The Oracle February 2022

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

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PAUSD community adapts COVID-19 protocols to Omicron presence This semester, rising case numbers and the recent Omicron variant have forced the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) to adapt rapidly to new challenges, including a surge in district cases that has contributed to student and staff absences.

While the Omicron variant has not been found to cause more severe illness than other variants of COVID-19, it is much more contagious than the original strain of the virus. According to PAUSD Superintendent Don Austin,

“Unless we are mandated to close by an outside agency, we will not make that decision on our own.” ­­—Superintendent Don Austin the new variant has altered the district’s expectations.

“I think the biggest change for all school districts is the acknowledgement that we’re going to have case counts that don’t look like they used to,” he said. “We had to shift and come up to speed with the first wave of COVID-19, and then go through Delta, which was how we started the school year. Back then, eight or 10 cases in a week was kind of a big deal. [Now, there is] Omicron, with 380 cases in the first week.”

Despite the growing case numbers, the district has worked to avoid shutting down schools and returning to online learning. “I saw the harm that was done during our last closure,” Austin said. “If you missed the second half of your junior year and your entire senior year, which all those kids did, you don’t ever get that back. It was bad in so many ways. Unless we are mandated to close by an outside agency, we will not make that decision on our own.”

Schools remain open with the help of parent volunteers. On Jan. 8, over 800 volunteers were called to action by 1 Palo Alto, a program that encouraged parents to assist support staff. According to Principal Wendy Stratton, it was a proactive measure designed to combat potential staff shortages.

Stratton added that parents have filled in a variety of jobs, from working as classroom aide to assisting in the front office. “They’ve done more of what we call the classified side of things: not the certificated teacher jobs, but the support jobs,” she said.

Due to the rapid increase in cases, the district has also stopped sending out close-contact notices, which previously notified parents when their students were exposed to someone who tested positive. “In September, our numbers were low, so it wasn’t incredibly difficult to be able to identify a positive student and their close contacts,” Austin said. “With Omicron, it was ridiculous. Parents would

have received a letter every single day.”

English teacher Diane Ichikawa felt that the absence of close-contact notices altered her mindset. “A lot of health professionals are basically saying to assume that you either will get it or that everybody around you already has it,” Ichikawa said.

One senior, who preferred to stay anonymous for health privacy reasons, felt that the absence of closecontact notices did not create a significant change in their behavior. “Although the close-contact notices might have been helpful to let some people know to get tested, if I ever got that notice, I would just make sure to watch my symptoms closely,” they said.

For students and staff who wish to get tested, PAUSD offers multiple options both on and off-campus. Gunn’s testing clinic is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays. Students can also get tested at any other site at PAUSD as well as at the Cubberley Community Center, which is open for testing five days a week from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. At-home testing also remains a viable option for students and staff alike. The “COVID Clinic” page on the PAUSD website includes a schedule with testing site availability and information on how to register.

Assistant Principal Leonel Argumedo acknowledged that much of the process of reporting and interpreting

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“A lot of health professionals are basically saying to assume that you either will get it or that everybody around you already has it.”

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­­—English Teacher Diane Ichikawa

results for off-campus tests is based on the honor system. “We do encourage our students and our families to report [positive cases],” he said. “That will also allow us to know where we stand and what we need to do to keep everyone else safe.”

For those who test on campus, Stratton noted positive results will be automatically reported. “It’s no longer necessarily the honor system because we actually will know [the positive result for PAUSD tests] immediately,” she said.

For individuals who do test positive, the minimum isolation time has been reduced from 10 days to five.

According to the PAUSD website, individuals who test negative on or after day five of the onset of symptoms or a positive test, whichever was first, may return to campus the next day. Counting starts on day zero, or the first day that the student exhibits symptoms or takes a test. The isolation timeline was first shortened nationally by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, allowing the California Department of Public Health to implement the same

change. Positive case numbers for every site are posted every Tuesday on the PAUSD website.

French teacher Laura Lizundia felt that this transition was reasonable given the circumstances. “I’m okay with it, given where we live and the fact that the large majority of people in the district are overwhelmingly boostered already,” she said.

At the classroom level, there have not been any concrete changes due to the surge. “There are no different pro-

Average U.S. COVID-19 cases in thousands

Amann Mahajan and Carly Liao Reporter and Features editor

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Graphics by Chinyoung Shao Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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PAUSD reevaluates safety protocols due to Omicron surge Omicron surge—p.1

-tocols, simply because the school and the district have not told us to make any different protocols,” Ichikawa said.

At the classroom level, there have not been any concrete changes due to the surge. “There are no different protocols simply because the school and the district have not told us to make any different protocols,” Ichikawa said.

However, teachers have been making individual adjustments for both their own and their students’ safety.

Ichikawa noted that she was slightly stricter about students lowering their masks to eat and drink, while Math Department Instructional Lead David Deggeller has allowed for more flexible seating in his classes. “Rather than having students sit [in table groups], I have them sit in rows and columns,” he said. “I re-emphasized that if students are not feeling safe, they can move themselves around physically in the classroom.”

Teachers have also had to negotiate student absences.

For some, like Ichikawa, this means increased communication with students. “I have been emailing or having

Have you felt at a higher risk of getting COVID-19 compared to last semester?

phone calls with students or their families,” she said.

“There has been an uptick in out-of-classroom work.”

“We teachers have been trying to be flexible and [are] making a lot of what we do in class also available online. Now, they can study with the hopes that they will come back and join us when they and their families feel safe.” ­­—Math Department Instructional Lead David Deggeller Others, like Deggeller, are making materials available online. “I have a few students who were considering switching to independent study, which is a challenge,” he said. “We teachers have been trying to be flexible and [are] making a lot of what we do in class also available online.

In the past week, have you felt uncomfortable on campus given the case surge?

Somewhat uncomfortable 26.0%

No 12.4% Yes 87.6%

Now, they can study with the hopes that they will come back and join us when they and their families feel safe.”

The same anonymous senior found the process of catching up in the classes they missed to be straightforward.

“There’s definitely a lot of work to make up,” they said. “But most teachers are pretty understanding, and they’re able to send me things that we did in class. [They] were pretty willing to give me extensions.”

According to Argumedo, while many absences are COVID-19-related, many are also attributed to other unrelated illnesses and health concerns. Ichikawa added that while some students did not have COVID-19, they stayed home because they lived with elderly family members.

“They’re being extra cautious,” she said.

Regardless, Deggeller emphasized the importance of being adaptable during this time. “We’ve learned a lot of tricks,” he said. “We’ve learned how to be flexible. This Omicron thing is new, and it’s a little different. But we’re not really batting an eye because we’ve seen worse and we’ve adapted before.”

Do you think the district has done enough to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on campus?

No 67.9%

Not uncomfortable 56.2% Very uncomfortable 17.8%

Yes 32.1%

Source: Survey sent out to Gunn students with 169 responses.

Sophie Fan

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Friday, February 4, 2022

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Yoochan An

Left: Former Gunn theater teacher James Shelby substitutes for a theater class. Right: Substitute teacher Star Teachout covers for a math class.

PAUSD combats staff shortages with new initiatives Irene Tsen Reporter

Following the recent Omicron variant surge, the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) has faced a substitute teacher shortage due to increased staff absences. To continue in-person instruction, the district has implemented new measures to address the shortage, including calling for parent volunteers in the 1 Palo Alto program, raising substitute and teacher salaries and having school administrators cover classes.

Nationwide, school districts are experiencing similar staffing shortages; according to an EdWeek Research Center survey, over threequarters of school districts have at least moderate levels of staffing shortages.

PAUSD Director of Certificated Human Resources Lisa Hickey noted that the rise in COVID-19 cases has raised safety concerns for older substitutes, decreasing the number of available candidates. “The district has struggled with substitutes since the beginning of the pandemic,” Hickey said. “But it’s certainly worse now with so many more teachers out.”

Since elementary school teachers often teach for an entire day instead of for specific periods, the district prioritizes finding substitutes for elementary over secondary schools.

As a result, secondary schools must improvise by finding replacements for each period. According to Assistant Principal Leonel Argumedo, it is much easier to find a substitute for select periods than for a full day. Secondary schools also often have more teachers and administrators who are able to help out than elementary schools do.

Since substitutes are not chosen specifically for each class, however, having a smaller pool to choose from means that substitutes likely have no prior experience in the subject they’re assigned to teach. The lack of substitutes also leads to an inconsistency in teaching style, especially when teachers are out for an extended period of time. Sophomore

"We need your help. Until the surge passes, we need our community to volunteer like never before.”

—Superintendent Don Austin tive that calls for vaccinated parent and high school volunteers to help with custodial work, COVID-19 clinic testing, food services and classroom support. In his unveiling of the plan on Jan. 8, Austin expressed that the worker shortage is unprecedented. “Our biggest challenge is staffing right now,” he said. “We can’t keep up: there’s no labor pool, and no amount of money can solve this issue. We need your help. Until the surge passes, we need our community to volunteer like never before.”

The initiative has been successful: in the first two days, over 150 parent volunteers stepped in as classroom aides and front desk workers. According to Hickey, some parents are undergoing training to earn an emergency 30-day substitute teaching permit, which is valid for a year. “We have close to 10 parents who are working through the process, and some are already active subs,” she said.

To encourage teachers to help, the district has increased the hourly rate of teachers who substitute for absent colleagues during their free periods. “We plan on extending the increased teacher pay through the end of February and will reassess this in mid-February,” Hickey said.

Art teacher Jordan King is one of the

teachers who has substituted for other classes and found the extra compensation worthwhile. “I want to help teachers who are out due to COVID-19 issues or whatever else because I’m grateful that people came in and helped me out,” King said. “But also, the money is attractive, and I feel like it’s worth capitalizing on.”

PAUSD has also raised substitute salaries to involve high-quality teachers and maintain competitive rates within Santa Clara County.

According to the Oct. 19 school board meeting documents, the full day rate for substitutes was raised from $165 to $180, the rate for long-term substitutes (15-79 days) was raised from $220 to $300 and the secondary school resident substitute rate—a new position—was set at $250 per day.

The district’s new resident substitute position works full-time at one site to safeguard against emergency teacher absences. “[Resident substitutes] are not assigned to cover a teacher who calls in [absent],” Hickey said.

“Instead, they are used to cover unfilled absences. The resident subs often have a personal connection to the school they are subbing at and are willing to do whatever they need to do to support the school.”

School administrators have also stepped in to cover classes when necessary. “During the first week back from break, we had about 20 unfilled absences across the district,” Hickey said. “Everyone stepped in to cover classes, including other teachers and administrators.”

According to Hickey, the district now has nearly all absences filled on a normal day, which minimizes disrupted student learning.

Hickey also said that PAUSD is faring better than many around the nation. “I’m hopeful that we’re going to be able to fill all of our [staff] absences in the next few weeks,” she said.

Principal Wendy Stratton echoed Hickey’s optimism. “We’ve been in really good shape,” she said. “We thought [the impact] was going to be a lot heavier.”

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

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

“I really enjoyed the stories about mental health and hearing other students’ stories about their journeys through experiences that many people face.”

—Nathan Levy, 10 “[It was] very well designed with a good mix of serious and fun content. [I found it] very professional, and the paper quality is better than most local commercial papers.”

Adviser Kristy Blackburn

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Dana Kim has experienced this change when her Spanish teacher was absent. “My regular teacher would have a lot more activities between students and more interaction in class,” she said. “But my substitute would just take notes on the whiteboard.”

To combat the substitute shortage and to keep schools open, Superintendent Don Austin announced 1 Palo Alto, a district initia-

—Dec. 3, 2021—

—Piyush Shah, parent

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

Letters to the Editor, Comments and ideas for coverage may be sent to oraclegunn@gmail.com. These letters do not need to be from current students.

Go to gunnoracle.com to read senior Mishaal Hussain’s Letter to the Editor responding to a personal column on holiday inclusivity and Science Department Instructional Lead Laurie Pennington’s guest column on course selection.

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silicon valley culture, course offerings undervalue humanities In favor of STEM options, and in sophomore year, there are five course Geography and Sports and Society. The department options of various levels and subjects. This imbal- has made recent progress, as many of these electives ance of options throughout departments may send were introduced very recently; Sports and Society, the message to younger students pursuing a path in for one, was introduced just this year, and History of the humanities that since the more comWomen in America will be introduced next year. petitive honors courses are only found Despite these advancements, the dein the math and science fields, those partment has historically faced chalNon-STEM Mia Knezevic and Michael Zhang fields are more valued and adlenges due to a lack of student interest courses, clubs and Forum and Photo Editor & Reporter vanced. This not only poses the in elective options. Ethnic Studies extracurriculars are often risk of lowering student expecis a testament to that—although it Every February, students returning in the fall are tations and judgments towards is listed in the course catalog for seen as abnormalities to tasked with choosing five to eight of the hundreds of ninth and tenth grade history this year, it is not running. PreviGunn’s expectations of courses offered. In doing so, students interested in the and English courses, but it also ous electives, such as Cold War and academic and humanities may find their interests continually ne- affects student preparedness for California History, have also disapglected by science, technology, engineering and math future courses such as junior year peared due to lack of enrollment. competitive (STEM) culture—an imbalance exacerbated by Gunn’s Advanced Placement (AP) U.S. HisThis chronic issue points to a larger excellence. course selection options. The underrepresentation of tory, which currently represents a sigpicture of the vicious cycle. The dearth humanities, evident in course selection and the oppres- nificant leap in difficulty from unlaned in advanced humanities courses causes sive Silicon Valley culture, harms the mindset of stu- freshman and sophomore history classes. students to value STEM courses more, and dents interested in pursuing a humanities-based career.

At local Bay Area schools, where the STEM course as a result, they feel discouraged from taking huWhile the science and math departments offer many offerings look comparable to Gunn’s, there have been manities electives, even when they are available. opportunities for honors and advanced course laning— alternate solutions for more diverse course options Taken in context, this effect is not surprising. Stuwhich lets students choose their class difficulty—the within the history and social science curriculum. At dents in Silicon Valley are raised in the tech capital history and social sciences department does Menlo-Atherton High School, for example, of the world, where jobs like computer programming not. Even though this standardizes learnsophomores have the option to take AP and software engineering are deemed the most proming and stabilizes mental health, this European History or Modern Eu- ising and valuable careers, causing many to feel an exThe decision further contributes to the ropean History. Carlmont High ternal societal pressure to pursue subjects in STEM. underrepresentation problematic STEM-centric culSchool follows a similar model. Gunn’s rigorous culture exacerbates this pressure. of humanities, evident in ture that has developed at Gunn.

In sophomore year, students There comes a point, though, at which Silicon ValDuring their freshman and have the option of taking ley “success” is defined only if it comes from a lucracourse selection and the sophomore years, every student World Studies/Modern His- tive STEM field. Non-STEM courses, clubs and extraoppressive Silicon Valley is placed in the same World tory or AP European History. curriculars are often seen as abnormalities to Gunn’s History, Contemporary World Carlmont also has an AP Gov- expectations of academic and competitive excellence. culture, harms the History and U.S. Government ernment option for seniors. Gunn frequently hosts science and math competitions mindset of students social studies courses. MeanAdopting a similar curricu- but rarely offers humanities-related competitions. Deinterested in pursuing a while, students may choose from lum structure in the history and spite society’s need for both doctors and diplomats, a myriad of math course options, social sciences department at physicists and philosophers, humanities achievements humanities-based depending on their skill level. For Gunn would lead to a greater diver- are frequently relegated to the sidelines and viewed career. math, the “typical 9th Grade classes” sity of course options, encouraging as supplements to more appealing STEM pathways. listed in the course catalog are Algebra students to evaluate where their inter- School course catalogs should not exacerbate this un1A, Geometry A and Geometry H; however, ests lie and what subjects they would like to derappreciation for humanities. Gunn’s STEM culture students with more math experience can place into challenge themselves in. There are currently few His- cannot change overnight. The door to pursuing huhigher-level math courses with a test. In the science tory and Social Sciences electives to choose from: Posi- manities, however, should not be shut for students in department, freshmen choose between two biology tive Psychology, US Foreign Policy Honors, AP Human high school still shaping their passions and interests.

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Gunn High School Course Selection Sophomore Year Math • • • • • •

Algebra 1A Geometry A Geometry H Algebra 2 Algebra 2/Trig A Algebra 2/Trig H

Science • • • • •

History • •

Cont. World History & U.S. Gov. Social Justice Pathway Cont. World History & U.S. Gov.

Palo alto environment pushes for Job security over passion

Chemistry Chemistry H Physics Conceptual Physics Astrophysics

English • •

Cont. Heritage & Lit. Style Cont. Writers & Writer’s Voice

Madeleine Chen, Sophie Fan, Irene Hong, and Michelle Koo

Annika Bereny Lifestyle Editor I am a sentimental person. Maybe it’s my Cancer sun, maybe I’ve miraculously become one with my emotions or maybe I’m just a romantic, but when I walk down University Avenue, taking in the storefronts and reminiscing on the superstitions of the rug factories, I often get swept up in the niceness of our town. Palo Alto is by no means perfect, but that nostalgia factor will always make me want to stay here forever. There I am, staring at the line of lit-up trees in front of me and wondering, “Should I just ditch a humanities education and go into tech?”

I’m slowly realizing the inevitability of having to move across the country to go to some East Coast liberal arts school with ivy climbing up its walls. The people I surround myself with likely will not be the same lovable computer science nerds that populate Silicon Valley in their startup quarter-zip jackets and chinos.

Somehow, that preemptive nostalgia has me seriously thinking about what I really want after college. In an ideal world, I graduate with a degree in religious studies and move to Egypt, where I fashionably pull off khakis and become a world famous archaeologist, discovering something that Howard Carter could only dream of. But the world is not ideal. Realistically, I’ll join a startup or some other tech company. Realistically, I’ll work for the next couple of decades of my life.

Realistically, I’ll make a lot of money doing just that.

But, to me, that reality feels bleak.

Growing up in Silicon Valley, it can sometimes feel like all STEM all the time. When you’ve been up to your neck in tech for as long as you can remember, you grow accustomed to it; it becomes one of your only viable career options. This concept has annoyed me for years. Every time I talk about what I want to major in, I’m met with raised eyebrows and have to quickly clarify that “I’ll probably minor in engineering so I can actually get a job later.” No matter who I talk to, it seems that the one thing we can all agree on is that there are no “good” jobs outside of STEM. So if I decide that I’m going to try my hand at the humanities and follow my passions, it’s a journey into the uncertain. I will have stood at the fork in the road, deliberated on my future and decided to take the road less traveled.

And then, after I’ve done all of that—after I’ve proclaimed myself so incredibly brave for having the gall to enjoy learning about history—I probably have to stick with that, right? Now, maybe I’m just a prideful person, but to end up in STEM after wanting so badly to do something different feels like an admission of defeat. And yet, there is that nagging feeling, that internalization that security lies in STEM, that STEM jobs are constant, that they are increasing and that they are the future. In the end, money is important, and a lot of people will choose security over passion. They stood, like me, for so long at that fork in the road just to eventually tire of having to carve a new path.

All hope is not lost for humanities enjoyers, though.

I, personally, refuse to be a pessimist. There will always be jobs in the arts and humanities, though perhaps not as glamorous and perhaps not with whatever breakfast bars and beanbags start-ups are offering these days.

As tech grows, so will the opportunities for all skill sets to be used. Psychology majors can lead focus groups or work on developing programs to best satisfy user bases. Ethics experts can advise companies on how to not violate everyone’s privacy (looking at you, Clearview AI). English majors will never be able to exhaust the opportunities that being able to write well can provide.

While choosing tech may seem bleak to some, it is not something to dread, nor something that will require you to leave your passions at the door. For so long I thought of the two roads diverging, growing farther and farther away with every step you take. But now I realize that they’re converging, forming a healthy balance as I stroll into the future.

I never did like being forced to choose.

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PAUSD administration should improve transparency regarding COVID-19 cases

tance of reliable COVID-19 data, the information should a similar surge was happening at PAUSD schools. be as easily accessible as possible. A simple solution would The Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District be to add a direct hyperlink from the PAUSD homepage (LGSUHSD) is located in Santa Clara County and reports directly to the data, as many neighboring districts— positive cases within 24 hours. Since both LGSUHSD San Francisco Uniand PAUSD are school districts fied School District, within the same county, what for one—have already prevents PAUSD from reporting “Notifications within 24 hours of Raphael Semeria done. cases on a more frequent level? a positive case would allow families News Editor Not only that, but in In Washington, D.C. schools, the weeks leading up to the lack of case transparency and teachers to take proactive steps In the past year, billions of dollars in COVID-19 relief the height of the Omiled to the implementation of a to take a test and limit contact with have been allocated to schools in order to provide students cron wave, PAUSD’s bill requiring school districts to with safer learning environments. Now, the skyrocketing vulnerable populations while robust COVID-19 data page update case numbers within 24 number of cases and transmissibility of the Omicron varicontact tracing is taking place.” w a s m ade ent i r ely hours of a positive case. “The ant has led many Americans to once again ask schools to unreachable during a consequences of a delay in notake extra safety precautions in order to ensure the safety —D.C. City Council bill period of technical diftification could be dire,” wrote of their students. When it comes to the Palo Alto Unified ficulties. Case numbers the D.C. City Council in the bill.

School District (PAUSD), increased testing has become and general COVID-19 “Notification within 24 hours a primary approach to combat the widespread problem. information should be easily accessible to any parent, of a positive case would allow families and teachers to Hundreds line up to get swabbed, but the data has proven student or community member, not hidden away in a long, take proactive steps to take a test and limit contact with hard to find, outdated and outright vague, raising transconfusing list of hyperlinks. vulnerable populations while robust contact tracing is parency concerns.

In addition to being inaccessible, the district’s CO- taking place.”

Given the variability of case numbers and the number of VID-19 data is not representative of the current numCurrently, the COVID-19 case dashboard remains people students are in contact ber of cases. As of Feb. vague and provides the reader with little information bewith on campus, it’s important 3, PAUSD has planned sides the reported student and staff cases for each PAUSD for families to fully understand to report cases ever y site. While it is understandable that the district cannot and have access to information At the height of the Omicron Tuesday at 10 a.m., but disclose any private information regarding each individual regarding the spread of COVthe district’s inability person, there is still a host of possible data they could easwave, over 15,300 new cases were ID-19. Not only does COVID-19 to post the data more ily have access to and share with the community. By adding reported in Santa Clara County on data provide community memfrequently suggests their more details—such as the rate of positive cases to the total bers with an idea of the safety a single day, but community meminefficiency in reporting number of people tested, a visual representation comparof their nearby schools, but it cases. Given the variabil- ing current data to that of previous weeks or an indication bers had to wait an entire week to also plays a crucial factor in ity of case numbers from of whether or not the county health department has been see if a similar surge was happenthe implementation of public one day to the next, cases notified—the district could provide valuable insight into health policies. ing at PAUSD schools. should be updated more the virus’ current spread within their schools, as well as In order to view informafrequently. At the height their approach in regards to it. tion regarding the number of of the Omicron wave, With its highly-transmissible nature, the Omicron variCOVID-19 cases in PAUSD over 15,300 new cases ant presents community members with another level of schools, one must go to the main PAUSD website and click were reported in Santa Clara County in a single day, but uncertainty. In response, the data PAUSD reports should on at least two consecutive hyperlinks. With the imporcommunity members had to wait an entire week to see if reflect case fluctuations to stay as transparent as possible.

On a scale from 1-5, how transparent do you think the district is when it comes to COVID-19 cases?

Percent of Students

40 38.0%

30

28.9%

20 10 0

18.1% 11.4% 3.6% No Transparency

1

2

3

4

5

Very Transparent

Mihika Sane

Source: Survey sent out to Gunn students with 166 responses.

Faces in the Crowd: What is your opinion on PAUSD’s current COVID-19 transparency policy?

“The district should be more open to telling people who got exposed.

Now, the only way to find out [if you were in close contact with someone] is through rumors.”

—Riley Chang, 9

“It’s been pretty nerve-wracking to not know whether someone you’ve been in contact with has had COVID-19 or not. I’ve had a lot of instances where someone in my class would be out sick, and I wouldn’t know if they had [the virus] or not.

I always have to keep testing, not knowing whether I’d been exposed or not.”

—Nathan Levy, 10

“I assume that everyone has had COVID-19 now. [The district] can’t really track who you are seeing during lunch or brunch. I don’t know if there’s much that they can do.”

—Willa Bednarz, 11

“I feel like when the COVID-19 cases spiked, we should have gone home.

COVID-19 case numbers are getting better, but the district needs to do more to prevent the spread of COV ID-19 besides just giv ing us masks.”

—Viviana Nevarez, 12 —Compiled by Kenneth Soh

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Inequality in higher education creates barriers for lower-income students to attenD college Jessica Zang Features Editor

Higher education is often hailed as the pinnacle of the American dream. As long as you study hard and get good grades, you, too, can get into the college of your choice and receive an education that will set you up for life. America has no shortage of elite institutions, from the notorious Ivy League to each state’s flagship university. In their senior years, both domestic and international high schoolers vie for a spot in the freshman class with the assumption that their hard work will translate into an acceptance letter.

But many more factors are at play in the tricky game of elite college admissions—most notably, money. Even as universities possess the potential to be stepping stones to social mobility, many admissions practices such as legacy advantages, Early Decision admissions and application evaluation practices remain elitist, prioritizing wealthier applicants over their lower-income counterparts.

Even schools that claim to meet full financial aid often hand out insufficient aid packages, forcing students to undertake student loans or opt for a cheaper alternative.

Until 1991, the Ivy League and 15 other similar institutions held annual meetings with the intention to offer the exact same aid packages to students who had been admitted to two or more participating institutions. Such sharing of information was anticompetitive—it forced students to pay a singular price without the ability to consider different offers from different schools, something many lower income students rely on to bargain for better aid packages.

In 1991, all eight Ivy Leagues and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology were charged with price fixing, and the meetings were abolished. Still, collusion among elite institutions continues. On Jan. 9, five former students of prestigious universities filed a lawsuit against 16 colleges for fixing tuition for aid-seeking applicants. The 16 universities were part of the 568 Presidents Group, which calculates a student’s expected financial aid package using the same standardized

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metric. The lawsuit alleges that these universities, while claiming to be need-blind, prioritize applicants from wealthy donor families or consider student’s ability to pay when pulling from the waitlist. The recent allegations have yet to be verified or contested in a court of law.

The conversation surrounding equitable admissions policies remains relevant today. Less affluent students arrive at the application process with many disadvantages.

Application fees have spiked in recent years, costing from $60 to $90 to submit. This forces students who do not qualify for a fee waiver to limit their quantity of applications. Admissions policies like Early Decision, which give applicants an admissions advantage for applying early under a binding plan, also disadvantage lower-income students, for whom financial aid packages are essential to choosing a college. The threat of a binding acceptance without a guaranteed satisfactory aid package means that many lower income applicants opt for Regular Decision— where applicants do not receive a boost in their chances— rather than the early round. The price of higher education has also steadily increased over time; in 1990, Harvard’s yearly tuition (including room and board and adjusted for inflation) was $41,372.

Now, it is $74,528, almost double its original cost. Without the help of robust financial aid programs, low-income families can rarely afford to send their children to study at these institutions.

The admissions process itself favors wealthier applicants, who often have more resources, information and opportunities at their disposal. For instance, college counselors can tailor a high schooler’s profile strategically to gain admittance from top schools. By paying for SAT and ACT testing preparation courses, students are able to score higher than those without the same funds. Legacy admissions, or the tradition of prioritizing applicants whose family members have attended or worked at the institution, are yet another way that colleges serve established families. This advantage is not based on a student’s merit or capabilities, but rather on their relation to other people.

Every year, first-generation students or those coming from low-income backgrounds receive offers of admission from their dream institutions: the first leap in future social mobility for their families. This can come through the Questbridge National College Match, a hy-

While higher education has come a long way, obstacles against equitable admissions are still ingrained in its very framework.

Private, For-Profit

$1,415

Books & Supplies

$37,807 Tuition

perselective program that matches low-income student finalists to the elite universities of their choosing. Once a student is matched, they receive a full ride to the institution. These spots are extremely competitive; out of the many low-income students selected as highly esteemed Questbridge finalists, fewer than 20% are matched, meaning the other students—both nonfinalists and those not matched—must compete in the Regular Decision round for spots in the freshman class.

Still, far more spots go to those of affluent upbringings.

At the Washington University of St. Louis, 21.7% of the student population belonged to the top 1% of wealth, while only 6.1% of students came from the bottom 60%.

Students of lower socioeconomic backgrounds historically benefit the most from an elite education. According to Jenny Anderson of Quartz, a poorer student’s likelihood of making it into the top income quartile increases by a factor of 11 by attending a prestigious college. For students with more affluent upbringings, this likelihood only increases by a factor of four. However, the apparent lack of representation of low-income students manifests in many campus’s cultures. University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) alumna Jasmine Nguyen, who graduated in 2021, was in the 3% of UPenn students hailing from the bottom 20% of American household income. Her more affluent peers, however, were often unaware of the obstacles poorer students face when seeking social mobility. Instead, Nguyen recalls classroom discussions where her classmates concluded that poorer people simply did not know how to make good decisions or were not as smart as their richer counterparts. Along a similar vein, UPenn Wharton School professor Nina Strohminger states that 25% of her students believe that the average American makes more than six figures. In actuality, according to “USA Today,” the average income totals around $51,480. By limiting equal representation, educational institutions like UPenn run the risk of breeding a largely unaware and unconscious student population that fails to see the full picture of American life.

Elite institutions have great potential to channel bright minds into brighter futures. While appreciating this potential, we must also be aware of its drawbacks and flaws.

While higher education has come a long way since segregated schools based on race and sex, obstacles against equitable admissions are still ingrained in its very framework. Selective institutions remain unrepresentative and elitist, failing to deliver the American dream they represent. In seeking reform, we can one day look to a future where higher education can claim its rightful place in the American dream, offering better tomorrows to the future leaders of our generation regardless of their affluence.

$10,188

Room & Board

Public, In-State

$1,291

Books & Supplies

$11,303 $14,957 Tuition

Room & Board

$9,349 Tuition

Current average cost of attending private and public universities in the U.S. Source: Data taken from educationdata.org.

Sophie Fan, Mihika Sane, and Chinyoung Shao

8

Features

After-school work experiences allow students to pursue unique passions, learn valuable life skills Sophomore Angeline Hu: Public Speaking Tutor Think about the typical hiccups of Zoom learning: empty black squares, “broken” microphones and glitchy virtual backgrounds. As a public speaking tutor at Silicon Valley Youth, sophomore Angeline Hu deals with it all.

Although some students can be tough to teach, Hu believes that tutoring builds a variety of skills.

“It teaches me to be patient and to be the bigger person,” she said.

According to Hu, the weekly classes always boast a positive learning environment. “It’s a teaching experience,” she said. “It has taught me to be efficient and not procrastinate.”

During her job, Hu works with co-teachers who are unreliable—an experience that has taught her how to work with all types. “[My

co-teacher] never responds to emails on time,” she said. “He tells me that I have to finish all this stuff in two weeks, but then he doesn’t finish his own stuff for two months.”

Though tutoring may be frustrating, Hu notes that forming relationships makes it all worthwhile. Hu hopes that the bonds she creates with her students will have a lasting impact. “What you tell them now could become their motivation for the next five years,” she said. “It’s important to create a good foundation.”

Hu encourages other students to tutor as well. “It’s fun,” she said. “You get to connect with people from different schools that you wouldn’t have met before.”

—Written by Anriya Wang

Photo illustration by Chinyoung Shao and Jessica Wang

Junior Abigail Kuang: Rinconada Lifeguard If you visit the Rinconada Pool on a Saturday afternoon, you can find junior Abigail Kuang supervising swimmers, negotiating with tough customers and occasionally saving someone’s life.

As a member of Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics for almost ten years, Kuang wanted to become a lifeguard to gain valuable life skills. “I think it’s good to learn responsibility and money management early on,” she said. “It’s a solid way to pass time while making money.”

Kuang works five-and-a-half-hour shifts on Saturdays. “Occasionally, I’ll work on a Sunday if someone needs to be filled in,” she said. “But during the school year, it’s not too bad of a commitment.”

Lifeguarding requires Kuang to interact with a variety of people, allowing her to develop strong interpersonal skills. “I’ve had so many customers yell at me

for things I couldn’t control,” Kuang said. “It’s a lot about learning how to serve difficult people.”

Kuang recalls the time she helped care for a teammate who had an asthma attack. “His friend came up to me after and said he was really grateful for what I did,” Kuang said. “It was a touching experience.”

For students interested in getting a job, Kuang recommends researching different job fields. “Don’t restrict yourself to what everyone else is doing, and make sure you are willing to commit to it,” she said.

“With lifeguarding, you can tell who’s there to do it and who’s just there because they thought it would be an easy way to tan and get paid for it.”

—Written by Kaitlyn Chen Photo illustration by Carly Liao and Jessica Wang

Senior Michael Walker: Audio Engineer At every event, there is always someone in sound booth cuing the music. At the Los Altos United Methodist Church, that person is senior Michael Walker. “I’m not really the guy in the studio,” Walker said. “I’m more the guy at a concert that works in the mixed booth.”

As an audio engineer, Walker’s job is to create a mix of harmonious sounds with clips of instruments, voices and effects for the church and local events. “I do a lot of things at the church, and one of the services is a more music-focused worship band,” he said.

An aspect of audio engineering that Walker finds challenging is deciding when something is a finished product. “[As a mechanic], your job is very concrete.,” he said. “You can say, ‘Hey, this engine runs. I did my

job.’ In audio, however, there’s no concrete satisfaction standard.”

Walker has always been interested in technology.

“When I was in sixth or seventh grade, I started volunteering and doing the cameras for live streams,” he said. “In freshman year, I started doing paid work as an audio engineer.”

In addition, Walker believes that his experience has helped him with college applications. “Both of [my recommenders] were mentors of mine,” he said.

Walker advises students to not spread themselves too thin with after-school jobs. “I think the best approach to prepare yourself is to find something that you are good at and enjoy and then go incredibly in-depth and commit yourself to it.”

—Written by Charlotte Qian

Photo illustration by Carly Liao and Jessica Wang

Senior Elina Saab-Sunden: Front Desk Clerk Senior Elina Saab-Sunden has been manning the front desk at Movement Gyms, formerly Planet Granite, since last August.

Saab-Sunden revealed one of her favorite interview questions. “[My gym manager and event staff manager] asked me, ‘If a kid is up on the wall climbing and they get scared and pee their pants, what would you do?’” she said. “My answer was that I would try to distract other kids and see if one of my co-workers could take the rest of my group. Then, I would go to the lost and found and find some new pants.”

Saab-Sunden explains that this instance almost exactly encapsulates the supportive environment of Movement Gyms. “At Gunn, they talk a lot about community and what that means,” Saab-Sunden said. “I never really understood what people meant when they

talked about community until I started working.”

Saab-Sunden’s relationship with her co-workers extends beyond the workplace. “I play on the soccer team, and [one of my co-workers] came to watch my game. He’s a grown-up with his own life, and he chose to come watch my soccer game,” she said.

Work culture aside, Saab-Sunden enjoys the benefits of working at Movement Gyms, such as being able to bring friends to the gym for free and making minimum wage. The money is not what motivates her, though. “Don’t tell my boss, but I’d say that I would work there for free,” Saab-Sunden said. “I love the people that I work with. I love the work that I do. It’s a really good experience all around.”

—Written by Becca Wu Photo illustration by Jessica Wang and Becca Wu

Features

Friday, February 4, 2022

9

Film photography brings new appeal to old-school art form To take a photo, most people only need to tap a single button on their phone. Since the invention of the digital camera in 1994, the process of creating photos has become vastly simplified. Still, photographers like sophomore Jaein Chung and senior Fay Li find delight in film photography’s complex procedure, from processing the photos in a darkroom or developing tank to hanging them up to dry. Today, they are working to keep the original medium alive.

Before discovering film, Chung explored photography online. “I went on Instagram, and all the pictures by other creators that I really liked were film photos,” she said. “I thought, ‘Maybe this is a new medium that I should try.’”

Now, Chung prefers film over digital photography and uses it as her main medium.

“I love how the colors that appear on the film

pictures are so much softer than what we’re used to,” she said. “The photos almost turn out like paintings.”

Chung also likes the element of surprise that comes from not being able to instantly see the products of her work. “You don’t remember taking the photos­,” she said.

“They’re not clear in your memory, so you get to relive each one [when you review them].”

On her Instagram account @jaeinsphotos, Chung shares her collection of photos taken at California beaches and deserts. “I also like photographing run-down buildings because I think they tell unique stories,” she said.

Chung is the president of the Photography Club, which she chartered earlier this year.

Though she originally planned to dedicate the club solely to film photography, she decided to make the club more inclusive by opening it to all forms of photography. “There are a lot of people who aren’t very experienced and are just starting out, so I just

kept it to the basics of photography,” she said.

Li was first exposed to film photography in the summer of 2020. Like Chung, she was drawn to the way colors appeared on film.

“You didn’t need to put a color or a filter on [film] photos,” Li said. “The film just processes the color that way by itself.”

Li values the imperfections of the craft; the inability to see her photos right away leaves her with no choice but to take them and move on. “After you take a photo on your phone or a digital camera, you obsess over it with thoughts like ‘How can I fix this?’ and ‘How can I make this better?’” she said. “Film forces you to learn to live in the moment more.”

Part of the film experience is also developing photos. It is a painstaking process with unpredictable results—one more unique aspect that makes film special to Li. “You learn to just be more open to mistakes and imperfections,” she said.

Sophomore Jaein Chung

—Written by Vivian Studdert Senior Fay Li Katie Shih

Fay Li

Fay Li

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Jaein Chun

ung

Jaein Ch

10

Cente

Gunn organizes culturally significant events for Black Hist Every February, people celebrate Black History Month across the United States. Before Black History Month, many celebrated “Negro History Week” which was founded by historian Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) in 1926. Eventually, the week evolved into Black History Month and was federally recognized by President Gerald Ford in 1976.

Gunn is celebrating Black History Month through events organized by the Black Culture Club, the Student Executive Council (SEC) and the Social Justice Pathway; the programs hosted by the SEC and Black Culture Club aim to highlight the Black voices on campus. Meanwhile, the Social Justice Pathway classes will spend part of each class day in the month of February learning about Black figures who have worked on behalf of social justice movements.

of time,” she said. “Celebrating that issue, but hopefully, it wil tions that will.”

Even with the progress that Rosh look forward to leading to make Gunn more equitable are a real minority at Gunn,” D and Black History Month in ge culture and where you come fr

Social Just

Classes in the Social Justic History Month by spending ea ruary discussing Black figures overlooked contributions to s that the classes will study inclu Rustin, Ruby Bridges, Claude Ida B. Wells.

The Social Justice Pathway to take in their sophomore, ju SEC and Black Culture Club are planning to work together to Justice Pathway curriculum p host speaker panels and create Instagram posts in recoppressed peoples have tried ognition of Black History Month. These efforts aim to American history than other so expose Gunn students to new perspectives.

At the beginning of Februa The Black Culture Club was founded in early Deteacher Haley Perkins will beg cember after history teacher Jason Miller noticed that cance of Black History Month Black students didn’t have a distinct community on of Black History Month, what campus. Specifically, Miller was spurred to create the it exists,” she said. club because of a claim filed by six students on Oct. 26 After the students have bu that alleged race-based bullying by their fellow classmonth is, Perkins will offer an a mates. “We got a lot of publicity surrounding some to learn more about Black his unfortunate behavior on campus,” Miller said. research ass “The Black Culture Club is where stude a part of a solution to bring [they] have “ E v e n i f y o u a r e n o t kids together.” said. black, you can still be After coming up with the Miller als an ally in very essential idea for a Black Culture Club, classes, and and important ways.”

Miller approached sophomores study of Bla Lise Desveaux, the current Folum for Blac —Black Culture Club rum Editor of The Oracle, and do for the fi President Angelina Rosh Angelina Rosh and asked them person in th if they wanted to found the club. dents are un Initially, Rosh wasn’t sure if she Miller ho should help lead the club because she isn’t a Black ures, students will be more con student. “But he still urged me to take this role even in America and will learn the s though I was a bit reluctant. He told me that anyone can to the solving of these dispariti be a victim of stereotyping, and that was one of my favorvoice and to think critically as ite things that I’ve learned: Even if you are not Black, you part where we’re listening and can still be an ally in very essential and important ways.” tion to make changes.”

Desveaux and Rosh plan to charter the club for the Spring After learning about Black fi Club Fair. Desveaux and Rosh have been busy coordinating with ment, many students in the Soc Diversity Commissioners Anika Saraf and Inés García to raise to become activists themselve awareness for Black History Month. “Similar to Hispanic Hericampaign for teen voters,” Mil tage Month, we want to create graphics featuring Black people As students in the Social J in STEM, arts and sports,” Saraf said. about Black figures througho Beyond spreading awareness, the SEC and Black Culture Club hopes that students will take a hope to provide students with opportunities to hear authentic verse and inclusive knowledge stories from the Black community at Gunn. “I think one of the is necessary that history classe most exciting ideas we had was hosting a speaker panel, especially people. “I think that Black histo if we’re able to have students on the panel,” Saraf said. “[Then,] be embedded in every single un you get a diverse range of perspectives from different people who about groups of people who ha have different backgrounds.” it’s an attempt to fill in the gap By shedding light on Black voices, the SEC and Black Culture Club hope to make Gunn a more inclusive community. García noted, however, that Gunn still has a long way to go when it comes to making sure that all voices are heard. “I think the ongoing issue of ensuring those students feel seen and feel that they can effectively engage with the curriculum is one that will take lots

Black Culture Club and student executive council

Check out the SEC’s Instagram for daily po st s to th e bl ac k history month story highlight @gunnhstitans

50 years after the 13th Amendment abolished slavery in the U.S., historian Carter G. Woodson and former minister Jesse E Moorland founded the “Association for the Study of African American Life and History” (ASALH).

1915

The ASALH sponsored the national “Negro History Week” on the second week of February in honor of with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln (Feb. 12) and Frederick Douglass (Feb. 14).

1926

How did February becom

11

erfold

tory Month

Friday, February 4, 2022

Impactful Black figures of yesterday and today

g Black History Month won’t solve ll open the doors to the conversa-

t is left to be made, Desveaux and the Black Culture Club in its goal e for all students. “Black students Desveaux said. “I feel like our club eneral are ways to be proud of your rom.”

tice Pathway

ce Pathway are celebrating Black ach Monday in the month of Febs who have made significant, yet social justice movements. Figures ude, but are not limited to, Bayard ette Colvin, Sojourner Truth and

is a program that students can opt unior and senior years. The Social provides greater attention to how d to achieve equality throughout ocial studies classes. ary, Social Justice Pathway history gin with a lesson about the signifiitself. “We go through the history it is, where it came from and why

uilt an understanding of what the assignment that allows her students storical figures. “There is a short signment at the end of the month ents will try and cover somebody en’t necessarily heard about,” she

so teaches Social Justice Pathway d like Perkins, includes regular ack figures as a part of the curricuck History Month. “What I usually first part of class is teach about a he Black experience that the stunfamiliar with,” he said. opes that by focusing on Black fignscious about the racial disparities skills necessary to help contribute ies. “We want students to find their well,” he said. “We try to take that d talking and putting that into ac-

Langston Hughes

Claudette Colvin

Jesse Owens

figures and the Civil Rights Movecial Justice Pathway were inspired es. “We started a voter education ller said.

Justice Pathway continue to learn out Black History Month, Perkins away from the program a more diof history. According to Perkins, it es tell the story of disenfranchised ory is American history and should nit,” she said. “When we’re talking ave historically been marginalized, ps that we’ve placed on history.”

—Written by Arjun Shah

Mamie Till

Langston Hughes made his mark in American history with his words. As a poet, he wrote about the life of Black Americans in the United States. He described their culture, art and laughter. Most importantly, he highlighted the suffering that Black Americans felt when America was highly segregated in the 1950s. At the time, he was the only Black poet who refused to differentiate his life from the ones of the everyday Black citizens. His works aimed to display everyday life of the Black community with the utmost authenticity. This is why Hughes also placed an emphasis on writing with simple language: so everyone with the capability to read could enjoy his works.

His works greatly influenced and contributed to the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s, a movement aimed to revive Black culture and art. Hughes went on to win the Harmon Gold medal for literature in 1930 with his novel “Not Without Laughter.”

At 15, Claudette Colvin was one of the youngest people of her time to stand up to racist bus laws across the U.S. On March 5, 1955, Colvin was taking the bus back from her high school when a white woman asked her to give up her seat. Colvin refused, as the bus was full. She was then apprehended by the police and after multiple refusals, she was brought to the police station and imprisoned for three hours. Colvin expressed to the bus driver and police that she had no intention of giving up her seat since she had paid the fare to be on the bus and had the constitutional right to sit wherever she wanted to. After her opposition and stay in prison, she started gaining more attention from statewide civil rights activist groups. In 1956, Colvin was part of a panel of four women plaintiffs in the Browder vs. Gayle case which overruled the bus segregation laws in Montgomery and Alabama.

In 1936, Jesse Owens, a Black track athlete, was the first and only athlete to win gold medals in four different track events making history for the Black community throughout the world. Owens made history two times in the span of two years. The first was in 1935 at a meet in Michigan where he set world records in the 100-yard dash, the long jump and the 200-yard sprint. Owens set new standards at the Berlin Olympics in 1936 when he won a gold medal in the 100-meter race, the 200-meter race, the long jump and the 4x100 meter relay. What made his win even more meaningful is that he won in front of Adolf Hitler, a firm believer in the Aryan race, a “perfect” race. The fact that Owens won the most medals at the Olympics and in front of Hitler created an impact across the world. He proved that despite the unfair treatment he was getting as an athlete for his skin color, he could still succeed. His accomplishments inspired many Black athletes to continue with their careers and not give up.

Mamie Till’s lifetime fight for advocacy started in 1955 when she was unwillingly thrust into American history. Her fight began after her son, Emmett Till, was wrongfully murdered for allegedly whistling at a white woman. After seeing her son’s battered body, Mamie Till decided to turn her sorrow into advocacy, holding an open casket service for her son to raise awareness, where more than 50,000 people attended. After her son’s killers were set free by the Mississippi grand jury, Mamie Till turned to the public and brought the fight to them. She toured the United States, giving speeches and demanding justice for her son to packed amphitheaters. Wherever she passed, a rise in membership to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People followed. She inspired those involved in the Civil Rights movement to come to the forefront of the discussions, such as Rosa Parks who later in the year would very famously refuse to give up her seat on the bus.

—Compiled by Lise Desveaux

Many cities across the U.S. started celebrating “Negro History Week,” which evolved into Black History Month on many college campuses thanks to the civil rights movement.

1960

me Black History Month?

President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month to honor the accomplishments and identities of Black Americans throughout American history.

1976

—Compiled by Becca Wu

Irene Hong

12

Features

‘life is like a box of chocolates’: alumni Shannon Lin: Design School Gunn alumna Shannon Lin discovered graphic design through a friend after years of traditional art forms including drawing, painting and woodblock printing. Her junior year, she made the transition to focus more on digital art. Lin is now a sophomore at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) as a BXA Design and Decision Science major.

To apply as a Design and Decision Science major, there are additional components on top of a standard college application. Lin submitted an art portfolio containing 12 to 15 pieces in her application. “You create an art portfolio because it shows not only your crePhoto courtesy of Shannon Lin ativity, but also how you utilize your skills in a way outside of your academics,” she said.

Lin’s portfolio was a blend of digital media and original acrylics centered around her mentality around psychology and biology. “Back then, my inspiration came from themes surrounding mentality and identity,” she said. “[My art was] based off my academic interest in psychology, philosophy and biology.”

In university, students have more freedom and access to spaces where they can work on projects that they are passionate about. For Lin, CMU has the ideal studio space. “I really like that I have access to a space where I focus solely on design and have people around that really love what they do,” she said. “Being around passionate people allows you to soak in their strengths and learn a lot more about what you could do. That’s something that you haven’t been able to discover as much in high school.”

Unlike typical college projects, when it comes to design projects, Lin works on having no definite stopping points besides project deadlines. The feeling that a project is not good enough and aiming for perfection can create an unhealthy mindset. Lin recalls that the perfectionist mindset has led her to pulling all-nighters.

“Depersonalization is something that a lot of people struggle to let go of,” she said.

During the spring of Lin’s freshman year, one of her finals was a group project with three other students. “We were really into the project, and we got so motivated for no reason,” she said. “We had whiteboard brainstorming sessions at 2:00 a.m., and we kept working on it all the way until presentation day. Even after the project was due, we continued working on it over the summer for absolutely no reason. We just thought it could be better.”

Lin is currently working as the design lead on a tech-based project in a club called ScottyLabs. Her project focuses on tech related events such as hackathons and software events. Although it is primarily tech-based, ScottyLabs incorporates design as well. “The design team creates the visuals for the online platforms along with the branding,” she said.

Lin advises students who are interested in applying to universities with art programs to research lots and explore what they are passionate about. “To get better, do your best to look for resources [that are related to] what you want to do,” she said. “If you’re an artist, identify what you want to create, what you’re passionate about and what you want to tell the world. If you’re more interested in design, figure out what problems you want to solve or why you do design.”

—Written by Safina Syed

Jennifer Gao: U.S. Naval academy Out of the 20 million Americans enrolled in an undergraduate college in the fall of 2021, only 16,000 attended the U.S. Naval Academy, according to Statista. Gunn alumna Jennifer Gao is one of them.

While Gao spent most of high school playing water polo and writing for The Oracle, she discovered her interest in military service through a Naval Academy program called “Summer Seminar.” “I really liked the people that I was with,” Gao said. “They really sold the whole military concept for me.”

Gao highlights that the Naval Academy application process is incredibly rigorous. Aside from the Coast Guard Academy, all U.S. service academies require a Congressional recommendation in addition to strong academic performance; applications for a recommendation can be found on the website of most members of Congress. “The process is very long,” Gao said. “It was like applying to five different colleges in a singular application.”

For students concerned about the military college application process, Gao recommends focusing on school and yourself. “Continue getting good grades, developing yourself physically and getting involved,” Gao said. “Do the things that you love and that would look good on your record. The Naval Academy likes seeing leadership, and I was the Managing Editor of The Oracle and captain of the water polo team.”

During Gao’s first year, typically referred to as “Plebe Year,” she faced pressure from upperclassmen to perform well. “Plebe Year is the year where people put you down and try to put you back up as a leader,” she said. “All the upperclassmen are watching you and evaluating you until you become a better midshipman.”

Gao found Plebe Year to be the most challenging year of her education. “It’s the hardest part of the Naval Academy by far,” Gao said.

“Especially during COVID-19, [Plebe] was bad in terms of academics and my social life because I [was] stuck in my

room all day for an entire semester doing homework.”

Gao is now a sophomore, and she has since adjusted by joining the Naval Academy’s water polo team and yearbook group. “I’m happy here,” she said. “I got [transferred] into a different company, and I have a pretty solid friend group. Plus, it’s free college and a super good education.”

After graduation, Gao will have a five-year active duty service requirement in either the U.S. Marines or U.S. Navy as an officer.

However, she is not worried about the commitment. “If you already went through four years of school, Photo courtesy of Jennifer Gao what’s another five years?” Gao said. “Plus, as an officer, you’d be meeting people, getting paid for housing and getting free Medicare. It’s pretty nice.”

In the future, Gao hopes to get an M.B.A degree from Stanford University or find a job in Silicon Valley. She is currently an Operations Research major at the academy. “It’s a mixture of math and coding,” she said. “They say the Naval Academy’s the #1 public college for STEM and engineering.”

Gao offers advice for seniors who want a unique post-graduation experience. “If you’re looking for a challenging college experience or friends that will last you a lifetime, then definitely apply to the Naval Academy,” Gao said. “It’s a really good career path if you don’t see yourself going to a 4-year traditional college. I’m not really a military type of person, but here I am.”

—Written by James Huang

13

Features

Friday, February 4, 2022

share their Diverse paths after gunn Livia Bednarz: Gap Year After graduating in 2020, Gunn alumna Livia Bednarz has spent her time working, designing and spending time with family. Unlike most seniors, who choose to attend a four-year university, Bednarz decided to take a gap year after high school, resuming her school journey as the class of 2025 at Tufts University.

For Bednarz, taking a gap year was influenced by her environment.

“COVID-19 was the reason I took my gap year,” she said. “For a while, I was really against the idea because I was so excited for college to start.

Looking back, however, I couldn’t be happier with my choice; I would Photo courtesy of Livia Bednarz take that year off even without the pandemic if I could do it over again.”

While she is glad to have taken the path that she did, taking a gap year was not an easy decision. “Seeing friends getting ready to go off to school and getting excited about classes certainly sparked some fear of missing out,” she said. “[My gap year] relied on making solid plans and following through with them. It’s intimidating to have a full year of nothing after being in school your whole life. It was super important to me to have some structure in my day-to-day life.”

During her gap year, Bednarz has taken up multiple jobs. “During the first semester of my gap year, I worked full time at Philz Coffee,” she said. “I often

had the early shift, so I would be there from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. After work, I had a part-time gig in graphic design where I designed calendars, magnets and greeting cards for a company.”

The college application process is different for everyone who decides to take a gap year. Students can choose to either apply during senior year with all their other classmates or wait and apply during their gap year. Bednarz chose the former, as she was unsure of whether she would take a gap year at the time. “I have to recommend [applying during senior year], as I think that applying to schools while you’re still in the SAT and recommendation letter mindset makes it easier to buckle down and do the good work,” she said. “Gunn’s college counselors are a super helpful resource, and I appreciated having access to them while applying. After I got into college, I filled out a form asking to defer a year. They granted me the deference and officially enrolled me in the class of 2025.”

Bednarz says that taking a gap year has been very beneficial in many aspects of her life. “Between Zoom school, AP tests, college decisions coming out and all the emotion that surrounds graduating, a break from school was just what I needed,” she said. “Taking a year off let me enter my freshman year of college with a revived enthusiasm to learn. [It also] gave me the freedom to explore interests I hadn’t had time to delve into at Gunn.”

In giving advice to seniors considering taking a gap year, Bednarz says the opportunity exceeded her expectations. “I wouldn’t change a thing,” she said. “Knowing what I know now, I would have taken a gap year even without the pandemic. I really urge all seniors to think about what you could do in a whole year and reflect on if you’d benefit from some time away from school.”

—Written by Katie Shih

Marek Hertzler: College transfer When faced with the choice of where he would attend college in 2020, Gunn alumnus Marek Hertzler was unsatisfied with his options after receiving decisions from the schools he applied to. Instead of settling for a school that didn’t seem like a perfect fit for him, Hertzler decided to attend Foothill College for a year before transferring to the University of California (UC) at Berkeley this school year.

Although Hertzler graduated high school fewer than two years ago, he is a junior at UC Berkeley because he doubled up on his classes, allowing him to complete his transfer requirements in one year instead of two. “A lot of schools don’t give you the chance to transfer as a sophomore,” he said. “Either you transfer as a junior or not at all. I didn’t want to do two years of community college. So, I took twice as many classes and transferred as a sophomore going into junior year.”

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hertzler took many of his classes online, which allowed him to explore his studying habits. “I found it really beneficial to have all my classes be asynchronous and online,” he said. “It allowed me to divide up my work in a very efficient manner, since I knew I had a certain amount of work to do each day and I could plan out my week ahead.”

Hertzler believes that community college helped prepare him to manage his workload at Berkeley, but he did not find the content of his classes to be too challenging. “Conceptually, it was just a lot more busy work, because I had twice as many deadlines or twice as much homework or reading to do,” he said. “But the content itself was not that much harder, so it more prepared me for college in the sense that everything I’ve done since community college has been much easier workload-wise.”

Although it was hard to see his classmates move on to different schools, Hertzler used this as motivation to succeed at community college. “I struggled seeing everyone around me get into schools that

they were really excited to get into,” he said. “However, it made me more ambitious and drove me to pursue two years [of classes] in one.”

Now, at UC Berkeley, Hertzler has settled in as a student on campus and found his place at the school.

Although it is more challenging to be immersed in the college community as a transfer student, Hertzler believes that it is doable with effort.

“I definitely had to make more of an effort coming in as a junior because a lot of people had already formed their groups and their cliques,” he said. “I was just outgoing and went to any opportunity I had to meet people and socialize, and I ended Photo courtesy of Marek Hertzler up doing completely fine.”

Hertzler’s biggest takeaway from his experience is that community college is a great opportunity for any student who wants to save money or is unsatisfied with their options for attending a four year university right out of high school. “You’re getting a head start on everybody,” he said. “You can take advantage of this and graduate a year early. You can also take a little extra time at your university and graduate as you normally would. There’s definitely a stigma around the whole community college track, but at the end of the day, you’re really only going to be showing your bachelor’s degree to jobs.”

Overall, Hertzler is satisfied with his path to higher education. “I’m having a great time and I don’t feel like I really missed out on anything,” he said. “If anything, I’m a year ahead and I’m anxious to get out into the real world to start working.”

—Written by Sophia Stern

Sophie Fan and Michelle Koo

14

Advertisement

How does charlie do it?

Earthwise Productions of Palo Alto (Mark Weiss) completed 25 shows between July 31 and Dec. 15 after a 14-month hiatus. Before the pandemic, Earthwise produced 10 shows in 2020. Weiss, a Gunn and Dartmouth graduate and former Editor-in-Chief of The Oracle, says he started Earthwise as a reaction against media and the proliferation of semiconductors and computers.

Top photo: Guitarist Charlie Hunter performs during a Dec. 3 show at Mitchell Park Community Center.

Middle photo: Drummer Scott Amendola (left) and guitarist Charlie Hunter (right) play in front of a live crowd on Dec. 3.

Bottom photo: Founder of Earthwise Productions Mark Weiss (left) poses with guitarist Charlie Hunter (right) after the Dec. 3 performance at the Mitchell Park Community Center. This show is one of the 25 shows Earthwise Productions produced between July 31 and Dec. 15.

15

Sports

Friday, February 4, 2022

U.S. Beijing Olympic boycott sparks debate among students, staff On Dec. 6 2021, White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced this statement about the Beijing Olympics: “The Biden administration will not send any diplomatic or official representation to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games.” This statement came at the heels of several human rights organizations’ calling for an Olympic boycott due to China’s ongoing genocide against ethnic groups, suppression of freedom in Hong Kong and repression of the Tibet people and culture.

President Biden’s decision was neither unexpected nor unprecedented: former President Jimmy Carter withdrew both American athletes and diplomats from attending the 1980 Moscow Olympics, and the Obama administration opted to only send lower-profile officials to the 2014 Sochi games due to political differences.

The United States’ boycott of the Beijing Olympics will be a blend of these past approaches: while athletes will still be allowed to participate, no American political officials will be in attendance.

Although the decision received bipartisan support, some, such as Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton, have called for a boycott on a larger scale. “The President has once again opted for a half measure when bold leadership was required,” Cotton said. “The U.S. should fully boycott the ‘genocide games’ in Beijing.”

On the other hand, Social Studies Instructional Lead Jeffrey Patrick holds concerns regarding the unintended consequences of a full boycott. “Given the nature of some sports, you only have one opportunity to participate in the Olympics,” he said. “I understand why politicians might be making this point, but I sympathize with the athletes.”

Meanwhile, U.S. allies such as Australia, Canada and the U.K. have also announced diplomatic boycotts.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach reiterated the organization’s system of political neutrality. “By not commenting on political issues, you’re not taking a side,” he said in a press conference.

“This is the mission of the IOC. Otherwise, we could not manage to accomplish the mission of the Games: to bring and unite the world.”

Amid continuing disputes, social studies teacher Laurel Howard noted the difficulty of predicting the effect of a Beijing 2022 boycott. “We don’t have a lot of data points on Olympic boycotts and their effectiveness, so it’s hard to tell what’s going to happen,” she said.

However, historical examples—the 1980 Olympics, for instance—can provide insight into the effect of boycotts. “In the 1980 Olympics, the boycotting countries were protesting an invasion of Afghanistan by the Soviet Union,” Howard said. “The Soviet Union did eventually crumble, but there were a lot of other factors. The fall only happened seven years later.”

According to U.S. Foreign Policy teacher Tara Firenzi, New Zealand’s rugby team toured South Africa before the 1976 Olympics despite the United Nations’ calls for a sporting embargo due to South Africa’s apartheid abuses.

While countries pressured the IOC to ban New Zealand from the 1976 Montreal Olympics, it refused to do so.

That year, 29 predominantly African nations did not attend the games. “On the issue of apartheid, it was good that the abuses in South Africa were taken seriously,” Firenzi said. “It forced the country into an isolated position in terms of its stance on its discrimination and deeply oppressive policies. There could have been more done beyond the boycott, but the Olympics were a strong message to send in the case of extreme wrongs.”

While previous boycotts have each carried unique political contexts, one trend that most agree upon is that Olympic protests carry more symbolism than impact. “If the goal is to draw more attention to this issue, I think it’s absolutely doing that,” Howard said. “If the intended effect is stopping China from carrying out a genocide, I’m not sure how far a symbol can go.”

Senior Neha Muthiah, the Editor-in-Chief of The

Chariot—Gunn’s social and political magazine—pointed to more meaningful actions that the United States could take. “The U.S. cannot influence China’s opinion, but our leaders can learn how to cooperate in matters requiring the cooperation of the world’s giants,” she said. “Messages like the boycott erode the possibility of cooperation without any projected improvement in China’s human rights abuses.”

Patrick even questions the morals behind the U.S. justifying their Olympic boycott. “The U.S. prison population as a percentage of its entire population is larger than that of any other country, including China’s,” Patrick said. “When you also look at the disproportionate racial makeup of our prison population, it’s hard to make the argument that it is color-blind. I think it’s disingenuous to protest other countries’ practices instead of reforming our own policies to serve as a model.”

Ultimately, one must place this Olympic boycott within its historical context to truly understand intent and ramifications. “Rather than addressing China’s human rights violations, the U.S. is more interested in trying to demonstrate to the world that we are stronger and more powerful than China,” Firenzi said. “The optics are extremely important at a moment where China is a genuine threat to the hegemony that the United States has enjoyed for the last few decades.”

Muthiah looks to what the Olympic boycott reveals about global relations. “Western countries conduct massive violations of human rights given that they directly or indirectly participate in wars,” she said. “There’s scrutiny in the analysis of China’s human rights positions not afforded to the western world. While China certainly has committed violations, we selectively ignore the wrongdoings of our allies.”

The Beijing Olympics will officially commence on Feb. 4, 2022.

—Written by Chris Lee

Sophie Fan

Faces in the Crowd: How do you enjoy the Olympics?

“I like to watch the Olympics with my family on our TV. We gather together to watch sports like snowboarding and skiing for the winter. Sometimes, if our favorite team or the U.S. wins, we eat pizza or soda.”

—Jessie Han (9)

“I don’t celebrate it a ton, but usually I watch highlight reels of the most impressive performances so that I’m up to date with the gold medals.”

—Maya Perkash (10)

“I celebrate the Olympics by watching them and spending time with family.

Any time the Olympics are on and we see our country [Spain], we say, ‘Let’s go!’ It’s a lot of calling and spending time with family and getting pumped over sports.”

“I watch the Olympics with my family, and we watch them every year [on] TV. I normally pay attention to gymnastics and volleyball.”

—Adrian Vahamaki (11)

—Valeria Sauma (12)

16

Sports

Yoochan An Sophomore Parker Vale jogs at the track on the football field as part of her offseason training. This, as well as her soccer team practices, is helping her to prepare for the next tennis season.

Athletes Continue Rigorous training Throughout offseason Whether it’s a few weeks or months, almost all athletes have an offseason: the time period where competition slows or there is no practice at all. Depending on the sport, offseason can look slightly different, especially for multi-sport athletes or those who play school and club sports with varying seasons of competition.

To remain in shape for the competition season during these breaks, athletes condition in a variety of ways, from going to the gym to working with private coaches.

For instance, soccer and tennis player sophomore Parker Vale has met with private coaches to improve her skills in her offseasons. “I used to see a trainer, and we did a lot of technical work to develop my ball skills,” she said. “We worked a lot on shooting, even though I’m a defender, and it was really good to build up my strength in my legs.”

“I stay motivated with my desire for success. After the last season, I was disappointed in how I failed to contribute to the [baseball] team because of an injury, and that motivated me to come back stronger.”

—Senior Simon Illouz

Beyond sport-specific technical work, general training also helps Vale stay in shape between seasons. “I also worked on my endurance,” Vale said. “I did a lot of running with [my trainer], and it just made me 100 times better as a player.”

Of course, refining technical skills isn’t the only path towards staying in shape. Senior Simon Illouz, who plays both club and school baseball, often goes to the gym to improve his general performance. “Weights have been most helpful because they help with gaining muscle,” he said. “I used to be a lot smaller than I am now, so the added weight and strength is important for my performance.”

Vale also finds it helpful to use the gym resources around her and informally train with other athletes. “I will go on bike rides and runs for my own training,” she said. “Sometimes, I go to the park and play with the ball.

Working with other people is a lot better. It’s a lot more motivating, and you get a lot more out of training.”

Junior Madeline Yeung, who plays water polo and swims, has found that resting and stretching during the

offseason is also important for athlete safety and performance. “I have to stretch out my legs so that they don’t

“I don’t really need to motivate myself. I really care about the sport, and it’s something that just brings me a lot of joy. Training outside of practice helps me enjoy the spirit of the sport further.”

—Sophomore Parker Vale

get stiff or cramp up,” she said. “Stretching prevents me from getting injuries.”

Sometimes, Illouz noted, taking a break from sports can improve one’s athletic abilities in the long run. After getting an injury during his baseball season and taking a break from the sport, he found the time off helpful. “After breaking for a few months during the summer and fall, I was able to rekindle the desire to play better,” he said.

Exercising for a sport without the drive of competition also requires motivation and a specific mindset. “I stay motivated with my desire for success,” Illouz said.

“After the last season, I was kind of disappointed in how I failed to contribute to the team because of an injury, and that motivated me to come back stronger.”

For Vale, she continues working on her performance because she loves playing soccer and tennis. “I don’t really need to motivate myself,” she said. “I really care about the sport, and it’s something that just brings me

“I have to stretch out my legs so that they don’t get stiff or cramp up. Stretching also prevents you from getting injuries.”

—Junior Madeline Yeung

sport you do just because you do it but rather something that you really enjoy.”

Overall, the rigor and frequency with which an athlete trains is a critical factor in whether an athlete pursues sports beyond high school. “I think offseason training is crucial,” Illouz said. “If you want to play in college after high school, it’s the difference between people that do make it and people who don’t.”

—Written by Haley Pflasterer

Offseason exercise tips for athletes 1. Go for a run.

Developing a running schedule is crucial to stay in shape. Create a doable plan that you know you’ll follow. Don’t push yourself too hard. Be sure to include sprints so you work on speed as well.

2. Hit the gym.

Keeping up workouts on your own time is a great way to maintain fitness during the offseason.

A training regimen with compound exercises and cardio-based workouts will help with both strength and weight training. Working out helps to improve performance for any sport.

3. Practice yoga.

Yoga helps athletes refine vital skills. Yoga improves endurance, focus, core strength and flexibility. Outside of staying fit for your sport, yoga can help prevent injuries and enhance recovery.

Diane Ichikawa offers free yoga sessions on Tuesdays from 4:30-5:30 in V-17.

4. Participate in a different sport. a lot of joy. Training outside of practice helps me enjoy the spirit of the sport further.”

Vale believes that training during the offseason is critical when competition does come around. “I think training is a great help for growing as a player because it helps you build and grow muscles,” she said. “You build muscle memory, and it makes soccer not seem like a

To stay in shape during the offseason, do a different sport. If you play a spring sport, try a winter sport. Excersing before your main season restarts will help you prepare and give you an extra push if you’re looking to be on varsity.

— Compiled by Safina Syed and Hila Livneh

17

Sports

Friday, February 4, 2022

Teams challenged to adapt to changing coaches In sports, coaches impact a team’s performance almost as much as the players themselves do. While coaching requires a lot of dedication and patience, it is an incredibly rewarding job. Unfortunately, in the last couple years, several teams at Gunn have had trouble keeping one coach continuously, switching to a new coach every couple years, which affects both team culture and performance.

Having a long-standing coach is critical to a team’s success since players get accustomed to a certain coaching style. The football team, for instance, has been coached by social studies teacher Jason Miller since 2018. Offensive lineman junior Otis Murray explained how Coach Miller’s attitude positively impacts the team.

“Having the same coach for a long period of time allows that coach to instill their values and expectations into the players,” he said. “This translates into us winning on the field.”

Senior Alanna Lee, co-captain of the girls golf team, expressed similar sentiments about her coach, math teacher Chris Redfield. Redfield has been coaching the girls golf team since 2011 and was recently named the 2021 Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL) Coach of the Year. “He definitely brings a lot of integrity to the team,” she said. “It’s nice to have a coach you can rely on because during competition, you get nervous. Having a coach that you understand is comforting and makes you the best player you can be.”

While the football and girls golf teams have had luck with continuous coaches, due to COVID-19, other teams have not. The cross country and track teams’ former head coach, for instance, left in 2020 due to the pandemic. With a new head coach, many of the returning athletes have had to adjust to the new practice structure, principles and culture. However, teams are adapting quickly according to senior Gal Rivlin, a runner on the cross country team.“We used to be much looser with the old coach, [but] the new coach has been more strict,” he said. “He wants us to [practice] in groups, so we did have to adjust, especially with how we act. I’m pretty okay with the new coach and how he coaches us, so I’d say that [the new coach] is a positive.”

Another team that has been hindered from the lack of coach continuity is the varsity girls basketball team,

which lost two coaches last year. The head coach left in the middle of the 2021 season, and the assistant coach left near the beginning of the 2022 season. Because of this sudden vacancy, the team has received yet another new coach. Center junior Zara Wang explained the uncertainty and variability that the changing of coaches brings to the team. “With every coach, they put emphasis on different parts of the game and they have different plays,” she said. “For example, our current coach focuses a lot more on plays than our previous coaches.”

Despite the lack of consistency, the varsity girls basketball team has done their best to persevere through the hardships. “I think we’ve gotten closer [as a team] as the seasons have gone by,” Wang said. “[Team] cohesiveness has helped us adapt with each coaching change because we’re all going through it together.”

The cheer team has also received a new head coach and secondary coach. The change in coaching has brought changes to the team. Co-captain senior Lucia Acosta explained the change in attitude and environment. “Our [new] coach was a student at Gunn and also did cheer in college, while our old coach didn’t,” she said. “Our new coach takes it a lot more seriously and has different ideas and stunts.”

Acosta reflects on the adjustment period for the team. “You have to get used to it and get close with the coach,” she said. “This year has been pretty nice because [our coach] is young and we all get along nicely.”

Unlike the track and girls basketball teams, the new cheer coach took some extra steps before the season to streamline the shift in coaching and minimize the impact on team performance. “For the last couple of months when our old coach was here, the new coach started coming just to see her method of coaching and her philosophies,” Acosta said. “Overall, it hasn’t changed that much [except for] the difference in ages and experience.”

—Written by Kenneth Soh

Photos courtesy of Tiana Sweat and Sunny Jefferson Top: The cheer team poses for a photo before the varsity basketball teams game against Cupertino High School on Jan. 25.

Bottom: The girls varsity basketball team lines up for a team photo with their new coach, in Titan Gym before their game against San Mateo on Dec. 7.

18

Lifestyle

four-day weekends offer time for rest, exploration Have a bake-off The Cooking competitions in “Master Chef,” “The Great British Bake Off” or “Chopped” do not have to just be on television—they can take place in your home kitchen. Put on your white apron and chef’s hat to have a bake off with friends or family. You have one hour to make your favorite entree. What dish will you serve to the judge? Are you going to play it safe and cook your signature dish, or are you going to venture out of your comfort zone and try something new? The stakes are high. Who will be eliminated this round? Fire up the grill, sharpen the knives and turn on the heat. Bon appétit!

plan a Game Night Some of the best memories with your friends and family come from a meal or when everyone is getting along. During game night, however, the atmosphere changes. Your friends turn into foes, poker faces turn on and the drinks are set down: game on! The first competition erupts immediately—choosing the game you’ll be playing. Your friend reaches to play Monopoly, while you lunge for Settlers of Catan. Once that is settled, a fight ensues for your favorite game piece.

Will you pick the car, the dog or the Monopoly man? Once the competition is over, noncompetitive life can resume. Are you in for another game?

Go Stargazing

Admire some Art

Sometimes, it’s easy to forget the beauty that lies above our heads.

When stargazing, the only thing you have to do is look up. Grab some warm blankets, pillows and friends or family members to sit back, relax and snuggle with. In just one night, you can escape reality and be whisked into the constellations, star clusters and other celestial bodies such as the moon. Often, the best place to view the stars is in your backyard. Take a deep breath, enjoy the beauty of nature and appreciate the quiet moment.

Can you see the Big Dipper? Wait… was that a shooting star that passed by? The night sky awaits you.

On the weekends, escape into art and unleash your creative side by attending an art exhibit. Qualia Contemporary Art and the Pamela Walsh Gallery are two examples of local museums located in downtown Palo Alto.

The Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts at Stanford is also available to visit in person or online. Art exhibits invite you to escape into art and view artists’ memories, emotions and experiences. Each artwork has a unique story and can be interpreted in a multitude of ways. What does your creative instinct say?

—Compiled by Madison Yue

Michelle Koo

Local galleries showcase classical, modern art

Top: A man gazes at paintings being displayed at the Anderson Collection in Stanford.

Middle: “ The American Library” by Yinka Shonibare stands within the Cantor Center.

B o t t o m : Tw o o i l p a i n t i n g s b y A n d r e w Faulkner hang in the Pamela Walsh Gallery.

A perfect activity for a long weekend or a Sunday afternoon is spending a few hours visiting one of Palo Alto’s local art galleries or museums.

Whether you are in the mood for renowned, classical oil paintings or modern and contemporary art, local galleries do not disappoint.

Qualia Contemporary Art, located in downtown Palo Alto, is a great spot to visit. The gallery, which opened their doors last year, contains a wide center space filled with bigger collections, such as “Hear the Stars” by Nathan Randall Green.

This exhibition has seven paintings and features bright abstract colors aimed to inspire and convey the beauty of the nebula. The exhibition features Green’s works with paper pulp and acrylic paint mixed in to create depth and texture. The gallery has another room in the back that features smaller pieces created by local artists. Qualia Contemporary Art, living up to its name, showcases a mix of vivid, colorful and contemporary modern art.

Another galler y downtown is the Pamela Walsh Gallery, which features a variety of classical and contemporary paintings by local artists. They are set to feature the exhibit “Bay Light” by Andrew Faulkner starting Feb. 5. Faulkner, an awardwinning artist, works mostly with oil and acrylic paints, and his upcoming exhibit explores the different lighting within local Bay Area buildings.

One of the most famous art museums in the area, the Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts at Stanford, recently reopened its doors to 100% indoor capacity, but only if you make a reservation. Founded in 1891

by Jane and Leland Stanford, the museum contains many pieces of later European and early American art, including the statue “The Thinker”

created by French artist Auguste Rodin in the early 19th century. The museum also exhibits modern works of art like “The American Library’’ created by Yinka Shonibare, which consists of 6,000 books wrapped in Dutch wax-print fabric and embossed with the names of immigrants who have made a significant impact on American culture. This exhibit will be on display at the Cantor until June 4, 2023.

The Cantor’s neighboring museum at Stanford is the Anderson Collection: a museum of modern and contemporary art. Currently, Sam Richardson’s “Islands, Ice, and Sand,” a set of polyester resin sculptures created in the late 1970s, is exhibited. Richardson’s work of geological features comes from a time of environmental change. This exhibition will be displayed until March 13. The Anderson is open Wednesday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. with free ticket reservations.

—Written by Katie LaWer

Check out these Palo Alto and Stanford galleries: Qualia Contemporary Art 328 University Ave, Palo Alto.

Pamela Walsh Gallery 540 Ramona St, Palo Alto.

The Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts 328 Lomita Dr, Stanford.

Anderson Collection at Stanford University 314 Lomita Dr, Stanford.

Top: “Hear the Stars” by Nathan Randall Green is displayed at Qualia Contemporary Art. Middle: Auguste Rodin’s “The Thinker” sits on a raised pedestal in Cantor Arts.

Bottom: Two photographs by Tigran Tsitoghdzyan hang at the Pamela Walsh Gallery.

Photos by Katie LaWer and graphics by Jessica Wang

19

Lifestyle

Friday, February 4, 2022

Romantic comedies to make your Valentine’s Day special “When Harry Met Sally” tackles the question of whether men and women can be “just friends.” Although the actual answer to the question is subjective, this movie paints a sweet picture of a friendship that gradually turns into something more. The New Year’s kiss at the end of this movie is heartwarming and makes the film a great watch for anyone looking for a fluffy film to lift their spirits.

“Love Actually” never gets old. Every year when the holiday season rolls around, it plays on almost every network channel on TV, and it’s a tradition to watch it at least once. What makes “Love Actually” such a great rom-com is that it’s enjoyable all year round, as it radiates comfort and includes a silent confession of love. With an incredible ensemble that features Keira Knightley, Emma Thompson and Hugh Grant, “Love Actually” is a love story for everyone.

“To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before” should be considered one of the best Netflix rom-com movies of all time. The film’s protagonist, Lara Jean Song Covey, is a loveable, hopeless romantic, and love interest Peter Kavinsky is a dream boyfriend. This movie utilizes the “fake dating” premise, leaving viewers rooting for Peter and Lara Jean from the moment her letters are mailed to the moment of their first (fake) kiss on the high school track.

Some of the best rom-coms come from Shakespeare plays, and “10 Things I Hate About You” is no exception. Based on the play “The Taming of The Shrew,” “10 Things I Hate About You” features iconic standout scenes including a charismatic Heath Ledger, who plays Patrick, singing on a soccer field and main character Kat Stratford reading a dramatic poem at the movie’s end. The enemies-to-lovers genre is at its peak with Kat and Patrick, and no one can resist the happy ending.

—Compiled by Sophia Stern

Graphics by Mihika Sane

Valentine’s Day Crossword A

1 3

2

2. Openly affectionate couple

4

5. Arrangement of flowers 6. Day before Valentine’s spent celebrating female friendships

5

8. Cupid’s weapon of choice 6

10. “Wow, I can’t believe you got out of the __ zone!”

7

12. A gift that glitters; bling 8

9

1. Kisses and hugs 10

11

3. “Be mine” on candies 4. When you “like like” someone 7. Love in a romance language 9. Think candlelit dinners, soft music 11. Chocolates, or a brand of soap

12 Sophie Fan

Unscramble the marked letters!

—Compiled by Hila Livneh

Finished? Stop by room P-115 during 5th period the week of Feb. 7 with the completed crossword puzzle for Valentine’s-themed candy!

Lifestyle 20 lunar new year brings time for family, traditions Feb. 1. marked the ending of the 4719th Lunar Year and the beginning of the Year of the Tiger in the Chinese Zodiac. While many students may be unfamiliar with the zodiac “The signs, each symbol holds signifiLunar cance in the celNew Year ebration of Lunar grants an New Year. The order of the zodiacs in the Luopportunity to nar Calendar is based on “ try new things The Great Race”: a mythical and put the past race of all animals held by the Junior Joseph Xu plans to celebrate the Lunar New Year with his Jade Emperor, the Heavenly behind you.” extended family. “For our Lunar New Year celebration, we will have Grandfather who ruled Heaven a large dinner,” Xu said. “Our grandparents will also be coming over, and Earth. In “The Great Race,” the Jade Emperor declared that the and all our family members are going to make dinner [together]. I —Junior Jonathan first 12 animals to cross the finish line would be forever immortalized will focus on making the noodles.”

Xu and named as the Chinese Zodiac symbols. The tiger came in third Xu will also follow many of the traditions that have been in place place out of the 12 animals, narrowly beaten by the Rat and the Ox, for centuries. “We will also wear red as it symbolizes fortune, and hang therefore earning a spot in the zodiac. In Chinese culture, the tiger red signs of ‘fu’ upside down around the house,” he said. “Fu is upside symbolizes fear, aggression, power, versatility and courage. down because it is a play on the Chinese word ‘Dao,’ meaning ‘Fortune is

student celebrations

History of lunar new year Lunar New Year has been celebrated for over 4000 years in China. The tradition spread to the Bay Area during the Gold Rush, which brought an influx of Chinese immigrants who were seeking work in America. The earliest recorded celebration of Lunar New Year in San Francisco—called “The Great Feast”—took place in 1851, according to Open San Francisco History. The Great Feast was all-inclusive, and welcomed other races, who found themselves immersed in the celestial parade and hospitality. These parades were recorded in Palo Alto dating back to the 1980s, when the Asian community accounted for 6.1% of the population, according to the Bay Area Census of Palo Alto.

Today, Lunar New Year is often celebrated with family and friends. In addition, many families light fireworks before dinner. The act of lighting fireworks before dinner stems from a Chinese legend about a monster named Nian who would wreak havoc on villagers on Lunar New Year. In order to ward off Nian, people light fireworks.

Lunar New Year is also celebrated in Korean culture, where it is known as Seollal.

Traditionally, Seollal is a time for families to pay respect to their ancestors. Usually, people return to their hometowns, perform ancestral rites, play folk games and make and eat traditional Korean food such as “tteokguk,” a rice cake soup.

here.’” These red signs are a common sight: they are usually red, diamondshaped paper with an upside down Chinese character of fortune.

The festivities do not end with dinner. “Our family will gather, watch a recording of the festival in China on TV, and exchange red envelopes [full] of money,” Xu said. Red envelopes are a tradition in most houses, though many families now send them online through social media such as WeChat.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, some families have been unable to celebrate Lunar New Year together. Senior Clarine Kim recounts how her family has had to change their plans for the holiday. “Usually our family would reconvene in a big reunion type of thing and eat traditional Korean food,” she said. “However, I’ve been quite busy this year and, because of COVID-19 restrictions, we are all stuck in our respective countries.”

Despite being thousands of years old, Lunar New Year is still celebrated by millions of people today. By celebrating the holiday, people are able to embrace their culture and spend cherished time with loved ones. The holiday also allows people to start anew. “The New Year grants an opportunity to try new things and put the past behind you,” Xu said.

—Written by Paul Garofolo

Chinyoung Shao

faces in the crowd: how do you celebrate lunar new year?

Sophie Fan

“My family and I sit together and we exchange red packets and eat dumplings.

There is also a traditional Chinese TV show that we watch together.”

—Melody Lyu, 9

“My family eats “tteokguk”—sliced rice cake soup—every Lunar Year, wishing that we have a healthy and long-lasting life in the future. We also call our other family relatives to wish them good luck.”

“My parents give my sister and me red packets. We also eat dumplings, which my mom makes by hand from scratch, and “tangyuan”, which are sticky rice balls with flavored stuffing like red bean or matcha.”

“We visit my cousins’ house and have a big Chinese New Year meal with family. Our parents also give us red packets.”

—Brandon Yea, 10

—Amelia Yu, 11

—Nathan Bao, 12 —Compiled by Michelle Koo