted semester lengths. Cur-

rently, the 2010-2011 calendar May 31 with the last day of school cuts off instruction for two weeks on May 31. just as students are approachAccording to the frequently ing the end of the first semester. asked questions on the district ofStudents then need additional re- fice website, if the calendar were view when to be changed, they return to the material beschool just to ing tested in the get back up semester finals “A major reason [for to where they would still be changing the calenwere when fresh in stuthey left for dents’ minds. dar] is that the staff winter break.

Also, the early believes a more coheWith the start of the calsive semester maxiproposed endar would calendar, the allow more mizes instructional first day of instructional time and reduces school would time prior to be on Aug. standardized student stress.“ 18 and finals and Advanced —Calendar Committee P l a c e m e n t week would proposal (AP) tests in take place the week belate April and fore Winter early May. Break from Dec. 15 through Dec. The calendar committee also 21. Winter Break would run from argued for the new calendar and Dec. 22 to Jan. 2. As a result of addressed concerns raised earlier this shift, second semester final by community members including would span the week of May 25 to heat in August, child care and ath-

letic schedules in addition to the number of days in both semesters.

The committee addressed these concerns by presenting a series of Powerpoint slides that showed the history of high temperatures in August, accommodations other city organizations were willing to make for the new calendar and the impact the calendar would have on fall athletic practice times.

However, 31 parents and students voiced their concerns about and opposition to the plan during the board meeting. From those who spoke, strong opinions were voiced that there was no relation with the new schedule and the summer schedules of students not in high school. Local parents believed that the board did not do enough to spread information of the proposed changes. The parents also said that adding finals to the busiest month of the year is counterintuitive and adds pressure to students and their families, especially seniors who are applying to colleges first semester.

Students at Gunn voiced their approval for the changes, especially having finals before winter break. “If finals are before winter break, it will be nice when we won’t have to stress during the two weeks off,” sophomore Harrison Waschura said. “I’m all right with losing a week of summer in order to have finals before winter break: it will be a worthy tradeoff.”

Senior Howon Lee doesn’t think that having finals and college applications together would conflict. “Most are out of the way if you start a week early, and you have winter break off,” Lee said.

In addition, science teacher Laurie Pennington voiced her assent. “Having finals before winter break makes a ton of sense especially with AP Classes,” Pennington said. “Since AP Tests are in May, the new calendar would have the end date of the school year closely following AP Testing and more time during the school year to learn the material since the start date will be earlier.”

Photos by Victor Kwok

Left: The Wind Ensemble plays a musical piece during a practice period. Gunn’s music program recently reached the semi-finalist stage of the Grammy’s Signature Schools contest. Center: Flutists senior Kelly Catlin and junior Megan Zhang concentrate on their music. Right: The brass section practices with sheet music.

Gunn music program reaches the Grammy’s semi-finals Zoe Weisner Reporter

Gunn’s music department has reached the semi-finals of the Grammy Signature Schools contest along with 129 other schools in the country. Winners will be announced in March and around 12 finalists will be selected. “It’s a well-recognized award for music; it means that we’re with one of the top high school music programs,” orchestra teacher Sandra Lewis said.

The Grammy’s Signature Schools award was established in 1989 and serves to acknowledge schools that educate and value recorded music across America. The Grammy Foundation and the Recording Academy created this award in order to maintain the heritage of music by granting cash prizes and grants to financially challenged and talented music programs throughout the country. Winners of the Grammy’s Signature Schools receive grants ranging from $1000 to $5000 dollars.

The Grammy’s Signature Schools contest focuses not only on a specific music area, but on the whole music department as well. “They do an in-depth study of our music program, what our curriculum is and our

reputation as a school,” Visual and Performing Arts Instructional Supervisor Todd Summers said. The application process requires two recorded pieces performed by any of the music programs offered. Lewis chose a classical piece and one from the orchestra’s recent Prism concert for the applications. Summers explained that entering Gunn in the contest wasn’t necessarily for the money but more for the experience and to ultimately have fun with the application process. “It’s good recognition for the music program and our school,” Summers said. “If we win, the money would go to purchasing music for our groups.

It’s not about the money for us. The application process was a good reflective exercise.”

Summers doesn’t plan to enter Gunn again in the signature schools contest the following year. “Maybe we’ll revisit that option in three to four years, if we win,” he said. “If we don’t win this year, I may discuss re-applying again next year with some of the other teachers in the music department.” Summers was pleased by the recognition so far. “Gunn is considered one of the best schools in the country,” he said, “as is our music program. And that’s why we made it this far.”

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News

THEORACLE

THEORACLE

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

Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief Linda Yu Managing Editors Annie Shuey Sarah-Jean Zubair News Ashley Ngu Divya Shiv Emily Zheng Forum Regina Ahn Eugenah Chou Sam Hayward Features Kevin Gao Nicola Park Lydia Zhang Centerfold Sophia Jiang Yilin Liang Entertainment Samantha Donat Tiffany Hu Hannah Plank-Schwartz Sports Krishan Allen Monica Cai Copy Editors Sweta Bhattacharya Tara Golshan Mia Howard Eden Lauffer Photo Victor Kwok Henry Liu Graphics/Web Kimberly Han Tech Colin Chen Webmaster Charles Chen

Staff Reporters Boot Bullwinkle, Colin Chen, Utkash Dubey, Roya Huang, Josephine Jen, Jesse Klein, Elise Lee, Song Park, Jennie Robinson, Leon Sung, Felix Tran, May Wu, Kevin Zhang Business/Circulation Managers Elaine Liu Annie Tran Photographers Melissa Sun Jonathan Yong Alan Phan Wendy Qiu Graphics Artists George Hwang Andrew Lee Lisa Wu Adviser Kristy Blackburn

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.

College Pathways creates opportunities Sam Hayward

Forum Editor

College Pathways, a program initiated in 2008 by guidance counselor Myesha Compton, supports minority students in acquiring further education after graduating high school.

The school has partnered with Ernst & Young, a professional service organization, which chose Gunn as a guinea-pig school to test out the new program. Now, guidance counselor Monica Espinoza leads the program on campus.

“We wanted to create a mentor program here and that’s exactly what we got,” Espinoza said.

College Pathways supports students of Hispanic, African-American and Pacific Islander descent and helps them prepare for life after high school. “These ethnic groups are underrepresented in college,” Espinoza said. “It takes more effort to guide them, prepare them academically and make sure they stay in college,” she said.

For the past several years, high schools around the country have seen an academic gap, also called an achievement gap, between students of African-American, Hispanics and Pacific Islander heritage, and their Caucasians and Asian counterparts. According to Principal Katya Villalobos, Gunn also has an achievement gap problem, and is trying to raise awareness of the resulting problems. “We started to notice an achievement gap more than eight years ago,” Villalobos said. “The minority students had about a 25 point difference from their peers.”

Although schools across the nation have already tried various methods, instructions, and delivery of curriculum, Villalobos believes that the student’s self-confidence plays a key role as well. “One thing we do know is that if the students believe in themselves, then they will perform well,” she said.

The program helps minority students develop said. “We have to make the best of it.” strong relationships with their teachers. “We Abraha entered College Pathways during his work with the teachers and I rely on them to eighth grade summer. “It helps me figure out inform when a student is not working well,” what options I have after college and what’s Espinoza said. “I think College Pathways is available,” Abraha said. making teachers more aware to the variety of Because of the program, college becomes a our students and opening eyes about the differ- prospective pathway for the kids. “Wanting to go ent backgrounds we have here. ” to college is a reality for all of these kids,” VilThrough College Pathways, teachers meet lalobos said. “It soon becomes an expectation with students every month to discuss with them and a prescription. These kids are surrounded their future college careers. The combined by others who want to do this.” teamwork between the pair fosters a positive This year the group took college field trips environment for the students to thrive in. where the students got a taste of college life.

Espinoza hopes to stretch the program to “We went to Cal and UC Davis for our college outside of school environment as well. “We need trips,” Abraha said. “We got to walk around and to make people feel that college is for everyone explore the environments there.” and if we work together we can provide that opBefore finals last year, the students and a few portunity,” she said. counselors met and studied Espinoza also acknowlfor the tests. “They hosted edges that the achievement a few meetings before the “We need to make gap is not going to be finals and that helped out fixed immediately. “It is us a lot,” junior Nick De La people feel that colnot going to change from Paz said. lege is for everyone day to night, but we need According to the students and if we work toto help students that need in the program, Espinoza has to be helped,” she said. been crucial to the success gether we can provide “Because it’s the students’ of College Pathways “Ms. that opportunity.“ decision to enter the proEspinoza brought people gram, we need to provide —Guidance counselor together, she came in with guidance and help them the right energy and got it Monica Espinoza take advantage of the opgoing,” De La Paz said. The portunities available.” students look up to Espinoza The program also has community members as a successful adult. “It’s nice seeing another come and talk to the students. “We have a differ- minority in a high position,” De La Paz said. ent guest speaker every month, and most of them “She is a great model for us, a very positive are minorities,” she said. The guest speakers influence.” have ranged from firefighters to rocket scientists.

College Pathways hopes to help its current 14 College Pathways helps students understand students find their own journey through school. that high school is not the end of their education. “The program shows me my future after high “The counselors and teachers all work with us school and supports me in making the right and offer support and help,” junior Abel Abraha decisions for my life,” De La Paz said.

Elementary students share traffic concerns with SEC Ashley Ngu

News Editor

A group of fourth and fifth graders from Juana Briones and Barron Park Elementary Schools visited the campus on Oct. 22 to talk with Student Executive Council (SEC) members about problems regarding traffic, biking and pedestrian safety. The meeting was suggested by the Gunn Parent-Teacher-Student Association (PTSA) in response to requests from a parent of an Ohlone Elementary School student whose child had a close call with a teenage driver. “We thought ‘Why not asking the elementary students to come and advocate for themselves?’” PTSA president Grace Yu said. “Most students at Gunn likely have younger siblings and we thought a request from the younger kids would remind everyone that these kids are either high school student siblings or their friends’ siblings. I think the message of safe driving becomes much more

effective when you realize you can hurt someone you care about potentially.”

Topics such as a lack of helmets, biking through stop signs and reckless driving were discussed during the 30-minute meeting.

“For the most part, I think students drive fairly well here, especially around elementary schools,” Assistant Principal Tom Jacoubowsky said. “I think that there are isolated cases of reckless driving but I haven’t heard of anything major this year.”

Bike routes through Maybell Avenue and Arastradero Road were believed to be the streets with the highest levels of reckless biking and driving. According to Jacoubowsky, the corner where students come in from Arastradero is the most dangerous area because students have to cross cars to get to the bike cages and many do not check for cars before crossing.

He hopes that when the parking lot is redesigned in the next few

years the problem will be fixed.

Jacoubowsky recommends that bikers use the entrance from Georgia Avenue instead.

Another major issue that was discussed was the large number of distracted students that bike in the middle of roads. “All of the teachers and staff at Juana Briones are so scared because the streets around here are pretty small,” Juana Briones Principal Matt Nagle said. “Sometimes we see kids biking while texting on their phones or they’re biking three in a row and spilling out into the road.

When a biker gets hit by a car, it’s game over. A bicyclist and a car just cannot compete.”

Anders Hambergen and Bryce Jacoubowsky, who are fifth graders from Juana Briones, bike and scooter to school, and have never seen an accident involving students around the area. Both agree that pedestrians and drivers need to be more careful around school zones.

However, according to Hambergen,

older students are generally the culprits of unsafe biking.

Tom Jacoubowsky agreed. “The younger elementary students are generally pretty good about bike safety,” he said. “I strongly believe that the fourth through sixth grade years are the key years to stress bike safety because that’s mostly when students start to show bad habits. By the time students get to the older grades in middle school and on, they have this bad habit ingrained into them, which is hard to change.”

Several SEC members agreed that students should take more caution when driving. “Speaking personally, I bike to school and had gotten into my first serious bike accident the day before they came to so I felt like they brought up some valid points,” sophomore Vice President Marisa Kanemoto said. “They really just want us, and people in general, to drive more safely, which is something I think most students can relate to.”

George Hwang

Forum

Monday, November 15, 2010

5

EDITORIAL: The Opinion of The Oracle

Too much pink: corporations exploit the fight against breast cancer

P

inktober. It was a global movement focused around one central issue: breast cancer. Yet, as the fight against breast cancer continues, participants must consistently evaluate how much the pink campaign is actually focused on breast cancer

George Hwang

awareness and not a companies’ own personal interests.

Since 1990, the pink movement has been a flourishing success. As a result of thousands’ enthusiastic involvement, many advancements have been achieved in the fight against breast cancer. But recently, the pink has spread into a new territory. Large corporations have taken advantage of the pink phenomenon and placed ribbons on their products, saying that the company supports breast cancer awareness.

As a result, consumers feel encouraged, even obligated, to buy such products out of a desire to contribute to the pink cause. But more and more businesses are seizing the opportunity to profit from these consumers’ intentions to do good. Consumers must take care to ascertain that their purchases are truly going to benefit cancer research rather than the pockets of misleading corporate CEOs. Some of these “supporting” companies’ products have even been proven to be a cause of breast cancer. For example, according America’s Cancer Society, Mike’s Hard Lemonade now sells their alcoholic drink with a pink ribbon, although even moderate alcohol consumption has been linked to breast cancer among women in several studies. Even Portopong, an inflatable raft upon which beer pong can be played, is being marketed as a “pink” product.

It is hypocritical for such companies to claim to support breast cancer awareness when the very products they sell are agents of the disease.

The fast food company, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) has recently started the Buckets for the Cure foundation to raise money and awareness for the disease by giving 50 cents to the Susan G. Komen foundation for every bucket sold. Yet according to the National Cancer Instititute, studies have shown that an increased risk of developing colorectal, pancreatic and breast cancer is associated with high intakes of well-done, fried or barbequed meats. KFC is offering a product that helps contribute to the spread of cancer, but

most importantly, company owners are deceiving customers into thinking that they are supporting the pink cause while they are actually helping the disease stay afloat.

Komen, which has raised $775 million for breast-cancer research, screening, education and treatment since it was established in 1982, makes a point of transparency about its pink campaigns, as do at least two other large charities: the Avon Foundation Breast Cancer Crusade and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Komen, for instance, insists that partners in pink-ribbon promotions reveal what percentage of sales will be allocated to the charity and how the money will be spent. They do not, however, require corporate partners to divulge the profits from the products or the amount spent promoting them.

Breast Cancer Action (BCA), a grass-roots advocacy organization based in San Francisco, offers a consumereducation program and website called Think Before You Pink (thinkbeforeyoupink.org) introduced four years ago. The Think Before You Pink campaign encourages consumers to ask questions before buying something with a pink ribbon: How much money from the purchase goes toward the cause? Where does it go? Is there a cap on donations? What is the company doing to ensure its products aren’t actually contributing to the breast cancer epidemic?

Rather than risk good intentions going to help corporations increase their profits, consumers ought to consider their pink purchases carefully. Look for products that donate 50 percent or more of the proceeds from the product to a breast cancer charity. To be absolutely certain of where donations are going, it is best to contribute to breast cancer charities directly. Steps such as these will ensure that charities receive intended contributions and go toward bringing the fight against breast cancer to a successful close.

—Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the staff (assenting: 26; dissenting: 10)

Charter schools’ place in educational reform needs re-evaluation

n CHARTER SCHOOLS from pg. 1

are privately run. They do not have to adhere to certain public school rules and regulations as long as they yield the results guaranteed in their charter, an agreement drawn up between the school and the state. The charter delineates the school’s academic programs and the difference it intends to make for its students. Charter schools’ academic standards might be higher than those delineated for public schools, making them attractive to students seeking better academics than their public schools have to offer. Additionally, charter schools do not charge tuition, making them a viable option for students, usually in underprivileged school districts, without the means to attend a private school. Because of these aspects, many conclude that charter schools are the savior of the U.S.’s underprivileged students and suggest that the answer to education reform is simply expansion of the charter school network throughout the country. But charter schools are just like any other school—there are those that yield academically successful students and those that do not. The common perception that charter schools are better than their public counterparts is flawed, as demonstrated by a 2009 study by the Center for Research on Education Outcomes.

The study assessed 70 percent of US charter school students and found that only 17 percent were significantly more academically advanced than demographically comparable public school students. Forty-six percent of charter school students showed no academic difference from public school

students, and 37 percent were academically worse off than public school students. The study’s findings concluded that contrary to popular belief, charter schools do not universally output academically stronger students. It is thought that charter schools’ surprisingly low performance is a result of the diversity in their academic standards.

They are not pressured to conform the state standards to which public schools are held and, as a result, they can assume any level of rigor they choose.

In any case, it is clear that, in general, charter schools and public schools are relatively on par. Proposals that charter schools should be expanded to cure this country’s ailing education are not solutions—they are but expansions of the status quo.

Also, charter schools’ sheer size makes them inadequate antidotes to such a severe situation. Charter schools are, on average, much smaller than public schools. Their limited space makes it such that only a fraction of students in a school district may attend, a fraction selected by lottery if the school is in great demand. If those students are lucky, their charter school is academically stimulating and gives them the education they need. But the success of a few does not change the fact that the majority of students in the district are still immersed in the too often undesirable learning environment of their public schools. A high-performance charter school provides an escape route for some, but more often than not they do not produce the results needed for students to be academically superior to their public school peers. And the fact

that they leave those peers behind in a toxic education environment does not aid the actual problem of public education quality. Rather than establishing more charter schools, which have a higher rate of failure or achievement stagnancy than success, state governments need to address public schools themselves in order to improve their students’ performance.

The US’s education crisis is multifaceted, ranging from unmotivated students to lax graduation standards.

It therefore requires multifaceted solutions. Such solutions would incorporate involvement from individual community members, local, state and federal governments. For individual students and parents, personal motivation, encouragement and emphasis on the importance of education form the foundation of academic success. Without motivation, even the most intelligent student will not succeed in school. All parents must realize that their children’s futures depend on support of their academic pursuits.

On the schools’ accounts, one recurring complaint from students has been substandard teaching. While the tenure system began as a way to protect teachers’ jobs, it has become an encumbrance to districts seeking to rid schools of teachers who simply do not do their jobs. Reforming the tenure system such that school districts may fire inadequate teachers is a crucial step to improving students’ learning experiences.

Additionally, the state needs to enforce graduation requirements. Students who do not fulfill their schools’ gradua-

tion standards should not be shooed out before they pass the required courses and exams. Staying in school until those requirements are fulfilled will serve to ensure that students have earned their diplomas rather than receiving them by default at the end of the school year. In tandem with tighter state regulations on school district standards, the federal government ought to pose incentives as well as ultimatums for states to improve their public schools. For example, monetary aid in exchange for statewide academic reforms, as seen with President Barack Obama’s Race to the Top program, is but one way the federal government can aid states seeking improvement for their public schools. In cases where academic standards are not reached, tightened controls over public schools must be exercised to force adherence to these standards.

Many might claim that federal involvement in public schools is in violation of state government rights. However, in times of national emergency, federal crackdowns are necessary to control and remedy the situation. U.S. public schools are in such a state of emergency. It is clear that the popular easy answer of opening more charter schools is not fixing the national education crisis. Only solutions thoroughly addressing each aspect of public education will succeed in doing so. Complete overhaul of this nation’s public schools is necessary to fix the U.S.’s floundering education system and set students on the path to success.

– Zubair, a senior, is a Managing Editor.

Forum 6 The hidden beauty of academia THEORACLE

Emily Zheng PSYCHOLOGY: Human nature is fascinating. Why do people do what they do, or react to certain things in different ways? Why do babies cry? Why do we procrastinate? The subject feeds our innate curiosity about our environment and the psychological issues of our everyday lives. The true beauty of psychology lies in the ability this knowledge provides us with to change the way we view the world and ourselves.

Though psychology does not always provide us with direct, straightforward answers, it equips us with the tools necessary to explore and make sense of who and what we are. Individuals with anxiety disorders who have a better understanding of their psychological issues can gain awareness for the unique way their body and mind function. Understanding a problem is the first step to transforming a seemingly large and daunting psychological issue into something manageable and less intimidating.

Knowledge of psychology also changes the way we approach our relationships with others. If we understand the thought and reaction tendencies of another, we can act accordingly to strengthen the relationship, or at least avoid seriously debilitating it. In friendships and coworker relationships, knowing how to communicate and understanding people’s motivations can be extremely helpful. How do you react to an angry coworker? How do you deal with an irritating boss? What to do to strengthen your friendship? Psychology can help you.

Also, professionals can help couples

completely turn around their relationships. The aim of counseling, which is rooted in the study of psychology, is to facilitate open communication between a couple and provide them with the knowledge to continue that sort of communication in their marriage. Sixty-five percent of couples report significant improvement based on averaged scores of marital satisfaction, according to a study done on the effectiveness of therapy.

For many new parents, the idea of raising a child can be a daunting experience. However, child psychology focuses on the mind and behavior of children from prenatal development through adolescence, and deals with their physical, cognitive, social and emotional development, so parents can make decisions that keep the child’s best interest at heart and in mind. An understanding of child psychology can greatly change the way parents nurture their children, creating confident parents and, effectually, confident children.

Psychology is beautiful, because we can better understand ourselves and help others.

—Zheng, a senior, is a News Editor.

May Wu ENGLISH: It’s not every day I sit down to contemplate the beauty of an academic subject. What I like the most about English is that there is so much creative freedom. Like Ms. Ichikawa said: “It isn’t true that there is no right or wrong answer in English; there is a sliding scale for what is considered ‘right.’”

I love this creative freedom. I remember once during a quiz on the one day I didn’t do the reading, our English teacher told us to wing it if we didn’t know the answers. Although I didn’t get any points, I did have a lot of fun writing it and I got the compliment, “creative” scribbled next to my impromptu answers. The ability to make up any kind of scenario in my writing interests, challenges and satisfies me.

Obviously, English literary writers think so too. The books we read in class are extremely well-written to a point that it can be frustrating to have to find all the double

meanings in the words. Fortunately, I’m not the only one who loves finding symbolism where it doesn’t seem possible. The discussions in class surprise me, people can come up with amazing insights that spark the imagination and keep the ball rolling. Hearing what others have to say ultimately creates the feeling that the class is working together as a whole to learn.

On the other hand, the essay writing part of English elicits complaints of boredom and claims of redundancy.

Only a few people recognize the benefits of English essays. Every essay we write is practice for our future college and job applications. Every point helps build our writing skills for the future.

Not everyone is a natural pro at essay writing and so practice makes perfect.

Just as how students may complain about writing essays, they may even wonder what the point is of having a class on a language we already know or that we think we do. It may be argued that English isn’t like Spanish or French since we’ve been speaking it since we were toddlers, but ultimately we haven’t mastered the language yet. English as a class helps us improve on our communication skills and finecombs our knowledge in our language. With the required English courses, mistakes can be avoided and we won’t have to worry about sounding like a fool in our own native tongue.

—Wu, a senior, is a reporter.

Lisa

Nicola Park SCIENCE: It all started with a cup of tea. As I lurked near the stove and got the water boiling, I started thinking along a nuclear chain of thoughts: from the specific heat of water to the cohesion-tension forces of water on the sides of the cup . I realized then and there that science was taking over my life.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s biology, chemistry or physics, science pops up on the brain when I least expect it. Sometimes I catch myself contemplating the little cells that make up who I am, and all the little mitochondria buzzing with energy to keep me going, and the myosin-actin interactions in my fingers as I furiously type, and the equal and opposite force that the ground pushes on me as I stand. One specific thing that really gets me is physics. I mean, how mind-blowing is the fact that the whole physical world can make sense through a set of equations?

Science contradicts itself: it complicates as it aims to simplify. We learn the minutest details about energy and photosynthesis cycles, ultimately to learn how our bodies work and make sense of everything we see.

As a result, it may seem tedious and unengaging to students. We have to memorize countless facts, ingrain equations into our brains, grasp obscure concepts and remem-

ber intricate processes and minute details, among other things. But it’s important to keep in mind the greater context of what we’re learning—a finding’s implications for society, or that a fact’s ambiguity leads to a mystery that scientists are working to solve.

Science may be seen as impersonal, objective and unwelcoming of creative thinking. My argument is that science is the product of creative thinking, from coming up with hypotheses to theorizing life beyond Earth. It organizes this complex and often confusing world into understandable and more digestable chunks. It’s actually sort of incredible.

Science is a lot like the universe (from one perspective, it literally is the universe): ever-expanding, and always wondered about, but never definitely found. At the same time it helps us make sense of the world, it’s also a huge mystery. There are many things that scientists spend years to make sense of, and there are likely countless things that humans aren’t even aware of at all and maybe never will be.

Science confuses us, cures us, intrigues us, drives us crazy and even explains the biological and chemical pathways of all of these emotions. Einstein once said, “The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science.” I’ve learned to believe in bio, call on chem and have faith in physics in my everyday life.

–Park, a senior, is a Features Editor.

Utkash Dubey MATH: Competition drives the world. Being a mathlete, participation in math competitions is more than a stress factor and a mental obstacle; it’s an enjoyable, social experience. Math is an outlet like participating in any other extracurricular activity, such as sports or instrumental music. It hikes your stress level, yet, at the same time, is a way to relieve yourself from everyday stresses.

Being with a group of math-oriented people brings a competitive and concentrated rush to your body, and gives you the excited butterflies in your stomach like a sport would do. In many ways, math is very similar to competitive sports. It gives you the gut feeling that it will be a lot of work, but once it’s over a refreshing feeling takes over the mind. It is much like enduring the pain to feel amazing later; after all, “No pain, no gain.” The relief is the same adrenaline thrill you get after a close game, and there’s nothing that can beat that.

In addition, I have found math to be a very social subject. Besides contests, interacting with friends and classmates about math problems that tick you off develops bonds and acquaintances with people you wouldn’t regularly talk with. It opens room for friendly debate and sparks stimulating

Wu

conversation. The social incentive seems to make almost everyone more interested in the subject, curious to see what hidden mysteries math may reveal to themselves. Your trigonometry talent may unfold, and growing a passion for the conceptual topic grows thoughts into discoveries and excitement with friends.

Many argue math is a tedious, aggravating subject, and it’s plain boring and ugly. Despite this, math and many other academic subjects are like playing video games. Lots of work on the thumbs, but learn to play and the addiction comes on its own. Get off that Xbox and start doing some more math, and the fun will follow on its own.

Outside of the classroom, the math community is competitive and incredibly social. Things like the Mandelbrot series often leaves students discussing amongst themselves what each of the answers were and how they got there. Team competitions like the California Math League (CAML) qualifier for high schools, which took place earlier this year, had a great loud environment with people of all ages and races, from schools all over the Bay Area. Individual tests like the annual American Mathematics Competitions are a true challenge for students across the nation, and the highest level of the series, being the USA Math Olympiads contest, bring a lot of positive attention and give you the opportunity to meet new friends and new rivals.

–Dubey, a sophomore, is a reporter.

Forum

Racial categories must be changed Applications’ failure to include diverse backgrounds is offensive to students

Tara Golshan As the school year continues, the process of filling out forms and applications, college or otherwise, becomes second nature to many students. However, one of these multiple-choice questions can pose a challenge. The “race” bubble is in almost all standardized tests, official forms and college applications and the question itself is an important one.

Ethnicity can provide insight into a candidate’s background and culture. It can differentiate one applicant from another in a seemingly homogeneous group of people. But the question, as important as it is, is being asked incorrectly.

The United States of America in its entirety is an amalgam of different ethnicities and races, yet even in this highly diverse region of the world, the question regarding background and race is poorly worded. Caucasian, Hispanic, AfricanAmerican/Black, Asian and Pacific Islander are usually the available responses, but these five groups of people do not entirely make up the United States’ population. Mixed Race is not accounted for, and in a situation in which “other” is not an option, this group of America’s population is completely neglected.

Middle Easterners, although usually categorized under either White or Asian, usually do not associate with either. Asian means East Asian and White means European or American. Even Europeans do not have the opportunity to identify themselves separately from Americans. Pacific Islanders have their own category for this exact reason: to

With Gunn’s new online gradebook, Infinite Campus, parents now have a peephole into their children’s grades.

Gunn should cease mailing home quarter grades because parents now have an easier, more environmentally friendly alternative. Mailing home quarter grades has diminished into an inefficient, paper wasting practice.

Some students complain that quarter grades should be eliminated altogether because Gunn runs on a semester system, not a quarter system. However, on the other hand, this would upset many parents and students. Both students and parents like to know how they are progressing in their classes after a few months of school. This confirms that although many students dread the day quarter grades come out, they are still necessary, as painful as they may be.

Still, there are alternatives to the stressful burden of quarter grades on students. Teachers in the English department have been accommodating their senior Advanced Placement students by giving them a pass/fail grade for the past twelve years. This has helped relieve stress on seniors applying early decision to their colleges of choice.

Time to rewind

7

Kevin Gao

Andrew Lee

differentiate themselves from the large Asian population.

The Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Test is one such examination that unfairly forces students into generalized races. The ethnicity question is posed as a series of multiple choice.

Comparing data points on ethnicity and score can be useful information, but this government-distributed and standardized test should not homogenize and exclude large populations of test takers.

Middle Easterners are neither Caucasian nor Asian. Therefore, given a STAR test, a student from Middle Eastern decent would be unable to complete the mandatory question truthfully. That student’s response would be grouped into an ethnicity that inaccurately describes his or her background.

The responses provided by exams like the STAR Test, are directly affected by the results of the Census. The Census Bureau conducts a national survey every 10 years and according to it “collects race data in accordance with guidelines provided by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget and these data are based on self-identification. The racial categories included in the census ques-

tionnaire generally reflect a social definition of race recognized in this country.” Perhaps then, the issue is caused by society’s misconception of race. In the United States, Asians are restricted to the eastern segment of the continent, and Caucasians are listed as being only European and American. It is much simpler and more efficient to change format rather than to change social perception.

An addendum to the question or an extra box to specify a subgroup would help differentiate a Frenchman from a Canadian or a Pakistani from a Korean. A series of specific multiple-choice questions can individualize each candidate and ultimately provide accurate statistics and data points for the future. In terms of the Census, this can provide both funding and national representation for new minorities.

If the question has enough importance to be on the forms and applications, then it must be done correctly and accurately.

Each ethnicity group must be included; each person must be accounted for and minorities must be recognized. If social perception will not change then the forms and applications must.

—Golshan, a senior, is a Copy Editor.

Online quarter grades have benefits Eden Lauffer

Monday, November 15, 2010

Because the school has switched to Infinite Campus, it should take advantage of its features, including letting teachers post their gradebooks, giving an even more in-depth evaluation of a student than the formal mailed home quarter grades would. The grades that are mailed home are only a regurgitation of what is already on Infinite Campus.

Another plus to Infinite Campus is that it saves paper. Rather than wasting envelopes and paper on all 1,900 students, it can send out an e-mail reminding parents to check quarter grades online. Here in Palo Alto, we are privileged enough to have access to the George Hwang Internet. We should take advantage of this and save paper by simply just sending out quarter grades online. This would save loads of paper and cut back on the cost of printing at school. Being a fairly green campus, this would be a wise investment for Gunn to make.

Aside from its positive effect on the environment, Infinite Campus can help put an end to student interference with mailed home quarter grades. This is an issue that arises from students worrying about their parents’ reaction to their

grades. Without a mailed home progress report, students would no longer be able to hide their grades from their parents. This may

sound like a negative to students, but the truth is that parents and students should be honest with each other about things as serious as grades and progress in school over the course of the school year.

Maybe printed-out quarter grades that are sent home will not cease to exist this school year, but it is something that should be taken into consideration. Without quarter grades, paper will be saved, and common reaction will be improved as well as student to parent communication.

–Lauffer, a senior, is a Copy Editor.

By now, most of you have probably seen Toy Story 3. Here’s a movie that has grown up right next to us, and while I felt an indescribable satisfaction from seeing Woody and Buzz one last time on screen, I couldn’t help but feel nostalgic.

Some loathe the fact that we get older with each passing day and others can’t wait to be legal adults, but let’s face it. We’re all getting older. We can’t get the under-12 prices at Palo Alto Bowl anymore, and we see only smug faces when we ask “trick or treat?” We’re wrapping up the angst-ridden years of our lives, and there isn’t a single one of us that doesn’t wish they could go back to a time of innocence, at least once in a while.

We’ve all felt the stress that comes with growing up. In some aspects, today’s teenagers have to take more responsibility in their lives than ever before. As we reach adulthood, expectations are thrown on us to act, dress and speak in a certain manner.

Growing up just means being independent and rational—the roots of a banal existence.

Just what’s so great about turning 18?

You can browse the backroom of the video store, vote and rent a porta-potty. But never again will you be able to pray for the Tooth Fairy or Santa Claus to pay you a visit.

Ti me travel is a scientific milestone yet to be achieved, but every student must have had the urge to return to the glorious time that is childhood. Oh, how I yearn to have that feeling that comes from sitting back with a Magic Treehouse book or from going outside to pretend that you’re a futuristic warrior that has to save the world. I miss when lunch used to mean playtime and Saturday mornings meant eating cereal by the TV while watching the raddest, baddest cartoons. It’s ridiculous how we reminisce about the good old days we haven’t lived for a decade. Then we proceed to sulk with nostalgia and curse ourselves for not appreciating just how good we had it.

I have one request for whom it may concern at Gunn High School—don’t grow up too quickly. Students here tend to work too hard without much play. But it’s never a bad time to go and have fun. Stop this whole adult guise and just act as immature as you want. Go and play Pokemon, order a Happy Meal and then play some kickball.

Do whatever floats your boat because in the end, there’s nothing wrong with having a good time. Make the last few years of your childhood as full as you possible can. Why try to mask your embarrassing baby photos or the blankie you slept with for 10 years of your life? You can’t pretend like it never happened and there’s no reason to be embarrassed at all.

It’s time to enjoy your youth while you can because one day you really will be old.

I’m not sure some of you guys get it. One day we won’t be able to throw tantrums, laugh wildly in public or eat anything and everything we want to. When you become old, you instantly become socially awkward when you put on a onesie or try playing four square.

Once you have appreciated your past, you can appreciate the present and then start to look to the future. Maturity has to come sometime, but embrace your childhood and don’t take things too seriously. One day we’ll have to go to work and pay the bills, but for now, we can laugh and just enjoy.

–Gao, a senior, is a Features Editor.

8

Forum

THEORACLE

Gleefully influenced

EDITORIAL CARTOON

Yilin Liang

The hidden costs of student perfection.

Kimberly Han

Soles define womens’ souls Regina Ahn We walk with traces of the past all around us. It comes as little surprise that shoes support more than just feet; they uphold status, symbol and identity. Unfortunately for the mademoiselles, this has allowed footwear to perpetuate gender roles and stereotypes, as seen across cultures and throughout time.

Firstly, the curious indirect relationship between comfort and fashion in the shoe industry is no new phenomenon. Design goes hand-in-hand with function, and when one notices, for example, high heels or constricting, chafing straps that contort the foot’s natural form, one might question what the function is of such shoes, why they are so popular and who sets these rules. After all, “pain is beauty,” and “no pain, no gain.” For example, Chinese lotus shoes, which are currently outlawed, required an excruciatingly crippling binding of a young girl’s feet in order to heighten her chances of marriage and uphold the cultural image of flower-like beauty. A type of a small Victorian-age shoe hoped to hide the woman’s foot underneath her hoop skirt, away from wandering eyes. Today’s highheeled shoes have undeniable sex appeal as well as leave the wearer unable to run (ironically, one of the earlier forms of the highheeled shoe was worn by men).

There just might be a pattern here. Such examples underscore issues which feminists would stamp their feet in anger against: male dominance, discrimination and abuse, as well as rendering females helpless and immobile.

Surely not all of women’s shoes are surreptitiously sexist.

(Crocs are probably the biggest turn-off yet, regardless that they have about the same amount of aesthetic sensibility as orangecolored vomit.) The evolution of shoes in the past 50 years reflects the progress of women’s rights and social equality, as it saw an increase in the women workforce.

Women were empowered by work to be financially independent, and so variety blossomed in the shoe market. Sturdy work boots were now not for men only, and open-toed sandals gave that liberating feel, equivalent to letting down one’s hair. So in a sense, modern-day age shoes have freed women from the constraints of a woman’s “proper role,” but only to a certain extent.

Women are a heavy market for shoes, as seen from the barrage of fashion shoe advertisements a women faces on a regular basis.

And this media must have some influence on the modern public conscience, for the average U.S. woman owns 19 pairs of shoes, according to a poll by Consumer Reports National Research Center. There is no clear number for the average U.S. man, but it is generally understood that they own less.

Why so many shoes? Generally, every different pair of shoes is justified by the function it must

fulfill: women must have work shoes, special event shoes, dress shoes, et cetera. This clear difference in standards is one other example of how gender roles perpetuate through shoes today.

Women are constantly pressured to be fashion conscious about nearly every aspect of their appearance. To make one false move with a pair of shoes is to surrender oneself to the vicious criticisms of the increasingly fashion-conscious, celebrityglorifying Average Joe. The evolution of shoes can be a fascinating topic for the deep-seated aficionado. However, the next time you’re lured in by a dazzling sequined pattern, heels with dangerous heights or a splash of bright color, the next time you try on those impossible shoes you might never be caught dead in public in, or slip on those elegantly understated flats, Keds or streamlined Nikes, think twice about what you will buy.

If shoes really denote personality, then women should willingly embrace that fact and ultimately embrace themselves.

Buying this kind of shoe or buying more shoes than one can remember doesn’t help one’s self-esteem. Many men and even women in the past have forced women to cater to certain societal standards. Presently, women should not forsake their identity and comfort just for fashion of the masses. Instead they should take advantage of a different kind of fashion: the beauty of choice.

–Ahn, a senior, is a Forum Editor.

Melissa Sun

Whether people like it or not, they are constantly bombarded by the media. Society is fueled by the constant flow of information, and teens in particular are heavily influenced.

This leads to popular entertainment that is targeted towards the teenage demographic, including the musical TV show Glee. However, the largest difference between Glee and other shows (besides being a musical) is that it has more of a positive influence on its young audiences.

In Glee, one of the main issues is teenage pregnancy. Popular cheerleader Quinn Fabray gets pregnant and her life quickly falls apart. While the media today muddles the effects of promiscuity, Glee realistically describes all of the repercussions of Quinn’s actions. She gets kicked off the cheerleading team, banished from her home and shunned by her former friends. By depicting Quinn’s experience in this manner, Glee positively influences teens by conveying that teen pregnancy is a serious issue with many consequences.

Another socially relevant issue present in Glee is of homophobia.

In the show, Kurt is the only openly gay boy at his school and perhaps the whole town. In many other television shows, when a character comes out as gay they are often accepted by their friends and family. However, this is not always the case in society. Glee depicts this when Kurt struggles for his fathers’ acceptance. Kurt represents a strong and witty role model

for kids who are going through the same struggles that he is.

Nowadays, teens feel pressured to imitate images of unrealistic beauty because of the influence of the media.

Glee characters Mercedes and Finn are no exceptions.

Mercedes is a powerful singer and plus-sized girl. In the first season, she struggled with her weight because she thought that if she were thin she would be more popular. After many unfruitful diets, Mercedes ultimately realizes that her body is fine the way it is. Glee uses Mercedes’s experience to address the pressures society places on girls to be skinny and fit into size zero dresses. Because Mercedes is content with the way she is and refuses to diet, she is a positive influence on girls who are also struggling with their body image.

While many other TV shows that dive into body image only present the struggles of girls, Glee also discusses the struggle boys go through to look like body builders. Finn, a football player, struggles with people’s expectations of his body. He goes to lengths in order to try to achieve the socially ideal body before realizing that it doesn’t matter what others think of his body. This positively influences young audiences because not only does it bring to light the pressures males receive from society to be fit, but it also shows how Finn ultimately stands up against societal pressures.

Perhaps the most important message that Glee could convey is that of friendship. In the show, each of the characters are able to overcome their troubles with the aid and support the other glee club members offer them.

Glee teaches teens by respecting the value of friendship.

—Liang, a junior, is a Centerfold Editor.

Anonymity is cruel

Josephine Jen Since its launch on Nov. 25, 2009, Formspring has become a popular site for cyber bullying and harassment. A high school in Harrisburg, PA received media attention after several students started a physical fight over an argument on Formspring, a website where users create a profile and answer anonymous questions. At another high school in West Islip, NY, a 17-year-old graduate committed suicide after receiving dozens of malicious comments on her Formspring. Formspring can be a harmful hobby and must be used with caution.

Those who create a Formspring account are voluntarily subjecting themselves to the harsh judgment of others. Though the original intentions of Web sites like Formspring was to allow people to find out what others truly thought of them, they have since become a site for spiteful, jealous or bored people to lash out, most times without a good reason. The fact that anyone can submit messages to anyone else

anonymously encourages people to say things they would not normally say in person. The point of Formspring is to be honest, but there is a definite difference between being openly honest and brutally attacking a person. If these offensive individuals are not courageous enough to reveal their identities, then their voices should not carry any weight.

Most likely, these people do not know and have no respect for others, and their presence should not be acknowledged.

Not everybody minds the harsh posts. In fact many Formspring users enjoy fabricating clever and responses with a touch of humor.

However, there are others that are negatively affected. Although there is no need to know all the reasons why someone is hated, the majority of people will continue their Formspring usage. For those who insist on maintaining their Formspring ,be smart about it. If a question were asked that normally would not be dignified with an answer, simply ignore it. Formspring users have the freedom to pick and choose which questions to answer, so exercise that freedom. There are plenty of stressful factors of life, Formspring should not be an additional factor.

—Jen, a senior, is a reporter.

Features

Monday, November 15, 2010

9

Titans showcase journalistic talent

The Oracle takes a look at both new and already-established publications circulating campus

Kimberly Han

MUSE Annie Tran Business/Circulation Manager MUSE, a new eight-page literary arts and entertainment magazine that stands for Modern, Urban, Style and Entertainment, will be making its debut on campus on Nov. 22.

The publication hopes to reach wide audiences. “Gunn has established so many different publications, but none of them have any emphasis on light reading really,” junior co-founder Asako Inagawa said. “We wanted to fill the void and have something fun for everybody to read.” The magazine will focus more on arts and entertainment.

To create the magazine, junior co-founders Melia Dunbar and Inagawa created a club to attract readers and writers. They currently have seven original members and five contributing writers and photographers.

To get started, they asked English teacher Kristy Blackburn for advice. “I mostly help them out with format and editing articles,” Blackburn said. “I like the idea of MUSE because it focuses on things that are very feature-oriented, something that isn’t represented by the other campus publications.”

According to Dunbar, these interests will be on topics that teenagers can relate to. “When I flip through a newspaper, I tend to pay attention to articles that are relevant to my life,” Dunbar said. “It’s important to read about budget cuts and whatnot, but most teenagers want to read about things to which they can relate to. MUSE will be a medley of artistic messiness with music, entertainment, art, food and fashion.”

For funding, MUSE is currently trying to petition the SAC for a starting fund of $500.

Other fundraisers that they are also doing include T-shirt sales, bake sales and garage sales. “We held a garage sale at the end of summer, which greatly exceeded our expectations by raising $168,” Inagawa said. “We just sold the stuff lying around our houses and a surprising number of people showed up.”

MUSE will also be hosting several bake sales throughout the year with homemade baked goods such as brownies and snickerdoodles, as well as handmade jewelry. The club is also currently selling customized Tshirts for $15 each. “We wanted our T-shirts to reflect what our magazine is about so we hope it’ll appeal to the student body,” Dunbar said.

The Prometheus

Pandora’s Box

Roya Huang Reporter

Colin Chen Reporter

Over the summer, juniors Anastasia Vavilina and Jasmine Vahidsafa decided to start a science magazine at Gunn. As soon as the school year started, Vavilina and Vahidsafa began spreading the word and formed a club.

“Science is underrepresented,” Vavilina said, referring to the content of other publications on campus. “We want to get students interested in science and how creepy, weird and awesome it can be.”

The name of the publication, The Prometheus, signifies the staff bringing science to the student body, just as the mythological Greek figure brought fire to mankind. “The whole goal is to get students involved in what’s going on outside of their bubble, outside of what they’re familiar with,” junior Surriento Wu said.

Wu, a current writer on staff, says The Prometheus publishes news updates about scientific discoveries and events, and articles on science that has been misrepresented by the media. Wu recently wrote an article about cloning. “When you say cloning, everyone thinks of Star Wars,” she said. “They don’t know about the real cloning.”

At the moment, The Prometheus is only an online blog. However, the staff hopes to print a physical magazine by the end of the school year. The club members plan to sell baked goods to raise money for the cost of printing.

To advertise their publication, the club has put up posters in science classrooms and is encouraging teachers to promote the club by either presenting the posters in front of their classrooms or giving extra credit to students who write articles for The Prometheus. “As soon as we have something more concrete, we’re going to advertise more,” Vavilina said.

Vavilina says the club is looking for interested writers. “We need people who are mostly willing to write and find cool science articles,” she said.

To visit The Prometheus, go to http://gunnprometheus.blogspot.com/

Pandora’s Box, a student-run literary magazine, brings high definition to student creation. Gallant poetry, vibrant images and awe-inspiring short stories packed into a thin magazine is all a Gunn student could ask for. Pandora’s Box is filled with impressive artwork and reading material. “It’s like you took the Gunn community, already a ton of super creative and intelligent people, and squeezed the best creativity juice out of them,” senior Gayan Seneviratna said.

Pandora’s Box is a club that meets on Tuesdays to evaluate submitted artwork. “At other schools, a literary magazine is a class, and they work an hour everyday to do what we do once a week for half an hour,” senior Editor-in-Chief Theresa Nguyen said.

Club advisor Paul Dunlap agrees that there is more of a time constraint on student-run publications produced by clubs. “You really have to love it to put in the time,” he said.

Unlike most publications on campus, any student, regardless of experience, can send submissions to Pandora’s Box. “My favorite part of Pandora’s Box is seeing everyone’s work put together into an issue which is then published,” senior William Wang said. “It’s great knowing that we’re able to use our creative sides and see something fun and interesting come out of doing so.”

According to Nguyen, “the hardest part of every year is getting submissions.” The club is also trying to recruit more people, specifically underclassmen, for the club. “I enjoy meeting new people and all creativity is welcome” Nguyen said.

Pandora’s Box plans on publishing three issues this year, with the soonest coming sometime in January. Whether it be poems, art, photography or writing Pandora’s Box has it all.

George Hwang

Kimberly Han and Andrew Lee

The Chariot Elise Lee Reporter The Chariot is a student-run, opiniondriven publication that will be published six times this year. “The Chariot is an outlet for any opinions that students might have,” senior co-Editor-In-Chief Sarah-Jean Zubair said. “They’re mainly political, but students can write about any issue they’re interested in.”

According to senior co-Editor-In-Chief Andrew Liu, The Chariot, formerly named The Partisan Review, was renamed when previous editors, alumni Robert Chen and Aaron Guggenheim, wanted to make the focus more student-oriented. “The EICs felt that the name didn’t represent what the paper was really about,” Zubair said.

The articles included in The Chariot are all student opinions that come up during the monthly meeting. All writers meet on Tuesdays in L-6 to brainstorm ideas for articles. After the ideas are finalized, students come to sign up for articles on a first-comefirst-serve basis. If an article that a student wanted to write about is already taken, students are allowed to form new ideas for an article they would like to write. “We let students choose their own articles as long as the topics are student-relevant and pressing issues,” Liu said.

Because The Chariot is an independent publication, their main source of revenue comes from fundraising. “We talk with sponsoring organizations like the Lions Club, and in return we collaborate with them during student events, which helps us financially and is good for public relations,” Liu said.

The Chariot published its first issue in October. Some of the articles included debates about BP moratorium and the recent California gubernatorial election. “I really liked our first issue as it showed many different styles and expressed many different opinions about controversial issues,” Liu said.

The Chariot still looks for improvement in their paper. “Our main goal for this year is to expand our readership and get the student body really interested in The Chariot,” Zubair said. “We hope to cover issues that more of the student body will find interesting. We welcome feedback from students who would like to see specific issues covered.”

Lisa Wu

10

Features

THEORACLE

Raising backyard chickens makes an ‘egg-cellent’ hobby Eugenah Chou

Forum Editor

Photos by Victor Kwok and Alan Phan

Top: Senior Alison Ang shows off her homemade chicken coop in her backyard.

Middle: Two fresh eggs were laid and later harvested for a nutritional, organic breakfast. Bottom: Chickens swarm the yard as they scavenge for chicken feed.

A couple years ago, senior Alison Ang asked her parents for a pet. When her parents gave her a firm no, instead of giving up, she went to the next best thing. “They wouldn’t let me have a cat or a dog,” Ang said, “so I proposed the idea of owning chickens.” After reading an informative article about maintaining chickens at home and completing extensive research, the idea seemed like a plausible solution for the family.

Chickens are strongly habitual creatures, choosing to sleep in the same spot every night and root for food in the same areas. Although the chickens are capable of flight and have flown up onto her family’s roof before, Ang is not worried about her chickens escaping.

“Chickens don’t gain any happiness from exploring the world,” she said. “They’re perfectly happy in the yard where there’s plenty of food.”

Egg-laying depends on a number of factors: the chicken’s age, breed and diet as well as the time of year. A chicken can lay anywhere from 180 to 300 eggs a year depending on these factors.

Ang notes that there is a significant difference between the appearance of store bought eggs and the eggs her chickens lay. Her chickens lay blue, green and brown eggs that sometimes have small irregularities in shape and texture. Differences are especially noticeable when cooking. “It was a bit scary eating their eggs for the first time because I was so used to perfect, standard store–bought eggs,” she said.

“But their eggs taste so much better.” The egg yolks are dark yellow, nearly orange in color, and are much richer and less runny than an egg from the store. According to lab studies completed in Portland, Ore., chickens with the freedom to roam outside of cages produce eggs

Courtesy of Sahana Kumar

Courtesy of Diane Jung

with a third less cholesterol, twice the omega-3 fatty acids and a quarter less saturated fat than commercialized, caged chickens.

Chickens bring to mind images of loud, squawking farm animals, and the idea of them as a household pet is sometimes hard to grasp.

“They each have their own personalities, and the loudest hens get is when one of them is laying,” Ang said. “They cheer each other on.”

Senior Lily Hao owned both a rooster and a hen when she was younger, but got rid of them because of the rooster’s noise. Current city law forbids residents from owning roosters.

Chickens are hardy creatures when taken care of properly, but finding suitable veterinary treatment is often difficult. Ang’s family had noticed a tumor-like bulge in the chicken’s chest, but were unsure about how to get it treated. “She passed away before we could do anything about it,” she said. “It really felt like a pet dying.”

According to Ang, one of the most difficult investments that go into caring for chickens is the time it takes to construct a coop. “Fortunately my dad is really good with woodworking,” she said. “He was able to finish ours in about two weeks.” For new owners with limited time, it is also possible to purchase a quality coop from about $300 to $500, depending on size.

Chickens are much easier to maintain. “I’d say chickens are more convenient than ordinary pets,” she said. “You don’t have to walk them, they feed for themselves.”

Chicken Tip: Chickens are social animals so if you want to to raise chickens plan on buying two or three.

Courtesy of Sahana Kumar

Left: Senior Diane Jung makes a statement with her decorative water bottles at the Palo Alto Art Center. The bottles will also be featured on the quad for the art show Nov. 15.

Middle: The bottles also showcase fabric decorations. Right: Bottlecaps are painted with graphics which include faces and are strung together to the water bottles on a tree.

Club to host first ‘go green’ environmental art show on quad Regina Ahn

Forum Editor

Gunn’s Future of Business Leaders in America (FBLA) club will host its first environment-themed open art gallery during lunch on the quad, Nov. 15, as part of the “Go Green” Project. A joint effort with the art department, the show will feature environmentally–friendly works submitted by students. There will also be food and drinks, ambient music and an art contest, to be judged by the art teachers themselves. The winners will have their art posted around campus as part of their prize.

Senior Diane Jung has submitted her artistic invention, which takes the environmental inspiration to a new level, her piece

hangs from a tree and is made from recycled water bottles. “I just got the idea to fill the bottles with water and paint so it would reflect colors, and hung lights around the tree. So in the daytime it has a certain look, and in the nighttime it has a different look.

It looked pretty cool to me, so I stuck with it,” she said.

Senior Arts Commissioner Helen Sol hopes the show will be a new but interesting approach to raising awareness. “People will have the chance to walk around, look at the paintings and it’s a nice way for the arts students to interact and show their art,” she said. “It will be like an open gallery with music. The only thing I’m afraid about is the weather, because it may rain.” Sol assists junior FBLA Vice President Anna Qin and

senior SEC Environmental Commissioner Cynthia Hua by sharing ideas for the project and promoting the event by talking to art classes and students.

Qin’s expectations are from the same mold. “I’m interested to see all the art, since I’ve seen some photographs but none of the oil paintings,” she said. “It’s the first art ‘Go Green’ project, so I hope it becomes a huge success.” As coordinator of this year’s FBLA “Go Green” project—with added help from Hua, who was in charge of last year’s project—Qin has had to shoulder more responsibility by organizing activities and contacting as local businesses in Palo Alto and Gunn’s art department.

The project is a national competition between chapter clubs in the country. “A

huge part of FBLA is fostering responsible business leaders, the goal of our annual ‘Go Green’ Project,” Hua wrote in an e-mail.

“Last year, Gunn FBLA received the statewide ‘Go Green’ Project Award and this year we are shooting for Nationals.” The project offers students the opportunity to take on the issue of environment sustainability among their community while learning about its practical application to business. “‘Green’ is one of fastest growing industries of business,” Hua wrote. “The art show is one component in a year-long project which will focus on water audits for local businesses this year.

The ‘Go Green’ Project fosters our mission of service, promotes student leadership and integrates members with the environmentally conscious business community. ”

11

Features

Monday, November 15, 2010

Siemens Competition recognizes five Gunn students Nicola Park

Features Editor

Five Gunn students placed in the Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology this year for conducting innovative and revealing scientific research. The competition is sponsored by the Siemens Foundation, which fosters the future generation’s exploration in math, technology and science, recognizes young excellence, “provides $7 million annually in support of educational initiatives in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math in the United States,� according to the Web site. “It’s the first year in a long time that Gunn has had anyone in the semi-finals,� senior Andrew Liu said. This year’s semifinalists include sophomore Helen Jiang and seniors Brian Zhang, Elliot Akama-Garren and Audrey Ho, and one finalist, Liu. Liu is one of thirty individual finalists out of 1600 people who submitted projects.

To qualify, applicants had to submit a research paper with new findings in their respective scientific fields, and 30 individual and 60 team finalists were eventually selected. “You can enter either individually if you’re a senior, or with a team,� Liu said. “The goal is to be innovative and have an impact on the field.�

Through a research program

at Stanford called the Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research (SIMR) program, Liu explored bioinformatics, the field of computer science applications in biology. In doing so, he found a new potential cause for transplant rejection. “We took gene expression data from transplant patients and compared the genes and pathways between stable and diseased patients,� Liu said. To do this, he mapped gene networks and found pathways for transplant rejection using the computer. “Computers are really powerful—if you know how to use them well, you can do a lot of good things [for the world],� Liu said. Liu will be moving on to the regional finals, in which he’ll have to make an oral presentation,and undergo a poster question and answer session.

Liu has liked math ever since he was young and appreciates computers’ abilities to solve problems. “Computer science has a lot to do with math; it’s an intellectual challenge and you have to conceptualize a lot of things,� he said. “Think about the big picture, and let the computer do small things for you.�

Bioinformatics is, according to Liu, “a very humane way to use computer science and a way to cure disease,� he said. “I want to use technology to improve what society can achieve in areas like biology, industry, educational software and business.�

Q&A with

Zhang used computers to study crystal structures that “form when polar molecules are cooled to ultra-cold temperatures,� using the laser-cooling technique pioneered

by Steven Chu while at Bell Labs before he became the U.S. Secretary of Energy. “Physical systems always try to minimize their energy. For example, a rock on a hillside will slide towards the bottom, where it stores less potential energy,� Zhang said. “Using a computer, I calculated the configuration with the lowest energy to find which crystal structure was the most stable at certain conditions.�

His research will further knowledge of materials like superconductors, which conduct energy efficiently. “By learning simple models, we can discover more useful materials,� Zhang said. “The research helps find ways to increase energy efficiency and solve the global problem of energy waste.�

Zhang took on the three-week research experience at Harvard University under Dr. Eugene Demler to experience actual physics research. “Out of all the subjects I have taken, I enjoy physics the most because it applies math to help us understand real world phenomena,� he said.

Jiang also used computer science to create a mathematical model for social networking population data. “Our models show

Artist of the Month Shivani Rustagi (12)

TO: Why did you decide to join choir?

SR: Being a part of choir in sixth, seventh and eighth grade prepared me for choir at Gunn, which I was very excited about. After seeing a concert in 7th grade, I know it was something I wanted to do. Through choir, I’m now more in sync with my voice and I guess I could say my talent has progressed as well. I love how in choir, all types of voices can collaborate, and by working together it sounds absolutely amazing.

Melissa Sun

The Oracle: When did you discover your talent for singing?

Shivani Rustagi: My parents [discovered it] actually, so I started taking private lessons in fifth grade. I then went to middle school (JLS) and I’ve taken choir every single year since.

TO: Why do you enjoy singing?

SR: I always had a passion for music through dance lessons and stuff, but I didn’t truly appreciate music until my parents prompted me to take private lessons, as I mentioned earlier. I find music very relaxing and it’s a great form of expression. I actually took AP Music Theory last year so I could fully immerse myself into music and experiment with composing, which I had never done before.

TO: What performances and shows have you participated in?

SR: I’ve been in a series of performances and shows and I’ve always enjoyed being in them. I was in One Acts my sophomore year and I’ve done lots of music direction in plays such as Twelfth Night. I’ve been in all the choir concerts and musicals and I was also featured in the Jazz Band performance last year as a solo. I was also involved in a organization called Peninsula Teen Opera for a season. I was somehow able to pull off opera, which allowed me to kind of expand my horizons.

TO: What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?

SR: My strengths, I would have to say, are sight reading and my voice range. I can sing alto or soprano depending on whether Mr. Liberatore needs more balance in a section. My weaknesses are that my voice cracks a lot! I also don’t have a real focus on what type of music I want to sing since I sing from a range of genres, such as classical, jazz and Broadway/musical. –Compiled by Annie Tran

Courtesy of Brian Zhang

Senior Brian Zhang stands next to a laser cooling device in a lab.

how many posts compared to user behavior,� Jiang said. Jiang conducted her research in China for a while but spent her entire summer on the project. Jiang plans to go into computer science and apply it to finance.

Akama-Garren worked in a Stanford Lab since his sophomore year and furthered his research through SIMR this summer. He submitted to Siemans his research on multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease where the immune system attacks the myelin in the brain and

decreases neuron efficiency. Akama-Garren aimed to find a therapy that would alleviate MS but not debilitate the patient’s immune system. Eventually, “we found that drugs like lapatinib, which block only certain receptors, offer a promising and new treatment for [MS] that will not suppress the patient’s immune system,� AkamaGarren wrote in a Facebook message. Akama-Garren finds beauty even in the complicated medical terminology. “Science is so fascinating,� he wrote.

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12

Cente

THEORACLE

Striving to live virtuously

Benjamin Franklin advocated practicing thirteen virtues. Centuries later, five The Oracle

Sincerity

From a young age, telling white lies came naturally to me.

If a friend asked me what I thought of her new haircut, I said it looked great, even if it looked like the barber went crazy. As I grew up, I found out that these white lies were extremely useful.

I was able to get out of boring dinners, piano recitals and on occasion, I was able to stay home from school, even if I wasn’t sick.

Despite this, I somehow found myself agreeing to go “liefree” for a month. This meant that I would have to be completely sincere. No more telling people that I liked their shirt if I didn’t and no more telling my mom that I would definitely take out the garbage when I really knew that I wouldn’t. With these ground rules in mind, I began my lie-free month.

At first, I thought that being sincere would result in a whole lot of drama with my friends and my relationship with my parents would be severely damaged. However, I have found that being sincere hasn’t changed my life to the extent that I had imagined.

I haven’t gotten into fights with any of my friends and I realized that despite my love of white lies, I don’t actually lie to people that much. In fact, I’m normally brutally honest with them.

The only downside to my inability to lie was that I wasn’t sure my mom would allow me to go to certain events, such as concerts, if I truthfully told her that there was not going to be any adult supervision. And while I wasn’t able to go to Spookfest, an annual concert put on by Live 105 FM for this reason, I was pleasantly surprised to find that my mom was okay with me going to an Ingrid Michaelson concert, even though I wasn’t going with any adults. The funny thing is that if I had lied to her, I would have continued thinking that my parents don’t trust me, but because I told her the truth, I now realize that my parents trust me far more than I have ever knew. In fact, my relationship with my parents has actually grown stronger because I am forced to be open with them.

Being honest has also allowed me to tell people what I really think. This doesn’t mean that I’m insulting people left and right. Instead, it means that if someone is saying something that I don’t agree with, I have to tell them what I really think about it. I already did this with my friends before I went cold turkey on lies, but I now have to courage to do this with people I don’t know as well.

It seems silly to think that going a month without lying has improved my relationship with my parents and allowed me to speak my mind, but it’s true. However, as the month is nearing its end, I am faced with a dilemma. Should I continue being sincere or is one month enough?

I wish that I could s ay t h a t I w i l l never lie again, but because I can’t lie, I can on ly say t hat I don’t k now what’s going to happ en.

One thing I do k now though is that, as cliché as it sounds, honest y some times really is the best policy.

Time Management Up u nt i l a few days ago, procrastination had become an unfortunate constant in my life.

With a full schedule of seven classes and multiple extra-curricular activities, you would think I would try my best to stay on top of everything, right? Unfortunately, that’s not the case.

Let me vouch for myself first: I’m a good student—I earn respectable grades in respectable classes—but my issue is that I’m not a very “timely” person. So when I volunteered to not procrastinate for a month, I decided to stage an intervention with myself, and thoroughly evaluate where my time was disappearing to. I decided to create a schedule for my daily work. It consisted of coming home from school, doing my homework, taking a break to exercise for an hour, showering, eating a quick dinner, finishing my homework and then preparing for bed. It sounds easy enough to follow, right? Not for me. Even with my handy-dandy schedule, procrastination still managed to sneak its way into my routine. The worst part is that I couldn’t even understand where all of my time was going. It literally disappeared, as if each minute went by twice as fast. I didn’t waste precious hours stalking people on Facebook or lounge around in front of the television, yet I couldn’t seem to figure out why time was passing me by so quickly.

I began to think of myself as a “put-it-offer”—the kind of person that often says, “Oh, this can wait until tomorrow, can’t it?” After a few days of following my schedule, I realized that I was still procrastinating to the same extent. Long-term assignments began to pile up as due dates loomed closer, and even daily work was being put off until last minute. So, I staged another intervention, and I began to really force myself to do things before I needed to, even if it was just one small bit of work at a time. If I found myself with extra time during class, I would get a head start on my Spanish homework. As opposed to twiddling my thumbs after finishing a day’s work, I would do parts of my work on the next day’s agenda. And after a few days I began to realize how those small pieces had begun to build up: I had managed to finish my AP Biology homework the day before it was due! At that point I finally realized the true key to timeliness: bits and pieces. Even if it was just a few problems, or simply reading over the instructions to a project or lab, getting a head start like that really made a difference on my workload in the long run.

Sighing with relief that I would finally be on the fast track to avoiding procrastination, I sat back for a little while and applauded my persistency. The next day I returned home from school, still content with myself. But rather than hitting the books right away, I filed my nails, reorganized the papers on my desk and even let myself surf the web for a bit. And then it hit me: I was procrastinating. Again. Teeming with frustration, I bit my lip and reluctantly returned to my books.

Beating procrastination once and for all wasn’t going to be easy, but it would certainly be possible. “Relapses” are going to happen, but as long as I continue to reset myself on the right path, I’ll be on my way to a procrastination-free life.

Fruga

What the heck, where do all of my Be time I open my wallet, the number of bill in reality, it is. I don’t claim to be an ou not one to go out on impulsive lavish sho but all of my money seems to be going d bottomless drain, you may ask? My ever My primitive caveman-like nature alw slight body. I’ve only recently started to disappear, but I ignored these warning sig of America debit card. I’m the type of gir of nowhere, just to try out some supposedl that very day. When I took on this articl for a whole month, and I have had my ob that those $1 cookies and $4 pearl milk the clueless and obviously not budget-effi The word frugality had never been especially after moving to an affluent com that it was the norm to go out for food e just to eat with some friends and have s of my struggle with frugality did not go red-handed several times with all sorts

by The Oracle staff and received a thoro editors each time.

Thus, I started to leave my wallet a welcoming restaurants and cafes that se However, my foodie cravings started to this demanding black hole I call a stoma thought of scrumptious, juicy lemon pep denly popped up. My goodness, I couldn quick enough. I felt legitly buzzed on fo scrumptious wings, I slouched in my s However, that fleeting feeling of happine A feeling started to seep in, along wit onds to come to the realization of what i I forked over, not to mention the gas I us analyzed my situation and took out my w had spent over $35 on food items in one must be taken, so I took a seven day hiatus I’m not a real stickler for the kitchen, but stuck with it. It really wasn’t that bad. I’m alive, aren’t I? The moral that I have to give to you today is that although most of our student body is part of the fortunate few among our population that can afford to spend money on non-fast food restaurants on a daily basis, we need to take a breath and realize that these “luxuries” that we have given ourselves aren’t actually worth it. Instead of stopping by a Chipotle or Wingstop for some lunch and wasting over 10 bucks on a meal, close your wallets and try out the cafeteria food, especially since we now have an all-youcan-eat salad bar for only five bucks.

erfold

Monday, November 15, 2010

13

through self-improvement

e staffers took his advice in a month-long challenge to improve their current lifestyles.

ality

enjamin Franklins go? Seriously! Everylls I have seem to be getting smaller. And ut of control shop-a-holic, and I’m really opping sprees and pull out wads of cash, down this bottomless drain. What is this r-expanding stomach. ways seems to find a way to overtake my notice how quickly my money is able to gns after I received my beautiful red Bank rl that will drive 30 minutes to the middle ly new exquisite cuisine that I heard about le, I wondered if I could really be frugal bstacles along the way. Whoever thought tea drinks would start to add up? Being ficient person I am, I did not foresee this. a big part of my economic vocabulary, mmunity like Palo Alto. I started to believe every other day and spend $10 per meal some good conversation. The first week o well. As a matter of fact, I was caught of bought snacks on multiple occasions ough scolding by the Centerfold section

at home and tried to ignore the various eemed to be clamoring for my attention. o gnaw at my stomach and I gave in to ach. As I passed through Cupertino the pper chicken wings from Wingstop sudn’t have passed over the green buckaroos ood and after going through 11 of those seat and happily entered a food coma. ess did not last long. th a tinge of regret. It took me a few secit was: guilt. Was it really worth the $15 used, just to fulfill my foodie cravings? I wallet and looked over all the receipts. I e week. I decided that a course of action s from spending and tried to make lunch. t I made my little PB&J sandwiches and m still

Tranquility

Let’s admit it: I’m not a tranquil person. Stress? Frustration? Worry? They define my life.

So when I was challenged to lead a month of tranquility, I simply couldn’t resist an incentive for de-stressing my life. I mean, who enjoys the nightmare of an unnecessarily chaotic existence? It was time for a change. Thus began my journey on the road to tranquility.

I immediately zeroed in on my relationship with my parents—hurdle one, and the biggest hurdle, on the racetrack to a calm and peaceful life. If I could c on qu e r my f r ust r at ion a t h o m e, I could ach ieve tranquility everywhere else.

My parents and I have always had a somewhat strained relationship. This can be attributed to, among many other reasons, the stubbornness gene running through the family. Just thinking about our relationship makes me tense. Like I said, this is a problem when it comes to tranquility. I had always hoped that my parents would just magically transform into who I wanted them to be. But I soon realized that if they were not going to take the first step, I would. How exactly was I going to do this? It would probably take a miracle. But every miracle begins somewhere, so I committed myself to three goals for the next month: Be humble, be patient and be open. Not too difficult, I told myself.

But of course it was. Whenever my mom said something that was obviously wrong (or so I thought), I had to control my burning desire to argue back. Humility meant accepting other people’s point of views.

So I would lower my voice, straighten my back, and pray for a miracle.

My pride would not get the best of me, I told myself.

In other instances, I struggled to simply understand what my father was saying. I guess I can thank the language barrier for that.

But instead of getting frustrated, I had to constantly remind myself that patience was a virtue. Of course, this took practice, lots of it. I struggled to communicate with my parents, to tell them what I was feeling. “Mom, I’m frustrated because...” and “Dad, I can’t understand what you’re saying, could you repeat yourself?”

Day by day, fight by fight, I gradually learned to take deep breaths, and control whatever impulse roadblock I had on my path to tranquility. My relationship with my parents is much stronger now. They have noticed my efforts, and are accepting the fact that hey, maybe I am growing up. My parents are learning to let go and allow me to make my own decisions. And likewise, I am growing to appreciate them for who they are and what they’ve done for me. All this time, I was angry at my parents for not being the way I wanted them to be. But no one is perfect, and somehow, because they were my parents who I had looked up to for my entire life, I just expected them to be perfect. Maybe this understanding comes, in part, with growing up. But I wouldn’t have come to this realization if I had not desired to make things right with my parents, to search for tranquility in my relationship with them.

Sure, there may be an occasional disagreement or fight, but those are just signs of a healthy relationship.

My journey is not over, I still have much to learn and grow in. But my challenge for a tranquil life has certainly changed the way I view my relationships. Sometimes, all it takes is a first step, and calmness will follow.

Cleanliness

It’s a good thing that I don’t smell bad. I can take a two-minute shower and I can brush my teeth in ten seconds, with or without a toothbrush. In short, I probably put a lot more emphasis on the efficiency factor than scoring high on the cleanliness scale. So when The Oracle chose me to practice cleanliness on old Benjamin Franklin’s behalf, I was both flattered and apprehensive.

I figured I should probably start small with this life change; I wasn’t about to take my chances of developing a stress disorder by jumping in with both feet. So naturally, soap would be the perfect place to start. Now I don’t know about you, but I never use soap. I guess I never really saw the beneficial gains of using it in the shower.

I was, and still am, a firm believer that a quick rub-down with hot water is plenty enough to kill all of the junk that accumulates on the skin. And if hot water just isn’t enough to kill the most resilient germs, surely the residual shampoo that runs down from the hair will zap the suckers.

However, as a good sport in this challenge, I decided to put aside my prejudices for a month and give this new-found lifestyle the benefit of the doubt. For starters, I needed to buy a bar of soap. My first obstacle in this challenge was the sheer number of different fragrances that soap bars come in. I stood at that shelf in Walgreens for a good ten minutes, trying to decide which bar to buy. Since I was too embarrassed to ask an employee for his or her preference of soap, I came to the conclusion that soap is soap. And at the end of the day, all that really mattered is how much I paid for it.

I take two showers a day, only this time I’m using soap. That’s fifteen minutes of my life lost every day to rubbing myself with white gunk in an attempt to rid myself of supposed brown gunk that I can’t even see. Apart from smelling like a mint-flavored Altoid, I really saw no major difference in the quality of my skin during the duration of the challenge. Maybe I’m just biologically clean, or maybe it’s a guy-thing. I can’t tell. I will confess though, that I did catch myself feeling slightly “cleaner” on some days, though it could’ve just been the smell of minty freshness.

All right, time to do some cost-benefit analysis. For starters, using soap didn’t make me feel like a more wholesome person at all.

Secondly, the seven hours of soaping that I endured through could have been sp ent t a k i ng 210 showers of the twominute kind.

The only benefit I can think of was that I smelled nice. All in a l l, I don’t think that this soaping phase will last too long for me.

Oh yeah, and i f a nyone wa nt s t h e lef t- over half of my soap bar, hit me up!

–Compiled by Samantha Donat, Divya Shiv, Leon Sung, Annie Tran and Emily Zheng Photos by Henry Liu

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Features

THEORACLE

Victor Kwok

English teacher Diane Ichikawa challenges her students’ stamina with yoga exercises. The class for students meets every Monday after school in the dance room.

English teacher opens new yoga class for students Divya Shiv

News Editor

For students who are interested in learning about the art of meditation or simply wondering how to de-stress, yoga classes are now offered on Mondays after school.

Taught by English teacher Diane Ichikawa, students are encouraged to come and have fun while learning about the different poses and stretches in yoga.

“I had been meaning to start a student yoga program for some time, both of my own volition and because I’ve had students ask me,” Ichikawa wrote in an e-mail. “What gave me the push was hearing from so many different people over the past year express

how we need to give our students opportunities to learn more about stress reduction.”

According to junior Hope Wu, the yoga classes are very helpful in dealing with stress and her asthma. “I have asthma so it is hard for me to do a competitive sport for exercise since I have a hard time breathing,” Wu wrote in an e-mail. “But during yoga, I can breathe slowly while stretching out in poses. Yoga also helps me release a lot of the negative thoughts that I accumulate during the day, by allowing me to focus only on myself, how I breathe and the pose I am doing.”

Before this year, the yoga classes were only open to teachers because some of the staff were reluctant to learn yoga with students. “When I first started the yoga sessions

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at Gunn, it was open to students, too,” Ichikawa wrote. “Some teachers were uncomfortable with this arrangement though, so I kept the sessions open for just the teachers.”

Now there are two yoga sessions, one on Monday that is open to all, and another class on Wednesdays that is only open to teachers.

According to Ichikawa, there is a clear difference in the atmosphere between the two classes. “The vibe with the teacher sessions is pretty laid back and we have grown and fostered our own rhythm over the years,” she wrote. “With students, I’m adjusting to teaching to a crowd that has mostly no experience with yoga whatsoever. The main thing is that I want students to have fun, so I think there’s a bit more playing around during the student classes than with the classes for adults.”

The two classes are taught in different rooms: the students’ class is taught in the dance room and the class for teachers is taught in Ichikawa’s classroom. Despite the fact that Ichikawa’s classroom can be cramped, social studies teacher Ronen Habib believes that the classes help both students and teachers deal with stress. “It’s a great thing to do after school, just to destress and get some physical activity,” he said. “Ms. Ichikawa is also an amazing instructor and she really knows her stuff. She’s a teacher by training but she’s also incredibly gifted when

it comes to yoga. I think the combination of the two makes her an incredible instructor.”

According to English teacher Tarn Wilson, Ichikawa’s yoga classes are also more helpful than the other yoga classes that she had taken. “I have taken yoga classes from a number of different trained teachers and Ms. Ichikawa is my above-all favorite,” she wrote in an e–mail. “We are so lucky that she offers her sessions to us for free. She regularly takes advanced yoga classes and brings what she learns back to us, meaning that no two classes are the same so the class never gets boring.”

In addition to knowing a lot about yoga, Wu also feels that Ichikawa teaches each student at their own pace. “She knows that her students are at various levels in yoga, so when there is a harder pose, she encourages us to do the best we can and not push us too hard,” Wu wrote. “She also takes the time to show us how to get into the pose one step at a time when she’s teaching us a more difficult pose.”

According to Wu, other students should take advantage of the yoga classes held in the dance room. “I would definitely recommend these yoga sessions to other students,” she wrote. “I’m sure there are others who have experience pain or stress in a particular body part, and yoga really helps reduce tension in the body. It’s a safe learning environment, so I can just focus on yoga and not worry about anything else.” The class for students is on Mondays at 3:25 p.m. in the dance room.

Q&A with Infinite Campus

The Oracle: How do I log in to Infinite Campus?

Infinite Campus: Now that you ask... if it’s your first time logging in, your username is your student ID number.

Your password will be the first initial of your first name followed by the first initial of your last name and then your birthday (MMDDYY). Afterwards, you can change your password to anything you choose. Keep those hackers out.

TO: What can my parents see on Infinite Campus?

IC: Your parents can see your class schedule, assignments, attendance record and grades. They can also see announcements from teachers, so be good, kiddies!

TO: Why are we using you now?

IC: The old student information system went out of business and would not have been able to provide the school with its services. The administration switched to me because I can perform many of the same functions and am web based.

TO: How are you different from InClass?

IC: The best thing about me is that I know all about you guys. See, I hold everyone’s schedule, demographic information and course information in my very large brain. InClass, on the other hand, only lets teachers post things.

TO: How are you the same?

IC: We both help with communication.

You and your parents can all see most of the information we have on you. Also, both of us let you see your grades if teachers post them. Cool, right?

TO: What are some useful functions on Infinite Campus?

IC: Some of your teachers will post grades on Infinite Campus so you can see an updated version of your grades on assignments every couple of weeks.

Now you have something to look forward to!

—Compiled by Yilin Liang

Sports

Monday, November 15, 2010

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Students and teachers show support at Giants celebration n GIANTS from p.1

“I don’t think I will ever see that much black and orange again in my life.” The opportunity for fans to be in the presence of the world champions seemed like the most exciting prospect to some. “My favorite part of the parade was when all the players came by in their trolleys and the reactions from all the people in the crowd were ridiculous,” Choroski said.

Fans from all over the country showed up in the thousands to gather in downtown San Francisco at the chance to greet the new champions. BART reported a record number of transit riders that day—522,200.

Many were taken aback by the sheer masses of people at the procession, which were numbered to be around one million. “The crowd was crazy and there were so many people,” Kasznik said. “You couldn’t walk five feet without bumping into somebody.

The place was so packed, it looked like a sea of black and orange.”

The parade route was chosen as a recreation of the path that 1958 Giants took when moving to San Francisco from New York. It began on Montgomery and Washington streets, then headed toward Market street finishing at the Civic Center Plaza where San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom presented the Key to the City to the team.

There were smiles all around as people came together to celebrate a hard-fought, long-awaited victory. “There was just a lot of love and a lot of warmth,” Glover said.

“It’s a wonderful feeling for the city.”

Photos courtesy of Lynn Glover and Jordan Leung

Top Left: Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum flashes the crowd a smile and waves as he rides by in a cable car. Bottom Left: Lynn Glover (center) and other Giants employees carry their banner proudly as they walk through the streets of San Francisco. Above: A crowd of fans begin to line up on the street, waiting for the Giants to arrive.

Boot Bullwinkle Loud and proud I’m a fairweather fan. Despised and looked down upon by “true fans,” we only show interest when our team is doing well. Fair weathered fans are severely misunderstood. Yes, we support our teams only when they are doing well and ditch them when they start to struggle, but we have reasons to support our actions.

No one likes to lose, and we take that mindset to heart.

One could say that I am not the biggest baseball fan. Never have been and never will be. But when I heard that they had made the playoffs, a light of interest went on in my head. I watched a few Braves games and was slightly galvanized by the excitement. I continued to watch intensely and would even rush home to watch the games, even though those were the first baseball games I had watched since I was five.

I even had a giant homemade panda suit that I proudly wore to school, although it admittedly wasn’t meant for the Giants. During the screaming and yelling at my television, accompanied by my victory lap after the home run that captured us all, I took the form of a full-fledged loyal fan. Now a week or two after the playoffs the Major League Baseball web site link has been removed, and I don’t think that I will watch another game of baseball until next October.

While some of you may have torn

this story apart and burned it in disgust, I would like to thank those who continued reading, because look around you.

Who do you think is an actual hardcore San Francisco Giants fan? I would be surprised if you could find more than two. Most of us, at heart, are fairweather fans. We support the organization, and give it our love when we approve of their work. When the Giants do not do well and bring shame to the Bay Area, they should deserve a response reflecting their effort.

While I don’t consider myself a large baseball fan, I do consider myself a hockey fan. Who else to support but our local San Jose Sharks who lost the Western Conference last year, right?

Sadly no. The Sharks have had a slow start to the season and now sit at 21st in the league out of thirty teams. Since they are clearly experiencing some management issues, I have turned my attention to soccer. The San Jose Earthquakes somehow made it to the Western Conference Final on Nov. 4. With their history of losing and me being a fairweather fan, I did not watch one single game of theirs throughout the whole season. But when I hear that they win the playoffs, I will jump on the bandwagon and squeeze of my head through my old jersey which is now entirely too small to be worn in public, and parade down the streets. I hope to see you out there with me.

While we bandwagon riders may have a alternative style of support, we have reason behind our motives, and it’s just a sign that we like to win. It’s our primal instinct. After all, who likes losing?

—Bullwinkle, a sophomore, is a ­ ­­reporter.

CON

PRO

Sports fans speak up about the concept of bandwagoning Kevin Zhang According to Rick Reilly, one of the most legendary sportswriters of our generation, sports are like Oprah for men. Sports bring broken families together, connect inner-city strangers, and erase countries’ despair. Diehard fans endure the rough times of their teams for decades, if not centuries.

But when our teams experience success we feel the same elation of the audiences on Oprah when they are given a new car or participate in the flash mob.

This season, during the Giants historic World Series run, diehard fans throughout the Bay Area were filled with unparalleled joy. The sweetness of victory began to make up for the bitter years that came with the likes of Felix Rodriguez, Tim Worrell, Armando Benitez, Tyler Walker, Jose Viscaino, A.J. Pierzynski and countless other disappointing Giants. Even this season was a torturous journey, filled with nail-biting victories and devastating losses. Thus, during the historic postseason run by the Giants, diehards looked for bodies to hug to share the happiness. Our school began to turn black and orange, even though it was weeks before Halloween. SF caps became the new symbol of superiority, and Lincecum jerseys were ubiquitous. Pretty girls found Buster Posey to be the next Taylor Lautner, and former non-believers idolized Brian Wilson.

We diehards, who have spent so many years waiting and taking the verbal abuse from non-believers felt like Oprah was replaced by Jerry Springer. We were bom-

barded with fists and bodies which were cloaking the inner insecurity of bandwagoners.

I am not accusing any individual or group of individuals of being bandwagoners, but to those who are bandwagoners, you know who you are. There is no doubt that bandwagoning is a natural and inevitable byproduct of a team’s success and a necessary method of increasing fanbases.

However, there are several guidelines that these newborn fans need to heed.

Firstly, bandwagoners have not earned enough stripes to a true fan. You cannot fist pump and act with any kind of swagger about your so-called favorite team.

Polite cheering is welcome, but anything like “Buster Posey is my future husband” is frowned upon. Don’t think you’re an expert Giants fan or stock up on Giant gear.

Secondly, apologize to any diehard fans that you made fun of for loyally supporting Bay Area teams. Never ever make fun of them again for supporting Bay Area teams no matter how badly they are struggling.

Thirdly, you must make a solid attempt to be a fan in future seasons. Don’t jump off the bandwagon, so to speak. Read up on the news, follow the team and when you put on a Giants hat in the morning, figure out how the team has been doing in recent games.

I am not trying to discourage or bash on new fans. In fact, I and other diehards love having new fans around. The new waves of black and orange are heartwarming, especially when they are courteous of true diehards and follow the mentioned rules. I must admit that it is pretty cool that my autographs and photos with former no-names in black and orange are now souvenirs of celebrities and, most importantly, world champions.

—Zhang, a senior, is a reporter.

Sports 16 Fall sports finish up their seasons strong, THEORACLE

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Jonathan Yong

Jonathan Yong

Courtesy of Butch Garcia

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Wendy Qiu

Boys’ Water Polo:

A season of hard work and persistence has paid off—the boys’ water polo team is on their way to Central Coast Section (CCS) postseason playoffs.

After a few tough losses at the beginning of the season, the boys have got their acts together. Morning practices, afternoon practices and bonding activities have given them the unity and respect for each other that they needed to succeed. “Everyone is focused on one goal,” senior captain Kevin Zhang said. “We can face a team that has more talent, but less chemistry and because of [our unity] we will win. It’s an inspiring effort.”

Winning has also been very important for the squad and there were a few pivotal games that shaped their season. “The last Homestead game, we won 18-12,” head coach Scott Foster said. “We also beat Los Gatos twice.”

Zhang and senior Ben Hendricks have served as captains this season. Both have helped the team bond and encouraged constructive criticism. “I am honored to lead,” Zhang said.

“We have bonded and I’m glad we went through this growth process. It’s really instilled discipline into our systems.” They worked together at practices, helping each other develop their skills while learning how to operate as a team. “We are definitely one of the hardest working teams,” Zhang said. “The long hours we put into the team really make a difference, especially when we wake up early in the morning.”

After a 16-11 win against Salinas on Nov. 9, the team has advanced to quarterfinals. “[Getting into CCS] is really a great accomplishment, considering the strength of the seniors that we lost last year,” Zhang said. Look for upcoming game announcements—these boys aren’t done just yet.

Girls’ Water Polo:

The girls’ water polo team has exceeded season expectations, thanks to a great coach, teamwork and very talented players. After beating cross-town rival Palo Alto High School (Paly) twice, their record is 22-5, and they are on their way to CCS. Senior captain Shelby Newman is very happy with the team’s season. “We’ve done really well,” she said. The team has spend time bonding and becoming closer. “Early in the season we kidnapped the freshman,” Newman said. “That tradition had faded but we brought it back.”

Head coach Mark Hernandez, who is coaching the girls’ team for the second year, agreed with Newman that the team was very united. “[As a team] we have a lot of strength,” he said. “The girls are always giving each other tips, and learning from each other. ” The girls’ team has earned a few pivotal victories. “Our first game against Paly was really important; we beat them 9-6,” Hernandez said. “We beat Mitty 10-6, and we also beat Presentation, 13-2. That was a great accomplishment because they are a very good team.” Newman agreed.

As of right now, the team is focusing on finishing the season rather than looking to the next. Neverthless, the team is optimistic as to how they will do when next season comes around. “We have a lot of unfinished business to focus on first, but we have really strong younger players as well,” Hernandez said. The Junior Varsity (JV) girls’ team is also very strict in their practices schedule—mornings are spent in the pool, something very few JV teams do. “I definitely think that the team will be first or second [in our league] next year, too,” Newman said.

Jonathan Yong

Girls’ Tennis:

The Titan tennis team endured a long season and finished 3-9 in league and 8-13 overall. While the Titans will not reach the CCS this season, it was a good learning experience and the team has shown a lot of growth.

“As a team we are proud of playing our best and trying to stay to stay in tough matches as long as possible,” senior captain and four-year varsity member Allana Booth said.

“We have been doing a great job of playing as a team.” The team was back playing in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL) De Anza division after a one year stint in the lower El Camino division. In order to have qualified for CCS, the team needed to finish in the top three.

The Titans put forward their best effort to finish the season on a strong note. The team faced a slough of tough opponents as they competed against some of the best teams in the area. “Coming from the lower division last year, we all put in our best effort and put up a good fight against some of the strongest teams in the area,” junior Natasha Allen said. Even though the team was young they put up solid battles consistently. Some of the strong teams the Titans faced included Saratoga and Sacred Heart Prep High School.

Allen said that by the end of the season the Titans became more united. “By the end of the season, we all gained confidence in our game, and grew strong as a team,” she said. “Unfortunately we couldn’t qualify for CCS.” Going into next season, the squad looks to move on to bigger and better things. After a season of growth, the Lady Titans will look to elevate their play as all but two seniors will return.

17 look forward to post-league, next season

Sports

Monday, November 15, 2010

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Jonathan Yong

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Jonathan Yong

Melissa Sun

Football:

The football squad is looking to wrap up a season growth. While the Titans will not reach Central Coast Section (CCS) this year, it was a season that shows room as well as potential for improvement. “We always just take it one game at a time,” senior wide receiver Miles Sturken said. “Each week we wipe our slate clean and set our focus on whoever we are playing next. Injures have hindered our performance, but no matter what, we play as a team and try to make the best out of whatever we have.”

The Titans are trying to finish this season on a good note. Currently, the Titans are currently sitting at 0-5 in the De Anza League and 3-6 overall. “It’s been a rough year moving up in the division, and just finishing games,” junior defensive back Dallas Trevillion said. “We hope to end the season strong.”

Looking back, the Titans have had a season of no regrets. “It sucks that we couldn’t make playoffs two years in a row, but it was still a fun challenge to compete in the upper division against tougher opponents,” Sturken said.

As for next year, the team remains high on its hopes for what it can accomplish. “We will have a lot or returning players who started this year as juniors, so they can build off their experience to have a successful season next year,” Sturken said. The team currently has 26 juniors on the team.

The Titans end their season with a game against Los Gatos at home on Friday, Nov. 12. The team will also take the time to commemorate their graduating seniors on this day as it is also Senior Night and their last home game.

Jonathan Yong

Volleyball:

1. Senior Yi Zhou jumps upward to defend an attempted goal. 2. Senior Allana Booth swings at an incoming ball. 3. Varsity girls’ water polo attempts to score a point against Palo Alto High School. 4. Titans made it past the opposing team’s goalie at a home game. 5. Senior running back Josh Jackson evades the opposing team. 6.

Jackson performs a hand-off at the twenty-yard line. 7. Junior Kieran Gallagher completes the Bol Park run. 8. Junior Allison Doerpinghaus takes a swing at junior Monica Cai’s quick set.

This season the volleyball team has been a force to be reckoned with. Finishing in first place in league, the team has a league record of 12-0 with an astounding overall record of 27-6.

“I’m happy with the progress that the team and the players have all made,” coach Kevin Hwang said. “I think it’s been a productive and educational season for everyone involved with the program.”

The team is led by seniors Kiana Choroski, Audrey Waschura, Michelle Williams and Nicole Grimwood, all of whom have done a good job of helping lead the team. Junior Allison Doerpinghaus has also developed into a force at the net.

Last year the team struggled and were moved down a league. However, things have changed this season. “This season feels a lot more stable, and we’re winning a little more, but the work ethic and concentration level in the gym are probably a bit higher and a little more consistent than last year,” Hwang said.

As for next year, Hwang hopes that the players continue to improve. “I hope the players continue to develop in the off-season,” he said. “We will probably be moving up to the De Anza division of SCVAL next year, so we will not have any easy matches. In order to compete, we need everyone to come back stronger and more skilled and more experienced playing at a higher level.”

The team automatically qualified for CCS with the league champion title. The girls beat Homestead in the first round of playoffs on Nov. 10 and play North Salinas on Nov. 13.

Cross Country:

According to senior Micah Brown, the season has been a success. “I expected it to be a good season, but it has far surpassed my expectations,” he said. Senior captain Ian Wilkes agrees. “We have been pretty strong throughout the whole season.”

Teammates have expressed surprise with the results. “The season this year has been amazing,” senior Rory Runser said. “We are the undefeated league champions in the El Camino Division this year.” Both varsity teams placed second in League. The junior varsity (JV) girls placed third and the frosh-soph boys placed fifth in CCS. Coach Ernie Lee is impressed with the team’s dominance. “Last year we had the fastest boys’ and girls’ teams in school history,” Lee said. “So with the graduation of numerous top runners, we weren’t expecting to match last year. With that said, both teams have performed better than expected—especially the boys’ team.”

Top runners for the boys team are seniors Rory Runser and Peter Chen and junior Andrew Prior. Senior Erin Robinson, freshman Sarah Robinson and junior Kieran Gallagher have also run some impressive races for the girls’ team.

Juniors Michael Underwood and Daniel Krigel and seniors Sam Dawson and Ian Wilkes, none of whom were on varsity last year, have improved a lot this year and become key runners for the team. Another key has been the steady improvement of junior Melia Dunbar.

CCS will be November 13 at Toro Park in Salinas.

—Compiled by Sam Hayward, Song Park and Jennie Robinson

18

Sports

THEORACLE

Student takes unique passion for hockey to the ice Kevin Gao

Features Editor

Senior Elliot Akama-Garren is one of the few hockey players on campus and plays for a travel team. He started playing hockey nine years ago by playing for a house team, but has been playing for a travel team ever since. House teams play within a certain area while travel teams travel to play different opponents.

A k a m a - G a r r e n ’s m o t h e r, Bridget, says that he was first signed up to play hockey after missing cut-off dates of other sports. “I guess agewise, he didn’t meet the cut off for soccer like the rest of his classmates did because he had a late summer birthday,� she said. “We found Ice Oasis ice rink in Redwood [City] and they just had a youth hockey class and it kind of started from that.�

Akama-Garren’s parents were the first to introduce him to hockey. “My parents grew up in Los Angeles when Wayne Gretzky was playing for the Kings, so everyone in L.A. was really into hockey,� he said. �So when they moved into the Bay Area, they wanted me to play.�

Akama-Garren plays for the San Jose Junior Sharks alongside players from Bellarmine Preparatory School, Menlo Atherton High School and Palo Alto High School.

According to Akama-Garren, meeting and playing with other

hockey enthusiasts is enjoyable. “The thing I like most is I get to meet a group of people outside of school and we share an interest not many people have in the Bay Area,� he said. Bridget also says that he loves the camaraderie and physical challenge of athletics.

Hockey has become a family tradition of sorts for the AkamaGarrens. His family supports him by attending most games and tournaments. According to Bridget Akama-Garren, her younger sons are also interested in playing hockey. “His little brothers are his biggest fans,� she said. “His youngest brother Eian is beginning to play hockey. He’s six and Elliot takes him out on the ice.�

During the hockey season (from August to May) AkamaGarren typically practices with the Junior Sharks two or three times a week on the same ice that the San Jose Sharks practice on. A typical practice for Akama-Garren involves one and a half hours on the ice and an hour off the ice. While in the rink, players usually practice drills, plays or skating. The remainder of the practice is spent running or conditioning on land. AkamaGarren plays teams around the Bay Area and has played in tournaments as far as Canada.

Even in the off-season, AkamaGarren stays involved with hockey. “When I was a freshmen, I started a program to teach minorities in

Redwood City,� he said. “Unlike soccer or basketball, hockey costs a lot of money to play.� After the group of kids went off to play in higher levels of hockey, AkamaGarren began coaching younger kids and has continued to do so every year in the off-season.

Akama-Garren believes that some people link hockey primarily to hostility fist-fights, but he says fights in his league are uncommon and not tolerated. “This one kid on our team punched a kid on the other team in the face and he got suspended eight games,� he said.

According to Akama-Garren, the mechanics of hockey with his travel team are different from those of professional hockey. Instead of the fist-fights between players on the ice seen in the National Hockey League (NHL), players in his league have the opportunity to check (hit) each other while skating. “If you watch one of our games there’s a bit more hitting than a NHL game because NHL players skate faster,� he said. “In our league it’s a lot easier to actually hit someone.� Although Akama-Garren enjoys attending games, he prefers playing hockey with his travel team as opposed to watching professional hockey.

Playing for the Junior Sharks requires a commitment to the long season and recommended offseason training at skill camps, but Akama-Garren manages it with his

Courtesy of Elliot Akama-Garren

Top: Senior Elliot Akama-Garren skates across the ice. Bottom: AkamaGarren faces off with a member of the opposing team for the puck. scheduling. “I think hockey takes up about 12 to 15 hours a week, so I’m still able to manage my schedule,� he said. “It’s not that big of a time commitment for me.�

Akama-Garren may or may not continue to play hockey in the future. “If I go to a school with a good team I might play club or at least intramural,� he said.

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19

Sports

Monday, November 15, 2010

The CrossFit challenge

Lisa Wu

Annie Shuey & Mia Howard When we took on the challenge of completing a CrossFit workout, a trendy, intense workout that is quickly sweeping across Palo Alto along with the rest of the country, we had absolutely no idea what we were getting ourselves into.

As we walked into CrossFit Palo Alto on Grant Street near California Ave., we immediately sensed that working out was not something taken lightly by the participants in the gym. The walls were lined with equipment including pull-up bars, bench presses, kettle-bells and giant tires that could only fit monster trucks seen in movies. Tim Dymmel, the owner of CrossFit Palo Alto, gave us background information on CrossFit training and his affiliates. We learned that each affiliate, while they bear the CrossFit brand name, is entitled to a different workout philosophy. According to Dymmel, CrossFit Palo Alto places a huge emphasis on working out in groups, which provides encouragement, support and inspiration for individuals.

CrossFit is designed to be extremely taxing and strenuous for even the best athletes. Dymmel said that a properly-trained CrossFit athlete would simply be able to wake up one morning, decide to climb Half Dome and be able to complete the task without any additional training.

CrossFit caters to both beginners and experts because each exercise can be tailored for specific needs and abilities to maximize results of the workout without injuries. The instructors scale workouts, differentiating the number of reps, weight and intensity in which each individual works out according to their fitness and experience levels.

We came to be very fond of this “scaled workout” concept by the end of our CrossFit workout.

Kettlebell training is a staple of CrossFit Palo Alto’s workout and we decided to begin our workout there. We did sets of kettlebell swings, which sound easy but require precise form in order to properly target the right muscles. After three sets of 10 kettlebell swings with 18- and 24-pound kettlebells, we moved on to squats. This was even more complex for us, seeing as doing squats properly is difficult enough without the extra weight to worry about dropping them on our feet. The two workouts put together? A potential disaster.

The rest of our workout was basically a complete failure. We more or less sat around trying to imitate the instructors. One exercise we particularly struggled with was called the “Turkish Get-Up,” which consisted of us lying on the mat in sit-up position holding a kettlebell in one hand above our faces. Now, one can only imagine the terror of having a 20-pound kettlebell held over oneself.

While hyperventilating thinking about how much plastic surgery it would take to fix our faces if the kettlebell was to slip out of our hands, we attempted to twist our bodies to one side, lifting ourselves the whole time so it somewhat resembled a sideways sit-up. On second thought, saying it “somewhat resembled” a sit-up is putting it fairly generously.

In spite of our rough start with CrossFit, we both intend to pursue it in the near future and hopefully become regulars at CrossFit Palo Alto.

Half Dome, here we come!

–Howard, a Copy Editor, and Shuey, a Managing Editor, are seniors.

History

CrossFit Games

CrossFit was founded by former gymnast Greg Glassman and his ex-wife Laura Glassman in Santa Cruz. The first CrossFit gym started in Glassman’s garage in 1995 and has since increased to 450 gyms worldwide, including multiple gyms in Palo Alto. The CrossFit program has been utilized by Olympic athletes, police forces and military boot camps.

In 2007, CrossFit added The CrossFit Games to its program. The games are a three-day competition of different workouts. The workouts are not announced until a few days before so participants (both men and women) are unable to train specifically for the event and instead must be in great overall fitness. The winners receive $25,000 in cash.

The Program CrossFit, an intense fitness program, takes its motto “forging elite fitness” to the extreme. CrossFit combines weightlifting, sprinting and gymnastics to increase the strength and overall fitness of its participants. Fitness is defined as increasing the work capacity in cardiovascular and respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, agility, balance, coordination and accuracy. Workouts include running, jumping rope, climbing rope, rowing and carrying and throwing heavy objects.

Youtube is full of workout videos demonstrating everything from crunches and push-ups to pull-ups and squats.

CrossFit decided to take it one step further by implementing an entire Internet workout system. Affiliates post a new workout online each day called the Workout of the Day. The workouts add up to create a program that concentrates on speed and intensity instead of technique. Because of this, CrossFit has come under fire for being too strenuous on the body. According to Stephanie Cooperman of the New Yark Times, six CrossFit participants have suffered from rhabdomyolysis, a kidney-poisoning chemical released into the bloodstream when a muscle breaks down due to an overly intense workout. CrossFit has also been criticized for taking

injuries too lightly and not advocating the risks of working out with an injury.

CrossFit aims to question conventional wisdom about fitness by creating programs to fit every person. For example, they have planned workout adaptations for kids, pregnant women and seniors. There are also specialized workouts for rowers, swimmers, football players and endurance runners.

Judging by the type of participants that use CrossFit, it is clear that the workouts are not for the faint of heart or body.

One workout called “Cindy” includes 20 minutes of repetitions of five pull-ups, 10 push-ups, and 15 squats. Even more extreme is “Murph,” a one-mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 pushups and 300 squats.

CrossFit has been called a new sport, a fad and even a cult.

It has been called unhealthy, too extreme and risky. This is why it attracts hardcore workout enthusiasts. Participants in CrossFit like to push themselves and strive to overcome a challenge. There is no denying that if one completes the CrossFit programs one will become fit, but whether or not it is worth the risk is a personal decision.

Q&A with

­–Compiled by Jesse Klein

Amity CrossFit Owner Aaron Ryan

Aaron Ryan

The Oracle: What is CrossFit? AR: Constantly varied functional movement performed at a high intensity. In other words, you are always doing something different and all exercises help you prepare for everyday life. You can also expect to be giving 100 percent every time that you come in.

TO: How did you hear of Crossfit?

AR: I was teaching mixed martial arts in Santa Cruz and a good friend of mine was training at the original CrossFit gym. If you were in the fitness industry and year Santa Cruz you definitely would have heard of CrossFit as they had quite a reputation for being intense.

TO: How does CrossFit help a person’s fitness?

AR: Where most fitness programs try to specialize in one specific area, CrossFits main goal is improving upon all 10 recognized areas of fitness: cardiovascular/ respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, accuracy and balance.

TO: How did you get the idea of starting your own CrossFit gym?

AR: Running CrossFit classes at a commercial gym is not an option. The traditional CrossFit format is done in group classes so it was a natural progression for me.

TO: To whom would you recommend CrossFit training?

AR: Everyone who wants to improve their fitness: professional and elite athletes, cyclists, fighters, suffers, skiers, tennis players, triathletes and that’s not all. CrossFit has tested it’s methods on the sedentary, overweight, pathological and elderly and found that these special populations met the same success as our stable athletes. The general population needs to vary from the Olympic athlete by degree, not kind.

TO: How does it differ from personal training?

AR: I consider CrossFit to be a philosophy that can be applied to any individuals or groups program. With one -on-one sessions you can write the program tailored to the individuals goals. One of the many things that people enjoy about group classes is the camaraderie. People tend to push themselves harder when training in a group.

–Compiled by Mia Howard

20

THEORACLE

Entertainment

A second look at Thanksgiving Through the eyes of a turkey

Sam Hayward “Gobble, gobble, gobble.” Where did anyone get the idea that this is the sound we turkeys make? Oh yes, of course because our necks are red and stretchy we must make a hideous sound and repeat it over and over. And “gobble” just seems to be the perfect word for everything.

Gobble this, gobble that, gobble gobble gobble.

We turkeys don’t have it easy. During Thanksgiving, we are forced to watch as our friends and family are served on a platter, plastered with goo, and served with stuffing and pumpkin as part of an annual feast. Then all the compliments go to the chef, not to the turkey, for tasting so delicious and plump.

In case you don’t know, we turkeys hold ourselves to high standards. We clean our feathers daily and strive to keep ourselves in top shape.

Our chicks are taught from a young age that turkeys are special birds, not just slow and easy hunting game. In fact, we were once so praised by the human race that Benjamin Franklin wanted us to be the United States’ national bird instead of that bald eagle. The bald eagle is not only bald and ugly, but also eats the eggs of other birds in order to survive.

Our ancestors have been wiped out by hunting and the disappearance of their favored woodland habitat. Where is the right to liberty and happiness we have heard about in the land of America?

Being served for dinner is not our equivalent of happiness.

Domesticated turkeys are mistreated from an early age. Our talons and beaks are clipped and we are forced to eat crunchy corn grain. We are not allowed to see daylight until the day we are slaughtered. We are stripped of our feathers and clumped together in a cold, gloomy warehouse.

It is a depressing scene, and Thanksgiving is the holiday to blame.

Humans, though they marvel at how intelligent they are, created Thanksgiving out of thin air. Although a feast did take place in October of 1621, Thanksgiving isn’t exactly the holiday everyone imagines. It was a feast for the white Pilgrims to indulge in food stolen from Indians, who were not even invited. Though it later became known as “Thanksgiving,” the Pilgrims never called it that.

If we do not get the respect we deserve, I say that the turkeys across the world should go on strike and refuse to eat. What will become of Thanksgiving then? Thanksgiving is nothing without a plump turkey, and no one likes gravy and peas alone.

For the past several hundred years all we have wanted is some real thanks and appreciation.

Now that it seems like humans are incapable of something even that simple, all we ask is that you go out and buy some tofu turkey instead of one us. It’s delicious, tastes the same and no one will know the difference. And, most importantly, we turkeys will be able to live the lives we were born to live.

Thanks, The Turkeys

—Hayward, a junior, is a Forum Editor

Students celebrate turkey day in different ways

The Thanksgiving tradition began in 1621. It was a meal that consisted of birds, boiled pumpkin, berries and vegetables. That same traditional meal now calls for turkey, stuffing, gravy, rolls, potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. But it’s not just the food that’s changed. As our world changes, so do time constraints, families and the personal histories of the people that live in America. The traditional holiday of giving thanks has evolved in many ways. While there will still be the traditional family that cooks all day and spends the night passed out with food comas, today America is full of people that celebrate this holiday in different ways. Here we explored a small part of the spectrum of ways that students on campus celebrate (or don’t), in both traditional and unexpected ways.

Danielle Tene (12) When Senior Danielle Tene first learned there was a holiday called Thanksgiving, it wasn’t from her parents. As immigrants from Israel, her parents had never celebrated Thanksgiving in their lives, and they decided not to make it a tradition in their family.

“I heard about Thanksgiving from the outside world,” Tene said. However, Tene has sometimes felt pressure to celebrate. “Sometimes over Thanksgiving break my family goes on vacation,” she said. “I’m the only one who’s like, ‘Why aren’t we home? Shouldn’t we be eating pie and turkey?’” When they aren’t traveling over Thanksgiving break, the Tene household invites family and friends over for a meal. “We will eat Israeli food, nothing American,” Tene said.

William Yu (10) For sophomore William Yu’s family, Thanksgiving has always been a time for a large family gathering over a big meal. “I look forward to it,” Yu said. Yu spends Thanksgiving at his aunt’s house every year.

In addition to the traditional Thanksgiving meal, Yu’s family serves Chinese food as well. This food can include dumplings, eggrolls and fried rice. “[We] usually eat duck too, because it’s a special occasion,” Yu said. Yu’s way of celebrating Thanksgiving is a way for his family to integrate their heritage and their own traditions into a very American holiday.

Yu says that he and his family always loves the Thanksgiving holiday. “It’s a time to relax,” Yu said. “Thanksgiving break means go eat, have fun!

[I can’t imagine] what else you would do.”

Photos by Victor Kwok

Andriy Khrustalyov (11) Junior Andriy Khrustalyov’s family doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving. “We don’t do anything traditional [for Thanksgiving] because we’re not American,” Khrustalyov said. “We celebrate for Ukraine’s holidays.” Khrustalyov’s family immigrated from Ukraine nine years ago.

Instead of a dinner with turkey and cranberry sauce, Khrustalyov’s family may invite some friends over for a regular meal. Even though he has lived here for almost a decade, Khrustalyov believes that people should celebrate traditions from their home countries.

“I feel kind of pressured to celebrate Thanksgiving because there is so much patriotism in America,” Khrustalyov said. “But my family doesn’t celebrate because we don’t identify as Americans.”

Ge

Mitch Donat (9) org eH wa ng

Since they have lived in California, freshman Mitch Donat and his family have spent their Thanksgivings surrounded by loved ones. Each year they travel north to visit their great-grandmother. “Although she’s stubborn and a bit cranky, we always go visit her and try to enjoy ourselves,” Donat said.

The food may not be extraordinary (Donat’s greatgrandmother insists on getting and preparing the meal herself), but they find joy in each other’s company.

Whether Donat is playing with the family’s dogs, watching football on the television or simply catching up with his great-grandmother, he always finds a way to make Thanksgiving fun. “For us, Thanksgiving isn’t about doing something extravagant,” Donat said.

“It’s about being with family.”

—Compiled by Jennie Robinson

A tasty alternative to Thanksgiving treats

Ingredients for Peanut Butter Buckeyes:

1 1/2 cups peanut butter 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 6 cups confectioners’ sugar 4 cups semisweet chocolate chips 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened Crushed Health Bars Procedure: 1. Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper and set it aside. Using a wooden spoon, mix together the peanut butter, sugar, butter and vanilla extract. The dough should look dry.

2. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls. Set them on the prepared cookie sheet and insert a toothpick into each ball. Chill them in the freezer until hard, (about Courtesy of Samantha Donat 30 minutes).

3. Melt the chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl set above a pot of simmering water over medium-high heat. Stir until smooth. Remove the pan from the heat, and, using the toothpick as a handle, dip the balls into the melted chocolate, leaving a small circle at the top uncovered. While the chocolate covering is still warm, roll the cookies in the crushed Heath Bars, so they are lightly covered. Place the dipped cookies back on the sheet and refrigerate for about 2 hours. Enjoy!

—Compiled by Samantha Donat

Entertainment

Monday, November 15, 2010

21

Documentaries worth another look

The Oracle staffers review thought-provoking cinematography Waiting for Superman

A State of Mind

It seems almost redundant for us students to watch a documentary about the educational system that we are a part of. But that could not be more wrong. Waiting for Superman is a documentary film that chronicles five children as they fight alongside their parents for a chance at a future that only a strong education can offer them. Director Davis Guggenheim, who also directed An Inconvenient Truth, is a master at weaving scenes together in an edifying and heart-breaking manner.

Guggenheim explores the United States public school system, and points out the countless flaws and failures that are causing our country to fail its children. Statistics show just how deep these flaws run, such as the staggering fact that an American student drops out of high school every 26 seconds, and are presented in a brilliant, animated design that is both direct and informative. What makes this documentary even more compelling is that Guggenheim takes the issues and then delves further to search for the root of the problem.

What he finds is both powerful and disturbing, making viewers question a public school system that for so long has been believed to be unchangeable. When Nakia, a single mother struggling with pay-cuts, talks about her six-year-old daughter Bianca, she says, “I don’t care what I have to do. I don’t care how many jobs I have to obtain. But she will go to college.” What Waiting for Superman asks is if a system has clearly defined problems and solutions, why is there not a Superman willing to fight for the change?

It is a question mark that will resonate with the audience as they leave the theater.

—Compiled by Elaine Liu

A State of Mind follows the story of two North Korean girls preparing for the 2003 Pyongyang Mass Games, a choreographed gymnastics performance that involves thousands of gymnasts. The amount of coordination needed for the mass of athletes to move as one makes it an event rivaled by no other in the world. Pak Hyon Sun, 13, and Kim Song Yun, 11, spend half of their lives in school and the other half training for the Mass Games, dedicating their time to the nationalist cause.

Director Daniel Gordon and his crew follow the two girls’ families for over eight months to capture a rare look into the daily lives of ordinary people living in the most isolated, secretive country in the world. Shot during a time of speculation and hostility towards North Korea, Gordon casts a more positive light on its citizens, capturing the elements of family interaction and the close bonds that tie its members together. Focusing on the intense dedication Sun and Song show for General Kim Jong II and their country, North Korea’s ideology of sacrifices for the good of the collective is made obvious through the eight grueling hours the girls spend training everyday for the Mass Games.

The documentary manages to touch on sensitive topics like the country’s hatred for the United States and its declining economic state while maintaining neutrality as an onlooker. Both serious and artistic, A State of Mind approaches North Korean society from a completely different angle by choosing to push the country’s controversial past aside and instead focusing on its people.

—Compiled by Monica Cai Food, Inc.

Breathing Lessons In her critically acclaimed documentary, Breathing Lessons, director and Gunn alumn Jessica Yu explores the life of poet and journalist Mark O’Brien and his quest to change the long-held misconceptions about disabled people. O’Brien spent most of his time in the corner of his Berkeley apartment where he was supported by an iron lung, a machine that assists polio-stricken people with their breathing.

In the very first minutes of the 35 minute documentary, O’Brien adresses the audience: “The two mythologies about disabled people break down to one: we can’t do anything, or two: we can do everything.

But the truth is, we’re just human.”

The film is captivating and allows the viewer to enter a very close to home, but often ignored, world. The film is touching and endearing when O’Brien talks about his passion, but then depressing to watch him struggle for each gasp for air as he tells the story of his life.

The reason why this movie is able to reach deep into people’s hearts is because it pushes reality right in front of us. We walk away from the movie feeling a little perturbed and upset by our ignorance and arrogance. Disabled people are often cast off as incompetent, lacking intellectual insight or perspective, but this movie proves exactly the opposite.

O’Brien gives the audience a glimpse into his life through his deep poems and eloquent stories. Though at some points the movie is hard to bear, his vulnerability demonstrates his trust in his audience. It is a sad, heart-wrenching film, but captures the spirit of human existence and exposes the true identity of happiness.

—Compiled by Sam Hayward

Courtesy of Teb Barbeau, Very Much So Productions and Paramount Vantage

Top: Food, Inc. brings viewers inside America’s food industry. Middle: A State of Mind documents the lives of a pair of North Korean gymnasts. Bottom: Waiting for Superman takes a look into the pitfalls of the current educational system.

The Oracle’s rating system is based upon the relevence, artistic craft and emotional impact of the documentary upon first viewing.

The controversial 2008 documentary Food, Inc. delves into the hidden and, often, disturbing world of the food industry.

Director Robert Kenner reveals the secrets of not only the processed and commercial food industry, but also the agriculture and meat production industries. He also includes a personal side by revealing experiences within the industry of corporate farming.

Many people view fast food companies and businesses that produce processed foods as the reasons we easy access to unhealthy foods. However, Food, Inc. proves that corporate farming industries are the true culprits.

Kenner explores the monopolization of agriculture and meat processing and its effects on consumers. He uses interviews with workers in these farming corporations, consumers of the products from corporate farming and both farmers and activists taking their own steps to reevaluate and renovate the unpleasant business of corporate farming.

Despite revealing alarming, harsh facts and strong images throughout the documentary, the message that it is imperative to change the corporate farming industry is incredibly well conveyed.

Food, Inc. is recognized for its excellence in creating a compelling movie, and was even nominated for the Best Documentary category in the 2010 Academy Awards.

The film effectively brings to light the many truths about the generally romanticized food industry, pulling back the curtain to reveal the ugly face of American corporate farming. Food, Inc. successfully enlightens its audience with a harsh, but very real, report on the current state of the food industry.

—Compiled by Sweta Bhattacharya

22

Entertainment

THEORACLE

Justice

is served by

Twelve

Angry

Men

Photos by Henry Liu

Top: Jurors Junior Oz Amran , Seniors Kayla Neumeyer , Sophie Christel , and Tony Bianchini ponder the difficult decision they must make. Middle left: Junior Melissa Cunha and senior Julie Scrivner listen to the other jurors’ arguments. Middle right: Tensions between actors Robert Watson (11) and Blake Vesey (11) begin to run high as conflicting views regarding the sentence arise. Bottom: The cast of jurors debates over how to decide upon the fate of a man’s life.

It’s a new twist on a courtroom drama because it’s from the perspective of the decision process in the jury room rather than the actual trial.” Twelve Angry Men showcases the skill, A young man’s life hangs precariously on the thread that is concentration and motivation of the 12 jury members who, a court jury. This is the premise of Twelve Angry Men, the play throughout the production, never leave the stage. “What makes it special is that every character being put on by the Gunn Theatre Department is so different,” senior Julie Scrivner, from Nov. 11 to 20. who plays Juror Seven, said. What you Gunn theatre’s production of Twelve Angry find by the end is that it is very difficult Men is based off Reginald Rose’s script of the to decide who is the bad guy and who same title. Director Jim Shelby chose the play “What you find by is the good guy.” to make audiences think and reflect. “I want the end is that it is Because of the small size of the to hopefully bring into people’s minds a sense very difficult to decast, the twelve jurors, as well as the of skepticism, a sense of idealism of the jury guard, grew very close. “The rehearsals system,” he said. cide who is the bad [were] honestly a lot of fun,” Scrivner The plot is simple: twelve jurors decide the guy and who is the said. “Since the cast is so small, only fate of a 19-year-old boy accused of murdering thirteen of us, we have all grown so good guy .” his father. But the emotions and tensions that close and really share in the small come into this play as the jurors, who are —Julie Scrivner (12) victories, such as learning lines and complete strangers to one another, explain creating an intense moment.” Walton their individual reasoning are the capturing agrees. “I don’t think I’ve ever been force that lure in the audience and put them in the courtroom next to the cast. The goal of the play’s twists this close to all my castmates before,” she said. “We even and turns, as well as the captivating arguments is to leave the have cast sleepovers.”

Following other well-received Theatre department viewers questioning their own decisions.

“Twelve Angry Men is a fantastic show because the productions, Twelve Angry Men is a thought-provoking and audience takes the same journey as the jurors,” senior Alice appropriate play for all ages, young and old. Bring a friend or two Walton, who plays Juror Six, said. “The fact that the audience and enjoy this Gunn play together. As Shelby said, “[Watching is unaware of what happened during the trial allows for it is] like giving birth, not that I know anything about that.” discoveries among the jurors to be shared with the audience.

Boot Bullwinkle Reporter

What we’re listening to: 1. “Doesn’t Remind Me”—Audioslave 2. “The Show Goes On”—Lupe Fiasco 3. “Same Mistakes”—Drake 4. “Want You Back”—The Kooks

5. “Your Protector”—Fleet Foxes 6. The Glee Soundtrack 7. “Crystallized”—The XX 8. “Stuck Like Glue”—Sugarland

Show Times Nov. 17, 3:30 p.m. (all tickets $5) Nov. 18 – 20, 8 p.m. (students $8, general $10) Tickets available at www.gunntheatre.org or at Student Activities Center.

Entertainment

Monday, November 15, 2010

23

Staffers review local ethnic cuisines

Victor Kwok

Alan Phan

Courtesy of Celeste Noche

From left to right: Mango, in all its Caribbean beach-side splendor, offers rhymes, hyperboles and puns that jingle the mouth. Chocolate Sushi showcases a modern sushi bar where the option of all-you-can-eat sushi can satiate even the most ravenous eaters. Palo Alto Sol offers nourishment for the soul: the taste of pastoral Mexico in every

Mango Krishan Allen Sports Editor

Walking into the Mango Caribbean Restaurant and Bar, one cannot help but feel at home in its enjoyable and relaxing atmosphere. Two words come to mind when taking a glance around the restaurant: tropical vacation. With the colorful surroundings mixed with Caribbean décor and calming reggae music, I felt my worries leave me as I readied myself for some delicious food.

To start my foray into Caribbean culinary culture, I looked down the restaurant’s menu looking for whatever caught my eye. I saw dishes such as the “Yeahman Quesadilla” (a multi-cultural dish of jerk chicken, avocado, tomato, cheese, and roti) and “Rasta Pasta” (pasta with white wine sauce, sautéed vegetables, and jerk chicken or shrimp). For those who don’t know, “jerk chicken” is chicken that is dry-rubbed or marinated with a hot spice mixture called “jerk spice.” A few minutes later, I decided to go with the “St. Lucia” sandwich that consisted of mango chicken, avocado, lettuce and tomato on sourdough bread. When my order arrived, it was just as delightful as I imagined. Taking my first bite into the “St. Lucia” sandwich, I had to appreciate the simplicity that lead to the tastefulness of the food. The presentation of the dish was plain, but it was just as I would have liked since I think any additional embellishments would have detracted from the basic enjoyment I got from it. The slightly tangy flavor of the mango chicken coupled with the crunch of the fresh vegetables made for an unexpectedly good sandwich. My friends ordered other dishes such as the “Rasta Pasta” and said they were happy with what they ordered. As much as I loved the simplicity, my only gripe is that I felt my dish was slightly overpriced for what it was.

My friends and I enjoyed the service at the restaurant as our waiter kindly let us take our time to enjoy our food as well as take in the whole laid-back atmosphere.

I would recommend those who want to try Caribbean food for the first time to take a trip down to Mango for a great overall experience.

Chocolate Sushi

Palo Alto Sol

Boot Bullwinkle

Hannah Plank-Schwartz Entertainment Editor

Reporter

Nothing gets your appetite going like a gigantic sign at the front saying that the restaurant’s alcohol license has been revoked for violating distribution laws. This was the first thing I noticed at a sushi-tofu house (Korean and Japanese fusion cuisine) called Chocolate Sushi in Sunnyvale.

Despite the rather tacky looking sign displaying its name and the alcohol license suspension notice, I found the inside to be very modern and masculine. Clean edges and dim lighting made eating incredibly pleasant.

My family and I were quickly seated at the sushi bar in front of tentacles, slabs of fish and chefs displaying their skills in front of us as they prepared our meal right before our eyes. It was definitely something not appropriate for the squeamish.

As we looked down at our menus, we found that the entrées were in plain English and made into fun names accompanied with pictures so that there were absolutely no surprises. Some of these plates included the Godzilla Roll and the Cherry Blossom Roll. Each looked like their name, which I enjoyed, so I give it an A+ for presentation.

The food was brought out at 15-minute intervals, and it seemed like you needed high-beams and a trumpet to get the waiter’s attention for a refill. When my food finally came (last, of course) my tension over the poor service melted away with every bite. The fish was fresh, and melted in my mouth with a slightly spicy aftertaste. Despite the slow service, the waiters were friendly and the food more than made up for the wait.

But then I remembered the name of the restaurant and I said, “Wait a minute, where’s the chocolate?” It turns out that they actually don’t make “chocolate sushi” of any kind.

They don’t even offer dessert. Slightly thrown off, I decided that it was best to be satisfied with the meal I had, and we went off to have our dessert elsewhere.

For those seeking an interesting meal, Chocolate Sushi offers a unique culinary experience.

A flood of sweet, spicy aromas was my first greeting at Palo Alto Sol, followed by an arrangement of wooden furniture and elaborate wall hangings. “Sol,” which means sun in Spanish, is a fitting name given the warm, friendly ambiance and the ubiquitous presence of antique suns.

A hostess warmly escorted my friend and me to a cozy table in the back and our orders were taken promptly. We explored a varied ethnic menu with a multitude of different Mexican dishes. The main goal of the restaurant’s two founders is to offer the best possible food while staying true to recipes from the village they grew up in. According to the Web site, “some recipes have centuries of tradition, others come from our family, ancestors, others are created by us, and our history.” One of their signature recipes is the Pollo Guajillo, a family recipe consisting of chicken and guajillo peppers and herbs, which give it a rich and sophisticated taste. For fellow vegetarians out there, I chose a burrito with black mole, a dark sauce made of different spices and chiles, a choice I did not regret. Other specials include Rajas Poblanas, Tomatillo and Carne Asada.

After a short wait, the mole burrito arrived drizzled in a delicious spicy sauce filled with beans, rice and melted cheese. A perfect and simple combination of tastes was a supplement to a fun and culturally enriching dinner.

My culinary experience at Palo Alto Sol was enough to bring me back again.

Mango: 435 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto http://mangocaribbean.com/ Chocolate Sushi: 595 E El Camino Real, Sunnyvale http://www.sushichocolate.com/ Palo Alto Sol: 408 S California Ave http://www.paloaltosol.biz/ The Oracle’s Rating System: The service, the quality of the food, and the restaurant’s overall atmosphere were all factors taken into account when awarding stars. Each restaurant was only visited once.

24

Entertainment

THEORACLE

WEBB R ANCH

“This is a place to enjoy the little things in life.”

Elaine Liu Business/Circulation Manager

There are three things I absolutely love about fall and winter: blackberry pie, strawberry pie and raspberry pie. Webb Ranch happens to offer all of the above with the added bonus of horses roaming over 230 acres of hills. Founded in 1922 by the Webb family, the ranch began as a small home, but has since grown into a gorgeous rustic landscape where people can participate in a wide range of activities for different ages.

On the outskirts of Webb Ranch lie the sprawling fields that house a variety of crops and plants.

The Farmer’s Market at Webb Ranch is one of the best in the area with its fresh fruit and just-picked vegetables that are ready to be eaten at any moment.

For fall, there are little pumpkins and husked corn that create colorful fall scenery next to the bright greens of spinach, basil and asparagus. Everything is affordable, and the cashier is eager to offer advice on the freshest fruits and vegetables to pick out.

Seasonally, Webb Ranch also offers berry picking along its vineyards. The ranch is one of the last farms still open to the general public every spring and summer. The fare is only $3 and people are allowed to roam around with baskets to pick seasonal berries including blackberries, strawberries and raspberries.

We b b R a n c h’s

Farmers Market also takes its own berries to sell home baked pies that come in a range of sizes.

During the fall and winter, Webb Ranch offers Halloween pumpkin patches and Christmas tree yards with events for children. As I walk through the bright patches of funny shaped pumpkins and smiling jack-o-lanterns, I see kids running around with tickets for the Haunted House and the pony rides. For older kids, the real horses can be found along the road beyond the market and the fields.

When I first drove down the winding road that leads into the heart of Webb Ranch, I saw horses trotting alongside my car on the dirt road. Luckily, their riders are well trained, making sure to hold tightly to the reins to prevent any of the horses from spooking. This is a place where people forego modern technology and you see more horses than people. Among the interlocking rows and small paths of stables that house their four-legged inhabitants, there is a calming atmosphere.

When I stepped out of my car, Cooper, a tall proud bay stallion, trotted up to the fence to greet me. He whickered and snuffled his wiry whiskers into the palm of my hand. A girl who looked my age jogged over and apologized. Her name is Emma and she introduced herself as Cooper’s owner. It turns out that Cooper lives on Webb Ranch where the staff offers morning and evening feedings as well as access to all facilities among the hills. Pointing down toward the training rings, I began to walk over for my riding lesson.

I was apprehensive about getting on a saddle given that the last time I rode a horse was ten years ago. The little kids around me laughed at my nerves and gave me pointers about how best

to hold the bridle and to use the small bench for a boost onto my horse. It was a little embarrassing, but secretly I was thankful for my new elementary school friends. As soon as I got on the horse though, my fears disappear.

It is an amazing feeling to ride a creature both twice your size and your gracefulness. As we walked along the pathways that wound around the river, I listened to the trainer give me tips about sitting deeper in my seat and working to straighten my posture. When my horse, Freckles, stopped to smell a bush, I found myself yanking repeatedly on the reins in vain. The trainers, who were barely older than me but infinitely more experienced, laughed and told me to assert my “authority.” I tried, but ultimately decided that Freckles has the upper hand in this relationship.

At the end of the trail, the riders are asked to brush down our horses and give them a treat as a thank you. Right before handing Freckles back over to the staff at the stables, I leaned in and gave Freckles a quick kiss on the cheek. It had been one of the most satisfying days I have experienced throughout this whole year. Amidst the stress and chaos of being a high school student, coming to Webb Ranch is like stepping away from all of the tension. This is a place to enjoy the little things in life, from the home-baked pies to the majestic horses.

Hours: 7 days/week 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

2720 Alpine Road Portola Valley, CA 94028 (650) 854-3134

Photos by Henry Liu